2022-01-20: It Came From The Deep
- Log: It Came From The Deep
- Cast: Soji Murakumo, Madrigal, Shinji Ikari, Sanary Rondel, Eight York, Carina Cameron, Hazard Chevalier, Nidaime, Roux Louka
- Where: Nouvelle Tokyo - Waters Nearby
- Date: January 20, 2022
- Summary: Something's stirring on the coast of Nouvelle Tokyo. When a kaiju emerges from the sea, all hands are on deck for damage control and evacuation. It's up to first responders to repel or destroy the monster!
<Pose Tracker> Soji Murakumo has posed.
EARLIER TODAY:
In the aftermath of last night's 'Oath Over Omega' incident, the Special Vehicles Unit Division 1 has been on high alert, with Special Vehicles Unit Division 2 focused on clean-up and menial mecha labor, with, you know, their Labors.
Another attack could happen at any moment.
It's January, so not many people are at the beach, but there's a few boats out on the water. Rumbling under the sea is reported first, and then a claw sending a speedboat skidding back to shore in ruins is reported second.
Special Vehicle Units Division 2 is not sent in. Division 1 is, because they're the best, right? "We've got this, everyone! Let's take out the menace!" Their ace pilot says. They get a hoorah, and the Labors sortie.
NOW:
Multiple older-gen Patlabors lie damaged on the coast of Nouvelle Tokyo, with several calling for backup. SVU Division 2 won't make it in time - they're too far in-land.
The threat is clear at this point. A beast has risen partly out of the water, scaly with a short blunt horn on its head, electricity surging off its body. A long tail pokes briefly out of the water, and the sharp claw's effects have already been seen.
NERV has been contacted, but it's all over the news. Anyone could hear the cries and make it in time, or see the chaos in the city.
The monster's approach, if allowed to continue, will be directly towards the city. Mapping technology marks it as towards the park that was immolated last night.
Right now, it is still in the depths. Hopefully, it doesn't reach shallows soon.
<Pose Tracker> Madrigal has posed.
Labriel and Madrigal sortie from the call to assist, wings glittering and skimming towards the battlefront at speed. Madrigal, still a bit sleep-deprived due to personal issues, looks surprisingly chipper nonetheless. If one were to listen in on her in the cockpit, they would soon learn the why...
"When in doubt, beat something up to clear your mind, right Labriel! And a giant monster sounds just about perfect for that tonight!"
Yes, the Masked Musician is troubled and confused, but thankful that someone has presented her with her favorite method of dealing with frustration!
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
"I can't believe." Shinji Ikari says, "They're making me fix the damages."
Misato had been...unhappy when hearing about his joyriding, having immediately seen through Shinji's flimsy story about doing some training on his own time. She'd never yelled at him like that before. It was a little annoying, being shouted at like he was some punk kid, and then she cried a little when she saw the burns and.
Shinji frowns, a bandage wrapped around his head, as a giant robot is used to whitewash a wall. He doesn't know how he feels, but it's frustrating.
Thank God, he thinks, aliens. He just got the visual data from the defeat of the Patlabor squad. "Is that."
"Is that Nessie?!" Shinji says, as he takes 'his' Ichinana over to investigate. He's mostly intending to pull cops out of the ground, at this point.
<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed.
Sanary's sleep had been a strangely restful one, following the events of last night. Although she didn't necessarily fall asleep intentionally at the time, she did manage to remain soundly unconscious throughout the night and most of the morning, helping her to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Thus, she's been hard at work today, not letting a few things like head injuries stop her from doing her best at fixing up the damage from the night before. As luck would have it, she just so happens to be deployed in a new construction cone orange Ichinana (since the last one still needs an arm replaced) when another alert goes out about a kaiju out at sea. With Division called in to handle it, however, and on the advice of her doctor, she keeps her nose out of it!
... Until Division 1 gets wiped out, and NERV gets the call for aid. There's still time to fall back, though, as long as the beast's attention isn't drawn her way, and it's not as though she'd fare much better today than she did yesterday, right? It'd only make sense to fall back while the real heroes deal with it.
And yet, she can't bring herself to leave. Division 2's too far away to help, and how much damage could be done to the city before it shows up? Sanary grits her teeth as her bandaged hands maintain a white-knuckled grip on her controls, her survival instincts at war with her heart as she sees that electric monster coming closer towards the city. It's a good thing her speakers aren't on, because her breathing is closer to hyperventilating at this point, and it only gets worse as the kaiju keeps coming.
Eventually, she snaps. She pushes her Ichinana towards the coastline, and she starts shouting through her speakers to anyone that'll listen over the sound of whatever alarms may already be going off in the city. <<"Evacuate the area, folks! We're gonna take care of this, but we need all civilians to get back! Then... Then...!">>
She can feel her voice shaking, but a quick sip of water and a moment to fix the headband hiding another bandage on her head helps her keep it together just long enough to sound confident again. <<"You're in good hands with NERV! Just make sure you stay out of the way and don't push!">>
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
The Ra Mari is also in nearby airspace enough, having come to pick up one of its pilots and assist with repair and relief efforts in the wake of the incident. Eight York figured this would be an opportunity for her to go over the data they gathered and try to learn some more...
But in the wake of calls for backup, with the Ra Mari's pilots not all ready to go, she has a decision to make--and she makes it. She is cleared for mobile suit piloting, and they need pilots, so.... She went along with Hazard in a mobile suit of her own.
EARLIER:
Eight York looks up at the MSA-003 Nemo standing before her in the hangar, and remembers. She remembers that she hasn't been in a mobile suit since basic training, except to ride along periodically for whatever reason. And she remembers...
Long ago, she remembers fighting mobile suits just like this one.
Eight starts up for the cockpit.
NOW:
Eight's Nemo is green-and-blue, and in pretty good condition; it dates back to the AEUG, but has been kept up in regular maintenance. Eight works the controls from within, still in her Londo Bell captain's uniform, and eyes the displays as she deploys out into the city, towards the wreckage. The Nemo doesn't glitter, but its jets help it clear the beach and start for the water, heading towards the beast with electricity surging towards its body. The radio crackles with her calm voice, "Captain York of Londo Bell, reporting for backup. The Ra Mari is nearby for relief efforts, but can't get close enough to engage the target."
With that, her mobile suit hefts up its beam rifle and Eight takes careful aim, hitting the next switches. "Finding solution... Firing!"
A beam-blast bursts forth from the black barrel, and Eight moves in closer.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
Sometimes, help comes from unexpected sources.
An angular metal shape comes slashing through a low cloud deck. Normally, the nearly prismatically-shaped Northampton-class cruisers are restricted to orbital combat. This one, however, is plotting a steady descent into the lower levels of the atmosphere - and a remarkably controlled one. The closer she gets, the more the name stamped on the hull can be made out.
HMS HAVANT
F F M - 1 0 3 2
"Hostile target is just offshore," reports a dark-haired young man at a forward bridge station before looking back towards the command deck. As he does so, a subtle vibration shudders through the vessel. "Captain, we're about to pass our altitude floor."
"Steady as she goes, Mr. Vieira." With a sharp click of a heel on the deck, the captain moves forward to stand between the two forward crew chairs. She draws herself up and touches the bridge of her glasses with delicate fingers, moving a thumb to brush a lock of hair away from her cheek.
"Just like Fortaleza," Carina Cameron encourages with a cool, assured smile. "Nice and easy down to one thousand feet."
The massive thrusters banked behind the angular forward hull flicker and pulse, smaller guidance thrusters along her underside thrumming to life as the Havant steadies her descent. The ship shouldn't be able to operate at altitudes this low - yet she's managing expertly. Her course is bringing her down to a hover over open water, far lower than seems safe. As she nears the bottom of her trajectory, thruster wake blooming from the ship's trailing spine billows across the water's surface, kicking up wavelets.
Carina moves across the deck and folds her arms, considering a moment. "That thing's heading inland," she finally muses. "Let's see if we can tie it up before it reaches populated areas." She sweeps her arm out, then raises her voice to a crisp shout.
"Rolls Unit One, launch now!"
A bay door banked into the Havant's ventral hull splits and slides open to reveal a disguised hangar bay. With a burst of thrust, variable fighters erupt forth. Four of them emerge one at a time, a few more beginning to follow. They're VF-171 variable fighter-bombers in low-visibility markings - but the roundel of the Britannian Union can be made out.
As the Havant looms at a distance and at altitude, the four lead fighters come slashing towards the massive kaiju. They sweep up and overhead, releasing bombs from wing hardpoints. Explosives plummet down around the gigantic monster, ready to fill its world with fire and shrapnel.
KTS: Carina Cameron targets Soji Murakumo with Air Wing Ranged Tactics!
<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.
He doesn't know how to feel about it.
Hazard had thought, over and over, that he'd prepared for this day. That he'd prepared for the day when he'd have to fight something so uncomfortably close to himself. Maybe it wasn't a Dinosaur Empire Mechasaur - maybe it was some unrelated kaiju, something natural-born from the deepest depths of the ocean, or maybe it was some other underground empire's demon slumped forth to do its master's bidding.
But it didn't matter, did it? This reptilian creature lurching forth onto the shore was just like him. Bigger, maybe. Stranger. Made in different form and for different purpose. But it was something that knew how to destroy. Something bred to destroy.
He takes a deep breath. And yet, he was a Mechasaur - though divided between two bodies he was still in the end a kaiju. And it has always been truth - the most efficient way to destroy a monster is to release another monster.
Tyrant Gundam stands in the hangar of the Ra Mari. It is big, hulking even, larger than most of the Mobile Suits present by a fair chunk. A final breath, and the cockpit opens on its own, and Hazard steps inside. The cockpit door seals.
Integration.
It was only a slight lie that he told, the other day, when he told the crew of the Ra Mari that Tyrant Gundam would kill someone with its Mobile Trace System. True, Tyrant Gundam would kill someone attempting to mess with its innards. But it's very hard to kill someone with a system that doesn't exist.
There are no messy wires, no strange spandex suit. No cockpit block appears to give Hazard manual controls. Instead it's nerves - axons bound together in tight cables of flesh that dig into his back. As the Gundam powers up the electrical signals race along Hazard's body. His senses expand. Briefly he is blinded, and then, moments later, he sees as Tyrant Gundam does, looking down at Eight's departing machine. Fingers flex as tactile impulses merge with musculature. A flood of information runs in from the Tyrant Gundam's own brain as the final integration ends.
Tyrant Gundam turns and stomps out the Ra Mari, hunched forward, arms spread like a sumo wrestler behind Eight's Nemo.
But unlike Eight, Tyrant Gundam does not fall with jets.
It stops at the edge of the Ra Mari. It is a Kaiju. There is another Kaiju. It must do what comes naturally. Hazard must do what comes naturally.
The roar shakes the Ra Mari. It is a challenge. A call-out. A statement of power. I AM HERE. YOU ARE HERE. WE WILL FIGHT.
And then the Tyrant Gundam launches itself off the Ra Mari, goes soaring over the Nemo, and lands in the water with a titanic splash, leaping its way down to its enemy.
<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.
Nidaime is a young homeless girl who kind of smells and has bad breath and has definitely not washed her face in a while. She is equipped with rollup backpack and a shopping cart. The shopping cart has a shopping bag inside of it. It is filled to the brim with LOOSE CHANGE.
She is listening to some kind of ipod. SOMEONE spent her money on an ipod instead of getting a GOOD JOB it seems. Nevertheless, she is walking a fair distance from the incoming battlefield.
"Here...?" She asks either the universe or maybe the metaphysical concept of her ipod.
She walks a bit further, closer towards the park. "Here...?"
A bit more...
"Here." She says.
Meanwhile in the water...
A very big turtle, ALSO in the water, attempts to ram into the underwater monster to try and force it up and into the open. It's sort of spinning around like a Koopa Shell that was kicked by a Mario Brother.
The turtle is not particularly a subtle presence either. It also doesn't say anything besides make turtle noises.
Nidaime adjusts the volume dial on her ipod.
KTS: Hazard Chevalier has activated the Assail Spirit Command.
KTS: Hazard Chevalier targets Soji Murakumo with Pounce!
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
Shinji realizes time is a finite thing and fires a quick burst of supporting fire at the gila-monster. "S-sorry Nessie!"
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
"I haven't even set foot on Earth and I'm already deploying," muses someone who has been to Earth exactly once in her entire life so far. "I suppose that's what I signed up for, though. Let's see, everything's loading, the mod order... hm... ah, there we are."
Comms flick on. It sounds worrisome. The pilot of the machine frowns. "Captain! I'm in the catapult! Roux Louka,"
THWIISSHHH -- the machine is hurled forwards, already leaning forwards from its humanoid form as mechanical components fluidly slide and click together, so that before it even clears the deck of the Ra Mari, it has formed an aeroframe. As powerful thrusters ignite, the Z-II takes to the air!
"On the scene!"
...doop doop doop...
"Captain," Roux says. She raises a hand as if to gesture through the view on her cockpit. "... I heard it was a big organism, right? Which one is it?"
"That's just lightening the mood!" continues Roux, who pulls into some kind of backwards Immelmann-turn, gaining altitude from behind the Tyrant and Nemo in a steep rise, then another fillip of a twist to invert the Waverider and fire several streaks of sizzling-hot megaparticle weaponry downwards.
"Are we going to do more than annoy it if it has that much of its body still in the water?" Roux continues.
<Pose Tracker> Soji Murakumo has posed.
As multiple people start moving in on and attacking the aquatic monster, it gets staggered.
Others begin engaging. The Nemo's beam rifle is responded by the kaiju charging forward to get into melee range, and trying to rake the electrified horn against it, even as the beam impacts with the kaiju's chest, Eight York's shot finding its mark and causing smoke to emerge, followed by Roux's own beam shot.
Nidaime and Carina both attack, with GIANT TURTLE POWER and EXPLOSIVES DROPPED FROM UNITS. The creature, smaller than a kaiju should be, suddenly goes *down*. The explosives hit the water, detonating without hitting it, while the squish is narrowly avoided. When it moves to resubmerge, however...
It gets pounced. It rushes into the pounce, however, as it takes that electrified horn and moves to jam it into the Tyrant Gundam.
As Shinji's Ichinana attacks with bullets, it swats its tail into the air, knocking them aside with wind pressure. The other Ichinana, meanwhile, gets a tsk from the captain of Division 1, but supportive cries from the other cops, who are being aided in recovery by Shinji. They are no longer in Danger.
But the others are. That tail whips up, as Carina's bombing squad is suddenly in danger of getting whacked with a heavy assault, while Giant Turtle Dad is charged with aggressive claw motions. Shinji and Sanary are ignored, because the Kaiju cannot move with all the melee pressure. Madrigal, on the other hand, being a disadvantage on its sights, is also tail whipped, trying to bat her aside, followed by a tail strike to Roux!
KTS: Soji Murakumo targets Eight York with Electroshock Hit!
KTS: Soji Murakumo targets Hazard Chevalier with Electroshock Hit!
KTS: Soji Murakumo targets Carina Cameron with Monster Assault!
KTS: Soji Murakumo targets Madrigal with Monster Hit!
KTS: Soji Murakumo targets Nidaime with Monster Slap!
KTS: Soji Murakumo targets Roux Louka with Monster Hit!
KTS: Soji Murakumo targets Sanary Rondel with Pass!
KTS: Soji Murakumo targets Shinji Ikari with Pass!
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
<poem>
"We've got several friendlies coming into comms range," a bridge office reports from a lower tier of the Havant's bridge. Panels across the exterior window light up, magnifying and streaming transponder data on the closest units - Eight's Nemo in particular.
Hands on the arches of her hips, Carina frowns, biting down to her lower lip. "I wonder who that is."
As the monstrous creature lashes out, the four VF-171s bank away, sweeping just out of range of the engagement. The trailing variable fighter evades disaster by mere metres. The arc of an enormous tail lashes by the low-flying fighter-bomber, but the pilot is just barely able to tumble away, unfold into GERWALK mode and skim towards shore before reforming into aircraft form to form up with the bomber unit again.
"That looks like a Gundam coming into weapons range on it," reports a lean, blond-haired officer at the main gunnery station. "I'm not sure we can hit it from here cleanly. There are too many friendlies at close range."
"Rolls One, back 'em off," is Carina's response, not to the gunner but through the comline. "Tactical, lidar overlay on screen."
The Havant's viewscreen is suddenly illuminated in a flash of blue. The sensor dome on the ship's underside pulses subtly, bursts of low-energy light flickering from scanner arrays hidden behind the exterior facing. With each pulse, the image of the kaiju on screen grows larger, and illuminated white circles and bars of text pop to life, indicators jabbing out various areas of the giant creature.
"What's your read on it, Mr. Stockton," Carina asks with a cant back towards the tactical station.
Lieutenant Philemon Stockton squints at the screen a moment. "It's much more mobile than it looks. I'm not sure it's consistent with the usual class associated with engagements in this region. We may need to investigate more."
"So it would seem." Carina moves across the upper deck and flicks a hand, snapping her fingers sharply.
"Establish a comlink to all friendlies in range."
As the Havant's fighter wing banks off, the big ship continues to loom. There's no gunfire from the ship - not with so many people at close range. But everyone in the fight will find a communications channel coming online.
"All units," comes a clear, strong voice. "This is Captain Cameron of the Union ship Havant. Prepare to receive live telemetry updates. Flight deck is available if you need it."
Data begins to stream through - picking out perceived vulnerabilities for the more mobile combatants...!
Carina_Cameron Attacks Sanary Rondel, Eight York, Hazard Chevalier, Madrigal, Nidaime, and Roux Louka with Awe
<Pose Tracker> Madrigal has posed.
Labriel is hammered with the kaiju tail, though not hard enough to do too much damage. Her flight abilities stabilize swiftly, and Madrigal shakes herself out of her funk now that she's got More Important Things To Focus On. Smiling faintly to herself, she murmurs, "Okay, THIS I know how to handle. Come on, Labriel, let's give everyone a show!"
Once more, ghostly energy wings deploy from the crystalline ones on Labriel's back. This one is not a lyrical show, however, as Madrigal instead reaches for a complex secondary control scheme, which slaves into the first as the music begins to play!
BGM: https://youtu.be/LR4ItRQwmYM
KTS: Carina Cameron inspires awe, increasing Sanary Rondel's Morale!
KTS: Carina Cameron inspires awe, increasing Madrigal's Morale!
<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed.
And then there were three. There's certainly more non-kaiju than there are kaiju, but the fact that there's three of them takes quite a bit of the fire Sanary had pushing her forward earlier. Except...
Two of them are attacking that first one, too. She's not quite sure how to react to this sight, but it's still slightly more reassuring than what she expecting from her first impressions. Finishing off her first bottle and tossing it into a bag at the side of her cockpit, she urges the Ichinana forward as the battle begins in the sea. Before she heads into the water, though...
<<"We've got it taken care of, everyone! Just... Don't hang out on the beach! We'll need the space to park once our work's done. Feel free to get some meals prepped when we return instead!">> She's playing it up for the crowd again, going as far as having the Ichinana flex once before she realizes there's another Ichinana on the field.
Once again, she doesn't realize it's Shinji in there. <<"Good thinking, pilot. Let's get this... Uh.">> There's even more mecha out at sea, and then the orange machine starts running for the water before taking to the sky. <<"Let's show everyone what we can do even with mass produced machines! And if we do good enough, we might even get some bonuses!">>
She's getting marginally better at hiding the worry and playing up that confidence.
With the aquatic kaiju preoccupied with her other allies, Sanary looks for clear angles to approach the beast while keeping her mecha's machine gun raised and ready to fire. Her patience doesn't last long, however, as trying to be careful not to hit those engaged with the beast in melee proves to be trickier than she'd like in the water.
Clearly, the best solution is to get in there herself. Instead of firing into center mass, the Ichinana moves closer as she finds a clear-ish looking angle of attack. As she moves, she hears another voice coming in through her open channels.
<<"Sanary Rondel, construction team lead with NERV. I'll see what I can do with this!">> Indeed, she actually takes a moment to look over that data, and then the bright orange Ichinana shifts directions abruptly. Instead of just charging at that open space she saw earlier, she instead circles around to start firing a focused volley from her machine gun into one of those indicated points on the aquatic kaiju that isn't a giant turtle. <<"Don't let up! We can't let it get to shore!">>
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
"The one crackling with electricity," Eight confirms with Roux. "Diving in and out of the water. The Tyrant and I think the turtle are ours, since it's attacking the target."
She gets about this much out before the kaiju comes after her, and Eight has to react faster than she's sure she can. Drawing out a beam saber as the monster approaches, the Nemo brings it crackling down at the horn, which shocks through the saber, though Eight can hope she defrayed the attack a little bit--but wait. Did she see...?
"Good question," Eight answers Roux next about the monster being in the water. "But I don't want to let it get closer to the city if we can help it!"
Pause. Over the radio again, "There's some kind of serial number on that horn--if you can get close, look for more details!"
But then she gets something else over her radio. Captain Cameron...
"Appreciated, Captain Cameron. Captain York here, of the Ra Mari. Accepting telemetry updates."
An ally's an ally for the moment; Eight takes advantage of the information, and calls to Sanary, "Right--we won't let it get through!"
Eight hefts the Beam Rifle again, the Saber in the Nemo's off-hand, and takes careful aim now that she's close enough to see--near the horn. "Firing!"
Another focused blast erupts forward, as the Nemo stows the Beam Rifle in favor of its beam sabers.
KTS: Eight York has activated the Attune Spirit Command.
KTS: Eight York targets Soji Murakumo with GM Rifle Focused Shot!
KTS: Soji Murakumo rushes into the attack!
KTS: Soji Murakumo fails to react to Sanary Rondel's Ichinana MG Full Barrage, taking 5980 damage!
KTS: [Lucky]Soji Murakumo's activates, and luck goes his way!
KTS: Soji Murakumo rushes into the attack!
KTS: [Lucky]Soji Murakumo's activates, and luck goes his way!
KTS: Soji Murakumo successfully avoids Eight York's GM Rifle Focused Shot
EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 48
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
People are talking. It's all a little military for Shinji; he does take a minute to take a few pictures of the battleship with his phone camera for the sake of his friend Kensuke Aida, who would probably literally die if Shinji didn't.
This may come across as something else.
Shinji grumbles at what a bad shot he is, and then his eyes widen as he notices there is, like a little girl right by the park, dangerously close to where this is all going down. Oh no.
Another flash of Sakura Suzuhara's broken expression. She might never walk again. Because of him. Because of his weakness.
"Hey!" Shinji turns his broadcaster on, "Um, listen! There's a fight going on! P-please get to a shelter! If you don't mind!" Real authoritative, there, Shinji, he thinks, and looks at the stupid lizard monster.
Screw it. Shinji moves between what he thinks is an innocent bystander and the monster, swinging his shield at the beast in hopes it getting its attention. "Get out of here!" It'll only kill him, he thinks, hands shaking again.
<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.
It's fine.
This is how these battles go. Pain. Anger. They live upon these things. That's the well of emotion that kaiju drink from. What powers them. What powers their urge to fight. This is the way it's supposed to be.
Tyrant Gundam - Hazard - slams an arm into the oncoming electric horn. The horn pierces through. Lightning spreads throughout the arm, and through the nerves linked to his own Hazard can feel the burning, the agony. Tyrant Gundam's fingers twitch. Hazard's fingers twitch. A spasm.
It won't slow him down.
Carina's transmission isn't so much read as felt. No visuals cue up in his eyes. No targetting vectors on some clumsy screen. It simply goes from the Tyrant Gundam's brain to his own, and he understands intuitively, immediately, where he should be. Where she wants him to go. It's the first time he's experienced this. Like having a sixth sense, a spatial awareness above and beyond even what he normally has with his superhuman senses.
Where she thinks he can best be utilized. Underwater the Tyrant Gundam twists and turns to avoid machine gun fire from Sanary, to hold the thing in place for Eight's beam rifle shots. The Gundam is a raging beast - but it is not a berserker, that much is clear.
It twists out of the way of the turtle's assault, holding the beast by the horn piercing its arm. The sudden twist brings a new wave of pain to dance with Carina's data.
Eight gives him orders. She gets back a very calm - surprisingly calm, though obviously in a bit of pain - "Understood." Crisp, military. Stark contrast to the brutal fighting style.
Shinji comes in with his shield. Tyrant Gundam gets its footing. With all the force it can muster - which, as it turns out, is quite a lot - it moves to simply *slam* the monster against the shield, against the undersea shelf, against everything it can find and then some. Pure, raw, unrelenting force.
KTS: Hazard Chevalier targets Soji Murakumo with Stomp!
[Big-Scene] Eight York> Oh i did give orders, didn't I, I hope you don't mind! I will be more careful with that if so
[Big-Scene] Saraven Vai> look all i'm saying is i'm rideable
KTS: Soji Murakumo fails to Parry Shinji Ikari's Ichinana Shield Bash, taking 3180 damage!
KTS: Shinji Ikari has engaged Soji Murakumo
KTS: Soji Murakumo parries Hazard Chevalier's Stomp, taking 1980 damage!
KTS: Hazard Chevalier has engaged Soji Murakumo
<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.
Nidaime of course is nowhere near the giant kaiju battle. She's probably closer than she OUGHT to be but she's still some distance away. Not so far that she can't see the fight in the distance because--you know--Kaiju--but she's a small lost child so she's easy to miss.
Giant Turtle Dad is clawed pretty viciously. The kaiju, being a living(ish) creature reacts more like one than a robot. It howls in pain and back in the water before rising up to its full height, head poking out of the water.
And it opens its big turtle jaw and opens fire with a quick sonic blast towards the beast!
It seems hesitant to approach the shoreline. Perhaps it knows that this might not be a great idea.
MEANWHILE
Nidaime is sitting on a swing and--Shinji might notice with some horror...She has...OH NO...
EARBUDS IN.
And she doesn't seem to hear him. Indeed, she's still kind of humming along to herself how high up is the volume on those earbuds?? You don't want to know, Shinji.
When Shinji isn't looking directly at her, Nidaime looks straight towards him. Nidaime, of course, is a young child--not like FIVE YEARS OLD or anything but probably a little younger than Shinji. Not by much.
Nidaime hums softly, looking right at his unit...
KTS: Nidaime targets Soji Murakumo with Sonic Blast!
KTS: Nidaime has activated the Rouse Spirit Command targeting Shinji Ikari
KTS: Soji Murakumo rushes into the attack!
KTS: Soji Murakumo successfully avoids Nidaime's Sonic Blast
KTS: Nidaime has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Shinji Ikari
<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.
As he moves to slam the beast against Shinji and the ground, the horn still in his arm, Hazard taps the radio. The back of his mind grabs onto the words and transmits them.
"I'm going to rip off its horn."
"Please help me get leverage."
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
Roux closes the gap as she fires, fires, fires -
tail
It flies like a deadly whip up towards the Z-II and Roux's mouth opens in a gasp. Is this the end, so swiftly?
No!! The Waverider suddenly banks to the side, hard enough to execute a full barrel roll, airframe tips skimming the water before Roux grasps a lever and pulls it and before the roll is complete-- there is now a Mobile Suit, rising ten meters above the waves! It is, indeed, a Sign of Z (II).
"Eh? Oh, yeah." Roux flicks on the comms: "Copy, Havant! I've got your data!"
Roux then stares agog at the fact that there's a giant frigging turtle out there. Roux, who is not exactly well acquainted with the various herpetofauna of the beautiful blue homeland of Earth at the best of times, feels several stupid questions bubble up in the back of her mind. It is transportive to see such a creature. Not entirely in a good way. (I'm getting distracted, Roux thinks. That's a great way to die.)
More comments come through. "Hey! Construction team! Don't get your gear wrecked with this thing." The Gundam skids over the wavetops, weapon brought to bear. Roux pulls up the optical software, the reticles quivering, pulsing, and contracting downwards. Periodically a strumming sound is heard, slap-bass-pizzicato notes to accent the increasing quality of the firing solution.
"That's right, big and horny, smile for the camera..." strum, whum, whum,
"Go!" Roux shouts at the same time she works the Mega Beam Rifle's trigger a grand total of four times (just for good luck). The dense yellow-magenta streaks of compressed megaparticles aim forwards, the shot-group aiming into the space between Tyrant and Ikari Warrior.
KTS: Roux Louka has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Roux Louka targets Soji Murakumo with Mega Beam Rifle Volley!
KTS: Soji Murakumo rushes into the attack!
KTS: Roux Louka rattles Soji Murakumo, making his next maneuvers more difficult.
KTS: Soji Murakumo fails to react to Roux Louka's Mega Beam Rifle Volley, taking 3100 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Soji Murakumo has posed.
Carina's orders help give everyone telemetry on the foe, as the kaiju roars in response to the fleeing units, trying to hit Carina with a tail strike last ditch effort, due to the long length of the tail. Madrigal's song somehow reduces its mobility through THE POWER OF MUSIC, but not enough that it's not still slippery, as it tailwhips her again. Rushing forward, the machine gun barrage from Sanary's Ichinana impacts with scales as a claw goes slicing into her Ichinana, while the beam shot is avoided with a shift of body position, lowering itself even with that horn stuck in Hazard, so that it narrowly misses and is responded to with a tail strike. It's intelligent - not enough to be worth saving, but it's as if it's been trained.
As Shinji's shield blow grabs the kaiju's attention, forcing it to bat him with the tail, the sonic blast comes out. The kaiju shakes, but is defiant even in the face of such pressure, roaring back at the giant turtle and trying to smash him with a closed claw. But then...
The stomp forces the kaiju down to the undersea shelf right after the beam from Roux rakes its scales, tail swinging back. It tries to grapple out of Hazard's blow, but hits the bottom. With just enough leverage, perhaps that horn could be broken...but currently it's electrifying, trying to jam as much energy as it can straight into the Tyrant Gundam's cockpit!
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
"My my, Londo Bell, here," Carina murmurs off-com before turning to the screen again.
"I trust that you'll do fine, Captain York," she assures, but frowns as something else cuts into the radio. She gestures at the screen; the image of Sanary's Ichinana zooms in. "A civilian?" she murmurs with a sidelong glance at an older woman who's moving across the deck. "Can you coordinate there, Commander Reeve? I don't want to see a civilian killed."
"The other Ichinana seems to have her covered, but I'll have Cadillac on standby for extraction," Reeve assures before moving to relay a few orders further down the deck. Carina's attention focuses forward again, following the numerous blips on the bridge screen. The glow of blue-white sensor readouts illuminates her face, draining her already fair complexion of colour and dancing in her prescription glasses.
"Why do I suddenly feel like we've flown into one of those Terribleman movies," she murmurs to herself.
"Tarabaman," Lieutenant Vieira mutters under his breath.
"Mm?"
"I said it looks like the kaiju from Tarabaman Dynomite, sir."
"I'll take your word for it." Carina brushes it off with a crisp toss of her head.
Again the VFs from the Havant go sailing by, banking away just in time as the tail again lashes out. One of the VF-171s pulls off a clutch barrel roll to elude being struck, but the fighters are quick to maneuver out of range from there. They sail out to range even as a couple more units come filing out of the Havant's hangar.
These ones are standard Sutherland Knightmare Frames, each painted with a distinctive green shoulder. They boost up over the water with the aid of the catapult, touching down on the shore and beginning to maneuver to keep tabs on Sanary.
"Helm, drop altitude and bring us into firing position," Carina says sharply. "Tactical, firing solution, main guns and missile tubes. Pattern Blue Delta-Seven."
"Descending to 500 feet!" Vieira chirps, his voice taking on new tension. The ship vibrates as it sinks ever lower, so close to the water that its thruster wake kicks up heavy froth and leaves a visible trench in the ocean surface. Further down the bridge, Lieutenant Stockton calls, "Firing angle set! Main guns one through four online!"
"Commander Reeve, transmit our trajectory to all allied units," Carina orders. The older woman nods and begins transmitting instantly.
The first warning the other units on scene will get is a series of linear traceries beamed over from the Havant. They plot a very large red line between the ship and the kaiju.
Carina gives it a few beats. Then she steps forward, brushing back the thigh-length capelet she wears with her jumpsuit and sweeping her right arm with a dramatic flourish. Her voice rises to a commanding thunder.
"All weapons, fire!"
The ocean and the cityscape beyond are suddenly lit up with the brilliant glare of energy weapons as the Havant opens up with her main guns. Beam blasts blaze from either side of the ship's hull in a steady barrage, supported by a cascade of anti-mobile suit missiles pouring from her ventral and dorsal launchers in a cloud. The wall of firepower spills towards the immense monster all at once in a coordinated pattern.
KTS: Carina Cameron targets Soji Murakumo with Attack Pattern Blue Delta-7!
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Indeed, Eight is getting a close-up view of how Hazard and the Tyrant Gundam fight--and it's proving valuable. She gives orders, and he understands them, though it is concerning that he's in some pain at the moment. She doesn't see a certain little girl, though--that may be for the best, since if she could see her from here...
Hazard wants to break off the horn. "Copy, Tyrant--" Tail slap. Eight is slammed with her Nemo backward into the water, and she's jarred in the cockpit, briefly breaking off comms as she has to get her head in order after that strike.
"I'll try to buy you some time, Tyrant!"
Carina assures her she'll do fine, but Eight doesn't have much to say about that. She just notes it, and tries to keep track of the battleship while also making use of its telemetry data. SHe is not used to fighting with battleship support--she's used to being the support--so she flinches a little when she feels the battleship's great cannons coming. "Hazard! Keep in front of it!"
She focuses on him--he has the plan at the moment, and so she stares at the situation before them... and opens her mind, as she has many times before. Captain York's eyes flash as she stares forward, and sees--
She dives forward, approaching from the side, and thrusts her beam sabers straight forward in order to try to pin it down for Hazard, while at the same time focusing her energy on him--on his mind.
"Tyrant, we do this together!"
She couldn't say exactly how she's doing what she's doing... but she's trying to give Hazard an opening! Maybe she can even do it to the music playing...
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
"Oh no." Shinji says, "She's got the new SpaceWave SDAT! The clear, crystal sound and fourth generation noise cancelers means she's getting a real orchestral experience no matter where she's sitting! You wouldn't hear a thing even in the middle of a Zeonic invasion!"
Shinji pauses, as he absorbs how much bad TV he's watched in his life, and the Gilla Monster clocks him in the shield arm. It's bad, but controlled this time; the Ichinana shakes, and Shinji jams his side into something sharp, but it's not the same as the pain of the Evangelion.
Not as good, something hungry in Shinji's heart insists.
"Hazard? Hazard!" And that nice boy from the cafeteria is stabbed in the chest. Shinji's eyes widen as he just calmly asks for help. How can he be so calm?
How can he leave this kid to the elements while helping his friend?
Shinji looks at the beam array, thinks about what Eisen said about shouting attack names, and decides that's bunk. He does make the pose, because that's mandatory. The Ichinana's chest shudders with heat, and?!
"On your left, Hazard!" Shinji aims the Beam Fire right for the monster's horn!
KTS: Shinji Ikari has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Nidaime
KTS: Shinji Ikari has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed.
The Nemo is easy enough not to mistake fo an enemy as Eight eplies to Sanay\, dawing a confident noise fom the constuction woke. To make things even moe eassuing\, the Tyant Gundam and the tutle confim that they'e not enemies between the fome actually holding the taget still while the latte tanks that claw and etaliates via sonic attacks.% hat's moe than enough eason fo Sanay to be caeful with he shots. %%<<"A seial on the hon? That's... Sue\, I'll get ya an openi-Wait. Is that... Hazzy?">> Supise is evident in he voice as he mind goes fom that infomation Eight elays to the goup and ealizing that Hazad's inside that beastly machine\, but the supise isn't enough to stop he fom getting eady to commit to the plan!%%What might slow he down\, howeve\, is that kaiju swinging its claw ight at he Ichinana. She's actually pepaed fo it\, howeve\, whipping he machine aound just in time to get its shield facing the beast. The claw slams had into the shield athe than he machine's body diectly\, but the impact still manages to send Sanay's machine hutling back though the wate.%%<<"Guh... D-don't woy\, Gundam pilot. I've taken plenty of bumps befoe\, inside and outside of this thing!">> Sanay eplies with unwaanted confidence audible in he voice along with a side of mild anxiety that might be \(but isn't completely\) easy to miss in the heat of battle. She's definitely feeling moe of that gut-chuning fea that had aleady seeped in just one night befoe\, howeve\, and it's getting wose the longe this battle continues despite he falsified bavado.%%If nothing else\, she's good at focing heself to act despite that teo. <<"I'm going fo a leg! You've got this! ... Wait. Shinji? You'e out hee again\, too?">>%%She's just finding moe and moe familia faces out hee today. <<"Be caeful out hee! If you need a beathe\, just... Uh. J-just stay behind me! I can take it!">> She ecommends while chaging into the fay moe diectly now despite the obsevation of Caina's cew\, aiming a diving kick at the kaiju's leg. She pushes the boostes on he Ichinana as had as they can go\, tying to slam ight into that leg and gapple onto it with as much might as she can muste out of he machine to ty and keep it steady fo the hon emoval pocedue!%%
<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed.
The Nemo is easy enough not to mistake for an enemy as Eight replies to Sanary, drawing a confident noise from the construction worker. To make things even more reassuring, the Tyrant Gundam and the turtle confirm that they're not enemies between the former actually holding the target still while the latter tanks that claw and retaliates via sonic attacks.
That's more than enough reason for Sanary to be careful with her shots.
<<"A serial on the horn? That's... Sure, I'll get ya an openi-Wait. Is that... Hazzy?">> Surprise is evident in her voice as her mind goes from that information Eight relays to the group and realizing that Hazard's inside that beastly machine, but the surprise isn't enough to stop her from getting ready to commit to the plan!
What might slow her down, however, is that kaiju swinging its claw right at her Ichinana. She's actually prepared for it, however, whipping her machine around just in time to get its shield facing the beast. The claw slams hard into the shield rather than her machine's body directly, but the impact still manages to send Sanary's machine hurtling back through the water.
<<"Guh... D-don't worry, Gundam pilot. I've taken plenty of bumps before, inside and outside of this thing!">> Sanary replies with unwarranted confidence audible in her voice along with a side of mild anxiety that might be (but isn't completely) easy to miss in the heat of battle. She's definitely feeling more of that gut-churning fear that had already seeped in just one night before, however, and it's getting worse the longer this battle continues despite her falsified bravado.
If nothing else, she's good at forcing herself to act despite that terror. <<"I'm going for a leg! You've got this! ... Wait. Shinji? You're out here again, too?">>
She's just finding more and more familiar faces out here today. <<"Be careful out here! If you need a breather, just... Uh. J-just stay behind me! I can take it!">> She recommends while charging into the fray more directly now despite the observation of Carina's crew, aiming a diving kick at the kaiju's leg. She pushes the boosters on her Ichinana as hard as they can go, trying to slam right into that leg and grapple onto it with as much might as she can muster out of her machine to try and keep it steady for the horn removal procedure!
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
The shots dig home on the heavily grappled monster. Roux thinks to herself: This is going... okayish. Is this going to look good? I need a good inaugural report. I have to get my rates up for the third quar
move!
And Roux jerks back on the cockpit as the tail swings backwards at her, crying out, "Hey-- hah! You can shake that thing as much as you want and you're never going to hit me, Iguana Don!" as the Z-II rises upwards and, it must be said, backwards, away from the creature and the scrimmage. Up into the air, where Roux frowns for a moment. From eight hundred or so feet up you can get a better look on the overall scale. Including --
"Is that some dumb kid standing there in the park?" Roux says, while looking directly (if very remotely) at Nidaime. "Get out of here, kid, you're gonna die!" (Roux isn't transmitting anything, so this annoyed but heartfelt wish may only be felt... by the heart.)
"They keep tackling it... but are they going to be able to" Roux muses to herself, before suddenly shouting with a flick of the comm, "Tibet!! WATCH IT!!" as the horn flies towards his cockpit! Roux's jaw tightens. She turns her head. The comm feed from the Britannian attack craft is still live --
"That's it," Roux says.
FOUR SECONDS LATER:
About twenty-five percent of the forwards view of the Havant is filled with a Gundam. Fortunately, it is facing the other way, because that's not usually a great thing for a battleship to see. As the Z-II takes perch, Roux says, "Keep going! I'm piggybacking!" while taking aim closely. Breathe in, Roux thinks. Breathe out. Watch for that perfect time. (The stray Minovsky density around the Z-II increases palpably. Actually visible: the gleam of its eyes.) Moments pass as the ship tilts down, committed to its attack...
When:
"Sheow~" Roux says to herself. The trigger is pulled. The resulting scream-beam coils slightly round the stray wave-form of the ship's main beam, a secondary but not **that** secondary ray of actinic intensity smashing forwards at the flank of the grappled thing. "Get fried!!"
KTS: Sanary Rondel targets Soji Murakumo with Ichinana CQC Focus Strike!
<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.
Turtle (predictably) roars again, this time towards Carina.
The turtle seems approximately aware of others but doesn't seem to be great at picking specific people out. It DOES seem to have some emotional awareness of who is being aggressive towards it and right now, the giant turtle only reads the OTHER kaiju as a target.
The claw SLAMS into the Turtle's shell. It's a tough beast, but it doesn't exactly seem to be the best at...murder? Yes, not the best at murder.
It pulls back and just sort of...sits there for a moment as if considering whether it wants to stay in the fight or not.
And then, without another sound, it starts to dip back down below the water.
And the strange homeless girl is ... just gone, all of a sudden, with no warning. Just one look she's there, and the next--
--she's gone.
<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.
001.
001's horn punctures the armor. Punctures the chest. Lightning pours into the metal. Into the nerves. Hazard cannot help but grab his chest, and Tyrant Gundam does the same, grabbing at the spot where it was skewered. Where they were skewered. Where he was skewered. Where the lightning dances in his flesh, in his metal, in the place wherein they blend into one entity.
It's fine. It's fine. If he can't withstand something like this he'll never be able to fight in the Gundamfight. To face things so much more dangerous than a stray Kaiju. Than a stray beast, raging alone, blasting him with lightning. He's so much more durable than this thing. This is something made by the hand of man. Some human imitation of the grandiose art of his people. Of his homeland. What could it hope to stop him? To stop a true Mechasaur? To stop something carved from technology sixty-four-million years old, something built from the genetic perfection of carnivore lines reaching back to the Cretaceous? And even if it only challenged a human, it challenged a human with human weaknesses strained away by genetic engineering as advanced as could be.
This doubt, this uncertainty. This compassion for this beast that's holding him back. The sense of regret, of brotherhood.
Hazard roars, and the Tyrant Gundam roars with him. The roar distorts in the water. A pulse of noise. As Eight orders him to keep in front of it, he twists it slightly in his grasp, to ensure that he isn't blown apart by Carina's massive heat laser. It boils the water around him. His primordial knowledge revels in it. This heat, this crushing heat. This is his heritage, too. The painful part. This, too, is encoded in his DNA.
Shinji gives him a heads-up. Eight gives him sight, more sight, more to process. It's enough to help him twist his arm up, twist his chest up, for Shinji's shot as Eight touches his mind. The Breast Fire adds to the crushing beam. The boiling heat. The heat. The heat. The heat.
Eight can taste it. Can taste the heat. Can taste the fire across Hazard's skin and Tyrant Gundam's. The feeling of boiling water on her lips. Her hand against a door on fire. Anger. Pain. Memory. There's memory here, memory of fire and the falling sky, of the stars collapsing and the Earth receiving heaven's judgment. Memory of something falling from Heaven and crushing too many people. Too many people. Wiped out. Wiped out in an instant.
Fire from the sky rides Eight's lips. Dust and ash from the depths of memory stir as she feels Hazard's rising will, as she feels anger, as she feels determination born of fire and pressure and the orange hell of the sky.
Roux fires her beam and the water grows hotter. Eight comes in with her beam sabers. Sanary leaps for a kick.
Tyrant Gundam roars again. It wedges the horn in deeper. It wedges it deep enough to tear its arm free. The two arms come up and lock together.
The impact will be tremendous. Over, and over, and over, and over, Tyrant Gundam hammers at the monster's head. Over, and over, and over, and over. It is the force of a meteor slamming down again and again and again. The drumbeat of countless lives snuffed out not in an instant but in the slow and agonizing anticipation as the stars themselves fall. Again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and it does not let up, it does not let up, it does not *stop* until it has pried the creature's horn free with sheer force and left it stuck inside its own chest, inside its own cockpit.
KTS: Hazard Chevalier has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Hazard Chevalier has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Hazard Chevalier has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Hazard Chevalier has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Hazard Chevalier targets Soji Murakumo with Extinction Event!
<Pose Tracker> Madrigal has posed.
Slapped once more, Madrigal and Labriel are sent a'tumbling in another direction, righting themselves after moderate damage - a few chips and dings, but nothing the two cannot handle. The swell and crest of music continues to flow, that ghostly energy touching the group around and pushing them ever onwards!
<Pose Tracker> Soji Murakumo has posed.
So much happens at once. Carina's ships beam pulverizes the scales on the back of Kaiju 001, bleeding open wounds and cauterizing them instantly. Eight's saber slash does similar with the front scales, as Shinji's Burning Fire begins melting off weakened parts of the horn. Sanary grapples, as Roux fires her own beam with similar results. Madrigal sings...and the beast doesn't even notice the giant turtle leaving.
Because a memory of the past is occuring, right now. A memory that the kaiju doesn't even understand. But it's a poignant memory, a rage of aeons.
The horn shatters off in a dynamic break from Hazard. The electricity build-up seizes. There's a pained roar, as the beast screams and begins flailing against everything in range with tail and claw...
While Hazard gets the brunt of its rage, mouth opening to reveal sharp teeth. It begins gnawing at the cockpit, trying to tear it open and expose the pilot to the sea (and its stomach!).
<Pose Tracker> Madrigal has posed.
Madrigal mutters something in a number of different languages, all surprisingly musical, as Labriel starts announcing that they are close to fifty percent damage by injury estimates. She presses the attack however, boosting everyone up and giving her all to energize people for the final push as she can tell from the 'flow' of the combat that it is getting towards a critical point!
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
A few gasps can be heard on the Havant's bridge as the main view is suddenly filled with a significant proportion of Gundam dumptruck.
Carina just shakes her head and pushes her glasses up her nose with delicate fingers. "Honestly, maybe they should've put the door on top," she murmurs before raising her voice to comm volume again. "Enjoy the perch, Gundam. Try not to track mud on the carpet."
Fortunately for the Havant's crew, the sensor radome is actually on the bottom of the ship. Again the lidar pulses; the bridge screen is overlaid with outlines of those elements of the kaiju obscured by Roux's Gundam butt. It gives Carina and the crew a view of Roux taking her shot, of the others opening fire, and of Hazard Chevalier going absolutely ballistic on the monster. Eyebrows rise at most bridge stations at that sight. "That is... definitely an unusual design for a Mobile Fighter," Stockton finally says from the rear station. "IFF data says it's the Gundam Fighter for Neo Tibet."
The Havant's only tangentially in range, but close enough is close enough. "Brace!" Carina shouts as the kaiju starts lashing out so violently. The crew, as one, grip their consoles. As the slashing tail strikes the ship's underside, the big vessel rattles and lists, hull plates buckling and bending under the force.
"Correcting attitude!" Vieira calls automatically as his fingers fly over the controls. Reaction-control thrusters fire; the Havant levels off, cutting thrust on one side and sinking a few more feet, but maintaining level flight. She's close enough to the water now that her lower sensor radome is a couple mobile suits standing on each others' shoulders shy of grazing the wavetops. Ground effect buffets the frigate, sending a persistent, unsteady vibration rumbling through the hull.
Carina lets out a breath through her teeth. "Back us off, Edy. Nice and slow. Tactical, point defense pattern, fire at will."
Forward thrusters firing, the Havant plots a gradual reverse course. The trough of waves her thruster halo carves pushes the tides back the way she came as she backs ponderously out of melee range. She's a battleship, not a fistfighter.
What she does have are small-caliber lasers. Small turrets across the Havant's hull swivel forward and begin to fire rapidly. A crisscrossing staccato of laser fire rakes the sky between the Havant and the kaiju as the Britannian cruiser attempts to fill the intervening space with a lethal cage of interlocking beams, making even the thought of approach too perilous to countenance.
As the laser fire dances in the frames and lenses of her glasses, Carina plants one hand on the arch of her hip. "What even provokes this kind of creature to attack? This feels somehow less than random."
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Eight notes Sanary's surprise at Hazard's presence--and the nickname, too. They're friends, then. That's encouraging--she remembers how hard Hazard was trying, at the dinner...
Eight doesn't notice Nidaime leaving, either. She has something else to focus on in the moment. While her gambit works, there is an instant--an instant of memory. She is not expecting anything of the kind, and so it catches her off-guard, more even than That Individual did back in her office. "A--aaah!" There is a tight scream for a half-instant from Eight's comms before she reaches out and snaps the radio's position to 'off' as she sags in the cockpit. The burning--the fire, the people, all gone--
Tears in her eyes, Eight forces herself to focus, blinking them away and looking up to what her awareness tells her is coming. Madrigal's music helps her focus and that saves her in the moment, letting her get the Nemo's shield up in time to block some of the attack that comes from Kaiju 001. Tail and claw crash against the shield, knocking the Nemo well away but still in range for more hurt. She can see Hazard's danger now--
She switches back on the radio. She switches back on the radio, "Captain York, status green. Coming in for backup."
What was that that she felt? What does it mean? What does it have to do with Hazard...?
The anger still burns within her for a few moments yet, and she doesn't understand why. Gritting her teeth and maneuvering the controls again, Eight lets her mind travel to the girl who seems so unsettled in this battle, though she is trying to put on a brave face. Eight knows that kind of feeling--she knows it well.
"Construction leader--You've got this. Bring it home!"
And then--Both Beam Sabers come out, and the Nemo crashes forward again, slashing once, twice, three times--four, hacking down in an 'X' for the finale, trying to finish off Kaiju 001 before any more can be hurt.
KTS: Eight York has activated the REsupply Spirit Command targeting Sanary Rondel
No channel with that name or alias found.
KTS: Eight York has activated the Foresee Spirit Command.
KTS: Eight York has activated the Attune Spirit Command.
KTS: Eight York targets Soji Murakumo with Rick Dias Beam Sabers Combo!
<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.
No.
No, he won't be allowing that.
The monster flails against him with claws and tail. It digs its teeth into his metalflesh. Into his bodymachine. It digs and smashes and hammers and he will not be permitting that, now. There's will, now. An inferior carnivore attacking its better. A little beast trying to tear the throat from a rex. Maybe if the greater carnivore was unaware it could've managed. But pain and pride and puissance have sharpened senses, have fixated fury.
Hazard/Tyrant Gundam/Hazard/Tyrant Gundam does not dig his hands in to push the jaws apart. He has no leverage. That would be foolish. What he has instead is a weapon.
The Tyrant Gundam rips the horn out of its own chest as Carina's beams dance in the sky. There is another roar, but this is not a roar of pain, not a roar of anger, not a roar of challenge, but a roar of dominion. The distorted roar is meaningless to anyone else - a Mobile Fighter doing Mobile Fighter things - but to the other kaiju the message is a simple one.
You are in my territory.
You no longer belong in my territory.
You are the lesser predator.
You are prey.
You are *prey*.
The Tyrant Gundam grasps the horn with its damaged arm. The arm cannot exert full power, so make up for it with a weapon. With primordial force it moves to stab the horn into the creature's eye as its other hand digs into the mouth to grasp at the teeth and begin wedging them free. Nothing so calm as pulling the jaws apart to escape. No. Simply rip the teeth, and gums, and everything else, from the jaw, and it doesn't matter anymore, does it?
It doesn't help that Hazard/Tyrant Gundam/Hazard/Tyrant Gundam is leveraging its superior size and weight against the beast as it slams the horn down, as it moves to rip the teeth out. This thing is merely a monster.
Hazard is a fucking Mechasaur.
Show some respect to your predecessors, humanity's degraded copy.
KTS: Hazard Chevalier has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Hazard Chevalier has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Hazard Chevalier has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Hazard Chevalier targets Soji Murakumo with Stomp!
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
"Hazard?" Shinji says, looking away.
The girl's gone. Must've run off, Shinji thinks, and takes a tail to the cockpit for his trouble. He stumbles, opening his head wound back again, and there's blood on his lips.
Shinji licks then, and shudders at the taste. There are battleships here, trained soldiers, a freaking Gundam. He doesn't need to be here, he doesn't need to be in the way, he can;
That ernest young man from the cafeteria shouts, again, and Shinji Ikari is about the farthest thing in the world from a Newtype. But again there's that stabbing sensation. Someone in pain, needlessly. "Because of these horrible machines they feed us to."
"Alright." Shinji says, and its not an Angel. Just a wild animal, afraid and violent. So what, he thinks, so am I. The Ichinana kicks off into the air, rockets blazing, as Shinji closes what little distance is between them.
He tries to lock a hand around the beast's throat and SQUEEZE. "I've...I've got your back, Hazard! Okay?"
KTS: Shinji Ikari has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
Music flows outwards... rippling around everyone present. The Z II picks it up --
"Eh?" Roux says for a moment, startled as her smooth jazz soundscape ripples. The surprise of customized interface doing un-customized things. Between this -- and the pressure coming off of Chevalier -- and what is honestly more than a little bit of rust --
The great creature's claw smashes the Gundam off of its lofty perch even as the Havant swerves away. Roux screams wordlessly as the Z-II smashes down into the surf, the Mobile Suit briefly and catastrophically submerged into the water -- before rearing upwards, crouched down low. Water ships out of baffles as the Mobile Suit rises, having landed in water 'merely' twelve or thirteen meters deep - enough to be lapping at the Gundam's thighs as it heaves upwards.
Exhaling with force, Roux looks round at everything. She says a swear again. Another swear as the Mega Beam Rifle status panel makes an extremely unpleasant noise.
"Hey! Mazinger! Turn it," Roux announces, digging out the holdout option. For a beam rifle may not have been designed with the expectation of seawater, but you know what probably can handle a little bit more easily than most?
A beam saber.
The Z-II strides forwards, sinking partway to its chest - deep enough that Roux casts a glance warily at the cockpit hatch - but one hand pulls a mount from a shoulder and stabs it downwards, aiming to snuggle it up against a limb joint before:
SNAP! On it goes.
KTS: Roux Louka has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Roux Louka targets Soji Murakumo with Beam Saber - Feigned Failure!
KTS: Soji Murakumo fails to react to Roux Louka's Beam Saber - Feigned Failure, taking 4400 damage!
KTS: Roux Louka has engaged Soji Murakumo
<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed.
All at once\, confusing emotions start flooding in. Sanary had merely been terrified despite a strange sense of duty before\, but now she's feeling things she almost knows isn't coming from herself. There's... Regret? Irritation? Anger? Camaraderie? Sorrow?
That's not right. Not all of it\, anyway. She's never seen this beast before\, and she's certainly not the type of person to feel any kind of kinship with something threatening humanity. The urge to cry is understandable\, at least\, but that's more of a fear response rather than actual sadness. Why is she feeling like this?
That's definitely something she needs to report back to her superiors if she's going to keep showing up to fights like this. It's not like she could really hide her presence here from them\, anyway\, especially when her Ichinana is getting covered in slash marks and scorch marks from being in close proximity to so many massive laser blasts whizzing nearby as carina's battleship fires upon the kaiju.
It's definitely going to be hard hiding all the punctures from what are clearly teeth trying to force her cockpit open\, especially when she can smell some of that seawater seeping in.
<<"Get offa me\, you damn...!">> Okay\, back to freaking out. Even if she can't see the water yet\, she knows it's starting to come in\, and the Ichinana thrashes about to try and get out of that monster's grip. She's just about on the verge of actually panicking\, too\, when she hears...
A song? There's something musical in the air of that cockpit and\, despite it feeling more cramped by the moment\, she feels a sense of calm coming back to her. Sanary doesn't quite know what Madrigal's involvement in that is all about just yet\, but the effects become visible rather quickly.
The construction cone orange Ichinana stops thrashing. Instead\, it grabs onto the aquatic kaiju's as it holds on for dear life\, energy visibly gathering around the crest on its chest. Those with the ability to sense emotions might even notice that there's a new sort of confidence coming from that unit. It's a legitimate confidence\, with a side of eager excitement. Childlike wonder.
"Can't believe I finally get to say this..." Theater kid butterflies.
The Ichinana clenches its fists as it raises its arms in a flexing motion by its head. <<"Way ahead of you\, Nemo pilot. Kaiju\, this is for those who have ever feared having their homes destroyed\, their lives turned upside down by the menace of the unknown! Sear this upon your very soul! BREAST FIREEEEEEEE!">>
The Ichinana unleashes the flaming beam from its chest\, superheating the water between itself and the aquatic monster nigh instantaneously as the nearly blinding light surges forward. It might even be melting part of the Ichinana itself in the process\, but Sanary's banking on it being worth the risk.
KTS: Sanary Rondel has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
<Pose Tracker> Soji Murakumo has posed.
Carina's lasers blast into the kaiju. Eight's beam sabers do a HEROIC X-SLASH, wounding the beast. The Tyrant Gundam blinds and detooths the beast. The Ichinana begins to choke out the Kaiju 001, while Roux stabs into it.
It's all relying on Sanary for that final killing blow. The Breast Fire. IT bursts straight at the beast. It should be a sure kill, with that music flaring up to a swell.
The beast is smarter, stronger than it looks, even with it being so weak. A claw goes up, melted off by the blast but sparing its life. The tail whips everyone grappling it back with as much effort as it can muster, and then...
Kaiju 001 roars in an acceptance of the Tyrant Gundam's indication that it is lesser, and moves to flee. It moves faster than the others in the water - pursuing it today will be nearly impossible.
But it left behind the horn, the city is safe, and the police are grateful (except for that ace). Until another day, you've won.
<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.
The copy understands. It yields to its older. To its superior. It flees before the combined might of the group, under Tyrant Gundam's warning. The Gundam grips in one hand the horn and in the other half the monster's jawbone like Samson after killing a thousand men. It stands there under the water as the beast flees, looming, a shadow beneath the sea.
Hazard relaxes.
The nerves disconnect from his back. They slink back into the floor. The pain that was a moment ago pushing him onwards disappears, taken back onto the sub-brain of the Gundam. He straightens, and the Gundam straightens with him, simply following motions like a pet now that it's been disconnected.
Over the regular radio, he says, "Thanks, everyone! That's my first time operating in a team...I think we did pretty well!"
Not a hint of agony, of anger, or anything else, as Tyrant Gundam slouches its way back towards shore.
"Captain," Hazard says as he walks alongside the Nemo and the Ichinanas, "I retrieved the horn and the jaw." That's very pointless, Hazard, anyone can see them. "With permission I'd like to turn them over to NERV for analysis?"
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
The Sutherlands launched from the Havant are continuing to shadow the encounter, factspheres trained diligently on each exchange. They're ostensibly moving into position to recover Shinji or Sanary if needed, but they're oddly not engaging.
Even as the Havant's lasers bite in, Carina snaps her head to one side. "Track the allied Gundam. The Zeta type."
"Made a water landing but still functional," Stockton reports immediately. "She's gone CQC."
"As everyone seems to be," Carina muses, hand coming up to her chin. She turns with a click of sharp heels on decking, watching the rain of punishment descending on the massive kaiju. The thump of music floods the comline as Madrigal does her thing.
In spite of herself, Carina unconsciously taps a foot against the deck in time with the rhythm. She otherwise maintains her air of confident composure.
It holds even as the sensor feed zooms in on the Tyrant Gundam, giving the crew a close look as Hazard rips and tears the kaiju without mercy. Carina clicks her tongue and moves up behind Vieira's seat to give the giant mobile fighter a closer inspection. The beat does not do much to mute her unease.
Finally, the kaiju wades back into the sea and out of the fray. "Should we pursue, sir?" Vieira asks with a glance over his shoulder.
Carina purses her lips. "Not in water of that depth we're not. Notify our naval detachment out of Area 11. If anyone's going to hunt down a swimming monster, it's someone with a submarine."
She moves across the deck once more, gesturing to open the comline before clearing her throat.
"Havant to allied forces," she says clearly. "Well done, everyone. If you've sustained damage and need to dock, we'll be on station for the time being."
"We'll need some realignment of the deck plating on blocks one, three, seven and twelve," Stockton reports off-com, wincing.
Carina lets the comm pickup fade out as she sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose a moment. "I liked life better *before* monsters decided it's fun to try and fistfight a ship. Ugh. Very well. Signal the closest shipyard to prepare for our landing."
She looks up again, watching once more as Hazard simply... lapses into a perfectly normal mood.
Carina presses her lips together. "...Maybe I need to go for a walk in Nouvelle Tokyo."
--------------
LESS THAN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS LATER....
The headlines that make Hi-TV the next day are remarkably colourful. They're also slanted.
"Yesterday our heroic soldiers of the Britannian Union Spacy led the way in saving Nouvelle Tokyo from a giant monster attack!" a breathless anchor reports over suspiciously high-quality footage of HMS Havant opening fire on the giant kaiju. "Reports say this fine ship and her crew, led by the Marchioness Cameron, managed to drive the monster back into the sea without any loss of life whatsoever! Organizing several irregular units under BU Forces command, our..."
The newsreel eventually goes to an interview segment featuring Carina apparently standing at the Havant's airlock, microphones shoved in her face as she smiles confidently. "I can only commend my crew on a hard-fought effort. People anywhere on Earth deserve to go to sleep knowing they're safe from creatures like this. I'm proud to say the BU Spacy answered the call today, and I can only hope we can continue to do so...."
It goes on like this. Millions of people in the Union watch it and come away thinking Carina's the sole hero and nobody else was involved.
To those familiar with Knightmare Frames, the battle footage almost certainly came from a Factsphere camera.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
By the time the beast is nearly finished off, Eight has regained her composure. She smiles at her displays as Sanary's dramatic speech registers for her--even if the beast manages to escape... they drove it off. That's what counts. People aren't going to be hurt more today, and that feels good.
"Status report: everyone still with us?" Eight dashes off over the radio, and starts to maneuver her mobile suit, the Nemo, back to a stable position.
"You did well," she agrees with Hazard. "You all did."
She relaxes a little too, nodding along as Carina's voice mentions an out. "Thanks, but I'll be returning to the Ra Mari. Good working with you, Captain."
Hazard mentions the horn and the jaw. Eight has to think about it for a second--might her higher-ups want her to retrieve that for their analysis instead of trusting to a private company? But on the other hand...
"Sure, Tyrant. I'm a little out of my jurisdiction anyway. Take it to NERV with my compliments."
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
Shinji Ikari knows THAT voice too.
Trying to rationalize everything away, act like it's okay, like any of this is okay. Shinji feels like a child in this stupid helmet, acting out for what? Attention? To prove another child wrong? People were hurt. Pain is everywhere. Who is he to speak for someone holding it together than he ever could?
The other forces give their permission for NERV to take the remains. The truth is, there is no choice; NERV has absolute authority in regards to anything under its manifest. Sure two veteran captains could contest this, but there's a name that opens any door.
Ikari. He was about to say it, before that woman, Eight, said alright. Shinji looks at his hands. What a good little soldier boy.
"Let's get out of here before I vomit." Shinji says with the cynical evil of a man three times his age. "Before the Brittanians try to interview us or something."
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
The kaiju whips forwards, fending back the Z-II -- ("Come on, thrusters, light," Roux mutters to herself with hot determination. Her eyes cut towards the Nemo.)
Is it gonna push? Roux thinks. All I have left is the Clay Bazooka. This close...
But then it submerges and...
... leaves!
"... hahh," Roux breathes out. She is then quiet for a few moments. She gets the helmet off her normal suit, shaking out her hair and slouching backwards. The waves of the sea lap at the hull of the Z-II. "Copy, Commander," she answers Eight. "Tell them to put a Jeggar on the beach... I think I've got too much seawater to work the transformation gear, but I can make shore!"
And the Z-II turns round to do just that. Around the time when it's at a depth comparable to knee-high, Roux remembers to dock the Beam Saber back in. And then that hand comes up -- subtle controls get worked...
Index and middle fingers held upwards.
"That was amazing," Roux sends via comm to the Ichinana. "So they mass produced Mazinger Z? Or is it the other one? I've been at Jupiter for the last seven years, I don't know what's going on. Either way, good thinking. The ocean's a real pain to work with!"
("Thanks for the lift~" she adds, towards the Havant. "This thing's custom, but I appreciate the offer.")
And after this... Roux finds herself looking in the direction of the Ichinana containing Shinji Ikari, even if she has, perhaps, heard two sentences of combat chatter from him. Something about it...
"Japan has a weird mood," Roux decides, privately.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
The Havant beams a transmission back to Roux!
It is a SD-style animated emoji of a rather pretty blonde in glasses throwing a wink and a peace sign, with text reading "NO PROB."
God knows why the ship has an emoji of her captain.
<Pose Tracker> Madrigal has posed.
Madrigal and Labriel once more wrap up their show, and Madrigal withdraws her hands from the overlay keyboard that lets her play and pilot simultaneously. Stretching a little in the (probably decadent to everyone else) roomy environment of her machine's cockpit, Madrigal listens to everyone's chatter with a relaxed gait. Flitting down, she helps anyone who needs it out of the water, and makes sure that anyone who might have gotten swamped on the beach is retrieved safely. A soft hum, one of the lesser-known of the classics, is transmitted out of the PA speakers, as she works.
<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed.
The flames burn hot, melting into the creature's claw, and it flees. This should be a moment of triumph for Sanary, having maimed it so thoroughly, but instead...
She feels a distinct sense of despair. Even with conditions being nearly perfect to obliterate that monster, even with so many expectations that may or may not actually exist outside of her cockpit, even with the safety of however many thousands might be living just by that park alone, is melting a single limb really all she could muster?
It takes a while for Sanary to even realize that she's probably the only person feeling this way about that, to even feel a sense of defeat despite an objective victory at keeping the creature from making landfall, and it's not until she hears the request for a status report to make sure nobody died.
It takes her a little while longer to finally respond, between popping open another water bottle and starting to push the Ichinana upwards instead of just sitting in the ocean.
<<"Sanary here. Uh. The construction worker. Glad to say I'm alive, too! Taking on a bit of water in the cockpit, but it's not coming in fast enough to kill me. Er. Probably.">> She forces a laugh, and there's a very clear strain in her voice despite sounding casually irreverent to an untrained (or inattentive) ear. <<"I wouldn't mind a lift up to the surface in case that is a thing, though. That's not a thing, right?">>
<<"E-either way. Ah... Good work, heroes! We sure took care of that kaiju, so it should think twice before coming back. It's... Probably gonna come back, but we'll be ready!">>
It's definitely going to come back. That's the worst part that's hitting against the back of her mind. Roux's words snap her out of that momentarily, though, as she gets a chance to exposit! Sort of.
<<"Really? Ah... I-I mean, of course! These beauties are based on both of them. Can't really tell ya where the Z parts end and the Great parts begin, but... Best of both worlds, probably!">> She laughs, and it's actually taking her mind off the disappointment however briefly. <<"Still, it doesn't hold a candle to the real thing, or real tuned up custom jobs like yours and the Nemo and the battleship and...">>
She's spiraling again. <<"A-anyway. Let's get outta the water already and see if we can't find something good to eat back on dry land, huh?">> She'll just have to cope later away from listening ears.