2022-01-29: The Tenth Letter
- Log: The Tenth Letter
- Cast: Soldato J-002, Riku Asakura, Carina Cameron, Jude Espella, Renais Cardiff, Eisen Daiwel, Shinji Ikari, Karma Sato, Asuka Shikinami Langley, Kaworu Nagisa, Takeshi Todo, Guy Shishioh, Lamia
- Where: Near PLANT
- OOC - IC Date: 2022-01-29
- Summary: The moment the two 3Gs have been dreading arrives: The J-Ark appears in human space...with a battle plan that doesn't match its captain's methods. The meaning is clear: The Ruin Apostles are moving.
<Pose Tracker> Soldato J-002 has posed.
SOMEWHERE, BEYOND THE EARTHSPHERE
On the elegant white-and-red bridge, beneath a golden relief of a bird that no longer exist in this universe, a blonde-haired woman looks up from an awkwardly-installed console. "Chief, the temporary support console is hooked up. Tomoro-chan, can you confirm connection?"
CONNECTION CONFIRMED. OFFLOADING MONITORING SYSTEMS TO SECONDARY CONSOLE.
The blonde woman stands up and wipes some sweat off her brow with a big smile. "Whew! Good!" She claps her hands together. "In that case...we're good to go!"
The Chief nods. Kotarou Taiga is a big man, not only in form but in spirit. The blonde man dominates the room - radiating a sense of safety and security. Around Kotarou Taiga, anything can become true if you have enough courage to seize it. He is a man who makes the impossible possible. "Then let's prepare for the operation!"
"YES SIR!"
The only one who doesn't join in the shout is a man on a white throne. His face is hidden by a helmet. His nose is almost a bird's beak. His eyes are shut, though no one can see it. "Are you certain we aren't playing our hand too early?"
Taiga laughs. "You don't understand how the Earthsphere works, J. Besides - if we wait too long, Guy will be able to gather support from the colonies and the Federation alike. Better to strike now and throw everything into confusion. If we play on the old cover story - the rebellion of 3G - our return will cast Guy's word into chaos. Then we can divide and conquer at our leisure, without a unified form of resistance."
"I see." J sighs. "I don't like this strategy. It doesn't suit a warrior."
"Hahaha! Sorry, J! Get Renais to take you out for ice cream later to make up for it!" Taiga slings a golf club over his shoulder. "Alright, J-Ark, Gutsy Galaxy Guard - prepare to move out!"
J throws out his arm. "ES WINDOW! DEPLOY! J-ARK - MOVE OUT!"
LAGRANGE 4
HALF AN HOUR AGO
Space rips open.
The ZAFT units in the area have no time to rally. They are struck, instanly, by massive red beams as big as their suits. When the red light dies, there's nothing to say they were even there to begin with.
Emergency signals are sent out. Panic across the short-wave. A cohesive group of soldiers, struck completely unaware.
GUTSY GLOBAL GUARD ORBITAL BASE
"Chief Akamatsu, Chief Shishioh!" The red-haired operator Hana shouts, "We've detected a gravity disturbance in Lagrange 4!"
"EH?!" Akamatsu stands up. "Alouette! Is it-"
Alouette swallows. The French girl looks at the readings, genius eyes dancing across figures. "...oui, Chief. It's..." She looks away. "Consistent with an ES Window."
Something falls to the floor. A blue-haired young man in a white coat is already running out of the room. Alouette presses her fingers together as Mamoru goes running after him. "...Kaidoh-sama..."
RIGHT NOW
There's nothing, as those who heard the call, those who had analysis systems in place, those who were in contact with the PLANT hear a sudden silence. The PLANT remains. The defensive forces do not. It's an eerie silence, a stillness, a nothingness. A sense of emptiness unnatural even for space. Space these days is so crowded.
And then space tears again. A roiling silver. An open wound in the stars. And from that wound emerges something at once beautiful and terrible, like a vast and predatory bird unfolding its wings across the planet.
A white-and-red battleship. Its prow is a beak ready to tear. Its cannons are a brilliant red. Every so often a red field ripples across it like beautiful feathers.
To the world below, only a few know its secret. Only a few know that the one who rules this ship is a hero from another world, a cyborg Brave through and through. To the rest of the world it is a phantom remnant of the Primeval War - sometimes ally, sometimes rival, a legend among the battlefield appearing and vanishing as soon as it had come.
The White Ark hangs in space, as if waiting for the defenders to muster themselves.
How like J.
<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.
Earlier.
Riku was watching TV in a cafe somewhere in Tokyo. He had just enough for a bowl of ramen\, which he managed to get the hot water for from the cafe. He was really only half-watching the TV when he was scarfing the noodles down. There was a special announcement...
With the last of the noodles gone\, he looked up to see the small amount of footage. The camera was shot down by a missile the moment it got a grainy bit of the spaceship. "Standing around doing nothing won't get me anywhere.." he says\, and rushes out the door\, grabbing the Z-Raiser.
Now.
An Ultraman flying much like superman might be heading towards the sounds of emergency calls for help. It's disquieting because the signals are gone by the time he arrives\, and he pulls to a halt the moment he arrives. The destruction laid down by the ship is...well horrifying.
Riku doesn't quite know what's going on\, but at this moment he doesn't NEED to\, given what's happening right now is apparent\, and if the ship would get its way\, who could say what would happen to the nearby colony.
Z-raiser in hand\, he dives to close distance with the J-Arc\, aiming to slash the blade across the side of the ship and attempt to draw its attention. "What are you doing!?" He demands\, shouting for the ship to answer his question.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
"I suppose stealth is out the window at this point," Carina Cameron sighs as the Havant drops out of overboost and cruises into the theatre.
Normally the Northampton-class starship is a stealthy class of frigate. The Havant is not an exception despite being slightly longer. Today is different: An enormous pod the shape of a flattened cylinder, just shy of a hundred metres long and plated in heat-resistant ceramics, has been mag-clamped to the ship's underbelly. Long hatches stretch horizontally along its lower curve.
"Bring the Evangelion Space Deployment Module online," Carina orders. "Signal the deployment orders when ready."
Orders rapidly descend the chain - and the hatches along the cylinder module swing open like bomb bays. Each one reveals a single Evangelion lying flat on their tummy inside, supported by braces and power cables that feed into what looks like a single massive frigate-grade reactor. The braces fold out and away, small pushes disgorging the Evas into space.
They are at least not left to their own devices. Each one was provisioned with bracketed-on vernier thrusters and a small antenna sticking out of the entry plug. A telemetry link to the Havant's navicomputer.
At the Havant's helm, Lieutenant Edy Vieira Caeiro taps his headset. "Eva units, telemetry link shows online. Just do your thing out there and leave momentum control to the computer."
Carina lowers her lashes slightly and pushes her hair back with one hand. Bracketing the ESDM into place had been a last-minute call - the Havant was the closest ship to Nouvelle Tokyo, and an experimental system was prepared, and someone called in a favour. "Let's make Mr. Ikari's little experiment work," she says with a sharp clap of her hands as she maneuvers across the deck with a sharp tang of integrated high heels on plating.
"Tactical assessment," first officer Arlynn Reeve orders sharply.
From a rear station, tactical officer Philemon Stockton looks up with a frown. "Our maneuverability's somewhat compromised, sir, but we have a large number of responders reading out." He squints at the readout. "Enemy unit is... some sort of battleship. Reading a hull-surface energy field of some sort, but I can't really make heads or tails of it."
"That's ominous," Carina muses, frowning and crossing her arms under her bust. "I get the feeling we're up against a specialist machine her. Send our sensor data to the Evangelions, then open a channel to the intruder."
The four Evas plugged into the Havant will begin to receive a steady stream of sensor data, fed directly into the antenna. Much of it is tactical readouts of the White Ark, pointing out possible angles of attack. The line to Shinji, of course, sputters a bit and takes a minute, because he's Shinji and it's his job to suffer. Carina's voice comes over the comline.
"Do your best out there. Everything will work out."
From there, a new comline flickers open, streaming towards the Ark. Carina is not being comforting this time. "Intruding vessel, this is the Britannian Union vessel Havant. Stand down and vacate this space immediately or prepare to be taken into custody. You will not be warned again." Carina_Cameron Attacks Asuka Shikinami Langley, Eisen Daiwel, and Kaworu Nagisa with Awe
KTS: Carina Cameron has activated the Rouse Spirit Command targeting Shinji Ikari KTS: Riku Asakura targets Soldato J-002 with Z-Riser Slash! <Pose Tracker> Jude Espella has posed.
There is a dinosquid rapidly approaching the sky. It pierces the atmosphere, carrying Black Knight machines with it. Tomorkas is a light blue, with many scaly tendril-like limbs that are positively huge, capable of blocking attacks from the body - the limbs seeming to be barely attached, with shining claws on each tendril tip and a beak-like mouth.
It pierces upwards into space. There is a person on its - no, his - shoulder. Tomorkas is a he - a person, so says the girl riding on top of him, oxygen tank strapped to her colorful normal suit with clawed gauntlet and red scarf. She has several others in reserve, being held tightly as Tomorkas secures her with a shoulder tendril.
"The wolves hunger." Beast says, over her short-wave radio to the mecha riding with her. "And you thought I was a crazy cat lady. Isn't that funny, Tomorkas?"
The kaiju caws, like laughter. It's loud, as they approach the strange Primeval War ship. The J-Ark. Beast has only seen it in records, absolutely not in person, but that's enough to know it's an enemy.
"Tomorkas, you know what to do. Don't worry about me - I'll be fine~."
Tomorkas caws once more, and then the beak starts to glow orange.
And then he begins spitting beams at the J-Ark, a rapid-fire slew of energy trying to rake the hull!
KTS: Carina Cameron inspires awe, increasing Asuka Shikinami Langley's Morale! KTS: Carina Cameron inspires awe, increasing Eisen Daiwel's Morale! <Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais Cardiff lingers silently on the bridge's upper-level command podium, near the blonde girl, as Taiga explains the plan. She has little to say at this stage, particularly with so many others around. She's never been much for large discussions. Besides, the Chief's plan is sound, in her mind. J may rankle at the underhanded tactics at play, but... a knife in the kidney bleeds just as sure as one to the gut.
She leaps down as the Ark tears through space, landing lightly on the main floor of the bridge. As silence falls over the field, as they wait, she sits on the arm of J's throne, laying her hand on his armored shoulder. She watches out the battleship's pillared windows, at the PLANT slowly revolving. So many lives.
"They won't need to fear much longer," she says simply, a small smile playing across her lips.
KTS: Eisen Daiwel has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Jude Espella targets Soldato J-002 with Espella Energy Suite Rapid Fire! KTS: Lamia has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. Jude Espella has cancelled her attack.
KTS: Jude Espella has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Jude Espella targets Soldato J-002 with Espella Energy Suite Rapid Fire! <Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.
Pattern Orange. An Unknown.
It has not been long since Eisen was there, at the debriefing being given on the matters of 000. The concerns there are many. The unknown power. The will of an energy. The way that this whole mess makes science take a bow and step aside for something far beyond their ken.
Would it not be ironic for them to retaliate with something that, at its core, desires to ignore science in turn? Though much is still unknown of the technology behind the Evangelions, Eisen is slowly learning more and more about what they have going on. Their A.T. field, he still feels, are but the tip of the iceberg. To think that humanity has managed to create these monsters.
Within the ESDM - Evangelion Space Deployment Module - Eisen feels a bit annoyed. Not because of facing the unknown, or that he has no sense of the outside world. But because he these egg-shaped giant containers are by no means aesthetically pleasing at all! And his petition to at least paint it black and green before deployment had been catagorically denied.
Sure, they didn't really have time to color them anything but their bland white eggy colors. But that was not the point!
Pattern Orange...
What awaits them there? The thrusters that are already fitted on the Carestia are ready to go. Then, the launch signal is given. Whatever it is, he's going to make this cool!
The pods release, the tips open, and the Carestia jumps out forward...
And it immediately hits the rear breakers as the pilot recognizes the shape instantly. "Such an omen..." He whispers to himself, as the entire body of the Evangelion creaks beneath the vacuum of space. His heart is beating fast.
The black Mazin is one thing. But now, there's Tripple-0 J. The White Ark, of which he has a miniature, he recognizes. He tilts his head forward, black hair lazily moving forward with the motion within the LCL.
His original plan had been to launch one of the javelins from this distance. To engage with care and to measure out his opponent. The youth glances aside at the rest of the Evangelions which are launching.
How many of those here understand the risk they are facing right now? As if he really has anything to say there. Simulators, and one real battle under his belt.
His eyes close for a moment, and his fingers wrap around the controls more tightly. "So then... no holding back." A flicker of light sparks between the wings of the Carestia. The verniers activate. <"Britannian Host Vessel, do not hold back against this target!"> He transmits through the telemetry signal before...
<"Let's do this! Second Arc of The Devourer!!"> The verniers burn. He can feel the push against his back as he and the Carestia start linking up. At the corner of his eyes, he can see as his synchronization level starts to rise. Wavering a bit before a superior opponent. But he will not let the world know this.
The cable reel rushes along with him, as the Carestia rockets towards the Ark with what seems like not a moment of hesitation. The Carestia's left claw activates, aimed right for the 'bridge' of the J-Ark. The intense thrust against his body causes the special plugsuit designed for space combat to activate, thickening to deal with the sudden g-forces! A constant acceleration sending him along, as laser and beam fire fills the sky, allowing him to hide within the wake of some of it, before coming out and over the bow of the J-Ark, body arched back, claw reaching!
<"DEMON RENDING PAIN!!"> As he tries to catch the claws onto the bridge and tear across its body, before using the rest of its momentum to burn downwards to the hull of the J-Ark, using the feet-claws of the Carestia to ground himself, wary of any cables or strange other devices that might seek to hold him down. His heart beating fast!
KTS: Eisen Daiwel targets Soldato J-002 with Progressive Claws! <Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
And the enemy arrives. Ren tenses, preparing for impact from the Earth Sphere's defenders. Adrenaline surges--she may not be part of the battle, herself, and keeps faith in the J-Ark's strength, but she's a warrior all the same. The thrill of battle elevates her.
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
Space. The opposite of where Shinji Ikari wants to be.
After a humiliating briefing, Shinji tried playing a good soldier. He really did. When Misato said, "You're going to space, where all the land isn't." Shinji only took half an hour to breathe into a paper bag in the bathroom. It's okay. He'll be in Unit-01. Unit-01, they say, can survive anything.
So he'll be alone, powerless, in the cold nothing of space, unable to even die.
Shinji tries to be a good soldier, getting into the cockpit and feeling the familiar hum of his mind becoming more than himself. And then.
"They put us." Shinji Ikari says over the NERV comlink. "In barrels. In big space barrels with bungee cords that also power our Evas that haven't been tested. I'm going to die like a level of Donkey Kong."
The coms go on the fritz, and Shinji rubs his forehead, frustration spiking with the fly by night nature of his father's secretive monster hunting organization. "Come on, come o-"
Visuals are restored, and Shinji Ikari is in space; falling rapidly towards the ominous white ship almost certainly full of Physics Zombies that's trying to destroy what is technically, and by technically we mean actually, enemy territory that could fire on him at any minute. Shinji Ikari knows absolute terror without needing a field.
He is FALLING, though, and with a blast of the retro rockets his ungraceful descent into certain death turns into something resembling a charge. The battleship, Shinji thinks, must have handholds. He can make handholds, he thinks, increasingly desperate.
KTS: Shinji Ikari targets Soldato J-002 with Opening Charge! KTS: [Lucky] Soldato J-002's King Of The Skies activates, and luck goes his way! KTS: Soldato J-002 successfully Blocks Riku Asakura's Z-Riser Slash KTS: [Lucky] Soldato J-002's King Of The Skies activates, and luck goes his way! KTS: Soldato J-002 successfully Blocks Jude Espella's Espella Energy Suite Rapid Fire KTS: Eisen Daiwel anchors Soldato J-002, forcing him into close range. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Eisen Daiwel's Progressive Claws, taking 4050 damage! KTS: Eisen Daiwel has engaged Soldato J-002
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Somehow, someway Karma has found himself out in space. This was about the furthest away from the normal that Karma has ever been in. The extra increase from being away from the normal may have something to do that he is in his knightmare riding some dinosaur kaiju thing. "This isn't what you said we were going to do!" Agreements were made, the fine print wasn't read.
Upon seeing the war ship he squints at the screen for a moment and then radios to the so called beast person, " What the hell is that ? Is that why you brought us out here? You are right, you are not a cat lady, I will not take back the other half." It would appear more then the fine print wasn't read but here he was so he asks the obvious question as he starts to see flashes of attacks starting from other sources, "Is this thing a friend or foe?"
Then again it appears his answer is coming in the way of his comrade diving in to attack and as the kaiju goes in he detaches himself from the dinosaur. Already he is taking aim, it is nothing more then a pot shot with the intent to shoot up their nose however it at least will mark him as an enemy of whoever is on that ship.
KTS: Karma Sato has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Karma Sato targets Soldato J-002 with Longshot Sniper Rifle Quick Shot! KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Shinji Ikari's Opening Charge, taking 1750 damage! KTS: Shinji Ikari has engaged Soldato J-002 KTS: [Mirage] Soldato J-002's Escape Window activates, and he slips into a mirage. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Karma Sato's Longshot Sniper Rifle Quick Shot, taking 0 damage! KTS: Riku Asakura has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged with Soldato J-002
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
Space is still a novelty for Asuka. Oh sure she'd done training exercises before, but they were brief, perfunctory. They didn't truly get her accustomed to space. So she still feels both a surge of excitement and a pit of nervousness in her stomach as the Havant opens it's Evangelion module. She mixed feelings about being in a Britannian Cruiser, being from the AEU but surprisingly she's held her tongue on the issue.
Instead she's looking at the instruments of her Entry Plug intently. "Deployment orders received. Situation Green. Internal voltage has cleared set levels. Evangelion Unit-02 - ready for launch." Apparently she can be professional when she needs to be. Maybe it's just that kind of day.
The brace unfolds - and with a gentle shove, she's in space. It's the first time in her Eva her hair slowly floating around in the LCL made the experience more comfortable, like she's in the embrace of something warm, that won't lose her to its vastness. "Initiating thruster test."
A short burst, in one direction. Then a counter force in the other. She bobs momentarily on her slowly undulating tether - before her boots touch down on the hull of the ship.
Shinji speaks over the NERV Radio, and she responds in short order. "Don't be stupid Daddy's Boy. Even with Cruisers up here noone has a hammer big enough for that."
Well there goes her professionalism. It also reveals she's a gamer to those who didn't know!? "Except me. Don't go all crazy on us up here - or I'll use it."
And looks at the PLANT. Her feelings even more mixed about that. A tightening in her gut. It's one of the last places she'd want to defend after her experiences against ZAFT but this is her mission, NERV's mandate. The existential threat that did this has to be stopped.
The Captain of the Havant offers two options. Asuka seems to only offer one, as her Eva raises her Electromagnetic Crossbow, two limbs erupting forth from each side, humming silently in the vastness of space with visible waves of electromagnetic energy. The Red Giant taking a knee and aiming it at where she speculates the White Arks engine room is.
"You're both in my line of fire. Don't blame me if you get nailed to the side of the ship."
And suddenly a blur of metal rockets past the two Evangelions at the fore towards the White Ark. The multi-segmented bolt looking to skewer something... vital in the ship.
KTS: Asuka Shikinami Langley targets Soldato J-002 with Super-Electromagnetic Crossbow Snipe! KTS: [Lucky] Soldato J-002's King Of The Skies activates, and luck goes his way! KTS: Soldato J-002 successfully Blocks Asuka Shikinami Langley's Super-Electromagnetic Crossbow Snipe
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Space, aglow with billions of distant stars, spins in the infinite distance. As he waits within the entry plug for Unit 00, silvery hair floating in LCL, Kaworu hums Venus, Bringer of Peace to himself. Here in the solitary quiet within the Havant, it's an appropriate melody: a mechanical womb protecting from the violence outside. Once the Britannian cruiser opens up, though, Kaworu takes the Evangelion's controls lightly in hand.
"Evangelion Unit 00, ready to launch," he states, smiling, as conversational as if the four of them were about to take a stroll through the park. The *four* of them--what a wonder is that? As he and Unit 00 are launched into space, he wills his vessel into motion. It arches around with help from its vernier thrusters, umbilical cable uncoiling languidly, and using the data transmitted to it by Carina's staff, draws a sniper rifle to bead onto the great white battleship.
"You aren't going to die," Kaworu reassures Shinji back over the NERV comms. Maybe the absolute confidence in his statement will reassure his fellow pilot; maybe not. Space is big and Lilim are very, very small. He chuckles a bit at Eisen's battle roar. To Asuka, he comments mildly, "I should hope you're a good enough shot to aim around them, Second. Well then--shall we?"
As Eisen and Shinji take point, Kaworu opens fire on the battleship from behind along with Asuka, providing cover blasts that will hopefully distract the cruiser long enough to let the both of them safely get in close.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Soldato J-002 with Sniper Rifle Aimed Shot! KTS: Carina Cameron inspires awe, increasing Kaworu Nagisa's Morale! KTS: Soldato J-002's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Kaworu Nagisa's Sniper Rifle Aimed Shot, taking 2050 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Takeshi Todo has posed.
Aboard the J-Ark's secondary bridge...
Takeshi Todo sits at a console opposite to a certain scruffy-haired programmer. Even after all this, Kousuke Entouji's hygiene has... maintained its relatively improved status. Honestly, it's an enviable trait, that resilience. He was certain Entouji would backslide after what happened to Papillon not once, but twice, but if anything, his resolve has only hardened.
"Kousuke, I'm good over here," Takeshi says, "Ready to begin electronic interference. We'll be good to deploy whenever you are." The other man nods firmly, his eyes never quite opening beyond a squint. Takeshi wonders maybe whether Entouji should look into glasses. "Then, once they're focused on the J-Ark, I'll give the signal."
In a way, perhaps Entouji's resolve to see this through... is owed to his memories of Papillon. Perhaps, this is his way of making his way back to her side.
For that, Takeshi Todo cannot blame him. They both have a job to do.
No. All three of them do.
But the less they say about the third of their triumvirate the better. After all, nobody knows who might be listening in this line of work.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
DIVISION X: MOBILE EXECUTION FORTRESS WADATSUMI
The Branch Order Room is in the Wadatsumi as the GGG warship makes full speed for Lagrange 4. With Ul-Tech thrusters at full burn, it's a swift journey across the intervening space. Aboard, Guy has already Fused into GaoFar, ready for the Mirror Catapult. "J..." Guy murmurs to himself. "He protected me to the very limit of his will. And now..." He finds himself grinding his teeth.
Alouette doesn't respond, other than to say, "Guy, we...will be within Mirror Catapult range in two minutes."
"Thank you," he says back, his blue eyes focused as the information coming in through the Wadatsumi's tactical network floats through his consciousness.
"We've got visual confirmation," Alouette says, her fingers tapping swiftly across the Mobile Operator keyboard. "It's J-Ark."
The visual in front of Guy zooms in on the White Ark. "Damn," Guy says. Some part of him had still dared to hope. "How's Ikumi?"
"Inconsolable," Alouette says, quietly, worry in her voice. "Miss Hatsuno's doing her best, but..."
"I'm sure she and Mamoru aren't feeling much better," Guy says. "...let's do our best. ETA?"
"Fifteen seconds."
"Approval granted."
"I guess the pilot and the Chief being the same person is nice in some ways," she says, as the Mirror Catapult's trigger pad lights up next to her. She whirls up in her seat. "GaoFar and GaoMachines! Mirror Catapult!" She pirouettes through the air delicately before her heel slams into the Emission button, and GaoFar accelerates smoothly through the MIrror Catapult's levitation catapult and out into space. "EMISSION!! And...!"
Another console lights up, receiving a second signal from the Chief of GGG Green. She smoothly dances from the Emission bar to raising her hand and SLAMMING it down on the protective plastic over the DRIVE button. "Final Fusion! PROGRAM DRIVE!"
The GaoMachines and GaoFar converge as they rocket toward the scene, twisting and locking around each other until they form the mighty King of Braves! GaoFighGar roars across the remaining distance, its Ul-Tech engines blasting it across open space with ease. "J!!" Guy screams. He's never really had to fight King J-Der, has he? Palparepa monopolized him in the Trinary Solar System, and during the Primeval War, J was never interested in a stand-up fight with GGG. He was always left staring in shock at the awesome power of the White Ark as it released unimaginable force against the Primevals.
It doesn't slow him down even one tick. He rears back with his fist, shouting, "PROGRAM RING!" as the Ring Generator opens in GaoFighGar's torso, shooting out a golden holographic Program Ring. "PLUS!" GaoFighGar thrusts its spinning fist into the ring and it fires off, the flying punch drilling straight for J-Ark! "BROKEN! PHAAAAANTOOOOOOM!"
KTS: Guy Shishioh targets Soldato J-002 with Broken Phantom! KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: [Spirit Defense] Guy Shishioh's Spirit Endurance activates, and the spirit endures. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Guy Shishioh KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Guy Shishioh KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to Evade Guy Shishioh's Broken Phantom, taking 3525 damage! EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 60
<Pose Tracker> Lamia has posed.
There's a tear in space off in the distance. It starts small, but it slowly, gradually widens, revealing a gaping red portal with seemingly infinite depth. The unknown portal expels a familiar sight, however, a pink winged titan of chitin and flesh barreling out at high speeds.
"Relic of the Red Planet. Thralls of the Conqueror King..."
There's a voice, emotionless and melancholic, that rings throughout everyone's head in the J-Ark. There's no visible source, but they all know, rather instinctively, that it's coming from the mysterious monster.
The mysterious monster that forces its way unto the combat deck of the J-Ark. Planting its feet firmly, it reaches an arm towards its back, ripping a sharp blade from its own flesh, which is grasps tightly between its two massive hands.
"Leave... At once."
Raising its arms high, Cataphract thrusts the weapon downward, aiming the point of its blade down into one of the J-Arks Maser cannons.
KTS: Lamia targets Soldato J-002 with Void Rupture Saber Rend! KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Lamia KTS: Lamia has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to rush. KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to react to Lamia's Void Rupture Saber Rend, taking 3450 damage! KTS: Lamia has engaged Soldato J-002
<Pose Tracker> Soldato J-002 has posed.
J tilts his head backwards at Renais. "...humans fight in ways like this. A human solution to the human problem." His head returns to the window. "It's annoying, but humans are like this overall, I suppose."
"HEY!" Swan turns around, hands on her hips, "Don't say that when we're in the room! Rude! I know y'all's used to bein' alone up here but now you got company! More'n that, you got friends!"
"...friends." J's fingers tap against the other side of the throne.
"You bet your beak you got friends! You're a member of 3G now, at least temporarily! Braves watch each other's back!"
"Besides!" Swan wags her finger in his direction, "You oughta be nicer! Your girlfriend's human, y'know!"
J says nothing. This might be because he's thinking. It might also because an Ultraman just jumped into his field of vision. He throws out his hand. "ES Window - evasive action!"
ROGER! DEPLOYING ES WINDOW!
Riku swings in, and space tears directly in front of the J-Ark. It vanishes through the rip, narrowly avoiding the rapid-fire slew of energy from Jude. When it emerges, however, it emerges directly into Eisen's reflexive strike. The claw hooks onto the J-Ark. The claws catch onto the bridge. For a brief instant, Eisen can see them inside. It's nothing but a window. But when he tries to crash against the hull itself, when he tries to grind into the metal of the J-Ark, what he finds himself grinding into briefly is a red field of light. Not an AT Field - some kind of alien technology. Indeed he can already see the J-Ark generating new armor to fill the damage he left behind. It can be hurt - but it's sure not easy.
Matter from nothing but courage.
It's Shinji, next, who gets a hold. He lands on the J-Ark. The Eva is huge. It rises above the row of Anti-Meson Cannons. They're the closest thing to handholds he can find. Even getting a grip on the ship is tricky - for the same reason Eisen just found. That weird, red light. That...strange red field. The Eva manages, though, like Eisen, and like Eisen, digs into the strange alien metal, and like Eisen, Shinji gets to see first-hand as the machine starts repairing itself under its red barrier.
Asuka and Karma open fire to cross the ship, aiming for something vital. What they receive is disappointment. Another window tears itself open in space, with Shinji and Eisen on it, transporting them through the roiling white rip. It's awful to look at, and jarring as hell to be moved from one place to the next *instantly*, without any delay.
Kaworu, too, however, is quick-reflexed. The sniper rifle nails the J-Ark directly in the side. It punches through the red light and digs into the side of the machine, leaving a long scar down the side. Now EVERYONE can see the ship beginning to restore itself as the red light fills it, generating new armor out of thin air. It's not nanotech, it's not DG Cells - it's simply...making more armor. Out of nothing but energy.
As the defenders start their assault, Taiga closes his eyes. "Any minute now, he'll arrive. Then, Todo, Entouji - you three are to access GaoFighGar's GaoMachine remote controls, trace it back to the Orbital Base, and use their systems to enter the Federation's network. We're looking for the old 3G Archives. We need to confirm if our real trump card can be deployed."
"Yes..." Entouji says quietly. He doesn't quite meet Todo's eyes. But that quiet resolve is there. Every member of the Braves has their own resolve. They're here to save the universe. "Takeshi-san...let's do what we can."
"There he is," J says before GaoFighGar has even arrived. Taiga laughs. Swan giggles. "Are you sure Renais is the Shishioh you love?"
"Hmph. Of course I am."
Swan's giggle turns to a bright 'awwwww' as she gives Renais a big thumbs-up. "He's a keeper!!!"
The Broken Phantom hits the ship dead-on. Guy punches straight through the Generating Armor, the stress put upon it by others and the Phantom Magnum's own power enough to finally make that shield crack. It looks physical for a brief instant - as if a red window was shattered across space, as if glass was strewn across the darkness.
"Tomoro!" J demands, "Divert interference systems to the temporary command deck! Swan White will take it from here! Transfer J-Jewel Generator management to the cyborg's wife-"
"I have a *name!*" Mikoto snaps. Taiga, Swan, and Entouji laugh. "Ugh. Your boyfriend is a jerk."
"Prepare to launch ES Missiles! Transfer control of the firing arc to Renais-"
"Unknown entity approaching!" Mikoto shouts all of a sudden. The voice of Lamia fills their heads. J stands and crosses his arms. His eyes sink shut.
"If you know who I am, then you know better than to even make such a foolish demand."
The blade of flesh follows up, digging into the J-Ark's side. The ship shakes furiously under the combined assault of Earth's defenders, the bridge rocking furiously except for J himself.
An open broadcast breaks through the radios. "Cyborg." His voice is distant, cold. The sheer pressure of it is the pressure of speaking to someone who has lived for a very, very long time, someone whose perspective is truly and utterly alien and yet no less unwilling to yield than the whole of the universe. Were it to stand against him, that voice says, he would still stand no matter how often it pushed. An unbreakable bullwark not of courage but of willpower.
"I admire those who have come to your aid. You've done well to find more seeds of Braves. But you know as well as I do that these seeds cannot survive if the universe is to be saved."
The feed cuts out. And then...
"ES Missiles, deploy!"
From the J-Ark's front, missiles discharge. At first they seem like perfectly normal missiles, easy to intercept, easy to shoot down. And then-
-And then they vanish into portals. Into rips in space.
And emerge directly in front of their intended targets.
KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Eisen Daiwel with ES Missile! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Carina Cameron with ES Missile! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Karma Sato with ES Missile! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Kaworu Nagisa with ES Missile! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Guy Shishioh with ES Missile! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Asuka Shikinami Langley with ES Missile! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Riku Asakura with ES Missile! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Lamia with ES Missile! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Jude Espella with ES Missile! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Shinji Ikari with ES Missile! KTS: Carina Cameron fails to evade Soldato J-002's ES Missile, taking 1407 damage! KTS: Asuka Shikinami Langley's EN Barrier activates, negating 1500 base damage. KTS: Asuka Shikinami Langley fails to Evade Soldato J-002's ES Missile, taking 1407 damage! KTS: Shinji Ikari's Will Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage. KTS: Shinji Ikari blocks Soldato J-002's ES Missile, taking 1407 damage! KTS: Riku Asakura fails to evade Soldato J-002's ES Missile, taking 1407 damage! KTS: Karma Sato successfully evades Soldato J-002's ES Missile KTS: Jude Espella successfully Evades Soldato J-002's ES Missile KTS: Eisen Daiwel's Will Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage. KTS: Eisen Daiwel fails to evade Soldato J-002's ES Missile, taking 1407 damage!
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa successfully avoids Soldato J-002's ES Missile KTS: Guy Shishioh charges into the attack! KTS: Guy Shishioh's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Guy Shishioh fails to react to Soldato J-002's ES Missile, taking 1407 damage! Your unit's HP stands at 14593
KTS: Lamia's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Lamia fails to react to Soldato J-002's ES Missile, taking 1407 damage! KTS: Eisen Daiwel has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. <Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
There are means of transport more flattering than the Evangelion Space Deployment Module. It was built for utility, not for coolness. It is also not doing a lot for Carina's tactical options: The Havant is largely hanging back and angling her bow down slightly to cover the module even as it unspools power cables across enormous spatial distances.
On the plus side, Shinji has a copilot of sorts! It's Edy, the Havant's navigator, who is helpfully handling active mass balancing through the ship's computer. The young helmsman - a fluffy Brazilian of no more than 19, taps into Shinji's comline with a quick: "Just try to steer naturally, Shinji. Don't worry about your momentum. Point yourself where you want to go and the thrusters will help you get there."
Carina, meanwhile, is squinting somewhere else. "Is that a GGG machine?" she murmurs with a deep frown. "What's he doing back here?"
"Ideally not blowing up any more of our cities," Stockton mutters, before cutting off as his tactical readout begins to chirp ominously. "Enemy target is firing missiles!"
"Prepare for intercept," Carina barks.
There isn't really much of a chance. The Havant does not have a portal generator; the missiles come through entirely too close. Explosions buffet the ship before it can so much as bring an anti-aircraft gun to bear.
"GGG wizard magic is such bullshit," Carina snarls as she grabs the back of a chair to keep from falling ass over teakettle. Her voice comes up again. "Tactical, keep tabs on the Evas and protect those power cables at all costs! Come around bearing three two eight mark three four one! Missile tubes one, two and three, target those launchers and fire!"
Orders echo with urgency, and the Havant responds smartly, shouldering through the worst of the missile swarm. A few hull plates smoke here and there, but the frigate bears it, swinging slightly to one side and dipping her bow further. Her port side comes down, angling her mass over the ESDM like a mother hen protecting her nest.
Hatches across the vessel's hull swing open, and missiles begin to spew forth. They're not teleporting, but they're dancing across space in unpredictable patterns as the Havant tries to knock out a few of the J-Ark's weapons.
Carina pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her scowl persisting as comm chatter floods through the Havant's pickups - mostly J yelling at the cyborg, whomever that is. "What is this, some kind of Goofy Geek Gang beef we've flown into?" she mutters off-com with a glance at Reeve.
The first officer looks out through the main viewer and shakes her head. "I have no idea, Captain."
KTS: Carina Cameron targets Soldato J-002 with Bifors Anti-Ship Missile Firing Pattern! KTS: Soldato J-002's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Carina Cameron's Bifors Anti-Ship Missile Firing Pattern, taking 2820 damage! <Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.
Before Riku could even think of responding\, those missiles are coming from directions he can't even begin to expect. The Z-Raiser in hand\, Ultraman Geed attempts to avoid those missiles\, but teleporting missiles are cheating. They're completely unfair\, and the moment he starts to think he can get through\, a few come behind\, smashing into his back and knocking him forward.
Though it could have been more devastating\, Riku finds that those missiles are going to be a problem if this keeps up. The Z-raiser fades from his hands for a moment\, and the blades on the back of the arms of the Ultraman start to glow.
He dives forward\, the blades aiming to cut through whatever they could find\, aiming to try and even cut through space if they can find a connection\, aiming to prove more than just normal blades. The Ultraman's face aims to try and press right up against whatever he can find to see anyone inside.
"What are you talking about! Killing the people in the universe can't save the universe!" Though it might sound like empty nonsense from the Ultra\, and likely right at this moment it very well COULD BE. Geed has an idea\, or rather the sparkings of one.
"We're all part of this universe\, killing us is the same as killing the Universe too!"
KTS: Riku Asakura targets Soldato J-002 with Galaxy Cutting Rapid Strikes! KTS: Soldato J-002's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Riku Asakura's Galaxy Cutting Rapid Strikes, taking 1860 damage! KTS: Riku Asakura has engaged Soldato J-002 KTS: Riku Asakura: Will Barrier Activates.
<Pose Tracker> Takeshi Todo has posed.
There's the plan, then. "Of course, chief. Leave it to me. I know GaoFighGar's operating system like the back of my hand. Even if they have run updates since..." The fundamental architecture should have still remained the same. Worse, they're using the Phantom Gao Prototype as the core, which means that the old security holes should still be there. Even if they've been patched, it's impossible to catch all the back doors.
Especially not when he can do... this.
Takeshi Todo's body vanishes into a haze of electronic light, diving into the digital world entirely. "Commencing backup program," Entouji says, keystrokes falling at breakneck speed. Meanwhile, Takeshi blazes a trail toward the Gao Machines' systems...
And from there, all he has to do is elude Evoluder Guy's attention and piggy-back into the nearest capital ship, and from there into the Federation network...
Entouji will handle the rest, once he opens the way...!
<Pose Tracker> Jude Espella has posed.
Tomorkas' beams are defended against, causing an angry shrill caw. Jude is disappointed under her mask, but not in Tomorkas. He's perfect.
When the missiles come out, Jude's starting to command. "Intercep- wait, no...what's it doing?!" The missile starts to teleport, and in the blink of an eye, she's communicating with emotions, not words.
Tomorkas gets a feeling of urge, a panic to push backwards, and so it does. He suddenly contorts his body, pushing backwards with Kaiju Power and ducking under the explosion. To avoid his friend getting hurt, Jude is tossed upwards, over the explosion, and then pulled back in by a tendril, and held tightly to be kept safe.
"Tomorkas! Use your tendrils! Get up close!"
Tomorkas caws, and then he suddenly pushes forward at high speed, tendril-limbs flying forward. They move to try and smash into the J-Ark, and when they do - they let off kaiju electricity, trying to send a surge that can't be blocked simply by that barrier!
Jude broadcasts back to J-Ark, voice modulated. "I am a superhero. Are you, too, a superhero? Are your allies superheroes? What you're doing won't save the universe."
"What I'm doing will."
<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.
Landed upon the J-Ark, Eisen doesn't pause for even a moment. Already, his mind switches to the next attack pattern, as the Carestia roars out at space. Those around him no doubt unable to hear him. But the fierce roar descends into the J-Ark's body. Glancing down, he watches the metal heal itself. They are going to have to do a lot of damage. But that red energy... will it affect them?
<"Shinji!"> The boy isn't trained for space. Shit. <"Shinji! Any movement you make will carry on until you push back. Consider the enemy 'forward'."> That is the best he can do right now to give him some instruction.
Hearing Asuka call out on getting nailed to the ship, Eisen just answers a quick; <"It would make sure he can't shake me off!"> That is a cool thing to say in a moment like that, right!? That sounds right. His gaze slips along the horizon, watching Kaworu's sniper rifle impacting against what appears to be some kind of attentuating shield.
He can trust the Evangelion team will know to use progressive weaponry. He can....
Missiles! The unit brings its arms around and tries to go flat, but the missiles end up re-appearing right in front of him, and slam into the side of the Evangelion. Its A.T. field being brought to bear just at the last second to ensure it doesn't dig into the biological matter, as it chars and melts metal.
Out there, the missiles are blasting across space. In a way, it's a beautiful sight. Light amidst the darkness, shattering the black. But he can't fancy those aesthetics right now.
Instead, the Evangelion unit - Carestia - stomps forward. Slamming its feet down in an attempt to break through that barrier each time. Its Progressive Claws equiped on feet as well as hands as it stomps forward, trying to find a spot on the J-Ark that remotely looks vulnerable! Spotting one of the missile ports from earlier, he 'jumps', only for the verniers to immediately counter that movement.
<"Third Beast of Annihilation Technique!">
It gives him just enough time to pull at two of the lances stored amongst its wings, bringing out the progressive-weapon tipped devices as he tries to slam back into the barrier and attempts to use those spears to dig in to the J-Ark. To grind down, as the entire body of the machine lowers.
<"RENDING FEAST!">
And the entire body drops down, the jaw opening, as it tries to BORE its face into the missile port and extend its A.T. field to block any missiles that might try to fire, as it attempts to MAUL through the hull of Soldato J's J-Ark!
KTS: Eisen Daiwel targets Soldato J-002 with Code: Annihilation! KTS: Jude Espella has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Eisen Daiwel KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Eisen Daiwel KTS: Jude Espella targets Soldato J-002 with Electrified Limb Discharge! KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. <Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
Shinji connects, which is kind of shocking. He grabs on to one of the plates aboard the strange, white ship, hanging on for dear life. Asuka talks about shooting him in the back again.
Shinji is used to Asuka's insults, her intimidation, her endless glory-mongering, her sharp, pretty eyes, her rudeness and total lack of gratitude, her hogging the tv all fucking night because they dropped a new Mega Man but something about Asuka just outright telling him she'll kill him without batting an eye has stuck.
Who were you kidding, anyway, Shinji thinks. At least Nagisa feels sorry for you.
"What part of this situation isn't crazy?" Shinji asks the universe, "Just let me stab this battleship with a knife so ZAFT can fly out and kill us later-it's that Angel looking monster!" Shinji says, distracted from spiraling mental health by the Catapracht.
Shinji sees the strange spaceship regenerate and something in the back of his head screams. That's not natural, it says, I don't understand it and Shinji isn't sure why that upsets him so much. He's used to not understanding. Glowing fingers plunge into Shinji's head as he is taken unware by the alien machine: the enemy, the voice whispers, as Shinji feels his fingers dig into the controls. There are soft, vulnerable things inside, and Shinji feels his mouth start to moisten even in the LCL and wonders if Asuka doesn't have the right idea after all.
And then a missile teleports directly in front of him. Shinji doesn't have time to scream as Unit-01 is hit directly, barely holding its arms up to absorb some of the damage, sent flying off of the ship.
"I know where I want to go." Shinji says as the helmsman instructs him, and Unit-01's hand SNAPS, faster than projections say the machine should be capable of moving, Edy will see a little meter from NERV that tracks 'Synch Ratios', whatever that is, and can see Shinji's is 'over a hundred' which, the helpful note insists is, "Not dangerous, but should be logged for administrative purposes. Thanks! <3"
Unit-01 has a knife in its hand and is stabbing directly into the side of the ship, just under one of the Anti-Meson cannons. "I think I'm going to go inside. Its fine Eisen I'm just going to rip this thing out and walk inside and I dunno we'll see where the evening takes me."
KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to retreat. KTS: [Spirit Defense] Soldato J-002's Red Planet's Final Hero activates, and his spirit endures. KTS: Eisen Daiwel enervates Soldato J-002, reducing his Morale significantly. KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to react to Eisen Daiwel's Code: Annihilation, taking 9720 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Eisen Daiwel's Experience This Curse With Me! activates, causing Shock! KTS: Eisen Daiwel has engaged Soldato J-002 KTS: Shinji Ikari targets Soldato J-002 with Progressive Knife Thrust! KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to retreat. KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to react to Shinji Ikari's Progressive Knife Thrust, taking 4680 damage! KTS: Shinji Ikari has engaged Soldato J-002
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Karma doesn't get to watch his shot as the moment he fires at the ship he starts doing back flips in his knightmare, not compensating for the lack of gravity.
Only by luck does he manage to get himself under control soon enough to see the missile popping right out infront of him and reacts on instinct. A harken launches and hits some floating debris pulling himself to meet the debris half way (space physics are weird).
The immediate danger avoided he is now getting his head in to the battle. " You know what, that was rude." Taking a moment he scans the ship before finding his target.
Slowly he takes aim and waits for that perfect moment before he unleashes a single shot trying to hit some of the sensor antennas.
KTS: Soldato J-002's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Jude Espella's Electrified Limb Discharge, taking 3600 damage! KTS: Jude Espella has engaged Soldato J-002 KTS: Karma Sato targets Soldato J-002 with Longshot Sniper Rifle Systems Targeting Shot! <Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
The communication is grim. J praises him, but it is the most left handed kind: Good job. But I will destroy them just the same. Guy knows he means it, and can. "Haven't been a cyborg for four years, J," Guy mutters.
Alouette back at her console comments back, "Wasn't he in the Trinary Solar System that whole time?"
Guy grunts. He sucks in a breath that may not even really exist. "I know why he's saying it...and I know what it means. I won't let him. I didn't let him as Pizza, and I won't now!"
He charges in. The ES Missiles explode around him. One jumps right past his extended Protect Wall, catching GaoFighGar in the shoulder and sending it into a spin. But StealthGao III's ul-tech engines aren't damaged, so Guy is able to get back into control quickly and charge onward. He thrusts his knee forward, the drills on Drill Gao II spinning up. "DRILL!" Guy screams, driving the drill into the Generating Armor and hopefully into the hull of the ship. "KNEE!!"
Guy focuses his whole will on breaking that barrier. He has to; it's the only way he can fight.
Normally not even this would make an intrusion into GaoFighGar easy...but with so many geniuses with secrets Guy can't predict in play, he doesn't spot what's happening, at least for the moment.
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais looks over at Swan, moving her head just enough to see the woman.
'Am I?'
She's tempted to ask, but it's not the time or the place. Instead, she shifts her grip to the back of J's throne, bracing for impact as the enemy begins to engage.
Her heated cheeks begin to tinge pink at Swan's question, and more at his response... she slides around behind the throne to better brace herself as her cousin Guy explosively announces his presence. Mikoto tells her J's a jerk, and she neutrally replies, "Yup," not missing a beat or taking her attention away from the action.
She pauses, looking in Lamia's direction as his voice reaches her. "It can use the Limpid Channel... is that what..." She frowns, and rises against the seat she's leaning on. "That beast was in Nouvelle Tokyo when I went to attack. Be careful of those blades on its head, too, they sweep out rapidly."
KTS: Guy Shishioh has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Guy Shishioh targets Soldato J-002 with Drill Knee!
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
"Of course I am Understudy but I shouldn't have to be!" Asuka complains to Kaworu. "If they weren't both in my way..." Yet the way the ship takes both their shots causes her expression to twist with a grimace as they vanish into the white rip - as Eisen says... that'd be preferable, "Don't blame me then if they send you the bill... assuming you live through this."
As she studies the space where their shots vanished, "Should have figured it wouldn't be that easy."
The missiles start to fire - and Asuka aims to shoot one of them down. Yet it vanishes in a blink. And reappears... right in front of her.
Her Eva reflexively sweeps a hand in front of the missile, a sudden force field opens up like a rippling pond in space - the shape of her A.T. Field as the missile detonates at point blank range. "Whatever crazy tech you've got. It won't save you - it's just going to piss me off."
Hooking the metal stock of her Crossbow on the tether and clamping it in place, both Shoulder Pylons on Evangelion-02 open up.
And she reaches to extract a Prog Knife in each hand, crossing them both with a flourish as they move to each side. Pusing off with one foot, she activates the thrusters which buoy her over the space.
Twin knives hum silently as she rockets towards the side of the Ark, juking one way, then another to try and avoid being caught up in a white rift. If one DOES open, then she tries to slice through it with twin blades- all in a day's work as she tries to drive them into the hull of the Ark and carve a long gap into it. "Do what you want then-" As Shinji says he's going inside and seeing where the evening takes her, "-just don't get in my way in there!"
Assuming she doesn't get eaten by one of those white tears first. That's a big maybe, given the nature of this strange ship.
KTS: Asuka Shikinami Langley targets Soldato J-002 with Progressive Knife Cut! KTS: Soldato J-002's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Karma Sato rattles Soldato J-002, making his next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Karma Sato's Longshot Sniper Rifle Systems Targeting Shot, taking 1740 damage! KTS: Soldato J-002's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Guy Shishioh's Drill Knee, taking 1610 damage! KTS: Guy Shishioh has engaged Soldato J-002 EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 75
KTS: [Lucky] Soldato J-002's King Of The Skies activates, and luck goes his way! KTS: Soldato J-002 retreats from the attack! KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to react to Asuka Shikinami Langley's Progressive Knife Cut, taking 3600 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu turns his gaze towards the pink monster hurling itself for the battleship from an endlessly deep red portal. His smile doesn't waver as he watches its approach and attack on their mutual enemy for a moment. Then he considers the J-Ark itself--the red light that protects it--and the white armor that rematerializes in wake of attacks upon it, seeming out of nothing but sheer energy.
"And in the pursuit of the end of miracles, they enact more of their own," he muses to no one in particular. "How ironic."
Missiles fire, shooting through space--then *cutting* through space--until they reappear before their targets explode. Kaworu gazes as scarlet blooms on the implacable walls of Unit 00's A.T. Field, smile as calm as if he were watching fireworks in the heavens rather than explosives aimed to destroy him. That same ease of spirit meets the broadcast sent to the assembled units, speaking without any hint of irony of saving the universe. That smile only flickers as Shinji loses his grip on the J-Ark, but Eisen gives him some solid advice on how to handle space, and Shinji launches back in knife-first.
Asuka argues that she shouldn't have to aim around other people, that they're in her way. "The ability to adapt is crucial for survival," Kaworu replies, and leaves it at that.
Thrusters open once more, and Kaworu glides Unit 00 through the void to bring it in somewhat closer. Unlike the other Evas, however, he remains a respectable distance away. While it's true that the red barrier is likely to nullify long-range attacks in part or in full, he *is* still attached to a different ship by an umbilical cable. It would be wisest, he decides, to continue to offer cover fire for his fellow pilots for the time being. The consequences of any of them losing their lifelines could be dire in these environs.
As Shinji attempts to slice the J-Ark open and Eisen attempts to *bite* his way through, Kaworu aims several precise shots along the same lines, potentially increasing Unit 01's cutting power and Carestia's mauling power by weakening--however temporarily--the armor in that area. "I've got your back," he tells them (him) through the comms. "Fight as your heart pleases."
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Soldato J-002 with Sniper Rifle Sighted Shot! KTS: Soldato J-002's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Kaworu Nagisa's Sniper Rifle Sighted Shot, taking 3630 damage! KTS: Kaworu Nagisa has activated the Enable Spirit Command targeting Shinji Ikari KTS: Kaworu Nagisa has activated the Enable Spirit Command targeting Eisen Daiwel
<Pose Tracker> Lamia has posed.
The monster's blade cuts through easy, it's sharpness without parallel. Its toughness is also apparently, just as legendary, as even though it tries to swing the teleporting missile away in vain as it connects, it is remains in one piece, though the colossal kaiju takes a few steps back from the force of the impact regardless.
"Tch. It would seem Abel's toys are more annoying than I initially anticipated. Well, no matter. We simply need to hurry up before things escalate."
In private, one of Somnium currently making up Cataphract chimes in. Lamia, predictably, ignores him.
Regaining its balance, the Betterman goes on the offensive again, this time driving and twisting its blade into J-Ark's armor. Lifting itself off the battleship with a quick flap of its wings, it flies downward, dragging the blade across ship's hull in an attempt to create a sizeable gap.
"Evoluder Guy. Root of Evil. Do not yet falter. Lest everyone you hold dear perishes right now. "
Over the Limpid Channel, Guy hears a familiar voice in the back of his head. A message, though if it's a warning or words of encouragement, it's hard to say.
KTS: Lamia targets Soldato J-002 with Void Rupture Saber Rend! KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to retreat. KTS: [Mirage] Soldato J-002's Escape Window activates, and he slips into a mirage. KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to react to Lamia's Void Rupture Saber Rend, taking 0 damage! KTS: Lamia has engaged Soldato J-002
<Pose Tracker> Soldato J-002 has posed.
"Anti-ship missile incoming!"
J shows no sign of a reaction as Swan swings her head up to look at him. "Orders?"
"Focus Generating Armor on the J-Quath and soak as much damage as possible."
At least, Carina discovers delightfully, the J-Ark doesn't seem to have any missile *interception* systems. The missiles hit the front of the ship. Explosions rock across it. It didn't manage to penetrate the red armor but it managed to score some damage across the front. That's something. Even the most mundane weapons *can* do damage to it. But it's certainly going to be a team effort. No one person could face this monster and survive.
That just means they need to coordinate.
Geed's blades slash into the ship. His face goes right up to the window. He can, indeed, see inside the members of the Gutsy Galaxy Guard - the stern-faced cyborg Soldato J-002 in his helmet, the brilliant blonde Swan White, the hot-blooded red-head Mikoto Utsugi, the quiet and focused Kousuke Entouji, the overwhelmingly courageous Koutaro Taiga, and - a brief blink of something disappearing into light. Something he doesn't get a good look at. J's helmet tilts up to look at Geed.
It's like staring into the face of a much older Ultraman. Someone utterly unwilling to give up fightin for what's right. And that's the worst part of it all. There's no malice in their gazes. No anger. No rage. Not a hint of glazed eyes or broken personalities. Only their own, heroic determination.
Tomorkas latches onto the J-Ark's barrier. The electrical surge blasts along the hull, straight through the Generating Armor. "Damage is mounting, J!" Swan shouts, her head whipping away from the console. "And those biological units are still right on top of us!"
"And that guy who looks like Todo-san..." Entouji adds quietly. Swan just nods vigorously. "Chief? J? What should we do?"
"Brace for impact!" Mikoto shouts.
Eisen *smashes* down into the hull. It's a tough fight - AT Field against Generating Armor. As he grinds and grinds and grinds the sparks of red glass and real power rip through the Generating Armor, the armor seals itself up behind him, but he gets directly in front of the missile launchers and prepares to eat a face full of missile, literally. The Carestia's teeth dig into the hull. It's made of some...bizarre alien metal.
Taiga's lips split in a wide grin. "They've recruited some excellent heroes, haven't they? And some incredible machines. It makes me wish we didn't have to do this."
Swan sighs. "Yeah. They're really brave. But we can't let them become Braves."
Shinji's knife digs into the J-Ark's metal. It's been distracted, pushed back, by Eisen's efforts, leaving it bare for him But...
There's nothing inside.
There's no *crew* for him to tear open. There's nothing but empty halls. And even as he looks at them the empty halls are closing themselves up. The ship is restructuring itself *as they fight it*, the red light filling the halls and passing it by to leave new matter in its wake. Eva 01 keeps digging in and the ship keeps fighting back. Kaworu's assistance aids in putting pressure on the machine, too; a bit more opening, a bit more force.
INTRUSION EFFORTS ARE DRAWING J-JEWEL ENERGY AWAY FROM GENERATING ARMOR!
"Tch." J clicks his teeth. "All hands-"
The sniper shot nails the ship right above where Shinji's digging, right in the vulnerable point he's created, even if temporarily. Keeping the pressure up on the Generating Armor is clearly the key, because when Guy comes in to knee the J-Ark in the side, he finds it all too easy to rip in. Much too easy. But then he's never seen the J-Ark under so much pressure before, has he? He's never seen it fight *so many* opponents.
And yet...
And yet it isn't crumbling.
Of course it isn't. Of course it isn't crumbling under the weight. When has J ever backed down from *anything*?
Eva-02 comes raging forward. She digs in in an entirely different place, and she finds the same thing - the ship just keeps filling itself up. The empty hallways are like crumple zones in a car. No crew. Eerily empty. Devoid of anything like the touches of living. Not even the common means of getting around in zero-g found on Federation spaceships. As the knives carve in, she, like Shinji, finds the same thing. They're fighting against a tide. They're struggling against something that isn't even remotely technology in the range of human understanding.
Matter from Energy.
Energy from Willpower.
Matter from Willpower...
They aren't fighting J-Ark. They're fighting its crew. They're fighting the willpower and courage of people who are legends for exactly those things. People with a unified goal.
To...save?...the universe?
It isn't J that answers the radios, but Swan White. She has a heavy Neo-American drawl. "Y'all...just don't have the perspective. It ain't your fault."
Her voice is understanding. Empathetic. Sweet. Honest. Not a hint of delusion. "How could you understand? You ain't seen what we have. You ain't seen a universe born, and you ain't felt what happens when the energy runs out...or when it gets too full."
Swan gets quieter. "Humans...intelligent life...we do that, y'know. We make more of the Universe every day. Every day our science leaps forward. We get closer'n'closer to destroyin' it. Stuff like the G-Stone...like Psycommu...all that psychic stuff, all them Photon Powers an' Getter Rays an' everythin'...it's hurtin' the universe real bad."
She sighs and runs her fingers through her hair. "An' if we're gonna save it, we gotta get rid of the source of that, y'know?"
"An' that's...intelligent life."
"Y'all looked in the mirror. Y'all've thought to yourself, 'this world is insane. It ain't right. Somethin's wrong with it. I can feel it. Some kinda distortion."
Her voice gets real quiet. "An'...you probably thought to yourself...'I'm what's wrong with it. I ain't...right. I ain't sure where I belong.'"
"It's because....you're right. You are what's wrong with it. Every day you're alive you take another step forward towards breakin' everything that exist. Towards collapsin' the whole shebang."
"We took an Oath to stop that."
"An' we ain't the type to stop halfway. So get ready! J! Let 'em have it!"
Another "tch" form the bird as he stands up and crosses his arms. "All weapons, prepare to fire."
Taiga looks up. "Target those cords. They're connecting the new machines to that battleship. If we take them out they'll be at a disadvantage."
"Understood. Renais, target lock."
"J, Generating Armor is failing real bad. We'll need a few seconds to restore power! Try to shake them off! Or make them hesitate, or..."
"That monster-"
"Too much flesh in space," Swan grumbles. Mikoto tugs at her jacket self-consciously.
Entouji, meanwhile, is already sending commands to Todo, working against GaoFighGar as another layer of the distraction. Tomoro occasionally sends a false flag ping when it has a moment to spare - which, in fairness, it does not, with the massive force arrayed against them.
Lamia's blade comes down and again finds itself passing through the space the J-Ark was. Now the Evangelions and Geed all get to experience the awful feeling of Escape Space - cutting directly from one part of the universe to another without delay or momentum. It isn't just a portal. It's uniting two points of space at once. It's...disorienting as hell.
J waits for a brief instant as the ES Window closes.
"DEPLOY ES WINDOWS!"
And then Hell comes pouring forth.
The stars fill with tears in the sky. Not just from the missiles at the front but from all over. From every angle. The sky is full of new and awful stars and they are like eyes gazing down and looking in from every single point is the J-Ark. From all directions. From all angles. The Evangelions and Geed can see themselves. It is tremendously disorienting.
Then comes the bombardment.
The cannons Shinji is attempting to dig under point themselves directly up. The missiles Eisen is attempting to swallow fire. But there's no swallowing these - even before they've gotten into the Evangelion's maw they're vanishing into new points of space. The sky fills with criss-crossed ruby beams, with missiles dancing every which way, with the sky splitting and opening and splitting and opening again in an unpredictable pattern of madness and destruction. It's impossible to predict without superhuman senses, not just from the precision of the ES Windows but from the sheer *scale* of the assault. This was a thing made to obliterate titans, piloted by a will that will never surrender.
And that power of destruction shows well why it earned the name 'The Disaster of Abel.'
KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Shinji Ikari with Demoralize! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Asuka Shikinami Langley with Demoralize! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Guy Shishioh with Demoralize! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Eisen Daiwel with Demoralize! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Karma Sato with Demoralize! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Jude Espella with Demoralize! KTS: Soldato J-002 targets Carina Cameron with Demoralize! KTS: Soldato J-002 demoralizes Carina Cameron, reducing her Morale drastically. KTS: Soldato J-002 demoralizes Jude Espella, reducing her Morale drastically. Soldato_J-002 Changes attack to Lamia, Kaworu Nagisa, Guy Shishioh, Karma Sato, Jude Espella, Eisen Daiwel, Riku Asakura, Carina Cameron, Shinji Ikari, and Asuka Shikinami Langley with All-Range Bombardment
KTS: Carina Cameron has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Riku Asakura fails to evade Soldato J-002's All-Range Bombardment, taking 3974 damage! KTS: Carina Cameron fails to evade Soldato J-002's All-Range Bombardment, taking 3974 damage! KTS: Karma Sato fails to react to Soldato J-002's All-Range Bombardment, taking 3974 damage! KTS: Jude Espella has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Eisen Daiwel has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Jude Espella has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Jude Espella has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Jude Espella fails to Evade Soldato J-002's All-Range Bombardment, taking 3974 damage! KTS: Eisen Daiwel fails to react to Soldato J-002's All-Range Bombardment, taking 3974 damage! KTS: Shinji Ikari has activated the Trust Spirit Command. KTS: Riku Asakura has activated the Detonate Spirit Command, reducing the Ultraman Geed Galaxy Rising to 1 HP!
KTS: Riku Asakura has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Riku Asakura has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Lamia has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Asuka Shikinami Langley charges into the attack! KTS: Asuka Shikinami Langley fails to react to Soldato J-002's All-Range Bombardment, taking 3974 damage! KTS: Guy Shishioh fails to rush. KTS: Guy Shishioh fails to react to Soldato J-002's All-Range Bombardment, taking 3974 damage! Your unit's HP stands at 10619
KTS: Shinji Ikari fails to react to Soldato J-002's All-Range Bombardment, taking 3643 damage! KTS: Kaworu Nagisa fails to evade Soldato J-002's All-Range Bombardment, taking 3643 damage! KTS: Lamia fails to react to Soldato J-002's All-Range Bombardment, taking 2980 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.
<"They send the bill to Britannia. Just focus on the fight!"> Eisen answers Asuka, instead of the usual ignoring her when she is being catty. When he's in a fight, he doesn't have time to adjust the tone of what he is doing and what he is saying, so he speaks more out of instinct.
Kaworu tries to be supportive. But in the zone as Eisen is at the moment, he snaps back; <"Don't say uncool things that raise Death Flags!!"> Still, the blast ripples nearby, aiding in his assault. He can trust Kaworu to have his back.
But now that he's dug deeper, he stands amidst empty halls. With the halls regrowing, changing around him. Matter from Energy, Energy from Will. The Carestia brings its hands out, trying to form a brilliant A.T. field up, as Eisen's heart is beating fast in his chest.
"Think Eisen. You're smart! Fucking do something about this. It's constantly regrowing and pushing back. I don't know where the Generator is. But..."
Detonations rock around him. The missiles disappearing before he can stop them. As he sinks into the bays, it just makes it harder for him to maneuver. The blows tear into the A.T. fields as the LCL within the Plug begins to boil and bubble! He feels the heat tear into his leg! Into his arms!
The youth opens his mouth, screaming wordlessly as adrenaline rushes through - making it harder to think! He brings his hand up from the controls, pulling his hair back, green into black.
So he starts doing what he does best. The Carestia begins to tear, and corrode, and cut through the reforming walls. Through the empty halls. The front claws, the rear claws. Biting at them as he gets assaulted from all sides. But every where that he sees it begin to reform, he stabs the Progressive blades he's got on him. They have limited barriers, but they will stay active for as long as they have generators... so...
He starts deploying more and more of them! Each blade stuck into a place of regeneration, hoping to force that spot into a constant 'state' of regeneration. As the Carestia bores through near the surface. Sometimes its claws showing along the top. Like an enormous shark moving through its hull! Trying to map out this place. If he loses a few Progressive Spears, fuck it, NERV will replace them! He isn't even chanting attack names. He feels... remarkably focused right now. His green eyes stark, almost full green as he proceeds.
KTS: Lamia has activated the Resupply Spirit Command targeting Riku Asakura KTS: Kaworu Nagisa has activated the Resupply Spirit Command targeting Eisen Daiwel <Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
The heroes moralize. Of course they do--they've got convictions, too. But Swan's right. They don't get it... they can't. She squeezes her fist tight. She wants to grab the comm from Swan, yell at them, tell them about the *mercy* this is. But convictions so deeply-held aren't so easily swayed. She knows it won't do anyone any good, and yet...
She hears her name, and snaps out of her brooding. "Right." She rushes over to one of the unattended, jury-rigged consoles, passing target coordinates along to Tomoro-0117's targeting systems. "Locked onto the cables!" she announces.
KTS: Eisen Daiwel targets Soldato J-002 with Code: Annihilation!
KTS: Eisen Daiwel has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to retreat. KTS: Eisen Daiwel enervates Soldato J-002, reducing his Morale significantly. KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to react to Eisen Daiwel's Code: Annihilation, taking 9720 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Eisen Daiwel's Experience This Curse With Me! activates, causing Shock! KTS: Eisen Daiwel has engaged Soldato J-002 KTS: Carina Cameron has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Carina Cameron has activated the Strike Spirit Command. <Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
Carina briefly, irrationally, wishes J'd stop calling them Braves. It makes her feel like she should be hitting things with a club.
At the helmsman's station, Edy blinks as a soft chime from his screen indicates a reading of note. The Havant crew aren't experts on Evangelions by any means, but they got a briefing on what was characterized as "enough to run the party." Edy files a note away under 'Ikari S' and resumes maneuvering the ship.
"May I make a suggestion," Carina muses with a cant of her head and a flick of her head as Swan White issues her threats.
"Start with yourselves. If you're so much more enlightened than the rest of us, surely the first step is all of you ever-so-intelligent and alive people killing yourselves for the good of the universe, right?"
Space warps bizarrely as ES Windows open up everywhere. The Havant's crew boggle over the bizarre cacophony of sensor readings for a moment - until lasers and missiles come from basically everywhere at once. Impacts slash into the ship's hull from all sides, the smaller vessel rocked heavily as outer hull plating buckles. Halfway up the bow, a blast punches through hull plating; a crew member goes flying off into space and vanishes into dust as he's caught up in a passing laser. "Gh-- lock down that breach!" Carina shouts over the noise of alarms, dashing forward to grip the edge of Edy's seat. "Edy, how're those cables holding up?"
"They're trying to target them," the helmsman reports.
"Get a unit out there and seal any breaches," Carina orders. "Bring the bow back around and lock on all guns and tubes. Give that ship both barrels!"
"Targeting!!" Stockton chirps from the rear of the bridge, clearly holding himself together through sheer desire not to fail his captain.
The Havant's a far smaller ship than the White Ark, with far more conventional technology, but she responds to the helm smartly, holding up despite the erratic blast and screech of supernatural weapons around it. She brings her angular bow back towards the Ark, opening up with a staccato barrage from her main guns. What follows is another wave of missiles.
This barrage is heavier, wider and aimed towards the big vessel's prow, targeted to try and blow through the barrier and knock off as much plating as possible - and to give cover to the four Colony Use Gloucesters that go skating out of the Havant's hangar bay. The Knightmare Frames maneuver along the Eva cables with giant welders in hand, rapidly affecting repairs on the Evangelions' vital lifelines. They're doing everything possible to stay out of the actual gunfire.
KTS: Carina Cameron targets Soldato J-002 with Attack Pattern Rho-23! KTS: Soldato J-002's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Carina Cameron's Attack Pattern Rho-23, taking 5720 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Carina Cameron's Indomitable Swiftness activates, causing Jam L1! KTS: Carina Cameron has activated the Prospect Spirit Command targeting Eisen Daiwel
<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.
The bombardment was everywhere. It was all Riku could do to put up a barrier, the Ultraman trying to shield himself from the bombardment. However, even that was too much for his shield, and soon the barrier was gone, and the explosive barrage sent Geed through space. Only recovering after some spinning and righting itself.
However, Geed was once more flying back towards the ship, his strange eyes flashing as he speaks right back to the voice. There was heat to it, a touch of anger, but something else...maybe an attempt to reach to their hearts as opposed to throwing his anger at them. His voice can be heard by everyone.
"If something is wrong with the world...then you fix it!" he shouts, as red and black energy courses around his body. White energy mixes into everything, but it seems to be surging around him. It was like his entire body was like a conduit for these seemingly opposing elements, and those who would sense it could tell it was hurting him a great deal to pull this off. Behind him a Pheonix appears, burning bright red.
"Standing around doing nothing won't get us anywhere. Destroying the source doesn't do anything but keep the universe standing still! If there is something wrong with the Universe, then you fight to fix it. No matter how many times you get knocked down. No matter how many times it hurts you..."
"If your answer is to destroy people, to hurt and kill them...then my answer is the opposite. To protect that life, and to save you before you do anything you would regret," he says before that power finally finishes channeling. The firebird behind him is sucked into the Ultraman, that power is now SURGING in black, red, and white surges as he draws everything inside of him.
A beam of energy, with all of those colors, is fired the moment the right arm of the Ultraman points up, braced by the left arm across the inside of the elbow. It aims to blast the J-Ark tearing through space if necessary, trying to do what he could to stop it before it really did something regrettable. "It is the Geed way...to turn destiny around!"
"WRECKING PHOENIX!"
KTS: Riku Asakura targets Soldato J-002 with Wrecking Phoenix! <Pose Tracker> Jude Espella has posed.
As their enemy changes to a comforting female voice, and one that is actually Pretty Reasonable For Being Omnicidal, Jude sighs. She can't deny having the feeling that Swan explains, but still...
"Why not stop the war from another approach? Must death for everyone be the first answer? Intelligent life? My friends and I, we could help you find another way. Kill just the people doing the bad things, yes? The supervillains." An approach to emotion.
But then, as the bombardment starts, she's sent flying as her kaiju throws her away, allowing her to escape the blast. His scales are blown open, causing a shrill screech of pain. This gives Jude plenty of time to meditate on it, as Tomorkas stays close to the ship. Once the bombardment is done, the injured kaiju suddenly throws out a hand, pulling Jude back into radio range.
"No, nevermind. You made an Oath, yes? It would be rude of me to ask you to break it. So I will have to stop you with force, the same you will do of us."
Tomorkas electrifies again, and moves to pump out as much energy as possible through that barrier, punches limbs over and over again. They separate from the body in the punch, to do incredible damage, before reattaching. The tentacle-limb attached to Jude remains connected the whole time, though.
KTS: Jude Espella has activated the Trick Spirit Command. KTS: Jude Espella has activated the Trick Spirit Command. KTS: Jude Espella targets Soldato J-002 with Electrified Limb Heavy Discharge!
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Karma is not use to this type of battle, they don't have battle ships in the little urban skrimishes he is use to. They don't even have things like those giant monsters attacking the ship in normal fights with the Brittannians. The bombardment comes in and tosses him for a ride before he can stabilize himself. His shield is more slag then anything and the rest of his armor is damaged.
As he gets himself righted and floating there he notices his hand shaking, "Damn it, I don't mind dying but I don't have any intent of dying when I don't even know why." Taking his hand he bites it as if punishing it for shaking before taking the controllers again and slows his breathing down.
Taking a moment he lets it all slow down for a moment until the only thing he can hear is his own heart beat. Finally he lines the shot up and takes a deep breath holding it for a moment as he steadies and pulls the trigger.
KTS: Karma Sato has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Karma Sato has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. <Pose Tracker> Takeshi Todo has posed.
Of course, the flash of light which disappeared in just a flicker-moment of time does not have the time to consider the thing that nearly catches sight of it. It has other business to attend to.
GaoFighGar's systems are imposing, this is a truth that cannot be overstated. And yet, they have a trump card. "Sending Assist Weapon," Entouji murmurs, his fingertip hammering the enter key--
"Receiving," Takeshi Todo-- or something that was once Takeshi Todo-- intones. The Electronic Superhuman stands in a landscape of wireframe buildings and circuitronic architecture. And there at the heart of it, are a series of whirling rings of light. Once upon a time, he helped to rebuild these things. These program rings. Now, they are a vulnerability he can exploit. Sigma raises an arm to the sky, as a... simple, rectangular object falls into his waiting hand. He pushes the button on its flat side, and out slides a blade from one end.
...One which looks distinctly like a box cutter knife.
"Entouji, I'm opening the route--" There. The moment the program rings align. He thrusts the knife at one point along their interweaving lines, nicking the very edge of one, then the next, then the next...
And uses the brief disruption to connect to a key part of GaoFighGar's communication program. And from there, he disappears again into a portal, towards one of the unsuspecting federation battleships struggling to ensure the J-Ark's rampage does not cause undue harm to forces retreating from the area. They're too busy and too unprepared to notice the being opening a channel from them to the J-Ark, to Orbit Base, and to...
"There," Takeshi Todo says with a triumphant sigh, "Our keys to victory...!"
KTS: Karma Sato targets Soldato J-002 with Longshot Sniper Rifle Aimed Shot!
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Guy's Evoluder body itches, is how he would describe it. The digital noise coming his way from J-Ark is entirely unlike the clear signal everyone else must be getting, stark, cold words. Even Swan's bold proclamation almost drowns out as Tomoro's false pings and Entouji's garbage data fills his brain like static. He focuses through. Focuses and thinks. Swan is speaking. This signal must be Entouji. They're aboard. They're not hiding in the Division Fleet. They're here in front of him!
THEY'RE HERE IN FRONT OF HIM!
"ALOUETTE!" he screams. "Get me the Gatling Driver!"
"Oui!" she replies, tapping rapidly. "Ushiyama!"
"I see his plan!" Sueo yells from the Maintenance Operator desk. "Loading Six!"
"Gatling Driver!" Alouette yells, and whirls in her seat. "Kit Number Zero Six! EMISSION!"
From Wadatsumi comes a spear hurtling through the silence, Mirror Coating cracking off of it in chunks as it flies toward the melee. GaoFighGar disengages a ways, shooting off to dock with it. The head looks like a twisted Phillips Head screwdriver...an Guy jams it toward the space in front of J-Ark.
"Sit tight. I'll get you out right now!" he yells, and the Gatling Driver hooks into space itself. "GATLING! DRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"
And TWISTS.
This is familiar technology. It's what GGG did to the Federation fleet, five years ago, paralyzing it long enough for their Division Ships to get away. This time, Guy intends to get in close.
Freeze the J-Ark...and tear the bridge and all its occupants free with Hell and Heaven.
KTS: Guy Shishioh targets Soldato J-002 with Broken Gatling Driver! KTS: Soldato J-002's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Guy Shishioh rattles Soldato J-002, making his next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Guy Shishioh's Broken Gatling Driver, taking 1050 damage! EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 88
KTS: Soldato J-002's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Karma Sato's Longshot Sniper Rifle Aimed Shot, taking 2340 damage! KTS: Karma Sato roots his unit, coming to a standstill and leaving him vulnerable. KTS: [Lucky] Soldato J-002's King Of The Skies activates, and luck goes his way! KTS: Soldato J-002 successfully Blocks Riku Asakura's Wrecking Phoenix <Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
Shinji comes out of it for a second as he sees the bizarre phenomena in front of him. "Hey-thanks, Kaworu-look at this." Shinji says, almost effortlessly working around the sniper fire, perhaps not understanding how difficult that is, "I think this ship is alive. Look, the insides, they're changing. Is this whole thing come kind of projection??"
The strange woman speaks to them, chanting a gospel of self annihilation. Shinji can't quite grasp the reasoning, but he remembers what Guy said. Despite his insistence to the contrary, it sure sounds like brainwashing to him. Why was he so angry at these people? Why was he so angry at all? "I don't understand. Don't you all realize you're sick?" The woman on what looks like a dragon offers to cut a deal and comes on Shinji's radar. "That's disgusting! Abusing people who've been manipulated by alien energy for political gain!"
Then Shinji's shot right in the gut. Unit-01 nearly flies off again, legs swinging as he tries to remember Eisen's instructions. You. Is it like swimming? Not really? The fear is powerful in Shinji and then the maser field rips through his ATField and his head hangs as his stomach is hit so hard he can see his body deform and warp inside the entry plug.
The only thing that saves Shinji's life is the hard work of the Knightmare Frame crew. Maybe these guys aren't so bad, Shinji thinks, as he grabs his own power cord. There's a shimmer of light behind Shinji as an ATField manifests, Shinji kicks off of it, and swings on the cord back towards the great red ship. Shinji sees the bridge, and a flash of pink hair, and his eyes widen.
His synch score spikes.
Shinji feels his mouth strain. Why can't he move it, all of a sudden? Shaking, Ikari moves his hand to his jaw, and just sort of.
Unit-01 moves its hand to its faceplate, DIGS its fingers through the armor plating into a strange cavity, and PULLS.
There, Shinji thinks, must've gotten some fear lockjaw.
Unit-01 cannot roar in space, but anyone on the bridge can see it is trying, eyes glowing an unholy shade of yellow as it pulls a fist back and attempts to slam it directly into the window. One of the windows, there can be more than one.
KTS: Soldato J-002's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Soldato J-002 blocks Jude Espella's Electrified Limb Heavy Discharge, taking 4500 damage! KTS: Jude Espella has engaged Soldato J-002 KTS: Shinji Ikari has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Shinji Ikari targets Soldato J-002 with Rip and Tear! KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to retreat. KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to react to Shinji Ikari's Rip and Tear, taking 5600 damage! KTS: Shinji Ikari has engaged Soldato J-002
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
"Heh. That'd actually be pretty funny." Asuka says after a moment to Eisen on the thought of sending the bill to Britannia rather than simply rejecting the idea outright as one might expect. But, his next statement to Kaworu causes quite the opposite reaction, "What you tell me to focus on the fight then act like this is some anime!? What's wrong with you?"
"Don't be stupid." Asuka growls over the comms as the crew tries to claim that humanity's science is hurting the universe - so there solution is to get rid of intelligent life, "You think something isn't right so your solution is getting rid of all intelligent life? Are you even listening to yourselves? You're just some delusional suicide squad."
It's frustrating as she cuts through collapsing hallways, one after another. "How big is this ship!?" She's nearly at the end of her tether when... suddenly the disorienting sensation of being thrust in another point of space.
"You think... that's gonna stop me slicing you up? Just watch!"
Yet the missiles blink, and Asuka tries to raise her A.T. Field again. This time though the pattern of madness and chaos finds the gap in which she hasn't raised it.
The explosion tears across Eva-02's armor with an explosion that elicits a scream over the radios. She always brags about her synch ratio... well there is a cost.
"YOU!" She pants over the radio, obviously all of this is getting to her, "You think you've got it all figured out huh!?" As she recovers quickly, righting her Eva with a burst from her thrusts, as she heads towards the ship, flying up higher on her tether - her activation timer blinking in and out erratically as the Knightmare Frames of the Havant work to repair it despite her drawing it more taut not even seeming to realize their efforts are keeping her afloat.
Before flinging the Prog Knife a short span ahead of her. The blade digging end over end to plunge into the hull near the bottom of the ship. As she suddenly sets the thrusters to burn HOT for a moment, picking up her acceleration abruptly, the Red Giant reeling back a fist.
"You've got much bigger problems than the nonsense you're spewing."
The fist makes contact with the pommel back of the Prog Knife, the momentum of the giant shoving it through with a rising uppercut that tries to keep lowing through, trying to chew through as much of the ship as humanly possible from bottom up before the defenses can react. If she gets her way, she'll go all the way for the bridge before they know her trajectory.
KTS: Asuka Shikinami Langley has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Soldato J-002 KTS: Asuka Shikinami Langley has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Asuka Shikinami Langley has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Asuka Shikinami Langley targets Soldato J-002 with Progressive Knife Drive! KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to retreat. KTS: [Mirage] Soldato J-002's Escape Window activates, and he slips into a mirage. KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to react to Asuka Shikinami Langley's Progressive Knife Drive, taking 0 damage! KTS: Asuka Shikinami Langley has engaged Soldato J-002
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
As Shinji peels back to show what's going on inside the empty, hollow ship, a screen blips up on Kaworu's viewscreens, bringing up the details as it regenerates. "You're not wrong," Kaworu replies. "This ship... it's powered by the force of their wills. They remake themselves because that is what they desire with all their hearts--even as it opposes the very Oath to which they've dedicated themselves. As long as they have the will to fight, this will continue."
Between Renais and Guy, and also his general natural demeanor, it's no shock to Kaworu to hear Swan kindly, compassionately explain to them all that they just don't understand, they simply don't have the context to understand, why annihilating all life is the kind and correct thing to do. When she speaks of looking into the mirror, though--of seeing one's reflection, and understanding that it is oneself that is wrong with the world, that one is the distortion within it that causes it and everything within it so much pain--his smile fades.
Space opens up. Tears appear, as countless as the stars, and through them shoot destructive will. Kaworu sees himself, and he sees his companions, and he sees his foes, and he sees scarlet beams and missiles erupt forth to close in and end him. Unit 00 rocks her head back upon impact, limbs twitching in agony as the assault bombards her from all sides. Within her, Kaworu too is set alight within that LCL, bubbles frothing within the primordial liquid. His head rocks back in unvoiced agony; then, as the explosions fade, it bows.
"..."
It was always his destiny to live on. But living on meant resetting a world already teeming with life. Long ago, he always wondered: is that right? Is it truly necessary? No matter the fact that it was the children of Adam who were meant to populate the Earth, the fact is that the children of Lilith had inherited it instead. In doing so, they'd scarred the Earth, but also created countless works of sublime beauty. Was righting that mistake truly worth all of that?
Time and time again, at the brink of carrying out his mission, he had decided: no. And allowed himself to die.
He understands what Swan and the other Braves mean. He truly does.
"Your unrelenting, passionate wills... how beautiful they are," he muses distantly. (Perhaps Renais hears that, and realizes who faces them on this battlefield. Would it matter either way? She has her Oath.) But Eisen snaps a warning, and Kaworu, who has not only raised but retrieved countless death flags, can only laugh softly. "Sorry, sorry," he replies, tone regaining its usual mildness.
The enemy before them is vast, and the hearts that beat within it strong. Kaworu knows that it's not one that any one of them can defeat. That's why, as he adjusts his thrusters to correct his angle and locks on his rifle to the bridge, where Asuka is tearing her way towards, where Shinji aims a massive punch, where Guy drives his attack.
"You may be right," he acknowledges calmly to the Heralds of the Dawn. "Even so, I will protect them.
"That's why I'm here, after all."
He pulls the trigger. A precise and unrelenting bullet sears forth through space to attempt to pierce the J-Ark's heart.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Soldato J-002 with Sniper Rifle Decisive Shot! KTS: [Lucky] Soldato J-002's King Of The Skies activates, and luck goes his way! KTS: Soldato J-002 successfully Blocks Kaworu Nagisa's Sniper Rifle Decisive Shot
<Pose Tracker> Lamia has posed.
Being targeted by a sudden bombardment, Cataphract lets go of its blade, leaving the weapon embedded in the massive warship as it attempts to escape the Red Planet's Cyborg's sudden wrath.
It could've gone a lot better, as the massive mountain of man-shaped chitin and flesh is smacked down with missiles and beam fire. Again, the creature remains completely in one piece, but this time there's a visible yellow hue that burns off of it. Some kind of barrier, one that doesn't seem to be holding up to well.
"The Dawn Aura. We must keep it in check."
There's a sudden change in psychic pressure as Cataphract spreads its wings once more, diving in on the command tower of the J-Ark at break neck speeds as it grabs hold of it. Throwing its head back, the dual horns on its head slide back, before suddenly shooting forward, puncturing through the warship's armor with brutal efficiency.
Across the Limpid Channel, three words resonate loudly.
PSYCHO GLORY SQUARED!
Letting go, the Amalgamation monster falls back, letting the dual puncture holes slowly spread their damage across the J-Ark in an attempt to put strain on the Dawn Aura that sustains it. A constant struggle of repair and destruction. Of course, in the end, the Conqueror King's influence will win, and there's no way to know if Psycho Glory even works on something this big. But they have to try, there is no other option.
KTS: Lamia targets Soldato J-002 with Psycho Glory Squared! KTS: [Lucky] Soldato J-002's King Of The Skies activates, and luck goes his way! KTS: Soldato J-002 retreats from the attack! KTS: Soldato J-002 fails to react to Lamia's Psycho Glory Squared, taking 5830 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Soldato J-002 has posed.
Swan's smile is almost audible. "That's exactly what we're doing," she says to Riku. To Carina, she says, "We can't go until we've done what has to be done. Then we can disappear. Sorry, hon. It's just not the 3G way to leave a problem half-finished. But this is how it gets fixed. It ain't personal. We don't hate ya. We don't even expect you to see things our way 'cause you can't."
"It ain't about war, cutie," Swan says again, "It ain't about this planet alone. It's about everything. About the ability to make something from nothing. Even J-Ark has to go, in the end. It's a violation of the Cosmic Law, too. We just got a deputys badge for the minute. Y'know, a license t'carry! Bang, bang!" The image of the blonde woman pointing her finger at the window and making fingergun motions is too strong for it not to be true.
"An' it ain't about good or evil, neither. If it was that simple, we'd round up all the bad people!" Swan laughs, sadly. "I mean, even we know that ain't realistic...but we'd sure as shootin' try."
"It's ordinary people, honey, ordinary people with the power to make things from nothing. To make dreams real in the literal sense, not just the figurative. Y'ain't think the tech here is the only example, do ya? That stuff like GaoGaiGar can't be remade? Can't be studied? Whaddya think happens when that proliferates? When everybody can just throw around matter from nothin'? That's when the universe collapses."
"We gotta stop that. The universe is hurting, an' it *asked* us to stop it. How could we ignore that? We promised." Her voice is solemn. "Yer darn right we can't break that Oath."
"Like I said...that just ain't the 3G way!"
Eisen starts digging through the surface. The spears crack as the hull fights against him. The weapons break, over and over. A continual assault against willpower itself. Will against will. And it's critical - without it, Carina's missiles wouldn't find nearly as much purchase. Explosions rip across the hull. Crimson light shatters across the sky.
The electric lash of Tomorkas digs into one of the spots Eisen's been hammering at. Another ripple of shock streams across the ship. "J, at this rate, the Generating Armor's going to exhaust itself without an additional J-Jewel-"
Shinji's Eva silently roars. Its fist swings backwards. It hammers against the field around the window, over, and over, and over, shaking the room. Swan falls over. Mikoto hits the ground. Entouji grabs the console tight as Todo's message comes through.
Taiga and J simply stand there, arms crossed, looking directly into the eyes of the horror.
These are people who have been through uncountable terrors and come out the other side. This is what it means to be a Brave Hero. To be part of 3G. Those eyes are determined. There's no hint of manipulation, no hint of mental change. Their eyes are clear as day. No glowing orange to tell Shinji that they're possessed.
And that's the worst part. As Swan and Mikoto pick themselves back up, as Entouji looks up from the console, all of them have the same expression as Guy Shishioh.
Absolute Courage.
Absolute Will.
Absolute Heroic Determination.
Asuka's knife flings forward. The rising uppercut digs up, and-
Closes behind her. J-Ark is in absolute defense mode. No weapons firing. It's simply self-repairing as hard as it can. The energy is being diverted entirely to manifesting *more* of itself. More, more, more. She lands in front of the bridge as Shinji starts punching it and she gets to see the same thing as her knife presses against the same red field. The same determined stares. The same absolute willpower. Entouji whips his head away from the gaze at the console. "Chief!" he shouts, "We've got it! We can't access the codes but we have the locations of the keys!"
"GOOD WORK!" Taiga's voice is thunderous. "J, LET'S GO! WE HAVE THE LOCATIONS!"
Psycho Glory shakes the J-Ark furiously. Orange - not *red* - light leaks out, trembling, where the Psycho Glory Squared roars. The constant struggle of repair. Swan covers her mouth. "J! We need to go! That's-"
But there's Riku. And there's Guy. And there's Kaworu. And the Evas. And that ship. Everyone's hearts, all their warrior's souls. Renais knows it as J stands and walks forward. As he crosses his arms. She can tell what he's about to do as Guy comes straight at them with the divider. As J raises one hand.
"THAT IS SOMETHING I CANNOT DO!"
Yeah. There it was. The problem with J. He's never been a team player. Taiga nods. "Alright, then!"
"MIKOTO! MEGA FUSION - APPROVED!"
The redhead nods as the Evas pound against the bridge again. She raises her hand. "MEGA FUSION..."
"PROGRAM...DRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!"
Her hand slams into the console. It shatters glass. A button marked J flares to life. Tomoro immediately responds, and the attacks on the ship, the grinding, smashing, find the light redoubling. Those who can see into the bridge see that strange armored man with the twin scarfs raise one arm.
"FUUUUUUUUUUUSION!"
Asuka and Shinji get a firsthand look as the jewel on the arm arm blazes to life with the symbol of a stylized J. It's red. The same color as the ship's armor. And then the cyborg leaps up into the air.
The scarf wraps around him. The golden symbol above the bridge turns red. He sinks into it and vanishes.
"J-DER! PLUG OUUUUUUUUT!"
The bridge disconnects.
A mech, about the same size as GaoGaiGar, emerges. It's black and green and yellow. It's holding the bridge inside it. But that's not the important part. Guy already knows what's coming. As he and Riku charge, as Kaworu fires, as everything goes sideways, Guy knows exactly what's about to happen. What the next words are.
"MEGA FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSION!"
The ship begins to unfold.
Shinji, Kaworu, and Eisen find themselves trying desperately to hold onto something that's literally splitting apart under them. The guns disconnect. The ship's prow splits in half. It unfolds and rises up. The yellow, black, and green mech suddenly sprouts massive red wings, and the whole ship disappears into a cocoon.
The wings fade across it. The right set of cannons locks onto the right side of the ship. The defenders can literally see the machine *building new links out of nothing*, red light turning into physical truth in intricate detail as the arm connects. The other side does the same. Then the legs. Then, at the top, the green-and-yellow-and-black mech plugs in.
The monster spreads its arms. It is massive. A hundred and one meters. A giant. A titan. A monster made to fight monsters.
In the chest, Taiga just grins. "In the face of such courage and bravery, how could J do anything but respond with all his heart? How could he answer their determination with anything less than his own?"
Across all the channels they can hear the proclamation. They can hear it thunder. They can hear the power, the pressure, the weight, the *will* behind that voice. The sheer, unbelievable, inhuman determination that carried him through the end of a universe twice.
"KIIIIING!"
"J-DERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
The true shape of the Disaster of Abel. Absolute Danger Rating 100. A machine from another time. The true shape of Soldato J's will. What looked like flagging power, flagging regeneration, suddenly spikes. The energy readings are off the scale. The Generating Armor ripples as it restores itself utterly from the new influx of J-Jewel energy. J alone adding himself to this machine did this...?
Of course. It's his heart.
He answers their hearts with his own.
Riku's massive phoenix beam is met with energy pouring from J-Ark's five fingers. Ruby light collides with fire. The struggle of wills burns bright. And then-
ORANGE
A sudden surge of the light of the dawn, the light of the beginning, the light of something purer and more sacred than the human race, suddenly burns through the red light and powers straight around Geed. The whole of the beam encompasses him in an instant.
The massive hand turns itself towards Lamia. Again, the same effect - against the Psycho Glory, the Aura of the Dawn may be weaker, but Lamia is right - eventually the Dawn wins out. The ruby light that punches through the sky, tinted that beautiful orange, smashes into the Cataphract head-on.
Kaworu's sniper shot is met with an ES Window. It rips open space and puts the bullet directly in front of Jude's Kaiju. The shot that was meant for J instead answers a different will. Because...
"GUY SHISHIOH!"
The Gatling Driver - GaoFighGar - comes plowing forward. Guy passes the Evas. He passes the beams. He passes the destruction. And he's met with what he knows is coming.
"J-QUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATH!"
From the bird beak of the chest - what once was the prow of the ship - a strange set of wings discharges. Immediately that piece turns into ruby energy. Wings flap as that solid matter becomes a blazing crimson bird that devours the sky. It charges directly into the Gatling Driver. Into GaoFighGo. It hammers against him, and-
"J, we *have to go*!" Swan urges, "Any more and we're putting the whole thing in danger!"
"I-"
"I know!" Mikoto says, "I know you want to fight them! I know you and Guy are the same like that - you see a problem and you want to hit it head-on and see what holds up better! But right now, we have to go! To save everything!"
The massive shape of King J-Der lingers for a moment as the flapping red bird returns to its chest, turning solid once more.
Then a tear in space opens below it.
It simply vanishes, like a bad dream.
The day is saved...?
FAR AWAY, IN THE DEPTHS OF SPACE
The J-Ark emerges. The four Division Ships await. Geki Hyuuma radios in. "So," he asks, "Guessing we can't access the old code. But we got 'em? The new keys?"
"Yeah," Entouji says quietly. "Thanks to Todo-san and Tomoro-kun."
"JOSH-A."
"The Republic of Zeon."
"Dakar."
"And the Orbital Base."
Hyuuma pumps his fist. "Alright! Then we're that much closer to our goal!"
"That's right," Taiga says, staring off into space, "Soon, we can make moves on reviving the Crusher."
"But for now...we'll sow chaos amongs the Federation and the Colonies alike. Put them at their throats. Exploit their division before Guy can wield his own charisma to unite them, or someone like Koji, or Tetsuya, or the Getters, or Amuro, or Char."
"Our greatest threat is a united Earthsphere, at least until we have the Crusher online. And by that time..."
Hyuuma nods. "By that time, it's way too late, and we've already gotten rid of the universe's biggest danger. From there we just gotta go to the other species out there one at a time."
Mikoto folds her hands over her chest and looks out at the window. "....Guy..." She says quietly, "If you can hear me..."
"I miss you."
"I wish you could see the light, too."
<Pose Tracker> Jude Espella has posed.
Tomorkas disengages as J-Ark becomes a giant mecha. It's not enough. Kaworu's bullet pierces the kaiju, ripping through several of his tendrils he pulls up to block. He saves himself and his rider, but he's gonna need to heal, as the screech pierces out. Jude feels it, and the Awakened around her can feel a pulse of pain.
Shinji gets a reply from Jude, voice still modulated, but with a zealous anger behind it. "Ah, ah, ah! The government dog wants to bark. Has to be aliens, has to be brainwashing. Can't be ideology. Of course."
"Because ideology besides yours can't exist except in the deranged or controlled. People can't just be fed up and want to see the end of the world. You're telling me you've never looked in the mirror and thought that we're the problem? Ridiculous. Even a superhero such as myself has."
"Next time, instead of yelling at someone about how they're fighting wrong, consider putting more effort in yourself. You're just a child doing what he is told."
Tomorkas uses its remaining tentacles to grab Karma's Burai, and then rapidly starts to decelerate back towards Earth. How do they all handle escape velocity?
Don't ask.
<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.
The Wrecking Pheonix beam and the giant beam from the transformed J-Arc clash. Both are putting everything they have behind the beam\, it's the one thing that Riku can sense behind the fighting spirit of the pilot. It's confirmed with words\, but whatever is happening these people think that the only solution to this problem is to kill.
Riku won't accept it...no it's more than that. He can't accept it. Every battle he's ever fought\, every challenge he's overcome has been with one truth in his heart. That life was precious\, that people were inherently good\, and that regardless of what the other person is doing\, they too have to be saved. Sometimes all you can do is shout at them\, fire the weapon...
He puts more of his energy behind it\, the jewel on his chest starts to flash red. The two beams struggle...until it turns orange. Geed fights back\, but he can't overcome this. Maybe if he had access to the Fusion Riser\, but he does not. The handgrips him\, the orange energy blasts him. Toku sparks rake across his body.
It's lucky that he can keep enough of himself together\, but only just barely. After the explosion\, Ultraman Geed is left floating in space\, floating away from the explosion in the direction of the force of the attack.
The red gem is still\, however\, flashing. He's alive\, though very hurt. Extremely hurt.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
Even in the middle of a frenzy of Bizarre GGG Wizard Magic Bullshit, Carina and the Havant's bridge crew are left to stare in a mixture of horror and astonishment at the sight of Unit 01 going bonkers and trying to rip the bridge out of the White Ark.
"Oh, I absolutely need to take that walk in Nouvelle Tokyo," Carina repeats, bringing her hand to the arch of her hip. "Or do I even want to know?"
As words are flung over the comline, Carina turns her thoughts away from the horrific Eva rampage to listening to what of the exchanges she can make out. Much of it reads to her as mysticism of a type utterly irrelevant to tactical considerations. Swan, though--
"Do not 'cutie' me, pissant," Carina scoffs with a toss of her head and a flip of a few locks of hair back. "You're a sterling example of how the most deluded people are always the most sure of themselves. I don't even want to *know* what your modeling of the universe looks like to get you to these ridiculous conclusions.
"I also don't need to know, because your little conspiracy-theorist pet project is about to be left permanently unfinished."
If nothing else, they're beginning to find purchase - and there are enough of them present that the J-Ark is seeming more killable than it was five minutes ago. "Bring us back around to three one seven," Carina orders, waving a hand sharply. "Continue supporting fire. Do not let that thing near the power cables or I swear to the Emperor I will go out there myself and put it through two tables!"
Then the entire ship unfolds. Carina stares for a few seconds, watching the ship vanish, before burying her face in one hand.
"Number One," she sighs with a nod towards Reeve, "authorization given to get everyone a goddamn drink."
"Understood, sir," Reeve answers as she hands the order off to a crewman.
Carina straightens one of her gloves with a perfunctory tug before moving to the edge of the bridge's upper deck. "Status on the Eva units."
"They're still hanging in there," reports Edy with a look back from his console, a bit pale but keeping himself centred. "The cables held out well, but there's a tactical vulnerability there, obviously. The computer handled the flight load for the units without redlining."
Nodding, Carina waves a hand towards the screen. "On comms."
The Havant's tactical channel clicks on, Carina's voice reaching the allied units on the field. "All units, this is the Havant. Good job, well fought. Please try not to trip over any more wizard magic bullshit on the way back home."
A few moe Knightmare Frames have drifted out of the Havant's hangar. They're beginning the slightly cumbersome process of retrieving the Evas. Somehow.
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
"What are you talking about? The force of their wills? Remaking themselves? Sounds like the plot of a little kid's show nonsense Understudy, not what's in front of us." Asuka's face appears in Kaworu's entry plug for a moment, rejecting Kaworu's statements because well... it sounds like the supernatural to her, magic. That kind of thing. And she rejects the idea that such can exist.
Asuka finds herself frustrated as the ship repairs as fast as she can dig through it, landing in front of the bridge with a sound of utter disgust as she spins her knife around. "It's fine. I'm right where I wanted to be." Brandishing both knives, she estimates her chances are far higher than they ever actually were to do some real damage.
The truth is she never had a chance. Because what she dismisses, becomes manifested in the crew's determination, their will power as the Jewel diverts her eyes, and reflexively she activates the thrusters to evade what she sees as an attack.
It isn't.
"You're kidding me." She says, softly, as the mech fuses with the ship itself to form a monster, its mass growing, and growing. Asuka finds herself panicking, as she looks up and around to figure out how they're going to fight that - her heart pounding in her chest.
She knows she can do it, she's supposed to be the best. But... how? The answer eludes her.
She's still contemplating what angle to take when it vanishes into a tear. And she just hangs there in space, floating on her tortured tether. Breathing in more of the LCL fluid as she puts a hand over her face shakily from the rush of adrenaline.
"Shut up." Asuka says, to noone in particular. They're long gone. It's just a whisper into the void.
However, she seems to recover and says again into the comms, "Shut up." This time it's to the one in Tormorkas, to Jude the figure modulating his voice, Asuka's voice still shaking a touch, "He's not even supposed to be here."
Before long, the thrusters activate and start pushing her back towards the Evangelion module on the Havant.
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Karma was expecitng a kaboom, a ship shattering kaboom, not this whole transforming thing. " I am never going anywhere with the crazy kaiju lady again. Never ever ever..." His burai shakes as it is grabbed ad is pulled infor the return trip home.
It is not going to be the most pleasant ride home but the good news is that between the exhaustion and the Gs and everything it is a perfect time to black out and have a nap.
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais barely pays attention as Guy yells, focused on the targeting console for the moment--she's used to him by this point, anyway. She looks up a few moments later, though--just in time to lock eyes with Unit-01's hulking form.
Just in time to watch it yank its faceplate off, and bare its maw. Her eyes go wide. She hadn't *seen* it, before, when Eisen's Unit-Zahllos dug into Reine Noire's neck--but now she saw it. "What the fuck..." she mutters, as the Evangelion smashes at the bridge, buffeted by its strikes. She's just shocked. A bit horrified.
She's broken out of it as Unit-00's pilot speaks. There's a melancholy little smile on her face--she knows that voice, the way he speaks. It's a shame--really, and truly--they can't see eye-to-eye.
"Those blades--*SHIT!*" She yells aloud, as the Cataphract slices through the ship.
--Oh. *Oh.* "J. J, no--" But he's already gone. She shoots a glare in Mikoto's direction as she initiates the Mega Fusion process. The room shakes as the Ark reconfigures around them, and Renais leaps up onto the makeshift control center on the command podium.
"J! THIS IS NOT THE FUCKING TIME!" she shouts as he takes further shots, reiterating Swan and Mikoto's urgings as only she can.
*
As the others mill about in the Galaxy Guard's hiding spot, Renais Cardiff simply leans against the wall below the great stained-glass window on the bridge, looking slightly more upset than her baseline.
Stupid bird...
<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.
"Fuck, did Asuka just agree with something? I must be..." And then she rages at him and asks what's wrong with him. He can't help but smirk a bit. "Ahh, balance in the universe has been restored."
But then the world around him warps. The walls pull away, and the Evangelion is sent scrambling. Thanks to the size of the J-Ark, he'd been able to move using claws and feet. But suddenly he's left in the cold of space, which causes Eisen to stare down at the far away Colony for a moment. He feels nausious for a moment. It's a lot different in the real world than in a simulation, when that's suddenly thrust upon you!
As the machine turns. The J-Ark shows that it is much more than a ship. And Eisen already knows what is coming moments later.
<"We gotta move!"> As the transformation continues, the Evangelion pulls back. It's a miracle that the cable hasn't been snapped at this point. Still hanging on, connected to the Britannian vessel.
Of course, it'd not be cool to just thank them, so instead he watches as the assault on Guy proceeds, just moments before King J-Der is pulled out through the window...
And Eisen buckles over in the cockpit for a moment, breathing out an intense sound of relief. But still, he's been quiet on the matter of what 000 espouses.
The desire to halt the technology that ignores the conservation of energy. They are going too far! But...
If Eisen was a more reasonable man, he might have considered their Path a Just one.
Eisen is not a reasonable man.
Time to return to Carina's vessel and sit in the plug for a while on the way home. And think this through.
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
Shinji's knocked the hell out onto space. What goes on is so far past Shinji's frame of reference he pretty much gets 'none of these people give a damn about what I'm doing and I nearly died for nothing.' before being spilled back into the hell of spacelflight.
The dragon-person talks about how wanting to end the universe is just politics and Shinji doesn't understand.
He is more used to his colleagues talking about how terrible he is. Not even talking to him is a new wrinkle. Shinji leans back into the seat, turns his coms off, his speakers on, and tries to drown it all out. Jude Espella has connected.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Alouette's in his ears. "Guy! Guy, something's not right! Hold off!"
But for a moment, all he can see is the bridge. They're there. They're all there. SHE'S THERE. His heart is in his ears, pounding like thunder.
But as space TWISTS...his vision hazes.
He sees her. She was a young girl once, but...no, not now. It's his mother, Kizuna, her raiment dyed red, her face a prominent scowl, a beacon shot across the Limpid Channel and into his Evoluder brain.
Deception. Something's wrong!
The thought cracks him free from his focus and allows him to notice Alouette's calls. GaoFighGar jets away as fast as it can when J-Ark Mega Fuses. He sucks in a breath, a deep breath. This is what he doesn't know. This is what he wanted to avoid. But...then!!!
"J!!!!" Guy screams back, the Gatling Driver revving back up. If he can just...IF HE CAN JUST--!
J-Quath SLAMS into the twisting, gnawing space of the Gatling Driver. Guy pulls himself back. But he doesn't retreat. "Guy!" Alouette calls. "You can't!"
"I HAVE TO TRY!" he screams back, and throws his arms wide. Both glow, one red, one yellow...
The GS-Ride Glows Brighter....
And then...GaoFighGar goes dark. The whole system shuts down.
"No, Guy," Alouette says, as her line goes dead, and she falls to her seat with a blank, horrified look. "I mean you can't. They got into the program..."
She watches from afar as GaoFighGar disappears into J-Quath's annihilation. The bird rips through him. Guy screams in silence, shrieking as even with the system locked, he can FEEL the J-Quath sawing into him. He'll be destroyed. No, worse - they'll take him! J-Quath works like Hell and Heaven! They'll...
Mikoto...
His teeth grit. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" he screams, his Evoluder power reaching into the core of his machine, RIPPING damaged programs to shreds with no grace. It works. Barely.
J-Quath soars past, and GaoFighGar lurches to the side, escaping the pure power of its wrath.
He huffs, breathing heavily, as he senses more than sees the comms come back on. "Alouette..." he rasps. "I'm...fine." A lie. She can see his numbers. But: "What...what did they do?"
"I'm looking."
"J wouldn't..." Guy says, half-conscious. "J wouldn't retreat...they were after something. What...what could they possibly need."
"It's..." Alouette says quietly. "...'that system' isn't something they can just fire willy nilly. The keys they used before don't work anymore. They need the master keys. So...Yeah. I've confirmed it."
"They were after the Goldion Crusher's activation program."
Guy feels a chill down his spine. "Did they...?"
"No. But I think they'll know where it is, now."
Guy can't collapse in the semi-space he exists in, but his head does fall back as exhaustion comes upon him.
Do not falter yet, Lamia had said to him, in the Limpid Channel.
I miss you, Mikoto had said, the same way.
His eyes close. Alouette receives a wordless signal requesting pickup.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu fires, but his bullet never meets its intended target; a rift in space opens up, and instead it pierces through an erstwhile ally, one of the kaiju that have come up to help. Its pain throbs through space beyond space, pulsing into his consciousness, and he frowns. He doesn't apologize, though, and part of that is Asuka's comm window opening up to his side so she can dress him down.
"Does it?" he replies with a cool politeness. It's all he has to say to her for now.
The other part is how the J-Ark is splitting apart like the maw of a fathomless beast to swallow them all whole. Kaworu is not so close that it's literally splitting apart beneath him, but he's close enough to see it reform into a massive beast, see the glitter of that [orange]orange light as it shines through space.
Still frowning, Kaworu lines up another shot, gaze sharp and unyielding as he searches for the proper place to strike. Truly, this *is* a battle of the hearts. He never gets the chance to fire, though; the massive entity pauses, then is swallowed up in vermilion and is gone. It's almost anticlimactic. But no. This is only the prelude to an even more desperate battle, isn't it?
For a moment, Kaworu gazes out at the endless dark as it slowly spins around him. To his left shines the pale glow of the Moon; to his right, the soft blueness of the Earth. Two worlds, so close yet so out of reach. He bathes in their light, and yet belongs to neither.
"..."
He looks to one side then, to Unit 01, whose comms have abruptly been turned off. Kaworu has a fairly good idea why. His gaze softens and his eyebrows curve in as a faint smile pulls like the tides at the edges of his lips. He turns Unit 00 around to, first and foremost, assist the Knightmares in bringing Unit 01 back to the Havant safely. It doesn't matter if Shinji is aware of this; it doesn't matter if he ever becomes aware of it. That's not the point.
Once it's done, Kaworu deploys again to assist his other allies with returning to safety--assuming, of course, that they need or want it.
<Pose Tracker> Lamia has posed.
It figures. The true brains of Amalgamation, the mysterious Somnium with the power to create such a monster, knew it. A bigger concentration of Dawn Aura is not something that even Psycho Glory can punch through. Perhaps, if they could harness the power of Socious... No, Lamia or the others would not let him. That is not a battle he'll win... So perhaps... Yes, the Dawn Aura, if he could unlock its secrets, maybe he could...
Their thoughts are cut off by as red, crushing light suddenly drops on top of them. Defying its fate of annihilation, Cataphract raises its arm, the yellow sheen around it growing bright as it puts up a valiant effort at keeping its destruction at bay.
Unfortunately, the powers of Lume can only do so much, and eventually the sheen around it dims as the blast starts stripping layers of actual flesh and chitin from the creature, peeling layer after layer until the only thing left is a battered, slightly smaller kaiju underneath. If FighGar is the core of GaoFighGar, it is perhaps safe to say that this form is equivalent to that.
"Evoluder Guy. Root of Evil. Remember your Oath. Fight, for the Age of Patria draws near... And on that day... "
There's a certain tiredness in Lamia's voice as he talks to Guy over the Limpid Channel once more. His message is cut short however as the same tear in the fabric of space that brought Cataphract here opens up once more to snatch away the broken Betterman, though unlike last time, the contents of what's inside the portal are much easier to see up close. A featureless void of land, and a small, red cloaked girl, are what are easily glimpsed before the portal closes shut yet again.