2022-02-27: Ulterior Motives
- Log: 2022-02-27- Ulterior Motives
- Cast: Nena Trinity, Elisa Kafim, Kagero, Yuliana Dispersal, Euphemia li Britannia, Lloyd Asplund, Orpheus Zevon, Dragates ri Becker, Karma Sato, Sophia Mayhew Castellan, Cornelia li Britannia, Suzaku Kururugi
- Where: Area 11 Military Base
- OOC - IC Date: 0096-02-27
- Summary: Celestial Being performs an armed intervention against the Lancelot Club project... or maybe just pursues a backer's grudge.
<Pose Tracker> Nena Trinity has posed.
Area 11 - Hamilton Air Base
On the coast, roughly 120km south east of Nagoya, sits the Hamilton Air Base. Formerly a base for the JSDF nestled within the city of Yaizu, it has since been retrofitted and expanded by Britannia and is now one of its larger bases in the region. It is home to a couple of defense divisions, making it far from a soft target. It's also a major shipping hub for the Britannian Union Forces, with large aerial transports often making use of its large runways.
But perhaps more importantly, it is also a testing site for a one of the new seventh generation of Knightmare Frames. Specifically the Lancelot Club. The proven success of the Lancelot proper has certainly created a lot of buzz around this KMF design, putting some serious eyes on the project. And not all of them belonging to the Britannian Union.
As a military base and a site being used for the development of weapons of war, this make the location a perfect target for Celestial Being. Which suits a certain Celestial Being benefactor rather well. One Laguna Harvey, the transport magnate himself. Having been rejected by Area 11's sub-viceroy and subsequently losing out on some significant business opportunities in the area to a competitor, he has become none too fond of the Britannian princess, Euphemia li Britannia. And so he ultimately decides that, should something happen to her, he may have a better chance with the next sub-viceroy. So upon learning that she would be at this location, he organized Celestial Being to perform an intervention at the same time. Spearheaded by one of the Gundam Meisters from his own team, Team Trinity.
Of course, the mission plan doesn't include the real reason for it.
The first signs that something is wrong at the Britannian base is the sudden and inexplicable loss of long distance communications. Given the base's significant investment in comms equipment to prevent such a thing, this is no ordinary occurrence. And it becomes official as alarms begin to sound through the base, along with an announcement over the speakers, "Visual spottors have sighted unknown forces approaching from the east. All units to defense positions! I repeat, all units to defense positions! This is not a drill!"
Sure enough, flying in towards the base from over the ocean is a machine that definitely does not belong to Britannia. With a frame larger than a Knightmare, held aloft by a spray of crimson light particles. There's no doubt this is one of the Gundams that has recently been seen performing interventions for Celestial Being.
Inside the cockpit of the Gundam Throne Drei, Nena giggles at the sight of all the Britannian forces starting to rush around the base. She muses to her Haro, "That's quite a few of them! I bet Michael is going to be kicking himself for missing this one. I guess he drew the short straw though!"
Purple Haro flaps its wings, "Mission start! Mission start!"
"Rightyo!" Nena pulls the trigger, her Gundam starting to rain down crimson beams of death on the Britannian Knightmares while she weaves her way between their return fire.
From afar, Orpheus Zevon boops. Hey, sorry but wanted to ask you something real quick. Have a moment?
KTS: Nena Trinity has deployed in GNW-003 Gundam Throne Drei. KTS: Nena Trinity has changed loadout. KTS: Euphemia li Britannia has deployed in G-1 Base ver. li Britannia. KTS: Dragates ri Becker has deployed in RPI-209 Gloucester. KTS: Sophia Mayhew Castellan has deployed in Hyperion-class 'Hyperion'. KTS: Cornelia li Britannia has deployed in RPI-00/SC Gloucester Cornelia. KTS: Yuliana Dispersal has deployed in Zenith 250. KTS: Elisa Kafim has deployed in EXM-E7W Spinatia (Witchcraft Type). KTS: Yuliana Dispersal has changed loadout. KTS: Elisa Kafim has changed loadout. KTS: Lloyd Asplund has deployed in RPI-13 Sutherland. KTS: Lloyd Asplund has changed loadout. KTS: Lloyd Asplund has changed loadout. KTS: Kagero has deployed in BP-500X Kagero Robot Mode.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
If Elisa Kafim knew the real reason for this mission, would she still be here...? That is a question. But technically speaking, until the attack starts, she isn't 'here' at all, rendering the whole issue somewhat moot. Celestial Being is assaulting the base, and Dr. Kafim has decided to lend her expertise to the battle. ...But where is she?
She is abrubtly there, in a flash of green light, along with another, much bulkier unit. One moment she is not; the next she is, dropping of the Zenith 250 as she--the Spinatia pilot--leaps forward, landing on the ground nearby and beginning to fire out blasts of green power around the base to pin down the defenders as they try to come out.
The Spinatia is a strange machine, black and purple and gold with armor, with green crystals in strategic places about its form and a great, gleaming green 'eye' as its sensor. On its left arm is a glowing shield of strange particles, and on its right is something like a magic staff. And it is... here.
"Ah, good. We are not late."
<Pose Tracker> Kagero has posed.
A smaller, bird-like shape flies in the Gundam Throne Drei's wake, carefully avoiding the light particles. Kagero knows little more of the situation beyond his orders, that he is to assist Nena Trinity in an Intervention against the tyrannical nation of Britannia, an enemy of peace.
He only knows the stated mission, nothing about the potential danger to any princesses or the significance thereof.
He fires a shower of bullets down from the guns mounted on his wings, transforming into his humanoid robot mode as he lands and brandishes his kusarigama.
Quiet as always, he says nothing, his red sensor eye glowing.
POT: Karma Sato is no longer set observer.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
A FEW DAYS AGO
"Aaaah! What did you do to the Landlion?!"
"Why, my dear, I took it out for a spin."
"WHY DOES IT HAVE SO MANY HOLES?!"
"All the better to see you with! Oh, don't sulk, I'm sure you'll repair it admirably."
AND NOW
Anyway, Celestial Being isn't being assisted by a Landlion this mission. How they'd even get one here in an assault coming from this direction is a question which --
Oh! The answer was witchcraft.
Because all a sudden the Spinatia appears, bringing with it a Zenith 250 -- one of those iconic Wazners which everyone enjoys employing in war. That Zenith drops to the ground, made heavy by the weighty ranged assault array on its shoulders. There's a set of javelins at its side, too.
(It's painted verdigris green, like an old, elegant statue.)
'Verdiska' -- the callsign which REA Special Forces Captain Yuliana Dispersal has adopted for her terrorist activities in Celestial Being, because notoriety is a terrible thing to waste -- straightens up her wanzer, and the vulcan lasers fire off, across the base.
"Of course," she transmits, cheerfully, "we're never late."
Whether she would have shown up late if she knew this was an assassination mission is...
... not really a question which needs answering, really. Let us refer back to her day job as a special operative. Even if she's fighting for an equal society, Yuliana isn't the sort who minds getting her hands dirty.
She doesn't know, of course, which means it gets to be a fun surprise for later!
<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.
The Lancelot Club with a Chester Cascade has become something of a strange case -- bluntly: it sucks down a lot of attention just about everywhere. It's an unusual case where pilot, loadout, and situation taken together create good data, but also extremely unusual, mostly unrepeatable data under lab conditions.
Test pilots don't make the decisions Euphemia makes, and what's more, Euphemia at rest does not make the decisions Euphemia defending people makes. This has made a ton of work for all involved! So now she's here, on tap as an advisor. It's... a strange position, a position she didn't expect, and one she doesn't feel very well-suited to.
But it does mean she's here. It also means that there's a lot of people who either know she's here or can reasonably surmise it from train schedules, shipping data, and other knock-on effects of a princess who is also a sub-viceroy moving around the world.
Celestial Being makes its presence known in the usual way. Euphemia immediately finds herself shuffled up from her G-1's planning room -- where she's been doing her actual job remotely, since they haven't actually needed her to help parse her own combat data -- to its battle bridge.
(It's a lot easier to keep track of her there.)
Euphemia settles in in front of the sensor table. Her lips turn down just slightly. "... Deploy all KMF teams," she says, tone serious and firm, but not very enthused. There's no way to stop this from being the violent situation it is, no matter what, really...
"Celestial Being, this is Sub-Viceroy Euphemia li Britannia," she announces, over the G-1 Base's loudspeaker. "Please stand down." It's... procedure, more than it is anything else. They're already initiating; it's not going to do anything. ... but it's important procedure.
Euphemia takes a deep breath, and gets ready for a bumpy ride.
<Pose Tracker> Lloyd Asplund has posed.
Lloyd: "We could add another-"
Cecile: "We really shouldn't."
Lloyd: "Or maybe a-"
Cecile: "Or maybe not."
Lloyd: "And an extra generator would-"
Cecile: "Explode. We've gone over that, remember? You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
Of course Lloyd hasn't eaten yet. As focused as he gets when he works, it's hard not to go deeper into it when he knows what's waiting for him once he steps away from the computers and the reams of data. He needs a chance to slip away, but he knows he can't evade Cecile through agility or stealth. No, what he needs now is-
'-unknown forces approaching from the east. All units to defense positions! I repeat, all units to defense positions! This is not a drill!'
Cecile: "We're under attack? Now?"
Lloyd: "... Ah, damn. Right when I was about to rest up, too. Well, you know what to do, Cecile. I'll be an extra set of eyes from down here, so do be careful out there."
Cecile: "Right. Just remember to stay away from the windows!"
A few minutes later, Cecile's suited up and deploying in a standard Sutherland to join the responders outside, firing back at the airborne attackers while swerving every which way to not get herself shot up in the process. Lloyd, meanwhile, remains on the ground, loading up his own suite of combat analysis tools to feed intel to Cecile as they get to work on defending Hamilton Air Base, Euphemia, and the Club.
Cecile's dinner, sadly, goes untouched.
<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
<"Looks like the reports were right. The arrival of weapons has slowed at the Hamilton Base."> Oz makes the report over the encrypted communications. For some time the Black Knights have been tasked with observing the traffic occurring within the Hamilton Base. With it being such a large hub for air travel and weapons R&D, it was a spot that needed to be observed with care. It usually was a rather dull job though, mainly consisting less of combat and more of reporting what transports came in, what transports left, and if any observable news happened. Truly an indulging part of the job, but vital none the less.
At least it was usually a safe job for certain. At least till. . .The sounds of sirens go off and when they do, Oz's focus resituates. <"Status report! I wanna know where all our units are! Did anyone go into the base's observation range?!"> Immediately Oz had been checking the whereabouts of the other Black Knight units, no one had moved since the bases arms had gone off. In moments if they were found they'd be swarmed in no time, except. . . "They're going. . .East?" Nothing was out east beyond the water. Nothing from their position. "Hmmm. . ." The Byakuen deploys the long ranged scope of Canon attachment surveying out into the water. It takes a bit of time, but after careful observation. . . <"All units, change of plans, Mission has gone from reconaissance to full on demolition of Hamilton Base. Celestial Being is appearing from the east, while the base focus on their assault, we'll be pincering them from the west."
Whether it could be called sleazy, opportunist, or just plain lucky of the Knights to use this chance, it was a chance all the same and this organization needed as many as they could get if they hoped to handle a goliath like Britannia. So without even pondering the idea, without questioning it, as if to rally the other BK units, or simply prepared to go in alone if he had to, the white KMF of the BK supporters found itself leaving its observation position, and proceeding down to aid in the assistance of the destruction of the base.
Of course, there are already Celestial Being units there upon his arrival. The units of Kagero and Yuliana noticing that of the strange beetle-headed KMF appear amongst the chaos, though rather than engaging either of them. . .It can be seen already taking shots at a few of the aircraft carriers along the runaway. Explosions already starting to fill the base. It looks to the two units quietly amongst the chaos before continuing along. There's no communication from the pilot, but it seemed in a silent way that it'd be offering assistance in completing their mission.
KTS: Dragates ri Becker has deployed in RZX-7 Lancelot Club. KTS: Nena_Trinity has deployed as a Rival. KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has deployed in Z-01 Lancelot. KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has changed loadout. KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has changed loadout. KTS: Orpheus Zevon has deployed in Type-01/C Byakuen. KTS: Karma Sato has deployed in Type-1R Burai Custom 'Longshot'. KTS: Suzaku_Kururugi has deployed as a Rival. KTS: Karma Sato has changed loadout. <Pose Tracker> Dragates ri Becker has posed.
Valentine Raynsford was there delivering some supplies from his company. That didn't mean that the Viscount wasn't at least there able to help out, however.
When communications go out is the first sign for him that something is wrong. The base is way too heavily fortified in that area, and has him on alert pretty quickly. Secretly, Valentine was a bit curious himself on some of the developments. At least until the attack happened.
As it was, he was near the testing bay and looking over the specs for the MVS, VAR, and the Club itself to see if his company could supply parts and ammunition for them. With only a few test pilots around, the Viscount makes a bit of a decision as he looks over at the nearest set of keys and goes to grab one. "I am taking one of these out."
Once he gets the key and climbs into the unit, Valentine looks over the controls. "Pretty standard. Looks like a Sutherland's frame with that rumored white one." He brings up the weapons loadout soon as the unit starts and looks it over, along with the brief control scheme before he opens the radio channel to the BU Forces channel.
"This is Viscount Valentine Raynsford. I am deploying in one of the Lancelot Clubs to give ground support. Launching." He rolls the Club out, then turns towards the doors to head that way as the Club picks up one of the VAR rifles from it's stand.
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Karma had been living inside his cockpit for days, hidden under a camo net and really almost half buried in a small outcropping of rocks hidden on the island. He had been volunteered for this as his Longshot had been customized for better optical view. Really the only thing that made this tolerable was that he had managed to tap into a radio station, yes it was fuzzy and you missed every 10th word in static but after so long on stake out he was use to it and in fact felt it added something to the music. That was until his music turns to static and then his comms are all blaring with Oz in his ear.
<"This is P1. I am acknowledging the order we are to attack the base with Celestial Being."> Powering on his knightmare, Karma is doing his best to stretch and get himself actually in a combat mindset. A little more warning to get the fuzz out of his head would be nice.
Shaking off the camo net the Longshot rises up and retrieves it's shield from the ground, <" So this is just your standard burn it all down approach right? You spot any high priority targets?">
KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has deployed in Z-01/E Lancelot Enhanced. KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has deployed in Z-01 Lancelot. KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has changed loadout. KTS: Suzaku_Kururugi has deployed as a Rival.
<Pose Tracker> Sophia Mayhew Castellan has posed.
"Captain on the Bridge!"
The door in the rear of the Hyperion's bridge opens up to allow her firehaired captain to stride into position on the overlook, long steps taking her to the railing with its small control panel. The bridge crew sit in individually stabilized pods looking out of the windows, with an additional pair set in more standard space-suitable seats to the left and right of the elevator in the back. As for the captain's seat, uh, don't worry about it. "Status," Captain Castellan calls, looking out over clear skies.
"Report from Hamilton Base. Celestial Being has launched an intervention. Objective unclear at this time, ma'am!"
Sophia watches the field map on the screen in front of her, considering. Finally, she tabs open a comm panel. "Damon, get Helios ready."
"Shall I have Liese prepare your Flag while I'm down there?" comes a male voice back through the internal radio.
"No." Then, louder and more strident: "All hands! Battle stations!"
*
As forces gather, the clouds part around a swift, darting interceptor of a craft, a few dozen meters long, which swoops swiftly over the battlefield. That alone might be a concern...
But soon after it, a massive gunship looms into view, rows of railcannons dotting its flank.
"Celestial Being interlopers!" its captain thunders over loudspeaker, the sun gleaming off the ship's polished hull, casting brightness even against its own shadow.
"Your warning has been given! Leave at once or choose well the site of your grave!"
<Pose Tracker> Cornelia li Britannia has posed.
Sub-Viceroy Euphemia li Britannia deployed in a skirmish with a damned relic from the past and a kaiju. Without warning or authority beyond that which she wielded as Sub-Viceroy.
Euphemia deployed in a combat situation, without Cornelia knowing.
Euphy deployed into the heart of a dangerous situation that could have gotten her killed.
These are the triad of thoughts that have been warring inside Cornelia li Britannia since that event in Nouvelle Tokyo, several weeks past. And it's these thoughts that have ultimately torn her away from her work shutting down the elements within and without Area 11 contributing to its dysfunction in order to be here at Hamilton Base with her own detachment alongside her sister. It's been a tense vigil for the Second Princess of Britannia since her arrival, one touted as an inspection of the Knightmare Frame line her brother has so generously funded.
The Lancelot. She stares at the Frame in its hangar, a frown painting purple lips. She isn't sure whether she hates the thing, for enabling Euphemia to do something to reckless...
Or if she should feel grateful at the fact that something she felt was an overfunded curiosity of her brother ended up saving Euphy's life.
"..."
She turns, looking in the direction of the G-1 Base.
And that is precisely when the alarms start to roar, seconds before explosions shudder through Hamilton Base's foundation.
"What?!"
Princess Cornelia stumbles. Wide, violet eyes snap up --
And she sees a rush of blood red particles billowing past the skies beyond her as her teeth grit into something decidedly unpleasant.
"Celestial Being..." Her gaze turns immediately to her aide, one of the Glaston Knights accompanying her today. "Sortie every Frame ready to be deployed! We must defend this location at all costs!" She turns, pausing only briefly. "--And... ensure the Sub-Viceroy remains in the G-1 Base."
It's barely a second later that the Witch of Britannia is off, rushing towards the distinctive form of her Gloucester in the distance.
At least her instincts were proven right, this time.
<Pose Tracker> Nena Trinity has posed.
A Sutherland raises its assault rifle, blasting a round of bullets in the direction of the Gundam Throne Drei. A barrier of those red particles appears around the Gundam, half the shots impacting and failing to make it through. The rest pepper the Gundam's frame, but don't manage to do much in the way of damage.
What the shots do do is draw the Gundam's attention, swinging its arm around to point towards the Sutherland. A beam of crimson lances out from the attached beam gun, piercing through the weaker machine and causing it to explode.
At the sight of the exploding Knightmare, Nena giggles some more, "I wonder if they realize just how out-"
Nena's musings are interrupted by her Haro, which buzzes, "Mission plan update! Mission plan update!"
Nena hmmmms quietly, as she-and only she-receives a new mission plan popping up on her screen.
-- PRIORITY TARGET --
A red reticule highlights the the large G-1 Base. Just in time too, as a transmission crackles through Nena's cockpit, <'Celestial Being, this is Sub-Viceroy Euphemia li Britannia...'>
Nena ohhhhs quietly as the source of the transmission is highlighted, "I've never killed a princess before!" Nena smirks, "This should be interesting!" She pushes forward on her throttle.
The Gundam Throne Drei bursts forward through the air, blasting past several hangars-including one with yet another royal princess in it-and ignoring a bunch of the other Britannian defenses on its way as it quickly flies straight towards the G-1 Base. As it closes in, it fires off a few shots from its gun, the crimson beams lancing through the air towards the landship.
KTS: Nena Trinity targets Euphemia li Britannia with GNW-003 Beam Handgun Light Burst! Kagero has connected.
<Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.
As it happens, the original Lancelot is in the middle of testing a specific feature that is not yet common to Knightmare Frames. The Float Unit is in one of its later rounds of testing, but it is a very banal one that has interns recording all sorts of flight data based on quite a few things, but mainly energy efficiency. As it turns out, the one thing that the Z-01/A Lancelot Air Cavalry is NOT is energy-efficient, at least not at its higher speeds.
The 'higher speeds' qualifier is why the fact of it being deployed in the skies above the Air Base is not especially evident. At that particular moment in time, it's operating at altitudes that a Knightmare is presumed not to operate within and at speeds that a Knightmare does not go. Put simply, it isn't a stealth machine, but there are no sensor suites aimed at the skies that NEED to pick it up.
Suzaku Kururugi is on the far end of his test route when the mayhem starts.
<< Warrant Officer, we've got an ongoing attack, we're going to have to bug out-- >> His radio comes to life. Suzaku blinks.
<< "Get to safety and radio in the situation. I'll engage," >> Suzaku advises, bringing the Lancelot about in a wide arc that circles it back towards the base.
<< Your energy filler-- >> The ASEEC engineer begins to warn.
<< "My operational time is limited. I know." >>
This is, of course, the part where the Lancelot accelerates rather than sensibly slowing down. It retrieves its VARIS from the small of its back as it approaches what is roughly the combat zone, turning its sensors briefly on the G1 Base before pulsing its factspinners at the general area. The first thing it picks up is something that is 'close enough' to itself: Kagero, following in the wake of a Gundam. It's a clever position to adopt; nobody is liable to notice that machine with the Gundam at the fore, even if it is opening fire.
The Lancelot levels the VARIS and fires at Kagero's back, a green flare of energy tearing out of its barrel and firing at an angle that -- not coincidentally -- isn't going to carry on into a portion of the base should it miss.
KTS: Euphemia li Britannia fails to react to Nena Trinity's GNW-003 Beam Handgun Light Burst, taking 3025 damage! Your unit's HP stands at 14075
KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has deployed in Z-01/E Lancelot Enhanced. KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has deployed in Z-01 Lancelot. KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has changed loadout. <Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Somewhere back at base, Shari Loom is having a bad time.
Here and now, Viridesca--the alias Elisa uses in Celestial Being business--is on the ground in her golden Spinatia, dancing among the combatants along the ground and destroying emplacements.
"Ah, true," she replies to Verdiska, and sets her sights on the rest of the battlefield. There is a great ship above, many suits below, but Elisa sees the Sutherland firing back at airborne attackers and focused on others besides herself. There's a lot to defend here!
But suddenly the Spinatia starts running along the ground, crunching debris beneath its feet. It stops short and presents its shield forward as it begins to charge up energy at the green gem at the top of its staff, which it hoists forward. A blast of green energy that is neither laser nor particle rushes forward, a space-warping missile at great speed.
"I am afraid that I cannot allow you to interfere," Viridesca radios to Cecile's Sutherland. "Perhaps if I gave you something else to do?"
KTS: Elisa Kafim targets Lloyd Asplund with Green Fold Quartz Accelerator - Blast! <Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Karma listens to all the chatter going around as he scans through his opticals. That is when he spots it, the high profile Lancelot (it's not) just coming out of the hangar. "Well well well, if I destroy that thing then I will certainly get a pay bump."
Planting it's shield in the ground and laying the sniper rifle on it as a stand he takes careful aim at his target and waits for a moment. Taking deep breaths, Karma slows his breathing for a moment counting slowly to himself before he pulls the trigger.
The shot echoes through the air as the large projectile flies right at the Viscount's Lancelot Club.
KTS: Lloyd Asplund fails to react to Elisa Kafim's Green Fold Quartz Accelerator - Blast, taking 2775 damage! KTS: Karma Sato targets Dragates ri Becker with Longshot Sniper Rifle Perfect Shot!
KTS: Dragates ri Becker fails to react to Karma Sato's Longshot Sniper Rifle Perfect Shot, taking 5700 damage! <Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
Through the clouds breaks the Hyperion, and the Zenith looks up, as it transmits its own warning to go alongside the Princess. It's a wonder it doesn't overbalance, looking up, with that massive array on its back.
(This, too, is an adaption of the Chester Cascade.)
"Ahh," Yuliana transmits, ruefully, "they're bringing a gunship to a wanzer battle... how terribly impolite!" The Zenith repositions itself, one clawed foot digging back in the ground, as its hands grasp the firing mechanisms of its array. "... tragically," she adds, in precisely the opposite tone to a tragedy, "no one ever advised me not to have eyes greater than my stomach. If such a thing were even possible!"
That's just a little joke for Elisa. Don't worry about it.
Her transmission is directed to Sophia, this time -- though it's still broad-channel, able to be picked up by anyone who cares to listen. "Ah, are you the gravemaster? I do, indeed, have a fine choice of grave. The only one which suits someone as fierce as myself..."
She grasps the clutch, and pulls forward on a lever; the Zenith's hand, in turn, grasps the firing trigger of the Array, slung over her shoulders.
"... is the surface of the sun! I'll accept nothing less!"
Her other hand reaches up, to flick two switches and turn a crank; on her screen, the targeting data pings true. From her shoulders launch Avilock Missiles, a particular form of the craft which seem difficult to shoot down.
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Sophia Mayhew Castellan KTS: Yuliana Dispersal targets Sophia Mayhew Castellan with Avilock Missiles! <Pose Tracker> Dragates ri Becker has posed.
The incoming round nails the Lancelot Club that Valentine's taken for the battle. Systems pop here and there with some warnings from the shot before the fact spheres open up in the direction where those came from and the Club starts to use what cover it can as Valentine floors the landspinners.
Pushed back into his seat for a moment, the Viscount doesn't ease up but instead starts to focus on what's going on. That wasn't a regular round, he finally realizes as he harkens himself to a hopefully good covering spot.
At the same time, he begins to unleash a barrage from the variable assault rifle in the rough direction of the shot as he tries to keep an eye out from where it came from.
And he sends out a warning, just in case, to his allies, "This is Raynsford. We have a sniper on the battlefield. I am engaging."
KTS: Dragates ri Becker has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Dragates ri Becker targets Karma Sato with VAR Barrage!
<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
A demolition mission. No, to say this was a mission would have meant there was a true plan taken into account when the opportunity arose. While it was true this was advantageous for the Black Knights, knowing that the Britannian forces would all but be focused on that of Celestial Being, it didn't mean the Black Knights were coming in with a plan. With long range communications down, there'd be no support from either Mafty or Zero to provide assistance. It was up to them, they were going to be the ones that needed to make the calls for this fight.
It would seem that if the Black Knights were going to end up stealing a win, "Guess we'll see if it's only the man behind the mask who can create miracles or his pieces too. . ." A small sigh escaped his lips as he took another look into his surroundings. With all the smoke and cover from the buildings it would be easy for an enemy unit to try to take advantage of. Though. . .What he spots isn't something that can use the screening of the smoke for them just yet. In fact, what he sees was probably just sheer luck in and of itself. As the smoke wafted into the sky, something catches his eye in the distance. There had been no indication through the factsphere sensors, nothing. Only another body coming from the distance from out of the sea. Perhaps another Celestial Being unit? Though there operations had already started, and they had already deployed so close to one another. Plus. . .
It's more of curiosity than anything at this point, but when he notices the anomaly in the air he finds himself preparing the cannon once more for a sniping position. Less to actually attack, but more to once again return to observe what it was that was trailblazing through the air. What is seen though leaves a bit of a bewildered smirk on Oz's face, "So. . .Looks like they've "Tch. We've been looking over this base for god knows how long now and we've never seen this once. . ." The sight before him, of a unit that had all but become something of a legend on the battlefield, the Lancelot, was arriving. A white angel of death coming from the skies no less. There was really no time to debate how it was doing what it was doing, what technology was being used to do it, or anything else. It was apparent that if that beast had made landfall without issue it was definitely the kind of unit that could change the tide of a battle. So if that was the case. . .
"I won't make it easy for you. . ." Situated itself with a bent knee, the Byakuen prepared itself in a sniping position towards the waters in the east. It's target. . .The KMF that had deigned to make the sky its domain.
KTS: Orpheus Zevon has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Orpheus Zevon has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Orpheus Zevon targets Suzaku Kururugi with Precision Shot: 70mm Liquid Sakuradite Explosive Cartridge! KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Orpheus Zevon rattles Suzaku Kururugi, making his next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Suzaku Kururugi fails to Evade Orpheus Zevon's Precision Shot: 70mm Liquid Sakuradite Explosive Cartridge, taking 5000 damage! <Pose Tracker> Lloyd Asplund has posed.
Lloyd: "Oh, there's a lot of them out there. That's... Ah. That's much more than I was expecting."
Cecile: "But spreading attention won't make it any safer... Is anything approaching from the rear?"
Lloyd: "Not the rear, but from the side. Three o'clock!"
Cecile's reactions are fast, but not quite fast enough as Viridesca's Spinatia blasts her Sutherland with that mysterious green force. It staggers sideways at first, then keeps moving in that direction to use that shift in momentum to keep moving.
"Interfere? What do you have planned?" Cecile replies through her radio to Viridesca as her machine brings its assault rifle up to try and get a better bead on the Spinatia. "Leave, or we can't promise you won't get hurt!" She warns as the Sutherland starts charging forward, keeping that gun trained on the Spinatia the whole time before abruptly swinging an arm out to launch one of the slash harkens forward, trying to tie up its opponent in a mess of wires and spiked tips!
KTS: Karma Sato successfully evades Dragates ri Becker's VAR Barrage <Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.
Euphemia doesn't realize she's the priority target here; she assumes, from what she knows of Celestial Being, that it's specifically weapons development in Area 11 -- wait, no, when Celestial Being intervened in Taribia, it was in a way that supported *Britannian* interests and unity...
... the whole thing barely makes any sense, the more she thinks about it. Euphemia doesn't really have time to ruminate on that, though -- not under these circumstances.
Euphemia settles in at the console. She's flanked by a lot of very smart people. For now, she'll let them do their jobs unmolested.
The G-1 Base takes significant fire; it's rated for defense against beam weaponry, but GN weapons are something special. One of the launch catapults is out -- leaving a few KMFs incapable of getting out there. Crews start to work on clearing debris -- but it'll be a second.
Euphemia moves to one of the comm stations. "Cornelia," Euphemia says, voice level. "We'll be bringing KMF support forward once we clear the catapults." For a moment, she considers telling Cornelia to be cautious, to hang back and wait for support, but instead...
"... I know you can do it. Please give us the time we need!" she says, instead, with a firm nod.
KTS: Lloyd Asplund has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Euphemia li Britannia targets Cornelia li Britannia with Heart! Single +pot/last branch. Suzaku Kururugi's pose: As it happens, the original Lancelot is in the middle of testing a specific feature that is not yet common to Knightmare Frames. The Float Unit is in one of its later rounds of testing, but it is a very banal one that has interns recording all sorts of flight data based on quite a few things, but mainly energy efficiency. As it turns out, the one thing that the Z-01/A Lancelot Air Cavalry is NOT is energy-efficient, at least not at its higher speeds. The 'higher speeds' qualifier is why the fact of it being deployed in the skies above the Air Base is not especially evident. At that particular moment in time, it's operating at altitudes that a Knightmare is presumed not to operate within and at speeds that a Knightmare does not go. Put simply, it isn't a stealth machine, but there are no sensor suites aimed at the skies that NEED to pick it up. Suzaku Kururugi is on the far end of his test route when the mayhem starts. << Warrant Officer, we've got an ongoing attack, we're going to have to bug out-- >> His radio comes to life. Suzaku blinks. << "Get to safety and radio in the situation. I'll engage," >> Suzaku advises, bringing the Lancelot about in a wide arc that circles it back towards the base. << Your energy filler-- >> The ASEEC engineer begins to warn. << "My operational time is limited. I know." >> This is, of course, the part where the Lancelot accelerates rather than sensibly slowing down. It retrieves its VARIS from the small of its back as it approaches what is roughly the combat zone, turning its sensors briefly on the G1 Base before pulsing its factspinners at the general area. The first thing it picks up is something that is 'close enough' to itself: Kagero, following in the wake of a Gundam. It's a clever position to adopt; nobody is liable to notice that machine with the Gundam at the fore, even if it is opening fire. The Lancelot levels the VARIS and fires at Kagero's back, a green flare of energy tearing out of its barrel and firing at an angle that -- not coincidentally -- isn't going to carry on into a portion of the base should it miss. KTS: Lloyd Asplund targets Elisa Kafim with Slash Harken Hook! KTS: Elisa Kafim has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Elisa Kafim's Physical Wall L1 activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Lloyd Asplund anchors Elisa Kafim, forcing her into close range. KTS: Elisa Kafim fails to evade Lloyd Asplund's Slash Harken Hook, taking 2610 damage! KTS: Lloyd Asplund has engaged Elisa Kafim KTS: Euphemia li Britannia bares her heart, letting Cornelia li Britannia deal some extra damage! KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 73. <Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
The barrage of bullets begin to fly in Karma's direction but there is a simple rule of a sniper, and that is once you shoot don't just sit there. So by the time the bullets are flying the Longshot is already trying to get out of dodge.
Over comms to his fellow black knights <" I've drawn that white unit Zero has been talking about off. Good luck to whatever you guys are up to. "> Imagine them leaving someone like him to deal with that white knightmare that has become the Black Knight boogie man.
Dashing perpendicular to the Viscount's unit the Longshot raises it's rifle and shows an increase in energy for a moment before another shot is fired. This one is electrically charged, intended to disrupt the system of the Lancelot (Club).
KTS: Karma Sato targets Dragates ri Becker with Longshot Sniper Rifle Systems Targeting Shot! KTS: Sophia Mayhew Castellan fails to evade Yuliana Dispersal's Avilock Missiles, taking 4620 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Cornelia li Britannia has posed.
The cockpit hatch of Cornelia li Britannia's Gloucester hisses into place. Within the swiftly-illuminating darkness of its detachable cradle, its pilot grips upon its controls, vibrantly violet eyes narrowing, thoughts racing past her. This is far from atypical for Celestial Being's modus operandi. But why here, specifically?
Are they in league with the Black Knights? That hardly seems in line with their preposterous mission statement.
Is it because of the Lancelot Club? Then why now?
Or...
Deep red beams rip through the G-1 Base, her sister's voice crackles over the comm lines, and all Cornelia's thoughts are instantly dispelled.
"... I understand, Euphemia," utters the second Princess, her gloved hands clenching upon her controls. "Don't worry. I will keep the G-1 safe until we can muster reinforcements."
She knows her sister well enough to know where her concerns might lie, and so, that voice betrays nothing but absolute certainty. Thoughts can wait.
The Gloucester's landspinners lock into place with a squealing buildup.
"Unforgivable wretches--"
... there's only one thing that matters for Cornelia, right now.
And it is as the Gundam unloads upon the G-1 base that something bursts forth from the launch bays of the ship. Significantly smaller. Horned. Purple. And carrying a great lance.
The Gloucester cannot fly.
Which does not even remotely stop Cornelia from looking to immediately cut through the space between herself and her target as the Throne swoops past.
Beneath Nena, there is a sound. And she will have only a scant amount of time to react before a pair of slash harkens shoot towards her Gundam, looking to embed or entangle wherever they can to suddenly tie the Celestial Being mobile suit up --
--seconds before the line abruptly retracts to send Cornelia's Gloucester -yanking- upwards through the sky towards her target as a second princess' booming voice cuts in over loudspeakers.
<< "You will face ME today, Gundam! COME!" >>
KTS: Cornelia li Britannia has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged with Nena Trinity KTS: Cornelia li Britannia targets Nena Trinity with Slash Harken Entangle! <Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Viridesca notes the way Cecile uses her momentum--it gives her an idea. But the assault rifle is pointed at her Spinatia in short order, and so the Celestial Being pilot is obligated to weave in place to avoid being too easy a target. This works for the gun--but the gun isn't the main threat. That slash harden launches out at her, and abrubtly the Spinatia is indeed tangled in wires and spiked tips, pulled closer by the effort--
But in place the spikes seem to go past and through its armor, rather than into or destroying it, as if the mecha isn't completely real.
Or isn't completely here.
"Hmmm, that would be telling!" Viridesca answers. "I'll tell you more if you can defeat my EXAMAC. But since you were kind enough to offer me an escape, I'll give you a bonus now."
First, however, she makes her own attack, lifting the shield to get between her and her foe's Sutherland and letting the green Fold Crystals within gleam menacingly. There is a sense of reality rippling, and then, if the attack succeeds, an instant of vertigo as another dimension overlays atop this one, a black-and-green void that is as cold as ice.
"I believe we're here to destroy some important machine or another," Viridesca says, but she sounds distracted--mostly because of the utter focus this spell requires in the cockpit, and the fact that she has to take her hands off the controls to do it. There is an instant where the mecha is still...
KTS: Elisa Kafim has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Lloyd Asplund KTS: Elisa Kafim targets Lloyd Asplund with Green Fold Quartz Accelerator - Ripple! KTS: Dragates ri Becker has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Dragates ri Becker has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Lloyd Asplund has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Dragates ri Becker successfully Evades Karma Sato's Longshot Sniper Rifle Systems Targeting Shot KTS: Elisa Kafim rattles Lloyd Asplund, making their next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Lloyd Asplund fails to react to Elisa Kafim's Green Fold Quartz Accelerator - Ripple, taking 3920 damage! KTS: Nena Trinity's EN Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage. KTS: Cornelia li Britannia anchors Nena Trinity, forcing her into close range. KTS: Nena Trinity blocks Cornelia li Britannia's Slash Harken Entangle, taking 2550 damage! KTS: Cornelia li Britannia has engaged Nena Trinity <Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.
Protect the float unit.
That's Suzaku's first instinct when he notices that he's been targeted. If he doesn't protect the float unit he'll just drop out of the sky, and he has a lot less ways to deal with that than if he takes serious damage in some other way. So when he realizes he's not clearing the projectile in time, the machine twists in a way that makes its center of mass more of a primary target than is really... you know, sane. He raises both of his arms to present the Blaze Luminous, catching the projectile against one-- and promptly burning it out, sending one arm spiraling to the ground in a pile of debris and through the lower torso violently.
An alarm flashes. One of the energy fillers has been disconnected-- his already low energy supply is EXTREMELY low now. Operational time is still above a minute, but-- but not by a lot. Closing to range is risking the float unit and running out of batteries adjacent to the enemy. Remaining at range isn't a substantial advantage, as near as he can tell.
His eyes flick to the side of his monitor and the G1 base. If it comes down to 'near' or 'far' in this situation, it's better to go with 'near'.
The Lancelot descends adjacent to the G1 base and shuts down its float unit. It does not get too close. It does not lose a bead on the shot that came after it. The remaining power indicator eases, slightly-- not a lot. Just above two minutes.
Even as he's evaluating that, Suzaku shoots back with a volley of VARIS fire that peppers the Byakuen's position.
There are two things to note here: Firstly, it's plenty obvious that he's distracted. Secondly, he's still uncomfortably in the ballpark of estimating where the sniper was shooting from without actually targeting them directly.
KTS: Suzaku Kururugi targets Orpheus Zevon with VARIS Barrage! <Pose Tracker> Dragates ri Becker has posed.
The Viscount narrowly ducks behind a building wall as it finally sees the sniper. Said missed shot actually impacts the wall and has Valentine giving a grin, "My compliments to whoever designed this. The speed is vastly outperforming a Gloucester."
Using the harkens again, the Viscount stays at ground level, flooring the landspinners instead of letting up on them as he uses the harkens to quickly go around the building before coming at the sniper unit at a much faster speed.
Finally remembering that this thing has something he's not used to, he flicks a control to activate the Blaze Luminious shield as well as he charges, intending to shield check the sniper unit and get in close where all that firepower should be less useful to it.
"Let's see you use that firepower at this range!" He declares over the speakers.
KTS: Orpheus Zevon fails to evade Suzaku Kururugi's VARIS Barrage, taking 4465 damage! KTS: Suzaku Kururugi begins a Formation attack! Dragates ri Becker Activates Barrier Generator
KTS: Dragates ri Becker targets Karma Sato with Landspinner Rush! KTS: Karma Sato blocks Dragates ri Becker's Landspinner Rush, taking 3960 damage! KTS: Dragates ri Becker has engaged Karma Sato <Pose Tracker> Lloyd Asplund has posed.
Cecile's not sure what she's seeing. She can see plainly that the spiked tips of her weapons sunk into the suit, but they... Didn't?
Cecile: "Are those afterimages?"
Lloyd: "No, I don't think so. This might be more of that strange technology from space or one of those other places."
Cecile: "What, like magic?"
Lloyd: "You know that doesn't exist."
Cecile can most certainly see what looks like magic as the Spinatia's weaponry shines with that eerie green light, trying to keep her own machine moving erratically to throw off the EXMAC's aim. Hearing the pilot's response, she takes a moment to consider what's been said before realizing what she's talking about.
"You're after that? But I thought Celestial Being was...! No, that's consistent." Cecile admits with a quiet noise of affirmation, then bites back a more vulgar noise when the cold void hits her and her Sutherland head on. The Sutehrland's movements are notably more sluggish than before, and even Cecile's reactions takes a hit in the process.
"But why here? Why now?" She asks further questions, both to sate her own curiosity and in a weak attempt to add some uncertainty to Virisdesca's mind. As she speaks, the Sutherland closes the distance again, trying to take advantage of the Spinatia's momentary lapse and pulling its slash harkens back. It doesn't stay that way, however, instead opting to start swinging them around wildly not unlike a whole mess of chains and flails to batter it while it's open.
KTS: Lloyd Asplund has activated the Enable Spirit Command. KTS: Lloyd Asplund targets Elisa Kafim with Slash Harken Bludgeon! <Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
While shooting the KMF out of the air would have been the absolute ideal situation, seeing a confirmed hit along with one of the units dislodging from the machine was sufficient for a first blow. With the shot made, the Byakuen was already attempting to retreat into a more favorable position, attempting to keep out of the enemies line of sight, after all, it was one thing to avoid a shot from the Lancelot, but to be caught naked by another enemy would have also been just as troublesome. Though as he'll soon realize trouble had only just started. The sounds of retaliation come from the Lancelot, the blasts all but destroying the KMF's cover. It was apparent that simply hiding away wasn't going to be a valid option. So the only other choice was to find another area to attack from.
The Byakuen leaves cover as it attempts to maneuver from out of the volleying assault. An agile machine though it becomes quite apparent that with the kind of rate of fire that the Lancelot has, even it found itself incapable of dodging entirely. The result is in that a similar fashion one of those volleys ends up taking away the left forearm of the Byakuen and throwing it off of it's feet for a moment. The pilot inside ruffled about for a bit as it's forced to re-adjust itself. "Tch. That wasn't even a direct hit and it was giving that kind of a shot? It's got sharp fangs, that's for certain."
At this point, the Byakuen's position had been revealed though rather than try to retreat back to cover the machine decides to opt for a continued assault. Raising it's right arm it prepares for another at the Lancelot, seeing as it was now grounded. Opting rather than go for a flurry of shots to instead focus at striking at it's center of mass again in hopes to continue applying pressure while it continued to appear somewhat thrown off.
KTS: Elisa Kafim's Physical Wall L1 activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Elisa Kafim blocks Lloyd Asplund's Slash Harken Bludgeon, taking 2100 damage! KTS: Orpheus Zevon has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained proficiency bonus. <Pose Tracker> Nena Trinity has posed.
Nena giggles as the G-1 Base doesn't offer up much of a defense, her Gundam able to take out one of its launch catapults in just the first volley, "Wow, it's like shooting practice targets! Hmmm... I could draw this out. But there are so many other targets, I'm sure I'll be busy either way. Guess I'll just finish this quick."
Purple Haro flaps its wings, encouraging Nena with, "Go for the head! Go for the head!"
Nena grins, "Yes, that's the idea!" She twists her controls hard.
The Gundam Throne Drei turns after its initial pass by the G-1. It quickly bursts down in towards the mobile base again, Nena planning to get in close to the command center and blast it at point blank range.
When suddenly there's an alert on Nena's screen, "What!?" A pair of slash harkens streak towards the Drei, wrapping firmly around one of its legs. The machine begins to shake the leg in the air, trying to dislodge the cable, Nena muttering in the process, "G-Get off!" But before she has an opportunity to get free, the owner of the harkens comes screaming up, over and then down towards the Gundam!
Nena barely has a moment to react, bringing her machine's shoulder around to face the attached shield towards the charging machine. The two collide. Being on the receiving end, Nena feels it more. The red and grey Gundam is knocked down the short distance to the ground, feet ripping up tarmac as it skids itself to a stop.
Nena shakes her head after the impact, before focusing on her screen. She sees the Knightmare land in front of her, between her and the G-1. Nena lets out a short bark of incredulous laughter at the thought of her Gundam being grounded by such a machine, before flicking on her exterior speakers, <"You're awfully loud for a shorty! So who are-You know what. It doesn't matter!">
Ports along the Drei's right shoulder shield open, unleashing a barrage of GN Missiles from within. The missiles blast forward with those red particles trailing behind them, heading towards both Cornelia's Knightmare and the G-1 behind it. They threaten to unleash a concentrated burst of said particles on impact. With explosive results!
KTS: Nena Trinity targets Euphemia li Britannia with GN Missile Barrage! KTS: Nena Trinity targets Cornelia li Britannia with GN Missile Barrage! KTS: Orpheus Zevon targets Suzaku Kururugi with Precision Shot: 30mm High-Initial-Velocity Tungsten Armor-Piercing Ammunition! KTS: Suzaku Kururugi successfully Evades Orpheus Zevon's Precision Shot: 30mm High-Initial-Velocity Tungsten Armor- Piercing Ammunition Incoming attacks: 1: Nena_Trinity attacking with GN Missile Barrage (Beam, Ranged, Missile) ----
KTS: Euphemia li Britannia successfully intercepts Nena Trinity's GN Missile Barrage
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
With the Lancelot Club hurtling at him with the shield up Karma raises the Longshot's riot shield and feels that impact shake him hard as his own knightmare is pushed back. It doesn't deter Karma though. In fact if anything it spurs him on.
Quickly the sniper rifle in Longshot's hand is slid back over the shoulder and locks into place before quickly reaching behind it's back with one hand still keeping the shield meeting the other shield with the other. From behind it's back it produces a light machine gun.
Over the speaker Karma can only reply back to the Brittanian who is talking to him. "By your command your majesty." Reaching around the shield the Longshot begins to spray bullets from the machine gun at close range.
KTS: Karma Sato has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Karma Sato has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Karma Sato targets Dragates ri Becker with Glasgow MG Point Blank Shot KTS: Cornelia li Britannia successfully intercepts Nena Trinity's GN Missile Barrage KTS: Dragates ri Becker has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Dragates ri Becker rushes into the attack! KTS: Dragates ri Becker fails to react to Karma Sato's Glasgow MG Point Blank Shot, taking 4080 damage! KTS: Karma Sato has engaged Dragates ri Becker
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
'Magic' is the most obvious explanation for what Elisa is doing, but it could be strange technology. Is there a difference, in the end?
Viridesca's Spinatia continues to be trapped for a little while longer, but it doesn't stop the woman inside from talking back over tight band communications. ...Or hearing that more vulgar noise through the radio. "It does seem unusual," Elisa admits as to the timing of the mission. "But destroying the weapons of war is within our mandate."
Her confidence is strange; she seems utterly casual about the battle, despite the fact that Cecile's skill is showing here in closing the distance; the Spinatia can't move for an instant, and only barely manages to interpose the shield between the slash harkens battering at it. A few blows strike past the guard, making deep rents in paint and armor, but once again some of the spikes just seem to pass through, and those that hit the shield feel like they hit nothing at all.
"Why not now?" she offers back. "It is a military target."
"But what of you?" The Spinatia attempts to get closer amidst that hail of bludgeoning spikes, shield-first, until she's close enough to bring up the Staff from behind, pointing its crescent tip at the Sutherland again. Green light shines forth from it, arcing towards Cecile's Sutherland at center mass, particles and debris from all around attracted to the point of attack.
"Why defend this place? Is it your home? Your country? Ahhhh but it would not be, now would it? Britannia has taken it."
KTS: Elisa Kafim targets Lloyd Asplund with Green Fold Quartz Accelerator - Projection! KTS: Euphemia li Britannia has activated the Rouse Spirit Command targeting Cornelia li Britannia KTS: Euphemia li Britannia has activated the Enable Spirit Command.
<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.
The primary defensive armament of the G-1 Base is a small swivel turret; the instant it spots those GN missiles, it begins swerving to intercept them. The GN missiles prove unusually hard to track, thanks to the particles -- but a manual override on the number of projectiles fired manages to compensate. It's cutting it very, very close -- but it's okay to be close, sometimes.
The G-1 Base begins to orient on what it will *actually have to do* to shoot a Gundam out of the sky. It's not a particularly heavily armed vessel by any stretch, and the Gundam is quite powerful; if it weren't for Cornelia, the vessel would... probably be a sitting duck. With someone out in front, though...
"Sister," Euphemia says, the tension of the situation making her forms of address steadily more personal. "We'll be providing fire support next!" The bridge buzzes with activity as everyone prepares to do just that.
The KMF team is finally out there, at least, though they seem to be most focused on providing defense for the G-1 Base itself. Cornelia, they reason, can handle herself. The G-1 Base's central cannon slowly rotates to point at the Throne itself -- and lets out a long, focused burst of fire. It's dangerous mostly for how *sustained* it is -- Nena has plenty of time to defend herself, but there's... a lot.
KTS: Euphemia li Britannia targets Nena Trinity with G-1 Base Main Cannon Suppressing Fire!
<Pose Tracker> Dragates ri Becker has posed.
The machine gun rounds rattle the Lancelot Club, causing more systems on the inside to blare at Valentine before he decides to get in even closer!
"Machine guns... whatever happened to people using good old swords in these?" Valentine muses as he notes the Blaze Luminious doesn't seem to do much against those.
However, that is not the only weapons on board the Club as he flicks another control and the shield... shrinks and lengthens? Then starts to spin a bit. By the time it's done in less than a second, the Club's got a pointed beam cone that it tries to punch into the Burai full force with it.
The Viscount replies, "Wrong term of address! You must be one of those Black Knights I've heard about!"
KTS: Dragates ri Becker targets Karma Sato with Improvised Luminous Cone! <Pose Tracker> Sophia Mayhew Castellan has posed.
The Hyperion rattles as Yuliana's missiles rake across the underside of the huoll. It leaves scorched metals, divots and scratches...but no penetration. On the bridge, Sophia watches the battle readouts fiercely as the battle continues, her face unflinching.
Her green-haired XO Amata announces, "Armor damage along the belly, ma'am! No breaches!"
Amata is practically glowing, but Sophia's focus remains unyielding. "Only the sun, is it. So be it! Bring the Helios around and open fire!" she barks.
"Coming~!" chimes the male voice of the smaller vessel's captain. Helios is armed with far fewer and far smaller turrets, and the same flight-deck like structure on top - but unlike a standard one, it has a heel at the end of the strip, like it's intended to stop attempts to take off more than facilitate them. Wonder what that's for!
The smaller vessel swoops low, opening fire with sweeping blasts from its heavy turrets, fracturing the concrete around Yuliana's machine with each impact. "You called for the sun, and Helios arrives!" the captain calls out.
KTS: Sophia Mayhew Castellan targets Yuliana Dispersal with Helios Heavy Turrets! KTS: Karma Sato blocks Dragates ri Becker's Improvised Luminous Cone, taking 4840 damage! KTS: Dragates ri Becker has engaged Karma Sato <Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.
There.
Even ordinary fire from the VARIS is enough to scorch away the Byakuen's cover, and Suzaku can catch the finer points of its movements even if that weren't the case. Now that he knows 'where' instead of just 'roughly where', Suzaku rapidly taps the buttons on his remaining arm's control stick. Outside, the VARIS shifts from its resting mode to full extension.
The Byakuen shifts attack modes. Now that it's on the ground, the Lancelot fires one of its slash harkens to one side, anchoring it in the ground and pulling it out of the way of the oncoming attack. Apart from having the effect of helping it get out of the way while compensating for all of the damage it took, it also keeps it on a relatively consistent path for its own aim.
It fires roughly concurrently with its quick-thinking evasion, and this time the light that screams out of the VARIS is a spinning green sphere closer to the actual size of the Knightmare frame that fired it than anything else. This poses two problems-- if it hits, that's bad enough. If it doesn't, it's definitely destructive enough to scour the landscape there of hiding spots that remain and maybe then some, requiring a longer trek to safe(r) territory than Orpheus might have otherwise anticipated.
KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Lloyd Asplund has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Lloyd Asplund fails to react to Elisa Kafim's Green Fold Quartz Accelerator - Projection, taking 4092 damage! KTS: Elisa Kafim begins a Formation attack! KTS: Yuliana Dispersal successfully evades Sophia Mayhew Castellan's Helios Heavy Turrets KTS: Suzaku Kururugi targets Orpheus Zevon with VARIS Burst Mode! KTS: Orpheus Zevon successfully evades Suzaku Kururugi's VARIS Burst Mode KTS: Kagero's BP-500X Kagero Robot Mode has left The housekeeper moves Kagero to the quiet room.
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
The Longshot's riot shield takes the majority of the pounding from the Lancelot Club, the arm behind the shield is pretty fried as servos' spark from the force. The damn Brittannian even put a whole through the shield. Fortunately this shield is slowly becoming the shield of Theseus in terms of how much metal has been welded into it to fix up holes in it. Excluding the one time that Evangelion spear just shredded the entire unit.
The black knight's reply to the viscount echos over the speaker, "No you heard the announcement. This is the celestial beings doing some form of intervention or another. The Black Knights is just an Area 11 myth."
The Longshot begins to wheel away but only far enough to get out of arm's reach before it just begins to unload the entire magazine of the machine gun towards the Lancelot Club.
KTS: Karma Sato has activated the Strike Spirit Command. <Pose Tracker> Cornelia li Britannia has posed.
The Gundams of Celestial Being. Cornelia has seen imagery and heard reports of them in action; she's studied them, extensively. They have not been particularly subtle, and the technologies, the weapons, they employ...
She hasn't seen anything like it. And it galls her on some level to have to admit that, even internally.
It would merit a cautious approach, in most contexts; but this is not most contexts, and here, Cornelia's goal is to make her mark in a way that steals attention, steals focus, even if but for a few fleeting moments to allow a break in the Throne's offensive. With one well-timed and overtly aggressive blow, the Witch of Britannia manages just that; small though the Gloucester may be - perhaps half as much as that Gundam - Cornelia knows how to use it, and use it well. The second the strikingly violet KMF collides with Nena's Throne, Cornelia is pushing down on its controls to forcibly kick it OFF the Gundam and use that built up momentum to send it careening groundwards.
A second later, the Knightmare Frame lands in a flourish of its white cape, rifle and lance both at the ready.
'You're awfully loud for a shorty!' says her opponent. It's striking to her, how young she sounds. How glib. Cornelia looks to the G-1 Base behind her as Euphemia's voice joins in over her communications. Also young, if much more serious.
"Viceroy," corrects the Second Princess, but it's a correction not for the sake of formality, but for the sake of their present circumstances. To keep them - BOTH of them - focused. To not fall to the chaos of the moment.
Structure. That's what they need, now.
"Fire at will, Sub-Viceroy."
The GN missiles fly; and the Gloucester immediately reacts, its assault rifle swinging up to fire several short staccato bursts into the air. Explosions of bloody particles rain across the air in a thick, concealing mist of GN created by the Gloucester and the G-1; and within it, as the Base's cannon fires --
--Cornelia charges.
Landspinners scream across the foundation of Hamilton Base as Cornelia looks to close that distance rapidly, using the G-1 Base's offense as cover fire to help keep the Gundam on edge. And, as soon as she can find her opening --
Cornelia seeks to exploit it ruthlessly, SHOVING her Gloucester's lance forward in an attempt to run it straight through the hip joint of the Throne before an electromagnetic burst -surges- through the golden weapon.
<< "You have not earned the right to know my name, whelp!" >>
Agitate. And aggress. Against a superior machine, the best form of attack is one against their pilot's focus.
KTS: Karma Sato has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Karma Sato targets Dragates ri Becker with Glasgow MG Spray and Pray! KTS: Cornelia li Britannia has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Nena Trinity KTS: Cornelia li Britannia targets Nena Trinity with EM Jousting Lance - Implacable Assault! KTS: Nena Trinity successfully Evades Euphemia li Britannia's G-1 Base Main Cannon Suppressing Fire KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 70. KTS: Nena Trinity has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Nena Trinity has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Nena Trinity retreats from the attack! KTS: Nena Trinity fails to react to Cornelia li Britannia's EM Jousting Lance - Implacable Assault, taking 4371 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Lloyd Asplund has posed.
Cecile: "Celestial Being's mandate, you mean?"
Lloyd: "It certainly is within the bounds of their MO."
Cecile: "Especially if their target is us..."
Lloyd: "But something still seems off here. There has to be other, more-incoming!"
Cecile: "Does it? If-"
Although Cecile's talking to both Lloyd and Elisa, Lloyd isn't actually transmitting his side of things to Viridesca. As such, it might sound more like Cecile's just talking to herself. It might just be even more confusing when she actually does respond to Viridesca directly, and especially when she's just pausing for longer stretches of time.
Lloyd: "They're coming in from all directions. Keep moving and stay out of the path of her shots!"
Cecile: "There's too many shots! If I can just get around...!"
The Sutherland's mobility isn't quite enough to avoid getting smacked by the sheer number of projectiles flying towards it, losing those slash harkens in the process as they're shorn right off its arms. The Spinatia being at close range should be a boon, but it doesn't quite give Cecile an opporunity to strike back yet as another mysterious green blast knocks it off balance once more while its warning lights blare in the cockpit.
"My home isn't this place, but it's with these people and the Princess here. I've got as much of a duty to protect them as you do to..." Cecile pauses briefly as she once again closes the distance with her Sutherland. It might not have helped her evade much in the way of attacks before, but the energy building in the cannon suggests she might be trying something a little different this time around.
That's all but confirmed as the machine charges forward again, skidding one way before sending itself in the other direction abruptly to try and keep the Spinatia's pilot on her toes. Once the Sutherland's close enough, it unloads a massive shot to the Spinatia's torso, aiming to punch a hole right into it with a brute force blast that's less magic and more how-much-gun-can-this-thing-fit. The Sutherland is slowed to a stop after the fact, however, leaving it a sitting duck after the fact!
"Are you here to protect anyone else that's here? Or is it just for the cause and nobody else?" Cecile doesn't take an accusing or even angry tone with Viridesca, although she does sound mildly stressed and annoyed about something.
KTS: Lloyd Asplund has activated the Enable Spirit Command. <Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
"Ho-oh?" 'Verdiska' asks, a wordless prompt over her feed. She sounds -- if anything -- entirely interested to see just what the Helios is bringing to bear. A smaller vessel...
It swoops. Behind her black veil, the pilot of the Zenith smiles.
Hand to the lever, she forces it forward, shifting to the side and down in a movement which feels the force of her machine. The ball of her foot slams down on a pedal, and the Zenith charges along the runway, a moving target for Helios to try and hit. The Zenith is far from the fastest thing here -- but whoever is piloting the wanzer clearly has a strong grasp on how to manage turret fire.
(Of course, she's usually making sure she doesn't get shredded by it before closing in. But, tragically, one must make sacrifices for one's hobbies.)
The Zenith actually takes advantage of some of that torn-up concrete, each gaping hole evidence of what almost became of her, to stop herself -- one clawed foot thrusting out, to grasp at the unleveled ground. The machine vents heat, as it directs its weapons -- and its voice transmission -- up towards the sky again. A normal woman, faced with odds like this, might make some exclamation about how she managed to survive such a thing. Yuliana --
"Oh-HO! Not bad, not bad! You have brought the sun with you, I see!" Shifting gears and her grasp, she lays a finger on the missile trigger, again. "Then," she transmits, with clear interest, "I think I'll swallow it."
More missiles fan out -- smaller, this time, like a dozen crawling spiders. They have a nasty habit of finding those little cracks in one's armor.
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal targets Sophia Mayhew Castellan with Spider Missiles! KTS: Lloyd Asplund has activated the Enable Spirit Command. KTS: Dragates ri Becker's Barrier Generator activates, negating 200 base damage. KTS: Dragates ri Becker fails to Evade Karma Sato's Glasgow MG Spray and Pray, taking 6410 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Karma Sato's Smart Guy activates, causing Designate L1! KTS: Dragates ri Becker's RZX-7 Lancelot Club has been disabled. KTS: Lloyd Asplund targets Elisa Kafim with Giant Cannon Penetrator! <Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
While Suzaku can't see the look on his face, there's a bit of a dumbstrucken look upon the pilot of the Byakuen's face. It was perhaps the correct decision perhaps to try and dodge the fire of the sniper ammunition, but the sheer fact he had been able to, at that distant, it was definitely something that was beyond what one could have expected from just the performance of a machine alone. "The guy's got skill. . ."
Though even with that skill an opening had been left. While it was true that slash harken had allowed for a safer dodging of the Byakuen's attack, it had even stabilized the Lancelot as it was preparing to fire, but it had also projected where it's path was going to be. Even if it was to dislodge itself for an attack this could be the chance he needed to retaliate. With that insight, Oz knew what he had to do. . . That giant green sphere accumulates more power before it fires off, that momentary build up before firing is the only chance the unit has to try and avoid the attack. It's Landspinners propel the Byakuen off it's current path and towards that of the trajected landspinners. The safety of cover was gone as he feels the destruction all about him. That had meant only one thing in his mind. The fight would have to be taken to Suzaku. "Let's see how you deal with my fang!!!"
The Byakuen pushes the offensive as it attempts to close the distance between the two, deciding to take this from mid-ranged to right into the Lancelot's comfort zone. Though the Byakuen had one advantage compared to the Lancelot. While the White Knight needed to change it's weapon, opting to swap its Varis Rifle for something more appropriate, the Byakuen need only let the Integrated Armament do what it was made for. Allow for quick and efficient changing of weapons on the fly. So it would, the canon that had taken up the space had folded back into the arm and with it instead appeared it's operating arm again. Though not just the arm itself, but two blades mirroring each other as they looked like a pair of scissoring blades intending to clamp into the chest of the Lancelot, and all but slice through it's armor all at once.
KTS: Orpheus Zevon has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Orpheus Zevon has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Orpheus Zevon targets Suzaku Kururugi with Crushed Between My Fangs!' : Scissor Blades! KTS: Orpheus Zevon rattles Suzaku Kururugi, making his next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Suzaku Kururugi fails to Evade Orpheus Zevon's Crushed Between My Fangs!' : Scissor Blades, taking 3780 damage! KTS: Orpheus Zevon has engaged Suzaku Kururugi KTS: Elisa Kafim fails to retreat. KTS: Lloyd Asplund rattles Elisa Kafim, making her next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Elisa Kafim fails to evade Lloyd Asplund's Giant Cannon Penetrator, taking 6710 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Lloyd Asplund's Cecile! Right there! Shoot it! activates, causing Designate L1! KTS: Lloyd Asplund roots their unit, coming to a standstill and leaving them vulnerable. KTS: Yuliana Dispersal rattles Sophia Mayhew Castellan, making her next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Sophia Mayhew Castellan fails to evade Yuliana Dispersal's Spider Missiles, taking 3340 damage! KTS: Yuliana Dispersal begins a Formation attack! <Pose Tracker> Nena Trinity has posed.
Her missiles are intercepted by defensive fire. Tch, that's annoying. Ah well. Nena reasons she's still got plenty of time to deal with the base. It HAS managed to get another bunch of those Knightmares out. But for now they're focusing on defense and letting this one in front of her handle things. That must means she's quite the ace?
Nena smirks as she looks over the ace Knightmare. It's clearly not flight capable, though those rocket cables to give it some minor capability to close the distance. Still, Nena could just use her machine's superior flight to rise up and away.
But where's the fun in that?
Besides, Nena is eager to prove that even on the ground, her Gundam is just as awesome!
But the first attack doesn't come from the Gloucester, but instead from the G-1. Nena reacts quickly though, her Gundam suddenly lifting up but a short distance off the ground, before darting left and right to weave around the stream of cannon fire. Okay, technically the unit is still flying. But one could also argue it's just imitating the ground movements of a KMF!
Whether the G-1 actually hits or not is actually not as important, which Nena soon realizes as she finds Cornelia anticipating her movements and capitalizing on them to charge in with that lance. It actually proves to be extremely effective, piercing through Nena's defenses and putting a hole into the Gundam's leg. It's not a DEEP hole, having met resistance from the Gundam's impressive toughness. But it's a hole, nonetheless. Which is more than any of the other Britannian defenders have managed thus far.
Nena quickly backpedals away from the Gloucester, trying to gain a little distance. At the same time, she snerks at the other pilot's words, "Whelp!?"
Pause.
Then with some slight confusion, "Whelp? Hey Haro... What's a whelp?"
Purple Haro buzzes, "Brat! Brat! Annoying child! Annoying child! You! You!"
Nena ohs... Then grins, "Yeah, I guess that's true."
As it bursts to the side, just barely skimming across the ground with its practically physics defying flight abilities of its GN Drive, the Gundam Throne Drei turns its head towards Cornelia's Gloucester. From the two small ports on either side of its head, a rapid barrage of small beam blasts rain out towards the Knightmare. The GN particle beam version of vulcans. The weakest weapon on the Gundam. A fact which Cornelia could easily intuit. Nena choosing to use that particular weapon is clearly a statement.
Especially as the Drei raises its arm, once again firing a burst of shots towards the G-1.
KTS: Nena Trinity targets Cornelia li Britannia with GNW-003 Beam Vulcans Burst! KTS: Nena Trinity targets Euphemia li Britannia with GNW-003 Beam Handgun Aimed Burst! KTS: Euphemia li Britannia fails to evade Nena Trinity's GNW-003 Beam Handgun Aimed Burst, taking 3321 damage! KTS: Cornelia li Britannia successfully evades Nena Trinity's GNW-003 Beam Vulcans Burst <Pose Tracker> Dragates ri Becker has posed.
The Lancelot Club does it's best to evade, but it's still a mass produced unit. Not up to the standards. It's still impressive to Valentine at least. And well... it's also a decoy.
"Like I'll believe--"
That's as far as the Viscount gets before the Club's ejection system kicks in. There's a small explosion and the noticeable launch of an ejection pod in a large arc as it heads away from the battlefield.
Amazingly, the Club is mostly intact afterwards as well! Just a lot of systems damage to it.
Meanwhile, the ejection pod lands farther out, nearly in the water. Valentine himself takes a few moments after landing to get his bearings before he radioes on a BU only frequency, "Raynsford here. My unit is down. Be on the look out for a sniper, still in play. And I will need a pick up after this is over... also, I want to look at getting one of those Lancelot Clubs for myself."
KTS: Euphemia li Britannia has activated the Attune Spirit Command. KTS: Euphemia li Britannia has activated the Enable Spirit Command. KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has activated the Trick Spirit Command. <Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.
The Byakuen meets its mark, but not in a way that is sane, reasonable, or expected by any measurement of the word. As it approaches rapidly the Lancelot... spins. It turns its back towards the oncoming pincers and crouches down. They end up having to shear through the attachment point of the float unit before finding themselves clamping down on the top tenth or so of the cockpit. The mooring points with the float unit break off, and it collapses to the ground between them.
This is a completely insane thing to do, and what's worse is that Orpheus can see exactly why the pilot did it. If he decided he wasn't going to get out of the way, mitigating the attack had limited options. As things are, most of what was damaged on the float unit was its attachment point-- the engines are jostled but hit the ground no harder than would be expected.
The cockpit... is sheared open at precisely the angle required to can open it open without keeping a full grip on the machine. In other words-- the pilot made the conscious decision to risk their own life to sustain damage that is a serious problem for them but doesn't disable the machine. It slips out of the pincers by compromising the pilot's safety, and turns rapidly.
Suzaku Kururugi's position is exposed. He peers towards the Byakuen from the back of the Lancelot's damaged cockpit, his expression focused. There is nowhere to run.
One of its hip-mounted slash harkens fires and hooks the VARIS, a booster firing on the end of it and hurling it skyward in a spiraling arc that continues above them. The freshly-freed hand seizes one of the paired Maser Vibration Swords and swings forward in a powerful arc towards the bulk of the Byakuen, glittering red light spilling into the blade as it descends-- and then the opposite slash harken seizes it and pulls it away to the Lancelot's hip.
Above...
The VARIS retracts back into its carbine form as it falls. The Lancelot catches the weapon and draws it in close to its body, firing towards the Byakuen... around the 'stomach?' This lunatic is trying not to kill the enemy pilot while operating with an exposing cockpit.
KTS: Suzaku Kururugi targets Orpheus Zevon with MVS Combo!
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
"Yes," Elisa answers, "That's the one." She doesn't hear Lloyd, so it does sound a little strange. "Hmmmm," Viridesca wonders then. "You are a strange one..."
She can't 'sense' people like a Newtype could; that is not her power. Her power is stranger, and it gives her an advantage this time. ...At least, for the first part of this exchange. "So, your loyalty is with the Princess..."
She stops talking for a moment to focus, and the feint works--Viridesca is a powerful combatant, but not as skilled a pilot as Cecile, most likely--she misses where she's aiming, and that sheer force slams into the Spinatia. Despite the Spinatia's strange, reality-warping power, it is hit hard by that shot, battered backward even with the shield in place. Its shoulder crunches messily, its left arm nearly ruined for the moment, though it is at least still attached. The shield hangs there, flickering in its green light as the power to it becomes unreliable.
She thinks of the question.l.. and of Verdiska nearby. "The one I came with does not need much protection. But my priority would be her safety over the mission, that is true. Consider this a useful piece of information, for fighting so well. ...I must admit! My mechanic will be very upset with me!"
Still, she sounds calm, despite the calamitous damage to her system. Perhaps 'calm' is the wrong word. Perhaps it's more... distant.
She halts in place as the Sutherland likewise slows to a stop. She lifts her hands from the controls, and begins to trace the runes. They hang on the air in front of the mecha in some unknown language, a magical circle appearing in the air, rotating slowly through symbols--like those of planets and stars, but each marred in some way, mirrored and wrong.
"I will stake my attack on this. If you resist it... then I will share some little knowledge. This is my offer to you, brave protector."
"...if you should survive the touch of the void!"
Before the Spinatia, the world cracks. Green energy like lightning scythes around, and the world is as glass shattering. A fault in space opens; sensors would recognize this as highly similar to the engagement of a Fold drive... but not quite the same.
The green explosion that follows is visible for some distance.
KTS: Elisa Kafim has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Elisa Kafim has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Elisa Kafim has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Elisa Kafim targets Lloyd Asplund with Green Fold Quartz Accelerator - Dimensional Fault! <Pose Tracker> Sophia Mayhew Castellan has posed.
"No contact," Amata reports.
Sophia's face doesn't react, eyes tracking across the screens. Wanzer. Fast, especially with the landspinners engaged. Starting to wish she'd got the Flag out after all. Still, here they are.
The spider missiles enwrap both the Helios and even shroud the heavier guns on the Hyperion. "Get those clear!" Sophia yells. She doesn't want to resort to the full weaponry, they'll cause havoc, so for now she chooses the lightest weapon she has at hand. "Cannons, open fire!"
On the underbelly of Hyperion, swiveling CIWS gatling cannons swivel into place, buzzing to life in the manner of Britannian rail technology, and then releasing a volley of fire down on Yuliana's Zenith!!
KTS: Sophia Mayhew Castellan has activated the Attune Spirit Command. KTS: Sophia Mayhew Castellan targets Yuliana Dispersal with Ship CIWS Barrage! KTS: Yuliana Dispersal fails to evade Sophia Mayhew Castellan's Ship CIWS Barrage, taking 2850 damage! <Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Longshot comes to a stop as the Lancelot Club goes down and the pilot is ejected. For a moment Karma tracks the ejected cockpit with the machine gun raised but lowers it turning to the rest of the battlefield and realizes that he has a little breathing room for a moment. Taking cover behind the fallen Lancelot Club he takes a few minutes for battlefield maintenance. Reloading his machine gun and then slinging the sniper rifle forward and doing the same for that. Once it was all done he would start looking for a new target.
<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.
Euphemia takes the correction in stride. This is... part of the flow of her interactions with Cornelia, often -- her wanting just a bit more intimacy, Cornelia just a bit less. It's hard to be both family members and coworkers, and constantly changing those stances to suit the needs of the moment.
"Right. ... Viceroy, we'll be following up with a more concentrated barrage. You shouldn't need to work around us." It never feels right, being this clinical, this formal with Cornelia. Sure, the time they grew up in was also a time of unrest, but... it wasn't quite so central to their lives. It leaves Euphemia wishing, ever more, that the world was different.
For the moment, though, this is the way the world is -- and changing that will require living another day, so Celestial Being needs to be repulsed. Euphemia glances over to the other consoles, paying close attention to fire control in particular. She doesn't need to micromanage this, though.
Nena's Throne continues to blast down on the G-1 Base; this time, at least, it mostly hits armor, so the launches are finally clear. The KMF team is out in force, now -- and it can *actually* start penning Nena in a bit with suppressing fire. It's not much, and not enough against a Celestial Being Gundam -- but it's at least a help for the ship itself.
The G-1 Base's turret continues to track. This time, it moves a little further away as it does so; this is mostly to afford Cornelia a hair more time. Unfortunately, this also affords *Nena* a little more time -- but it means a generally more consistent rate of fire from the cannon.
KTS: Euphemia li Britannia targets Nena Trinity with G-1 Base Main Cannon Blitz! KTS: Nena Trinity's EN Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage. KTS: Nena Trinity blocks Euphemia li Britannia's G-1 Base Main Cannon Blitz, taking 3975 damage! KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 58. KTS: Lloyd Asplund fails to evade Elisa Kafim's Green Fold Quartz Accelerator - Dimensional Fault, taking 7380 damage! KTS: Lloyd Asplund's RPI-13 Sutherland has been disabled. KTS: Elisa Kafim roots her unit, coming to a standstill and leaving her vulnerable. KTS: Orpheus Zevon parries Suzaku Kururugi's MVS Combo, taking 1200 damage! KTS: Suzaku Kururugi has engaged Orpheus Zevon KTS: Suzaku Kururugi completes the Formation attack!
<Pose Tracker> Cornelia li Britannia has posed.
There are things that one realizes in the heat of the moment, when one has enough experience in the theater of war.
Things like the fact that this Celestial Being unit, despite being easily capable of flight, still stays ground-bound. Cornelia is anticipating the Gundam taking flight after managing to peel away from her Gloucester, but the fact that it -stays- at ground level, even hovering, and refuses that obvious tactical advantage, is telling.
Purple eyes narrow. "You want to make a statement, is that it?" the princess muses to herself, before the right corner of her purple lips tugs upward in a cold smirk.
"Hah. Very well, then. I'll see you roast on that hubris."
But it isn't just that. That isn't even the important thing, really. No -- it's the way that the Throne pushes its offensive upon the G-1 Base, even as Cornelia presses her assault. Try as she might, she can't seem to disentangle the Meister from her chosen quarry.
And -that- turns that smile into a frown most dramatic in its severity as she manipulates her KMF into a sharp, fluid pivot, -spinning- it like the roll of a graceful dance to duck and weave between the crimson bursts of the Throne's vulcans, just in time to see the Drei fire upon the G-1 once more in earnest.
Fire ignites in Cornelia's cold gaze. The Gloucester lowers at its waist.
Does it want to destroy the G-1 Base? Why--?
The deeper thoughts are instantly wiped out in an overwhelming wealth of particularly singular concern:
"Euphy--!"
The G-1 can take more punishment than this. But it doesn't matter. Hissing that name under her breath in raw worry, she tries to push it down as best she can as she once more breaches into the Drei's defenses, capitalizing on the hair's breath of time that the crew of the G-1 affords here to let those slash harkens fly with a hiss of activity once more. This time, their goal is very specific: they aim to embed in the shoulder joints of the Gundam, not to damage --
But, as they retract, to let the Gloucester get in the Drei's face.
Literally.
It's a smear of purple that brings that Knightmare Frame soaring once more, to thrust that electromagnetically-charged lance directly towards the head of the Gundam, to disrupt visual data -- and to respond to mockery with ferocity.
Oh yes, she knows the symbolism of vulcans, too, very well.
"Eu-- Sub-Viceroy! What is your status?"
KTS: Cornelia li Britannia has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged with Nena Trinity KTS: Cornelia li Britannia targets Nena Trinity with EM Jousting Lance - Disabling Blow! KTS: Nena Trinity has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Nena Trinity's EN Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage. KTS: Cornelia li Britannia rattles Nena Trinity, making her next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Nena Trinity fails to parry Cornelia li Britannia's EM Jousting Lance - Disabling Blow, taking 3420 damage! KTS: Cornelia li Britannia has engaged Nena Trinity
<Pose Tracker> Lloyd Asplund has posed.
It's a big gamble, and it looks like it's working as the shot punches into the Spinatia's arm. However, it's still not enough to force a retreat, and Cecile's already scanning the area around her as the Sutherland lists sideways in an attempt to compensate with the machine already having to compensate for the recoil.
"Strange? Is it really? I've known plenty of people to dedicate themselves to other people rather than a concrete goal. And you're... Not that different, it sounds like." Cecile can't quite bring herself to sound angry at Viridesca, although there's still the personal safety matter weighing in the forefront of her mind as she sees the Spinatia's runes appearing between their units.
"Or maybe we're both strange. Still, if I can keep fighting and save just one more person for one more minute, then I'll upset your mechanic as much as I can." Revving up the Sutherland's wheels again, Cecile's about to send her machine forward when she sees those symbols doing something far stranger.
She can read the writing on the wall fairly easily, and the scientist isn't a stupid person. "I'll have to decline your knowledge today. Cecile Croomy, falling back!"
As the Sutherland starts lurching forward, its ejection pod stick thing carries Cecile away from what's certain to be a spectacular explosion of the Sutherland slamming right into that space-warping attack. It's not for a lack of trying, of course, as she had aimed it somewhat upwards to try and divert Viridesca's attention at the last moment, but the machine just isn't in a state to evade much at all. Its legs go first as that green lightning cleaves through it, and that's followed by the rest of the machine going up in flames as it crumples, then bursts apart.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
The lightest weapon of the Hyperion is still devastating to a wanzer; the sheer SIZE differential is enough to be an immediate problem. CIWS gatling fire is something of a widespread approach to a localised problem.
Genuinely, Yuliana is flattered.
Her response is the same -- hand to the lever, downcranking and pressing a pedal to the floor. But there's a certain measure of luck in being David, and Goliath has the benefit of aiming from very, very high. This time, the Zenith ends up charging into the gatling cannon fire, despite itself.
A dozen smoking holes erupt on its hull; by a combination of miracle and skill, she avoids any of them hitting the weapons system fitted to her shoulders.
Yuliana shuts off her comms, for her next reaction. "It seems," she remarks, to herself, "I'll have to use your little trick sooner rather than later, dear Elisa." She reaches into the folds of her scarf --
And produces a crystal, shining darkly.
With a smooth motion, Yuliana slams it into the Zenith's secondary access port, and turns it, not unlike a key. A crackle of voidlike energy -- Elisa's energy, Sophia might note -- transmits through the crystal, through to the assault array.
Yuliana opens her channel again, to transmit, to the Hyperion: "Did I not promise to consume you? Strike me down, if you dare!"
At once the cannon at her back charges, before a lance of force blasts out from it, a long, thin line of devastation. It fans out, from where it first hits, refractive -- to wash over a broad area, as if it were DESIGNED to fell Goliath.
... thankfully, that abyssal power fades, with the reactor surge.
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Yuliana Dispersal has activated the Strike Spirit Command. Yuliana Dispersal uses hyper reloader
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal targets Sophia Mayhew Castellan with Mega Lasers! <Pose Tracker> Nena Trinity has posed.
Nena finds herself under fire from the G-1 again. Not just the G-1 now though, but also the KMFs its deloyed as a guard. That puts the pressure a bit more on Nena. The G-1 is also pulling away, but nothing that Nena can't make up. It's the cannon fire that is more concerning. The combination of fire from the base, from the deployed KMFs and Nena's proximity to this ace Gloucester makes Nena a little doubtful she can effectively dodge. So she instead chooses to rely on her defenses.
The Drei Gundam turns to its side, its GN Field activating. The fire from both the G-1 and its KMFs pound that barrier, many of the shots breaking through, especially the G-1's larger caliber guns. But they impact against the Gundam's shoulder-mounted shield, putting shallow dents in the strong armour.
Of course, while Nena is weathering the effects of the gunfire, Cornelia uses that moment to close in. Her slash harkens digging into the Gundam's frame. Not deeply, but enough to anchor it and then pull the Knightmare in close.
That's when it finally clicks in Nena's head. The the Gloucester is coordinator with the mobile base!
The Gundam Throne Drei reaches up to where its beam saber hilt juts out of its shoulder. Pulling the weapon free, the blade ignites as a long rush of crimson light. Nena moves the blade to try and meet the Knightmare's lance, but the far more experienced Cornelia is able to readjust her approach at the last second, bypassing Nena's attempted parry and getting that lance point in to the side of the Gundam's head.
It's not a full penetrating strike, but the tip of the lance does rip into the head's structure, dragged along by the Gloucester's charging momentum, it puts a long scar along the side.
And to add insult to injury, the Gloucester impacts with the Gundam's chest, knocking it backwards somewhat and providing an opportunity for Cornelia to leap away from any counterattack.
Nena grips her controls tightly during the whole encounter, grunting at the impact even as several sections of her panoramic display turn to static. The Drei actually has a rather advanced sensor suite in its head, more so than any of its brethren Gundams in Celestial Being. So it's not completely disabled by such a blow to the head. But there is no a blind spot in Nena's side view.
Recovering, Nena chuckles over her speakers, <"So you two are talking to each other, huh?">
The large panels attached to the back of the red Gundam flip up and over, vents all across them opening in the direction of the G-1.
Nena giggles, <"I can't have that!">
A large rush of those red particles the Drei uses goes rushing towards the G-1 and its surrounding Knightmares. They don't do any actual damage, but the massive increase in interference not only kills all but the base's visual sensors, it also seriously hampers even short range comms, leaving them a garbled mess. At least until the particles disipate.
Nena barks out over the speakers, <"You're fighting hard to protect that one, aren't you!? Not like a normal soldier. So what does that make you?">
Having temporarily cut off comms between the two, Nena now charges at Cornelia, endulging her desire for a closer range fight. The Gundam swings its red beam saber towards the Gloucester, a significant threat should it get in a clean strike.
KTS: Nena Trinity targets Euphemia li Britannia with Jam! KTS: Nena Trinity targets Cornelia li Britannia with GNW-003 Twin Beam Sabers Strike! KTS: Nena Trinity jams Euphemia li Britannia's sensors, reducing her accuracy. Your unit's HP stands at 10754
KTS: Cornelia li Britannia parries Nena Trinity's GNW-003 Twin Beam Sabers Strike, taking 553 damage! KTS: Nena Trinity has engaged Cornelia li Britannia KTS: Sophia Mayhew Castellan has activated the Attune Spirit Command. KTS: Yuliana Dispersal enervates Sophia Mayhew Castellan, reducing her Morale significantly. KTS: Sophia Mayhew Castellan fails to evade Yuliana Dispersal's Mega Lasers, taking 7840 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Yuliana Dispersal's Black Hole activates, causing Jam L1! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Yuliana Dispersal's Minovsky's Woman activates, causing Deject!
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Viridesca pauses. "No, only strange because you talk to yourself," she explains. "In the other ways, as you say... I am also strange."
Her spell works, though it roots her in place for the moment. Pieces of debris and building warp out of place in the wake of the strange attack, shattering like so much more glass. But the Sutherland is destroyed.... and Cecile is still alive.
"Ha! A good maneuver. Then for surviving I will tell you what to call me: Viridesca. I hope to encounter you again one day, protector."
Then she turns, towards the rest of the airfield, and considers. She then tight bands the radio over to Verdiska, "My unit is quite damaged. I will retreat to the outskirts and pick you up when you have finished, yes? In the meantime, perhaps I will..."
The Spinatia pulls back, but Elisa looks around on the way through. She might find something useful to take with her...
<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
What Orpheus watches unfold could only be considered ingenious, elegant, and well. . .Outright insane in the same capacity. There's just not enough words for him to articulate the kind of impression that the move Suzaku has performed inorder to stay afloat left on him. Was it insane, absolutely, but the sheer fact that someone had the audacity to pull it off and succeed, it was a reason in and of itself to understand why the Lancelot and it's pilot had been such a thorn in the side of the Black Knights for some time. As far as Oz was concerned this person was a true warrior, or just someone with a deathwish. . .
"Wait. . .That's. . .?"
There's notice but not comprehension at first when the unit's cockpit had been sliced open. A pilot who's poise was demonstrated even in their posturing. Though as it turned, there's a mild look of surprise upon the face of the pilot of the Byakuen. For that composed and focused expression is one that is all too familiar. It's one that Oz shouldn't have an issue with taking down but. . .There's a hesitation. For whatever reason there's a hesitation. With that hesitation he realizes there's little time to respond. He's lost track of the flow of the battle and with it, slash harkens are flying to connect with Varis, and all a sudden the Lancelot has in its freed hand it's MVS. He can only watch as it looks like it's all but ready to shear the Byakuen down the middle and in doing so, Oz along with it.
Only for it to stop. . . ."--What?!" There's disbelief at the actions that unfold, rather than go for a certain kill, the pilot was choosing to use the VARIS instead to simply disable the unit itself. Rather than kill his enemy, this person had no intention to kill him. For some this might have been a relief, to know that their enemy was foolish enough to give them a chance to survive to fight another day. For Oz, it would have allowed for him to keep to a certain promise he had made. . .However. . .He finds himself gritting at his teeth. He wants to live, he's made a promise to do so, and yet to live knowing it's at someone else's mercy even HIS kindness is not something he can find himself stomaching as it aims for the Byakuen's 'stomach'. So it retaliates, charging into the assault. It's an insane move and one that would likely get him killed, just the wrong adjustment, the wrong angle and forget just having the stomach pierced, it wouldn't be too far to say that even the cockpit itself would be in disarray from the assault of the VARIS. Still, the Lancelot had made a challenge and now the Byakuen intended to answer in kind. With speeds close to the Guren it propelled itself forward lunging its arm out towards it's reaching with all it could to strike at it's hand. The result. . .
The VARIS fires, though as he charges its shot the arm of the Lancelot shifts if only by a few inches. Once again it seers the landscape with its power and in kind one of the blades of the Byakuen, but it still stands. Somehow it still stands. Now all he needed to do was press the barrel of his gun to the cockpit, that opened cockpit and end it all here. . . The blade of the Byakuen folds back as once again the barrel of the gun returns again only. . .In the same right that the Lancelot had aimed for the belly of the Byakuen, rather than aim for that opened cockpit, an obstruction can be felt pressing into the torso of the Lancelot. It seemed like kindness was going to be returned with kindness. Perhaps. . .
KTS: Orpheus Zevon has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Orpheus Zevon targets Suzaku Kururugi with Precision Shot: 30mm High-Initial-Velocity Tungsten Armor-Piercing Ammunition! KTS: Suzaku Kururugi fails to Evade Orpheus Zevon's Precision Shot: 30mm High-Initial-Velocity Tungsten Armor-Piercing Ammunition, taking 5130 damage! KTS: Suzaku Kururugi's Z-01 Lancelot has been disabled.
<Pose Tracker> Sophia Mayhew Castellan has posed.
She's expecting a lot, but she's not expecting witchalok hell magic.
The entire Hyperion SHUDDERS as that horrifying antilight hits first, and then folds and refracts on itself, crawling along the entire hull in a way she can't have prepared for.
Sophia grits her teeth as the entire ship rattles, the pods of her seated bridge crew swaying wildly in an attempt to stabilize their occupants.
Amata is calling; breaches, fires. Sophia doesn't hear her clearly, the red emblem flapping to life in her eye.
One, two. From where the battleships are, that'll be the Princesses. A third. The witch.
Another. Ah good, they're friends after all.
"I see your sins, witch," she seethes. She grabs her console and keys in a sequence. "Main guns! Fire on these coordinates!"
"Uh, there?" the fire team calls back, blankly, and then, hearing a growl in the Captain's voice start, the officer yelps, "Ah, yes! On it!"
"Helios, follow my flight plan exactly!"
From Yuliana's perspective, perhaps expecting Hyperion to retreat or at least lose sight of her, what she instead finds is the Helios zeroing in on her location. Bays open along its sides, missile batteries and rail turrets coming into view, clearly intending to open fire!
Except instead what actually happens is the main guns on the Hyperion suddenly swivel down, and in the space the Helios is chasing her, there's a horrible, cacauphonous, bassy BUZZING as the heavy cannons release massive half-meter slugs at thousands of meters per second, each one punching a crater meters deep on impact, sending tarmac flying.
KTS: Sophia Mayhew Castellan has activated the Trick Spirit Command. KTS: Sophia Mayhew Castellan has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Sophia Mayhew Castellan targets Yuliana Dispersal with Heavy Rail Cannon Concentrated Fire! KTS: Yuliana Dispersal fails to evade Sophia Mayhew Castellan's Heavy Rail Cannon Concentrated Fire, taking 4350 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Suzaku Kururugi has posed.
Lunacy. More lunacy.
When the Byakuen raises its weapon the energy filler flashes red and cockpit lights begin to go out. Suzaku Kururugi rises from his cockpit and simultaneously one of the slash harkens fire. It hooks onto the G1-- but the suit doesn't have the energy left in it to actually reel itself in. The shell from the Byakuen is being fired, has been fired--
Suzaku is on the cable. The shell travels through the air and catches the Lancelot in the torso near the connection point with the remaining arm. The machine jerks as the joint is destroyed and the arm falls to the ground, but by the time that that's happened the man that emerged from it has already touched down on the G1's surface.
He has even taken a few paces by the time the Lancelot itself falls. This is absolutely, categorically impossible. It is still what happened.
Suzaku Kururugi pauses, nods towards the Byakuen -- thanks, he suggests... and hooks around the back of the G1, accessing one of the shouldn't-be-opened-during-operation entry hatches just as acrobatically and impossibly as he left the Lancelot.
He touches his earpiece, << "This is Warrant Officer Kururugi. The Lancelot is disabled and badly damaged. I'm pretty sure I saw a Sutherland and a Club eject as well. The Viceroy was holding out fine, and the G1's seen better days but it's nowhere near finished. I'd grab a Sutherland to help reinforce, but there aren't any left and the Club shipment got bombed out. What's the plan?" >>
<Pose Tracker> Euphemia li Britannia has posed.
Euphemia opens her mouth to cry -- "Cornelia!"
But Nena cuts her off from the outside world. The situation on the bridge, flatly, is chaos -- everyone is realizing that Celestial Being and the Black Knights have them a bit. Euphemia is actually genuinely upset -- not because she's deeply worried about Britannia's geopolitical posture... or, to be honest, even because she totally disagrees with the attackers' aims. A world without war... a world where the Federation's overreaches don't go unanswered...
... it's hard to call that 'bad.'
On the other hand, it feels like a total snub to everything ASEEC's worked so hard for to simply let this go. The situation is thorny. Euphemia closes her eyes for a moment, and then says, "... Signal flare for full retreat."
Euphemia... actually gets partially overridden by the actual command staff, despite nominally being the commander. What *actually* gets signaled is a partial retreat -- essential personnel and test units are to follow the G-1 Base, but the G-1's forward team is to remain to serve as a 'supplement to base garrison,' to assist in destruction of immovable things that cannot be allowed into enemy hands and prevent pursuit of VIPs.
The forward team is Honorary Britannians in SutherlandFrostRecson mixed-parts assemblies. Sacrifices to Celestial Being and the Black Knights.
Euphemia sees the shift between what she requested and what she actually got. Traces its implications.
She leaves the bridge. There's nothing she can say that will affect its operations at this point.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
"My, my," 'Verdiska' transmits, as the Helios bears down. "It seems I've offended you. Or am I really the offensive one..?"
She's talking and moving at the same time, of course. Evasive manoeuvres against the Helios are something she's seen once before -- which is why it's so shocking, when the assault comes from the Hyperion instead.
Yuliana doesn't have time to cut her comms. She transmits: "Shit!" It's the first time she's sounded anything but pleased about this whole business --
But really, is there any wonder? All a sudden she finds herself having to tightly evade a half-dozen slugs coming down right on her wanzer. She even manages to pull a lever and pull herself up before one of those projectiles would have gone straight through her. They pepper the array strapped to her back, instead -- with a few good rounds hitting her shoulder mechanisms, too. One arm jerks, the mechanical couplings which allows it movement annihilated in one hail.
She takes a moment to breathe. Her lips thin, and form a smile again. That smile splits to a grin, too wide, too incited. "Magnificent! Marvellous! A wonderful display! Very well -- Zenith disengaging!"
To Viridesca, Verdiska transmits: "Yes, I do quite think it's time we left. Given our results, I've distracted the gunship enough, I would think." The Zenith backs up, on legs which thankfully weren't decimated, and it begins its retreat. The Zenith will rely on the Spinatia for an exit, here.
Tragically, comm channels.
"I wonder, I wonder," comes her parting words to Sophia -- this time, over a private channel. "Are you brave and clever enough to defeat all the fairytale monsters, dear Hyperion? You see, one day, the storybook opened. And..."
End transmission.
<Pose Tracker> Lloyd Asplund has posed.
With Cecile escaping from the Sutherland before it gets blown up, Lloyd too is hard at work getting his shit together to bail! He stuffs his pockets and a few bags full of hard drives, sets a few explosive timers on the computers her can't fit in his pockets, and then he snags a vehicle to bail with. Cecile gets picked up on the way out, but it's Viridesca's last words to her that have her distracted.
Cecile: "'Protector...'"
Lloyd: "You're not getting second thoughts, are you?"
Cecile: "What? No. It's just not something I'd expect to be called while fighting for Brittania."
Lloyd: "Oh, right. No, it really isn't. Would you rather be called something else by them?"
Cecile: "... No, probably not."
<Pose Tracker> Cornelia li Britannia has posed.
Cornelia li Britannia has forged herself in the fires of conflict.
She has seen triumphs. She has known defeats. She has inflicted pain, and had it inflicted upon her. She has experienced the terrifying.
She has been left dumbstruck by the indescribable.
Her Gloucester has seen her through so many of these times. There was a moment she knew to a certainty that it, and she, were a pair that could not be surmounted. She has defeated machines that were statistically superior, as the Gloucester's days of being cutting edge waned and rusted.
But she has never encountered something quite like this.
Cornelia feels her every blow connecting. The Gloucester is an extension of her at this point as real as any treasured sword kept close to one's hip. But the Throne Drei, despite its damages, continues to press on, well after many other machines would have fallen.
The wheels of the landspinners tear across the concrete surface of Hamilton's wartorn grounds as the frown at Cornelia's lips deepens.
This is a level of absolute, technological superior she has not truly encountered. And it rankles her pride.
... Just as much as it feeds that part of her that yearns for the challenge.
The Gloucester's stance widens. Its lance tip touches rubble-strewn earth. Cornelia leans forward in the face of that giggling. But then--
'I can't have that!'
A gout of red particles belches across the skies, and in a moment, communications with Euphemia are completely cut off.
"What--" begins Britannia's Goddess of Victory. "Sub-Viceroy? What is your status?" The answer is static.
"Sub-Viceroy! Your status!" A dismal crackle.
"Euphemia--!"
And the Throne Drei cuts through the haze with a crackle of dual, deep crimson.
It is a testimony to the sharp edge of Cornelia's instincts that her answer is an immediate one: the proud gold of the princess' jousting lance is scorched by superheating smears of orange as it sweeps up to intercept the cross blows of those beam sabers in a moment. The heat and power of it is intense enough that contact can only last a moment before it does more significant damage to her weapon -- and so last only a moment it does, -knocking- aside those sabers and attempting to -push- the Throne back in preparation for a counterblow.
But then -- she looks past the Drei. To the base itself. She takes stock of the situation on the field in an instant. Several of their aces, shot down. The Hyperion has received significant damage. And the G-1 Base...
Cornelia li Britannia has forged herself in the fires of conflict.
... And she knows when one has been burned by the flame.
The G-1 orders a retreat as best it can through the jamming haze, and despite the circumstances, Cornelia manages a small smile touched with an earnest sense of pride that Euphemia has come to the same conclusion she has. "Hah," she exhales under her breath. "You're growing into a fine leader, Euphy."
The Gloucester's hand lifts. And it signals something with it, the meaning of which doubtless incomprehensible to most.
A little hand sign, from when she and Euphemia would play as children, that carries with it a simple message:
'I'll watch your back.'
And as the others begin to retreat, the Gloucester's horned head turns to the Drei again. She's fighting hard to protect that one. She knows. She might be playing her hand.
So what does that make her?
Cornelia's eyes narrow.
<< "Your better." >>
And with all the abruptness of a quickdraw, Cornelia's assault rifle swings up. A single grenade is fired from its launcher in an aggressive but predictable arc, one easy to shoot down. Predictable. It's meant to be.
Because it's a distraction for the others, billowing flame and smoke intended to provide cover as Cornelia begins a retreat only once she is sure they have made it out.
Once she's sure Euphemia has made it out.
They lost, but...
"... I promise you this," she murmurs to herself, as she falls back. It is not a taunt. It is a reminder, to herself. "I will make you regret the foolishness of this day."
A reminder of a new vendetta, for the people who have threatened something important to her.
<Pose Tracker> Sophia Mayhew Castellan has posed.
Hearing the curse earns her a small curl of the lips from Sophia, blinking the emblem in her eye away. That Wanzer's made of impresssive stuff to still count as a single object after that barrage. Well. Maybe a few more than one.
Some credit to the pilot, as well. Even if she is a devil.
"Report?" she calls.
"Damage control is on its way to the affected decks, ma'am!" Amata calls. "And, the Sub-Viceroy's command vessel has called a general retreat!"
Sophia's face hardens. "Making a fool of us," she says, low and focused. "Very well."
She spins on her heels, stepping over with heavy steps over to her command chair and setting into it with weight. She raises a leg and crosses it, hands on the rests, gaze locked on the map. "Fairytale monsters, is it?" she mutters, and the red emblem appears as she blinks again, watching the new witch skitter to the side of the first.
"It is the huntsman who slays the wolf, witch," she says, low, and blinks the emblem away.
<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.
Lunacy, it seemed like an apt word for what had just transpired here. At one point it was simply the lunacy of watching the Lancelot perform on a level that made it almost seem human, though when Oz watches what the pilot does, using that cable to run himself back to the G1's surface, there's a legitimate loss of words. Orpheus considered himself someone capable of handling himself in a fight, but if he had to deal with what this man was capable of. No even more concerning than that was. . ."So it really was Suzaku. . . " There's a long sigh that escapes his lips as he sees the pilot nod back to him, not even realizing who it was that he was nodding back to. All the unit does is watch as he retreats back into the base and from there. . .
<"P-1, the enemy is beginning retreat. If you're alright, we'll account for all friendly units after confirming the destruction of the base. As long as we avoid butting heads with Celestial Being for now, I think we can consider this a mission accomplished.">
In truth, part of him had been hoping to get a bit more from this confrontation, but the retreat was already well solidified, and attempting to push any harder was. . .Well, it's been a known strategy to offer your enemy a way out less you wanna deal with a tougher fight. Plus. . . <"P-1? P-1? Can you read?"> There'd been rumor of the Gundams cutting off communication, but to see it in action. It's at this point that the Byakuen actually speaks up from its speakers rather than open channels. "P-1, We're pulling back too. Mission Accomplished.">
It's a bit shorter than anticipated, but well. . .He'd rather not be saying too much on an unencrypted communication. At the very least though he'll make sure visually that the Longshot is capable of still going along before moving. As for the Byakuen, its lost an arm, and its weapons defunct, but overall it could consider itself doing much better than the enemy that had been on the opposite side.
<Pose Tracker> Nena Trinity has posed.
'Your better.'
Okay, that does piss Nena off a little bit. She's about to try and do something about it though when Cornelia fires that grenade at her. The resulting puff of smoke briefly disorients Nena, but that's okay. She'll recover. And then she can make a run against that mobile base.
Then a shining light gets her attention. Turning her head, she spots the flares fired off by the G-1. Nena squints at them for a moment, before realizing what they (probably) mean, "Is... Is that a retreat? No... Nononono. If I don't complete the objective, Laguna is going to be PISSED!"
It's okay. It's okay. She can still salvage this, she's just needs to break through the retreating forces and go for the command ship. She can do this! She's a Gundam Meister of Celestial Being. Nothing can sto-
Purple Haro suddenly interrupts, "Times up! Times up!"
The Low GN Particle Count warning flashes on Nena's display. Her eyes going wide, "NOW!? Ugh!" She slams her fist on the controls.
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Karma hears the speaker of the Byakuen and understands the situations and responds the best way he can. He aims his rifle into the air and fires three shotsas a retreat signal before he goes over private comms, <"P-1 acknowledging. Will begin making sure all our pieces are off the board."> Unsure if his message gets through it is the best he can do. Moving across the edge of the battlefield as he sees one of there units he would use the speaker to add, " Black knights withdraw."
As he goes along finding the units he thinks back to the situation that led to all this and lets out a sigh. Checking his comms off for a moment he adds, "Well look slike the easy days listening to music is over. I wonder if this means we are friends with the celestial beings now." Continuing on he tries to put it out of his head for now, that is above his paygrade to figure out.