2022-04-04: Préparation
- Log: 2022-04-04 Préparation
- Cast: Kaworu Nagisa, Guy Shishioh
- Where: Orbit Base, Orbital Ring
- OOC - IC Date: April 4, 0096 (2022)
- Summary: Kaworu and Guy discuss upcoming operations.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
It hasn't been that long since Kaworu was last in space--specifically, the battle against J and his battleship. That had been about three months ago. Before that, Kaworu had outright been living on the Moon at Tagbha Base, and that transfer had only been a week or two prior at most. Since then, he's been fairly grounded... but while you can take the strange fey manling out of space, you can't take the space out of the strange fey manling.
Today, his business is with Guy Shishioh. It's a meeting he's been meaning to get to for a while, but Guy is a busy man--both of them are at this point, really--and it isn't easy to see him. That's fine. Kaworu is a very patient being. Once his shuttle up the Orbital Ladder reaches the appropriate base, Kaworu maneuvers deftly to the correct door and--once the appropriate safety protocols have been observed, for the sake of the Lilim--lets himself in.
It's very easy to let yourself into damn near anywhere when you have a dominative relationship with electronics. At least he's not letting himself in to anywhere he hadn't already been invited to. (This time.)
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Orbit Base is a bit of a strange facility, as Earth's modern space infrastructure goes - 3G has never been much for hewing to tradition, or standards, or...like, logic, sometimes. A standalone space station in lower Earth orbit, its orbit carefully calibrated and maintained by Ultra-Technology thrusters and its power supplied by a massive GS-Generator, it is unhooked completely from the solar energy infrastructure of the Orbital Ring. Knowing that the headquarters of a prominent alien defense organization would be a juicy target - a theory proven right by the obliteration of the Bay Tower during the Primeval War - it is designed such that if an enemy did come for it, the collateral damage would be minimal. It's comprised of a primary saucer section, and then docking ladders for 3G's now quite numerous Division Ships. Most of those look like trains these days for some reason. Must be a subcontract from the Senpuuji Concern.
The ascent up the docking ladder is a smooth one, at least. When Kaworu passes through the final lock, he's greeted by a clean interior, primarily in the orange-yellow spectrum the exterior was also colored. There's a few benches in view to rest or wait for arrivals, as well as periodic plants positioned for greenery. Presumably they play some role in air circulation, as well. Standing in the middle of the hall is his host: Guy Shishioh, Acting Chief-slash-Mobile Division Captain-slash-Only Member of the older of the two Gutsy Guards, the white collar on his turtleneck jumpsuit bearing the three version of the 3-Gs logo. Over that, a long black coat, sleeveless but going down past his knees. A fashion Kotarou Taiga introduced, but which is now essentially the mark of office for a GGG Chief.
He has an open and warm smile when he sets eyes on Kaworu, but still bows in greeting. "Welcome to Orbit Base, Administrator Nagisa," he says.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Logic is overrated. It's simply the constraints of an unimaginative mind. -every Angel ever, 2015
The Orbit Base *is* a well-designed base, though, regardless of anything else--or maybe because of everything else. Kaworu takes a moment to admire the train-like docking ladders as he passes by. People always yearn for the past, don't they?
Once he's past the final lock, he then admires the brightly colored interior. He's rather over orange these days, but it works for them... though maybe Guy is over orange too, all considered. He passes the greenery and the seats, coming to a stop a respectful distance from Guy. For his part, Kaworu's dressed in his now-usual administrator uniform: a black suit with a white button-up shirt and a purple scarf-like tie striped at the end in green, with a beige STORAGE-esque jacket over top. A winged star insignia patch with his English-written name, K. NAGISA, is emblazed on the left breast, signifying his command rank. Kaworu's hands are tucked in his pockets--an extremely typical look for him.
"I'm happy to have the chance to visit at last, Acting Chief Shishioh. And I appreciate your time," he replies, smiling in return. "I mentioned already this was about the Heralds of the Dawn, but..." He looks up and around them. "First, is there somewhere more private where we may speak?"
Once they've relocated to such a place, Kaworu turns to Guy, hands still in his pockets. "So when are you planning to purify her?" he asks, bluntly. "With Shinjo-san and Sayla Mass's cooperation, it seems as though it won't be much longer before you make your move. I'd like to help you out, if you see any use for me."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Acting Chief gives him an appreciative chuckle. "Yeah, there is. Come on, there's a meeting room right nearby."
And relocate they do. Guy's been having enough meetings that he had to make sure there was a room right near the dock. Turns out a lot of people want to know what in damn ass hell is going on when the old 3G comes back from nowhere declaring the peace of the end.
The door shuts, and while Guy's about to turn to take a seat at the presenter's spot, Kaworu cuts to the chase. He seems briefly flummoxed before gathering himself. "NERV doesn't mess around, huh?" he says, and laughs at it. "Sounds like you're all read in, then. Saves me some preamble." He knows Shinjo, too? Worth asking about later, he's curious. "Should be pretty soon. It's a trap, but it's not one we can spring before she walks into it, I'm afraid. Shinjo's plan left her room to pick her time. But Renais has never been patient. If anything I'm surprised she's waited this long."
He paces to the end of the table. Kaworu isn't the only one with power over electronics; the back of his hand keens, the emblem of a G-Stone's circuitry flashing across it as he communicates with the computer through his Evoluder powers. The presentation screen immediately flips on, showing a rough action plan.
"We're going to need to get whatever forces we're answering Renais in quickly, and then we're going to seal the space with the Gatling Driver for a while. We know what we're expecting for the first part. The second...may be where we run into trouble."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu laughs along with Guy, relaxed and gentle. "We've been doing our own investigations too. This is something that affects more than just us, after all." And getting straight to the point means less time having to discuss things they both already know. He doesn't explain his connection to Akane--that's not important in terms of restoring Renais to her old self--and anyway, it's Guy's turn to speak.
So he listens, and as Guy walks over to the presentation screen and activates it, he turns his head and watches.
The first stage seems straightforward enough, as is the part where they need to wait for Renais to step into the trap of her own volition. Kaworu silently agrees that it's unlikely that they'll need to wait *too* long for that to happen. The rest, though... "How so?" he prompts.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Guy switches the slides a bit, this one showing a rough animation of the actual process: GaoGaiGo, the machine piloted by Mamoru Amami and Ikumi Kaidou, plugging into the dimensional distortion that represents the Tsutsujidai rift with 3G's Gatling Driver, and twisting the dimensions.
Guy explains: "I'll be going in directly with GaoFighGar, along with whatever forces can get in fast enough. GaoGaiGo will deploy with the Gatling Driver to interfere with the dimensional wall, which should render transit in or out impossible for around half an hour. If nothing else happens, then all we have to do is beat her on the inside." He brushes past the 'ifs' on that; they're not the point at the moment. "The problem is, I don't think that'll be all that happens. Once GaoGaiGo deploys and uses the Gatling Driver it'll be as good as putting our intentions on a sign for the Ruin Apostles, and GaoGaiGo can't defend itself while it's using the Gatling Driver. We should expect one or more Ruin Apostles to show up and try to stop them, and right now the Strongest Brave Robo Corps. just doesn't have the man power to be in that many places at once."
He scratches the back of his head, obviously worried. "If we're lucky, they won't force their hand too hard at this stage. But Renais and Soldato J have a close relationship. We could end up trying to fight off King J-Der itself."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Using the dimensional space against it, and Renais... Kaworu's smile grows slightly. Did Guy get permission for that from Akane, or was it his own idea? He refrains from asking. Akane said she'd spoken to Guy and Sayla, but she never specified that she'd told them the exact nature of her relationship to either Tsutsujidai or Renais. Until he knows that for certain, he'll keep those thoughts silent.
For the time being, he listens. Half an hour... A long time in terms of a fight, especially a knock-down drag-out fight. He nods thoughtfully without interrupting until the end.
"I *had* wondered what your plan was if any of the other Heralds of the Dawn joined the fight. Renais has been the most visible of them, but I assume her compatriots would come to rescue her if they thought she was in danger. To them, the influence of Triple Zero is 'the truth,' after all."
He pauses. "NERV has also been investigating the space known as Tsutsujidai, and we--" a very particular 'we,' but 'we' nonetheless, "--have a vested interest in what goes on in there. That of course includes the battle to save Renais. It shouldn't be difficult to have at least a few Evangelions launch to assist with the battle, but..." His smile flattens.
"It would be better if we could lure her into it and secure a more exact timing. With regards to the Evas, NERV's top priority is the Angels. While it isn't certain exactly when the next one will make itself known, we predict it will be soon. I'm sure you can appreciate how back-to-back battles with an Angel and a Herald of the Dawn would be troubling for all of us."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Well, he mentioned it in front of her and didn't get assaulted by Anti on the way home, which considering his somewhat more blind relationship with Akane Shinjo is about as close to permission as he's getting.
Guy nods. This isn't a happy topic, but it's a logistical reality he's had to harden himself to. "King J-Der's pilot is the most personally close to her but is also the most powerful machine they have, so...a problem. Other than that it'll be up to planning around Chief Taiga, and I have a room full of people up in the Order Room who are tiring themselves out trying to do that. But...both they and us are missing some key intel that this battle will bring to light. If they send anyone from 3-G itself it'll probably be someone they can afford to lose, like Mic, is my guess." Mic is a bit soft-hearted in ways that the Ruin Apostles may well think could be capitalized on too easily to count on him...not to mention, using him to his full abilities requires manufacturing facilities they don't have. He'd make sense as an early sacrifice for intel. "If they were in the mood to start pitched battles we'd have seen one of the Dragon Twin combinations, by now."
He nods, sadly, at 'the truth' of Triple Zero. "It is, but they have both a cunning commander and a very finite amount of frontline power. We're just gonna have to bank they choose to be conservative with it for now."
Guy tips his head just a little, at NERV's vented interest, but nods anyway. Personal, or are they interested in the dimensional space...? No reason to question it off the cuff; it's help with Renais, for now. But, Kaworu brings up a great point. "Hm. A good point. We're having to keep NichiRyu, GetsuRyu and ShoRyu on standby in this operational plan for the same reason. I'll see what we can come up with." Would having Porcauto reveal himself help, or scare her off, he wonders. He doesn't want to ask more of Akane if he can help it.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
War is rarely a happy topic. The only times when it is, it's merely a matter of perspective.
Kaworu steps slowly over to the display, bringing him closer to Guy himself, as he relates what they're missing and what he expects the enemy could and would do. He nods thoughtfully, gaze first on the plans, then on Guy himself. "They haven't done anything like that yet, though," he muses. "You're right. There haven't been *any* attacks by anyone but Renais since that first one by King J-der. Are they waiting for Renais to settle her affairs before pushing the offense...?"
Being conservative with their forces *would* be a sensible move, and would seem to align with how they've conducted themselves to date. Kaworu nods at that, too.
"When the Eighth Angel *does* appear, I'll see which Evangelions we can afford to hold in reserve for Renais. Many of us feel strongly about Triple Zero and Renais in particular." His smile turns slightly wry. "Shinji in particular has something akin to a rivalry going on with her. At the very least, he's afraid of her and she's afraid of him. Fielding Unit-01 could be an effective piece of psychological warfare, but... that's only if it's operational at the time."
He pauses then, expression thoughtful. "How was Sayla Mass going to figure into all of this, incidentally? I know she has an interest in what's been going on, but I haven't yet spoken with her directly about it."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
"Yeah," Guy says, scratching his cheek with a chuckle. "Those Evangelions are somethin'. Can't say I'm surprised it startled her, with the way 01's borne down on her a few times. And T0's scary on its own. As you say, though, we can't use the Evangelions to their full advantage. If nothing else, I've got Porcauto staying in Tsutsujidai for now keeping an eye out for her. There's nobody who knows Renais like him, he'll find her. That should give us an hour or two of warning. It's not perfect, but it should be enough to get to standby status before she calls the her Mazinger out."
As for Sayla...He smacks his lips a little. "Coordination, mostly. She worked with us back in the Primeval War, back when we were teamed up with Karaba. And I think she doesn't entirely like letting Shinjo be involved, as a youth. Besides..."
He meets Kaworu's eyes, that handsomeness turning serious. "The truth is, we had been working together on the mysteries of Tsutsujidai, and what role Akane Shinjo plays in them. The plan to help Renais mostly came from Shinjo's side."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu gives Guy a curious look at how he says he 'can't say he's surprised.' "Have you spoken with Renais at all since the two of you were separated?" he wonders. It would make sense that Renais wouldn't tell him about personal things that would give her opponents an edge over her, but... For the time being, he nods. "That's good to hear. An hour of warning should be enjoy to deploy whatever Evangelions are available at the time. As for which ones are available then..." He shrugs. "We'll simply have to see."
Guy and Sayla, working together to solve the mystery of Tsutsujidai, and especially Akane's role in what goes on there. Kaworu smiles. "Is that so... Several operatives of ours have been investigating Tsutsujidai as well. It might be useful for some of our pilots to work together with you two... Considering your respective experience, and the connections we've made with Gridman and the Gridman Alliance, it seems to me as though it would benefit all of us to pool our information at some point."
When they'll have the time to do that is another question, but if Guy and Sayla have an interest in Tsutsujidai beyond saving Renais, then it seems a sensible next move all the same. Something needs to be done to save that world (read: her heart), after all...
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
"We ran into each other once, but...we didn't speak, not really. Right now, they're hiding from me as much as they can." Or, more accurately, hiding their presence from 3G, because every kernel of confirmable information on locations they have is precious. Not even ES Windows can completely evade 3G detection, and if someone spots a Brave like Volfogg somewhere 3G isn't expecting, that'd set off all sorts of alarms and reconsiderations. At least, that's the theory Supervisor Yang Long-Li and Advisor Urchin Prickle of GGG Blue are working from.
"It's good to know," he says, "that NERV is on the case, too. 3G has a lot of experience with strange dimensional spaces, but one with a city in it is a new one. I can't speak for Sayla, but I'd be happy to help out. I should try and find Gridman, anyway." He says, and grimaces. "...if only to give him the news about Sigma."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu nods once. "That makes sense. You *are* the only one who escaped; they may fear that you will rob them of their newfound 'truth.'" Or it may be something entirely else--maybe they're reluctant to fight against their former comrade, instead hoping to leave him to later so that they can recruit him to their cause. Or it may be something entirely else from *that*. Kaworu has insight on Renais, but *only* Renais; he couldn't reasonably guess how Triple Zero has affected the others, beyond in the obvious way. Regardless...
"I've met Gridman, and can direct you to where you may find him. Or rather, I can direct you towards the Gridman Alliance, who may want to meet you first before they let you see Gridman directly. They're a little cautious about revealing him to others for reasons I can only speculate about, and they aren't familiar with any conflicts after the One Year War, as you probably already know if you've spoken with Shinjo-san."
He pauses. "What is this news about Sigma, though, if I may ask?"
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
"They'd like me back, I'm sure," Guy says. "But they know that that'd become a fight, and if it became a fight it would very quickly become a big one." He waves his hand, saying, "And then it comes back to how much force they're willing to use."
"I am," Guy says, and gives a good natured chuckle. "Is it weird that I got used to getting recognized on the street? Walking through a crowd totally unnoticed like I can there is...weird, these days..." Straightening his posture and the subject, he adds, "I'd like that. It'd be good to talk to him and his team. Good to know he has one, for that matter."
Sigma.... Guy rubs his chin, covering his mouth as he briefly processes a range of emotions, before his hands fall back to the table. "Well. The short version is that Gridman Sigma, his brother, was with us in the Trinary Solar System. He fought well and helped us save the universe..." ...
A quiet sigh. "Which means he's also a Ruin Apostle now."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
It all comes down to that, doesn't it? Any conflict is about how much force one is willing to use in order to come out victorious. Kaworu gives Guy a crooked smile, which broadens with a faint chuckle as Guy turns to the topic of being recognized. "Not at all. The ability to survive is the ability to adapt, but adapting means abandoning one state of affairs for another. It's only natural for it to feel strange for an old state of affairs to assert itself after you've already adapted to a new one."
But he agrees, and Kaworu nods. "I'll get in touch with their representative right away. Would you rather I give them your contact information directly? It would make it faster for everyone if they decide they want to contact you--which I do think they will, for what it's worth."
But then the topic turns to Sigma, and Guy reveals something Kaworu hadn't known. His eyes widen as he listens. "...I see. I'm very sorry to hear that." He pauses, letting this information sink in. "...You say he fought with you all to help save the universe... Was there anyone else there connected to him? Whether they fought to help you, or hindered you, or even hung back and watched?"
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
What an interesting answer. Not quite the type of answer he expected sight unseen, but Guy's been around geniuses his whole life - he is one, by several metrics. He finds himself chuckling. Not worrying about the social aspect of it, strictly the philosophical...yeah. That's not so alien of a way of thinking, for Guy. "Got me there. You're right. It's only natural."
As for the other business: "That'd be good, yeah," Guy says. "It seems like my communication works fine as long as I'm in the city, so just their contact information is fine." Shifting to Sigma, he says, "Sigma had a...partner, I guess, but it's not my secret to divulge." Guess it's gonna be weird if they have to refer to Takeshi by name, now, but he'll...think of something. Or just apologize, if he's gotta.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"Yes. Compared to the majority of Lilim, you're already considered 'strange.' It doesn't do your mental health any good to needlessly make yourself even stranger," Kaworu, who definitely wouldn't know anything about that, replies.
As for contact information: "Oh? Hmm... Then I'll get that to you once I speak with them." He considers the information about Sigma's partner, smile faded away. If it's not his secret to divulge... "Is this person still in contact with you? As an ally? And that's the *only* other person you noticed?" he presses.
He respects that sometimes there are things you can't share with others, but that much is important.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Guy nods quietly. Lilim, huh. Well, he's right, if Guy infers the meaning of Lilim right, but also, what?
He leaves it for a moment, to focus on the most important part, Kaworu's obvious focus and concern. "He's not," Guy says, shaking his head. "He was also aboard, he's with the Ruin Apostles now as well." How does being a Grid Buddy work? Guy has no idea. One of the questions he has to ask Gridman. Is it possible one of them could resist? Not that it matters too much; that was Sigma's powers they used to hack GaoFighGar during the battle at PLANT, so whatever needed to happen for there to be a problem, did. "And, yes, that's the only other person I know of. I guess they could have been hiding other people, but...it's unlikely. They presented themselves to us on their own accord."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"I see..." Kaworu considers this information for a moment. Then he nods. "Thank you. I apologize for the sudden questions." He looks upon the display, expression somber. "Gridman told me he came to Tsutsujidai because he'd been chasing a certain entity, though he couldn't give me any more details than that. But..." Well. It's definitely not a complete coincidence. Even so, he shrugs. "I had to wonder."
His usual smile reasserts itself then. Whatever comes next, they're at least emotionally prepared for it. "For now, it seems we have most of a plan in the place. Please let me know if there are any changes, and I'll do likewise. We both have chosen to protect the denizens of this planet. To that end, it's best we continue to cooperate."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
"It makes sense," Guy says. "With everything going on...getting the information as well as possible is what we need. That's why we've always had an Intelligence group here, too. You never know where the Key to Victory might be hiding."
And then a smile, and a firm nod. "I agree. For everything else that's happened...and even, will probably continue to happen...I still intend to protect our world."