2022-07-29: Dangerous Descent P2

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<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        ---- T-minus 2 hours ----

        The two ZAFT Vosgulov-class submarines are on their final approach
 towards the east coast of Zaftra. The pilots and commanders for the two teams
 that had been chosen to be part of this strike force had transfered over to
 these two vessels, but yet to be briefed. Until now.

        Rau stands with those pilots on his sub around the briefing table. On
 the other sub, the pilots do the same, with Rau's voice coming out over the
 speakers. There's a map of their target displayed on the table...

        Verkhovnyy Fortress.

        ( https://i.imgur.com/9s9miI8.png )

        Rau says, "Our targets are the power substations here, in the low
 security section of the base. The Vosgulovs will breach the sea gate with a
 surprise attack at which point we'll launch, gaining access to the harbor and
 from there, the substations. We need to destroy at least <number> of them.
 Doing so will cause an overload in the base power grid and disable the
 railgun."

        Rau clasps his hands behind his back, "Timing is key on this operation.
 The fleet in orbit is already engaged with the enemy so they can not receive
 any signals to confirm or abort the launch. We'll have five minutes from
 mission start to complete the objective. At which point we'll pull back to the
 Vosgulovs and leave the rest to the drop assault. There is a mission ceiling
 of two hundred metres. Exceed that and you'll find every anti-air emplacement
 on the base targetting you. This is not recommended. You've all been assigned
 substations as targets."

        Rau pauses for a moment, before finishing, "Our comrades in orbit are
 counting on us to get this done. Let's not let them down."

        ---- T-minus 5 minutes ----

        Verkhovnyy Fortress. The mountain range it is nestled in provides high
 defensive abilities from ground assaults. Coupled with a giant railgun to
 protect against air and sea assaults, there are few ways to approach it
 safely. But ZAFT have managed it, slipping through the sonar net to place
 themselves just outside the closed sea gate protecting the base's harbor.

        It's closed because the base is on high alert. Its defenses are active
 and there are numerous mobile weapons on patrol around the base. It's almost
 like they know that an attack is coming!

        They do.

        The intel recovered a week earlier, at great cost of life, had alerted
 the REA to the incoming attack and they had prepared for it. The intel wasn't
 complete, so they don't actually know the exact details of ZAFT's plan. So
 there's no surprise that they're keeping an eye out for everything.

        The base commander, one General Isaev, sits in the command center, his
 foot tapping impatiently as he waits. He shouts, "Well!? Anything!?"

        "Radar shows nothing!" "Sonar shows nothing!" "Scout posts have no
 visual on the enemy!" "Tunnel checkpoints report secure!" "Security gates show
 no access abnormailities!" "No suspicious activity on cameras!"

        The base command slams a fist on his arm rest, "It's almost time!
 They've GOT to be out there SOMEWHERE!"

        T-minus 5 seconds... 4 seconds... 3 seconds... 2 seconds... 1 seconds...

        There's an explosion. The base commander snaps his head to look out the
 windows towards the harbor in the distance. A spray of water and debris has
 launched into the air after a volley of torpedoes had struck the outer wall's
 sea gate. The gate itself is now in complete ruins. The base commander shouts,
 "WHAT!? GET THE DEFENSE TEAMS TO THE HARBOR, NOW!"

        --- Mission Start : Five minutes remaining ---

        The two Vosgulov submarines sneak through the opening their torpedoes
 had created, rising to the surface as they do so. Their underwater launch tube
 hatches open, beginning to send out mobile weapons. Likewise, hatches on their
 top open, providing launch ability for those units not suited for underwater
 operation.

        Rau himself is taking to the field, his white and grey custom painted
 ZnO blasting out of the launch tube and cruising through the water. Rising to
 the surface, the battle is already quickly underway. Numerous base defenders
 that were patrolling the water's edge starting to fire at the hostile mobile
 weapons emerging from the water. Rau raises the long, clawed arm of his unit,
 a light growing in its palm before firing off a beam to pierce right through a
 Tieren, exploding it.

        Rau then comms the ZAFT Allied forces, <"Remember. We're on a time
 limit here. Don't get distracted.">

KTS: Loni Garvey has deployed in MSM-07S Z'Gok (Sleeves Use).
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has deployed in UMF-5 ZnO.
KTS: Lightly Loaded Bonus=10
KTS: Weapon: 533mm 6-Tube Torpedo Launcher
KTS: Weapon: Close-Quarters Combat Claw
KTS: Weapon: Phonon Maser High Energy Cannon
KTS: 533mm 6-Tube Torpedo Launcher Telemetry Shot: 4500
 Ranged,Physical,Missile,Indirect
KTS: 533mm 6-Tube Torpedo Launcher Shot: 3800 Ranged,Physical,Missile
KTS: 533mm 6-Tube Torpedo Launcher Spray: 3200 Ranged,Physical,Missile,MAP
KTS: 533mm 6-Tube Torpedo Launcher Barrage: 4200 Ranged,Physical,Missile
KTS: Close-Quarters Combat Claw Drilling Strike: 4800 Melee,Physical,Penetrating
KTS: Close-Quarters Combat Claw Strike: 3600 Melee,Physical
KTS: Close-Quarters Combat Claw Core Strike: 5700 Melee,Physical,Finisher
KTS: Close-Quarters Combat Claw Vicegrip: 4600 Melee,Physical,Anchor,Penetrating
KTS: Close-Quarters Combat Claw Slash: 4100 Melee,Physical
KTS: Phonon Maser High Energy Cannon Sequential Fire: 6000
 Ranged,Beam,Spread,Accurate
KTS: Phonon Maser High Energy Cannon Shot: 3900 Ranged,Beam
KTS: Phonon Maser High Energy Cannon Sweep: 3700 Ranged,Beam,MAP
KTS: Phonon Maser High Energy Cannon Charged Shot: 4700 Ranged,Beam
KTS: Phonon Maser High Energy Cannon Full Focus: 5700 Ranged,Beam,Penetrating
KTS: Pass: 0 Ranged,Passive,All-Range
KTS: Serinas Nikola has deployed in Queadluun-Rhea.
KTS: Vitaly_Sokolov has deployed as a Boss for 2 opponents.
KTS: Serinas Nikola has changed loadout.
KTS: Excellen_Browning has deployed as a Rival.
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov has deployed in RX-123-P Gundam TR-S [Rabscuttle Proto].
KTS: Tsugumi Saionji's Endra-class has been disabled.
KTS: Doctor Salamedes's Sub-Pilot has been disabled.
KTS: Puru Ten's AMX-004G Qubeley MP Custom [P10 Custom] has been disabled.
KTS: Marida Cruz's NZ-666 Kshatriya has been disabled.
KTS: Banagher Links has deployed in RX-0 Unicorn Gundam <Unicorn Mode>.
KTS: Banagher Links's RX-0 Unicorn Gundam <Unicorn Mode> has been disabled.
KTS: Excellen Browning has deployed in PTX-007-03C Weissritter.
KTS: Asciel Colette's Plan-1056 Codarl-a 'Glaux' has been disabled.
KTS: Doctor Salamedes has deployed in Electrocrawler.
<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.


        ---- T-minus 2 hours ----
        OH BOY SERINAS GETS TO SEE EARTH AGAIN.

        ...The inside of a submarine sure feels a lot like the inside of a
 spaceship. Except there aren't even the windows spaceships usually have. THIS
 IS THE WORST WHY DID NO ONE TELL HER THIS MISSION WAS GOING TO INVOLVE oh
 that's probably exactly why huh

        At least they didn't let any problems happen with her miclonization
 tank this time. It was made extra sure that it was transferred to the sub and
 there are redundant systems to make extra sure there will be no 'being stuck
 as a giant on a sub.'

        As Le Creuset mentions the flight ceiling, she doesn't *say* anything,
 but the expression on her face and her posture says 'pff, like they could hit
 me'. "Destruction, I can do." She pounds one fist into her palm. She hasn't
 trained for this sort of situation or objective, but her mind recalls Zentradi
 War movie scenes of invading battle pods and Queadluun-Raus...

        ---- Mission Start! ----

        The Queadluun line can operate in any environment, but Serinas's
 machine is *not* tuned for underwater use. Still, it can at least make it from
 the sub to fly above the surface where it can shine.

        The ZnO isn't the only one that can do that. Serinas gets hers in, the
 shoulder cannon firing a beam through another Tieren and into the building
 behind it. The Federation is well aware there's someone in a Meltrandi power
 armor in ZAFT by now, but do they ever know when to expect her to show up?

        <"Roger that."> She fires another shot, putting a hole through a
 Tieren's shield and flying past it, strafing with the hand lasers to
 discourage giving chase.

KTS: Tsugumi Saionji has deployed in AMS-129M Zee Zulu.
KTS: Tsugumi Saionji's AMS-129M Zee Zulu has been disabled.
KTS: Doctor Salamedes's Electrocrawler has been disabled.
<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.

The several days on subs has been, without exaggeration, some of the happiest
 time she's had since Graduation. Though she's also had to be told she can't go
 out on a swimming trip until AFTER they complete their mysterious mission.
 That said? She's fired up for the upcoming Beach Party they're going to host
 with any teammates who have the interest in hanging around Earthside for some
 extra time. Sure, she hasn't run this party by Hime-hime yet, but it'll work
 out fine. She's not necessarily too happy about it being earth, land of
 monsters who wear human skin, and a 'Federation' that oppresses people across
 its own world AND amongst the stars... But even that can't drown out the
 overwhelming joy of being around her ideal environment!

The Galaxia doesn't give the impression of being much of a water machine. And
 strictly speaking it's not amazing at it. But it was a request from the pilot
 during construction, to at least ensure it could function... at all, down
 there. And the rest she makes up for with hard work and a spirit that never
 gives in! Thus, despite its appearance, it had left through the launch tubes
 like the actual undersea-use machines. And now is making its way to the
 station it was assigned to take on. She'll give her friends in ZAFT a solid
 victory with her Galaxia, symbol of heroism across the stars!

Not one to be left out of the action, a Tieren winds up caught in the Galaxia's
 grip by its head, and hurled ahead to bowl through an obstructing line. "This
 symbol of Federation Tyranny is going DOWN!" She's just saying it to
 herself... but she's also very loud and energetic.

<Pose Tracker> Vitaly Sokolov has posed.

Laying within the waters itself, a bit of a distance from the harbor, the
 Rabscuttle lies quiet and unmoving. Well outside of the sensor range of the
 approaching submarines.

At its command, Vitaly Sokolov. Her eyes closed, as she finishes a cigarette,
 and the airconditioning within the cockpit starts to finish pulling the last
 bits of the fumes away. A few bubbles firing underwater as the filters finish
 their work.

When finally, the alerts go off. The call for battle as ZAFT approaches and
 slams into the harbor. At that point, the Rabscuttle - a large vessel of
 sorts, begins to maneuver through the waters and begins to approach beneath
 the waters, coming towards the Submarines from behind - from outside of the
 gates. Threatening to flank them as it begins to show on the sonar...

And coming in fast enough that it starts to appear like it's an approaching
 Torpedo rather than a Mobile Armor.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

As if on cue, once the fortress' alerts go off, a green fighter streaks through
 the skies above. Once it approaches the battlefield, the VF transforms into
 its Gerwalk mode, hovering in the sky and readying its weapons.

"Federation personnel, this is is AWACS Mousetrap of G-Hound, assisting Juno
 Squadron on the field."

In the cockpit sat the founding and sole member of said squadron. Vitaly had
 insisted she join on this mission, and she hadn't put up much of a fight. She
 was eager to get her new military-issued kit out for a real test drive and not
 just a stunt flight. "Federation personnel, this is Juno 1 of G-Hound,
 engaging." Had to be nice and professional for the Teach, after all.

<Pose Tracker> Todd Bonzalez has posed.

Todd was flying high over the base on combat air patrol when the sea gate
 exploded. Banking his fighter, he looks down and can see the ZAFT submarines
 surfacing and launching mobile weapons.

"Shortstop to all points, tally 6 bandits, and two submersible transports.
 Inside harbor defense perimiter. Engaging now." He says, pulling into a steep
 dive towards the bedlam down below.

Sun at his back, Todd plunges down towards the battle, locking onto the Galaxia
 and opening fire with the twin machine guns built into the fighter's nose,
 dropping a rain of slugs on the enemy.

<Pose Tracker> Loni Garvey has posed.


        The Zeonic Remnants on Earth have been been doing two things: Waiting
 and Fighting. While Loni got a chance to go up into space a few weeks ago, it
 feels foreign to her now after so long living in Earth's gravity. But some of
 that semi-weightlessness still overlaps with her senses as she pilots an old
 Z'Gok beneath the seas, heading for the objective she was assigned. Regardless
 of what else a suit from the One Year War may be, this one is in its element
 underwater.

        Loni Garvey has always preferred water-based units and underwater
 operations. It's... Soothing. Peaceful. And that's not something she feels
 very often. It also makes her feel strong, powerful, and in control. Like a
 predator lying in wait. Waiting until it is time to Fight.

        So when a high-speed object begins zipping through the water, the Z'Gok
 slows and halts, turning to get a better look. They're in danger of being
 flanked. Despite the orders she has been given, Loni places what her instincts
 are telling her before a commanding officer. Besides, it's not like Rau is HER
 commander, is he? Loni turns her amphibious mobile suit around, and starts
 high-speed movement on an intercept course for the Rabscuttle.

        Leading her advance, is beam fire!

KTS: Todd Bonzalez targets Michiru Tenjou with Standard Light Machine Gun Shot!
KTS: Loni Garvey targets Vitaly Sokolov with Mega Particle Cannon Shot!
<Pose Tracker> Excellen Browning has posed.

        ---- T-minus 2 hours ----

        Excellen Browning is engaged in a pitched battle against Bullet and
 several members of the ATX maintenance team. It's a battle of strategy, where
 everyone is out for themselves and there can only be one winner. Much like in
 any battle the trick is to read your opponent: To see their tells and lure
 them into making unforced errors. Bullet of course is easy for her to read as
 usual... but the boys from maintenance have been cutting their teeth against
 Kyosuke, a man for whom lady luck always seems to have her most winningest
 smile.

        As for Excellen though... she knows that sometimes the road to final
 victory lays through defeat...

        "Ah darn!!!" The Londo Bell Ensign laughs, "Looks like I lost that
 hand~! Guess I'll have to take off my skirt..."

        "WE'RE NOT PLAYING STRIP POKER!!"

         ---- T-minus 5 minutes ----

        Excellen Browning pouts as she relaxes in her bunk. Of course she
 expected for Bullet to get flustered, but then everyone else was yelling at
 her too?! Really everyone has been so grumpy lately. It's probably because
 of the extra shifts due to the recent increase in Sleeves and ZAFT
 hostilities. She was just trying to get them to lighten up some!!

        That's when the sirens go off. Looks like a scramble has been ordered
 for the defense of Verkhovnyy Fortress. Excellen just sighs to herself, well
 looks like people will have a chance to blow off some steam finally!! She
 hops out of her bunk and starts pulling on her pilot harness.

        ---- Now ----

        "Don't worry about it, Kyosuke~! Weissy will take up the vanguard
 while the Alty brings up the rear! Just remember it isn't polite to keep a
 lady waiting!!!" Excellen teases as she reaches the battlefield ahead of the
 rest of the ATX team. She but then she cuts her communicator to receive only
 to hmm to herself, "Though... this isn't the sort of thing Weissy's really
 made for." She eyes the anti-air cover of the battlefield, "Wow!! Looks like
 we're not the only one that needs to work out stress~! Those boys sure are
 unloading all they got. Guess I oughta keep my head down, or else Weissy
 might lose a few inches. Hm?"

        Spying a Queadluun over the water, flying towards the fortress while
 putting a few holes in an allied unit while on approach. She hmmms softly,
 scratching her chin with an index finger... before slowly her lips curl into
 the sort of feline-esque smile that would give Bullet a chill. "Well, maybe a
 few clever shots and we can have our own game of high risk strip poker!!"

        The Weissritter pirouettes as it moves out of high mobility mode to
 descend into the defensive perimeter of the fortress. Utilizing its Tesla
 Drive allows it to hover over the ground, but the low ceiling provided by the
 non-stop anti-air shelling means she'll have to carefully navigate around the
 buildings. She moves to the harbor before drawing her Oxtongue Launcher,
 spinning it dramatically before taking aim at the Queadluun!!

        "Hiiiiii~! Target-chan, sorry but it looks like the fortress isn't
 ready for visiting house guests. However if you're looking for someone to
 keep you company, I'll be glad to step in!!" With that The Oxtongue Launcher
 B Mode begins firing multiple heavy ballistic rounds while pumping the barrel
 like a shotgun between each shot. The final shot in particular being aimed
 dead center, hoping to chip off a piece of chest armor!!

KTS: Excellen Browning has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Excellen Browning targets Serinas Nikola with Oxtongue Launcher B Mode!
KTS: Puru Ten has deployed in AMX-004G Qubeley MP Custom [P10 Custom].
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged with
 Loni Garvey
KTS: Michiru Tenjou blocks Todd Bonzalez's Standard Light Machine Gun Shot,
 taking 1080 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        T-MINUS 8 HOURS:

        Captain Yuliana Dispersal routed straight from France to Zaftra, and
 got an entire earful from Lieutenant Parminder Chaudhri about how she was
 late. "Personal business," she replied -- as she slipped a pilot's glove
 over her hand, obscuring the new band over her ring finger. "... forget about
 it. I'm suiting up." Parminder doesn't; he'll be assisting them from the
 command centre, instead.

        She's here, and that's what matters.

        T-MINUS 2 HOURS:

        Captain Yuliana Dispersal takes some more pills, and drums her fingers
 on her clutch. "Seriously?" She grouses, frowning at her display. "They're not
 attacking ahead of schedule?"

        "No, Captain," the RK-96 Savage II beside her Tiandong 3 replies.
 (Lieutenant Wen Yuan, their sniper, is currently suited up inside it.) "The
 intel was very exacting about their plans."

        "Uuuughhhhh," Yuliana drawls.

        "Oh, stop complaining," transmits the bombardier Laiying 1 at her other
 side. The voice coming from that wanzer belongs to Officer Cadet Cascade
 Wattana, and they sound entirely fed up. "We're the ones who have been here
 for the past four days, Captain. What do you think you were doing -- running
 off at the last minute like that?!"

        "Cut the radio chatter," Yuliana says, and all a sudden she's firm.

        "But you were the one who --" Cadet Wattana protests,

        "I said cut it, Kadet!"

        T-PLUS TWO SECONDS:

        And there's far more than just one special operations unit defending
 this fortress, but the Nega Force is here, just the same. The Laiying 1 and
 the RK-96 Savage II fan out to provide cover fire support -- both long-range
 units, better-suited to handling the masses at length. It's the Tiandong 3 --
 another unit very particular to the REA, though it's armed to the teeth and
 painted a particular shade of green -- which bursts out to find that clawed
 ZnO, because one custom paint job always deserves another.

        Specifically -- she comes out axe first, flinging it haft-over-head
 towards the hulking amphibious suit. That axe, of course, is attached to a
 chain -- which Yuliana fully plans to follow to yoink her own small unit onto
 the much larger ZnO.

        "Hostile units, Minovsky's Woman transmitting," Yuliana call through
 her radio, as she goes. "Get the hell out or suffer the consequences."

KTS: Yuliana Dispersal targets Rau Le Creuset with MULS-P Grappler Axe Hook!
<Pose Tracker> Puru Ten has posed.


        An ambiguous amount of time after the Reunion of the Purus aboard the
 Garancieres, Puru Ten is deployed to Earth. Doctor Salamedes promised her he
 would reunite her with her sisters, and he was right. Even if it was Banagher
 that actually alerted her of Twelve's presence nearby and led her to see
 Marida... But now she's told she has other sisters here on Earth! So, despite
 the weight of gravity pulling her down, heavier than on a colony, Puru Ten
 uses the modified Qubeley to soar through the air, and then diving down to
 skim the water. It's shocking how much water there is! And it looks so...
 So... >Blue<.
        But she's not here to sight-see. She's here to teach the Federation a
 lesson, so that she can reunite with her family. Just like she was
 promised...! The blue-green Qubeley orients on any mook enemies above the
 waves, closing in on them in preparation to attack!

KTS: Vitaly Sokolov blocks Loni Garvey's Mega Particle Cannon Shot, taking 2100
 damage!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset successfully avoids Yuliana Dispersal's MULS-P Grappler Axe
 Hook
KTS: Lina Lombardi's VF-171 Nightmare Plus <Gerwalk Mode> has been disabled.
KTS: Lina Lombardi has deployed in VF-171 Nightmare Plus <Gerwalk Mode>.
<Pose Tracker> Vitaly Sokolov has posed.

The intensity of the Rabscuttle's speed is... ludricous. The kind of 'this
 cannot be a manned vehicle' kind of ludicrous. Though its turn-radius is
 clearly not great. As the Z'Gok turns towards it, the Rabscuttle just keeps
 moving straight towards the unit.

As it gets closer, the IFF starts becoming readable.

<"This is Winter Witch of Ravnui. You enter Republic of East Asia, engage in
 hostile action. I will remove you."> A communication comes through as the
 Megabeam particles tear across the bow of the Rabscuttle and cause it to list
 downwards just a bit... turning, almost like it's showing its belly...

Right as a massive claw comes out.

The name - the Winter Witch of Ravnui - is well known to the Zeon Remnants. A
 hunter of Zeons, and a Veteran that has been active even since before the One
 Year War. Notably, also the one who'd taken Marida captive just a little while
 prior to this moment. And there is no doubt that with what Zinnerman had done,
 she's out to make it clear that she is not to be triffled with.

The massive claw reaches for the Z'Gok, trying to grab hold of it before
 turning once again and trying to grind the Aquatic unit against the slanted
 ocean floor -- being far less deep so close to land!

KTS: Vitaly Sokolov targets Loni Garvey with Hrududu II - Claw Grab!
KTS: Loni Garvey has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Loni Garvey has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Loni Garvey fails to retreat.
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov anchors Loni Garvey, forcing her into close range.
KTS: Loni Garvey fails to react to Vitaly Sokolov's Hrududu II - Claw Grab,
 taking 5280 damage!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov has engaged Loni Garvey!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov begins a Formation attack!
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Excellen Browning rattles Serinas Nikola, making her next maneuvers more
 difficult.
KTS: Serinas Nikola fails to Evade Excellen Browning's Oxtongue Launcher B
 Mode, taking 4530 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        It's a chaotic battle. ZAFT and its allies had just crashed through the
 front door of the fortress. A fortress that was expecting them. It's an insane
 plan. Leading to an insane battle, with numerous machines on both sides
 battling it out inside the base.

        And yet, Rau remains relatively calm as his system alerts him to yet
 another enemy unit approaching. A somewhat smaller wanzer. Rau doesn't
 recognize it. But it doesn't matter.

        The white and grey ZnO disappears beneath the surface moments before
 the chained axe hits. It doesn't catch its prey though, returning without a
 catch. Perhaps Yuliana just needs better bait.

        Or for the unit in question to burst up out of the water, transforming
 out of its underwater cruising mode and into its humanoid one, then land on
 its feet.

        Rau sees his objective marker pointing in one direction, while this
 wanzer is in another. Rau chooses to start in the direction of the substation.
 But while he doesn't recognize the enemy wanzer, he does recognize the name,
 <"Oh? Minovsky's Woman? I was wondering when we'd finally meet. It's a
 pleasure to meet you. Your reputation precedes you.">

        As it moves, not exactly particular fast being out of water, the ZnO
 does twist its body in the modified Tiandong 3. Ports on its body open, before
 a barrage of torpedoes turned missiles blast out towards the smaller machine.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Yuliana Dispersal with 533mm 6-Tube Torpedo
 Launcher Barrage!
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal fails to intercept Rau Le Creuset's 533mm 6-Tube Torpedo
 Launcher Barrage, taking 3780 damage!
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 58.

<Pose Tracker> Loni Garvey has posed.


        Loni's blood boils at the recognition of who she is facing. Someone
 like this...! Flashes of memory, of her family, and of their deaths at the
 hands of someone like the Winter Witch -- perhaps even Vitaly herself...! --
 drive Loni to react recklessly as the ridiculous mobile armor swings a claw at
 her. But she fails to swim above it, and she fails to avoid it, instead
 getting seized in its claw.

        "Guh...!" she lets out. "S-so powerful...! What the hell is this...!?"
 Angrily, she aims both arms at the Rabscuttle, since she's held in its grip
 anyway. The Z'Gok unloads with its Mega Particle Cannons at close range,
 firing repeatedly into the Mobile Armor's dumb face. Does it even have a face?
 Who cares! It won't have one when Loni is done with it!

        Her fear and anger mix together in a whirlpool of aggression and
 determination!

KTS: Loni Garvey has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Loni Garvey targets Vitaly Sokolov with Mega Particle Cannon CQC!

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.


        Serinas's attention is on the Tieren a moment too long. 'Target-chan'?
 What?! She turns away from it just in time to be fired upon! The
 Queadluun-Rhea doesn't have much of a 'chest', exactly, but the guard armor
 below the 'head' sort of counts. The Oxtongue's Ballistic round blasts a big
 rent in that, and leaves the armor plate below rattling as the suit moves, no
 longer firmly attached.

        "What the?!" Serinas reflexively takes evasive action, veering off to
 the side and taking in her opponent... up there! A flying sniper... She just
 keeps running into sniper-types lately, huh? "Tch..." <"We're not houseguests!
 We're here to get one step closer to ending this war before your masters
 plunge Earth into neverending conflict!">

        She would rather... NOT deal with that big nasty gun, so she tries to
 get closer, firing the front beam cannons and arm gatling lasers as she
 zig-zags closer and then suddenly charges, trying to ram into the Weissritter
 with her right shoulder engine!

KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov parries Loni Garvey's Mega Particle Cannon CQC, taking 1140
 damage!
KTS: Loni Garvey has engaged Vitaly Sokolov!
KTS: Serinas Nikola targets Excellen Browning with Meltran CQC Dynamic Entry!
KTS: Excellen Browning successfully evades Serinas Nikola's Meltran CQC Dynamic
 Entry

<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.

As the Galaxia is manhandling the units in its direct path, something entirely
 unforeseen occurs... though in hindsight she should have expected it. It's
 sheer luck that the Galaxia's arm is in the midst of pulling back when the
 rain of bullets comes down upon it, largely bouncing off the heavily armored
 segment, though a few bullets burrow into a joint. "Always with the coward
 tactics, trying to sneak in and blast us. But what can you expect from the
 forces of evil?" As she raises her arms to make a shrugging motion, the
 Galaxia follows suit.

Galaxia is... a little blinding, honestly. Definitely a custom paint, no mass
 production line would pick this shade of... it's hard to describe as anything
 but 'electric-sky blue'. Very odd choice. The time give to actually put
 thought to what kind of person the pilot may be however, is low. As it braces
 one arm with the opposing hand, lining up as several connecting links
 de-couple. The forearm begins to fall... as its thrusters kick in! "GALAXIA
 PUUUUUUUNCH!" A fist goes flying out, looping between support structures on
 its course toward the Variable Fighter. Who might be asking WHY a ZAFT machine
 has a Rocket Punch of all things.

KTS: Michiru Tenjou targets Todd Bonzalez with Rocket Punch!!
KTS: Todd Bonzalez has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Todd Bonzalez has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Todd Bonzalez's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage.
KTS: Todd Bonzalez fails to evade Michiru Tenjou's Rocket Punch!, taking 3630
 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Michiru Tenjou's Villainy Will Never Succeed! activates,
 causing Sparkle!
KTS: Michiru Tenjou has engaged Todd Bonzalez!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged with
 Loni Garvey
<Pose Tracker> Vitaly Sokolov has posed.

It is incredibly likely that Vitaly herself may very well be at fault for her
 family's deaths. Or perhaps someone she personally trained. She was highly
 present and active during the war.

<"What is? Z'Gok? I remember - horror of that unit when first deployed.
 Federation have no counter. But now..."> Now is another matter, as the
 Rabscuttle keeps holding onto the Z'Gok, lifting Loni up with it!

When it begins to charge its Mega Particle Cannon however, the unit quickly
 lets go, forced to disengage. Disappearing into the deeper waters for a
 moment. The fierce flash of light from the Mega Particle Cannons scraping
 across its bow, before it turns -- and comes right for the Z'Gok once more...
 faster and faster...

<"Now, it will be one less unit Zeon Remnant can use for terrorist acts.">

Until it attempts to slam into the Z'Gok and bring it above water, like a
 dolphin trying to punt a seal into the air with its nose!

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

Lina looks down and spots the Qube, all lonely and looking for someone to
 tangle with. "Ah, you'll do!"

The Gerwalk dives down towards the suit, giving it a good barrage with its gun
 pods. "Hey, mind if I have this dance?"

"Juno 1, engaging with bandit!"

KTS: Lina Lombardi targets Puru Ten with Gun Pod Shot!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov targets Loni Garvey with Ram!
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        The cannon mounted on the Tiandong 3's shoulder throws out a beam of
 Minovsky interference -- is that what she's named for? -- but unfortunately,
 there's an entire barrage of torpedoes coming her way. Yuliana manages to
 confuse their targeting enough to avoid directly being blown to smithereens --
 but the impacts nevertheless land close enough to blast her wanzer with debris
 and shockwaves, lodging into the crooks and crannies of her machine, playing
 merry hell with the various sensitive sensors she's overhauled so faithfully.

        Which means that Yuliana certainly has an opponent now, if only
 because that is deeply annoying.

        "I'm not surprised," she transmits, as she pulls her axe back -- only
 to launch it again, to try and yoink the ZnO back just as she leaps forward.
 She has a better bead on how it's moving up here, so she can only hope she'll
 have better luck fishing out of water. "Though it's nice to hear I'm
 appreciated up in space. If you know what's good for you, you'll turn around
 and scurry right back!"

        She pauses, and ventures, to Rau: "Or is this about looking for a
 handout...? Are you hungry, mm..?" It's a sly insult about their capacity to
 feed themselves, compared to the breadbasket of the REA.

KTS: Yuliana Dispersal has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Rau Le
 Creuset
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal targets Rau Le Creuset with MULS-P Grappler Axe Entangle!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov rattles Loni Garvey, making her next maneuvers more
 difficult.
KTS: Loni Garvey partially guards Vitaly Sokolov's Ram, taking 4800 damage!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov has engaged Loni Garvey!

<Pose Tracker> Excellen Browning has posed.

        Not that Excellen is THAT high up right now. The fact remains that she
 doesn't trust those overeager anti-air cannonneers to realize the difference
 between her personal trooper and any other unit on the battlefield. It
 certainly makes it easier for Serinas's Queadluun-Rhea to close the gap
 attempting to hew her in with beam cannons and gatling lasers as she zigs and
 zags. Excellen pulls back on both of her control levers and the Weiss's tesla
 drive manages to pull her back behind one of the warehouse buildings right
 before she gets shoulder checked!

        <"Wow~!! That sure was close! And huh... that's kind of a funny way
 of looking at it? So you're shooting at us to get us to stop shooting? Well
 I have a better idea. It's like strip poker. I'm gonna shoot off pieces of
 your armored suit bit by bit until I can see the prize inside. Meanwhile,
 every time you hit me, this zipper will get a little less done. Sound like
 fun?">

        Right afterwards, a video feed will start, and on screen is Excellen's
 grinning and winking face. Then the camera pans down... <"Here's a little
 sample~!"> ... and she starts to lower the zipper on her flight suit.

        THEN just like that the Weissritter pops out from behind one of the
 warehouse buildings and attempts to fire a triple-linked beam shot directly
 into the Queadluun-Rhea's after, <"Hope you didn't get distracted,
 Target-chan?"> The Londo Bell pilot teases.

KTS: Excellen Browning targets Serinas Nikola with Triple-Linked Beam Shot!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal anchors Rau Le Creuset, forcing him into close range.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset fails to react to Yuliana Dispersal's MULS-P Grappler Axe
 Entangle, taking 3675 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 12425
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal has engaged Rau Le Creuset!
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Serinas Nikola charges into the attack!
KTS: Serinas Nikola partially guards Excellen Browning's Triple-Linked Beam
 Shot, taking 2155 damage!
KTS: Excellen Browning begins a Formation attack!
<Pose Tracker> Todd Bonzalez has posed.

Todd's steep dive is interrupted when he sees, of all things, the enemy mecha's
 own fist flying straight for him. In surprise, he attempts to barrel roll out
 of the way but the rocket proppeled punch slams into the Starbuster's wing and
 overloads the pinpoint barrier, sending the craft spinning, briefly, before
 Todd can bring the unit back under control.

"You have some unexpected moves, I'll give you that, but let's see how you
 handle this!"

Todd dives in low to the ground, skimming over the nearby water surface and
 kicking up a foam of seawater with his jet wash as he blasts towards the
 robot. The beam rifle mounted on the underside of the machine opens fire in a
 dangerous saturation attack on anything in the machine's path as it streaks
 towards Galaxia, fast and low.

KTS: Todd Bonzalez targets Michiru Tenjou with Standard Primary Beam Rifle
 Rapid Fire!
KTS: Michiru Tenjou's Beam Wall L2 activates, negating 2000 base damage.
KTS: Michiru Tenjou blocks Todd Bonzalez's Standard Primary Beam Rifle Rapid
 Fire, taking 1500 damage!
 KTS: Puru Ten has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Puru Ten has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Puru Ten has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Puru Ten charges into the attack!
KTS: Puru Ten successfully avoids Lina Lombardi's Gun Pod Shot
<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        Rau is not surprised that Yuliana is able to get through his missile
 barrage still intact. The intel he's read about her puts her as one of the
 better pilots that the Federation has. Perhaps he won't be able to avoid
 facing her head on...

        ... An option that becomes even more difficult as she successfully
 manages to hook him this time, the axe digging into part of his machine. The
 ZnO's forward progress is made more difficult as the wanzer tugs on the line
 connecting the two. Yeah, this is not something Rau is going to be able to
 ignore.

        Rau chuckles back to Yuliana's dig at the PLANTs situation, <"Why ask
 when we can take?">

        The ZnO's body turns, its lanky arms twisting around in ways normal
 arms do not, so the palms of both are pointed in Yuliana's direction. The
 emitters embedded in those palms both begin to glow. Brightly. Before two
 powerful beams lance out towards the Tiandong 3.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Yuliana Dispersal with Phonon Maser High Energy
 Cannon Full Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Puru Ten has posed.


        Whatever random Federation pilot that Puru Ten was going to attack is
 spared thanks to the actions of Lina Lombardi, pilot extraordinaire! Puru gets
 a Flash of awareness that has her whipping her Qubeley around 180 degrees in
 mid-air so she can see her attacker, blasts her verniers and surges up past
 the rounds coming her way, and then spiralling away with arms at her MS's
 sides! Graceful like a violent swan!
        "Fufufufu~... So you picked me, huh? Compared to me, you all are
 nothing!" she crows, mostly to herself, unknowingly echoing words uttered by
 Two once. "It's been a long time since I've fought, so let's make this fun."

        The MS with the bird-like head draws a hilt and a long, straight,
 glowing yellow beam blade emerges from it as the Cyber Newtype tries to slash
 at the VF that attacked her!
        This is really helping her keep her mind off all the junk going on in
 her life right now! Thanks, Lina-senpai! She'll always remember you maybe!

KTS: Yuliana Dispersal blocks Rau Le Creuset's Phonon Maser High Energy Cannon
 Full Focus, taking 6270 damage!
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 44.
KTS: Puru Ten targets Lina Lombardi with Beam Saber Strike!
KTS: Lina Lombardi rushes into the attack!
KTS: Lina Lombardi partially guards Puru Ten's Beam Saber Strike, taking 3885
 damage!
KTS: Puru Ten has engaged Lina Lombardi!

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.


        That other machine is so fast! Serinas arrests her movement and turns,
 flitting around the building trying to find Excellen.

> So you're shooting at us to get us to stop shooting?
        <"Don't say it like that! You--">

> Well I have a better idea. It's like strip poker...
        What.

        Why does this feel kind of like that moment at the concert with one of
 the Sheryl holograms flying towards her to mime a kiss...?????? What is this
 feeling?!

        Suddenly, her staring is interrupted as she's rocked forward by an
 impact behind her!

        <"Deculture!"> She's blushing bright red on her own video feed. The
 Meltrandi armor spins in place, the round, lighter-colored circles on one side
 opening to reveal missile launch ports that just fire a swarm of missiles
 point-blank at the Weissritter. <"Wh... wh... what are you doing?! This is a
 battle! O-of course I didn't get distracted!">

KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Serinas Nikola targets Excellen Browning with High-Maneuverability
 Missiles Spread Fire!
<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        Excellen's stated aims will be best served by targeting the front; the
 'faceplate', the protective cowling around it, and the 'shoulder'/'chest'
 armor.

KTS: Excellen Browning retreats from the attack!
KTS: Excellen Browning successfully evades Serinas Nikola's
 High-Maneuverability Missiles Spread Fire

<Pose Tracker> Loni Garvey has posed.


        The Z'Gok turns, more because of the pilot's instincts than because of
 any true awareness of the incoming attack. So it is only that which allows the
 Mobile Suit's arms to come up in an 'x'-shaped block to try to reduce the
 catastrophic damage about to be done.

        It is not enough.

        Loni's eyes and mouth go both wide as the Rabscuttle slams into the
 comparatively tiny Z'Gok, blood actually flying from her mouth as the cockpit
 is compressed forcefully into her torso. That same blood now is spattered
 across her display instruments, and Loni is dazed and in pain from the jarring
 impact. The Z'Gok, damaged severely, sparking, and arcing through the air,
 begins its limp and uncontrolled descent back towards the waves below.

        Loni can't do anything physically, so all she does is rage at her
 circumstances and at the murderer who took everything from her. If she could
 draw breath, she'd be screaming her hate.

        Instead, she settles for just slamming her hand on the comms at the
 same time that the Z'Gok slams into the water. Wet, rasping breaths go out
 over the local radio. After awhile, as the Z'Gok sinks deeper and deeper
 beneath the blue, words come too. <<You... Monster... Is this... *Gasp* All
 the... *Wet, bloody-sounding cough* ...Winter... Witch... Does? Wipe out...
 Families... Down to... Their CHILDREN? No wonder... You want us... Dead.
 There's no way... We could ever forgive... Creatures like YOU...!>>


<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

Lina rushes into the attack, darting to the side just in time to avoid part of
 Puru's attack. Damn, definitely still getting used to this thing. But no
 matter! The real matter is her. The voice sounds like...a kid? Why does she
 keep coming up against these brats?! And cocky, to boot.

"Now now, squirt. Arrogance isn't make you very popular!"

"You're one to talk, Juno 1. You're engaged with the bogey."

"Have a bit of this!" Lina engages her beam cannons and takes aim, energy
 gathering through the barrel and surging as a beam shoots towards the Qubely!

KTS: Lina Lombardi targets Puru Ten with Mauler Beam Cannons Shot!
KTS: Loni Garvey targets Vitaly Sokolov with Goad!
KTS: Loni Garvey goads Vitaly Sokolov, reducing her Intuition drastically.
Todd Bonzalez says, "+pot"
KTS: Puru Ten retreats from the attack!
KTS: Puru Ten's Beam Wall L2 activates, negating 2000 base damage.
KTS: Puru Ten fails to evade Lina Lombardi's Mauler Beam Cannons Shot, taking
 1520 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        Yuliana twists, mid-air, to meet those emitters with the shield mounted
 on her other shoulder. One hand to the clutch, her other reaches out to
 flick a series of switches before impact -- not quite quickly enough to meet
 the blast which rocks her wanzer.

        (She is, after all, a Natural pilot; her reaction time might be good,
 but it's not that good.)

        "Tch--!!" Yuliana grunts, through grit teeth; saying anything to that
 assault would only have her biting her own tongue, even given the way she's
 lashed to her cockpit. The outside of her wanzer is doing no better, facing
 the force of that blow. "Not bad -- but...!"

        Despite that assault, you see, Yuliana never thought to detach her
 chain. She's still coming. And when she crashes onto the ZnO's hull...

        ... Rau is bound to notice.

        Because things get very, very quiet, in melee range of Yuliana.
 Empathically silent -- the silence of an isolation tank, as if he has suddenly
 been cloistered from the world around him, left alone with only his own
 feelings.

        No world but him to live and love.

        "Do you think I'd just let you take it?" Yuliana demands, as she
 takes her flamethrower in her wanzer's other hand -- and it becomes
 immediately apparent that she's modified hers. A bayonet juts out from its
 nozzle; despite all the risks, she's made it a melee weapon. "I shall give
 you NOTHING AT ALL!"

        She proceeds to thrust that bayonet forward and in -- seeking to stab
 it right through the ZnO's defences.

KTS: Yuliana Dispersal targets Rau Le Creuset with Achilles' Flame!
<Pose Tracker> Puru Ten has posed.


        Ten yelps in surprise as a scary-looking beam cannon shoots at her and
 performs evasive maneuvers! She manages to disengage from the Gerwalk Moded
 VF, and the beam ripples across the semi-invisible fields that emanate from
 the big shoulder binders, but even so, she doesn't quite get out of the way in
 time and smoke rises from a blackened point on the MS's armor. "Hey! What the
 heck! Don't you know how to accept a challenge, pilot to pilot? Geez! I guess
 Earth girls really are unsophisticated." Well, so much for her sword fighting
 duel with Lina.
        Still muttering to herself, Puru sends out her funnels from their
 storage racks. "Funnels! Take care of her!" she yells to the bits, as they
 converge on the tricksy VF and try to trap it in the path of a series of beam
 shots!

KTS: Puru Ten has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Puru Ten targets Lina Lombardi with Qubeley Funnels Pincer Formation!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset rushes into the attack!
KTS: [Lucky] Rau Le Creuset's Newtype Flash activates, and luck goes his way!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset successfully avoids Yuliana Dispersal's Achilles' Flame
KTS: Lina Lombardi fails to charge.
KTS: Lina Lombardi partially guards Puru Ten's Qubeley Funnels Pincer
 Formation, taking 5280 damage!
KTS: Lina Lombardi has activated the Trick Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Excellen Browning has posed.

        'Deculture!'

        <"Ara~Ara~!"> Excellen's face through the video feed spreads into a
 pleased smile that must be seen to be believed:
 http:'bibliomecha.altervista.orgpilotsimagesSRW%20OGexcellen-browning-port
rait-4.jpg

        <"What a cute looking expression you have Target-chan... are you sure
 you're not getting distracted? Oh OOOP!!!"> Excellen cuts off as suddenly a
 swarm of missiles are fired point blank at the Weissritter. Unable to take
 off into the sky she has to instead rely on the incredibly agility provided by
 the Tesla Drive and enhanced maneuvering thursters. She backs up while
 swerving to avoid the swarms of missiles while the docks around her ignite in
 explosions!!

        <"Wow~! You really are desperate to see what happens when this zipper
 goes down further, huh? Well there are no free rides here missy~! Though if
 you end up getting shot down and captured, maybe we can play a few games of
 actual strip poker. That's a pretty good consolation prize... right?!
 Anyway... hup!!!">

        Suddenly the Weissritter reaches to the back of its skirt armor and
 draws forward a single hilt, from which a bright pink blade surges forth! The
 unit charges forward, perhaps a bit unexpectedly for a sniper, and attempts to
 catch the Queadluun in a combination of sweeping strikes, aimed at the head
 and shoulder plates of the battle armor. It seems she's trying to make good
 on her promise of 'stripping' a few sections of battle plating!!

KTS: Excellen Browning has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Excellen Browning has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Excellen Browning targets Serinas Nikola with Plasma Combination!
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

Lina attempts to charge through the funnels and takes a brunt of their attack,
 several alerts ringing in her cockpit.

"Your condition's critical, Juno 1! Take caution!"

"It's alright, Mousetrap! I can take her...Geez, kid, you're the second stuck
 up spacenoid I've met in as many days. No wonder I never go up there!"

Taking a slightly desperate measure, she puts full power to her cannons and
 shoots a focused beam towards Puru!

KTS: Lina Lombardi targets Puru Ten with Mauler Beam Cannons Full Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Vitaly Sokolov has posed.

Vitaly's Rabscuttle engages its Minovsky Flight system momentarily, as the
 Z'Gok returns to the water, and it follows her doggedly. Remorselessly. Though
 there is a sneer there. She doesn't like engaging with people on topics such
 as these. Down to their children?

The Winter Witch assumes that Loni is speaking of her reputation as a member of
 Titans -- and their association with their own war crimes. The annihilation of
 whole colonies in order to silence them. An ache... yet. Even so.

<<"Do not come to me with child commentary. You are soldier. You come here to
 kill people - my people. People with family. I will kill Zeon extremism down
 as many generation as needed. Until One Year War truly end.">>

The woman answers Loni Garvey - representing exactly the kind of people that
 Loni came here to fight. The wall of the Federation that refuses to allow
 people such as her family to exist.

Right before she engages her weapons. A large beam weapon at the tip charging
 rapidly - similar to the Z'Gok's own powerful Megabeam Particles.

<<"Disappear. Zeon.">>

And the flash of light comes, with enough power in its wake to push the Z'Gok
 towards the nearest ZAFT submarine.

KTS: Puru Ten has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov targets Loni Garvey with High Mega Particle Cannon - Charge
 Beam!
KTS: Puru Ten charges into the attack!
KTS: Puru Ten's Beam Wall L2 activates, negating 2000 base damage.
KTS: Puru Ten partially guards Lina Lombardi's Mauler Beam Cannons Full Focus,
 taking 2590 damage!
KTS: Serinas Nikola fails to Parry Excellen Browning's Plasma Combination,
 taking 2880 damage!
KTS: Excellen Browning has engaged Serinas Nikola!
KTS: Excellen Browning continues a Formation attack!
KTS: Loni Garvey has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Loni Garvey has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Loni Garvey rushes into the attack!
KTS: Loni Garvey successfully avoids Vitaly Sokolov's High Mega Particle Cannon
 - Charge Beam
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov has activated the Resupply Spirit Command targeting Lina
 Lombardi

<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.

As he's spinning out, Todd can clearly see the fist circling around...
 thankfully not to hit him again! No, instead, it's returning to the Galaxia,
 to re-attach itself. It's not a precisely seamless process though, and leaves
 the machine open to taking the full force of his saturation run with the beam
 rifle... But when the smoke clears, there are star-like sparkles all over the
 machine, accompanying the burn sears from his attack! And a voice! No camera
 feed though, despite the fierce expression dancing upon her face within the
 Galaxia. "You've got skills yourself, and pack a good punch. So let's see how
 you hold up to this!"

Galaxia's central monoeye begins shining ominously as a brief surge of power
 transfers into the visual lens. At least... it's probably used for a camera,
 right? Like most mono-eye units. A spark of light emits first. A warning sign
 perhaps. With everything ready, Michiru activates the weapon with a flick of
 her thumb and a scream from the depths of her soul! "GALAXIAAA BEAAAAAM!" The
 burst that finally streams out is thin and constant, less compacted than a
 rifle's shot would be. It's also a brilliant blue, like a clear ocean's waves.

KTS: Michiru Tenjou targets Todd Bonzalez with Galaxia Optic Beam!!
KTS: Todd Bonzalez has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Todd Bonzalez retreats from the attack!
KTS: Todd Bonzalez's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage.
KTS: Todd Bonzalez fails to evade Michiru Tenjou's Galaxia Optic Beam!, taking
 2900 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Puru Ten has posed.


        The VF seems to be buckling down and unleashing its full force! Puru
 Ten grits her teeth and charges into the attack, using her funnels to form an
 I-Beam Field in front of her as she goes to absorb some of the damage. The
 arms of the Qubeley are also crossed over each other, much like the X-block
 that Loni tried earlier, though with much greater success, it seems...! The
 Long-type Beam Sword that was never put away is swung upwards as the P10
 Custom bulldozes through the onslaught of power like some sort of unstopabble
 movie monster (though with more obvious damage as a consequence of Lina's
 furious attack)!
        "Listen, I've had a rough year, and I just wanted to sword fight to get
 my mind off it. Anyway, you can die now! I have people to meet! If you
 survive, look me up, and we can fight again maybe, byyyyyeeeee!"
        After that there is only flashes of yellow as the Beam Sword slashes
 over and over.


<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        Rau was keenly aware that Yuliana had kept the line attached. It
 continued to tug on his machine, which was already relatively unbalanced on
 the ground. He could feel the stabilizers actively working to keep the thing
 from toppling over. So it's not much of a surprise when his screen shows him
 the wanzer quickly rushing towards him, reeling that line in like a fisherman
 with a catch on their hook.

        What is a surprise is the sudden silence that quickly falls over Rau.
 Not a literal silence, the sounds of battle still filtering through his
 speakers. His system alerting him to the quickly closing enemy. But an
 emotional silence instead.

        A complete emptiness.

        No one else exists.

        A world without people...

        ... Wouldn't that be wonderful?

        The ZnO's arm moves rapidly, coming up to grab the arm of the Tiandong
 holding that modified flamethrower. The protruding bayonet stopped short of
 penetrating the ZnO. The ZnO then throws the wanzer into the side of a
 building, before beginning to approach it menacingly. As it does so, Rau
 reponds, though his tone is a little darker as he says, <"That's quite the
 interesting ability you have there. Such silence... Such peace. If only the
 rest of the world was like this. Perhaps I shall take you too.">

        One of the ZnO's arms lashes out, claws open wide as it tries to strike
 at the wanzer.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Yuliana Dispersal with Close-Quarters Combat Claw
 Strike!
KTS: Puru Ten has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Puru Ten targets Lina Lombardi with Beam Saber Combo!
KTS: Lina Lombardi has activated the Attune Spirit Command.
KTS: Lina Lombardi has activated the Attune Spirit Command.
KTS: Lina Lombardi rushes into the attack!
KTS: Lina Lombardi partially guards Puru Ten's Beam Saber Combo, taking 4465
 damage!
KTS: Puru Ten has engaged Lina Lombardi!
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal rushes into the attack!
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal partially guards Rau Le Creuset's Close-Quarters Combat
 Claw Strike, taking 1620 damage!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has engaged Yuliana Dispersal!
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 50.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

Gaah! This thing's not bad! Lina transforms her Nightmare into Battroid mode
 and rushes in, taking most of the slashes and leaving her the worse for wear.

"Condition critical, Juno 1! Suggesting a tactical retreat!"

"I got one more attack in me! One more! Come on, brat!"

The Battroid's cannons fire a shot, the beam going every which way around the
 Quebley before hitting their mark!

KTS: Lina Lombardi targets Puru Ten with Erikon Beam Cannons Trick Shot!
<Pose Tracker> Loni Garvey has posed.


        No. She's not going to die like this. Not at the hands of this
 murderer. Not when her family's wishes still rest upon her shoulders. Their
 beliefs...! The Z'Gok begins to stutteringly force itself upright while Vitaly
 condescends to her, calls her a terrorist, blames her for the Federation's
 crimes, as though Zeon wasn't a direct response to them...! Furiously, as the
 beam attack comes, Loni forces her Mobile Suit to launch along the sea floor,
 avoiding the terrible attack, and then trying to close in on the Rabscuttle
 from below! Screaming furiously in a way that is going to leave her throat
 raw, sending a gout of dark red blood flying in the process, Loni has the
 Z'Gok draw back its arm and then stab forward with its Iron Nails, trying to
 gut the Rabscuttle the same way her very soul was gutted by the Federation's
 monsters!


<Pose Tracker> Todd Bonzalez has posed.

Todd pulls up and banks hard when he sees the eye glow, but it still manages to
 clip him as he climbs away, some of the energy still bleeding through his
 barrier and scorching his hull.

"Hey! Watch the paint!" Todd yells out angrily. "I'm putting an end to this
 mess here and now!"

The fighter swoops low and transforms into it's Battroid mode, landing on a
 nearby building.

"Shortstop to all units, DRIVE!" He calls out, warning his allies as large
 missile racks on his unit's shoulders fold out and open up. Less than a second
 later the battlefield is saturated with missiles coming from almost every
 possible angle, locked onto and chasing down anything without a federation IFF
 tag. A not insignificant amount home in on the knockoff mazin in front of
 Todd, but no enemy standing is spared his wrath.

KTS: Loni Garvey has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
Todd Bonzalez transforms to VF/A-44 Starbuster <Battroid Mode>
KTS: Loni Garvey targets Vitaly Sokolov with Iron Nail Core Strike!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov parries Loni Garvey's Iron Nail Core Strike, taking 1155
 damage!
KTS: Loni Garvey has engaged Vitaly Sokolov!
KTS: Puru Ten rushes into the attack!
KTS: Puru Ten partially guards Lina Lombardi's Erikon Beam Cannons Trick Shot,
 taking 4085 damage!
KTS: Todd Bonzalez targets Michiru Tenjou, Puru Ten, and Rau Le Creuset with
 All Direction Multi Missile Barrage.
KTS: Puru Ten has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: [Lucky] Rau Le Creuset's Newtype Flash activates, and luck goes his way!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset successfully avoids Todd Bonzalez's All Direction Multi
 Missile Barrage
KTS: Michiru Tenjou has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Michiru Tenjou has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Michiru Tenjou blocks Todd Bonzalez's All Direction Multi Missile Barrage,
 taking 3450 damage!
KTS: Puru Ten fails to Charge.
KTS: Puru Ten partially guards Todd Bonzalez's All Direction Multi Missile
 Barrage, taking 5700 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        The wanzer meets that grasp with its own -- but the Tiandong 3 is a
 small unit, and the ZnO is much, much larger. Yuliana is able to use that
 grip to send herself into a spin as she's tossed, landing, at least, on her
 leg-pieces -- though the local Starbucks of Verkhovnyy Fortress is going to
 need CONSIDERABLE repairs now she's crushed the dining area.

        (She would have crushed the barracks, if she hadn't redirected herself
 the way she did. It looks accidental, in just the way failing gracefully
 seems with experience.)

        "Heh," she spits out, bangs escaping her obscuring helmet from the
 force of the landing. Her hand flexes; she feels the companionship of the band
 over her finger, under her pilot's gloves. "If you take me... you'll regret
 it."

        She charges forward, INTO those claws -- to get herself close enough to
 thrust her Heavy Flamer right into the ZnO's space, a plume of flame erupting
 out between them.

<Pose Tracker> Vitaly Sokolov has posed.

Never underestimate the Zeon Remnants. They are always dangerous. As the Z'Gok
 manages to get away from the beam attack, the unit turns immediately, its two
 claws coming forward. And as the Z'God brings its Iron Nails forward, it stabs
 them right through one of the pincers.

The pincer shatters to pieces, right before the second claw grabs for the arm
 of the Z'Gok and pushes it away, then engages that very same arm. A massive
 beam blade coming from it. The water begins to boil around it, as the Minovsky
 Particles barely stop the extreme heat of the particles from causing a steam
 explosion, and the blade comes towards Loni's machine from above, trying to
 cut it in twain!

<"Begone, Ghost of the Past. Let Curse of Zeon find resting place here.">

KTS: Vitaly Sokolov targets Loni Garvey with Hrududu II - Long Blade Emission
 Assault!
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal has activated the Valor Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

> What a cute looking expression you have Target-chan...
        Serinas blushes *more*. What the hell is that expression on the enemy
 pilot's face?!

        And why does she feel threatened imagining being alone in a room with
 this miclone?

        The energy blade comes out and she tries to parry the Weisritter's arms
 with the Queadluun's, but she's just not fast enough. The focused strikes
 expose her shoulders and tear through the 'faceplate' (her head is not
 directly behind it, it's actually just where the main camera and sensors are
 mounted.) The cowling around it is getting ragged, but she's not completely
 exposed yet. But the shape of the 30-foot-tall woman in a purple Meltrandi
 piloting suit is partially visible.

        <"N-no! What is this?! Who are you?! Whatever game you're playing...
 I'll show you how to take a battle seriously!"> The Queadluun-Rhea, already in
 such close melee, attempts to grab and latch on with a claw, striking with
 knees and the opposite claw and elbow, and firing the gatling lasers
 point-blank to take advantage of the Wiesritter's inability to dodge -- IF she
 can maintain hold, that is.

        

KTS: Yuliana Dispersal targets Rau Le Creuset with MULS-P Heavy Flamer Overheat!
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset fails to react to Yuliana Dispersal's MULS-P Heavy Flamer
 Overheat, taking 4590 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 7835
KTS: Serinas Nikola targets Excellen Browning with Cultural Exchange!
KTS: Excellen Browning rushes into the attack!
KTS: Excellen Browning partially guards Serinas Nikola's Cultural Exchange,
 taking 5460 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Serinas Nikola's Can't Catch Me! activates, causing Sparkle!
KTS: Serinas Nikola has engaged Excellen Browning!
KTS: Excellen Browning has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has disengaged.
KTS: Excellen Browning has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained
 proficiency bonus.
KTS: Excellen Browning has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
<Pose Tracker> Puru Ten has posed.


        "G-guh! She's pretty good!" Puru mutters to herself reluctantly as it
 seems the VF pilot has adjusted to the Cyber Newtype's 'just run directly at
 the enemy' strategy. This time, Puru barely manages to guard even a bit
 against the beam attack. Further, it cuts right through her I-Beam Field!
 Tricky Federation weapons! But, this isn't over yet!
        Ten transmits, <<Fine! I acknowledge you! If we both survive this
 fight, then I'll accept you as my rival--!>> Then a bunch of missiles come
 tearing at her and even her Newtype senses can't help her escape! Her attempt
 to close the distance and go around the missiles before they can hit her fails
 pretty miserably, and dozens of missiles rattle her Qubeley, causing her to
 scream in surprise and pain over the radio as she is jostled around her
 cockpit!
        Enemy or not, most people don't really enjoy hearing eleven-year olds
 screaming because they think they're about to die, direcly into their enclosed
 space.
        Regaining her senses as the P10 Custom falls out of the air, pouring
 smoke and saprks from its damaged body, the clone shakes her head furiously to
 clear it, and turns her attention solely on the one who interrupted her fight
 with such a cowardly tactic, before refocusing on Lina. <<I see how it is...!
 I was wrong to think there was anything good about you, if you rely on
 underhanded moves like that! I can't even have a one-on-one with--!>>
        Snarling, Puru Ten chokes off her rant and just decides to finish this
 mess. She has been dead for years, apparently, not just away and recovering
 for a single year. She just had that dropped on her recently. Now she might be
 going back in the freezer again...!?
        NO WAY!
        Her funnels surround her and then spin outwards like the shape of a
 lotus flower, spiralling towards Lina and firing over and over again!

KTS: Puru Ten targets Lina Lombardi with Qubeley Funnels Spiral Formation!
KTS: Loni Garvey rushes into the attack!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov rattles Loni Garvey, making her next maneuvers more
 difficult.
KTS: Loni Garvey partially guards Vitaly Sokolov's Hrududu II - Long Blade
 Emission Assault, taking 1889 damage!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov has engaged Loni Garvey!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov begins a Formation attack!
KTS: Lina Lombardi has activated the Attune Spirit Command.
KTS: Lina Lombardi rushes into the attack!
KTS: Lina Lombardi partially guards Puru Ten's Qubeley Funnels Spiral
 Formation, taking 7200 damage!
KTS: Lina Lombardi has been defeated!
<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        Even with his senses severely cut off by Yuliana's ability. Rau is
 still an experienced pilot. So when his system reports a sudden barrage of
 missiles from out of nowhere, he's quick to react. The ZnO dashes to the side,
 placing one of the base's administration buildings between itself and the
 incoming missiles. They strike the building, the explosions blowing away huge
 chunks of it. Though thankfully no people, since foreknowledge of the attack
 allowed the REA to move non-essential personnel to shelters before this all
 started.

        So Rau's ZnO comes out of the missile barrage unscathed. But it had
 bought Yuliana the time she needed to actually close in on him. And this time
 he can't react quickly enough, the flames from the wanzer's weapon washing out
 across the ZnO's frame. The machine was definitely not built to withstand
 intense flame, its armor plating rapidly melting to give way to its internals
 which quickly follow suit.

        Damage reports rapidly growing in number, a slight frown appearing on
 Rau's face. He can't allow this to continue much longer. He has one of his
 ZnO's arms whip around, claws open wide. It attempts to clamp them down around
 the wanzer's body to grab hold of it. Rau ponders for a moment, before saying,
 <"Perhaps. But I think it'd be worth it."> Another pause, then he finishes,
 <"Not today though. I have more pressing matters.">

        The Phonon Maser High Energy Cannon emitter in the palm of the claw
 that went to grip the wanzer begins to glow. A direct hit from that weapon at
 this distance would be insane!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Yuliana Dispersal with Phonon Maser High Energy
 Cannon Sequential Fire!
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal has activated the Alert Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.

Missiles overwhelm the Gardnova, ripping into its armor from every direction.
 The pilot inside lets out a shout of surprised pain as a jolt of feedback
 rocks through the Galaxia's systems and into her own body. "Great move
 there... but I'm... still standing!" Sparks fly off the machine, as it picks
 itself up off the ground.

Both arms spread wide, claws opening up their finger-ports to bombard the
 fighter pilot with a salvo of missiles. "TYRANT-PIERCING MISSILE BARRAGE!"
 It's not nearly as many projectiles as were stored in the VF's racks, not even
 close. This may have been a tactical error, using missiles on someone
 accustomed to dogfighting in the skies. But it's a good lesson for the future,
 if so. Besides, right now nothing could possibly tank her mood, when she's so
 close to the sea~!

KTS: Yuliana Dispersal retreats from the attack!
KTS: Yuliana Dispersal fails to evade Rau Le Creuset's Phonon Maser High Energy
 Cannon Sequential Fire, taking 4500 damage!
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 34.
KTS: Michiru Tenjou targets Todd Bonzalez with Missile Fingers!!
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

The interference from the missiles offers Lina a glimmer of hope, and she
 smirks. "Juno 1, you need to pull back! The others can pick her off!"

The AWACS' words find no purchase though, as Lina once again rushes into the
 lotus of beams, the Nightmare finally giving up the ghost upon hit. "GAH!
 Damn!" She pounds on her controls as she readies her retreat. Whether Puru's
 transmissions truly reached Lina's heart is hard to say. She's certainly no
 Newtype. Maybe not the words, but perhaps she felt the intent nonetheless.
 "Hey squirt, looks like both of us got lucky today. I don't know why a kid
 your age is in a thing like that, but you're not too bad. Don't think I'll
 just take this lying down. I'll be back for you. Count on it. Federation
 personnel, this is Juno 1, making a retreat. Don't worry Teach, I won't be too
 far for you to scold me." The Nightmare quickly transforms into Fighter mode,
 performing an Immelmann roll and shooting off to regroup with Mousetrap.

KTS: Lina Lombardi's VF-171 Nightmare Plus <Battroid Mode> has been disabled.
KTS: Todd Bonzalez has activated the Attune Spirit Command.
<Pose Tracker> Todd Bonzalez has posed.

While not all of Todd's missiles make their mark, the unsuspecting Quebley gets
 caught in the devastation pretty hard. At first, Todd is happy, then the
 screams come on the open channel, he can almost feel the raw fear from the
 pilot, who sounds like an actual child, as the trashed machine hits the ground.

"Wait, is that a child in that thing? You asshats are sending literal children
 to do your dirty work? Do you people truly have no morals at all?" He roars
 through the external speakers.

Todd's budding rage is only strenghened as he sees Lina's VF get torn down by
 the damaged Quebley, and then the incoming missile barrage amimed at him.

"Amateur, you claim to be a hero, and send children to fight your battles. You
 use a knock-off machine, and your tactics are basic at best, nothing but brute
 strength." He scolds the enemy pilot, his head vulcans roaring to life and
 flare projectors on his hips begin spewing countermeasures.

KTS: Todd Bonzalez successfully Intercepts Michiru Tenjou's Missile Fingers!
<Pose Tracker> Loni Garvey has posed.


        The Winter Witch must be used to swatting down Zeonic Remnants. She
 even, supposedly, defeated and captured Marida in her Kshatriya. But the sheer
 searing hate and dogged determination to hang on no matter what and DIG her
 teeth in on Loni's part is probably something rarely encountered by Vitaly,
 especially in one so young, rather than an old, embittered soldier who has had
 war engraved in their soul. But even now, with the Z'Gok screaming damage
 warnings and flashing red in the cockpit, the limbs barely attached to the
 body, leaks causing water to start to enter the MS's interior, throwing the
 blood spatter on the instruments and view screws into even darker relief...
 Loni Garvey BITES DEEP and DOESN'T LET GO.

        <<SHIIIINEEEEEEE!!!>> she screams out, ALMOST not even caring anymore
 if this is her last fight as long as she gets her revenge by taking the Winter
 Witch with her!

        The Z'Gok's arms fire their beams at close range over and over and over!


<Pose Tracker> Excellen Browning has posed.

        <"Ara?!"> Excellen exclaims as one of the claws of Serinas's unit
 latches onto the foot of her Weissritter and drags her into melee range.
 Gatling lasers rain upon the Wiessritter's previously immaculate brilliant
 white armor is scorched and vaporized by the superheated photon bursts.
 Meanwhile additional strikes in the form of claw, elbow, and knees come flying
 her way. <"Ow ow ow!! Wow, you sure are being rough on poor Weissy!!!">

        Pushing forward on both control sticks, the Weissritter's thrusters
 burst to life driving the unit directly into the Queadluun-Rhea attempting to
 break the grasp by forcing the claw holding her into an odd angle!!
 Attempting to force the Meltrandi to choose between trying to maintain a grip
 on her leg and possibly losing one of her unit's arms.

        Regardless, once the grip is broken the Weissritter boosts again,
 swerving between the remnants of the dock's buildings and attempting to break
 sight with the Queadlunn-Rhea...

        ...well, except on the video feed anyway.

        <"Well well well, that was very impressive Target-chan~! I guess I
 should give you prize..."> With that she winks mischievously as the camera
 pans lower and she starts to move lower. <"Time to show you my D-..."> The
 zipper lowers just enough that she risks exposing her chest, <"...MODE!!!">

        A pair of split missile canisters are shot over the roof top of a
 warehouse as the Weissritter strafes out from behind an intact warehouse
 building, firing a rain of laser blasts from the arm-mounted triple beam
 cannon before once again drawing its Oxtongue Launcher. The unit's thrusters
 ignite as the unit flies toward Serinas!!

        Missiles rain down toward the Queadlunn-Rhea as the triple beam cannon
 seeks to score across its remaining armor. Just in time ballistic rounds
 begin to strike, issued forth from the Oxtongue Launcher as the Weissritter
 spins with each shot! Moments before the Weissritter crashes into Serinas the
 unit suddenly takes skyward, risking the anti-air spread above to flyupwards
 and backwards. <"What does the D stand for? Double? Destroyer? My Cup
 Size!? Maybe if you survive this I'll let you find out!"> Still upside,
 Excellen's unit aims its Oxtongue Launcher and fires a massive energy beam
 directly at the Meltrandi battlesuit!! Aiming to not just disable her unit,
 but even drive her back into the sea!

KTS: Loni Garvey targets Vitaly Sokolov with Mega Particle Cannon CQC!
KTS: Excellen Browning has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Excellen Browning targets Serinas Nikola with Oxtongue Launcher D Mode!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov blocks Loni Garvey's Mega Particle Cannon CQC, taking 1980
 damage!
KTS: Loni Garvey has engaged Vitaly Sokolov!
KTS: Loni Garvey begins a Formation attack!

<Pose Tracker> Todd Bonzalez has posed.

Todd's machine, content the incoming missile threat was neutralized, rounds on
 the damaged Quebley.

"And You, Kid, I know you probably think you're doing what's right, but you're
 wrong. Stay down, final warning." He says over the external speakers, leveling
 his beam rifle at the damaged mecha, aiming for it's joints in an attempt to
 put the mecha down without injuring the obviously underage pilot.

KTS: Todd Bonzalez targets Puru Ten with Standard Primary Beam Rifle Shot!
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged with
 Loni Garvey
Vitaly Sokolov transforms to RX-123-P Gundam TR-S [Hazel Flare Proto]
KTS: Serinas Nikola fails to Evade Excellen Browning's Oxtongue Launcher D
 Mode, taking 6860 damage!
KTS: Serinas Nikola has been defeated!
KTS: Excellen Browning completes the Formation attack!
<Pose Tracker> Vitaly Sokolov has posed.

<"You better not get far. Must discuss basics again on defensive piloting.">
 Vitaly Sokolov answers Lina Lombardi as she hears her on the radio. Clearly,
 she's been watching her student. How could she not? A teacher takes pride and
 care.

But her expression immediately gets tense and sharp when the Z'Gok's limbs come
 forward again. The amount of refusal to give up. This pilot clearly is no
 typical Zeon Remnant member. She's fighting like she's had years of
 experience. Yet her voice sounds too young.

<"Niet. I refuse."> Vitaly calmly declares, as the remaining claw slams down
 against the side of the Z'Gok, using the Rabscuttle's superior size to avoid
 the initial blow, before... there's a sudden appearance of bubbles blasting
 off. The support unit detaching as something appears from its underside.
 Rising up...

Blue glowing eyes suddenly flash, and a V-Symbol crests atop its head. The
 enormous unit drawing back as two large hands suddenly reach out, seeking to
 grab hold of the Z'Gok, and enormous thrusters engage at the back...

As the bubbles fade, the thrusters behind it lighting it up, a Gundam shows.
 The heavy thrusters bursting it up towards the surface of the water, as the
 hands try to grip closer and the beam-fingers engage, trying to pierce through
 its armor as it lifts the Z'Gok to the surface and once reaching it, engages
 its Minovsky Flight system to try and rise above the waterborn unit.

KTS: Vitaly Sokolov targets Loni Garvey with 3-Barrel Beam Cannon Fingers!
Todd Bonzalez has cancelled his attack.
<Pose Tracker> Puru Ten has posed.


        Panting a bit, Puru recalls her funnels after they put in the work to
 finish the fight with the VF pilot. It seems her newfound rival survived at
 least... She doesn't know how to feel about that, but at least it means maybe
 they can have a do-over in the future, without any of these cowards around.
 Though, now that she thinks about it, if she and her sisters were fighting
 together, wouldn't it be the same thing? Hmm... No. Because there was the
 implicit expectation of a one-on-one, so anything else is deception, and Puru
 haaaaaates being deceived! That's how she rationalizes it anyway.
        Even so, she is going to go nuts on that missile guy! If she can
 just... Gather the energy to do so...!
        Focusing her mind, calling out the funnels that she can feel like
 individual people with their own personalities and feelings, even if that's
 probably just her projecting, Puru Ten sends a wave of her funnels after Todd
 'The Missile Guy' Todderson, following up on the spiral formation she just
 used!
        "Why does everyone keep acting like I'm a kid! I'm >eleven<!" she yells
 out indignantly while struggling to keep the Qubeley in the air with
 everything going haywire and exploding all over.
        Priorities.

KTS: Puru Ten has activated the Assail Spirit Command.
KTS: Puru Ten targets Todd Bonzalez with Qubeley Funnels Follow-Up Formation!
KTS: Todd Bonzalez has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Todd Bonzalez's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage.
KTS: Todd Bonzalez blocks Puru Ten's Qubeley Funnels Follow-Up Formation,
 taking 5040 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.

        "Telling me to keep one eye open, are you..? Get in line, buddy,"
 Yuliana throws out to Rau, with a grit-teeth grin.

        Those claws are very long -- surely large enough to wrap around the
 wanzer entirely. But Yuliana doesn't much intend to let him get away with
 it. She grabs the trigger on her Heavy Flamer, and pulls --

        As it happens, the semi-transparent medium on her Tiandong 3 isn't to
 absorb the force of other people's attacks.

        It's to protect her from her own.

        Using the cover of her own blast, she wrests herself out of the ZnO's
 grip -- but even getting that distance, she isn't able to escape the path of
 that devastating energy cannon. "Rrrghhh--!!" That noise of discontent is FAR
 from Yuliana's first priority to censor; it transmits to Rau, just the same,
 as she thrusts her grip forward to push her wanzer around.

        There are a significant number of alarms going off inside her cockpit
 by the end.

        "Tch," Yuliana spits, her grip tight on her stick.

        "Normally, something like this wouldn't stop me... but I have no
 interest in making an easy decision for someone like you." She really sounds
 like she loathes the man in the ZnO, despite his affability.

        She flicks her communications to the allied band, and transmits:
 "Minovsky's Woman reporting. I've sustained heavy damage from the enemy's
 energy cannons. Now retreating. Nega Force, continue to lay down cover fire."

        "Yes, sir," the RK-96 Savage II sniper transmits.

        Yuliana really does hate to leave a fight unfinished, but... she has
 more than this to weigh on the scales, now.

KTS: Loni Garvey has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Loni Garvey rushes into the attack!
KTS: Loni Garvey partially guards Vitaly Sokolov's 3-Barrel Beam Cannon
 Fingers, taking 6960 damage!
KTS: Loni Garvey has been defeated!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov has engaged Loni Garvey!
KTS: Vitaly Sokolov completes the Formation attack!
<Pose Tracker> Todd Bonzalez has posed.

Todd's machine, content the incoming missile threat was neutralized, rounds on
 the damaged Quebley. The incoming funnels begin their barrage as he redirects
 his barriers and his held shield to take the brunt of the attack.

"And You, Kid, I know you probably think you're doing what's right, but you're
 wrong. Stay down, final warning." He says over the external speakers,
 transforming and locking his beam rifle on the damaged mecha, aiming for it's
 joints in an attempt to put the mecha down without injuring the obviously
 underage pilot.
Todd Bonzalez transforms to VF/A-44 Starbuster <Fighter Mode>

KTS: Todd Bonzalez has changed loadout.
KTS: Todd Bonzalez targets Puru Ten with Standard Primary Beam Rifle Shot!
KTS: Puru Ten's Beam Wall L2 activates, negating 2000 base damage.
KTS: Puru Ten fails to Evade Todd Bonzalez's Standard Primary Beam Rifle Shot,
 taking 1540 damage!
KTS: Puru Ten has been defeated!
<Pose Tracker> Loni Garvey has posed.


        The blade comes down, slicing through the Z'Gok, and sending a cloud of
 bubbles and dark oily fluid blasting upwards from the split mobile suit. It
 doesn't explode at least. Sometime later, washing up on the shore of whatever
 the nearest land mass is, parts of the Z'Gok come to rest. Loni Garvey,
 somehow, miraculously, climbs out of the wreckage. Shaking, gasping for air,
 drenched and dripping blood from her mouth and the hole in her belly, the
 dark-skinned woman remains on her hands and knees for a minute or two before
 clenching her hands in the wet sand, sitting up straight violently despite her
 injuries, and letting out a primal, animalistic scream of pure hatred as tears
 stream from her eyes. She keeps screaming her hate back out at the ocean until
 her voice gives out, and then she just sobs in the sand, and waits for rescue.

        She'll have her revenge one day.

        Just you wait.

KTS: Loni Garvey's MSM-07S Z'Gok (Sleeves Use) has been disabled.
<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        Wait, what word starts with D? No matter. Serinas isn't paying *full*
 attention to the video this time, and fires the gatling lasers to shoot down
 some of the split missiles, but while she's focused on that she's just not
 fast enough to keep up with Excellen. Precision shots from the oxtongue
 launcher blow apart the armor protecting the 'cockpit' -- that massive beam
 has her twisting the suit to take it in the back where there's still more
 armor, but she's in no condition to take another hit as she goes down,
 crashing to the pavement, the Queadluun-rhea half-rolling, leaving Serinas
 looking up at the Weisritter for a moment. You did it! You cracked the shell
 and exposed the Meltrandi center. She's wearing a surplus Zentradi War
 piloting suit, purple with a harness plugged into the suit.

        She looks up at the Personal Trooper in shock and confusion. What is
 WITH this pilot?? She feels like she's in danger in some other sense,
 *besides* the whole 'cockpit has been blasted open and she's facing a war
 machine that just kicked her ass' sense.

        A second or two passes, and the thrusters fire up and send the
 Quadluun-Rhea skidding across the pavement away from Excellen back towards the
 sea, taking to the air again as she flies out over the water heading for the
 sub.

<Pose Tracker> Puru Ten has posed.


        Loni is not the only one defeated in the end. Despite her best efforts,
 and despite the buffer of her I-Beam Fields, the beam rifle shot from that VF
 manages to be just enough damage to surpass the threshold of what the
 already-damaged Qubeley can produce. Falling completely out of the air and
 into the ocean, Puru is unable to get her Qubeley back into action right away
 to rescue anyone. She'll have to get out the tool kit and try to make quick
 repairs before some aquatic mobile armor comes out of the depths or a shark or
 maybe even a whale! Earth water is terrifying, after all!
        But she's fuming about how this all turned out. She was SO ready to do
 some posturing and witty reparte and have a fight that would make her feel
 like, 'yes, I'm really back.' But it worked in its own way.
        Failing again and again seems to be reality for her.
        The cockpit pops open as the orange-haired pilot inside tries to climb
 out to begin repairs, too angry to even acknowledge the solid burns delivered
 by Todd.
        But oh >boy< is she mad.

KTS: Puru Ten's AMX-004G Qubeley MP Custom [P10 Custom] has been disabled.
<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        The retreat of Lina's Nightmare creates an opening in the defenses of
 the base. Which one of the additional ZnOs launched by the ZAFT submarines is
 able to take advantage of. The hulking amphibious unit stomps between a couple
 of buildings until finally coming into sight of the substation he was assigned
 to destroy. He fires a torpedo into it, the structure exploding in a shower of
 sparks and fire.

        The green ZAFT pilot radios to his allies, <"This is Shark-2. One
 substation down. Moving on to-wait NO-"> A round fired from one of the base's
 Tieren defenders penetrates his machine, causing it to explode.

        In the command center of the fortress, an operator reports, "The enemy
 has successfully destroyed one of the substations." The base commander doesn't
 seem all that upset. In fact he's simply smirking as he taps his finger
 against his arm rest.

        -------

        Rau's ZnO loses its grip on Yuliana's machine. But he's still able to
 adjust the aim for his cannon, managing to inflict some significant damage. He
 watches on his screen as she proceeds into a retreat with one last thorn
 thrown his way. He replies with, <"Another time, then."> Suddenly there is
 some sniper fire, Rau moving another building between himself and the source.
 He's definitely not keen on pursuing with that sniper keep a bead on him. Even
 if his interest in Yuliana has been peaked. Rau's not particularly fond of
 Newtypes. Even when he is one himself. Just another form of humanity greedily
 sought out by others.

        But on the bright side, he now has a clear shot towards his objective.
 Raising one of his machine's hands, he fires off a beam into the substation,
 putting a large hole through the building, equipment and severed power lines
 sparking.

        Rau reports over the ZAFT allied channel, <"This is Le Creuset.
 Objective destroyed."> So far so good, it seems. He begins to pull back
 towards the water's edge.

        Rau's white and grey ZnO dives into the water of the harbor, switching
 over to cruising mode as it sinks beneath the surface. As Rau begins to make
 his way back towards the ZAFT submarines, he notices an alert pop up. One of
 the irregular units that had joined the attack has been disabled... He hmmms
 thoughtfully. One the one hand, he doesn't really care about them. On the
 other though... It never hurts to have someone in your debt.

        A shadow looms beneath the surface of the water near Puru. Oh no! The
 shark is here to get her!

        Rau's ZnO pops up out of the water and he radios to her, <"Get in your
 machine. I'll pull you back to the submarine.">

<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.

The missiles were shot down, exploding early in the sky like fireworks. Hmm,
 maybe she'll need to think through how to use them all more properly. And
 then... she's being lectured? About a kid being on the battlefield. Hmmh. That
 doesn't sit right with her. "What are you yelling at ME about? I didn't bring
 any kids to the field. We weren't even on the same ship! I hadn't the
 slightest idea any pilots so young were here to begin with!" She's not blaming
 ZAFT for this. That was a Neo Zeon mobile suit after all. She'd had no idea
 about any of this, but she's going to file reports about it. Asking somebody
 to investigate into who's authorizing child soldiers, and taking a fist to
 anyone who tries stonewalling her. This has... definitely started something
 problematic. "Your Federation, meanwhile, knowingly STARVES the colonies!
 Their every move is another attempt to press an iron heel against the throats
 of people who just want the freedom to live their own lives!"

She sounds... incensed, to say the least. And given the way the Galaxia's
 chestplate is opening up as the rest of it grows somewhat dim... It sounds
 like she's about to do something big. "NO MATTER THE SOURCE. I'LL FIGHT EVERY
 MONSTER THAT RAISES ITS VILE FACE ACROSS THE GALAXY! EVERY TYRANT WHO ABUSES
 THE DOWNTRODDEN! SO TAKE A LOOK AT THE FLAME OF MY SOUL! GALAXIA! MAX!
 BURNING!" The beam that erupts from the Gardnova's chest is... to say the
 least, excessive. The list of people who can recognize a Gravity Blast here
 are slim, and even fewer who would know what to do about it. The good news is!
 Her machine seems to have stalled for a moment in the aftermath of the
 gargantuan beam. It'll take a moment to regain mobility. Precious time to
 either retreat or launch a counterattack while its other systems are mostly
 down.

KTS: Michiru Tenjou has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Michiru Tenjou has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
<Pose Tracker> Excellen Browning has posed.

        <"Ah... I might have overdone it a little?"> Excellent comments out
 loud while watching the Meltrandi armor rolling across the asphalt of the
 docking area. That's when she manages to see Serinas, the sweet Meltrandi
 center to the hard Queadluun-Rhea shell!! Sadly she didn't manage to inflict
 more battle damage to the surplus Zentradi War piloting suit... but eh, better
 to inflict too little than too much damage after all!!

Once again Excellen scratching her chin in thought, <"Huh... what can we do
 with a shot down macronized Meltrandi prisoner?"> Then she considers: Having
 to find some giant hand-cuffs, give her a giant pat-down, find her a
 giant-prison suit, have her go through a giant-shower!? The real question
 is... WHAT COULDN'T EXCELLEN DO WITH A GIANT WOMAN?!

        Once again, that too-feline smile spreads across her face.

        And just then, Serinas having perhaps a sort of Newtype Flash moment of
 sensing VERY REAL DANGER radiating from within the Weissritter, manages to
 engage her unit's thrusters to make a hasty retreat towards the sub. Excellen
 says, <"Ah!!"> She pauses, frowns, and then sighs with a shrug.

        The Weissritter spins its Oxtongue Launcher with a flourish before
 laying it back across its shoulders. <"ATX-2 Ensign Browning reporting,
 unfortunately my little fishy got away~! But I think I've managed to route
 the contingent going after my substation. Gonna hold position while providing
 firing support!">

KTS: Michiru Tenjou targets Todd Bonzalez with Galaxia Blaster MAX!!
KTS: Excellen Browning has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Todd
 Bonzalez
KTS: Todd Bonzalez has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Todd Bonzalez has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Todd Bonzalez fails to evade Michiru Tenjou's Galaxia Blaster MAX!, taking
 8400 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Michiru Tenjou's Villainy Will Never Succeed! activates,
 causing Sparkle!
KTS: Todd Bonzalez has been defeated!
KTS: Michiru Tenjou roots her unit, coming to a standstill and leaving her
 vulnerable.
<Pose Tracker> Vitaly Sokolov has posed.

As soon as the Z-Gok is dispatched, the Hazel Flare Gundam launches up and
 lands on the inside of the harbor on one of the edges of the surface, just in
 time to see one of the mercenaries go down.

The woman uses the systems available to her to get a quick grasp of the
 situation. With Minovksy's Woman having retreated, Lina shot down, and the
 Mercenary having fallen, the amount of Ace Pilots remaining in the battle is
 quickly dwindling.

<"Ensign Browning. Status?"> The woman coldly calls out in her heavy accent, as
 the Gundam's massive shoulder mounted backpacks begin to open, and multiple
 small manipulator claws begin to move ammunition out of the canister and into
 the various weapons it is carrying.

<Pose Tracker> Todd Bonzalez has posed.

Todd watches the wrecked Quebley splash down in the harbor as he flys back
 above the battlefield. He keeps an eye on the floating wreck until he notices
 the canopy open and the very obviously underage pilot climb out. Letting out a
 breath he didn't realise he was holding, he radios back to the base command.

"Shortstop, splash one bandit, underage pilot floating in the harbor,
 requesting recovery crew to fish them out." He reports, before turning his
 attention back to the battle at hand. The strange robot he was facing before
 was counter lecturing him, and clearly winding up for a massive attack.
 Quickly, Todd re-directs power from his barriers to his engines and guns it,
 just in time to take the hit as a glancing shot, but it still disables his
 engines and main reactor, shunting him to emergency power.

"Charlie Foxtrot! Lost engines one and two, main power is out, failing over to
 backup, initiate emergency landing!" He transmits as his fighter falls out of
 the sky.

Close to the ground, he manages to guide the striken fighter to a controlled
 splashdown close to the downed Quebley, close enough to splash the pilot on
 top. Now floating, Todd opens his canopy, and fires a flare from a flare gun
 to signal for pickup, looking out at the other pilot. "I didn't realize they
 made those things in child size. Why the hell are you here?" He asks, a mix of
 frustration and confusion.

KTS: Todd Bonzalez's VF/A-44 Starbuster <Fighter Mode> has been disabled.
<Pose Tracker> Excellen Browning has posed.

        Over at Excellen's end of the battlefield, with the Meltrandi ace in
 retreat she has been mopping up the stragglers. A single B-mode round from
 the Oxtongue launcher severs a unit neatly in two! Then a sweeping shot of of
 the E-Mode manages to sear several more. The few that are left are in
 retreat, and Excellen isn't so bloodthirsty as to try and chase them down.

        <"Oh hi~! Status over here is good, this substation is up and running.
  Though..."> She glances at her radar. From her position and the readout of
 IFF readings, she knows enough about what's going on to be able to figure out
 that it's not good. <"... I'm guessing we won the battle to lose the war. Can
 this thing run at two-fifths capacity? We'll have reinforcements from ATX
 coming in a few minutes but I don't think they'll get here in time.">

        She feels like she knows the answer - both to her question, and to
 whether or not the ATX Team will get there in time. No and no. However, it
 might be best to hear it from the Ice Queen's mouth.

<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        The final substation is free to be taken down by Michiru, now that its
 last defender is gone. And the result is immediate. Power goes out across this
 section of the base. The interior lighting of the office buildings goes dark.
 The defense turrets lining the outer wall go still. The spinning sign outside
 of the partially ruined Starbucks stops turning. The power grid had
 overloaded...

        ... Unfortunately, only for this section of the base. The weapons of
 the inner defense wall remain operational. As does all the buildings beyond it.

        Laughter echoes out from speakers throughout the fortress as the base's
 commander laughs. He then says, "Stupid Coordinators. You think we wouldn't
 have identified any flaws in our systems and fixed them!? Although, it was
 very kind of you to fall for our bait. I had my doubts that the leaked intel
 would be enough to pull you in. But I'm glad it worked... FOURTH AND EIGHTH
 BATTALIONS, ADVANCE!

        ZAFT and its allies will suddenly find their systems going crazy with
 the detection of new enemy signatures. Hatches in the high security section
 leading underground open up, new enemy units marching up out of them. Both the
 north and south security gates slide apart, allowing the new units to move out
 to assist in the defense.

        And then, another alert: Mission Time Elapsed

        Their five minutes was up.

        In the skies, streaks of fire can be seen as the ZAFT drop pods,
 launched from the fleet in orbit, begin to rush down into the atmosphere.

        To the rear of the fortress base, the two massive bunker doors start to
 slide open. A massive barrel rises out, along with the rest of the heavy
 railgun. Once the weapon finishes rising into place, it angles itself up to
 point into the sky above. There's the sound of charging energy... Before a
 resounding WHOOOOOOMF as the weapon fires.

        Shortly afterwards. One of the falling drop pods explodes into pieces.
 The large railgun adjusts its aim and fires again... And again... More drop
 pods getting hit before vanishing from the skies.

        Keenly aware of what's happening as he pulls Puru's unit back towards
 one of the submarines, Rau radios to the rest of the ZAFT allied force,
 <"We've done what we came here to do. All forces, pull back. There's no point
 in sticking around any more.">

<Pose Tracker> Puru Ten has posed.


        The bright light and loud sounds of Todd's VF being blasted out of the
 sky are the only warning Puru gets before the smoldering mass lands in the
 water a short distance away, close enough to send a wall of water up and over
 her and the lip of the cockpit. Sputtering, wiping her eyes and her fiery
 orange hair out of her face, she turns around eventually, just as Todd emerges
 from his own machine.
        She stares in disbelief momentarily as he tries to, like, >Converse<
 with her.
        Then her face gets really red, and her eyes get really wide, and her
 cheeks get really puffed up as she inhales deeper and deeper.
        What comes out after that can be summarized as *Angry Puru noises* or
 perhaps *Puru nonsense*. Just ranting at the top of her high-pitched voice,
 with all the most creative insults she can come up with given the absence of
 any swears in her vocabulary. She keeps on chewing Todd out in an
 incomprehensible deluge of preteen fury as Rau rises up from the waves and
 tells her to get back in her Qubeley, and she keeps on lambasting Todd as she
 obeys and gets back into her now partially-filled-with-sea-water cockpit (and
 oh BOY does THAT discovery not improve her mood). Absolutely livid, it's not
 until the hatch is sealed shut that the verbal bombardment ends.
        Todd just got called some NAMES.

KTS: Vitaly Sokolov has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged with
 Rau Le Creuset
<Pose Tracker> Todd Bonzalez has posed.

Todd can only watch as he is both roasted, and the enemy pilot is recovered by
 another enemy mecha. With power down to his own machine there's little he can
 do to stop it and watches the wreck get carried out towards the enemy
 transports.

Some of those names will haunt Todd in his dreams tonight.

He looks up, to see the main defense cannon begin picking off the drop pods. A
 relief, he was concerned they might have lost too many substations for the
 defenses to remain active. All that was left for him to do now was to ruminate
 on the very angry enemy pilot he'd encountered, and how he'd explain all this
 in his after action report.

A recovery team arrived soon with heavy lift gear to fish the stricken VF and
 it's pilot out of the drink. Starbuster had come back from worse hits, and so
 had Todd, but something about that kid stuck with him.

<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.

With the success of her semi-glorious battle, Michiru has a moment to take a
 breath. To redirect the Galaxia Core to its normal operating parameters. She's
 got a good deal to think about right now. ...Turns out there WAS something
 that can sour her mood, as a matter of fact. Still, she's an academy graduate.
 She can set things like that aside momentarily, to do her job as a soldier. So
 she'll make her way to the substation she was assigned to take down. And
 unleash her missiles and ocular beams to shred it.

Mission complete. But she has feelings about that. Pretty mixed feelings.
 "That's a lot of rotten business we'll have to resolve." A few words to
 herself, as she tries to shake off some of her worries. It's the Sleeves who
 did that after all. Not her ZAFT friends and allies. They'll agree with her
 about investigation into this whole thing. "Target destroyed. Tenjou,
 withdrawing!" ...Maybe they can still make the brief leave work out. Somehow.

<Pose Tracker> Vitaly Sokolov has posed.

<"Niet. Not when it was built."> The woman answers in a firm tone. <"Before, it
 require three-fifth. Power draw too high."> And as the power and lights start
 shutting down, it most certainly seems to push that point home.

<"But..."> She then continues to say, as the voice of the REA command of the
 base comes up. Excellen may learn something that day, on the fact that Vitaly
 seems to be aware of the actions of such a particular group of people.

She waits, letting the generator within the Hazel Flare Gundam rev up further,
 and as the Dropships start getting shot down, the woman rolls her shoulders
 for a moment.

<"Now, I chase."> As the Hazel Proto's thrusters begin to wind up. Her legs
 pressing down. The prosthetic connections into her unit allowing complex
 commands to be sent into the machine, adjusting the speed and power behind her
 machine.

The pressure immediately builds against her body, as the inner weapons of the
 base activate and fire at the ZAFT forces remaining around her. The water
 splashes up, violently being sent everywhere as a massive 120mm Gatling Gun
 begins to open up on Rau's position as he tries to retreat with Puru Ten.
 Beneath the water, the Rabscuttle begins to move, ready to aid in the chase.

As she tries to establish a laser-comm with Rau.

<"I will not permit you to depart."> The statement is firm and definite, right
 before one of the chambers adjusts and pulls a large rocket and sets it on its
 shoulder. It turns, shifting downwards, and amidst its approach, it fires down
 into the water and immediately turns like a Torpedo. The anti-capital warhead
 rocketing right for Rau's position as the Hazel gets into uncomfortably close
 range.

KTS: Vitaly Sokolov targets Rau Le Creuset with Long Tube!
<Pose Tracker> Excellen Browning has posed.

        Fresh reinforcements!! Those sure are nice, aren't they? Well at
 first Excellen is susprised, relieved... and then when she hears the voices
 over the radio any sense of relief curdles into disgust. She sees... well
 rather, FEELS the railgun firing. She sees the ZAFT forces retreating. And
 she recognizes the swarm of allied IFF tags on her radar.

        Stretching back into her seat and yawning, Excellen keys in a text-only
 communication to the rest of the ATX team that their reinforcements won't be
 required because the Blue Cosmos has showed up to fortify the position. There
 is probably a frowny face in that message. There may be several. Regardless
 once the message is relayed, the Sekuhara Terror of Londo Bell returns her
 hands to the control grips of her machine and it begins to take off.

        <"Have fun with that! I'm going to take this chance to withdraw to get
 Weissy a resupply while the getting is good. Please send the base commander
 the ATX Team's kind regards~!">

        With that, Excellen Browning's unit engages its high mobility mode and
 streaks off towards the horizon and back to her deployment zone!! What she
 didn't mention is that after the resupply she also means to get Weissy's armor
 fixed up, then take a shower, maybe watch a few episodes of some old cartoons,
 and try her level best to pass off writing the After Action Report to Bullet
 if nobody else!

KTS: Excellen Browning's PTX-007-03C Weissritter has been disabled.

<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        The base's commander, General Isaev, watches with a smug grin as the
 screens in the command center show the results of the railgun shooting down
 those drop pods. As one explodes, he laughs, "They're popping like balloons.
 I'd love to see the look on those pilots faces as they realize there's nothing
 they can do." He continues to watch with a grin.

        The grin fades a little... Somethings nagging him. Though he can't
 place it.

        General Isaev leans forward, watching as more drop pods explode...
 Those pilots... Those pilots... Those pilots...

        "Wait! Rewind that screen and reduce to one tenth speed!" One of the
 screens rewinds, returning a destroyed drop pod to an intact one. It then
 starts to play again, much slower. The point of impact can be seen. Followed
 by the pod's structure, designed to detach and separate when deploying the
 units inside, ballooning out from the resulting explosion. Just as described
 by the General. And that's when he notices it... There's something missing.

        The drop pod's exploded debris is not accompanied by any exploded parts
 of the units inside.

        The General looks from one screen to another, where another pod goes up.

        The same thing...

        Another screen. And another. And another.

        They're all empty!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset fails to react to Vitaly Sokolov's Long Tube, taking 8040
 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at -205
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has been defeated!
KTS: You're out of the fight. Consider using +eject to leave the battlefield.
<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        Rau smirks. He's essentially the only one here who actually knows
 what's going on. To some degree, anyway. It's going to be a little while
 before he actually gets confirmation that the operation worked... But he's
 satisfied with how things turned out.

        Except that things aren't quite over yet. As he's loading Puru's
 damaged machine into one of the underwater launch tubes for retrieval, his
 system alerts him to an incoming torpedo. He quickly finishes up and bursts
 away, diving deeper to try and draw the torpedo away from the submarine. He
 swerves left and right, managing to avoid the homing weapon a couple of times.
 But it finally catches up to him...

        There is an underwater explosion. The water's surface bulging upwards
 before a spray launches into the air. The water finally settles again.

        The distortion of the explosion briefly hides the fate of Rau's ZnO.
 But once it fades, said machine can be seen still intact... Mostly. It's
 transformed back into humanoid mode, though is missing both its legs and one
 of its arms. There's a crack in the torso's frame, air bubbles rushing out.

        But the machine reaches out with its one good arm, grabbing hold of a
 protrusion from the nearby submarine. In the cockpit, it is starting to fill
 with water. But Rau is safe, for the moment, thanks to his pilots suit. He
 radios to the sub's captain, <"I'm attached. Get us out of here.">

        Both submarines, having turned in preparation of retreating, kick their
 propellers into full ahead. They begin to rush out of the fortress harbor and
 into open sea. But not before firing a spread of torpedoes back towards the
 broken sea gate, to ward of any followers.

<Pose Tracker> Vitaly Sokolov has posed.

"Torpedo... detonate." Vitaly Sokolov quietly remarks when her sensors indicate
 that the missile has gotten close enough, and manually detonates the device.
 The water erupts upwards, and there's even a large gulf of water as so much of
 it is suddenly displaced. Upwards, then sinking downwards as a part of the sea
 floor is annihilated by the detonation, before it evens out again.

From the Support Craft, she gets readings a bit later that have her tisk under
 her breath. <"Readying to chase."> She reports back to base through
 laser-comms when she suddenly gets a message that has her halt her intent to
 keep engaging.

And squints in the direction of the retreating submarines.

<"Disengaging from combat theater and redeploying.">