2025-05-08: Train Trouble
- Log: Train Trouble
- Cast: Aurora Dusk (as herself and as the Train Escort Squad), Kallen Kozuki, Orion Kessler
- Where: Area 11
- OOC - IC Date: UC 0100, May 07-08
- Summary: Satellicon strikes a Britannian armoured train in order to raid it for advanced parts and schematics. The escorts are quickly dispatched, but the reinforcements are made of sterner stuff...
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
It's the dead of night in Area 11. Not quite 'witching hour' yet, but something like that. The kind of night that's usually silent. Usually. Tonight, the silence is broken by the thundering sound of an armoured train as it comes barrelling down a railway track, just as the track and the gravel around it interrupts the natural world it passes through. It's a sleek-yet-bulky dark-coloured thing, making a delivery in the dead of night for secrecy. Several GN-Xs are flying alongside the train as an added security measure, to supplement the train's own gun carriages.
Deliveries like this derive a lot of their security from secrecy. Unfortunately for the authorities, this train happens to not be as secret as they think. Somehow, Satellicon has found out about it, and the cargo happens to be of interest to multiple groups under their umbrella. Various GN-type machine parts, Knightmare Frame schematics... the kinds of things that a terrorist group would want (hence the security). The guard is fairly light, but there are reinforcements on call nearby. Time is of the essence - the longer the fight drags on, the more crushing the response from the train's owners will become.
Of course, Satellicon is used to conditions like that, right?
KTS: Aurora Dusk has deployed in GNX-603T GN-X. KTS: Kallen Kozuki has deployed in Type-02 Guren Mk. II. KTS: Orion Kessler has deployed in GNX-609T/BW GN-XIII Cannon.
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
Train robbery... that's a nostalgic feeling. Kallen's done several of those in the past, with different configurations of company. Different kinds of people watching her back. That fact was central in her decision. What better way to make her announcements to the world, than to make a show of having the Guren right there. A Knightmare with a feared reputation. "Crimson Queen here, standing by at the forward position." Even if she's not with the Black Knights any more, being Q-1, the Red Queen, is second nature to her. "When you see the sign of my movement, begin immediately. Suppressive shots, takedowns, it all needs to be done FAST. Once we have an opening, funnel in to grab what you can. Scrap what we can't, then book it according to the nearest plan."
She's the most senior operative today, and teaching the team what they need to know will help both short and long term. As for the Guren, these days it wears a huge cloak over itself... not just for the appearances either. Guren's not in her best shape after all. Kallen does what she can, but she's low on the right parts. She can't have more made without the genius who created Guren and pioneered its key systems. Even as her apprentice, that's outside Kallen's rights. So best nobody can quite see the somewhat patchwork repairs in places.
That condition won't stop her in the least however. Taking what she learned from previous train heists, she's not just on the tracks themselves this time. No, she's liquified the ground ahead of the train. Prepared a sinkhole for the tracks to dip into, so THIS ONE won't violently derail. It should just get stalled out in the muck. Leaving her able to get to work on the forward guard. GN-X's are terrifying from one perspective... but she's fought the Lancelot. She's fought Beliel. She fought the damned Nineball to help Asciel find herself, among the many OTHER things she's done for that girl. She squared off against DR. HELL! For her, they're just another symbol of oppression. So she'll get in there with her tried and true techniques. If they're going to fly, she'll ramp off the side of an old condemned building, to take 'flight' as she casts out the net of her Harkens in a sweeping pattern. Standard anti-flight tricks, use superior mobility then drag them down onto your home turf.
KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Aurora Dusk with Slash Harken Entangle!
<Pose Tracker> Orion Kessler has posed.
As Kallen took the lead in her crimson Knightmare, someone of course has to take the back line. That's where sharpshooters like Orion come in. While they practically sported the same machines as he was, such things will matter little once his skill comes into play. He did steal this from right under their noses after all, goes to show he has some form of skill over the average grunt.
"Copy that Queen, watch the line of fire. Don't wanna get shot down by accident on my first mission." The GN-X III behind Kallen flew upwards right behind her, the pseudo-GN Drive humming as it began generating the appropriate GN Particles necessary for the opening strike.
"Orion Kessler, eliminating the opposition!"
KTS: Orion Kessler targets Aurora Dusk with GN-X Cannon Low Power Shot! KTS: Orion Kessler's Rebellious Tendency activates Valor and Wall! KTS: Aurora Dusk fails to engage evade against Kallen Kozuki's Slash Harken Entangle! KTS: Best Defense! Aurora Dusk successfully reacts to Kallen Kozuki's Slash Harken Entangle, taking 3750 damage! KTS: Kallen Kozuki anchors Aurora Dusk, preventing her from Evading the next attack! KTS: Kallen Kozuki rattles Aurora Dusk, making her next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Aurora Dusk fails to engage guard against Orion Kessler's GN-X Cannon Low Power Shot! KTS: Best Defense! Aurora Dusk successfully reacts to Orion Kessler's GN-X Cannon Low Power Shot, taking 2925 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
Armoured trains are heavy. Trains are heavy, but armoured ones are heavy even for trains. So, it should come at no surprise that when it runs into Kallen's sinkhole, the armoured train bogs down as expects, wheels grinding and churning muck as the train stalls.
Of course, the driver notices this. << "What the hell? We've stopped! What happened to the tracks?" >>
The GN-X defense team lead, however, is a little less perplexed. << "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK, YOU IDIOT! Take defense formation!" >>
The realisation comes a little too late. The escort team groups together... just in time to be caught by Kallen's harkens and dragged down to the ground. << "Grappling hook! I'm grounded!" >> Once on the ground, the surprised GN-X team is easy prey for Orion's GN cannon. One shot takes the head off of an escort, another strikes the torso.
The team lead, however, is made of sterner stuff. A man in his 30s whose name isn't particularly relevant to this incident, he calls out to his team, trying to rally a defense against the raiders. << "Take out the cannon unit in the back! I'll handle their leader!" >> Entangled by the Harken, he chooses to advance on Kallen instead of trying to avoid her, drawing his beam saber and trying to cut through the Guren in an overhead slash. Two of his subordinates raise their rifles and open fire on Orion, trying to shoot him out of the sky in turn.
KTS: Aurora Dusk targets Kallen Kozuki with GN-X Beam Saber Closing The Gap! KTS: Aurora Dusk targets Orion Kessler with GN-X Beam Rifle Warding Barrage! KTS: Kallen Kozuki engages parry against Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Saber Closing The Gap! KTS: Best Defense! Kallen Kozuki successfully reacts to Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Saber Closing The Gap, taking 1950 damage! KTS: Orion Kessler fails to engage Evade against Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Rifle Warding Barrage! KTS: Best Defense! Orion Kessler successfully reacts to Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Rifle Warding Barrage, taking 3450 damage! KTS: Aurora Dusk rattles Orion Kessler, making his next maneuvers more difficult.
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
The feeling she has in the moment is mixed, to say the least. On one hand, she's a little impressed the GN-X pilot is willing to stand and take her on in melee. The range at which the Guren is most feared. Has it been long enough the past two years, that her reputation has faded? Maybe. And she certainly doesn't mind that idea. Even if she's embraced that part of herself, it's still nice that not EVERYONE knows the former monster of the Black Knights. On the other hand, she's also a bit disappointed. She misses the soul of the kind of pilots she used to fight, like that wild woman in the Flag, or Cornelia. Has this new regime stomped out the fire from its soldiers? So, her focus shifts to Orion. "Oh don't you worry about me. I've fought with sniper support before, who had way worse tempers. Still... while we've got the time. Tell me a bit about yourself?" Could she get to know people when she's not in a mission? Yes. But so many people will go off on their own, and then you have to hunt them down with a pizza or something, and it's a whole ordeal...
Still, if she seems distracted, that's a mistaken impression. She's just so accustomed to a certain Witch provoking her, that this is basically nothing at all. So when the soldier pulls out a beam saber, Guren draws a... knife? Honestly it looks more like a tuning fork than anything else. Given her experience with close range, she moves in with the motions of the GN-X, circling with it to catch the saber just above the hand, on a thin piece of the emitter before the blade. It's a narrow maneuver, and one that still gets the Guren caught on the tip of the beam, leaving a groove in its 'head'. But it's certainly no decisive blow.
Worse for the GN-X pilot, he's left well and truly open to her. The cloak around the Guren flips up slightly, as a damaged silver arm juts out to stab right toward the GN-X with its deadly claw, trying to tear it open. Though she generally tries to avoid the actual cockpit, and just tear around it. "They're lacking in situational awareness. Too reliant on drawing out a fight and getting backup in numbers enough to overwhelm." Probably reliant on having a tech advantage too, but in a sense they still do. Guren was state of the art... several years ago. She doesn't know really, what the exact state of KMF development is these days, outside her own project. But she has to imagine they've at least bridged SOME of the old gap there. ...Right? And GN-X's are a completely separate branch of mobile weapon anyway. One she's thoroughly unfamiliar with.
KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Aurora Dusk with Iron Nail 'Drill' Slash!
<Pose Tracker> Orion Kessler has posed.
As the shots of the enemy GN-Xs closed in, Orion attempted to avoid them, but their number managed to overwhelm him slightly, leading to him getting hit. Given this was mostly his first time in a real battle, the conditions were already leading to him getting a little stressed and less focused. "You wanna talk right now? When they're breathing right down our necks?"
As the two GN-Xs approached, the Cannon unit pulled out a shorter and more compact version of the opposition's own beam rifle, shooting at them with a spread of beams, akin almost to a machine gun. If one thing was at least clear to Orion, it's that his enemies too were equally if not more stressed than he was. So it will only serve him better to keep a cool head, hopefully through this conversation. "Well if you wanna know my deal so badly, I'm Britannian... or was at any rate. Decided enough was enough with how even we're disposable to the higher ups, military or not." For Orion, it was certainly already nerve wracking having to talk with someone known for her supposed hate of Britannians, at least from propaganda, though understandably so.
"Yeah, they definitely seem to be lacking in their own skill. But that doesn't mean we should slow down."
KTS: Orion Kessler targets Aurora Dusk with GN-X Beam Carbine Rifle Rapid Spray! KTS: Orion Kessler's Rebellious Tendency activates Trick and Valor! KTS: Aurora Dusk fails to engage parry against Kallen Kozuki's Iron Nail 'Drill' Slash! KTS: Aurora Dusk moderately reacts to Kallen Kozuki's Iron Nail 'Drill' Slash, taking 5550 damage! KTS: Aurora Dusk's I've Accepted the Machine that I Am activates! KTS: Aurora Dusk fails to engage evade against Orion Kessler's GN-X Beam Carbine Rifle Rapid Spray! KTS: Aurora Dusk successfully reacts to Orion Kessler's GN-X Beam Carbine Rifle Rapid Spray, taking 2769 damage! EDITOR'S NOTE: At this point, Aurora realises she forgot to deploy as a boss. Point and laugh. KTS: Aurora Dusk has deployed as a Boss for 2 opponents.
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
"You think a knife is going to stop a GN-X?!" Seeing the weapon Kallen chooses to oppose him with, the team lead continues with his attack... and gets his beam saber caught for his trouble. "What?!" Soon after, the Guren's metal claw rips his machine open, leaving it splayed on the ground like a deer with its guts strewn out, and the pilot himself shouting obscenities as he impotently shoves his control sticks back and forth. Having left a wound on the Guren is at most slight consolation.
As for Orion, the GN-X units approaching are ones that have either managed to free themselves from the Harkens or were never caught in the first place. They weave around his beams as they approach, firing their own... but Orion's hit better. One GN-X loses a condenser and smacks into the one next to it, sending both down. The other loses a leg and is forced to back off.
By now, the train has had enough time to call for help. At a nearby base...
"Looks like the 'secret convoy' wasn't as secret as we thought. Acting Captain, take the Second Advanced Response Team and back up the escorts." It's been a while since the Second lost their second team captain, and they STILL don't have an official replacement. Currently, Aurora and a second person are trading off. This is that second person's shift, so the teal-haired Cyber-Newtype takes her place in the machine next to the captain, and they launch.
By the time they get there, the train pirates have had more than enough time to scatter the escort team. The new arrivals break off to begin engaging the enemy, and Aurora herself charges towards Kallen's Guren... before swooping back up to open fire with her beam rifle in an elegant motion, zig-zagging towards Orion instead and igniting her beam saber in the same motion she makes to slash at him.
KTS: Aurora Dusk targets Kallen Kozuki with GN-X Beam Rifle Focused Onslaught! KTS: Aurora Dusk has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Aurora Dusk targets Orion Kessler with GN-X Beam Saber Closing The Gap! KTS: Kallen Kozuki engages evade against Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Rifle Focused Onslaught! KTS: Kallen Kozuki poorly reacts to Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Rifle Focused Onslaught, taking 4590 damage! KTS: [Lucky] Orion Kessler's Progenitor's Luck activates, and luck goes his way! KTS: Orion Kessler engages parry against Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Saber Closing The Gap! KTS: Orion Kessler poorly reacts to Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Saber Closing The Gap, taking 3510 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
The Team lead is a lucky one, at the end of the day. He got the less terrifying use of the claw after all, and never had to learn about its most infamous function. It's easy to tune out the man's shouting, but... she doesn't do it. When they start ranting, they almost always give away a secret of some kind. And so, even as she starts offloading part of the cargo, to pass along to the recovery unit, she's keeping an eye out for the second wave. "Huh, well you know what? Good on you. It's always nice to see people deciding to think for themselves." The propaganda and data never mention she's half Britannian herself... of course not.
Preparation isn't everything though. Aurora's feint on her is more than successful, catching her when she's moving to counter a close range move, and peppering the Guren with enough shots to leave cracks spread all over its body. "Oh, this one's got some bite. Careful over there." Plenty of alerts thrown up in Kallen's face, but nothing new to her. And with what she's seeing, they'll benefit from some suppression straught away. Plan's simple, hop up on the back of the train and race down toward the end, while littering the air with grenade shots all around the GN-X, but not aimed for any direct hits. Box in the pilot, take her down fast... They're even now still on a timer. "See what you can do to cripple its maneuverability! Or just bring it down if you can!"
KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Aurora Dusk with Arm Cannon Grenade Shot!
<Pose Tracker> Orion Kessler has posed.
With his successful counteroffensive, Orion simply lets the retreating unit leave, focusing on the mission at hand. It's enough to give them a show of force, the goal was never to kill to begin with. That left them with enough time to start unloading some of the materials they came here for, particularly those needed to make GN technology, along with a few other miscellaneous parts, mostly of the Knightmare Frame variety given the territory they are currently in. Though that didn't mean Orion stopped working, he needed to stay vigilant of reinforcements given he had the long range sensors. Then came more blips on the radar, more GN Particle signatures, reinforcements had arrived.
"It's the welcoming committee, Kallen. They're headed right for you." As Orion gave the warning, he was about to set himself up for a prime sniping position, only to be met face to face by the enemy GN-X. "Holy crap, they're fast!" He barely had enough time to grab the beam saber, he managed to get their blades to lock, but that did little to stop the tip of the beam saber from damaging the shoulder armor.
He backed away from the blade lock as best as he was able to, and very quickly took aim with his Beam Cannon. In the cockpit, a special mechanism came down that looked like a gun, he then used it to aim center mass at the GN-X for a direct hit. "Got you!" An orange beam fired out from the cannon, traveling quickly towards the enemy GN-X as Orion pulled the literal trigger of his gun.
KTS: Aurora Dusk has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Orion Kessler has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Aurora Dusk has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Aurora Dusk engages evade against Kallen Kozuki's Arm Cannon Grenade Shot! KTS: Best Defense! Aurora Dusk successfully reacts to Kallen Kozuki's Arm Cannon Grenade Shot, taking 0 damage! KTS: Orion Kessler has activated the Foresee Spirit Command targeting Kallen Kozuki KTS: Orion Kessler targets Aurora Dusk with GN-X Cannon Long Range Shot! KTS: Orion Kessler's Rebellious Tendency activates Trick and Strike! KTS: Aurora Dusk has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Aurora Dusk has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Aurora Dusk fails to engage evade against Orion Kessler's GN-X Cannon Long Range Shot! KTS: Best Defense! Aurora Dusk successfully reacts to Orion Kessler's GN-X Cannon Long Range Shot, taking 4125 damage! KTS: Aurora Dusk targets Kallen Kozuki with GN-X Beam Saber Rapid Flurry! KTS: Aurora Dusk targets Orion Kessler with GN-X Beam Rifle Focused Onslaught!
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
Inbetween all the man's bluster, he lets slip something like "you damn insurgents' days are numbered! You won't be running rampant forever!" before one of the GN-X reinforcements shuts him up by buzzing him, causing him to cut his own rambling off with a yelp.
Having managed to surprise Orion mid-attack, Aurora doesn't let up, quickly going for the kill. At first, it seems like Orion is moving in slow motion to her enhanced senses... but then his saber whips out and blocks hers, crackling as it pushes her attack back. Unable to bear Orion down, she backs away at the same time he does, and flies in a loop towards Kallen.
Kallen's airburst suppression attack doesn't hit. It wasn't supposed to hit. It does manage to box in two of the other reinforcement units enough to keep them off of her squad, but Aurora is a little too nimble to stay penned in for long. She harasses the Guren with her GN Vulcans to give herself some maneuvering room, before she closes in in an irregular pattern, slashing at the Guren's midsection as she zags across it.
Succeed or fail, her attempt to put pressure on Kallen is interrupted by a rattling in the back of her brain. Aurora jerks to the side just in time to avoid getting blown up by a GN cannon beam. As it passes her, it melts her shoulder armour, mirroring the superficial 'wound' she gave Orion seconds before. Her machine's head swivels to face Orion. Something about that machine is... prickly, to her senses. She levels her beam rifle, snapping the barrel extension into place for long range fire. The targeting reticule fixes itself on Orion's cockpit, and she lets off a sequence of three shots, trying to predict where he'll move next.
KTS: Kallen Kozuki engages parry against Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Saber Rapid Flurry! KTS: Critical Hit! Kallen Kozuki poorly reacts to Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Saber Rapid Flurry, taking 4815 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Aurora Dusk's Hands Stained the Colour of Wrongdoing activates, causing Insight L1!
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
A timely warning goes a long way in fights like these. But not always far enough. Still, keeping the reinforcements occupied has always been part of the point. And while she mounts a defense by twisting the KMF's body and using the beaten and half-melted knife to preserve as much of Guren's structural integrity as possible... getting Aurora in close is EXACTLY what she wants, even if it takes pushing Guren to near breaking to do it.
Even better when she goes and gets distracted, looking to Orion for a moment. Lost focus without pulling back properly... and quickly, the air around the GN-X is getting hot. Distorting even. It's never meant to be that hot at night, and that's the one hint Aurora gets to what's happening, as the Guren lunges in, silver arm extending to wrap its claw-fingers around the GN-machine and squeeze, regardless of what she gets hold of, if anything. "Got one more little gift for you before we hit the road." Flipping a switch inside Guren, the Wave Surger is set to full burst. It's a terrifying weapon to behold, and even worse to be on the receiving end of. Like being thrown into an oven... The outermost armor and limbs are always the first to go, swelling up and bursting into molten waste as the reaction spreads. It's possible to cut off of course, and ejecting is always an option. But this weapon has made no shortage of people have a long rethink of their life choices.
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Kallen Kozuki has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Kallen Kozuki has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Kallen Kozuki has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained proficiency bonus. KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Aurora Dusk with Wave Surger Eruption! KTS: Orion Kessler fails to engage Guard against Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Rifle Focused Onslaught! KTS: Critical Hit! Orion Kessler poorly reacts to Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Rifle Focused Onslaught, taking 6783 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Aurora Dusk's Hands Stained the Colour of Wrongdoing activates, causing Insight L1!
<Pose Tracker> Orion Kessler has posed.
After barely landing the hit on the enemy GN-X, Orion was unable to properly react to the incoming beam rifle shots. This one was different, he had no choice but to use one of his arms to block the incoming shots, he was at unsuccessful in protecting the vital parts of the machine, leading to his GN-X being quite literally disarmed. He will not be able to last much longer in this fight. "Tch, dang. I can't take another hit, Kallen. I have to pull back, or this Tau Drive might take me with it."
The now scarred GN-X III flies backwards and away from the battle, following the support team who had managed to get some of the materials that they need. He couldn't die just yet, but he at least hoped that Kallen will be able to pull it off on her own.
KTS: Aurora Dusk has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Aurora Dusk has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: Aurora Dusk engages react against Kallen Kozuki's Wave Surger Eruption! KTS: Best Defense! Aurora Dusk successfully reacts to Kallen Kozuki's Wave Surger Eruption, taking 300 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
"You think I'll let you escape?" Aurora draws a bead on the retreating Orion, preparing to deal the finishing blow. An enemy like that is dangerous. She can feel it.
Right now, she's not paying much attention to what's behind her. She trusts the rest of the team to keep the Knightmare off of her back. Not a wise move. "It's... hot?" Aurora realises what's happening as soon as the telltale ringing in the back of her head starts, and she twists to intercept Kallen... right as the Acting Captain's GN-X suddenly appears in front of Kallen. << "Where do you think you're looking, terrorist?!" >> However, she does this while Kallen is charging, and the end result is that despite her going on the offensive, and the sudden sting in the back of Aurora's head warning her of the attack at the same time, both Aurora and the captain are caught by the Wave Surger. The right arm of Aurora's GN-X begins to melt as she twists out of the way, falling away as a pile of useless slag, taking Aurora's beam rifle with it. The captain is a little less lucky, crashing to the ground in a heap of molten waste.
Aurora is only briefly shaken by the loss of her arm. She still has the left, and the beam saber with it. Drawing that saber, she attempts to impale the Guren on it in a close range stab.
It's at that moment that new reinforcements burst onto the scene. Another GN-X squad, a Lancelot Club squad, and an aerial squadron.
Unfortunately for them, neither team will be able to catch up with the retreating raiders.
A Lancelot breaks off from the team, firing at the retreating foes even once they're out of range, with all the piss and vinegar of a Britannian youth from a noble family trying to prove himself. << "How dare they! Bastards!" >> The young man - or, young boy, if you ask the GN-X flight lead, who has to deal with his antics - has to be pulled back by said lead.
It seems he won't get his day in the sun tonight.
KTS: Aurora Dusk targets Orion Kessler with Pass! KTS: Aurora Dusk targets Kallen Kozuki with GN-X Beam Saber Through And Through! KTS: Kallen Kozuki fails to engage Evade against Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Saber Through And Through! KTS: Kallen Kozuki poorly reacts to Aurora Dusk's GN-X Beam Saber Through And Through, taking 5000 damage! KTS: Kallen Kozuki has been defeated!