2024-02-17: A Flower Blooms

• Log: A Flower Blooms
• Cast: Chloe, Zan, Liam 7-020, Luanova Luckwright, Serinas Nikola, Kaworu Nagisa
• Where: Augmented Shibuya
• IC Date: 27 July 0098
• Summary: For the first time in years a Meteora appears, interrupting and threatening conferences planned at Augmented Shibuya. The Meteora is driven off by defenders, but Chloe loses something important during the battle.

---

KTS: Kaworu Nagisa has deployed in Evangelion Unit Beta.
KTS: Will Barrier activated! (But will not apply until relevant Morale
 threshold.)

KTS: Liam 7-020 has deployed in MD-0031UL Dilanza Sol.
KTS: Luanova Luckwright has deployed in MFW-1 Myrmecia.
KTS: Will Barrier activated! (But will not apply until relevant Morale
 threshold.)

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        It's the next morning, the first day of the planned conferences.
 Details about where and when everyone was supposed to meet had been sent the
 previous night. As mentioned to those who were part of Coco and Chloe's tour
 yesterday, the place is at the elevator that brought people down to the city
 proper, where the two had been waiting for them. The time, is now.

        Yet neither Coco nor Chloe are at the place. Five minutes pass since
 the scheduled meet time. Ten minutes pass.

        Finally Chloe can be seen walking up to the location where everyone is
 waiting. On closer inspection she looks rather tired, as if she didn't sleep
 at all last night.

        And the one usually by Chloe's side, Coco, is no where in sight.

        Chloe gives a curt nod to those here, saying, "Morning." Though she's
 trying to hide it with her usual stoic mask, a tiny amount of the exhaustion
 she seems to be suffering from can be heard in her tone. She then says,
 "Unfortunately... Miss Coconoe won't be joining us today." She doesn't go into
 an explanation as to why.

        For now, Chloe gets on with the task she's assigned to, "The
 conferences will be taking place in a few large rooms in the city's upper
 levels. They've been converted into auditoriums for this purpose. They are
 adjacent to the public hangars, for easy access to any mobile weapon related
 materials."

        Chloe walks over, touch the panel to the summon the elevator. Upon its
 arrival, she looks at the group, "If you'll follow me." Chloe steps in to the
 elevator, waiting for everyone else to get in before setting their
 destination. The not quite short elevator trip upwards begins.

        While Chloe's group are on their way, Lua is likely already at the
 conference. Probably in one of the hangars, which are also serving as
 exhibits, as Chloe mentioned. While the first conference hasn't officially
 started yet, there's still a buzz of people who arrived early and are checking
 things out ahead of time. Upon arrival, Lua and any with her would have been
 each given a set of clear eye-wear similar in design to sunglasses. Along with
 a brief explanation that they are used to see the city's augmented reality
 features. Though this enclosed section of the city, where the hangars and
 conference halls are, don't have much to show in that regard. But apparently
 the technology will also be in use during the conferences!

        Meanwhile, Zan has been hired to transport a load of produce. No doubt
 being used to provide meals that are a little closer to what most of the
 guests are used to. The sandy dunes of the desert surface are wide and open,
 likely not providing much trouble for the big robot. At the moment, everything
 looks clear to the coordinates Zan was provided with. It shouldn't take him
 long to get there!

KTS: Serinas Nikola has deployed in Lion 500.
KTS: Zan has deployed in Iron Zanrailer.

<Pose Tracker> Zan has posed.

Since a few months ago, Zan had a new lease on life. And it was showing a bit.
 Signing up to help transport whenever you were used to fighting and you
 happened to be the train transport was something that he had only thought
 about in passing in his processors.

Now, however, he was getting paid. It meant he could look into different
 configurations, equipment, and even send birthday and holiday gifts to people!

The happy robot was chugging along, the new shuttle attachment having it's
 wings folded as Zan hummed a tune while in his ORCA form inside and did some
 diagnostics along with a few Carpenters he had on loan from GGG.

And he was making good time along the tracks, too! The extra few cars being
 pulled behind were not even putting a massive load on his engine.

Giving a cheerful few beeps and boops, he finally is close enough to send
 towards the coordinates a message, "This is BT-104 Zan on supply delivery.
 Contact, please respond and verify meeting coordinates. Over."

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam waits by the elevator, wearing his freshly-cleaned NERV uniform
 and the same pair of AR glasses Chloe gave him yesterday. The city is no less
 unnerving than it was yesterday, with its hidden cameras everywhere and its
 blank white facades hidden by flashy visual illusions--but he got a good
 night's sleep and a decent breakfast. (The good night's sleep was thanks to
 breathing and grounding exercises and his white noise generator, and the
 decent breakfast was two of the protein bars he brought with him.)

        Liam waits. He checks the time on his phone. He waits some more, and
 checks again. "I hope they're all right," he says to Kaworu, after seven
 minutes have passed. "Chloe doesn't strike me as the type to be late." And
 when Chloe emerges from the crowd, she looks haggard in a way Liam's never
 seen her. He frowns. The AR glasses can hide a lot, but they can't hide the
 concern in his eyes.

        "Oh, I'm sorry," he says, to Chloe's explanation. "I hope she's well."
 He settles into his place besides Kaworu, and follows Chloe into the elevator.
 As it starts to move, he looks at her, appraisingly. "Are you all right? You
 look tired."

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        Ada Legatum Luckwright knows the value of spectacle. Her people have
 talked to their people, and a full demonstration of Foresight's cutting-edge
 military and industrial technologies has been adapted to the Textures of
 Augmented Shibuya, set up in advance and ready to trigger when the investors
 and tech moguls have gathered. The Orbital Ring senator's security detail
 aren't wearing the glasses, though, sticking out in the stark white of the
 hangar wearing their dark Neo-American suits.

        Luanova Luckwright is free and welcome to mingle with the investors in
 the event. She really doesn't care to. These venture capitalists are almost
 always dreadful, she's sick of any interaction involving her mother, and the
 only reason she's not able to beg off these demonstrations is that she is
 the demonstrator, the one compatible pilot waiting in the wings to show the
 Myrmex Format Wanderpanzer in action. So she's up on the scaffolds of the
 hangar, eight meters up on one of the lower platforms, out of clear sight and
 drinking a root beer. Can't even have a real drink to take the edge off.

        She tilts her head up, looking down at the hangar grounds below, where
 arrivals are still inbound. An uncanny feeling that somebody she knows is
 there. She doesn't see anyone, though, and shrugs the feeling off.

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        (Minor retcon: The VF-14 doesn't have the spare weapon space to
 demonstrate anything, so instead the Nikolas family arrived with a Masquerion
 that's been painted red with white accents.)

        Serinas's grandparents are up early and already at the hangar, checking
 things over on the Lion's systems. There are posterboard displays about some
 kind of kinetic gun that have been hastily revised and then abandoned in favor
 of setting up an AR presentation.

        Serinas and Lani walk from the hotel to the meeting point just before
 the appointed time. Serinas is dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans, and
 her mother is dressed, like yesterday, in a blouse, skirt, and brown boots
 under a white jacket.

        When looked at through goggles, though...

        Lani's outfit is different. Some changes are subtle, like the AR
 projection's boots having high heels, and her jacket seems to be the same,
 but... She has round-framed glasses, a long sea green scarf with a
 checkerboard pattern cut out of it, held together and moving normally only
 because it's an AR projection, and under the jacket is a dark blue sleeveless
 dress with a short, flared skirt.

        Serinas's AR outfit shares the basic style of Lani's, with a black and
 neon green color scheme for the dress and boots instead and a matching hat
 with earlike protrusions on it. They look like they stepped out of an anime.
 But then, such things are probably normal in Augmented Shibuya...

        Serinas waves cheerfully to Liam, checking that he looks the same
 with/without glasses. "You didn't try out any virtual clothes?" She does a
 little twirl to show of hers, her and her mothers' checker-scarves floating
 around/behind them in the air slightly.

        When Chloe finally arrives, the two ask, "Are you alright?" They nods
 at the explanation about the conference. "I'm sorry she couldn't make it."
 Serinas nods in agreement with her mother's sentiment.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Kaworu is a patient person. Chloe could be as late as she pleases and
 he wouldn't mind. He's still dressed in his plug suit, though he has showered
 between yesterday and today, and stands at the elevator with Liam as they both
 wait.
        
        Liam expresses his concern, and Kaworu hums quietly. "Perhaps it's due
 to Coco Coconoe," he suggests.
        
        Sure enough, when Chloe at last arrives at the tour location, he takes
 in both her exhaustion and the fact that Coco isn't with her. "I see," he
 says. "Likewise. But if we can't see her, I'm glad we had the chance to speak
 yesterday."
        
        They all walk into the elevator together. Liam and Serinas ask the
 pertinent question where Chloe is concerned, so Kaworu turns his gaze out
 towards the white, white city, colored by the tint on his shades.
        
        Soon enough, they reach the conference, not yet started. He strolls out
 towards the hangar and turns his gaze up towards the dome that arches overhead.
        
        "..."

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        A couple in the group ask Chloe if she's okay. She replies, "I'm fine."
 She's definitely not fine. In fact, is she being even more curt than she
 usually is? It's hard to say. She was pretty quiet to begin with. Wow, this is
 a bit of an awkward elevator ride.

        The elevator containing Chloe's group finally reaches its destination.
 The doors open, revealing a potentially familiar grey corridor. But there's
 far more people here today, all bustling about as they follow signs towards
 the designated conference halls. No doubt other visitors, judging by the AR
 glasses they are all wearing.

        Unfortunately, everyone is going to have to wait a little longer to
 find out, as alarms suddenly start blaring. ALERT signs visible through the
 glasses appear floating in the air. Concerned murmurs begin to rise amidst the
 guests. While the locals, Chloe included, are almost frozen in anticipation,
 as if they're waiting for something.

        The audible alarms cease, though the alert signs remain. A voice then
 echoes throughout from an announcement system, "This is General Deiter,
 officer in command of the Augmented Shibuya defence force, Prometheus. A
 situation on the surface has arisen. All guests should follow your guides to
 the nearest shelter for your safety." The murmurs increase, they even louder
 are the various guides who are starting to try and coral everyone towards
 shelters.

        For her part, Chloe isn't quite doing the same for this group. Instead
 she reaches a pointing finger out in front of her. Then swipes and presses a
 few times. She must be interacting with her GraiEye, though the others don't
 see it through their own glasses. Chloe muses quietly, "They're launching
 Makhia... Several. This many..." Another swipe and her jaw clinches, "A
 Meteora? Now!? Why today of all days..."

        A hint of fear then appears on Chloe's face, "Coco!" She quickly turns,
 dashing back into the elevator. The doors quickly close behind her as she
 leaves the group behind.

        Speaking of the group, the hangars are like right there. And Kaworu can
 probably exert his NERV authority to encourage Prometheus to allow them to
 launch. Something that Lua can probably take advantage of herself. The launch
 elevators will take them to the surface.

        Speaking of the surface, since he is already up there, Zan gets to see
 what happens as he closes in on his destination. A giant hole of white opens
 in the sky, right above where the coordinates are leading him. A spherical
 object then floats out of it. It's large, roughly 400 meters in diameter. Its
 surface appears to be hard, as if it's a shell. While somewhat ominous, it is
 not doing anything overtly hostile. Though radio interference does spike
 greatly upon its arrival. Though there is definitely no sign of increased
 Minovsky particles.

        It's at this point that Zan gets a response to his message, his
 proximity close enough for the transmission to get through, <"BT-104, this is
 Prometheus Control. Be alert. A hostile entity is on approach. Recommend
 withdrawal until further notice. Local defence forces are launching.">

        Sure enough, several domed structures rise up out of the sandy dunes
 beneath the hovering object. The roofs split open to reveal large mobile
 weapons rising out. Having fought alongside Chloe in the past, Zan will
 recognize them as being of the same design as hers. The mass production model,
 Pallas Makhia.

        The Makhia begin to move in formation, raising their weapons towards
 the entity. Rockets, beams and shells start blast towards it, exploding and
 ripping into its outer shell. While parts of the entity are blown off and
 ripped apart by the weapons fire, it doesn't seem particularly phased by the
 attack.

        It does seem to repond in kind though.

        Sections of its shell break off, though not from any of the attacks.
 Floating away from it and turning. They suddenly accelerate to high speed,
 rushing towards the offending Makhia. A couple are able to raise their
 defensive energy barriers in time, shaken and pushed back by the heavy
 assault. Others are not so quick, getting smashed by the shell chunks that
 crunch the large machines heavy armor. While one unlucky Makhia takes one that
 penetrates through, sinking into the machine's innards and causing it to go
 still and fall over.

        This is the sight that the others will be greeted with when their own
 launch elevators release them to the surface.

KTS: Kaiju Navi has deployed in Meteora.

<Pose Tracker> Zan has posed.

Zan would be frowning if he was human. Instead, he answers, "Understood. Moving
 to appropriate distance."

Zan engages thrusters attached to his train body, followed by ones also on the
 containers that were quick-built by the Carpenters. They are not as good as
 his, but he knows he can move the supply cars with them. Landing them a safe
 distance away, Zan deploys in his ORCA form to watch as he turns to watch.

That there was so much loss of life suddenly, and some unlucky, has Zan
 weighing it in his processors. Then he transmits to Prometheus Control, "Your
 forces look outmatched. I am engaging. Engaging beacon for supply pick up
 later."

He turns on his IFF to make sure everyone knows it is him before doing as he
 said and detaching the supply cars. The main train body shoots up into the air
 a good distance. Then the shuttle detaches as Zan rockets ahead of it.

"SYSTEM CHANGE! ZAN ROBO!"

Zan quickly folds inwards it seems before his more usual robotic form unfolds
 from the ORCA, the jets folding to his back as he moves his arms to his side,
 checking to see what the threat is doing before giving a nod at the size of
 it. The big guns were coming out.

"SHUTTLE DOCKING!"

The shuttle unfolded, the main cockpit folding down before legs and arms
 unfolded and the boosters moved to the back. Zan himself folds in before
 connecting to the chest area and forming into a head. The golden eyes light up
 as a face mask slides down over his own and a green stone is uncovered.

"ZANRAILER!"

The train comes right behind the new 40 meter robot and uncouples to separate.
 Magnetic energies flare as the robot spreads it's arms and legs and the train
 cars and engine move to specific spots.

"RAIL FUSION!"

Those magnetic energies flare brightly around the formation before everything
 starts to close in on Zanrailer himself. The cars extend and connect over the
 arms. Platforms normally used for loading slide down to give a cape like
 appearance. The legs are covered by the next two as the ends fold up to make
 massive feet for the new robot. And then the engine folds down and separates
 as a massive helmet comes down over Zanrailer's head, the train engine locking
 into place as the new, knight-like helmet's eyes light up.

"IRROOON ZAAAANRAAAILEEER!"

The new giant robot brings it's arms up as the magnetic energies fade. Being up
 in the air as it is, it looks down at the threat. He has no idea what it is
 called, but he knows it's targeting human life. And it is not on their side.

That being said, he is only a quarter of it's size even as Iron Zanrailer. And
 he decides to do probably the dumbest thing he can to get it's attention away
 from Prometheus itself.

The 70 meter robot flies a bit higher, then jets towards the Meteora. And turns
 around as he comes down with both legs in one massive stomp at the thing's
 apparent shell.

"RAIL STOMP!"

The Iron Zanrailer has arrived, and the IFF beacons are lit as it comes down
 like a meteor itself.

KTS: Zan has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
KTS: Zan targets Kaiju Navi with Rail Stomp!

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        And so, the awkward elevator ride is interrupted by ALERT. Lani scoffs
 at the announcement. "Like hell. I've gotta find Mom and Dad." Serinas isn't
 making a move to seek shelter either. There is a decent chance she's about to
 be needed.

        A Meteora? Now?! "SERIOUSLY?!" says Serinas's mother, and looks at her
 daughter with concern. She knows, now, that there's no way Serinas *isn't*
 going to run out there and fight. For once, she really hopes her parents'
 inventions are good.

        Before Serinas can even say anything, her mother embraces her, and
 after a second she hugs back. "I'll be fine. I've fought Gundams. I... I'll be
 fine. We got the Annihilator, right?" Her mother can't help scoffing a bit at
 the word, but nods.

        They let go of eachother... and then realize they're not parting ways
 just yet, as they both run to the hangars.

        Serinas's grandparents are in the (open) cockpit of the Lion, checking
 things. "We're ready!" Shouts Christina, waving Serinas up and climbing out,
 followed by Makaio. "It's all started up. Go!"

        Lani watches from a safe distance as her daughter runs up to and climbs
 into the machine, and her parents get clear onto the gantries. She is
 concerned! "She's going out to fight one of those things in a *Lion*?! I hope
 you know what you're doing..."

        Serinas puts on the scarf hanging in the cockpit, straps in, closes the
 door, and... huh. The Masquerion is already started up, she can just go.
 <"Prometheus Control, this is Serinas Nikola, Masquerion, going out!"

        The red Masquerion steps free from the gantry as the domes open and the
 Enemy comes into view. "It's a giant *ball*?" Alright, time to... Uh...

        ...

        <"...So where is it?"> asks Serinas.

        Her grandfather gets on the radio. <"It's stowed in the shoulder pack,
 in place of the FT railgun. We'll keep tuning the settings from here.">

        The Masquerion reaches up and the shoulder pack opens to expose tha
 handle of a giant revolver, which it pulls forth, and draws careful aim at the
 Meteora while it hasn't noticed her yet. "Here goes..." A giant robot finger
 pulls a giant trigger, and there's the expected bang, and projectiles streak
 downrange in the blink of an eye.

        Makaio begins improvising his presentation: <"It may look like an
 ordinary revolver, but it's actually a complicated launch mechanism that fires
 two 4-inch kinetic penetrators at extra-high velocity, one behind the other,
 so that they'll impact at a frequency that disrupts the target's structure!
 ...Uhh, of course, we don't actually know what that frequency *is* yet, so
 we'll keep tuning the settings from here as you fight this time!">

        Lani is a little flabberghasted. <"Wait, so it's not *just* a giant
 revolver? It actually *does* something?!"> Her parents nod from up on the
 gantry.

KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Chloe says she's fine, and Kaworu chooses to leave it at that. The
 others may to otherwise; that, too, is their choice.
        
        He gazes up at the dome overhead, and klaxons blare as ALERT signs pop
 up every which way. A voice announcement replaces the klaxons, advising
 everyone of a Situation and for everyone to evacuate to the nearest shelter.
 Kaworu's usual smile is gone. His gaze doesn't turn away from a certain point
 overhead until Chloe speaks up:
        
        It's a Meteora. The first in four years. Kaworu looks over at her, just
 as she gasps for Coco and runs off.
        
        He looks over to Liam. "Let's go," he says, clear and simple.
        
        It is indeed a simple matter to get clearance for Unit Beta and the
 Dilanza Sol to launch, thanks to his rank in NERV as an administrator. While
 this same authority won't let him make the call to let non-NERV personnel and
 the approaching Zan launch too, he'll do what he can to smooth the wheels if
 possible, as it were. From Chloe's description, the Meteora are very close in
 nature to Angels, which means they can't be picky about the defense they
 launch. If it's out of his hands, though, it's out of his hands.
        
        For now, Unit Beta rises from the dune structures just as the Meteora
 unleashes its counterattack on the Pallas Makhia. Though wind whips through
 her long, silve rhair, Unit Beta only observes for a moment with her masked,
 featureless face. Within her entry plug, Kaworu smiles faintly.
        
        "It really is familiar," he observes to no one in particular, though
 his allies will be able to hear his transmission. "Shall we?"
        
        As Zan jets towards the Meteora, Unit Beta draws her Heat Rapier. She
 crouches, then leaps, whirling around in a spin that takes her towards the
 strange entity. As physics carry her forward, her long blade flashes at the
 blocky yet petal-like edges of its hard shell in an attempt to test its defenses.

KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa: Will Barrier Activates.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Kaiju Navi with Forward Stab!
KTS: Serinas Nikola targets Kaiju Navi with 4.07 Annihilator Zero-In!
KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Zan's Rail Stomp, taking 2655 damage!
KTS: Zan has engaged Kaiju Navi!
KTS: Zan roots its unit, coming to a standstill and leaving it vulnerable.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        "I didn't want to," Liam says to Serinas, and there's a hint of forced
 calm in his voice. He can't tell her that this whole place feels like a
 bigger, more insidious experiment, and the tasteless food and sterile white
 clothes remind him of the lab. "That's a neat scarf, though." Too bad it's not
 real.

        'Perhaps it's due to Coco Coconoe.'

        Liam thinks on those words as the elevator rises--again, Kaworu's shown
 uncanny prescience... or maybe he knows something Liam doesn't. He trusts the
 younger man with his life, but at the same time, he's sick of feeling like
 he's only getting half the story.

        The elevator doors slide open. Liam steps into the concourse, and looks
 around, noting the logos floating in mid-air. Benerit's already staked out its
 own cluster of this place--there's Jeturk's logo, and there's Peil's, and
 there's...

        Foresight? Liam peers at that one a moment.

        Suddenly, alarms. Liam freezes, and lowers his glasses to look around
 with his own eyes. There's something familiar in how the locals react, the
 mixture of routine evacuation and horrible dread.

        "...Chloe?" Liam says, his whole face tightening. "Are you sure? What
 should we--"

        'Coco!'

        "Chloe!" Liam shouts, after her, but it's already too late. He turns to
 Kaworu. "We have to help them." His hands tighten.

        Kaworu agrees. Liam beelines to where his Mobile Suit is parked, and
 readies for deployment with all due haste.

        The black-and-violet Dilanza Sol rises into the desert atop its
 deployment lift, the red NERV emblem freshly-repainted on its shoulder. It
 jets forward, leaping off its platform; Liam's eyes dart about, taking in data
 on his HUD, and he grits his teeth as he sees the state of the local garrison.
 "Prometheus forces," Liam says. "Pilots Liam and Nagisa of NERV, ready to
 assist!" The Dilanza Sol lands in a crouch, its shields dropping down in
 anticipation of enemy fire. Its missile rack rises from between its shoulders,
 locking onto the Meteora. It's not the biggest thing Liam's fought--the
 honor, as it were, might go to Jophiel, if one does not count the entirety of
 Yapool--and it's hard not to feel intimidated.

        Liam pulls the trigger anyway. A flight of missiles launches at his
 behest, streaking through the sky towards the vast, stony shape above.

KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Kaiju Navi with Split Missile!
KTS: Liam 7-020's Biorhythm activates Trick!
KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Serinas Nikola's 4.07 Annihilator Zero-In,
 taking 3080 damage!

KTS: Serinas Nikola roots her unit, coming to a standstill and leaving her
 vulnerable.

KTS: Kaiju_Navi has deployed as a Boss for 5 opponents.
KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Kaworu Nagisa's Forward Stab, taking 3325
 damage!

KTS: Kaworu Nagisa has engaged Kaiju Navi!

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        Lua is wearing the glasses, though she doesn't much like to. They're...
 creepy. There's something unsettling about all this information her eyes are
 being shown, but her senses cannot feel in place, unanchored from real space.
 But the layered city is not much less creepy with them off. All this
 undifferentiated white...

        And red. Her phone starts ringing shortly after she takes it in hand,
 but before it reaches her ear. "Get in," she's told. "If it's nothing we can
 just withdraw you with the unit. But if it's an incident, I'm giving you
 authorization to go in."

        It doesn't take much time for the Senator to get in contact with
 Prometheus and push them to allow the launch, even if there weren't a NERV
 pilot on site already. Lua doesn't bother crossing the scaffolding to bridge
 to the Myrmecia's cockpit. She draws a compact device from her handbag which
 unfolds into a grapnel. It snags onto a hook atop the Myrmecia's torso, from
 atop which she opens and drops down a hatch into a narrow pilot's cage.

        <This is MFW-1 Myrmecia, deploying in support on contract with
 Foresight.> The transmission is filtered through a computer-generated voice,
 and the pilot doesn't self-identify beyond that. Given the scale of the
 combatants, pilots might even have difficulty identifying what or where the
 Myrmecia is. As much as Unit Beta dwarfs Liam's Dilanza, the Myrmecia is still
 only half as tall.

        A voice comes over the local coordination lines she wasn't expecting to
 hear. Business mode, though; Lua is thinking fast and staying focused. The
 Myrmecia levitates through the air while the elevator rises, to perch itself
 atop the Dilanza Sol's shoulder. <Mind giving me a boost, Liam? You guys are
 pretty big. Like I said, what have they been feeding you?>

        The Dilanza Sol leaps off its deployment platform at the surface. At
 the apex of its leap, the Myrmecia leaps off the Dilanza, scanning the
 battlefield quickly. An entire fleet of massive Makhia, several already
 beginning to fall. Myrmecia swerves its trajectory in midair to land upon the
 impaled Makhia. <This is MFW-1 Myrmecia. If you haven't slammed eject already,
 now is a good time.> Lua watches the display and feels the movement of matter
 for the key moment when a human mind has left the machine and moved clear, and
 it is just a dead shell of metal.

        At that point, Myrmecia grabs onto the Pallas Makhia by the head. It is
 ten times the Myrmecia's size; the head alone is larger than the entire
 wanzer. Yet Myrmecia leaps into the air and carries the incapacitated Pallas
 Makhia by the head alone, the entire unit somehow holding together rather than
 tearing off from the head. The wanzer's jets shred gravity in its wake as it
 lifts the Pallas Makhia as if it were nothing more than a baseball bat,
 shifting sharply sideways to avoid flak rain from the massive shell. And when
 the speck, or rather its mighty bat, comes within range, now propelled
 downward by the Rail Stomp, the Myrmecia begins a mighty swing, and crashes
 the entire Pallas Makhia bodily into the Meteora entity.

        The kinetic force with which it swings the Makhia defies understanding.
 In its current condition, the wrecked Makhia should not even be able to hold
 together at momentum this great, even before impact. But it stays not only
 intact but rigid, resisting the crashing force of impact and exerting
 counterforce against the Meteora.

KTS: Luanova Luckwright has activated the Rouse Spirit Command.
KTS: Luanova Luckwright: Will Barrier Activates.
KTS: Luanova Luckwright targets Kaiju Navi with Giant Impact!
KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Liam 7-020's Split Missile, taking 3800 damage!
KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Luanova Luckwright's Giant Impact, taking 5775
 damage!

KTS: Luanova Luckwright has engaged Kaiju Navi!

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        It seems that Zan is correct in that the Prometheus defenders seem
 outmatched. Though if anyone were to ask them later, they'd say that these
 kinds of losses are unfortunately common in Meteora attacks. Regardless, there
 is no objection to Zan joining the combat. He rises into the air, then power
 kicks down towards the Meteora. The entity shows no sign of an active defence.
 Zan's kick impacts, causing a huge amount of splintering across that section
 of the Meteora's shell, and causing countless chunks to go flying.

        Anyone who is observing closely will notice the chunks completely
 dissolving into light. And strangely enough, the Meteora's position does not
 move even a millimetre from the force of the impact. As it it's completely
 fixed in space.

        Serinas's rounds start to dig into the Meteora's shell, penetrating
 through. It has a lot of mass though, so it'll take time to whittle away. On
 the bright side, Serinas will detect traces of resonating in the entity's
 structure, suggesting it's not so wholly beyond this world and that her plan
 to hone in on its frequency will work. In time.

        As expected, authorisation to launch comes from Prometheus Control.
 Kaworu is correct in that they're unlikely to be too picky about who helps
 with protecting the city. As Unit Beta reaches the surface, the Meteora shows
 no immediate reaction, much like with all the others. But as the Evangelion's
 blade sinks into the entity's structure, something does actually happen. A
 strong vibration blasts outwards from the Meteora in all directions. As they
 wash over the mobile weapons here, the vibrations pass through their frames.
 The resulting sound could be perceived as a scream, though it could also
 simply be a result of whatever the Meteora is trying to do. As in addition,
 interference levels in the local area climb rapidly.

        Liam arrives as well, unleashing a barrage of missiles towards the
 Meteora. Much like with the others, it makes no obvious attempt to prevent the
 attacks, the missiles exploding across its surface and blowing holes into its
 shell. They're large enough to show the mass beneath the shells. While the
 latter appears to be marked and weathered, the structure beneath is a far
 cleaner. A single shade of colour similar to that of its exterior. And it's
 completely solid. There's no sign of interior components, whether mechanical
 or biological.

        Liam's radio chatter does get a direct response, <"This is Prometheus
 Control to allied forces. Primary objective is to locate and destroy the
 target's core. Until then, this battle will not end."> Sure enough, anyone
 paying attention to the holes Liam had blown open will be able to see that the
 destroyed structure is starting to regenerate. Of course, how exactly does one
 locate the core?

        Whether or not the Makhia's pilot was already planning to escape his
 downed machine, for some reason he certainly feels a bit more encouraged to do
 on Lua's suggestion. A hatch in the machine's frame opens and the pilot climbs
 down. Of course he can only stare in disbelief as his Makhia is apparently
 lifted by the much smaller machine and proceeds to be used as a improvised
 melee weapon. One that proves rather effective, the impact sending large
 chunks of the Meteora's shell flying and starting to break through its
 interior structure too.

        Of course, the Meteora doesn't remain idle. More pieces of its shell
 begin to break off. Sections close to Zan, Kaworu and Lua do so at high speed
 right from the beginning, potentially slamming into them and forcing them
 back. Meanwhile, others float away before flying off to in the direction of
 Serinas and Liam. The Makhia still standing are not spared either, as more
 shell pieces rain down on them. A couple finally give under repeated blows,
 collapsing to the ground as their damage exceeds their ability to keep
 functioning.

        While everyone is fighting against the Meteora, another launch elevator
 rises up beneath it. But the top of this one doesn't split open. Instead,
 smaller doors on the side slide open. And someone walks out onto the surface
 of the desert. Closer inspection will reveal it to be...

        Coco Coconoe!

        She walks further out across the desert sands, drawing closer to the
 point directly beneath the Meteora.

        ( BGM: https://youtu.be/qZhsrkFZX6M )

        The Meteora, having not moved since its arrival, begins to float down
 towards Coco. It starts to rotate, changing shape as it does so... Not, it's
 not changing shape. It's opening!

        The Meteora's shell begins to fold open along the visible creases,
 revealing multiple layers beneath that also begin to unfurl, like the petals
 of a flower. This continues for several layers, forming an opening into the
 entity. An opening that is lowering towards Coco.

KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Zan, Kaworu Nagisa, and Luanova Luckwright with Shell
 Blast.

KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Serinas Nikola with Shell Barrage!
KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Liam 7-020 with Shell Barrage!
KTS: Liam 7-020 blocks Kaiju Navi's Shell Barrage, taking 2800 damage!
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa parries Kaiju Navi's Shell Blast, taking 900 damage!
KTS: Kaiju Navi repulses Kaworu Nagisa, forcing him to disengage.
KTS: Zan has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Zan has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Zan blocks Kaiju Navi's Shell Blast, taking 1200 damage!
KTS: Kaiju Navi repulses Zan, forcing it to disengage.
KTS: Luanova Luckwright's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage.
KTS: Luanova Luckwright parries Kaiju Navi's Shell Blast, taking 450 damage!
KTS: Kaiju Navi repulses Luanova Luckwright, forcing her to disengage.

<Pose Tracker> Zan has posed.

The shell impacts Zan as he crouches down to absorb the impact on his end. The
 massive stomp not doing anything has him wondering just how this thing is
 staying in the air. Iron Zanrailer rises up to stand on the Meteora before the
 pieces of shell come at it. Bringing an arm around, the massive loading panels
 extend and harden into shields even as the 70 meter robot is pushed back away
 from the kaiju.

"I do not think it liked our introduction." He transmits and says out loud.
 Then he notices the oddity and tilts his head a bit before looking back at the
 Meteora. Listening to the broadcast, the massive robot gives a nod.

"Business as usual, then."

Analyzing what he does know, Zan decides to try a different approach than the
 physical as he flies back in. Stopping a short distance away, turrets open on
 the Iron Zanrailer's legs that swing forward. Different ones than those he
 uses for lasers. Wider. And with vents on the end.

"FURNACE BLASTERS!"

Flames roar out of the turrets, trying to melt and penetrate the outer shell of
 the Meteora.

KTS: Zan has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
KTS: Zan has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Zan targets Kaiju Navi with Furnace Blasters!
KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Serinas Nikola successfully avoids Kaiju Navi's Shell Barrage

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        For what it's worth, in this specific occasion, Kaworu doesn't
 speculate that Chloe's lateness is due to Coco because of any special
 information that only he knows, but due to the fact that Chloe is Coco's
 bodyguard, information they were both given just yesterday. ...but he doesn't
 tell Liam as much, so that won't help much.
        
        Unit Beta's weapon impacts with the Meteora, and the Meteora 'screams,'
 so to speak. The intense vibrations rock through her, rattling her champagne
 gold armor. As she spins on the descent, her A.T. Field arises in time to
 block a direct hit from what one might jovially call its shell bullet. It
 scintillates iridescent orange, and mitigates both some of those vibrations
 and the raw force of the shell assault--but she's forced to land a decent ways
 away, her heels digging lines in the desert sands as she uses the Heat Rapier
 as a counterbalance. And, of course, local interference skyrockets as a result.
        
        Unit Beta, and through her, Kaworu, raise their gazes to the Meteora.
 The others' attacks have broken off chunks of the spherical entity, and they
 can see it's exactly as Chloe described yesterday: their shell is incredibly
 tough, what chunks are removed immediately dissolve, and the damage they
 sustain regenerates rapidly. For a moment, though, they can see the layer
 beneath, a single solid color, with no interior components. ...Yet.
        
        She raises one hand, and her A.T. Field shoots forward in shimmering
 layers at high speed to impact against the Meteora. While it may not actually
 move it from its place--for Kaworu has certainly observed that its position
 seems fixed--it may help weaken its structure or send through
 counter-reverberations that may help him locate the Meteora's core.
        
        Before he can follow up on that meaningfully, though, something odd
 happens. A launch elevator rises--and someone who should not be able to walk
 walks out.
        
        "Coco Coconoe..." Kaworu murmurs, his surprise understated but
 nonetheless reflected in his slow words, his widened eyes. The Meteora unfurls
 itself as it sinks down as if to welcome her, and he frowns slightly. "I see.
 This must be the fate that was written for you."
        
        For the moment, he does not interfere.

KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Kaiju Navi with Rejection!

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        There's others here, beyond Serinas' Masquelion. Zan, of course, makes
 his entrance as only a Brave can; a flash of hope ignites in his heart as he
 slams into the Meteora from above. The second irregular signal is far, far
 smaller. MFW-1 Myrmecia. Foresight?

        One of the Dilanza's frontal cams angles in on the smaller unit,
 singling it out in a picture-in-picture on Liam's panoramic display. He peers
 at it. Wanzer-sized, at best. Even if this is an all-hands-on-deck situation,
 what's its pilot thinking--?

        'Like I said, what have they been feeding you?'

        Liam's eyes go wide. ...Lua? he thinks. It takes effort to keep from
 saying it out loud. She's in that machine?! Why? Is that why she--

        Myrmecia springboards off the larger Dilanza Sol. The Meteora HOWLS,
 its unearthly scream echoing through the Mobile Suit's cockpit. Liam rocks in
 his restraints, snapped back into reality. "<Understood, MFW-1. Stay safe out
 there.>"

        Liam watches the Meteora as it comes under fire. On one hand, it's not
 the constant, urgent battle that is hammering through an Angel's A.T. Field.
 It's visibly breaking apart, even if there's no other indicator of how wounded
 it is. The Dilanza Sol raises its rifle to open fire--and then, the
 transmission from Prometheus Control comes in. "<I copy, Prometheus Control.
 What are we looking for?>"

        Meanwhile, the downed pilot escapes from his Makhia. Liam watches him
 flee--good--and then--

        "<Jesus,>" Liam breathes, as MFW-1 does something utterly impossible.
 His jaw falls open. For a moment, he feels envious, then proud, then
 encouraged.

        The Meteora retaliates. "<Look out!>" Liam shouts. The Dilanza Sol
 kneels, its shields snapping together and rising. A chunk of shell the size of
 a compact car races at it, and SLAMS into it with a horrible, metallic crunch.
 The shields part--each one bearing scrapes, gouges, and dents from the
 impact--revealing only scuffs on the rest of the machine.

        "<Damn,>" Liam grunts, as he looks at the damage readouts. Could've
 been much worse, but the shields might not hold for another hit like that.
 "<Closing in!>" The Dilanza Sol's jets ignite beneath it, and it 'skates'
 forward, its feet floating a few meters above the terrain. A cloud of sand and
 dust churns up beneath it, in classical Mobile Suit desert warfare fashion. It
 raises its beam rifle and lays down fire as the Meteora starts to change. Liam
 keeps most of that fire focused on the center of the Meteora's mass, despite--

        "<Wait, what?!>" The Dilanza Sol abruptly stops shooting, and twists
 its course to skate around the Meteora. A camera focuses on the tiny figure
 beneath it. "<What--/how?!>"

KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Kaiju Navi with Beam Rifle Aimed Shot!
KTS: Liam 7-020's Biorhythm activates Strike!
KTS: Zan rattles Kaiju Navi, making its next maneuvers more difficult.
KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Zan's Furnace Blasters, taking 2340 damage!
KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Kaworu Nagisa's Rejection, taking 2590 damage!
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa has engaged Kaiju Navi!

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        The mad scientists' plan might actually work! Well, there's a reason
 there continue to be people like that, and super robots keep being made...
 Although, Makaio and Christina are small-time mad scientists, and all they've
 managed is a super gun, rather than a whole robot. Every bit helps right now,
 though!

        A tiny robot throws a large one. Her family mutters about how that's
 possible. Serinas gets a couple of shots off, wincing at the 'scream', and a
 piece of Meteora shell hurls past, missing by *inches*, the Masquerion rocking
 slightly from the shockwave. That was too close for comfort... but an
 opportunity presents itself, as the Meteora begins to open itself up, no doubt
 letting them shoot closer to the core...

        Serinas's mother's voice comes over the radio. <"It's preparing an
 attack! Get out of the line of fire!">

        There is nothing but empty desert.

        She'll have to go closer.

        The Lion 500's runs forward and the Tesla drive kicks in, hovering it
 closer at speed. <"Have I got anything for melee?!">

        Her grandfather answers, <"We replaced the Assault Blade with paired
 weapons! It's labeled Hybrid Swords in your interface!"> Lani gasps.

        From thin packs on the arms, two armblades rotate out into place like
 switchblades, the edges of which are limned in plasma-filled I-fields, or beam
 blades as they're more colloquially thought of. <"You didn't!"> Lani shouts.
 <"You actually built them?!"> <"Yep! Was supposed to be a surprise, but...
 well, the Meteora surprised us all! But isn't this exactly the kind of thing
 you came up with them to fight?"> <"Dad, I was thirteen! I had the *concept*,
 sure, but the execution... Although I guess it is like those "ship-cutter
 swords" they're talking about these days, but...">

        Serinas does not have time for whatever the hell her human ancestors
 are going on about. Can these really cut through ships? More importantly,
 hopefully they can cut through giant monsters! She pushes the Masquerion as
 fast as it can go, trying to get behind the opening flower and stab it in the
 back! "Come on... Whatever you are, we didn't win a war just to let *you*
 threaten humanity!" Her Zentraedi side screams for blood, or whatever this
 thing has that passes for it. She wants to tear it apart...!

KTS: Serinas Nikola targets Kaiju Navi with Hybrid Sword Single Strike!
KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Liam 7-020's Beam Rifle Aimed Shot, taking
 2115 damage!

KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Serinas Nikola's Hybrid Sword Single Strike,
 taking 2660 damage!

KTS: Serinas Nikola has engaged Kaiju Navi!

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        The Myrmecia lets go of the husk of the Pallas Makhia. It immediately
 falls to pieces, chunks of debris raining to kick more clouds of sand up the
 dune flats and bury themselves, whatever spell the Myrmecia held over the laws
 of physics fading. The Meteora sheds its regenerating shell, and Myrmecia is
 set to swatting the enormous chitinous shards away, hands moving to block
 blows like one martial artist against an equal, rather than an eight-meter
 speck against massive shards its own size. A couple manage to scrape and shear
 against the Myrmecia, but that is enough to send it spiralling through the air
 off course, its armor scales tinkling like bells as they distribute the force
 of impact. Taken out of position.

        Liam responds professionaly by unit name. Lua smiles in a moment of
 unexpected pride. Kid really has grown up. But Lua doesn't know any more what
 to make of the civilian walking out underneath the battlefield than Liam does.
 "The hell is..." Her murmur trails off, and she flicks comms back on. <What's
 going on here, what's our plan of action? Whoever's walking out there, the
 thing that I don't know what it is clearly knew this was going to happen.>
 Gives her a very bad feeling about this.

        The other unit (what did she call herself? Masquerion?) has an entire
 support team guiding her, and the one voice is urging her to get out of the
 line of fire. There is no cover to seek. <Masquerion, if you need defense,
 stay close.> It might sound like an absurd proposal from the smallest unit
 here, if not for what it just did. Myrmecia burns gravity in its wake to catch
 back up to the Meteora and plant its feet directly upon the thing, taking up
 position near where Serinas strikes. The Meteora's body falls under the Myrmex
 Engine's purview. Though little effect is exerted thus far, Lua is ready to
 divert kinetic force from the entity's shedding body to deflect attacks from
 going Serinas's way. Myrmecia itself, meanwhile, takes the simple approach. It
 descends down to find the most exposed layer of unknown material on the
 Meteora to stand upon, and then kneels and begins to simply pummel the Meteora
 with a series of brawling punches. Like before, it may look small, but each
 strike, augmented with psychokinetic force, lands with disproportionate,
 shattering strength.

KTS: Luanova Luckwright has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting
 Serinas Nikola

KTS: Luanova Luckwright targets Kaiju Navi with Strike!
KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Luanova Luckwright's Strike, taking 2100
 damage!

KTS: Luanova Luckwright has engaged Kaiju Navi!
KTS: Luanova Luckwright: Will Barrier Activates.

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        Flames from Zan's assault rush across the Meteora. Strictly speaking,
 they do some damage as flames are inherently destructive. But whatever the
 Meteora is made of, if it has a melting point it's no where near what the
 flames are currently producing. And as the Meteora apparently has no internals
 to be damage or burned by the flames, this makes them somewhat less effective
 than they otherwise might be.

        As Kaworu expects, the AT Field does nothing to dissuade the Meteora's
 position, or movements. But it does have the intended effect, both of them.
 The impact causes my of the Meteora's shell and structure to be blown away.
 Meanwhile, following the reverberations through the entity will show that it
 is uniformly solid throughout... Except for one point, where its density
 changes.

        It's reasonable to assume it is the Meteora's core. At its center,
 perhaps somewhat anti-climatically. Though given the instructions from
 Prometheus, one can also assume this may not always be the case.

        Liam requests more information and as his beam rifle rips holes into
 the Meteora's structure, he gets a response, <"Previous examples have been a
 crystalline structure with red hues."> So far, there's definitely been no
 signs of such a thing. Though judging by how deep they've been able to
 penetrate so far, compared to Kaworu's own discovery, they still have about
 half way to go.

        Of course, there is another option, as the Meteora's changing form does
 have an opening, creating a shortcut. But the space between that opening and
 the ground is rapidly shrinking... Already a Makhia and those of similar size
 would not be able to fit. And Coco Coconoe is right there.

        Serinas moves in for a strike with the hybrid blade, shearing off a
 chunk of the Meteora. Meanwhile, Lua finds a spot that's already taken damage
 and starts punching it at. The interior structure doesn't appears as solid as
 the outer shell, crunching away under each impact, sending more bits of it
 flying. The Meteora responds much as it has before, with more shell
 projectiles. Though the ones that break off near Serinas and Lua are not just
 randomly shaped like before. This ones are clearly pointed, suggesting greater
 penetrating power. These spikes rapidly shoot towards the two.

        The others are not spared either. Though for them, a large number of
 smaller shell chunks break off. They then begin to orbit around the
 not-quite-anymore spherical Meteora. Streams begin to break off from the
 circling chunks, blasting towards Kaworu, Liam and Zan and pelting them with
 large numbers of small impacts. The Prometheus Makhia also suffer from similar
 assaults, yet another machine collapsing in defeat as its structure is
 penetrated with many holes.

        Through the fight, the Meteora continues to float closer to the ground,
 closer to Coco. As it does so, the situation only grows stranger. Plants begin
 to be rapidly grow, in the desert sands below the Meteora, spreading out into
 a large patch. Their stalks rise out of the ground, buds quickly expanding
 before blooming into a small sea of vivid red flowers.

        Coco walks carefully amidst the patch of flowers, soon reaching the
 center. She then raises her arms and slowly twirls. As if she's enjoying this.
 As if she's oblivious to the monster looming ever closer above her.

        Another person comes running out of the doors of the elevator shaft
 that Coco used to get her. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's Chloe. Confused by the
 sight in front of her, Chloe nonetheless tries to act as she rushes across the
 desert sands, crying out, "Coco!" Her hand reaches out to the other woman in
 the distance.

        Chloe's call seems to actually draw Coco's attention. She turns her
 head, her eyes opening to look in Chloe's direction. A smile appears on her
 face...

        ... Even as a deep black begins to spread across her. Her hair, her
 body, her clothes. The Meteora grows closer and closer, the tips of its
 petal-like form beginning to close in around her, obscuring her from view.

        There is a sickening crunch.

        Chloe stops, staring in shocked disbelief. She collapses to her knees,
 her hands slowly rising up to hold her head. She then cries out...

        "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Luanova Luckwright with Shell Spike!
KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaiju Navi targets Serinas Nikola with Shell Spike!
KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaiju Navi has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Kaiju_Navi Changes attack to Kaworu Nagisa, Zan, and Liam 7-020 with Shell
 Swarm.

KTS: Kaworu Nagisa retreats from the attack!
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage.
KTS: Kaworu Nagisa fails to evade Kaiju Navi's Shell Swarm, taking 4200 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Ace Attacker activates, causing Insight L1!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Defiance activates, causing Sparkle!
KTS: Zan blocks Kaiju Navi's Shell Swarm, taking 3375 damage!
KTS: Luanova Luckwright partially guards Kaiju Navi's Shell Spike, taking 6000
 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Ace Attacker activates, causing Insight L1!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Defiance activates, causing Sparkle!
KTS: Liam 7-020 blocks Kaiju Navi's Shell Swarm, taking 5400 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Ace Attacker activates, causing Insight L1!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Defiance activates, causing Sparkle!
KTS: Serinas Nikola fails to rush.
KTS: Serinas Nikola partially guards Kaiju Navi's Shell Spike, taking 6000
 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Ace Attacker activates, causing Insight L1!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Kaiju Navi's Defiance activates, causing Sparkle!
=----------------[ Community of Central African States [OAC] ]-----------------=
Name                    Fac  Idle Last   Health   %    Energy    Spirit   Morale
Chloe                  [NRV] 0s   15m         -   -         -         -        -
Luanova Luckwright     [CIV] 8m   28m      8150 55%        73        45      139
Serinas Nikola         [ZFT] 12s  42m      8000 57%        52        25      151
Liam 7-020             [NRV] 8m   55m      8400 50%        79        20      146
Kaworu Nagisa          [NRV] 13m  1h       9800 65%        88       100      115
Zan                    [NRV] 12m  1h      12385 73%        32        35      122
Alouette_Pommier       [NRV] 3h   None        -   -         -         -        -
Asuka_Shikinami_Langley[NRV] 2h   None        -   -         -         -        -
Kaiju Navi             [UNP] 15m  None    35260 53%       120        10      180

<Pose Tracker> Zan has posed.

Not quite seeing what is happening until it is too late, Zan's audio sensors
 pick up the crunch. Then the scream. He recognizes the voice that screamed.
 That distraction is enough the swarm of shells manages to push him around a
 bit before he moves to stand tall.

"These things are annoying."

Then his optics finally find what he feared. They lock on to where Chloe is. An
 ally. Someone now in serious danger.

"Chloe is on the battlefield!"

He moves to put himself in the way of attacks that might hit Chloe. And turns
 to face the Meteora.

"We need to end this now!"

Looking up at the Meteora, the Iron Zanrailer brings it's arm back. Thrusters
 appear around the titan's forearm as it throws the punch forward. Thrusters
 flare to life as the half of a train car launches, spinning as it aims for the
 Meteora itself in an attempt to break through.

"ROCKET PUNCH!"

As if answering the call the entire fist flares forward hard enough that sand
 is thrown up as it rockets at the kaiju.

The Iron Zanrailer keeps it's position as the fist flies off, watching to see
 if it can find the core. To help others aim for it.

"Chloe, go back inside! It's too dangerous out here!"

And try to keep between the Meteora and Chloe herself.

KTS: Zan has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
KTS: Zan has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
KTS: Zan targets Kaiju Navi with Rocket Punch!

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        The center is a reasonable point for the core of a spherical entity to
 exist. Kaworu surveys the data that feeds back from the impact, then forwards
 the packets to the other defending mechs, from the Dilanza Sol to Iron
 Zanrailer to Serinas's Lion 500 and Lua's Myrmecia--that last one a
 particularly impressive unit given its size and how it telekinetically hurled
 a Makhia at the Meteora as a makeshift weapon. That's not what Kaworu is
 focusing on right now, though.
        
        "<The density within the Meteora here is different. I believe that's
 where its core is located,>" he states over the comm lines along with the data
 packet.
        
        But the Meteora is opening up and descending, and Coco awaits it. A
 sea of flowers blooms in the desert beneath the Meteora, and Coco dances in
 it. Kaworu watches over her and Chloe as the shadow descends. He couldn't
 close the distance between them even if he wanted to; the Meteora breaks off
 spiked shells and fires a line of them at Unit Beta. She leaps backwards out
 of the way to avoid a direct impact, A.T. Field shimmering, but the assault is
 hard and fast, and she's forced farther and farther back to avoid getting
 overwhelmed and skewered, the rising sands and impacts blocking her off from
 the others.
        
        By the time the Meteora lands and Chloe howls her anguish, she's but an
 enlarged sub-window on Kaworu's screen. Coco herself is...
        
        "...."
        
        Kaworu shuts his eyes. Unit Beta bows her masked head.
        
        Then she cuts the air with a slice of one of her hands. Her A.T. Field
 follows the movement, flashing briefly in the air like the thinnest of blades,
 far thinner than her Heat Rapier--before potentially slicing through the
 Meteora at an angle away from Chloe. He'll leave it to Zan to be the physical
 presence that directly protects her.

KTS: Kaworu Nagisa targets Kaiju Navi with Separation!

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        "<Roger, Prometheus Control,>" Liam says. Is it comforting to know that
 these things are at least a little Angel-like? Disturbing? Both? Liam will
 have time to think on that once this is over. And he's determined to make that
 'once', not 'if'.

        The Meteora's rapid shapeshifting makes it difficult to close in. The
 Dilanza Sol swerves right, twisting out of the way as part of the kaiju
 unfolds. A layer of its shell whips past, missing him by less than ten meters.
 The Mobile Suit crouches as it surges onwards, riding the cushion of
 jet-thrust. Liam stares long and hard into the center cam, focusing on Coco.

        "<Prometheus Control, there's a civilian on the field! Coco Coconoe. I
 don't think she's in her right mind--!>" Kaworu seems eerily calm about this,
 but eerily calm is Kaworu's normal.

        The shell keeps breaking apart. "<Masquelion, Myrmecia, watch out!>" A
 stream of smaller chunks sprays at the Dilanza Sol. Liam twists his machine to
 face it, the force of his maneuver shoving him roughly into his seat. He takes
 a breath and endures it, while his hands stay firmly on the sticks. Both of
 the Mobile Suit's shields sweep forward to intercept, and are met with
 crushing force. It's like taking autocannon fire from a battleship--chunk
 after chunk hammers into the wall of armor, until eventually there's a
 horrible metallic shriek, and the metal finally gives. The right shield shreds
 off at the midpoint, spraying the Dilanza Sol with spall. The other one comes
 off more cleanly, lodging in the...

        ...sea of red blooms.

        "<What--?!>" Fear flashes through Liam's brain. Didn't the Kafims do
 something like this in the REA? And now it's a kaiju? He toggles the
 loudspeaker on, his voice echoing out into the desert. "<Chloe, get back!
 She's not-->"

        Crunch.

        A familiar feeling, tight and cold, grips Liam by the throat. There's
 no hesitation, though. The Dilanza Sol takes to the air, its jets thundering
 beneath it as it lifts off. It reaches up, snapping its beam saber--advertised
 as a "beam torch", thanks to its brighter, broader blade--and igniting it.
 With the target area Kaworu identified painted in red, the Dilanza Sol rushes
 in for the kill, stabbing the torch right for the indicated sweet spot. The
 core.

KTS: Liam 7-020 has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Liam 7-020 targets Kaiju Navi with Beam Torch and Shoulder Shield Perfect
 Thrust!

KTS: Liam 7-020's Biorhythm activates Alert!

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        The hybrid sword does indeed *cut a chunk of Meteora right off!* Lani
 stares at her AR-projected screen agape, "DAMN! Did you SEE that?!" Her
 parents nod. She clicks back onto the radio. <"So, I take it it's got a
 railgun and missile pod, too?"> Makaio smiles, happy to exposit, <"Well, we
 couldn't come up with a missile design more maneuverable than the Cask
 Missiles, so we left them. The Burst Railgun does what you wanted, anyway, but
 we tried to tune it for more performance.">

        She considers this for a moment. <"...So does that make this the Star
 Lion, then? Err... Starlion?"> Her parents shrug, clicking off the radio for a
 moment to aside, "Unless you don't want it to be..." She shakes her head.
 "Nah. I mean... Lani. 'Sky', 'the heavens'... Shortened from 'Star of the
 Heavens' anyway..."

        It is, in fact, identified as 'Starlion' on IFF at present.

        Meanwhile, Serinas finally notices that a civilian has wandered out
 onto the field! <"Thanks, wanzer pilot, but that civilian needs help more
 than-- NO!"> The Starlion dives, only for a chunk of shell to slam into it and
 crush its leg into the ground, pinning it in place in perfect view to see--

        Crunch.

        She doesn't hear her family gasping in horror. She's not thinking about
 how it's really the civilian's fault for walking into a kaiju battle. She
 just...

        She wants to tear it apart.

        And the tools to do it have been placed in her hands.

        he Lion tries to hover, only to find itself pinned to the ground by its
 crushed leg. Whatever, it's got a Tesla Drive, it doesn't NEED legs. With a
 swipe of one of its blades, the maimed limb is cut free.

        The Starlion rises towards the Meteora's surface. It tries to plunge
 the blades in and tear them out brutally, but... that doesn't work great with
 this thing? She adjusts to a series of angled cuts, trying to hack chunks out
 of the Meteora's back and dig towards its center. That's where she
 subconcsiously assumes the core is, and the data Kaworu sends confirms it.

        Serinas Nikola...

        ...With these blades, tear apart whatever stands in the way of
 humanity's peaceful, safe future...!

        <"FALL, DAMN YOU!"> It's her mother's voice, screaming over the radio,
 but it expresses the sentiment and intent of Serinas's mind as well, wholly
 occupied with dismantling the enemy before her until it can no longer fight.

KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Zan's Rocket Punch, taking 2430 damage!
KTS: Serinas Nikola has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Serinas Nikola uses hyper reloader
KTS: Serinas Nikola targets Kaiju Navi with Hybrid Sword Combo!
KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Kaworu Nagisa's Separation, taking 2160 damage!
KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Liam 7-020's Beam Torch and Shoulder Shield
 Perfect Thrust, taking 2655 damage!

KTS: Liam 7-020 has engaged Kaiju Navi!
KTS: Kaiju Navi partially guards Serinas Nikola's Hybrid Sword Combo, taking
 5330 damage!

KTS: Serinas Nikola has engaged Kaiju Navi!

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        The Meteora is... adapting? Getting smarter? Just defending itself more
 urgently while Myrmecia is in direct contact? Its shell projectiles this time
 crack and shatter, no longer massive shells of brute force impact, but a hail
 of cutting edges. Distributing Lua's attention to hold back a rain of so many
 impact points is much harder, and this time, the Myrmecia suffers the kind of
 horrendous damage a unit of its size seemed like it should in this fight,
 impaled through the legs, the shoulders, arms, one pauldron sheared clean. A
 symphony of melodic chimes plays out as the Myrmecia's ablative plating falls
 into new positions to redistribute protection. Dark oils bleed down its
 cycloptic 'face.'

        It saves Lua the trouble of being able to think about the inset display
 of the entranced civilian giving herself up to the Meteora.

        <Holding. And...> Lua's transmission comes in ragged breaths. Don't
 think. Use those thoughts to hold the machine together. Come back alive.

        <Detonating target.> The Meteora has been within the Myrmecia's
 psychokinetic veil since it planted its feet aboard. Now, ten million
 calculated observations flood the neural interface between the Myrmex Engine
 and Lua's quantum brainwaves, collapsing tidal waves of quantum foam through
 the space occupied by the Meteora. This is not a direction of outside force.
 This is grasping the particles making up the corporeal body of the Meteora's
 core directly, bypassing its outer shell, and shattering its structure, as if
 space itself twisted within the Meteora.

        Whether it does the job or not, it's all Lua's going to be able to do
 safely. The Myrmecia kicks off the surface of the Meteora, engaging support
 jets to carry it further away from where the entity can project that flurry of
 knives.

KTS: Luanova Luckwright has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Luanova Luckwright has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Luanova Luckwright targets Kaiju Navi with Distributed Implosion!
KTS: Kaiju Navi fails to react to Luanova Luckwright's Distributed Implosion,
 taking 7800 damage!

KTS: Luanova Luckwright has engaged Kaiju Navi!

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        Zan moves to place himself in the path between Chloe and the Meteora.
 While it's still possible for attacks from the battle at large to hit her
 indirectly, the Meteora itself doesn't seem to pose a direct threat. As once
 it 'eats' Coco, it begins to rise upwards. The shell chunks that had been
 orbiting around it dissolve into light.

        Chloe instinctively shields her face as sand whips up in her general
 area from Zan's rocket punch. She doesn't seem to be moving though as both Zan
 and Liam suggest. She's likely in shock. Zan's flying fist smashes into the
 Meteora, but the entity continues to rise.

        The AT Field slice from Kaworu cuts through the air, equally slicing
 into the Meteora and leaving a large gouge across its surface. But the entity
 continues to rise.

        The warning from Liam results in some confusion from the Prometheus
 controller, but also some recognition, <"W-What!? Coco is out there? Why!?">
 Good question. The Meteora's form is changing again, closing, returning back
 to the way it was when it arrives. It is also starting to turn away as it
 rises, throwing off Liam's aim. His blade stabs into the Meteora, but doesn't
 reach what is assumed to be the core.

        Serinas continues to hack away at the Meteora. Her efforts are creating
 openings deeper and deeper into it, reducing the distance to the core
 identified by Kaworu. But the Meteora is also starting to pick up speed,
 accelerating at a rate that belies its large size. This is making it hard to
 maintain proximity as it continues to rise.

        As it does so, a large white hole opens in the sky, ahead of where the
 Meteora is moving. The others were still in the process of launching when this
 last showed, but Zan will recognise it. Is the Meteora leaving?

        Lua chooses to take a more unconventional approach, trying to bypass
 the Meteora's structure entirely and go for the core directly. The reality
 altering phenomena interacts with the Meteora's core and the entire thing
 shatters.

        And then unshatters. And then shatters.

        It unshatters. It shatters. Unshatters. Shatters. Unshatters shatters
 unshatters shatters unshattersshattersunshattersshatters...!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        It's like the strength of the entirety of reality is denying Lua's
 attempts. And it's unlikely she'd be able to hold out long enough to overwhelm
 that kind of force. Thus the core finally remains in an unshattered state.

        Though unseen to all, there is a small crack in it...

        Finally the Meteora rises up to meet the white circle, passing into it.
 The circle quickly closes behind, leaving the battlefield to quietly settle.

KTS: Kaiju Navi's Meteora has been disabled.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        With Chloe now definitely safe despite her shock, Kaworu doesn't press
 the attack. He and Unit Beta watch the Meteora as it rises, rises, rises,
 despite the many more attacks layered upon it, until finally
 shattersunshattersshattersunshattersunshatters--and passes through the white
 circle, which closes in its wake.
        
        The sands and the winds slowly die down. Unit Beta's long hair drifts
 down; then her face plate turns towards Chloe, still where she fell earlier.
        
        "<...Let us regroup and return to base,>" he transmits to those still
 left on the battlefield. "<The survivors will need treatment. Liam, can I
 entrust Chloe to you?>"
        
        However he responds, Kaworu and Unit Beta turn to assist the damaged
 and defeated Makhias and their pilots, should they need it. He remains eerily
 calm, as Liam observed.
        
        But, also as Liam observed, that's just his normal, isn't it?

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        "FALL!" A voice, strained by desperation... and this feeling of rage at
 a world that Is Not How It Should Be, a red machine swinging those blades, the
 scarf of a would-be-hero...

        He's not here this Cycle, though.

        Only in spirit, perhaps, for a moment.

        The moment passes. "NO!" shouts Serinas, as the Meteora rises, and
 starts to outpace the tesla drive. <"Shoot it!"> Makaio urges. <"We can at
 least get more data!">

        She does, firing a stream of hypersonic metal from the overclocked
 Burst Railgun until it overloads and explodes, and before she can pull out the
 Annihilator again, the Meteora is gone.

        There is... nothing to fight.

        It's always disorienting, when the object of Serinas's focus is
 suddenly... not there, and she's left with no immediate goal or objective.
 It's jarring as her brain unfocuses, to again think in terms of the wider
 situation.

        Her hands are shaking. She looks down at Chloe, but... her hands are
 shaking, and unknown modifications were made to this machine. It may not be
 safe, one of the others should retrieve her. What can she even say?

        The Starlion returns to the landing platform. Using the Tesla drive to
 stand on one leg until it returns to the gantry.

        Her grandparents hug her as soon as she steps out of the cockpit. "I'm
 a soldier. I've seen death before." She says, but she doesn't tell them to
 stop. Lani joins as soon as she can climb up there. "I know." says Serinas's
 mother. "But this was... It's OK to feel."

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        Lua tears at the core of the Meteora as long as she can hold it. It's
 not long enough. It's hard to describe the sensation... is it fighting back
 with exactly the same kind of force she is applying, returning force with
 counterforce on a massive quantum scale? Is it something else? Rapid healing,
 something stranger? Something that can only be called magic?

        Lua's machine is bleeding oil. She does not have time, especially if
 this thing might have the ability to launch another attack while doing this.
 She flees. So does the Meteora.

        The Myrmecia slowly hovers down until it touches ground in the sand,
 crushing a newborn dahlia under one foot. It falls limp, Lua's will no longer
 guiding its posture and movements.

        She is not idle, and the Myrmecia is not still. That soft wind-chime
 tinkling repeats again, easier to catch without the confusion of battle around
 it, as the Myrmecia's armor scales continue to redistribute themselves. But
 it's more than that. Slowly, disjointed plates right themselves. Ruptures
 seal. Frayed scrap rises back up to seal itself back into place. Her will is
 repairing the machine's damage in the field.

        There are a few unmanned airships hovering around the periphery of the
 engagement zone. They have been there for some time, and they have been
 recording.

        This is the demonstration for the investors, this live battlefield
 where Coco was lost.
        Behold the wunder-wanzer.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam watches Myrmecia take that hit. It takes a conscious effort to
 scream <"Myrmecia!"> and not "Lua!" It's in one piece. It's still moving.
 She's alive. But the momentary shock doesn't help. The Dilanza Sol reaches the
 apex of its jump, and falls, its jets firing to slow its descent. It lands
 with a heavy THUD, and cranes its neck up to watch as--

        The Meteora shatters. It unshatters. It shatters. Liam watches the
 tug-of-war between Lua and the kaiju, horror lighting up his eyes. He presses
 a hand to his chest to make sure his heart's still beating, remembering what
 happened to him in Yapool. How Yapool killed him, and he--

        Liam grits his teeth, and blinks away the tears. He watches as the
 Meteora leaves through that brilliant white portal. "<She's gone,>" he says.
 "<Myrmecia, are you--all right?>" He knows who isn't okay, and Kaworu does,
 too. The Dilanza Sol turns, and trudges back through the field of flowers. It
 kneels before the elevator, and lowers its right hand, keeping it flat and
 stable.

        "Chloe?" Liam says. "I." His throat tightens. He remembers the hitch in
 his existence, and Lucine's screams. "Come on. We're here."

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        With the battle over, Prometheus starts its own recovery operations,
 though accepts help where provided. Roughly three quarters of the Makhia force
 they had launched are either disabled or destroyed beyond recognition (thanks
 Lua). Clearly that would have been total if not for the assistance provided.
 And thankfully there were no casualties...

        ... Well, amongst the Makhia pilots.

        Liam returns to Chloe, who is now leaning forward on her hands. He
 reaches out to her and for a moment, there is no response except for her hands
 to clench into fists...

        But then she replies flatly, "... Right..." She slowly gets to her
 feet, head hanging as she trudges over onto the Dilanza Sol's hand.