Difference between revisions of "2023-01-31: The Origin of Destruction"

Latest revision as of 07:53, 4 February 2023

Log: The Origin Of Destruction
Cast: Rau Le Creuset, Lacus Clyne, Riika Sheder, Rita Bernal, Eight York, Ryoko Subaru, Mobile Weapon Team, Shiho Hahnenfuss, Rena Lancaster, Anita Rosetta, Naoko Suzuki, Himeyuri Oono, Treize Khushrenada, Yurika Misumaru, Hikaru Amano, Michiru Tenjou, Natarle Badgiruel
Where: Side 2 - PLANTs
OOC - IC Date: 0097-01-31
Summary: The Federation goes for the first major assault against the PLANTs since the war started, while the Three Ships Alliance makes its debut to try and get the two sides to stop fighting. The Federation fires nuclear weapons at the PLANTs in an attempt to destroy them. Despite a desperate attempt to protect them, one of the PLANTs is destroyed in nuclear fire. In retaliation, ZAFT fires its GENESIS superweapon towards the Orbital Ring, causing damage and death to a section of the Tenchu Orbital Tower.

<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        "We stand at the precipice, facing those who would condemn us for our
birth."

        "They still try to stand against us, the ones who threaten our world."

        "Despite all we've suffered through to get to this point, we remain
strong."

        "They are clearly on their last legs and cannot hold us back. Makes you
wonder why they try."

        "As we prepare to take this next step towards our future, one thing is
assured..."

        "This is the end for them. And after this, everyone will realise..."

        "Ours is a just cause." - Patrick Zala
        "Ours is a just cause." - Muruta Azrael

        Cheers go up from the soldiers of ZAFT as their leader addresses the
large amount of their forces that have gathered here, over a hundred teams. On
the Federation's side, six fleets are preparing to face off against them.
Though the comments made off hand to those on the bridge of the flagship
receive far less enthusiasm. The Federation outnumbers ZAFT by almost three to
one in terms of ships and mobile weapon numbers. Of course, the numbers have
never been in ZAFT's favour. They've always relied on superior technology and
Coordinator abilities to even the odds.

        Still, it certainly looks like ZAFT is being pressed up against the
ropes, as just behind their forces is the asteroid fortress of Jachin Due.
ZAFT's last line of defense. And just beyond that, the PLANTs themselves. One
hundred and nineteen shining hourglasses in the darkness of space.

        The PLANT Supreme Council Chairman, Patrick Zala, is overseeing ZAFT's
defense. Within a command centre deep within Jachin Due, surrounded by
numerous military advisers and operators, he stares intently at the main
screen showing the Federation forces. The large planet Earth backing them.
'These people have taken so much from us... From me...' He frowns as he thinks
to himself. For over thirty years he has given his everything to the PLANTs.
Working to improve them and give everyone living within them a better life.
And the result? His wife killed with Junius Seven's destruction. His son
betraying him, turning traitor to the very society he's tried to create. Said
society on the verge of complete destruction. And it can all be traced to
them... The Naturals.

        NIA Majority Leader for the Federation Assembly, secret head of Blue
Cosmos, and the defacto person in charge of this Federation force, Muruta
Azrael, smiles. From the bridge of the Archangel-class vessel and flagship of
this fleet, the Dominion, he looks out upon the ZAFT forces arrayed ahead. And
beyond them, those eyesores, the PLANTs. For years he's been working towards
this moment. Whispering in the right ears. Strong-arming the right companies.
Discrediting the right politicians. All to reach this moment when he will
finally be able to rid the world of the source of its greatest threat. He got
a taste of this coming victory when, on his orders, the Junius Seven PLANT was
destroyed. Now he will finish what he started against those who would declare
themselves superior to normal people. Those monsters... The Coordinators.

        There are no declarations of intent. No negotiations. No demands for
surrender. This is no longer a war between factions, it's a fight for
survival. Both sides know what is coming and have no intention of turning
away, charging head first into the coming devastation, intending to be the
only side that survives.

        It's not clear who shot first, but either way it doesn't matter. Soon
enough, the space between the two forces is filled with a vast array of lights
and explosions. Warships on both sides firing a large number of beam cannons
and missiles at each other. Quite a majority of the shots miss, Minovsky
interference throwing off beam cannon aim, while CIWS turrets shoot down
approaching missiles. But every now and then, hits will occur. Beams will
carve through a warship, missiles blowing open large holes in their hulls.
Some even score lucky strikes, triggering secondary explosions resulting in a
blossoming of light as the vessel explodes. A tragic, yet also oddly
beautiful, end to hundreds of lives. All the while, mobile weapons begin to
charge forward through the gap that separates the two forces, preparing to
engage their counterparts once they close the distance.

        However, these two forces are not the only ones here today. For from
above the battlefield, a third force approaches. The newly formed Three Ships
Alliance. A force not quite yet recognised by the world at large, this will be
their debut. And they've chosen quite a stage on which to demonstrate their
intentions for this war going forward.

        A stage which is still missing one key star.

        Within one of the many hangars built into the asteroid that is Jachin
Due, Rau Le Creuset floats in front of his new unit. He smirks, 'Finally, with
this... A fitting tool with which to ensure that this all ends.'

        Soon enough, a new unit launches from Jachin Due. Already it's likely
to draw attention in its direction, as its power levels register at heights
well beyond anything else ZAFT has fielded to date. But as it dives into the
brawl that has formed, where the mobile weapons from both sides are clashing,
it suddenly demonstrates even further reason to be concerned. The unit carves
its way through the Federation forces it encounters with relative ease and
disturbing speed, with seemingly no assistance from its allies.

        Closer inspection of the unit reveals... It's a Gundam! A rather bulky
one too, with a huge beam rifle, similarly huge backpack and multiple
protrusions which look suspiciously like...

        "Hahahahahahaha!" Rau is laughing with mad glee in the cockpit of the
ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam. He throws himself into a formation of six
Federation units, mentally directing the remote bits of the DRAGOON system to
detach from his machine. They quickly speed off, taking up attack positions
around the units before firing beams. The beams pierce through the chests and
energy packs of all six of them at the same time, causing six simultaneous
explosions.

        As the DRAGOONs return to the Providence to dock with it once more, Rau
smirks, "Wonderful. Wonderful!"

<Pose Tracker> Lacus Clyne has posed.

It's not clear who shot first, but either way it doesn't matter.

This is a war that will go on forever, or will end with total extermination,
powered by hatred. This is a war that will destroy PLANT, will wreck the
Earth, will tear apart any dreams of peace for years to come.

This is a war that must end.

The Clyne Faction has laid low since the ascent to power of Patrick Zala, save
for strange appearances and messages here and there. One would think they were
defeated, that they lost support for peaceful resolution in the wake of
constant escalation. That the only natural response to terror is terror.

Except.

There's an unauthorized launch of a ship, piloted by an 'authorized to do
something else' Andrew Waltfeld, the gates opened by soldiers who suddenly
pull guns on their own. A ship hijacking, at possibly the worst time. An act
by the Federation? Then why are all the soldiers PLANT citizens?

And who is that at the helm?

Lacus sits on her chair at the bridge of the massive Eternal as it departs an
asteroid colony nearby, her hair tied up behind her, her eyes cool and calm
even as they fill with sorrow. And she broadcasts, to all present.

"This is Lacus Clyne, of the Clyne Faction. We of the Eternal condemn the
assault on the PLANTs and the continued escalation of war by Patrick Zala. We
call for a peaceful resolution, and we shall fight for it."

So, she thinks, this is the paradox. A declaration of war against war.

Her tiny Haros fly around her, like bits on a mobile suit.

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

Once upon a time, Riika would have been on a different side in this war.

She knows Jachin Due. She's been there, at least in the outer layers; she's
only been before it was fully militarized, but that doesn't change the fact
that it's familiar to her in a general way. If things had turned out
differently, she would be fighting in its defense.

Now...

She's still fighting in the PLANTs' defense. She really does feel that. But
that means bringing this battle to a stop... and the only way to do that is by
fighting ZAFT as well as the Federation.

"This is Riika Sheder," she says, into her radio. "I'm deploying now. Clear the
way, this thing takes up a lot of room."

From the Eternal, a mobile suit deploys. IFFs, at least in the Three Ships
Alliance, declare it to be the MF-XR01 Svalinn Gundam.

Svalinn has a Gundam-styled frame. Primarily a soft powder pink, accented in
white and a very deep red and with the traditional golden V-crest, it has some
touches that set it apart from other Gundams. The exterior armour plating is
sleek and streamlined, giving it an aerodynamic look. Its silhouette is a
little different, though details are hard to make out.

They're hard to make out because the mobile suit is attached to a much, much
larger machine.

The METEOR - Mobile suit Embedded Tactical EnfORcer - is an armed module
designed by ZAFT, and identifies properly for ZAFT computers (this is
METEOR-02, apparently), but clearly not being operated by ZAFT. It is a full
hundred meters long, about half of which is thruster and frame and the other
half of which is cannon. More cannons, only slightly smaller, are affixed on
turrets to the sides of the frame, and several other points suggest missile
launch systems.

Svalinn Gundam nestles in about halfway back, hands gripping handles on the
enormous cannons, each larger than Svalinn itself; it is attached by
connectors across its back and hips to the rest of the framework of the METEOR.

It simply lifts off the Eternal and paces it, matching its speed, showing that
the Clyne Faction - that the Three Ships' Alliance - has power of their own.
It doesn't power up any of its enormous weapons immediately, but simply... has
them. It's enough of a warning.

In the cockpit, Riika uses her position and her time to watch and study. The
METEOR has a secondary processor that can handle an enormous number of
combatants at once; she's never had as good a look at an entire battlefield as
she has in this moment.

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

Another warning. A golden canary spreading her wings in the blackness of space.
Will the heroes of the living heed her plea in time?

This isn't the Phenex's mission. It's wasting precious time, trying to
intervene in the calamity Rau Le Creuset would cause. She should be gathering
allies, building trust, and preparing for what is to come.

...time in this state must be weakening her. Sensing the terror of the
civilians of the PLANTs, watching three great forces collide to determine
their fates is too painful. She can't bear the great sorrow and grief-to-be of
so many.

But even she doesn't know if her presence will turn the tide. She has always
focused her visions merely on what is destined, not what may be changed. It
seems such things are more possible than she ever believed... bringing hope
and fear, in equal measure.

And so, darting past the Three Ships Alliance, a blur of gold-and-blue races to
the site of the battle. Azure flame curls against the vacuum, defying the
void. As she passes by the Ra Mari II, she raises a hand, imparting a fraction
of her spiritual might to the warship. The miraculous energy settles into the
ship's armor, strengthening it.

With swift, angular motions, the Phenex arrives in the center of the
battlefield. The Ra Mari has ample support today. Where is she most needed?

Lacus Clyne broadcasts her message of peace, and the Phenex turns her head
toward the Eternal. A ship she has not seen before, but one who clearly shares
her beliefs. ...and it's really cute!

Cloaking herself again in her deathless fire, the Phenex races to the side of
the Eternal. No broadcast accompanies her, but Lacus may feel gentle
protective feelings, should she be sensitive enough. The Phenex is on her
side. The Eternal is protected.

With another raise of her arm, incandescent light surrounds Lacus' ship,
seeping into the armor. It gleams, for a long moment, as though each and every
component part was individually strengthened.

Floating next to the pink ship, the golden Gundam waits. The wings at her back
spread wide, hovering just beyond her shoulders. An attack will come. She will
meet it, when it does.

KTS: Rita Bernal has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Eight York
KTS: Rita Bernal has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Lacus Clyne
KTS: Rita Bernal targets Treize Khushrenada with Pass!
KTS: Rita Bernal has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.

The sheer size of the red ship moving toward the battlefield may be the first
thing to draw the eye or the sensor--if indeed there's any room to notice
anything outside of pitched battle. But as it comes...

"All pilots," Eight says over the radio, "Ready to launch." She pauses.
"...This is a battle unlike any you've faced before. We're against people who
could've been our allies once, and could be tomorrow... But we've promised
that we won't simply stand by, and wait for the rest to happen. We'll take
this into our own hands, for better or worse."

"...Good luck out there, everyone. Come back alive. And remember--we chose
this path. York, out."

"Captain!" comes a voice from one Tempo Astelian, at the Comms station.
"We're gettinga tranmission!"

"Patch it through," says Eight York, Captain of the Ra Mari II. And then she
listens to Lacus Clyne's words, and smiles faintly. "Open a channel," she
instructs her comms officer. "Miss Clyne," she says over that channel just to
the Eternal, "Or should I say 'Captain'? I think this is the 'song' you told
me about. Eight York, here to support."

Then--Eight blinks, suddenly, with a flash of insight as the hears in her mind
the terrible laughter of a man of horrid intent. "That Gundam..." Already,
it's scything through Federation forces. And...

"Rena," she communicates over the radio, "Annie. I have a bad feeling about
that Gundam. Be careful--but take it out."

Eight sits in her chair on the bridge, stone-faced, as she watches the battle
unfold...

KTS: Eight York targets Rena Lancaster, Anita Rosetta, and Naoko Suzuki with
 Caution.

KTS: Eight York has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.

Nergal assured her she'd only be fighting the Jovian menace. More fool she.
Even having rebelled against the Federation, she hates this. Them stopping
Wars? It sounds like a pipe dream.

And it still requires her to kill.

All the same, the crew on the Nadesico is too important to her, so she won't
back down from these fights against people - even if it's just to keep all of
them alive in a world hostile to difficult personalities like them.

An Aestie tromps along the upper outer hull of the Nadesico, each footstep
locking it down magnetically, then releasing. Space is full of lights and
explosions.

It reminds her so much of 93.

"Okay Ruri, Omoikane - link up with our targeting computers. Every time I fire
be sure to time lowering the distortion field with it."

She might as well be telling someone how to walk and chew bubblegum for how
easy this has become for that pair. Maybe it's just a sign of how nervous she
is.

"AaaaaaAaa I hate the Heavy Artillery Frame! It's such a hassle!" She
complains as she pounds her fists on the console. Uribatake's face pops up in
a window that aggressively advances near hers, "You think I don't know how you
fight by now Subaru! I'm not going to watch you wade into the middle of that
blood bath and ruin my cute little Aestie! We need more firepower close to
home for ship to ship combat so deal with it!"

"Bite me!" She says as she presses her face against his window. "You're not the
one having to fight in it you scruffy weirdo!"

The arrival of the Providence Gundam on the field definitely... draws her
attention though, a window in her Aestie zooming right on in as its DRAGOONs
take out six mobile suits.

Uribatake seems to be watching that same visual herself, "... Well I won't
distract you any further, good luck out there!"

His screen blips away so fast you might wonder if he's trying to hide.

"Maybe this frame wasn't such a bad idea after all..." Ryoko murmurs, as she
thinks back to the past, when she watched others fight like that.

It's not a happy thought.

The Eternal, broadcasts their message of peace, and she eyes the Ra Mari
briefly. She thinks on the paradox. She thinks on what she once yelled at
Captain York once.

"... Damnit." She whispers to herself, knowing she has no better answer.

KTS: Eight York suggests caution, raising Anita Rosetta's Intuition!

<Pose Tracker> Mobile Weapon Team has posed.

"Registering another ZAFT unit deploying! ...It's a Gundam! It's pressing
through the front lines..."

Natarle Badgiruel shifts her cap, pressing a hand out. "Fair to assume it's a
ZAFT command unit. Fall back the 01s and draw it into our guns, standard
formations. It's past time this war came to an end."

Unfortunately, she won't be free to focus on ZAFT today. Those other ships
insist on getting involved... and she's got Representative Azrael over her
shoulder. At least...

"That pink ship is a Coordinator weapon! If they're between us and victory,
they can also be considered our enemy! We can't be swayed just because
they've fallen into infighting... that's just to be expected of beasts like
them!"

The orders are sharp and to the point. "Communications, advise that pink ship
to withdraw without engaging if it wishes to be considered friendly. I can
extend that much to a civilian... Weapons, I want a Lohengrin firing solution
in two minutes! Move to firing position at full speed and align the
Gottfrieds to respond to any aggression! We can't allow any unnecessary
damage to the fleet... the Dominion will take it from here!"

Still, she can't fully repress a sigh, pressing her finger and thumb into her
cheeks gently. Lacus Clyne, of all people? It had been enough trouble the
first time they'd run into each other... a pink haired ghost popping up at
a time like this is just too much.

Couldn't have done me the favor of staying gone, huh? Another kid on the
battlefield, throwing their weight around...

Missiles blossom from the back of the Dominion, swinging wide into the void
before converging on the Eternal... and snapping Natarle's head around first
to the weapons station, and then to Representative Azrael.

"I didn't issue an order to fire! We've not received any response from Lacus
Clyne's vessel!"

"Why do we need one? That's an armed Coordinator warship. We should destroy
it for daring to show its face here at all! This battle can't end until every
last Coordinator is dead, Lt. Commander Badgiruel! You know that as well as I
do!"

KTS: Mobile Weapon Team targets Lacus Clyne with Aft Missile Launchers!
KTS: Mobile Weapon Team has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Eight York suggests caution, raising Rena Lancaster's Intuition!
KTS: Himeyuri_Oono has deployed as a Rival.
KTS: Eight York suggests caution, raising Naoko Suzuki's Intuition!

<Pose Tracker> Shiho Hahnenfuss has posed.

Lacus Clyne is a traitor... and more than that -- she departed with...

Shiho, at her terminal, stares dully. METEOR... then they don't even need the
CGUE DEEP Arms anymore. Her effort fine-tuning the cooling system... in the
end, they weren't even worth it -- they simply decided to return to the
Gnomides/Dendrobium concept. Her friends are leaving -- her work has been
useless...

... What even is there to fight for? If not her own pride -- if not her own
success -- if not her friends...

"For ZAFT."

As she hears Lacus's declaration, she scowls. How arrogant -- to simply declare
the aggrieved and the aggressor the same, and place themselves apart. If they
wanted this to end cleanly and righteously, they'd just...

... fine, then. ZAFT will simply have more enemies.

She isn't thinking clearly, and she knows it full well -- but the maelstrom of
conflict draws her in just the same. Boosting straight for the stolen METEOR
-- the emblem of so much stolen from ZAFT, from her -- she draws the enormous
ship-cutting blade of the DEEP Arms, slashing for one of the cannons of the
mobile weapon.

"That power was never meant to be yours to begin with, Gundam!" she declares.
It comes out hotter and angrier than she means it to -- but at the same
time... well, she is angry.

KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss targets Riika Sheder with NOL-Y941 Heavy Laser Sword 
 Slash!

KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

"This is bad..."

Rena Lancaster says that as she looks at the strategic display on the Gaia Gear
Alpha. It shows a large-scale holographic projection of Jachin Due across her
360-degree display. Not for the first time, she wonders: who was this built
for? This sort of strategic display isn't what the average pilot needs.

But the picture it paints is grim. The speeches from Muruta Azrael and Patrick
Zala are even more grim. Her eyes close, for a moment, and then she exhales.

Rena listens to Lacus's speech, then she smiles. Lucky that she found her
inside Denver Colony.

Eight speaks -- and then Rena nods. "Kakapo Squadron, you heard her. This is
for tomorrow!" she says. "So that we can make it better yet! Rena Lancaster,
Gaia Gear Alpha--"

The catapult ignites. The white Mobile Suit's thruster cores light up, all at
once -- and it rockets forward.

"--LAUNCHING!"

The Gaia Gear Alpha shoots out into the space, thrusters blazing -- and she
feels a pulse of something from Rau Le Creuset. Familiar, from when she faced
him at Torrington -- and yet, different too. Her eyes widen for a moment. "I
read you, Captain... Annie, be careful!"

She looks to the Providence, eyes trying -- and failing -- to track the
DRAGOONs. Then, the Gaia Gear Alpha lifts its beam rifle and takes aim. A
blast of energy explodes from the barrel, hurtling towards Rau's Gundam.

"You're...!" she transmits, but stops. He's what? Rena isn't sure.

KTS: Rena Lancaster targets Rau Le Creuset with Beam Rifle Shot!
KTS: Rena Lancaster has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Riika Sheder fails to react to Shiho Hahnenfuss's NOL-Y941 Heavy Laser
 Sword  Slash, taking 4070 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Shiho Hahnenfuss's Cool-Headed activates, causing Control
 Bonus!

KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has engaged Riika Sheder!
KTS: Lacus Clyne fails to intercept Mobile Weapon Team's Aft Missile Launchers,
 taking 3375 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

"This is... awful." Anita mutters as she sees, as she hears, what's about to
occur. It's... well, it's like Eight says. She can't, won't, stand by, either.
She settles into the pilot seat of the Messiah Rosetta, flexing the fingers of
her EX-Gear before sliding on her helmet.

"For tomorrow. ...Together." Anita agrees with a nod, as Rena's words follow
Eight's. "Anita Rosetta, VF-25 Messiah Rosetta, on the way."

Soon after the Gaia Gear Alpha, Anita's Valkyrie launches from the Ra Mari II.
She scans the battlefield... but she doesn't have to wait to receive orders.

"That Gundam?" Anita repeats. The one her systems are turning up - the one
tearing through so many other units... Providence Gundam. Anita nods, a frown
crossing her face. "...Right. I'll be careful. You be careful, too."

The Messiah Rosetta shifts into GERWALK mode, and the beam cannon on its left
shoulder emerges and takes aim before unleashing a beam through space toward
the Providence Gundam.

KTS: Anita Rosetta targets Rau Le Creuset with Beam Cannon Blast!
KTS: Anita Rosetta has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.

Naoko Suzuki, under the alias of Nova Stellar, has spent the better part of the
week wandering about her new home - the Ra Mari II. It's simply a marvel how
huge it is, there's so much to see! And her new room is so big and nice! She
has her own nameplate and everything, it's... actually starting to feel like
she has a new home now.

What she doesn't yet have is a job. That's been gnawing at her a little.
Eight's made it clear that she needn't rush with that. It would be wise to
take her time and feel things out a little before seeking to change her
position from 'resident' to 'crew', and all that entails.

The thing about Naoko is that wisdom is far from her strong suit. And that she
has a serious problem with taking from people without giving. There's got to
be something she can do to help her friends. Something she can do to make a
difference. This is not just something she wants, it's something she needs.
But even she would never have predicted the form this would end up taking.

While everyone was busy with launch preparations for the Ra Mari II's actual
pilots, no one paid any attention to the Sukeban - Naoko's violet Arm Slave,
kept separate from the active deployment area. No one noticed its owner
sneaking into the cockpit. Not until it closes, and the machine rises up from
its crouched position. Soon, a call goes out to the Ra Mari II's bridge: there
has been an unauthorized launch by an unregistered pilot.

The Sukeban is a quick and nimble unit - before anyone fully realized what
happened, it had rushed after the actual pilots and just leapt off the ship
after them. That was the easy part. Naoko realizes her mistake approximately
one second later, as her Arm Slave spins end over end, tumbling out in an
uncontrolled manner. "Waaaaah! What's going on?! S-stop spinning!!"

She is woefully unprepared for space. The machine wasn't designed with that in
mind, and the pilot is completely unused to the difference in controls,
leading to this comedy of errors. It is fortunate, then, that she isn't alone.
Within the cockpit, wires have attached themselves to her hairpins - rather,
her 'friends': twin AIs, who are now able to share piloting duties.

>"Mumumu... I knew this was a bad idea!"<

>"Oh be quiet and help me steady this thing! Nova! Stop flailing around! Just
focus on how you want to move and we'll compensate!"<

Thanks to the assistance, it's not long before the Arm Slave rights itself, its
many directional thrusters now AI-controlled to aid in keeping the machine
right-side up. Its human pilot breathes a sigh of relief, regaining some
measure of confidence. "...Thanks, Uriel, Ariel. Together... together we can
do this!" She spreads her arms over the console in front of her, and takes a
deep breath. She opens frequencies to her friends. Just bluff your way through
confidently, like always.

"Hey everybody! Never fear, Nova Stellar is here! You're worried about that
Gundam, right? I've got just the thing, check this out!" Targetting data
begins rapidly flooding in, stemming from Naoko's machine, providing a rapid
analysis of the Providence Gundam's movement patterns. Despite her bravado,
she too has a Bad Feeling About This and isn't very eager to get too close to
it, but she can at least do this much while still keeping her distance.

KTS: Naoko Suzuki targets Rena Lancaster, Anita Rosetta, and Eight York with
 Insight L1.

KTS: Naoko Suzuki has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki shares insight with Anita Rosetta, making her next attacks
 more accurate!

KTS: Naoko Suzuki shares insight with Rena Lancaster, making her next attacks
 more accurate!

KTS: Naoko Suzuki shares insight with Eight York, making her next attacks more
 accurate!

<Pose Tracker> Himeyuri Oono has posed.

        Himeyuri had listened to the speeches- it was, after all, her duty as
a.... 'soldier'. She hears the cheers and it feels... familiar. Right. Ours is
a just cause. And so were hers. She does not cheer loudly, though. There is a
battle to fight.

        The Socrates is in the battle already- but she keeps her best soldiers
back. She knows the flow of the battle, it would not do to exhaust her Ken and
Joe already. Not against the background trash. The Otome sits in her bay, as
it is reinforced and repaired.

        "Captain, we're detecting new ships! They're not ours... or the
Federation!"

        Himeyuri's eyes look up as the speech of Lacus Clyne is broadcast to
the battlefield. Himeyuri's hands clench. "A third side!?" What is this girl
doing? That's not how it works! Not during the great final battle! What kind
of narrative is that? If they had attacked both sides separately first, she
could understand, but- It's Lacus Clyne! A singer! An idol! Himeyuri had even
bought some of her albums! She was supposed to be a pacifist! A good example!

        Riika is there. In one of those Earthling Gundams. "...Riika-chan...
How could you lead that innocent singer into your insanity?" She sees Shiho
launch after her, and doesn't order to stop. She goes to fight a traitor- as
the ship's Joe should. "<Fight well, Shiho-chan. Today is your day to go to
the beach.>" She breathes in. It's a dangerous thing to invoke but... She
wants her to come back- and fight her hardest.

        A giant Federation ship as well- and she hears the message of that
Captain she fought on Earth but- That ship is giant! And clearly not of
Earthling make! It's Chaos- But then she sees it. That ship that haws faced
their Batta so much. The one Captain Shiratori infiltrated...

        "<Michiru, it's time! Gekiganger has led us to the enemy of our people,
and it has thrown it's lot in with the traitor! May Tenku's blessing go with
you!>"

        She tries to block out the laughs of Rau le Creuset. He sounds like
General Masaka. A hero should not laugh like that.

        "XO Zelinn, take over command of the Mobile Weapons units! I'm taking
direct control of the Socrates sysems for maximum efficiency!"

        She puts her hands on the IFS receivers- and the information and
control is in her hand. She still has to communicate, but this is better.
"Gunnery, open fire on the incoming fleet! Target that ship and it's humanoid
machines! Power controls aligned! Fire!"

<Pose Tracker> Treize Khushrenada has posed.

        Somewhere in all of Treize's games of chess he was meant to be on earth
when all this happened, and was going to allow the situation to unfold
naturally, from a safe a distance. That of course changed when he was briefed
on the chosen strategy today. So here Treize is, sitting in the OZ produced
mobile suit, the Greef which is standing on top of the bridge module of the
ship as he watches the beginning of the battle.

         The battlefield brings him back to a memory of his youth, one that was
produced by nature. In this trip down memory lane, there he stands on the bank
of a cliff over looking the sea, that had frozen overnight. Any one moment it
looked serene but at the same time if you looked closer you could see the
destruction and at the same time the purity of it. If even nature could have
such a battlefield, this one before him now must also be expected by nature.

         It is only the words of Lacus Clyne that snap him back to the moment
as he listens to the words they remind him of a different princess. One who
also seems to believe in peace and is ready to commit violence for it. These
words of the idol though do give Treize his target and drive him to action.

         A few button presses and Treize begins to transmit his words to the
battlefield, to all that may hear him, whether they are G-Hound or not.

        <"Fellow warriors of the battlefield, I wish for you all to know that
today you have brought beauty to this battlefield. This battle we engage in,
let it be the last of this nightmare of war. Let it be the end of these
tyranical and attrocious behaviors that we have all experienced. Let us all
face today with honor and not leave any regrets for the day, and most
importantly let us end the horror of this war today. ">

        Taking a moment to breath he switches his comm to be directed towards
the fleet he leads, and speaks once again, <"To those that fly under the
banner of G-Hound and the Federation, know that I have one order above all
else, survive. Do not fight to the death, fight to live and leave this
battlefield in one piece. If by some chance you can not follow through with
this order, know that you will not be forgotten.">

         With his words given, Treize has nothing more left to say and decides
to lead by example. The Greif launches from the Dominion and begins to head in
to battle, towards the pink battleship and the golden escort that accompanies
the Eternal.

KTS: Treize Khushrenada has activated the Rouse Spirit Command targeting Mobile
 Weapon Team

KTS: Treize Khushrenada fails to react to Rita Bernal's Pass, taking 0 damage!
KTS: Treize Khushrenada targets Rita Bernal with Pass!
KTS: Treize Khushrenada has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

Riika is trying to watch the whole battlefield, and as she sometimes does, she
gets caught up in trying to deal with a hundred thousand details at once.
She's overplanning; Riika is an engineering graduate, a test pilot and
mechanic, an engineer and designer, who volunteered for active duty after
Bloody Valentine. She is not, and never has been, a strategic master; her
talent is with individual suits, with determining what they can do and why and
what their limits are, not seeing the scope of the biggest battle she has ever
been in.

"Eternal, they're shooting!" Riika warns, as the Dominion fires, and then banks
the METEOR to one side. It's *big*, and it doesn't have the fine-tuned
responsiveness she's used to from the smaller suits she typically pilots; it
lags in its movement, thrusters sufficient to propel it forward painfully fast
but not to do split-second maneuvering.

So when Shiho tears out of a confusing battlefield, Riika is just a hair too
slow to react. She brings the cannon around as if she was trying to swat the
incoming saber, but realizes she doesn't have the beam sword activated and
stops herself before she damages her own METEOR.

The CGUE DEEP Arms cuts into the side of the cannon, carving a line down its
length. It remains functional, and not sawed through, but that's not ignorable
damage; Riika reroutes power on automatic. The METEOR - actually, the Gundam
at its core - fires back, a spray of vulcan rounds to drive away the CGUE as
the METEOR fires thrusters again, reversing, before her brain catches up with
her fingers.

"*Shiho*?"

Riika Sheder is supposed to be dead. A traitor to ZAFT, given a summary
execution by Rau himself; her GuAIZ destroyed and dumped in the debris field,
not even worth recovering for a burial. And yet that is unmistakably Riika
Sheder's voice raised in surprise.

"Shiho, it's me! This isn't what it seems - there's a traitor feeding the High
Council lies, and whatever they told you, *it isn't me*! They're conspiring
with Britannia, I don't know why, but as long as they're doing this, this war
won't ever stop...!"

It feels good to actually *say* it instead of hiding it. Rau will kill to
protect his secrets, but Rau is already engaged, and this is the first time
Riika has actually been able to say it instead of hiding it for other peoples'
protection.

The fact that it sounds completely unbelieveable, however, is not lost on her.

KTS: Himeyuri Oono targets Michiru Tenjou, Shiho Hahnenfuss, and Rau Le Creuset
 with Awe.

KTS: Riika Sheder targets Shiho Hahnenfuss with 20mm Multibarrel CIWS
 Retreating Volley!

KTS: Riika Sheder has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Rita Bernal successfully avoids Treize Khushrenada's Pass
KTS: Himeyuri Oono inspires awe, increasing Rau Le Creuset's Morale!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset blocks Rena Lancaster's Beam Rifle Shot, taking 1260 damage!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset blocks Anita Rosetta's Beam Cannon Blast, taking 1140
 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        The Three Ships Alliance arrives in full force with, indeed - its
titular three ships. The massive Ra Mari II in the center, 'escorted' by the
Eternal and the Nadesico, each as well equipped and filled as they can to
meaningfully intervene even in a war this massive.

        The decision is obvious. It makes as much sense as it can. Even
then...Yurika Misumaru can't help but feel floaty and ungrounded, like she'll
drift off the bridge and go sailing up. It's to the point that she asks,
briefly, "Status report on internal gravity generators?", expecting this
strange feeling to be but an amusingly timed hiccup.

        "Aaah, everything's nominal there, Captain," Megumi affirms quietly. No
such luck to ease Yurika's senses. She's just got to hold on tightly to a
railing and suck in all the information spread out across the massive bridge
screens, heart leaping in her throat at the impending firefight. The frontline
of the Earth's most dangerous war - one where they've only really made
themselves an enemy of both sides.

        A side-screen is quickly relayed to Ryoko as she hears her grousing
about the Artillery Frame. Yurika claps both of her cheeks, and staring into
her pilot's eyes with directness, she reassures, "...We're here for you,
remember that, Ryoko. Even though the Artillery Frame's less dependent on the
Distortion Field, please stick close by, even if it means standing on the
deck. The last thing we want is for you to be lost and drifting away. Same
goes for you too, Hikaru!"

        "Captain! One of the Nazca-class ships is already opening fire!" Minato
interjects.

        "Quickly! Fire off missiles and raise the Distortion Field while we get
in closer!" Yurika commands, as countless little hatches surge out in response
towards the Socrates...!

KTS: Yurika Misumaru targets Himeyuri Oono with Seeker Missile!
KTS: Yurika Misumaru has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Himeyuri_Oono Changes attack to Hikaru Amano, Yurika Misumaru, and Ryoko
 Subaru with 120cm High-Energy Beam Cannon Precision Assault.

KTS: Himeyuri Oono has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Ryoko Subaru has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Ryoko Subaru's EN Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage.
KTS: Ryoko Subaru blocks Himeyuri Oono's 120cm High-Energy Beam Cannon
 Precision Assault, taking 2450 damage!

KTS: Yurika Misumaru partially guards Himeyuri Oono's 120cm High-Energy Beam
 Cannon Precision Assault, taking 1800 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

Now a nominal part of the Three Ships Alliance, the Nadesico isn't forced into
the fight by the Federation this time. They chose this fight - and each member
of the crew chose the path that might let them end this brutal, bloody war.

But as the Nadesico approaches the battlefield, Hikaru can't help but feel
nervous - she's never seen so many ships, so mobile weapons at one place at
one time. All she can think of is how many might die tonight (she spares a
brief thought for Yurika, who would have to organize all those funerals).

But despite it all, once the Aestivalis wing is given the order to launch,
Hikaru is unhesitating. "Roger, roger! One final push... let's go!" It does
have the feeling of a final, climatic battle...

An orange zero gravity frame zooms past Ryoko's heavy artillery frame. "Poor,
poor Ryoko-chan.. the most fiery fighter for the Nadesico... stuck with the
driest frame." Hikaru teases - hoping it will ease her nerves in some twisted
way. The Zero-G is equipped for anti-ship combat too: a field lancer to take
care of those pesky barriers, and a giant two-handed sword picked up from Orb!
It's called an anti-ship sword, and the Aestie's small size requires
two-handed wielding. That won't stop Hikaru from calling it the Gekigan Sword.
Did you really think it would stop her?

Wandering deeper and deeper into enemy lines (but still heeding Yurika's advice
to stay within Gravity Wave range), Hikaru almost thinks she's
hallucinating... because she runs into Gekiganger? Or maybe an imposter of
Gekiganger... "Oh my - you have taste in super robots. And - wait! Oh
man..." The ship nearby begins to open-fire.
"C'mon! An ambush like that's so cowardly! You're nothing like Gekiganger!" The
orange Aestie avoids the ship, making a mad dash for Michiru, field lancer
unsheathed! "Take this - Gekigan Spear of Justice!"

KTS: Himeyuri Oono inspires awe, increasing Michiru Tenjou's Morale!
KTS: Hikaru Amano has activated the Rouse Spirit Command targeting Ryoko Subaru
KTS: Hikaru Amano fails to evade Himeyuri Oono's 120cm High-Energy Beam Cannon
 Precision Assault, taking 4800 damage!

KTS: Hikaru Amano targets Michiru Tenjou with Field Lancer Slash!
KTS: Hikaru Amano has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Michiru Tenjou fails to rush.
KTS: Michiru Tenjou partially guards Hikaru Amano's Field Lancer Slash, taking
 1800 damage!

KTS: Hikaru Amano has engaged Michiru Tenjou!
KTS: Michiru Tenjou has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Lacus Clyne has posed.

Lacus smiles at Eight's reply. "Thank you. This shall be our song."> And then
closes her eyes as she bathes in the warmth from the Phenex's essence, as her
crewmembers gawk at the strange mobile suit.

"I saw you before, didn't I? At Denver Colony..."

Her reverie is broken by Riika's warning as the Dominion's missiles hit the
Eternal, despite the efforts of the CIWS to shoot them down. The ship rocks,
and she holds onto her armrests before a determined look crosses her face. "So
we are answered, so we must answer. For now, at least..."

She narrows her eyes at Treize's own speech, but listens anyway. "Beauty to the
battlefield...?" she muses to herself, though she waits to see if his actions
back up his words about 'ending the horror of this war.'

"The Federation ship must not be allowed to harm the civilian PLANTS or our new
allies. We will fight to defend, not to kill. Fire Beam cannons...!"

The Eternal sends off a blast of beam fire at the Dominion.

KTS: Lacus Clyne has activated the Attune Spirit Command.
KTS: Lacus Clyne targets Mobile Weapon Team with Beam Cannon Blast!
KTS: Lacus Clyne has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Himeyuri Oono inspires awe, increasing Shiho Hahnenfuss's Morale!
KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss fails to react to Riika Sheder's 20mm Multibarrel CIWS
 Retreating Volley, taking 1950 damage!

KTS: Riika Sheder repulses Shiho Hahnenfuss, forcing her to disengage.

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

Speeches are made. The Phenex floats in silence, letting the words wash over
her frame. She has learned how little such things mean, in the end.

Lacus recognizes her. If a Gundam could smile, the Phenex would. Instead, she
simply nods toward the Eternal. She's careful to take no action to alarm Lacus
and her crew.

Treize's words are the last she focuses on, as his Grief launches toward her
and the Eternal. Wishing for the end of this war. The Gundam's head tilts as
she watches Treize's approach. What a curious thing to say in the midst of a
battle such as this one. So similar to what Lacus offered, but at the same
time... His intentions are entirely different.

No matter what speeches Treize offers, his actions speak far more loudly to the
Phenex. He approaches with aggression in his heart, and she will match him!

The light of the resonant plane answers her call, building in the Phenex's
grasp. Soaring out to meet Treize, she attempts to keep him away from the
Eternal. Blue flame is overtaken by green-blue-pink radiance, especially
beautiful here in the darkness of space.

In a surprisingly aggressive move, she races directly at the Grief, ramming
into the enemy machine while cloaked in her otherworldly incandescence.

KTS: Rita Bernal targets Treize Khushrenada with Solar Wind!
KTS: Rita Bernal has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        Having just dispatched another group of Federation machines with ease,
Rau pauses for a moment to take in the battle playing around him. It's only
the early stages, but he's confident that this is going to escalate exactly as
he expects...

        ... The Providence Gundam's head turns as the Eternal breaks out of its
bay, moving to engage. So the Pink Princess has finally made her move... Rau
wondered when she would show her face again. It doesn't matter. The Eternal is
barely a working prototype as it is. It's not enough to swing the battle, even
if it is being led by the PLANTs most popular idol.

        A familiar, yet different, sensation then causes Rau's attention to
turn elsewhere. Given everything that's going on, he's stopped worrying about
suppressing his Newtype abilities to keep himself hidden. It doesn't matter
anymore. The Providence Gundam's head turns in the direction of the Ra Mari II
and the mobile weapons it's launching. Rau recalls reading the reports about
the Federation's failed invasion of Orb... This could prove to be a more
interesting challenge than the cannon fodder that he has hunted down so far.

        Besides, this third party has no place in his plans. They might as well
be wiped out.

        The beams fired by Anita and Rena rush through space towards the
Providence Gundam. The machine simply floats there, ominously, waiting. It
then raises its left arm, the large shield-looking attachment on it moving
into the path of the beams. They splash against it... Leaving naught but
scorch marks.

        Inside the Providence, Rau smirks, opening a comm to the Ra Mari II and
its machines, <"Your presence here is pointless. It seems it falls to me to
make sure it's erased."">

        The Providence Gundam launches itself forward, rushing towards the Gaia
Gear Alpha and the Messiah Rosetta. The same shield unit on its arm is raised
and a large beam saber rises out of it, reaching well beyond the usual size of
such weapons. It swings the blade at the two in a wide sweep, threatening to
catch both of them at the same time!

        Even as the Providence engages the two up close, Rau doesn't leave the
third and their mothership unassailed. Several of those ominous remote bits
detach from the Gundam again, rushing off in the direction of the Sukeban and
Ra Mari II. The nimble little units split up as they reach their targets,
beginning to fire numerous green blasts at them from multiple directions,
breaking away and re-engaging from different angles after each shot.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged with
 Anita Rosetta

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged with
 Rena Lancaster

KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Anita Rosetta and Rena Lancaster with MA-MV05A
 Composite Armed Shield System Beam Blade Staggering Sweep.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Eight York with DRAGOON System Remote Bit Pattern
 Mu!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Naoko Suzuki with DRAGOON System Remote Bit Pattern
 Alpha!

KTS: Mobile Weapon Team's EN Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage.
KTS: Mobile Weapon Team blocks Lacus Clyne's Beam Cannon Blast, taking 3170
 damage!

KTS: Lacus Clyne repulses Mobile Weapon Team, forcing him to disengage.
KTS: Anita Rosetta has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: [Lucky] Anita Rosetta's Serious Mode activates, and luck goes her way!
KTS: Anita Rosetta successfully blocks Rau Le Creuset's MA-MV05A Composite
 Armed Shield System Beam Blade Staggering Sweep

KTS: Eight York has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Eight York fails to react to Rau Le Creuset's DRAGOON System Remote Bit
 Pattern Mu, taking 5800 damage!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Rena Lancaster has activated the Strike Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.

Hikaru teases her, and Ryoko calls back, "AaaaAAA shut it! Stop sounding so
smug about having the freedom to fly!" Captain Yurika tells her they're there
for her, and - "Where else would I go anyway!? My only other option would be
to piggy back Hikaru!"

Pause.

She then clarifies in no uncertain terms. "I AM NOT DOING THAT!"

Explosions suddenly rock the ship, and Ryoko cries out as the Nazca class's
beam cannon rocks the ship and strikes her own personal Distortion field even
past the ship's.

Ryoko's face appears on the bridge and in Hikaru's cockpit, "Hey! I recognize
that ship, it's the one that has a distortion field just like us!"

Suddenly the Artillery Frame turns around and...

"<Think you got the drop on us!? Have a taste of your own Goddamn medicine!>"

Ryoko calls out on the comms over a more general band at the Socrates as her
targeting computers link up with Omoikane, the distortion field drops, just as
the 120 mm cannon spits fire.

A ballistic volley of high powered mortars that suddenly rains down upon it to
try and punish it in kind.

"Hikaru! Careful! She wants you to go in for that kind of close quarters
combat!" She remarks, as Hikaru's Aesti engages the Galaxia.

KTS: Mobile Weapon Team has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged
 with Lacus Clyne

KTS: Mobile Weapon Team has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Ryoko Subaru targets Himeyuri Oono with 120 mm Ballistic Volley!
KTS: Ryoko Subaru has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Rena Lancaster parries Rau Le Creuset's MA-MV05A Composite Armed Shield
 System Beam Blade Staggering Sweep, taking 1800 damage!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has engaged Rena Lancaster!

<Pose Tracker> Mobile Weapon Team has posed.

"Captain! We're receiving fire from the Clyne vessel!"

"Didn't I tell you? They were bound to end up attacking us no matter what
pretty words are on the lips of ZAFT's little dress-up doll. Those
Coordinators can't even pretend to be human, at the end of the day."

Her lips tight, Natarle curls her fingers around the armrests of her chair...
and keeps her attention on the battle ahead of her.

"Anti-beam depth charges, minimal spread! And bring the Gottfrieds clear
before we respond. We don't need to be shooting through our own interference!
Are we on track for the Lohengrins?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Beams splash across a cloud of hastily deployed particles, scattered but not
truly deflected... the Dominion's sleek black hull glows softly as it presses
its advance, slicing closer to the Eternal.

"That's what I like to hear. No more slip-ups, understood? We move on my
orders only."

Her eyes shift under her cap to her left shoulder, where a hand is clasped over
the back of her captain's chair... Muruta Azrael lifts his other palm in a
lazy shrug and gives her a look like he couldn't possibly understand what
she's implying, or indeed that she's making an implication at all!

Bastard.

"Beam cannons! FIRE!"

KTS: Mobile Weapon Team targets Lacus Clyne with Gottfried Mk.71 Low Output!
KTS: Mobile Weapon Team has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki successfully evades Rau Le Creuset's DRAGOON System Remote
 Bit Pattern Alpha

KTS: Treize Khushrenada fails to evade Rita Bernal's Solar Wind, taking 5300
 damage!

KTS: Rita Bernal has engaged Treize Khushrenada!

<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.

Who shot first? There's only one answer it could ever be. That detestable
Federation. Those tyrannical Kyo'akk monsters that have tried day in and day
out to oppress the PLANTS. That shoved people into forced labor camps. That
executed people en mass. All to create and deploy those disastrous weapons,
turning them on every living soul that doesn't conform and comply. Michiru has
seen so many of their crimes at this point. Though she'd found a few nice
people along the way. People she could fight alongside, so long as they don't
fall prey to the Federation's malice and twisted words.

Within the Socrates, Michiru looks upon the paired Nova units. A memory flows
to her... of their last deployment. Of intense, blinding pain. Of a grating
sound in the depths of her brain. But also of the joyous, warm feelings that
had bubbled up inside her. "As much as I'd like us to face them as one... I
know the Socrates is needed out there Hime-hime. I promise though, I'll handle
what I can. I'll see to it our enemies engrave the meaning of justice upon
their hearts." And then she leaps away to dive into the Galaxia's entry port.

Another moment, and then the Galaxia is launching from the flight deck, she has
no need to worry about Rau and his... disturbing change. Maybe the signs have
always been there, maybe not. But that's not important right now. What's truly
important, is to strike back against the traitors and the False Gekigangers.
"<With his heart and soul beating within me, I'll strike down these pretenders
and traitors! LET'S GEKIGA-IN!>"

Her advance is cut off abruptly, as one of the False Gekigangers... a NEW False
Gekiganger, this one in orange, meets the Galaxia. And strikes first! Michiru
pushes into the attack, meeting her halfway as the strike cuts through her
defenses and makes a clean slice. "No, YOU are the imposters here! Within me
beats the blazing soul of Tenkuu Ken! The only cause I fight for is justice
and the rights of the oppressed!" The Galaxia rolls an arm, preparing for
un-docking. And against somebody like this, she can fight without holding back
her true words. "BURNING FIRST STRIKE! GEKIGAN ROCKET!" Mid-swing, the lower
arm and fist detach from the Galaxia, sent flying out against the Orange
Aestivalis to strike it across the jaw! To prove who truly holds the spirit of
Gekiganger, she'll tear down these hosts of lies, one at a time.

The fist appears for all those looking, despite being in the vacuum of space,
to have caught fire.

KTS: Michiru Tenjou targets Hikaru Amano with Rocket Punch!!

<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.

It's true; the Ra Mari II is not of Earthling make. But it has the dreams
of many within it...

Their song... Yes. Eight is glad to have Lacus here, unreservedly.

Treize gives his speech to the battlefield, and Astelian patches it through to
the bridge for Eight. She listens. She considers it. The last of this
nightmare, is it...?

"Colonel," she murmurs, "I don't see the beauty in all this death..." But she
doesn't say that to him. Not for now.

Alarms blare. "Unauthorized launch," Rezza narrates coolly. "It's..." Pause.
"It's that girl. Stellar."

"...She's going out in this?" Eight asks, and sighs.

To Rena and Anita she directs, "Please take care of her." Then, to an open
channel the pilots, "We'll talk about advising us when you're going to deploy
later. For now, good luck out there."

"I will," Eight answers Anita. She is glad, at least, that Anita trusts her;
she just wants to be worthy of that trust. And for Rena... What is it? She
isn't sure, either.

But those green blasts on the bits hit hard; the Ra Mari II's weapons systems
are still vulnerable, still being improved, and many of the firing nodules are
damaged by that set of blasts. "Firing capacity down by 20%!" Itsuki Kazama
reports, purple-haired at the tactical station.

"...That's fine," Eight says. "But it means we'll have to do more than
support."

"Kazama. Get me power on the cannons. Fire at these coordinates..."

"Captain!"

Soon, dancing among the mecha on the battlefield are the surprisingly precise
shots from the Ra Mari II, beam particles charged out brilliantly for the
Providence Gundam. "If we can set them up for a better attack..."

KTS: Eight York has activated the Enable Spirit Command targeting Rena Lancaster
KTS: Eight York targets Rau Le Creuset with Guided Beam Cannons - Maneuvering
 Shot!

KTS: Eight York has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Hikaru Amano has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Hikaru Amano fails to Parry Michiru Tenjou's Rocket Punch!, taking 5160
 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Michiru Tenjou's Villainy Will Never Succeed! activates,
 causing Sparkle!

KTS: Michiru Tenjou has engaged Hikaru Amano!

KTS: Lacus Clyne fails to evade Mobile Weapon Team's Gottfried Mk.71 Low
 Output, taking 3300 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Shiho Hahnenfuss has posed.

Himeyuri communicates a thought in her characteristically... offbeat way -- but
Shiho understands the meaning behind her Captain's words, at least. She
settles in, and -- Riika?

"Riika..." Shiho starts, and for just a minute she's off her game -- a spray of
vulcan fire leaves the CGUE pockmarked, and the machine cedes the space back
to the METEOR. That's dangerous and she knows it -- but at the same time,
there's little she can do if she doesn't want to be drilled through with
vulcan fire.

"That's a bold accusation from someone who sortied from the Eternal! If you
wanted ZAFT to be able to end this war -- you and the Clynes wouldn't have
stolen one of our high cards...!" She considers whether it's prudent to rush
right in with a sword again -- and concludes that it'd be predictable.
Instead, she goes into a spiraling pattern to one side, advancing toward Riika
again. The hand not holding the sword draws the machine's machine gun,
peppering the METEOR with bullets to cover its own advance. "Don't you dare
push me away! Riika -- I'll give you one chance to surrender, but only because
it's you...!"

KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss targets Riika Sheder with MMI-M7S 76mm Machine Gun
 Maneuver Shot!

KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

Rena hesitates, for a moment, at Treize's speech. It's... heroic, somehow.
Once, it might have made her reconsider her path. Now, it's a moment's
hesitation.

They chose this path together. And, at the end of the day, her eyes are drawn
to the Dominion. There's more than one vessel here.

And the people she promised to fight with.

"Yeah. Together, Annie," Rena says, with a smile -- and a glance sideways at
Anita's face, cut in her three-sixty display. It winks away after a moment,
before Rena looks forward again.

What she wasn't expecting, though, is a flash of warning at another launch --
and then Rena sucks a breath in. "N-Nova!?" she cries out, her eyes widening
with surprise when she realizes that her Arm Slave launched. "What--what are
you doing out here!?"

She wasn't supposed to launch.

Rau sends a transmission to them -- and she suddenly feels his pressure, as a
Newtype. It's overwhelming; a rush of emotion and feeling that was never there
at Torrington. Rena's brown eyes widen, pupils shrinking to pinpricks, and
there's a flood of panic through her whole being.

"What--what is he!?" she cries out. "He wasn't like this at Torrington!
He's--!"

The Providence slams into their ranks, and the beam saber that erupts from
its shield almost bisects the Gaia Gear Alpha. At the last minute, though, the
white Mobile Suit tears a beam saber hilt from the recharge rack. A brilliant
golden blade of light erupts. The two beam sabers collide.

Lightning explodes, arcing between the two. Then, Rena rushes forward in the
Gaia Gear Alpha. The beam saber slashes down, across the front of the
Providence Gundam. "Can't you see!? If we keep doing this, Earth and the
PLANTS -- and everything else! -- will burn themselves out! We have to stop
this war, before it's too late!"

KTS: Rena Lancaster has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Rena Lancaster targets Rau Le Creuset with Beam Saber Slash!
KTS: Rena Lancaster has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Treize Khushrenada has posed.

        The Grief attempts to move upward, to avoid the incoming high speed
object that is the Phenex. Still though it can't avoid the unit quick enough
as it collides and sends the Grief backwards. Treize is jolted as he stands
there for a moment and looks at the unit infront of him. He had not engaged
this gundam before but he recognizes it from the reports. The gundam labeled
unit labeled the Gold Gundam.

         For a moment Treize just floats there, counter to the Phenex's actions
Treize seems to lack aggressiveness at the moment. In some ways if one was to
try to get a read on him the best metaphor would be being on a frozen lake
during a sunny day. Warmth on the surface but a icy coldness the further down
you go. Finally Treize speaks to the Phenex, <"To the pilot of the gold gundam
I greet you. I will not dishonor you by asking you to stand down today. I
simply hope you are blessed with honor today.">

        The Grief draws it's beamsaber and ignites it. Another slow pause
before the Grief flies directly at the Phenex, and at the last moment the
verniers kick up a notch, causing the Grief to lunge forward to stab at the
Phenex.

KTS: Treize Khushrenada has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Treize Khushrenada targets Rita Bernal with Beam Saber 100 High
 Penetration Strike!

KTS: Treize Khushrenada has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Riika Sheder partially guards Shiho Hahnenfuss's MMI-M7S 76mm Machine Gun
 Maneuver Shot, taking 5335 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Lacus Clyne has posed.

The beam fire strikes the Eternal, the newly-launched ship's shields flickering
around it. Lacus remains focused as her bridge crew reports the external
damage, and she keeps an eye on that ship. The Dominion.

She stands and sends another broadcast to her other allies, and, she hopes, The
Phenex. If The Phenex will hear.

"Remember that you do not stand alone here. You do not fight alone. We are not
abandoning the PLANTS to their demise simply because we do not stand with
ZAFT. We stand with PLANTs, with the Earth, with people. Remember this...!"

As she speaks, she holds out her hand. "We'll keep firing at that ship until we
can turn it back. Avoid targeting the helm." She cannot avoid any violence,
but maybe she can minimize death. The soldiers on the Dominion are just that,
soldiers.

The twin railguns fire sprays of ammunition.

KTS: Rita Bernal has activated the Trust Spirit Command.
KTS: [Lucky] Rita Bernal's Miracle Child activates, and luck goes her way!
KTS: Rita Bernal successfully Blocks Treize Khushrenada's Beam Saber 100 High
 Penetration Strike

KTS: Lacus Clyne has activated the Enable Spirit Command targeting Rita Bernal
KTS: Lacus Clyne has activated the Enable Spirit Command targeting Riika Sheder
KTS: Lacus Clyne targets Mobile Weapon Team with Twin Railgun Double Shot!
KTS: Lacus Clyne has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Himeyuri Oono successfully Intercepts Yurika Misumaru's Seeker Missile
KTS: Himeyuri Oono partially guards Ryoko Subaru's 120 mm Ballistic Volley,
 taking 5760 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Ryoko Subaru's In the End All I Do Is... activates, causing
 Insight L1!

KTS: Mobile Weapon Team blocks Lacus Clyne's Twin Railgun Double Shot, taking
 1950 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

Rena smiles, and Anita smiles back at her. It soons turns to surprise, however,
at... an unauthorized launch? Who? And in what...? ...Anita gets her answer
fairly quickly, as a now-familiar voices rings out over communications.
Concern creeps over her face.

"Nova? Wait-" Anita starts. "This... are you sure about this? This is the real
deal, you know?"

...Has she even been in a fight before...?

She frowns, but nods when Eight directs her to take care of Nova.

"Don't worry, I'll look after her." She replies with a nod. In the immediate,
though... she has herself to worry about. The Providence Gundam's pilot, Rau,
opens up communications, and Anita frowns. This guy...

"...Sorry. Not gonna happen." Anita replies. But... she's surprised at how
fast moves into their space, a giant beam saber swung for her! She reacts
quickly - the Pinpoint Barrier focuses down over her shield, which is raised
to intercept the blade. Sparks fly as beam meets barrier and shield, and the
Messiah Rosetta gets sent flying backward through space. Her quick thinking
managed to limit the damage, at least... But it could've been really bad if
that hadn't worked out. He's serious.

"Rena, are you alright?" Anita asks. The way he reacts to him... she can hear
the panic. "I'm here. We've got this. Just take a deep breath."

If he's getting that kind of reaction from Rena... Anita grits her teeth. She
doesn't want to be closer to him than she has to be - the Messiah Rosetta
attempts to rocket backward out of range so she can get a clearer shot, before
taking careful aim. Her shot last time had barely even fazed him, and she
knows she hit cleanly. She needs to aim more carefully - and she does,
sending another beam soaring toward the Providence Gundam!

KTS: Anita Rosetta has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has disengaged.
KTS: Anita Rosetta has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Anita Rosetta targets Rau Le Creuset with Targeted Beam Cannon Blast!
KTS: Anita Rosetta has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Riika Sheder has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

After her high-speed attack, the Phenex... Waits. She watches to see what
Treize will do, hovering just before him in her golden majesty. The Grief is
still as well, and the two watch each other. An odd moment of peace on this
terrible battlefield.

Treize speaks again, but this time, directly to her. Another tilt of the
Gundam's head, the motion birdlike. His heart is honest, despite his
intentions. It's something strange. She hasn't encountered a man like this
before.

Thank you. I am the Phenex. I'm fighting to protect the innocent lives of these
PLANTs. Why do you fight, Treize Khushrenada?

She knows his name. They must've met at another point in time, somewhere in the
wide expanses of Possibility. Perhaps they were friends, there. Perhaps they
could be friends, here.

Such thoughts will have to wait, as the Grief charges her with its beam saber.
The Phenex's twin shields -- her wings -- move in front of her, faster than
belief. They repel the attack with no damage done, cloaked in azure flame.
Returning to her shoulders, they fly seamlessly with the Phenex.

She doesn't attack, simply circling Treize in his machine, looking at him from
all angles. For now... Her curiosity overtakes her inescapable knowledge of
what will happen, should Treize be victorious.

A hint of her miraculous light appears at the Phenex's hands, and she reaches
out, as though inviting the Grief to an embrace. Should the light touch him,
he will find himself pulled in, close enough to make out the gleaming metal
armor of the Gundam.

If Treize's heart is open to this realm of possibility... He will see a bird
fly up and out of the Phenex's cockpit, then soar directly to the Grief,
passing through its armor to settle within the cockpit. Shining gold in the
dim light, it appears to be an over-sized canary, with two long tail feathers.

Can you see me?

Though her beak does not move, Treize would know the words come from the little
bird at his side.

Lacus reaches out, and the Phenex's greater self responds, turning her
attention to her companion in this battle.

You are not alone either. I'm with you. We will protect these people!

The voice of the Phenex is soft and sweet. Clearly belonging to a young woman,
its breathy and gentle, even this declaration sounding almost like a whisper.

Stretching forth one arm toward the Eternal, one of the Phenex's wings soars
toward the ship. It positions itself between the Eternal and its foe -- a
protective stance. The size difference between ship and shield is perhaps a
bit ridiculous, but the Phenex has always been more than she appears to be.
And Lacus has earned her blessing.

KTS: Rita Bernal has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Lacus Clyne
KTS: Rita Bernal targets Treize Khushrenada with Eos!
KTS: Rita Bernal has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

"Normally I wouldn't mind piggybacking for you, but that'd probably just crush
my poor Aestie - AAA watch out!!" That's when the Socrates fires off another
round of fire, as if to tell them to STOP chatting it up.

Shifting her focus back to her opponent, the pilot of the false Gekiganger
seems like a pretty intense woman, although Hikaru does not much appreciate
being called an imposter. "Hey - we hate the Federation just as much as you
do!" Hikaru insists, even if she's sure it won't be listened to. "And the
spirit of Tenkuu Ken... okay! Show me your love and passion!!" Clearly, this
line of thinking she's more responsive to.

And show her she does, as Michiru fires off a blazing Rocket Punch, which makes
a clean hit right through the thin Zero-G frame. Ah shoot, the Distortion
Field...

It sounds like Ryoko has some experience with this unit as she warns her that
close combat is her game. "Ehe... I didn't deploy with my rapid rifle this
time." Hikaru laughs nervously. "No problem, though! That just means I need to
hit stronger and faster!" An awkwardly long pause. "Oh no... I'm starting to
sound like you Ryoko-chan..."

Back to Michiru: "The Gekigan Rocket... wow, really impressive, for an
imposter! Hikaru compliments, without a shred of irony or sarcasm. "And now
the gloves are off - distortion field, up!" Hikaru calls, as the field whirrs
to life. "Feel my fist of iron... Gekigan UPPER!" The field turns into a
powerful fist - not quite with the intensity of the legendary Gekigan Flare,
but bound to get through Michiru's defenses.

KTS: Hikaru Amano targets Michiru Tenjou with Distortion Punchy-Punch!!
KTS: Hikaru Amano has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

Riika is getting the feel of the METEOR. This is the first time she has flown
it in live combat, and you can't treat it as just an enormous gun - it's that,
but it's also a machine that needs surprisingly attentive maneuvering for
something its scale.

She still wishes it had a shield. Maybe she could build one and affix it to the
outside of the cannon - no, it would interfere with the beam sword. Without a
shield, she's a relatively slow and stationary target for the machine guns,
which pepper the enormous frame of the METEOR - but then she's finally moving
forward again, toward the battlefield. Though, everywhere is now a battlefield.

"I sortied from the Eternal because ZAFT tried to have me killed!" Riika tries
to say it matter-of-factly but emotion slips into her voice. "I don't blame
most people in ZAFT. They were lied to. But I didn't - I never betrayed the
PLANTs. Believe me! I want to keep them safe! I want the people of PLANTs to
have a home, where they don't have to worry about war, or that someone is
coming to kill them because of what they are! No more Bloody Valentines, no
more invasions of Orb!"

The thrusters on the METEOR blaze as Riika picks up speed. Now Shiho starts to
get a warning: missile lock-ons, or at least one solid one from the METEOR
itself.

"But to do that, I have to fight. This war is wrong. It's being pushed by
twisted people - and it needs to end! So I can't surrender. I need to find the
truth, bring the conspirators to justice - and protect the innocent people of
the PLANTs. Even if I have to use a METEOR for it, or my Gundam. I know he's
here - I know *they're* here."

Riika fires. Ports on the back 'tail' of the METEOR open up, launching a dozen
- two dozen missiles straight vertically; they fire 'upward', curving down to
reorient on Shiho with additional lock-on beeps every few instants. "But I
don't want to kill you either! You're my friend... Stand down - or come with
me! Come see the truth!"

KTS: Riika Sheder targets Shiho Hahnenfuss with Erinaceus Lock-On!
KTS: Riika Sheder has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Rita Bernal anchors Treize Khushrenada, forcing him into close range.
KTS: Treize Khushrenada parries Rita Bernal's Eos, taking 990 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rita Bernal's Destined Meeting activates, causing Sparkle!
KTS: Rita Bernal has engaged Treize Khushrenada!
KTS: Michiru Tenjou fails to rush.
KTS: Michiru Tenjou partially guards Hikaru Amano's Distortion Punchy-Punch!,
 taking 2790 damage!

KTS: Hikaru Amano has engaged Michiru Tenjou!
KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss fails to intercept Riika Sheder's Erinaceus Lock-On,
 taking 4200 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.

"Oh... was I supposed to say something? I just want to help, that's all! That's
my motto - if you have the ability to help, you should!" Such is Nova's
innocent-sounding reply to the various transmission of concern and displeasure
from her friends. It at least sounds like she has genuinely never heard of the
word 'protocol'. It's probably obvious that she isn't quite as unconcerned
about this as she's making it sound. But that's for later worry. For now,
she's out there, and that... might be everyone's problem.

Everything seems to be going well, at first. Until Naoko is startled by a
sudden transmission from the enemy Gundam. The words themselves are more
startling still. Not even so much what was said, but how it was said. It
only took that much for every fiber of her being to start feeling as if she's
in grave danger. "W-who is this guy?!"

It's all the warning she gets, before she's forced to content with those
dreaded remote weapons. Which she actually thinks are really cool, and always
wanted to see up close. But... not that close. Not close enough to - as the
Gundam's pilot put it - erase her. She knows what they can do. There's no way
she can survive against weapons like that. "I... I...!"

Rather than panic, Naoko suddenly feels a rush of mental activity. She is not a
Newtype, but there are similarities. Her mind is Different, capable of
predicting movement before it happens in much the same way, as long as she can
maintain her focus. And, to her own surprise... her focus is flawless. It's a
honest to goodness 'I can see it' moment, managing to stay one step ahead of
each and every Dragoon shot.

She... shouldn't have been able to do that. She'd be the first to admit it.
But, as the smoke clears, the purple Arm Slave, looking so slapdash at first
glance... is in one piece. Considering the amount of mental activity it was
exuding just now, it's clear that there's more to both the machine and the
pilot. Who right now is sweating bullets in the cockpit. "I... I'm alive...?"

>"Holy shit! That was amazing, Nova! Quick, now's your chance! Don't give him a
chance to do that again!"<

>"W-wait, Uriel! Don't encourage her!"<

BGM: https://youtu.be/S7-Ywg3T95Q

Too late. Nova lowers her head for a moment... and when it comes back up, she's
wearing a confident grin. She ignores Ariel's noises of distress when she
kicks the machine thrusters into high gear, and charges directly for the
Providence Gundam. As it does, the machine's hands begin to glow a dangerous
red, rapidly heating up. And when she gets close... she sends a transmission
of her own.

"My name is Nova Stellar, Miracle Worker! And I'm gonna miracle-work over your
ass!"

Fists start flying in rapid succession as the Sukeban keeps up the pressure,
heated fist after heating fist coming at the Gundam. The best defense is a
good offense as they say - and keeping it from gaining distance seems like a
solid plan when the enemy has remote bits available.

KTS: Naoko Suzuki targets Rau Le Creuset with Heat Harrier!
KTS: Naoko Suzuki has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset blocks Rena Lancaster's Beam Saber Slash, taking 2800
 damage!

KTS: Rena Lancaster has engaged Rau Le Creuset!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset partially guards Anita Rosetta's Targeted Beam Cannon
 Blast, taking 2250 damage!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset's Physical Wall L3 activates, negating 3000 base damage.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki anchors Rau Le Creuset, forcing him into close range.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset fails to react to Naoko Suzuki's Heat Harrier, taking 1050
 damage!

KTS: Naoko Suzuki has engaged Rau Le Creuset!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset blocks Eight York's Guided Beam Cannons - Maneuvering Shot,
 taking 3000 damage!

KTS: Eight York begins a Formation attack!

<Pose Tracker> Himeyuri Oono has posed.

        The CIWS takes care of the Nadesico's powerful missiles- just in time,
as the ship's distortion field manages to take the edge off the ones that are
too close. But Ryoko fires as the shield cycles- and scores a serious hit on
the reactor section, and Himeyuri can *feel* the efficiency drop. But, there's
a bigger problem. She fires a laser comm wordlessly, and the video comm opens
to-

        "<<You! The mannish woman who disabled me before! Your sonic weaponry
won't work on me this time! My Kokubunji Anti-Sonic Earbuds will filter out
whatever tricks you used last time!>>" Still with the video up she's not that
mannish, really, it's just.

        Hm.

        "<Anyway if you wish to count yourself as heroes of justice, you should
be on our side! ZAFT losing means the spacenoids lose their futures!>"

        She starts cycling the reactor. "Repair teams rear reactor! I'm about
to boost output which will lead to a temporary burst- after that you can move
in and start repairing!"

        "<Michi, the ship is our primary foe! I have a plan!>" The Socrates
surges forward to pull closer to the Nadesico, then-

        The captains voice becomes monotone. "Modulating distortion field
output. Counteraction frequency 221, gravity distortion increase 30%.... GO!"

        It's going to shut down her distortion field for a moment- but if she
times it right, it'll shutdown the Nadesico's for longer, or weaken it
significantly. "...Let's see how you handle this, mysterious Captain of
Action. Show me what the Earth thinks is a real man."

KTS: Himeyuri Oono has activated the Resupply Spirit Command.
KTS: Himeyuri Oono has activated the Resupply Spirit Command.
KTS: Himeyuri Oono targets Yurika Misumaru with Melt!
KTS: Himeyuri Oono targets Hikaru Amano with Pass!
KTS: Himeyuri Oono has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Yurika Misumaru fails to react to Himeyuri Oono's Melt, taking 0 damage!
KTS: Mobile Weapon Team has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Mobile Weapon Team has activated the Strike Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Mobile Weapon Team has posed.

The Eternal's counterfire splashes off the Dominion's sturdy armor, though it
tears a gouge through an upper deck, sheering away metal into the darkness.

"Move non-essential personnel away from that breach and affect repairs
immediately! Are we ready to fire?"

"Lohengrin particle cannons are prepared to fire, Captain!"

"Roger that. As soon as we fire, I want another round of depth charges
deployed. We'll switch to physical munitions and finish this with another
barrage."

Another sigh... slowly, the panels on the front of each massive 'leg' of the
Dominion shift aside, revealing the twin barrels of the Archangel-class's
signature weapons, the massive Lohengrin particle cannons. There's an
illusion of grace to the gradual alignment of those two massive barrels
towards the Eternal... but with thrusters flaring, the ship is in position
with a speed that belies its bulk. Cap bill pinched in her right hand,
Natarle presses a hand through her dark hair, hiding her eyes as she barks
out, with a surprisingly rough twang,

"LOHENGRINS, FIRE~!"

Tremendous beams roar out of the front of the Federation flagship, deep red
cores enclosed in coruscating layers of blazing white and heated blue,
electricity crackling off them as they streak towards Lacus Clyne's new ship.

"Ehehe... aha... ahahahahaha! DIE, SCUM! This is what you get for opposing
us!"

The cap slaps back down over her hair, bill hung low over Natarle's violet eyes.

"Please ignore the Representative's outburst. Be prepared to maneuver in
response. This isn't going to end that easily..."

KTS: Mobile Weapon Team targets Lacus Clyne with Lohengrin Positron Beam
 Cannons!

KTS: Mobile Weapon Team has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Lacus Clyne partially guards Mobile Weapon Team's Lohengrin Positron Beam
 Cannons, taking 6510 damage!

KTS: Mobile Weapon Team roots his unit, coming to a standstill and leaving him
 vulnerable.

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        Space has fully erupted - the arrival of the Three Ships seeming to
fracture it more in three than in two. At a bare minimum, the key agents of
the Federation and of ZAFT seem to set their sights on them first before
deigning to resolve differences later - that's what they came here for, but is
it -sustainable- to be a target for two warring factions to exhaust each other
upon? Is this really going to be how a war is stopped?

        Yurika closes her eyes as this question resounds, but pretty quickly,
that's replaced with a bigger question - as the sound of Hikaru and Michiru
alike calling out their vibrant, Gekiganger glory- - - and with her gloves
gripping the railing, she broadcasts out -

        "Gekiganger this and Gekiga-that...it's honestly scary. It's honestly a
little bit difficult to watch people shout out anime stuff at a time like
this!" ...It's uncharacteristically 'worried' of Yurika, her breathing heavier
than normal, enough to elicit a bit of an odd look from the crew - usually
she's the one who's a bit...off kilter from the rest. "...I can understand
leaning on something like that a little bit, but...be careful and make sure
you can switch it off when the time comes and we have to screw our thinking
aps on. And I mean all of you, actually, since I know Ryoko can slip into it
too!"

        Is she this worried just because Ryoko's in unfamiliar ground and
Hikaru's already taking such a beating? She's uncharacteristically still -
tumbling into the captain's chair, fidgeting with her hat. "...Well, we're not
going to get a better time to start preparing. Begin charging the Gravity
Blast. If we get too close it'll just be harder for Miss Lacus and Captain
Eight's forces to deal with."

        Minato Haruka files away the 'captain's dealing with some stuff' with
all the usual grace in the world, and steadily announces, "Gravity Blast on
standby. Twelve percent and rising. We'll be ready in three minutes, Captain.
...Ah! They're disrupting the Field's defenses! Our barrier's going down, we
can't keep it up at all at this rate while we're preparing the main cannon!"

        Yurika's hand slams down on the bridge's primary console, huffing out,
"Keep charging! They're not yet in range to do serious damage - the Nadesico's
meant for these first strikes, after all!"

KTS: Yurika Misumaru has activated the Rouse Spirit Command targeting Ryoko
 Subaru

KTS: Yurika Misumaru targets Himeyuri Oono with Gravity Blast - Charging...!
KTS: Yurika Misumaru has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Yurika Misumaru has activated the Rouse Spirit Command targeting Hikaru
 Amano

<Pose Tracker> Treize Khushrenada has posed.

        The Grief is repelled back and Treize is , accepting of it almost. In
this day and age it is obvious the mass produced reproduction of the Tallgeese
can not match the true speed of it and yet here he is trying to mimic one of
his friend's moves as if it was. " A fine repulse."

          Still in just that moment as they clashed Treize could feel the
connection between them. A connection that only that of two warriors that meet
on the battlefield can make. It is said that sometimes such warriors can
become so entuned with their combatant that it is like they can read each
others mind. Treize realizes for a moment that is what that was.

         The Grief raises it's saber infront of it as the comm is reestablished
towards the Phenex, <"It is said that as two warriors cross blades they come
to know many things about each other. If you ask why I fight today I ask you
cross blades with me.">.

         His response given, combat continues and as the bright light of
phoenix shines the beam saber moves to block and deflect it, however magic
being what it is one can not block it all with science. In some ways, Treize
even wants this as this is the only way to regain that connection.

        For a moment he looks towards the Rita-Bird, but then back towards his
screens as he continues to engage in conversation in the middle of battle,
<"Your actions and movements remind me of a bird, so much so for a moment I
swore that is what you became. ">

         The Grief takes advantage of being pulled in close as it still holds
it's beam saber and slashes in an X pattern towards the Phenex, before trying
to pierce the X that was drawn by the blade. In his mind he is thinking of
what he is fighting to protect too, the innocent.

KTS: Treize Khushrenada targets Rita Bernal with Beam Saber 100 Combo!
KTS: Treize Khushrenada has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        The Ra Mari II fires its beam cannons towards the Providence. It swings
around, briefly blasting away from its clash with Rena to avoid some shots,
others splashing against its shield unit. Even as the fire forces the
Providence to move as Eight desire, Rau chuckles a little over the radio,
<"Captain Eight York. I commend you for your determination to turn away from
the corruption that has spread through the Federation. But your efforts are
pointless. Your little band of traitors will just end up succumbing to that
same corruption sooner or later.">

        The Providence bursts away from Anita and Rena, rushing forward towards
the Ra Mari II to close the distance and gain a position where it'll be harder
to miss. It raises the large rifle in its right hand, the large weapon long
enough to reach back and sit over the shoulder. Rau then finishes, <"So I
might as well do the world a favor and end this here and now!"> The Providence
fires, a large green beam rushing off towards Zentradi vessel.

        Having closed in towards the mothership, Naoko has a chance to get in
closer before the others. Rau had been aware that the pilot had successfully
evaded the DRAGOON attacks. An impressive accomplishment, though not that Rau
acknowledged it as such. Instead, as the self-proclaimed Miracle Worker starts
launching a series of punches at the Gundam, it just... Floats there, taking
them. Each impact is dead on, yet doing surprisingly little damage. Clearly
the real Miracle Worker here is ZAFT's Phase Shift Armor technology. Rau
simply replies to the Arm Slaves pilot, <"I'm sorry. I don't know you."> The
Providence's beam blade activates again as it launches a quick, almost
dismissive, strike towards the Sukeban.

        The Messiah Rosetta fires another beam shot. This once isn't
intercepted by the Gundam's shield unit. And yet as it hits the machine, it
proves to only have a marginally better effect. Rau muses, impressed, "ZAFT's
scientists and engineers have outdone themselves with this one. I dare say
it's the superior of the group!"

        Briefly turning his attention to Anita, Rau says, <"Be gone, pest.">
Just one of the DRAGOONs detaches from its host machine to go and deal with
the VF. Yet it's one of the large ones. It zips around multiple times, trying
to throw off Anita's ability to evade. Until it finds its final firing point
and shoots, a collection of nine beams firing simultaneously towards the
Messiah.

        Meanwhile, as Rena comes in for a strike against the Providence with
her blade, Rau meets it with his own, sparks flying again as they clash once
more. He laughs at her words, <"Hahahahaha. Yes. Yes! Do you see? Do you
understand?"> While they clash with blades, two of the DRAGOONs attached to
the Providence's backpack suddenly fold over, aiming over the Gundam's
shoulders at the Gaia Gear Alpha over the Gundam's, firing at point blank
range as Rau continues, <"It will all spiral out of control. Humanity will be
decimated! There's no stopping it now, it's all been set into motion. It's
only a matter of time, now!">----

        As the battle continues to rage, Azrael frowns in annoyance at the fact
that it is dragging on and on. To the rest of the Dominion's bridge he
laments, "This is ridiculous. Why is this taking so long? Don't they realise
that they've already lost!?" He taps his foot impatiently before finally
saying, "That's it. I can't wait anymore. Clearly we need to spell it out to
them."

        Azrael taps a button on his chair, activating a comm, <"Colonel
Khushrenada. Give the Peacemaker force the order to deploy.">

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged with
 Eight York

KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Eight York with MA-M221 Judicium Beam Rifle Wide
 Beam!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Naoko Suzuki with MA-M221 Judicium Beam Rifle Tight
 Shot!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Anita Rosetta with DRAGOON System Remote Bit
 Pattern Kappa!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Rena Lancaster with DRAGOON System Remote Bit
 Pattern Sigma!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Eight York has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Anita Rosetta has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Anita Rosetta has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Anita Rosetta successfully intercepts Rau Le Creuset's DRAGOON System
 Remote Bit Pattern Kappa

KTS: Eight York successfully evades Rau Le Creuset's MA-M221 Judicium Beam
 Rifle Wide Beam

KTS: Rena Lancaster retreats from the attack!
KTS: Rena Lancaster fails to evade Rau Le Creuset's DRAGOON System Remote Bit
 Pattern Sigma, taking 5940 damage!

KTS: Rita Bernal has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has disengaged.
KTS: Rita Bernal successfully evades Treize Khushrenada's Beam Saber 100 Combo

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.

"Are you making some jab at my weight!?" Ryoko snaps at Hikaru before realizing
she means because of the Heavy Artillery frame being so big. Look sometimes
she lashes out without thinking...!

Hikaru almost immediately though gets into a pickle in close quarters, "What!?
You forgot your rifle in THIS mess!? Hitting faster and harder won't cut it
if you get pinned down!"

All the same, Hikaru is really taking to this opponent!? What is up with this
Gekiganger talk!!! Hearing Yurika's comments, "<I think you need to ban Akito
from the internet Captain. He must be infecting even ZAFT with his anime
fandom!>" A beat, "<HEY WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN SLIP INTO IT!? YOU MUST BE
MISTAKING ME FOR SOMEONE ELSE!!!>"

Then the Captain of the Socrates comes on and- "<WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING
MANNISH!?>" The image of Ryoko appears on the Socrates bridge, seeming not to
understand the earbuds comment, "<Tricks!? Oh it's YOU! What kind of prissy
stuck up brat are you that you can't handle a little potty mouth!? Hey
'Captain' ever manage to get that stick removed from your ass? Or do I need
to come over there and do it FOR YOU?>"

"Ruri! Lower the distortion field on my signal and keep it down until I'm
clear!"

What is she suggesting she's going to do?! Either way when it's done, the
Aestivalis targets the Galaxia and- rather than firing it's cannon or a
missile...

... it's claw like arm suddenly fires off, a cable extending from the frame.
The claws attempt to dig right in to the Galaxia's back at the same moment
Ryoko releases the magnetic latches off the Aestie's feet.

The cable pulls taut, and then starts to pull the Aestie right towards the
Galaxia. Upon arrival, the clunky frame tries to snag both of its claws right
into it's back.

Ryoko's solution was to piggyback the enemy instead!?

"<REMEMBER ME?!>" She calls out at the pilot of the Galaxia, before she
orders."<Hikaru! She's MINE! You go make a run on the Socrates with your
Lancer!>"

She bellows her orders, before latching in for the long haul.

Even she knows how stupid this is to do this in the Heavy Artillery frame,
but... it's to get Hikaru out of a jam, so the choice is far too easy.

"<You want Hikaru or the Nadesico!?! You'll have to go through ME first!>"

KTS: Ryoko Subaru has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Ryoko Subaru targets Michiru Tenjou with Wired Claw Grapple!
KTS: Ryoko Subaru has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki rushes into the attack!
KTS: [Spirit Defense] Naoko Suzuki's Guarded Mind activates, and her spirit
 endures.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset enervates Naoko Suzuki, reducing her Morale significantly.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki partially guards Rau Le Creuset's MA-M221 Judicium Beam Rifle
 Tight Shot, taking 4800 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rau Le Creuset's Welcomed By Power activates, causing Deject!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rau Le Creuset's Unleashed By Anger activates, causing
 Nullify!

KTS: Himeyuri Oono blocks Yurika Misumaru's Gravity Blast - Charging..., taking
 225 damage!

KTS: Yurika Misumaru begins a Formation attack!

<Pose Tracker> Shiho Hahnenfuss has posed.

Riika continues to speak as Shiho sprays a brief burst of fire from her main
cannons to deal with that missile lockon. It's not enough -- she gets through
the first dozen, but has to baby the reactor and the coolant lines too much
for the second. Missiles rain down on her, scoring armor and rattling her
machine; gritting her teeth, she opens comms again.

"Do you even listen to yourself?! Riika -- at best you're naive, and at worst
that Clyne woman is using you! Don't you get it?! The Clynes aren't relevant
anymore -- and they're using you for the sake of their problem with Patrick
Zala...!" The more she hears from Riika, the less interested she is in having
their friendship be a lever against her.

Indeed -- "That weapons platform throws everything we worked for as a test team
in the garbage!" Shiho doesn't bother to explain her own thinking -- to her,
though, doing an end-run around every problem they'd worked on by simply
throwing More at it... there's no development in that. How will their swords
ever become plowshares if they never become anything more than the tool of a
brute?

... not that she'd be able to articulate that at the moment. "Unless you
surrender right now -- don't you dare talk to me like we're friends!"
Gunning it straight for her former coworker's machine, Shiho tosses her MG
aside and swaps to a two-handed grip on her blade, trying to lop half of the
METEOR off.

KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss targets Riika Sheder with NOL-Y941 Heavy Laser Sword 
 Cleave!

KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Riika Sheder has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Ryoko Subaru anchors Michiru Tenjou, forcing her into close range.
KTS: Michiru Tenjou blocks Ryoko Subaru's Wired Claw Grapple, taking 840 damage!
KTS: Ryoko Subaru has engaged Michiru Tenjou!
KTS: Riika Sheder fails to Parry Shiho Hahnenfuss's NOL-Y941 Heavy Laser Sword 
 Cleave, taking 6200 damage!

KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has engaged Riika Sheder!
KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss roots her unit, coming to a standstill and leaving her
 vulnerable.

<Pose Tracker> Lacus Clyne has posed.

"Incoming! Brace yourselves, everyone!" Andrew Waltfeld calls out as the beam
fire peppers the Eternal, weakening its shields and shaking the bridge. The
crew rush to put out fires from the damage, while Lacus stays focused despite
it all.

She has no time to fear. She has no time to doubt. She has made her decision.
And...

"It seems I have your blessing," she says aloud to the glowing manifestation of
the Phenex hovering by the ship.

"What in the...huh. Guess they like us," Waltfeld agrees, a little amused
despite it all. "Little lady, you ready?"

Lacus steels herself. "Yes. We'll keep an eye on Riika and keep up defense." If
nothing else, as long as the Dominion targets the Eternal, it is distracted
from the PLANTs. And as long as the Eternal is out of the hands of ZAFT...

The main beam cannon charges. Lacus whispers a quiet apology to her targets,
audible only to herself.

And the Eternal's main beam cannon fires a powerful blast at the Dominion.

KTS: Lacus Clyne targets Mobile Weapon Team with Beam Cannon Focused Assault!
KTS: Lacus Clyne has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.

Eight can 'feel' the difference in Rau, too. 'Feel' something, anyway. But
Rena is already trying to talk, even as she fights. Anita is calming Rena...
And Nova is out there, doing her best. But this pilot--he speaks to her.

"I don't believe that," Captain York answers Rau Le Creuset. She then says,
"Chovan--"

"On it!"

Chovan maneuvers the ship; it would be impossible to simply dodge that entire
wide-beam weapon, but Chovan's skill can intuit where the ship can take it,
and where it can't; the beam impacts on the heavy armor of the Zentradi ship
and melts through some of its plating... but leaves it otherwise whole.

"If I should become as corrupt as the Federation has," Eight says, over that
wide frequency, "Then I trust that the others will find a better leader. But
until then, I'll oppose anyone who prolongs this war!"

But the dialogue continues, such as it is... Time...

Kazama's voice crackles over the radio. "All of you, prepare evasive
maneuvers! We're firing!"

All over the Zentradi warship, beam cannons spark to life, gleaming with power.

The bridge looms around, as Eight narrows her eyes at the wider display.
"Kazama. Use firing pattern 3."

"Yes, Captain!"

Eight's jaw is set as the cannons begin to launch their payloads, beams
radiating outward towards the Providence Gundam!

~Hang in there...~ Eight's voice might reach her friends--or at least, it will
surely reach Rena. But it may reach Naoko, too, though there is no radio this
time.

KTS: Eight York targets Rau Le Creuset with Guided Beam Cannons - Pattern 3!
KTS: Eight York has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Mobile Weapon Team's EN Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage.
KTS: Mobile Weapon Team blocks Lacus Clyne's Beam Cannon Focused Assault,
 taking 2160 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Treize Khushrenada has posed.

As if Murata Azreal was listening to his thoughts the call from that
monster comes in over his comms. Rita would likely feel a change of
disposition suddenly to, to a icy hatred. <"I fear you may be misunderstanding
something Mr. Azrael. You may be the leader of the Blue Cosmos, but you have
no authority over me so do not presume to command me, simply because you have
positioned yourself here. The battle will move at the pace I deem.">This was
why he had came, to stop that unit from being deployed, and the Colonel is
sure that Murata Azreal is figuring that out now. In some ways he wished he
could see Azreal's face, but for now he has something to deal with.

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

If that's how Treize chooses to understand the Phenex, she won't mind. At least
he can hear her.

I accept. I don't have any blades, so I hope my shields and light will be
enough. I'll be waiting for your answer.

...though she doesn't spare Treize from a soft, bright laugh. He's far more
aware than he allows himself to be, it seems.

I am a bird! I dreamed of being one for so many years. Now, my dream has come
true!

Radiance curls around the Phenex as she darts straight up, evading the Grief's
X-pattern slash. In a brilliant display of flight, she twirls as she ascends,
laughing again. The joy of existing this way, the freedom..! A wave of
ecstatic happiness echoes out from the Gundam.

Her thrilled ascent is cut short by Treize's sudden change, and she stills,
watching him once again.

Be careful, Treize. You can't trust someone who would abandon others.

The Phenex's shield spins, projecting a minor barrier to try and protect the
Eternal. It can't stop all of the incoming attacks, but the Phenex is doing
what she can.

From her position above the Grief, the Phenex again reaches out. This time, the
incandescent attack races its way to him, illuminating the void and the Grief
in turn. Swirling around Treize's machine, it softly seeps inward, weakening
its armor.

You could help us. You're different from them. You don't have to fight by their
side.

KTS: Rita Bernal has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Lacus Clyne
KTS: Rita Bernal targets Treize Khushrenada with Magnetic Midnight!
KTS: Rita Bernal has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

"R...right," Rena replies to Annie. "Right. We can do this...!"

Then, she grits her teeth, as the Providence bursts away from her so quickly.
Her eyes snap to Naoko -- and she sucks in a gasp. But, somehow, she comes out
on the other side of it alive and well. "Nova... be careful! He's really good!"

It's more than that, though.

Her eyes widen, her heart pounding in her chest -- and not only from the way
the Providence swings back in towards her. Their beam sabers meet again -- and
more arcs of lightning explode up and down their beam sabers as they collide.
But she feels Rau's words, as much as she hears them.

"That's--"

The DRAGOONs swing over the Gundam's shoulders and fire, point blank, into
Rena's Gaia Gear Alpha. She can't quite move away in time -- the
forward-mounted verniers all fire, sending it rocketing away from the
Providence -- but the beam blasts strike it, burning away the ablative armor
and leaving two smouldering, glowing red-hot craters in the Gundarium alloy on
it.

"You're the one Riika told me about," Rena says, her voice quiet but still
transmitting. "But--but why try to destroy everything and everyone!?
Coordinators and Naturals... Earthnoids and sacenoids! We can learn to get
along!" she says. "We weren't made just to fight like this!"

The Gaia Gear Alpha's psychoframe explodes to life and light.

It's a sudden explosion of motes of green light -- it's a glimmer of the
miracle of the Axis Shock, which means it's still a brilliant flare. Those
motes of light shoot through space -- passing easily through cockpits, washing
around Rena, around Rau, around Anita and Naoko. They even pass by the Ra Mari
II, as the Gaia Gear Alpha explodes forward.

"And I'll SHOW YOU THAT!" Rena shouts. "I won't let you take away the future!
RAU!"

The Gaia Gear Alpha swings its beam saber down, but that is a feint. The golden
blade of mega particles slashes down, just before the Gaia Gear Alpha spins
back its other arm. Green light ignites along the fist, which punches once,
then twice, iat the faceplate of the Providence Gundam.

Then, the beam saber stabs forward, with a thrust.

KTS: Rena Lancaster has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Rena Lancaster has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Rena Lancaster targets Rau Le Creuset with Gaia Flash!
KTS: Rena Lancaster has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

"Shiho..."

Riika doesn't have a good answer for her. What she's saying makes sense to her,
but it sounds unbelieveable - and it does make her sound naive. Maybe she is,
or maybe she's just an optimist. Or both; they're not mutually exclusive. She
doesn't have a good way to reach her, not here and now.

"I'm sorry," is what Riika actually sends back. "I can't. Not now. Maybe one
day we'll be able to talk again." She'd like to do that. They used to talk
about designs, and other things - and Riika has better ideas than the METEOR
she's borrowing, which she agrees is all power and no finesse and not entirely
to her taste. She'd rather be driving Svalinn itself - but Svalinn doesn't
have the raw firepower of METEOR, and is only partially complete in any case.
She simply did not have time to finish all its equipment.

Riika interposes METEOR's gigantic forward cannon between herself and the
approaching CGUE. The cannons blaze to life - not the cannons, actually, but
the ports above and below, forming an absolutely gigantic beam sword. It must
be the length of the entire METEOR, a blade for cutting ships rather than
suits.

Riika doesn't try to parry with it so much as try to force Shiho away, but
Shiho is faster than a blade that size, even if it is light. She carves into
the METEOR's cannon-arm - the same one she hit before - and it is nearly
severed; the sword emitting from it flares once and then goes completely out,
chunks of shaped metal drifting away from the impact point.

She is beginning to regret using the METEOR. Certainly it isn't really suitable
to fight one individual suit; she could lock onto half the battlefield, fire
cannons at ships and even Jachin Due itself, and she'd give herself decent
odds of causing actual damage - but one single CGUE is doing loops around her,
and she's hampered by simply not wanting to fire the biggest cannons at Shiho.
She doesn't want to kill her.

While one blade-cannon is offline, the other is not. Riika activates the second
sword with the same blaze of light, thrusting it toward one of the CGUE DEEP
Arms' cannon-arms and then *ripping* it outward, trying to destroy the guns
but not the core of the suit. Though, as large as it is, incidental damage is
a guarantee - but Riika is careful, almost mechanically precise, and she knows
the CGUE better than any Federation unit. She knows where to hit it to not
damage the cockpit.

The whole time, the METEOR is flying forward. She knows Rau is out there - and
not just Rau. She can't turn her back on Shiho but she can't just stand still,
either.

KTS: Riika Sheder targets Shiho Hahnenfuss with MA-X200 Beam Sword Grand
 Divider!

KTS: Riika Sheder has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.

Hikaru's Gekigan Upper strikes true, and it's clear that the Galaxia's pilot is
impressed. "<You've got more spirit than most of them, I'll admit that! But
your weapons are a pale imitation! After all! Where are your united hearts? Do
your souls reach out and connect, as Hime and I have?>" Nevermind that they
aren't currently in that unified form. "<Still, if you were to work with us,
you certainly could reach the true essence of Gekigan.>"

Hime has a plan... she'll trust in her partner. In her strategy. And if she's
needed, Michi will find a way over there.

As she's about to offer further praise and suggestions to Hikaru, a claw
latches onto the Galaxia, giving Michiru a new target. Or rather, a familiar
one. "<You! I'll applaud your spirit. You HAVE the soul of a hero buried
beneath your words, protecting your allies so fiercely. But do you expect me
not to do the same!? To protect Hime-hime's pure, gentle heart!>" The Aesti
being on her back means most weapons won't help much. So she'll have to take a
drastic measure. Overloading the Repulsor Knuckle, in an attempt to knock
Ryoko off and send her flying back at Hikaru! "<GEKIGAN BURST!>"

KTS: Michiru Tenjou targets Ryoko Subaru with Repulsor Knuckle!!
KTS: Michiru Tenjou has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Ryoko Subaru parries Michiru Tenjou's Repulsor Knuckle!, taking 660 damage!
KTS: Michiru Tenjou repulses Ryoko Subaru, forcing her to disengage.
KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss fails to parry Riika Sheder's MA-X200 Beam Sword Grand
 Divider, taking 7680 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Riika Sheder's Mobile Weapon Analysis activates, causing
 Designate L1!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Riika Sheder's Redline activates, causing Control Bonus!
KTS: Riika Sheder has engaged Shiho Hahnenfuss!
KTS: Treize Khushrenada has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged
 with Rita Bernal

KTS: Treize Khushrenada blocks Rita Bernal's Magnetic Midnight, taking 2139
 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

"N-no! Although on the other hand, you could probably princess carry me if you
wanted." Hikaru is very, very small.

"I didn't forget it! Maybe misplaced it? My eyesight sucks... but I guess this
means the heavy artillery will come in handy for once!" She doesn't even need
to ask - she knows if it comes to it, Ryoko will gallantly come to her rescue.

"Sorry, sorry, Yurika-chan, captain! My opponent here thinks she's every bit as
dashing as Tenkuu Ken, so I just had to put on a show for her!" Hikaru
exclaims, after Yurika asks what all the Gekiganger fuss is about. "...Ehh?
Who mentioned Akito?" He is even more prone to screaming Gekiganger attacks
than she is, though. "Oh, and you're totally lying - I've seen you practice
the Gekigan Flare in the simulator~"

Michiru actually praises her spirit, but calls out her weapons as a pale
imitation, and her soul unconnected. "You're right that these weapons aren't
anything special. They're just tools of war." She says, an unusual
nonchalantness to her voice, until that passion and spirit burns again. But
you're WRONG about my heart! Ryoko, Izumi... they're everything to me!
They're the reason I'm still here... and I'd choose them over you every time,
true essence or not!"

But for all her monologuing - Hikaru knows she's in serious danger. The real
Gekiganger would never be so merciless - but Hikaru can't actually count on
this opponent on being as honorable as Tenkuu Ken is. And she definitely
pushed in way too far with that stupid little maneuver of hers... that's when
Ryoko saves the day with a ridiculous stunt of her own. "Wow... not the most
graceful save but I'll take it! She's all yours, Ryoko and... be careful.
Please." She adds, seriously.

Before she makes a charge directly towards the Socrates, Field Lancer in hand
once again. "Anti-ship combat: engaging! Gekigan Spear!"

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

"Right. Don't forget that." Anita says with a nod. She sounds confident, at
least. As for Naoko...

"Nothin's wrong with helping, but... This is a real fight. You could get
hurt, or worse. ...And usually, you gotta request launch permissions first. It
could've been a problem if you tried to launch while someone else was
launching." Anita explains. Watching her, though... she's impressed at how
Naoko manages to dodge the incoming attacks. She might really know how to use
that machine...

Rau tells her to be gone, though.

"Nah." Anita replies. A DRAGOON detaches, zipping through space as it
approaches her. Watching it carefully, Anita draws her gun pod and takes aim.
She doesn't try to panic-dodge it. She waits for the right moment... and right
as it lingers in place just long enough to fire, Anita fires first, unleashing
a spray of bullets into the DRAGOON. It's big enough and likely protected
enough that she doesn't expect to destroy it. She doesn't need to. She just
needs to divert its aim just enough - and when the beams come flying toward
her, she makes use of the opening to weave out of the way.

Rau speaks to Rena, and - Anita finds herself momentarily at a loss for words.

"...What the hell?" Anita remarks, shaking her head. "Why do you want to do
something like that?"

And Rena - light explodes out from her machine. Even Anita can see and feel
them - and she can hear her shout, as Rena fights to protect the future.

A smile crosses Anita's face and she accelerates through space, moving to
approach Rau from a different side. This time, her gun pod is raised at him,
and she unloads a gatling volley in his direction, the barrel glowing red hot.

KTS: Hikaru Amano targets Himeyuri Oono with Field Lancer Thrust!
KTS: Hikaru Amano has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Anita Rosetta targets Rau Le Creuset with Gatling Full-Auto!
KTS: Anita Rosetta has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Himeyuri Oono fails to Evade Hikaru Amano's Field Lancer Thrust, taking
 6490 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Hikaru Amano's I'll Introduce Myself! activates, causing Jam
 L1!

KTS: Hikaru Amano has engaged Himeyuri Oono!
KTS: Hikaru Amano completes the Formation attack!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset blocks Eight York's Guided Beam Cannons - Pattern 3, taking
 5180 damage!

KTS: Eight York completes the Formation attack!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset partially guards Rena Lancaster's Gaia Flash, taking 4756
 damage!

KTS: Rena Lancaster has engaged Rau Le Creuset!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset's Physical Wall L3 activates, negating 3000 base damage.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset fails to react to Anita Rosetta's Gatling Full-Auto, taking
 2250 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.

The effort may have been a valiant one, but that armor... that hadn't factored
into Naoko's calculations. She utters a baffled "What the?! How is this not
working?", but she doesn't stop trying, either way. Surely the answer to
punches not doing much is 'more punches'.

With dismissive words and an equally dismissive strike, the Sukeban to swatted
aside - its own reinforced armor protecting it, but not nearly as well.
That'll leave a literal mark, straight across its front. "Gah! How... how dare
you?!"

How dare he what? Damage her unit? Act dismissively? Try to kill her? Fail to
be properly intimidated by that taunt she spent weeks thinking up? Maybe a
little bit of all of those.

Having psyched herself up to this degree, an attack like that is not enough to
get her to back off. She can't let down her friends. Yes, Anita's right, she
should have done this differently... but now that she's here, she has to do
what she can. Eight is telling her to hang in there, so she'll hang in there!
And, in the heat of the moment, fail to realize that it wasn't throguh the
radio that she heard Eight's voice just now.

She does realize the truth in Rena's words. This isn't an easy opponent she's
chosen to fight. If her punches won't work, then-- she's just about to adapt
her 'strategy', such as it is, when the activation of the Psychoframe commands
her attention. She doesn't just see it - she feels it, on a profound level.
The closest thing she's felt before was... Eight's friend. The Golden
Gundam... it's out there too, isn't it? Why can she suddenly feel that so
clearly?

Rena's anger snaps her out of her brief reverie. And she finds it rather
infectuous. Suddenly emboldened, Nova directs more energy towards her
machine's right fist, causing it to glow a dangerous red to clash in the sea
of green. Rau's own words made the situation plain enough. "I understand
now... how dangerous you are. In which case...!"

The Sukeban charges, to deliver one singular punch - and just keep pushing
after that, seeking to drive the superheated fist through that blasted armor.
It's not just the machine, this time. This time, there's a force of will
behind it.

"Take this! Busteeeer Knuckleeeee!"

KTS: Naoko Suzuki has activated the Foresee Spirit Command.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki targets Rau Le Creuset with Buster Knuckle!
KTS: Naoko Suzuki has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Treize Khushrenada has posed.

        Treize pushes the Grief to chase the retreating Phenex, perhaps
distracted by Azrael , now he feels rushed and pressured to deal with this as
if the worse comes to worse and that asshole can make it seem like Treize fell
in battle no one would stop him. This causes him to not be a bit wreckless
rushing in to the attack from the Phenex. On instinct he moves to have the
Grief raise it shields but at the same time he can't block the magic of the
phoenix as it seems to rip away some of the armor plating.

         Still Treize is rushing and in his rush his mind is unguarded, open to
his opponent. The Grief moves in once again to repeat it's first opening move
as it rushes in and attempts to lunge at the Phenex.

         While the Grief acts upon Treize wishes, the Colonel first speaks to
his opponent, <"I fear I must rush this and I should apologize as it is rude.
My trust is lacking in an associate and I must finish this to resolve that
problem.You see while I am sure we have the same goal, I must fight how I
fight to protect those that put their trust in me."> Unfortunately the words
are given to Rita calm but the calm is fake. Underneath it all are the
emotions that Azrael brought up.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset partially guards Naoko Suzuki's Buster Knuckle, taking 2430
 damage!

KTS: Naoko Suzuki has engaged Rau Le Creuset!
KTS: Treize Khushrenada targets Rita Bernal with Beam Saber 100 High
 Penetration Strike!

KTS: Treize Khushrenada has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Rita Bernal fails to rush.
KTS: Rita Bernal partially guards Treize Khushrenada's Beam Saber 100 High
 Penetration Strike, taking 5022 damage!

KTS: Treize Khushrenada has engaged Rita Bernal!

<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        <"Hahaha. I'm not trying to prolong the war. I'm ending it.
Completely.">

        The Ra Mari II fires its beam cannons again, the Providence in a
perfect location to target. Once more, it attempts to defend with its shield,
though this time it's proving more difficult to resist the heavy energy of the
large battleship. Some of its physical armor begins to give away under the
concentrated power. Though it holds for long enough, keeping the shot from
blast right through the machine.

        Anita's shots against the DRAGOON indeed don't destroy it, the nible
little machine able to move quickly enough that it avoids most of them, only
taking a few dents to its frame in the process. As Anita asks Rau the
question, he hmphs, <"Because this world is already destroying itself. Those
seeking power, money, domination, sit at the top of everything. Humanity needs
a reset! After it is all blown away, those few who are left will have the
opportunity to start anew. Without all the corrupting influences that have
brought humanity to the place it is today.">

        Naoko's Sukeban charges in with another physical strike. One could
argue that trying that is just stupid... But someone like that clearly they
don't understand PASSION! And sure enough, while it looks like it doesn't work
initially, determination to see it through does begin to win over, the first
starting to fight back against the Providence's strong defenses and push
deeper. Rau has to admit... That's becoming slightly annoying.

        The shield unit on the Providence's left armor suddenly ejects into
space, freeing up its hand. That hand reaches up to grab the wrist of the Arm
Slave that's currently trying to drive its fist through the machine.

        The Gaia Gear Alpha then comes rushing in with its feint, allowing the
first punch to strike the Gundam's head. The face is distorted a little. But
then the Providence's other hand releases the hold on its beam rifle, reaching
up, to catch the Gaia Gear Alpha's second strike.

        Rau doesn't seem impressed by the Gaia's new glow, laughing in response
to Rena, <"Me? Oh, I've done everything I need to. This world's future, as
short as it may be, is in the hands of others now.">

        Both hands occupied, the Providence is technically immobile right now.

        But then it doesn't need to move!

        All nine of the DRAGOONs detach from their host machine, beginning to
unloading multiple beams towards all four of the Providence's foes, acting
against them in a pattern that seems to be trying to lead them around the
battlefield.

        As Treize deigns to ignore his orders, Azrael's face is indeed
distorted in anger. As he slams his fist against the panel, shutting off the
comm channel, he mutters, "Damn that Khushrenada! I'll have to make sure to
deal with him later."

        Azrael's face doesn't stay angry for long, soon twisting into an amused
smirk. Thankfully he had already planned on something like this happening.
Assigning Treize to this fleet's command was a necessary move, given the man's
charm and popularity. But Azrael had his own people in place as well. He opens
another channel, <"Captain. It's time. Launch them.">

        From one of the Federation's fleets, a new force of mobile weapons
deploy. They're pretty regular models for the Federation. The key importance
is the weapons they are weilding. Each has a large missile launcher in their
hands. And sitting within each and visible for all to see, single, equally
large missiles. Most disturbingly of all, is the easily recognisable radiation
warning symbol painted on them.

        Pushing through a part of the ZAFT lines that have broken during the
battle, the Peacemaker forces find themselves with an open shot against their
target... Those glittering PLANTs in the distance.

        <"Safety systems disengaged. Weapons are going active.">

        Further confirmation of that sinking feel comes as radiation signatures
begin to bloom from the direction of the new force. Given the evidence,
there's only one thing those could be...

        <"Okay! Say your prayers, you space monsters!">
        <"For the preservation of our blue and pure world!">

        The units begin to fire their nuclear missiles. The weapons begin to
rush through space towards the plants.

        Already, many of the ZAFT pilots in the area recognise the threat and
begin to fire at the missiles, <"Those are... Nuclear missiles! Shoot down the
missiles! Don't let them get any closer to the PLANTs!"> Bullet and beam rifle
shots begin to pierce through the weapons, causing them to detonate in
brilliant explosions prematurely. But there's far too many of them to handle
alone...

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Rena Lancaster, Eight York, Naoko Suzuki, and Anita
 Rosetta with DRAGOON System Remote Bit Pattern Omicron.

KTS: Eight York fails to retreat.
KTS: Eight York fails to evade Rau Le Creuset's DRAGOON System Remote Bit
 Pattern Omicron, taking 5490 damage!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset begins a Formation attack!
KTS: Rena Lancaster partially guards Rau Le Creuset's DRAGOON System Remote Bit
 Pattern Omicron, taking 5795 damage!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset begins a Formation attack!
KTS: Anita Rosetta has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Anita Rosetta's EN Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage.
KTS: [Spirit Defense] Anita Rosetta's Easygoing activates, and her spirit
 endures.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset enervates Anita Rosetta, reducing her Morale significantly.
KTS: Anita Rosetta fails to intercept Rau Le Creuset's DRAGOON System Remote
 Bit Pattern Omicron, taking 6160 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rau Le Creuset's Welcomed By Power activates, causing Deject!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rau Le Creuset's Unleashed By Anger activates, causing
 Nullify!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset begins a Formation attack!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset enervates Naoko Suzuki, reducing her Morale significantly.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki blocks Rau Le Creuset's DRAGOON System Remote Bit Pattern
 Omicron, taking 6710 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rau Le Creuset's Welcomed By Power activates, causing Deject!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rau Le Creuset's Unleashed By Anger activates, causing
 Nullify!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset begins a Formation attack!

<Pose Tracker> Mobile Weapon Team has posed.

"A nuclear attack against the PLANTs... that awful weapon again... The
Colonel didn't give these orders!"

"The Colonel isn't giving the orders. It doesn't matter what he thinks!
We'll do whatever it takes... for our blue and pure world. Now! Press your
attack against that ZAFT ship and win this war, Lt. Commander Badgiruel!"

"It may have Coordinators on board, but that isn't a ZAFT vessel,
Representative. And I do take my orders from a superior officer."

Natarle's face is stony professionalism... but it's a good thing Muruta Azrael
can't see her eyes, under that dark hair and close-fit cap. There might be
the mildest glimmer (of anger? amusement? both?).

A hand sinks into that powder blue suit jacket, and begins to emerge with
gunmetal in hand... but the Eternal fires, and though the anti-beam depth
charges do their work, the clouds of charged plasma detonate alarmingly
close to the Dominion, and the bridge shudders. Azrael's hand goes up, pistol
clasped, and discharges uselessly into the ceiling as he spills onto his back
with a wince.

"Security! Kindly escort the Representative off the bridge and issue a report
to the Colonel! He can watch the rest of the battle from a safer seat...
Somewhere that's not on my fucking bridge. And don't be rough - I don't want
him to have an excuse to press counter charges and get you court martialed.
The rest of you - stay on task. We're still in a battle! I want damage
reports!"

"A-ah, the detonation jammed the hatch for the left-side Valiant... and the
anti-particle density is still too high for a clear shot with any of the beam
cannons..."

"Alright. Lock in a firing solution with the remaining weapons... and get me
a tight beam line to the enemy vessel."

<"Ms. Lacus Clyne... and captain of the enemy vessel... This is Lt. Commander
Natarle Badgiruel, Federation vessel Dominion. I'll give you this chance.
My next shot will cripple your engines and you will be taken as prisoners of
war. If you wish to withdraw and cease interfering with our attack on Jachin
Due in favor of defending a civilian population, this is your final
opportunity to submit a surrender, under which condition I will allow you to
quit the field so long as you offer our conventionally armed forces no further
aggression. Any other response will be treated as a continuation of
hostilities. Have I made myself clear?">

KTS: Mobile Weapon Team targets Lacus Clyne with Designate L1!
KTS: Mobile Weapon Team has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Himeyuri Oono has posed.

        That was a bad time to drop the distortion field to create an opening
for Michi- The passive charge of the phase transition is felt, but beyond that
nothing- until Hikaru drives in with the Field Lancer, and the Socrates has
it's side scored, and several blocks are sealed off. "That weapon...." She
checks her energy. The reactor isn't recovering quickly enough.

        "<Michi, keep up the offensive! Mrs Zelinn's Kite Squadron will defend
the ship. You show them what the true spirit of Gekiganger is!>" She looks
forward... The reactor won't recover in time for the battle at this rate, she
has to play it smart. Which means...

        Ryoko's response comes, and the earbuds do their thing- bleeping every
other word Ryoko says. What kind of woman with very pretty green hair could
weaponize her voice so? Why would she? "<The earthsphere has warped your
maidenly heart! You'll never find a husband with a mouth like that!>"

        Her comms reach out to Hikaru. The close range combatant. "<You there,
in the Rikuganger type! If you truly believe in Gekiganger, then you should
not be fighting against me! Only someone who skipped Episode 34, First
Minister Masaka - Gekigangar vs Britannia wouldn't be able to see it! We're
the ones of the side of Justice!>"

        This is an attempt to keep her busy while the Kite Squadron engage, a
trio of MSes approaching in Star Triad formation, a series of coordinated
strikes unleashed at Hikaru.

        Now it just matters if she can get clear of that Gravity Cannon in time.

KTS: Himeyuri Oono targets Hikaru Amano with Kite Squadron Harrying Tactics!
KTS: Himeyuri Oono targets Michiru Tenjou with Shock!
KTS: Himeyuri Oono has completed their actions for the round.

KTS: Hikaru Amano's EN Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage.
KTS: Himeyuri Oono rattles Hikaru Amano, making her next maneuvers more
 difficult.

KTS: Hikaru Amano blocks Himeyuri Oono's Kite Squadron Harrying Tactics, taking
 1050 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Shiho Hahnenfuss has posed.

Riika knows the CGUE well -- though when you're that large, it's hard to be
that precise. Ripping off one of the cannons means the cooland system is now
exposed -- meaning Shiho has to jettison the other cannon and some of its
support structure, too, leaving all of it behind. That in turn yanks one arm
off of the machine, twisted up in the wreckage; Shiho rattles in the cockpit.

Despite that, she can't waste any time. She boosts back toward her discarded
machine gun as her machine's readings start to normalize, now that they no
longer have to keep her cannons primed. Turning her weapon toward Riika as she
moves on from Shiho herself, Shiho takes aim...

... and can't do it -- not least because of what's now on radar. The cannons
could have made short work of those, but she's wasted them on...

"... Dammit!" Shiho hisses, punching the console; her fingers slide across
sharp plastic, starting to bleed. "Captain -- I'm returning. This machine is
useless like this, but the METEOR's taken as much damage as I have..."

... please don't let this world be filled with more Junius Sevens, she
thinks, as her machine hobbles its way back.

KTS: Shiho Hahnenfuss's YFX-200 CGUE DEEP Arms has been disabled.

<Pose Tracker> Lacus Clyne has posed.

Lacus stares, speechless for a moment. She knew it would get bad...

She did not expect it would accelerate this quickly.

"God damn nukes," Waltfeld spits. "Shit, we can't keep engaging with these
guys. We have to stop them now!"

"Yes," Lacus declares, just as Natarle beams in her message.

She answers without hesitation.

<"This is Lacus Clyne of the Autonomous force Eternal. We accept your
conditions as long as you do not interfere in our attempts to protect these
civilians. I do implore you to think about if you want to be part of this, and
how, Lt. Commander Badgiruel. Will you always give us this chance, when the
Federation tries this again? What will you do when ZAFT retaliates? Think
about how far it can go.">

She doesn't elaborate, turning to her crew. "We are to direct all fire at the
nuclear missiles. Be prepared to back up all allied units, and all who attempt
to stop this nightmare are our allies at this time."

The Eternal turns to start firing off its lasers and missile array at the
incoming nukes, attempting to intercept and damage as many as possible before
they can reach the PLANTs.

And Lacus, her pupils narrowed and her eyes cooly focused, turns towards the
Phenex.

"If you can hear me, help us. Help protect PLANT, and Riika."

KTS: Lacus Clyne targets Mobile Weapon Team with Pass!
KTS: Lacus Clyne has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.

Rena says it; Eight realizes it, in the same moment. This is the one Riika
spoke of. Eight is sure of it.

Eight can hear Rena's shout, even without the radio. And her displays show her
Anita's skilled piloting. Naoko seems indeed to be taking it seriously, too.

But what he says?

Ending the war... completely. But not in peace.

"That's insane!" Eight says, half coming out of her seat. "How many innocent
people would die for your 'reset'? It's true that there's corruption, but to
kill the innocent and hope you carve it out!?"

Indeed--those cannons do lead them along the battlefield, the Ra Mari II forced
to start moving out of the line of fire by the sheer volume of attacks.

"Captain!" Kazama says in alarm. "We can't keep taking damage like that!"

"I know," Eight says. "But--"

The missiles are fired. "Multiple high-payload weapons detected! The targets
are... Oh, God! They're aiming at the PLANTs themselves!"

"Target those missiles and fire at will!" EIght calls, while Rezza from her
command console says, "Patching through weapons. You focus on the missiles,
Kazama; i'll support our pilots with that monster." The green-haired figure
taps away, diverting just one of the major beam cannons to the fight with Rau.
Just one. But it's a big one.

The beam slams out towards him, seeking to erase his Providence Gundam in one
single, all-consuming shot.

Meanwhile, on the bridge...

"Federation forces!" Eight calls over a wide band. "Is the mass slaughter of
civilians how you would protect the Earth Sphere!?"

She sighs, and then, "...Kazama," she says, as Kazama fires beam after beam
after beam to try to deal with the dozens of missiles. Her targeting is very
good--but there are so many...

"Begin charging the Spinal Beam Cannon. We can't let them do that again."

KTS: Eight York has activated the Attune Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Treize Khushrenada has posed.

         Treize is alerted to the launch of the missiles and blinks for a
moment at as he processes that message. Then he instantly goes to work, in a
way forgeting aboout the Phenex for the moment. <"To all units who can hear
me, this is Colonel Khushrenada. Nuclear weapons have been launched against my
order, I ask all of us to stop fighting for the moment and do whatever is
neccessary to stop this. To all G-Hound and Federation members that is not a
request but an order. Shoot down those missiles!">

         His orders and request given he swaps channels to the federation
channels, <"To those who launched the missiles I want you to know I do not
blame you, nor am I mad at your choice. I am absolutely livid. Make peace with
your maker for I will see you hanged for your crimes.">

         Finally a message is sent to Natarle, this one in text directly to the
captains console, 'Take Murate into custody and if he resist you are commanded
to treat him as a hostile.' It is only after the message is sent that he gets
alerted to the captain already doing her duty. All this time though Treize
seems to have not moved to continue fighting with the Phenex.

KTS: Eight York targets Rau Le Creuset with Guided Beam Cannons - Blast Shot!
KTS: Eight York has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Himeyuri Oono shocks Michiru Tenjou, reducing her Morale significantly.
KTS: [Spirit Defense] Michiru Tenjou's Enough Heart to Hold Galaxies activates,
 and her spirit endures.

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

The Gaia Gear Alpha's fist slams into the Providence Gundam's palm. If it
weren't the depths of space, there would be a satisfying steely crunch.
Psychoframe light dances around the both of them. Rena can feel Anita's
presence nearby -- and Eight's, urging her on. In the moment, she is more
aware than ever.

It keeps her from losing herself to anger too much, even in the weight of Rau
le Creuset's words. The world's future is in the hands of others, now.

"The world might be teetering on the brink... but that means we have to bring
it back and make it better!" Rena answers him. "We can't do that by killing
everything and everyone, then picking up the pieces of whatever's left!"

The Gaia Gear Alpha remains locked there, for a moment, as the DRAGOONs all
detach -- and beams come raining down. They slam into the white Mobile Suit.
It's battered -- armor burnt and ablating, and a dozen warnings flash across
the 360-degree cockpit screen.

But it stays put.

Rena feels the sudden intent from the Federation forces moving up. 'For our
pure and blue Earth,' they would say. She cries out as the nuclear missiles
are launched. She has never been to PLANT. She found out she was a Coordinator
later in life. She could never call it home.

But she always knew that Junius Seven was wrong, and that hasn't changed.

"NO!" she sceams. "FUNNELS! GO!"

The funnel pods, mounted on the back of the Gaia Gear Alpha, explode open. All
twelve of the funnels -- cannister-shaped, with cannons mounted in them --
explode outward, shooting from the damaged white Mobile Suit. Vapor trails are
left in their wake, all arcing out from the Gaia Gear Alpha.

They fire, shooting down a rain of beams that slash across the nuclear missiles
-- firing at warheads and thrusters with impossible precision.

Then, they swivel -- thrusters firing -- and take aim at the Providence. They
fire at once, beam cannon shots hurtling down for the new ZAFT Gundam.

"They're going to kill your own people!" Rena screams. "Coordinators just like
you are there! Don't you have family!? Parents!? Someone you don't want to
lose, Rau!?"

KTS: Rena Lancaster has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Rena Lancaster has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Rena Lancaster has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Rena Lancaster targets Rau Le Creuset with All-Range Attack!
KTS: Rena Lancaster has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

It seems the Phenex won't get an answer from Treize today. The fun has gone out
of this battle, and the Grief seeks to end this battle. Rushing in toward the
Phenex, she doesn't quite dodge in time, and the beam saber tears at her armor.

In this moment of contact between them, the Phenex is struck with a vision. She
doesn't know when, or where, but--

Terrible weapons, the sort that would damn humanity. Kin to the one thing the
Phenex hates and fears above all else. This is but one battle of a greater
war, one that consumes the entirety of the Earthsphere, and will destroy it.
Her friends are caught up in this war, her sisters...

The Phenex comes to a halt. Golden feathers, torn from their homes, float
around her.

And this vision centers around one man. Treize Khushrenada.

The bird by his side vanishes. The Phenex's head tilts down, looking into the
Grief's heart, staring into Treize's soul. Her hands reach out, gripping
Treize's machine's arms. Radiance builds in her palms.

He will not be allowed to destroy the Phenex's mission. All she's done -- all
for humanity -- it won't end. She's killed before, in the pursuit of this
goal. She barely feels a twinge of sadness as she prepares to kill again.

Cloaked in miraculous incandescence, the light of her soul, the Phenex clings
to the Grief. Together, they burn. Brighter, brighter. Where her light is
usually pleasantly warm and gentle, this flame scorches like the sun.

No words are offered to him. He wasn't who she thought he was. No comfort is
offered to guide him.

Only fire.

Until--

Lacus' voice reaches the Phenex. She opens her awareness to the battlefield
around her. Horror seeps into her soul, and Treize is dropped, his mobile suit
a charred ruin. Azure flame ignites around the Phenex as she races after the
nukes. A choice had to be made -- she can't stop them all. The Phenex can only
reach one of the clusters of nukes, defending a single PLANT. She has to rely
on the heroes of the living...

Near-immediately, she catches up with them, flying in their midst. Spreading
her arms wide, again, she shines. Radiance overtakes the light of the stars,
illuminating the sky with the same auroric beauty seen so rarely. The
luminescence builds, overtaking each missile, growing too bright to look at.

When the light fades, all have vanished. Only the Phenex remains.

Riika is not forgotten. The second of the Phenex's wings chases after her,
orbiting her machine. A promise of protection, though the Phenex's awareness
is stretched thin.

KTS: Rita Bernal has activated the Trust Spirit Command targeting Riika Sheder
KTS: Rita Bernal targets Treize Khushrenada with This Life Isn't All There Is!
KTS: Rita Bernal has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        Force is going to be required in this war - Yurika long accepted that
the role of the Three Ships Alliance would be to stop conflict by setting fire
to those who would wage it. To exhaust their military movements until
continuing the conflict becomes far more impractical than coming to a
solution. She's hardened herself to be prepared for a direct hit on an enemy
ship - empathy for the thought that the Nadesico would in turn be targeted
mercilessly has to be shut down.

        "Captain! The Federation has begun launching a massive amount of
nuclear missiles! Should we intercept!?" Minato calls out, pinging the
location of those warheads on the Nadesico's screen, freezing Yurika in place.

        There is the possibility that they've deployed these as a desperate
measure against us.
        Our objectives are, admittedly, on the vague side. We are here,
ultimately, to save lives. To stop suffering.
        This choice...is too familiar. I hate making it. Was it the wrong one
last time? It was the only one last time. I accepted that.
        ...Nuclear weapons are implements of fear and terror. They represent
the intent to not just destroy now, but to keep something ruined for ages to
come.
        ...on Earth.
        On Earth, these are unthinkable and pollute the atmosphere and soil.
They are not to be underestimated in space either - their effectiveness is
because they work well as explosives.
        ...but for most intents and purposes, they are just that. Very high
explosives. If they were non-nuclear but just as high yield it would be the
same outcome. I have to forget that. I have to clear out of mind what these
'present' as. What choice am I faced with-?
        To conclude the conflict, or to mitigate damage right now. The three
layers. The 'skirmish', the 'battle', and the 'war'. Opportunities get slimmer
and slimmer as a fight wears on - I will likely not get a better chance to get
rid of an enemy holdfast. The cost of doing so is damage that, for the most
part, we expected them to bear - maybe in more 'traditional' explosive output.
        ...no, that's a lie. I knew they had these. ...I knew for a while what
my decision was.

        "...Hold our fire." Yurika states simply, eyes closed for just a
moment. "...We continue targeting the Nazca-class." Silence falls over the
bridge for a bit - before Yurika clears her throat. "We continue targeting the
Nazca-class! It is our most useful option. Is the Gravity Blast at 100%?"

        "...Yes, Captain," Minato states, "...But we still have time to-"

        "Then hold our current course. It's going to be okay. We have our job -
I'm sure our companions will cover what we cannot do. Gravity Blast - firing
at once!"

        There's a pang in Yurika's stomach the moment she makes that choice.
The same one as that day on Mars. All she had to do was believe she was doing
the right thing. Believe in her own judgment. It is tested dearly in this role.

        That's right. This feeling clouding her heart - she's here to bear it,
because inevitably, someone has to.

        The fierce cannon of all-consuming gravitational contortion - the one
which could have purged dozens of those feared warheads - focuses everything
it has on the Socrates instead.

KTS: Yurika Misumaru has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Yurika Misumaru targets Himeyuri Oono with Gravity Blast - Full Power!
KTS: Yurika Misumaru has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Himeyuri Oono blocks Yurika Misumaru's Gravity Blast - Full Power, taking
 2430 damage!

KTS: Treize Khushrenada fails to react to Rita Bernal's This Life Isn't All
 There Is, taking 8840 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rita Bernal's Destined Meeting activates, causing Sparkle!
KTS: Treize Khushrenada has been defeated!
KTS: Rita Bernal roots her unit, coming to a standstill and leaving her
 vulnerable.

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.

Ryoko sounds super flustered at Hikaru implying she could Princess carry her,
"What are you talking about!? Is this one of your weird anime fantasies
Hikaru!?" And as she accuses her of practicing anime moves in the sims, "IT IS
NOT THE GEKIGAN FLARE SO SHUT THE HELL UP!

Whereas on it not being the most graceful save, "Ah cram it! As if I were even
trying to be graceful! Go get the job done!"

"<You're seeing something that's not there.>" Ryoko says over the comms about
the spirit of the Hero, "<The last thing I would ever want to be is some
HERO!>"

Ryoko thinks of someone who was once her hero, and feels physically ill.

"<Pure, gentle - what!? What is this with you people!? If she's such a
delicate flower then why is she in a WARZONE?>" And indeed, Himeyuri, "<My
heart is PLENTY Maidenly!!! So why don't you piss off you bastard!? What
kind of boy crazy loser would be looking to pick up a husband on the
battlefield!>"

The sudden overload of the Repulsor Knuckle is something her cybernetics pick
up, that build in energy, and suddenly she releases from Michiru's back just
long enough to cross her claws and raise her distortion field.

The burst sends her Aestie flying ass over teakettle back towards the Nadesico.
"AaaaAAAAAAaaaaaaAAA!" Fortunately Ruri lowers the field long enough to let
her in as she slams into the hull.

The Aestie picks itself back up, magnetic clamps engaging. And an ominous
threat occurs, as she sees all those Federation ships bearing missile
launchers with that symbol, all over her console... Yurika calls for them to
fire on the Nazca class...

... and suddenly her hands tighten, she's not going to allow this atrocity to
happen not to these PLANTS, no matter what is ordered, "No, Captain, put me in
the brig later if you have to. ... I'm not going to let that happen to those
PLANTS. I'm linking in Ruri, I'm going to need some real time targeting
assistance for this one." Ruri responds right away, tonelessly,
"Transmitting." And immediately her IFS hits her with a flood of targeting
data for artillery fire.

< LET'S GO! GEKI-GAN SHOOT! >

The Aestivalis turns its turret around, and a second set of clamps slide out of
the back of the feet, digging into the Nadesico's hull, then starts firing,
one shot after another, after another that propels the Aestivalis subtly
forward and back before its clamps catch it from the sheer force of the
recoil, the cannon subtly but swiftly changing reaiming every shot.

The cannon fires mortar after mortar shell into the void as they blossom upon
the battlefield. And with each nuke she strikes, a more powerful explosion
blooms in the vacuum of space.

Still she doesn't forget her opponents, as interrupting the rhythm of artillery
fire at the nukes, some are fired at the Galaxia, creating a field of fire
around the Gardnova, then more firing past them at the Socrates.

Suddenly she's just not in a talkative mood...

KTS: Ryoko Subaru targets Himeyuri Oono and Michiru Tenjou with 120 mm
 Coordinated Artillery Fire.

KTS: Ryoko Subaru has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

Even across the battlefield, Riika freezes for a moment, picking up short-range
radio.

"..."

Riika didn't believe they'd actually do it. Fire at the PLANTs with nuclear
missiles. She knew that there were people in the Federation who hated; there
was a conspiracy to guide the Federation into doing their will. But this -

Not one Junius Seven. Dozens.

"Shiho, get back!" The METEOR's thrust systems fire again, as she interposes
herself between Shiho and Federation fire, giving her a chance to retreat.
Riika needs to focus, though; she says nothing else. Her eyes narrow, and then
close. It doesn't matter. With her visor, Riika can see no matter whether her
eyes are physically closed or not.

Riika's fingers fly across the controls. She's used the multi lock-on system of
the METEOR before - in training. Never in live combat. Never with so much on
the line. She's panicking, inside, though she tries not to let it show. Can
she do it? Here and now?

As she targets the missiles, rings light up on the central control console's
visualization of the battlefield, currently functioning like a radar map. Her
visor provides additional information floating off to the side. She only gets
one chance at this, and she can't miss. She's not the only person acting, but
this is something the METEOR *is* uniquely suited to manage.

"METEOR! Full multi-lock on system engaged! Firing all weapons!" There's only
the tiniest hitch in her voice. She hates doing something she's never
practiced, never planned for, never even thought about.

Riika had not opened up with the full output of the METEOR before. It's kind of
overkill for a single mobile suit, and given she wanted to *not* kill Shiho,
counterproductive to boot. She hadn't gotten into a position to punch her way
to Rau, and unlike the Ra Mari crew, she had simply not been close enough to
engage him in the first place. But even Providence Gundam probably wouldn't
get anything, for physical reasons as much as anything else: his suit is only
so big.

This time, Riika fires everything.

The main cannons - and she fires both of them, the damaged one too - emit
pink-red beams surrounded with a shroud of white, bleed-over from the sheer
power and scale of the enormous cannons, the size of a warship's main gun. The
side beam cannons, only slightly smaller, fire greens and blues, even a purple
from her overcharging the systems, forming a whole spectrum of high-energy
beams. Every missile port on the METEOR - and there are 77 of them - opens up,
firing anti-ship missiles which swerve through a pattern that looks
preprogrammed as they take off, separating from the METEOR.

The main cannon Shiho cut explodes halfway through. Riika barely misses a beat,
as Svalinn Gundam was too far away from that part of the METEOR to take
significant damage from it; it would be a bad idea to continue to engage in
METEOR at this point, but she won't stop firing. She releases the handle of
the cannon, drawing Svalinn's beam rifle and firing it to take its place - a
much smaller, less significant shot, but aimed just as precisely as the big
gun.

Beams and blasts and missiles follow precisely aimed paths, intersecting as
many of the missiles as Riika can lock onto in a vast cone of fire emitted
from the METEOR. She does not aim at any mobile suits, all her attention
focused exclusively on the missiles. Riika is not sure that it is enough on
its own, but she has to do everything she can, even as the METEOR starts to
shut down from excess damage.

<Pose Tracker> Mobile Weapon Team has posed.

Lacus makes her point. Natarle's eyes drift across the floor... to that
discarded pistol, one round expended.

"...soldiers don't get to make easy choices like that, Ms. Clyne... protecting
innocent people isn't as simple as doing whatever you want with the power you
happen to have."

But I'm glad you were here today, Eternal.

Fortunately, a transmission from Colonel Khushrenada reaches her personal
command console. Her gaze flicks down, then...

"Make sure Representative Azrael makes it to medical safely... and isn't
allowed to leave until he's received a thorough examination. Concussions
are nasty business, and we won't know for sure if he has one until we can hand
him over to dockside medical, right? ...in fact, we'd better lock him in."

The Eternal begins to break off... and Natarle sighs and gently fixes her cap.

"Alright, folks! We have new orders from Colonel Khushrenada! I want full
CIWS coverage on every warhead in range! Igelstellung and Helldart fire, full
barrage! We will not be remembered as the ship that allowed a tragedy greater
than Junius Seven to unfold in front of our eyes!"

KTS: Mobile Weapon Team targets Lacus Clyne with Pass!
KTS: Mobile Weapon Team has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Michiru Tenjou blocks Ryoko Subaru's 120 mm Coordinated Artillery Fire,
 taking 3709 damage!

KTS: Himeyuri Oono blocks Ryoko Subaru's 120 mm Coordinated Artillery Fire,
 taking 5830 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Ryoko Subaru's In the End All I Do Is... activates, causing
 Insight L1!

<Pose Tracker> Treize Khushrenada has posed.

        The bird, the phenex was lost from Treize's attention the moment the
nukes were launched. Treize never sees it coming, before the unit is grabbed
and a fire that doesn't make sense to exist in space erupts around them. From
the inside Treize can't help but cry out in anguish as he can feel the heat
burning his skin. For a moment he suspects maybe this is a result of the
nuclear missile and is burning alive from it, punishment for his own actions
that led to this perhaps.

         Then it stops and the Grief is left to be, as Treize breathes heavily.
Taking off his helmet he wipes the sweat from his skin as he replaces it. Then
he begins to press buttons and just barely the Grief has enough life to make
it's way back to the Dominion.

         It is not completely a bad thing though, for on his way back he an see
the Dominion following his order as well as several others as well. It is good
to know his trust in those under his command was not completely misplaced.

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

"That's- What is wrong with you?" Anita asks, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I can't even begin to tell you what's wrong with that. You're one to talk,
anyways - you can only talk like that 'cause you've got power already. Are you
gonna 'reset' yourself along with everyone else?"

She doesn't have to explain further, though, because Eight and Rena are right
with there with her with their own arguments.

Rau attacks - this time, with all nine DRAGOONS. One DRAGOON Anita can divert -
nine, however, is another matter entirely. She tries, but it isn't enough. She
grits her teeth as beam after beam impacts the Messiah Rosetta, the VF getting
sent this way and that. The Pinpoint Barrier System holds - but her machine
still suffers for it.

Right as she's about to recover, however... something else happens.

Nuclear missiles are launched by the Federation against the PLANTs. Anita's
eyes go wide, and she slams her hands against the side of her VF's console
roughly, leaning forward in her seat.

"What the...!? Why's everyone stupid today!?" Anita shouts. Anita doesn't shout
very often - isn't particularly prone to outbursts of surprise or anger.

This, though. This'll do it.

She grits her teeth, turning her attention back to Rau. ...He said he'd done
everything he'd needed to. Did he know this was going to happen?

Energy builds and builds at the end of the Messiah Rosetta's mounted beam
cannon. This fight... they stand to lose a lot if it draws on too long. Energy
builds, and builds - and then Anita fires, sending a powerful beam toward
the Providence Gundam! The sheer force of it sends the Messiah Rosetta itself
recoiling backward through space, too - and the energy draw temporarily locks
up her thrusters.

That's alright. She'd planned for this. The Messiah Rosetta shifts, pointing
its gatling pod toward the missiles. The weapon fires, and fires, and fires,
until the barrel turns red-hot - and beyond even that, in blatant disregard
for safety. She doesn't know what she'll be able to do with that weapon from
this range. It may be useless - but if she manages to take out even one,
that's enough.

KTS: Anita Rosetta targets Rau Le Creuset with Concentrated Full Charge Beam
 Cannon!

KTS: Anita Rosetta has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

Hikaru certainly catches how flustered Ryoko is, and although she could
certainly push further, she saves Ryoko the embarrassment.

Instead pushing on the next thing she gets flustered about. "IT SO IS??? I
SHOWED YOU THE CLIP LIKE THIRTY TIMES! IT'S THE SAME MOVE!"

Himeyuri, captain of the Socrates tries to appeal to her sense of justice, by
citing the thirty-fourth episode of Gekiganger. It... doesn't really work.
"I've seen it! I've seen every episode! And I told you, I'm not fighting for
the Federation, for Britannia or any of them. I'm a proud pilot of the
Nadesico and as long as the Nadesico is your enemy so am I ...that's just how
it is." And so, while the Kite Squadron get the jump on her, the Distortion
Field does a suitable good job at absorbing their shots.

And then that warning blares... nuclear missiles, heading imminently for the
PLANTs. Another Bloody Valentine is underway. But Yurika makes her decision -
the Nadesico will hold fire and save it for the Socrates. "What an awful time
to deploy without my rifle," Hikaru groans. That heavy artillery frame might
just save the day. "Ryoko, I'm counting on you..."

And for her part, Hikaru follows the Nadesico's lead and strikes the Socrates
with everything she has, equipping that unwieldy anti-ship sword. "You're all
about justice, righteousness, defeating the "evil empire". But you forgot -
Tenkuu Ken would never turn his back on his team. So... don't you dare ask
that of me!" And she goes for the charge. "GEKIGAN SWORD!!!"

KTS: Hikaru Amano has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
KTS: Hikaru Amano has activated the Enable Spirit Command.
KTS: Hikaru Amano targets Himeyuri Oono with Gekigan Sword Cleave!
KTS: Hikaru Amano has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.

Naoko - Nova Stellar, rather - grins as she can tell her 'plan' is working.
She's managing to overcome the armor, little by little. They just have to keep
pushing, and it'll only be a matter of time. That's what she genuinely
believed... right up until the DRAGOONs come back into action. She thought it
wouldn't be possible to use those effectively at close range. She thought
wrong. Getting this close actually eliminated the advantage she had last time.
This time, she doesn't have enough time to see it coming.

She tries her best to take evasive action, but all that seems to happen is that
every dodge takes her directly into the path of another shot. She can only
yell in distress as she's struck time and time again, and by the end of it,
the Sukeban looks like a shell of its former self. Before she full well
realizes it, most the reinforcing armor plating is just gone, leaving it
dangerously vulnerable. One final bit comes to a stop right in front of her,
ready to end it, when--

"NO!"

--the machine's giant circular shoulderpads detach from the unit and take
position in front of it, blocking the shot that would have pierced the
cockpit. In the cockpit, Naoko uncrosses the arms she'd instinctually used to
cover her face, wondering not for the first time today how she's still alive.
By that time, she impromptu shields have returned to their previous position,
leaving her with no clue what just happened, unaware of having subconsciously
employed mental remote control.

It took long enough, but the gravity of the situation now truly starts to sink
in. As if on cue, nuclear missiles are employed right at that moment as well,
and Naoko is left staring at the spectable in abject horror.

"This is... this is insane! Everyone's insane! How... how did it come to
this...?"

It's too much. In the wake of all this, her confidence evaporates, and her
honest emotions resurface. She's afraid. She doesn't want to be here. There's
no difference she can make in something as big as all this. But still... she
can't just leave her friends behind. She's afraid... but she can't run.

The Sukeban takes its heavy metal club off its back, and without any fanfare,
swings it towards the Providence Gundam. At the last second, a powerful
electrical current runs through it, seeking to disrupt the opposing's
machine's functions. She's only trying to create an opening with this, for...
something, anything. An attack, an escape, anything that will let them away.

KTS: Naoko Suzuki targets Rau Le Creuset with Electro-zap!
KTS: Naoko Suzuki has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset blocks Anita Rosetta's Concentrated Full Charge Beam
 Cannon, taking 1680 damage!

KTS: Anita Rosetta roots her unit, coming to a standstill and leaving her
 vulnerable.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset blocks Rena Lancaster's All-Range Attack, taking 7800
 damage!

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki rattles Rau Le Creuset, making his next maneuvers more
 difficult.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset blocks Naoko Suzuki's Electro-zap, taking 1260 damage!
KTS: Naoko Suzuki has engaged Rau Le Creuset!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset blocks Eight York's Guided Beam Cannons - Blast Shot,
 taking 1350 damage!

KTS: Eight York repulses Rau Le Creuset, forcing him to disengage.
KTS: Himeyuri Oono fails to retreat.
KTS: Himeyuri Oono fails to react to Hikaru Amano's Gekigan Sword Cleave,
 taking 5670 damage!

KTS: Hikaru Amano has engaged Himeyuri Oono!

 <Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.

Michi's risky technique pays off, and she's free to pursue. To race toward the
Socrates and Nadesico. To protect Hime, and capitalize on the plan she had
come up with. She won't make it before the Gravity Blast and Gekigan Sword
land their attacks. No matter how hard she overclocks the engines to try and
get there in time. She wants to... so badly. To keep Hime safe.

And then she sees it. All those missiles in the distance. So many nuclear
weapons. And so little done to combat them. Except for one. That one clearly
has the right heart, no matter what she claims. She won't spare any further
words for them right now. She has to protect the PLANTs. They may not be her
birthplace, but it's still her and Hime's home right now. And all those people
they've met since coming here. It's going to tax Galaxia to do this, but Michi
unleashes all its ranged ordinance. "<NOT A ONE OF THOSE HATEFUL WEAPONS WILL
GET THROUGH TO OUR HOMES! GEKIGAN... FULL BURST!>" Missiles, beams, even both
fists launch out, all firing out in every direction to assail as many nukes as
possible in a single maneuver.

That's not to say she's forgotten the targets she had been fighting... But
bluntly, she can't bring herself to strike Ryoko in the heat of the moment, as
the one person with the Nadesico to join her in stopping the nuclear arsenal.

KTS: Michiru Tenjou targets Ryoko Subaru with Pass!
KTS: Michiru Tenjou has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        Rau chuckles at Rena words, <"My own people? You are mistaken. I'm not
a Coordinator. Though I suppose I'm not exactly a Natural either... To answer
your question, no. I don't have family. Or parents. I was grown in a lab. I'm
a clone. And a flawed one at that... I'll not bore you with the details, but I
don't expect to be alive much longer."> Rau also answers Anita's question with
that.

        Meanwhile, With all the chaos of the DRAGOONs darting around the
battlefield, repositioning and firing again, it'd be easy to miss seeing one
darting away, leaving the immediate area...

        The ZAFT forces are struggling to get all the nukes as they rush past
them, quickly on course for the PLANTs.

        Thankfully, they are not alone.

        The Eternal is the first to move to assist, having been the closest by
virtue of its launching point.

        The Ra Mari is next, beams of light rushing out to pierce through
multiple missiles, creating more dazling lights in the sky.

        Soon after, Treize's orders filter through the Federation channels.
It's clear that the forces a split, as many ignore those orders. Some still do
begin to follow them though, turning their weapons away from ZAFT's defenders
and towards the nukes. They didn't sign up to be part of this kind of
massacre...

        Rena is next, her funnels breaking away from the battle with Rau to
speed towards the missiles. Their nimble movements allow them to get into
firing position quickly, each one taking out one missile after another.

        The light from the Phenex Gundam spreads out, engulfing all the nukes
around her, triggering them to explode and only add to the brilliance of the
of the Gundam's aura.

        Shells speed through the depths of space, well aimed as they impact
against missile after missiles. Ryoko's cannon makes quick work of them,
numerous nuclear explosions adding to the rest.

        Begining to join in after Treize's orders, the CIWS turrets on the
Dominion begin to spit out multiple barrages in the direction of the nukes.
They're not in the greatest position to hit them with the weapons, but every
little bit helps.

        Anita is next up, her gunpod fire ripping through several more as she
tracks them, the detonations beginning to get closer and closer to the PLANTs.

        It's Riika's METEOR that makes some of the largest impact against
whitling down the numbers of nukes, the frankly absurd number of weapons fired
from the thing bring down most of those remaining.

        All except for a few of Riika's missiles which, while on target for one
of the nukes, suddenly find green beams of light lancing through them,
detonating them before they reach that nuke.

        And all it takes is one.

        The last remaining missile reaches its target, a bliding explosion of
light rushing out from the source to engulf a significant chunk of the PLANT,
Quintilis Five. The sheer force of the explosion, along with the utter
destruction of much of the colony's support structure, causes the rest of it
to collapses, supports shattering, the ground tearing itself apart, an intense
wave of air and debris blasting out into the emptiness of space... The tragedy
of Junius Seven, recreated once again.

        The only saving grace is the colony wasn't fully populated. The Phenex
Gundam's warning several days ealier had been heeded. And many had been moved
out of the PLANT. And yet, there was still likely many left behind...
Thousands of lives snuffed out in a single moment.

        Rau is laughing to himself as the light from the nuclear explosion
fades, the debris field that was once Quintilis Five expanding outwards. Rau
smiles with amusement, "Now, Patrick. You have no choice."

        Of course, Rau still has to deal with those around him. Turning his
attention back to them. The Providence brings its arm up to block against the
club swinging its way, stopping it prematurely before it can get too much
momentum. But the electrical discharge that rushes through the machine does
temporarily freeze it.

        Just as multiple beams converge in from the other three.

        The beams splash across the Providence, beginning to melt through armor
and reveal the soft crunchy internals within. It's definitely looking like the
machine is finally, FINALLY, beginning to lose some of its impressive defense.

        But it's still quite functional.

        Rau hmms, <"I suppose I'll hold back... Just a little bit. I want you
all to see what comes next.">

        Having indeed been moving the four where he wanted, Rau finally enacts
his last move. The DRAGOONS dart around, before joining up together floating
around the Providence. They then all fire at once, a large barrage of beams
rushing out to meet Rau's opponents.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Rau Le Creuset targets Eight York, Rena Lancaster, Anita Rosetta, and
 Naoko Suzuki with DRAGOON System Remote Bit Pattern Omega.

KTS: Anita Rosetta has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: [Spirit Defense] Anita Rosetta's Easygoing activates, and her spirit
 endures.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset enervates Anita Rosetta, reducing her Morale significantly.
KTS: Anita Rosetta blocks Rau Le Creuset's DRAGOON System Remote Bit Pattern
 Omega, taking 8800 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rau Le Creuset's Welcomed By Power activates, causing Deject!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rau Le Creuset's Unleashed By Anger activates, causing
 Nullify!

KTS: Anita Rosetta has been defeated!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset completes the Formation attack!
KTS: Rena Lancaster has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Rena Lancaster has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: [Spirit Defense] Eight York's This Path Was Our Choice activates, and her
 spirit endures.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset enervates Eight York, reducing her Morale significantly.
KTS: Eight York fails to react to Rau Le Creuset's DRAGOON System Remote Bit
 Pattern Omega, taking 9600 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rau Le Creuset's Welcomed By Power activates, causing Deject!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rau Le Creuset's Unleashed By Anger activates, causing
 Nullify!

KTS: Eight York has been defeated!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset completes the Formation attack!
KTS: [Spirit Defense] Rena Lancaster's Ultrasonic activates, and her spirit
 endures.

KTS: Rau Le Creuset enervates Rena Lancaster, reducing her Morale significantly.
KTS: Rena Lancaster fails to evade Rau Le Creuset's DRAGOON System Remote Bit
 Pattern Omega, taking 9600 damage!

KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rau Le Creuset's Welcomed By Power activates, causing Deject!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Rau Le Creuset's Unleashed By Anger activates, causing
 Nullify!

KTS: Rena Lancaster has been defeated!
KTS: Rau Le Creuset completes the Formation attack!
KTS: Naoko Suzuki has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Naoko Suzuki successfully evades Rau Le Creuset's DRAGOON System Remote
 Bit Pattern Omega

KTS: Rau Le Creuset completes the Formation attack!

<Pose Tracker> Treize Khushrenada has posed.

Treize watches the impact and feels sick as he pulls the helmet off and
places his hand over his eyes for a moment. For a moment he had hoped that
they would be able to fix the mistake, unfortunately it appears fate had other
plans. On a private channel he speaks to a shadowy female figure on the other
end. < " When I return to planetside , please make sure to get me the list of
all civilians loss today, especially the colonist."> A confirmation is given
and Treize ends the channel as he finally makes it to the Dominion.

The damaged Grief docks with the Dominion as he climbs out of the
cockpit, looking like he got a horrible sunburn as he grabs at the first
bottle of water he sees and downs it. Once he has hydrated himself he leaves
his Grief with the engineers to repair as he makes his way to the bridge. He
needed to know how bad things were.

<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.

There is so much that happens, all at once. The nuclear missiles fired off;
the people on both sides--all three sides--moving to intercept them.

"A clone..." Eight says, "That doesn't have to mean you have no one! A clone
can still love! A clone can still have a family!"

Even Anita exlaims with how terrible it is. She doesn't shout often--Eight
knows that. And she sees the way she maneuvers, giving everything she has.
Naoko, too. But...

Rena will feel it, from Eight; the hard, gut-wrenching anguish that fills EIght
as she sees one got through. Just one. But it was enough for that colony.
For another home, lost with its people.

She worked so hard to try to do something better. She knew she couldn't solve
everything, certainly not all at once. But this? ...This?

"...Monster," Eight says finally over the radio. "That you could delight in
something like this..."

Her emotions whirl. Pain, at the sheer scale of loss she's just felt; rage, at
the ones who did it. Hatred for this Rau Le Creuset. Exhaustion. But she
has no time to dwell on her emotions, nor on the increasing difficulty of her
breathing.

"..."

The DRAGOONS barrage their fire for the ship, and the Ra Mari II is bombarded
heavily. It is, for the moment, more than enough to ward the great ship off;
more weapons are destroyed.

"...Abort charging sequence," Eight says quietly. And Kazama does so. The
light that was beginning to gather at the bow of the ship fades. More cannons
have been destroyed. Armor has been ablated.

But the ship is still spaceworthy.

The bridge, though, is silent. Silent until Eight York straightens her back.
"...Get repair teams out there. We need to be ready for whatever comes next."

"Captain..." Licia is the one to look to her, this time--Chovan. She can tell
the difficulty Eight is having. "No," Eight says. "There's no time."

Yurika made her own choice. Maybe she had a point. Maybe firing on the
Socrates was right. But...

"All pilots," Eight broadcasts over band radio. "Withdraw. Return to the
ship."

Eight's shoulders feel heavy, but...

This was their choice.

"Come back home."

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

"Annie!" Rena cries out, as she sees the Messiah Rosetta take off like that --
damaged, like her own machine -- and open fire on the nuclear missiles. The
gun pod is glowing, now.

But what else can they do? If even one missile gets through...

It's a miracle. Some Federation forces turning against the missiles -- proof
that they're not all succumbing to this madness -- and the Three Ships
Alliance's own forces, directing so much fire into it. The enormous payload of
the METEOR; the Phenex's raw power.

But one does get through. Quintilius Five is blown apart, the explosion tearing
through it -- and then the hourglass colony collapsing in on itself. She feels
Eight's anguish; Eight feels Rena's mirrored back at her.

"N-No..."

She looks back at Rau, her expression screwing up into one of fury.
"You're--you don't have ANY RIGHT!" she shouts. "It doesn't matter how you
were born! Someone who was created is the same as everyone else! And they have
the same responsibility to make the world BETTER!"

The DRAGOONs fire. Beams slam into the Gaia Gear Alpha. One strikes too close
to one of the four Minovsky Fusion reactors -- and it suddenly goes offline.
The cockpit suddenly flashes red -- warnings cascade across its monitor -- and
Rena sees the power levels dropping quickly.

"Damn--!" she cries out. She moves a lever on the Gaia Gear Alpha -- and the
machine folds in on itself. Arms into the body; nose cone folds out -- and the
legs fold upward into it, as wings unfurl. The thrusters on the back ignite,
as the waverider machine blitzes off, back towards the Ra Mari II.

"I'm inbound," she says. "One of the engines took damage. Annie, Nova, report
in. Are you okay? Keep an eye on the ZAFT Gundam!"

<Pose Tracker> Lacus Clyne has posed.

All it took was one...just one getting through.

Lacus wraps her arms around herself, shuddering. She covers her face for a
moment, just a moment, as her crew mourn with her.

"This must not continue. This must not happen again. Rau will...they will not
have another Bloody Valentine. No more..."

She breathes in and out, as Waltfeld looks for a flask. As everyone forces
themselves to look.

"Riika. Come back to the ship. We need to plan for what will happen next."

There will be retaliation, and retaliation for that. When does it end? When
does it stop? How does it stop? What did she think she could do, with just a
ship like this? What more can she do?

"I must speak with the Captains of those ships. I must know more."

She feels ill, but remains standing.

"We are not the only ones hurting. We are not the victims. Stay ready..."

<Pose Tracker> Mobile Weapon Team has posed.

Weapons flare. It's difficult to bring down so many small targets... the
Dominion was meant for anti-capital actions, with mobile suits for coverage
against things like these. Nonetheless, explosions blossom across the void.
And knowing that others within the Federation are not so far gone as to
condone this massacre either makes her breathe easier. Helldart missiles
spray from the aft launchers, streaking towards targets, and Natarle's
shoulders start to ease...

Until those bright green beams lance through, and Quintillius Five blooms, then
collapses. A fist slams against her right arm-rest. It does nothing to stop
what's unfolding... it just makes her hand hurt.

"Damn you... Muruta Azrael."

Treize's Leo returns to the Dominion's top deck, and he's helped away from his
cockpit by two saluting white-uniformed crewmen. He'll be permitted to the
bridge, of course, if he chooses to join her there. They have a lot to
discuss in the wake of this...

Even though they'd made this choice, and stood against Azrael's corruption, all
it would take in the end was one.

One more Junius Seven. One more excuse for warmongers on both sides to insist
on a war of extinction. For a blue and pure world, or simply to prove your
own strength...

Either way, they'd bleed the whole world dry. Before Colonel Khushrenada can
arrive, Natarle strokes the heel of her gloves across each eye, and tugs her
cap down firmly.

It wouldn't do to cry in front of a superior officer.

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

Death washes against the Phenex's consciousness. Though she was successful, one
missile causes untold destruction. It reminds her --

The sky falls on Australia. A child sacrifices everything. A town is saved. The
sky falls on Australia.

...but there was no sacrifice, here. No children were able to change fate. This
is just what the Phenex foresaw, what she warned of, and yet, why does it
still hurt so terribly?

Extinguished possibility weighs against her soul, the anguish of thousands
landing squarely on her slight shoulders. In this moment, despite all her
power, she's helpless. What can a living weapon do to save lives?

Slowly, the Phenex's wings return to her, settling into place at her back.
Drifting toward Quintilius Five, she simply watches, letting the grief swirl
around her.

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

METEOR actually shuts down for several seconds after firing everything simply
from the damage it's taken. Shiho did more to it than Riika first thought and
the exploded cannon-arm is not helping matters very much.

Riika is a sitting target for those moments as she hastily reboots METEOR,
protected only by the lingering defenses of the Phenex Gundam. (And what is
that? she thinks to herself. Who is helping me?) If Svalinn hadn't had its own
systems, she would have been blind and deaf, but as it is she can still see
what's going on. It looks, for a moment, as if they did it: explosions
everywhere, but mostly in empty space.

Mostly.

A single green beam strikes out of the darkness, then another, as Rau's
DRAGOONS take aim and fire. Riika's heart practically stops as the beams
detonate some of the Erinaceus-class anti-ship missiles early, leaving a hole
in her net of fire - a hole where a single missile slips through. She tries to
bring up Svalinn's arm, to fire the beam rifle, but it's a waste of time and
energy. She can't hit it. She'd already assigned that arm to a different
missile.

"No!!"

METEOR's thrusters fire again. Something else explodes inside it as
overstressed electrical systems simply give out; Riika notes the damage,
realizes she should withdraw, and does not. She is not a Newtype, but in that
instant, Riika knows exactly who did it.

Rau le Creuset. The conspiracist, who tried to have her killed when she came
close to his secrets - and, as far as he knew, managed it. The true traitor in
ZAFT. And he's just killed everyone on Quintillus Five.

One of METEOR's thrusters go out as that entire side of the great assault craft
loses power, and Riika finds herself turning rapidly to the left. She tries to
compensate and manages a wavy, zigzaggy course. She has no chance in a
firefight, but she has to - she must -

She can't.

"..." Riika knows she needs to be logical. She knows she needs to think this
through, as she thinks through so many other things. She can't rush off
because she will die - Rau will kill her and he won't fail this time - but
part of her wants to try anyway, to push forward no matter what, for what he's
done to the PLANT.

But she can barely fly straight, and Phenex's protection won't save her.
"...I'm returning," Riika says, in a tone that suggests that she is either
crying or trying very hard not to, battlefield be damned. "I can't land
straight and I'd destroy the docking bay if I tried. I'm going to detach from
the METEOR and fly Svalinn in."

Rau le Creuset, the Peacemaker forces - she can't forgive this.

Not ever.

<Pose Tracker> Himeyuri Oono has posed.

        In a moment the situation changes and doesn't. It's difficult to say
what the correct choice was. If the Nadesico were part of the federation it
would make sense, it means their attack has a better chance of getting through.

        If she were acting like a Jovian, it make sense to focus on destroying
her enemy. Counting on her allies while facing the enemy-

        "All crew and MS get clear of the larboard aft! We're about to lose the
engine!"

        According to the readouts, said engine is not in danger.

        Himeyuri focuses everything- momentarily- into the Distortion Field.
That will cause a reactor surge- which Himeyuri redirects to the engine. It
explodes, and leaves the Socrates vulnerable- but not destroyed. Not yet.

        Hikaru's refutation that Tenkuu Ken would not turn his back on his
allies is enough to break Himeyuri's concentration. To make her wonder if she
understands, and if in that understand she becomes an intractible foe-

        But then the combination of the Field Lancer and the stray fire from
Ryoko's missile fire blast areas now vulnerable areas, and more of thre
Socrates explodes. It cannot move now.

        But all it's guns can still fire. Everywhere and anywhere. It would
kill the reactor, but she could release every missile and every gun. Go out in
a blaze of glory. It's the correct decision, isn't it? It's what Captain Laura
would do-

        But then a piece of the scripture dies with her. Can she allow it? Can
she allow this show of heroism here to die? Can she leave Michi with nowhere
to return to?

        She opens communications to the woman with the green hair. She's the
only one of her foes she could do this to. Woman to woman. If she is to betray
the Jovian ideal...

        No. She has to assess this third side. Are they Cowboy Johnny, or are
they the Super-Paleloliths? It's okay to see if they'll shoot her or kiss her
hand. It would be a proper martyrdom then.

        "<...Female pilot. This is Himeyuri Oono of the Socrates.>" The loss of
a colony... is a terrible thing. But a powerful motivator. One that the more
sensible men will use. "<I would ask that you entreat your captain for a
ceasefire. A fight that continues would be one of mutual annihilation at this
point. You turned your back on us to fight the enemy. I hope that you can
convince him.>"

        And she waits. "Ready all non-essential to evacuate, and all MS crews
to resupply for combat. We'll know our response soon enough."

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

"That's..." Anita starts, shaking her head in disbelief.

Anita's systems warn her of the intense heat built up in her gun. She ignores
this... until, eventually, the weapon can't fire anymore. It's done enough,
for now.

They've done a lot - but one still manages to make it through.

"No...!" Anita shouts, slamming her right fist into the console. She's
distracted by the sight of the horror unfolding before her - a distraction
that is easily capitalized upon, especially in her Valkyrie's current state.
The DRAGOONS unite and fire and though Anita braces herself against them, it's
not enough. The Pinpoint Barrier System is overloaded, and her Valkyrie itself
is damaged - too damaged to keep fighting.

And... he held back. She grits her teeth. She's furious for a moment... but
fury won't help her here, when she's in no state to fight back.

"...You sure you're not just wanting to take everyone else down with you? You
seem to be enjoying this a lot." Anita bites back at Rau. It's all she can
do at this point.

Hearing Eight and Rena's voices help recenter her, though. Anita exhales.

"My Valkyrie's all beaten up, but I've still got enough in me to make it back."
Anita says. "Let's go, Nova - we've got bigger things to be worrying about."

The Messiah Rosetta shifts back to Fighter mode - partially, some parts get
stuck due to damage - and flies back to the Ra Mari II as quickly as her
machine will allow.

...But as recommended, she keeps one eye looking over her shoulder, just in
case.

<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.

Naoko learned from her last mistake. After landing her strike, she immediately
goes into full reverse, increasing the distance between her and the Gundam. If
those bits come for her again, she won't stand a chance if she's up close. Not
that she has much confidence in being able to do anything at this point. To
top it all off, a nuclear missile hits home.... and that sends her mind down
into the deepest abyss, making everything feel utterly futile. What was any of
this even for? All those people...

She sags in the cockpit, thoroughly defeated. "Uriel, Ariel... I'm sorry. I was
stupid. I thought I could help, but then I... we're not going to make it, are
we...?"

She's not sure what she was expecting in terms of a response. The one she
gets...

>"The hell are you talking about? You're Nova Stellar, Miracle Worker! So work
some damn miracles!"<

>"You can do it, Nova! Don't give up, we believe in you!"<

One should never underestimate the power of having two cheerleaders in your
corner no matter where you go, always prepared to lend their support, knowing
just what to say when you need to hear it the most. Just like that, Naoko
recovers from her self-defeating stupor - just in time to spot the DRAGOONs
launching in the distance. Her mind works overtime - no, it's not just hers.
Her mind works in tandem with two others, twin AIs perfectly complementing
Naoko's mental commands, allowing the ARM Slave to move in ways one would be
forgiven to assume it couldn't anymore, after all the damage it took.

And when it's all said and done... the Sukeban stands once again untouched by
the barrage. If a miracle happens twice, is it still a miracle?

Not a question that Naoko is interested in answering. Even if she managed to
pull that off, she is positively drenched in sweat after the herculean mental
effort it took, and her wish to escape is no lesser than it was before. She is
therefore extremely relieved to hear the retreat order.

"...I'm here," is all she says in reponse to Rena, unable to manage more than
that subdued response as she forms up with the Gaia Gear Alpha and the Messiah
Rosetta. She too looks back towards the Providence Gundam as she does so, her
emotions a complete jumble.

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.

"IT'S NOT! IT'S NOT! IT'S NOTTTTTTTT!"

Ryoko had shout with a shake of her head over and over, obviously embarrassed
at being called out for practicing the Gekigan Flare.

Then things got super serious....

-=-=-

All it takes is one. Whether her shot was off, or it was out of range, or it
just simply slipped through their net.

All it takes is one.

Quntilus Five erupts, the plant detonating as a tragedy repeats. And in her
cockpit, Ryoko shivers, and shakes - for a time, silent... then...

... then she erupts herself, "GODDDDDD-DAMNIT!" She cries out to herself in her
cockpit, her comms turned off to her input in this moment. A Colony Girl
herself, she remembers when she first received the news...

... she couldn't even stop one tragedy. It figures. Why would she even think
for a moment that she could? Who did she think she was, Amuro Ray?

What happened on Mars to them looms so large right now

Himeyuri entreats her to talk to her Captain. For a long time, Ryoko does not
respond...

"<Roger.>" If the word sounds equal parts terse and distraught, it's because it
is. She can't even address the 'him' part, perhaps she doesn't even hear it
in this moment.

An image of her appears on the Nadesico cockpit, head bowed, features partially
shadowed, "... Captain Yurika, the Captain of the Socrates is requesting a
ceasefire. She's asked me to deliver the..."

Ryoko trails off like she lost that train of thought, then her eyes just subtly
raise...

"... Hey, can we just stop? There's no need for us to keep fighting here
today, is there? What would even be the point? If we can't even stop
something like that-"

Her voice raises, emotional, angry, but she's not even certain who she's angry
at, "-THEN WHAT ARE WE EVEN DOING HERE?"

KTS: Ryoko Subaru targets Yurika Misumaru with Pass!
KTS: Ryoko Subaru has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Ryoko Subaru fails to react to Michiru Tenjou's Pass, taking 0 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        The missiles break through. Just one is all it takes to turn a colony
into a smoldering crater.

        Everyone is reacting in despair and horror. The Eternal and Ra Mari
alike both made the call to coordinate on the missiles rather than the
operation - a wise one that Yurika had, in part, assessed that they would do.

        ...But the Socrates endured - even if it calls for a ceasefire in this
instance, one Yurika is more than happy to accept.

        The decision made had a cost, and it was paid. This cost must, of
course, be paid regardless of whether the outcome is insufficient.

        A feverish, nauseous sweat builds in Yurika's core. Her knees grow weak
- her stomach turns. Every fiber of her being demands her to fall over and
hurl. That can't be done. That can't even be perceived to be done right now.
She just has to endure it. She just has to grip for dear life, clutch the
situation before her, and hold it back.

        Maybe Ryoko doesn't know who she's exactly outraged at, but the idea
that Yurika <could have prevented this with a different choice> makes it clear
to her, at least, who that outrage rightfully goes to her.

        (("The first rule of tomorrow is that you have to put yesterday
aside!"))

        It's something Yurika tells many - nothing she could say in this
circumstance, mind. Jun, in particular, lit up one day when she let out that
little nugget of optimism to push him through a bad time. It's something that
pushes her onward. It's a charm to ward off the quicksand of regret. It's
something she tells herself a lot these days.

        "...All hands, return to the Nadesico at once. Anyone stranded, we will
lead the search and recovery. We'll accept the ceasefire - tell the Socrates
that if we happen upon any ZAFT personnel in our salvaging efforts, we will
return them there unconditionally."

        "...And..."

        There's a cold air on the Nadesico's bridge. Naturally, at a time like
this, the captain's judgment is put into serious question.

        "...I will take responsibility where needed, should our decisions fall
under questioning. Please call me wherever I'm needed."

        ...She really, really needs a space to get it together right now, just
for a few seconds.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

Just as she digs the blade into the Socrates, Hikaru finds herself drawn to a
massive explosion. One that engulfed an entire colony. Her entire just sinks,
and there's an unstoppable pang of guilt as she watches that flash.

There was only one missile left. And if she had a way to shoot it down, she
would without a doubt. But she couldn't. And she didn't. "Is... it my
fault..?" Is all that can come out of her mouth after the world seems to stop
for a second.

Maybe it's not all her fault, but like Ryoko, she can't help but think of Mars,
or her own home of Satsuki Midori II. Hundreds of thousands of lives either
faded away, or shattered just like hers.

She's prepared to cede the victory to the Socrates' captain and her loyal
knight - when a ceasefire is called. "Roger. Hikaru Amano, returning to the
Nadesico." It doesn't matter if she looks like a selfish coward - she's
grateful that the Socrates spared her life, and that she didn't have to take
theirs.

Her eyes do raise up when Yurika mentions taking responsibility. She is the
captain, but she feels the same way?

KTS: Hikaru Amano targets Himeyuri Oono with Pass!
KTS: Hikaru Amano has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Yurika Misumaru targets Himeyuri Oono with Pass!
KTS: Yurika Misumaru has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Himeyuri Oono fails to react to Yurika Misumaru's Pass, taking 0 damage!
KTS: Himeyuri Oono fails to react to Hikaru Amano's Pass, taking 0 damage!

KTS: Mobile Weapon Team's LCAM-01XA Archangel has left
Mobile Weapon Team teleports out.

KTS: Anita Rosetta has launched from Eight York's combat deck!
KTS: Anita Rosetta's VF-25 Messiah Rosetta <GERWALK Mode> has left
Anita Rosetta teleports out.

<Pose Tracker> Michiru Tenjou has posed.

Despite all efforts... one escapes. A colony erupts into flames, then... is no
more. Michiru's eyes go wide. Both with rage and sorrow. The Galaxia,
overtaxed in its attempt, floats for a moment, before finding its footing on
the Socrates. "Hime... I'm sorry. I'm sorry my heart wasn't strong enough."
She doesn't know yet. About the ceasefire request. Or the orders to those
still on the ship. Galaxia is merely, for this moment, frozen in place.

And then... everything gets worse. ZAFT High Command. And Rau... Unknown to
anyone else, Michiru lets out a piercing scream inside Galaxia's cockpit. This
isn't... Sure, Hime's talked about a lot of things. Defeating the Federation's
tyrants. But THIS?! Surely neither of them can approve this plan. Obliterating
the planet itself?! Killing every innocent figure who might have come to ally
with them? Surely, Hime will agree. That they have to stop this. Somehow. That
this, like that Cerberus before it, is one of those Greater Enemies that they
put aside differences to strike down.

There's just... so much death and pain all around them. It's too much. Even for
her spirit to take. Right now, she needs to dock, and see Hime. She needs to
know what they're going to do. She needs these tears that blind her to stop
flowing...

KTS: Ryoko Subaru has launched from Yurika Misumaru's combat deck!
KTS: Yurika Misumaru's ND-001 Nadesico has been disabled.
KTS: Rena Lancaster has launched from Eight York's combat deck!
KTS: Naoko Suzuki has launched from Eight York's combat deck!
KTS: Eight York's Zentradi Monitor 'Ra Mari II' has been disabled.
KTS: Hikaru Amano's Aestivalis Zero-G Frame (Hikaru) has been disabled.
Hikaru Amano teleports out.

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.

On the one hand, Ryoko feels bad. She likes Captain Yurika. She still
remembers her running herself ragged to perform all those funerals for Midori
Satsuki 2.

Maybe she didn't feel a particular attachment to that place due to what Nergal
did to her there, but she did feel one to Hikaru and Izumi.

Some part of her will wonder though if one more person deciding to help out
would have caught that last nuke.

Tearing her gaze away from the screen, her comm screen blips back out.

The Socrates then gets some audio, "<Our Captain... she has accepted your
terms. If we find any ZAFT stranded she has said we will return them
unconditionally...>"

Tired, she just sounds tired. There's not a hint of a curse from her mouth
now. Hesitation... then grudgingly, "<... It's Subaru by the way, not
'female pilot'. ... Ryoko Subaru.>"

And then she cuts the comms, and starts the trek back around the hull of the
ship back to the hangar.

<Pose Tracker> Rau Le Creuset has posed.

        The sight of Quintilis Five going up in nuclear fire is an ominous
one...

        ... What's more ominous though, is an open transmission coming out of
the asteroid fortress, Jachin Due. One from the PLANTs Chairman, being sent to
everyone on the battlefield.

        "Our courageous soldiers of the ZAFT Forces! We can no longer allow the
use of violence by those arrogant Naturals! Once more they have fired nuclear
missiles at the PLANTs. And once more we have lost countless countrymen in
those fires of destruction.">

        Within the command center of Jachin Due, Patrick Zala grips the arm
rest of his chair in anger. The remains of Quintilis Five are splayed across
numerous screens. Many of the operators in the large control room are still
looking on in despair.

        'Those damn Naturals! I won't lose anything more to them!' Zala thinks
as he continues his speech, <"This is no longer a war! This is a massacre!
After Bloody Valentine, we refrained from retaliating against the Naturals
with weapons of mass destruction. Yet they have once again betrayed us and our
prayers! We can no longer forgive those who think nothing of these terrible
acts.">

        All around Zala, those operators who haven't given in to the sight on
the screens are working diligently, with a purpose.

        "Entering final stages of GENESIS. All vessels, retreat from the zone
of emission!"
        "Deploying GENESIS alignment mirror."
        "Maintaining activation voltage. Deactivate Mirage Colloid."

        The ZAFT forces get the advanced warning, beginning to clear out of a
particular area of space. The reason soon becoming clear. A huge structure
begins to just... Appear... Floating in space beside the asteroid fortress.
Its form slowly becomes more clear as the optical camoflauge used to hide it
is slowly peeled away. Its most noticeable features being the massive curved
dish at its front and the smaller one floating in space not too far beyond it.

        "Activing Phase Shift Armor."

        The mostly dull grey of the large structure is suddenly filled in with
more colour.

        "Set nuclear cartridge to detonation position."
        "System connections all green."

        <"A new future! The light to the new world is with us! This is to be a
historical day marking the beginning of a promising new world. Of the new
mankind, Coordinators!">

        Ending his transmission, Zala finishes, "This'll teach you, damn
Naturals. May this shot be the light to mark the beginning of a Coordinators'
world."

        ... "Fire!"

        A beam of light lances out of the center of the massive dish. It
doesn't go very far though, quickly striking the smaller one ahead. Countless
beams quickly bounce backwards, spreading out to strike all across the much
larger one. Finally, a massive rush of what can only be described as red
lightning, blasts outwards, engulfing the smaller array and then continuing
onwards.

        Unfortunately, much of the Federation's fleet is in the way. And
despite attempts to do avoid it, they are caught up in the blast. Numerous
mobile weapons and warships begin exploding, the rushing energy tearing
through them. Hundreds of units, dozens of ships, torn apart.

        The sight is equally as terrible as that which was just witnessed.

        Unfortunately. It's not over... As people soon realise: The beam is not
stopping.

        It quickly becomes clear that the fleet was not the target. They just
happened to be in the way. What's behind them though...

        The massive beam reaches out across space, speeding towards Earth in
the distance. At first it looks like that might be the target...

        But thankfully no. Quick calculations reveal the angle of the beam to
be off, just ever slightly. But that unfortunately means...

        Sure enough, the beam reaches out towards one edge of the Orbital Ring.
Specifically where the Tenchu Orbital Tower is located. The beam glances
across the side of the large structure, avoiding a direct hit. And yet even
that close, numerous outer sections attached to the tower are caught on its
edge. Much like the Federation fleet, these structures are ripped apart, along
with all those who were within them.

        <"Hahahahaha! I have EVERY RIGHT!"> Rau laughs back at Rena, as the
sight of the large beam reaching through space displays on his screen.

        <"As a man created through humanity's greed. Its desire for power.
Created into a life of suffering, one fated to be short. It is my right to
judge! This is a reckoning. Humanity will face its sins.">

        As the Ra Mari II and its crew begins to fall back, Rau doesn't chase.

        The same scene plays out across all sides. Both the Federation and ZAFT
forces choosing to pull back for the moment and regroup, to take stock of the
situation and what was just revealed.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 *'''Log: The Origin Of Destruction'''
-*'''Cast:''' [[Character :: Rau Le Creuset]], [[Character :: Lacus Clyne]], [[Character :: Riika Sheder]], [[Character :: Rita Bernal]], [[Character :: Eight York]], [[Character :: Ryoko Subaru]], [[Character :: Mobile Weapon Team]], [[Character :: Shiho Hahnenfuss]], [[Character :: Rena Lancaster]], [[Character :: Anita Rosetta]], [[Character :: Naoko Suzuki]], [[Character :: Himeyuri Oono]], [[Character :: Treize Khushrenada]], [[Character :: Yurika Misumaru]], [[Character :: Hikaru Amano]], [[Character :: Michiru Tenjou]], [[Character :: Natalie Badigurel]]
+*'''Cast:''' [[Character :: Rau Le Creuset]], [[Character :: Lacus Clyne]], [[Character :: Riika Sheder]], [[Character :: Rita Bernal]], [[Character :: Eight York]], [[Character :: Ryoko Subaru]], [[Character :: Mobile Weapon Team]], [[Character :: Shiho Hahnenfuss]], [[Character :: Rena Lancaster]], [[Character :: Anita Rosetta]], [[Character :: Naoko Suzuki]], [[Character :: Himeyuri Oono]], [[Character :: Treize Khushrenada]], [[Character :: Yurika Misumaru]], [[Character :: Hikaru Amano]], [[Character :: Michiru Tenjou]], [[Character :: Natarle Badgiruel]]
 *'''Where:''' Side 2 - PLANTs
-*'''OOC - IC Date:''' 0093-01-31
+*'''OOC - IC Date:''' 0097-01-31
 *'''Summary''': ''The Federation goes for the first major assault against the PLANTs since the war started, while the Three Ships Alliance makes its debut to try and get the two sides to stop fighting. The Federation fires nuclear weapons at the PLANTs in an attempt to destroy them. Despite a desperate attempt to protect them, one of the PLANTs is destroyed in nuclear fire. In retaliation, ZAFT fires its GENESIS superweapon towards the Orbital Ring, causing damage and death to a section of the Tenchu Orbital Tower.''

Difference between revisions of "2023-01-31: The Origin of Destruction"

Latest revision as of 07:53, 4 February 2023

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