2022-03-11: Finders Keepers

• Log: 2022-03-11 Finders Keepers
• Cast: Alto Saotome, Grace O'Connor, Alexis Kerib, Elisa Kafim, Ruri Hoshino, Ranka Lee, Sheryl Nome, Zurvan Zevarist, Lucine Azul
• Where: Orbital Ring
• OOC - IC Date: March 11, 2022 (0096)
• Summary: A perfectly normal cruise ship is carrying some special cargo: the Galactic Fairy, Sheryl Nome, and... something else. Pirates have their eye on this ship, but what is it they're really after, and who set this all up? Before answering any of that, the SMS and their Nergal allies will have to save the ship first!

---

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Transport ORF-317 is a fairly normal ship, on a fairly normal route, frequently making trips from the Orbital Ring to the Frontier Long Distance Colonization Fleet, currently in a far orbit around Earth. It's a small but comfortable passenger ship, with a small capacity for cargo too. It's unarmed, of course, but flies through parts of space that are well patrolled by Federation forces. Usually this means it goes untouched by pirates and other groups with hostile intent. Especially when combined with that fact that it rarely carries anything of any real value, making the risk of running into a Federation patrol too great for what meager earnings one might get from attacking it. It's likely for this reason that the hundred or so passengers that boarded it were not all that concerned about anything happening during the trip.

        That is, except for four of them. Four seemingly unconnected gentlemen, sitting in different sections of the cabin. But all with a somewhat focused look on their face. Like they're anticipating something. Their apparent stress levels only increases as, half way through the journey, the voice of the ship's pilot echoes from the speakers, "Uhhh, hello, everyone. For precautionary reasons we'd like to ask that you all return to your seats and strap in. There are some unexpected objects in our path. Probably just debris, likely nothing to worry about. But we will be making a course correction. So please make sure you remain secure in your seats until further notice. Thank you." Although he's trying to suggest with his words that everything is normal, his tone of voice is painting a slightly different story, for those who care to pay attention and notice those sorts of things. He seems almost concerned.

        Inside the cockpit, just after the announcement. The co-pilot stares at the pilot, "Debris? Really?"

        The pilot quickly snaps back, "What the hell was I supposed to say? There's a dozen or so unknown craft heading right for us at high speed and we haven't a clue who they are or what they want?"

        The co-pilot grudgingly doesn't admit he has no better ideas. Instead he asks, "Did you at least get the emergency signal off?"

        The pilot nods slowly, staring out the cockpit windows towards the rough direction where the unknown craft are coming from, "I just hope someone else is out there to hear it and get here before it's too late."

<Pose Tracker> Grace O'Connor has posed.

        It's not like there isn't any debris in this particular section of space. Though a bit out of the way of the normal trade route, and marked as being hazardous/off-limits for most commercial vessels due to risk of collision, is a debris field: Leftovers perhaps from the One Year War or some other extraterrestial conflict. Not dense enough to be worth commercial salvaging efforts, not sparse enough to be considered a potential pirate risk. After all, most pirate outfits are using surplus war tech that was stolen or bought under the table on the cheap. At best you may find the occasional personalized unit that a pilot turned aspiring pirate lord managed to desert with. These vessels are spaceworthy sure, but lack the sophisticated mobility and sensors to use the debris field as a convenient cover for a raid.

        ... but, what if someone with money, power, and a lack of morals decided to outfit a pirate crew with a stock VF-171 in exchange for them kidnapping a certain idol rumored to be on a certain unmarked transport. A tantalizing treat too juicy to pass up for sure. And besides, they are probably thinking, once they get little miss Galactic Fairy they could just decide to keep her and ransom her to the highest bidder. Hah - fool's on them for trusting pirates right?

... right, Grace thinks to herself as she resides in the light green glow of her cybernetic OS. Around her are arranged screens from the various pirates and their mobile units. Shoddy security is hardly a surprise, and she now can see everything happening right on schedule. The video feed from the VF-171 as it moves out from behind a large piece of debris and approaches the transport with its IFF disabled. As soon as it enters passive sensor range, a couple of minutes later the pilots come over to loudspeaker and announce 'debris', asking the passengers to take their seats. Within her OS Grace develops a wry smirk. Ah yes, to keep the passengers calm no doubt. She brings up the screen showing her own field of vision and audio feed wondering how her charge will respond to the announcement.

MEANWHILE: Back in space, the Pirate VF-171 is now close enough to be seen by the transport crew. The nose cone has been hastily painted with a smiley face with x's for eyes. At this point they turn on their IFF and the boisterous pirate opens communication while maintaining an intercept course: "Alright!! You know how this works! Power down your ship and turn over the Galactic Fairy, and I'll let you crawl home with you tail tucked between your legs. Don't and me and my friends will have to show you what these new toys can do!!"

KTS: Grace O'Connor has deployed in VF-171 Nightmare Plus <Fighter Mode>.

<Pose Tracker> Alexis Kerib has posed.

Right now, Alexis is in a bit of a pickle. He has a lot of things he needs that are not, precisely, free for him to get, directly -- and most of them originate from the BioNet affiliation of criminal syndicates. He needs to prove that associating with him has more upside than downside.

He still doesn't *really* want to make a move, though -- which means he has to dig into his back catalogue and create the illusion of movement.

As far as anyone can tell, the alien mobile weapon that appears is unaffiliated with the VF-171; one of those unfortunate 'when it rains, it pours' situations seems to be starting. The robot-creature stands some 50 meters high, dwarfing much of what else is around. A single remote-like dagger flies through the air, toward the transport. It doesn't bite in; it just gives them a nice, harrowing flyby in an already stressful moment. Though it scans as a robot, the origin of the attack -- to which the dagger returns after a moment, being placed firmly back into the slot in its head -- looks much more like a humanoid shape than the mobile weapons usually seen around the Earth Sphere, with slim legs and arms. It bears a strong resemblance to the giants of light seen in the Tokyos and Tsutsujidai lately.

Alexis avoids taking noticeable actions -- but 'add to the stress of a stressful situation' is one of his freebies.

The visor of the -- giant? robot? giant-robot? -- flares a bright red for a moment, before fading into a silver-ringed, glowing blackness.

KTS: Alexis Kerib has deployed in Darklops.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has deployed in Weldrizer.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has changed loadout.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Elisa Kafim is not here. She is nowhere to be seen, certainly not in one of the transports that is on the way here. And she definitely isn't eyeing one of these special tablets she's been handed for this purpose. No... That's not important at all.

What is important is that a econd giant 'robot' appears, pulling knives from its head and looming nearby the other one, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

slim legs, slim arms. Giant of light.

It doesn't smile. But it could. It super could.

KTS: Elisa Kafim has deployed in Darklops.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Unbeknownst to both the transport and the approaching attack force, there actually is someone nearby to help. A lot of someones. A ship full of someones, to be precise. Flying along on a course parallel to the transport's route, but just far enough away to be out of sensor range of it and its attackers, is Nergal's pride and joy: The Nadesico.

        But it's no stroke of luck or fate that the ship is there. No, a contract to shadow the transport was created with the PMC, Strategic Military Services, by a valued and confidential client. But with everything going on, SMS's resources were spread thin. So SMS sent a request for help up to their parent company, Nergal, which saw fit to assign the Nadesico and its contingent to the contract.

        It's for this reason that the Nadesico is in prime position to respond when the transport sends out its emergency signal.

        Of course, SMS did not dump the whole contract onto the Nadesico. They did send some assistance, in the form of one pilot: Alto Saotome. And his VF-25F Messiah. It's a state of the art machine, an upgrade over the base VF-25 and one that's not even in production yet, the prototype having been assigned to SMS for testing purposes.

        Its pilot on the other hand, is a little less impressive. At first glance, anyway. While he's doing a good job at not showing any nerves, it's clear that he's pretty green. An accurate description, given that this is his first real mission for SMS. And while he does have some concerns about what's about to come, Alto is actually rather excited more than anything. As evidenced by the fact that when the call to launch comes in, Alto grabs his helmet and jumps to his feet quickly, making a fast walk for his Valkyrie.

        This is it. This is his chance. He can't screw this up. He won't!

        Soon enough, the VF-25F Fighter comes rocketing into range of the transport and its attackers. In the cockpit, Alto eyes are focused on the situation ahead. Completely unaware that a certain person he knows is aboard that ship.

KTS: Alto Saotome has deployed in VF-25F Messiah <Fighter Mode>.

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        "Captain," says the Nadesico's resident communications expert, Megumi Reinard, "the transport just sent out an emergency signal."

        "Looks like it's showtime!" The aforementioned Captain -- a young woman by name of Yurika Misumaru -- declares, throwing out an arm. Her other raises, delicately, to sip her boba tea. (We'll get to that.) "Raise the curtains, everyone!!"

        "... raising curtains," reports the diminutive systems operator at the tip of the Nadesico's command arrow, the young Ruri Hoshino. Somehow, she manages to keep a sulky edge out of her voice.

        The 'fool' is silent.

        "All units," Ruri sends a transmission to the pilots, "we are now engaging the enemy. Please deploy and respond to the transport's emergency signal. Prepare for hostile forces."

        The Aestivalis wing will take care of making sure more enemy assistance doesn't come in from the perimeter -- because they have more help that can converge on the centre of the problem.

        You know. An engineer and a gardener. Nergal only takes the best of the best for things like these!

        The Nadesico has an automatic launching system, quite state of the art, for getting its units out there. And when the Nadesico closes into sensor range, it's worth taking notice: a large, white ship, twin prongs biting out ahead of the bulk of it, unmistakably Nergal's pride and joy.

        The Nadesico approaches the transport, to position itself between the nothing-boat and the pirates and... large... men. "Ack!" Yurika yelps, pointing at the Darklops. "Spacemen! Spacemen!!"

        "That's unlikely," Goat Hoary, military advisor, rumbles from behind a cup of black tea. (Again, we'll get to it.) "... let's consider them enemies for now."

        Ruri thinks to open a communication channel to them, anyway. Except they don't really have anything to send a communication channel to, so she just kind of wide-bands something in their direction. It's convenient, though, because that means the pirates get to hear it. "Nadesico to," she pauses, "all unknown units. If you do not cease your aggression, we will be forced to fire."

        She lifts a hand, humourless, to sip some hot chocolate. There's a marshmellow in it.

        We'll get to that.

KTS: Ruri Hoshino has deployed in ND-001 Nadesico.

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

Now we're at that.

Not long ago on the bridge there was the hum tiny motor, as suddenly a Segway enters the Nadesico's bridge. Riding it is a diminutive teenager wearing a pair of red shortalls and a matching red flat cap. In one hand she's balancing a tray, while with the other she's steering. A green plush Salamander is draped over one of the handlebars as holographic video chat hovers over it. "Oh hold on Sheryl-san... I'm here on the bridge now." She drives by Captain Yurika, "One Boba Tea for you Captain." As she sets it down in front of her, before driving over to a man who seems all muscle, "One Black Coffee for you Hoary-san."

Then another to a man in an immaculate red vest, "One Black Tea, Prospector-san." Then to the Communicator's Officer, "A Green Tea for you, Megumi-san." Then opposite to her, another woman, "Coffee, three creams, three sugars Minato-"

One dog-ear like side of her hair suddenly flaps up as Minato leans and whispers to her. Ranka nods to her with a look of sudden determination. Before driving over to Ruri. "One Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows, Whipped Cream and-" Suddenly she holds up her free hand in a gesture with her second and fifth finger extended, head canted as she winks with a smile so big that her prominent canine teeth stick out just a little over her upper lip. "-a smile! For RuriRuri!"

Over Ruri's shoulder, Minato gives Ranka a discrete thumbs up. The video chat has been going this whole time. Ranka gets this moment of realizing that as she suddenly spins her Segway around to face away and start driving her Segway out of everyone's way. "O-Oh sorry you've never seen me in waitress mode before Sheryl-san." The empty tray she now puts to her side the hand absently steering, her other hand resting on her cheek, "Though I guess now it's intern mode?"

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Sheryl Nome is, of course, up in first class. Where else would the Galactic Fairy be? Stretched out on a posh, spacious seat next to Grace. Those 'windows' her manager is controlling aren't visible to her, so as far as she knows, Grace is simply chilling on a leisurely trip to their next destination. It might be low key, but while she's still in the prep stage for her upcoming Earth Sphere global tour, it's better to keep things relatively quiet to avoid unnecessary delays.
        
        Which of course doesn't mean there won't be paparazzi or something, by Sheryl's estimation. Something *always* leaks to those folks, and who knows how they do it.
        
        For the time being, though, since she's already seated, she pays little mind to the pilot's announcement, only pausing in her video call with a certain fan-friend of hers to tilt her head to one side.
        
        "Debris, really?" she says to Grace with an unconcerned sigh. "Oh well--I suppose there's always rocks flying around inside a solar system." She takes a long sip of sparkling water from a wine flute, her bracelets jingling as her earring sways amidst the curls of her golden hair. Her outfit is casual, for her--a loose and flowing teal top and tight short-shorts to contrast, with a heart-shaped locket hanging from her neck, and platform heels on her pedicured feet. Perhaps notably, she doesn't actually bother to buckle up as Ranka delivers drinks to the Nadesico bridge crew; when they're both done, she smiles back at her video call partner, a giggle on her breath. "Oh, don't worry about it! I'm bored to *tears* on this trip, and you look absolutely adorable in that outfit. Congratulations on the internship, by the way~. Yet another step you've climbed! Sooner or later, you might just catch up to me, Ranka-chan," she teases.
        
        Any further conversation is interrupted by a sudden shipwide broadcast--one demanding they turn over the Galactic Fairy. Sheryl whips her head towards the window, eyes widening. "What?!" she utters--just in time to see two extra robots glide past along with that pirate jet. Her pulse races--and she glares at them as if personally offended.
        
        "Of all the nerve--I don't have time to be kidnapped right now!" she declares, perhaps made all the more absurb by the fact that she's 100%% serious. She whirls on her manager, unaware of her role in things. Despite her anger (and the fear she refuses to show), her voice and expression show steely calm as she asks, "Grace, what are our options?"
        
        She's still on video call with Ranka. The situation blew the thought of hanging up clear out of her mind. And just as Alto has no idea she's on this ship, she has no idea he's zipping his way over to the rescue. Won't *that* make some hearts really pound?

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

Ranka seems to be heartened by Sheryl's reaction though, smiling as the Galactic Fairy giggles, "I'm glad I can keep you company then. I'm sure that it's more later than sooner, but at least I've taken the first few steps-!"

The tone of the call though suddenly changes, "Eh? Sheryl... san...?" Ranka suddenly presses into her Salamander like phone and the volume turns up as the kidnapper's demand can still be heard faintly, "What's going on? Kidnapped? Sheryl-san!"

Ranka suddenly looks up helplessly to the Captain, as the emergency signal comes in... right... at that... moment.

"Why?"

The question is asked so mutely, it might as well be inaudible, her heart just sinking before the inevitable realization. It's inevitable, the entirety of the crew is already moving into battle stations... her distress just growing with every passing moment.

'Grace what are our options?'

The viewscreen changes as she sees the transport's assailants - the ones that are after Sheryl. 'Spacemen! Spacemen!' The Captain's reaction in no way takes the edge off of her distress.

'If you do not cease your aggression, we will be forced to fire.'

"Please..." She whispers, with all the fervent earnestness of the prayer. Wishing that they will stand down, before the nightmare begins.

<Pose Tracker> Zurvan Zevarist has posed.

         The danger of being part of a warship is, well, war! Zurvan's engineering duties have been during this one operation. He's, quite obviously, very curious about what is being ferried in the transport that demand such secrecy, but not enough to ruin the whole thing for it. What is MORE surprising to him, is that he actually agreed to go out and be part of the operation. The perks of having an actual working fighting robot that is now well known.

         Thus, Zurvan Zevarist, mechanic, inventor, now actual, accredited irregular pilot using his even more irregular machine. Man takes a deep breath within the cockpit, putting on his helmet while the Weldrizer's systems fires up. The printing forge spins, spools and he gets a ready check that the matter core is ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.

         He'll have to add this to the bill to Nergal, if he's going to be using his own personal machine to protect Nergal interests. His first deployment was to protect a station. This is... well, also protecting people in the end but not quite the same thing. Not that he wont do it, either way.

         <"Nadeisco, this is Weldrizer-01. I'm ready to deploy.>" Zurvan calls on radio, flipping up a few switches on the side of his controls, launching out of the catapult. He still need to get used to the G Forces slamming him into the back of his seat when launching. He still need to get used to a LOT of things.

         The heavily modified armored core, speeds with strapped-on thrusters, it's various tubes connected to back of the machine deploys out into a triangle formation, ahead of him, spinners needlers wriggling in anticipation.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        "The tomatoes....!"

        Lucine Azul, one of a number of Nadesico's pilots and more notably its gardener, finally pokes her head into the main command center, having just emerged from the room that has been established as the 'garden'. Despite only having existed for a month at most, it has transformed from an all purpose residental room to a paradise of greenery, assisted by pipes and plastic that cordon off the precious moisture from breaching into any electronics. With how Lucine has become a hermit in there since take-off, it's quickly becoming clear that she is taking her title very seriously.

        ".... 55 of 60 tomatoes have their second set of leaves!" There is a look of gentle pride on her face that utterly contrasts with the somber mood of the ship, which she immediately realizes, dissipating that glow to a look of somber concentration as she listens.

        "A-ah, right..." She starts straight and salutes, Yurika's enthusiasm infecting her with its unceasing confidence. "I... will see what I can do!"

        This is not the sort of language one wants from a pilot, but seeing as how she has been so useful as a gofer up until now, who could blame her for saying the exact same thing she's said every time they've asked if she could possibly swing by and pick up an order of sugar, rice, and flour?

        It will be her first time attacking actual human combatants.

        But looking at Ranka, almost looking like she's deep in prayer, Lucine casts the thought from her mind, giving Ranka a gentle nod. "... We will do our best to ensure their safety."

        ---- MOMENTS LATER----

        "<This is the Dianthus Mk. 3, deploying now.>" The smaller-sized mobile suit, vivid in dark magenta, violet, and blacks, zips out of the dock. "Pirates, huh... I wonder how their piloting skills measure up..."

KTS: Lucine Azul has deployed in Dianthus Mk. 3.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Its just as the transport's pilots feared. The pirates make a call over the radio, demanding they hand over the 'Galactic Fairy'. They look at each other quizzically, one asking, "Isn't that...?"

        The other replies, "Do we have her on board?"

        The first says, "Doesn't matter. I'm getting us the hell out of here." He's just about to grab the controls to turn the ship around when all the lights in the cockpit suddenly go dark, "What the hell!?" He tries pressing several buttons, but nothing responds, "Did we take damage?"

        The co-pilot, equally confused as he tries the controls on his side, replies, "I don't think so... A system fault?"

        The pilot scoffs, "The entire freaking system!?" A large dagger suddenly goes flying by the cockpit windows, "Holy shit! What do we do?"

        The co-pilot just shouts back, "How the hell should I know!?"

        While the loud and visible pirates are drawing the attention of most in the area, a small craft approaches from a different direction. It is completely black and fitted with ECM equipment that's doing a good job of hiding its presence. It does send out a tightbeam to those units on the field that are actually directly affiliated with BioNet, <"This is Assault One, making our approach to the transport. Keep all hostile targets busy while we board.">

<Pose Tracker> Grace O'Connor has posed.

The Unexpected Darklops Duo was not shocking just for the crew of the transport... but also for the pirate leader in his (mostly) shiny and (hastily) liveried Variable Fighter. He was to understand that there would be 'assistance' on this venture, but he was expecting something more in line with some mercenaries or what have you. The presence of humanoid giants of ... not light was certainly not what he was expecting. Still... he couldn't complain. Those two things look nasty enough to put the fear of god into just about any seasoned commercial jock. "See?" The pirate captain barks with a laugh, "Now just throttle down and get ready for boarding..."

'Nadesico to... all unknown units. If you do not cease your aggression, we will be forced to fire.'

It may be hard to pinpoint the exact moment where the pirate captain's elation became the cold chill of someone feeling like he had been set up. But it might have been that. "What the frag is a battleship doing here?!" He exclaims, his voice jumping just short of an octave. "Oy, you two, you better be here to help us out while we go for the fairy!! Unless you've got an enviornmental suit hiding in those shiny mitts of yours!" He broadcasts this over an unencrypted frequency. After all, he has just learned how to fly this new VF and has hardly had time to learn where the 'talk to shiny space giants' button is on the pre-programmed frequencies.

        Within Grace's OS: She watches as the pirate pilot of the VF-171, now a bit chastened, decides to move back towards an escort position for the incoming assault transport. That's more like it. While she could intervene at this point it'd be bothersome to have to spin so many plates at once. Now things are almost ready for the show to begin...

        'Grace what are our options?'

        Back in the real world, and aboard the transport, Grace was simply sitting in her first class cabin along with her young protege. For all the world it looked like she was doing typical secretary stuff: PDA in hand, stylus in the other, calmly filling out communications form while Sheryl talked to her little friend from Frontier. When the announcement came up though she immediately looked up in alarm. Like Sheryl she choses not to buckle up, though in this case it was due to her being unlikely to need them. There is a mild amount of chagrin and worry in her expression as she looks at Sheryl, but that fades when the idol regards her and requests a detailing of options. Grace responds in a soft voice, "I believe everything should be well in hand. Though they didn't announce it over the intercom, they pilots have already sent out a distress signal... I detect several support vessels including a Mobile Battleship enroute to respond. We should be fine as long as we keep moving...

        And just like that the sound of the vessel's engines cut out. Emergency inertial brakes cut on and the vessel begins to slow and drift. Grace's expression spells it all: Shock and horror, "Someone must have sabotaged us, access to and from the cockpit has been cut off remotely! We're sitting ducks unless someone manually overrides it..."

KTS: Grace_O'Connor has deployed as a Rival.
KTS: Ranka Lee has deployed as a Sub Pilot for Ruri Hoshino!

<Pose Tracker> Alexis Kerib has posed.

"Hmmmm," Alexis says. His awareness doesn't reach out -- he doesn't engage in that way. It's a wholly more cynical way of understanding the world, from inside a nearby piece of floating space debris. He simply assesses whether connections exist or not, and chooses the speed and shape of his participation.

Alexis appears on Grace's PDA, for an unobserved moment. In faint deference to her current situation, he notes, in a text box beneath his portrait: I've reached out to some professional associates. Rest assured, your involvement remains a secret. He winks back out.

The Darklops, for its part, begins to slowly maneuver toward its real target: the more heavily armed vessel. The Darklops moves toward the Nadesico at speed, hoping to intercept it before it gets too aggressive in its defense; its first and most direct move against the Nadesico is simply... to punch it. Sometimes, the simplest option is best.

KTS: Alexis Kerib targets Ruri Hoshino with Darklops CQC Strike!
KTS: Ruri Hoshino's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage.
KTS: Ruri Hoshino fails to evade Alexis Kerib's Darklops CQC Strike, taking 2025 damage!
KTS: Alexis Kerib has engaged Ruri Hoshino

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Ruri's warning bounces off the second Darkclops at first. What, like it has radio? Curiously, though...

"Well," says a woman's voice, not over the radio at all. "We won't be stopping the aggression, so I suppose you'll just have to fire!"

Then that same voice wraps around the pirate leader's ears. "We're here to help, darling."

The Darkclops, meanwhile, moves at first with the first Darkclops--but where it moves towards the Nadesico, it turns, turns, slowly slowly towards the Weldrizer.

Green light crackles around it, suddenly. The space around it stutters and shakes, bits of rock and asteroid shifting in places around; the machine's systems suddenly may have great trouble getting a read on anything around them, as the great giant of... not-light looms forward, its arms rising to either side, a T-pose that glints back before the nearest light-source.

KTS: Elisa Kafim targets Zurvan Zevarist with Goad!

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        A giant person... In space... Or what looks like a person, anyway. Alto has of course heard descriptions of some of the weirder mobile weapons out there. But he's never actually seen one himself. He's not even sure how one would go about fighting something like that. Though it looks like it's turning to go after the Nadesico. Admittedly, a ship is probably a better match for something of that size. There's also a large space monster... Not like the ones he's seen.

        But it's the Nightmares that draw Alto's attention the most. Now THOSE he knows. Alto turns his fighter towards that flight of VF-171s, radioing to his allies as he does so, <"This is Skull Four. Engaging the Nightmares."> Alto pushes the throttle forward, the engines on the fighter's rear kicking up as he tries to close the distance to the pirates. They're still on a direct course for the transport... He needs to draw them away!

        The white VF-25F Messiah comes blasting in at an angle from 'above' the VF-171 Nightmare Plus formation. On his HUD, Alto can see the aim for his guns lining up on the lead Nightmare. His finger moves to the trigger... It hesitates for a moment. He's fired guns many times in practice and live training... But only once in real combat. And that was against a monster. This is a person...

        No. The people on that transport are relying on him. His allies are relying on him. This is his chance to prove... To prove that he wasn't running away! Alto pulls the trigger.

        The high speed machine guns in each wing of the Messiah light up, spitting streams of bullets towards the Nightmare ahead.

KTS: Alto Saotome targets Grace O'Connor with ES-25A High Speed Machine Guns Closing Assault!
KTS: Elisa Kafim goads Zurvan Zevarist, reducing his Intuition drastically.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Sheryl's frown doesn't abate as Grace explains that, actually, they're fine, and all they have to do is sit back and wait for responders to the distress signal the ship sent out to take care of these pirates and would-be kidnappers. Her shoulders do relax somewhat, but as her sharp gaze goes back to the window--the engines cut, and giants begin to engage with incoming defense ships and planes. She stumbles into the seat in front of her, grabbing hold of the headrest to keep from falling outright.
        
        The ship's been sabotaged. They'll need to do a manual override to get to the cockpit.
        
        "Then that's just what we're doing," Sheryl states, all fierce determination. The fact that she doesn't know how to do that doesn't matter; that's what Grace is here for, after all. She grabs her manager by the wrist, unaware of any untoward communication that might be going on in that PDA, and all but hauls her to her feet. In doing so, though, she notes her phone in her other hand--and the fact that it's still connected.
        
        "Ranka-chan, something came up. I'll talk to you later," she says firmly, right before hanging up. It'll occur to her later that maybe she should've kept her on the line, but why would she worry about back-up when her wonder manager is right here?
        
        "Come on! Nothing's going to get done if we just sit around!" she says/demands to Grace, hurrying towards the cockpit. She won't hang onto Grace's wrist; she trusts her to simply follow of her own accord now that she's in motion. If they'll be fine if the ship gets back into gear, then damned if she'll just sit around waiting to get boarded and whisked off to god only knows where.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        The two large robot-creatures that drift about in space almost get mistaken by Lucine as some sort of strange debris.... until one of them attacks the Nadesico. "... What are those things....?" Cold fear spikes in her gut. ".... They're not the pirates, but they're attacking the Nadesico..."

        They're not Jovians, but her mind wants to read them as some of the same: unreadable, unknowable. Maybe there is some sort of identity to them, but Lucine's not sure she can allow that to soothe any fears she may have. They are still 50 meter crafts, if they can even be called a 'craft'.

        Lucine can handle pirates. Pirates are people, and people can be scared away, or reasoned with.

        They can be surprised.

        "<....This is the Dianthus.>" Should Lucine think of a name? "<I am going to attack the Nightmares from the side.>" This is the head's up her allies get, Lucine attempting her time her assault with the last bullet of Alto's machine guns. Then, swiping around with her glaive held in front, she attempts to surprise the leading Nightmare while it's still engaged with Alto, diving in like....

        .... like a kingfisher. What was the Russian word for it? Zim.... something.

        Lucine smiles, remembering a comment of Zoia's. "... A kingfisher I will be."

KTS: Lucine Azul targets Grace O'Connor with CL0-V3 Glaive Ram!

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        THE NADESICO... has an intern.

        She is getting coffee.

        And, being fair, no one here really expected the Nadesico to get asked to do combat detail while Ranka was with them. Just like no one really expected the Nadesico to get involved in a fight last time, when Zurvan was with them.

        This... this apparently just happens a lot, around here. Now Zurvan is deploying as a pilot, and Ranka...

        Ruri looks over to her, that girl whose demeanour changed entirely when those threats came across the line. A light frown crosses her face. She hangs on the precipice of no clue whatsoever, caught between telling her to leave and telling her --

        "Don't worry, Ranka-chan." It's not Ruri who speaks up. It's Minato Haruka, the helmswoman who put in that very special order. She wags a finger, with a wink. "We won't just let these thugs walk all over us. Sometimes a woman has to speak up, you know!"

        Well, conveniently, that means Ruri doesn't have to say anything. She is left to her iceberg emotions, hands pressed to her console as she watches the enemy's movements.

        One of the Darklops denies Ruri's peace offering; it's the other one which engages them. Sharply, shortly, directly -- Minato swerves, and Ruri cycles the engines to get power for the gesture, but the Darklops is a mech-sized person, and has a much easier time moving around. It's almost half as tall as the Nadesico itself, which means it manages to lay in an excellent straight against the Distortion Field. The ship rocks, a little, up and then down.

        "No abnormalities detected on the ship," Ruri reports, stoic and rote, entirely too cool for the connections in her heart. "Now firing missiles."

        Along the forward prongs of the Nadesico -- right beside the Darklops, as it happens -- missile bays open, and the missiles make the very short trip from their housing bays to the enemy. The Distortion Field, thankfully, absorbs the backblast which would otherwise blow over the Nadesico.

        "Ms. Haruka, do you remember what you said about pushy men?" Ruri asks, flat-faced.

        "Oh? You were listening? Well then -- it's time for personal space!" Minato chirps, in reply, as she pulls back on the controls. With a jet of reversal, the Nadesico forcefully disengages, clearing a short distance -- without getting too far away from the transport.

KTS: Ruri Hoshino targets Alexis Kerib with Missile Launch!
KTS: Ruri Hoshino has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has disengaged.
KTS: Grace O'Connor has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Grace O'Connor fails to evade Alto Saotome's ES-25A High Speed Machine Guns Closing Assault, taking 4320 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Alto Saotome's The Twinkle Of A Tearful Planet activates, causing Insight L1!
KTS: Alto Saotome has engaged Grace O'Connor
KTS: Grace O'Connor retreats from the attack!
KTS: Grace O'Connor fails to react to Lucine Azul's CL0-V3 Glaive Ram, taking 2800 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

Between Lucine and Minato, the two manage to momentarily deescalate Ranka who seems like she's on the urge of having a small breakdown, "Ah! T-Thank you." Though she doesn't comment on speaking up. She's... a non-confrontational person by her very nature, so it takes a lot for her to.

She clasps her hands and looks back down at her phone, hoping to gain some guidance on Sheryl's situation, even as everything breaks down around them.

It feels like, despite everything, Sheryl is still calm. Still assessing the situation in the back and forth between Grace. "Sheryl-san..." Suddenly she extends one of the phones limbs up to an ear bud, hoping not to distract the crew. And then...

'Ranka-chan something came up. I'll talk to you later.'

"Wait..." The line is already dead.

'We won't be stopping the aggression, so I suppose you'll just have to fire?'

Desperate hope dies in an instant.

"...no... please..."

The Darklops looms higher, and higher, and suddenly it just PUNCHES into the distortion field of the Nadesico. The impact rocks the ship only slightly but it startles her just enough that she falls off her Segway with a scream.

Grabbing at her little plushie phone, grabbing it so hard that it's eyes become X's, and it turns black and appears to deflate as she scootches backwards on her bottom...

'This is skull Four. Engaging the Nightmares.'

She huddles herself on a side of the bridge, out of the way, as she leans against the wall. "Please stop... please..." Her eyes fill with tears, panic welling up in her throat, "Sheryl-san... Alto-kun..."

Despite the encouragement... doing anything right now. It's impossible for her. That's what's going through her head over and over.

<Pose Tracker> Zurvan Zevarist has posed.

         <"Uh.>" Zurvan calls out on the radio as the Weldrizer gets closer into view and the scanners... well, at first it started pretty well: it was showing two giants, one heading for the ship and one... heading at him. <"That's not just some kind of pirates, aren't they? Aren't they some kind of nasty cyborg kaijus!?>"

         Then things gets a little... screwy. His sensors get messed with the strange... lights? Asteroids? Energy? At this distance it's hard to tell for Zurvan for sure but something IS messing up with his sensors. Not that the Weldrizer's sensors were the best in existence to begin with.

         Not to mention, that thing is huge. A lot more huge than he expected this to be!

         <"This is Weldrizer! I am charging the One-Eyed Cyclops Giant! MREC-T, Active. LET'S GOOOOOOO!">

         The strange Armored Core's flexible tubes limbs uncoils around him as he lifts an hand upward, the machine flying through space into a charge while a large rectangular club materializes in the machine's hand, swinging it with and adding a second hand just as the entire solid is formed at the much larger unit.

         Yes, he knows, calling it a One-Eyed Cyclops is redundant. Give him a break.

KTS: Zurvan Zevarist targets Elisa Kafim with Primitive Solid!
KTS: Elisa Kafim fails to parry Zurvan Zevarist's Primitive Solid, taking 3000 damage!
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has engaged Elisa Kafim

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        When Sheryl reaches the cockpit, she finds the door is indeed locked, just as Grace indicated. It's not terribly sound-resistant though, as she can hear some commotion in side...

        "No good. I can't do anything from here."
                "What about the terminal in the cargo hold?"
        "That could work. It has a direct line into the system. I'll go down. You keep an eye on things up here."

        There's the sound of someone trying the door console on the other side. But the door doesn't move. Another beep. Nothing. Then there's a loud THUMP. Possibly someone hitting something in frustration. Still nothing.

        Finally... "We're locked in!"

        Meanwhile, the stealth assault craft is gaining on the transport. So far it's not been noticed. Its allies are doing their job of keeping everyone distracted. It makes its final approach towards the transport.

KTS: Alexis Kerib fails to react to Ruri Hoshino's Missile Launch, taking 3150 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Grace O'Connor has posed.

        One might assume the PDA Grace uses is a discrete piece of kit. After all were it interconnected with her implants, why would she need a physical interface to work the device. Well in truth the purpose of the device is less for her benefit and more for those around her. You see, most naturals are more comfortable with Grace pulling up entire calendars if she has a PDA in hand. That said it would be a lie to say she didn't get any benefit out of it: There is something soothing and nostalgic to using an external device. Regardless when Alexis' message pops on screen of the PDA for but a moment, it also appears within Grace's OS as an alert before spontaneously winking out of view. There is a mild flash of annoyance on the secretary's part: Was that a glitch? She'll have to troubleshoot it later. The show has begun and it's no time for her to go chasing down bugs.

        ESPECIALLY now that Sheryl has decided to respond to her mentioning that the cockpit is inaccessible without a manual override. Grace tries to interject contrary to the suggestion and instead say they should remain in their private cabin where they're safe, but Sheryl has already turned away from her to address Ranka. By the time Sheryl regards her manager again, she's practically out the door!! Genuine exasperation and... something else rises in the emotional centers of Grace's mind. Regardless of her misgivings, she is quickly out of her seat and following Sheryl through the bedlam of the transport ship!

BACK IN SPACE: The white VF-25F Messiah comes blasting in at a strafing angle from relative above the pirate leader's attack craft. He tchs loudly, "A cheap trick like that won't work on me!!" He pulls back on the control stick of the fighter to begin performing an airleon roll...

And gets one of his wings clipped by a machine gun round, sending the machine rolling out of control momentarily before its pilot manages to restore control. "Fraggin' lucky shot!!!" The pilot manages in an exasperated tone.

And then Lucine manages to dive in just moments after the pirate leader regained control, the glaive sweeping across the damaged craft's wing and severing it entirely!! The broken metallic plane sent spiraling off into the debris field. The pirate draws back heavily on the throttle before transforming the VF-171 into its Gerwalk mode. "And teaming up on me too?! You're full of cheap shots. Alright I'll just have to show you what this souped up baby can do!!" The Gerwalk's micro missile ports open up before unleashing a full fusilade directly into the face of both assailants... at melee range! Dangerous? Oh definitely. But no one has claimed these pirates were cowards... or smart.
Grace O'Connor transforms to VF-171 Nightmare Plus <Gerwalk Mode>

KTS: Grace O'Connor targets Alto Saotome with Micro-Missile Array Fire!
KTS: Grace O'Connor targets Lucine Azul with Micro-Missile Array Fire!

<Pose Tracker> Alexis Kerib has posed.

Alexis is content to have caused some very mild annoyance, for now. He'll make a more formal introduction of himself -- and his relationship with the broader BioNet network -- once the situation solves itself. For now, though, he has higher-priority, immediate concerns.

The Darklops remains in close; it seems to be gradually remembering how to be a Darklops, if its movements are any indication. Receiving a more-than-zero amount of resistance from the Nadesico seems to shift its stance from bullying to actually... *doing things*. Its movements speed up considerably, though they remain -- all told -- somewhat telegraphed.

The Darklops reaches up, grabbing the twin blades from its head and taking them fully in hand. It announces, over broad frequencies, "Targeting Nadesico. Pursuing." It remains fully committed to the attack, too -- rushing along the side of the vessel and dragging the Sluggers along it, then hurling one around the vessel in a boomerang loop.

Such a beautiful vessel in motion, Alexis thinks. He'll have to make checking up on its crew a priority, after something like this.

KTS: Alexis Kerib has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Alexis Kerib has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Alexis Kerib has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Lucine Azul successfully intercepts Grace O'Connor's Micro-Missile Array Fire
KTS: Alexis Kerib targets Ruri Hoshino with Darklops Slugger Combo!

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

"What a fascinating device!" The voice comes from around Zurvan somehow, rather than through the radio. But let's back up a moment to the reason it's so fascinating:

The Armored Core swings a huge rectangular club with both hands at the much larger unit, and with a great flash of sparks and smoke slams it straight into the Darkclops's side, knocking it off-balance and ruining its pose entirely.

Caught up: The Darkclops turns, righting itself carefully and staring with its single violet eye right at Zurvan's mecha. It rushes, now that they're close up, rather than trying to get out of place. Instead, it reaches out with both hands to try to grip the smaller mecha and stare down at it. From its forehead comes a terrible purple beam that crashes down towards the Weldrizer!!

"Deculture!" Delightedly, that strange voice echoes around Zurvan again. "This is such interesting technology! Do try not to die!"

KTS: Elisa Kafim targets Zurvan Zevarist with Darklops Slash!
KTS: Ruri Hoshino's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage.
KTS: Ruri Hoshino fails to evade Alexis Kerib's Darklops Slugger Combo, taking 3150 damage!
KTS: Alexis Kerib has engaged Ruri Hoshino

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Naturally. When is Grace ever wrong about anything? Not that Sheryl always listens to her, but that's a separate matter. It'd be all well and good to stay in their nice safe private cabin until the pirates board and come for her, and she's not going to just wait for that to happen!
        
        For the same reason, Sheryl tries the door anyway, because it's always best to try things for yourself. When it doesn't open, though, she doesn't force the matter. Instead, hearing voices on the other side, she pounds on it to get their attention in return.
        
        "Yeah, you are!" she calls from the other side. "I heard you say something about the cargo hold terminal. I'll go there for you with my manager." She doesn't introduce herself; either they know her by voice or they don't, and either way that's not important right now. Instead, she shoots a glance over her shoulder to make sure Grace is there, and when she confirms it, she continues, "What do we need to input to get the ship moving again?"
        
        Once she gets *those* instructions, it's off to the cargo hold. Once they're far enough away to not be overheard, Sheryl murmurs urgently, "Grace, do you have the blueprints for this ship?" This is a rhetorical question, made evident by the fact that she follows up with, "What's the quickest way to get to where we need to go?"

KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has activated the Trust Spirit Command.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist blocks Elisa Kafim's Darklops Slash, taking 1560 damage!
KTS: Alto Saotome successfully Evades Grace O'Connor's Micro-Missile Array Fire

<Pose Tracker> Zurvan Zevarist has posed.

         To hear -- no, feel -- the voice all around him is even more disturbing than having to hear voices, murmurs of other people in his head. Zurvan lets out a brief startled noise, looking up and around in reflex, before turning his gaze back at the bloody fight, in-extremis.

         "Nngghhha!" He lets out, the Weldrizer's printer arms gathers together, rapidly printing a brief wall of eerily smooth granite to get in the way of the ray of energy. The Darklops gets a good grip on the stone, almost lacing the Weldrizer before it breaks away from it. It's enough time for him to at least reduce the dead-on blast to more of a glancing blow, darkening his sides.. With immediate death avoided, he can focus on the disembodied voice.

         "What the heck... How are you talking to me!?" There is, in fact, some fear in there but it's mostly overwhelmed by the massive CURIOSITY that comes from it. Oh man! Someone talking out of thin air! That's fascinating.

         The printer arms each spins 180 degrees, coiling back each in 90 degrees angles with large, long thin blades extruding out of the printer arrays, as they attack the Darklops with a flurry of thrusts against it. "Not Deculture! SCIENCE, lady. I don't intend to die to some overgrown cyclops!"

         For people with greater access of his radio, say, Nadeisco, he might be talking to thin air. Unless her voice is also audible.

KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has activated the Foresee Spirit Command.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist targets Elisa Kafim with Hoplite Formation Extrusion!

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        Ranka is pleading, behind her. Ruri's fingers tighten, imperceptibly, against her console. She wonders if Nergal will be sending her out in an Aestivalis, next.

        It's pointlessly cruel.

        Is having the best people on hand really worth making them fight when they cry like this..?

        ... anyway, all sentimentality aside, people like that are unpredictable. That's why it bothers her, Ruri tells herself. It's just a practical matter.

        She doesn't look back, to Ranka.

        But there is someone back there.

        In a distinctive red vest, with his standard-issue accountant glasses and pencil moustache, Mr. Prospector leans down beside Ranka. "Now, now," he says, a hand on her shoulder, before he reaches down to take her hand. Regardless of whether she's actually only been here for one day, he reassures her: "It's a shocking first day on the job, isn't it..? Don't you worry, it's a fine company tradition to have a good intern cry. Come on, come sit up here, you'll be more comfortable." Given half a chance, he'll lead her to the benches along the back of the Nadesico's bridge -- the same place he tends to take a seat, given he doesn't have a console. (He has his calculator in his pocket. That's all he needs!)

        Yurika looks back to make sure she's being taken care of -- of course, she's concerned for the Nadesico's newest charge, too. But she has a battle to concern herself with, first.

        "Ms. Azul has engaged the human enemies with our Variable Fighter support," Ruri reports, cool. "Mr. Zevarist has engaged the second unknown giant." She opens a channel to Zurvan, to note: "That Darklops does not appear to be communicating using conventional channels. I'm logging the data."

        Unfortunately, she can't offer the same insight to Lucine -- because, as it happens, the Nadesico's Darklops is a terribly pushy person. It even says so, right before it slams alongside the Nadesico, dragging those Sluggers into the Distortion Field. Ruri's frown deepens by degrees, as she presses her hands against her console, aligning the harmonics of the Field to try and absorb most of the damage before it reaches the hull. She has to draw extra power from the engines, but she can do it.

        It's more effort than it looks.

        "Geez! Women aren't always looking to be pursued, you know!!" Minato complains, as, once again, she disengages forcefully from the Darklops -- which requires quite a bit of manoeuvring on her part, too, to try and clear space before the giant can immediately claim it again.

        Ruri frowns, as she looks at her sensor readouts. "Is the enemy reading into our moves?" She wonders, just as stoic, before she presses the attack during the Nadesico's retreat: "Missiles firing."

        Once again, the missiles pour out of the launch bay; one, two, three, they sail towards the giant. Why the notorious Nadesico isn't firing its Gravity Blast...

        ... might have everything to do with how difficult it is to get space between itself and the Darklops in pursuit.

KTS: Ruri Hoshino has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has disengaged.
KTS: Ruri Hoshino has activated the Resupply Spirit Command.
KTS: Ruri Hoshino targets Alexis Kerib with Missile Launch!
KTS: Alexis Kerib fails to evade Ruri Hoshino's Missile Launch, taking 2625 damage!
KTS: Elisa Kafim has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Elisa Kafim rushes into the attack!
KTS: Elisa Kafim fails to react to Zurvan Zevarist's Hoplite Formation Extrusion, taking 3720 damage!
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has engaged Elisa Kafim

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

Prospector encounters a teary eyed Ranka, who squeezes her eyes shut and tries to look away. "It's... It's not...." She's about to say it's 'not the job' but isn't it? She wasn't supposed to be here during a battle. Yet Prospector easily leads her back to her feet, one hand still white knuckle clenched over her cell phone that's looks like it's much worse for wear (It's fine. No cell phones were actually harmed in the making of this scene).

Still, after a few trembling stumbling false starts, he does manage to get her up to a bench where she sits down beside him. Where she sits, white knuckled with her hands on her knees - trying not to look at the viewscreen. "T-Thank you.... Prospector...san..."

Despite her best efforts the sudden movement forces her attention anyway. Just in time to see the Darklops hurling a slugger at the Nadesico.

It never quite becomes a scream before the ship rocks again, and she looks away, holding up both hands on either side of her head.

'Geez! Women aren't always looking to be pursued, you know!!'

Part of her envies Minato's composure under fire, just like Sheryl in that way.

She knows Alto is out there fighting, by his callsign on the radio... and she has no idea what's going on with Sheryl right now. She could already be gone. Taken. "Stop it...! Stop... it..." She whispers, again, and again. "Why... why do... things like this... keep... happening?"

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Alto blasts past his target after his initial barrage. Rolling to his fighter to the side, he looks over his shoulder. Just in time to see a barrage of missiles being unleashed, with him as one of the targets. At this range, he's not sure there's enough time for his beam vulcans to gun them down...

        Alto reacts quickly, swinging his right control down and back. The Messiah quickly separates into several sections, rapidly reconfiguring and recombining in its half-fighter half-humanoid mode in less than a second. With its legs now free, they swing up, the main engines in them blasting out at full power.

        Alto grunts as he feels the pressure of the sudden deceleration. But the move works, the approaching missiles unable to correct their path quickly enough and overshooting him. He then spins his Messiah around. Finding another of those Nightmares in view, he targets it, bringing up the gunpod held in his machine's right hand. As he pulls the trigger, his machine mirrors the movement, its own mechnical hand pulling the trigger on the large gun. It starts to blast rounds at the VF-171 its targeting.

        In his peripheral vision, Alto can see the Nadesico battling against one of those large space person things. His thoughts briefly drift to Ranka. He isn't aware of what's happening on the bridge, but he knows that she's not one who ever expected to get into a battle. It was certainly a surprise to find her onboard, Alto not aware that it was one of the places she was interning at. He just has to trust that the Nadesico and its crew can protect her.

KTS: Alto Saotome targets Grace O'Connor with Leading Fire!

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        "<If it happens two times it can't be luck.>"
        
        Ruri has had some experience with Lucine before, and she's never entirely sounded like this. It's still soft, and it certainly reads as her, but.

        This is how Lucine, someone taught by old bounty hunters, flies in the sea of stars. She's just a little too polite to properly demean an opponent by insulting their mother or how better their bespeckled grandma can pilot a war machine.

        Missiles fly at the Dianthus and Lucine twists her suit around, buying just enough time to launch a glimmering wave of beams from the Dianthus's odd 'crown' to intercept her share. When her field of view settles, she reminds herself to cast a look towards Alto, and then, further off towards the Nadesico.

        "<.... We're buying them time>," she says, as much to assure herself as it is to assure Alto.

        Does he even need assurance? She... isn't even sure who he is. Or the other pilot who is taking on the other monster(?) Should she have ventured outside her room more? She's mostly just talked with Ruri...

        She casts away her doubt and tries to refocus.

        "You cannot scratch me," Lucine softly says to herself with a glint of iron to her words, while her com is off.

        With her blade she darts ahead and swipes her glaive up, twirling around to slash it the other direction in a graceful X.

        "But I can scratch you."

KTS: Lucine Azul targets Grace O'Connor with CL0-V3 Glaive Crescent Cross!

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        There's some sounds of surprise from the pilots of the transport as Sheryl indicates she'll go to the cargo hold. They clearly recognize her voice. But after a muffled discussion between them, it's quickly apparent they have no choice. So they provide her with instructions. This, combined with guidance from Grace, leads Sheryl back through the cabin towards the rear of the ship, where a non-descript hatch opens up to a ladder down into the bay on the bottom of the ship.

        However, Sheryl's sudden march through the cabin does not go completely unnoticed. While most of the passengers are occupied either watching the flashes of light from the fight outside or trying to keep themselves calm, a few heads do turn to watch as Sheryl walks past. Four in particular take significant note. And about thirty seconds after she has passed, those four each rise from their seats, beginning to make their way back too.

        Inside the cargo hold, Sheryl finds her way to a large panel which slides open to reveal various electrical equipment beneath. Including a terminal. They are lit up, suggesting the ships systems are still functional, just cut off from the cockpit. And when Sheryl begins to follow the directions she has been given, she realizes that the terminal interface is somewhat familiar. Already her piloting lessons are paying off!

        Unfortunately, it turns out that Sheryl and Grace are not the only ones here. There's a light thud and shaking of the ship. Followed by some hissing sounds. Lights towards the rear of the cargo bay begin to flash, positioned above what looks like airlock doors. Are they beginning to open!?

        The stealth assault craft finally flies up to the immobilized transport, heading towards its bottom rear. It swings around, positioning its own airlock towards that of the transports. It backs up, softly connecting with the other ship. The pilot of the assault craft signals his BioNet allies once again, <"Assault One has docked with target. Requesting entry access from Jack. Preparing to board."> Behind him, several people in dark tactical gear stand, grabbing their equipment as they wait for the airlock doors to open.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        With the assault craft now docked with the transport, its stealth functions are compromised, making it far more visible for those that are looking. The Nadesico, with its top-of-the-line sensor suite in particular, is amongst the first to realize that there's Something Else out there with the transport.

KTS: Grace O'Connor fails to retreat.
KTS: Grace O'Connor fails to react to Lucine Azul's CL0-V3 Glaive Crescent Cross, taking 3300 damage!
KTS: Lucine Azul has engaged Grace O'Connor
KTS: Grace O'Connor fails to react to Alto Saotome's Leading Fire, taking 4950 damage!
KTS: Alto Saotome begins a Formation attack!
KTS: Grace O'Connor has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has disengaged.

<Pose Tracker> Grace O'Connor has posed.

        There have been many times in Grace's time with Sheryl she has seen her take charge like this. It's just... there haven't been as many times where she has taken charge in the midst of a dangerous situation. Much less a dangerous situation where (it appears) she is the one in danger. The girl is really quite the handful! And even her manager is surprised when instead of ordering her cybnetically enhanced foster maternal figure to try and pry the door open with her bare hands, she just tries to do it herself. It'd be almost comical were it not for the gravity of the situation... but perhaps it will be ok. It's not like she'll end up getting in the way by going to the cargo hold...

        And that's when the pilots manage to relay to Sheryl through the door that the terminal to manually override the cockpit door is near the cargo hold. At this point she idly considers having 'the boarders' decompress the pilot cabin, but ultimately decides against it. The damage has been done. She's already begun working on contingencies might have to be engaged upon in the near future.

        Speaking of the near future, Sheryl turns toward her and asks rhetorically whether or not Grace has the blueprints for the ship. Grace makes a put-upon expression, but sighs as if to say 'I guess nothing I have to say at this point would change your mind anyway.' With that she pulls upon the red tear drop dangling from her necklace. A holographic display comes up showing the layout of the transport ship...

MEANWHILE in SPACE: Someone is having a Bad Time it seems. After losing part of his machine to the joint assault of Alto and Lucine, now his visually impressive (and initially satisfying) spray of missiles proves shockingly impotent! Between the Messiah's impressive transforming dodge and the Dianthus's successful bid in shooting down its own assailing missiles suffice to say that the pirate leader finds this entire situation blowing up in his face. Somewhat literally as the pirate is blinded by his own missiles exploding a short distance from his face.

This does him no favors when Lucine rushes forward with a glaive and strikes his unit once, and then twice!! He grits his teeth both at the injury... and the added insult. "And you think we'll just let you get away with this?! Get er' boys!!"

A bright light flashes in his peripheral vision, a yell and static as suddenly one of his companions gets shot to pieces - the fusilage and cockpit sent spinning from the force of the explosion initiated by Alto's rounds! "Damn it all!!" The pirate leader exclaims over the comms before engaging all the thrusters to get as much distance between him and his assailants as possible.

The beam cannon slides from the damaged core unit of the GERWALK, lighting up as it charges. "Sure you can dodge a few of my shots, but can you dodge all of them?!" He yells as he he raises the gunpod to fire additional rounds while sweeping sweeping the beam cannon back and forth wildly. At this point he doesn't even care if he managed to sink the transport ship!! He's just blind drunk with anger and wants to hit something with his fancy new Variable Fighter dammit!!

        '<"Assault One has docked with target. Requesting entry access from Jack. Preparing to board.">'

        <"Jack acknowledges. Entry access will be granted shortly. Wait for my signal Assault One.">

        Grace's holographic display now shows the ship as it decloaks outside the ship from an external camera. She stares back at the docking ring to the cargo bay as it lights up. Already she is moving to get between Sheryl and the airlock doors protectively. She says nothing but her body language says it all: They're almost out of time.

KTS: Grace O'Connor has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Grace O'Connor has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Grace O'Connor has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Grace O'Connor has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Grace O'Connor targets Alto Saotome and Lucine Azul with Gun Pod Barrage.
KTS: Grace_O'Connor Changes attack to Alto Saotome and Lucine Azul with Mauler Beam Cannons Sweep.

<Pose Tracker> Alexis Kerib has posed.

Oh no: More missiles! The Darklops continues to cope with this... passably, at least -- each detonates, and when the smoke clears, there's some visible gouges out of the Darklops's body, revealing that it is, indeed, a robot and not some kind of large person. There are circuits; there is metal. That it's an unusual shape for the Earth Sphere does not change that it is, ultimately, a machine.

Alexis does not bother to intercede any further than he already has. He simply leaves these things to the Darklops's onboard AI; they are ultimately disposable things, and he has access to rather a lot of them, all told.

The giant continues its assault; it really does not want to let the Nadesico disengage, because it can tell that that's a losing proposition. Allowing a battleship to simply stand and deliver is almost never the right play. It boosts toward the Nadesico at top speed, but this time -- rather than use the Sluggers -- it raises its arm and holds it, elbow-bent, fist-up, as if it was showing off a watch. The other hand comes to the elbow, forming an "L" shape.

Then it fires forth a blast of deep purple energy from the arm. It's a pale imitation of the light that sustains the universe -- but it is, indeed, an *imitation*, and a successful one, of that thing. It threatens to overwhelm the Nadesico, especially after that high-speed dash forward... it's a good thing that the Darklops doesn't seem to have any particular designs on any *part* of the Nadesico. In the end, there's only so much tactical judgment you can expect from a fairly simple, mass-produced AI.

KTS: Alexis Kerib has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Alexis Kerib targets Ruri Hoshino with Darklops Shot!

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

If Elisa cares that her communication style is creepy, she doesn't say so. On the other hand, she can't actually see him, can't sense him like the Awakened could. And in turn, there is nothing to sense in the Darkclops... though there wouldn't be anyway. She's not inside it.

That wall of granite buckles the stone, but protects Zurvan. Elisa clicks her tongue without transmitting that part. Instead... there is fear, yes--but ahhhh. She HEARS it.

"You wonder, don't you?" Elisa's voice continues. "The void is the path to many abilities some might find... unnatual. But it is our future, young scientist."

She meanwhile betrays no fear--but is that because she's unafraid in general, or because the kaiju operates at a remove from her?

The thrusts slam into the unit, and each blade hit gives off smoke and sparks as it scythes into the mechanical body of the Darkclops. "Science!" that voice continues. "Well. Then let's gather more DATA!"

The Darkclops suddenly brings both hands together and from its open palms comes a terrible beam of purple energy, obliterating rock hanging in space between it and the Wendrizer.

As it happens, Elisa lets loose a pulse of dark energy, and abrubtly the cockpit where her voice echoes grows very, very cold.

Idly, from her perch some distance away, Elisa peers at the display on her machine that indicates the transport. Hmm...

KTS: Lucine Azul has activated the Foresee Spirit Command.
KTS: Elisa Kafim has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Elisa Kafim has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Zurvan Zevarist
KTS: Elisa Kafim targets Zurvan Zevarist with Darklops Shot!
KTS: Lucine Azul has activated the Foresee Spirit Command targeting Alto Saotome
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has activated the Trust Spirit Command.
KTS: Elisa Kafim enervates Zurvan Zevarist, reducing his Morale significantly.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist blocks Elisa Kafim's Darklops Shot, taking 6710 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Elisa Kafim's Beyond the Void activates, causing Deject!
KTS: Alto Saotome has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Alto Saotome has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
Alto Saotome transforms to VF-25F Messiah <Fighter Mode>

KTS: Ruri Hoshino has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Ruri Hoshino's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage.
KTS: Ruri Hoshino fails to evade Alexis Kerib's Darklops Shot, taking 4590 damage!
KTS: Alto Saotome charges into the attack!
KTS: Alto Saotome successfully avoids Grace O'Connor's Mauler Beam Cannons Sweep
KTS: Lucine Azul fails to charge.
KTS: Lucine Azul fails to react to Grace O'Connor's Mauler Beam Cannons Sweep, taking 3640 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Grace O'Connor's Control of the Flow activates, causing Jam L1!

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

    "<Incoming!>" Lucine says this to her allies' com, moments before the beam cannon slides into view from the GERWALK's core unit.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        It'll be fine. After all, she's Sheryl Nome. She'll make what she wants to happen, happen.
        
        And so Sheryl makes it to the cargo hold and slides open a panel to show, among other things, a terminal. This sort of thing isn't her forte--but Grace already brought the two of them here, and besides which, these controls look familiar. Tapping at them, she realizes they're familiar for a reason, thanks to her piloting lessons. A triumphant smile curves up her pink-painted lips.
        
        "All those extra hours in the simulator were worth it, weren't they, Alto?" she murmurs to herself.
        
        She's only partway through inputting the commands to reengage the engine and reinitiate the cockpit when something *else* happens, though. Something impacts the ship--not enough to shake it, but enough to be noticeable--and she turns to see flashing lights over the airlock.
        
        "What?! Are they boarding already?" she hisses. Grace answers with eloquent silence by positioning herself between her and the airlock. Sheryl gets back to those controls, her motions frantic, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and relentless determination. If these pirates catch her, who knows what they'll do to her while they have her captive. But she's not going to just stop and give up and let herself get captured, either. If she can just finish this last bit--if she can just make it in time--if she can make sure Grace's help doesn't go to waste, if she can make sure Ranka doesn't have to mourn her, if she can see Alto one more time--
        
        Under her breath, her lips part. She sings just a bit to see her through the last of the command inputs:
        
        "When I was still in love with God
        "I never expected such a farewell would come... ohhh..."
        
        Pulse thudding in her neck, her fingers snap decisively on the ENTER key. Her earring swings hypnotically back and forth, and through the purple crystal set within it, the sound of her voice and her feelings of powering through her own fear transmit to other pieces of itself nearby...
        
        The code is in. But it looks like time's run out, too.

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        "There, there," Mr. Prospector assures Ranka, pulling out a little pocket packet of tissues and offering it to her. Why an accountant would need secret crying gear is...

        Well, do you know how much those missiles cost?!

        Ranka is upset, in the background of the bridge. Ruri can still hear her. Omoikane can hear her, too. He has cycles to spare to be worried, even as he takes care of the myriad background calculations necessary for a tactical intelligence to undertake. His computing power is spread over quite a few cores, after all.

        Why do things like this keep happening..?

        The first time Ruri addresses Ranka, it doesn't involve eye contact; she's still watching the battle. Neither does it hold any particular warmth; she's still speaking in the context of the battle. "Adults are stubborn. Because everyone wants something, we end up fighting... and adults don't tolerate inconvenience very well."

        Megumi and Minato, on either side of Ruri, exchange nervous glances in the wake of such a troubling unchildlike reassurance.

        "Oh, well," Ruri dismisses the whole idea. It was a foolish interlude in the first place. Just because Omoikane was worried... there's no point to her saying something like that.

        She's such a fool.

        A fool, too, who has a giant problem on her hands. Though Ruri reinforces the Distortion Field as best she's able, the blast of Darklops Shot rocks over them entirely, and an explosion towards the rear of the ship is terrible news.

        "Our nuclear pulse engines have been hit," Ruri reports, unmoved. "Now isolating... we'll run on our Pulse Transition Engines."

        NOT SHOWN: Seiya Uribatake, resident chief engineer, who currently really wishes Zurvan wasn't moonlighting as a pilot so he could have an extra pair of hands on deck.

        He's fine! He's probably fine.

        "We're all right, everyone," Ruri says, as Minato clears some distance for them, and brings them about. Ruri presses her hands to the console, as she attends to no less than eight emergencies coursing through the system. "Omoikane, I leave it to you."

        'It' is the complex set of calculations they need to account for firing the Gravity Blast Cannon on Dusklops before it tears through them with its melee assault. She's asking a lot of the Phase Transition Engines, but since they're in a vacuum, they're able to cope.

        (The Cosmos is going to hate them, later.)

        The prongs open, the beam charges. It is as devastating as ever. That's why Ruri had to spend so much time on the logistics.

        But even leaving the Darklops aside --

        "Sensors are picking up a second vessel aligned with the transport!" Megumi raises the alarm, and sounds plenty alarmed, just her own good self. She opens a channel to all friendly units -- her face is freckled, with a yellow shawl over her uniform, and purple braided hair. She at least manages to sound less startled as she relates: "All units, an unknown vessel has engaged the transport. It is attempting to evade our sensors. Presume it's an enemy unit!"

KTS: Ruri Hoshino has activated the Resupply Spirit Command.
KTS: Ruri Hoshino targets Alexis Kerib with Gravity Blast!
KTS: Alexis Kerib fails to react to Ruri Hoshino's Gravity Blast, taking 6120 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        'We're buying them time.'

        Alto doesn't seem to mind the reassurance, nodding along in response, <"Right.">

        Then the warning comes in. Alto's eyes go a little wide for a moment, but he then focuses. In a reverse of earlier, he swings his control up, his Messiah transforming once again, this time back into fighter mode. Its engines kick in and it blasts away from pirate Nightmare at high speed. As it does so, Alto jerks his controls left and right, repeatedly alternating his foot pedals.

        The Messiah blasts away from the Nightmare as it opens up with those beam cannons, the white Valkyrie starting to roll and twist its way through the sweeping lances of energy.

        As Alto dances in between the bursts of light, he turns his head to look at the pirate leader who apparently doesn't know when to shut up. Or even how to properly fly a Valkyrie. He says to Lucine, <"Let's show this guy what real pilots are like.">.

        The white VF-25F circles around, its wide arc starting to bring it back around towards the Nightmare again. As his target comes into view, Alto watches intently as his aiming reticule lines up with the cockpit of the Nightmare... A quick twist of the stick and a pull of the trigger.

        The Messiah's wing-mounted guns come to life again, spitting out a rapid barrage of bullets that go streaking towards not the cockpit, but rather the rear of the craft and its engines, Alto trying to disable the craft.

        It's only after Alto's assault that he receives notice about a craft attached to the transport, "What!?" He turns his head to look. And sure enough, he can see the black blotch against the much lighter colour of the transport. What CAN they do about that, with it being so close to the transport?

KTS: Alto Saotome has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Alto Saotome targets Grace O'Connor with ES-25A High Speed Machine Guns Concentrated Barrage!

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

Prospector offers her tissues, and at first she's unable to take them. Ruri though addresses her, and Ranka finds herself looking up in her distress, "That's..." She's of course seen that kind of behavior before, all her life, from a misbehaving customer to someone at the Miss Macross show pushing her out of the way. She's the kind of person to react by letting herself getting pushed around rather than standing up for herself.

All because she doesn't want to hurt anyone. Ranka Lee perhaps is thus the antithesis of Ruri's view of adulthood, a child herself still. And yet, there is something that she wants. Perhaps it's selfish... perhaps to get it she'll become more like that eventually.

And then that blast of deep purple energy comes, a pale imitation of the light that sustains the universe perhaps. The engines have been hit, and Ranka lets out a small sound, before she starts to feel light-headed. The world starts to go a little darker.

And then... she hears it. "Sheryl-san... she's singing now?" Why? She'd asked it earlier, it was the right question perhaps - but she was asking the wrong person. And in one moment of clarity, she understands that Sheryl is scared too, that she's singing to steady herself through her trials.

And suddenly as she wipes her tear-filled eyes across the back of her hand, before taking the tissues from Prospector and finishing the job. She then starts to sing, at first it's soft refrain, a touch fragile, like freshly spider-webbed glass. "If... I had known... I could never... feel your t-touch again... I would have hoped... to be embraced just... one. last. time."

As she stands up from the bench, her voice seems to gradually steady - her volume increasing, her tone crystallizing as if the fragility was repairing itself through sheer inspiration, finding resilience where none existed from Sheryl.

"It's long long good-bye..."

'As long as you keep thinking someone like you can't do anything, then you'll never be able to!'

Like a folded paper airplane taking flight, her voice begins to soar.

"Goodbye, goodbye, so many times,
"I repeated the word to myself,
"Waving my hands. It's only graceful, right?
"Now, I long to be stronger."

Despite having no microphone, no amplifier, the voice is resonant, it feels like it fills the warship, through every corridor like a living thing that reaches out to all of their hearts. A ripple in the fabric of the universe. And from afar, even though Sheryl is singing alone, she might no longer feels alone. A second voice feels like it's joining her, from a fan, a friend.

KTS: Ranka Lee targets Ruri Hoshino with Awe!
KTS: Ranka Lee has activated the Foresee Spirit Command targeting Ruri Hoshino
KTS: Ranka Lee has activated the Rouse Spirit Command targeting Ruri Hoshino
KTS: Ranka Lee inspires awe, increasing Ruri Hoshino's Morale!

<Pose Tracker> Zurvan Zevarist has posed.

         'Fear' is a very human thing to have. Or rather, a very intelligent thing to be feeling. Fear of the unknown, fear of danger, fear of the smallness of each one within. People that don't feel SOME fear or aren't startled by such strange happenings probably have plenty of other problems going on with them.

         It's not helped when you have a GIGANTIC BLAST of... purple energy (thing to investigate later) just plowing through his defenses. More rocks are erected up to defend and it does, in some manner, stops the worse of it. It's not a complete annihilation. Zurvan, in the wake of this, faces the blast of energy with a snarl, hands gripping his controls. Warnings snaps off in his cockpit, one of the MREC-T printing limbs is obliterated in the blast, leaving a trail of atomic mist as matter briefly sprays out before being sealed.

         In the end, Weldrizer is quite scarred, with sparks spreading through the body, several missing parts in it's armor and frame. But it's inside where things have grown a lot colder. Is it the pressure? The fear of the voice? There's some of that.

         "I do wonder," Zurvan's voice comes more firm, resolved. "Of how this works. I do wonder, why you do this, Ms. Whenever that's the future or not, however... I'm going to have to disagree!"

         The Weldrizer's remaining arrays hovers before his overstretched hand as he points at the Darkclops. "Unless you are talking about a raw black hole singularity reactor or applied power but the antiquated notion of 'Void' or 'Dark Matter', a notion of just pure devoid of anything that drains all that it touchs, not a vacuum per-se. By the sensation of this, you are talking more about the theft of energy as well as matter, applied forward into direct applications. That's not 'Void', that's 'Anti Thermodynamics', that exists. Now, if you're doing this with your MIND that's pretty darn fanastical! All the things that could be applied to: making energy safe! Neuter explosive hazards! Calm overreactive chemicals!"

         All while Zurvan nerdily rants on, partially to get himself some courage back, the printing arrays have created a gun -- a Mecha sized assault rifle, completely made of resin, that he grabs by the barrel and swings it at the Darkclops -- where it promptly explodes into a large stream of stick, ultra hot resin.

         "What I'm getting at is... if what you do with it is blast people and spook scientists, Ms. Meltran, that's an awful WASTE of a unique power!"

KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist targets Elisa Kafim with Macro Resin Rifle!
KTS: Elisa Kafim fails to retreat.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist rattles Elisa Kafim, making her next maneuvers more difficult.
KTS: Elisa Kafim fails to evade Zurvan Zevarist's Macro Resin Rifle, taking 4160 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Alexis Kerib has posed.

The Darklops is... *not* rated for the sheer strength of the Nadesico's main cannon. It's bathed in that massive beam; even though it's designed to fight in essentially any environment at a comfortable pace, this is... a lot. By the time the dust clears, the Darklops is barely hanging on -- it's emitting an enormous amount of sparks, and whether it manages to disable the Nadesico or not... it's probably on its last legs.

It lurches forward, much slower, not able to maintain its full offensive posture; while it was designed to keep pace with the likes of Ultraseven and Ultraman Zero, the mass-production Darklops is a pretty toothless copy, at this stage.

Yet again, the Darklops makes an effort to close with the Nadesico; this time, though, its strikes are less elegant, less adroit. Where before it had been trying to maximize damage by carving lines into broad swaths of the Nadesico, now it simply plucks the Sluggers from its head and begins digging in with attack after attack as best it can, wordlessly.

Alexis's tools, in the end, reflect their user -- and the Darklops, in that regard, is no different.

KTS: Alexis Kerib has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
KTS: Alexis Kerib has activated the Trick Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Sheryl enters the code. The terminal processes... Processes... Processes... Success!

        Sure enough, the lights in the cockpit return, one of the pilots remarking, "Hot damn, she did it! Try and override the airlock controls." The two begin working to force the ship attached to them off again.

        Unfortunately, time has indeed run out. As even as the pilots begin working to free themselves, the airlock has opened and several unknown people make their way out. Sheryl and Grace can't see it from their position, blocked from view by various cargo crates. But they can hear the movements. One person even reports, "We've entered, searching for the target."

        The footsteps start to get closer and closer... But then they start to get further away. Until finally, there's another report, "Target located. Retrieving."

        There's a sudden shout, "Look out!" Then the sounds of gunfire! Another shout, "We've got it, back to the ship! Pull back!"

        From the occasional glimpses they get between the crates, Grace and Sheryl are able to see what looks like a running firefight. Several men in black, one with a small crate tucked beneath his arm, are running back for the airlock while firing. Behind them, four men in plain clothes. Possibly passengers, but they're clearly well trained with the handguns they're using to try and put the attackers down.

KTS: Alexis Kerib has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Alexis Kerib has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Alexis Kerib targets Ruri Hoshino with Darklops Slugger Combo!
KTS: Ruri Hoshino has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Ruri Hoshino's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage.
KTS: Ruri Hoshino fails to evade Alexis Kerib's Darklops Slugger Combo, taking 3780 damage!
KTS: Alexis Kerib has engaged Ruri Hoshino

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        It came as a flash of insight, something Lucine is no stranger to by now. It's one of the many reasons Lucine even managed to survive Mars.

        How can it be that this is the only time she's thought of this, though?

        To use it to warn others. "<... I hope that made sense... It's harder to put it to words than just react-->"

        "... Gh...." The explosion rocks Lucine's suit despite her own insight, rattling her back into her seat. Right, right, use your abilities to help others, but don't do it at the risk of yourself.

        <"Let's show this guy what real pilots are like.">
        
        Lucine nods in response, and smiles. "<... Right.>"

        Because for all Lucine knows, Alto is a veteran pilot. Sure he looks around her age, but she's met pilots who are younger! Those NERV pilots seemed like they were veterans, even if she's never seen them in battle...

        She will take her confidence where she can get it, be it from assuming the motions of old teachers, or feeling confident in a small nugget of comraderie.

        The Glaive is exchanged for the Arbalest, which turns out to be in name only for this one attack as it is held sideways like it was a longbow, Lucine drawing back an drawstring of energy that emits from it. She focuses, and says the magic words. "<.... I got you in my sights.>"

        Kris 'Kit' Azul, retired bounty hunter, would say it a lot louder and more threatening than that, but Lucine isn't here for a bounty.

        The arrow of light is let loose, spinning like a comet in the lead pirate's direction.

        ... Wait, was there more people?

        "<I thought the pirates were the ones to worry about... I'm sorry, I didn't think that there'd be more...>" Panick creeps into her voice. "<... Maybe I can get there, but I'm not sure what to do...>"

KTS: Lucine Azul targets Grace O'Connor with Argen-21 Beam Arbalest Orion Shot!
KTS: Grace O'Connor fails to evade Alto Saotome's ES-25A High Speed Machine Guns Concentrated Barrage, taking 5580
damage!
KTS: Grace O'Connor's VF-171 Nightmare Plus <Gerwalk Mode> has been disabled.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

"Oh, to be sure, it would be impossible to create the void in conventional space. As you say, it is no mere vaccuum. And there are so many applications! You name just a few of the myriad possibilities of the void! And yet you say it is not our future?"

"Our future is the forging forward into new dimensions of space, time, of BEING, through kaiju, through the proper application of dimensional science!"

"...Ah, dear." The voice pauses, as Zurvan finishes printing--she got to talking, and didn't think to direct her kaiju away from the giant rifle there. It EXPLODES as it hits the Darkclops, which attempts to move back out of range but only succeeds in being doused in molten resin that should surely melt through any conventional material. As it stands, great big sparks erupt from the Darkclops's form, the whole thing smoking as a result, stutter-stepping as its mechanisms are gummed up by the resin.

"...Well. That was unpleasant," the voice says again. "But as you say, there is much more that I can do with this power. But sometimes the situation calls for blasting people and scaring people, too! And it's the best way to gather more data on the effects of the alternate dimension on--"

The SONG. The song comes, and Elisa pauses, in place, as her crystals resonate with it. She hears it, though there is no microphone, it is not transmitted over any radio into the cockpit where she rests. Her eyes widen. "What...?"

"A-aaah," she says in the cockpit, and suddenly the voice in Zurvan's cockpit is silent without warning, the pressure abrubtly gone. "What is...?" She looks up into space, in wonder. "What is this music...?"

But Zurvan doesn't get to hear that. In fact, bereft of guidance, the Darkclops is left, badly damaged, to operate on its own AI. So it rushes, starting a barrage of punches and slams, attempting to just body the Weldrizer outright with superior size and force, though its movements are slow. ...Still hits like a gigantic robot man, though.

"Darling," the voice says instead to Alexis, suddenly audible in the space near him. "What is that lovely music on the ship yours is fighting? Do you knoww?"

...For some reason the voice continues not to project near the Nadesico and its fighters, though.

KTS: Elisa Kafim targets Zurvan Zevarist with Darklops CQC Brawl!
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has activated the Trust Spirit Command.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist's Physical Wall L1 activates, negating 1000 base damage.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist blocks Elisa Kafim's Darklops CQC Brawl, taking 3150 damage!
KTS: Elisa Kafim has engaged Zurvan Zevarist

<Pose Tracker> Grace O'Connor has posed.

        Within Grace's Secretarial/Black Ops OS, a previously idle screen suddenly flashes to life. Alongside predictable readouts indicating reactor output, weapon energy, radar and systems integrity there is also a fold wave readout. Given that Sheryl is singing she isn't entirely surprised that there is some activity... but there is a sudden jump. She knows from experience that increases in a Fairy's strength tend to be gradual, and that readings on this level tend to be... shall we say, closer to the peak of a Fairy's ability. Part of her wants to extract the data readings and immediately analyze it for useful information.

        In fact had things gone as initially planned that's just what Grace would be doing: Buckled in alongside with Sheryl in their private cabin waiting for the situation to resolve itself. Instead she finds herself putting her body at risk of incidental damages by placing it between Ms. Nome and the agents boarding the vessel. Meanwhile Sheryl is finishing up with the manual override. She wasn't lying earlier when she said that the manual override would restore control over the control system interrupt she had put in place. And while it would be trivial to prevent the restoration of the cockpit controls, she would prefer not to have to play too heavy a hand...

        'We've got it!'

        That was all that Grace needed to hear. At this point the arrival of armed plainsclothes individuals to try and stop the agents matters little. With the objective secured the rest is expendable. Grace quickly throws her arms around Sheryl and holds her close. Her voice is steady but also strangely stern, "Cover your ears." With that a prehensile cable suddenly snakes from inside her sleeve and plugs into the cargo bay terminal. Within an instant the screen switches over from the docking ring and airlock controls.

        Docking Ring Command Entry: EMERGENCY EXPULSION DETONATION

        Airlock Control Command Entry: EMERGENCY SEAL AND LOCK

        Klaxons blare and flashing lights sound. After that everything happens in an instant: A loud explosion!! Big enough to potentially consume some of the agents, but then comes the decompression: A rush of air blasting out into space to try and futilely fill the void, while potentially dragging some hapless individuals with it!! Meanwhile the shuttle, for its part, will be pushed into space by the force of the blast allowing the onboard crew a chance to make a quick get away. Assuming they can avoid the multiple unfriendly units waiting out there...

Speaking of unfriendly, our friend Mr. Pirate Leader is not feeling very friendly at all. That said he feels absolutely elated when he sees the beam shot of his fighter lash across Lucine's unit. His voice raises in a laugh, "How about that for a scratch, bitch?!"

Were this a more comedic show one would expect perhaps a record to scratch, the entire room to stare at the pirate leader at his tactless use of language. Instead though in the midst of his gleeful celebration he is suddenly interrupted by the rapport of concentrated machine gun fire on the rear of his GERWALK. At this point the overtaxed reactor is nearing failure, and the introduction of punctures to its main chamber does little to improve matters. "Dammit!! Why won't you just HOLD STILL!!"

Unfortunately holding still is precisely what he is doing when the arrow of light strikes his fighter!! Lucine's shot smashes through the body of the GERWALK, detonating the overtaxed core and sending the remains of the fusilage and cockpit careening through the deep black. The pirate lead's death is not assured... someone could survive such a loss of their unit, but neither is it confirmed. Someone COULD take the time to try and pick up the spinning cockpit module before it escapes...

But just then something unexpected happens: Near the transport, the IFF and sensors of units starts to go a bit screwy. Friendly units are identified as enemies before flipping back ot friendly - and vice versa! Worse there are numerous 'phantom' readings appearing across the radar before disappearing.

That's when it appears: A mysterious variable fighter, steel blue with black stripes and violet trim!! It seems to be the source of the ECM-disruption as it arrives just in time to provide support for the shuttle to make its escape!

        Back aboard the transport Grace is still hugging onto Sheryl. She takes a moment to sigh deeply as the klaxons start to fade. It might be in relief... or frustration: After all, she hates that she had to play this card early.

        Next time... she'll hire a bounty hunter.

KTS: Grace O'Connor has deployed in YF-27-5 Shaher F Custom 'Ars Goetia' (Fighter Mode).

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Somehow, though there's no reasonable way it could happen, Sheryl feels like she isn't alone--that someone, that *Ranka* is there singing alongside her. She smiles, heart slowing and lightening at the same time as the terminal processes her input. It's funny; she wrote Diamond Crevasse to express her loneliness and sorrow from when she'd been alone and abandoned as a child. But now...
        
        "I met you, the stars sparkled, and I was born
        "I love you, therefore I am
        
        It's not just Ranka's end of the song that Elisa's crystals will project; it's Sheryl's too. Though it may not be quite the living thing that Ranka's voice is--there's just something *about* Ranka, the way she is now--there is a fierce will in Sheryl's voice. The will to be heard, to inspire, to never give up even until the end. Two voices, joining as one even across a great distance, filled with power and emotion. If Alto brought the earring Sheryl gave him along on this mission, that innocent harmony will reach him too.
        
        "What good is waiting for a hopeless miracle?
        "Through my tear-filled vision, the planet's twinkle is gone..."
        
        Success. Sheryl utters a laugh of delight, filled with a strange joy feeding back from the second voice that seems to harmonize with her from nowhere--but it soon turns into a yelp as the airlock opens. She slams herself against the wall, reaching for Grace to pull her manager along and keep the both of them from getting spotted. But footsteps approach, until...
        
        'Target located,' one voice says, and she digs her nails into Grace's arm.
        
        But...
        
        But no one finds her. No one tries to grab her. She hears gunfire, and she dares peek out from the floor around Grace. They've got it...? Then they *weren't* here for her? But then what *were* they here for? Sheryl shoots Grace a confused, troubled look.
        
        This is in time for Grace to grab her in an embrace and warn her to cover her ears.
        
        Sheryl sucks in a little breath. Still, she does as she's told without question, burying her face in her manager's chest. The explosion that ROCKS the bay leaves her ears ringing, even with them covered with her hands and hair; she doesn't like to imagine how bad it would've been otherwise. A rush of air into the void, the screaming of warning klaxons... and then stillness.
        
        For the time being, Sheryl keeps her head down and her ears covered. Just in case. A burst eardrum would *absolutely* ruin her upcoming tour.

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        Is there something Ruri wants?

        She's... still figuring out what kind of world she wants to create. But...

        Anyway, what she wants...

        Regardless of anything like that, Ruri has no intentions of letting the thing which tears the Nadesico apart be literal, either.

        Neither is Omoikane.

        It's hard to say whether Megumi or the computer system notices what Ranka is doing first, though certainly both of them do -- Omoikane has an intrinsic understanding of harmonics, and Megumi has spent more than her fair share of time inside a sound booth. It's Omoikane, though, who opens a communication window by Ranka, text all bound in a box:

                                < NOW TRANSMITTING >

        And he is. Even though Ranka has no microphone, Omoikane has every intention of helping her voice fill the ship -- and outside its halls, to reach everyone else on the battlefield, too. It's an open channel, but it's only flowing one way.

        (Omoikane wouldn't want to interrupt her.)

        The situation with the transport is horrible, but the Nadesico is all brute force -- there's little they can do, directly, to pry one ship from another without destroying the both of them. All that aside, the Darklops isn't giving them any room to make the decision -- it closes it again, with its own version of clumsy force.

        Once again: it is almost half the height of the Nadesico. Its force might be rote, but it's still not something they can just disregard. At this rate --

        "We just can't get away!" Minato reports, rattled.

        "If it's going to be so pushy..." Yurika folds her arms, with an intense expression. Inspiration strikes -- perhaps it's the music. "Just dump the missiles!" She announces, after a moment, cheerfully.

        "You mean... launch the missiles?" Ventures Jun Aoi, her deeply unlucky second in command.

        "Nope! Dump 'em!" Yurika corrects him, with complete confidence. "Right in front of the giant, okay? And raise our Distortion Field to maximum!"

        "Now dumping missiles," Ruri confirms, before anyone can protest. She has to cycle the Phase Transition Engines to get enough power to the Distortion Field, but she doesn't hesitate for a moment.

        The missiles subsequently tumble out of the Nadesico's missile bays --

        Right in the path of that relentless assault.

        It's the Darklops' own Sluggers which can pierce into the explosive munitions -- which means that if it doesn't cease its attacks, it's going to explode them for the Nadesico -- right in its face.

        No wonder Yurika ordered the Distortion Field to be reinforced.

        Ruri's eyes track to the sensors as they're enacting the attack, but she wasn't lying to Zurvan, before. She's logging all this data. With the Darklops in front of them, it will have to be a puzzle for later.

KTS: Ruri Hoshino has activated the Resupply Spirit Command.
KTS: Ranka Lee has activated the Enable Spirit Command targeting Ruri Hoshino
KTS: Ranka Lee has activated the Enable Spirit Command targeting Ruri Hoshino
KTS: Ranka Lee has activated the Attune Spirit Command targeting Ruri Hoshino
KTS: Ranka Lee has activated the Foresee Spirit Command targeting Ruri Hoshino
KTS: Ruri Hoshino targets Alexis Kerib with Missile Mines!
KTS: Alexis Kerib fails to react to Ruri Hoshino's Missile Mines, taking 5170 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Ruri Hoshino's Scan activates, causing Designate L1!
KTS: Alexis Kerib's Darklops has been disabled.

<Pose Tracker> Zurvan Zevarist has posed.

         "I'm going to be completely honest," Zurvan matter-of-factly replies, "I was just kind of talking to make you talk more and not notice my gun."

         The music do hit home, somewhat. He's got that Zentradi blood, after all: if it wasn't for music, he wouldn't exist. Still, this lasp in... pressure from the woman's powers is welcomed, the engineer taking in a deep breath as he refocus his thoughts.

         The Weldrizer reacts to the Darkclops by lifting up another wall of stone as he slams into the smaller mech. It's effective to a degree: the ablative protection removes quite a lot of the brunt of the damage on the already battered machine. The armored core's hands are pooled together, in order to struggle against the larger mech bodying it. Even the printing arrays slams in to chip in... except for one.

         "Yeah, let's speak of the future, ma'am." Zurvan's tone grows more sharp. "You're Meltran, right? Second generation, probably. You used 'Deculture!' in a sort of ironic and extended manner, instead of shouting it after, I dunno, watching two people kiss or eat a cake. It's second gen as hell. So, you know that being 'huge' is just another state of being, it's not inherently superior in a varied world. Advantages and disadvantages. And being a Kaiju? Why? Let the Kaiju be Kaijus. C'mon, they got it rough."

         The one remaining array is quickly joined by another as they spin a weave of molten matter, this time a long, thing rectangular metal slab, with a simple 'handle' at one end. The Weldrizer creaks and whines beneath the smashing of the Darkclops, as it tries, dares to reach for the handle out... grabbing it with a swing.

         "As for the 'void', if people like you are it's main advocates of it, you're going to need a lot better PR. What even GAVE you that power?" A pause, "Also, I don't really know who that's singing. She's singing nice. Sounds cute. Would buy her album and simp to her channel." He adds, without skipping a beat. Maybe kidding. Maybe.

         With a flurry of movement, the Weldrizer pushes away against the Darkclops, grabbing the printed scabbard and pulls out a brilliant, polished blade -- one that is impossibly thin. With a roar from the pilot, he grabs the handle with both hands and swings it at the larger giant man's center torso. Let's see how a nano -width sword will do against theses things.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Beneath Alto's flight suit, the violet gem of the earring hanging from his necklace begins to glow softly. Alto can't see it, but he does start to hear... Something. Or at least, thinks he hears it. Is that... Singing?

        It almost sounds like, "Sheryl?" And then, "Ranka?" He's a little confused at the sensation.

        Alto's focus is brought back to reality though as he notices the pirate leader now floating helplessly through void in the ruined fuselage. Someone will probably pick him up, right now Alto has other matters to deal with.

        Alto turns his head to look back towards the transport. Just in time too as he sees the sudden decompression as the black shape detaches from the ship. This is it! This is there chance. To Lucine he radios, <"Come on, let's go!">

        The VF-25F Messiah twists and turns to start blasting towards the transport and the assault craft. But before Alto can even so much as close the distance, his IFF starts going crazy! Both false and incorrect readings start popping up on his HUD. He really wishes Luca was here right now... All he can do is rely on his eyes.

        But amidst the chaos, Alto loses sight of the shuttle. And with its small shape and black colour scheme, he can't seem to find it against the backdrop of space! He quickly radios his allies, <"Anyone got sights on that craft? Anyone?">

KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist has activated the Foresee Spirit Command.
KTS: Zurvan Zevarist targets Elisa Kafim with Nano-Waifer Sword!
KTS: Elisa Kafim fails to rush.
KTS: Elisa Kafim fails to react to Zurvan Zevarist's Nano-Waifer Sword, taking 6840 damage!
KTS: Elisa Kafim's Darklops has been disabled.

<Pose Tracker> Alexis Kerib has posed.

"Hm?" Alexis glances to the sound of the voice -- so close to him, already. "Ah. Yes. Well. I can't say I've heard it before, but I *do* do my homework, even when I'm skipping class. It's... the project of an associate I'd like to get to know." Alexis so often combs databanks for interesting information, after all.

While Alexis allows a lot of things to go utterly uncommented-upon, the sudden massive disruption to the very physical side of communications is hard not to notice... and may make it even more surprising when, in naked spite of it, Alexis communicates with -- the mysterious variable fighter, in a way that seems to pierce through the fog -- or even ride along it purposefully. "Oho... what an interesting card to play. Was it necessary...? Or are you worried about losing control of things so soon?"

The Darklops's AI is simple; it assumes any missiles being dumped must be inert, making way for more effective munitions, and keeps swinging and tossing those daggers. That's: a mistake! It stays right where it is -- and with that, those missiles detonate. In the end, the Darklops is left as nothing more than scrap metal -- which explodes, leaving almost no remains. A stray Slugger here, half of a synthetic Beam Lamp there... that's about it.

Alexis stays right where he is, as his tool is defeated. He has no movement he needs to make: so he makes no movement.

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

The ship shakes as the Darklops brutally carves across the ship, and Ranka's voice falters for a brief moment. It's hard, staring at that creature trying to tear into the ship. It's like whenever the Vajra were trying to break into the colony.

She just wants to scream and cry and hide. That'd be easier than putting herself out there. Yet she feels Sheryl as if she's right beside her, singing with her. And so...

... she keeps singing. Her voice, richly resonant but sweet... taking on the quality of someone who's trying to stand back up on their own two feet and face something difficult.

Yurika makes a pronouncement...

"I can't ever forget your warmth,
"Your kindness, and your all-encompassing hands."

And all the missiles are dumped into the Darklops in a dizzying array.

"It's long long good-bye."

Despite the fireworks she keeps singing, unaware that the song is being transmitted by Omoikane.

"Goodbye, goodbye, my beloved.
I came this far because you were here."
"I wasn't alone, was I?"

Ranka dwells on that line for a moment, because she wasn't today. She wasn't. Everyone here on the Nadesico proved that Ruri and Minato and Prospector.

And even though they aren't on the ship right now, Alto and Sheryl too.

"Now, I long for answers..."

Once her view clears from the explosion, the assailant is gone, just scrap in it's place. The adrenaline rush over... Ranka sinks to her knees weak from relief... "Thank goodness..."

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Ranka... and Sheryl. Sheryl's voice Elisa recognizes much more easily, but she has never heard it quite like this. As it comes over the radios too, she listens a little more, and considrs Alexis's response.

"Fascinating," she says. "I'll have to investigate more."

To inspire, to never give up... Elisa smiles, and closes her eyes for a moment, leaving the Darkclops to fend for itself.

As it turns out, a nano-width sword does pretty well against Darkclops. It suddenly takes the hit to the chest, and is cut in half--and then the halves explode in a burst of sparks!!! There is very little of it left, just bits and chunks, still coated in hot resin. But after the music ends, perhaps after Zurvan thinks it's over:

"Hmph," the voice reports to Zurvan. "Leading a lady on is VERY rude, you know. It's fine if you don't understand. There are... other approaches." Pause. "Goodbye... scientist."

Elisa doesn't make any movement for the moment, either. She just pulls a little datapad, and begins to record some notes.

The pieces of the Darkclops drift in silence. But on the Nadesico, a voice that refused surrender earlier calls to Ruri again...

"The music was lovely, by the way. Do pass on my compliments."

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        "<..... Congratulations. If I were half as good as my dad, you'd be dead by now. Instead.... you got a gardener.>"

        But defeat much later is still as good a result as any. "<..... singing?>"

        And there's the cockpit, spinning--

        And that mysterious black shape, detaching from the ship. "<Please survive a little longer, Mr. Pirate.>"

        At least she's polite about it as she follows after Alto's unit.

        Could this all be turned around after all?

        Except... the Dianthus's readings...

        "<My readings are all wrong. I think my... yours are wrong too?>"

        A touch of cold ice against Lucine;s neck.

        Could the Nadesico help? A quick glance towards the Nadesico- wait, no, it's... there, yes, there it is. They're okay.

        "Ruri... is there anything Omey-cane can sense?"

        She is trying.

<Pose Tracker> Grace O'Connor has posed.

        Once the airlock is shut, and the transport has had the opportunity to rebalance its internal atmosphere, Grace's grip around Sheryl loosens. This wordlessly signals to her charge that the danger is over and it is safe to stop shielding her ears and open her eyes once more. It also means that Sheryl will be able to see the state Grace is in.

        Which is admittedly not bad - it could be a lot worse. Her hair has come undone and her customary red hair stickis missing. Where it could have ended up, even the vacuum of space, is hard to tell: The interior of the cargo bay is now a mess of luggage and commercial crates spilled from their loading racks and strewn in a chaotic mess along the floor. At the very least the secretary's glasses are still in their place, if a bit askew, which is easily enough corrected. Grace's voice is one of relief: "It looks like they managed to regain control of the cargo bay." No mention of the part she played in it, of course. The initiative she took was simply to protect Sheryl and not to regain control of the ship.

At that moment Grace reaches up to feel her hair, noticing it is loose. She blinks, and then turns around to begin looking for her missing hair stick. In so doing it allows Sheryl to see where a stray bullet had ricocheted into Grace's back. Not to much effect of course: There is a bullet hole in her business jacket, but no hint of blood and the pale synthskin beneath the layers of clothes are unmarred.

        But that bullet could have been meant for someone else...

        MEANWHILE: In Grace's OS, part of her attention is directed at piloting her personal variable fighter while simultaneously feeding trajectory information to the shuttle to provide the most advantageous escape route. She almost doesn't have the bandwidth with which to deal with the message from Alexis which pops up in the corner of her 'eye'. She glances at it once, then her eyes narrows slightly and she glances at it again. Was he attempting to goad her?

        ... rather than to rise to the bait, she decides to merely respond to the initial message. "Thank you for your discretion." That is all.

Meanwhile the Ars Goetia continues to fly escort for the assault shuttle. While charting out a course its sensors picks up a spinning cockpit. Briefly the remote control pilot feels a spiteful lance shoot through her. She considers, as she did with depressurizing the cockpit, firing a few rounds from one of her turrets kill the disappointing idiot. But ultimately she decides not to. It's not worth the added risk to the mission, and he doesn't know anything useful anyway.

        Instead the Ars Goetia and Stealth Assault Shuttle steadily move out of range - the only indication of such is that slowly everyone's sensors and IFF systems return to normal.

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        Thank goodness... well, Ruri hears that, but she doesn't say anything like that herself. It's unnecessary.

        As for the assault craft --

        "The readings don't make any sense," Ruri transmits, to Lucine. "For now, please come back, Ms. Azul. ... good work." She transmits to Zurvan, as well: "Mr. Zevarist, do you need retrieval?" She'll make sure not to leave him behind, either. The Variable Fighter will get an invitation to dock and fix himself up, too! ... not that Ruri knows who Alto is, because she's too young to know people by reputation, but she knows he helped.

        (She also retrieves the Aestivalis wing, of course. They helped. You just weren't looking!)

        Megumi can't make any sense of it, either -- which is why she resorts to transmitting, to the transport ship: "Transport ship, this is the Nadesico. Are your passengers all right?"

        Ruri doesn't pay too much attention to that thread, because --

        Her head comes up, her eyes widen. She glances, subtly, this way and that. It's Omoikane's text box which comes up, first, sensing her unease:

                                < ? >

        "Ah..." Ruri looks down, at her console.

        Because... that's the moment she realises she's the only one who can hear that voice associated with the Darklops.

        Ruri looks over her shoulder, to the slumped Ranka; her brow arcs, in a subtle brush of sorrowful concern.

        She should tell her to be careful, but...

        ... but not even she can bring herself to interrupt her relief, right now.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        There is still an important feeling that exudes warmth in Sheryl's breath. As Grace holds her tight, she harmonizes with Ranka only half-knowingly, her voice feeding back with her to the Nadesico--though they can likely only hear Ranka:
        
        "Goodbye, goodbye, my beloved
        "I came this far because you were here
        "I wasn't alone, was I?
        "Now, I long for answers..."
        
        There is more to the song, of course. As one of the first songs she wrote and composed herself, Diamond Crevasse is near and dear to Sheryl's heart. But as Grace's grip on her loosens, and she pulls back, Sheryl can see the kind of shape she's in. Ranka's singing tapers off, and Sheryl's attention goes to who's in front of her. "Grace!" she utters, grabbing her arms. She can see that bullet hole, and how close it came to her own head. It's a frankly horrifying realization, and it prompts her to get to her feet and pull her manager and mother figure along.
        
        "So much the better for us! I can't believe the nerve of those pirates," she says hotly. "Let's get back to the cabin. You can't just go walking around with a bullet hole in your clothes, Grace, it's just--unacceptable!"
        
        Despite her fierce tone, she looks up at her with worried eyes. "Are you going to be all right...?"
        
        Because it's strange. That pirate demanded *her*, but the people who actually boarded took something else entirely and were prepared to take off like that before the airlock got purged. What were they actually here for? And what did it all have to do with her?
        
        Her eyes narrow in angry determination. "Once we're back, I want to know what this ship was carrying," she says, low and hot, even as she accompanies Grace back to where they came from. "We won't be taking this airline again, *that's* for sure."
        
        All the same, it'll be a relief when she can see Alto and Ranka again. Funny how they both happened to be so close this time... Even across the battlefield of space, they didn't feel far away at all, somehow.

<Pose Tracker> Zurvan Zevarist has posed.

         Zurvan can feel the annoyance. Good, honestly. He's not super pleased with having that... coldness from earlier. He rubs his face, shaking his head. Great! Some sort of... void wizard exists. They apparently exist! Great. Great!

         Ruri's question on the radio snaps him out of it. <"I can still fly under my own power. I'll be bringing parts of this... thingie and study them, with permission. Zevarist, out.">

         He's got a feeling he's probably gonna meet whoever THAT was again.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        The transport is back under control again. The attackers have all fled, though unfortunately with some of the cargo from the transport. Thankfully though, that cargo was NOT Sheryl Nome. The pilots aren't aware of this though, responding to Megumi's call with, "Affirmative, Nadesico. There was some gunfire... But a headcount confirms all our passengers are accounted for. Wait... This voice... A-Are you Megumi Reinard!?"

        Though once Alto actually learned that she was on that transport, he's like, "WHAT!?"

        Speaking of, those who launched from the Nadesico return and the Nadesico itself continues to escort the transport the rest of the way to the Frontier Fleet. That was its contract, after all.

        Once they arrive, authorities are waiting as the transport docks. There are some Questions. The firefight did not go unnoticed. And the four men involved are briefly detained by the police. But not for long, as they proceed to produce some ID, along with the words, "LAI Security." It seems, that the rather well known mobile weapons manufacturer has some serious pull. As they are soon quickly cleared to leave.

        As for the true target of the attackers, with the aforementioned LAI Security agents not saying anything, only Sheryl and Grace are actually aware of what really happened down there. And with the transports pilots singing (pun intended) Sheryl's praises to anyone who will listen, it is questionable as to whether publicly revealing the truth of said events would be the best approach.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Well. If the transport pilots are singing Sheryl's praises *that* highly, *maybe* she'll fly on this airline again.
        
        Maybe.

KTS: Grace O'Connor's YF-27-5 Shaher F Custom 'Ars Goetia' (Fighter Mode) has left

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        Hearing of Sheryl's safety, Lucine sags in her seat, sighing with relief. "<Thank goodness...>"

        It feels odd, however. But, as she thinks on it, Lucine hears Ruri's call to return. "<.... Right. But first, I should...>"

        Hearing of Zurvan's possible need for retrieval, Lucine grasps the tag around her neck with a frown. If she hadn't been so afraid...

        "<Mr. Zevarist. Thank you for taking on the.... giant.... robot.>"

        Her radar is still recovering from being scrambled.

        "<.... Damn.... without my trackers, I can't see where where the pirate is. I told him I'd be back. You think.... the cargo ship will find him for questioning at least?>"

         And that is the story of how Lucine, gentle gardener, left a pirate at the mercy of the cold darkness of space.... OR IS HE??

<Pose Tracker> Zurvan Zevarist has posed.

         Zurvan's attention snaps back to the world, hearing Lucine's thanks.

         <"You're welcome. Come on, Ms. we're going back on the ship.>"