2024-01-24: Trigger Pull

• Cutscene: Trigger Pull
• Cast:Leina Ashta Mentioned: Judau Ashta, Sayla Mass
• Where: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Date: U.C. 0098 04-24
• Summary: A Cathedra mission coincides with a decision Leina Ashta has made about her future. Sometimes there are no good options, just making the best of a bad situation.

---

Hey Mom, do you have some time to talk? It's about admissions.

At the time, no one had asked how Neo-Zeon remnants who'd been holed up in the desert since before Haman Karn invaded Earth got ahold of a state of the art amphibious mobile armor. It was dismissed as something that the Sleeves had managed to smuggle in Earthside. Cathedra's long audit of Anaheim Electronics manufacturing logs had revealed that a warehouse in Dubai had been receiving clandestine shipments years before the AMA-X7 Shamblo revealed itself.

And so the Dominicus Corps stepped up. Under new regulations any such facility that did not submit itself for legal audit would be immediately subject to liquidation of all assets by force. An underwater passageway was found in the harbor, but sealed off by multiple layers of blast doors. Kenanji Avery joked they weren't much for water operations anyway. Given its presence in a civilian center, the approach was performed on a freighter that had come into port, the oversized shipping crates stacked on the South side of Dubai.

It only took days after U-FITs before I heard back from all of my... top five. I didn't get in.

When they burst open at 0200 to reveal two dozen Beguir-Pentes in Dominicus Colors, there was only night security patrolling the port. They quickly stood down as the mobile suits began to swarm towards the City's Southern Industrial District, there were just as few people out on the roads. The few old Altos and Savages were set upon before the Warehouse's security even realized they were under siege. "It's no fun doing it like this" One man complained, even as the squad's leader had shouted, "Stop whining and get that Eastern Perimeter secure." Charges blew the heavy freight door, to be greeted by settling dust and several toppled racks, four Beguirs piled in to check the interior, as men shouted 'Clear!' 'All Clear!' 'Clear!'

"Found ourselves a helluva rat hole!" A man shouted from within. As the Squad Leader called for order, "Alright. Form up. We're doing this one by the book. There's no telling what these Zekes have in there."

With the pending trial, they didn't want the controversy of having someone who made such allegations about... someone powerful, at their school.

Leina waited outside in her custom Beguir-Neuer, quiet this whole mission, her mind elsewhere during the waiting. Now she wondered if this was the place where the Psychoframe was developed that ate away at Loni, until she was fully twisted by hatred.

H  P  U  A  R I  T  N  S
 P  W  A  H  I  Y  N
 H  W   U  H   R  Y   T
D  P  O  L  N  E  T  A  W  S  A  E  N  T

It was a sudden burst of mental static, white hot, and so abrupt that she almost passed out. Her rasp of, "Get Out!" came far too late, the warehouse had already erupted by the bright flash. Comms crackled as a seething beacon of white beam fire cut into the Dubai night like the world's brightest searchlight, molten metal raining down and melting parts of the warehouse grounds, lighting a wood pile like kindling. Tiny little drone-like things on spinning helicopter blades emerged, as beams danced amidst the reflectors to skewer several mobile suits on the perimeters. An emerging claw, holding a purple shape, finished off what was left of the warehouse, snapping the mobile suit in half like it had popped the top off a soda can.

"FALL BACK!" The Squad Leader shouted, before his comm too faded into the white noise of the Minovsky haze. The retreat, at first orderly, became more chaotic and panicked as another AMX-X7 Shamblo, not yet painted and sporting a gunmetal exterior with the subtle glow of Psychoframe, emerged from the disintegrating warehouse. The mobile armor capable of causing untold suffering, for both its populace and the pilot alike.

Yeah it's absolutely disgusting, but what can I do? Last thing I wanna do is get in because of a 'donation' for a new wing or something.

Some shot back as they retreated. Some /died/ as their shots were met by reflectors, one Beguir erupting in a massive explosion from a reactor hit. They knew in the event of the disaster like this protocol was to retreat and reform ranks, protocol was to wait for their staggered backup to be airdropped, which as she knew, wouldn't be long. Her Beguir-Neuer too was fleeing, in leaps that barely dodged the reaper one shot at a time. Her breathing was far too fast, memories of Torrington overwhelming as she landed and swung low behind abandoned structures. And stopped.

Anyhow the Commander... With my grades he's recommending me for a full scholarship at the Asticassia School of Technology, on the ring.

It was the edge of the district, homes far too close to the landscape of warehouses and plants. The people breathing in chemical smoke for years, because they had no choice in Dubai. None at all. The realization of its proximity was punched into her brain by the presence of a crumbling playground, sending a chilling sensation across all of her nerves. Empty at this time of the night, a frayed swing swaying, even as lights came on in scattered homes in plain view. A stray beam caused a spattering of molten rain to fall down upon a Spring Rider horse. One shot of its main gun and how many people would die?

Just like back then. Thoughts not of Torrington, but Axis.

Not really, the kind of place I expected to go, but they do have a top twenty accredited Pre-Law program there. Guess the Benerit Group invests a lot into talent for their future legal team.

The Beguir turned sharply, leaping down the street in short hops from its jump jets firing, funnels rising, Psychoframes touching from afar.

G  H  E  U  T  R  A  T  W  S A  I  Y  T

I know. I'm here. It's going to be alright.

The funnels began to vie against the reflectors, finding them to be too perfect a defense. Shots deflected off to the side, into far too close misses of the Shamblo. The Beguir's beam rifle on occasion managed ineffective pot shots against its too thick armor. Its claws were waiting for her to come too close. Waiting.

I  P  D  A  O  I  N  N  T  H  W  U  A  R  N  T  T  S  T  H  H  E  I  L  S  P

I'm coming. This is going to hurt. I'm sorry that it is.

Abruptly the funnels stopped firing, instead glowing blue, lighting up as perfect geometric shapes flashed lines of her rejection. The screaming silenced instantly, the reflectors listing in mid-air, their connection cut. And to her great surprise, the Shamblo sagged, ceasing to move. The Psychojammer isn't supposed to be that effective. It isn't. She couldn't afford to contemplate the reason why, she just had to act upon it. Her beam rifle charged up, a charge of its E-PAC flaring spherically on the muzzle.

It was not a Beam Magnum. In this case, she was happy that it wasn't.

The shot tore through its armor, carving through the side of its cockpit, a hair's breadth from the reactor as its power connections were severed and melted away. The great behemoth spasmed, then fell silent, the subtle glow of its Psychoframe turning dark. All at once the interference stopped.

Not really, the kind of place I expected to go, but they do have a top twenty accredited Pre-Law program there. Guess the Benerit Group invests a lot into talent for their future legal team.

"-happened? It stopped moving!" "Status report!"

The funnels fell to the ground, one by one, as the Beguir moved in, carving into the front of the mobile armor's cockpit.

hurts
  it

I'm here. I'm sorry. I'm here. I'm getting you out of there. It's going to be okay.

Tearing off the metal, the Beguir's cockpit opened up, bridging the gap, as she hurried on over, ready to pull out the pilot. Wires sparked, as she witnessed the tangled mess, ringed around a cockpit that was more wires than instruments entangled in a mess along the floor. A casing drip, drip, dripped salty smelling fluid, leaking out onto the wires, as she stared at the spongy mass that was barely shielded by the visible breach in its containment. She stepped forward, peeking at the breach, and suddenly she knew why the Psychojammer had been so terribly effective. Why she managed a feat that should have been near impossible in these circumstances.

please
  i dont 
want

Hand against the casing, even as the wires still sparked, it didn't take long to assess the situation, eyes growing blurry against it as she realized how devoid of human anatomy the cockpit truly was even if it was not - of humanity.

I'm sure it'll be fine. Come on.

She couldn't help but think of what Judau would do in this situation. Her brother, with a heart that sometimes to her felt bigger than the planet she lived on. She didn't know. She kept coming up short. She had to come up with her answer.

I know. I'm here. I'm going to make it stop.

Wordlessly she pulled the sidearm she kept with her pilot suit, it's weight feeling heavier and heavier as she lifted it, holding it up against the breach in the container, sucking in a breath, she closed her wet eyes, biting down on her lip to smother the utterance she made next. A single gunshot rang out, echoing upon the walls of the cockpit, then over the rest of the district. She felt their spirit leave for somewhere else. She hoped it was someplace better than this. "This life isn't all there is." She parrots, quietly, as if trying to convince herself that what she did was a mercy, tiredly moving back to her cockpit, as she sank back into her chair, tearing off her helmet as she wiped at her eyes. She let herself have a minute, then spoke on the comms, voice whisper thin with grief.

"This is Dirae. Hostile neutralized."

It's me.