2024-12-02: Deep Ocean Party

• Log: Deep Ocean Party
• Cast: Aurora Dusk, Stella Loussier, Gatsby Greit
• Where: The Atlantic Ocean
• OOC - IC Date: December 2nd UC 0099
• Summary: In the hold of the Phantom Pain submarine "Nott", three operatives gather and get to know each other. Some of them are familiar already...

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<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         SOMEWHERE, ON THE OCEAN

        A sleek black shape disappears under the waves, as if it were never there. It quickly descends into the depths, where it can cruise undetected after taking on new "cargo". Mechanical and otherwise. (Extended stay in cargo bays, don't they?)

        This is the Phantom Pain submarine "Nott", built to serve as a mobile weapon carrier in service of deniable operations. And carry mobile weapons it does! There are a wide array of machines - including both Slaughter Dagger models, built to carry Striker Packs, and several Solenopsis models that disappeared in the supply chain. Right now, the crew are preparing for a mission on Huffman Island. Actaeon Industries has built several MS as part of a backroom deal. Phantom Pain's mission is to... take possession of what they've purchased. The demo, of course, is a sham, set up so that Phantom Pain can get hold of their shiny new MS in a way that doesn't implicate Actaeon as complicit in their war crimes.

        The operation isn't for a while yet. The Nott's current mission is preliminary scouting. Still, in the cramped, ominously lit craft, the various operatives tapped to participate gather
in preparation for their mission...

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        One of the more unique units that recently arrived aboard the Nott is the infamous Gaia Gundam. Stolen from ZAFT and participant in the Break the World incident. Right now it stands in Mobile Suit mode inside the Nott's hangar, the colour missing from most of its surfaces to just leave shades of grey behind.

        Its pilot-a blonde haired girl in a common design, black and grey, flight suit-sits atop the foot of the Gundam, knees up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. She's giving the other pilots aboard some cautious stares, as if she's waiting for them to transform into monsters or something.

<Pose Tracker> Gatsby Greit has posed.

Parked next to the Gaia is a machine that makes the lupine machine look positively understated, a mass of bristling weapons and sharp curves that could be mistaken for some kind of aircraft were it not for the looming, pompadour-clad Gundam had staring directly downwards. It was clearly derived from the Raider Gundam the EA had fielded on a trial basis a few years back, albeit one kludged together disgracefully with oversized weaponry and armor seemingly stolen from other EA MSs of the time.

Sitting in its cockpit chair, which has lowered to the floor of the sub through a hydraulic system, is its pilot, fully clad in a bulky normal suit that clearly incorporates some extra interfaces, directly hooked up at the base of the neck and the fingertips. He is typing something on the console, seemingly unbothered by the cumbersome wires extending from his hands.

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         And the machine next to the two Gundams is another recent arrival. A mostly-black, slightly red MS, following the design principles of the Dagger series, with several allowances made for covert operations. This is... a completely unremarkable example of the GAT-01A2R 105 Slaughter Dagger, one of several aboard the Nott. Really, the most out of place things about it are the placement next to the two Gundams and that it's been equipped with a Gunbarrel Striker instead of the usual Aile Striker.

        Now, somebody had to be put next to the two Gundams, to be fair. But this particular Dagger's pilot is an appropriate choice. A teal-haired girl in her own black normal suit, helmet hanging off of her back, disembarks from the machine. This is Aurora Dusk. Like the two pilots loitering nearby, she's a child of laboratories and experiments and surgery, just old enough to be doing this kind of thing.

        She turns her head, eyes passing over the two pilots next to her. A blonde she's never met and an indistinct figure she's never met. Figures she's alone on this ship...

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        Stella glances between the two other pilots currently in the hangar. She doesn't know either of them. She doesn't want to be here. She wants to run out and go to the office where Neo is.

        But Neo told her she had to wait here. So she's waiting.

        And there's not much to do here while waiting except look. And there's not much to look at inside this submarine but the other people here.

        It's while looking at Gatsby that Stella notices the wires coming out of his hands. She stares at them for a few moments before asking, "What are you supposed to be?"

<Pose Tracker> Gatsby Greit has posed.

The pilot stopped his typing, slowly pulling his hands away from the console and turning in his chair to look at Stella.

"Good evening, Miss Loussier. I'm currently preparing some automated commands in case of an emergency situation. My machine requires that I prepare for my engagements as close to mobilization as possible, so I'm doing that now." The pilot's voice is soft and masculine, but has a strange tang to it, as if it is being spoken through an old computer monitor. He begins carefully removing the wires, long, golden tips resembling speaker jacks tipping each one as it falls away and retracts into the console. He reaches behind his neck and pulls out the last cable before standing up, looking at the other two.

"It is good to be working with both you, and Miss Dusk as well." He looks back at Aurora and nods. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         Aurora's eyes drift, and they fall on the dignified form of the Gaia Gundam. The machine from Armory One... and the one that interfered with the defence fleet during Break the World. The girl underneath, leaking fear into the room... is she the pilot of the Gaia? Aurora thought that was a man, from the reports, but she also knows mobile suits can change pilots, and Phantom Pain uses voice changers anyway.

        The bulky-suited mechanical man speaks up, and when he does, it's with a voice and manner (and mechanical buzz) almost instantly familiar to her. It seems she, too, is familiar to him. She turns her head to fix her blue eyes on him, and they soften as recognition replaces the idly blank expression on her face. "Gatsby?" She dismisses the look of mild surprise, nods, and walks up to meet him. "It has." Her eyes dart from side to side before she asks "What's... new with you, lately?"
        
        She gives Gatsby a curious look. "What kind of emergency commands?" she asks.

        She looks over to the Gaia's pilot, Loussier. "Are you the Gaia pilot?" Wait a minute. She KNOWS this girl. From Lodonia. Fighting in the cage matches. A cage off in the distance, sometimes. Knives. Grinning?

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        Stella almost instantly narrows her eyes as Gatsby mentions her name, "Stella doesn't know you... You know Stella?" There is some suspicion behind the tone. But also a hint of confusion. It doesn't cross her mind that he may have simply read about her in the mission briefing. Or heard about her from someone else in Phantom Pain. There have certainly been rumours about her floating amongst the organization, given her aggressive nature, usually with knives, when she is provoked.

        And also for being the 'teacher's pet' so to speak in regards to Phantom Pain's commanding officer.

        Stella's head turns to Aurora now as the question is directed at her. Stella nods in response, "Stella stole the Gaia Gundam. So it's hers." Stella looks up at the Slaughter Dagger that was apparently Aurora's unit. The attached pack draws her attention as she half notes, half asks, "You use the Gunbarrel Striker too..."

<Pose Tracker> Gatsby Greit has posed.

Gatsby, now identified, nods at Aurora with a stiff posture that nevertheless resembles friendliness, a feat considering his helmeted face.

"Quite a lot. Nothing that should make your job any more difficult. You look well yourself ? As well as any of us can."

He looks over at Stella, and nods his head almost apologetically.

"I... know of you, Miss Loussier. You were listed as one of the personnel on this mission, and I matched the name to stories of your piloting prowess. The theft of the Gaia and her sister units is a bit of a hot topic right now, after all."

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         "It'll be good to work with you too." A brief beat, and then Aurora responds to Gatsby with a subtle but genuine smile. She looks well? "Thanks. Are you doing okay yourself?"

        Her head turns to scan over the... 'Raider' Gundam. Whatever they've turned in into. A sharp-angled mass of violence brimming with weapons. "This is your machine? It looks like a Raider variant... Transformable, right?"

        Stella's observation gets a nod a noise of assent. "Too...? You use gunbarrels too?" You don't have to be a Newtype, but being one definitely helps with using weapons like this. Is Stella...?

        Gatsby read the mission files. Right. Faceblind. He must have read that she was going to be one of the pilots, and inferred from her placement. People tell stories about Stella, it seems. Aurora's only read about it. "I've read some of the after action reports from your missions. You're good."

<Pose Tracker> Gatsby Greit has posed.

Gatsby shrugs, a sound of something whirring audible.

"I am doing, which is more than can be said for most of our classmates." He looks up as Aurora addresses his unit, and nods, while making an "Ehhh" gesture with his gloved hand.

"Legally, yes, it is a Raider derivative. The maintenance crew call it Heaven's Sword II, however."

A pause.

"That was a joke, to be clear."

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         "Well, that's better than them, I guess." Aurora matches the shrug.

        Heaven's Sword? What was- Aurora's face turns thoughtful, then she snickers slightly as she remembers, and makes the connection. "Pfft." She smiles, and her tension level decreases. "Are those the weapons from the other two second phase G-Project units? It looks like they're trying to cram everything onto it."

        "It's good to see you again, after... well, you said it yourself. Lodonia didn't have a good survival rate." Aurora takes it as a mark of Emily's confidence in her that she was sent there in the first place. She rose to meet expectations, and proved that she would survive even if she had to stain her hands pure red. "I've been assigned to the Gaia Sabers, and the counterintelligence division. There's been..." Aurora sighs. "A lot of work, especially after..." She shivers and draws her arms closer, as the memories - from then and from 17 years ago - crawl up her spine. "...Break the World."

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        Ah right. The mission files.

        Stella absolutely reads those.

        If Stella has an ego it's certainly not on display here as when Gatsby mentions the theft and that it's a hot topic, Stella tilts her head a little bit and asks, "Oh? Why?"

        Stella draws her head up to look at the tall Raider-like Gundam. She's not much of a gearhead so doesn't even recognise the familiar components from previous designs. Nor does she appear to get the joke about its name. Though her eyes do light up a little bit at the mention of it being transformable. No doubt drawing positive impressions from her own machine's ability to do so.

        When she is asked if she also uses the Gunbarrel Striker, Stella shakes her head, "Stella doesn't have the aptitude for it... But she knows it is Neo's favourite pack." A smile actually forms on her face as she mentions the name of Phantom Pain's commander.

        The smile fades again though at the mention of Break the World. She repeats, "Break the World... Stella remembers..." Flashes of memory. A battle. She was there. But the details are fuzzy. She shakes her head, letting the thoughts go. They're not important. What's important is the next mission.

        Speaking of, Stella asks the two, "What roles do you take? Stella is frontline harasser." Makes sense, given the Gaia's greater focus on close range combat and agility.

<Pose Tracker> Gatsby Greit has posed.

Gatsby nods at Aurora's assertion.

"Your eye is still sharp, I see. The Second Series were the most effective assets against the Freedom. There was a theory made that putting all of them on one unit would be as effective as all of them combined. I personally am a bit skeptical, but I try my best."

At the mention of Break the World, Gatsby is silent for a short moment.

"I'm afraid I was unavailable for that. I needed some repairs. Then again, it sounds like I was lucky I missed it. As for the Gaia Sabers, it appears I may be following you there shortly. I'm being loaned out after this mission, so perhaps we'll keep working together."

He turns his head to look over at Stella and nods. Perhaps there's a smile behind that helmet.

"You and your team under Captain Roanoke successfully obtained powerful weapons from the enemy, giving our side an advantage and setting them back. It was very impressive. Ah, my combat role. As my suit is equipped with effective long-range weaponry, I am acting in a bombardment and cover fire capacity."

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         "I'm skeptical, too. I think your instincts are on point here. 'The best way to take down a strong enemy is with a combined assault and a solid plan'," Aurora says, quoting... something she's been told. "The Freedom was the most dangerous enemy asset in the Bloody Valentine Conflict. I absolutely don't want to fight it alone."

         Aurora actually DOES read the mission files. She's had diligence pressed into her when it comes to missions. Counterintelligence requires that you be as sharp as your blade... and you were already keeping your blade sharp, right? On to Stella's reaction to transforming units, which Aurora definitely notices. Seems they have three of a kind, here, in terms of pilots. "You like transforming units, Stella? I've used some, sometimes. Do you know Gaplants and ReZELs?" Aurora attempts to relate to Stella's excitement with her own experiences. It's a little easier when you're both... products.

        "Neo... the commander for this operation?" Aurora can tell Stella has a bond with Neo. She smiles. She has a bond like that, herself. "...Is he someone important to you?"

        Aurora gives Stella a sympathetic look when she displays her own aversion to Break the World. "...I don't want the sky to fall anymore. It keeps happening..." She shakes her head, half in a 'no' gesture, half to shake off the memories before she spirals, and turns back to Gatsby. "You're being sent there too? I..." The hopeful look in her eyes is backed up by her next words. "I hope we'll be working together, too."

        Stella asks what Aurora will be doing in the mission. "The Gunbarrel Striker is for backup, but I'm part of the acquisition squad. I'll be taking the Strike Noir," she says softly. "After that, we'll return to the submarine. I think Actaeon is fitting the MS with water jets. The Noir can fight at medium range, but it's a close range specialist. I guess it'll pair well with the Boost Raider."

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        "It was impressive?" Stella tilts her head again as she stares off into space, thinking back to the theft and what she remembers it. She murmurs thoughtfully, "We broke in, using stolen codes and some spies... Broke through the security protocols on the Gundams... Fought our way out..." Things go a little fuzzy as Stella remembers another prototype fighting back against them... But she doesn't remember exactly how it goes.

        Stella's eyes focus again as she says, "It seemed pretty normal?"

        Her attention is then drawn to Aurora, Stella nodding, "The Gaia's Mobile Armor form is very quick... And stable. It feels better to use then a normal Mobile Suit." At the question of more unit names, Stella shakes her head, "Stella only knows the things she's fought so far. Or things she needs to know in case she might fight them in the future." Apparently Gaplants and ReZELs were not included in that list.

        At the mention of Neo, Stella nods enthusiastically, "Neo saved Stella! From a scary place. Neo looks after Stella. Helps her stay alive. He is nice to her."

        Stella turns her head to look at the Gaia Gundam as the plan is briefly mentioned, "Neo said they're adding water jets to the Gaia's wings. So it can swim. Stella can't swim... But that's okay. The Gaia will protect her. Torpedo launchers on its back, too. Just in case."

<Pose Tracker> Gatsby Greit has posed.

nods slowly.

"If you don't find it impressive, that's fine, but it's something that our side hasn't been able to do, generally." As Stella talks about Neo with undisguised adoration, he puts his hand on his hips. "He did a good job training you, then." A bit of flattery doesn't hurt when it's for morale. And the team's Gundamjacking WAS quite impressive.

"If you are worried about getting stuck underwater, the Boost Raider is also made to transport other suits. I'm not worried about our ability to handle any unexpected situations."

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         "Yeah, it was good work. I do things like that, so I can tell." Aurora's voice brightens as she compliments Stella. The eyes defocusing... might be a sign of something being wrong, but when you're enhanced, that's just how it is. Aurora tries to remember if she's taken her medication for today.

        "It looks like it moves very well... it's a high quality suit. I've been on test pilot duty myself, and I've been trained on a wide variety of suits."

        When Stella gushes about Neo, Aurora is strongly reminded of her own past... and her own 'handler'. "I have someone like that too. I was... really young at the time. She took me in after a lab that was getting shut down put me in a mobile suit. She... taught me, she basically raised me." Why is Aurora coming out with the personal details, now? It doesn't matter. She's already revealed it, and these two are... trustworthy enough, she thinks.

        "I guess missions like that are normal for us. Vincere aut mori. We fight and we win, or we die. There is nothing else."

        

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        "It was good work?" They're both saying that so then perhaps it was? That... Doesn't really affect Stella much. Perhaps if it had been Neo saying it...

        Stella nods in agreement with Aurora words as she describes her own important person. It does seem like they have some similarities. Perhaps this mission won't be so bad.

        Stella seems to be easing up on her opinion of the two as they talk. But then something Aurora says seems to make Stella freeze. Her eyes go wide, fear filling them as she starts to mumble, "... Die...?"

        That's right. She's going to die. Aurora and Gatsby are going to die. Neo is going to die. They're all going to die.

        Stella grips her arms around her legs tighter, "... Stella doesn't want to die..." She falls over onto her side atop the Gaia's foot, starting to shake in fear, "No... No... No! Stella doesn't want to die!"

<Pose Tracker> Gatsby Greit has posed.

Gatsby immediately recognizes the telltale sign of a trigger from his time in Lodonia. Hell, he knows he has some of his own. Nevertheless, he hopes he could help calm Stella before the panic escalates. Slowly, with a whirring coming from his knee joints, he kneels down next to Stella, holding a hand within reach, but not directly touching her.

"Miss Loussier. Stella. I know that you're afraid right now, but I would like you to try and listen to me. We are going to live, Stella. We will get home safe, and Captain Roanoke will praise you for coming back safe. There will be no thoughts of anything except living well. Can you believe in my words, Stella?"

How many times had he done this for younger children before his original voice had been taken away? Was his current voice soothing in the least? All that mattered now was being patient with Stella.

"Miss Dusk. Aurora. Can you please fetch Captain Roanoke? I believe he may be able to help de-escalate here better than I can."

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         As soon as Stella reacts, Aurora realises her mistake. "Stella..." Stella lies on the floor, and Aurora's arm reaches out, but she stops herself before she rushes forwards too far. "Stella, what's wrong?!" The twin shadows of panic and guilt fall over her face. Gatsby moves forwards himself, and tries to comfort Stella. Aurora recognises that manner. He was always kind like that. Even with his new voice, Aurora can feel the... kindness.

        Another flash of guilt. You know someone else like this. Another cyborg, even.

        What would your brother think if he saw you doing this?

        Aurora shakes the guilt off and follows Gatsby's directive, bolting for Neo's quarters. "Co- Captain! Something is wrong with Stella! She's having a meltdown!"

        She isn't bothering to hide the worry.

<Pose Tracker> Stella Loussier has posed.

        The assurances from Gatsby don't instantly calm and knock Stella out of her panic attack, but they do at least seem to help in keeping it from escalating much. Stella continues to mumble amidst rapid breaths, even as Aurora asks what's wrong, "Not die... Stella doesn't want... No... No..."

        Aurora rushes off to find the one who likely can help and thankfully she doesn't have to go too far on this submarine. As expected, Neo was holed up in the office he had been assigned for the command of this mission.

        A short time later, the man in the large mask climbs through the bulkhead door leading into the hangar. He quickly walks up to see what is going on and it doesn't take him long to realize what happened.

        Neo moves his hand to Stella's back, reassuring her, "It's alright Stella, I'm here now. You're fine. You're going to be fine." His words are simple and not that different to what Gatsby said, so it's probably his voice that does the trick as Stella starts to calm down. She doesn't return completely to normal though, remaining fairly unresponsive.

        Neo leans down and picks Stella up into his arm. As he starts to walk out of the hangar he says back to the other pilots, "Don't worry, she'll be fine. She just needs some rest. This happens from time to time and was bound to happen at some point on this trip." He still doesn't explain exactly WHAT this is, but the two already likely know, having gone through or seen similar experiences in their 'training'.

        Neo stops at the bulkhead again, turning to look back at the two from beneath his mask. He seems to be studying them from a moment, though it's hard to tell without being able to see his eyes. But finally he says, "This won't impact the mission. Carry on." He then disappears to return Stella to... Actually, does Stella even have quarters on this submarine? Who knows.