2022-04-23: Its Name Is BEHEMOTH
- Log: 2022-04-23: Its Name Is BEHEMOTH
- Cast: Sousuke Sagara, C.C., Sho Muramoto, Karma Sato
- Where: The Black Knights have successfully reclaimed A21's pilot and make their way back to A21's base, located in a freighter parked at the port of Nagoya - the capital of Britannian Area 11 and the very heart of the occupation's power. Here, Seina and her 'brother' Takuma explain their audacious plan.
- OOC - IC Date:10:03PM, 24 April 0096
- Summary: The Black Knights have successfully reclaimed A21's pilot and make their way back to A21's base, located in a freighter parked at the port of Nagoya - the capital of Britannian Area 11 and the very heart of the occupation's power. Here, Seina and her 'brother' Takuma explain their audacious plan. This scene takes place after Run, Run, Run!.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
It's approximately 2 hours after the retrieval of Takuma Kugayama. A21 has used Black Knights transports to cross the border, this time - they're in a hurry. They have invited the Black Knights to their base of operations: A freighter at the port of Nagoya...the very capital of Britannian Area 11. Getting a base of power here should be nearly impossible, let alone on a vessel that should have to be searched.
Yet here they are. The entire vessel is an A21 stronghold. Every single person aboard, in fatigues and armed.
They've made a meeting room available, a little ways in from the cargo garage they've had you stash your machines. The woman in white is leaning casually against a wall, looking pleased with herself.
<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.
Though C.C. may lack in Zero's strategic acumen - she does know her way around evading authority for the most part. So it is that she can take a route from Nagoya's harbor, three armed speedboats in a V formation, evading any attention from the Britannians. Not soon after lining up near the freighter does the entourage disembark and follow the green-haired witch into the cargo room.
"You've all been doing fairly well for yourselves, I see," C.C. remarks, gazing around the meeting room as though it's some sort of opulent luxury hotel full of landmarks. A spiderweb in the corner beheld like the chandelier. Her attention falls back on the similarly white-clad woman - her presence much more steelier than C.C.'s bored yet whimsical bearing.
"Sadly, I couldn't drag Zero himself out here to say hi tonight - he's left this largely in my hands, you understand. Please, just call me C.C. - to whom would I owe the pleasure? ...and my, I wonder - where's this apple we've gone to so much trouble to secure? I'm wondering if its flavor is something so desirable to make all this fuss about." She parks her butt on a folding chair, a cell phone slipping from her poofy sleeve to check up on.
<Pose Tracker> Sho Muramoto has posed.
Sho happens to show up a little more unconventionally. A smaller boat that has docked further down, undergone inspection, and is given leave to stay in the more civilian areas of the port.
When he arrives, he goes through all the security needed... and seriously, he's armed when they do. A small army's worth of weapons on an otherwise inconspicuous school boy wearing one of the older Black Knight mask/visors. the young man proceeds to the meeting room with a brief case that has just been shown to have a few documents.
He looks over at the woman in white, "I hope you know just how hard it is to get an identity past Britannian systems. It should just about pass anything but heavy analyzing." He sets the brief case on the table. And then shrugs, "The team that made those said to say that."
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Amongst C.C.'s entourage is Karma, and to say he blends in with the rest of the entourage is a hard sell. Not many elevens stand over six feet or have red hair, but other then that he does his best to blend with the others, zipping his jacket up and trying to ignore the spray of water from the boat as he looks forward to getting their destination.
As he follows behind others into the meeting room and looks around for a moment before he moves to take up a position against one of the walls opposite the lady in white. For the moment Karma is amusing himself by doing his best to memorizes faces but at the question of the apple he glances to the lady in white and adds a comment, "Hopefully the apple isn't granny smith here."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
The woman in white stands up as C.C. appears. Her posture is tremendously casual. She looks like she's got absolutely everything well in hand, which is impressive for somebody who definitively did not until about 30 minutes ago.
"Takuma is off changing," she says. "He'd been in that get up through quite a bit, after all. Call me Seina. I suppose I'm the head of A21." She regards C.C. with that intensity - like a sword that forgot how to be sheathed, blade bare at all times. "Please, convey my thanks to Zero. The Black Knights' support has been invaluable for myself and my men."
Nobody here is disguising their identities. Conspicuous.
"As for Takuma...Normally I'd prefer not to put you all out so far, but with this capture, we're pretty sure this base will be compromised very soon. And that's not an option."
"We needed him because as soon as he's suited up, we're moving out."
<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.
Yes yes yes, that ever familiar glare meant to impose and assert presence. C.C.'s seen it all too many times, crossing her legs carelessly and tucking her phone back into a discreet pocket - her cheek rested in one hand.
She helps herself to leafing through the documents Sho's brought over. "The way you avoid sneaking an identity past observation is to evade observation to begin with, but I suppose that's a skill that takes a little more hands-on experience to expect of everyone. One of the best ways involves keeping track of how long any CCTVs have been in service. The longer they've been there, the more likely they're broke...and the more likely nobody's fixing them, since the appearance of being watched is most of the value.
Flicking her eyes back to Seina, C.C. taps a finger to her lips, and shakes her head lightly. "I suppose my turn of phrase fell flat. ...why all this for one person? What importance does Takuma hold? Or is A21 the type of group that'd risk its entire operation for the sake of a single pilot? Heehee..." A catty little smile crosses C.C.'s lips, her eyelids lowering faintly.
"I'm very used to being the one who has to break the harsh news about the realities of rebellion, so if it's all about 'leaving nobody behind', I'm happy to let the obvious answers to that fall from my lips, free of charge."
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Karma listens to their host, Seina bring up the one named Takuma who is sounds like is the person they were supporting earlier. Looking to his compatriots for a moment trying to get a sense on their opinions before his eyes falling back on Seina's face to watch her reactions to C.C.'s comments.
Stepping forward a little he glances to C.C. "Thats not fair to them C.C. I am sure they are destined to be the first group to obtain zero casualities when it comes to rebellion." To say that Karma's words were dripping with sarcasm is an understatement and the impish grin on his face only seems to punctuate that.
Finally Karma addresses Seina directly, " It sounds like you might be fishing for us to offer to help you escape your troubles, out of the goodness of our heart but I can't help but notice A21 is doing very good for themselves to be able to have such a ship here of all places."
<Pose Tracker> Sho Muramoto has posed.
Sho gives a shrug, "Not quite as easy these days. And those cameras are better left operational and avoided. Or hacked and set on a loop. I prefer the latter."
Sho hums as he eyes C.C. then looks to the woman in white, "Yes, that is a good question. What is so important as to abandon a full base like this? What makes this man so important as to want new identities as well?" He looks curious.
"Further, why not take the ship out to another port?"
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Seina laughs. "Oh, nothing like that. Most of us are survivors of other groups...rebellions that the new Viceroy put down hunting around for Zero's head." Her steel grows brittle, her confidence cracking to show some of the fire beneath. "We know all about losing comrades...putting our lives down for our goals. No, that's not it. It's simply that Takuma knows everything...and, more than that, he--"
Footsteps up the corridord, as someone new arrives - in his own AS piloting suit. Takuma Kugayama looks much like Seina; their hair is styled in much the same way, though Seina's has a slightly more feminine feathering to it; similar face shape and eyes. Her hair is a more vivid brown than Takuma's black.
And both have that total confidence to their poise. Not a bursting, boiling emotion, the way so many have it splashed across their features. Simply a calm, composed confidence.
"I'm the only one that can pilot our ultimate weapon," he says. "I'm the only one that can make Behemoth rise. Isn't that right, Sister?"
Seina chuckles. "That's right. I think you've got a misunderstanding about what I meant by move out."
Takuma and Seina both smile, malice in their eyes.
Seina says, "We're not abandoning the base."
Takuma says, "This place will be the beginning of Behemoth's assault."
<Pose Tracker> Sho Muramoto has posed.
Sho's face looks stoic. As if trying to figure this out. Then he looks at Takuma before he looks to C.C. and then Karma.
"So, you rescued the guy 'cause he has some sort of ultimate weapon that can do what? Free Area 11? Strike at the Viceroy?" The apparent student type rubs his chin, looking perhaps a little interested.
"You mind showing this to us? Because I am on the fence about this." He looks like he's contemplating whether to stay or just go ahead and go back to his own group now.
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
The red headed imp tilts his head as he listens to that first line about A21 being remnenats of other groups, for a moment he tries tries to judge if Seina holds any animosity for them. Seeing that fire underneath even goes a step further to wonder if they shouldnt have met on top of the ship or something.
The concern for his own safety may be why he tenses when he hears the footsteps and has to take a moment to relax after Takuma arrives. As Takuma goes into the ultimate weapona being able to defeat all their enemies he is about to raise a question when Sho steals his own comments. Karma looks over at Sho and then back at Seina and Takuma, "Out of the mouth of babes the truth comes forth. To many things in history have been deemed an ultimate weapon for the title itself to mean anything."
<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.
C.C.'s gaze flickers for only a fraction of a second to Takuma, an eyebrow raised...a cooing little giggle falls from her, rising back upright - legs uncrossing and re-crossing. "Do they still do that sort of thing? Weapons designed so that only one person can possible control it? I've always found it rather impractical."
"But... 'Behemoth'? What a terribly inviting, yet tragic name. It certainly implies something firmamentally ruthless and lumbering, but you know-" Two fingers rest on the bridge of C.C.'s nose.
"It's a monster that was foretold to become naught but a feast for the righteous."
Springing up gracefully to her feet, C.C. hands the papers back to Sho. "Both my colleagues raise a good point...it's all well and good to have a big, scary war machine, but history's littered with those winding up raising a terrible fuss in the streets only to be shot down tragically. A strategy would be nice for this, lest we wind up corralling another Psyco Gundam, or Kampfer, or any number of Mechanical Beasts. It's of far greater interest to know what goals we are speaking of, though it'll probably be an interesting machine to observe."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Takuma chuckles, smugly, at C.C.'s musings. "That's true enough. But Behemoth will still swallow the lives of many before it falls."
He looks to Seina, who shrugs. "If you're ready," she says, and stands from her leaning position to lead the group out.
She leads them out of the heart of the ship, toward the main cargo hold. She says, "You're right, essentially. By sending Behemoth into the heart of Nagoya, we'll create chaos they've never seen in their pretty little city. We'll stomp the Viceroy's mansion and the Government House both and send their occupation into chaos." She tips her eyes toward Sho. "After that, it's up to you."
The final doors open.
The main cargo bay has been emptied of all contents but scaffolding and a single colossal machine. It looks like it stands 40 meters high, but it's tough to tell because it isn't even on the ground - it's suspended on wires, not even allowed to bear its own weight. It looks like it might be 40 meters wide, too, and the armor is clearly meters and meters thick.
It has exactly one apparent weapon: A sword as long as it is, strapped to its back.
Takuma's terribly clear vision hazes with an unimaginable hunger. "My Behemoth," he says. "Together...nothing will be able to stop us."
<Pose Tracker> Sho Muramoto has posed.
Sho's lips thin after following the group. He eyes the machine. Looking up, and across. Then apparently coming to some decision. He looks to Takuma, "And the plan is to drop this right on the mansion and government house or do you plan to go through the city?"
That seems like a turning point of the conversation. The papers being given back at least have a purpose now. And he gives a slight nod to C.C. once he realizes why she gave them back perhaps.
The young man is still looking carefully at the machine, as if analyzing it. He does comment towards C.C., "You know, I do not think it will work. There is only that sword, after all. Unless you have perhaps hidden missiles, beams, or other weaponry then this looks like someone's attempt to make up for a certain part of the body."
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Karma falls in behind the others as he listens to the master plan of A21 and all that is missing is one of them to be putting a very fluffy white cat. Then the final doors open and Karma takes in the rather large suit that Takuma is meant to pilot. Tilting his head one side to the other he leans over to Sho and whispers, "Isn't that no taller then those Evangelions, or the Kaijus that pop up often north of here?"
Straightening up he truely begins to take in the Behemoth and looks towards Takuma for a moment, "So you have a walking tank with a sword? "
Looking at Sho he nods in agreement, " On top of all that, the thick armor seems like it would move so slow. Are yall sure this is the best idea?"
<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.
Hmmm.
"You're really staking it all on this?" C.C. ponders, assessing the hulking, burly form of the Behemoth, then back to the resolute face of Takuma, who seems oh so certain on this. They can't be completely ignorant and believe one burly calamity of a machine can truly change that much. There has to be something more to it.
"...Leaving aside any questions of tactical value...where did you even get a machine like this? What is it? A wholly custom build of some sort? I suppose we have our own connections to mad scientist types who'd make something like this..."
Momentarily, it's as though the scene wibbles and waves to a hypothetical, dreamy imagining of showing schematics of this thing in the luxurious, smoke-laden lounge that the Black Knights' foremost genius inventor, Rakshata Chawla, would respite in.
(((How utterly ungainly! Where's the elegance, where's the pizazz? How are you going to shock and awe the world with something like that?)))
~~~Wibble wobble back to reality.~~~
"Well, she wouldn't like it much, but my own personal suggestion..." C.C. faces Takuma square on, nudging herself between his line of sight and the Behemoth.
"...You should always make sure a mobile unit will look good in pink."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Seina glances at their skepticism...and seems totally unmoved by it. "You're right to be skeptical," she says. "Something like this you could shell from kilometers away. Normally."
"But Behemoth isn't a normal machine at all," Takuma says, intensity rising in him. He looks like he's inches from leaping out across open space to it when Seina puts her hand on his shoulder and he calms. "Ah--of course. Yes, sister. Not yet." Still, he can't suppress the smile slashing from ear to ear.
Seina looks at him with absolutely no worry whatsoever, then to C.C., "I'll make sure to put that to our benefactor, if I ever see him again. He was very generous to support our ambitions." She chuckles. "I think he wants us to topple Britannia with it."
"He's a fool," Takuma says, blithely. "But we can certainly make them see a vision of the hell they showed you, Sister."
Seina's face literally does not do anything.
She looks to C.C. and the rest. "Behemoth's operational time will be around 3 hours. It will rampage until it can do so no longer. In that time, nothing they can do will stop it. Takuma's training has seen to that."
"Not even those drill idiots in the Gutsy Global Guard will so much as scratch the paint while Behemoth is under my control," Takuma says, a more heated menace entering his voice.
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Karma looks at the duo claiming the Behemoth will be unbeatable and then looks at Takuma and the mention of it not being a normal machine. He decides to be mean, and poke at Takumas comment, "I mean it seems pretty normal to me kid. The Evangelions are not that much different in size and I mean... well it's bland. "
Taking a moment longer before he looks at the two and gets an idea, " I don't suppose we would be able to get a look at the cockpit by chance, would we? Since we are friends." Perhaps that would at least answer the reason why they think this behemoth is the answer to everything that A21 seems to think it is.
<Pose Tracker> Sho Muramoto has posed.
Sho, meanwhile, just rubs the bridge of his nose under his mask as he leans his head down a bit.
"Just what sort of training are we talking about? And seriously, it does look slow. If it had maybe rockets or something that could speed it up, I'm sure it would work better." Sho shakes his head. "It looks like a burai could run rings around it. Even a Gloucester."
Yep. Sho is not impressed. At all.
<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.
C.C.'s gaze may be listless and meandering...but she's listening intently to each word. Dismissing Seina and Takuma outright won't do her any good - and she can smell the deeper intent behind what they say. It isn't a bluff - there's an iron-clad certainty backing the two, even if it's a little bit corroded. These two, spearheading their own faction in the rebellion against Britannia, truly believe in this machine to accomplish their goals.
"...Well, Sho-kun, they at least seem to acknowledge its reality as disposable. So it's a rather large vehicle for causing targeted mayhem, then flaming out. Why worry about encirclement when it will have done everything it intends to by the time it can be captured? Really, this thing is less like a battle machine, and more like a bomb, with how they're handling it."
Planting one hand on her hip, C.C. gives a firm nod to Karma as well. "I can tell these two aren't bluffing. They may be high in aspiration, but they'll certainly be a useful element in this task. Of course, we will make contingency plans for its failure - and contingency plans for it getting so bogged down that it cannot make it to its destination. But I certainly think there's potential in this Behemoth. So I'll give our stamp of approval to this. If that's okay with you, Seina-chan, Takumi-kun?~"
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Takuma bristles a little at Karma, but Seina's hand on his shoulder, a gentle pressure, calms him. He chuckles, a strange thread of aggression passing through him.
Seina says, with total calm, "It's nothing too special in the looks, I'll give you that. But I think when we get it on the field, you'll see the light."
C.C.'s verdict earns...it's hard to call it a smile in that it's not really much of a change in facial expression, but she does tip her head in gratitude, from Seina. "I should've expected nothing less from a representative of the famous Zero. You're exactly right. It's a machine like a bomb. A storm of violence that ends all too suddenly..."
"By all means. The Black Knights wouldn't have been worth our respect in the first place if we didn't expect you to put some plans together for our success and failure both, after all."
<Pose Tracker> Karma Sato has posed.
Karma nods his head as he listens and gets the hint from C.C. , "Well I had to ask, but our representative here makes the best point, as long as you understand your true objective then even a rock can be used for precision shooting." Taking in the Behemoth for a few more minutes Karma can almost see beauty in this. "Shame, if you had a few more of these , laid out across the entire area, who knows what you could do in three hours." There was some beauty in the machine.
Turning to face Takuma and Seina the red headed man gives a bow of gratitude, and as he rises he says, "Thank you for allowing us to see this and to be a part of your effort. I look forward to seeing it all come together." Karma finally steps back having given his own approval and kinda looking forward to what is to come.
<Pose Tracker> Sho Muramoto has posed.
The last one has to be Sho, and he seems to be considering it. He looks to C.C. and Karma, then at Takuma and Siena. "Fine. Not like I get a vote anyways. I'm just a courier slash investor type." He shrugs.
Then there's a beeping from a watch and he sighs, "I need to go. I almost forgot that I have another appointment with another small cell to the north a few provinces." He turns to Takuma and Siena. "Same way back out, I take it?"