2022-10-03: Queen To U7
- Cast: Kallen Kozuki, Sousuke Sagara
- Where: A warehouse in Nouvelle Tokyo
- Date: U.C. 0096 10 03
- Summary: The Black Knights and Shuffle Alliance target the same suspicious warehouse. There is a clash.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
It happens, from time to time - two agends colliding at once. The Shuffle Alliance is continuing its pursuit of the shadowy force behind A21, an unknown benefactor who lent them a weapon of unimaginable power.
The Black Knights are also doing that, but for another reason.
It's not obviously guarded, the warehouse in the port district of Nouvelle Tokyo. Supposedly the George Clinton had docked here only one stop before it headed off to Nagoya. There will, hopefully, still be evidence here.
The two guards standing by at the door smell ozone, mere seconds before ARX-7 Arbalest fades out of the open space before them, a flash of electric blue signaling the release of its ECS system.
Then they yelp because Sousuke has used the machine's taser wire to knock them unconscious. "All good so far," he says to himself. "AL, notify Teiwaz to give me another four minutes to search for hostile mechanicals, and then they can bring in the PRT."
"Roger," his onboard AI says.
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
When two agendas collide, only a few results are particularly common. In this case... what are the odds of two secretive factions, both with slight terroristic bents to them, both sending an agent to the same warehouse?
Of course, there are... two factions among the Black Knights, when it comes to the A21 incident. One which welcomed the chaos and destruction, and one which looked upon it with disdain. Also, one particularly notable figure who had NOT been present when that monster was running amok in the city. In a sea of crimson and flames, one would expect the avian-esque Knightmare Frame to have been there, and yet...
At least one hostile machine is certainly what the Arbalest's pilot will find. Perhaps not in the way he's expecting however. As he had come in through the door, another unit was entering from below. Making use of the underground tunnel networks, long abandoned from their half-built purposes of subway construction and maintenance, in order to simply never alert any guards at all.
It's perfectly simple to find a structural segment that won't compromise surface integrity, and then... melt out that bit of floor, to jump right on up. This is in fact the scene he walks in on. Of the floor beginning to ooze and drip, as a red machine with a silver arm raises itself into the facility, pilot commenting cheerfully to herself as she sets about her work. "I told them this would be a one woman job for me. No need to send a bunch of people raising alarms and causing more lockdowns, when I can get in and out, and noooo~body will ever notice."
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has deployed in Type-02 Guren Mk. II.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"Unusual microwave transmissions," AL reports, as the door opens...on a vision of a red machine with an outsized arm clawing its way into the building.
"That microwave blaster must be incredibly powerful," Sousuke mutters.
"Affirmative," AL replies. "Recommend avoiding engagement."
Sousuke tsks. "Not an option. We only just got this lead. This might very well be a cleanup team. Whoever this is, they can't get ahead of us!"
So saying, he flicks a switch to release the locks on the tow wire, then snaps Arbalest's arm forward, a cable racing out to wrap the unknown unit up and PULL it out of the hole. Sousuke shifts is weight, sending the pulled machine crashing toward a support pillar!
KTS: Sousuke Sagara targets Kallen Kozuki with Wire Grapple! KTS: Kallen Kozuki fails to Evade Sousuke Sagara's Wire Grapple, taking 3150 damage! KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 81.
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
Well. It was supposed to be easy anyway? There wasn't really any way of knowing a stealthy Arm Slave was going to come in at that exact moment. It wasn't coming up on any sensors, until the same instant its wire attack is launching. Meaning she's got to weigh her options in a flash. She judges the best option is to try and duck past...
That's an abject failure. The wire catches around the KMF's waist, and slings it like a doll. The impact leaves a small crater in the chest of the Guren, with sparks leaping off it now and again. "Ghh... shit. Dammit!" Recognition crosses the pilot's face, unseen. This thing... it matches how the Arm Slave looked, from that disaster with the Behemoth. Great, so she has to fight somebody she's GRATEFUL TO now! Isn't that just the best cap on her night.
She's got to take it seriously though... Even if she'd rather not do this, losing probably means she's getting hauled off and unmasked. And that's just not something she can let happen. The cause is too important, and she makes up... a bit too substantial portion of their fighting force. A small knife, a bit like a tuning fork in appearance, is drawn off the hip of the Knightmare, as it pushes itself to race into range-zero and make a quick, precise slash for the shoulder. Arm Slaves and Knightmares alike usually prefer weapons with some range on them. So to see one coming in close... That ought to be a fright.
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged with Sousuke Sagara KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Sousuke Sagara with Fork Knife Riposting Slash! BBSYS: Post 284, 'What Shows Beneath The Masks' has been published to Cutscenes & Logs by Orpheus Zevon.
KTS: Sousuke Sagara has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Sousuke Sagara fails to parry Kallen Kozuki's Fork Knife Riposting Slash, taking 5340 damage! KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 9560 KTS: Kallen Kozuki has engaged Sousuke Sagara!
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"Laser receptor has been located," AL says. "Communications are possible."
"Negative. We'll defeat the enemy and capture them for intelligence," Sousuke says back. The Black Knights were affiliated somehow with A21...this is a golden opportunity!
It's a testament to the SPEED of a Knightmare Frame that Kallen is able to get SO close, SO fast. And it's testament to the speed of the Arbalest that Sousuke is so nearly able to get his own monocutter in place to drive the oncoming attack aside. But he's just not quite fast enough, and the Guren's knife digs deep into Arbalest's leg.
"Significant damage," AL reports, a screen highlighting several damaged cables. "Muscle Packages will dethread quickly under full military strength."
SOusuke bites out a curse, but he also keeps his knife in hand. "Hand to hand, is it," he mutters. He's more of a fan of mixed-ranged combat, but he can handle that. The monomolecular cutter sings as its sawblade edge powers up, and Sousuke drives it forward sharply toward the Guren!
KTS: Sousuke Sagara targets Kallen Kozuki with GRAW-2 Monomolecular Cutter Thrust! KTS: Sousuke Sagara enervates Kallen Kozuki, reducing her Morale significantly. KTS: Kallen Kozuki fails to parry Sousuke Sagara's GRAW-2 Monomolecular Cutter Thrust, taking 5280 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Sousuke Sagara's Where'd He Go!? activates, causing Deject! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Sousuke Sagara's Battlefield Mastery activates, causing Control Bonus! KTS: Sousuke Sagara has engaged Kallen Kozuki! KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 85.
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
As the knife digs in, there's a moment for Kallen to take stock of the situation. And to register what is almost surprise. Pilot nearly got away from it... He's good. And the Arbalest itself. It's clearly something special. Nothing she can pinpoint of course.
This wasn't a fight she wanted, or sought out. But for all that she doesn't have her heart in it... It's a fight where she doesn't really have much choice in the matter. Something she feels much more strongly as the Arbalest manages to slip its own knife into the gap the Guren's has, to jab into the machine itself. "Ffffffuuu...! Not great!" At least he's not quite as mobile as the Lancelot. That would be a true nightmare.
Not a lot she can do about any of what she's seeing. Warning alerts are popping up all around her. Not a good position to be in. "Mm... not gonna last long if he keeps landing with that knife. I'll have to end this pretty fast." A couple of switches get flipped over, cutting power from the grenade launcher to feed the startup for the Wave Surger. But it needs a moment to spin-up, so she'll have to last that little bit of time.
Her answer is to go low. Sweep with one of the Guren's landspinners to catch on the Arbalest's damaged leg and pull it out, then drag the Arm Slave right down onto the Guren's signature silvery nails. That's the plan at least.
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Kallen Kozuki has activated the Wall Spirit Command. KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Sousuke Sagara with Iron Nail 'Drill' Slash! KTS: Sousuke Sagara has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Sousuke Sagara fails to retreat. KTS: Sousuke Sagara fails to react to Kallen Kozuki's Iron Nail 'Drill' Slash, taking 5800 damage! KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 3760 KTS: Kallen Kozuki has engaged Sousuke Sagara!
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Yet more damage indicators light up along the back and leg as the Guren manages to flop Arbalest onto its back, sawing into its leg and back. The armor's tough stuff, though, and strong enough to not completely skewer through to Sousuke within. He throws himself aside, Arbalest landing crouched and all but hidden among the supplies.
"These tactics are minimum destruction. They want a takedown, too," Sousuke decides.
"Caution: Arbalest's secured systems are top secret and not to be divulged for any reason," AL notes.
"Now why is it you only want to tell me it has secrets when I don't need to know about it," Sousuke mutters back, and sweeps his Cutter back up.
"Caution. Thermal imaging shows increased power to the microwave blaster arm. Advise attempting to disable before it can be used."
"Right!" Sousuke barks, and stows the cutter in Arbalest's shoulder holster. Instead, he reaches around back, and pulls out its midrange weapon of choice: A "Boxer" 57mm shotcannon.
"Caution: Gunfire will alert the authorities," AL notes.
"So will two robots hurling each other across a room, AL!" Sousuke snaps back. He drops to one knee, for stability, and then fires, one, two, three blasts of shot screaming forward, pockmarking the wall and blasting small-but-not-like-THAT-small holes in the walls.
KTS: Sousuke Sagara has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Sousuke Sagara targets Kallen Kozuki with Boxer 57mm Shotcannon Shotshell Magdump! KTS: Kallen Kozuki partially guards Sousuke Sagara's Boxer 57mm Shotcannon Shotshell Magdump, taking 3720 damage! KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 66.
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
Minimal destruction is one goal. Though of course, Kallen has no intention of actually securing the Arbalest and dragging it or the pilot back to HQ. Truthfully, she doesn't think they could hold whoever it is. No doubt they're a highly competent, experienced soldier or black ops assassin. Somebody more than capable of killing people without a weapon. And... well, it's a tossup whether she or Oz is the best pilot the Knights have. She leans in her own favor of course, but suspects he has the better on-foot training.
Even if she has been beating up a LOT of yakuza, gang members, and Refrain dealers lately.
Either way, the two of them definitely wouldn't be enough to restrain somebody like that, who probably towers over them and has intimidating amounts of muscle bulk. The kind of soldier who would turn them into living pretzels before walking out of the base, followed by a series of explosions. Sometimes Kallen's imagination goes places.
Shaking that off, she checks the readings. Wave Surger at 90%. That's about the time the knife is swapped for a shotgun. The silver arm emits a puff of steam, as a piston shives into place. On the palm, a circular piece starts glowing... "This close... I can't dodge!" Her best recourse is to use that huge arm to defend, and hope it holds up.
"96%... 97." The ammunition crashes into it, some bouncing off and digging into the Guren's body. Some embedding in the arm itself. "98%..." A salvo of shot outright melts against the arm. That widens Kallen's eyes. "...Note for Rakshata. Consider defensive applications for the Wave Surger." The ding inside the cockpit to say she's reached full charge goes unheard, over the combined sound of the Landspinners revving up, and the final round of shot. It impacts the Guren head on, tearing through chunks of armor. But it's not enough. The crimson menace tucks in its body, arm extended as it closes the gap between the two of them, ready to latch onto the Arbalest and pump through it a full dosage of electronics-frying, armor-melting... Well, it's not completely clear EXACTLY what it is. Surely not properly radioactive materials. Given pilots are known to SURVIVE if they eject and don't melt with their machine.
An ammo casing of some kind ejects from the arm, in the midst of the attack. Perhaps an interesting thing, for an attentive pilot or AI.
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Kallen Kozuki has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Sousuke Sagara with Wave Surger Eruption! KTS: Sousuke Sagara has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Sousuke Sagara fails to parry Kallen Kozuki's Wave Surger Eruption, taking 6903 damage! KTS: Your unit's HP stands at -3143 KTS: Sousuke Sagara has been defeated! KTS: You're out of the fight. Consider using +eject to leave the battlefield. KTS: Kallen Kozuki has engaged Sousuke Sagara!
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"Nondecisive damage," AL reports.
Sousuke watches a volley of shot melt against that arm, and realizes too late what he's dealing with.
The open claw comes at him. He grits his teeth. There's no way out. The damage would be catastrophic. He needs...
A shield!
Arbalest's bulky shoulders swing back and open up, unfurling a pair of heat-venting fins behind it. The air takes on a strange, blue-purple tinge to it, as an unfamiliar energy fills the space.
The Radiation Wave Surger's arm reaches full extent and fires pulses of energy into him, but the air itself explodes into a chaotic, blazing array of reds and blues and purples, the radiation pulses slamming into an invisible something and redirecting off. The concrete below bubbles; a shelving unit collapses sideways and falls over. One of Arbalest's arms catches a stray wave and the armor bubbles and boils, sensitive internal Muscle Packages tearing at themselves. "Class F damage on the left arm. Destroying," AL says, neutrally, as the arm explodes off forcefuly and then detonates, reducing itself to scrap.
The exchange of blazing lights ends. Sweat pours down Sousuke's face.
"Lambda Driver activation confirmed," AL states, placidly. "Warning: Continued combat is not advised in this condition."
"Damn," Sousuke says. "Withdrawing! Uruz 7 to Uruz 3, I am unable to subdue the enemy inside, do not send in the PRT! Do not!"
Arbalest leaps skyward, crashing entirely through the room, and then leaps away, vanishing in sparkling blue light.
"Who was that," Sousuke asks himself, in the dark of his cockpit.
"The unit matches data for Mithril designation 'Red Queen,'" AL says. "One of the Black Knights' top aces."
Sousuke grunts. "They're good. Isolate the data on that radiation cannon and submit it for analysis. The Lambda Driver logs, too."
"Roger. Highlighting Geotron Electronics garage Shuffle Alliance entrance for return pathing."
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
For a moment Kallen gets a little too into it. Basking in the heat and red glow casting off the Guren's key weapon as she lets out a scream from the deepest part of herself. It doesn't last long. The ejected and exploding arm snaps her focus back. And as she spots the waves seeming to... slough off the Arbalest? She breathes out a sigh of relief. It won't be destroyed completely, and the pilot won't be made into reheated leftovers.
A moment to observe the surrounding damage... This isn't the quiet slip-in-and-out she'd planned. On the other hand... "With this much ruined, I can take the target and flee. We can say we were protecting it from that Arm Slave. That we got a report of him skulking around, and..." Maybe they don't get what they were initially after, but instead... Zero still comes out ahead.
As the unknown pilot and the Arbalest escape, Kallen takes a moment to drink half her bottle of water. This Knightmare is like piloting inside a sauna. "Definitely slipping into a cool shower when I get back. ...Wonder who the pilot really is though." She checks the data intakes briefly, but... she can't really make much sense of that last exchange anyway, if there even is anything to make sense of. "Hope Rakshata gets something useful about the unit. Maybe she'll consider us even for all the damage to the Guren."
And so before any law enforcement can arrive, the Red Queen slips away with the prize.