2023-09-08: A Guilty Promise
- Log: A Guilty Promise
- Cast: Rena Lancaster, Leina Ashta, Enba Rezza, Anita Rosetta, Naoko Suzuki
- Where: Denver Colony, Side 6
- OOC - IC Date: 0097-09-08
- Summary: Investigating a deadly psychic phenomenon near a derelict colony in the middle of a Helium-3 field, one would have to be prepared for a number of possible risks... yet even then, one cannot plan for everything.
FPT: Rena Lancaster has deployed for Flashpoint in A000-0001 Gaia Gear Alpha. FPT: Anita Rosetta has deployed for Flashpoint in XVF-25I Svipul <GERWALK Mode>. FPT: Naoko Suzuki has deployed for Flashpoint in NS-1 Sukeban. FPT: Enba Rezza has deployed for Flashpoint in VF-171 Nightmare Plus <Gerwalk Mode>. FPT: Leina Ashta has deployed for Flashpoint in RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn <Destroy Mode> Awakened.
+---------------------------------< .SRTMOO. >---------------------------------+ +--------------------< FLASHPOINT CHALLENGE: Exploration >---------------------+ | MANDATORY STAT: SKL | | TERRAIN: Space | | ATTRIBUTES: Response and Installation | | BONUS STATS: PIL and ARM | +------------------------< TITLE: Entering the Colony >------------------------+ - Denver Colony is a large closed O'Neill Cylinder colony. The strangest part - - about it is the lack of solar panels; an experimental fusion reactor is - - how it powers itself. This time, that isn't malfunctioning, but it has - - nonetheless gone radio silent. More than that, though, are more disturbing - - reports: of some manner of Psychoframe reaction that occurred there. - - Flying in, you don't immediately see any sign of that. - - - - But that doesn't make it easy. - - - - First, there are several clusters of large helium-3 fuel tanks about. These - - lattices contain ship-sized (or larger!) containers of the gas, which - - could explode if you're careless. The helium-3 is mercifully inert, but - - the explosion -- if struck -- would be enormous. You need to fly through - - the middle of those, and then come to the colony itself. In Beltorchika's - - briefing, she identified a number of entry points: large, Mobile - - Suit-sized airlocks that can be opened. - - - - You will need to force your way inside. Whether by explosives, careful - - application of a beam saber, or brute force, you'll need to break into a - - bulkhead. But, you'll need to do so /carefully/ -- it wouldn't do to cause - - a catastrophic loss of atmosphere. Or, worse, set off all the helium-3 - - tanks nearby. - +------------------------------< DIFFICULTY: 2 >-------------------------------+
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
Beltorchika sent them to Denver Colony, and the way in has an obstacle that they knew about it.
A large number of helium-3 cylinders.
There are scores of them all around, and this particular Three Ships Alliance team is flying in a tight formation. Rena sits in the cockpit of the Gaia Gear Alpha, hands on the controls, and leaning forward. She sucks a breath in, as they come towards the colony cylinder.
"All right..." She trails off. "We're going to need to be careful, to open this up."
The Gaia Gear's feet set down on the colony wall -- outside of a large, sealed airlock -- and she waits for a moment. "...Because we don't want to set those off." Her eyes fall on the helium-3 cylinders.
There is a pulse of anxiety from her. She worries what they might find in here. But, she made a promise, and...
"Let's be careful, everyone," she says.
FPT: Rena Lancaster has acted with Skill and Armor.
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
The Norn's been repaired since Gryps II fired, resulting in a more sleek shining appearance that everyone's used to, rather than the chipped away appearance like a bomb went off near blocks of mortar.
As they approach the Helium-3 field, Leina sucks in a breath. Even as a kid she knew about the beating heart of the Federation's war machine. Everything Minovsky related relies on Helium-3 after all.
Volatile, volatile, volatile - Helium-3. She's trying very hard not to imagine all of them simply blowing up in a field of them.
"Very... very... careful. I'm activating the NT-D to increase responsiveness, Rena. Last thing we need are any imprecise maneuvers here."
The Norn shifts, retractable plates unfurling it's gleaming Psychoframe, that shines brighter, a radiant yellow. Ephemeral feelings, and fingers take hold- and the Norn begins to move around the Cylinders doing the bidding of its pilot.
"God, seeing these all just placed here like an obstacle course... I don't know what they were thinking?"
Leina comments, but then a thought occurs to her as she murmurs, "Unless they wanted to have an easy way to blow everything up."
FPT: Leina Ashta has acted with Skill and Piloting.
<Pose Tracker> Enba Rezza has posed.
Enba Rezza, while not a usual pilot, has elected to go on this mission. It's important enough to them that they've left the ship in order to fly with Rena, moving at the edge of the formation. "Very," they agree from their Valkyrie, a fairly ordinary unit. The GERWALK mode of the unit is shown off as it sets feet down.....
"Right."
Enba doesn't pilot very often, as was noted, but they work at their best in order to keep the unit steady.
"Probably exactly that, Miss Ashta," Enba says of blowing things up.
FPT: Enba Rezza spends 2 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Enba Rezza has acted with Skill and Piloting.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
The time has come for them to return to Denver Colony - this time, for an investigation of a different sort. The Svipul soars along with the others, currently in GERWALK mode. She's an excellent pilot, when she puts her mind to it... and right now she's in full Serious Mode. An obstacle course like this would be fun... if the consequences for failure weren't catastrophic. So, focus it is.
"Right." Anita agrees, carefully weaving her way through the field. She's worried too, but she keeps that under wraps for now as they approach their target. The beam cannon emerges over Svipul's left shoulder. "Alright, adjusting the Gungnir's power output for breaching..."
Better to keep the power lower, to avoid any... accidents.
FPT: Anita Rosetta spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Anita Rosetta has acted with Skill and Piloting.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
The Sukeban is bringing up the rear in the formation, as usual. Naoko prefers to hang back a bit as of late, focusing on using her advanced scanning instruments to ensure there aren't any nasty surprises waiting up ahead. Things appear clear so far, but...
"It's hard to cut through the interference around this place. Pretty sure there's nobody nearby, but I can't tell if there isn't anything hiding a bit further out. ...Or inside, obviously."
Perhaps strangely, Naoko doesn't actually feel concerned about an accidental Helium-3 explosion. She's confident that everyone here knows the risks and knows what they're doing, so providing there isn't anyone else around, it should not cause any problems. Besides, it's a known element. It's the unknown elements waiting for them up ahead that worry her, you can't prepare for those.
She is a little uneasy about the Banshee's NT-D activation, but mainly for the same reason - she doesn't fully understand it. She'd like to understand it better, but it's probably better for everybody that Nova Stellar isn't allowed to work on anyone's machines without the pilot's express permission. Her curiosity easily gets the better of her.
Where it comes to breaking in though, that's where her help may be more useful. "So we need some careful cutting power then? Good thing I was able to put together a new pair in time... Saucers!"
With that, the Sukeban's shoulder discs detach - their heated edges, small size and precision controls should prove useful for a task like this.
FPT: Naoko Suzuki spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Naoko Suzuki has acted with Skill and Piloting. FPT: Anita Rosetta's Laidback Sharpshooter Ability assists!
+------------------------------< Flashpoint 1.0 >------------------------------+ +--------------------< FLASHPOINT CHALLENGE: Exploration >---------------------+ | MANDATORY STAT: SKL | | TERRAIN: Space | | ATTRIBUTES: Response and Installation | | BONUS STATS: PIL and ARM | +------------------------< TITLE: Entering the Colony >------------------------+ - Denver Colony is a large closed O'Neill Cylinder colony. The strangest part - - about it is the lack of solar panels; an experimental fusion reactor is - - how it powers itself. This time, that isn't malfunctioning, but it has - - nonetheless gone radio silent. More than that, though, are more disturbing - - reports: of some manner of Psychoframe reaction that occurred there. - - Flying in, you don't immediately see any sign of that. - - - - But that doesn't make it easy. - - - - First, there are several clusters of large helium-3 fuel tanks about. These - - lattices contain ship-sized (or larger!) containers of the gas, which - - could explode if you're careless. The helium-3 is mercifully inert, but - - the explosion -- if struck -- would be enormous. You need to fly through - - the middle of those, and then come to the colony itself. In Beltorchika's - - briefing, she identified a number of entry points: large, Mobile - - Suit-sized airlocks that can be opened. - - - - You will need to force your way inside. Whether by explosives, careful - - application of a beam saber, or brute force, you'll need to break into a - - bulkhead. But, you'll need to do so /carefully/ -- it wouldn't do to cause - - a catastrophic loss of atmosphere. Or, worse, set off all the helium-3 - - tanks nearby. - +------------------------------< DIFFICULTY: 2 >-------------------------------+ +-------------------------------< TENSION: 12 >--------------------------------+ | PILOT: Rena Lancaster | | STATS: SKL/ARM Charges Used: 0 Failure | | PILOT: Naoko Suzuki | | STATS: SKL/PIL Charges Used: 1 Failure | | PILOT: Anita Rosetta | | STATS: SKL/PIL Charges Used: 1 Success | | PILOT: Enba Rezza | | STATS: SKL/PIL Charges Used: 2 Success | | PILOT: Leina Ashta | | STATS: SKL/PIL Charges Used: 0 Failure | +-----------------------------< Round 1 Results >------------------------------+
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"Good idea, Leina," Rena says, with a glance at her friend. She tilts her head for a second. "I'm not sure. Maybe it was desperation? Get them away from where the fighting might be, as fast as they can, and..."
She trails off. It's still short-sighted. It's still incredibly dangerous.
"You've got this, Annie," Rena tells her, and she stands by -- ready to peel back the part of the airlock that they cut into. Between Anita and Leina carefully managing their weapons' power output -- and then the discs deployed by the Sukeban -- they cut through a portion.
Rena and Enba, then, peel it back. This leaves a hole that leads into the colony. Rena sucks a breath in.
"...Here we go," she says. "Everyone, keep your eyes open."
The Gaia Gear Alpha drops in, thrusters firing, as it begins to descend into the colony.
FPT: Rena Lancaster's party has drawn a new Challenge!
+------------------------------< Flashpoint 1.0 >------------------------------+ +--------------------< FLASHPOINT CHALLENGE: Exploration >---------------------+ | MANDATORY STAT: MOB | | TERRAIN: LowG | | ATTRIBUTES: Long Range and Swarm | | BONUS STATS: INT and SKL | +------------------------< TITLE: These Empty Streets >------------------------+ - Your entry point leads you to land in the city part of Denver Colony. It's - - more of a small town than a full-fledged city, though. - - - - The streets of Denver Colony are empty. They've been empty for years now; - - Anaheim Electronics abandoned it in late UC 0092, after a reactor failure, - - and Federation forces didn't spend very long here. After the Invasion of - - Orb, it was abandoned again -- a casualty of the political considerations - - of Side 6's neutrality and an easy way to mollify a neutral government at - - the end of the PLANT-Federation War. There is an atmosphere here, though, - - and the streets are... eerie. - - - - The power coming back means that it is a company town, all lit up and with - - no company personnel here. Big, bright signs advertise ANAHEIM - - ELECTRONICS. There are advertisements for ANAHEIM CAFE -- and the inside - - of the restaurant is lit up. In the distance, an electric trolley moves - - along its tracks -- and stops, for 30 seconds, for no one to board. Models - - of Anaheim-produced Mobile Suits from UC 0091 and 0092 can be seen lining - - one boulevard. There are layers of dust in places. - - - - But there is no one here - - - - That doesn't mean it's without defenses. With the reactor restored, the - - automated defenses are /also/ back online. In the distance, a dozen - - turrets come up -- rising out of hills above the actual company town -- - - and open fire. They shoot an experimental ammunition: Mobile Suit-sized - - rubber bullets, meant to have powerful concussive impact (never good for - - pilots) but minimize risk to breaching a colony's hull. A dozen open fire, - - and when those rubber rounds hit the road, they /bounce/. The effect is - - rather like being in a pinball machine with a dozen pinballs bouncing - - around. - - - - Fortunately, on your monitors, you see the way ahead: a large hangar, - - leading into the core of the colony and one of the docks. It's built into - - a hill, but will connect to the exterior. You just need to escape the - - onslaught of automated turrets. - +------------------------------< DIFFICULTY: 1 >-------------------------------+
<Pose Tracker> Enba Rezza has posed.
"That's as possible," Enba says of desperation. "Especially as things get worse, there's more and more people willing to call such issues 'tomorrow's problems' and leave them at that."
Naoko's talk of interference gets Enba to look at their own sensors, but in short order, all that is done for now...
"Moving inward," Enba says. "Our maps indicate... the city."
The company town stretches out before them; far from the sector where they found a ship to salvage, this 'city' is smaller than that. There is atmosphere now, and eerie streets. The restaurants are lit up; a trolley moves on its tracks. There is no one here... and suddenly--
Turrets. A dozen open fire.
"Move!" Enba calls, and directs their unit towards the large hangar leading into the core. "This way!"
They rush, and don't fire back; just moving and relying on precision.
FPT: Enba Rezza has acted with Mobility and Skill.
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
Once they've carved into the airlocks, they peel back into that hole. As they drop in, the Norn turns around and as if automatic sprays some Birdlime to cover the breech.
It's a dead Colony, but old habits die hard, and harder still are the habit to fix such things. She originally saw Judau do it in the Zeta.
"If someone breached containment... things could get..." Leina's not certain how to describe it, but her experiences with the Norn leads to only one word, "... dire."
Gravity quickly shifts to lower gravity, as several vernier thrusters go offline to be replaced by jump jets, Leina adjusting the power output on the Armed Armor DE for the new environment.
For a time the Norn is still, as the viewscreens on the Banshee focus around town, the trolley where noone gets on. 'Anaheim' 'Anaheim' 'Anaheim'.
From the AEUG, to Vist - Anaheim had been responsible for so many wrongs of the Universal Century.
It helps remind her that she's not the only victim, seeing a place like this.
Turrets open fire, and Leina reacts almost automatically, as the Norn leaps into the air, blue trails firing from it's Armed Armor as it raises the Revolving Launcher. A salvo of missiles is sent towards turrets, but mostly - it's maneuvering to follow Enba here.
"... Still makes me angry. These people, just carrying out their daily lives until..."
Until?
Was it really just a reactor malfunction? She doesn't know, but she expects it was not nearly so simple.
FPT: Leina Ashta has acted with Mobility and Skill.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"Hmm, yeah... just keep at it, alright?" Anita replies, as Naoko reports her findings. She grins and offers a thumbs-up at Rena's encouragement... and before long, they're through safely!
"Funny how no one ever thinks about when 'tomorrow' is gonna become 'today'. Always sneaks up on you." Anita replies. She knows all about procrastination. She's speaking from experience.
She follows Enba as they lead the way inward, into the city... but they're soon set upon by the automated turrets.
"Just gotta bear it for now..." Anita grimaces. She knows better than to underestimate them just because they're not using live ammunition. Getting hit with those rubber bullets wouldn't be pleasant.
...She frowns, though, as Leina speaks.
"...Yeah. This kind of thing... it's awful." She mutters quietly in agreement.
FPT: Anita Rosetta has acted with Mobility and Skill.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
So far, so good... no nasty surprises out there. And on the inside of the colony...
Nothing. Rather, no one. There are plenty of things around, and it sure looks active enough... there just aren't any people. Naoko wouldn't have called that, rather than the presence of something unknown, it would be an absence that disturbs her far more still.
"...It's like a ghost town," she comments, unable to keep the tension out of her voice. She falls quiet, after that. As hard as being among a crowd of strangers can be to deal with, emptiness in a place that still very much looks like it should be full of life... it just feels so wrong. Dealing with the sight of destruction is bad, but... at least it doesn't leave anything to the imagination. If there are blanks left for her mind to fill in, it only leads to a multitude of unpleasant scenarios playing out in her head. Unwelcome at best, highly distressing at worst.
In a way, she's thankful for something else to focus on, even if that something is a hail of gunfire from automated weaponry. It may not be actual bullets, but they are big, meant to deal with larger machines than her own. She does her best to weave though it as she follows Enba's lead towards the core, not bothering with returning fire.
FPT: Naoko Suzuki has acted with Mobility and Intuition.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"Yeah," Rena answers Nova. "It's empty. But... still moving now." She frowns, as she regards one of those electric trams that stops to let no on one and carry no one onward. She watches for a moment more, until Enba cries out. 'Move!'
Her eyes widen. "What--"
One of the rounds hits the road near the Gaia Gear Alpha and bounces. Some sort of experimental ammunition!
She sends the Gaia Gear Alpha flying forward, over it. "It makes me angry, too," she says, her voice quiet. "Knowing... those people were trapped here. Left here."
While the colony died around them. Rena's eyes shift towards the turrets, before she looks ahead. She keeps focusing on moving, leaving the offensive to Leina. She looks sideways at Anita, and there's a moment of hesitation.
Wasn't it during the Gryps War, when she first had her life turned upside down?
"...You okay, Annie?"
FPT: Rena Lancaster has acted with Mobility and Intuition. FPT: Naoko Suzuki's Unnatural Intuition applies! FPT: Anita Rosetta's Laidback Sharpshooter and Pinpoint Barrier System Abilities assist! FPT: Enba Rezza's Contigency applies! FPT: Enba Rezza's Just As Planned and Pinpoint Barrier System Abilities assist! FPT: Leina Ashta's Mass Effect Ability assists!
+------------------------------< Flashpoint 1.0 >------------------------------+ +--------------------< FLASHPOINT CHALLENGE: Exploration >---------------------+ | MANDATORY STAT: MOB | | TERRAIN: LowG | | ATTRIBUTES: Long Range and Swarm | | BONUS STATS: INT and SKL | +------------------------< TITLE: These Empty Streets >------------------------+ - Your entry point leads you to land in the city part of Denver Colony. It's - - more of a small town than a full-fledged city, though. - - - - The streets of Denver Colony are empty. They've been empty for years now; - - Anaheim Electronics abandoned it in late UC 0092, after a reactor failure, - - and Federation forces didn't spend very long here. After the Invasion of - - Orb, it was abandoned again -- a casualty of the political considerations - - of Side 6's neutrality and an easy way to mollify a neutral government at - - the end of the PLANT-Federation War. There is an atmosphere here, though, - - and the streets are... eerie. - - - - The power coming back means that it is a company town, all lit up and with - - no company personnel here. Big, bright signs advertise ANAHEIM - - ELECTRONICS. There are advertisements for ANAHEIM CAFE -- and the inside - - of the restaurant is lit up. In the distance, an electric trolley moves - - along its tracks -- and stops, for 30 seconds, for no one to board. Models - - of Anaheim-produced Mobile Suits from UC 0091 and 0092 can be seen lining - - one boulevard. There are layers of dust in places. - - - - But there is no one here - - - - That doesn't mean it's without defenses. With the reactor restored, the - - automated defenses are /also/ back online. In the distance, a dozen - - turrets come up -- rising out of hills above the actual company town -- - - and open fire. They shoot an experimental ammunition: Mobile Suit-sized - - rubber bullets, meant to have powerful concussive impact (never good for - - pilots) but minimize risk to breaching a colony's hull. A dozen open fire, - - and when those rubber rounds hit the road, they /bounce/. The effect is - - rather like being in a pinball machine with a dozen pinballs bouncing - - around. - - - - Fortunately, on your monitors, you see the way ahead: a large hangar, - - leading into the core of the colony and one of the docks. It's built into - - a hill, but will connect to the exterior. You just need to escape the - - onslaught of automated turrets. - +------------------------------< DIFFICULTY: 1 >-------------------------------+ +-------------------------------< TENSION: 12 >--------------------------------+ | PILOT: Rena Lancaster | | STATS: MOB/INT Charges Used: 0 Success | | PILOT: Naoko Suzuki | | STATS: MOB/INT Charges Used: 0 Success | | PILOT: Anita Rosetta | | STATS: MOB/SKL Charges Used: 0 Success | | PILOT: Enba Rezza | | STATS: MOB/SKL Charges Used: 0 Success | | PILOT: Leina Ashta | | STATS: MOB/SKL Charges Used: 0 Success | +-----------------------------< Round 2 Results >------------------------------+
<Pose Tracker> Enba Rezza has posed.
Was it just a reactor malfunction? Enba doesn't know, either.
"It does. That's why there needs to be someone paid to think about 'today'," they say. They are usually that person. Or at least, are accustomed to being that person. But otherwise...
"Awful," Enba agrees about how awful it is. "...This, too, is something we want to put a stop to."
They decide against commenting on 'ghosts', instead suggesting, "Try to focus on your readings. It's easy to let your imagination get the better of you in a place like this."
Only a little offense is needed; the missiles take down a few of the launchers, and draw the attention of the remainder. Leina's work means that the others can follow along in relative peace, and soon they're approaching the internals of the hangar.
"Anger... Yes. I feel it, too."
FPT: Rena Lancaster's party has drawn a new Challenge!
+------------------------------< Flashpoint 1.0 >------------------------------+ +--------------------< FLASHPOINT CHALLENGE: Exploration >---------------------+ | MANDATORY STAT: RX | | TERRAIN: LowG | | ATTRIBUTES: Breakthrough and Close Quarters | | BONUS STATS: ARM and RX | +-----------------------< TITLE: Containment Protocol >------------------------+ - The hangar leads into a large Mobile Suit facility. When Denver Colony - - first failed, there was work on experimental Anaheim Mobile Suits that - - stopped in the middle of their efforts, and that is evident throughout the - - room. Here, there is a flatbed truck with the half-completed frame of a - - Gundam; against the wall, there is the head of a Zeonic-style suit, with a - - disassembled mono-eye. There are tools, both Mobile Suit and human scale, - - scattered across the floor. There is a doorway open ahead, which Mobile - - Suits can fit through. - - - - Written over it is a promising and worrying statement: SECURE AREA: - - PSYCHOFRAME DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY. - - - - With the power on, though, the automated defenses and systems are ready for - - you. A siren wails, and a recorded and mechanical-sounding voice - - announces: Intruder detected! - - - - Then, a massive bulkhead door begins to descend -- it grinds, a /little/ - - slowly, with sparks flying -- and it promises to cut you off from the - - laboratory. It promises to cut you off, unless you can rush in and stop - - the huge door from falling down. Otherwise, you will need to spend quite a - - bit of time cutting your way through a massive, three meter-thick steel - - door. - +------------------------------< DIFFICULTY: 2 >-------------------------------+
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
'It's like a ghost town' reminds Leina of the pictures she saw of Colony 30 after 30 Bunch. And at Nova's comment, she keeps silent, remembering her trek through Denver the first time they were here.
It's funny, her second battle every piloting a mobile suit - and now...
... eight months feels like years have passed.
It's only when they come out the other side, away from the turrets line of fire that she notes. "... S'funny, don't even remember Denver in the news when it happened. Even if the current scandal hurts Anaheim..."
They'll likely never be truly held accountable for this atrocity is what she seems to feel but that goes unspoken.
The facility they come into was obviously built for Mobile Suits, all of them fit within easily, they can see half completed Gundams, and Zeonic style suits - more evidence of the war profiteering, and the people caught in the middle.
And then the Norn stops, looking at the sign which says 'SECURE AREA: PSYCHOFRAME DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY'
There's this, sense of foreboding about this place that even those who aren't psychic might feel - something oppressive.
"They're here... they have to be... the resentment of twenty eight souls trapped here for so long..."
Yet no sooner does she say that, when suddenly the area goes red from the sirens, and flashing lights.
'Intruder - detected!'
And a massive bulkhead starts to descend - "Everyone move!"
The Norn's jump jets fire, as it tries to get in there before it does, then pivoting to extend a Psychoframe enhanced hand to try and slow it's descent for the others.
FPT: Leina Ashta spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Leina Ashta has acted with Reactor and Armor.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
Rena asks if she's okay. Distracted, it takes a second for her to answer. Despite that, it doesn't prevent her from taking evasive maneuvers.
"...Yeah, I'm okay." Anita decides. There's definitely more to it than that - but if she brings that up right now, it might just get in the way. Right now it isn't anger she's feeling - though she'll certainly have plenty of that to spare later.
She's quiet as they proceed into the hangar, full of mobile suits in various stages of completion... The sign, too, is concerning - and even Anita can feel that oppressive pressure.
"...Geez." Anita mutters with a shake of her head - but isn't given any opportunity to dwell on it immediately as the bulkhead starts to close. With a grimace the Svipul rushes forward. It doesn't have the Banshee's strength, but there's still one thing she can try.
"Come on, Svipul...!" Anita urges, directing the Pinpoint Barrier out forward to assist Leina in keeping the bulkhead from closing.
FPT: Anita Rosetta spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Anita Rosetta has acted with Reactor and Armor.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Naoko sure is glad to get away from those empty streets. An empty work area filled with half-completed projects... well, that just reminds her of home, really. It does stands out to her in that one particular way. "Bit of a odd mix, isn't it? Constructing Gundams and Zeon mobile suits in the same place..."
Emblematic of the war profiteering that was going on, no doubt. Even if she has no personal experience dealing with such things, she's heard about it, recently made aware of Anaheim's reputation in that area. She'd have understood, to a degree, had it been out of technological curiosity. She knows all about that. But, all that just for money? Disgusting.
She too doesn't remembering hearing any of this on the news, but that's not odd. She was usually only half paying attention to things that were happening so far away from her. What use did she have for news from all the way out in space? She was never going to go to space!
Yeah that was pretty short-sighted now, wasn't it?
Spotting the sign, there's an obvious joy in her voice when she says, "Ohhh, jackpot!" She would -love- to be involved in anything related to Psychoframe development, it's hard for that not to leak into her voice. That moment passes quickly though, with the alert that shortly follows. "Geh, the door!"
Sukeban's thrusters instantly flare to life, the Arm Slave boosting towards the closing entrance at full speed. Not much she can do to hold open the door, best she can do for everyone is to get herself clear ASAP.
FPT: Naoko Suzuki has acted with Reactor and Armor.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"Hard to not be angry," Rena murmurs to Enba.
She sits a little nervous while Anita is quiet -- distracted -- but she nods to her response. There must be more to it. But, Rena doesn't press; it's not the time. "All right. Just... say if you need anything, okay?"
She smiles, then. It doesn't take a Newtype to sense her nervousness.
"They might not have mentioned it," Rena says to Leina. "It... probably isn't a place they admit exists. Which makes it all the worse."
Rena quiets for a moment, though, for the same reason Leina does. She sees the sign; she feels the same foreboding, the same sense of of it being oppressive. What they're looking for is ahead, and it makes Rena's stomach drop.
Then Leina calls out. Rena's eyes widen, and she hits the thrusters; the Gaia Gear Alpha surges forward, leaping, and another Psychoframe-glowing hand slams into the door, holding it up. Motes of green light drift off it, as it joins the Svipul.
Then, after Sukeban blitzes through, she slips the Gaia Gear through -- and grabs hold from the other side, for the others to start through, too.
FPT: Rena Lancaster has acted with Reactor and Armor. FPT: Rena Lancaster spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round!
<Pose Tracker> Enba Rezza has posed.
"I don't either," Enba Rezza comments of the news. "...But things like that are why we left the Federation in the first place." The lack of accountability for those who were 'useful'. The atrocities.
But here is something foreboding, all right. Enba is not particularly Awakened, but even they feel an oppressive presence here. "...The people who make the money off of these arms don't always care which side is which," they say to Naoko.
But Rena has a point. They might not have mentioned it. As the others blitz through, though, Enba is probably slowest--but that doesn't stop them from pushing their engines as hard as they'll go to get through the door.
FPT: Enba Rezza spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Enba Rezza has acted with Reactor and Mobility. FPT: Rena Lancaster's Attrition applies! FPT: Rena Lancaster's Psychoframe Ability assists! FPT: Anita Rosetta's Pinpoint Barrier System Ability assists! FPT: Enba Rezza's Pinpoint Barrier System Ability assists! FPT: Leina Ashta's NT-D System Ability assists!
+------------------------------< Flashpoint 1.0 >------------------------------+ +--------------------< FLASHPOINT CHALLENGE: Exploration >---------------------+ | MANDATORY STAT: RX | | TERRAIN: LowG | | ATTRIBUTES: Breakthrough and Close Quarters | | BONUS STATS: ARM and RX | +-----------------------< TITLE: Containment Protocol >------------------------+ - The hangar leads into a large Mobile Suit facility. When Denver Colony - - first failed, there was work on experimental Anaheim Mobile Suits that - - stopped in the middle of their efforts, and that is evident throughout the - - room. Here, there is a flatbed truck with the half-completed frame of a - - Gundam; against the wall, there is the head of a Zeonic-style suit, with a - - disassembled mono-eye. There are tools, both Mobile Suit and human scale, - - scattered across the floor. There is a doorway open ahead, which Mobile - - Suits can fit through. - - - - Written over it is a promising and worrying statement: SECURE AREA: - - PSYCHOFRAME DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY. - - - - With the power on, though, the automated defenses and systems are ready for - - you. A siren wails, and a recorded and mechanical-sounding voice - - announces: Intruder detected! - - - - Then, a massive bulkhead door begins to descend -- it grinds, a /little/ - - slowly, with sparks flying -- and it promises to cut you off from the - - laboratory. It promises to cut you off, unless you can rush in and stop - - the huge door from falling down. Otherwise, you will need to spend quite a - - bit of time cutting your way through a massive, three meter-thick steel - - door. - +------------------------------< DIFFICULTY: 2 >-------------------------------+ +-------------------------------< TENSION: 16 >--------------------------------+ | PILOT: Rena Lancaster | | STATS: RX/ARM Charges Used: 1 Success | | PILOT: Naoko Suzuki | | STATS: RX/ARM Charges Used: 0 Failure | | PILOT: Anita Rosetta | | STATS: RX/ARM Charges Used: 1 Success | | PILOT: Enba Rezza | | STATS: RX/MOB Charges Used: 1 Success | | PILOT: Leina Ashta | | STATS: RX/ARM Charges Used: 1 Success | +-----------------------------< Round 3 Results >------------------------------+
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
Annie's efforts to use the Pinpoint Barrier system of the Svipul cause the door to grind down further, even if it's severely testing the structural integrity of both the Norn and the Svirpul right away.
The Gaia Gear joins in, and it slows just enough that they're able to keep it open long enough for Enba... then Nova's Sukeban to scrape by inside.
Fortunately all are able to let go without major damage, as the bulkhead slams shut.
"Much worse."
Leina finally echoes Rena's statement, on how this place's existence is not something acknowledged.
The Sukeban might catch the Norn looking at it overlong... it'd be easy to interpret it as a glare as well for her enthusiasm but...
... part of her wonders, if there's a commonality between...
"I get why you'd be enthusiastic but souls bound to Psychoframe..."
There's a touch of abstraction in her voice, "... making contact with them can be an overwhelming experience. Be careful here Nova."
FPT: Rena Lancaster's party has drawn a new Challenge!
+------------------------------< Flashpoint 1.0 >------------------------------+ +--------------------< FLASHPOINT CHALLENGE: Exploration >---------------------+ | MANDATORY STAT: INT | | TERRAIN: LowG | | ATTRIBUTES: Resolve, Rally, and Coordinate | | BONUS STATS: INT and SGT | +-----------------------< TITLE: Illusions of the Past >-----------------------+ - The Mobile Suit-sized hallway leads deeper and deeper into the facility. It - - is a little too narrow -- it barely fits two Mobile Suits, side-by-side -- - - and the ceiling is just low enough to make it claustrophobic. In here, you - - can see signs of a life support system that failed and came back online. - - There are streaks of rust underneath vents on the wall, from when - - long-frozen pipes began to run again and then burst. There are doors that - - have opened, hatches that are popped, to maximize airflow as it returned. - - It all came years too late, of course. - - - - The hallway is long and winding. There are branches, but Beltorchika's - - information is immaculate; your heads-up display shows the route, and you - - don't need to wander the labyrinthine halls of this place. But, there are - - other dangers. - - - - Something -- no, someone -- remembers. - - - - It begins as a strange sense in the back of your mind. The more spiritually - - and psychically aware feel it first and strongest. A sense of something - - being wrong; a mounting feeling of panic. Then, the inside of your cockpit - - begins to feel stifling. The air feels stagnant; the air feels like it is - - cooling down rapidly, and like it's too thin. It feels like... - - - - ...like the life support is failing. It's not your memories, but something - - layered atop them, and if you're at all aware of such psychic phenomena, - - it is nearly impossible to separate from reality. You are trapped in this - - place; frost is forming on the walls and monitors of the cockpit; your - - screen is flickering and fading as it loses power. You're freezing. You're - - suffocating. - - - - Those who can't feel such phenomena may be able to help. Those who can need - - to find something within themselves to remember: this is not real. It is - - not real for you, it is not real today. - - - - But it was real, years ago, for the people who died here. - - - - They are waiting. - +------------------------------< DIFFICULTY: 3 >-------------------------------+
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Naoko lets out the breath she'd be holding, speeding through the closed door. She doesn't know just how close it was, and it doesn't matter, she made it. That was like having to do an abrupt sprint, with her brain. Doesn't feel great.
It also doesn't feel great to have the Banshee's - no, Leina's eyes on her. She thinks to herself 'was it something I said?', only for that unasked question to be answered in short order. "Wh-why're you singling me out?" she wonders aloud, quite obviously well aware of the reason. She's not subtle, and Leina is observant. Rather a bad mix if you don't want to get called out on your more embarrassing traits, she's already found out in the past. Still... "...I'll be careful," she promises, genuinely, taking it for the well-intentioned advice it is.
The space ahead is... better sized for the Sukeban and the Valkyries than it is for the mobile suits. Naoko remains quiet throughout it all, not commenting on the state of the hallway, the signs of what happened with the life support system's reactivation. Her mind has once again started to fill in blanks of what it might have been like for the people in the colony. She's starting to feel a little sick to her stomach, and a little light-headed.
Before she full well realizes it, she's started hyperventilating. Noticing this, one of her AI companions speaks up.
>"Nova, calm down. Whatever it is you're thinking about, it was all in the past. It doesn't do anyone any good to worry over it so much."<
Normally, this would help, make it easier for her to calm down. Instead, she starts gasping, her hands going to her throat as she strains to breathe. A similar experience as the other psychically attuned members of the group will be subjected to. On the outside, those lucky enough to not have very high psychic sensitivity will see the Sukeban slumping, then writhing bizarrely as it imitates Naoko's flailing, struggling, desperate motions.
>"Uriel, something's wrong! Is there a malfunction?!"<
>"No, everything's fine! Hey, Nova! Snap out of it! Whatever you think is happening, it's all in your head!"<
Naoko hears the both of them, of course. But the claim that everything is fine is rather hard to believe when you can't breathe. Rather, it feels like they're the crazy ones for saying that. They may not need to breathe or feel the cold, but don't they see the layer of frost forming on the instruments? Something obviously is terribly, terribly wrong!
In a blind panic, she can't even focus on trying to fix whatever problem this is. There's only one thing she can think, a thought that repeats again and again, no doubt echoing many a poor soul who went through this exact thing, all those years ago.
I don't want to die
FPT: Naoko Suzuki has acted with Intuition and Sight.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
They manage to make it through. It's close... but everyone's here, in one piece. They continue down the hallway... and then, there's that sensation. Anita is one of the last to feel it, that sense in the back of her head. That panic...
The Svipul is failing. The air grows stagnant, cold - thin. Everything is failing. Anita stares in shock.
"Wh- how? It wasn't..." She starts. "Something's wrong, I-"
The walls frost over. The screen flickers and fades. She's suffocating. Cold fills her whole body...
...Her whole body...
It takes her a moment to realise, though her panic. Anita shuts her eyes tight, takes in a deep breath, trying to force herself to calm down. ...As nice as it would be to feel, that's how she knows this isn't real. She can experience approximations, but this... it's too accurate. Her experiences don't mesh with the memories of ones who lived and died here. And if this cold was real, the warning systems in her cybernetics would be going off.
"...This isn't happening!" Anita announces - shouts, a rarity for her. "We're okay. ...We're okay. Just focus on my voice - pinch yourselves, if you gotta. I know you can snap out of this. None of this is happening! ...Not to us."
What she can't escape is the feeling that this must be how the people here felt, moments before.
FPT: Anita Rosetta spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Anita Rosetta has acted with Intuition and Sight.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"Yeah. It's... it's not something to do lightly," Rena tells Naoko, her voice quiet. Her anxiety about what awaits is gripping her.
The Gaia Gear Alpha has to duck as it walks through the hallway; she tenses, her fingers tightening about the controls of the Gaia Gear Alpha, and she looks ahead. She sees the Sukeban start to slump.
But then it hits her, too. The air is growing still. Stifling. The vents don't seem to be working, and her eyes start to widen. "What--what is this!?" she says, her voice rising to a shout. "The air supply is--"
She sucks a breath in -- then closes her eyes. Hyperventilating will make the air run out faster.
But Anita's voice carries through. She takes a deep breath, then she nods. "Y-Yeah," she says. She looks at her readings -- and they show that. "Just... you're right. I hear you, Annie. Nova, it's okay, just... just, close your eyes and focus. It's not us that this happened to."
FPT: Rena Lancaster has acted with Intuition and Sight. FPT: Rena Lancaster spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round!
<Pose Tracker> Enba Rezza has posed.
They make it, anyway. That's what counts. Their Valkyrie is still in top condition, that being one of the reasons it was selected for their use in the first pace. But the talk of souls in Psychoframe, well...
"I'm not eager," Enba admits. but as they move further in, the space ahead has more size. Enba looks to the signs of reactivation, frowns thoughtfully.
But that's when they notice the Sukeban slumping and...
"Suzuki," Enba starts. "Suzuki, is there a malfunction in your unit?"
No. It's worse than that. Enba Rezza feels a chill, as if someone walked over their grave, but no suffocation, no freezing, no panic. The air is stagnant, but--
Anita's words make it clear what's happening, and Enba quickly begins running scans from their cockpit on the other units. "This anomaly is purely sensory," they say. Focus on Anita's voice... "I'm reading the following life signs from each of you--"
Maybe contradictory data--the temperatures inside their cockpits, the rate of their breathing, the oxygenation of their suits, the time they have left before they really run out of air--maybe these statistics will help.
If not...
Enba doesn't prefer to dwell on that possibility.
FPT: Enba Rezza spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Enba Rezza has acted with Intuition and Sight.
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"It's..." She doesn't answer Nova on why she's singling her out for a while, sounding distant again, "... a feeling."
How can she explain it? Should she explain it? Certainly not here in front of everyone.
As they move throughout the hallways ahead, Leina doesn't speak much at all.
It begins with a welling in the back of her throat. This memory. Vision blurs and grows to a pinpoint, her breath picking up, quickly, hyperventilating.
She's not in a normal suit, she's done for. She has to get to a normal suit. She has to.
Memories muddle and suddenly she remembers, she remembers. Neo-Zeon shot holes in their Colony. Everyone is going to die.
A slow suffocation, asphyxiation, she can't can't can't make it to the shelter- the air's leaving too fast. She's going to die. Hands claw at the helmet of the Banshee's pilot suit, trying to take off the helmet.
Without any awareness whatsoever of the fact that she's in a suit that would save her. The Norn suddenly strikes the wall of the hallway with a shoulder, smashing a dent into it, as the mobile suit mimics the motions.
Clawing at her neck, clawing at the walls.
It's moving erratically, dangerously. And then-
'This isn't happening! We're okay. ... We're okay. Just focus on my voices - pinch yourselves, if you gotta!'
The Norn keeps moving erratically, yet she rasps out, "An... Annie?" It's not long after that Enba is trying to tell them it's something sensory.
Trying to focus through her blind panic, she reaches out again - and something grasps her hand. The Banshee shines subtly brighter.
Memories begin to grow more clear. This isn't Shangri-La. Judau patched those holes. It was over in seconds. It never got this bad.
It doesn't stop the hyperventilating, or her hands from shaking, but it starts to slow.
It's a start, she needed a start.
FPT: Leina Ashta spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Leina Ashta has acted with Intuition and Sight. FPT: Rena Lancaster's Belief Ability assists! FPT: Naoko Suzuki's Unnatural Intuition applies! FPT: Naoko Suzuki's Guarded Mind and AI-Assisted Analytics Abilities assist! FPT: Anita Rosetta's Easygoing Ability assists! FPT: Enba Rezza's Three Steps Ahead Ability assists! FPT: Leina Ashta's Believe in Miracles Ability assists!
+------------------------------< Flashpoint 1.0 >------------------------------+ +--------------------< FLASHPOINT CHALLENGE: Exploration >---------------------+ | MANDATORY STAT: INT | | TERRAIN: LowG | | ATTRIBUTES: Resolve, Rally, and Coordinate | | BONUS STATS: INT and SGT | +-----------------------< TITLE: Illusions of the Past >-----------------------+ - The Mobile Suit-sized hallway leads deeper and deeper into the facility. It - - is a little too narrow -- it barely fits two Mobile Suits, side-by-side -- - - and the ceiling is just low enough to make it claustrophobic. In here, you - - can see signs of a life support system that failed and came back online. - - There are streaks of rust underneath vents on the wall, from when - - long-frozen pipes began to run again and then burst. There are doors that - - have opened, hatches that are popped, to maximize airflow as it returned. - - It all came years too late, of course. - - - - The hallway is long and winding. There are branches, but Beltorchika's - - information is immaculate; your heads-up display shows the route, and you - - don't need to wander the labyrinthine halls of this place. But, there are - - other dangers. - - - - Something -- no, someone -- remembers. - - - - It begins as a strange sense in the back of your mind. The more spiritually - - and psychically aware feel it first and strongest. A sense of something - - being wrong; a mounting feeling of panic. Then, the inside of your cockpit - - begins to feel stifling. The air feels stagnant; the air feels like it is - - cooling down rapidly, and like it's too thin. It feels like... - - - - ...like the life support is failing. It's not your memories, but something - - layered atop them, and if you're at all aware of such psychic phenomena, - - it is nearly impossible to separate from reality. You are trapped in this - - place; frost is forming on the walls and monitors of the cockpit; your - - screen is flickering and fading as it loses power. You're freezing. You're - - suffocating. - - - - Those who can't feel such phenomena may be able to help. Those who can need - - to find something within themselves to remember: this is not real. It is - - not real for you, it is not real today. - - - - But it was real, years ago, for the people who died here. - - - - They are waiting. - +------------------------------< DIFFICULTY: 3 >-------------------------------+ +-------------------------------< TENSION: 24 >--------------------------------+ | PILOT: Rena Lancaster | | STATS: INT/SGT Charges Used: 1 Failure | | PILOT: Naoko Suzuki | | STATS: INT/SGT Charges Used: 0 Success | | PILOT: Anita Rosetta | | STATS: INT/SGT Charges Used: 1 Success | | PILOT: Enba Rezza | | STATS: INT/SGT Charges Used: 1 Success | | PILOT: Leina Ashta | | STATS: INT/SGT Charges Used: 1 Failure | +-----------------------------< Round 4 Results >------------------------------+
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
The simple fact is that this would have been a mental labyrinth impossible for Naoko to navigate on her own. Thankfully, she is not alone.
She can hear her friends - inside of the cockpit and through the radio - continually insisting that this isn't real. She could never convince herself. But their voices, even through the mortal panic of being deprived of oxygen and warmth, are still heard. Even emotionally torn apart, there is a logical side of her brain that keeps working, keeps telling her that her friends have no reason to lie about this. That no matter how strongly you feel you understand a situation, when this many people are telling you that you're wrong, you probably are.
Enba's approach is in fact way more effective still. Feelings are just that, but facts - hard numbers and statistics, there's no arguing those. And this is coming from someone who would absolutely never falsify data. It's becoming less and less possible not to side with the logical side of things - which is infinitely preferable when the numbers are in your favor. Before she full well realizes it, she's stopped gasping for air. Her breathing is steadying.
And then Rena speaks the words she most needed to hear, that she didn't want to mentally come to terms with.
'It's not us that this happened to.'
With a strained yell, Naoko's fists land on the instruments in front of her, shattering the ice that was covering them. Nothing of it remains, after. Of course it doesn't. It was never there. She realizes that now. Or she will in a moment, when she's fully caught her breath. She dimly hears her AI companions asking after her condition. But her initial reply is only a choked sob, tears flowing freely as the nature of the colony's tragedy fully hits her for the first time.
She doesn't take the time to recompose herself, sorrow evident in her voice when she responds through the radio, "...I'm okay."
No she's not. But it's nothing compared to what these people went through.
FPT: Rena Lancaster's party has drawn a new Challenge!
+------------------------------< Flashpoint 1.0 >------------------------------+ +--------------------< FLASHPOINT CHALLENGE: Exploration >---------------------+ | MANDATORY STAT: PIL | | TERRAIN: LowG | | ATTRIBUTES: Disrupt, Coordinate, and Endurance | | BONUS STATS: RX and PIL | +------------------------< TITLE: Encounters in Space >------------------------+ - The illusions subside. It comes suddenly; perhaps from your willpower or, - - perhaps, from the willpower of whoever is still here. Inside your - - machines, you make your way down the hallway until finally coming to its - - end. There is a small hangar here, and you can park your machines. Next to - - them, there is a half-assembled frame of a Geara Doga-like machine. There - - are spaces on its frame where Psychoframe could be installed, though it is - - not yet. - - - - You are not finished, quite yet. The rest of the way is on foot. Below, - - there are double doors sized for a person, with a sign over them: - - PSYCHOFRAME LABORATORY, HUMAN TESTING ZONE. The doors have several locks - - and seals on them; all have come undone. Once, these would have held back - - the ravages of the void; with the life support back online, this is not - - such a great concern. Once you've left the cockpit, the door can be - - simply... nudged open. - - - - When you do, a corpse in a normal suit falls away from the door handle on - - the other side, and falls against the ground. The helmet obscures whatever - - time has done to their body. Their grip had been desperate, but they - - hadn't been able to open the door. - - - - This isn't the only corpse inside. There are four corpses inside, all - - inside normal suits. The reflective faceplates hide their features, which - - is a mercy. Two are huddled together; another lays sprawled out on the - - floor. The last is the one that was by the door. They died, but you are - - struck by the sudden horrible realization that they may not be gone, for - - the back half of the laboratory is filled with a large amount of crystal - - substance. Plates of cut crystal, layered atop one another; in some cases, - - they seem to have spike-like, spindly growths of crystalline material - - coming out, and connecting the plates to each other. - - - - They are stacked one after another, all atop each other, and they glow with - - a faint red light. It's a red that starts out dull; then it grows - - brighter, little by little, and then there is -- for anyone aware, - - psychically -- a powerful sense of someone /looking/ at you. - - - - No, /four/ someones. Their voices crash together in your mind. - - - - WE'RE NOT ALONE ANYMORE. WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE. - - - - Little spindles and spikes of crystal begin to grow across the floor; - - slowly at first, but picking up speed. And there is a powerful call in the - - minds of Newtypes, of Whispered, of anyone with the awakening to hear it. - - A call to step forward; a call to join them. - - - - It is time to go. - - - - You can sprint away from the call -- and the slow spread of the crystal -- - - but there is a hard part. The call, the invitation to enter the room and - - join them, is picking up. The crystal seems to be growing, too. You will - - need to go through the start-up procedure for your mobile weapon /quickly/ - - if you want to make good your escape. - - - - OOC: For the sake of being clear, this isn't an on foot challenge! This is - - starting your mecha in a hurry and taking off. The vibe is meant to evoke - - desperately turning the car keys to start the engine, as the monster - - approaches. - +------------------------------< DIFFICULTY: 2 >-------------------------------+
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"E-Enba's right. They're right," Rena says, her voice latching onto the Captain. "Leina, just... just listen, okay?"
Maybe she shouldn't have brought her. Maybe she should have said no. She has those doubts -- and then she pushes them away. Because it's not true, because Rena knows that. They said they would stick by each other.
And that means... that means even when it is hard.
She swallows, and waits a moment. She can hear Naoko's sob. She stays quiet for a moment more, before she says: "We'll take a second. Then... we'll keep moving."
After a moment, they start walking again. They come to where the hallway ends, in a small hangar; a half-assembled Geara Doga is in a corner, and there's spaces on its frame, near the cockpit, where Psychoframe could go. And after that, there is a doorway.
Rena hesitates. Then, her hatch opens. "We'll have to check it out," she says. "Everyone... be careful. And come armed."
She slides her sidearm into her normal suit's holster -- and then Rena goes downward. She hits the floor, and walks a few steps more into the room. When she opens the door, a corpse falls away.
And there's four in there; dead, in their normal suits, fallen over. Rena sucks a breath in. "Th--this is--"
She absorbs it, slowly. The red crystalline material, not so unlike what's inside the Gaia Gear Alpha; what's covering the Banshee Norn. In great stacks, but then with spike-like growths that use them, and grow towards each other.
And then the presence. One presence, but four; like they're mingled together, not quite separated, yet still more than one person.
They call out.
Spikes and pieces of crystal begin to grow across the floor. They begin to compound. One brushes past Rena's foot, as she stares at it. Her eyes are wide.
"I-I promised..."
And their mecha await, for them to rush back to -- to restart, to escape before the crystal can come for them. Rena takes a few steps back, before she turns. "W--We have to go, we have to get back!"
FPT: Rena Lancaster has acted with Piloting and Reactor. FPT: Rena Lancaster spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round!
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"...We're here, Naoko. Just take deep breaths." Anita says - deliberately using her name, rather than the nickname she generally uses in situation like this. Naoko says she's okay. ...Which of them are, really, right now?
They proceed forward - and, eventually find a doorway.
"...Right." Anita replies. The Svipul's cockpit opens and Anita emerges, in full EX-Gear. She follows after Rena, ready to provide immediate back-up. She flinches a little, at the corpse - and inside, there are four. And the room...
"...Holy hell." Anita mutters, shaking her head. Rena urges them to move, and she doesn't need to be told twice.
"Right, let's go! Grab onto me, if you have to!" Anita announces. She turns, gives it a second - and breaks into a sprint back to the Svipul, assisted by her EX-Gear's physical support systems. She sets herself and lets it get connected again - and then quickly gets to booting her Valkyrie back up.
FPT: Anita Rosetta spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Anita Rosetta has acted with Piloting and Reactor.
<Pose Tracker> Enba Rezza has posed.
Enba sees the world as a place that fundamentally obeys certain rules--but is aware that they don't always know what those rules are. They, or the others. They can be strange... like this situation. Psychic phenomena often seem to break conventional rules.
But Rena is right. It's not them it happened to, and Enba puts it together fairly quickly. "...At least they didn't try to make it happen," they murmur, not over the radio this time, before, "There. Is everyone intact now?"
Sorrow in her voice, Naoko at least seems fine. Once everyone is...
They park, and check it out. Enba, too, checks a sidearm in their holster, and walks into the room... Corpses. And a strange material.
Even Enba feels a sense of presence, though they do not hear the call. They notice the crystals, as they come...
"Rena," Enba says in alarm as they see her staring. Rena urges them to move a moment later--and Enba doesn't immediately, first taking a second to ensure everyone else is on the move, and pulling anyone who isn't.
That's the duty of the Captain, as they see it.
As soon as that's done, they rush, not so fast as Anita, but fast enough, hopefully. They hop into the cockpit of the Valkyrie and start the boot up sequence before the hatch is even closed. The gauges move--the system heats--it starts to work, even as they're being chased--
"Go!"
FPT: Enba Rezza spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Enba Rezza has acted with Piloting and Reactor.
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
It takes a while. Some time, as she latches onto their voices. As she tears the helmet off of her pilot suit to breathe. She counts the seconds. Even so, it takes a while for her to respond.
"I hear... hear you... I hear you."
Sometimes psychic sensitivity is a curse, she knows that quite well from her experiences.
Enba eventually gets an "I'm back." As a response to whether she's intact.
As they come to where the hallway ends. She's mostly back to normal, even if her hands feel numb. Groping for her helmet with those nerveless fingers, she puts them back on her head.
The Norn kneels down, and the hatch opens...
Leina hesitantly checks that a pistol is still there. Trying not to think about the idea of anyone who had access to what commands are left being here.
Putting it in the holster, she comes out of the hatch. And leaps down-
Only in time to see the room from a distance.
"Rena..." The presences, she can feel them as their presences crash into their minds. As she places a hand against her head, but- "RENALLE!"
The panic fast returns, as they tell them to retreat, she doesn't need to be told twice. She's already running for the Norn, offers to help falling on the deaf ears of her panic..
Low gravity is sometimes such a blessing, in helping her reach the cockpit.
It wasn't so long ago that she was greeted by something that wanted to possess her, claim her. Hands reaching for her in the dark. "Oh God Oh God Oh God-!"
The thought of it happening again, is too much.
In the Norn's cockpit, the intensity of feeling just grows, as if it's calling her back out, as she quickly tries to bid it to start up, to move faster. As the presence within the Norn becomes a steadying constant. For a while, she's just nigh incoherent in her panic as her the Norn goes through it's start up procedure and then...
"... ... ... Pro... promise...?"
It's phrased like a question. Like she just remembered Rena said it, and she's staring at the hatch, like the monster is about to get in...
... and she's not certain everyone else even got out.
FPT: Leina Ashta spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Leina Ashta has acted with Piloting and Reactor.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Deep breaths is all that Naoko does, for the duration of their short break. The first coherent thought she can manage to put together after that ordeal is 'why am I even here?' A question she frequently asks herself, for a plethora of reasons and circumstances. In this case, it's because it feels like she's here way too late. She should have been here when it mattered, when she could do something to keep the tragedy from occurring. What good is it to still be here now? The person who got excited for the chance to maybe pick over something Psychoframe-related down here doesn't even feel like herself anymore.
As they continue to walk, she needs to remind herself of the actual reason they're here, what they came to investigate. It's a fairly quick process, all told. She hasn't forgotten those feelings, but she can push them aside, for now. Her regrets won't help these people. Maybe something they can do here will yet help them rest easier.
The sound of Rena's voice snaps her back to the here and now, letting out a little gasp at the words 'come armed'. She obviously doesn't carry a gun, she has exactly zero training using one. She wasn't expecting it to be an issue here. There's not going to be firefight, is there...?
Needless to say, while she does follow along on foot, she stays way the heck behind everyone else, ready to take cover at a moment's notice if guns do start firing. So she is also the last one to peek into the room... and doesn't even notice the corpses. All her attention is instantly drawn to that mass of crystals. The same, and yet entirely different as what was left behind by the Unicorn. 'A Bad Miracle', is the simple way her brain interprets it.
Although earlier it might have seemed as if it would be hard to keep her away from anything Psychoframe-related... something about this repulses her. Every fiber of her being is telling her not to go near. This is validated when she suddenly gets a sense not unlike that of eyes opening - as if something just awakened, and is looking back. "We should go," she says out of nowhere, a second before the amalgam of voices rings out.
You better believe she's running when that happens. Not the slightest hesitation. She doesn't know how fast to get out of there, deathly afraid of what will happen if she comes into contact with those crystals. The call to join them is having the exact opposite effect on her. Her earlier experience certainly contributes to that. But also... she just has this feeling she can't quite explain. For some reason, there is something uniquely terrifying about the notion of Joining someone.
Anita has barely spoken the offer to grab onto her or she already has Naoko latching on for dear life, thankful for the help of someone who is a faster runner than her (not a high bar). The moment they're close to where they left the machines, Naoko boards hers, rushing through the Sukeban's boot-up sequence.
...It only hits her just now that she has no idea where Rena, Leina and Enba were in all this. Surely they would've all gotten out of there just as fast though, right?
FPT: Naoko Suzuki spends 1 ID Charges! They will apply this coming round! FPT: Naoko Suzuki has acted with Piloting and Reactor. FPT: Rena Lancaster's Newtype applies! FPT: Rena Lancaster's Waverider, Minovsky Field, and Psychoframe Abilities assist! FPT: Naoko Suzuki's AI-Assisted Analytics Ability assists! FPT: Anita Rosetta's Defence Optimization Ability assists! FPT: Leina Ashta's NT-D System Ability assists!
+------------------------------< Flashpoint 1.0 >------------------------------+ +--------------------< FLASHPOINT CHALLENGE: Exploration >---------------------+ | MANDATORY STAT: PIL | | TERRAIN: LowG | | ATTRIBUTES: Disrupt, Coordinate, and Endurance | | BONUS STATS: RX and PIL | +------------------------< TITLE: Encounters in Space >------------------------+ - The illusions subside. It comes suddenly; perhaps from your willpower or, - - perhaps, from the willpower of whoever is still here. Inside your - - machines, you make your way down the hallway until finally coming to its - - end. There is a small hangar here, and you can park your machines. Next to - - them, there is a half-assembled frame of a Geara Doga-like machine. There - - are spaces on its frame where Psychoframe could be installed, though it is - - not yet. - - - - You are not finished, quite yet. The rest of the way is on foot. Below, - - there are double doors sized for a person, with a sign over them: - - PSYCHOFRAME LABORATORY, HUMAN TESTING ZONE. The doors have several locks - - and seals on them; all have come undone. Once, these would have held back - - the ravages of the void; with the life support back online, this is not - - such a great concern. Once you've left the cockpit, the door can be - - simply... nudged open. - - - - When you do, a corpse in a normal suit falls away from the door handle on - - the other side, and falls against the ground. The helmet obscures whatever - - time has done to their body. Their grip had been desperate, but they - - hadn't been able to open the door. - - - - This isn't the only corpse inside. There are four corpses inside, all - - inside normal suits. The reflective faceplates hide their features, which - - is a mercy. Two are huddled together; another lays sprawled out on the - - floor. The last is the one that was by the door. They died, but you are - - struck by the sudden horrible realization that they may not be gone, for - - the back half of the laboratory is filled with a large amount of crystal - - substance. Plates of cut crystal, layered atop one another; in some cases, - - they seem to have spike-like, spindly growths of crystalline material - - coming out, and connecting the plates to each other. - - - - They are stacked one after another, all atop each other, and they glow with - - a faint red light. It's a red that starts out dull; then it grows - - brighter, little by little, and then there is -- for anyone aware, - - psychically -- a powerful sense of someone /looking/ at you. - - - - No, /four/ someones. Their voices crash together in your mind. - - - - WE'RE NOT ALONE ANYMORE. WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE. - - - - Little spindles and spikes of crystal begin to grow across the floor; - - slowly at first, but picking up speed. And there is a powerful call in the - - minds of Newtypes, of Whispered, of anyone with the awakening to hear it. - - A call to step forward; a call to join them. - - - - It is time to go. - - - - You can sprint away from the call -- and the slow spread of the crystal -- - - but there is a hard part. The call, the invitation to enter the room and - - join them, is picking up. The crystal seems to be growing, too. You will - - need to go through the start-up procedure for your mobile weapon /quickly/ - - if you want to make good your escape. - - - - OOC: For the sake of being clear, this isn't an on foot challenge! This is - - starting your mecha in a hurry and taking off. The vibe is meant to evoke - - desperately turning the car keys to start the engine, as the monster - - approaches. - +------------------------------< DIFFICULTY: 2 >-------------------------------+ +-------------------------------< TENSION: 28 >--------------------------------+ | PILOT: Rena Lancaster | | STATS: PIL/RX Charges Used: 1 Success | | PILOT: Naoko Suzuki | | STATS: PIL/RX Charges Used: 1 Success | | PILOT: Anita Rosetta | | STATS: PIL/RX Charges Used: 1 Success | | PILOT: Enba Rezza | | STATS: PIL/RX Charges Used: 1 Failure | | PILOT: Leina Ashta | | STATS: PIL/RX Charges Used: 1 Success | +-----------------------------< Round 5 Results >------------------------------+
+------------------------------< Flashpoint 1.0 >------------------------------+ +----------------------< FLASHPOINT CHALLENGE: Success >-----------------------+ | MANDATORY STAT: | | TERRAIN: Space | | ATTRIBUTES: nothing | | BONUS STATS: nothing | +--------------------------< TITLE: Awake and Aware >--------------------------+ - The roar of your mecha's engines is a tremendous comfort. You take off at - - speed, and see that spindles and fingers of crystal have just reached the - - door that you entered the laboratory. There is a bright red glow behind - - you, which threatens to be blinding if you look at it for too long. You - - are able to outspeed whatever is happening back there. - - - - At least, you are able to do so physically. There is a lingering sensation - - of /something/ very wrong; of a presence that watches you, but cannot - - quite reach you. You cannot quite make out what it wants; perhaps you - - cannot sense it at all. - - - - But whether Newtype, Oldtype, or something else, you know: something is - - awake and aware, and it has an intent. - - - - Then, a voice crackles over your radio; some Minovsky interference makes - - the operator on the Ra Mari II (or, perhaps, another ship) a little hard - - to make out. We've got incoming! they say. I'm seeing... it's the II Neo - - Zeong! It's coming here at high speed! - +------------------------------< DIFFICULTY: 0 >-------------------------------+
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
Rena hears Enba's warning.
It gets her moving. She is a little behind the others, in a run towards the Gaia Gear Alpha as the red crystals begin to spread across the floor, just past her feet. She looks up at the Svipul, with some relief, as she sees it come online.
She looks to the Norn, to Leina running towards it. "I-I'm with you," she says. "I'm with you!"
She keeps running. Her eyes are on Nova, for a moment; she could have grabbed onto Anita, but... no, Nova had it worse than her. Nova needs the help to get out of here.
'I'm fine,' Rena tells herself. "Make sure she gets out, Annie," Rena says, flashing her a smile.
But the voices heard Leina. The four voices echo in their heads, saying a name.
RENALLE. RENALLE.
And Rena's run slows. She looks over her shoulder, back at the crystal. Her brown eyes lock onto it, and there is a glimmer from the Psychoframe crystal, as if it's returning the look.
It's your mother's fault. She let them take us. You know, don't you?
"N-No," Rena says, and her feet come to a stop. The crystal expands outward -- she's in a cleared circle of it, suddenly, as jagged spires of the stuff shoot up around her, and start to block her in. It's not that danger, though, that registers. She isn't denying them. "Please."
She is pleading with them.
It's your fault, too. For living when we didn't.
"No!" Rena cries out, and she takes a terrified -- unthinking -- step backward. Her boot hits crystal, which crunches. She turns, looking up at the empty Gaia Gear Alpha. At the Sukeban, then the Nightmare. Then, at the Banshee. "I-I didn't, it wasn't--I never meant to..."
Tears are in her eyes. The same eyes that turn towards the Svipul; as its cameras come online, with a glow, Rena's face is on Anita's screen. "A-Annie," she stammers to her, one hand starting to reach up, tentatively.
Then the spires of crystal explode from the ground, criss-crossing into a wicked, jagged wall of crimson Psychoframe crystal between them. Rena vanishes behind it.
And before they can think to double back for her, dozens of spikes of the crystal are exploding out for their machines.
<Pose Tracker> Enba Rezza has posed.
As this happens--as they rush outward from the crystals--the voice of the Ra Mari II crackles into being on their radios.
"We've got incoming!" Tempo says, "Get back quick! I'm seeing--" There's a crackle of static, before, "It's the II Neo Zeong! It's coming here at high speed!"
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
The Norn pushes itself to move, trailing prismatic light in the auroral contrails from it's thrusters.
She trusts perhaps too hard in the idea that Rena was saying, 'I'm with you!'
The oppressive possessiveness of the feeling is far too familiar. Far too overwhelming. She can't track Rena within it, it's like it's drowned her ability to pick out one from another.
She knows it's after Rena in particular, she knows.
Another curse of the Universal Century has come for them. Even as Enba mentions the Neo-Zeong II and the Norn swerves out of the facility in a sharp pivot from the growing crystals-
It's only then that Leina asks...
"Where's the Gaia Gear!? Where is she!?"
And in a panic, she cries out the word again more urgently, "RENALLE!"
There's a sense of shock, as it hovers in place, with the Armed Armor DE, looking upon the facility as she says numbly.
"... You said you were with us..."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
Naoko latches onto Anita's EX-Gear. She shifts her running stance to support her reflexively, nodding toward Rena.
"Right!" Anita replies, smiling back at her. She makes it out, and Naoko makes it to Sukeban. The Svipul boots up, and so do the rest...
...Except for one.
"...Wait, the Gaia Gear hasn't started up yet!" She gasps, turning her attention back toward the room.
"...Rena!" Anita calls out. "Hurry!"
Rena reaches a hand, and Anita reachs out reflexively -
And then Rena vanishes in a wall of jagged crimson Psychoframe.
"RENA!!" Anita shouts, slamming her fist into the console. Svipul rears up, ready to charge into the room after her - but the sudden explosion of crystal forces her to back up, dodging out of the way. "...Damn it...!"
...If that wasn't bad enough, they all hear Tempo's voice over the radio - barely, due to the interference. Anita grits her teeth... and shuts her eyes tight, biting back tears. She wants to charge off anyway... but Enba's right.
She's quiet for a moment, but eventually...
"...R-right." Anita says, exhaling and grabbing for the controls.
<Pose Tracker> Enba Rezza has posed.
Rena doesn't make it. Enba grits their teeth, as they realize it, from the calls of the otehrs, those closer to her. "She didn't come out with us," Enba confirms for Leina. And over the radio...
"Trust that she's alive," Enba says, quickly, firmly. "You can 'feel' her presence, can't you, Ashta? And Rosetta, you didn't see her die--just be trapped."
"We can't save her if that damned mobile suit blows this colony to pieces. We need to link up with the ship--and then come back, and rescue her."
Enba speaks as a Captain right now... but they don't relish telling Eight about this at all. Nor what Rena must be going through, back there...
"I promise you, we won't abandon her."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Naoko, having complete faith in the notion of 'Everybody Is Better At This Than I Am', is absolutely certain that her getting her machine underway means that everyone else must also have gotten that far. With no qualms or worries, she makes good her escape, though not quite getting a sigh of relief in before Tempo makes the next threat known.
"--That thing, really, now? No, the Helium-3...!"
Now she's worried about getting caught in a explosion. And just when she thought things couldn't get any worse... she hears Leina asking after the Gaia Gear. She checks her instruments for the first time since departing, and verifies, "I'm not... seeing it..."
There's no way she wouldn't have noticed if it was destroyed. If she can't detect it now, that can only mean it's still inside the colony. Those are the facts, and yet... she's having trouble believing it. How... did that happen?
Enba comes to the rescue, with arguments rooted in logic, preventing her mind from wandering to terrible what-if situations. They're right, of course. Right now, like it or not, the focus must be on making sure the colony doesn't explode with Rena in it. It doesn't feel great... but there isn't any choice. She takes a deep breath.
"...Right. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go back for Rena."