2023-10-21: Compromises and Dictates
- Cast: Christina MacKenzie, Regina Everhart, Setsuna F. Seiei, Sophia Mayhew Castellan, Tieria Erde, Yuliana Kafim, Lockon Stratos, Soma Peries, Natarle Badgiruel
- Where: Gryps II, Side 7
- Date: U.C. 0097 10 21
- Summary: Under the cover of the Invisible Burst from Jupiter, Celestial Being makes a daring assault: the Gryps II superweapon, so recently fired, must not be permitted to fire even once more--rather, such a weapon cannot be tolerated to exist. Unfortunately, one agent has struggled with VEDA's ideas of "Acceptable loss of life," and plans her own covert operation to save her own enemies. Simultaneously, an unseen threat has laid its hands on Aeolia Schenberg's legacy, spelling trouble for Celestial Being, yet so too triggering a cascade of fail-safes and contingency plans prepared by the late founder. Disabling the laser will speak loudly for the cause of War Against War, but even if so, at what cost will they succeed?
<Pose Tracker> Christina MacKenzie has posed.
Gryps-II, known first as Green Noa 2, stretched on, and on, eclipsing more field of vision with every second of approach. A colony built to sustain life...rebuilt into a weapon to end it.
"The Gryps-II facility will have thirty seconds to evacuate before Celestial Being's assault commences." So were Noriega Lee Sumeragi's orders.
Red hair swirled loose in the vacuum with its owner's gestures. "That's not enough, it's an entire colony cylinder! Even on a skeleton crew, it'll take longer to evacuate than the explosions will spread."
"That's the risk we have to take. Even splintered, the Federation still has the advantage in numbers and logistics. We can't afford to let them respond with any meaningful force. This is already reducing the success forecast of total removal of the site by over 8%--I know how you feel, MacKenzie, but we can't lose the chance to strike it underneath the Invisible Burst."
Gryps-II's computer systems were completely isolated from wireless networks. That was a non-negotiable enforcement, after the station was revealed operational, and remotely fired at Industrial-7. Made responsible for preventing any unauthorized activations, the Federation forces garrisoned here were careful to disconnect any transmission equipmentno one wanted to get blamed for war crimes.
("Unfortunately, that diligence makes it that much harder to save their lives")
Under the cover of GN particle dispersion, Gundam Tristan had managed to creep close to the converted colony. Chris boarded through an airlock with the help of XAIRO's scissor clamps, making her way to what she hoped was the local administration room. As a converted O'Neill, it shared a general concept with Ribo, but a decade of engineering and multiple rebuilds definitely made it far less of a sure thing.
With a little 'creative engineering' (also named Breaking and Entering), Christina made her way through the station, until she found an environmental control terminal. There are obvious differences between mobile suit OS development and colony management OSes, but thankfully, there were enough similarities between them that Chris was, well, still completely lost. Still, she had prepared for this.
She'd been thinking, hard, about this operation for the past month. The dehumanization of Leina, the exploitation of Liam. The scientists and garrison soldiers in Cheyenne, and her friend's squadron back in Seattle. The residents of Palau. Not all opponents were /enemies/. How many are just soldiers fighting someone else's war? How many soldiers like Bernie, like Chris?
She didn't want to let other people choose her sacrifices for her, anymore.
She wasn't able to set a delaybut she was out of time, anyway. Chris's watch vibrated. The operation was commencing soon, and if she didn't trigger this now, there's no point anyway.
Chemical-leak alarms began to shriek out in the nearby sector, and if things were working as she hoped, similar warnings and fire alarms should be cascading across the Gryps-II. That was all she could do. It was time to join back up with the assault force.
She didn't expect to run into Natarle Badgiruel on her way back to the Tristan.
"Soldier! You're alright? Is there anyone else in this area? For now, get out of here, there's something wrong in...MacKenzie?" Disciplined worry shifted to confusion, then relief. "MacKenzie, it /is/ you! Why didn't you tell me you were here, I'd love to catch"
She trailed off, looking Chris over, head to toe again.
"...What's going on?"
She met her friend's eyes, and, strangely, felt the relief, of one less secret, kept to her chest. Chris touched a button on her helmet, which turned opaque, a barrier between herself and Natarle, and propelled herself forward.
"Get yourself and everyone off this station, Nat. Now. This is the only warning I can give.
"Stop right there! Did you cause the chemical breach? MacKenzie! Stop or I'll"
Natarle turned around to see that red and white normal suit facing her, a sidearm leveled at her chest.
"Nat, get off this station."
<"...Dominon. All hands."> Natarle didn't understand what was about to happen, but a soldier's discipline demanded action. <"All hands, battle stations.">
<Pose Tracker> Soma Peries has posed.
Soma Peries lies on the bed within the temporary quarters she had been assigned to on the Dominion. Part of being a pilot and soldier is the waiting. But it's never actually bothered her, it's not like she has much else to do. So for now she's just floating there, staring at the ceiling as her thoughts drift.
Right now, she's pondering the reason for her assignment here. Obviously she was ordered to assist the Londo Bell vessel. So naturally she obeyed. But the real question is why. Why were they here? This was far from the Republic. And given the limited number of Jinxes currently operational, it seemed a waste to post any this far out, even if it was to guard the rather valuable Gryps-II.
The Gryps-II... A giant weapon of mass destruction. Hardly the first to ever exist in humanity's history. Would the world be better without it? ... Soma isn't sure. There's something to be said for deterrents. And yet...
Soma shakes her head. Such questions are far beyond her ability to answer. Despite all her training, her enhancements, there's still so much she doesn't know. She'll just have to trust in her orders. Surely those who give them know what they're doing. Orders... The order to post her here. Had someone anticipated that something was going to happen?
Just as Soma is thinking that, a combat alarm sounds through the ship. She quickly gets up, moving to open the small closet, her custom white and yellow flight suit within.
Soma quickly floats over to her GN-X, deftly pushing herself into the cockpit and strapping herself in. She can hear the reports filter through the radio about a potential chemical leak, along with possible incoming hostiles. She quickly runs through her machine's startup sequence, the starter connector for the GN Drive Tau-jury rigged to the Dominion's systems-detaches from the back of the machine, the pseudo-solar reactor quickly starting to shine with crimson light.
Startup complete, the GN-X is positioned into place in one of the Dominion's launch catapults, a long rifle in its hands. Soma then announces, <"Soma Peries, Jinx. Launching!"> The GN-X rockets out into space, crimson particles of light trailing it as it bursts away from the Dominion.
<Pose Tracker> Sophia Mayhew Castellan has posed.
Under the Invisible Burst, even Gryps and the Dominion's joint calls for assistance will take long enough that the damage should be done. Between Celestial Being's awesome tactical and strategic skill and raw technical head-start...yes, it should be possible.
Unfortunately...
Three hours ago, Sophia Mayhew Castellan sat in a standby base on the Orbital Ring. In her eyes shine the invisible emblemo of Geass. The Seal of Absolute Connection...the kingly burden to know the hearts of others. To see as no other sees. A power that has grown...and cost her much of her sight.
But she does see. Lines and threads far away, yet known to her. Something...
"Something's happening," she murmurs, some intuition sparking between the rays. She reaches for her phone, missing and hitting the table loudly once before she finds it. Plugged into the base connection, she should get strong enough signal for:
"Colonel. ...I'll take you up on that offer."
AND SO:
A stain of bloody red spreads out across the night. Sophia's brought only a few of her crew in new, prototype machines, made available to her as part of a test - itself, because the Hyperion crew is now in limbo with their ship so badly damaged and many of their crew wounded. But...they do still have their escort craft.
A laser line cuts through the disturbance of the Invisible Burst and GN interference. Two layers, of GN interference.
"Gryps, Dominion, this is Battlegroup Hyperion. We only have a few units to spare, but we're here."
A small band of slate gray machines, marked with royal purple sensors and a purple armor cover on the GN Tau drive in their bellies, drawing near with weapons ready. Sophia Mayhew Castellan sits in the center of the formation, fingers tense on the controls. "Captain," her wing lead Almace Laurent asides. "Are you sure...? Your vision."
"I can see what I need," Sophia bites back, searching the night with something other than her sensors.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Once upon a time, Yuliana Dispersal was a weapon created under the auspices of the Titan's blackout, named for the Minovsky interference which prevented anyone from realising just what the laboratory was /doing/ until it was done.
Today, under the Invisible Burst, Yuliana Kafim deploys against Gryps-II.
Time flows like a river, and history repeats.
Thirty seconds to extinction, and Da Xukong 0's purpose is to skitter in and inject poison at a key point. It's been reinforced against GN Particle damage, since its last sortie with Soma -- none of them could have expected those weapons to fall into the hands of their /enemies,/ but Yuliana was sure to warn the larger congregation of what she'd seen. A weapon which could even damage her Fold Crystals...
Can Sophia see destruction? Because that's what's coming for Gryps-II -- a scouring-hot ball of plasma, launched through empty space at high velocity, aimed right at one of the laser's weakened points. It's designed to boil through the laser's defenses, merciless and ferocious. Even though Da Xukong 0 is a /wanzer,/ five metres tall and twice that in its length with that long scorpion tail arching behind it, that kind of firepower...
... well, it would be better for Gryps-II if it /weren't/ hit by such a thing.
And surely they won't be able to sortie a defence in time to stop her. Eight percent must be within acceptable parametres. If not... VEDA would have warned them.
<Pose Tracker> Tieria Erde has posed.
Tieria observes from on-board the Ptolemaios, arms crossed, biting his thumb. GN Tau drives...Verdiska had warned them about this, but seeing them actually in enemy hands was another thing altogether. The GN Drives were Celestial Being's main trump card. Losing that advantage was a huge blow to the mission. VEDA would have accounted for this, surely...Then why can't he stop biting his thumb? He pulls away before he can draw his own blood. "Tch."
<Pose Tracker> Lockon Stratos has posed.
"That's the risk we have to take. Even splintered, the Federation still has the advantage in numbers and logistics. We can't afford to let them respond with any meaningful force. This is already reducing the success forecast of total removal of the site by over 8%--I know how you feel, MacKenzie, but we can't lose the chance to strike it underneath the Invisible Burst."
Seeing Christina's concern was understandable, the price for such a mission was high. "Christina, I made sure to get the transcripts from the last meeting. If I recall reading, you said you trusted Sumeragi, right? If that's the case...Trust that she's also doing the best she can for this." He's aware of Christina's feelings. It's a common sentimentality, though it's also one he's sure more than anyone Sumeragi wishes wasn't the case. But more than anyone she was also the one person more capable than any to see the bigger. It was something like this that they all needed to do at this moment, regardless of their personal feelings. Before she'd deploy she'd find a gentle smile directed her way. "Our lives will be in your hands too. So we'll be trusting you too. "
Within the vacuum the orange ball-like Haro flapped a tad as it added on, "Trust you! Trust you!"
In the time that Gundam Tristan had been cruising closer to the converted colony, Gundam Dynames had situated itself. The countdown was already beginning and when it finally finished Celestial Being's attack against the facility would need to be unrelenting and precise. If not, it was just as possible such actions would be taken against them in kind.
"Haro, what's our time?"
"Thirty seconds! Thirty Seconds!"
"Then any moment now things'll definitely be getting noisy. Okay~. Let's make sure we're playing our part then."
The time ellipses with it so fast and with it the mission had begun, The other Meisters would begin their deployments, their intent made clear as their assault began, and as predicted retaliation and counteraction would come just as swift. And yet...
"Lockon! Look! Lockon! Look!"
"Tch. I see it. I was really hoping that intel was a false, but guess it can't be helped when we're so popular now, right?"
There was no denying what he was seeing in his monitors before him. A sight before his eyes that should have been something only privy to that of Celestial Being and yet, there it was. That brilliant light that scattered across the stars. A unit emitting an orange arrangement of what could only be GN Particles. This was something that raised so many questions, but it was something that couldn't be brought up on the battlefield. With it heading towards the other Meisters, such a unit was surely going to cause trouble. If that was the case...
The Dynames began to go into "Sniper Mode" as its Gun Camera was slowly lowered. Within the cockpit, a shooting scope dropped in from the cockpit and as it lowered the pilot within adjusted his sights, attempting to keep his sights locked on the enemy in question before lining up his shot.
"Lockon Stratos, targeted and firing!"
With it, a GN Particle beam would rip through space speeding through the distance as the first shot was made for one of the GN-X, attempting to go for a body shot right out the gate.
<Pose Tracker> Regina Everhart has posed.
The day has come to bring the fight to Gryps-II. That abominable thing looming in space... no one should have access to such a weapon. It must be smashed into nothing - crushed beyond hope of repair and recovery. The only suitable fate for such a weapon is oblivion.
Regina sits in the pilot seat of the Alto she's chosen for this mission, sitting back with her arms folded in front of each other and her eyes shut. For the moment, it's just the sound of her own breath and the hum of her machine.
And then, the signal sounds. Regina's eyes open - and that hum becomes a roar.
"Launching." She announces, and the flight-type Alto - currently equipped for space combat - launches from the vessel she was stationed at. She soars through space, massive, heavy spear drawn and ready as she scans the battlefield.
The laser must be destroyed - but first, the defenders must be scattered. And the ideal way to do /that/... is to cut out their heart.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna F. Seiei has posed.
Even in zero gravity, the Eixa feels heavier than the last time Setsuna piloted it, probably because the weapons he had cast aside have all been returned for this mission. It would be nice, to return to that feeling of weightlessness, to no longer carry the burden of fighting. To bear his wish for peace without claiming lives.
It's a dream that's close, but ever so far away for him. It's also one he fully expects not to be alive to see. But that's fine, he's fighting for more than himself, and that's why he's part of Celestial Being. That's why he's a Gundam Meister. That's why he's...
Setsuna leaves his own thoughts, slowly opening his eyes to gaze upon the display in his cockpit as he's alerted that the mission has reached its next stage. Without giving much thought to what he's doing, he flicks a switch, causing the GN drive of the Gundam to roar to life as the Gundam stands up and loads itself into the launch bay.
"Setsuna F. Seiei, launching."
<Pose Tracker> Soma Peries has posed.
Reports of mobile weapon sightings start coming in as Soma is glancing across her panoramic display, trying to find any signs of the enemy. So far there's nothing immediate...
... Until she feels something. Something directed at her.
!!!
The GN-X slides to the side at the last moment, the green particle beam that might have lanced through the machine's torso now instead grazes across its side, leaving a deep groove across the machine.
Soma narrows her eyes at the sight of that beam. It's colour familiar. She directs her machine to spin around to face in the direction the shot had come from. The Jinx's four purple lights for eyes dart around until they all settle in the same direction. A zoomed in view of the Dynames appears on Soma's screen and she grips her controls a little tighter, <"Celestial Being!">
The sniper Gundam. It's unfortunate that it's not the winged one, it would have made this a whole lot easier for her. Still.
<"This isn't like before! You no longer have the overwhelming advantage."> Soma raises her GN Rifle, this version of the new GN-X weapon equipped with modular components to increase its length. She aims towards the Dynames without trying to get closer, even at this range! The interior of the weapon's barrel begins to glow crimson.
<"I'll defeat you this time. With my Jinx!"> Soma pulls the trigger.
The beam rifle fires, the red beam lancing out towards the Celestial Being Gundam in the distance.
<Pose Tracker> Sophia Mayhew Castellan has posed.
As a matter of fact, she can. The red lines that mark the end of a life, the connection between Killer and Killed, threading outward, reaching toward...nothing.
Ah. It's her.
She shifts the throttles; the simplified OS controls the movement for her, almost totally inertialess. So this is GN propulsion...She guns it and drives her GN-X straight AT the plasma ball, her fuzzy physical eyes seeing the light growing in her sensors. She braces behind the GN-X's shield, slamming into the sphere and taking the brunt of the damage onto her own machine, forcing the rest away with a whip of her shield.
She brings her machine to bear, looking down on the comparatively small - but nonetheless quite dangerous - enhanced Wanzer.
"It's you," Sophia says, blue eyes shining red. "I sensed something crawling in this web...of course it was you. Almace, go!"
One of her escorts opens fire with GN Vulcans, pips of blood red crackling across the distance. It's not particularly dangerous, but it does buy covering time for Sophia to raise her GN Beam Rifle and crack off a few shots.
<Pose Tracker> Christina MacKenzie has posed.
The Tristan sped around from the backside of the superstructure, as a few patrol boats and a cruiser began to board, opposite Celestial Being's approach vector. It surely indicated that the risk she took may have accelerated the evacuation, but... all she could do was grit her teeth in acceptance. The relief she hoped to feel had been curdled.
("How many times will I draw my gun on the pawns and rooks? Nat... I just wanted people like us to...") To what? Fight a different day? Chris wasn't sure, but there wasn't time to wonder. The assault was starting. Christina had given the garrison all the time she could.
<"Gundam Tristan, beginning assault!"> INCOMs blossomed from the Tristan's armor, ready to strafe, when a Strike Dagger's shield rushed into the gap, beam saber raised high and striking down.
<Pose Tracker> Lockon Stratos has posed.
"Confirmed hit! Confirmed hit!"
"Yeah, but I was going for a body shot. Looks like those mobile suits really are equipped with our gear, and their pilots no push over either."
The GN-X's maneuverability, and Soma's skills proves to be no joke as it finds itself able to avoid a direct hit from the sniper on his first strike.
<"This isn't like before! You no longer have the overwhelming advantage.">
"Before? Before?"
"My guess is someone who's dealt with us before. And not too happy about it either...Still that voice did seem a little familiar..."
Unlike Soma, Lockon doesn't seem as talkative over the comms. There was a certain level of confidentiality the pilots still had to keep, and even if their voices could perhaps be augmented well...When it comes to the battlefield...
The GN-X fires attempting to trade blow for blow as it charges in. Though, even as Lockon's focused on his sniping, with the assistance of Haro acting as co-pilot, the Dynames proves just as nimble to avoid her shot even as it continues to stare her dare from the narrow sights of his scope.
"Getting close! Getting close!"
"I know! She's getting in too tight for a proper shot. Haro, we're gonna keep her at bay!"
"GN Missiles fire! GN Missiles fire!"
The sniping camera reverts back up to expose two shining green eyes of the Dynames. As Soma attempts to close the distance between the two units, it tries to stabilize the distance between the two and soon enough, her sensors would likely pick up on what was coming next as the kneecaps of the Dynames would open up from which several missiles would fire out, each one propelled by those green GN particles. Should they make contact, she'd find that upon detonation rather than some sort of explosion, that the assaulted part of her machine would be injected with a high concentration of GN particles intended to burst it from within.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"Contact!" Yuliana -- or Verdiska, as she's known to her terrorist friends -- barks, when the GN-X gets between her plasma shot and Gryps-II. Over Celestial Being's channels, she transmits: "Careful. These GN-Xs might be mass-pro, but they're nothing to sneeze at. I don't know how they got their hands on GN Particle weaponry, but they'll slag your machine if you don't watch it."
A brief pause, "That means you, Regina. I'm all too familiar with those Altos, and even the Flight Type's going to struggle. Pick another fight, if you can."
/Yuliana/ can't, but then -- it's always been this way, hasn't it? Yuliana is the Newtype's predator, but there's a type of being which predates on /her,/ just the same. And she has no more time to offer her fellows advice, because Sophia recovers from the blast... though it was the strongest volley Yuliana could throw out, at this range.
It's not like she's only a fearsome opponent in a GN-X, but being inside one certainly doesn't /help./
"It's me," Yuliana confirms, switching to open channels. "And you're here to defend this flagrant weapon of war. I pity y--" Whatever smug needling she was getting at is cut off at the pass, with a "ch!", because she has to jet away from Almace's Vulcan-fire with the many little thrusters contained in her scorpionoid wanzer's legs.
She's not one to run, though -- she jets right /towards/ Sophia, even as the beams of her rifle blast into that strange green shielding around Da Xukong 0. Some of it breaks through her defences, but she notes that her armour's holding, for now. (For now.) Da Xukong grasps its Cleave Axe -- of course Yuliana couldn't leave it at home, even going to fight a /laser/ -- and brings it down, aiming to crash into the larger machine's side.
"Or are you just here to fight ME?!" Yuliana yells, her tone boiling over. She's never been able to keep calm for long.
<Pose Tracker> Natarle Badgiruel has posed.
The evacuation was proceeding apace--no matter the source, a warning was a warning, and Gryps was rapidly becoming a dangerous place to be stranded.
<"Faulkner, pin her down. Do /not/ let her escape. Montoya, cover them and make sure nobody gets in the way. I want answers."> Natarle's voice was composed on the battlefield, but this was a different tone, something icy and angry.
<"Come on, guys, keep the Gundam occupied, but don't get too close; those wire bits are dangerous, and she has the agility advantage. We've trained for this!"> The lieutenant had trust, but there was something unsettling about the captain... What exactly happened on the colony?
<"Hyperion group, this is garrison commander Badgiruel. Glad to have your timely help; opposition is Celestial Being! They're here to sabotage the station!">
With Pieres and Castellan splitting up the assault force, Natarle focused her attention on the remaining unintercepted attackers.
<"Celestial Being, this is Captain Natarle Badgiruel. You are threatening Federation facilities. Cease fire, or I will be forced to respond in kind!">
<Pose Tracker> Soma Peries has posed.
After her shot, Soma focuses on charging in. As much as it's nice to have something that can reasonably stand toe to toe against the Dynames's range, she can't deny that the other pilot appears to be a better sniper. So she would be better off a little closer. As she does so, she gets no words from the other pilot. But that doesn't matter, she continues to try, <"What even is the point of your group anymore?">
The Dynames fires its missiles towards her. Soma has seen them before so knows the threat they pose. The beam vulcans in the GN-X's head light up, spitting out bolts of red to mow down a number of the missiles as the unit attempts to dart around space to avoid a hit.
<"The one symbol of unity in this world is falling apart. Conflicts are breaking out everywhere.">
Unfortunately, one of the GN missiles does manage to strike one of the GN-X's legs, pumping GN particles into it and causing the leg to explode from the inside. In the cockpit, Soma grunts from the force of the explosion passing through her machine. But she doesn't pay it much heed, bringing up her GN Rifle again and snapping off a quick shot in the Dynames's direction.
<"Nothing's gotten better since Celestial Being showed up. And you share just as much blame for this as world's current state as anyone.">
<Pose Tracker> Regina Everhart has posed.
So, the enemy's GN particle units are on the field, as well... A pity that their own weapons are being used against them. A slight frown crosses Regina's face, but it's only for a moment.
"Understood. Then I shall entrust this matter to you. Fight well." Regina replies to Yuliana's warning. Regina appreciates a fight with a bit of risk involved - but she's no fool. It is better that they aim themselves where they will be of most use. As a capable fighter, Regina trusts Yuliana to make it through. Taking on a battleship is quite the endeavor, but between the Gundams Tristan and Exia, as well as herself, they have a chance.
And from the Dominion, a transmission.
"We will not suffer the continued existence of your sword of Damocles. We will not stand down." Regina replies. "Consider how much it is worth to you."
Sweeping fire meets the Alto, and Regina dodges through it - but with so much fire coming in at once, it is impossible to escape it fully unscathed. She readies her spear, strafing alongside the Dominion's side and swinging at its cannons as she passes them.
<Pose Tracker> Sophia Mayhew Castellan has posed.
"Yes. I am!" Sophia replies to Yuliana. That field is consuming so much of her strength...
This close in, with her Geass evolved, she feels the engulfing silence of Yuliana's void field. All of a sudden, the array of lights and webs and strands that fill her world with stars vanishes entirely.
Which means she can see her controls again. The GN-X moves nimbly, swinging its shield up to catch the swing. The impact resounds throughout the machine, rattling loudly. Sophia responds in kind, sweeping back to stow the beam rifle and draw the beam saber. The ruby-red beam stands in contrast to the brighter hues of Minovsky sabers. "I read you, Commander Badgiruel!" Sophia calls. "We'll hold them down for you!"
Then she brandishes the weapon. A Britannian fencing style, of course. "I saw that something would happen. I'm just here to test my abilities. That I'm protecting a Federation base from /you/ is just a bonus!"
Then she sweeps in, a quick set of rapid thrusts to try and limit mobility.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"You too," Verdiska confirms to Regina, on Celestial Being's personal lines. She's aware that the /other/ opponent on the field here -- aside from those GN-Xs -- is the /entire Dominion;/ but Yuliana has never shied from playing the David to another's Goliath, and so she sees no inequity in demanding that of her /colleagues,/ either. "Use your size to your advantage. I trust you'll both tear through." Setsuna, too! She's including him in her encouragement, even if he's a prickly sort of pear.
Oh, if only Yuliana knew she was /helping/ Sophia to see. Would she hate it?
That ruby-red saber pokes in, and Da Xukong's scorpion tail lashes out to meet it, crossing the sword with a clash of sparks and energy. "Your /abilities,/" Yuliana spits, on an open broadcast channel. She does use a voice-changer, give her /some/ credit -- but it's of no use to obscure her from Sophia. "You were one of them, all along? How did you /hide/ from me?!" It's a /personal insult,/ and /threatening,/ at that.
She /knows/ who those people are. If she can't find them... if she can't find them, what's the use of her?!
"A Britannian style," she notes, as she deflects another sword-thrust away from critical systems. It /does/ pierce through her green shielding -- but it ends up as a glancing hit. "How /noble./ But, you know --"
All a sudden Yuliana brings her /axe/ up to meet Sophia's beam saber, while the stinger which was parrying her previously stabs suddenly in towards her armour. If it pierces, it will inject plasma right /into/ her armour, weakening her defences. "-- you really should learn to be more /underhanded!/"
Tieria Erde has disconnected.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna F. Seiei has posed.
The Exia attempts to weave through the gunfire, but despite its apparent agility, it's not enough to wiggle its way through the hail of bullets. It calmly raises its shield, however, to protect its chest, as the rest of its limbs are grazed and damaged.
<"What will you do if we cease fire?">
Setsuna knows the answer. It is not very hard to figure out how the Federation does things. Force is met with force, any wavering from the opposition is just capitalized on. But still, perhaps he can be surprised. There might be an answer he isn't expecting, and he'll never know unless he asks. Until then, the Gundam fights without mercy, beelining its way towards the Dominion as it locks onto the side of the ship's hull with magnetized feet.
It revs its weapon arm back, the massive blade slung underneath it folding forward with a loud 'shunk' before it is suddenly thrust into the battleship, digging deeply as it aims to pierce through vital components.
<Pose Tracker> Lockon Stratos has posed.
"Incoming! Incoming"
The GN-X, no Soma's determination proves to be fruitful. Even with it just being a quickshot, it's quick enough and spontaneous enough that it's able to land a solid hit. Even as the Dynames attempted to mitigate the damage with one of its GN Full Shields attempting to guard against the attack, it proves to angle itself in a way to catch the shot and in doing so a groove within the machines side can be seen from the interior curve of its shield, all the way to the frame of the unit itself.
"Sensors damaged! Sensors damaged!"
The tiny Haro unit flaps its panels as it calls out to the pilot that had been rocked by the previous attack, his hands grip back to the controls quickly. The last thing he can recall as his faculties come back to him is the pilot's voice, and those words that really do find him grimacing a bit. "Ah...I think I got an inkling... Haro, I'll be counting on you again. We need to keep this from getting drawn out."
"Roger! Roger!"
Once again the GN Sniper Rifle was pulled out, and like before the Sniper Mode was engaged, however... With the sensors down, there'd be no assistance from the Dynames to adjust and track, to help guide along his shot should the GN-X move into peripheral view. As far as this battle was concerned, this shot was going to be decided on how well Lockon's aim was and tracking down his target till the time aligned.
<"Nothing's gotten better since Celestial Being showed up. And you share just as much blame for this as world's current state as anyone.">
"Perhaps...But even if it's not better it's changing. Even if slowly."
<"The one symbol of unity in this world is falling apart. Conflicts are breaking out everywhere.">
"Hate to break it to you kid, but that symbol is just that. A symbol. It hasn't stopped any conflicts since it's been there. Just a pretty symbol...And if it's faltering to something like us...Then that symbol of unity needs to change as well... "
<"What even is the point of your group anymore?">
The rifle of the Dynames can be seen once again pulled into position, the flare of GN particles nearly illuminating out from behind the Gundam in what looks like an emerald splash, it's eyes beam as light begins to build within the barrel. Then finally, a voice speaks up over the comms for Soma. A voice that almost comes off as a little cocky as it travels the bands. <"We're doing the same thing we always have...Eliminating all acts of war from this world. So I'd suggest getting out of the line of fire, little miss.">
As it fires off it's shot, at first the line of fire seemed like it was solely intent on taking a shot at the GN-X but the way it's aligning, the way her speed is bringing her as the shot's firing it's a shot fully intended to catch her and then pierce through to the facility itself less she's able to maneuver herself to redirect his shot, or brace through it enough to keep it from piercing through.
<Pose Tracker> Sophia Mayhew Castellan has posed.
"No," Sophia says, to Yuliana's accusation. She stays in close, for now. Sophia's much more of a range fighter, but if she's going to beat that barrier, she's going to need some of the GN-X's up-close tools. "I'm just someone who made a deal with the devil. Surely you're familiar with the practice."
The clash of stinger to saber forces Sophia back, and then once the axe comes around, Sophia's saber slashes quick - catches the oncoming axe...! But she doesn't have a spare arm to resist the melting armor. The alerts flash on her board and Sophia spits in irritation. "Underhanded, you say..."
She lashes at the injector, warding Yuliana off - but her hands flick to the controls. With her eyes cleared she's able to quickly adjust three controls, and vent GN particles into--
The left arm's nails gleam, and then gain a deep, red sheen.
"Like /this/?" Sophia jabs, at the same time as she SLAMS her hand and claws down into the Da Xukong and tries to /core it like an apple/, flaring GN Field ripping in to the Wanzer's barriers.
<Pose Tracker> Soma Peries has posed.
'We're doing the same thing we always have...Eliminating all acts of war from this world. So I'd suggest getting out of the line of fire, little miss.'
<"That's stupid. The capacity for warfare is inherent within humanity."> Her own existence proves that. <"You can't eradicate warfare without eradicating humanity. That's what it'll take. Genocide.">
The Dynames aims its sniper rifle again. With its position and her own, Soma realises that the target she's here to defend is behind her. If she dodges-and even that's uncertain-the shot will continue onwards to strike the colony.
Her mission will be a failure. Again.
<"I won't let you wreak chaos for such a stupid reason.">
The GN-X doesn't try to dodge, instead raising its left arm. A red GN Field forms just beyond the shield attached to that arm, moments before the particle beam strikes. There is a bright flash as the two particle forces oppose each other...
And after it fades, the GN-X is still there, as is its arm. Though the shield is slagged to the point of useless.
But that's okay. Soma can still fight!
Looking to return the favour, the GN-X stands its ground as it raises its GN Rifle once more. This time the barrel grows even brighter before firing off a large particle beam, almost as strong as the Dynames's own!
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"Humanity does not need to be /eradicated/ for war to leave our shadows," Yuliana says, hearing those wide-band communications. "It needs only to /change./ Our /destiny/... lies in something greater than this torment!"
But is that really a deal with the devil..? "No! I am loved by God," Yuliana says, all gripped by that destiny. "If you think Her powers to be devilry -- then all of us who see the truth are devils!" She thinks, briefly, of Koji and Sayaka. She thinks: what a shame.
But Yuliana sees those GN Particles venting, and she knows fear. "Tch--" She hisses, through her teeth, as she flicks some switches and SWINGS her tail around to batter at that hand. It still dives in past her green barrier -- but it grasps at one of her horrible little arachnoid /legs,/ instead.
Unfortunately, even with her shielding, she can't stop those claws from digging deep scores into the metal. That leg's useless, now. It would have been her /cockpit,/ if Sophia had hit the centre of her robot; she much prefers this wound.
Yuliana is quite familiar with being held helpless in Sophia's grasp. She has no wish to repeat the process.
"Not bad," she grits out. "Maybe we're a little /too/ close to each other for comfort..." Her tail fires another flare of plasma -- but this one is dissipated, designed to overload the GN-X's criss-cross cameras for a moment while Yuliana gets some /distance./ She's hoping to get out of Sophia's grasp -- and Sophia, out of /Yuliana's,/ to restore one type of sight over another.
<Pose Tracker> Natarle Badgiruel has posed.
The Dominion...was a symbol of that very symbol that Lockon and Soma were discussing, and Celestial Being . Regina and Setsuna close in, and with the Strike Daggers cornering Christina and being drawn away at high speed, there was little opportunity for interception. Once they'd gotten past the firing ranges of the Gottfrieds and railguns, the countermeasure options decline sharply.
"Helldarts, full barrage. Force them out of close quarters, and give me a starboard pitchback twist to bring the Alto into linear range. Don't hold any Helldarts back. Once we get distance..."
<"This weapon isn't worth any meaning to me on its own, but my orders are to protect it. That makes this sword my responsibility to keep sheathed, and I will never let it be fired."> She pulled her cap down, keeping her thoughts to herself. ("If the Federation is buckling, who has to pay to repair it? You? What happens if you bring it down, who goes hungry? Normally, I'd say MacKenzie... Is this what you call disaster relief?")
<"Those who stand down... Will be under arrest! When the Federation fleet reinforcements arrive, you will be apprehended for your role in this attack!"> When... that is to say, she has no capacity to feasibly arrest anyone.
<Pose Tracker> Lockon Stratos has posed.
The GN-X's counterassault lines up it's shot, a barrel illuminating with a more powerful attack then what had been provided previously as it fires off against the Dynames. Its speed and power propel it through space with inconceivable force that it almost seems too quick to catch what happens as it hits its mark. But at the very least, Soma Peries can confirm that she did in fact hit her mark, even as smoke fills the space to which she hit. For a few moments there's silence, no light, no build up of those GN Particles, nothing...
"Show off...Show off..."
"Nnngh...Yeah, yeah. Still...To actually try taking that shot head on...Guess she wasn't trying to just pull at heartstrings. In that case...We can't expect for her to just get out of the way...Though, I can still hope she decides her life's not worth putting on the line for a weapon."
As the smoke starts to settle, Green eyes shine through to beam right at the GN-X. GN Particles disperse once more clearing out the smoke and through it, Soma can see that just like her unit, and from the attack before, the second GN Full shields been used to capacity, nearly melted through to the point that it's a miracle that the Gundam's still holding through. Still, the frame holds through even as wire upon its arm begins to become exposed.
<"Yeah, you're right. Humanity's the type willing to let the fate of millions of lives ride on the trigger finger of a single person, huh? The type that turns an entire colony into a weapon for peace. If war can't be eradicated without eradicating humanity then it sounds like it's already on the path of oblivion. I think that sounds just as stupid, don't you? So if that's the case it seems like there's only one course of action we can take...Humanity has to change, even if Celestial Being has to force it.">
The Dynames lowers down the Sniper Camera once more, it lands upon and stabilizes itself on nearby debris to use as its rooting. It's barrel builds with another intense accumulation of GN Particles as it locks itself into position aiming itself once again upon the path between the GN-X and the facility.
<"I won't let you wreak chaos for such a stupid reason.">
"Hopefully those in the future will think otherwise..."
<Pose Tracker> Regina Everhart has posed.
"Yes. We shall be swifter still." Regina replies to Yuliana. It's true - she, too, expects nothing less, regardless of the size of their foe. That is always their way.
Natarle replies - her orders are to protect it. It's her responsibility to keep it sheathed.
"You have already failed." Regina replies simply. "It has already been fired once just this year. Do you think they will not order it fired again the moment they perceive another enemy? And when the order comes, when your order changes, will you remain so resolute?"
She shakes her head - and as the barrage of missiles race toward her, Regina's Alto spins its spear in front of it. The risk of direct impact is negated, as they're cut down - though Regina stills finds herself rocked by the explosions of the rest detonating around her. The Alto's armor is blackened, but still functions.
"A sword sheathed is still a sword ready to be drawn. It /thirsts/ to be drawn. ...Better it be destroyed, that the temptation be fully removed." She declares. "As long as it remains, it is as a threat."
Regina rushes forward... but doesn't go for the Dominion directly just yet. At the last moment she redirects upward, catching onto an asteroid sailing through space. She lands, and, using the Alto's boosters to augment her strength, /kicks/ off of it, using her momentum to send it crashing toward the Dominion.
"I will not submit. My path is clear." She declares.
<Pose Tracker> Sophia Mayhew Castellan has posed.
Sophia scoffs. "Kafim, we'd agree if I didn't know what your transformation entailed!"
"If you think the witchery you dabble in to be any power of God's, you're more mad than I ever thought!" Sophia snaps. The next clash with Yuliana has her sheering thyrough a leg's controls, but the lunge to do so puts her out of defensive position. She turns, seeing the Da Xukong retreat, but she can't do much about it before the flare of light sears her sensors and forces flash correction. Yuliana's distance also flashes Sophia's own personal blinding problem back into place, showing her the whirling galaxies of Connection that forms the human race, and, importantly, /not/ where the hell Yuliana's wanzer has gotten off to. Fortunately, the GN-X's corrective systems are good at adjusting for that.
Sophia slaps the beam saber back into place and then snaps her beam rifle back up, seeing the void where her foe should be in the fabric of souls. She fires, one, two, three times. For all she plays at being above it...the fact is the more she contemplates that void the more she detests it.
<Pose Tracker> Soma Peries has posed.
Her last shot didn't finish the Gundam off... And with all of the particles she put into it, her count is low. Her manoeuvrability suffering as a result. She can see the Dynames lining up another shot and once again, she's between it and the Gryps.
<"Forcing change using violence is nothing more than terrorism.">
Soma takes a deep breath, turning the side of her machine into the aim and bringing its left left arm up again. The slagged shield still attached...
<"I will not be a disgrace by submitting to terrorism. Even if it means my life.">
Soma watches as the green GN particle beam comes rushing towards her. It strikes her shield, quickly blowing through what remained of it.
Then the arm behind it.
Then the GN-X's torso.
If the GN-X's cockpit had been in the chest, like most mobile suit designs, Soma would be dead. If the GN-X's reactor weren't on its back but in its torso, like most mobile suit designs, Soma would be twice dead.
As it stands, at the angle Soma had placed herself, the shot just barely misses the pseudo-solar reactor. But it does put a large hole into the GN-X, causing the machine to go limp as its systems are severed from its generator.
In the cockpit, Soma is... Surprised to still be alive... But now she's at the mercy of the enemy. So she waits, reflecting on another failure... She slams her fist against the side of her darkened cockpit.
Why!? She's supposed to be the perfect super soldier. Why does she keep losing!? If she can't win... Then what's the point of her being alive?
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna F. Seiei has posed.
<"So you simply wish to have us make your job easier? Do you even believe in what you are fighting for? Would you die for it without a second thought? Or are you another cancerous coward throwing around borrowed authority to be carved from this world?">
There's both comfort and disappointment in Natarle's answer in how it was exactly as he envisioned it. It's so spot on to what he thought it'd be, that he feels the need to question further, to somehow prove himself wrong. His usual flat tone becomes somewhat more lively and strained as he pokes and prods for a further response.
As the Dominion fires a retaliatory missile barrage, the Exia finally pushes off from the ship, though not for long. Acting more cautiously this time, it raises it shield, traversing its back in as the slab of metal takes the brunt of the abuse, absorbing a particularly nasty explosion that leaves a mark on the defensive tool as he closes back in.
The massive blade mounted to the Exia's arm pulls back and locks into a folded position as the Gundam instead reaches for a pair of swords mounted to its waist, brandishing them both with practiced finesse as it brings the weapons down against one of the battleship's exposed turrets.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"You don't know the HALF of my transformation!" Yuliana yells, and there's an edge of pain to the anger, there.
Sophia couldn't know -- that her body has changed so much, she can't even have her own /children./
She is in no hurry to tell her.
"I am not /mad!/" The madwoman declares, fiercely. "I am /gifted!/" She is charged, just the same, and so she charges /through/ the beam rifle fire -- though it tears through her green barrier to leave deep holes in Da Xukong's armour, warning lights flashing futile in her cockpit.
She's never listened to them. She's busy listening to something else.
She pulls up in front of Sophia, and her heavy breathing is captured, by the radio. "Haa... what's that, Dominion?" She sneers, her brain finally catching on Natarle's demands. "Lie down and let you take me in? You'd like that, wouldn't you? You and the whole REA! But I will never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never,"
she still hasn't taken a breath,
"never, never, NEVER let you /MONSTERS/ LAY A HAND ON ME /AGAIN!/"
Mercifully, she /does/ take a breath after all of that, deep and sonorous into her lungs, all through her belly. "Enough of this!" She cries, as she wheels on Sophia's GN-X, and darkness wells at the tips of the spirals at her wanzer's shoulders. "EMBRACE NONEXISTENCE!"
She has to flick a series of switches, dial something up to the maximum settings, and re-divert power from her thrusters to do it -- but she summons the strength to pour all of Da Xukong 0's energy generation into a horrific dark blast, something which could not be a beam, hurtling straight for Sophia.
In this moment, is she defending humanity -- or is she defending /herself?/
<Pose Tracker> Christina MacKenzie has posed.
<"I won't stand down!"> Under Christina's commands, the INCOMs spin out to their range and back in, dragged through space by the Tristan's engine, glimmering white sparkles trailing from the Tristan's GN engine. Peppering shots fire, as she attempts to free herself from her pursuers to make it into the lens of the weapon. It's hard enough tangling with a whole squadron of Londo Bell's regulars without cutting them down. <"Faulkner, don't make me hurt you! Go protect Natarle.">
<Pose Tracker> Natarle Badgiruel has posed.
Faulkner's shock was audible, and painful. <"MacKenzie?! You're with Celestial Being? Is this the world you wanted? Is that Unicorn boy you were protecting, part of this too?"> The Strike Daggers didn't falter or fall back, the Lieutenant's driving closer, bashing against the Tristan's own beam blade with each exclamation.
The Dominion, further down the cylinder, finished the twisting aerial maneuver, seeming a delicate movement for a capital ship, ending the movement facing both Celestial Being mobile suits.
"Captain, we have firing solution."
Natarle Badgiruelatarle gripped the brim of her hat, sweeping her hand forward. <"Valiant railguns, FIRE!">
<Pose Tracker> Natarle Badgiruel has posed.
The asteroid, despite the attempts of the Dominion's PDCs to break it apart, crunches heavily into the fore port-side launch catapult, and Setsuna's assault carves deep into one of the mid-range cannon emplacements; shocks reverberate through the Dominion's body and bridge.
"Captain, we're sustaining major damage! Number 3 turret is down!"
<"Faulkner! You're getting too close to contact Able--return to intercept contacts Dog and Charlie.">
<Pose Tracker> Christina MacKenzie has posed.
Freed from the pressure of the Dominion's strike team, Chris was able to skim the readouts of their real objective. <"Looks like there are no more ships preparing to launch. Thank goodness."> Did she mean to leave her comm open? Does she even care anymore?
The Tristan's Resonance Engine glimmered with colorless light, circling around to drag a beam saber across the outer hull.
None of this matters if they can't destroy this symbol of war...
<Pose Tracker> Sophia Mayhew Castellan has posed.
"You're right! But you know..."
"You're the only one I see this way," Sophia hisses. The red from her eyes does not reflect on her screens, but it feels like it ought to. "Even the shadow of that demon of yours isn't beyond my sight."
"I wonder, will I be able to see its cursed heart, someday?"
Perhaps even well enough to kill it? She can't quite voice the thought.
Sophia doesn't particularly want to know the answer, but now it's in her head. And then Yuliana tries to generously remove her head for her. Sophia sees that beading nothing and jams the throttle, swerving the GN-X to sweep away and backwards. It's a commendable evasion, utilizing all of her skill. But, the GN-X is an unfamiliar machine, for all its incredible ability.
The impact is far worse than expected, BLASTING through even the GN-X's powerful armor. Sophia grabs her controls and forces a shift in direction, enough that although she loses most of the top half of the machine, the GN Drive remains intact. Not even Sophia has the clout to walk off losing one of these precious rarities. "ALMACE!" Sophia roars.
Her faithful wingleader sweeps in, TACKLING her machine aside, and then the remaining third GN-X grabs on as well. With the thrust of three, they make rapidly for the Helios. "Dominion, this is Hyperion battlegroup! In retreat!" Sophia calls, and then sets back in her cockpit, jaw set.
"Kafim," she seethes.
<Pose Tracker> Natarle Badgiruel has posed.
It's all gone to pieces, quite literally.
<"Pieres, this is Faulkner. If you can hear me, the Daggers are en route to escort you back to the Dominion. Hang tight, we're coming.">
The weight of Gryps-II bears ever more heavily down on her shoulders as Natarle replies to Sophia and her crew. "Hyperion battlegroup, understood. Dominion will lay down covering fire. Helios, this is Dominon. Sending telemetry for flight path avoidance."
"Montoya, how long until we can fire the main guns?"
<Pose Tracker> Lockon Stratos has posed.
Across the battlefield onslaught ensues, wills and resolves are tested. Each person battles with their own will, with their own desire. Some have chosen to sacrifice morals, ideals, lives, even their own sanity. For both sides of this conflict, questions continue to seek answers. Was it right to protect symbols should they falter? To what ends is it worth suffering for peace? How much of oneself should one give away for that price? What is one's purpose as a soldier if not able to protect that peace? Is fighting against those you once cherished a necessary cost to forge your own path?
Such questions can not be so simply answered for those who choose to step onto the battlefield from different paths. However, for those who have chosen the path of the Meister, while in this moment their questions might not be given an answer...A path forged to guide befalls them.
<So humans are still foolish. They still love war, and they're still guiding this world to destruction.> Across all machines that were connected to VEDA, for all that claimed themselves Celestial Being. Whether within the Gundam who illuminated the world in an emerald stardust, or those whose passions within Celestial Being shined just as valiantly these words would begin to come across their communication as the battle throughout Gryps continued.
<They still love war, and they're still guiding this world to destruction. But...I still believe that humanity can save itself, and wish to entrust to it with the power to do so. And humanity must change...No matter what.>
Within the cockpits of all pilots, and showing on the monitors within the Ptolemy appear that of an aged-man who sits down facing the screen. His eyes gleam a wisdom beyond their years and an insight beyond his time. To those of this organization they all should know of his name...Aeolia Schenberg.
As the Tristan gleams with that colorless light...As Yuliana howls out while honing her strength, molding her resolve to defend whether it be for humanity's sake or her own...When Regina acknowledges that a sword that must be sheathed must eventually be drawn. As the Dynames prepares to accept the cost of change as it stares down the hull of the Gryps-II, and as the Setsuna within the Exia attempts to hear the answers of those to which it brandishes its weapons against...
<You who possess the GN Drive. I have no way of knowing whether or not you have inherited my ideals... But I wish to entrust you with my last hope...the full abilities of the GN Drive. I pray that you will continue fighting in order to attain true peace and eradicate war. /Not/ for the sake of Celestial Being. But of your /own/ will, together with your Gundams.>
It is only then that a new light graces the battlefield. Within the cockpits of the Exia and Dynames, a red screen appears as it reads out something that has never been seen before...
For the others, what they see in this moment is as the GN Drives of the two Gundams begin to change. The particles that radiate like emerald stardust begin to turn into a brilliant crimson. The delicate release from the drives erupt into that crimson emitting those particles with such force that even the blue and green frames of the Gundams find themselves painted in the shade of that brilliant crimson that even from across the battlefield both ally and enemy alike can see as if they were distant stars. The name of this hope given form is written across all machines that carry the will of Celestial Being...
TRANS AM
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna F. Seiei has posed.
The Dominion responds with its big guns, and the Exia once again tries to cautiously deal with it. One can only be so cautious around something that powerful, however, and the shield it was using to protect itself melts away and leaves the rest of the mobile suit in an extremely damaged state, to the point that it seems to be no longer operational.
It is actually. Setsuna has mainly killed most of the engine to try and wait for an opening. It's a plan he's done before, and is willing to go with again, up until he gets a forced feed in his machine, causing the engines to start back up.
Aeolia Schenberg's final message. His final gift. The true power of the Gundams and their GN drive. It's a lot to take in, but it's not something he needs to right now.
"Trans...Am!"
Setsuna repeats the words displayed on his cockpit's monitor as he pushes the control levers foward, the interior now glowing a menacing red.
Mirroring his cockpit, the Exia also begins glowing red as the GN drive pushes itself to the absolute limit, burning through it and the suit's reserve particles and leaking them out in a display of pure inefficiency.
Inefficient though it may be, the power it gives the suit is immediately obvious, as the Exia's eyes spring back to life, shining a bright green that seems to streak and trail as it begins moving at speeds more appropriate for a unmanned rocket than anything a living being would pilot.
Setsuna is on a time limit to do what they set out to do, and he's not about to allow Aeolia Schenberg's dream die here. It's ignoring the Dominion for the most part, though not before firing a few parting shots directly at the ship's main cannon from the multi-weapon strapped to its arm, multiple giant streams of excited GN particles forcing them to take evasive maneuvers and allow him time to break away from the fight.
Dancing around the battlefield as the Meister barely keeps the suped up mobile suit under control, the Exia turns its sights towards the Gryps colony, or in specific, the laser barrel attached to it. He's under no illusion that destroying it will rid the threat forever, but even so, it's about the message. So long as weapons like these exist, Celestial will continue its Armed Intervention. As many times as it takes.
The massive underslung blade on its arm folds forward and locks into place once again, as its pointed at the colony as if the Gundam is about to decalre something. It doesn't. Instead, it simply acts. There's a streak of red light as the Exia simply shoots forward, leaving behind several large gouges in colony cannon.
It stops after that yet again, though this time for a different reason, the Exia's bright red glow is already starting to dim, and its movements are apparently becoming more sluggish. Great power comes with a great cost, and burning through every single particle that runs through the machine is causing it to start to run on empty.
While there's still more to do, and more to cut and carve, Setsuna can't. Not without jeopardizing the mission. Reluctantly, he begins flying his machine off the battlefield while he still can.
<"Setsuna F. Seiei, leaving the battlefield.">
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"The blood of my ancestry led me to this moment," Yuliana warns Sophia, darkly. "Though my gifts have changed from those legends... still will I bring peace and equality to this world!"
She grips her controls tightly, and insists: "You are not /worthy/ to gaze upon Her."
And... /kill/ Her?
Yuliana would laugh, if she could transgress upon Sophia's thoughts to know them.
She is kind enough, at least -- /at least/ -- not to target the cockpit, when she fires; Sophia is able to evade that blast hitting her GN Drive, avoid it hitting /her./ It would have been /better,/ she reflects, looking in on herself, to destroy the GN Drive in the hands of the enemy...
... but Sophia didn't want to hand her over to those monsters. Even if she continues to work for the Federation, she can at least not kill her for the trouble.
Besides.
The GN Drive Sophia is protecting is one of many -- the GN-Xs are mass-produced. Even if she destroyed this one, more would follow.
Yes... she can justify it, to herself.
She takes a moment to breathe, as she watches Sophia retreat, as she hisses out, "/Castellan./" But there's another voice, now, vying for her attention, and Yuliana frowns as she focuses on her console relaying the data.
"They will change," she insists on Celestial Being's channels, her agreement harsh and stark. "They can be /better./ This world can be saved, through all its savage cruelty!" /She/ can be saved, first of all.
But... he has a gift, for Setsuna and the others. "Trans Am," she echoes, to herself. The change in those Gundams...
The change in /Setsuna's/ Gundam, certainly, is plain for her to see. The force of Gundam Exia ravages the battlefield, and for a moment, Yuliana can only bear witness. But she leans forward, hand grasping her clutch, and she murmurs to herself: "... he can't keep this up... can he?"
No. All that power /does/ drain his systems -- and it's when he flags that Da Xukong 0 moves into action. "Fall back! We've got you!" She barks, as she commands the Generation Platform -- for indeed, Da Xukong 0 BUILDS power for some unknown purpose -- to bring its energies to bear again, those spires like horns to either side of the wanzer's shoulders glowing unlight.
It's nothing less than /magic,/ that thing which blasts at Gryps -- a magic deep and terrible and all laden with promise of what humanity could change /into./ To end war, one's bedfellows...
Hope is a thing held in black hands and canopic jars. Yuliana will employ these powers to reach their goal -- and to cover their escape.
<Pose Tracker> Regina Everhart has posed.
The Dominion's cannons fire. Her eyes narrowing, Regina attempts to accelerate out of the firing lane. She's not quick enough, though - in the end, she can only brace herself against the volley. When the smoke clears... the Alto is in quite the state. One leg has been blown clean off, and the armor across the rest of its body is cracked and broken in places.
Still... it's still functional. The cockpit seal hasn't been compromised.
"...I can still fight." Regina announces. She readies her spear, but before she can retaliate... she hears a voice on her monitor.
"...That voice." Regina murmurs. It takes her a second, but she's done her research. Aeolia Schenberg... "...A hidden message? Something prepared for this far out...?"
It's hard to believe - but the fact that this message is playing now defies disbelief. Particularly when the Exia and Dynames begin to glow a brilliant crimson, and one name flashes onto her monitor.
"...Is this the true mark of a Meister...?" Regina considers.
And so, Exia makes its move. In one movement, the cannon is damaged heavily. It has to retreat - but it has done enough.
"You have done well. We shall finish this. Go, and be proud." Regina replies. Her attention turns toward Gryps, and her Alto grips its spear tightly as she accelerates toward it.
She may not possess the Trans Am of the Meisters, or Da Xukong's great and terrible magic, but she is no less capable of breaking and tearing apart with her own two hands anything that would threaten peace. She will see that her own part is done - and she will see herself safely extracted when it is.
<Pose Tracker> Lockon Stratos has posed.
"Particles Condensing! Particles Condensing!" Haro's panels flapped rapidly as the message ended, at first all that had been on the screen was the name of this black box system, Trans Am. Not once had he ever heard of such a system from Ian nor any of the Meisters. Yet, now as the battle with the GN-X had concluded when the Dynames should have been burned out... "No way..."
It was as if new life had been breathed into the machine as the Green Sniper was coated in that crimson light, as GN Particles erupted in such a chaotic fashion, as the sound of the GN Drive exceeding its limits could somehow travel in space. If the Exia was displaying the power that this system provided to the overall parameters of the Gundam that was used in it, then the Dynames would show off the exponential increase in power that came with this system. Once again the Gundam returned into Sniper Mode. The sensors had regained some level of operation as Haro had started running diagnostics on their systems. His aim in question is just like that of everyone else. Though rather than going about cleaving through the laser's barrel he fully intends to pierce through it.
Once again the comms for those within CSB pick up. <"Oi, all of you, usually I'd tell you not to worry about friendly fire. But, we're about to drop a heavy shot on this next one so make some space.">
At this point, the Dyname's line of fire was being transmitted to the rest of the Celestial Being pilots, letting them know the intended path and radius of the blast. In the same point, the sniper rifle was already charging its shot as it too became clad in that crimson glow. The charge of the attack was an accumulation of intense red that it seemed hard to determine if it was just due to the influence of the stimulated particles, or if the barrel itself was beginning to overheat. Though as the depths of the barrel shined with that same brilliance there was no doubt what was to come next.
"Lockon Stratos, sniping the target!"
In the beginning of the fight against the Dynames, Soma Peries had made the statement that the overwhelming advantage that the Gundam had was no longer there. That the balance had shifted, and yet...As she'd found herself in the front row seat of the blast she'd realize that if that statement was in fact true, what had just transpired before her eyes would have re-shaped that very balance once again.
The beam expelled from the Dynames shoots out with such density that it almost appears to have the kind of fire power that would have exceeded the Virtue's as its known parameters. It'd pierce through the laser's barrel piercing one side of the exterior with no issue, before penetrating into the interior of the barrel and ripping through to the other side only to continue shooting into the distance as if it was a shooting star. As the red radiating throughout the Dynames dissipated so too did the eventual blast that followed through.
Just like the Exia that had been leaving the battlefield, so too was the Dynames now experiencing the effects of nearly depleting its particles. Perhaps this was the reason that Soma Peries would have been spared on this day, or perhaps another. Regardless of the reason, she must continue to question her existence for much more time to come. For now though...One final voice comes over the comms as Regina and Yuliana finish the fight for their own sake. "Mission...Cleared. Celestial Being, leaving the battlefield."