2022-04-20: Run, Run, Run!

• Log: 2022-04-20: Run, Run, Run!
• Cast: Sousuke Sagara, Teletha Testarossa, Athrusa Hsieh, Chibodee Crocket, Kaname Chidori, Riku Asakura, Garrod Ran, Nidaime, Sayla Mass, C.C., Orpheus Zevon, Chienne Argent
• Where: Nouvelle Tokyo Highway System
• OOC - IC Date: 7:46 PM, 24 April 0096
• Summary: The tracker in the captive taken by Mithril has been deactivated, but not fast enough. A21, with support of the Black Knights- and a mercenary party- come to retrieve Takuma. The Shuffle Alliance sends whoever it can spare. This desperate night begins in earnest. This log continues directly from Dangerous Safehouse.

---

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Earlier this week, a young man named Takuma Kugayama from the Black Knights-affiliated Japanese guerilla force A21 was arrested for suspicious behavior while attempting to cross the border.

Earlier today, an attempt to rescue him was launched at the blacksite he'd been taken to. The site was destroyed, and a captive taken...but Takuma was not recovered.

Earlier this evening, the Shuffle Alliance sent out a distress signal to their allies: Takuma was in their custody, and they had to get him out of Japan completely before his allies could find him.

Shortly after that, several Amalgam operatives received activation signals from Mr. Gold, requesting that they insinuate themselves into the situation as Black Knights to ensure the insurgents retrieved their man.

Fifteen minutes ago, Takuma's implanted tracker failed to report in, revealing his captors had found and destroyed it.

Subtlety is no longer an option.

-*-

It is nearly midnight, and the Shuffle Alliance must move fast.


A couple hotwired trucks are careening down the streets of Nouvelle Tokyo, making best possible speed for the coast of the island metropolis. There they're expecting to rendezvous with craft that can smuggle them out of the country. It'll cost a few favors and not a small amount of money, but to the Shuffle Alliance's resident army of justice Mithril, the secrets in Takuma's veins and brain may be pivotal.

Unfortunately, that plan comes to tatters as Black Knights machines cruise out of the side streets, knightmare landspinners buzzing electrically as they converge.

ARX-7 Arbalest leaps from rooftop to rooftop, startling dogs and causing noise complaints. This machine was far, far away not so very long ago at all - but that's the power of the Shuffle Alliance network. He'll have to thank Queen of Spades' team, later. "Sergeant," his onboard AI, AL, says coolly. "Incoming units detected."

"This is Uruz 7, they're here! Protect the transports!" Sagara barks.

KTS: Sousuke Sagara has deployed in ARX-7 Arbalest.
KTS: Kaname Chidori has deployed as a Sub Pilot for Sousuke Sagara!

<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.

Tessa Testarossa was not having the best of days.

To be frank, she'd much rather be at her own apartment, summarizing the day's events to be sent off and to deal with the web of politics that came with 'impolite' observation. It was a shame that was no longer an option.

Namely, the fact that she's in the same car with Takuma in the backseat, eyes trying their best to keep an eye on him while tracking the mental map of the area. "Down twenty three more blocks, then hit the highway ramp for a straight shot to the nearest port." A relayed message through cell phones; Considering the lack of subtlety, there was zero chance of a possible smooth exit...So she concluded before getting in the truck.

As if everything fell into place, the sudden party crash of Frames and Wanzers confirmed her worst fears. The smallest click of her tongue at the gut feeling screaming in her confirmed, keeping her head down. "Don't stop! Keep going!" Her brow creased into a frown, thanking everything under the skies for reliable intelligence. At least they were slightly aware of their surroundings rather than being sitting ducks.

Trying to keep the tremble in her voice down was only natural. "Weapons free. Shoot to incapacitate."

KTS: Sayla Mass has deployed as a Sub Pilot for Chibodee Crocket!
KTS: All-Out: 0 Ranged,Passive,Special,Buff,MAP
KTS: Caution: 0 Ranged,Passive,Special,Buff,MAP
KTS: Coordinate: 0 Ranged,Passive,Special,Buff,MAP
KTS: Pass: 0 Ranged,Passive,All-Range
KTS: Nidaime has deployed in Anosillus the First.
KTS: Teletha Testarossa has deployed as a Sub Pilot for Garrod Ran!

<Pose Tracker> Athrusa Hsieh has posed.

        It would appear that for all the prudence they displayed, toasting the transmitter didn't give them enough of a lead; terribly unfortunate, but not unexpected. They're dealing with professionals on the other side as well, after all.

        Athrusa is also in the car, though as the Black Knights machines spill out of the side streets, she rolls her window down. "... I will move to intercept them." She hands the medical attache-case to Captain Testarossa. "I will leave the blood sample with you, Captain."

        Then the wayward surgeon just -vaults- out of the van window, flips twice in the air, coat fluttering and all, and lands three-point on the street.

        The telltale WHIRRRR and shower of mysterious red particles of a mobile suit is not far away. She looks up at the arriving figure.

        "I have need of your strength now," she calls to it.

        ~*~

        The cockpit is dark as Athrusa lands in it. She plants her hands each on electro-feedback sticks, and instantly the dashboard lights blink into existence, one by one. Nothing in particular turns on in the way one expects them to for a mobile suit, though.

        "Connecting to master camera feed...
         Assuming direct control of motor functions.
         Re-routing subpower to low level error correction tasks...
         Direct connection established, condition green."

        Athrusa lifts her her head at the same time the Impermanence does.

        "Athrusa Hsieh, Impermanence Gundam, beginning mission."

        The Impermanence has... the appearance and guise of a Gundam, certainly -- all-white, with some off-grey panels and several fluctuators and condensors that resemble round crystalline orbs mounted on its joints and knees. It has a strangely cone-shaped back, currently whirring in life as red GN Particles harmlessly spray into the air around it in a spiral pattern.

        ...

        It's also missing an entire arm, and some of its armour panels are missing. Caution and tape mark hasn't been removed. Is this thing even ready for combat...?

<Pose Tracker> Chibodee Crocket has posed.

Chibodee is already expecting the worst. Fifteen minutes is an eternity when a prisoner's out of your sight. Anything could have happened by now.

The Chibodee Gals always do their part. Logistics is Chibodee's passion -- doing something with nearly nothing, stretching every cent. The Shuffle Alliance endures. Chibodee knows his job in these situations: Be expensive for the enemy team.

Gundam Maxter blazes into the area on its rocket surfboard. The mech comes in, loud and noisy, looking to draw attention. He's acting like he's trying to pull fire awy from other groups, which may ccause additional confusion about whether Chibodee is the distraction or trying to execute a quarterback sneak.

"Gonna be a messy one," Chibodee says to himself, seeing more red dots appearing across his HUD as the moments pass.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

A few hours ago, Kaname Chidori was going over an apology in her head and looking forward to catching the Mobile Football League highlights.

Needless to say, being in the middle of a car chase in a hotwired minivan with Sousuke's high-school-age commanding officer, a terrorist, and Sayla Fucking Mass was not how she imagined her night going.

"Wait, with w--" Kaname doesn't even get three words out when Athrusa leaps out the window. She sticks her head out, jaw dropping in disbelief as the woman lands *perfectly* and gets into a.... uh, hm. "Is... she gonna do okay in that thing?" she asks, mindful enough at the moment not to actually *say* the Impermanence looks like a rust-bucket.

Sitting back down, she looks out the window like a normal person, briefly catching a silhouette leaping between rooftops. "Sousuke..."

KTS: C.C. has deployed as a Rival.

<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.

Riku was on one of the transport vans and realized things were going to hell in a handbasket very quickly. While Riku was an alien, ostensively from an Earth that was technically a few centuries behind, and not getting all of the fine bits of what was going on, he was here to support his allies. Quickly, he leaps out of the back, grabbing onto the top and flipping to stand on top of it.

Riku leaps off his perch, the Z-Raiser in hand as he falls to the ground. Pulling the trigger on it, a portal opens up and Riku continues to fall...right on into it. Inside, Riku stands, no longer falling towards his obvious death, and inserting his card into the Z-Raiser. The Z-Raiser speaks, "Riku, access granted."

What follows are three large coin-looking objects, each one with a face of an Ultraman on them. "Live! Unite! Up!" Riku says, before placing the coin in each of the three slots of the Z-Raiser. "Ginga. X. Orb," he speaks each name of the Ultras, before pulling the Z-Raiser's slider across each one in order. The Z-Raiser calls out each name again as he does so.

He brings the Z-Raiser over his chest and pulls the trigger. His body tenses, as he shouts "GEED," and the various borrowed Ultraman powers flow into him, as well as his own heritage infusing him. Both as a Giant of Light, but also the son of Belial.

Immediately from where Riku was a second ago, a form shrouded in light and growing very quickly appears, before taking the form of Ultraman Geed Galaxy Rising. With a burst of speed, he follows the Gundam Maxter towards the Black Knight forces, aiming to shoulder check the first unit he comes across.

<Pose Tracker> Garrod Ran has posed.

Of course it wasn't going to be that simple, thinks Garrod as the enemy units start converging on the escape convoy. Oh well, it was nice to hope while he could - but at this point, he's kind of glad he shifted from the minivan to the GX when it was convenient.

The Gundam X doesn't fly quite as classily as the Maxter, or as subtly as the Impermanence; for that matter, "flying" is more a matter of "jumping with style" while they're in a surface or near-surface fight. He's been taking the white-armored Gundam around buildings rather than leaping over them - the better, he'd hoped, to avoid drawing more attention than necessary.

But it looks like the attention has been drawn regardless ... so, no need to keep being subtle. The GX leaps, boosted into the air by its backpack thrusters, and the capacitor-lined wings rotate around and open enough to push the Gundam further through the air, giving him a brief overview of the gathering enemies.

And, in all likelihood, making *Garrod* a more pressing target than the utterly mundane truck with its important passengers.

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

Nidaime has been pretty down lately but Anosillus the First as well as the Second are both staunch allies of the Shuffle Alliance and if Chibodee wants to make something expensive, Anosillus will be there to help expand on the costs. The kaiju trots after the Gundam Maxter like a loyal pet, or perhaps...!! A loyal friend. A turtle friend, though, not a human friend. Because Anosillus the Second...is a turtle.

A very big one, though. And wearing what looks like a bluetooth headset on its head. It opens up its mouth and unleashes a sonic wave that encompasses the Gundam Maxter and the Ultraman that is sure to--well, it's supposed to be a triumphant encouraging braaaap really but hard to know if it'll work out that way.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Nidaime is talking to her dad through her own headset.

She picked a fight with everyone and I still don't really know why but then Alexis showed up and speared her and she was ok but I got so mad because it was so mean that I went big and growled at him and I know I wasn't supposed to do that so I ran away are you mad?"

"Mrrwwww...." Anosillus rumbles.

KTS: Nidaime targets Chibodee Crocket and Riku Asakura with Sound Spirit.

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.

        It has been a while since Dr Mass had to drive so defensively. The Minivan is, well, a minivan. No thrusters, no flight mode, nothing. She'd feel better if there was someone other than Chidori to keep an eye on the prisoner, but desperate times and all that.

        The KMFs and Wanzers on their tail do not make it better. She can't ID them all, she doesn't have time. Fortunately, Captain Testarossa has taken the lead on Tactical. Sayla is awfully calm as Athrusa does... something insane. She can process it later. But... thank god Chibodee and the others got here on time. Tessa can relay the situation.

        Sayla grabs something- a combat radio- from her pocket, and throws it over the seat to Kaname. "Miss Chidori, this will allow you to stay in the loop, and communicate as needed. Keep an eye out for me, would you? This thing has too many blind spots."

        And then, there is a sort of rising ringing in her head, and a flash of light against her eyes, and she jerks the minivan harshly to the left as a stun baton from a Wanzer crashes into the ground. She cannot have seen that coming. Not from the angle. "Tsk!"

<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.

        What a terrible conundrum this entire business has been with the captive A21 pilot. C.C. hovered at the side of all the fuss about the failed operation to retrieve him, followed by the hustle and bustle of distinctly unfamiliar faces making the captive's retrieval quite the huge uproar and high on the docket.

        Really, the witch is forced to wonder (internally) - isn't it evident that the A-21 group is awash in the stench of suspicion...? She's been in these circles long enough to catch the whiff of fingers pulling strings from afar, even if she can't exactly taste whose exactly they might be. There's a few candidates C.C. comes to think of.

        If it's already going to be a compromised mess, she decides - it'd be for the best if she got to see this high value target's face for herself.

        ---

        At the roof of a mid-rise office building gazing off the coastal highway's coast, that ever-elusive figure clad in a flowing white straitjacket and vivid green hair sits upon the edge, resting her face in her cheeks and watching that placid strip of asphalt for what she's awaiting. There, in the distance - shuffling, chaos, disorder, the sparkling of sirens.

        In a well-practiced magic trick, she flicks one poofy sleeve, and a card slips into C.C.'s palm, upon which is the visage of a very human-proportioned robot. Twisting it between middle and index figure, she admires the way the light catches its mysterious surface - this little object containing something so inscrutable and odd...

        "Darklops. Come on out. Throw caution to the wind."

        Her fingers hold tighter - then slip together, a fluid motion tearing the card in half, upon which it heats up, dissolving into motes of light that rise up into the air... Followed by a weighty presence above the highway, seeming to shake the air itself. What looks like a colossal robotic man, clad in orange, black, and silver, descends from the air slowly, the earth quaking in its wake once its feet touch the ground. Imposing red eyes flash and glow, and the towering Darklops rises to attention, scanning its surroundings, and adopting a firm, combat-ready posture, assessing hostiles. It'd likely just start aimlessly destroying this lovely stretch of urban expanse, but then-

        (((That choke point past the mountain roughly five miles away. You see it? There? That's the escape route. No hostiles past that point, no matter what.)))

        The Darklops cranes its head, as though searching for the voice reaching to it, before accepting these orders, and marching forward...

        And very shortly, coming in visual range of Ultraman Geed. At this point, nothing C.C. could command would really -deter- the Darklops immediately engaging with Geed - one of those things imparted into the very firmamental programming of these machines. She chalks it up to a simple random bout of robo-berserker rage. She couldn't know that it's this machine being a legacy of Ultraman Belial's tyranny and all that. At a moment's notice, the Darklops leaps towards Ultraman Geed, sending off a fierce flying kick as a warm welcoming...

        (((At 9 and 6 o'clock. The kaiju and the Gundam Fighter...those two will seek to stop you as well. Launch the Sluggers. Don't worry too much about the targeting...)))

        The blades mounted atop the Darklops' head detach, whirling through the air. C.C. has to stand upright for this next part, gazing intently at those metallic boomerangs...and they defy the normal laws of trajectory, veering off to sail into the faces of Anosillus and the Gundam Maxter alike!

KTS: C.C. targets Riku Asakura with Darklops CQC Strike!
KTS: C.C. targets Nidaime with Darklops Slugger Remote Attack!
KTS: C.C. targets Chibodee Crocket with Darklops Slugger Remote Attack!
KTS: Nidaime's sound spirit flares with his performance, raising Riku Asakura's Morale!
KTS: Riku Asakura rushes into the attack!
KTS: Riku Asakura successfully avoids C.C.'s Darklops CQC Strike
KTS: Nidaime's sound spirit flares with his performance, raising Chibodee Crocket's Morale!
KTS: Nidaime blocks C.C.'s Darklops Slugger Remote Attack, taking 2450 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.

        Up to this point the Black knights had clearly been doing all they could to receive the A21 agent. The first team had attempted to retrieve him originally from his containment at the blacksite, in thanks to his tracker. Something that would have made retrieval simple enough for the Black Knights, who had their resources already thin enough as it was.

        Unfortunately, it was never so easy to get things to work out the way you wanted them to, and this time had seemed no different for the group. The team would report back that the capture of the agent was unsuccessful and he was already on the move. If anything, the Shuffle Alliance would need to prioritize securing their captive before another follow up could ensue. Taking as many precautions as even finding and disabling the tracker that provided their assailants with enough intel the first time. Now if they could just get to their extraction point, it'd be their win for certain. They just needed to make sure that the one known as Takuma Kugayama was removed from the island metropolis and it was their win.

        <Seems like Zero's prediction was correct after all.>

        It had only been fifteen minutes since that tracker had been disabled. That in and of itself should have given the retreating group time to reroute, to find a new point to escape into the dead of night with their captive and yet, even with that tracker gone, it had seemed as though with information the Knights had already acquired they were already preparing their ambush. While several Burai began to fill the streets, preparing to clear out the enemy defenses, there was one unit that kept further back as it observed the opposition. To which from those observations one thing becomes very apparent. . .

        That light. . .It's just like back then. . .

        The mercenary turned knight recalled the bout months ago, the battle transpiring at a Britannian base and one of the Gundams deployed from Celestial Being. He could still recall that red light that adorned the battlefield which only now could he recognize being emitted from the Impermanence. It obviously wasn't the same unit, and if anything it looked all but crippled before even being deployed. That said, if it was still in fact a Gundam. . .

        <C.C. I'll remove the one emitting the red light and the Gundam surveying the skies from the air. Think that'll be enough of an opening for you to retrieve the target?> The young man wouldn't be waiting for an answer however, they were already on the clock, whether they were ready or not, the battle was going to commence. In comparison to the two Gundam units, the Byakuen, a KMF was nothing in stature. Even now it's white frame let the light of the midnight moon bounce off it's exterior, it's only stealth enabling feature in this moment being its tiny frame, and its pilot's experience to know to keep to the shadows of the side alleys even as burais and the Kaiju littered the streets. Instead rather then the sound of the Byakuen's Landspinners hitting the ground, the only noise that would be heard from it would be the sound of twin gun fire, as it struck with sniper like precision at both the Impermanence and X in swift conjunction.

        <Let's see what they got. . .>

KTS: Chibodee Crocket charges into the attack!
KTS: Chibodee Crocket fails to react to C.C.'s Darklops Slugger Remote Attack, taking 3675 damage!
KTS: Orpheus Zevon has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Orpheus Zevon has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Orpheus Zevon targets Athrusa Hsieh with Semi-Automatic: 30mm High-Initial-Velocity Tungsten Armor-Piercing
Ammunition!
KTS: Orpheus Zevon targets Garrod Ran with Semi-Automatic: 30mm High-Initial-Velocity Tungsten Armor-Piercing
Ammunition!

<Pose Tracker> Chienne Argent has posed.

One of those Amalgam contacts was Chienne.

Hers hadn't come down with quite the same orders as the rest. Chienne was already a mercenary, after all; she didn't have to go in disguise as a Black Knight, she only had to let the Shuffle Alliance assume that the Knights were paying her. As for the Black Knights themselves, they'd have questions either way and making sure they were answered was not her responsibility. (And, for all she knew, they'd asked Mr. Gold for help in the first place and wouldn't have any to ask.)

But the Belphagor... it was an old unit, and the modifications to bring it up to date would scream Amalgam (or, at least, 'something unusual') to MITHRIL in particular if they got a close look at it. So Chienne had left it in the garage. Instead...

"Who designed this thing, anyway?"

It isn't as if the cockpit is *bad*. It's not. It's very sensibly laid out; visuals ahead (though it isn't a full panorama it's at least several wide sectors), lots of AR displays on top of the camera feed, readouts for everything she needs to know and no problem hiding the ones she doesn't.

It's just subtly different than every other GM she's piloted for no reason she can see. And the same goes for the outside of the machine.

The mobile suit does not fly. It lands from an enormous jump, hitting the middle of the street hard enough to crack pavement and (not coincidentally) block one of the routes the vehicle can go. It *looks* like a GM III variant; squared-off shoulder plates and bigger forearm armour to support a hexagonal shield emitter, painted in purples and greys with a snarling wolf's head on each shoulder, but it's not, quite.

This one has the typical beam saber and machine gun, currently attached to backpack links, but is also carrying a heat hawk that someone made enormous, taller than the MS is and held in both hands. It's a heavy, chopping weapon and, of course, Chienne loves the damn thing.

She rises from the half-crouch she landed in. Inside the cockpit, Chienne is grinning. "Well look at how many people turned out just to keep one little guy safe," she says, without bothering to explain which side she means. The Freedom takes one step forward, then another, menacingly advancing toward the transport car -

Before she whips its head to one side, firing a spray of small-caliber head vulcan rounds up at a concealed (or, apparently, not *that* concealed) Arm Slave making its way across the roofs.

KTS: Chienne Argent targets Sousuke Sagara with Head Vulcans Burst!
KTS: Athrusa Hsieh has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Athrusa Hsieh has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Athrusa Hsieh fails to evade Orpheus Zevon's Semi-Automatic: 30mm High-Initial-Velocity Tungsten Armor-Piercing
Ammunition, taking 3525 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Chibodee Crocket has posed.

Gundam Maxter swerves around, doing its best to be annoying, and sure enough someone takes him up on his generous offer. One of the Darklops' flying blades races into the side of Gundam Maxter, sending it flying off its surfboard and crashing down into the dirt. The surfboard flips up and parks itself nose-down not far off as the machine struggles back to its feet.

"It's always some weird robot that looks like Halloween that gives me trouble," Chibodee says, wiping blood off his face.

Gundam Maxter takes off toward the Darklops, aiming to get to its side and quickly pop it in the side! This is going to be a high-traffic area, so Maxter's got to stick and move to keep up.

KTS: Chibodee Crocket targets C.C. with Jab Punch!
KTS: Garrod Ran fails to Evade Orpheus Zevon's Semi-Automatic: 30mm High-Initial-Velocity Tungsten Armor-Piercing
Ammunition, taking 4700 damage!
KTS: Sousuke Sagara successfully evades Chienne Argent's Head Vulcans Burst
KTS: C.C. has activated the Foresee Spirit Command.
KTS: C.C. fails to retreat.
KTS: Chibodee Crocket rattles C.C., making her next maneuvers more difficult.
KTS: C.C. fails to react to Chibodee Crocket's Jab Punch, taking 3360 damage!
KTS: Chibodee Crocket has engaged C.C.

<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.

Geed gives Anosillus the first a thumbs up. It's hard to tell with the Ultraman's unmoving face, but it's very easy to imagine Riku's stupid grin. Glad for the support of a friendly Kaiju, and one he's met before.

"What..!?" Ultraman Geed exclaims, nearly caught off guard by the Darklops. Thankfully, Geed recovers, rolling under the kick and rolling around to face down the Darklops. Geed wastes no time running at the Darklops, aiming to engage it by ramming his shoulder into the monster.

Geed follows this up with repeated knees to the chest of the creature, before attempting to leap up and swing both hands down in a haymaker. Geed returns to a combat stance, aiming to keep the creature right in his sights.

"Don't underestimate it, Mr. Crocket, it's...a Darklops. These are mass-produced robots created by my father. They're also built to look and fight similarly to an old friend of mine, Ultraman Zero. I have no idea how this thing is here and being used, they should have all been destroyed with Belial's death."

KTS: Riku Asakura targets C.C. with Ultraman Martial Arts!

<Pose Tracker> Athrusa Hsieh has posed.

        "Thank you for the concern, Miss Kaname. In the worst case scenario, I should be able to buy you some time to escape," Athrusa answers as she transmits back to the minivan's radio.

        She tracks Garrod as he enters the Gundam X and thinks for a moment about the similarities between Gundams... and perhaps, the dissimilarities, given the Maxter is also operating on the field. "I will provide support, Circle Blue."

        Still, Kaname's comments about it being a rust-bucket is... honestly not unwarranted. "... the salvaged rifle is in an unusable state from that last skirmish. The only functional weapon left to me is the salvaged beam saber."

        It doesn't take long before she's targeted, however -- she doesn't spot the Knightmare Frame intermixed with the other ones sniping at her until it's too late -- the gunfire bores through one of the exposed armor plates and shears through internal machinery, causing a hiss of sparks.

        "Ngh... right leg main actuator failed, re-routing GN condenser output to compensate," Athrusa confirms to herself -- part of the woes of having absolutely no operating system onboard but herself, and a habit in turn. She's probably absolutely crazy to be operating a mobile suit using only her own neural capacity with no backup software.

        Athrusa exhales softly as she turns her attention to the Byakuen fully. "Attempting distraction via electronic countermeasures..."

        The Innovade's own conscience expands ever so briefly, as she suddenly is a street lamp, then a traffic light, and then a television screen in an electronics shop across from the KMF's current position. Then she tries an electric burst, going in one shot--

        The effect on the Byakuen's system, should it work, is somewhat eerie -- lights blinker in and out, and she attempts to sabotage the screens with static in a disturbing pattern. For a moment, her own face appears on-screen, beautiful and yet slightly unsettling, as if she were more like a doll than a human being. As if she could crawl out of the screen and reach for him--

        And then the static consumes her, and she is gone. Athrusa exhales tiredly; this is extremely taxing on her mind, but she hopes the distraction will let Garrod get a good lead in.

KTS: Athrusa Hsieh targets Orpheus Zevon with Demoralize!

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

"This is Seina," comes the cold voice of a woman over the Black Knights radio. (Chienne also receives it, because apparently Seina's group has her contract for this op.) "Thank you for coming to A21's aid, Black Knights. That car has our pilot Takuma in it. We need him back alive and in piloting shape, so we need some caution on this one...but don't worry. He's tough, so don't hold back too much. Looks like they're heading for the port. I'll head them off there. If you can't get through to the car, at least slow them down so I can get ahead of them!"

MEANWHILE:

"Enemy Mobile Suit ahead of the transport!" AL barks.

"I see it!" Sousuke says. "Drop ECS!"

There's an electric-blue flash, Arbalest's stealth dropping. Chienne's aim was good - but she couldn't have accounted for Arbalest to suddenly speed up as its power redirects, and the white machine soars skyward a powerful leap, bullets slipping just behind it. He whips out his monomolecular cutter mid-leap, pulling it out and trying to come down hard to drive the cutter into the midsection of the Mobile Suit and then saw out a slash across its armor. Arbalest is about half the size of the Freedom, but that's still more than enough impact to give the pilot some trouble!

KTS: Sousuke Sagara targets Chienne Argent with GRAW-2 Monomolecular Cutter Slash!
KTS: C.C. has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: C.C. fails to parry Riku Asakura's Ultraman Martial Arts, taking 3600 damage!
KTS: Riku Asakura has engaged C.C.
KTS: Chienne Argent blocks Sousuke Sagara's GRAW-2 Monomolecular Cutter Slash, taking 2520 damage!
KTS: Sousuke Sagara has engaged Chienne Argent

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

Anosillus bobs its head once at Riku. It's hard to tell if he's listening to the exposition properly considering that there is no immediately obvious shift in expression but it does bob its head once more so maybe that's its way of acknowledging the backstory. At the end, though, Anosillus is going to have to deal with CHILD while also dealing with Darklops so he's going to handle the latter the same way he usually handles strangely named mass produced units. It's really the same way Anosillus handles most problems.

NAmely, getting clobbered by them. The boomerangs slice into Anosillus's face causing sparks to spray off the kaiju as it stumbles back. It roars at the Darklops in challenge before pulling into its shell--

--and spinning around like a Koopa Kid and spinning around to try and crash into the Darklops before poking its head back out to see how well that went. "Braap."

Meanwhile Nidaime had also been hanging on a mid-rise office building and is busy talking to her father.

"No I didn't hurt anyone. I just said to leave, but I forgot to say please, I'm sorry." Nidaime says, kicking her legs off the side of the building as she sinks deeper into her hoodie. "But the good news is that she's okay so it worked out though I don't know what they did. I felt like there was something else that happened but I don't know how to...explain....it."

She trails off because she sees another green haired lady on a roof some distance away from her.

Headset aside, she has an earbud in her ear because of course she's talking to her mother too. What is Nidaime's mother saying?

NIDAIME'S MOM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYgOlqinH7A&ab_channel=Sean

Nidaime waves at C.C. SHe missed she was responsible for the Darklops so she isn't really sure what she's doing here.

She calls out something to C.C which is a shout of 'hello!' but, well, good question if C.C can hear it. Regardless, Nidaime stands herself up, pacing along the edge of the building, swinging her arms from side to side as if she were on the playground.

KTS: Nidaime targets C.C. with Turtling!

<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.

The concentration of a tactican was not enough to properly break under duress, taking the attache-case and holding it in close. The familiar weight of something important carried with her once more, nodding towards Athrusa and watching her leap out. ...Really, the fact that she didn't react was the reaction.

Various communications poured in, furrowing her brow as she took stock. Already, people against people. Step one. Hold off. Step two. Get to the port. Step three. Go to step one. Okay. Geed's transformation did have the smallest bit of surprise; She was more used to mechs than actual human beings. The rumble, the shock and awe, the sudden situation.

Deep breath. In. Out. Command. "All Shuffle Units. Change of direction. There's a ramp in three blocks to the right. Switch from Port 7 to Port 5, East Southeast Bearing 150." A small change from miles out, enough to drag the arena over bit by bit. "So long as they cannot catch us, we'll succeed. ...And thank you for coming."

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname snaps the radio out of the air, flicking it on and holding it close. "Right! Thanks."

She yelps, yanked against her seatbelt as the van jerks left. "AUGH FUCK!" she yells, loud and vulgar in the ways a civilian girl her age shouldn't. She looks back at Takuma and then at Tessa. After a moment to gather her composure again, she asks, "You guys okay?"

She grimaces at Athrusa's report of the damage, and keys the radio, replying, "Just-- don't get yourself killed!"

Speaking of concern... Sousuke's Arbalest reveals itself, and her heart drops into her stomach as she remembers his fight in Khanka....

And her eyes go wide as a giant appears. "U--" She can't quite believe it. "Ultraman?!" She presses herself against the window as she watches Geed engage the Darklops along with Anosillus.

"Uhhh. Dr. Mass, there's a kaiju fight going on off the right side of the road!" she reports, "Two Ultramen fighting, and a giant turtle!"

KTS: Teletha Testarossa targets Sousuke Sagara, Garrod Ran, and Riku Asakura with Awe.
KTS: Teletha Testarossa inspires awe, increasing Riku Asakura's Morale!
KTS: C.C. fails to evade Nidaime's Turtling, taking 3420 damage!
KTS: Nidaime has engaged C.C.
KTS: Nidaime begins a Formation attack!
KTS: Teletha Testarossa inspires awe, increasing Garrod Ran's Morale!

<Pose Tracker> Chienne Argent has posed.

Chienne almost doesn't bother responding to Seina, but decides that if she's working as a mercenary she should at least be professional about it. "You got it." A moment later, then she adds, "Hopefully you don't need the *enemy* pilots for anything."

Well, sort of professional, anyway.

Let's be honest: most of Chienne's attention is on the combat. There really *are* a surprising number of people defending this guy. Arm Slaves, Ultramen, Gundams... All of which makes the tactical situation more complicated, but more importantly gives Chienne a surge of a familiar enough emotion: bitterness.

She turns that bitterness into viciousness. The Arm Slave may be smaller than the Freedom (which is short for a mobile suit, but regular short, not F91 short) but that doesn't mean it's not a threat. Her reactions are quick enough to bring up the arm of the Freedom, catching the blow on the suddenly appearing beam shield.

Sousuke does not carve through it with the monomolecular cutter, entirely; his blade skips across it, repelled by the field, and nicks the Freedom across the hip instead of driving deeply into its torso.

"Oh good! I was afraid you wouldn't want to come out." Honestly, Chienne wasn't *entirely* sure anyone was there, but she's the sort of person to spray bullets at a building just in case (and in any case she missed the building with a direct hit, as the shots went over the roof - just don't ask where they landed in the distance, because she won't).

A pause. "What a tiny-ass robot! It's like a kid. Well come on then, kid. Let's dance."

Chienne draws the gigantic heat hawk back. It looks like she's going to deliver a single massive overhand swing with it, but she actually doesn't do that at all; the higher-up hand flicks over to the beam saber, which she draws, activates, and swings all in the same motion. The beam is narrow, focused far thinner than the hilt - rather like the Jegan's, which is in fact what it seems to be based on.

She swings it at the Arbalest's legs. She doesn't recognize the exact unit (or the pilot) but really, all she has to do is stop it so she can run the transport down without interference. It's probably more violent than it needs to be.

KTS: Chienne Argent has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.
KTS: Chienne Argent targets Sousuke Sagara with Freedom-Type Beam Saber Penetration Mode!

<Pose Tracker> Garrod Ran has posed.

Despite Garrod's sharp eye for potential (or actual) threats, he's not quick enough to dodge Orpheus's opening barrage and he pays for the brief inattention: the Knightmare Frame's gunfire pierces the GX's armor - not breaching straight into the main chassis, but threading the needle at a shoulder, an elbow, and a knee. None of the hits are immediately disabling, either on their own or even in combination ... but the power surge as the GX tries to compensate for the damage means that the GX hits the ground a LOT harder than intended, taking too much weight on its injured leg.

"GWAAGH!!!" Garrod yelps at the unexpectedly rough impact, wrestling with the controls to bring his Gundam back onto its feet. He has to settle for a foot and a knee for the time being - but it's enough for him to sight in on the KMF, bringing the shield buster rifle up to fire.

A piece of it is almost amusing; it wasn't so long ago that he was the one too small to pose a threat, only to suddenly force a mobile suit pilot to open his cockpit - and expose himself to a face-to-face mechjacking.

How the times do change ...

KTS: Garrod Ran has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Garrod Ran targets Orpheus Zevon with Buster Rifle - Snipe!
KTS: Athrusa Hsieh demoralizes Orpheus Zevon, reducing his Morale drastically.

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.

        The GM type lans in front of them, and Sayla pulls a harsh turn to avoid. Damn! They're already hemming them in. Fortunately, the Arbalest comes in to give them some breathing room. Tessa says right- fine. She can work with that. Traffic is thankfully getting the hell out of town.

        "Proceeding on that bearing." Fuel is still fine, thankfully- They had a few seconds to siphon gas. The main thing is ensuring everyone keeps up. She's staying off comms for now- leave that to the others.

        Still, Kaname reports a Kaiju and Two Ultramen. "...Two?" She shakes her head, glancing in the mirror. "The Kaiju is Anosillus, he's an old friend. I'm surprised he'd come here on his own, though..." The situation was desperate, but STORAGE would complicate matters. "And one of the Ultramen is Geed, he's with us. But the only other Ultraman I know of here is Z... Why would he be with these people?"

        This is getting increasingly messy, as a flatbed truck starts coming up to the van. "Captain, Chidori, down!" She can see someone standing up in the back of the truck, in fatigues. She takes one hand off the wheel, and reaches for her gun.

KTS: Orpheus Zevon fails to evade Garrod Ran's Buster Rifle - Snipe, taking 4200 damage!
KTS: Teletha Testarossa inspires awe, increasing Sousuke Sagara's Morale!
KTS: Sousuke Sagara parries Chienne Argent's Freedom-Type Beam Saber Penetration Mode, taking 1110 damage!
KTS: Chienne Argent has engaged Sousuke Sagara

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Don't get yourself killed. ... "Acknowledged!" Sousuke replies, in all seriousness.

He's shared a field with Ultramen before, and talked to Riku in person besides, but it's still a strange thing to see as the Giant of Light rises to clash with the incoming...other, evil giant of light? No, something's.... not right about that. That's not what that is.

Tessa gives him orders but he's engaged too tightly with the Mobile Suit to immediately surge back to a defense position. "Understood! I'll be there shortly!"

The Heat Hawk - a massive one, which means compared to Arbalest's its size is truly dizzying - comes up, and Sousuke readies himself...but he sees the feint. Just barely.

The beam saber sweeps at him and he's able to get his monomolecular cutter up in time, sawing through the beam and winning that exchange, dispersing the beam into a puff of burning particles. It still stings Arbalest's hide, but not enough to account for critical damage. With that exchange cleared, Sousuke leaps away, bounding back and away. Against a target this size, a protracted melee engagement isn't his best approach. He leaps up, slashing again to try and score a hit on the critical components toward the center. But with the other hand, while Chienne is busy repelling that blow, Sousuke fires his Wire Launcher, which latches on to a taller building a ways out, and lets it reeeel him away, pulling him out of the direct clash!

KTS: Sousuke Sagara has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Sousuke Sagara targets Chienne Argent with Wire Swing!
KTS: Chienne Argent fails to Parry Sousuke Sagara's Wire Swing, taking 2520 damage!
KTS: Sousuke Sagara repulses Chienne Argent, forcing her to disengage.

<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.

<"Ah, convenient. You're always so very reliable, Oz-kun."> C.C. asides into a cell phone pushed against her shoulder, which she's using for communications with the others. <"...be careful of both of them. That red light...I've heard rumors of something comparable, but I can't say too much about that just yet. And the other Gundam, is, of course, a Gundam X, a mobile suit from the One Year War designed to mount an incredibly devastating tactical beam weapon. If it stands still and extends large panels from its back, it's about to fire that, and you're probably about to die."> C.C. cuts off that little mote of advice, her phone shutting as she has to focus a little bit more, watching the Darklops take a terrible beating - the Gundam Fighter's forceful punch to the side making the summoned machine stagger, only to be knocked backwards into a cliffside from Geed's furious flurry of fists. The Darklops puts up a valiant effort, but this is an opponent Geed has fought countless times - he knows all of its moves already. The hunkered-down spinning shell-shock from Anosillus seals the deal on that triple threat, and the machine starts sputtering in its toppled over state, straining and half-fallen in the water, propped up on one arm - those sinister red eyes blinking.

        Then, it starts to -speak-, in a voice Geed would have thought long since departed from this world. The imperious, imposing tones...of Ultraman Belial.

        [Geed...GEEEEED...I have not yet given up. Not until the last photon of light fades from this universe...will I submit!]

        Perhaps it'd be shocking...but it's also proooobably something Riku's heard several times before emanating from this exact same entity. A recording programmed in to taunt Geed whenever it would have to face him in battle. It only has so many pre-programmed lights and sounds, after all!

        The Darklops is quick enough to get back on its feet, in any event, and the twin Sluggers that launched from its head soon fly back, caught in the villainous machine's grasp. Adopting a stance holding them both icepick style, it launches a counter-assault: rushing in to deliver a fierce stab right to Geed's belly, followed by a rising cut at Anosillus's shoulder - then lastly, tossing both to either side, and lunging at Chibodee, aiming to contend with even the Gundam Fight master of hand to hand combo with its bare fists, claws extended out and going blow for blow. Where the Darklops lacks in high speed, it more than makes up for in the sheer power and weight of each impact-!

        Watching this all unfold and murmuring commands under her breath to guide the Darklops along, C.C. does notice that tickle in the back of her head, from the strange girl waving at her. There, across the street, there's someone...copying her stature. What a fashion disaster the witch has been caught in...she steps closer to the corner of the building, tipping her head at Nidaime. It's impossible to -really- hear things...but with a little bit of telepathic nudging, C.C. can mime like she's just shouting -that- effectively over a long distance.

        "Surely you're not just enjoying tonight's show, hmmmm?"

KTS: C.C. targets Nidaime with Darklops Slugger Slash!
KTS: C.C. targets Riku Asakura with Darklops Slugger Thrust!
KTS: C.C. targets Chibodee Crocket with Darklops CQC Combo!
KTS: Riku Asakura rushes into the attack!
KTS: Riku Asakura successfully avoids C.C.'s Darklops Slugger Thrust
KTS: Nidaime blocks C.C.'s Darklops Slugger Slash, taking 2580 damage!
KTS: C.C. has engaged Nidaime
KTS: Chibodee Crocket fails to parry C.C.'s Darklops CQC Combo, taking 4230 damage!
KTS: C.C. has engaged Chibodee Crocket

<Pose Tracker> Chibodee Crocket has posed.

"Looks like they're not," is Chibodee's answer to Geed. "Pain in the ass Halloween-lookin' robots..."

Anosillus as backup does make Chibodee feel a little better. If a giant turtle shell can't beat up this weird robot, what can?

The weird robot says sinister stuff. Chibodee's not having it. "Yeah well everyone's got a plan until they get punched in the face!" he calls out, as the Darklops charges in for melee combat.

Gundam Maxter gets punched in the face. The Darklops slams into Gundam Maxter a few good times, knocking Chibodee around badly, before Gundam Maxter manages to get off an overhand right to try to clobber the mech away.

"Stop saying evil stuff at my friend! That's rude!"

KTS: Chibodee Crocket targets C.C. with Overhand Right!

<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.

        The attack on the Impermanence proved to be fruitful. To such an extent he almost felt like it was a bit overly cautious to have been that concerned. It was, after all, an exceedingly damaged unit. At least, that was his original thoughts, though what transpired next left a bigger concern than even a failure of the mission itself. Something that would bring even more concern than the possibility that information from Takuma might get leaked. Yes, something much more concerning.

        "What the- ?"

        The young pilot, blonde-haired with green eyes that shined usually with such determination flickered as without warning the systems in the KMF were malfunctioning. Lights, communication, weapon system, all of it. Alarms were going off one after another, a plethora of information trying to warn him of the issues all at once.

        "I wasn't even hit!"

        The systems augment and screens fizzle for a moment, though what occurs is what sours the young man the most. It was true that Athrusa might have been a beautiful woman, it was also true that seeing her upon his screens over anything else was unsettling, but more than that there's only one thing that concerns him. It's not the eerie feeling of her being able to reach out for him. . .No, what he was concerned with was-

        S M A S H

         It was unsure if this face on the screen could view what was transpiring, and to some extent he really hoped it hadn't. He had hoped that the visual communication systems had been down, that this was just a one way feed. . .But if it wasn't, if there was even a chance. . .His fist had all but slammed into the image capture system the moment he had the thought come to mind.

        Did she see my face. . .?

         His fist was bloody, covered in glass as he pulled the shards out, a moment of temporary concern clouded his judgment, just as this unknown face clouded his screen and with it. . . .The Byakuen finds itself on the receiving end of the retaliation fire.

        "Guaaaaah- "

        The Byakuen receives a clean shot that only ruffles up the smaller unit as it loses its footing and rolls about the side streets. Inside the pilot finds himself flung around a bit as well, a rare situation indeed. As the unit tried to collect itself along with the pilot, that flustered gaze caught in the moment cooled. A small breath to collect himself as he turned to the screen to see nothing again, his visuals returning and with a calm voice he reached out to the rest of the Black Knights.

        <All units are to immediately disable any visual communication feeds. I repeat, all units disable visual feeds.> He didn't know if his appearance had been exposed, but he did know now that he had a new objective.<Adding secondary objective to mission. If a woman with white hair and a white coat is found amongst the enemies she's to be apprehended immediately. . . Or removed. No exceptions. . .>

        At this point, it's C.C. that gets private communication amongst the knights. Perhaps he was going to congratulate her on finally using the proper codename? Maybe tell her that if she did well he'd make sure she got some extra pizza later. <They hacked the Byakuen. My face might have been exposed. . .> The tone in his voice was vile. The best comparison that she could think of was perhaps when her partner in crime's tone shifted when someone dared to bring harm or even brought a notion of harm to that of his little sister. It was the sound of a man ready to go for blood. . .

        He wasn't sure who this woman was, but in her attempt to frighten him, she now made herself his target. One that he had every intention to sink his fangs into. Even if that meant ripping every enemy pilot from their cockpit one by one. Starting with the two he was handling. . .

        The KMF had ended up buffeted back into the crevices of the side streets and if the two had tried to corner it within the streets or if they had decided to wait for it to pop out from the street corner for the ambush, they'd find that after some time, it was certain the unit had removed itself from that dead end. Using its slash harkens to traverse the side of the buildings it had brought itself to a rooftop where it prepared its counter-attack with force. The Gundam X would find itself the target of another strike from the cannon, though unlike the bullet from before on impact, the bullet would explode. An explosive round that would have likely left some damage whether it had been a direct hit or not if it wasn't quick enough. As for the Impermanence, rather than fire a second shot, this time rather than shower the unit with bullet fire, the machine would watch as the unit launched itself from the top of the building, the canon like arm it had been holstering up to this point, changing in mid air as a double-sided blade took its place. It was clear that it was going to take this confrontation up close and personal.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname manages to swallow her anxiety about Sousuke, at least a bit, as he intercepts the GM that's bearing down on them. She groans, part of wishing she'd just called Sousuke to apologize instead of trying to apologize in person.

The Darklops speaks... oh God, that is fucking creepy.

"T-that's... uh, that's DEFINITELY not Z, Dr. Mass! Anosillus and Geed are both fighting it!"

Her attention shifts over to Sousuke, peering out into the night. The anxiety comes back as he narrowly avoids the feint--

And she realizes something. A thought slips into her mind.

She keys the radio, giving Sousuke uncannily specific instructions on a weak point in the Freedom's armor that he can exploit from where he is. It just sort of spills out of her, and it's the sort of thing you'd expect from someone who's seen the blueprints...

KTS: Kaname Chidori has activated the Attune Spirit Command targeting Sousuke Sagara
KTS: Orpheus Zevon has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained proficiency bonus.
KTS: Orpheus Zevon targets Garrod Ran with Precision Shot: 70mm Liquid Sakuradite Explosive Cartridge!
KTS: Orpheus Zevon targets Athrusa Hsieh with I'll Tear Through!' Combined Blade Component!
KTS: C.C. has activated the Attune Spirit Command.
KTS: C.C. fails to retreat.
KTS: Chibodee Crocket anchors C.C., forcing her into close range.
KTS: C.C. fails to react to Chibodee Crocket's Overhand Right, taking 4320 damage!
KTS: Chibodee Crocket has engaged C.C.

KTS: Orpheus Zevon rattles Garrod Ran, making his next maneuvers more difficult.
KTS: Garrod Ran blocks Orpheus Zevon's Precision Shot: 70mm Liquid Sakuradite Explosive Cartridge, taking 2500 damage!
KTS: Athrusa Hsieh has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Athrusa Hsieh fails to evade Orpheus Zevon's I'll Tear Through!' Combined Blade Component, taking 5580 damage!
KTS: Orpheus Zevon has engaged Athrusa Hsieh

<Pose Tracker> Chienne Argent has posed.

If Chienne was going to pick the single weirdest thing on the field, it would be that she's fighting against a kaiju (well, not personally, but there is a kaiju on the opposite side of the battlefield as her). Previously, Chienne has only fought *with* kaiju.

This says more about her than it does the kaiju.

The size of Sousuke's Arm Slave is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Compared to Chienne's Freedom, it has tiny reach, its arms aren't very physically strong - but it's small, and fast, and can stealth (even if Sousuke isn't using that very much), and the monomolecular cutter doesn't actually need the AS to put out all that much force to cut through armour.

Like right now. The Arbalest cuts a line across the Freedom's torso - right through the armour plating - and causes Chienne to stagger backwards to avoid getting cut into any worse. And Sousuke has the temerity to vault away afterwards, though not before Chienne swings the free hand of the Freedom at the Arm Slave. It would look like a backhand if she hadn't activated the beam shield when she did it.

"Get back here, Micro Machine!" Chienne pushes the Freedom into a run - but not directly at Sousuke. Instead she takes the opportunity to barrel after the transport, which unfortunately outpaced her a bit while she was standing and fighting.

Sayla, Tessa, and Kaname may be worried a moment later when Chienne sprays the machine gun in their direction, tearing up part of the road as she walks the spray of bullets toward the transport. She remembers the orders not to kill the guy inside, which is why she's doing the walking - she's trying to force them off the road rather than shoot them down.

"Hey! Asshole!" Now she *is* addressing Sousuke. "You want him un-shot? Why don't you make me stop, coward?"

KTS: Chienne Argent targets Sousuke Sagara with Freedom Beam Shield Active - Pummel!

<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.

That voice...!

He remembers that voice, he hasn't heard it in such a long time. He remembers the pain and anguish felt by Belial. He felt that all-consuming hate but also the suffering from the various times he has been destroyed, his plans foiled. Those words were likely said to one of his enemies at one point, but for Geed it only fuels his determination.

"No, it's far worse...but it's not unbeatable," he says, voice firm. "Whatever you are, whoever reconstructed you...you are nothing but a fake ghost of a long since put to rest man. I'll destroy you to make sure that legacy stays burried!"

The slash aims for his stomache, but Geed flings himself back and away from the attack before rolling back onto his feet. The blades under each arm glow brightly, as he dives in for the Darklops. The blades come in, aiming to drive them down in a V-style slash. He spins around, driving them in a circle around the Darklops, before driving both blades back. Geed unleashes a roar, before he swings the blades, causing a crescent blade to fly out to try and heavily damage the monster.

KTS: Riku Asakura targets C.C. with Galaxy Cutting Rapid Strikes!

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

Surely you're not just enjoying tonight's show, hmmmm?

Nidaime frantically waggles her arms and then wrinkles her nose as she sniffs the air but doesn't seem to get what she's trying to sniff out. She says, "Be right back daddy...!" And she turns and runs away from C.C to the other edge of the building! Oh no!

Meanwhile Anosillus is getting clobbered. Anosillus is a turtle veteran but is not the most mobile of kaiju. It backs up a bit, using its shell to defer some of that slice away into something a lot tougher than what the shell is protecting, but it doesn't get all of it, thick sparks flashing off the creature as a thick gash appears in its body. It isn't bleeding, it's just sort of glowing. It roars back at Darklops, no doubt agreeing that Riku should be left alone and that he's a good kid whose father wasn't a positive role model and, so, Anosillus will be there for him--a koopa king.

Or maybe Anosillus is just upset at getting stabbed as one tends to be. It bucks its head forward and attempts to slam both of its horns into the Darklops to return the favor!

A turtle eye focuses on the Maxter as it strikes.

MEANWHILE

Nidaime is now trotting back TOWARDS C.C, galloping on all fours, throwing out her hands then swinging up her legs to catch up which probably looks a bit goofy in that outfit but, nevertheless encourages her to leap off her building--

--dropping down upon the other and kind of scrambling up it with a mewling noise as she rolls on top of it, belly facing up towards C.C.

"I'm just talking to my dad." She tells C.C, wiggling her head towards Anosillus vaguely. "We have a good relationship. Is your dad here too?"

She sniffs a couple times to get a feel for C.C's scent. C.C is clearly an OLDER GIRL relative to Nidaime but she still looks young enough to be rooting for a dad.

She rolls back over into a crouch, her hands still on the floor as she looks up to C.C.

KTS: Sousuke Sagara parries Chienne Argent's Freedom Beam Shield Active - Pummel, taking 1320 damage!
KTS: Chienne Argent has engaged Sousuke Sagara

<Pose Tracker> Athrusa Hsieh has posed.

        "It is all right. I must not die until I have fulfilled my purpose," Athrusa responds to Kaname with a quiet resolve in her voice, even as emotionless as she usually is. ... not that it makes the situation any less dire, that said.

        Though Orpheus can't confirm it, luck is on his side -- Athrusa didn't get a glimpse into his cockpit, and didn't see his face, given her attempt at hacking was a one-sided burst designed to override visuals rather than actually jump and take control of the Byakuen's own monitoring systems.

        Having no idea of the anger she's elicited, she spots the machine launching itself high from the top of the building. "Evasive manoeuvres..." she grimaces, but finds her mind too taxed from the hacking attempt. The Impermanence moves sluggishly, already hampered by the imperfectly calibrated verniers that're operating on no master control but her own brain--

        The blade catches onto the shoulder armour and shears plating off, a red-hot-white line trailing down as it cuts and cuts further; this wasn't going to be pleasant. The only reason warnings haven't blared over the cockpit is because there ARE no warning systems -- only the signals in Athrusa's mind herself.

        "Right shoulder armour breached... internals exposed, GN condenser output down to 87 percent..." she intones to herself, ghostly and calm even in the face of mortal danger.

        The situation has become highly dangerous now. She can't escape the smaller, faster KMF very easily -- which in a way suits her, since the only weapon functional at present is...

        "Beam saber," Athrusa intones to herself. "Impermanence, engaging the target..."

        The Gundam draws a beam saber somewhat poorly sized for its hand -- it's clear even from a glance that it's salvaged from somewhere else; perhaps a Jegan's or other Earth Federation unit. Salvaged or not, though, it still erupts to life with an ominous magenta light -- and then the Impermanence lunges, seeking to tear away at the Byakuen's limbs first and foremost, with precision. Whoever the pilot is... they're aiming well away from the cockpit block.

KTS: Athrusa Hsieh has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Athrusa Hsieh has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Athrusa Hsieh targets Orpheus Zevon with Salvaged Beam Saber Combo!
KTS: Nidaime targets C.C. with GOUGE!
KTS: C.C. has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: C.C. fails to parry Nidaime's GOUGE, taking 3330 damage!
KTS: Nidaime has engaged C.C.
KTS: C.C. fails to parry Riku Asakura's Galaxy Cutting Rapid Strikes, taking 4920 damage!
KTS: Riku Asakura has engaged C.C.

KTS: Sousuke Sagara has activated the Spirit Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.

Acting on pure instinct (and Sayla's own orders), the teenager dove to the bottom of the minivan, opting to trust gut instinct over commanding prowess right now. Laying flat on her stomach, hearing, noting, the sounds of shattered safety glass matching how it cascaded downwards. Loudness and raw bloodlust tinged the air, the gal unable to surpress a whimper of surprise as she grasped at her communication device.

"Bearing 150. I repeat! Bearing 150! Any Shuffle unit in the area, keep heading in that direction! Do not let the-" A jolt of the minivan itself. "Do not...let them get him..."

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

That's the thing! Sousuke has to disengage to catch back up to the transport, and all Chienne has to do is a light jog!

Sousuke slashes toward the beam shield with his monocutter, the buzzing edge crackling in contact with the beam force; but it allows him to vector himself such that when the Freedom wins the physical clash, Arbalest ends up pirouetting upward. It throws arms and legs out, stabilizing its rotation.

In the cockpit, AL says, "Stabilization achieved."

Sousuke shakes his head out, breathing carefully to shake off the threat of g-LOC from a tight spin. ARM Slaves, especially of the third generation, are intensely physical machines, but an uncontrolled spin is still enough to throw him off. Arbalest drops down, hitting a rooftop and caving in part of the top floor - abandoned, he dares to hope. He hasn't had a protracted melee battle like this in some time, but even at a disadvantage on size, an ARM Slave's mobility and raw power means he can still keep up on force.

Chidori calls out to him. He listens carefully.

He reaches down, stowing the monocutter for a recharge. "AL! Give me slugs!" "Roger."

There's a mechanical whine as the 57mm "Boxer" Shotcannon is automatically reloaded, and then Arbalest whips the Boxer off its back, snapping it up two-handed to aim at the spot Chidori called out. He needs precision, inasmuch as a shotcannon can give you that. He fires, one, two, three times at the torso. He has to beat that beam shield to activating if he wants to score a clean hit...!

KTS: Sousuke Sagara has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Sousuke Sagara targets Chienne Argent with Boxer 57mm Shotcannon Slug Magdump!

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.

        Defensive driving way gives way to offensive driving. "Hold on!" Sayla yells to her passengers, getting ready to ram the truck pulling alongside, before MS scale machinegun fire forces her to hit the handbrake, release, reverse, and go into a j-turn and go off Tessa's planned route, clipping the back of the other truck and losing a headlight. It's risky... But it's necessary. She can get back on heading from here. Or near enough.

        The Belial voice, though... That chills her. Experiencing those last moments from Riku's viewpoint was rough. Geed's reassurance that it's not the real thing is good. But it's not ideal. And then she hears the way Chidori talks and it. It's not lik a newtype. But it thrums against her head a little. There's no reason she should know that. "Readjusting to bearing, we're off route." Damnit. "Chidori, is the Captain alright?" That fading in her voice... She can't spare a look back right now, though.

KTS: Chienne Argent fails to Evade Sousuke Sagara's Boxer 57mm Shotcannon Slug Magdump, taking 5040 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Garrod Ran has posed.

Rather than trying to dodge this shot, Garrod shifts the GX's grip on its rifle, unfolding the shield plates and trying to block the round outright. He's being cautious now, or at least trying to - but he doesn't expect the bullet to EXPLODE on impact, and the force of it rattles the already-damaged right arm of his mobile suit, lighting up most of the right arm in yellow on a diagnostic overlay.

"Kid's gonna try and wring my neck for this," Garrod mutters to himself, then thumbs his comm controls. "Rerouting acknowledged, Captain, but we've got a messy opponent here."

And probably not just that one. Garrod hasn't had to really survey the rest of the fight, but it's hard not to notice an Ultraman - and harder to miss the Giant of Darkness, or whatever Geed's squaring off with. The massive turtle-like form of Anosillus was similarly hard to miss, and not just one but two other Gundams - the second, incomplete-looking one being Garrod's ally against the Knightmare Frame and its pilot.

The GX's thrusters light up briefly, and Garrod brings his machine back to its feet, albeit ready in case the damaged knee gives out again; for now, though, the joint holds. Next is to reacquire his target, because they can't keep heading towards the port while they're fighting a running battle. (Or even if they could and did, odds are these guys would just keep following them, harrying them, slowing them down - and in the worst case they might have reinforcements *at* the port, pincering the Shuffles.

The KMF is actually in close combat with the Impermanence Gundam, now, which puts a bit of a crimp in Garrod's options. It doesn't eliminate all of them, though - and Garrod quickly locks on with the GX's chest vulcans, a series of shells launching out at Orpheus's machine, trying to eliminate as many avenues of escape as possible ...

KTS: Garrod Ran has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Garrod Ran has activated the Valor Spirit Command.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Hunched down on the floor of the minivan with Tessa as glass showers down on them, Kaname clutches the radio close. She lets out a scream as mech-scale bullets pepper close enough that she can feel the sounds of impact in her chest. Her ears are ringing, but she can hear Sayla's call over the din, and scoots up to the captain.

"She's not moving!" she reports, pressing fingers to the side of Tessa's neck. She doesn't know much, but she knows some very basics. "Her pulse is strong, and I don't see any blood--I think she knocked her head. Hnn, maybe a concussion...?" She's looking up warily, trying to see what's going on outside from the floor.

KTS: Garrod Ran targets Orpheus Zevon with Chest Vulcans - Bracketing Salvo!
KTS: Orpheus Zevon fails to parry Athrusa Hsieh's Salvaged Beam Saber Combo, taking 6600 damage!
KTS: Athrusa Hsieh has engaged Orpheus Zevon
KTS: Orpheus Zevon successfully evades Garrod Ran's Chest Vulcans - Bracketing Salvo

<Pose Tracker> Chienne Argent has posed.

Chienne smirks as the transport starts to make a sharp turn. She tracks the rounds, chasing the transport, narrowing its field of movement and with rounds now close enough to threaten to hit it with debris. She has to stop once to reload.

And while she's doing that, Sousuke is aiming at her.

Chienne very deliberately looks up at the Arm Slave. The Freedom stands. In her cockpit, she is grinning, and her voice makes that clear. "Not gonna come down?" she asks - and then she squeezes the trigger again, firing on the transport.

The beginning of the spray is fairly accurate, but Sousuke fires at her - and Chienne was not moving when he did it. She goes for a sudden dart to one side; the first slug hits, though not quite where Sousuke was aiming, smashing into the armour plate next to it.

The second and the third pound through the gap in the armour like they were magnetized to it. The entire Freedom spasms as some of the mechanics are hit; Chienne lets out a bellow that comes out over the radio as she does some of the rebalancing manually instead of letting the automatic systems handle it. She knows how, she's not incapable, but it's definitely the act of someone who's flying a damaged machine and knows it.

And then the Freedom leaps. It leaves the transport behind - not forgotten, but she's *just* shot it, it can handle itself for a few moments. Every thruster pointed in the right direction on the thing fires; they're meant for orbital maneuvering, but in-atmosphere, they make one hell of a jump system even if she'd never manage flight.

"DIE!" Chienne screams, no longer amused (or maybe she is and just shows it very strangely). Her leap takes her toward the Arbalest, but though she's going toward it, she's beginning to descend by the time she reaches it - so she can strike downward with a two-handed blow with her heat axe, shearing through Arm Slave (hopefully) and building (all but guaranteed) with reckless abandon.

Sheer momentum ends up with her hitting the building too, hard enough to crumple it around her. It takes her several moments for the Freedom to free itself.

KTS: Chienne Argent has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Chienne Argent has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Chienne Argent has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Chienne Argent targets Sousuke Sagara with Giant Heat Hawk Revenge Strike!
KTS: Sousuke Sagara has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Sousuke Sagara fails to parry Chienne Argent's Giant Heat Hawk Revenge Strike, taking 7200 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Chienne Argent's Chase Down activates, causing Insight L1!
KTS: Chienne Argent has engaged Sousuke Sagara
KTS: Chienne Argent roots her unit, coming to a standstill and leaving her vulnerable.

<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.

C.C. does admire how the Darklops has been rather durable for a 3-way assault, but the tell-tale signs of it being on its last legs ring clear. The eyes start to blink faster and faster, its movements get creakier and more desperate...and the very presence of Ultraman Geed is making it act irrationally. Instead of properly backing off, the Darklops insists on pushing right back towards Riku, and repeatedly getting slashed all over for doing so, cutting wire-exposing gouges in the machine's armor - ones that only widen and crack apart from Anosillus's horn-assault prying away at those weak points. The voice of Belial tries to call out once more - but the fierce overhand from the Maxter crushes its speakers when it impacts right in the machine's face, and any attempt at speaking turns into a garbled mess.

        Groaning and struggling, the Darklops puts every ounce of its effort into flooding its arm with energy, just like any Ultraman would - and lets out a dangerously over-loaded beam surge out, the programming on this thing desperate to defeat Geed. But it leaves C.C. trying to call out to a rather struggling husk, and the best she can do is manually launch the Sluggers once more with far less input or control at Chibodee and Anosillus...

        ...which is even more hampered by the admittedly bizarre display of clambering across rooftops that C.C. now sees from Nidaime, the witch understandably taking a feeeew steps back when the kaiju girl starts sniffing the air and moving about on all fours.

        "...your dad, you say? ...you're pointing to that kaiju over there, I take it?" It's a little bit rare that a millennia-old witch is lost for words. She's seen it all and done it all so many times that it gets boring. ...this is a relatively new one for her though. Despite the strangeness...she can only break out into a bit of a smirk. Refreshing. "I didn't even know ten story tall turtles could be dads. I suppose you'd never lose track of where your parents are, which is scarce a luxury extended to all in this big, wide world."

        The panic in Orpheus's voice over the phone at the enemy seeming to hack into his systems elicits a sigh from C.C. Any time bought is slowly dwindling, and actually succeeding at this endeavor is going to take drastic action. She looks between the chaos down below, and the turtle up above here, and clicks her tongue. "Nothing for it. Our acquaintance has to be cut short, as confounding a presence as you are. After all - it's getting much too dangerous for me to be up here." And with a few utterly casual, if slightly brisk steps-

        C.C. walks straight off the edge of the building, plummeting down several stories.

        (there's a firefighter-esque catching net down where she lands - it's important to be able to leave in as extra a way as possible!)

        The high-pitched whine of a sports motorcycle starts peeling away from the scene of that encounter - searching the streets in an attempt to brute-force her way into catching up to the transport that has their target...

KTS: C.C. has activated the Daunt Spirit Command targeting Riku Asakura
KTS: C.C. targets Riku Asakura with Darklops Shot!
KTS: C.C. targets Nidaime with Darklops Slugger Thrust!
KTS: C.C. targets Chibodee Crocket with Darklops Slugger Slash!
KTS: Chibodee Crocket parries C.C.'s Darklops Slugger Slash, taking 645 damage!
KTS: C.C. has engaged Chibodee Crocket
KTS: Riku Asakura rushes into the attack!
KTS: Riku Asakura successfully avoids C.C.'s Darklops Shot
KTS: Nidaime parries C.C.'s Darklops Slugger Thrust, taking 1380 damage!
KTS: C.C. has engaged Nidaime

<Pose Tracker> Chibodee Crocket has posed.

Gundam Maxter stays in close despite the incredible danger. The Darklops swings in for Gundam Maxter again, but this time Chibodee is ready, parrying more cleanly and blading into the hit. Gundam Maxter presses in with superhuman dexterity, its optics shining as Chibodee fully gets into his rhythm.

"Paint scrapes," Chibodee says, teeth reddened from those earlier hard hits. He can't get to the transport, not when this thing is still up. Chibodee's got to hope the rest of the ground team can stay on the VIP. This nightmare robot has to be put down for the good of society.

"You can't beat a man backed up by a space hero *and* a turtle," Chibodee declares, and barrels in with a flurry of heavy punches toward the Darklops! He's heavily overextending himself by unleashing this battery of blows, but the last thing he wants is for this hulking foe to get to the ground team.

KTS: Chibodee Crocket targets C.C. with Dempsey Roll!

<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.

The Darklops' hands glow with awesome power, and Geed knows what is coming. In response to the glowing, Geed lets out another roar, as various energies swarm around him. Red, blue, and black surge through him as a red phoenix from behind him. The surge continues until even the firebird is drawn into the back of Geed. The ground itself shudders under the amassed energy as he is ready right as the beam is fired at him.

"WRECKING PHOENIX!" Ultraman Geed shouts as he draws a similar pose to the Darklops. The two beams collide in the center between them, causing property damage as the beams surge and collide. The beam from Geed is enough to prevent the Darklop's from hitting him.

Then Geed's eyes glow, and surging power pours into his arm beam. His own beam grows bigger and attempts to simply overwhelm the Darklop's own, aiming to cut through the beam and through the chest of the relic of his father.

KTS: Riku Asakura targets C.C. with Wrecking Phoenix!

<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.

        It likely didn't mean much in whether or not the beam saber was ill-sized or not, the KMF had jumped down with intent, with a need to handle the targets at hand, with very little concern for its safety. After all, with no sort of propulsion system of its own, if it hadn't landed that hit, it could have very well destroyed itself under its own weight upon impact as it landed. If anything it spoke to the skill of the pilot, though even at this range such skills could end up not being enough when it came to a beam saber. It was a weapon of unimpeded force if not prepared for, regardless of how outdated the model of the weapon. It was something to be wary of regardless, an attack that needed to be handled with care and precise timing. Unfortunately with the earlier tampering of its systems the Byakuen doesn't have such luck. The beam saber finds itself able to land a sizable strike against the unit. It had attempted to defend with its free arm, a parrying gesture to redirect the blow, but as it was there was simply no way to account for the difference in power with his timing off and it cleaves right at the joint of the unit, as the sound of the smaller units arm drops to the ground. Tch. . .

        A click of his tongue at the distasteful situation he found himself in. One of these days he needs to have Rakshata just apply some sort of beam coat to this thing or something. Though in a strange mixed blessing it's the removal of that arm that allows him to maneuver about and avoid the vulcan fire of the Gundam X. Frankly it was all a mixed blessing after all, this unit that was up close and personal with him had only done the bare minimum by trying to just go for his limbs. He's had a similar experience with that recently as well, so that means he should be grateful. . .? Hardly. This was a battlefield. If one wasn't prepared to kill, they shouldn't have been on it. Another retaliation would follow, as just as swiftly as it maneuvered itself out from the vulcan did it close itself back in. Its blade primed once more for a second helping of the Impermanence, only this time. . .Rather than striking from the front, it seemed like it was trying to get behind the Gundam altogether. "What'll you do if I bite here?!" It had seemed like this time around rather than just intending to pounce on the unit, it was going for a weak point. Attempting to get behind the unit, the Byakuen would slash into the solar furnace, which was emitting that strange assortment of light particles, while at the same time still limiting the Gundam X's options in turn. He'll need to thank C.C. for reminding him of its capabilities later. After all, if he can keep a barrier between itself and it, it'd surely impede its decision to fire such a nasty weapon.

        Of course, that wasn't going to stop Oz from keeping the assault on that enemy as well. Whether his blade struck or miss, it'd reholster, the bladed weapon returning into its arm before that canon returned and literally using the body of the Impermanence as a stabilizer, it'd fire another round towards the Gundam, this time trying to aim for its center of mass in hopes of starting to tear away at its ability to function. It'd be a problem if either of these two got away after all, right? At least in his mind, just because his appearance hadn't been thwarted didn't mean he knew that. Though perhaps he'll be informed of such later when diagnostics would inform him as such. Till then though. . .Everyone was being treated like they needed to be dealt with.

KTS: Orpheus Zevon has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Orpheus Zevon targets Athrusa Hsieh with I'll Tear Through!' Combined Blade Component!
KTS: Orpheus Zevon targets Garrod Ran with Precision Shot: 30mm High-Initial-Velocity Tungsten Armor-Piercing
Ammunition!
KTS: Athrusa Hsieh has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Athrusa Hsieh parries Orpheus Zevon's I'll Tear Through!' Combined Blade Component, taking 1860 damage!
KTS: Orpheus Zevon has engaged Athrusa Hsieh
KTS: Garrod Ran has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained proficiency bonus.
KTS: Garrod Ran fails to Evade Orpheus Zevon's Precision Shot: 30mm High-Initial-Velocity Tungsten Armor-Piercing
Ammunition, taking 5130 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

Nidaime is still keeping herself low on the ground relative to C.C. Despite hopping over, she's otherwise not making any aggressive movements. Nidaime is not really a fighter at heart. Fighting with the Shuffles is her dad's day job. Honestly she's just happy to have someone to talk to. Human war is, well, it's around. Nidaime has to endure it even if it's a lot to keep track of.

"Mmhmm, I always know where my parents are. Because dad is big and mom is--" She points to her earbud. "I know I'm lucky." Maybe hearing C.C say that reminded her a bit of that how much recent events have hurt, she does still have her family and even if she does get lonely she isn't really alone.

But she doesn't speak about that, Nidaime is also a bit of a mysterious person at heart even if she is a bit of a child and so isn't always good at it quite yet.

"Oh no...!" She says. "Don't put yourself in danger just to talk to me...!"

But then C.C. starts walking for the edge of the building.

"Um, I knew I could do that, but I'm not really human so--"

C.C throws herself off a building...!

"Ah!! Oh no!!" She rushes to the dge of the building (still on all fours, and peers over the edge towards...

...the net.

Her ears flick. That was strange. What an abnormal young lady, Nidaime thinks to herself before crawling on all fours and lying down so that her giant turtle father can give her a 'piggy back ride' when he's done fighting.

Speaking of!

Anosillus gives a short grunt indicative of agreement that with a space hero and a turtle on your side, you are pretty much invincible. You can almost see the old turtle brimming with pride as it rears back and tries to KERSLAAAM the Darklops, the Sluggers denting and cracking Anosillus's shell as it goes for one last smash attack.

KTS: Nidaime targets C.C. with Daddy's A Big Boy!
KTS: C.C. fails to retreat.
KTS: C.C. successfully avoids Nidaime's Daddy's A Big Boy

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.

        'She's not moving.'

        "Fuck." Sayla swears under her breath. "Try and keep her getting bounced around, I can check wh-"

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSmlRuL6ZvA

        The machinegun spray is *a lot*. Sayla's skilled, and has forewarning, but it's not enough. She makes a call. "Hold on to her!" At this point, Sayla does not give a fuck about Takuma. He might be waking up soon, but...

        Two of those rounds make impact, and the van goes flipping over rolling sideways and crashing into, over and behind the highway barrier.

        Fortunately, seatbelts and crumple zones are wonderful inventions. Which is fine for Sayla... less so for Kaname, Tessa and Takuma. Sayla releases herself from the seatbelt, with the van lying on the drivers side. She crawls over the divider, into the back, to confirm everyone is alright. And to be ready. She pulls her pistol. "Miss Chidori-" She checks to see if she can rouse her- hopefully it won't be a problem. "Get the Captain, and get behind me."

        Cautiously, Sayla moves towards Takuma.

KTS: C.C. retreats from the attack!
KTS: C.C. fails to react to Riku Asakura's Wrecking Phoenix, taking 6820 damage!
KTS: C.C.'s Darklops has been disabled.

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke's doing his best to keep up with the transport, but part of that requires a very careful balance with the Freedom. Sayla's driving, the news that the Captain has collapsed...

He could probably handle even an attack like this with his full focus. But his priorities are a total scramble, and it makes him sloppy. He brings up the Monomolecular Cutter again. He needs it to catch. He NEEDS it to catch. He NEEDS it to--

The little monomolecular cutter does nothing whatsoever to stop the incoming hammer of a smash, which proceeds to only not completely cut Arbalest in half because Sousuke is able to swerve his weight enough that it 'merely' dismembers the machine, chopping the arm completely off and shattering the building around him.

For several long seconds, Arbalest is silent.

MEANWHILE:

Sayla's probably expecting it when she hears the loud buzzing of a landspinner's electric wheels cruising up. Loud; there's several.

A Burai is the face of the destroyer this time, the 'hooded' remodeled Knightmare Frame coming to a stop not even 10 meters from the upturned truck. Basically spitting distance.

The cockpit opens. A woman emerges in a white, armored piloting suit, rather akin to an ARM Slave suit. Her short brown hair is center- parted similar to Takuma's, and there's a...passing, resemblance. She has her gun up at once, a pistol pointed down. Hostilities it is. "Well, well," she says, amused. There's a certain cold confidence to her. "Didn't expect you, Doctor Mass. I believe you have something of mine."

BUT ALSO:

The rubble Chienne left Arbalest in begins to stir. A light shifting, rocks thrust aside.

And then it EXPLODES open, and with Boxer held in one arm, Sousuke screams, "I WILL NOT!" and surges forward at incredible speed! He jabs the barrel of his shotcannon INTO the Freedom's damaged internals.

NOW he uses the shotshells.

KTS: Sousuke Sagara has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Sousuke Sagara has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Sousuke Sagara targets Chienne Argent with Boxer 57mm Shotcannon Shotshell Magdump!
KTS: Chienne Argent blocks Sousuke Sagara's Boxer 57mm Shotcannon Shotshell Magdump, taking 6820 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Sousuke Sagara's Outmaneuver activates, causing Control Bonus!
KTS: Chienne Argent's RGM-196 Freedom has been disabled.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname grabs onto Tessa and braces them both against the seat...

A few moments before everything goes to shit. She's got herself wedged between two rows of seats, so she manages to keep from getting knocked *around*, and the captain with her--but she does receive a couple of knocks besides.

She's breathing shakily, still awake, when Sayla goes to rouse her. Looking rather worse for the wear, but awake. "R... roger.

She lugs Tessa out and braces the unconscious girl's arms over her shoulders, limping as she takes her first steps out of the wreck... only to find herself staring up at the woman in the Burai, in the center of a ring of spotlights from her compatriots.

<Pose Tracker> Athrusa Hsieh has posed.

        The fact that the Byakuen could perform such a manoeuvre and not end up breaking itself -- and the skill of the pilot -- is a thing Athrusa notes internally. In truth, Athrusa isn't even certain where her own skills come from... they come from that same pool of hazy, murky memories all her skills come from -- surgery, infiltration, and mobile suit piloting...

        Murky origins aside, she has to trust in those skills now if she's going to get through this battle.

        Fortunately, those same skills seem to have pulled through for her -- she's certain that exchange could've gone just as poorly in the other direction. "Even with one arm removed, the enemy unit still possesses great mobility..." Athrusa remarks. And it's going to be entirely too obvious where she's going to aim next -- the remaining arm that's carrying the blade--

        "What...?" Athrusa pipes up in mild surprise, as the Byakuen manouevres behind her. It's trying to target the GN Drive Tau...! If it were to explode over this urban area, Athrusa is certain the consequences could be quite dire...

        ...no...

        The Innovade jerks back on the controls, thrown in her seat as she pushes the already-beleaguered Impermanence beyond the range of comfortable movement. Hydraulics hiss and a pipe snaps as she pushes it to turn faster than it should be capable of--

        ...do NOT let that happen.
        you -must- save lives. you -must- reduce suffering.
        that is your reason to be.

        "My... ...?" Athrusa blinks, at the hazy flash of insight that's flooded into her mind, at this most inopportune moment. At the very last moment, a loud CLASH is heard as the Impermanance's beam saber interposes against the blade at a baffling angle indeed.

        "My reason to be..." Athrusa sounds distracted, even as the machine rattles violently at the clash of forces. She shakes her head. Things have gotten even worse. The captain's passed out... she grimaces as she looks, distracted by the spray of machinegun towards the van.

        "The minivan's...!" Athrusa struggles further with the controls, her mind taxed as it is. "Heart-2! Miss Chidori! What is the situation?!"

        She's in a really dangerous situation. She can't just ignore the Byakuen, when it's still primed and hot on her trail. But the mission objective -- and the lives of Kaname, Tessa, Sayla and even the captive are more important than her own safety.

        "Circle Blue, the target's been compromised," Athrusa comms over to Garrod. "I must ensure the safety of the Captain and the others, even if the captive is retrieved by the enemy."

        No room for hesitation -- she goes for it, the GN Drive Tau whirring to maximal life once more as she tries for a rather reckless escape from the Knightmare Frame which, quite frankly, outpaces her.

<Pose Tracker> Garrod Ran has posed.

Garrod grits his teeth, interposing the buster rifle's shield plates in front of the GX's torso even as he attempts to slam the mobile suit back into motion; that little Knightmare Frame's guns have entirely too many tricks - and honestly, part of Garrod would very much like to "acquire" a similar machine, if not that exact one, both to learn its ins and outs for himself and to let the Freeden's mechanics have a field day with it. Maybe the chance to inspect a new type of machine would even mollify Kid in the face of the beating the Gundam X has been taking ...

But such wishful thoughts don't do much good, as the HIV tungsten rounds shred through the Gundam's weakened leg and already-battered shield alike, on top of smashing through several points on the *left* arm and severing at least one power linkage. The rest of the frame shudders from the damage, and Garrod yells in a mix of frustration and budding panic. He's really not doing well here - and the fact that they're in an urban area, heavily populated, means that no matter where the Moon might be, the Satellite Cannon was never even an option, even *if* Garrod had no qualms about endangering an ally with his most powerful weapon (which qualms he does, in fact, have in generous supply).

That's also when the truck which held Sayla, Kaname, Tessa, and Takuma gets knocked off its wheels, ending the chase. And again, Garrod is too far away from the transport to help ... but his dander is up, even from what little he can hear over the radio, and the buster rifle is shifted from the GX's right hand to its left. He doesn't trust the rifle's systems enough to try shooting it again at this point; it *looks* fairly intact, but after the armor-piercing ammo his enemy's been using ...

Instead, the Gundam X deploys its own beam saber, and Garrod kicks the thrusters in one more time - both taking advantage of Athrusa's attempt to break away from melee, and making his own attempt to divert the Knightmare from pressing its assault. Orpheus may have to decide whether it's more important to stay on the other Gundam's back than to risk getting filleted by the GX, and even in his machine's current state, Garrod is capable of some surprisingly deft swordplay with a Gundam's beam saber.

KTS: Garrod Ran targets Orpheus Zevon with Beam Saber - Fine Shave!
KTS: Orpheus Zevon fails to evade Garrod Ran's Beam Saber - Fine Shave, taking 2700 damage!
KTS: Garrod Ran has engaged Orpheus Zevon

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.

        Sayla's eyes lock with Seina's. Sayla's pistol, however is not pointed at her. It's pointed at the back of Takuma's unconscious head, as he is thrown face down on the floor. It's clear from Sayla's hard, cold eyes that she will pull the trigger in a heartbeat.

        "I do." She says, flatly. "I propose terms." She can't waste time on this. She hears Athrusa's call over Chidori's radio. This will end badly if she doesn't act quickly.

        "You order all but one of yours to retreat, I do the same with mine. You take Takuma, and leave without harassment. In return, myself and the other two women in this vehicle are allowed to do the same." She lays things out quickly as she can, straightforward as she can.

        "And if either side doesn't comply, the only other outcome is everyone in and in proximity to this vehicle dies. Do we have a deal?"

<Pose Tracker> Chienne Argent has posed.

Chienne's maneuver would be risky at the best of times. It's incredibly reckless to charge into a building in quite that way; it's half-collapsed around both of them and neither one of them can do much but free themselves.

Sousuke does it first. The Arbalest being lighter helps; even if it is missing an arm, it didn't go in as deeply, while Chienne is trying to dig herself out of several stories of crumpled rebar and shattered debris with a torso that makes dangerous grinding noises and acts like it's stuck whenever she turns it to the left.

She lets out a wordless roar as she shoves the Freedom out, but the damaged torso betrays her; the upper body tilts back further than it's supposed to, the ragged, shattered gap gaping further open.

Which is when Sousuke unloads into it.

The Freedom doesn't explode. It just kind of twitches, then seizes up as the connectors for its motive force shatter; the arms and legs are all still attached but none of them are recieving power or moving. The hole smokes ominously, and a few moments later, flickers of red light suggest a fire that the internal systems are unable to put out.

A moment after that, and someone bails out.

Sousuke doesn't know her. She's a teenager, but an older one: eighteen maybe, darker skin, grey-white hair. She has a purple top over a cutoff red shirt, big shoulder guards with gold and purple bars, something like a steel-segment collar, sarashi, boots with armoured fronts and bracers that match it. She also has a downright feral expression as she leaps up on top of her shattered machine, looking down at the Arbalest for a moment.

"Next time!" Chienne raises her voice to a shout, to make sure he can hear her. "Next time, you're mine!"

And then she leaps off. She jumps *far* for a human, though not far enough to be really supernatural; she's just in amazing shape as she makes the next building over and begins to descend a fire escape.

Sousuke probably doesn't want to sit around. The Freedom hasn't exploded yet, but it is currently on fire and it's really only a matter of time. Those *are* physical rounds it's got in the machine gun and its head vulcans, even if there's nothing else from the engines or power systems.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname stares at Sayla, more than a little shocked that she's threatening their hostage's life. It makes sense--she doesn't know if she means to follow through or if it's a bluff, but... Takuma's the only bargaining chip they have.

She repositions Tessa against her so she's not bearing the entire load on one shoulder. Athrusa's call makes her wince a bit, but she doesn't answer. Good chance that'd get her shot, she figures.

Mostly, underneath the anxiety of possibly being killed if their attackers don't accept the offer, she's... in a bit of disbelief that this is what Sayla does out of the public eye.

She wisely opts to stay silent, despite the fact that she wants to yell many, many things at the woman in the Knightmare Frame.

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Arbalest slips free of the Freedom enough to be clear of the immediate results of its landing. He takes several deep breaths. Piloting an ARM Slave is intensely physical even when you're not in a life-or-death struggle.

"Enemy pilot has exited the machine," AL notes, and a marker appears on the HUD - tagging the pilot as not to be fired on unless hostilities continue. There are rules to these things, after all.

"Those movements," Sousuke mutters. AL says, "Enemy pilot physical capabilities are within bounds for a trained expert," helpfully.

"...Not a problem," he says in response to Chienne, and then turns, about to run off to handle the Transport, when:

"ALERT: Priority target surrounded by enemy machines. Hostile negotiations in progress," AL announces.

"Damn...!" Sousuke bites out.

And at the outer rim of those harsh running lights, Seina's cool smile never flickers. She waits for several long seconds, eyes riveted to Sayla as she considers. Then: "Deal," she says, all confidence. Much the same as Takuma never seemed so much as phased until he suddenly succumbed to a bloody rage, Seina seems utterly unruffled even by this situation. "I hear you're good for your word, Doctor Mass. I hope to be impressed."

She reaches up, tapping on an ear piece. "All units, this is Seina. Stand down and start moving to extraction positions. I'm taking it from here."

<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.

        The two blades strike to the KMF pilot's astonishment. Or rather to his annoyance. He could feel the tearing and grinding within the opposing unit's body as it moved irregularly to catch his strike. It was a powerful strike indeed, and one that definitely allowed for avoiding a worse case outcome. If anything he was ready for a proper retaliation from it, but instead he realizes something much work. Don't you dare. . .Don't you dare run!!! The way those particles were going alright, it was clear that this machine was planning to run, if that was the case. . .If that woman was inside. . .If she saw. . .He's all but ready to shoot her in the back as she leaves, ready to end her if she dares to leave her back exposed on the battlefield. Though she gets to have that leisure with what follows.

        The Gundam X's assault proves to be good cover, forcing the Byakuen's pilot to maneuver to avoid being sliced by the assault ruining his aim. It's the one time he almost feels like he's getting caught in a bind. He's ready to tear through this Gundam, and then onto the next till-

        A communication comes over the comms telling for a stand down order, one that makes the young man grind his teeth. Like hell. . .

        The Gundam X can watch as he still takes its remaining arm and looks like it's just about to fire. As far as Orpheus was concerned, while this Takuma might have been their priority, preserving his identity was just as important. If anything if this turned into a situation where all those in that area died well. . .Technically speaking it's still keep Takuma's information from leaking, and possibly handles that white-haired woman as well. If anything it'd make his other objective all the easier. All he had to do was take aim and this would all spiral into. . .

        Before he takes aim though there's one final communication that runs through. One from off the battlefield. One that informs him of the damage to visual communications and what transpired with it, and what wasn't shared. It's enough information for him. Enough for the gun attachment to be returned back to just a regular user arm. The act might have put everyone on one little moment of edge again, but ultimately. . .The white KMF of the Black Knights withdrew.

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.

        Sayla nods. "The radio." She says to Chidori, taking it if it's not offered. Her movements are clear and careful. "Heart-2 to all forces. Impermanence Gundam, head to the transport. All other forces, head to-" She pauses, where could they use here... "Echo Eight One." A nearby resupply point, with space to rest. "Queen the Spade, ensure Banner Bell complies."

        She waits, watching Seina. Ensuring both sides comply. As soon as they do, she indicates she'll move back to let Seina get Takuma. No heroics. No funny business. Just making the deal.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname grabs the radio and hands it to Sayla. She listens, and after a brief pause, she scrunches her eyebrows together. Disappointment, as Sousuke isn't the one chosen to stay behind.

"Dr. Mass, are you hurt?" she asks, looking briefly over at the unconscious Tessa hanging off of her.

<Pose Tracker> Athrusa Hsieh has posed.

        Athrusa doesn't feel much fearm if at all. It's not because she's exceptionally courageous; rather, it's because she lacks something integral, something hollow where there should be something, something that makes her often feel she's not... human.

        But she can sense that one 'should' be afraid when facing with an opponent of that calibre; there was an animosity that, while she can't quite read for certain, she could feel positively oozing out of the machine. But... she's made her bed with the Shuffles. She knows the risks. No, rather... it's immaterial what the risks are. She needs to accomplish those 'reasons for being'.

        She'll have to thank Garrod later for his cover. It could've been the difference between life and death. She hears Sayla over the radio, and answers, "Copy that, Heart-2."

        The GN Drive-equipped machine continues on course, visuals -- or rather, Athrusa's own vision through the camera -- on the transport. ... that was a nasty crash. She's only glad that they seem to be all right.

        The Impermanence descends slowly, very gently; the beam saber's been stowed away at this point. "I am alighting," she announces. "Weapons are disabled."

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Arbalest is braced on a street and about to pulverize it in the process of SURGING toward the transport. Eliminate all targets. Easy. Keep Chidori safe. Keep the Captain safe. Keep the Doctor safe. Keep the captive in control. He already has a guess of the stakes of this, what the Captain meant when she said it could be related to his own machine. If the enemy is planning to use something like that, then, it has to be stopped. He'll do it. He can do it. He doesn't need the damned Lambda Driver! He--

        'All other forces, head to Echo Eight One.'

Sousuke freezes, his teeth clenching with a force he didn't expect. But. That's. AWAY from Chidori! No, from the mission! That's! He can't? He's! But!

AL pierces the bedlam taking place inside of him. The machine says, "Course for Echo Eight One is plotted, Sergeant," with its usual unaffected voice.

Sweat pours down his face and neck. Breathing uneasy. AL says, "Sergeant. Continued combat with Arbalest's current state is not recommended."

It's several seconds even after that before Arbalest can be seen, leaping high into the sky and then disappearing in a flash of electric blue.

Seina's own men turn and wheel away quickly, save for one of the Burais that she signals to stay. It looks up at Impermanence with...some concern, for the size difference. Seina doesn't.

Seina hasn't lowered her weapon, but she looks pleased with herself. "I believe that counts as coming to an accord," she says, and hops down from the Knightmare Frame's cockpit block, beginning to approach.

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.

        "I'm fine." Sayla responds to Kaname. "I've been through much worse than this." Her eyes don't leave Seina. "You've heard correctly. You'll forgive me if I don't assume the same of you." She's not taunting, her voice is cool and calm. But the gun remains on Takuma.

        One can feel the tension in the air, arguably even if one isn't a newtype. Sayla is tense, and arguably, coiled ready to strike. Under the circumstances, maybe she could drop Seina, and Athrusa take care of Burai.

        But that risk isn't worth taking. Not with a civilian and Tessa behind her. And if the blood sample is intact, they've lost nothing but physical possession of Takuma.

        But frankly, that was lost one way or the other the second the Freedom hit the van.

        This is the cleanest way it can go, frankly.

KTS: Teletha Testarossa's Sub-Pilot has left

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Seina might have an obnoxiously calm smile, but she's still moving like she knows the situation, careful, slow steps. She gets up to Takuma, holding Sayla's gaze, before her attention briefly drifts to Tessa and the other girl. Her gaze stays on Tessa for several seconds. "So this is the girl," she says, seemingly to herself.

Then she kneels to pick up Takuma in her arms. He stirs in his sleep, eyes fluttering just briefly. "Sister..." he mutters, and returns to unconsciousness.

Seina does not respond, merely turning around to return to her machine. Slow and steady. No sign of tricks.

<Pose Tracker> Athrusa Hsieh has posed.

        In this particular exchange, Athrusa is the faceless party, represented by the Impermanence Gundam. She monitors the situation quietly, listening to Kaname and Sayla and Seina... she blinks a few times as she picks Takuma up. There is a familiarity between them... is this the kind of thing humans do for each other?

        Nothing has happened yet. She allows herself to be distracted by one moment, wondering over how hazy a directive of 'save lives' is when it comes down to a situation like this. If she had to take one live to save five, would she...?

        Or would she still be disobeying her reason to be?

        No one has the answers for her but herself, though. That was part of the initiative inside of her that let her run away to be 'her'. To be 'Athrusa'.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Khanka was probably worse than this, but it's difficult to rate this sort of experience when you've only had two of them. Kaname's a civilian... though she's doing her best to hold it together, a Newtype could sense easily that she's near the edge.

She hugs Tessa against her, regarding Seina with a possessive and protective scowl.

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.

        A part of Sayla would love to comfort Kaname right now, but she can sense more than Kaname. Seina picks up Takuma, turns. The pistol remains trained, but does not fire. She holds her composure. The reognition- or whatever it is- of Tessa causes no immediate reaction on her face. But it tells her something. What, she's not sure yet. It's something.

        But she won't stop until Seina's in the KMF again and small arms fire is meaningless. Discipline and focus keep her steady throughout. Is this the strength that got her to where she is?

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Seina gets back to her KMF. Climbing is difficult with a body in hand, but she manages.

The cockpit loads in. The running lights turn on. The factsphere reveals itself, scanning the area.

But before the landspinners flick down, the PA turns on.

"I'm impressed after all, Doctor. And as it happens, I'm feeling nice."

"You should know that the girl's commander is with us. He's badly injured - heh, couldn't even torture him. Not that the old bastard would crack. He keeps looking at me like I'm the one in a cell...Anyway. Once all this is over...I'll make sure he ends up somewhere you can find him."

"If I'm still feeling nice, anyway."

The landspinners click down and whirr up, and the two Burais whirl around and rocket off down the streets.

KTS: Athrusa Hsieh's CB-00X Impermanence Gundam Prototype has left
Athrusa Hsieh leaves for Japan [OCU].

KTS: Riku Asakura's Ultraman Geed Galaxy Rising has been disabled.

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.

        The glare Sayla gives into that factsphere is...

        Accompanied by a pressure that newtypes can sense. Distaste. Disdain. Disgust. She could challenge the girl. Confirm that she understands what she's just done, just committed to. She probably does. But this is something of a personal note for Sayla.

        But the information about Kalinin is useful. It's something Captain Testarossa will want to hear. After she's done with the conversation over ignorning her expressed requst.

        "...Miss Chidori, help me with Captain Testarossa. We can treat her at the rendezvous point. And we don't want to be here when the Labor patrols arrive."

        She radios to the gundam. "Get us out of here."

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

As the Burais leave, Kaname seems to slump over slightly. One gets the feeling she might fall over entirely if she didn't have the duty of holding onto Tessa... but the veil lifts.

The fear and shock she was keeping down wash over her, and she lets out a shaky sigh, nodding as she helps Sayla take up some of the burden of carrying the unconscious girl.

"... is it always like this?" she asks quietly.

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.

        This is the moment when Sayla... doesn't relax, at this point, but the face of the war hero slides. It's a much more sympathetic face that looks to Kaname.

        "No. But however it turns out... It's never gentle."

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

<poem> The fear is a dull fear, right now. The danger has passed, so... it's easy enough to be calm enough to be functional.

And to Sayla... she just nods. She wishes it weren't like this, and maybe it's the shock more than anything... but for now, it seems she accepts it. That this is where she is right now.