2022-06-16: Second Strike
- Log: Second Strike
- Cast: Carina Cameron, Calas Zelinn, Lily Jung, Riika Sheder, Talia Gladys
- Where: Earth Orbit
- Date: June 16, 2022
- Summary: The Britannian Union Spacy attempts to throw a wrench into ZAFT's attack on Earth with a strike on their orbit-to-surface supply lines. Not all goes to plan.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
"Range," Carina Cameron says in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Distance twenty thousand and decreasing," the helm reports, the whisper matching the captain's - and everyone else's, given that the bridge of the Havant is a pit of near-darkness. Anxious faces are illuminated only by the faint glow of low-state lighting behind console buttons and switches. The light's white, but not all that bright.
Even the normal mechanical ambience of a starship is muted. Systems are simply running on low power. Running lights are utterly absent, leaving a vast wedge of darkness spanning out ahead of the Havant's bridge window.
Carina, in her full helmet and spacesuit today, taps a finger on the arm of her chair as she counts down beats both in her head and on a small console affixed to her station. Ahead, she can see shapes moving in outer Earth orbit - bulky, slow, ponderous. Well lit.
"Coming up on mark," whispers helmsman Edy Vieira.
"As soon as we cross the mark, engage combat alert," Carina orders, leaning shallowly forward. "Lieutenant Stockton, countdown."
"Mark in ten," Stockton whispers from a rear station. "Nine... eight... seven...."
----
Keeping an invasion of Earth running, even one driven largely by wolfpacks, isn't an easy task, and it doesn't happen without resupply. Much is the same for ZAFT. In outer Earth orbit, a couple of light cruisers cover a small convoy of freighters, packed full of supplies all set to be dumped into Earth orbit and dropped to PLANT forces operating in North Africa.
Not one of them spots the danger coming until a mark is crossed - and power systems surge back online.
Five Northampton-class frigates suddenly burn holes in sensor grids entirely closer than they have a right to be. The ships - four standard models led by the slightly longer and more aggressive-looking Havant - are built to a stealth design, angular and meant to deflect sensor pickups. All five of them coasted in on momentum with their thrusters off and power plants at the bare minimum - and it got them where they needed to be.
Close enough to begin firing. The nearer of the two ZAFT escort ships takes several solid hits within the first few seconds as the Havant and its associated ships bear down, weapons coming fully online. Variable fighters and space-use Knightmare Frames begin to drop out of concealed hangars as the Britannian ships deploy their battle plan.
"All squadrons launching," Stockton reports from the Havant's tactical console, voice back to its normal volume as the bridge lights come back up.
"It seems our surprise attack worked," Commander Reeve muses, stepping up to one side of Carina's seat and crossing her arms. "Cutting their supply lines here ought to strangle their efforts in Africa."
"For all that anyone will be grateful," Carina sniffs with a lofting of her chin. "You'd think saving the weak links in the Federation would win us some goodwill. I eagerly await the OAC brain trust's next round of whining."
She waves her hand towards the main window. "Focus on the defensive screen ships. I'd prefer to capture the transports intact."
KTS: Carina_Cameron has deployed as a Boss for 4 opponents.
<Pose Tracker> Calas Zelinn has posed.
The distributed Kite Squadron's leader is on the defense team for the freighters today, Calas ready in her flight suit but otherwise standing as the enemy gets close. Except...
EARLIER:
"You seem pretty dour today, ma'am. Is something the matter?"
"I don't every day?" Calas replies with some humor. "...No," she says. "I just... have a bad feeling."
And her bad feelings are usually right.
NOW:
The ZGMF-600 GuAIZ is a top of the line machine, barely off the assembly lines. It is also jet black, adorned in dark tones for its accents, and currently rocketing away from the catapult of one of the cruisers. Its jets pour out energy, bringing it forward, forward, and behind one of the mobile suits of the squadrons here to ruin ZAFT's supply lines--it sinks like a shadow.
Suddenly, a chained weapon whips out from behind it, one of the Extratensional Arrestors snaking forward to deliver a beam spike--potentially right in the center mass of a Knightmare Frame.
"Calas Zelinn, deployed," comes the crackle over the ZAFT radios.
She doesn't bother introducing herself to her enemy yet.
Calas Zelinn has moved to Colony Exterior
KTS: Calas Zelinn targets Carina Cameron with EEQ7R Extensional Arrestor - Reach Spike!
<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.
The alarms go off on board the transport carrying Lily Jung. People are rapidly floating through the hangar below her. She's been doing training excercises for the past two hours now within the refurbished EWAC Zack, and takes a moment to realize that the alarm she is hearing isn't part of the training program itself. The Haro with her calls out; "Alarm, Lily! Alarm, Lily!"
"What's going on?" She asks as a technician floats by the open cockpit. The technician bends over the much larger pilot section of the Zack and remarks; "Enemies got past Long Range detection. We're under attack! We need you to deploy right now!"
"Wah~ o-okay!" Lily answers, nodding her head! "I'll deploy."
The cockpit block soon is locking off, as the full panoramic 360 view comes to life around her, and she straps herself in. Locking the normalsuit to the seat. She doesn't have time to go and find the proper pilot suit right now. So she will have to do with this.
"Let's do this, Kuma!" Lily remarks, as the lights on the RMS-119 EWAC Zack come online, and its monoeye lens flashes. She can feel a pressure building up within her, and she pushes away that nervous feeling as the Zack begins to float towards the side of the transport. She's not even on a proper ship right now. She was just being shipped back to Africa since the recent visits at Palau.
So to Carina's radar, it'll look like one of the transports it just opening its bay up, when a large Mobile Suit starts being pushed out by means of a 'claw'. It looks old and of old Federation/Zeon design. The claw is still holding onto the Zack as the begins to aim towards the oncoming five ships.
Immediately, a heavy ECCM field comes up, and multiple small emiters on board the Zack find nearby ships, linking anything that is moving and allied with Laser Link. <"This is Lily Jung. I will be supporting from the rear!"> The young woman declares.
<"Laser Painting targets! To any allied ZAFT in the area. We require assistance!"> As she points one of the weapons of the unit straight towards the enemy units and the large EWAC dish on the board of its head starts to unscramble Minivosky radiation as well as it can and line up targets with targetting data!
KTS: Carina Cameron blocks Calas Zelinn's EEQ7R Extensional Arrestor - Reach Spike, taking 1050 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 48240
<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.
RECENTLY
Riika Sheder has had a busy few days.
On her return, Riika took a long detour to ditch any tracking or surveillance she had courtesy the Nadesico before being brought to ZAFT's high command, where she got to make a report.
A lot of reports, actually.
They'd taken her surrender with worse grace than she'd expected, but her rescue (improbably, by a rabbit-clad man who had introduced himself only as Ken and spent as much time on the trip back trying to stay physically away from her as possible) with better grace. Either way, they'd apparently decided she wasn't a traitor and returned her to duty.
Hard duty. Riika had been assigned to one of the more temperamental units the test crew had. She'd done some work with some of the parts, before her capture, but they hadn't put the whole machine together - and now they had. She still wasn't sure whether it was supposed to be a promotion or a punishment, but she intended to take it as a boon. It was, after all, one of ZAFT's cutting-edge designs.
Even if it was a real pain in the butt to actually operate.
But they hadn't sent her back to a combat ship; not yet. She'd be returning to Earth, but she'd be doing it on a transport, to help once she's down. It gives them a little bit longer to discuss her story and figure out the ramifications of ... well, everything. Not all of ZAFT even knew she was back yet. The ship(s) she's served with in the past certainly did not.
VERY RECENTLY
Completely by accident, Riika is on one of those freighters. The alert had come while she was in a hangar meant for shuttles, but that contained a small selection of MS parts and, as it turns out, one complete MS. More or less. She'd been working on it, which in this case meant programming, but she liked to do that near the machine. She thought it helped her.
There was no question what she had to do as soon as the attack started. "I'm going to deploy!" Agile in 0G, Riika made a long leaping glide as the whole ship banked to avoid, sending her across the hangar on a curved arc.
"In that? Its power draw is still erratic. You've got, what, six minutes in that thing?"
"Uh, we're only up to four. But we installed the extra battery!" Riika says, catching herself and clambering back up to the cockpit. "So it's got nine or ten, and more than that if I'm careful. It's fine."
"It is NOT fine! How are you going to even deploy? We don't have any MS catapults!"
"You could... open the hangar door? I'll use the flight booster. Everything else is magnetized down in crates, right?"
NOW
A particularly dull-looking unit launches with little fanfare, despite its importance. If 'launch' is the right word. It pretty much falls out of one of the freighters, along with a few pieces of detritus that were not in fact magnetized down: mechanic's tools, a few small boxes of miscellaneous oddments, half of somebody's lunch. (Not Riika's. She ate hers.)
Dull, because the whole thing is a monochrome grey, as if they forgot to paint it entirely. In design it's actually somewhat interesting; it has the head and basic frame of a GuAIZ, except without any of its shoulder or side shields. Instead it mounted an enormous winged flight pack; even with the wings undeployed it doubles the width of the GuAIZ. A pair of long barrels are folded down at the hip, and it carries a new-model beam rifle.
Riika adjusts the straps on her visor as the GuAIZ variant simply falls out, tumbling aimlessly through space for about three seconds until she gets enough distance from the freighter. Then the wings snap open, and the thrusters fire, sending the peculiarly grey MS rocketing out.
"<Attention ZAFT. This is Riika Sheder, in the experimental GuAIZ, deploying from the Forelle frieghter. I'll be providing defense support!>" Riika debates saying more, but decides it's best to not clog the airwaves (spacewaves; whatever) during active combat.
Instead, having finally made some distance from the freighters, she fires a shot from the beam rifle; it's an intense one, powered not by an e-clip but by the machine's reactor itself. "Well, at least that works," Riika says to herself, the radio offline now. "Gotta throttle that back a little, though..."
Riika Sheder has moved to Colony Exterior
KTS: Riika Sheder targets Carina Cameron with MA-M20 Lupus Beam Rifle Shot!
KTS: Carina Cameron blocks Riika Sheder's MA-M20 Lupus Beam Rifle Shot, taking 1260 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 46980
<Pose Tracker> Talia Gladys has posed.
Being assigned to escort duty is always a bit of a gamble as to how it'll turn out. Sometimes it's relatively peaceful. A break from the chaos that is battle. It can also give opportunities to make visits to people and places you otherwise might not have a chance at, given the life of a soldier.
Unfortunately, the Auerbach's mission to protect the convoy delivering supplies to Earth-side assets is not one of those. The first sign of trouble is the sudden blaring of alerts from the sensors, quickly followed by the sight of the other escort ship at the convoy's front taking several hits from weapons fire.
Watching through the windows of the Auerbach's bridge, Talia frowns. She had expected some trouble with this particular mission... But isn't this just a bit too much trouble? To commit five warships to the assault. It's far more than just a typical skirmish with a patrol. Thankfully, by a series of coincidences, this particular convoy has a little more to it than the Federation forces might be expecting.
Reports come in from the bridge crew, alerting Talia to the launch of the ZAFT mobile weapons. With that complete, she gives the order, "Take us up to combat speeds. Angle us between the the attacking vessels and the forward escort. We'll try and provide cover for them." They can't afford to lose the only other escort ship they have this early on.
The engines of the Laurasia-class burn to life, pushing the ship forward faster and faster as it begins to catch up and overtake the transports. The vessel's operations officer quickly pipes up, "We're receiving firing solutions on the enemy ships."
Talia can guess who it's coming from, being aware of what the transports are carrying. She takes advantage of it, "Prepare tubes one through six. Let's give them a proper greeting." Ports along the Auerbach's hull open up, revealing the missiles tubes beneath and their waiting payload. The order from Talia is quick, "Fire!"
A wave of a half dozen missiles blast out of the Auerbach's launchers, flying out before arcing around to start sweeping towards the attacking frigates, homing in on the laser designation provided by Lily.
KTS: Talia Gladys targets Carina Cameron with Laurasia-class Missile Launchers Anti-Ship Missile!
KTS: Carina Cameron has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Carina Cameron successfully intercepts Talia Gladys's Laurasia-class Missile Launchers Anti-Ship Missile
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
The Knightmare Frames are the smaller part of the Britannian mobile wing - and Calas catches one of them completely by surprise. The tiny machine is torn apart as the GuAIZ rips through it. A couple more little Colony Use Gloucesters scatter away - they're not nearly big enough for this, preferring to cower behind the larger VF-177s that came hurtling out of the five ships' hangars along with them.
"Reading some higher-end units out there," Stockton reports from the main tactical station. "That black one's well-equipped."
"Keep the Knightmare Frames clear of it," Carina orders with a wave of her right hand. "VFs only when engaging the elite units. KMFs to utility operations and convoy capture."
It's not lost on Carina that Britannia's Spacy is underfunded and underequipped in comparison to its land army - the colony Gloucesters are a rare breed to begin with, most of them having vanished with Neo Britannia when it folded out of the system a few years back, and they're not nearly as excellent in space as their land-based counterparts are on the surface.
It leaves the Union relying on general-use technology. Northampton-class frigates are not uniquely Britannian. Variable fighters aren't, either.
Sensors on the Havant's bridge ping as electronic systems focus on the flotilla flagship. "That EWAC unit's designating for them," Stockton reports with a frown.
Before Carina responds, the curious grey GuAIZ emerges from one of the freighters and opens fire. The shot is unusually heavy, slamming into the Havant's starboard armour and leaving an angry scorch on the hull. Carina clicks her teeth together and exhales through her nose. "They packed one of their little wolfpacks," she mutters before waving her hand. "Bring the main guns online! Sweep up all three of those units. Show them why it's the wrong idea to mess with the Empire."
The Havant boosts forward with a rumble of heavy thrusters, proceeding ahead of the bulk of the BU Spacy task force. The four lesser ships are left to engage defensive units flown by pilots whose names don't appear in the credits. Variable fighters fan out to either side of the heavy frigate to clear a firing line as the Havant's main gun emplacements begin to open up. Sweeping shots saturate space with rays of light, a crisscross of firepower trying to capture Riika, Calas and Lily.
The Auerbach's arrival proves surprising - Carina frowns even as the Havant's guns blare. "Intercept!" she snaps, and another set of lasers joins the bigger guns as antimobile turrets rip into the intervening gap between the Havant and the ZAFT ship. Explosions bloom in the vacuum as the lasers rake through a few of the missiles. The last one is caught so close to the Havant's hull that tattered chunks of the casing careen into the armour belt and ping-pong back into the void.
Carina clicks her teeth. "Seven-nine-three squadron, engage that Laurasia-class. Tie it up!"
The units of 793 Squadron - named for the City of Cornwallis - turn out to be about a dozen Nightmare Plus variable fighters, distinctively painted with a green flash at the tops of their tailfins and Britannian roundels on each wing. The VFs sweep towards the Auerbach and split into three formations of four units apiece. Two swoop to circle; a third comes zipping in in fighter form, blasting away with lasers in a long strafing run.
A second later, commlines crackle as a transmission breaks through. The voice is probably recognizable.
"ATTENTION, SPACENOID TERRORISTS," barks MARCHIONESS CARINA GUINEVERE ERMENGARDE CAMERON, her voice cracking like a cat-of-nine-tails. "Your insurrection against the right and proper authority of the Earth Federation will not be tolerated. Surrender immediately and receive justice under the laws of the Britannian Union of Solar Energy, or continue to resist and face lethal force!"
KTS: Carina Cameron targets Talia Gladys with Air Wing Ranged Tactics!
KTS: Carina_Cameron Changes attack to Riika Sheder, Calas Zelinn, and Lily Jung with Bifors Beam Guns Field Bombardment.
KTS: Lily Jung fails to react to Carina Cameron's Bifors Beam Guns Field Bombardment, taking 6370 damage!
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 84.
KTS: Riika Sheder successfully Evades Carina Cameron's Bifors Beam Guns Field Bombardment
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 118.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.
Hearing Riika's voice over the lasercomms, as Lily's EWAC picks out the unit and immediately connects it into the communication's network, the girl can't help but smile. <"Riika!"> She chimes all too happily at hearing her voice. <"I thought you were still being held captive by those Nadesico people! I'm so glad to hear your voice again!">
Long range visuals catch the Auerbach's missiles detonating before they manage to make impact upon the enemy. And the long range attacks are not catching a lot of damage across Carina's vessel.
<"Releasing clamp. Going in closer to the enemy."> Lily Jung suddenly indicates, in a rather unexpected turn of events. <"If I can get closer, I can try to disrupt their formation and stop them from firing on the transports."> She explains. <"Setting Laser Communications Lock to Auto."> And with automatic, she means Kuma - the Haro chiming acknowledgement.
As the young woman uses the thrusters on the Zack to burn forwards. Rapid adjustments being made by the countless verniers all across its body to make micro-adjustments to avoid the screen of weaponsfire that starts coming their way.
There's multiple enemies, and she keeps up her designation as the right hand weapon begins to light up with gleaming purple energy! The secondary one is locked to the side of the unit, the thruster there-in being used for additional speed as she points her main Longblade Rifle forwards as if she were Bayonet-charging!
She's being intercepted however on her attempt to break for the units that are now ending up in the backlines are Carina's vessel comes forward. Being caught out by the crossing between the various vessels, and the Variable Fighters, Lily is forced to reduce speed and turn about-face, and come after Carina's vessel instead. Taking some severe punishment, with her unit quickly being torn apart bit by bit before it attempts to go for the Belly of Carina's vessel and bring that large beam weapon to bear into its hull to try and make for heavy cutting attacks by means of fly-bys.
KTS: Lily Jung targets Carina Cameron with Twin Longblade Rifle - Psycho Model - Ship Cut!
KTS: Lily Jung has activated the Rouse Spirit Command targeting Riika Sheder
KTS: Carina Cameron has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Carina Cameron has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Carina Cameron fails to parry Lily Jung's Twin Longblade Rifle - Psycho Model - Ship Cut, taking 5300 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 41680
KTS: Lily Jung has engaged Carina Cameron
KTS: Talia Gladys's Barrier Generator activates, negating 200 base damage.
KTS: Talia Gladys fails to evade Carina Cameron's Air Wing Ranged Tactics, taking 5760 damage!
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 181.
<Pose Tracker> Calas Zelinn has posed.
Calas looks at her displays, and one unit out there is very familiar--one that's now broadcasting ZAFT signals. "So," she muses in her cockpit, "We have one now...?" But she spots that it's... being held by a claw still. Over the radio, "Interesting machine you've got there. Familiar, too. Might want to detach, though."
Another surprise is Riika's arrival--in an experimental GuAIZ, no less. "Acknowledged Sheder. I'll look forward to seeing what your new machine can do." Over the radio, naturally.
She smiles grimly as the Auerbach starts to work. And then... well.
She tears apart a machine, and sets to work bodying the others, attempting to herd them with her presence towards the fire of the others.
As she does, she hefts her machine's Beam Rifle, the GuAIZ starts to scythe towards more of the Gloucesters and VFs, engaging mobile suits and the like with a set of powerful beams.
"If you can do it," Calas replies over the radio to Lily, "Then you'll have helped a lot. I'll try and keep the others off your back."
And that's what she does!! THough, at Carina's statement...
"We refuse," Calas announces over a shared frequency. "Tolerate what you want. We'll fight."
KTS: Calas Zelinn targets Carina Cameron with MA-M21G Beam Rifle Maneuver Shot!
KTS: Carina Cameron blocks Calas Zelinn's MA-M21G Beam Rifle Maneuver Shot, taking 1530 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 40150
<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.
"<Well, I'm back now,>" Riika responds to Lily. "<Let's focus, okay? We can talk afterwards - >"
Oh my God, Riika thinks. What are the odds? Why me? She knows that voice. She lets out a groan in the privacy of her own cockpit.
She's multitasking, though. There's so *much* to keep track of in the GuAIZ Experimental Firearms Type. Unlike Calas' GuAIZ, its system is neither complete nor entirely automated; if she lets the automation take care of the energy systems she *will* run out at the worst time possible. It's not quite as bad as reprogramming on the fly, but she has her hands full.
Her time in the brig (or wherever she ended up) has not atrophied her skills, though. With the lifter unit, the GuAIZ EFT is fast. Firing its trio of integrated thrusters, Riika lifts 'up' and 'over' the freighters, if such a term has meaning in space; she's gone 'high' enough to avoid the first shots from the gun emplacements, but she can't get too far away or she'll leave the ship unprotected, and she hesitates.
"<Close the door!>" she sends back to the Forelle, though it's already doing so as Riika begins to maneuver. Unfolding the railguns mounted on the hips, they lock into place, long barrels with a chunky rear segment that appears to be the power system, ammo, and recoil dampeners all in one.
Flipping some toggles, Riika takes manual control of the aiming. She doesn't fire the railguns simultaneously, but in sequence, staggering her shots to track across the Havant's gun emplacements and distract or divert it away from the freighters. It's actually the bigger threat, and she doesn't know who (aside from the Auerbach obviously) has large enough guns to manage it...
...but her. And that's a weird thought there. She's not used to having quite this much power at her fingertips.
KTS: Riika Sheder has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Riika Sheder targets Carina Cameron with MMI-M15 Xiphias Rail Cannon Staggered Fire!
KTS: Carina Cameron blocks Riika Sheder's MMI-M15 Xiphias Rail Cannon Staggered Fire, taking 1680 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 38470
KTS: Riika Sheder begins a Formation attack!
<Pose Tracker> Talia Gladys has posed.
Maria 'Scotty' Scott, the Auerbach's operations officer, winces for a moment, before muttering to herself, "Woah. Someone's full of themself..." Then a bit more loudly she says, "Captain, we're receiving a rather... Colourful demand for surrender."
Talia looks at Scotty a little curiously, wondering what she means by that. But only for a moment. This isn't exactly the time to be worrying about such details, "Of course they are. It's one of the Federation's favourite things to do. Ignore it."
It's the next report that's of far more interest, "Incoming enemy fighters!"
Talia's response is quick, "Defensive fire! Full burn. Hard to port. Shake them off."
In a sudden burst of acceleration the Auerbach rushes forward and starts to turn, trying to avoid being an easy target for the incoming Variable Fighters. At the same time, its CIWS turrets come to life, spitting up a curtain of bullets to make it even more difficult. It's still a warship, of course, many of the shots from the VF weapons raking across the hull. But they don't manage to hit any critical components as a result of the maneuver.
At least it seems like it's working, the Auerbach starting to draw more of the enemy attention. With that phase complete, Talia turns her attention to the next steps, "Redirect our GINNs to provide defensive cover for the other pilots." Given the layout of the forces for both sides, Talia expects Calas, Riika and Lily will have a better chance dealing with the enemy force than the Auerbach will. Especially if it can provide them with some assistance.
The team of GINNs that had earlier been launched by the Laurasia split up, moving to take up cover positions near the three elite ZAFT units and warding off any attackers trying to engage them, giving them better opportunities to themselves attack.
KTS: Talia Gladys targets Riika Sheder, Carina Cameron, and Lily Jung with All-Out.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
Riika Sheder: World's Least Lucky Bunny. Carina has absolutely no idea who's in the GuAIZ.
A valiant Nightmare Plus pilot swoops into range to try and parry Lily's longblade with a glowing fist.
This proves almost hilariously laughable. The VF gets its arm sheared off for its trouble, cleariing a path for Lily to slash a rut into the Havant's portside hull. Autotargeting turrets pursue her doggedly.
They're missing most of their shots. In fact, they're missing all of them. Carina tilts her head towards the helm. "Ten degrees to port, please."
"Roger that," Lieutenant Vieira clips. With a quick tap, the Havant begins to turn slowly to one side.
Lily will have a couple of seconds, perhaps, before the Havant attempts to just bounce her off its hull like a giant flyswatter swinging at a gnat.
The KMFs and variable fighters are having a devil of a time with Calas. One of the VF groups that didn't sweep towards the Auerbach has moved to try and bracket her, but her precise shooting proves adept enough that another Nightmare Plus is taken out of the fight, spiralling away with sparks and smoke pouring out of one engine. The machine limps back home even as the others whirl to try to set up an attack pattern.
Her response comes through; Carina clucks her tongue. "Of course you will," she chides. "Knowing when to quit would be too much to ask. Is it a misplaced sense of genetic superiority, or just stubborn pride? Either way, you've made your choice, and this ship is happy to pass judgment on you and your little rebellion."
Covering her comm pickup, Carina snaps her fingers. "Antimobile lasers, take out the black unit."
The gunnery stations respond smartly. This time the anti-air lasers orient away from Lily, lacing the stars with volleys of bracketing firepower as they try to frame Calas's machine. Their shots are calculated, trying to herd the ZAFT pilot into a funnel of laser-lit punishment.
Riika opens up and takes control of the aiming. Only the Havant's shift in orientation spares it a shot to the weapons emplacements; the railgun blasts nevertheless impact, slamming into the heavy frigate's armour belt. The ship rumbles, officers gripping consoles to keep from stumbling. "That unit gives me a bad feeling," she murmurs before clapping her hands sharply.
"Close on the Laurasia! Target their engines! Green Five and Six, divert to take out that one with the railguns!"
Trundling past the pesky Zack as best Lily will allow (and hopefully scraping her off the hull en route), the Havant draws closer to the Auerbach, gaining on the Z axis to take up a looming position above the other ship. Her main guns open up, carving space as the ship attempts to slash into the upper rear of the ZAFT vessel's hull. True to Carina's orders, the shots are aimed at the Auerbach's engine block.
Riika, meanwhile, is beset by a pair of Nightmare Plus fighters. Both unfold into battroid mode, each slinging a machine cannon. They rotate and maneuver to flank her before beginning to open fire, trying to catch her at the crosspoint of an X of lethal bullets.
KTS: Carina Cameron targets Lily Jung with Armour Belt Hull Bash!
KTS: Carina Cameron targets Riika Sheder with Air Wing Ranged Tactics!
KTS: Carina Cameron targets Calas Zelinn with Rammington Anti-Air Lasers Pinpoint Fire!
KTS: Carina Cameron targets Talia Gladys with Bifors Beam Guns Anti-Ship Fire!
KTS: Calas Zelinn has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Calas Zelinn successfully evades Carina Cameron's Rammington Anti-Air Lasers Pinpoint Fire
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 96.
KTS: Talia Gladys orders an all-out attack, raising Riika Sheder's Skill!
KTS: Riika Sheder's Physical Wall L2 activates, negating 2000 base damage.
KTS: Riika Sheder fails to react to Carina Cameron's Air Wing Ranged Tactics, taking 2250 damage!
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 130.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.
<"I'll be doing my best."> Lily energeticly answers Calas Zelinn. But the truth is, the Britannian Space Navy caught them with their pants down. And they very well may not be equiped to deal with this kind of opponent. Lily is already seeing the red warnings splattered around her controls, telling her various systems are starting to fail. Just seconds in, and already things are this bad.
But no giving up!
<"Let's keep it up!">
She glances towards the enemy vessel, <"We are not terrorists! This is a war! We are enemy combattants and will be treated as such! There is no justice under your laws, if you are treating us as terrorists!"> Lily demands of Carina Cameron.
Then, to Riika, <"Yes!"> For now, focus.
And focus she does, as she darts between various attempts to fire upon her location. That poor Nightmare Plus getting its hand cut off, before Carina's vessel suddenly begins to shift, turning.
No doubt, Carina's people will be able to tell her; CONTACT!
As the Zack locks its feet onto its hull, its verniers perfectly adjusting for the normal forces, and begins to walk over the actual surface of the ship. Using this stable surface to motion its left arm as the Psyco System starts ramping up within the cock, and Lily takes in a fluttering bit of breath.
The Zack suddenly springboards off of Carina's ship, ans is getting left behind just a bit. Starting to move towards the shadow of the Havant's sensors. The ECM ramping up rapidly...
Attacks don't seem to be coming from the Zack. Did they lodge it off!?
Did they succeed!?
Will one of the Nightmare Plus pilots notice in time, what is also walking across their hull. Slowly crawling like a six-legged crab, is some kind of mobile weapon! A large beam emitter attached to multiple E-CAPs as it uses magnetic attachment procedures to slowly crawl up the hull of the Havant and slowly makes it way towards the front of the ship, trying to find its reactor.
Lily, thinking she finds something between a series of turrets, brings her hand forward in her cockpit.
"Make these people stop! FUNNEL!"
As a Megaparticle weapon at the end of the claw-shaped Longblade Rifle begins to charge, pointed straight down towards the hull of the Havant. Charging further and further, the rippling shine of purple ramping up faster and faster....
Before unleashing enough power that could puncture a lesser vessel and annihilate it right then and there!
KTS: Lily Jung targets Carina Cameron with Twin Longblade Rifle - Psycho Model - Psycho Weapon!
<Pose Tracker> Calas Zelinn has posed.
It must be a lot of work to keep that machine going--it's not even painted. Calas is disclined to make her work harder than she needs to. However, she notices the difficulty their cruisers are having, and decides she's going to have to vary up her tactics.
But first, she has to contend with the smart gunnery stations. To be sure, they're very smart--their fire is expert, would easily overcome a lesser pilot. But Calas herself is a veteran of the AEUG, and at the last instant in each case she weaves through their nets of fire, getting closer and closer to the ship. She's not herded--quite the opposite, she keeps moving.
"I don't think of us as superior in worth," Calas says over the radio to Carina. "Only equal. And you'll find we aren't so little."
Still using its beam rifle, the GuAIZ original starts to close, firing on the Havant's hull with moreand more shots as it batters a way through its escort towards the ship if it can, black paintjob glinting in the light of the stars and its own beams' reflection.
"Do your best. And be careful," Calas advises Lily. "And we'll come through." She makes sure to take a different angle from the Zack's, as she fires and fires.
KTS: Carina Cameron has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Carina Cameron has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Carina Cameron fails to retreat.
KTS: Carina Cameron fails to react to Lily Jung's Twin Longblade Rifle - Psycho Model - Psycho Weapon, taking 8400 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 30070
KTS: Lily Jung has engaged Carina Cameron
KTS: Lily Jung completes the Formation attack!
KTS: Calas Zelinn has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Calas Zelinn has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Calas Zelinn targets Carina Cameron with MA-M21G Beam Rifle Closing Barrage!
KTS: Carina Cameron blocks Calas Zelinn's MA-M21G Beam Rifle Closing Barrage, taking 2800 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 27270
KTS: Calas Zelinn has engaged Carina Cameron
<Pose Tracker> Talia Gladys has posed.
"The lead enemy ship is baring down on us. They appear to be targeting our engines!"
Talia grips the arm rest of her chair a little tighter as she quickly calls out, "Cut engines! Emergency thrust to port, starboard turn!"
The main engines of the Auerbach go dark. Quickly following that, maneuvering thrusters on the starboard side of the ship light up, beginning to push it to the side. At the time time, similar thrusters at the front, port side do the same. The result is the Auerbach goes into a turning slide, with most of its movement focused on the rear to try and swing its engines out of the path of the weapons fire. It's only partially successful.
The beams fired by the Havant lance out through the space between the two ships. One barrage just barely missiles, rushing past the Laurasia's port engine pod. The other barrage manages to hit though, punching a hole through the port one. Smoke begins to pour out of it, leaving a trail behind as the ship continues its slide.
On the bridge, the attack isn't so much felt as it is heard, the sound of energy vaporizing hull and internals rumbling through the ship's structure. Damage reports quickly rush at Talia, who is looking a little concerned at this point... That frigate got them good.
But it's also in a good position for retaliation. Talia quickly begins, looking at her navigations officer ahead of her, "Tim, ninety degrees up." She turns her head to her weapons officer, "James, Prepare the beam cannons." A quick head turn to her operations officer, "Scotty, signal our pilots: Tactical plan sigma seven. Feed them the necessary data." There are various acknowledgments from the crew as Talia's plan is put into action.
The ZAFT pilots on the battlefield receive the plan from the Auerbach, outlining their part in it. At the same time, the Auerbach itself starts to pull its nose up, bringing the ship up to face the Havant. Two of the large turrets on the Laurasia's top come to life, their barrels adjusting to point towards the Havant, a light beginning to glow within them.
"Fire!"
Four beams of green light rush out, slicing towards the Havant.
KTS: Talia Gladys has activated the Attune Spirit Command.
KTS: Talia Gladys has activated the Attune Spirit Command targeting Calas Zelinn
KTS: Talia Gladys has activated the Attune Spirit Command targeting Lily Jung
KTS: Talia Gladys has activated the Attune Spirit Command targeting Riika Sheder
<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.
"<There's no point in trying to convince her of anything,>" Riika says, over ZAFT radio. "<She's a zealot. ...We've spoken.>"
Riika appreciates the support from the GINNs. That would have been her job, until recently. She's worked on the Auerbach, after all, and she used to fly a GINN. That, too, is an odd feeling. Everything changes...
Not that she has time to be all dramatic about it. Riika is starting to get a feel for the GuAIZ EFT - you never really *feel* a mobile suit until you fly it in combat, and while she's done practice with this thing, she's never taken it out to get shot at.
She glances at the energy readout - still green, but she's not using the worst of it, there's been no need yet. Folding the railguns back up, she accelerates, banking before jetting away from the Havant; thanks to space not really having any up and down, she's taking advantage of her ability to present the smallest target possible to the battleship by pointing her feet at the Havant, rocketing almost directly away.
But she doesn't get back to the ship she was aiming for before she's engaged by not one but two Nightmare Plus units. Those she recognizes. She makes a jerking movement, and the GuAIZ shifts, performing a complex evasion but unable to break away. Her fingers dance across the control panel, and then -
The GuAIZ, formerly a dull unpainted grey, changes. A bright safety orange spreads across the bigger of the exterior plates - shin, knee, hip, chest - working from the edges of the plates inward. The head is the last to gain colour.
And the bullets bounce.
Not entirely. They still leave dents behind, but they don't penetrate; the blows are diffused into blunt impacts rather than piercing rounds. Riika rattles in her cockpit, and she's glad she switched to her visor, but nothing gets through the frame's outer layer.
It's Phase Shift Armour. An Earth Federation secret, stolen by ZAFT when they retrieved the G Project Gundams from Heliopolis. But this isn't a Federation unit, and never was. It's no Gundam; it's a GuAIZ.
Which means ZAFT has made their own.
"<First-Generation Experimental Phase Shift holding,>" Riika comes on ZAFT radio again. "<...We're good! My operation time is pretty sharply limited now, though - so we'll have to drive them off fast or I'll have to bail out!>"
Now armoured, Riika detaches the GuAIZ from its lifter unit. She flips, somehow managing to land *on* it like a subflight unit, which means the guns on the lifter are now pointed forward rather than up. It, too, has beam cannons, a weaker but rapid-fire system, which she begins to fire at the Nightmare Pluses as she rockets past them, 'surfing' on her subflight lifter.
KTS: Talia Gladys targets Carina Cameron with Main Beam Cannons Blast!
KTS: Carina Cameron has activated the Wall Spirit Command.
KTS: Riika Sheder has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Carina Cameron fails to evade Talia Gladys's Main Beam Cannons Blast, taking 3900 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 23370
KTS: Riika Sheder targets Carina Cameron with MA-4B Fortis Rapid Beam Cannon!
KTS: Carina Cameron fails to react to Riika Sheder's MA-4B Fortis Rapid Beam Cannon, taking 3040 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 20330
You are now gagging Big-Scene.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
"Did we get the pest?" Carina asks the helm officer with a frown. "I did not hear a thump."
"We had them for a minute," Vieira chirps back. "They kicked off the hull!"
Carina narrows her eyes. "That's irritating."
Finding the Havant's reactor is not easy; the ship is not configured like a standard Northampton class. Her hull's at least 20 metres longer and there are odd blisters and hatches here and there that don't reflect the class's typical geometry. Lily's able to get a solid shot off; an engine flickers as she strikes true, blowing a column of ignited coolant out intoo space in a pillar of blue fire. The entire ship bucks heavily, alert klaxons going off.
"Damn it, back us off!" Carina shouts as she grips the arm of her chair. The big ship turns and begins to yaw away, but Calas comes gunning through the Havant's escorts. A couple more variable fighters go down, one bisected at the waist and another limping off with a leg missing, before the black GuAIZ makes it into terminal distance. Shots bracket the big frigate, slashing across her starboard hull and blowing a breach into a lower compartment. Oxygen bursts into space along with the tumbling bodies of a couple normal-suited officers.
The Auerbach has room to maneuver, and maneuver it does, main cannons unloading against the Havant's bow. Shots slam into the big ship, pockmarking her unshielded hull - there's no barrier there, merely heavy ceramic armour that soaks up some of the punishment but not nearly enough of it to spare the ship. Nothing breaches this time, but officers are thrown into bulkheads and off their feet. On the bridge, Commander Reeve takes a tumble over a guardrail and is tended to by a junior officer.
Again the ship bucks under Carina as a heavy shot from the Auerbach hits her. She clicks her teeth together and lets out a low growl. "'Equal,'" she huffs as Calas speaks. "You're fooling yourself. All men are not created equal. Everyone is inherently different! Inequality is natural!"
She pulls herself to her feet and plants a hand on her hip. "And the soldiers of the Britannian Union have no equals!" she proclaims, before sweeping her other hand out dramatically.
"Antimobile guns, full convergence! Show this fool the error of her ways!"
Once again, the anti-air lasers open up, filling space with a halo of long, thin beams. They slash like floodlights, strobing and strafing. Shots cleave the vacuum as the big frigate tries to cut through Calas's GuAIZ; still more focus in on the little EWAC Zack, entirely more bothersome than so obsolete a machine has a right to be.
Carina snaps her fingers. "Missile tubes one through four, stand ready!" she snaps. "Attack pattern Rho-23!" The bridge crew kip into motion, the Havant orienting in space and maneuvering past her escorts to come around to one side of the Auerbach. Missiles bloom out from ports across the ship. It's as if the entire frigate has launched a single massive Itano circus-style volley, attempting to simply saturate the ZAFT vessel with blasts.
That's when Riika's GuAIZ does something nobody is expecting. "Captain, there's a reaction!" exclaims Lieutenant Stockton, and a camera focuses on the now-orange machine.
Carina blinks. "They shouldn't have that technology!" she exclaims as Riika sets to work demolishing Nightmare Pluses. Variable fighters burst into flame around her, a few managing to skate away back to safety, most not.
The bad feeling in Carina's stomach has not abated. "Widen our fire to include that one!" she barks. "I want it disabled and brought in! Whoever that pilot is, I want them alive for interrogation!"
The anti-mobile fire continues to dance around the Havant - but now lasers are lancing out to try and swallow up Riika, too. Carina may want her alive, but lasers are notoriously bad at that.
KTS: Carina Cameron targets Riika Sheder, Lily Jung, and Calas Zelinn with Rammington Anti-Air Lasers Wide Barrage.
KTS: Carina Cameron targets Talia Gladys with Attack Pattern Rho-23!
KTS: [Lucky] Lily Jung's Luckyyyy! activates, and luck goes her way!
KTS: Lily Jung successfully evades Carina Cameron's Rammington Anti-Air Lasers Wide Barrage
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 90.
KTS: Talia Gladys successfully intercepts Carina Cameron's Attack Pattern Rho-23
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 124.
KTS: Riika Sheder has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Riika Sheder fails to Evade Carina Cameron's Rammington Anti-Air Lasers Wide Barrage, taking 4650 damage!
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 158.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.
<"Roger that."> Lily answers Riika as she comments on Carina's closed heart. What a sad way to live, the girl considers. Even as Carina calls out that people aren't equal...
Of course they are not. But that is the problem, now isn't it? Lily considers. Nobody is equal. Nothing is equal, unless one speaks of pure mathematics.
Even amongs Coordinators, Lily is different. Coordinators are not made equally either!
The Zack spins and tries to avoid the lasers coming its way, while the Funnel remains firmly parked upon Carina's deck. However, it ejects an E-PAC and is clearly going through some kind of repair cycle, seated right where it is!
The Zack... dances. The machine maneuvering around the shots like a bird, perfectly reading the air-currents as if they were coming before her, until she manages to find the shadow of the Havant once more - cutting along the back of its hull, before pushing off!
This gives Lily the time to maneuver back into combat range, using the other weapons that the Zack still has equiped to aim for the Main Engines of the Havant.
The girl sticks her tongue out and to the side, really trying her best to get a good bead on one of those engines. If she can stop this ship from thrusting forward, she can stop it from getting to the Transports!
<"Baaaaang!"> Lily declares, right before squeezing the trigger and sending a purple searing beam right for the thruster she's targetted!
KTS: Lily Jung targets Carina Cameron with Twin Longblade Rifle - Psycho Model - Blade and Beam - Combo!
KTS: Carina Cameron fails to retreat.
KTS: Carina Cameron successfully evades Lily Jung's Twin Longblade Rifle - Psycho Model - Blade and Beam - Combo
<Pose Tracker> Calas Zelinn has posed.
Calas speaks more for her own people--and the crew who might be wavering--than to convince anyone. They have their views... and the enemy has theirs. Calas has no illusions of convincing the enemy. But she does think that she can move to defend their people. "Tactical plan acknowledged," Calas replies to the Auerbach, and accepts the data, making use of it to plot her own part in the strategy. But then... something exciting happens on her displays.
Phase shift Armor. Rikka comes on ZAFT radio, and Calas smiles within the cockpit. "Nice machine," she replies. "Let's hurry up and do this, then."
But to Carina...
"I said our worth was equal. I said nothing about our capabilities, or our natures. The fact that you can't see that.."
Calas is too close to escape the guns this time; while she evades any shots to her vital spots, and the damage is largely superficial--blasting across ablative armor, blackening plates and destroying metal below--she is still functional, and that's what she's going to count on for a moment. The reaction...
Yes.
"Moving in!" She rushes forward, using her other hand--the shield with beam claws attached, to start a barrage of strikes and slashes with the melee weapon against the most vital parts of the ship she can manage.
KTS: Calas Zelinn has activated the Alert Spirit Command.
KTS: Calas Zelinn has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Calas Zelinn targets Carina Cameron with MA-MV03 Composite Shield Claw Thrust!
<Pose Tracker> Talia Gladys has posed.
"The enemy's missile ports are opening!"
"James, missile shield and counter!"
All eight of the Laurasia's missle ports open. They launch a first wave of missiles, followed by a second, then followed by a third. The first two waves spread out, heading towards the clusters of missiles fired by the Havant. The Auerbach's missiles streak in and explode amidst the enemy's, catching them in their blasts and detonating them as secondary explosions before they can reach the Auerbach.
But as the lights from the exploding missiles die down, the third wave is revealed behind them, streaking in on a direct course towards the Havant. The Auerbach used the interference from the explosions to cover their approach!
KTS: Talia Gladys has activated the Attune Spirit Command.
KTS: Talia Gladys targets Carina Cameron with Laurasia-class Missile Launchers Surgical Strike!
KTS: Carina Cameron has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Carina Cameron successfully intercepts Talia Gladys's Laurasia-class Missile Launchers Surgical Strike
<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.
It might be a sad way to live, but Riika doesn't have any way to change it. So it goes.
Riika tends to aim for disabling strikes. It's a lot easier when you are hard to shoot yourself; she's getting increasingly good at taking out legs and arms, and if anybody bails out in an ejection pod she just lets them go. Riika is not in the business of shooting down more people than she has to.
"<Thanks," Riika sends back to Calas - she can again go into more detail later but this isn't the time. Instead, she responds to the Auerbach: "Understood!" If they're targeting the Auerbach, then... Well, turnabout is fair play, isn't it?
Recklessly drawing on the lifter unit's power, Riika accelerates, remaining with her feet planted on top of it as she rides. The small GAU-5 machine guns fire erratically to 'encourage' people to clear out in front of her, but she doesn't expect to do significant damage to the Havant like that.
No, she expects to do it by bringing up the beam rifle again. The disadvantage of a MS generator beam rifle is that she's drawing its power off with every shot, and with the GuAIZ EFT that's a significant problem. She can *watch* the gauge drop as she holds the trigger down, charging the rifle.
But the advantage is that it's really powerful. Far more so than an eclip-fed rifle. Riika watches the power gauge go down but, simultaneously, the charge in the barrel rise. Slowly, slowly...
"<Attention Havant,>" Riika says, speaking publically for the first time. "<You don't want to be part of this battle. Back off before you're shot down.>"
Riika fires. The beam, a penetrating green, lances straight at the flank of the Havant - and unlike the standard GuAIZ beam rifle, the Lupus is well inside 'beam cannon' territory, quite capable of destroying a Federation warship if she gets several good shots in. This is just one, but sometimes one is enough to deliver the message.
KTS: Riika Sheder has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
The Havant is a bit larger than a bog-standard Northampton-class ship, but she has a few things going for her - and one of them is sheer engine power. "Going evasive!" Edy Vieira exclaims as the Psyco Zack comes darting around with gun in hand, trying to take out a thruster.
The maneuvers do their job. The big ship pitches nose-up about thirty degrees and begins to roll a few degrees to port. It looks for all the world like a humpback breaching at an angle. The sudden buck is enough: Lily's shot skates over the Havant's hull by a mere couple of metres, sailing over the rim of the thruster assembly and missing the bow by somewhat more before crackling off into space.
Vieira corrects, and the nose drops sharply as the big ship begins to rotate. Carina smiles. "Nicely done, Edy."
"Thank you, sir!" Edy chirps, momentary satisfaction quickly submerging back into battle focus.
All the movement has some knock-on effects: It opens up the starboard hull to Calas's depredations. The black GuAIZ, running the gauntlet of lasers, bites in, talons finding a vital spot: A secondary power coupling. The impact cuts through heavy ceramic plating before finding the line. Calas is rewarded with a burst of sparks and a brilliant explosion that scars the Havant's hull black around the point of impact, sending a sputtering burst of thruster backwash out through one of the big outlets shadowed by the ship's primary hull.
Everyone aboard feels that one. On the bridge, a few junior officers are thrown to their feet as the ship lurches heavily. Carina staggers and catches herself only by virtue of her chair being close. Somehow she manages to sink back into it with a semblance of grace, clicking her teeth together as she jabs her comline.
"Your worth is your capability. It is your nature," she responds sharply. "A skilled soldier is not equal in worth to a talentless fool. A hard-working noble is worth more than an idle labourer. No amount of genetic tampering and cheating the laws of nature will change that!"
The Auerbach opens up once more; the ZAFT ship has more of them than the Havant does, and they come flooding out in waves, first to blank out the Havant's own attach and then to follow up. At tactical, Lieutenant Philemon Stockton widens his eyes and begins firing. Interceptor lasers lash out; they slash through the gulf of space. A chain of explosions tears at the heavens as the missile exchange is rendered a stalemate, the Havant's defensive volleys enough to saturate the Auerbach's fire out of existence.
It comes close. Chunks of missile casing make it through. They scatter over the Havant's outer hull like hailstones. Carina winces and shifts in her seat, crossing a shapely leg over the opposite.
That's when a voice comes over the comms. Carina opens her mouth slightly, her eyes widening behind her faceplate.
Riika's shot slams into the Havant just below the bridge conning tower, impacting hard enough to breach the outer hull and continue through hull bracing. A gout of fire and debris blossoms out of the breach. A few scorched bodies are sucked out into space along with the wreckage. As the big ship lists perilously, Carina clenches her fists and teeth - and pounds the arm of her chair furiously.
"I knew the Nadesico would let her get away!" she shouts. "God damn it, I should've shot her right then and there! That damned witch of a pa--"
"Captain!" exclaims Commander Reeve, cutting a slur off at the pass. "We're losing oxygen on decks seven and eight!"
A flushed Carina clenches her teeth and tries to refocus, her mind spinning with anger and embarrassment. That Riika had refused to surrender to her was galling enough. That she's here with a brand new toy is worse. It's humiliating. All she wants to do is reach out and throttle the Coordinator through space.
She draws a breath before closing her eyes briefly. Right. Right. Don't let them take the high ground. SPIN it. You are CARINA GODDAMNED GUINEVERE ERMENGARDE CAMERON and these people are TRASH beneath your heel!
She jabs her comm toggle, deliberately. "I see leaving you to the Nadesico's delicate touch was a grave error," she says, and though her tone is on the surface controlled, the anger seething beneath it is palpable. If it could be weaponized, another Junius Seven could occur on the spot. "Unfortunate. But this can be rectified. Whether you hold still for your execution or not, know that you go to a fate you richly deserve."
She cuts the comm abruptly and waves her hand. "Back us off and put them all in firing field," she barks, letting the anger come to the fore again. "Give them everything we've got, and save the best for that one!"
Trailing sparks and debris, the Havant begins to back off - but her gunports begin to glow. She pulls herself clear of the worst of the close combat, orienting to put everyone in front of her in about a 90-degree field. Only then do her guns begin to blaze.
The crisscross of weapons fire is withering and brutal, saturating space with both beam guns and antimobile lasers - yet it's Riika who is targeted for the worst of it. Shots ring out and tear towards the brilliant orange GuAIZ, like a volcano of rage vomiting an eruption of death.
Carina leans forward in her seat, vindictively expectant.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.
The Zack's monoeye quickly turns, trying to get a readout of the situation, before it locks right back into place and the machine bursts sideways as the weaponsfire starts coming from a new angle. The Havant having backed off at combat speed, the Zack tries to plant a few quick shots, while it continues to annoyingly dance around.
"Fiddlesticks. That was not a Bang." Lily pouts, having missed the engines, quickly pressing her feet along the controls of her unit as the machine turns and begins to aim for the enemy ship. It appears to be backing off, and her unit is severely damaged...
What's more, Carina's vessel has done severe damage to Talia Glady's vessel. <"CAPTAIN!"> She calls out, before glaring towards the Britannian vessel.
She is feeling a little bit spiteful. Just a little.
As the EWAC begins to designate Carina's vessel once more, targetting each and every turret that is on that vessel!
KTS: Lily Jung targets Carina Cameron with Designate L1!
<Pose Tracker> Calas Zelinn has posed.
A brilliant explosion will do for now--but being this close to the ship, she's vulnerable. If she takes much more damage, she'll have to pull out. ...But she has a little time before that. And it's worth the danger to protect these supplies.
"Hereditary nobility is an archaic, outdated concept that should've died in the dark ages. With such an artificial construct inflating your self-worth...I don't think it's the Coordinators who are cheating."
Calas doesn't need detail yet; they can do what they can here, first. Calas's black GuAIZ takes a lot of hits; it's only the mighty, Coordinator-designed armor of this machine that prevents it from being so much space junk. That, and the powerful shield she brings up to bear, scorching its surface invisibly (since it's already black) as she moves behind it and becomes as small a target as possible. Nevertheless, withstanding that onslaught takes a great deal of her systems' power, with all the maneuvering she has to do to avoid the bigger blasts.
She takes in a quick breath.
"Got it," Calas says to Lily as she starts pointing out the turrets. With one of their ships down, the calculus changes. Disable first. So she rushes back in, beam rifle at the ready, and tries to set up a point blank set of shots on as many of those things as she can manage in a strafing run.
KTS: Calas Zelinn has activated the Accel Spirit Command and Has Engaged with Carina Cameron
KTS: Calas Zelinn has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
KTS: Calas Zelinn has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
KTS: Calas Zelinn targets Carina Cameron with MA-M21G Beam Rifle Sighted Shot!
KTS: Lily Jung designates Carina Cameron, making her easier to target and opening her to indirect fire.
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 10331
KTS: Invalid queue number.
KTS: Carina Cameron fails to react to Calas Zelinn's MA-M21G Beam Rifle Sighted Shot, taking 5310 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 5021
KTS: Riika Sheder has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
KTS: Riika Sheder has activated the Trick Spirit Command.
<Pose Tracker> Talia Gladys has posed.
Talia has her eyes locked on the other ship visible through the windows of the Auerbach's bridge. The missile barrage had failed to break through and now it seems that the enemy's cannons are realigning. And by the reports coming in from her bridge crew, it seems the Auerbach is in the line of fire...
"Full burn! Hard down!"
Talia can feel the shift in inertia as the she goes from essentially floating on her seat, strapped in as she is, to suddenly pressed into the back of it as the ship's two remaining engines light up and thrust the ship forward.
The Auerbach tries to get clear of the line of fire, but just isn't fast enough. The enemy's beams sweep across the Laurasia's hull, cutting long streaks into its hull. They clearly hit something important as there are some secondary explosions from within the ship and the main engines suddenly die, even more smoke starting to trail from the now listing ship.
On the bridge, it seems that main power has been knocked out, the atmosphere turned to the dull red of emergency lighting. Recovering from the shaking brought on by the secondary explosions, Talia asks, "How bad is it?"
Scotty is the one to respond, tapping at her console quickly as she says, "Main reactor cooling systems damaged! It went into emergency shutdown in response. Auxiliary power is holding. Numerous hull breaches on the upper hull, emergency bulkheads are in place! Receiving casualty reports from nearby sections... Three confirmed dead."
Talia's hand clenches into a fist for a few moments... Before she forces herself to remain calm. With main power down, the engines are out too and they have limited maneuvering thrusters. Thankfully their inertia appears to be taking them away from the enemy force... But still, "Recall GINNs five and six into a defensive position. Focus repairs on getting the reactor back online. We're not going doing anything until it is..." Talia just hopes that the rest of the ZAFT forces can keep the convoy safe.
<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.
Riika doesn't like to shit-talk. She isn't very insulting to her opponents; she's generally more kind than anything else, except in battle, where she gets very focused instead.
But this time, she saw the value in disrupting Carina, just for an instant. She couldn't bring herself to actually say anything vicious, but even just letting her know - just Riika's sheer *presence* - is enough.
Riika isn't entirely sure she likes how that leaves her feeling.
Having drawn Carina's attention, she's not entirely sure what to *do* with it. Every beam aimed at her isn't aimed at a ship, and she supposes that's all to the good - but she can see the Auerbach go to emergency maneuvers, forced to pull back -
It's down to them. If the mobile suits can't end this, the freighters are doomed. And Riika can't let that happen. She might not be sure if ZAFT is entirely approving of her behaviour lately, but she's still going to do her best for the PLANTs.
The beam goes straight at Riika. Riika splits.
Literally. She 'jumps' off the lifter, letting its automation kick in. Riika's thrusters lift her one direction; the precisely aimed kick-off the GuAIZ performed causes the lifter to angle 'downward' when she goes 'up', and the barrage of beams mostly goes between the two.
It's close. Really close - it's charring the bottom of the GuAIZ, Riika is getting all sorts of heat and proximity warnings - but it leaves her able to maneuver, able to fight.
Riika behind to fire all three weapons at once - her beam rifle and both railguns, firing a single shot from all three simultaneously before switching to a more staggered fire. Far 'beneath' her, the lifter pulls upward, firing its machine guns and beam cannons (four of one, two of the other) to pincer from the other direction, striking from 'up' and 'down' simultaneously.
Riika has found that a lot of Earthnoids don't maneuver well in three dimensions in space. She's not so naive to assume that a trained helmsman can't... but it won't come as natural to them as it does to her. She hopes.
KTS: Riika Sheder has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
<Pose Tracker> Carina Cameron has posed.
Removing the Auerbach from the fight helps Carina feel a little better. But not entirely. Riika Sheder is still out there and still shooting at her, a living embodiment of some failure somewhere. She needs someone to blame for this other than herself, and all she can think of is blaming the Nadesico.
Lily takes the opportunity to mark targets. The Havant's guns are somewhat recessed as a concession to stealth, but she's able to find the gunports easily enough and mark them for Calas. The black GuAIZ fires and fires, scoring solid hits. Guns flicker and dim, the barrel of one main gun left a slagged mess as Calas finds her mark.
The Havant does not. Riika's simply too fast for the big ship's weapons to track. To the crew's credit, they seem to be comfortable tracking targets in three dimensions - but as the ship's weapons split their fire, many of them are beginning to sputter out. Riika finds herself facing surprisingly few defensive lasers, with only a couple of missiles chasing the lifter unit, mostly intercepted by Calas in mid-stream.
The pincer attack finds its mark just aft of the Havant's main hull rim, punching through a well-armoured and seemingly innocuous portion of the rear spine. The blasts burst through and intersect somewhere inside. Fire explodes out of both hull breaches, the ship bucking and going bow-up so severely that she seems about to break in half.
That does throw Carina out of her seat. She hits the deck on her side and rolls, spitting in pain. Lights flicker as the crew begin to peel themselves off the floor.
"They hit the main power transfer line," a voice comes over the internal comms - the engineer, over the sound of klaxons. "We have to cut back power or the reactor will blow!"
"At half power we won't be able to maneuver against them," Commander Reeve advises tensely from the deck. "And we've suffered severe damage to the main guns. Captain, we need to withdraw!"
Carina clenches her teeth. Sheer spite burns behind her eyes as she glares out at the brilliantly lit GuAIZ. They've done some damage, but not enough to cut ZAFT's supply lines - and it's all overshadowed by someone who should have been hers exploding back onto the scene to strike back at her.
Balling her fist, Carina digs her gloved fingertips into her palm before throwing herself back into her seat. She lands in a disconsolate slouch. "Signal the fleet," she growls. "Withdraw and regroup at Neo Canada. We'll get them next time."
Sparks and chunks of shorn metal trail behind the Havant as the ship begins to turn and plot a course away. Most of her air wing has been either lost or picked up, the ship herself intact but badly damaged.
Three frigates trail after her, all in states of damage, one quite heavy. The fourth frigate can't possibly do anything, largely because it's currently in two pieces, having blown in half at about the same point Riika hit the Havant.
Behind her scowl, Carina's mind is churning in the way that comes most naturally to her:
How am I going to blame someone else for this?
...The Nadesico. Yes, this is all their fault!