2011-04-06 - The Huffmanian Funnels

ONE WEEK AGO:

The briefing room in the Earth Cradle is dramatically dark, made so to allow for the holographic displays around the room to be better seen by the people that were in attendance of that particular strategy meeting. Huffman Island was home to something known as the 'Halloween Project,' and this was something that simply could not be allowed to complete.

Something that would give the Federation an edge on the rest of the world could upset the constant conflict. This, of course, is not a secret that everyone in attendance of this meeting is allowed to know. For the Shadow Mirrors, there is only one brilliant, beautiful lifestyle to be known of in this world:

War.

To lead this slash-and-burn, they have selected one person.

TWO HOURS, FORTY-FIVE MINUTES AGO:

Hera nrrh. "I can't find my pencillllllll~!"

A SHORT TIME BEFORE NOW:

"Hah. Like you'd really be able to pull off a move like that. The hell do you think you are, Graham Aker?"

Mid-air, high-speed transformation of most mass-production machines, especially in-atmosphere, was something of a difficult task for most pilots. Vectors had to be just right, the machines had to be able to take the stress of the transformation. The pilots had to not have their ribs be crushed from the G-force.

The pilot sits atop a Gespenst Mk. II-M with a pair of mechanics as they have coffee and questionable-quality tuna salad sandwiches for lunch, discussing techniques, machines, and of course, what time they're going to meet up at the local bar so that they can get completely hammered. It's a normal day on Huffman Island, all in all, except...

The pilot squints as he looks up at the clouds. "What the hell is that?"

Bursting through the clouds and bearing armor as dark as the night, the ASK-UC90 Flickerist descends on Huffman Island, the leading arm of an assault that has yet to come into full swing. Surrounded by bits-- in effortless flight, even in the Earth's atmosphere-- the six remote weapons begin to fire, razing the land and burning scars through the tarmac. The purple beam bisects the Gespenst out in the partly-cloudy afternoon sky, creating the first of the massive explosions that rack the base, the hangars, and the surrounding area.

"Where are those coming from?!" "What is that thing--" "The black one is--" "It's firing from Range 4!!"

While the fires rise from below, the Flickerist ceases it's advance and hovers above the carnage. The pilot within is the purple-haired Lethe Rusina, her green eyes hidden under the translucent veil of smoked glasses. Hands still firmly wrapped around her control sticks, the recently-publicized 'Black Ashsaber' has yet to throw any direct attack.

"This is W18," she says, her voice carrying softness, yet a hint of monotone, as if the sight below mattered little to her. "The operation has commenced."

 Lethe Rusina speaks in her usual soft monotone, "This is W18. The operation has commenced."

 Seril Vaskell transmits, "...Okay... Okay..! Rise, Yatagarasu! Open your eye and behold the impure works of our enemies..!"

Another unit, higher up than the Flickerist, begins to descend.

The black Angelg appears first as a point of darkness inside a beam of light that catches it from the sky above, piercing through clouds and surrounding it in a golden glow; the whole thing is reminiscent of some kind of dark angel.

Inside, W16 - Echidna Iisaki - sets her lips. She has to watch the new one, she thinks, for any points of irregularity. Echidna has never had this sort of responsibility before, and she isn't entirely sure she likes it. But she lets none of that show; to an onlooker she could be totally impassive, her face showing no real expression at all.

The Angelg summons its bow in a shower of sparkles, the large weapon glittering in its hand as stray glimmers continue to trail from it. It draws back no bowstring at all but a thin beam of light, launching a shower of pink energy arrows downward in a rapid flurry of shots to give Lethe's bits some support.

Worse part...

Hera had yet found that missing, illusive pencil!

Following in behind other Crusaders comes a massive, dark purple, draconic orbital frame. Its body in tight as it plummets down from the sky. The lines along it flicker blue from the metatron energy deep within. The optics of the draconic head and the optics under the open maw of the beast glowing even brighter as it moves towards its target location.

"Anca, are all systems green?"

"All systems are green. Ready for Combat. Are you?"

Hera smiled softly as she took her hands on the control. Those hazel, almond eyes narrowing. Then that cute smile, turned into a predatory grin on the young girls face, "..lets do this!"

The Orbital Frame gets into range and the six pylons blast out from its backside, soon plasma blasts out between the pylons constructing a webbing of plasma making them come across as draconic-bat wings. The Orbital Frame then pulls over the island, its long, scorpion tipped tail nearly colliding into the ground as it pulls up in a spin with the wings wrapping around itself as it does. Then the wings burst open once more as the Orbital Frame stands now ready to strike out.

For a moment the draconic orbital frame hovered there, before it flapped its massive wings once more and then soared over the target around, activating its two swords and then slicing into any posts that may be sticking out like sore thumbs, and any units that may have the unlucky chance of just being in Ancalagon's range.

15 MINUTES AGO "I can do this," Seril mutters under her breath as she urges the Yatagarasu to stand within the air transport's hanger. She sets her brow as she is besieged by the hyperspeed thoughts of the machine's intelligence. Prodding her. Urging her. Bargaining with her. After a few moments, she leans forward and sets her fanged teeth tightly, "Okay... Okay..!" The heavy figure of stone and magical steel steps forward, simply ... tipping out of the transport, rather than launching.

"Rise, Yatagarasu!" The machine's eyes flash when its name is invoked, "..Open your eye..! And behold the impure works of our enemies..!" As Seril shouts this, it's almost like a spell's incantation. Panels on the chest slide apart like the lids of an eye, revealing an enormous pulsing red gemstone. As the Yatagarasu tumbles through the sky, spars spread from its back, producing thick 'feathers' of black energy. It quickly rights itself and then shoots off towards the horizon. NOW

Lethe's Flickerist makes its boistrous pronouncement of its presence. Several meters to the Flickerist's left, Yatagarasu arrives like a comet: From the sky and on fire. The impact rips open a gash in the runway, scattering asphalt in all directions. In the center of this crater, smoking with its already-increasing heat, the Yatagarasu slams its armcannon down, using the bulky device to help pull the machine to its feet.

"..The Divine Flame is now on site.. I will see this island BURN..!" Seril certainly sounds fired up. The Yatagarasu's wings fan out with a *crack*, then fold loosely with their dark energy feathers overlapping.

The Qareen exploding into view from SPACE ITSELF is revealed.

Revealed? Well, ok...shows up? LOOK, shut up about details and just known that your doom is here. DOOOM.

Suriel, already engaged in his ritual of being coated into Gundam Fighter Latex so he could be directly connected to his unit who used the power of an eldrich horror screams out as he is about ready to fight. "QAREEN ONLINE!" he booms as the unit soars ahead, starting to catch up with the others.

It is surprisingly fast, a unit built around speed and agility. It's AI already chiming in... -Flight mode in semi-automatic configuration until we have landed.-

Suriel grunted... maybe this unbeatable man would be here. Maybe HE would destroy this man.

 Ascian Luddite transmits, "Oh! Hera! Did you check your /ear/ for the pencil?"

 Echidna Iisaki transmits, "This is not the time."

 Hera transmits, "Yes."

 Seril Vaskell transmits, "Why would she keep a pencil in her ear? Wouldn't that hurt?"

 Ascian Luddite transmits, "Not in, on her ear. Like, tucking it in at the top, Seril."

 Hera transmits, "Though if you wanna look after~"

EARLIER

"Pencil... pencil." Ascian pushes the matress against the wall and looks at the bed. "Magazines?" He raises his eyebrow. "Must be from the last guy who used to use this room." He lets the matress fall back down ont the bde, and turns about. The entire room is a giant mess, drawers open, bunched up socks and underwear laying all across his room, and a few things turned upside down for some reason. But no pencil. That elusive and mysterious black pencil was nowhere to be found.

NOW

If this group of Divine Crusaders was known for anything, it was flashy entries. The red Orbital Frame rushes at high velocities straight after the Ancalagon - its wings spread wide, and having shifted to the twenty-four bit style configuration for a quicker weapon deployment. And where Hera finally lowers her own unit, Ascian continues on his path and spins the machine about. A red stream of energy follows the unit, excess Metatron energy materializing into the form of little embers, shaped like feathers - which very slowly fall towards the earth.

Inside of the cockpit, Ascian is well secured within his framerunner harness, his hands set on the controls, and his eyes on the vid-windows rather than the outside. A series of twelve homing beams carve around as the unit goes into a horizontal spiralling motion, lashing into the tarmac below, and catching a few hapless Gespensts that were not lucky enough to get out of the way. Slowly but surely, the young man had gotten used to gravity, but thi sick feeling of the changing 'weight' on his body was still something that had an effect on him.

He breaks out of the spin and disables the vidwindows and arcs his unit up, forming up a bit further along the outskirts of the compound and lets his gaze quickly flick across the landscape. A simple mission, it seemed so far. Come here, and destroy. That's something he could do. The both arms of the Amenthes shift to rifles, and he begins to pick off random things he sees moving beneath.

 Suriel Misaki transmits, "Ugh...please this ain't the third grade, if you start punching eachother to show affection I am going to be sick."

 Ascian Luddite transmits, "What are you on about, Suriel?"

 Hera transmits, "Huh?"

CREW KITCHEN SDF-1 MACROSS DECULTURE SENSITIVITY PROGRAM DAY FOURTEEN EARLIER

Koji Kabuto is minding an enormous pan full of tender, cubed pork bellies. An inch of pure liquified pork-fat crackles beneath, letting out aromas so intense that the Mazinger pilot had to shoo away the rest of the kitchen staff lest he lose his delicious food to their 'tastings'!

The wild-haired Ensign whips around at incredible speeds, snapping back and forth to different cooking stations. Combine soy sauce, mirin, sugar, kombu kelp, sake, and water for a simmering stock! Soft-boil eggs and green bean pods! Grate the ginger!

Such a wonderful, heady aroma seeps past the kitchen doors. Our hero cannot help but grin. Koji, they'll cry! This is the most delicious thing! Not only you are an amazing pilot, but a great chef! You are the model to which should all follow!

Koji pushes, even as beads of sweat run down the side of his head. The kitchen is hot! And his concentration so focused! Simmer the pork belly into the stock..! Add ginger root! Simmer..! Simmer...! /SIMMER/!

MOMENTS LATER...

"So that's when I said," Roy Fokker leans over to Claudia LaSalle. "'Dr. Hell! What, did your university run outta degree programs in English!? Haw haw haw!"

Claudia sighs softly, "Oh /Roy/.."

Koji Kabuto bursts past the kitchen doors, doffing an enormous chef's hat as he wheels his feast out toward the assembled crew of human pilots and Micronized Zentradi. "Porku kakuni!" he declares triumphantly. "Dinner is serr--- WHAAAA!?"

Koji cannot believe his eyes! There, as he looks beyond the Macross's enormous Mess Hall, everyone is eating...

/Pizzas/.

"Oh, um," Kai Kitamura lets out a soft clear of his throat. "Sorry, Koji. We all got so hungry and, well, Princess Shine said we could pop for pizzas on her credit." He lifts his shoulders, "..Sorry?" He turns back to a grey-faced Meltrandi and begins explaining just what entails a 'mustache ride.'

Koji Kabuto turns red. Steam shoots past his ears as his face suddenly grows to five times its normal size, a great big lump of a vein swelling on his forehead.

"YOU ASSHOLES!!!!" he impotently cries out as he promptly falls over.

No one seems to pay attention.

NOW

"Hang on, Russel!" Koji Kabuto grits his teeth as he pushes his Mazinger to its limits. Its shining body nothing more than a streak of chrome and black as it races toward Huffman Island. His heart is thumping hard in his chest, worry making inroads to his near-indomitable wellspring of courage.

That custom Ashsaber, Koji cannot stop thinking. And that girl with the purple hair...! She may be the most dangerous adversary the Federation has faced yet!

Mazinger Z's thrusters -roar-, announcing its attentions as Koji drops clear out from the clouds overhead. A stray beam bounces off its incredible Super Alloy Z construction, a testament to its legendary invincibility. Yet, no matter how nigh-indestructible Koji may be, his heart nearly stops when he sees the doom that has befallen the Island.

Yatagarasu..!

..the Angelg..!

..Ancalagon and her Amenthes and Qareen escorts..

And worst of all, the monster Flickerist..!!

Koji Kabuto's eyes widen with panic. So many incredible foes! Dangerous valkyries of both the stars and skies!

Can even Mazinger Z hold out against them?!

"This is Koji..!" Koji gulps over the radio. "This army is .. it's unlike anything I've ever seen! I'll need backup! .. And fast!!"

 Ascian Luddite transmits, "Tssssk. Mazinger Z."

 Lethe Rusina transmits, "... Mazinger..."

 Seril Vaskell transmits, "It's the black robot from that... France...place..."

 Ascian Luddite transmits, "It is. Don't let it get to you, Seril."

Koji Kabuto needs help. The world is able to hear him, or at least, someone else in the world.

THE YINGZI

Lamia Loveless is sitting on a couch in her small personal room, watching a television documentary on the habits of the shark. The picture cuts out, revealing Lt. Grabbs, Huang's third-shift backup officer.

"Loveless, we have a crisis at Huffman Island. A-LAWS is out of drop range, and Izu's tied up. None of our pilots could reach the facility in time..."

"...because acceleration of that sort would harm even Arado or Seolla," Lamia finishes.

Grabbs stares at the camera doodad screen, which is firmly pointed at Lamia's chest. "Yes. You've got a good chest on your shoulders, Loveless. VR-02 will be prepared for launch."

SOON.

Vysaga, straddling a decommissioned intercontinental missile for initial acceleration, departs from the area near New Macross City.

A LITTLE WHILE AFTER THAT

Vysaga's ultrawave radar pings as Lamia commences her last stage acceleration. She is starting to feel, even with her quasi-invincible outer rind of plant-based sex appeal, some soreness -- even she is not invincible, merely bulletproof. The return signal reveals a series of shapes, but the familiar outline of Angelg makes Lamia frown. That machine has a great deal of potential. As Vysaga enters the cloud layer, Lamia produces a final adjustment in thrust.

Unfortunately, inertia makes it hard to extend a claw or even draw a sword at this scale. The Vysaga's stance shifts, as if straddling an immense and invisible pony, even as the clouds themselves cling to the Super Robot's flanks, thickening almost to vaporous electromagnetic pudding.

Then, out of nowhere, Vysaga attempts to slam Angelg down into Huffman Island's surface and, ideally, ride her momentum (and the Angelg) straight into the nearby ocean.

Never fear, Koji! Help from your fellow Alpha Numbers is on the way! Soon enough, there's a shape flying in from the horizon!

"This is Rocbell Dajalah, of Sidhe Squadron!" Rocbell is talking into her radio, but when an Alpha Numbers ship drops her off, it becomes apparent she might not have had to anyway from the way her voice booms. She's in macronized form, wearing heavy Meltrandi body armor and a visored helmet and carrying a large rifle. This is a little more dangerous than using a mech, but it lets her run a lot faster once she's touched down on Huffman Island. "I've landed! And I won't let them get any further!"

This is quite a brag considering what she's facing, but modesty of one's battle prowess is not a virtue to the Meltrandi.

The Alpha Numbers are designed to be a world wide rapid response force, able to land units anywhere across the globe via orbiting ships overhead. A world wide network of ace defenders, on call for any action. Like an attack on Huffamn island.

The EFAS Phrike, in orbit over Oceania opens it's drop bays, pods lock into place, and the count down ticks down from 3, 2, 1...

A blast of explosive bolts sends the pod hurtling down into Earth's atmosphere, the balistic reentry creating a bright streak of burning atmosphere. Rocketing down for Huffman Island at terminal velocity.

The pod splits apart, shedding ablative heat shielding and solid frme work as the unit inside is exposed. The purple Tactical Surface Fighter fires it's jets as it comes down, slowing it's descent. Inside the pilot gasps and sucks in breath to hold it and force out slowly, fighting the G forces effects. "This is Meiya Mitsurugi, Valkyrie-1. Engaging the enemy."

And the remains of the pod drop straight for Ascian's Orbital Frame.

Ooops.

For a Leopard class dropship just entering the atmosphere, it was a normal entrance as it came down over Huffman Island. "Entry complete lieutenant." The Captain said, almost bored. A Blonde, now standing, grabs one of the handles and chuckles. "Good job guys. Now I suppose we should find the MRBC building on this planet and regis..." 'Sir! We have a distress coming from Huffman Island, they're under attack by Divine Crusaders!' The blonde woman and the Captain share a glance to each other before the Blonde says "Might as well introduce them to the Kell Hounds." 'Right Miss Adams.' The Blonde heads for the back as the Captain flips a switch. 'All personnel, prepare the Devastator for a Combat drop! Priority one!' Out of all of the arrivals, this one is the 'least' violent. As the Leopard class dropship flies over Huffman Island, a large battlemech steps out of the side of the ship and drops, rather heavily towards the ground. Before it impacts however, a large plume of rockets ignite on it's back and legs, slowing it's descent to the ground, just enough where the 'impact' is just a simple bending of the Devastator's knees when it's feet hit the ground. Then explosive bolts drop the pack from it's back and legs. "Hound one on the ground. Seems I'm a half a click out of the area. Let's see if I can hit someone while I get to the main area..."

Within minutes, Vavel is ready for launch, a testament to Herman's skill in...preparing things for launch, obviously. The only thing missing is the Chairman himself, Naoto Tsukioka. But just as Herman checks his watch and considers calling him on the PA, Naoto sprints into the hangar, a piece of toast hanging from his mouth, and jumps to his place on Vavel's shoulder with a burst of anti-gravity from his Tsukioka brand Anti-Grav Shoes, on sale now for $59.99. "Naoto Tsukioka and Vavel, ready for launch! Go go go!" he says, grabbing a recently installed handle on the side of Vavel's head to keep himself steady as it shoots off down the underground railway at the speed of plot. Soon, it emerges from a cliff overlooking the ocean, and the Gigantic Booster activates just before Vavel hits the water, propelling it into the air and toward Huffman Island. When they arrive and Naoto sees the opposition, his fists tingle in anticipation. They want to feed the Crusaders a knuckle sandwich and wash it down with some punch. Naoto starts looking for Koji, hoping to ask him what the plan is before he thinks of any more terrible fist-related jokes.

"Koji, what's the plan? Beat everything up?" he transmits to Mazinger upon locating it. "...And is there anything we need to avoid smashing?"

The Gutsy Galaxy Guard are possibly one of the experts, even within the Alpha Numbers, at rapid orbital deployment to nearly anywhere on Earth; the Chief Scientists and Number Crunchers, Dr. Leo Shishioh and Dr. Liger Shishioh, along with the other members of GGG's Scientific Development Division, have spent a lot of time working out just how to get GaoGaiGar and the rest of the Strongest Brave Robot Corps delivered to any location in the Earth Sphere as rapidly as possible within minutes of verification of a Zondar or other incident.

This includes Huffman Island, of course - although it wasn't supposed to be a Divine Crusader attack force which brought the Guard in. Still, an ally in distress is an ally in distress, and Guy's not about to let Koji down.

So within minutes after the distress call goes out from Huffman Island, the Amaterasu thunders through the sky high over the blossoming battle, and disgorges one mechanoid - white, with a gold lion's-head on its chest - and three machines, two of them mostly black and the other looking more like a projectile than a vehicle ... unless you get close enough to see it's a short Japanese bullet train, lacking most of the passenger cars they'd usually have on one.

And then, with the codes being transmitted from Orbit Base, GaiGar opens its mouth and yells (in Guy Shishioh's voice, "FINAL FUSION!!!!"

A swirling sphere of green-hued mist gathers around the white mechanoid, hiding it from view as StealthGao II, LinerGao, and DrillGao plunge into the thick of the electromagnetic tornado. Moments later ...

"GAO!!! GAI!!! GAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!"

The electromagnetic fog is forcefully dispersed from within, and the King of Braves descends towards the battlefield.

Or more specifically, as luck would have it, towards one particular Orbital Frame whose pilot has probably had nightmares about the big black super mechanoid and its giant golden hammer.

 Ascian Luddite transmits, "Seril! Get that thing!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "That black mech. Kill it, and who-ever is inside."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Seril Vaskell transmits, "The new one?"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "That's the one."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Seril Vaskell transmits, "You won't be able to recognize the wreckage when I'm through with it!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "I trust you."

Russel Bagman has been caught in the raid things are not looking very good, she's sent out the call for help even as his Gespenst is getting ready to launch. His machine exists one of the many hangers the green Gepsenst MK IV launhes the DCs here and Koji's on his way.

"Alpha and Delta Wanzer Teams move out to the third defence line, Beta with me."

The mecha leave the hanger and as he does so Bagman opens a tatical feed to Koji at this point.

"Good to have you here Koji."

The Divine Crusade has come to Huffman Island.

Efficent, organized, and everything going exactly how they had expected it to. The base has been thrown into planned chaos; fire and emergency crews are speeding to the scene, the wounded are scrambling for aid, and the air raid sirens are going off as loud as they can. All that would have to go wrong now is for 'them' to arrive, but... even that is within her calculations.

Lethe's head turns with a subtle shift of her long hair, regarding the arrival of the Earth Federation's forces. It dominantly looks like a collection of the Alpha Numbers, but that doesn't bother her so much as the one key factor that is beginning to descend from the skies...

Mazinger Z.

"W16," she says, "Operation stage one is complete. Commencing stage two, repulsion of the counter-offensive."

The purple hair gynoid is looking down as she speaks, her left hand moving to the keypad just over her thigh. Typing in commands before resuming grip of the other flight stick, the Flickerist's custom Sword Breakers break off from their razing campaign and start to flank the black machine all over again as it begins to ascend. Thrusters fire and the Tesla Drive spins up, propelling the Assault Dragoon into the sky with a booming roar-- sending it straight at Koji Kabuto.

"Pattern A1, 3," she murmurs aloud, to the on-board systems. "Execute."

The Shadow Bits immediately scatter, shifting off into the sky sky in varying angles and directions, shifting one way and the other, ducking and weaving through the air in a pattern that is meant to draw away the super robot pilot's attention. The reason for this becomes evident in short order: The right fist, the heavily armored and reinforced right fist and arm, come swinging up through the air in an attempt to catch the Mazinger on it's weight, and right off it's guard!

Mazinger Z! Ascian's eyes squint. He remembered that suit from a recent assault on france. The land of baguettes that have the power to murder people. Especially stale ones when rocket-propelled by dinosaurs on motorcycles. Yes, this really happened. A series of other units are starting to arrive on the scene, and Ascian is letting the indicators pop up on the cockpit's holographic video windows, which hower kind of in the direction of the enemy units. "Hrrrm?" Suddenly... there is a collission alert?

The Amenthes turns his head up and stops firing at the area beneath it, and lets the scanners find the pod. "Tssk." The entire Orbital Frame quickly moves backwards slightly and aims its weapon upwards when the entire structure suddenly burns up, and pieces of metal begin to fall whilst a Valkyrie breaks loose and moves away from the wreckage that is the pod. "Tsssk!" The two rifles aim up at the pieces and begin to fire, plasma bolts scathing through the metal. Yet somehow, after the red beams crash into a few pieces of metal, one previously undetected ends up appearing out of nowhere and lashes right along the side of its right arm, creating a nasty gash across its Self-Supporting Armor.

A red glow quickly pulses within the cockpit. "I hear you, Amenthes." Ascian mutters within the cockpit, being more than aware about the damage without Duat even needing to put up the indicators. He and the frame were well connected by this point in time. Then suddenly - GaoGaiGar. Squint. Oh, he had nightmares of that event alright.

THEN

"HIKARI NI NAREEEE!"

NOW

>"Seril! Get that thing!"< He calls over the radio, then turns his attention to a vidwindow of the Valkyrie moving quickly through the atmosphere. "Let's get that Valkyrie." He remembers pilotting one of those. He had a hell of a time trying to get it to work for him. But then, he was much too used to the direct interface of an Orbital Frame. The wings spread a bit further, and Metatron Crystals purse out from between the folds, after with the Amenthes 'pushes' off in mid air and begins to /chase/ Meiya's unit, sending a rapid volley of red plasmabolts her way with its left arm, then using the right arm -- Ascian's more able side -- to try and lay in a good targetting trajectory... and fires one singular cutting red beam of light.

Hera watched as the Feds poured in like mouths to a flame. She then sat back in the chair, before her hands went over the controls. "So many to choose from, huh Anca?"

"Indeed. Hera.. may I have your attention.."

"What is it?" She asked attempting to assess the best target.. So many~

Then Anca on the side screen brought up a zoomed up image of a Mechwarrior unit. "Trailer designation."

"Trailer huh? On their side or ours?"

"I believe theirs."

"Then let's go say hello~"

The Draconic orbital frame breaks its assault pattern before heading right for where the Battletech unit was. As it flies in, it lowers itself closer to the ground. Its clawed hand out stretches slight as it comes in at rapid speeds.

The plan? Slam its clawed hand right into the unit and attempts to knock it over by sheer force.

<Radio: A - DC Chat> Ascian Luddite transmits, "You be careful out there, Hera."

Suriel does not have nightmares about the unit...

It is a challenge...a rival to overcome. He ENJOYS fighting Guy Shishioh...he improves...advances...becomes better. Eventually he will overcome his foe...and he will fight to make sure tonight is that night! He screams, as the GaoGaiGar aims to throw himself in his path yet again, the thrill of the battle causing him to become excited!

"YES! I will show you just how much stronger I am now! The Qareen is improved...but I can't show you it's ultimate power, I'm afraid. Freekin' I am not going into detox again." he says. "Being a weapon sucks sometimes." he says. "Oh well, what can you do!" he says, with a passive shrug.

His large pike coming out of subspace, this was certainly a new weapon, and starts coming down, aiming to impale the Super Robot with his weapon...unafraid of fighting the unit at it's greatest strength.

<Radio: A - DC Chat> Suriel Misaki transmits, "Yes! Guy Shishio! This time I will NOT lose!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Lethe Rusina transmits, "W18, engaging Mazinger Z."

'Get that one!' Ascian had said. Seril responded. There is a quick conversation between big brother and little sister, after which Seril sets her eyes narrowly. Yatagarasu rears back, wrenching its cannon arm out of the runway bed and unfurling its wings. Thrust ignites, sending the impossible device to the air. 'Destroy the black one' he had said. But, so many of these robots are black! Seril's blue eyes scan from side to side nervously, "Which one was he talking about..?" She doesn't ask for clarification--because she'd already said such fiery words, and doesn't want to look like an idiot in front of Ascian.

Instead, she does what any girl would do in such a stressful situation.

"Eenie, meenie, miney, DIE!"

Yatagarasus wings its cannon arm in an arc, passing up - among other things - a parked cargo transport, the King of Braves, and a large Devastator-class battlemech. Settling on Russel's incoming Gespenst, the Yatagarasu flares its wings outward and fires a high-velocity, superheated projectile. In flight, the orb grows in size, its surface a boiling mass of solar plasma.

Angelg is an extremely distinctive radar target. There aren't many large feminine robots with metallic-feather wings who habitually take archery positions in the DC... just one, really, and Lamia has correctly identified it.

Echidna notices the GODDAMN MISSILE but also notes that it is not going to hit her; it is clearly going to land somewhere in the water. "Understood, W18," Echidna says instead. "If you require assistance, than - "

Inhumanly fast, Echidna reacts to the sudden pickup of Lamia on her own sensors by jerking the controls sharply. Angelg's wings beat, and its thrusters fire an instant before Vysaga hits Angelg. It is sufficient only to alter the angle of impact with the water slightly. They dive rather deeper than might be expected rather than being dragged along the water's surface, something likely to shred Angelg's wings.

Now underwater, Echidna attempts to free herself by jabbing her shield arm at Vysaga's 'face', a green spike like an unlaunched Shadow Lancer projecting from it. It distracts her from speaking to Lamia; W16's feelings on W17 are extremely complex, and she certainly doesn't understand them. She feels /something/ when she attacks, but can't place it more than that.

The Draconic mech certainly caught her by surprise. Hitting the Devastator right in the chest with the claw as it flew past, and Rhiannon's return laser went wide. "huh....so that's how you want to play huh?" She says into her helment as she waits for a certain lock on tone to beep. A second later, it does, and she fires the rear mounted Intek laser. "The crusaders seem pretty vicious around here, guys." She says into the radio...

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Echidna Iisaki transmits, "Engaging Vysaga. I may be separated from the main combat as I have been forced into the water. This is not a concern."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Seril Vaskell transmits, "I hit the black one! This'll be easy!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite doesn't have the heart to tell Seril she attacked the wrong one.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Lethe Rusina transmits, "Understood."

Incidentally, there are too many Orbital Frame pilots in the Divine Crusaders.

But Guy remembers the Qareen very well indeed, and the pike is bashed aside by GaoGaiGar's left forearm with minmal damage to said arm, and Guy drops into hand-to-hand mauling range of the Orbital Frame. "I don't care how strong you are or what you can or can't show me," snaps Guy as GaoGaiGar begins the beatdown (or tries to). "What I care about is stopping the Crusaders! YOU INCLUDED!!"

Up comes one of GaoGaiGar's legs, knee-mounted drill spinning rapidly, and Guy attempts to slam it into the Qareen's torso like a Muay Thai fighter - aiming away from the cockpit, mind you.

He wants to beat his opponent, not *kill* him. It's just a matter of principle.

Rhiannon unit's lasers blast into the armored plating of the shoulders of the draconic frame as it comes back around. Flakes of armor sheer off from the blast, however as it comes back around, one of the swords slides out from a sheath unit on its lower arm above the wrist and strikes on passing.

Then the tall Orbital Frame does a quick tight flip, before almost landing the ground. Hera just laughs gently before she speaks up over the radio, "Why do all you Trailers walk around in hunk-of-junk slow machines huh? Hehehe-- not enough money in your pockets to get something more up to date?" She says with a cheerful, childish laugh.

Anca protests to Hera's personality with a soft ahem. He doesn't need to remind her to focus, but as a guidance AI he is aware of the trouble of suck talking can cause.

Soon another sword unsheathes itself, both of them glowing slightly with metatron energy before the Orbital Frame comes in close and fast, striking with both blades this time for the mechwarrior.

Lamia's head turns slightly as she sees a flurry of bits fly off in a middle-distance, in a manner which does not quite accord with the usual habits of bits. She frowns; she frowns big. However, this takes less than a second, even as she ends up surfing the Angelg down into the depths.

Vysaga's cloak swirls in the sea water, the demon-headed machine seeming to glower menacingly at the black angel, even as the green lance stabs out towards her. Lamia sweeps Vysaga's left arm up, claws hissing into place as hydraulics strain against the added pressure of water, catching the Angelg at the wrist and pulling it aside. As one foot of the Super Robot reaches the water, it rears partway out of the water, still hunched over its foe.

This is unfortunately not an ideal place for prosecuting the attack. Vysaga whips its sword out, the water buffering the power of Lamia's already-slightly-awkward slash; however, if she can lay open the Angelg quickly enough, none of it might really matter.

"Koji Kabuto," Lamia says as she turns on the generalized commnet system. Her head pivots slightly towards the Mazinger-head-shaped popup view. "What is their target?"

Suriel blinks..

Man, I keep forgetting how fast this fucker i-OH GOD!

Suriel gets a face full of DRILL KNEE. He flies back, spinning from the force as imaginary damage forms on the front of the latex suit. However, Metatron's superiority kicks in, healing the damage almost instantly, but at the cost of his metatron supply. Stopping, midair, Suriel grunts...ok...

"Shut up! Don't pretend that you don't enjoy this...the thrill of the battle! You're just like me...well, except that you think you're a person." he says, grinning. He flies back suddenly, releasing a barrage of blasts from his hands to pepper the larger Super Robot, aiming to keep him back as he considers his next move.

"Hai!!" Koji replies quickly to Naoto's inquiry. "We have to defend the facility! I think Russel's down ther--"

A moment's worry over a colleague is cut short when the Pilder's systems bleat out an enemy's fast approach. A hostile blip appears on the radar read-out, followed by a little tag of data.

Alert! Alert! ????                                                             Undentified Assault Dragoon Intercept vector detected! Alert! Alert!

"Shit!!" Koji hisses out. He chances to lean forward, pushing his eyes over the rim of the Pilder -- to see the black figure racing upward. "That Ashsaber..! It's coming right for me!" Koji slams back against his seat, his biceps thrusting the control-yoke of Mazinger Z hard up. "She's too fast! There's only one way I can do this...!"

Mazinger Z tilts its chrome head down, staring down at the Flickerist as it continues its descent toward the Island. Its eyes light up with Photonic Power. The Steel Guard is undaunted. It brings its right hand to bear! Cradling its arm with its left hand, steading its aim as its Super Alloy Z-plated knuckles tighten into a fist.

Shout, Knight! Fill the heavens with your warrior-cry...!

"ROCKETTO PAA---"

Everything is silent.

Not even sound can catch up to the speed at which the Flickerist catches Mazinger's 'chin.' Iron deforms as a shockwave of force rings out across the sky. The pilot, a courageous boy of seventeen, is rocked back in the chair as if he were struck along with his robot. Thin cracks reach across his goggles, his eyes clenched shut in agony.

The sound comes seconds later. It's like a thundercrack and Mazinger Z is hurtling through the air like some kind of leaden weight.

"NNNUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH...!" Koji screams as he plummets uncontrollably to the Earth. Some lingering shred of self-preservation in his head willing him to move his hands across the Pilder's dash. Initialize foot-thrusters. Compensate gyo-stabilizers..! Equip.. SWORD!!

Mazinger Z reaches back with its left hand, clutching a length of gleaming steel from seemingly nowhere. The Mazinger Blade is drawn out, its shining edge pointed in the direction of the Flickerist.

"I don't know--!!" Koji, taxed to his limit, replies to Lamia. "I think they're trying to destroy the facility! We.. we produce special mobile weapons here!!" he admits.

The Armor of Miracles swings its weighty legs forward, bending back to place the cones of flames beneath it. The thrust is enough to dampen the fall, slowing it, and enabling it to throw itself 'upright.' "C'mon, Naoto...!"

Mazinger Z swings forward, launching its sword-clutching fist at the black Ashsaber.

"MAZIIIIIINBLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADE..!"

For Rhiannon, now that she was expecting it, is able to side step the Orbital frame's sword attacks. not bad for a 100-ton Assault mech. "Brahe warned me about close ranged monsters like this. Ah well." Still relaxed, even as the pilot taunts her over the radio, Rhiannon just shakes her head. "Chatty bunch aren't they? See if we can't do something about that." She clicks a different trigger for TI3....firing three lasers at once at the Orbital frame from the mech's chest...

Die? The threads of this one's fate are stronger than most. He gets a target lock warning, he fires a split missile back at the source of the shot. Sttll he's nto hit hard enough but the plasma hits him hard. Part of the mech's armor melts but as the light fades. The Gepesnt is still there riasing an m95 machine gun. Solid slugs are fired at the Yatagarasus as Russel replies.

"So something from La Gias?"

The Orbital Frame quickly ducks around as the shots are fired, just for a split instant those spindly feet touch the ground, but only for a second. However with a spin of its body and near impact by the three lasers; Its Tail comes around and slashes into the target's unit.

Then Ancalagon slightly draws its hand back. The sword retracts back into its sheath as the clawed fingers glow and seemed to be covered in plasma fire.

Then with a sharp spin back around the claws now glowing in plasma fire go to strike down in a cleaving motion.

The Qareen is too close for Guy to invoke the Protect Wall, and GaoGaiGar is driven back a step by the onslaught of energy blasts.

And then it plows forward again, aiming to punch the living hell out of the Orbital Frame, Metatron or no Metatron. "Didn't you have a life before the Crusaders or whoever made you a 'weapon'?!" Guy shouts while punching. "A family? Friends? Don't you still have those *now*, among the Crusaders or not?! What keeps you in the Divine Crusaders? What drives you to get into the cockpit and risk your life? You can't convince me it's only the thrill of battle!!"

Actually, it's a TSF, but the pilot has a the callsign of Valkyrie-1. Confusing, no?

The Type-00R Takemikazuchi's jets shift, vectoring the thrust to one side and letting it slip sideways past the Amenthes' fire. "An orbital frame..." She isn't sure she's seen this perticular one before.

Meiya lets the Type-00R drops to the ground and slide sideways to a stop, then reaches over it's shoulder tograps the curved blade from it's back. "BAHRAM says they want Earth to leave Mars. But every time you come here to destroy, you only reinforce the position that we should stay there."

The Type-00R leaps forward, brandishing the curved katana-like blade in both hands, and brings it sweeping down from over it's shoulder in a diagonal slash across the Orbital Frame.

A hit! Seril leans forward slightly. That looked like a good one, too! As the battle heats up around Yatagarasu, the La Gian machine responds by heating up as well. Missiles inbound, splitting apart, but it does no good. A sudden flare up of solar orbs erupts around Yatagarasu, detonating the warheads before they can get close enough to cause damage. Spiralling, the stone and steel monstrosity dives downward, tucking its wings in as it closes the distance. Seril grins, baring those fangs of hers, "Are you trying to ask where I came from?" As it draws near, Yatagarasu thrusts its cannon arm to one side. A jet of plasma shoots off the end, forming the vague shape of a blade at least twice as long as the mecha itself is tall, "It doesn't matter! You're just a footnote! A road sign on the path to a pure world!"

Naoto nods in acknowledgement. Defend the facility, save Russel, tear up some Crusader property. Give them one humongous repair bill. Simple goals, and ones he's already familiar with. Unfortunately, the enemy is really stupidly fast, something the Chairman has never found particularly to his liking. "Koji! Are you alright?" he asks his former idol, but his question is answered with the invincible black fortress that is Mazinger catching itself in the air and drawing a sword. So that's how they're going to defeat this enemy, is it? The Chairman isn't used to swordplay, but he brought along a little something for just such an occasion as this. Vavel slams its fists together in front of it and slowly pulls them apart, a sword hilt materializing in one hand and a blade soon following. How this even works is unexplained, but why waste time explaining it when you can just do it and start slashing? With one last tug and a shower of sparks, the full sword, its blade seventy feet long, gleams in the sunlight above the Meganite's head. And then Naoto joins Koji in his assault on Lethe's Flickerist, slicing down at it right after Mazinger's attack. "VAVEL BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADE!"

"I'll admit, you're fast." Rhiannon says as the Orbital frame darts in again, but this time she's able to hit her while she's moving, while moving her own mech out of the way with small movements. "You should try hitting a Dasher running full speed with a Gauss Rifle slug." She still says to herself as the Orbital Frame zips out of reach again. Now, Rhiannon turns to watch where the Orbital frame is going, her computer giving her a reticle on where to aim as she flicks another TIC...then she braces as she pulls the trigger, the heat of the mech suddenly flaring up as two blue bolts of lightning arc at the Orbital frame...

Punches and kicks come for him...he moves to evade, the Qareen moving with his movements, but it just isn't enough. Though it was better than if he had taken the blows full on, but the force of the super Robot is enough to even tear armor to shreds...luckily even he can avoid MOST of that. He staggers, some superficial damage forming from the force of the GaoGaiGar as he listens...

"Nope. Test Tube Baby, or so I am told. I didn't look into it much, because my records are probably destroyed to hide the evidence. So no, I don't have family." he says, suddenly moving again. Suriel dives in without abandon, driving through the defenses of the super robot and attempts to ram it, using it's surprising strength to try and throw it, as the Pike swings wildly, aiming to cause as much damage as possible as it swings. The pike then comes in, implaing, before sending out a blast of pale green fire to shoot through the robot.

"I do. The thrill of the battle...to fight in an eternal war. My actions may yet save humanity, and that is enough for me. I will become stronger...and one day defeate my current master, Gym, and take his place." He stands as the green fire starts to surround him.

"It was not a fate I asked for, but it is one I will take. You know they didn't even give me a name? Suriel is a name that BAHRAM gave me, and honestly, I quite like it. So sure, my family is BAHRAM. I even have a stupid retarded kid brother named Ascian. Guy can't do anything without me to keep him straight."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite didn't hear anything, but still manages to get that gut feeling to go: "HEYYY!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki transmits, "Heheh."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki transmits, "What, you are like a little retarded kid brother."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Seril Vaskell transmits, "Don't make fun of my big brother!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "How old are you anyhow, Suriel?"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki transmits, "Heh heh. Old? Uh, I unno."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki transmits, "Seventeenish? Maybe eighteen now?"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "That makes you /my/ little brother. Five to six years younger." Somewhere on the MUSH, Huang Qin Shi has disconnected.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki transmits, "Ha, you may want to think that, but obviously I am the more mature one here."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Now stop talking crap and concentrate on what you are doing. Or that black mech will best you /again/."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Echidna Iisaki transmits, "Do not use the tactical channel for this nonsense, and this is not the time for it in any case."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki transmits, "Yesssss ma'am."

The orbital Frame gets nailed for its trouble, however the armor just seems to keep flaking off like scales on a lizard, or reptile. May be more reason for its name and its draconic look. Ancalagon comes back around as the lightning bolts come. It quickly attempts to avoid them as the wings and pylons glow bright. The pass by of the strike was enough to blind Hera for a moment and thus send the Orbital Frame sky rocketing past. "Hera, are you alright?" Anca asks calmly.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She replies before blinking her eyes a few times to get them to focus quickly. "Anca, while I try to focus, do you mind..?"

"Switching control pattern."

The Orbital Frame flips around quickly, then it gets some air, before it beats the wings once. The Pylons starting to glow again. Hera can hear it and only smiles before she speaks up over the radio once more, "Anca is the best at what he does! He the dragon of the night and your about to eat his fire!"

Soon, with a hard beat of the wings the twelve pylons blast out a massive blast of energy right for the mechwarrior, coming down as one large stream of beam energy.

<"Hey. I'm not here for BAHRAM today. I'm simply serving my duty to repay the Divine Crusaders for the help they've given us. Besides, it's not like Earth is staying away from Mars."> Though there had been quite a few less complaints on that planet, since the army had been forced to drop the word 'Ender' from their vocabulary. The main problem was still there though. Mars was still not independant, their economy was still being abused by Earth, and they still barely had a defensive force of their own. <"I can understand your anger for seeing Orbital Frames here. But none of us are here in the name of BAHRAM."> Since when does Ascian speak for Hera and Suriel?

The Amenthes shifts her right arm to a sword and brings it to bear, and lashes it out towards the katana and breaks its impact by causing it to slide along the back of the blade. Still, it manages to carve slightly into its armor, but that doesn't seem to bother Ascian too much. Using this moment of close proximity to the Type-00R, he brings up the left rifle arm and fires a rapid volley at the machine.

<"Look, nothing against you and all, but even I am still a soldier. If my superiors tell me to blow up a military complex, I comply."> The Amenthes' tailfeathers then suddenly come into view to Meiya, showing a strange foursome of red orbs hovering over them, as if stuck onto them. Pulsating quickly, these crimson 'balls of fire' are filled with weaponized Metatron energy, which all quickly come flying for her unit - capable of exploding on impact.

The Devastator also has armor that flakes off rather quickly as the wings beat on the front of the battlemech, however, the mech just turns as Hera seems intent upon her gung ho attack. "hmmm....let's see. he'll probably whip around this way and... that's right... keep going." she says as both arms fire nickel-ferrous slugs at the same time in Hera's direction, or where she's going.

Russel Bagman is faster than he looks, this time the surface machine is too fast for Seril to handle even as he tries to punch it with the other hand. He missses however and prehaps it's best. he takes the M95 again and trains it on the other machine.

"A pure world? You sound like a member of Blue Cosmos."

He opens fire, and he clearly knows how to use this weapon as he seems tobe trying to pick at joints of this strange machine. He's heard things like this before it remains to be seen if this new person can back it up. As for the m95? He's still shooting it at her and trying to pick off the lib's at the joints.

Advanced mobile suits, Lamia thinks. Makes sense. At least it implies, or adequately explains, the attack. The problem, she thinks further with her terrifying electronic brain, is the question of: Is this a cover, and if so, /for what/?

The sharp closing of Angelg's wings is new to Lamia, who purses her lips to a thin line. She is not surprised Angelg has been upgraded, but if it has been redone - or was this something that Echidna invented on her own? she wonders, before there is the shrieking boom of the wings parting. Vysaga is launched upwards, flying up without the benefit of its thrusters for nearly two hundred yards before Lamia reignites the Tesla drive...

The lunging incoming strike is met as the last one was, with the clawed forearm being swung out to grab at Angelg's own arm and throw it off course. This of course works out, even as Lamia opens a visual feed directly to the Angelg's cockpit. Her face then turns into something imperious and blank, which might or might not mildly surprise Koji Kabuto. More meaningful is probably how her eyes start to actually and literally flash.

<<W16,>> the signaled transmission goes. <<I see that you have continued in your efforts. What is the nature of your goal in this operation, and what, further, is the nature of the new funnel-type remote weapons system which this unit has deployed?>> All of this takes like a quarter of a second, followed by a repetition six times in order, perhaps, to make sure that she got heard. Also, while that happens, so does this:

With its sword arm freer, and at least less bound up in water, the Vysaga is able to more deliberately draw out its blade. It glows a luminous yellow, crackling before Lamia twists Vysaga around, shoving Angelg back.

To give her enough space to whip the weapon outwards. The weather around Huffman Island almost immediately worsens, some of the clouds yielding up their moisture in a sudden driving sheet of rain; more remarkable is probably the hurricane-force wind driving outwards, aiming to slam into the Angelg, sweeping it along by its conveniently-large wings towards --

Flickerest!?

Anacalagon dives down after the blast and starts to head in quickly toward its target. The Slugs impact the armor, ripping off the shoulder panels and blasting a hole in the upper helmet. The metal almost sounds like it roars as the Metatron energy flows bright. The Sword sheaths out to slice at the unit on passing before the draconic orbital frame pulls around.

Then with two beats of its wings, it then speeds back down towards Hera's target. Hera quickly resuming controls once more as she lets out a loud, "YAAAHOOO!!" Then with the swords glowing bright with plasma fire now engulfing them she attempts to impale the very blades right into Rhiannon's unit.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Hera transmits, "YAAAHOOO!!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Did Anca give you back the controls?"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Hera transmits, "Hehhehehe."

Guy does not pull back or hunker down or try to simply guard against Suriel's assault. He goes right into it, trying to punch back - and counters Suriel's pike-jabs so exactly that they wind up not even scratching each other.

And Guy is getting genuinely furious with his opponent. Not angry enough to lose his head, but Suriel has made it painfully clear that his ideals are diametrically opposite to Guy's own. "A world of eternal war ... how can ANYONE desire something like that?!" snarls Guy Shishioh, trying to grab the pike and force it far enough away that he can get inside the Qareen's guard. "A world where you can't savor what you've been fighting to protect?"

The Yatagarasu halts itself suddenly, whirling on the retreating Gespenst. A hail of gunfire lances towards the La Gian machine, but it's countered by an eruption of flames bursting up around its feet - out of thin air. "I don't know what that is," Seril says openly, when accused of being a member of Blue Cosmos. The black and silve rmachine holds out its hand, forming an orb over its palm. "I just know that this world is corrupt. Rotten to its core." The hand closes, snuffing out the sphere in a flash of energy, "The only cure is to burn it and begin anew!"

The Yatagarasu's cannon is raised, pointing straight up, "And..!" Energy pulses through the frame, visibly crawling along its exterior and pouring into the cannon's frame. A seam cracks along the cannon's shape, and it splits open down the middle to reveal the mechanism that compresses and superheats matter into the star growing on the end of the weapon. As the energy levels rise, Yatagarasu's frame begins emitting a familiar and ominous sound. The roaring *BRRRNT! BRRRNT! BRRRNT!* of an alarm klaxon. "...I'll start HERE!"

Yatagarasu whips its cannon arm down. Not to aim at Russel's Gespenst, but *straight* down, releasing the orb into the tarmac some distance beneath it. There's a rumble, a sudden spike in seismic activity. Yatagarasu's cannon arm traces a slow arc forward. Pausing, Seril grins, baring her fangs, and then wrenches the weapon upward suddenly.

The ground beneath Russel's gespents promptly erupts in a fashion strikingly similar to an active volcano. Solar plasma as well as liquified, superheated rock explodes in an impressively tall geyser of pure destruction.

"BURN~!! BURN in the Maker's Fire!"

The two collide...but as the punches fly...

Surriel is the one finally flying backwards, his armor evaporating from the blows... Guy's proving himself surperior...

Suriel can't evade what comes next, the vicious assault sends him realing...the body of the Qareen is battered, bashed, and destroyed...but he is hardly done yet. Suriel grins...As a surge of power wraps around the Orbital frame.

"A world of eternal war...one where everyone enjoys fighting! Where humanity will never grow weak and complacent...look at the EFA! In those years of peace...they grew fat...lazy...CORRUPT. Bian Zoldark rose up and challenged this...even if he lost in the end, we take up his sword!" Sureil says as his pike explodes, wraping around his arm and forming into a cannon. He aims it down, right towards the Super Robot...

"I strive to be at the top. I just don't understand how someone like you, who is SO STRONG, wants a world where that kind of thing can go on! Why? You certainly do not want THAT to happen right?"

The fist climbs and climbs, and the Flickerist's uppercut catches the Mazinger up the jaw. The shock reverberates through the Assault Dragoon's arm, shaking the machine all the way down to the cockpit bloc. Lethe's weight shifts forward a little as the seat vibrates and the cluttered consoles and monitors in the dim cockpit rattle and shake, but her eyes never leave the machine crafted from Super Alloy Z.

And then the sword rises. "Futility, Mazinger Z."

The Mazinger's blade comes down in an impressive swing at the customized Ashsaber. Instead of making contact with the machine, it twists hard to the left, shuffling backward through the air with a selective firing of the verniers mounted inside the legs. Her response comes in the form of the large type EC71 plasma revolver held in the left hand. The chamber spins up as energy crackles in the barrel-- and a point-blank return shot is fired.

'VAVEL BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADE!'

Lethe's head turns to the side, eyes widening under those lenses. The Flickerist twists again with another burst of movement, this time presenting it's left arm to the Vavel. The weight of the sword strikes the smaller, thinner elbow-mounted blade, but the Assault Dragoon does not seem to relent in it's defense, and no signs show that the tempered steel is about to break. Of course, it isn't /perfect/ defense-- the blade of the Vavel has taken a slash out of the broad armor across the shoulder. It's to be expected, given the utter size difference between the three machines.

This fact troubles Lethe, for just a moment.

With the blades deadlocked for just a moment more, the Flickerist shifts the angle of it's arm and allows it to break, accelerating forward with that elbow blade presented to retort to Naoto's interference with a shallow slash. For a moment, the large black machine just /keeps going/, too, aiming to catch a lead on both Koji and Naoto. Why would it run, unless it's a tra--

Oh crap, Angelg

The Flickerist's legs swing as the thrusters fire again, slowing the Assault Dragoon down. Lethe shifts footing and arms with as much of the strength that she can muster, aiming to twist the machine around without actually making contact with the larger Angelg. "Caution is advised, W16," W18 says, eyes focused forward.

Lethe turns her head to look over her shoulder. "Pattern A6. Barrage Mode: Multiple Aquisition Phase. Scatter."

The Shadow Bits suddenly swarm around the Vavel, the Mazinger Z, /and/ the Vysaga from beyond a stationary swinging range of their individual, varying-length swords, the six remotes firing narrow, powerful beams of purple from six different directions-- but all aimed to catch the three super robots!

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Hera! Pull out if it is too much for you to handle!"

The Devastator takes one step back as the swords impact on the chest armor, cutting more of it's armor off the front. The Devastator was made for this sort of punishment. Even as the armor is sheared off, the upper body turns towards the direction of the Orbital frame's flight, and lines up another shot on the orbital frame...

The visual feed connects. Echidna looks right back at Lamia; she does not have to set her face imperiously because she always looks serious. Today is no exception, though there is a slight set to her eyes and jaw that implies something more than blank emotions.

When Lamia throws Angelg by a massive gust of wind, Echidna recovers as quickly as she can - not quick enough to avoid being launched, but only to manage a recovery before actually slamming into the Flickerist. For an instant, they end up back to back...

Until Echidna pushes away, wings beating as she gains height. Echidna stiffens in her cockpit as the coded message comes through. She does not immediately transmit back, though 'not immediate' for her means maybe a quarter second delay. <<The system is not new,>> she responds. <<It is based on the Ashsaber's. You should be able to tell that by looking at it.>> All right, so they do different things than the Sword Breakers, but at least the basis is very clear. <<As for my efforts, I was ordered to do this. As you well know.>>

Using her height, Echidna draws the bow again, pulling back a sliver of pink light. It pulses, growing brighter and brighter, until it quite literally lights itself on fire; only then does Echidna send the energy shaft downward, trailing flame until it hits either Vysaga or the ocean. In the second case, the pillar of steam is quite impressive.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Hera!"

The Type-00R leans back as the rifle shots fire out of Amenthes arm, letting them fly past it's head as it presses the blade lock with the OF's arm. "Your superiors will be the ruin of Mars. Aligning with the DC ensures nothing but military confrontation."

The remote weapons of the Orbital Frame launch themselves and Meiya disengages from melee, pulling back far enough to fire it's jets to launch into the air. The swarming, glowing weapons chase the Type-00R down, but Meiya's control of the machine keeps it moving from side to side, constantly on the evasive against the explosive drones.

The Takemikazuchi grasps a machien gun from behind it's back with it's free hand, and starts spraying 36mm bullets into the drones, deflecting and countering them away. "If you can't see that your presence here is damning, I'll just have to drive you off."

The second barrel mounted on top of the machien gun fires a pair of 120mm grenades, arcing through the air to detonate near the Orbital Frame.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Seril. I know Hera may have yelled at you before, but can you help her? For me. Please?"

Devastator 1 - Ancalagon 0

The Orbital Frame finishes with its attack before it sweeps around hard. Anca's voice speaks up with concern, "Hera. We should pull from combat. Systems are showing instability."

"We can do this!" Hera replies with a wicked look in her eyes.

Then with pylons glowing bright and a hard beat of the draconic wings, the Orbital Frame rushes right into perhaps its fate and the very fate Anca tried to warn his pilot.

Destruction.

The Devastor's attack slams hard into the Ancalagon, washing it over with explosive power. However with a groan the plasma surge burning off the wings bathes over the mechwarrior's unit.

Soon in the distance, the massive Orbital Frame slammed into the ground before it skidded, flipped, and crashed hard into the ocean. There was parts of the Orbital frame laying along the ground. A few pylons dug into the earth surging still with energy. The fate of the female pilot was probably an ok one, with soon a sos sent off from its systems on automatic.

Sadly for the orbital frame and Anca itself, it was another story.

Koji was right, this thing is fast! They need to land some good hits on it soon, or it'll end up scratching them to death with those bits. Speaking of which, they're firing at him now. In the split second he has to think, he makes the choice of trying to deflect the beams with Vavel's fist, which is normally a very stupid thing to do. Of course, this is Naoto. Stupid ideas are his specialty. So once again, the Chairman finds himself punching lasers, and he's still amazed that it actually works. He'll have to ask Herman what Vavel's fists are made of later. For now, however, there's the issue of a small, light dodgemonkey with remote weapons to take care of. And the best way to take care of it is with rocket punches. "DUAL KNUCKLES!" Naoto shouts, firing off both of the Meganite's fists at the Flickerist.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Seril Vaskell transmits, "If she's dating my big brother, she should be able to take care of herself! Besides, she was pretty mean to me!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki transmits, "Look, he's giving you an order, try following it?"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Please Seril... I beg you... I'll give you double milkshakes!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki transmits, "Ugh..."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Echidna Iisaki transmits, "Follow your orders, Vaskell."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Hera transmits, "..nrrh.. I..I'm ok Ascian.. just my head hurts.."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Hera transmits, "..and why is there.. water outside.."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Seril Vaskell transmits, "I'm not even hurt! Why are you pulling out an intact... Ugh! Fine! If you're gonna call it *orders* then I have no choice I guess."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "I'm not asking you to pull out."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "I'm asking you to /take revenge/."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Hera transmits, "..Anca isn't responding at all..He wont even power up.. ...oo..come on.."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "I'll send a raptor squad. Give me a moment."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Hera transmits, "... I'm sorry Ascian.."

Lamia speaks on the radio briefly, before answering Echidna with more wordless eyeball flashing. <<Your wit is developing, but still requires refinement.>> The Vysaga does not pursue the Angelg, instead landing in an as yet undespiled section of land between the two former fortresses upon this island. At this point her attention drifts to the Flickerist, and then around herself...

Yes, she thinks. Sword Breakers and more. As a violet lance arcs out, finding her range, Lamia realizes she's in a trap she can't simply escape from in a burst of light. In apparent disgust, she drives her sword into the earth...

Only for that yellow-tinged electromagnetic induced wind to suddenly burst out of her machine with immense force in a full sphere! The wind is too weak to do more than bat the Sword Breakers around, but that is at least enough to spare her their wrath. Then the Vysaga's head turns around, in time to see an arrow of terrible light! A reflexive flick of the wrist sends a handful of burning blades back the way that arrow came, but they do not, in the end, amount to anything; the strike of light staggers the caped machine for a moment, Lamia herself shaken violently (if without real harm) in the cockpit.

Vysaga then leaps up into the air. It rises without reference to the battlefield, as if Lamia is intending to flee. <<Who is the pilot of the new unit?>> she inquires then, still giving what appears to be a death-glare with flashy eyes into the cockpit camera if you are not a robot with large bouncy breasts. <<Has the organization recruited in the aftermath of Haman Karn's exciting political statement?>>

Vysaga breaks the cloud layer. A moment later, there is a sudden roll of thunder, one loud enough to rattle windows island wide. It comes with a howling of wind; a shimmering cyclone of ionic charge placed into the atmosphere, producing a self-consuming downwards funnel of thunder and wind, aimed and vectored precisely towards the Angelg. The sheer force of it should hopefully press Echidna down, towards the ground -- or at least in place.

Vysaga then enters its own wind-streak, shooting downwards with blurring, near-indescribable speed as it swings its glowing blade in an effort to bisect one of the following things:

A. the Black Angelg B. Surplus Office Block #35-D

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Seril Vaskell transmits, "Don't apologize. Whatever doesn't kill you just makes you stronger, right? So get stronger!"

Mazinger Z continues to fall. Its pilot doing everything he can to engage the Flickerist and its enigmatic mistress but in an element he is completely outmatched in. The Rocket-assisted swing just misses the Assault Dragoon completely and all it gets in reward is a plasma blast in its side.

"Unf..!" Koji hisses as he's slammed against the confines of his safety restraints. He winces, his body feeling like he just slammed against a concrete wall. Pain lingers against his collar bone, a cold and sharp reminder of the immense frailty of the mortal body.

A red light flashes in front of Koji's eyes. He glances down and a terror grips him..

Alert! Alert! Enemy Remote Weapon System Engaged Alert! Alert!

Koji grimaces as he pops the switch to set Mazinger Z's fists on a return-trip. "Oh shit!," he curses. His fear come to life, "We're too late..!"

Shadow Bits descend, firing their purple-hued payloads in six different directions.

"They're coming from everywhere..!" Koji gasps.

The boy from Japan is no hyperaware evolution of humanity. He can barely see the directions the laserfire is coming from, let alone perceive the Shadow Bits as they rip through the air. Koji can't even bother to try to move out of the way, not as his Mazinger is continuing to fall. Beams lance toward the Armor of Miracles...

... and bounce harmlessly away! Great furrows are rended upon the land, but Mazinger Z remains unscathed.

"I'll need the Jet Scrander if I'm to keep this up!" Koji thinks aloud. He presses a button to send the signal, but assistance will still take a while. Placing his hands on the controls, he fires another burst of power from the Mazinger's foot-thrusters. Great cones of fire slam outward, momentarily boosting the Steel Guard through the air--

--its shining fist outstretched to catch the Flickerist!

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "It's okay, you can't win 'em all."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Hera transmits, "..yeah... I think I'm just going to close my eyes for a bit.. at least the ocean sounds nice.."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Anca, keep an eye out on her biosigns."

Russel Bagman has managed to keep her on himn rather than on his comrades.

"Another insane person with a mech that's power that has gone to their head."

It never fails, the runebreakers had been in for maintance. But what can you do what he doe now is the surive the solar plasma the Gespenst is ravaged but some how the machine surives it's melted it's looking bad and Russels comments.

"Not enough, we'll be here when your a corpse or doing time for your crimes."

He opens another channel the damage alarms are going off he needs to pull back but not before he calls to the Trailer unit who is IDed being from the Kellhounds.

"Hound one head to postion four, there's several nanorepair packs there that should be able to patch some of units armor breaches. Gamma 3, get that repair rig over there and help patch them up. Once your patched up I need you to engage this target."

They would get a information dump on Ser's and her unit also where to go. IT was a starange looking thing to be sure, but it is money right? As for that Russel is forced to pull back.

Rhiannon watches as the Orbital frame explodes...from a slug in the back. "Neat trick." She says before shrugging. "I guess I'd better leave her since I can't drag her out. Her friends will pick her up." She then picks up a radio transmission and she taps the comm. "This is Hound One. I'll get there sometime today." She says jokingly as she turns away from the orbital frame in the water, and towards the base...

GaoGaiGar's arms come up - Guy caught by a little bit too much surprise to deploy the Protect Wall this time.

Or maybe he actually IS too pissed off to keep thinking straight, given his snarl over the radio.

Either way, the King of Braves is driven backwards by the impact, its feet digging furrows in the oft-abused soil of Huffman Island, and layers of armor get seared off before the cannon's blast subsides and Guy can re-target the Qareen. "I'm fighting for a world where people who grew up in peace can cherish that day-to-day safety - to focus on their work and their families and their friends! A world where science can be studied for its own sake and the betterment of all humanity, civilian and otherwise - not where science exists only to advance weaponry and other military hardware! And if the Shadow Mirror are so determined to turn this Earth into a world of perpetual warfare and endless destruction ..."

GaoGaiGar accelerates towards the Qareen again, right arm drawn back and the Phantom Ring floating into place without an audible command.

"THEN I'LL BREAK EVERY LAST MACHINE OF WAR YOU CAN FIELD UNTIL YOU HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO FIGHT WITH!!!! BROKEN ... !!!"

GaoGaiGar swings, and Guy aims to plant its knuckles in the Qareen's sternum - even before the knuckles, and the forearm and Phantom Ring, start to spin up.

And spin they do, faster and faster, until GaoGaiGar's right arm from the elbow down is a magenta blur with a golden halo floating around it.

".... *PHAAAANTOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!*" Guy finishes, and smoke billows around the elbow joint as the Broken Phantom's thrusters ignite and start to drive it forward - and potentially *through* the Orbital Frame.

<"At least the DC would help us. Who else would we seek out for help? The very people we fight daily? The EFA? The A-LAWS? Those damn Frighteners?"> Cue to Remille Fortner, a Divine Crusader hired Frightener, sneezing in her dropship in outer space. <"It's not that I can't see what you mean!"> Wait, what? Ascian is being reasonable to a soldier of the EFA!? Well, guess he's finally reached the point where he really just hates the A-LAWS that much more than them.

The Amenthes speeds low and to the left, then sways to the right, only to finally use a quick burst of speed from its verniers - leaving a thick trail of red energy behind it - to get enough distance that the projectiles are nothing for it to deal with, and lets a thick series of red bolts light up the skies, along with the explosion of the grenades, caused to detonate early due to high temperature impact.

The Amenthes then momentarily turns, as Hera is forced out of the battle. Ascian's hands quickly move off of the control orbs and onto Duat's Screen, and he activates the Raptor A.I. systems. Suddenly, from the waters nearby, a series of Drone Raptors deploy and quickly rush for the Ancalagon. A set of Musquitos deploy a smoke barrier, and within moments, the Orbital Frame is being retrieved.

Ascian then turns back to the battle at hand, his hands onto the controls, and squints at his opponent. He calls out some orders over the radio, after which he lets Amenthes deploy its two-parted twelve wings, which forms a ring around its body. "I know this cuts our evasive maneuvers, but we haven't been able to lay a finger on that thing. It's time to put our entire abilities to the test!" Red dots appear at their tips...

Then suddenly, the homing array comes to life. A gigantic wave of red energy tears through the skies again, twelve in total, trying to ram themselves through miss Valkyrie-1. But these aren't your normal everyday lasers! No, these are GUIDED lasers. HOMING lasers. Who thinks of this stuff anyway!?

The Gespenst is effecting a retreat, though he's being pretty slow about it. Seril pulls Yatagarasu back and up, grinding her teeth. Ascian's concern rings in her ear, and while she wants to pursue Russel and reduce his machine to scrap metal, it's just not going to happen. Especially since several other voices had chimed in and declared that request was an order. Well, she has no choice, then! "I'll just have to let you go, this time." Twisting, Yatagarasu performs a notable backflip as it turns towards the still-distant Devastator battlemech. Plasma erupts from the La Gian machine's back, forming huge plumes of thrust that hurl it forward at a speed that should really be impossible for something so heavy. Bringing up its cannon arm, Yatagarasu braces it with its other hand, attempting to slam into Rhiannon's 'Mech at top speed, "You beat up Big Brother's girlfriend! Even if she was mean to me, since he's busy, /I'll/ kill you!"

Thanks to Russel's repairs, a lot of the Devastator's armor is repaired. good thing too since Seril comes in seeing red. "Damn. He's pissed for some reason. Weird how everyone gets pissed when you defend yourself and win." However, as Seril's Yagaterasu screams in and hits the Devastator, Rhiannon just takes a deep breath. "all right whistle-dick. I guess if I can blow one twit up, you might as well make two." She tracks the mech's flight and sends a gauss rifle slug in it's direction, or the direction it's flying...

The burning arrow dissipates several seconds after impact, vanishing in a flash of flame and light. Echidna doesn't bother with real ammo on this unit.

Angelg does not move for several long instants as Vysaga apparently flees. It's not a retreat, Echidna thinks, not knowing exactly how she predicted it. W17 would not do that, not with the relatively minor damage it's sustained - the Vysaga is in better shape than the Angelg and Echidna knows it.

And thus she is prepared for the dive. Angelg simply... vanishes, leaving a prismatic shell of itself behind which Vysaga cuts through; it vanishes like mist, swirling around as it fades, when Vysaga falls through it. The black machine reappears, lower to the ground and to one side, having not teleported so much as turned invisible and dropped.

<<There has been some recruitment,>> Echidna agrees. <<The sorts of people that the Colonel prefers to recruit, and some others as fodder.>> Angelg keeps the bow out; drawing it back, she fires a fast beam shot, aimed just to the side of Vysaga.

The fact that it makes a right-angle swerve as it passes probably interferes with dodging some. <<She is not one of them. That is your replacement, W18.>> The data-transfer has no way to signal personal emotional content. It's as dispassionate as words on a page, so whatever Echidna thinks of the girl is lost in translation. <<She does not appear to suffer from errors.>>

The black Angelg and the black Ashsaber, back to back-- that is in and of itself a horrifying thought. When Lethe speaks to Echidna, the Flickerist's head similarly tilts as if to regard the larger machine in the process... but the attention is soon returned to the Mazinger Z, while the Vysaga, the Mazinger, and Vavel have managed to avoid her assault.

The Flickerist bursts forward with precision and exact timing, breaking the moment between W-Numbers and allowing them to return to their respective battles at once. Lethe charges Koji as his thrusters fire, and the black Assault Dragoon seems to be intent on a suicidal, head-on charge. The right arm draws backward, the fanned-out fingers of the reinforced limb closing to form a large, closed fist.

"I won't let you, Mazinger Z: Boost Knuckle."

The Flickerist swings. On the arc, the armor on the right forearm splits open to reveal the nozzle of a /whole/ /other/ /vernier/ that fires at full bore, the brilliant blue light and heat accelerating the strike. The Flickerist's reinforced fist strikes the Mazinger Z's head-on, sending a shockwave through either machine that causes Lethe to grunt in angry irritation.

The Flickerist continues to push forward into the impact, the Assault Dragoon's whole body eventually colliding with the fist. While it seems insane, W18's intention becomes obvious fairly quickly-- the black machine rolls to the outside of the Mazinger's body, pulling itself clear with a shower of sparks and light as armor scrapes across armor. It spins like a top, remaining upright, while twin fists come sailing her way.

The thrusters fire again with a whole new BOOM, carrying the machine /toward/ the flying rocket fists. Once upon a time, in old Earth cinema, there was a famous scene where an explorer steered a speedboat between two much larger ships. At that time, he was asked, 'GO BETWEEN THEM, ARE YOU CRAZY?!!' You see, this holds weight, because really... Lethe Rusina is, just a little.

The gap is by inches, if not a few feet total. The Flickerist twists profile as it accelerates toward the dual rocketing fists, using that arm-mounted vernier for a little extra maneuvering as it blazes between both, closer and closer toward the Vavel in a percieved moment of weakness. The left fist comes forward into the open right hand, presenting the elbow blade toward Naoto's robot when it lunges... and /stabs/ that blade straight into his machine, aimed for a shot to the robo-belly.

Suddenly, the six customized Sword Breakers are there.

Ripping the elbow blade outward, turning it's back on the Vavel as it spins around to face it one more time, the six remotes line up on Naoto while swirling around that left arm-- holding that one large plasma revolver again. They shift, just slightly, and their output raises to something a lot higher than before... and then a shaft of purple light cuts across the sky-- a powerful torrent of beam energy across that short distance-- aimed to tear straight through the Vavel!

Suriel and Guy continue their CLASH ON THE BIG BR-no wait, wrong game.

Their fight, continues now in earnest. Something is forming deep in him...red energy forms, as he goes beyond his limits. The Small frame just narrowly avoiding the pure force behind the flying rocket punches His pike, once more in hand as the cannon unformed. Standing there, as the green fore and red energy swirls around him as he flies towards the currently dearmed Super robot.

"You can not kill the fighting spirit of humanity!" he screams as he stops right behind the Super robot, his pike screaming as he charges up the burst attack. Then, the arms extend...the blade glows with his power as he brings it down, aiming to try and litterally cleave the robot in twain.

"We fight to bring out humanity's true nature! To make it reach it's potential! Your wishes are weak! They can not stand in this world...if not the greed of man left to fester, then the aliens who wish to turn us into their weapons...or worse! Your ideas are would destroy us all...more than mine ever would!"

Meiya hmmns to herself in her cockpit. The sight of the 'wings' of Amenthes locking into place gives her a good idea of what it's about to do. "Very well then."

The Type-00R turns to present it's side profile to Amenthes, the large shoulder pauldron drops down to form a shield over it's side. Locking it's feet in place as the homing laser barrage comes in, and holds it's sword up horizontaly.

The beam weapons impact the Type-00R, blasting out gouges in its shoulder shield repeated as the TSF stands their and weathers the attacks, the super-carbon plating resisting the homing lasers well. The smoke clears, and the shoulder pauldron hass bene whittled down to only a battered sheet of metal remaining over the arm. "I suppose if you're going to be serious about this."

The Type-00R steps forward and draws out it's second PB Blade. "Then I have to be as well." The jet turbines ignite in twin orange flames and drive the TSF acros the open ground to Ascian's Orbital Frame in an eyeblink.

Meiya brings the first blade up and across diagonally, slashign at the Amenthes as she follows through with the second blade in a loose, flowing style thats as faraway from the likes Sanger Zonvolt that you can get.

After the second blade passes by, the Takemikazuchi continues the attack as it completes a full spin, bringing it's left leg up, intending to impale the carbon plated split foot right in the side of the Orbital Frame's chest.

The Yatagarasu's attempt at defending itself with an upwell of suns doesn't work so well against such a high velocity projectile. The round slams into the mecha's shoulder, knocking it for a spin. Inside, Seril lets out a sudden shriek. Tears welling in her eyes, she curls her fingers into hooks, "I'm a girl! A GIRL!" Twisting in the air, Yatagarasu thrusts its cannon forward and unleashes a tiny speck of light. As it maneuvers, the machine fires two more, much larger orbs. Aimed to miss, these are just a distraction. The real danger is that little speck of light. As it draws closer to Rhiannon's 'mech, Yatagarasu thrusts its cannon upward. Energy surges, and the klaxon sounds suddenly, echoing across the base. When the cannon is swung downwards, all the gathered energy transfers into that tiny speck of plasma. Quite suddenly, it erupts into a sphere of boiling heat and energy several times the size of Yatagarasu itself, "I'll boil you alive for that! A boy doesn't have breasts, you IDIOT!"

The Devastator takes another step back from the force of the assault. "Ouch. that actually hurt. oof. All right. Might as well give it everything I've got here." She says as she radios her dropship. "Interceptor, this is Hound One. Find a calm place for extraction." She then waits for Seril's mech to actually start moving before firing everything she has at it...

As a building slides down behind her, Lamia steers Vysaga around, facing up towards Echidna even as she dives to the side. Her lips quirk momentarily as she hears the news that confirms her previous decision. She feels clever. Then --

Vysaga's posture changes marginally. More remarkably is within the cockpit. Lamia's image on the tactical network goes from a fierce warrior's expression to...

http://tinyurl.com/5ueao4b

Long seconds pass. Lamia thinks to herself, in a vague sense: Replacement?

Logically, she thinks, she shouldn't care. And yet, she can't press her arms to move and control Vysaga; can't move her throat and mouth to curse Echidna. The glowy band in her eyes shuts down from lack of apparent use.

Chuckling as the last of the armor is boiled off, the Devastator is still standing, but it's core is exposed. Before Seril can deal the final blow though, the Leopard class dropship lands in between them, and the Devastator quickly walks into the ship. "God huh? Man you guys have a really high opinion of yourselves. I take down one of your comrades, then you come after me claiming you're a god. give me a break. the only time I actually use that word is in bed. Hey, if you feel that justified in compensating, be my guest. However, before you call yourself a god....get yourself a bit of tail. Then we'll see how much of a 'god' you are when a girl laughs you out of bed." She says through an open channel to Seril, as the Leopard flies away...

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Tsssk....!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Well done, Seril. Now to see if your big brother can not get himself hurt."

"Tssk." Ascian again makes an annoyed sound. His attenion slightly split between routing the Raptors to guide Hera home, taking note of Seril fighting off the one who had bested Hera, and then Meiya. However, in no way did this take away from the simple fact that the woman in the Type-00R is... well... a more skilled pilot. Sure, he's in an Orbital Frame, and he knows how to pilot it quite well. But against the much more aggressively skilled and weapon capable targets, Ascian tended to bite the dust. Especially against those who favored Melee.

The Amenthes quickly turns its both arms to swords and manages to block the initial strike, which sends it back slightly, and has Ascian almost biting his tongue due to the sheer force behind the attack. "I knew it." He mutters, as the evasive capabilities of the Amenthes can't keep up with this kind of fluid and almost entirely /graceful/ kind of movement. The wings quickly move forward and together form a shield of sorts which try to defend the machine -- a new technique he'd come up with recently.

The second strike however simply rips through a good four or five of the wing-bits, sending them towards the ground and exploding. The Amenthes tries to move back, away from the approaching doom. The spinning jump is noticed, and the rest of the wings quickly move towards the units side. But when the split foot comes crashing its way, it rips right through those remaining, and carves into the side of the Amenthes. The entire unit is /shot/ into a small hill further along and crashes there on its back and... seems to suddenly be stuck. Sparks lash across its body, pieces of metal quickly shifting from random parts of the machine, trying to compensate for the gigantic hole that is now in its side, disrupting the Metatron flow.

"Tssk... I can't believe this." Inside the cockpit, Ascian has been justed about quite a bit, and is panting heavily under the strain of compensating for all the systems that suddenly seem to be failing, trying to help out the Artificial Intelligence that is on-board. "Come on, Amenthes. We can do this." His gaze quickly flicks over the battlefield before him. "Geesh. They were even holding back." Momentarily, he moves his hands from the controls, only to ram his fists down on them. "Damnit. Am I really that green of a soldier?" He knew where to place his pawns. I knew that Seril was well suited for battling both the black machines, and the unit that had bested Hera from observing the entire battle. But why couldn't he do anything!? He wasn't some useless Brittanian youth who only knew how to use people. He was a soldier! He was /trained/ to excell in Orbital Frame combat.

Yet there were all these amazing people out there he just kept meeting. Even this one, he recognized the voice of. He remembered her from the assault on the Orbital Frame Drone facility. <"Thanks for going all-out on me."> Ascian opens a vid/audio link, showing him bathing in the red glow of the Amenthes' cockpit. His left eye is bandaged off by an eyepatch of sorts, and his left leg is bandaged off as well. His hands are far forward, laying on those controls. <"May I learn of your name?"> He requests, whilst turning his eyes quickly towards the controls of his unit. The arms were not responding at the moment. But there was still something in contact. He could feel it. Somewhere... THERE!

A twosome of the bitwings still were active, but there were away from the machine. If only he could reached them. If only he could reach out and grab them, bring them back within the compressed space field around Amenthes... wait, he could! He closes his eyes and tries to concentrate. "Help me out, Amenthes." He whispers, then opens his eyes again as the are in front of the machine suddenly begins to 'crumple' as it extends the field and 'grabs' the two wings that are still active. They quickly fly towards the back of the frame and at the same time begin a gigantic output of laserfire, thick and potent, trying to cut straight through the jets of the machine... whilst Ascian tries to get the frame to start moving again - out of that hillside.

Knuckle grinds against knuckle.

The screeching of metal is loud, louder than even Koji Kabuto can take.

"Nng... nngh!" he winces, even going so far as to clutch at the sides of his helmet in vain.

Mazinger Z's jump-jets hit their maximum burn and cut. The Armor of Miracles plummets yet again, its heavy limbs swinging ineffectively. Its fingers grasp emptily at the air, the light in its eyes nearly one of panic.

..and it's all because the Flickerist is firing on Naoto's Vavel.

"NAOTO!!"

Koji screams in futility. Gravity takes hold so perfectly, treating Mazinger Z as a leaden weight. It's falling so rapidly now, the on-board systems bleating out an endless supply of warnings. The klaxons are piercing and Koji can't even dare to shut his eyes -- no matter how hard he wants to -- to blot out the pain. Droplets form in the corner of his eyes, sparkling in the fading light of the day. There's no way..! Can't fail..! Not now...! Not..

> Jet Scrander on approach vector.

"...!" WAIT! Koji's heart soars. This is it!!

Three!

Two!

One!

zero!

HASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Soaring wings cutting through the ranks of evil! The name is JET SCRANDER! The heart of justice is on fire, Mazinger Z!                                               Dock with the...

Koji Kabuto throws a lever forward, enabling the linkage panel on Mazinger's backside to slide open. What comes next is deafening,

"SUKURAAAAAAAAAAAANDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA CROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSUUUUUUU!!!"

On crimson scythe-wings, the Jet Scrander rockets into the battle. It descends upon the plummeting Zetto, gracefully sliding behind to lock in. A silver restraint slides forward, encircling around Mazinger's waist. Thrusters lock up into position. Photonic energy floods across the linkage circuit and the engines trigger, blasting twin trails of force!

Mazinger Z... CLIMBS into the skies! Renewed, ready to take on the enemy! Its pilot, a mess of adrenaline and courage. Koji Kabuto has one hand swung back, his other fist propped up in clear defiance of the Shadow Mirrors's dominance of the battlefield.

"Lamia!!" Koji shouts over the radio, his force of will cannot be denied. "Snap out of it! We have a battle to fight! You, me, Naoto.. we can do this! LET'S GO!!"

Oh who owns this blue cosmos! It's yours! It's yours! It's mine! It's mine! It's the ray of hope! The High-Flying Supaaa Robotto.. MAJINGAAAA ZETTOOOO!

The Steel Guard rockets forward, its Photon-lit eyes blazing with power. Its mighty arms tretch out, its fingers clamping down into its Super Alloy Z-paneled palms. Smoke whistles out from both of its forearms, a sound akin to ignition swiftly coming after it.

Could it be..!?

"ROCKETTO PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCH!!!!"

Seril stares blankly at the Leopard as it places itself between Yatagarasu and the Devastator, while she listens to the woman inside blather on about the words she'd used. "But-" "But Yatagarasu-" "But-" get some tail. Seril's face turns bright red. Squeezing her eyes shut, the girl thrusts her hands forward. Yatagarasu mirrors the action, pushing its cannon arm forward and launching several smalls hots ineffectively after the Leopard as it retreats, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I'm not a boy! Why would I even sleep with a woman, you pervert! Get back here so I can kill you for that! Pervert~!!" Within the Yatagarasu itself, the sinister god which grants Seril's machine its powers ... facepalms.

GaoGaiGar's left arm whips up as it whips around to keep facing the Orbital Frame, and thrusts its palm forward --

"PROTECT WAAAAAAAAALLL!!!!!!"

-- and STOPS the scythe in mid-air against a rippling, shimmering barrier, halting Suriel's attack. And with the Orbital Frame this close ...

"PLASMA HOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLD!!!!" continues Guy, and with the scythe turned aside, the barrier 'breaks down' into four tendrils of yellow lightning - wrapping around Qareen, seizing hold of the machine and starting to fry limited parts of its control systems to reduce its mobility. Then GaoGaiGar turns the other way, and the lightning extends as Guy flings Suriel and his Metatron-powered machine into a nearby hillock. For certain values of 'nearby'.

And Guy doesn't even bother saying anything else - not even to call one of his usual special attacks. Unless you count a wordless battlecry as 'talking'.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Seril! Calm down. Don't give in to the enemy's taunting!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Yatagarasu may abuse your senseless anger."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Tssk, I am going to have to retreat."

The plasma field does it's namesake, holding the Orbital frame in place, and preventing it from escaping. Suriel screams as the energy rushes into him...and then as Guy's fists start pounding the shit out of him. Then the Qareen falls, smashing against the ground as the damaged orbital frame sparks. He looks up...why, why can't he beat him?!

Suriel can not understand it...how can someone who's goals are so weak /be so strong/. It /defies/ all sense...he growls...the universe will not claim him like this. The orbital frame explodes with power, green fire flaring all around him as he rises...

"NOT YET!" he holds his hand out, the pike once more forming around his hand as he aims the cannon down towards him. "I don't get it! I am going to win this! I AM GOING TO PROVE THAT I AM STRONGER!" he bellows. The cannon fires, releasing what can best be described as a ball of pure constriction...upon contact it expands, before constricting, aiming to simply crush hole sections of armor at once.

Echidna Iisaki did not expect that reaction. She isn't sure /what/ reaction she expected but that is not it. Her lips curl downward fractionally.

She does not transmit more data. Her head flicks upwards, slightly, as she examines some incoming data - and Angelg acts, blurringly fast. Since Vysaga is not attacking at all, she can safely turn aside slightly.

Blocking the Super Alloy Z fist is a losing proposition. Echidna ascends, the 'skirt' of Angelg billowing as she rises, and the flying knuckle passes between its legs at about knee-level. Echidna fires a green spike of energy almost dismissively from the emitter on Angelg's shield, more trying to pin Koji down for Lethe than actually inflict any significant damage. Her piloting is mechanically precise, if uninspired.

Angelg draws that great bow back - but doesn't fire, holding a charged arrow at the ready, pointed at Vysaga. <<You are suffering from an error again,>> she sends to Lamia. <<You have stalled.>> The text is still emotionless; the facial expression alters very slightly, to a slight tension.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki too busy engaging in HOT BLOODED SHOUTING MATCH!

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Seril Vaskell transmits, "..nn.. I think I should get out, too. If I lose control again...I don't know what might happen to me."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "That'll be for the best."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Miss Lethe, will you be alright?"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Lethe Rusina transmits, "I am fine."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "I'm sorry I can not assist you any further. This opponent has me entirely outskilled."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Echidna Iisaki transmits, "It is likely this operation should be abandoned in the near future."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Seril Vaskell transmits, "Ahh.. I did so well, but it still wasn't enough.."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "You did /very/ well, Seril. I wasn't able to keep up with you. And you took out two ace pilots!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Vindel Mauser transmits, "You still live, and as long as you live, you grow stronger."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Lethe Rusina transmits, "Roger."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Seril Vaskell transmits, "Hera helped with the one. But that girl was still a dirty pervert!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Either way, I agree with miss Echidna's assessment - of course - we're best off retreating soon."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Echidna Iisaki transmits, "W16. Not 'miss Echidna'."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Echidna Iisaki transmits, "We are still in the operation."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Ehh, calling people by designations like that... it's so impersonal. And bad for morale."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Vindel Mauser transmits, "W-16 is W-16."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Echidna Iisaki repeats, in exactly the same tone of voice, "We are still in the operation."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Echidna Iisaki transmits, "Professionalism is encouraged."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Oh fine."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki suddenly, screaming! The loud manly type when unleashing something devistating, not the OH GOD MY BLOOD type.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite mutters while Suriel is yelling, "Didn't know I joined the EFA all of the sudden."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Vindel Mauser chuckles. "Tell me, Ascian. Would you prefered to be called by a fake name?"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite hrrms...

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "I admit, I am not even sure this /is/ my real name."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "But I guess it is the one I feel most comfortable with."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Why do you ask?"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite obviously, doesn't know Gynoids well enough.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Vindel Mauser transmits, "Then I suggest that you show W-16 the consideration of using the name she prefers."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite hrrms... "Guess that makes sense... very well then. It feels weird, but I will try."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Vindel Mauser transmits, "She is tolerant, but her sister unit eschewed her designation in favor of her name... and betrayed us in the process. Bear that in mind."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "I understand."

Seril draws the Yatagarasu's cannon upward. With a clicking sound, the panels slide shut, closing around its arm and the machinery that manipulates its magic into the suns seen in the various attacks. Breathing heavily, the girl within struggles to get her fiery temper under control. The red creeping into the blue of her eyes begins to recede, until her eyes are the same vibrant blue they have always been. Swallowing, the girl looks down, nodding once. Yatagarasu promptly takes to the sky, soaring back to the transport from whence it came, with little fanfare. Even though the voice in her mind roars against this action, Seril feels pretty good about herself this time.

The difference in size between the Vavel, the Mazinger Z, and the Flickerist is more or less what has kept it alive in this encounter. Lethe's been able to duck, dodge, dip, dive, and dodge as though this were the cut-throat courts of street dodgeball. When the Vavel begins to come toward her with that massive fist poised to slam into the smaller Assault Dragoon like a battering ram, with the force and fury which she uppercutted Koji's machine earlier, Lethe digs in her heels and whips the sticks straight back along their tracks.

The Flickerist leans backward, bursting backwards just slightly. That's when the right leg swings straight forward, at that close range, aimed to kick the Vavel right up the jaw while it's rising into the air. The attack is, of course, not on her usual repitoire of assaults, nor is the leg reinforced to the same level as the right arm... so when she kicks, it leaves a sizeable dent in the tip of the foot, as well.

All of this keeps her busy-- busy just long enough for Koji Kabuto to dock with the Jet Scrander. Lethe's expression becomes more intense, as if she knew the significance of this attack... or if she became more acutely aware of how dangerous this fight is beginning to become. The monitor to her upper left displays some vital tracking data, HUD information, and data on her reserve power-- as well as the Shadow Bits.

The Mazinger Z's massive fists scream through the sky, and so Lethe moves toward Koji Kabuto one more time-- toward that flying, rocketing punch. The thrusters fire, /all/ of them, at full bore. The gynoid sinks back into the Flickerist's cockpit chair with the pressure, the whole of the machine's bulk rattling all on it's own now. The fist draws back, and with everything that it has, the Flickerist /slams/ into it, taking perhaps more damage than she deals in retort; the tackle crumples armor but helps to more or less /stop/ it. Echidna she has no worries for, no matter what is happening to her with the Vysaga.

The fist swings around again, impacting with the surface of the rocket-fired punch and shoving it off-course.

"Formation: Lock-1. Scanning: Complete."

The six bits suddenly blaze around in front of the Flickerist. Laid flat in front of her, the remotes stack and link together. A handle emerges, and the left hand reaches out to grip it. And then the Flickerist spins. It spins once, twice, and a third time while the individual bits don't fire so much as /project/ a short, blade-like beam from their emitters.

"Shadow Breaker!"

And with all the centripical force behind it, the collective Shadow Bits are /thrown/ at Koji Kabuto, aimed to collide with the machine with incredible force-- and then all six of them /fly/ in different directions, separating on impact, the scattering remotes threatening to punch holes through both the Mazinger and the Vavel!

Meiya does not transmit a video in response to Ascian, just an <AUDIO ONLY> screen greets him. The reasons for this are many and varied, and quiet complex. But mostly she just doesn't want people seeing her in that practically-liquid-latex pilot suit.

"It's rude to ask someone's name without giving your own first." Meiya responds a bit cooly as she watches the Amethes embeded in the hillside. She narrows her eyes slightly, weary of tricks. Orbital Frames have more abilities hidden in their little fingers then most machines have at all.

"You should withdra-" And there it is, the trick Meiya was waiting for. She drops one foot of the Takemikazuchi back and drops the still fresh shoulder shield down to intercept as much of the attack as possible. The laser blasts quickly tearing great gouges from te carbon plating, and slicing straight through the articulated joint that holds the left engine on to it's body. "Nhh!" Meiya hisses through her teeth as the engine slams to the ground, leaving the Takemikazuchi flightless. "I'm afraid you got the wrong impresion!"

Meiya straightens the Type-00R up and pulls back one of it's hands holding a PB Blade. "I'm afraid I was still holding back that last stretch, hoping you would see reason and leave! But not any more!"

The Type-00R takes a single stride forward as it it swings it's arm around, whipping the katana-like sword through it's grip and releasing it. The dull metal weapon flings through the air, spinning like a boomerang straight for the disabled Orbital Frame.

The gigantic curved blade cuts through the air and straight into the top of Amethens, sending up a shower of sparks as armor resists weapon for a brief second with a tortured scream of metal on metal, but eventually...

The weapon goes through the Orbitl Frame, and into the hillside behind it, slicing a great furrow in the earth untill it finally stops, one hundred meters behidn the Amenthes.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Lethe Rusina transmits, "Remote weapon energy reserves remain at twenty-four percent, but I am still able to fight. I will withdraw at your order."

Once again, Guy invokes the Protect Wall - but perversely, it wasn't engineered to deal with a sort-of-tame singularity like this. At least it keeps GaoGaiGar from being completely crushed in the process.

"It doesn't matter what weapons you have, or how strong you call yourself ... because there is *nothing.*"

The King of Braves takes a step forward, towards the Qareen.

"That can overcome."

Another step.

"THE POWER OF COURAGE!!!" GaoGaiGar's feet brace against the ground, arms coming up across its chest, and then Guy snaps them out and down to the sides. "HELL!!! AND! HEAVEN!!!"

Brilliant red light swirls out from GaoGaiGar's right hand; yellow light ripples outwards from the left, and both hands continue to glow as GaoGaiGar raises them, a dark green glow suffusing the body of the G-Stone-powered super mechanoid, and bolts of crackling light starting to dance between its palms as Guy forces them together, chanting, "Gemu giru gan go gufo ..."

GaoGaiGar's hands lock together into a doubled fist - and the emerald-tinged electromagnetic mist rushes out, forming a translucent 'corridor' between GaoGaiGar and Qareen ... a corridor which GaoGaiGar is suddenly thundering down, leading with its fists as Guy lets out a hot-bloodedly thunderous roar - echoed, it seems, by the roar of a lion, and the thunder of the super robot's engines as the King of Braves drives fists-first into the Orbital Frame.

And if Qareen doesn't *somehow* get out of the way, the fists plunge into the Orbital Frame's body, reaching into its depths for the power core, and yanking it out through the generous application of brute force. Between the power of the G-Stone's twin aspects - the destructive "Broken" force and the defensive "Protect" force - Guy aims to simply wrest out the heart of the Qareen and neutralize the threat ... *without* killing the pilot.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Echidna Iisaki transmits, "W18, I recommend a tactical withdrawal."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Lethe Rusina transmits, "Understood."

<Radio: A - DC Chat> Seril Vaskell transmits, "Big brother, if you need a hand flying back to the transport, Yatagarasu is still in good condition. I can help you!"

Suriel stands to challenge Guy once more...

He knows this attack...he has seen it so many times before. He braces...the impact...the force...

Suriel, in his mind, has timed everything perfectly...but dispite all of this...all of his learning, his strength increased...he was not a slouch...nor was he a coward! He lacks one vital thing, the heart to face against Guy Shishioh's!

The force of the field traps him. Suriel, cursing in rage, unable to escape the field is forced to watch as the unit crashes in for him once more...driving through the Qareen which causes his systems to feed back the damage directly to his chest, as he rips out a piece of the Orbital frame...the systems on the unit go dim, as he is forcefully disconnected...pain in ways he can only imagine as he is suddenly cut directly from the rest of the unit, and the Qareen falls back, inert.

<"It's Ascian Luddite. We've met before."> The young man replies. <"Though I guess I don't blame you for forgetting me. I didn't forget about you do - in the Wingam. At the BAHRAM Orbital Frame Drone facility."> He'd been in The Beast, the EVA/Gunmen he owns. The Amenthes had been in a severe state of disrepair. The young man cuts the communication however, when the unit is hit by those lasers and she claims she'd still been holding back. "You gotta be kidding me." The young man mutters and tries to get the machine to start moving. In reality, the reason the two-way communication had been cut was due to him trying to lay his concentration on movement. Duat was having enough trouble with this as it was.

"Come on, move -- move -- MOOOVE!" He tugs on those controls, which of course does little. The red glows speed into the torso, towards the core... but doesn't reach it. The signals are simply not reaching. And suddenly, there is a sword swinging and flying towards the Amenthes. "Move damnit!" Finally, a signal gets through, and the machine begins to heed the commands. Hampering slowly, it tries to get up, and raises its right arm - deploying its blade. But the boomerang-swung weapon cuts right through the armor, tearing off the limb, which ends up jerking the machine around; The curved blade carves a gigantic gash across the torso - barely missing the core underneath, before jabbing into the hillside.

<"Very well."> He reopens communication. <"I will retreat."> He adds. and deploys some Metatron crystals from its legs and begins to slowly move upwards towards the sky. <"But know this, I will get better, and best you one day. Perhaps not on equal footing - not as someone who knows how to use a blade. But I will best you..."> The machine hampers its rise into the air, a few pieces of armor falling off, after which the unit suddenly turns about and sends a gigantic plasma burst straight into that hillside, destroying the detached arm. BAHRAM likes their secrets. Then, Ascian puts his mind to getting the heck out of there.

Vavel's just not made for fighting opponents half its size, and this shows when it completely misses with the uppercut /and/ gets kicked in the jaw for its trouble. The damage isn't quite crippling yet, but the holes in its torso are leaking fluids and sparking in very unpleasant ways, and Naoto's just barely managing to hold onto that rung. He needs to hit this thing, and hit it hard. "I guess it's time for Volcanic Mode, then." he says, tapping a button with a pink square on it. Immediately, Vavel begins to change, the spikes and stabilizing fins on its shoulders and forearms folding out while two strips of white chest armor disconnect from the rest of the torso and swivel onto its back, where they begin acting as vents for excess heat. The process takes about two or three seconds, and right after it's finished, Vavel raises its arms over its head, the gem-like ornament on its chest glowing a bright red. "Here goes nothing! VOLCANIC WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND!" Naoto shouts, a wave of extreme heat erupting from its chest and burning its way through the air toward the Flickerist.

Lamia blinks repeatedly. Snap out of it, she thinks. Her face flushes with embarrassment, even as another signal comes from Echidna.

She will perhaps later be pleased at the prospect that Echidna was gloating. That is an emotional reaction. For now, however...

Vysaga straightens up, having gone unharmed beyond some random building debris during the delay. Lamia answers Echidna aloud. "You have also committed an error, W-one-six."

Vysaga crouches slightly. Its thrust nacelle glows.

Then it seems to blur through space, as if its blade can carve through the very fabric of reality! (It can't, Lamia can just pull immense G-forces because her brain is a computer and she has powerful and large shock absorbers.) The sword comes around to strike towards Angelg's front -- which is entirely a feint, the blade thrown ahead in order to disrupt that incoming arrow that Lamia knows definitively will be coming.

Both clawed hands arc up then, aiming to dig down into the large forward section of choice with jagged tempered-metal hooklike protuberances; after this, Vysaga twists its wrists and pulls with brutal force, its eyes glowing blue even as one of its legs comes around in a graceful, slow moving, and probably metal-crushing axe kick.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Lethe Rusina transmits, "W16, I would advise you withdraw."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Echidna Iisaki transmits, "I had already intended to, W18. In the future, please do not give me orders, as you lack the authority to do so."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Lethe Rusina transmits, "Understood. I apologize."

The Qareen's power core is removed, and the Orbital Frame falls silent and inoperative. Suriel *should* be in no particular danger now, except for feeling like he just got his heart ripped out of his chest.

This is actually a question which has been bothering GGG for a while, but Guy takes a moment to confirm that there are still life signs from the pilot ... and then GaoGaiGar takes flight, still holding that power core in both hands.

Destination: wherever the EFA base's hazardous-materials containment is. Guy's not about to leave this power core - or even pieces of it - sitting around where it could damage the environment.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite looking at the vid-windows and winces...

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Seril... while you are at it, grab mister grumpy-face's Qareen."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Since that thing ain't moving without a core..."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Seril Vaskell transmits, "..If I double back, it'd be quicker to let you keep going."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Better do that then, since I can still move."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "He needs the help more."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "As much as Suriel can be a jerk at times, he's still a brother in arms..."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Echidna Iisaki transmits, "I will retrieve it."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Oh. Alright. That works too."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Seril Vaskell transmits, "--Ahh, okay, okay! I feel like a rubber band."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki rough, "Ha ha...that concerned about me Ascian?"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Maybe."

Echidna Iisaki fires the arrow.

Echidna is the older and more experienced of the W-series gynoids, and is - in a strictly mechanical sense - probably the better pilot. But she has weaknesses, and Lamia has learned to take advantage of them.

She did not expect Lamia to do something so insane as to throw her sword away as a block. The arrow hits it and explodes into a spray of sparks; the fact that Lamia carries through them means it didn't actually weaken the blow very much, only turning it from one big blast into a whole bunch of smaller ones. But it doesn't /stop/ Vysaga, and that's the important part.

Echidna's eyes widen fractionally as Lamia's machine plows into it. She's grabbed onto the right side, which means she is at a bad angle to use her shield as a weapon and is currently holding the bow, not the sword. The bow vanishes in a cloud of sparkles, and Angelg itself twists and turns.

A large chunk of the front shielding of Angelg literally tears off, leaving Lamia holding a large forward curve of plating. With half its chest messing, the rather lopsided-looking Angelg pushes away, wings beating strongly as it lifts up and away. Echidna cuts the visual feed, too, after getting her surprise under control.

Angelg fades from view, visual camoflague systems activating. The only clear sign of her location comes, moments later, when the hollowed-out mass of Qareen lifts itself into the air; Echidna cannot make it nearly invisible, too, so instead she flies away with it, blurry but not unseen.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "So... Seril. Have I shown you the invention that is called 'A Float' yet?"

On its flight, the Yatagarasu pauses and turns back towards the battlefield, only to resume leaving the area a moment later. Eventually, the Yatagarasu falls in step above the Amenthes, sliding its arms beneath the Orbital Frame's arms -- Well, arm and what's left of an arm. Inside, Seril beams, "Here! I got you, big brother! Your robot is in really bad shape, I'll help you get back!" Even though the weight is increased, those wings simply spread out to increase Yatagarasu's lift. "We should do this quickly though, I don't want to burn through your armor. Yatagarasu's exterior is still quite hot! Duat would be angry with me."

<Radio: A - DC Chat> Seril Vaskell switches to this frequency, as she doesn't want to get yelled at again, "A float?"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki transmits, "Thanks, W16."

<Radio: A - DC Chat> Ascian Luddite transmits, "It's cold, but yummy."

<Radio: A - DC Chat> Seril Vaskell transmits, "I'll try it, but I've been having a hard time enjoying cold treats. They're... *really* cold!"

Mazinger Z soars after the Flickerist. Its arms outstretched, its Rocket-propelled fists swiftly returning to their moorings. It's taking a pelting from both Assault Dragoons, yet it is dauntless. Its approach quick, its vector unyielding. Koji Kabuto is at the helm, his determination so strong. He squints past his cracked goggles, wholly fixated upon not the Flickerist but its pilot -- the enigmatic Lethe Rusina!

Combat data streams into the Flickerist..

Federal Unit: Mazinger Z Power Source: Photonic Energy Armor Material: Super-Alloy Z on semi-monocoque frame Height: 18 meters Weight: 20 tons Flightspeed: Mach 3

The data keeps coming, Lethe's digital probing so invasive that it even determines output of the pilot.

Pilot: Kabuto, Koji Race: Human Bloodtype: Type A Height: 1.7 Meters Nationality: Japanese Capabilities: God or Demon??

A FedID-tag displays the facts. Yet curiously, the man photographed in it is not Koji Kabuto. Instead, it is Shu Shirakawa.

And Shu Shirakawa is smirking.

In mid-air, the Flickerist's Mistress utilizes the Shadow Bits to conspire against Koji. They whirl toward high-flying Mazinger Z, intending on smashing into it at high velocity. Yet the Jet Scrander just unleashes more of its rocket-propellant, shooting the Armor of Miracles above and beyond.

The Shadow Bits fly off in six different directions, taking aim at Koji and Naoto...

..until all of a sudden, Lethe's datastream takes a turn for the alarming.

##ALERT## ##ALERT## Koji Kabuto gains INVINCIBLE ##ALERT## ##ALERT##

Lasers lance outward, converging upon the streaking Mazin. They envelop the soldier of our dreams, assaulting him with all the might and dark majesty of Shadow Mirror technology and intentions. There is an explosion that bombards the senses, shaking everything within five miles of the epicenter. The smoke and flames are both brilliant and obfuscating, swallowing everything up.

Everything except.. Mazinger Z!

When they finally come to destroy the Earth.. They'll have to deal with you first.. And my money says they won't know about.. THE THOUSAND FAHRENHEIT HOT METAL LIGHTS BEHIND YOUR EYES

Koji Kabuto emerges from the danger near-unscathed. The damage it already received exacerbated by the bubbling of the Super Alloy Z-paneling on its arms, legs, and chest. One of its scythe-like wings is dented, yet by some miraculous somehow, it doesn't seem to faze its aerodynamics.

The Man in Battle's eyes are lit with the same Photonic glow as the flying Mazin. His hair on end, his helmet having somehow disappeared in the midst of seemingly to be destroyed by the Shadow Breaker. He's screaming. So loud it can be heard across the battlefield and for miles, miles away. His fury cannot be denied!

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!"

Mazinger Z rockets toward the Flickerist, its Mazinblade drawn. Electricity crackles down its gleaming edge, the -Z- stamp in the middle lit up. Its arms raise, bringing its sword in reserve toward its right.

"THIS WILL END, WOMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!"

INVINCIBLE OH-OH-OH! YOU'RE INVINCIBLE THAT CRUSHING CRASHING ATOM SMASHING WHITE HOT THING IT'S INVINCIBLE

Koji pumps his fist within the confines of the Pilder. His spirit is all-encompassing. His courage limitless. His blood boiling hot.

-EVERYONE JOIN IN AND CRY OUT WITH ME!!-

"MAZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

<Radio: A - DC Chat> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Or I can introduce you to the lolipop... but I bet you know it already."

<Radio: A - DC Chat> Seril Vaskell transmits, "Also, I was wondering... The base we work out of, is something wrong with the water heater?"

<Radio: A - DC Chat> Seril Vaskell transmits, "--Oh yeah, I know what those are. The red ones are the best."

<Radio: A - DC Chat> Ascian Luddite transmits, "I don't think there's anything wrong with the heater."

<Radio: A - DC Chat> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Maybe you're coming down with a fever, I'll check your temperature when we get back to base."

<Radio: A - DC Chat> Seril Vaskell transmits, "Okay."

When the Yatagarasu picks up Amenthes, its heat shields immediately activate, and the SSA aims itself towards the sun-god sealing machine. The young man turns his attention to the machine for a moment. Normally, he didn't get to look at it this up close. With a thin-layer shield and the armor aimed for the unit, it seems the Orbital Frame is fine for now. Ascian opens a audio-video link with Seril. Again, showing Ascian with his bandaged off left eye and leg. <"You did well. I am glad you're my little sister. I'm really proud of you."> He smiles sincerely. <"But don't worry about Amenthes. Her basic defensive systems are still up and running.">

Echidna had no closing remarks. Lamia feels somehow disappointed, even as she's left with a palm full of pierced breast. The Vysaga hovers in place, pivoting around to recapture its sword - the Angelg has faded away from clear sight before she can focus once more. (That sword is important, it's got science in it.)

She is left seeing that Koji Kabuto is in pursuit of the Flickerist. A curious mixture of feelings come through Lamia, largely seeming to be in her stomach. On the one hand, whoever this is is now her replacement. She wonders for a moment if it is simply her, perhaps with a different mindset, in that cockpit.

Or a different one? Perhaps resembling Echidna. Or the others, long since passed into memory. Is it someone who could wake up? Is it even female?

There is really only one way to find out. Lamia lunges forwards, the slotting mechanisms in Vysaga filling the damaged machine's hands with a half-dozen sizzling blades, which are thrown in a pair of rapid lunges. This also throws that piece of severed plating, perhaps less effectually; then again, Boss does do this kind of thing successfully.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Echidna Iisaki transmits, "Retreating. I have Qareen."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite is trying, really! "Roger that, W-16."

Oh, the data that comes down the pipe. Most of it is committed to memory immediately, the important facts being glanced over as Lethe keeps the Flickerist moving on a careful course. As Echidna noted earlier, her piloting style is mechanical, precise, but lacking a personal flair-- maybe someday she'll fix that, when she has a bit more in the way of worldly experience.

The extreme heat and wind from Naoto's Vavel comes toward her like a shockwave, the disruption in the air causing her balance systems to shift; while a normal human being may become overheated and roast in the cockpit, while the machine would explode under such stress, Lethe instead keeps her cool-- even while the interior of the cockpit floods with heat. The sinks and vents around the Flickerist blast steam while it seems the worst of it is over-- and the purple-haired gynoid looks with a bit of surprise at the left pauldron. Where Naoto once left a shallow slash, it seems like he has melted that shoulder into slag.

The Mazinger Z comes back to her attention in short order; Lethe looks to see that blade being readied-- but she turns that intensity into sharp attention, her hands dropping off of the control sticks and to the keypads over either thigh. She types at superhuman speeds, reaching into reserve energy supplies and rerouting things inside those Shadow Bits all at once. By rights, they shouldn't be able to fire another blast like that again.

But it becomes clear when the six Shadow Bits start to rotate in a tightly-formed circle around the left arm, she's going to try. The arm starts to lift to enter the formation, the Flickerist's weight shifting to turn the left side more toward the invincible robot-- and the massive purple beam fires. The energy torrent slams into the machine, but it seems like the addition of the Jet Scrander, the addition of the Mazinblade, the damage that she's sustained and the amount of power already drained from the modified Sword Breakers' energy cells all work against her. "You will meet your end here, Koji Kabuto."

The massive sword comes down for what would surely be a killing blow. The custom Ashsaber makes a reverse-thrust lean, but it isn't quite enough. The damaged, melted pauldron and the extended left arm are cleaved clear off the body from the blow, the sheer might sundering straight down into the left leg-- severing /that/ just above the knee. What the /hell/ is the Mazinger Z made of...?! Even /she/ struggles with the controls. "Urgh-!" What the?!

The Flickerist starts to fall, caught only by the power of a Tesla Drive and the thrusters firing at maximum throttle. It's literally impossible to say how the machine is staying airborne at this stage, with the smoke pouring out of the stump of the left shoulder. Hovering close to the ground, her head turns-- just as those sizzling blades are thrown toward her. Two of the remote weapons dip through the air to stop a single blade each; they detonate mid-air. The right arm hefts to block the cockpit from the impact of the other blades as they strike and burn-- and the machine is driven closer to the ground by the shorn-off piece of armor. It... really doesn't look like it's in any condition to fight anymore.

Cue Face Phone.

There /are/ a few similarities in their appearance, but it might be more the subconscious whim of Lemon Browning. Lethe Rusina narrows her eyes as she plucks off the wraparound sunglasses that mask her eyes, head tilting forward. Her lips part, voice both soft and monotone, not with the cold, callous voice more often heard from Echidna. "Your attack was not tactically sound, W17. You would have had an eighty-three percent chance to destroy me at that moment if you had gone at me with a full offensive."

"Your thinking is inexcusably muddy," Lamia says.

The dramatic moment is weakened when an ionic flareout means that Vysaga's flight capacities fail. It lands in the middle of an open-air research park, sinking to one knee for a moment before rising and striding forwards, apparently intent on closing the distance -- but not quickly enough that she will be able to strike, considering the rain falling on the back of Vysaga is raising a hell of a lot of steam.

She opens her mouth - and her tone wavers, softening as she turns her eyes away from the display camera for a moment. That face, she thinks, that voice. This is her replacement?

"I had no interest in your destruction..."

Mazinger Z swoops after the falling Flickerist. The moment the Assault Dragoon stabilizes, the high-flying Steel Guard joins after it. Standing in front of it, sword still drawn in its right hand. Its left hand raises up, flattening out, presenting its black palm up to its head.

You could even swear a twangy western instrumental just blew on in, too.

Although humans can fight for good Give it all they've got Men are weak as their flesh and blood Mazinger is not

Koji reaches for the canopy button. There's a hiss of escaping air as the bubble atop the Pilder slides open like a clamshell. He fiddles with his safety belt, his fingertips worrying over the release. A click comes and Koji Kabuto is free.

Tenuously, fretfully, Mazinger's pilot ventures past the safety of the cockpit. A brave man no more than seventeen years of age, with hair as wild as it comes blowing in the wind. Koji tries to steady himself, using the maglocks in the boots of his flightsuit to keep from being knocked off to his death.

"I-I know you're in there..!!" Koji Kabuto calls out to Lethe. He's so loud and at the moment, he's more fearful of what lies within the Flickerist than the dangers he is dealing with. "You're that purple-haired girl from before!!" he alleges with no lingering doubt. "I know you!!"

Koji squints, as if his own mortal eyes could penetrate the battered hull of the Flickerist and stare at the pilot within. "Why're you doing any of this!? This is.. this is madness! Stop this! There's no point to any of it! Just stop! Please--!"

Without power Men are lost in this world, Where fighting never stops He fights evil and works for happiness, our Mazinger Z

ELSEWHERE

Sayaka twitches. She's suddenly filled with an overwhelming urge.. to put a bitch's head through a mirror.

The left leg sparks at the stump. That close to the ground, it may as well just try to stand and balance on one leg. Huffman Island has still been plunged into chaos, so there's little chance of the defense forces at the base being able to charge the Flickerist at this point... but the Mazinger, the Vavel, and the Vysaga are all here, at close range.

Lethe's head tilts. Her thinking is ... muddy?

The lack of emotion in her voice is not complete. There's a flicker of something there, something that sparks only when she's told something that doesn't fit with the perfect, logical world that she's been presented with. She does what she's ordered. She fights who she's told to fight. She looks for the numbers, the cold facts, the logic.

W17 could have killed her. /Should/ have killed her.

"I do not understand," she says, the look on her face surprisingly... thoughtful. She still has a lot to learn, what with how young she actually is.

And then the rain starts. Steam rises from the Flickerist as well, the black machine releasing a horrific scalding noise from the destroyed left shoulder and leg. Koji Kabuto steps out into the open, and it becomes clear in short order that it would take little for her to just /kill him/ at this point, and be done with it. Why is she doing this?

Her voice rings out on the exterior speaker:

"I am following orders of my superior. There is nothing else that matters."

The Flickerist stops moving, apparently too damaged to fight further. That suits Naoto just fine, since those bits aren't flying around anymore. He deactivates Vavel's Volcanic Mode, returning it to its previous form, and grabs a canteen seemingly from nowhere. "Well, that's done, I guess. Too bad I didn't get to properly test the sword." he says, after taking a sip or two. "Well, there will be other battles, I guess." Huffman Island seems to be...adequately intact, and Vavel's only battle wounds are the holes in its torso from the bits (which have thankfully stopped leaking by now). All in all, he'd consider it a mostly successful mission. Job well done. "So what do we do with her now? She isn't fighting, she isn't running."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "What's taking W-18?"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Don't tell me they got her while we were retreating?"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Vindel Mauser transmits, "I am ascertaining her status. The situation will be... addressed."

"Your superior?" Koji stumbles upon the ineveitable question. "But who?"

Lamia and Naoto are talking now, in his ear. Koji reaches up, his fingertips brushing the tiny earbud that serves as his communicator. His eyes tighten as the rain begins to fall. Droplets dapple the leather/vinyl-construction of his flightsuit. The unruly spikes of his hair take on the moisture and begins plastering to his scalp.

"We -- I -- don't want to hurt you," Koji explains carefully as he takes one step backward. "We just want to understand you.." It's a recitation of the Federation's stance toward meeting new forms of life. The first directive: establish you are not their enemy.

Granted, it never works.

"Please, just.." Koji raises his hands in the universal sign of peace. "Stand down. You can't even fight anymore. All your friends have fled. Just power down and let us take care of you."

"... You're wrong," Lamia answers Lethe, before killing the video feed and then the audio feed as well.

She settles back in her chair. Part of her wonders why she did /that/. She wanted to hide her face, but she isn't crying, even though a strange melancholy seems to be seeping into her.

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki transmits, "We have good ejection systems, so I am sure she'll get away."

Echidna is probably going to be unhappy that she actually stopped to talk to Lamia at a time like this, but... with all things being squre, it also provides her with a chance to think of some way to escape from this situation. If she drains the rest of the batteries on the Shadow Bits, she might have a chance of ekeing out more juice, something to kick-start the main verniers and get the heavily modified Ashsaber off into the sky.

And then her brow furrows.

She's ... wrong? "I do not underst..."

Lethe stares at her screen and the closing phone window for another long moment. Koji Kabuto calls out for more explanations. He cries out for more than that. He's calling out for a /reason/. Looking at the forward monitor, at the inset panel of the Mazinger pilot for a few long moments, she starts to wonder. If she doesn't use her 'get out of jail free' card via calling for Vindel, will she be able to take them out with the 'get out of life free' card?

The purple-haired girl types at that superhuman speed once again, bypassing safeguards and limiters, rerouting power and turning off supplementary control systems. The extra monitors start to die off. Weapons are turned off. Pilot support systems are turned off, forcing the control sticks to gain a whole lot more in the way of weight and resistance.

"I politely refuse to comply, Koji Kabuto."

The thrusters fire with an angry BANG. The ground underneath the Flickerist ignites with the residual heat and flame, and the thrashed black Assault Dragoon begins a powerful ascent toward the clouds, aiming-- at least, so long as no one takes a pot-shot at her on the fly-- to make an escape to the north.

'I politely refuse to comply, Koji Kabuto.'

Oh.

/OHHHHHHH/.

Koji's eyes widen as he begins to assume the worst. Didn't Lamia say to keep his distance from her? A tense chill races up his spine. His nerve-endings are on fire and every single muscle freezes up.

But all of a sudden, the Flickerist's thrusters kick in.

"OH SH--" the sound of rocket-ignition drowns him out. The force that sends the Ashsaber rocketing into the sky offbalances Koji.

"WH-WHOOOOOOOOOOOOA!!" he shouts over the open line, his arms flapping rapidly in some vain attempt to fly.

Koji falls back into the Pilder, bumping his head in the process. "Yeeouch!"

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Lethe Rusina transmits, "W18, I am clear."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki transmits, "See, totally called it."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Good."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Lethe Rusina transmits, "Please advise the engineering teams on standby: The Flickerist is currently missing the lower half of the left leg."

<Radio: B - DC Tactical> Suriel Misaki transmits, "Made out better than I did."