2010-03-31 - Slicing Up Eyeballs

Fifth Luna - SIDE 1

"We are in range, sir."

"Good. Are the mobile suits prepared -- grrmhgf -- for launch?"

"Yes, sir."

"And the -- hmffg -- Minerva?"

"It is in position and ready to engage at mission start time."

"Mmph... wonderful. We're right on schedule, then. Though really -- even having to feign pretending a bunch of straggling remnants of a bunch of overglorified space terrorists are a threat makes me sick to my stomach enough."

Brigadier General Arthur Goodman finishes chomping down the remains of a chocolate eclair snared in his gloved grasp, simultaneously fastening on his bulbous gray-green normal suit in an awkward display as he floats backward into his command chair, thick lips pulling into a titilated smile. Goodman proceeds to snap his helmet into place and press down on the data pad of his chair's armrest, pulling up a simple inventory: a list of mobile weapons.

"Our target today is 'Neo-Zeon's' resource base Fifth Luna, gentleman." The sarcasm practically drips off Goodman's voice as he speaks the word 'Neo-Zeon', flicking on A-LAWS communications. "We will be engaging under plan formation five-beta; the Blanc Rival shall be approaching from Luna's front, the Minerva from its rear. We are to disrupt Fifth Luna's resource development here, either by destruction or seizure, or both."

The distinctive Pegasus-class flagship "Blanc Rival" drifts through the contested space of Side 1 in a lazy drift of low-powered thrusters. It carries towards the asteroid base of Fifth Luna like an ominous sign in the distance, flagged by A-LAWS' newest Ural-class mobile suit transport ships -- like the legendary White Base itself come back to strike down the straggling remnants of Zeon and their Crusader-aligned allies. The Urals' bay doors open, and mobile suit racks extend outward, displaying rows of red mobile suits.

"We are at the designated coordinates, sir. Mission start--"

"--is now," Brigadier General Goodman says with a delighted smirk as he flicks open his communications systems. "All forces: the mission is set to commence now! All mobile suits deploy in accordance to the mission parameters -- show these dissidents the strength of A-LAWS!"

Communications cut off, as Arthur Goodman leans back, settling both arms luxuriously along their rests. "I wonder," he muses, "if this is what one calls 'divine retribution'?" The blonde-haired, heavyset man pauses, looking down as he wipes clean a smudge of creme at the corner of his mouth with his index finger, and brings it the digit to his mouth, gobbling up the scant remains of his pastry with a delighted look.

"Delicious."

The blue and white Soulgain stands on the very top of Fifth Luna.

The machine's feet rest on the nickel-iron rock that makes up the resource satellite, with its arms crossed over its chest. The head of the machine looks downward, peering towards the fleet of A-LAWs ships, with some EFA regular support, advancing towards them. His eyes narrow, eyebrows furrowing, as he sees them approach.

"Looks like they're pissed off," he mutters, to himself. He stands up straighter; across the 360 degree cockpit of the Soulgain, sensors and lights flash one by one, announcing that systems are being activated and energy management levels are changing to a combat configuration. His lips curl back, into a scowl.

"Regent Karn," he says, with a grunt. "This is Commander Almer. The Shadow-Mirrors are on hand, and we'll make sure this doesn't fall. What's that you say?"

He cracks a smirk. It sounds strange, but he has to admit, it's kind of fun.

"Sieg Zeon."

Roberto is in his Rick Dias, he's all the way out here, near the Neo-Zeon's luna base. Perhaps he doesn't know why he is here, or perhaps he does. Roberto is cruising around on intertial motion, not bothering to ignite the puffy pink burst of boost from his mobile suits backside to draw attention to his oldschool all-black Dias.

The edge of the universe ripples malevolently behind him, his squad mate Apolly nearby, as they work patrol, or do they? That's classified. They're not with Zeon, or Neo Zeon, not... anymore? "Hey apolly what do you think happens if you get sucked into the edge of the universe right there?" He asks gesturing with a Dias arm at the flat and poorly paralaxed visual effect creating the EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE just behind the LaGrange.

"You probably just end up Shadow Mirrored in the NeHAYTive zone." Appolly responds. Moving his Rick Dias, also in black, closer --

--TO THE EDGE

Some Time Ago: Roberto is in La Gias with Apolly, they are sitting in a calm wooded clearing, a gentle fire burning safely in a fire pit made out of rocks. They roast marshmallows and laugh one-dimensionally. "Oh Apolly, this vacation was so nice. This is a nice place. " Apolly grunts in agreement and picks up a sandwich. But Roberto can see the sandwich is really a MOGWUMP in disguise, a horrible frog fairy that eats brains and disguises itself as food items so it can sneak into your mouth. "APOLLY NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Roberto cries, sweat and tears pouring down his face before everything goes to black in a hard non-fading-cut.

NOW:

"APOLLY NOOOOOOOOO!" Roberto is alone in his Rick Dias out by the Neo Zeon fortress, a squad of his fellow Dias squadmates in there distincyly RED suits show up. "Apolly what? He's still on assignment out on the other side of the orbital ring, are you okay Sir? Roberto, are you okay? Open the comm Roberto, Roberto, open the comm."

Roberto's Rick Dias begins to move, adopting a combat ready stance as something sinister begins to coalesc on the horizon. "Just a bad dream Thornton." He replies to the concerned NPC. "Just a bad dream."

SOME TIME AGO

Regent Haman Karn strolls through the halls of Fifth Luna. Her attire, which has taken a specific cant toward 'royalty' of late and in the last week or so has had its cut modified so as to be a bit more -- uh, womanly, is about as appropriate for the business of a surprise inspection as a white dress is if you're a wedding guest. "Mmm," she intones boredly, listening to facts and figures about the production quota and the resource management and this and that and the third.

Haman Karn really doesn't know what possessed her to do a surprise inspection today. The last one wasn't /that/ long ago. She even bumped some things off of her schedule just to make it happen. But for some reason, it seemed really important to do it. And Haman is a woman who knows better than to deny intuition.

She's standing at a window, staring out listlessly, wondering why this all seemed like it was so necessary when she woke up. But then, suddenly, everything in the entire world changes colors and distorts. Space and time briefly lose meaning -- or, rather, acquire new ones, that linear language in any mode cannot possibly accommodate. In short, Haman Karn is having a

NEWTYPE FLASH

and though it only lasts a second, when it's over she feels like she's been beaten on every inch of her body. She also knows now why it was so important why she came. Lifting her cape with both hands, Haman Karn, Regent of Axis, breaks into a /run/ toward the bays, heels be damned.

"PREPARE MY QUBELEY!"

NOW

"Sieg Zeon indeed, Almer," Haman Karn responds as the Qubeley launches, a huge sphere of light flickering behind it, so bright that to look at it without the glare reduction of mobile suit cockpits could well be enough to blind someone. The Regent moves quickly, her psycommu system pushing the Qubeley to its limits, as if seeking to slingshot herself right to the front lines. Funnels prime themselves, as if of their own volition, while a pair of long, glowing beam sabers extend from the crab-like construct's forearms.

"This is Regent Haman Karn of Neo Zeon," Haman says into the radio, her tone nothing short of totalitarian.

"We will not be taking prisoners."

It's not just a warning to the A-LAWS forces.

It's broadcast to the Zeon and K-side forces on hand and incoming, as well.

It's their orders.

Though it's been a rough few days, Louise Halevy's resolve has been strengthened by the intervention of one Revive Revival. The doubt has gone back out of her heart, both in her comrades (... most of them) and in her duty. She must destroy the enemies of the future. This is her duty -- and this is why 'he' has seen fit to equip her with her new weapon.

Gripping the necklace that she was given by Revive, Louiseflies alongside the Blanc Rival, serving as its mobile suit escort to the location -- if all it does is float forward at a battleship's cruising speed, it can operate more or less forever, so it makes an optimal ally to the ship.

Settling into the cockpit, Louise gets ready to face the enemy. As Haman Karn makes her broadcast, Louise begins to smile. No quarter asked?

None given, then.

Assigned to a perimeter not too far away from the Fifth Luna resource satellite is a white Gundam, the presence of which has been a fixture in some of the year's most intense battles. It's the Wing Zero, with its ardent pilot in tow, bringing him closer to what theatrical people would call his destiny, others yet his demise, and still others, just another big ol' fight.

Inside, the Zero System is going quite wild about this. The pivotal defense of Neo Zeon's asteroid. A swarm of giant robots flying in and out of each other, arms torn off, metal scraped and melted away, lives evaporated at the blink of a sight -- each and every one, potentially, all flashing through Heero Yuy's mind like the universe's most irritating advertisement banner.

In his mind, the principles are pretty clear: He will not allow the A-LAWS to continue to act as they please, in spacenoid territory. This is their home field. This is their birthplace, the inky substance that their lives unfold in, and their likely grave in the end.

"Zero... no matter what you show, you are not going to change my mind today," he responds. The System acquiesces silently, its light dimming and leaving the youth quite alone in the dimmed light of his cockpit... before Haman's orders emit themselves over his broadcaster.

"Attack order, mission accepted."

Mebius sits easy within the cockpit of Orcrist, her usual playful, witty self... and she's given no shortage of material to work with in light of Haman's threat. "Oh my." Mebius /almost/ sounds surprised. "There's nothing quite like orders to leave nothing but corpses to remind us that the enemy of our enemy is probably still going to be an enemy afterward... I suppose we'll just have to be better role models and reform your bloodthirsty ways." It's an oddly serene, cheerful joke as Mebius guides her delightfully /pink/ orbital frame through space, keeping at least a vague formation with machines like the Wing Zero.

It is sheer coincidence that, on the opposite end of the battlefield, someone else is in a machine with gigantic cannons and handling something given to them by a loved one (or something confusing enough to be close) as well. The benefit of his particular keepsake is that it is a timepiece, and he has a mission to commence in...

"Not long now," murmurs Shiro Amada. He tucks the winged watch into a pouch on his pilot suit--added for his purpose--and takes hold of the familiar controls. It's been a while since he took this out; ever since he got transferred to the Minerva, he has been using a GN-XIII. This, though, is basically his baby, and one he can fix on the fly when he has to and move pretty readily.

The catapult controls are given over to him. Shiro takes a breath. "Lance-5, Gundam Ez8, launching!"

The Gundam emerges from the Minerva, ready to attack. The pair of mounted Salamis cannons gives it a distinct profile--and a threatening one, at that. "Here I come, you Zeon bastards...!"

The Alteisen, bright red like the freshest and juiceiest of gigantic robot cherries, shoots out of the Shirogane's hanger. It accelerates as fast as its old-fashioned generator allows, as Kyosuke Nanbu pushes it to reach the front of the pack, an assault position. It's the sort of role that the Alteisen was made for. It's just...sort of struggling to get there, is all. There's a lot of mass to get moving, and the last thing Kyosuke needs is to get going so fast that he can't stop. Looking at the A-LAWS formations of mobile suits so neatly displayed on his monitors, all GN-powered and sparkly, he feels a momentary pang of envy. And just like that, it's gone, as he focuses on the task at hand. No time for distractions, especially not in the face of crazy space terrorist death threats. "This is Assault-1, moving to intercept the enemy."

"I still say this feels... weird," remarks Garrod from within the cockpit of a small, nimble, and /STUPIDLY/ fast Rosenthal Type-HOGIRE. The same one he aquired a long while ago back when he wasn't part of Katharon, "I mean, I know we have to fight the A-Laws and all, but it just feels odd shooting at people one day, then teaming up with them the next only to go /back/ to shooting them the day after..." His tiny little Armored Core idles as it closes the distance, moving at nowhere it's top speed. Charging off without back up isn't very bright after all.

Various ships dock at the resource colony, either for repairs, desperation for shoreleave, to pick something up to take elsewhere... and there are several ships from one of the less savory Zeonic units at dock now. The Lili Marleen doesn't look that evil from a distance; it's dark green and connected by several umblicals to Fifth Luna.

Cima Garahau had been taking lunch while relaxing on her command couch, one arm slung over the white-tiger pelt when alerts went out. With her mouth around a Zeonic sausage (like a Polish, but with more tilapia,) she misses out on the critical first two seconds of response. Fortunately, Axel Almer picks up the slack as Cima swallows a mouthful of well chewed meat.

When the orders come through, she performs as expected, raising one hand in the air and making gentle shaking motions, as if grasping something. The crew are amused. "Alright, you sodomites," she says as she hefts herself up off the couch, "secure the gantries and keep in the leeward side. I'm going out."

"Yes ma'am" comes the chorus, and Cima turns to head downwards...

A LITTLE WHILE LATER

There is a glittering moment of horribly contrasting colors, streaking towards a dumped slag-gravel cluster locked in a lazy orbit around Fifth Luna. The engines go quiet then, lowering the Gelgoog's sensor profile.

"Come on," Cima murmurs to herself. "Go for the big shiny things, children."

In the hangar bay of the Blanc Rival, a distinctive mobile suit in black and red stands idle, its pilot floating negligently in microgravity just outside of it. His flight suit is A-LAWS colours, black and teal, though there's a red section above the faceplate, which bears small horns. On his face is half a mask, covering from his nose to his forehead, blond hair covering it partially. "So, today we take the fight to the deluded remnants of Zeon once more," the man who has come to be known as Mister Bushido muses, turning his helmet over in his hands. He doesn't really care about Zeon, honestly. But he does care about the so-caled 'Divine Crusaders'. "Hmph," the masked ace mutters, sliding his pilot suit helmet on with a hiss of pressurisation, before he grabs the edge of the open cockpit to lever himself in to his machine, the seat reclining back as the armored covering shuts and panoramic displays boot up. "Inform General Goodman that I'm leaving," the One Man Army says, steering his suit towards the Blanc Rival's catapult. Moments later, the GNX-U02X Masurao hurtles into the space around Luna-5, burnt orange GN particles trailing behind it brilliantly, as if in strident challenge to the defending forces. "Let us see," Mister Bushido says, to himself, "if there is anyone here worthy of facing me today."

Joining the growing wedge of Katheron units deployed to support the Zeeks is Dom Funf fitted for 0-G maneuvers. Thrusters emit bulbs of light from beneath it's skirt and feet, hurrying it along with the rest. It's dudded up in AEUG Dias colors just to keep it from getting shot by the wrong folks.

Kurz readies himself, making a few last second checks and putting a bag of chips away befor he seals his helmet and takes hold of the controls.

"No, I'm sure we'll get along swimmingly after this is all said and done." remarks Kurz back to Mebius, "Who knows, if we do a good job she might even invite us onboard for a pizza party and twister." Why twister? Kurz keeps hearing that these Zeon gals are rather flexible.

SOME TIME AGO

Nope, nothing of note happened in this flashback. Please move on ahead. We're walking, we're walking...

RIGHT NOW

The EFA and A-LAWs agreement includes occasionally lending staff to the missions of one or the other. In this case, Rocbell has been assigned to join the forces in this attack, and she agreed quite freely. Most people in A-LAWS seem perfectly nice to her, and Novas trusts them, after all.

In the hangar of the Blanc Rival, she steps into her Queadluun-Rau, still trying to adjust to the strange feeling in her artificial arm. This one is less disguised by fake skin, looking more directly cybernetic due to the 'special features.' They wouldn't be of much use in the vacuum of space, for that matter; nor would her beloved Sylph, which is an excellent machine on land and a bit less effective in zero-G. Which is why she is casually huge as she pulls the cover of the Rau open, sitting up in her powered armor and keying up the machine.

"Rocbell Dajalah, launching!" As her voice thunders cutely over the radio, she peers around for her assigned 'partner' for this mission...

"These fools do not understand anything," Zechs Merquise exclaims, observing the brewing conflict from the Mobile Armor Epyon just above the atmosphere of the Earth. To think that Katharon has aligned with Zeon -- it is something not even Milliardo Peacecraft, Goodwill Ambassador to the Sanc Kingdom, can fathom. While the people of space are the strongest he has ever met, to think --

"It doesn't matter, does it, my old friend?" Zechs says, talking to his Gundam. Reaching forward, his red gloved hand keys up the throttle stick. The super verniers on the back of the Epyon start to engage; indigo glow coming from the thrusters. "I know what must be done. They will find they have overestimated how much I value my life!"

Rocketing forward at impossible speeds, the Epyon enters the Fifth Luna airspace. Immediately, the dark Gundam transforms, forming into the unmistakable form of the Epyon -- exaggerated wing binders fanning outward.

"Hnh," Zechs grunts, pulling the helmet of the ZERO System down. The Black Technology hums, powering up, as data starts to flow into his central consciousness. Targets start to line up in his mind, small dots with a million different futures. Which one will it be today?

In the hours leading up to this operation, Johnny Domino didn't feel anything too special about it. The usual restlessness preceding a big mission was there, of course, but the Agent had long since learned how to curb his pre-battle anxiety, lest he go insane. This time was no different.

It was just another job, and Johnny Domino was going to go out there and perform his job as expected of him. Then he'd come back, climb out of his bio-unit and go on with his life. Nothing bad was going to happen, no one he knows was going to die -- /he/ wasn't going to die -- and most important of all, that tingling sensation brewing inside of him and slowly creeping up his spine didn't mean he was scared.

It meant he was... worried. That's all.

Thirty minutes before mission start, with the forces already assembled, tragedy struck. While suiting up, Agent Domino was summoned for debriefing. It was really weird, the Agent thought, considering he had just FINISHED getting debriefed with everyone else. Perhaps someone had a special assignment for him that was supposed to be kept secret? Agents get that from time to time, after all.

As it turned out, his assignment was Rocbell. No, really. Apparently the EFA had 'lent' A-LAWS some token soldiers for this operation, Rocbell among them... and she was to pair up with Domino, just one of many EFA-LAWS pairings assigned before go time.

Johnny Domino didn't like it. He liked it even less when he discovered Rocbell was going to in her giant form.

And now, sitting inside of Chimera, having already launched into space, the Agent's mind is miles away from the task at hand. The task being to rendezvous with Rocbell's unit and proceed deeper into the battlezone.

Chimera, feeling the link to its pilot wavering thanks to Domino's troubled mind, mentally prods the young man. Roused from his distraction, the Agent blinks inside his spongy cockpit.

There's silence for a moment longer. Then, desperate and anxious, Johnny cries out to no one in particular, "WHY?!"

"Alteisen..." Axel growls, softly. He leans forward; his eyes narrow, and then his lips split into an angry scowl. The Soulgain brings back one fist, and blue lightning crackles, as if from nothing, along the fist. The machine's thrusters fire, and it blitzes into space. A line of blue flame trails across the stars, leaving fire in its wake, and a small patch of Fifth Luna's asteroid hulk scarred black.

Lightning crackles, and the fist comes backward. The Soulgain accelerates to maximum speed in a split second, light burning bright after it. The red eyes flash and glow, and leave trails of light in their wake.

The fist comes almost out of nowhere; Axel is slammed forward and back, as the verniers cause it to brake, just after throwing a mighty punch aimed at the midsection of the Alteisen, and bring the Soulgain to what appears to be a sudden stop. Axel, however, does not stop -- he keeps going, fury and soul given voice.

"BEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULF!"

Puru Two hasn't been in space for a while. Rather than being part of the Neo Zeon defense force, she arrived here with the Shadow-Mirrors, piloting her shiny new Ashsaber. Well, it's not that new, she'd been using it for a while, but it hasn't been officially hers for too long yet, and it sure is shiny! Presentation counts for a lot, one has to look good when presenting yourself to Haman Karn.

Turns out Haman was at Fifth Luna, and that they're having a fight on their hands already. Isn't that just the most fortunate timing? "A welcome back party? For me? How thoughtful." She's in a plenty good mood, nothing better to cheer a girl up than the prospect of a good fight.

As is almost always the case, Puru Two directs her machine towards the front lines, to make sure that she gets a good piece of the action. Not coincidentally, she approaches on the same general vector as Haman Karn's Qubeley. "Just what I like to hear," she responds to the orders given, a grin on her features as she tightens her grip on the controls, surveying the battlefield. "Don't die too quickly now, it'd be a shame if this was over quickly."

COMBAT: Axel Almer has attacked Kyosuke Nanbu. Light Speed Punch added to their queue.

As Cima's Gelgoog's engines cut out, a crimson and black Zaku III a few seconds behind it takes the opportunity to catch up to it and then match speeds; a moment later, its thrusters, too, go dark. The Zaku unshoulders its enormous bazooka as it coasts alongside the eye-searingly colored Gelgoog, and then turns to face the Gelgoog next to it, lifting a hand in something vaguely resembling a salute.

"Gelgoog. Nice choice," Johnny comments to the woman via the power of short-range laser communication, a hint of pride in his voice. He's not biased, of course; the fact that he was personally involved with testing the Gelgoog prototypes before the machine made mass production - what little mass production it saw - doesn't factor into his feelings for the machine in the slightest.

No sir.

His piece said - or, rather, the piece that there's no hand sign for - the Crimson Lightning reverts to giant robot hand signals, crisply informing Cima that he'll follow her lead before the Zaku turns to face forwards again.

What exactly he was doing on the Lili Marleen is, of course, anyone's guess.

The Federation they had come. It was clear why they were here to Norris. He did not care, let them come. The Earthanoids and traitors in ZAFT march only onwards to their deaths at the hands of Zeon and its allies. Strange allies to be sure but he trusted in Lady Hamans judgment.

No Gouf, its being repaired from the beating it took at the hands of several EFA pilots. Norris machine is something different something some would know. The sleek form of an Kaempfer is launching in defence of the Neo Zeon resource base.

"Norris Packard, Launching!"

The old man and his machine are flying free in the void the optic glowing brightly as he takes in the much more modern machines before him. It didnt matter it always was the pilot, not the machine. The Norris checked his weapons load out. Once again it was good, he had what he needed.

"We do not let one of them through! "

Lady Haman gives the order of no prisoners it was to be expected. He never expected any mercy from the feds. So why not give it to them in kind? He scans the enemy forces for a moment picking out a strange signature that doesnt read like the others. Its likely an ace, or some sort of special unit. Either way it needs to die.

His machine picks up speed to full throttle and speeds right at Louise and her machine the dark blue zone machine bears Delaz Fleet as well as Neo Zeon Markings on it. The pilot has to be a one years war vet, both in choice of his machine and the Delaz connection.

"Welcome to your grave Earthanoid, the cold chill of space will be where you sleep for the rest of time!"

The shotgun in its hands fires several solid slug rounds at Louise machines as it continues to close. The voice of the pilot sounds older than your typical mobile suit pilot hes got to be in his 30s somewhere and hes not done talking yet either.

"SEIG ZEON!"

COMBAT: Norris Packard has attacked Louise Halevy. Pump Shotgun added to their queue.

STEP ZERO OUT OF FIFTY FOUR COMPLETE: MK. 82 NUCLEAR WARHEAD LOADED. WAITING...

SOME TIME AGO

Anavel Gato watches, awe-struck, as ChoRyuJin's Eraser Head device disappears into the midst of a nuclear detonation... only to draw the entirety of its sound and fury into itself seconds later.

NOW

"No," Gato sharply radios as the Gundam GP-02A 'Physalis' rockets closely behind Haman Karn's Quebeley. "No prisoners at all." The purloined Gundam draws one of its two lime-green beam sabers from its recharge rack, briefly scattering Minovksy particles behind it like it's some kind of mechanical Jesus before the blade properly coheres. "I can only hope that what's left of them, whatever remains to be entombed in Fifth Luna's gravity well will serve us."

The GP-02A performs a deft acrobatic twist towards the GN Cannon's side of the Blanc Rival; its eyes glow momentarily as the two enter one another's line of sight, and then it is nearly consumed by a renewed flaring of its shoulder verniers. Its shield hand extends, intent on grippling the GN Cannon's head.

"For our sake, for theirs, that they'll finally have the opportunity to have done something meaningful with their lives."

The GP-02A will then - if it has managed to thread the gaps between the GN Cannon's four most obvious armaments to seize its cranium - use this hold as bracing and leverage with which to drive its madly flickering beam saber into the A-LAWS mobile suit.

"Sieg Zeon."

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has attacked Louise Halevy. Beam Saber Combo - Standard Output added to their queue.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has struck a solid hit on Kyosuke Nanbu's Alteisen using Light Speed Punch.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has missed Axel Almer with his Heat Horn counter attack.

The Wing Zero thrusts forward as its wing binders unfurl. Split into four, they serve to create superior boost and control for the lucky Gundam pilot, who will be needing every inch of power and every advantage he can get his hands on. And to Heero, that means... striking hard, and striking early. The ZERO System -- one of two operating on the battlefield today, no less -- picks out a target for him... Louise Halevy's GN Cannon.

"Combat level assessed, assigning parameters to adjust... target acquired. I will ... eliminate all obstacles," Heero narrates to himself (although he doesn't actually turn the radio off during these segments, making him quite the fanciful talk-to-self).

The Wing Zero swoops down, its machine cannon ports open. "A-LAWS officer -- that's as far as you go. I will not tolerate your presence in our home any longer..." And a curtain of solid bullets accents that warning, headed straight for the Cannon.

COMBAT: Heero Yuy has attacked Louise Halevy. Dual Machine Cannons added to their queue.

Novas has decided to go out in her Queadluun Rau as a giant again. Because it's /awesome/. She tried to avoid doing it because of the numerous reasons why it's not a good idea but quite frankly, it's awesome, and that's reason enough.

She passes by Johnny Domino having been similarly assigned to make sure he doesn't die in the same way Johnny Domino has been assigned to make sure Rocbell doesn't die (who may have also been assigned to make sure someone else doesn't die).

"Yo JD! You havin' one of those moments where the rest of the world is like 'what's that guy thinkin?' and then you pop out with a line like 'but where are we gonna find the gnomes' and shit?"

A pause, and then, "Hey Rocky!"

SEVERAL HOURS AGO, BLANC RIVAL, CAPTAIN CARE'S QUARTERS

"Crusaders, huh..?"

Sitting at a terminal is the androgynous Captain Healing Care, who idly peruses over several reports with a languid smirk. Violet eyes are half-lidded with what is evidently delight as she reads over the mission details, then...something else. A memo from Captain Revival.

"Maybe...oh, no. That would be high hopes, if that /doll/ were there. Too good to be true."

With a put-upon sigh, the "Cyber Newtype" simply flicks the monitor off and rises from her chair.

SEVERAL MINUTES AGO, BLANC RIVAL

"God, am I surrounded by fucking MORONS?"

In the mobile suit hangar of the Blanc Rival, Healing Care--suited up for deployment--stares angrily at several much taller and much bigger mechanics. For whatever reason, they all flinch from the pilot under the care of Ribbons Almark. She's snarling as her arms wildly gesture at the repaired-upon Garazzo.

"I ex/PLICTLY/ stated that I wanted the GARAZZO readied for field combat, not 'STILL BEING WORKED ON.' Arhg!" Throwing her arms into the air, the pilot spikes her helmet in rage. "I can't believe you fucks still have a job! /FINE/. I'll use the Gadessa. But I won't /LIKE/ it."

NOW

"God I hate humans SO MUCH," grouses Healing Care in the seat of her Gadessa, helmetless. "You give them an order and they just stare at you with bovine fucking eyes. I /swear/."

Reaching a gloved hand out, the young woman(?) snaps on her communications.

"Hey you Zeke fucks!" cries the girl, her tone sharp but thoroughly delighted.

"My name is Captain Healing Care, and I'm here to ruin your precious shit. I hope you'll all be grateful I came out to play."

The silvery mobile suit soars menacingly toward Fifth Luna, a spray of brilliantly orange GN-T particles fanning out behind it. In its hands is a large, really imposing rifle. No.

/Mega launcher/. Yeah.

A second Rick Dias flies into formation with the other Katheron machines. This one is painted black with orange highlights and a blue-green mono-eye. It also seems to have replaced the backpack weapon rack with... some sort of backpack, and stakelike weapons have been added to the forearms.

"Finally... After they took La Vie En Rose, I had to do something... And now that these weapons are ready... I'll show those A-LAWS a thing or two!"

The tramission from Haman gives him a shiver, though. "It's the crazy lady who wants to dissect me! Aww man, I thought she was dead!"

Roberto moves with the rest of his squad as Hamans orders come over the broadcast. Lines of bright red Rick Diaii flank out as the A-LAWS offensive moves in on Mobile Suit heads up displays like a forceful battering ram of concentrated cyan light. Thornton and three other guys in red suits explode next to Roberto, as a missile scores a critical hit on a unit in the center of formation and the resulting flak explosion takes out everyone closeby.

Roberto's black Dias disignites its boost, going into stealth mode as it coasts past all kinds of beam fire and bullets towards the onrushing offensive. Roberto clucks remorsefully muttering a few solem prayers for the souls of his fellow soldiers as he moves to fall in behind a few other mahcines he's never fought 'with' before, most specifically Norris' Kaempfer, surprised as a tightbeam transmission then identifies the pilot as one known to him.

Taking adventage of this information Roberto responds, and reignites his boost, orbiting out and around the target Norris is allready engaged with, his Dias arcs gracefully across the inky blackness, both hands clutching a beam pistol tightly as he waits for the perfect lock on Louise' currently armed weapon. "FOR ZEON!"

COMBAT: Roberto has attacked Louise Halevy. Weapon Breaker added to their queue.

COMBAT: Norris Packard has missed Louise Halevy with his Pump Shotgun attack.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has missed Norris Packard with her GN Missiles counter attack.

COMBAT: Roberto has struck a minor hit on Louise Halevy's GN Cannon using Weapon Breaker.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has missed Roberto with her GN Missiles counter attack.

COMBAT: Heero Yuy has struck a glancing hit on Louise Halevy's GN Cannon using Dual Machine Cannons.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has counter attacked for a minor hit on Heero Yuy's Wing Gundam Zero using GN Missiles.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has missed Louise Halevy with his Beam Saber Combo - Standard Output attack.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has missed Anavel Gato with her GN Missiles counter attack.

Some days, you intercept the enemy, and some days, the enemy intercepts you. When the Soulgain is even remotely nearby, it's not hard for Kyosuke to figure out that the latter is likely. Not that he can even really clearly /see/ the white machine, moving so quickly despite its impressive size. Thankfully, the shout is always a clear giveaway. Unfortunately for Kyosuke, sometimes it just doesn't matter. The Alteisen's verniers flare as he tries to slow it down in time, if not to outright avoid whatever's coming, then to bring his own weaponry to bear without wasting time. The Alt's horn glows, as if in anticipation. It the end, it's for nothing. The unique (one of a kind in this universe) PTX-003 awkwardly slams into Soulgain's massive fist, armor cracking and shattering in the coldness of space. Kyosuke is rocked despite his safety harness being firmly buckled. It's rough, but nothing he can't handle. And at least he doesn't have to worry about stopping, now. "Almer...!" Assault-1 chokes the word out (talking is still difficult for the moment) and sets to, reaching out with one of the Alt's meaty robot hands for Soulgain's fist. For /leverage/. Should it find a hold, the bulky red robot uses it to pull the two robots together, and in one smooth motion drive its arm up, firing as soon as it makes contact with something substantial.

The autocannon fires a barrage of bullets point-blank. Kyosuke frowns.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has attacked Axel Almer. That Is Not How That Weapon Works added to their queue.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has struck a major hit on Axel Almer's Soulgain using That Is Not How That Weapon Works.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has missed Kyosuke Nanbu with his Genbu Goudan counter attack.

In trails of burnt orange, GN-X IIIs launch out into the expanse of space amidst ZAKUs and GINNs, contrails of blue rocket propulsion mixing in with the sea of particles in a hypnotic display. The Blanc Rival stops just within range of Fifth Luna, much like the Minerva to its opposite end. Goodman leans back, and pulls his pudgy lips into a thin line.

"Sir, we have incoming bogeys! IFFs aren't registered under the Divine Crusaders -- it's Katharon!"

"What?!" asks Goodman indignantly, brows lifting in an obvious show of irritation as the Rival's viewscreen partially zooms in towards the advance of Rick Diases and other assorted Katharon aces. Goodman rubs a gloved hand against his jowls, and frowns.

"Fine. If those vermin want to be punished as well...

"... then I will be more than happy to oblige those naughty children, too!"

The Blanc Rival begins to open fire with its main cannons in long-distance bombardment. Further still behind the Pegasus-class ship, however -- so far, far away -- a simple, white mobile suit stands at the top of a drifting asteroid. Pronged feet dug into hard rock, the machine's glowing orange gaze focuses dead forward towards the brewing battle. In its hands, it holds a large weapon; the impressive, two-pronged barrel of the GN Mega Launcher expands with a muted hiss as it is lifted, swinging about towards the warring forces. Purple electricity crackles along the prongs as GN particles are rapidly diffused and accelerated along it... and the inner barrel begins to glow an ominous shade of orange.

"I wonder," muses the green-clad pilot within as his gloved hand inches over the controls.

The sound of the GNZ-001 GRM Gundam's Mega Launcher firing is muted against the backdrop of space; the visualization is not, however, as the briefest pulses of a churning orange storm of power EXPLODES past the Blanc Rival, past the A-LAWS and Federation forces, past the Divine Crusaders...

... right for that proud, white Qubeley poised like a regal conqueror.

"... What is the price for desperation?"

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has attacked Haman Karn. GN Mega Launcher - Low Output added to their queue.

"Hmh," Cima answers Johnny. "You get used to it after a while."

What she is not used to is having a unit directly behind her. Even if she has commanded her 'marines' in battle, she has not had someone as a direct wingman for some time. Normally, they do their thing, and she does hers, and nobody gets hurt. Hopefully, she thinks, the "Crimson Lightning" hasn't dimmed with age.

Her eyes go ahead, though, the Gelgoog Commander type sweeping at sensed targets and providing Cima with a zoomed-in view of various ones. All these new A-LAWS mechs, she thinks to herself: something about it smells like desperation. Even if they've been lucky lately.

"Well," she says to herself, "luck runs out..." Her eyes flick down for a moment at a pop-up low-rez IFF logo: a red leaf over words. She snorts, as if at some private joke.

The Gelgoog's shield shifts and the beam rifle's tip points outwards: "How cute." She pulls the trigger, sending a streaking ray of megaparticles towards the Chimera, accelerating forwards sharply immediately afterwards in anticipation of counter-battery attacks. Which might hit Johnny Ridden instead.

"Oops."

COMBAT: Cima Garahau has attacked Johnny Domino. MRB-110 Beam Rifle added to their queue.

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has struck Haman Karn with a major hit using GN Mega Launcher - Low Output!

COMBAT: Cima Garahau has struck a solid hit on Johnny Domino's Chimera using MRB-110 Beam Rifle.

The autocannon slams into the hull of the Soulgain. He feels the sudden jolt; the pilot's eyes go wide open, as realization dawns on him, and then the cannon comes to life. The rounds rip into the armor of it -- shredding it apart as the barrels rotate, and shoot rounds clean through the armored hull of the super robot. Smoke explodes out the back, as the left half of the chest is turned into a shredded and torn up wreck.

Axel's eyes narrow, as he sees, quite plainly, that the Alteisen is in close enough range to be a problem. The left arm slashes outward -- and the arm blade chops at the armored machine uselessly, unable to throw it backward.

"So, I have to wonder--" He growls, softly, and throws the right hand forward. This time, the palm is opened. It crackles with light. "--d'you miss Loveless, yet?!"

A bolt of blue flame explodes off the hand, at nearly point blank range, and fires at the hull of the Alteisen.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has attacked Kyosuke Nanbu. Seiryurin added to their queue.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has struck a solid critical hit on Kyosuke Nanbu's Alteisen using Seiryurin.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has counter attacked for a minor hit on Axel Almer's Soulgain using Autocannon.

Data. The future. The path for total victory or decisive defeat. ZERO.

"I see," Zechs says softly, feeling the surge of information coalesce in his mind. He's been piloting the Eypon for long enough now that he's mastered the system; he knows its will, he can feel its thrill. The allure of so many possible futures, the maddening sense of seeing your own demise a milliond different ways. But Zechs Merquise is not afraid of his own death. "That one. It's here. Wing Zero."

Wing binders of the Epyon shifting, the multiple vernier ports all ignite in unison. With a tremendous rush of speed, the maroon Gundam splits through the hail of Goodman inspired cannon fire. Corkscrewing across space, Louise's GN Cannon hums in Zechs' mind. She is overmatched, and the Wing Zero -- that unit cannot be allowed to fight unopposed. Merquise knows it too well. He knows its power, the Black Technology pumping at its core. And the pilot? Who is it...? Can they handle the System?

With a final burst of thrust, shockwaves warping from the Epyon's verniers, the Gundam breaks across the space between the Wing Zero and the GN Cannon. "Warrant Officer," Zechs rasps at Louise, swinging the supercharged Heat Rod of the Epyon in a wide arc to try and smash the Wing Zero back. "I will deal with this one!"

COMBAT: Zechs Merquise has attacked Heero Yuy. Heat Rod added to their queue.

She'd be lying if she wasn't nervous. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little scared. She'd be lying if she said she felt nothing at all about this entire thing. She feels a lot of things-- and some of them are good, some of them are negative. She can feel the air filling her chest through the enclosed cockpit and helmet, the thrum of the machine through the seat and the control sticks.

Moving to the catapault deck of a Katharon ship, wings tuck close to the body of what looks like a jet of some sort; sleek and narrow, something that could cut through the Earth's skies as well as the cold dark void of space. Throttling the machine upward, the engines increase from a whine to a roar.

"Rachel Miu Athha, MVF-M11C Murasame... launching!!"

Weight pulls through her chest and sinks her into the seat a little further as the Murasame hurtles to the end of the deck and out into space. The wings extend and spread, and the craft twists in the sky once in a barrel roll toward the battlefield.

Pulling left, banking right, it doesn't take long for Rachel's Murasame to pick one machine out of the pack, and it's the one machine she almost wishes she didn't have to see on the field.

The Masurao.

Altering course, the machine piloted by the young white-haired girl comes screaming towards Mister Bushido like a bat out of hell. In a total case of trademark infringement, the Murasame's body shifts; the nose of the flight mode is scooped off as a shield, the chest folds down and armor moves about. The thrusters extend and loosen up as legs, and the machine draws a pair of beam sabers in a backhanded grip.

What sets this one Murasame apart is that the paintjob is mostly... pink.

It doesn't stop it from making a hard backhanded swing with the saber at the Masurao's chest, however.

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has attacked Mister Bushido. Beam Saber added to their queue.

COMBAT: Zechs Merquise has struck a major critical hit on Heero Yuy's Wing Gundam Zero using Heat Rod.

COMBAT: Norris Packard has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has missed Mister Bushido with her Beam Saber attack.

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has counter attacked for a minor hit on Rachel Miu Athha's MVF-M11C Murasame using Howard.

The young lady behind the controls of the GN Cannon finds herself, as the Blanc Rival's first responder, beset on all sides by various assaults. From the Zeon side of things, a pump shotgun and a beam saber enter her personal space, but with a quick whirl, the heavy artillery machine gets itself clean out of the way.

In mid-whirl, Louise engages her GN mini-missile launchers, sending out a swarm of missiles in nearly every direction that isn't 'the Blanc Rival;' this leaves her open to be clipped by fire from the Wing Zero, as well as damaged by the quick shot from Roberto that knocks some of her missiles astray.

It is only after this that Louise realizes her opponents -- two Gundams, both of which she has faced before, both flanked by machines with the hallmarks of Zeonic design. Instantly, her eyes snap wide open -- but it's not in fear, not as it once was. There is no hesitation -- there is only the hand of Ribbons Almark.

"K -- KATHAROOOOON!" she shouts at the top of her lungs, the purple and red figure of Louise's custom GN Cannon bearing down first on the Wing Zero. "Katharon Gundam -- Zeon Gundam -- I'll pick you apart one at a time!" And with that, she lets loose with the minimissile launchers again, this time focusing only on the Wing Zero. It seems she really does intend to focus on one target at a time... maybe that can be exploited?

Here is Haman Karn's situation:

OH MAN I'M TOTALLY GOING SO FAST AW FUCK

That last part is when a shot from the GRM Gundam lances through space like a goddamn arrow and shoots the massive crustacean unit right through the belly. Haman Karn's forward momentum stops. The Qubeley lurches, limbs snapping out like it was a living thing. Inside, Haman Karn feels every bit of that agony through the psycommu system. In her brain, she has just been given a hysterectomy with no anesthetic and also it turns out her doctor is Ali Al-Saachez and also Ali has been drinking and also he didn't wash his hands before starting and also he was so drunk that he mostly hit his hands instead of the urinal.

That's how awful it feels.

"Who..."

Haman Karn feels like her brain is bleeding. But that's the funny thing about Haman -- this sort of situation might make other pilots have second thoughts about what they're doing with their lives. It just makes Haman Karn... well...

".../dares/..."

With another lurch, the Qubeley launches forward again, targeting sensors instantly providing a lock on the GRM Gundam and sending it hurtling toward its opponent. Haman Karn doesn't even have time to think about the weapon it clutches, or the strange quality of it being a complete unknown to her.

No, Haman Karn just thinks about smashing her extended beam saber into its chest and frying whatever living thing is unfortunate enough to be inside.

COMBAT: Haman Karn has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Haman Karn has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has attacked Heero Yuy. GN Missile Barrage added to their queue.

COMBAT: Haman Karn has attacked Ribbons Almark. Beam Sabre Superiority added to their queue.

"Hello, Novas!" Rocbell is very cheerful over the radio, all things considered. "Long time no see! I-hey! HEY!" She breaks off her communications when she sees that her PARTNER WHO IS ALSO VERY MUCH HER FRIEND YES HE IS HE HAD BETTER BE HER FRIEND has just been attacked by Cima, and the Queadluun-Rau zips forward in its speedy, spinny manner.

"Hang in there, Johnny!" Johnny? "Just follow my lead, and...well, I don't have a plan, but we'll get through this fight!" With those oh-so-encouraging words, she uses her radar to seek out units designated unfriendly, only to come across ANOTHER Johnny-a Ridden, no less, who is about to find himself on the recieving end of laser fire from a blaster mounted on the machine's wrist.

COMBAT: Rocbell Dajalah has attacked Johnny Ridden. Laser Pulse Gun added to their queue.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has successfully covered Heero Yuy.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has struck a solid hit on Anavel Gato's RX-78GP02A Gundam Physalis using GN Missile Barrage.

COMBAT: Haman Karn has missed Ribbons Almark with her Beam Sabre Superiority attack.

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has missed Haman Karn with its GN Mega Launcher - Rifle Quick Shot counter attack.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has activated a spirit command.

Pulling the Alteisen's arm back (while still firing the autocannon without pause, even as his enemy recovers), Kyosuke finds no immediate reason to cease with his negative facial expression. That was surprisingly effective, and he's at a good range, but past experience has shown that it's impossible to be too careful around Axel Almer. The ATX team's leader is getting ready to continue the attack, when the Shadow Mirror brings him up cold with just a few simple words. "You--" Kyosuke's full response, though dramatic, isn't obvious. In an instant, even the frown is gone; his face shows no trace of any human emotion. The Alteisen responds just as quickly, releasing whatever grip it may still have had and blasting forward at maximum power. An arm comes up (the correct one, this time) and drives forward, its gleaming chrome stake positively shining with a wicked glare on its tip. It slams forward.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has attacked Axel Almer. Revolver Stake added to their queue.

Puru Two takes careful stock of the battlefield, using her instruments as well as her mind. Targets that turn up prominently in both are usually worthwhile. However, she's distracted from her little game of pick-and-choose when she notices that Johnny Domino's Chimera is present. "Ugh, not him again," she spits in distaste. Why does he always seem to be there?! Just when she was starting to somewhat get over the irrational levels of hate for the man, he starts popping up everywhere she goes again, just like before.

Fellow Zeon forces are handling him though, which leaves her looking at the two Queadluun-Rau's near him. Well /fine/ then, she'll just have to destroy someone he's paired up with, and presumably cares about! That'll teach him to just be... sort of there, in her general vicinity!

The Ashsaber dives into the fray, Beam Machine Gun spraying one of the Zentradi machines... the one that just happened to be there, instead of the one piloted by his ACTUAL battle partner. OH WELL. A target is a target. With her mood having taken a turn for the worse, she's fine with just shooting whatever enters her sights, anyway. "I changed my mind... I think I'll kill you quickly after all, lucky you!"

COMBAT: Puru Two has attacked Novas Stellas. Beam Machine Gun added to their queue.

A Rick Dias joins the assault on the unknown Alaws machine as does Gato. Its soon clear who the Katharon pilot. Its the man who claimed and likely was one of The Red Comets wingmen during the on years war. The man may be with Katharon but in the end? You cant really take a Zeons dislike of the feds out of them. No matter where they end up. Also another machine of all things another Gundam joins the assault.

Norris pauses at the pilot as they are ranting about Gundams.

"You fool the Federation built that Gundam for the mass murder of Spacenoids! You are reaping simply what you set lose on the world! NOW DIE YOU WORTHLESS FEDERATION SCUM!"

He sends a radio to Gato and Roberto.

"The pilot seems to have a fixation on Gundams. We need to focus and hit them while they are focusing on Robertos comrade. Try to get in close and rip them apart in close."

Norris follows his own advice as the thrusters pick up again and he charges in at Louise pulling one of this beam sabres out and lunges at her from behind aiming to maul her from the rear. There is no snark, let her focus on Heero. Gato, Roberto and he will hit her hard and fast while Heero keeps them busy.

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Norris Packard has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Norris Packard has attacked Louise Halevy. Beam Sabre Superiority added to their queue.

At the request made of him by Zechs Merquise, Mister Bushido rolls his shoulders faintly in the familiar, nostalgic confines of the Flag-style cockpit. "Very well," the masked man says to the other masked man, and the GN-powered custom close combat mobile suit turns to head towards the Zeonic lines; he can kill some time, and perhaps find a more suitable target, by removing the obstructions-- --"Hn?" wonders Bushido, turning his head suddenly; he doesn't Newtype flash, or anything of the sort. Instead, highly refined instincts and his natural feel for the pulse of battle warn him of the incoming Murasame. The collision detection warning that goes off helps too. The Murasame transforms in a familiar movement that brings a small smile to the burned face of the green-eyed A-LAWS ace, and it brings a beam blade to bear... A blade that's aimed to cut through his mobile suit, possibly lethally. A killer's instinct among the supposed altruists of Katharon? Fascinating. But the Murasame's beam saber doesn't hit the Masurao, stopped before it can strike by another beam blade, a massive crackling play of forces filling the black around the two mobile suits, one black and red, the other... Pinkish. "An interesting machine," Bushido says. "It reminds me of one close to my heart, but if you think you can face against me..." Breaking the saber lock, the blond man slashes quickly at the Murasame with the shorter GN beam katana. "...You are sorely, sadly mistaken!" A sudden buildup of GN particles thrusts the Masurao forward, its two drives working to produce sufficient particles. The samurai-styled suit twists, and brings to bear its left-hand blade, the larger and more powerful beam katana, seeking to bury it directly in the Murasame. "Behold, the hour of your death!"

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has attacked Rachel Miu Athha. Darryl added to their queue.

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has activated a spirit command.

Kurz watches as beam weaponry fires off in the void, including the massive burst from the far flung unit. He fights back the envy and turns his attention to the field of battle, his keen eyes trying to find something that needs taken down.

The Dom drifts, almost left in the lurch as the others break off to engage their own targets or get picked off. Soon enough there is a woman caterwauling, spoiling for a fight. Kurz, being the gentleman that he is, decides to oblige.

The MS-09 lines up, aligning itself with the Gadessa. It certainly didn't look like something a rank and file would pilot... Reaching back, Kurz brings a massive bazooka to bear against the yowling pilot and fixes her in his sights. No talk just yet, who knows, this one could take her down, wouldn't want to waste any A-material on someone that won't get a chance to respond. With a bit of lead given, Kurz fires, a shell streaking out from the artillery peice and hurtling through the void tyowards Healing Care.

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has missed Rachel Miu Athha with his Darryl attack.

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has missed Mister Bushido with her Elbow Strike counter attack.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has missed Axel Almer with his Revolver Stake attack.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has missed Kyosuke Nanbu with his Shin'you counter attack.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has attacked Healing Care. Salutational Bazooka added to their queue.

COMBAT: Healing Care has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has struck a solid hit on Healing Care's GNZ-003 Gadessa using Salutational Bazooka.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Puru Two has struck a major hit on Novas Stellas's Queadluun-Rau using Beam Machine Gun.

"What's the matter, Beowulf?!" Axel shouts. The Soulgain dives to the side, thrusters firing -- and the revolver stake stabs into nothing but the void. There is a blur of blue as the left foot crackles with energy and swings upward. He throws a hard kick, but it comes short of the Alteisen by a hair. Blue fire trails after, in an arc.

"Pissed that a comrade died?" he asks. His eyes narrow; his voice takes an edge to it. "Because she wasn't. She didn't feel anything -- /couldn't/ feel anything!"

The Soulgain's fists crackle with more bioelectricity. Lightning runs across the fingers and empties into space, and then he throws the left fist forward, at close range. There is a shockwave, as the fist leaves the wrist, and a blast of dust fires backward -- and the fist rockets away, towards the Alteisen.

"BYAKKO KOU!"

The right fist fires off a moment later. This one arches, a trail of wind and flame left behind it through space (in open defiance of physics), and tries to intersect with the Alteisen's side.

"What the hell?" wonders Healing Care in the depth of her Gadessa.

"Are all you Crusader girls /scared/ of me?"

It would certainly SEEM that way, as no one immediately appears to take her up on the offer, save for random grunts in generic mobile suits. Several seconds after they try to advance the Mega Launcher of the Gadessa is raised, takes aim and fires, otherwise decimating them in one shot.

"Is this it?? How /disappoint--/!"

From seeming nowhere the Gadessa is struck by a bazooka shell from behind, the mobile suit rocked in place and forced to bow forward. Almost instantly after it whips around, its eyes glowing a fierce orange as its pilot takes sights upon the offender--Kurz and his Dom.

"A /DOM/? Hahahahahahaha!"

The Mega Launcher is raised, and without a shred of hesitation OR mercy, it unloads like a submachine gun, rapid fire bursts of yellow energy lancing toward the Dom and its pilot.

"Don't offend me with that outdated piece of shit!"

COMBAT: Axel Almer has attacked Kyosuke Nanbu. Byakko Kou added to their queue.

COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Kurz Weber. GN Mega Launcher - Rapid Fire added to their queue.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has struck a major hit on Kyosuke Nanbu's Alteisen using Byakko Kou.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has missed Axel Almer with his Full Force Ram counter attack.

"Oh yeah, yeah, I hear you're babysitting today, is he behaving? Well at least you've got a lot of experience, eh?" Nove says as an Ashsaber dives in which elicits an "eh?" from Novas before suddenly BEAM FIRE. She gets slammed across her flank, causing her robot to spin backwards. She pushes buttons which don't actually do anything and with a lot of profanities, twists her mech so it's hanging upside down in space and looks at the girl who ambushed her. Or more accurately, her robot.

"Oh." She says, "Hey Puru Two! How're you an' Aoba doing?" Big smiles, she doesn't seem to mind the death threat too much.

On the other hand, she is retaliating with missiles, so.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has attacked Puru Two. Super-Miniature Missile Launcher added to their queue.

For several seconds, the space around the GP-02A is illuminated in burnt orange and flashing green; the shift from 'cutting an arm from Louise Halevy's GN Cannon' to 'playing Jedi with its micro-missiles' is a fluid one, but it does leave the A-LAWS machine woefully unharmed, at least by the Gundam.

Before Anavel Gato can readjust, recalculate, anything, the GN Cannon is taking off to eradicate one of his quasi-allies. This, if it weren't for the specific choice, would be all well and good; Katharon's non-AEUG forces are fodder at best, after all.

But the Wing Zero, that machine - if not necessarily its /pilot/ - he holds in a certain amount of esteem. It is, after all, forged along similar principles as his own Gundam, and some day, maybe, possibly, the /pilot/ might, too, be reforged into a proud and proper spaceborne human.

It would help if he could go a bit longer without being torn apart by the Epyon and GN Cannon at once, though, so with his teeth clenched, Anavel Gato guns the GP-02A through space, twisting beyond the GN Cannon to set itself between it and the Wing Zero. Its shield raises; moments later, numerous orange flares break across it, sending beaded coolant spraying into the void in their wake. The Nightmare of Solomon grunts against the discomfort of his cockpit being shaken about by the impacts, but it's a fleeting discomfort at best.

"The rest of this encounter," he hisses to Heero Yuy as the shield shifts to the right to cover more of the Physalis' body, "You will win or lose on your own merit; do /not/ waste this moment."

That said, the Gundam boosts forward to meet the GN Cannon, to shove it well away from the winged Gundam. With the shield up, there is plenty of hard blunt force trauma to be had, even if it isn't the most artful of blows.

COMBAT: Healing Care has missed Kurz Weber with her GN Mega Launcher - Rapid Fire attack.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has missed Healing Care with his 90mm Machinegun counter attack.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has attacked Louise Halevy. Shield Pound added to their queue.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has struck a major hit on Puru Two's ASK-AD02 Ashsaber using Super-Miniature Missile Launcher.

COMBAT: Puru Two has counter attacked for a minor hit on Novas Stellas's Queadluun-Rau using Burning Dagger.

COMBAT: Rocbell Dajalah has attacked Johnny Ridden. Laser Pulse Gun added to their queue.

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Rocbell Dajalah has struck a major hit on Johnny Ridden's AMX-011S Zaku III Ridden Custom using Laser Pulse Gun.

The Wing Zero is an agile unit, to give it credit where credit is due. It bobs and weaves, swerving across the emptiness of space to confuse the GN Missiles' patterns, limiting the damage done to only minor blemishes along its Gundanium armor.

Which is precisely why Heero is distracted and locked down when the Epyon comes into sight -- because of Louise's missile barrage. The Heat Rod comes like a venomous, fiery snake, rending across the Wing Zero's back with like frenzy, rending off one of its Wing Binders and disrupting the balance of its flight. It's only through sheer fortune that Gato sweeps in to prevent more damage from coming his way. He feels a knot on his stomach for allowing himself to be shown mercy... no, pity from his enemy. But Heero is not a proud boy, so he takes his lumps in measures, responding, "... then I will show you what I can do."

He turns back to the monitor. "Major damage to the left wing... vernier stability compromised. Tch," murmurs Heero. No matter. He has -- Zero has -- seen what was coming. Its sister unit, the possessor of the other Zero System, the Gundam Epyon. And behind it... can only be one. Zechs Merquise.

"Zechs..." Heero starts, his hands grasping firm his situation as he fearlessly presses the battle onward, back to the Epyon. The Zero System flashes itself behind his head, but unlike him, Heero is not interested in listening to it. He feels that he has his own battle to fight today. This choice may bring about his downfall. "I will not be defeated here today."

The Wing Zero's machine cannons open again. They generate impressive rotations per minute, filling the empty void with a vulcan assault onto the crimson Gundam's vicinity.

"...not by you, not by anyone!"

COMBAT: Heero Yuy has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Heero Yuy has attacked Zechs Merquise. Solid Round Volley added to their queue.

COMBAT: Zechs Merquise has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Heero Yuy has missed Zechs Merquise with his Solid Round Volley attack.

SOME TIME AGO

Ryouma Nagare holds up an A-LAWS uniform. He frowns and tosses it onto a nearby chair. "Do they really expect us to wear these? They don't even have scarves." The martial artist hops up onto a table, picking up the nearby herb grinder. He looks over his shoulder while turning it. "It's not like we need camouflage or anything."

Hayato slouches over the other end of the table. His eyes are haunted. He stares at the laptop that he recently pushed away, the screen flashing incomprehensibly except for a large red DENIED. The security was good here. "Uniforms promote an atmosphere of camaraderie that suggests seperation between the enemy and one's self that allows a culture of murder through dehumanization to take firmer hold."

"Man, Hayato, you're always talking some crazy shit. Want to punch each other for awhile?"

Musashi kicks down the door. He is squeezed into the uniform like a sausage. "LOOK AT ME! I'M A G.I. JOE! BANG BANG!"

NOW

The Getter Planes keep a holding pattern outside of the battle. Though they have been tapped for reinforcements, Professor Saotome was quick to tell them not to damage Getter Robo if they thought they couldn't handle space combat. On the sly, of course. Ryouma stashes his medication in the ash tray he brought along. "Fuck! Look at them just fly around! It's like I'm having a seizure. How do people get used to this?"

Hayato sits with his arms crossed. Getter-2 won't be making an appearance; while it could still use its ridiculous speed, CRUNCHING CLAW, and DRILL MISSILES, there will be no drill typhoons in space today. He can afford to just leave his plane on autofollow. "The Getter Rays are still running out here. That's good enough."

Chimera turns its head around to look at Novas as that one passes by.

Watching the other Meltrandi through his bio-unit's eyes, Johnny Domino feels nothing but pity for himself. Especially when he hears what Novas has to say. Domino has no clue what to respond to that, and so he doesn't, allowing his mouth to hang open while his brain goes blank.

Actually, that's a lie. Johnny's brain isn't completely blank. A single word, already given voice earlier, remains flashing in his mind's eye: why?!

Why is he surrounded by Meltrandi on this operation? Why are they all giants? And WHY must it be Rocbell, of all people? She's just!.. and Domino is just!.. and just!.. argh!

And that's when Cima blasts the hell out of Johnny Domino.

Chimera could sense something bad was about to happen. Even in space, the beast's unique sensors can pick up these details. Unfortunately, it means nothing if the pilot ISN'T PAYING ATTENTION!! The blast hits Chimera square in the chest, sending it floating backwards.

In the cockpit, Domino cries out in pain and surprise. His lungs are burning. His mind is also burning: Chimera is quite displeased, to say the least, and is making sure Domino knows just how displeased it is. "G..guh! You stupid cat, okay, okay! I'm sorry, okay!"

The bio-unit relents, ceasing its mental assault on the pilot and allowing him to regain control. Hearing Rocbell's voice, the Agent takes quick stock of the battlefield. There's Cima's thing, the one that shot at him... and Rocbell is attacking that other things-- Chimera recognizes it. Domino does too.

"Rocbell!" A tide of conflicting emotions rise inside Johnny, and the Agent doesn't have the time to sift through them. Instead, he warns, "That man is dangerous!" Feeling the urge to catch up to Rocbell and help her, or... or possibly /protect/ her, Johnny Domino coaxes his bio-unit onward. Charging after the Queadluun-Rau, Chimera sends a punch at Cima's unit, hoping to get it out of the way and clear a path to Johnny Ridden.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has attacked Cima Garahau. Spiked Punch added to their queue.

Despite the color of the machine, it certainly does move with the speed and the skill of someone who may not be as peaceful as some members of Katharon present themselves. The opening attack was a gambit of sorts, and it was one that she lost. She'll have to keep herself from making a mistake like that again.

The Masurao's shorter beam katana cuts a short gash through the chest, digging in just enough to cause Rachel's arms to apply the reverse thrust; while fighting someone like Mister Bushido in direct melee combat is akin to suicide, the choices she has are painfully narrow.

She doesn't speak. She only grunts.

As the larger of the beam katanas thrusts forward to skewer the machine in a single shot, the Murasame jolts to the side with a slight application of thrust. Twisting around in the process, it swings the right arm up in an attempt to back-elbow the machine across the head unit.

Her own calculations are off.

Twisting back around in it's position, Rachel lurches one of her control sticks back, making sure her machine keeps good "footing" the whole time. The beam saber in her left hand tries to dig into the Masurao's chest from above, the blade in the right hand scissoring around to slash it across the samurai-style helmet!

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has attacked Mister Bushido. Twin Beam Sabers added to their queue.

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has activated a spirit command.

The Gundam Ez8 is not, in fact, normally a space-worthy machine. It is an old model with some new(er) parts slapped on that /make/ it that way. However, since Shiro is used to space, he knows what will get it shot and blown the hell up.

Things like 'getting stuck in the line of fire' is a primary cause of this.

This is precisely why the Ez8 Heavy Arms is sitting back within fire support range of the Minerva. The two cannons it carries swing up on it's equipment frame to it's shoulders and attach there. Inside the cockpit, Shiro watches the power meters go slowly but steadily upwards while he watches for a good shot.

COMBAT: Cima Garahau has activated a spirit command.

When Cima accelerates in towards Johnny 'Johnny Domino' Domino, Johnny 'Johnny Domino' Ridden follows suit, his crimson and black Zaku's verniers flaring to life again as he accelerates after the Gelgoog on Cima's wing. He doesn't stay there long, though; as he's raising his Zaku's bazooka to fire on Chimera, a blast of beamfire tears through his Zaku's shoulder, and he accelerates out of the already loose formation, turning to face Rocbell.

Maybe the Crimson Lightning /has/ dimmed with age!

Johnny grunts his irritation at his own sloppiness, and settles his sights on the Queadluun-Rau. That'll teach him, he supposes, to fly with ladies as wingmen; it's far too easy to keep too close an eye on their safety and forget all about his own.

OH WELL~

With a flash of flame and light, a single rocket erupts out of the Crimson Lightning's enormous bazooka, cutting through space towards Rocbell.

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has struck a major hit on Mister Bushido's Masurao using Twin Beam Sabers.

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has counter attacked for a minor hit on Rachel Miu Athha's MVF-M11C Murasame using Flag Martial Arts.

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has attacked Rocbell Dajalah. Ultra Mega Mega Launcher added to their queue.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has struck a major hit on Cima Garahau's MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine Commander using Spiked Punch.

COMBAT: Cima Garahau has missed Johnny Domino with her Shield Bash counter attack.

Kyosuke Nanbu is currently extremely upset. Axel Almer is making light of the death of one of a teammate. A subordinate. A death that lies heavy on Kyosuke's shoulders, however powerless he may have been to stop it. "You're wrong." It's like a dead man is speaking, devoid of emotion, of feeling. There exists only the words themselves, with nobody behind them. In stark contrast, the Alteisen is extremely lively, thrusting forward with what seems a complete lack of regard for its own well-being. Soulgain's fist seems determined to see that it's a reality, crashing into it and knocking the red machine off of its intended course with another shower of shattered armor and broken parts. "She could." With its left arm rendered almost completely inoperable by the impact, the Alteisen soldiers on. Verniers come to life again, bringing it to a sudden(ish) halt. The huge boxes on either shoulder open up, and countless ball bearings begin to shoot out, like a wall of steel.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has attacked Axel Almer. Heavy Claymore added to their queue.

And now things are set into place.

The GNZ-001's pilot smiles almost serenely as the Mega Launcher's rifle burst sears through space and through its intended target. The prongs snap shut in an expulsion of excess electrical energy, purple light dancing along the long barrel of the weapon in gracefully chaotic, fading pulses. Violet eyes focus on the Qubeley as it lurches forward; as it locks on to the GRM, the pilot's eyes close.

"Maybe you have the answer?"

When those eyes open again, they are glowing gold in jagged streams of light. Quantum brainwaves pulse across the battlefield like a particularly strong wave; the sensation is undeniably strong, but equally disconcerting in its very sensation -- lifelessly dominating like a force of nature rather than the reassuring contact of another life. The Qubeley hurtles forward across space, and the GRM's Mega Launcher swings up, firing several brief bursts of orange light across the expanse of space--

--only for each to go wide, intent to force Haman's mobile suit just /slightly/ off path so that the thrust of her beam saber goes wide, meeting the powerful surface of the GRM's shield in a burst of light and power. The mobile suit seems to strain against the power of the thrust--

"Haman Karn."

The voice that invades Haman's comsys is disarmingly pleasant and respectful as the top segment of the GNZ-001's shield suddenly lifts. Burnt orange particles diffuse from the condenser ridge as it seeks to /smash/ the Qubeley aside... and then /bash/ that particle-laden shield straight into its lobster-like head like a bludgeon.

"I'd like to talk."

Meanwhile, Arthur Goodman has his helmet visor slung upward and is currently making his way through a box of candy beans as he watches the battle with a slightly distraught look on his face.

"They haff muhsh mohr fohshes den we andishipaded," he slurs out between a handful of candy beans. The communications officer looks towards him, furrowing her brows. Goodman swallows, and frowns.

"How troublesome." Another handful, and he furrows his brows together.

"Phrephare da mega phardicuhl gannuhn."

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark's GN Shield Bash has been added to your queue.

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has attacked Haman Karn. GN Shield Bash added to their queue.

COMBAT: Rocbell Dajalah has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has missed Rocbell Dajalah with his Ultra Mega Mega Launcher attack.

Kurz allows himself a nod of confirmation to mark the impact of the bazooka shell, that's about all he can manage though before Healing wheels around and opens fire. He's quick to reposition, the chunky dom maneuvering out of the way with surprising agility, darting just out of the path of the rapid fire mega launcher attack. He returned fire with a burst of gunfire from the machinegun held in the Dom's other hand, rattling off a few rounds as he moved but to no avail.

"Outdated?" spat Kurz sourly in reply, "Hey, you watch your mouth when talking about my Dom! Otherwise I might have to actualy take this seriously!" he countered befor he loosed another volley of bullets, the grouping of bullets is loose, a scatter shot approach as he empties a good portion of the weapon's magazine.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has attacked Healing Care. Reach Out And Touch Someone With Bullets added to their queue.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has missed Axel Almer with his Heavy Claymore attack.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has counter attacked for a solid hit on Kyosuke Nanbu's Alteisen using Double Genbu Goudan.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has missed Healing Care with his Reach Out And Touch Someone With Bullets attack.

"Heero --!?" Zechs exclaims, recognizing the boy's voice in his head. He had suspected he was the one to pilot the Wing Zero after him, but he had not been able to confirm it. So he /was/ able to take control of it. Does that mean he's conquered the ZERO System, too? A thin smile lines Zechs' mouth -- he's sure of it. If anyone could, it would be this Gundam pilot.

"Victory? Is that what ZERO tells you?!" Zechs wonders, pushing the thrusters of the Epyon back into their max range. The Epyon reacts smoothly, launching up in space, the trail of the Machine Cannons tracing feet behind it. Leveling off, Zechs launches the Gundam forward, the last spray of bullets cutting the space behind the propelling Gundam.

Patterns lay themselves ahead of Zechs. Battle potentials. He sees the future; he sees how he can win this fight -- its there for him to take it, if he can just get his mind and body to follow the path. But does he desire victory...? Is this --?

The Epyon stops in the air, wing binders fanning outward as it starts to hover. The Lightning Baron's mouth flattens, his blue eyes thinning behind the flight mask. Heat Rod sliding back partially into the Gundam's arm, the Epyon moves and draws the hilt of its primary weapon. Energy channeling from the Gundam's core, the brilliant emerald Beam Sword ignites ahead of the dark Gundam. Gripping it with both hands, Zechs appraises the Wing Zero like some majestic devil.

"Tell me, then, Heero Yuy." The wing binders shift, verniers rocketing the Epyon straight down at the Wing Zero. "What is the meaning of this battle...?!"

COMBAT: Zechs Merquise has attacked Heero Yuy. Beam Sword added to their queue.

The Rick Dias floats through space as people divide up. Explosions and beams fill the void. And... The rick dias is untouched. Well. Staren spends a moment watching, looking for an opening.

There. That girl again, Louise Halevy... he looked up her name after their last encounter. If it's the same one in that suit... He shakes his head. "Sorry it ended this way... But what happened to you doesn't justify A-LAWS!" The mobile suit pours on the speed, drawing its beam rifle and taking aim to shoot the A-LAWS suit in the back. "Take this!"

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Louise Halevy. Beam Rifle added to their queue.

COMBAT: Zechs Merquise has struck a major hit on Heero Yuy's Wing Gundam Zero using Beam Sword.

COMBAT: Heero Yuy has missed Zechs Merquise with his Machine Cannon counter attack.

Indeed, Mister Bushido has to juke his own machine back just slightly in order to avoid that elbow, with a faint, disdainful 'hmph'. That disdain, perhaps, proves to come around and bite him in the ass with what happens next. The Murasame's two beam blades are brought about with a surprising amount of skill, and at the /exact moment/ Rachel Miu Athha attacks, the Masurao begins to twist, GN verniers and limb positioning moving the black and red mobile suit smoothly. As such, three things happen at the same time: One, one of the Murasame's beam sabers shears off one prong of the Masurao's mighty samurai crest. Two, the second beam saber digs into the side of the spindly suit's torso, cutting a deep gash and damaging some important stuff on the way through. And three, the Masurao kicks the Murasame right in the god damn face. "So you have some skill, do you, terrorist?!" It's too bad; he was hoping to fight one of the Crusaders today. Maybe leave bits of them all over the battlefield, in a fitting tribute to the fallen. But this... This will do well enough. "I salute your ability, but your choice of allegiance is shortsighted." Suddenly, the Masurao speeds up again, a short-ranged charge that aims to spit the Murasame on the oversized GN beam katana named for the fallen Darryl Dodge, before the blade is subsequently wrenched free of the transformable Orb machine. "Perhaps even FATAL!"

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has attacked Rachel Miu Athha. One Strike added to their queue.

Roberto chuckles as his pistol scores a hit and sends a few missiles exploding off the GN cannon. "Agreed" is his response to Norris as he fires his bright pink cotton candy puff of boost in OVERDRIVE and charges Louise' unit.

He doesn't like all this KATHARON nonsense, so as he puts his pistol away and pulls out his Rick Dias custom armament and favourite weapon the Beam Pick out he belts out his own personal favourite battle cry and strikes out with the hot pink beamblade.

"ZEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!"

COMBAT: Roberto has activated a spirit command.

"How the hell do you know that? Do you know anything about her?" Axel barks, back at Kyosuke. His eyes narrow, angrily.

The Soulgain blitzes upward; it leaps from where it flew in space, and the claymore rounds rip through the void and never touch the huge machine. It turns, tightly, leaving a jagged spiral of blue light in its wake as it rises well above the Alteisen. The thrusters fire and send the machine diving downward. Both arm blades are brought to bear.

"Who she really was? /What/ she really was?" he snarls. The machine drops down, and cuts both blades down for the shoulders of the Alteisen, trying to stab the twin blades downward, into the armor of the machine. "Or is all you got your own convictions and delusions?!"

The Soulgain twists, suddenly, at the waist. Blue light explodes off one foot, and it roundhouses right for the side of the Alt. The other foot spins and kicks a moment later, and he tries to kick the Alteisen backward and rip it off the blades.

COMBAT: Roberto has attacked Louise Halevy. Beam Pick added to their queue.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has attacked Kyosuke Nanbu. Shin'you added to their queue.

The counterattack is met with a brief and distant expression of surprise from the pilot of the Gadessa; however, seconds later Healing Care's expression goes incredibly sour as the Dom fires in response. Instantly the silver mobile suit veers sharply to the side, strafing as it evades the incoming artillery before it finally ceases. Only then does the Gadessa begin its pursuit once more.

"Ha ha ha! Who are you kidding!?" cries Healing as the Gadessa rockets forward, a hand reaching up to snare a beam saber from its hip port. "And take this seriously? If you're trying to offend me--"

The orange beam saber blade suddenly cuts upwards, starting low and sweeping in a wide, upwards arc in attempt to bisect the Dom Funf in half. "As if that will offend me! Try /harder/!"

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has struck Haman Karn with a major hit using GN Shield Bash!

COMBAT: Haman Karn counter attacks Ribbons Almark with a minor hit using Beam Launcher.

COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Kurz Weber. GN Beam Saber added to their queue.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has activated a spirit command.

Cima smirks to herself as she sees Johnny Ridden fire his gun. Was he napping? she wonders, before her attention goes to -- the Chimera. The Gelgoog's verniers adjust its position as it streaks towards him, Cima raising up the beam rifle to reach for the beam saber in its charge rack. Of course, it seems that the enemy unit has a similar idea, and she brings the shield downwards as she gooses the thruster up. Maybe she can crack its wrist -

There is a sudden slamming thump as Cima's miscalculation becomes apparent. She might have been able to break the Chimera's wrist if Johnny Domino hadn't been throwing a punch right /at/ her. The shield cracks, crumpling inwards as Cima is shaking hard enough that she bites the tip of her tongue.

She can taste blood: that is at least nice.

"How sweet! You're taking a moment to look out for ladies in the middle of a military assault!" Cima says as she jettisons the shield, given that it is now basically useless -- this gives her hand another opportunity. Much like the Scotsmen of the past, with no shield, she has room for a /second/ sword -- and a second sword is what she draws out from the Gelgoog's charge racks!

"Let me help you get your /sacrifice/ badge," she says, even as the Gelgoog's verniers shove it forwards, both beam sabers coming up to try and carve a deep X-slash into the Chimera's neck and upper body. And if she should get the head? Well, that's just a side benefit.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has missed Kyosuke Nanbu with his Shin'you attack.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has counter attacked for a solid hit on Axel Almer's Soulgain using Revolver Stake Repeated Discharge.

COMBAT: Cima Garahau has attacked Johnny Domino. Dual Beam Sabers added to their queue.

COMBAT: Healing Care has struck a major hit on Kurz Weber's MS-09F Dom Funf using GN Beam Saber.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has counter attacked for a minor hit on Healing Care's GNZ-003 Gadessa using Heat Saber.

Puru Two isn't playing around, not that she ever is. When her beams are answered with missiles, her answer is obvious: MORE MISSILES. The Ashsaber's shoulders open up, unleashing a volley of its own, making it look like there's some Macross going on over here. Her own unit takes a beating in response, ruining the shiny polish and fresh paint job of her unit with several scorch marks. So much for the pristine appearance.

Just when she decides this beam weapon is too slow, and readies a large rifle instead of machine gun, the pilot's transmission makes her freeze. "You..." It's a mix of mainly surprise, mixed in with a only slight bit of distaste, pretty much the opposite of the mix Johnny got earlier. Now there's someone who hasn't been on the forefront of her mind for a while.

In spite of herself, she laughs. It's not a pleasant laugh. "Oh, this is perfect, everyone getting in my way these days is either a traitor or Johnny Domino." Which puts Novas square in the category of 'people she'd really rather not deal with'. Any trace of what might be mistaken for mirth quickly vanishes, when she adds coldly, "Drop the pretense. And stay away from Aoba."

The Halberd Shooter is raised, energy briefly gathering in its center. "Better yet, I'll make sure of it myself!" Rather than lots of little energy beams, this weapon simply fires one large blast.

"It's okay! I'm not a rookie anymore," Rocbell insists back to Domino, without picking up on the ACTUAL CONCERN. The bazooka fires off a moment later, and the Queadluun-Rau darts upwards and seems to dance out of the way, moving in the zippy and erratic pattern that makes such powered armor suits so damn annoying. "You be careful with that lady too, okay? Let me know if you need backup!"

The pink-haired one turns her attention back to Ridden, trying to remember just what is important about red and black suits. Red and black, red and black, that's familiar...oh well. She'll find out soon enough, she's sure, and in the meantime...well, in the meantime, she presses a button on the controls as the shoulders of the Rau open up, sending out a burst of dancing miniature missiles that veer at Ridden, some darting in from partically silly anlges just because that's how Macross works sometimes. "They say you're dangerous, Whoever You Are, but so am I...!"

COMBAT: Puru Two has attacked Novas Stellas. Halberd Shooter added to their queue.

COMBAT: Rocbell Dajalah has attacked Johnny Ridden. Super-Miniature Missile Launcher added to their queue.

COMBAT: Norris Packard has struck a major hit on Louise Halevy's GN Cannon using Beam Sabre Superiority.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has missed Norris Packard with her GN Missiles counter attack.

COMBAT: Roberto has struck a solid hit on Louise Halevy's GN Cannon using Beam Pick.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has counter attacked for a minor hit on Roberto's Rick Dias using GN Long Cannon Spray.

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has missed Louise Halevy with his Beam Rifle attack.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has counter attacked for a minor hit on Staren Wiremu's RMS-099X Rick Dias Assault Test Type using GN Long Cannon Spray.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has struck a major hit on Louise Halevy's GN Cannon using Shield Pound.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has missed Anavel Gato with her GN Missiles counter attack.

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Rocbell Dajalah has struck a major hit on Johnny Ridden's AMX-011S Zaku III Ridden Custom using Super-Miniature Missile Launcher.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Cima Garahau has struck a solid hit on Johnny Domino's Chimera using Dual Beam Sabers.

Heero grits his teeth. Zechs is as tenacious and battle-starved a combatant as he ever saw him, and he is certain that he is utilizing the Zero System... and the poise and confidence in his voice can only mean that he's fully mastered its use. The Beam Sword comes in a startling arc, much faster than he can reasonably see. The youth attempts a combination defense: it draws its own Beam Saber, from its red, trustworthy shield to defend against it while allowing a reprisal in the form of his shoulder-mounted machine cannons, in the hopes of trapping the Lightning Count in a two-staged rebuttal.

It doesn't work too well, however, as the Wing Zero's saber falters under the might of the Epyon's; it cuts through, slashing away straight into the Gundam's emerald search-eye and creating a severe rend across it.

Immediately, several monitors are knocked offline as the ZERO System whispers visions of death and failure, as if a severely disappointed mentor to its petulant student. Entire nuts and bolts are shaken loose as the cockpit threatens to crumple under the saber attack, but the youth hangs on.

"I fight to make a statement today... that I, as a Lagrange-1 colonist, will not allow the A-LAWS to make the same mistake as the Titans did! Enough is enough... Zechs Merquise. I will ... kill you!"

It's a bold statement from someone who is under a severe amount of pressure. He knows he's only got one shot at this, and it's on the weapon in his Gundam's hand. He makes a break for it, the Zero's wing binders furling about it to activate maximum retro-thrust to give it space, enough for the Buster Rifle to be stationed and charged.

"Auto-lock on... eliminating obstacle," he bites off, grimly, ordering the command to his Gundam. The Wing Zero obliges, and between the two warriors comes his answer, in the form of a large beam of pure, golden energy.

COMBAT: Heero Yuy has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Heero Yuy has attacked Zechs Merquise. Buster Rifle added to their queue.

COMBAT: Zechs Merquise has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Heero Yuy has missed Zechs Merquise with his Buster Rifle attack.

Haman Karn is a woman who, despite being barely into her twenties, has seen and experienced much. She has tasted the various fruits of the galaxy, and found all of them wanting. She has claimed power, she has groomed a child, she has built mobile suits, she has loved and killed and everything in between. And yet, sometimes, there are things that are still new to her.

Things like the feeling that washes over her when Ribbons Almark opens his mutant eyes.

At first it registers within Haman's belly like a feeling of disgust. Her psycommu systems briefly flicker, like that time when

SOME TIME AGO

Haman Karn is bringing the Qubeley down onto one of Axis' landing strips when suddenly, all the landing lights go out. "Wh--"

Cut to inside, where Chara Soon has unplugged them. "I was only fooling," she mugs with an exaggerated grin, before plugging the lights back in.

NOW

Haman Karn feels it working through her nervous system next, flowing outward from her center all the way to her toes, the tips of her fingers, the ends of her pink hair. It's like slowly lowering yourself into tar, dark and hot and disgusting and so thick it can't even be swam through. Then, it hits her.

'Hits her' as in 'the GRM Gundam flattens the Qubeley's head as if it were a cartoon animal being struck by a mallet,' that is.

"URRGGHH!" Haman cries, beam saber flickering, squeezing off a blind shot from its launcher mode without even being cognizant of doing so. She feels violated. She feels as if Ribbons Almark has just taken it upon himself to... to... to...

...to touch her Newtype Aura right on its Newtype butthole.

"/Talk/?" Haman scoffs. "Federation slime -- whatever -- you've just done--" Funnels begin to will themselves to life, separating from the main body of the Qubeley, Haman's anger feeding them coordinates, giving them the speed and power they need to basically make a living thing lose its adjective.

"FEEL FREE TO /TALK/ TO ME WITH YOUR /LAST WORDS/!"

COMBAT: Haman Karn has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Haman Karn has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Puru Two has struck a major hit on Novas Stellas's Queadluun-Rau using Halberd Shooter.

COMBAT: Haman Karn has attacked Ribbons Almark. Funnel Spiral added to their queue.

Even his scattered fire gets avoided! This would not end well. She was quickly invading his comfort zone with one of those nasty swords that everyone was so keen on using. He couldn't hope to avoid the Gadessa so instead he thought try and counter, the Dom's hand abandoning the Bazooka to it's hard point over one shoulder befor reaching towards the handle of the heat saber that thrust up over the other. A timely application of thrust keeps the Dom in mostly one peice, a gash running up from one side to the other across the Dom's broad middle. The heat saber comes into play a moment after he is struck, coming down in a novice stroke. He's as surprised that it strikes as she is. "I got her?"

He could not finish her with just that attack alone however, no, Kurz is not so lucky. Instead he offers a quick quip of "Smile for the birdy!" befor his hand darts away from one of the control sticks and jams on a button, bringing to life the scattering beam gun mounted in the Funf's chest, pelting the Gadessa with a sudden flurry of lasers that would be a bit more dazzling then they were damaging. COMBAT: Kurz Weber has attacked Healing Care. Scattering Beam Gun Blind added to their queue. COMBAT: Kurz Weber has struck a solid hit on Healing Care's GNZ-003 Gadessa using Scattering Beam Gun Blind.

/oh my god so many missiles/

Most of Johnny Ridden's combat experience comes from the One Year War, where homing missiles were not... a thing. As such, when Rocbell Dajalah starts spewing them like a sorority girl spews her dignity, he he hesitates.

It's only for about an eighth of a second, but it's enough so that when the Zaku accelerates, twisting to try to fit through the hole in the still-closing swarm of missiles, what would have been a clean success turns into a clusterfuck of death explosions.

The Zaku III erupts out of the far end of a tremendous cluster of balls of flame, its armor torn all to shit, sparks shooting from several of its joints. Inside, Johnny's mouth is drawn into a grim line. "Another lucky hit," he murmurs to himself. "This just isn't my day."

The Zaku may be the worse for wear, but its huge bazooka is almost entirely unharmed; this is because Johnny shielded it with his Zaku's body, because Johnny Ridden loves bazookas more than he loves his family.

The Ultra Mega Mega Launcher swings around to face Rocbell again - although the Zaku itself doesn't bother changing its facing - and this time fires three rockets in succession.

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has attacked Rocbell Dajalah. Ultra Mega Mega Launcher - Rapid Fire added to their queue.

COMBAT: Haman Karn has struck Ribbons Almark with a major critical hit using Funnel Spiral.

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has missed Haman Karn with its GN Beam Saber counter attack.

Louise has heard of sword and shield combat, but not from different units! Though she keeps on spraying projectiles everywhere like some kind of demented bullet hell boss, Norris, Gato, and Roberto manage to use their glorious Zeon tactics to pierce her curtain of fire with a main-hand sword, a main gauche, and a shield all at once. The machine rocks, but Louise refuses to accept the notion that she'll be defeated here.

The Rick Diases, also known as the Gamma Gundams -- they, too, are part of that hateful history of "Gundam." It is these things that Louise hates; it is these things that she must destroy. But to do that... she needs to be certain that she has no obstacles -- nothing between her and the three evil weapons.

The GN Cannon swivels toward the Kaempfer, all four of its heavy cannons locking in a firing solution on that single point. "Don't lump me in with the mistakes of the past!" Louise transmits to Norris; she decides to save her ire for the others for later. "What matters is a peaceful future -- and Zeon has no place in it!"

All four barrels of the machine quake and fire at once, letting loose with positively enormous beams of energy, seeking to rip through the Kaempfer's comparatively weak armor.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has attacked Norris Packard. GN Quad Long Cannons added to their queue.

COMBAT: Norris Packard has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has struck a Dynamic Kill critical hit on Norris Packard's MS-18E Kaempfer using GN Quad Long Cannons.

Knock Out! Norris Packard's MS-18E Kaempfer unit has become disabled!

"Nope, I'm not gonna stay away from Aoba." Novas says, hissing through her teeth as more missile explodes across her machine, several warning lights dotting her machine's body. This mech isn't really designed to withstand Puru Two's rage. "You know they're putting her through a program or some shit to turn her into a psychopath or something, right? She totally flipped out this one time, it was really unlike her."

Her mech is already pretty beat up so she doesn't play around--instead unleashing a barrage of firepower from her impact cannons even as she pulls sharply back to try and open up some space between her and Puru Two's deathmachine.

"What pretense?" She asks.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has attacked Puru Two. Impact Cannon Barrage added to their queue.

COMBAT: Puru Two has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has struck a devastating hit on Puru Two's ASK-AD02 Ashsaber using Impact Cannon Barrage.

"Tch!" is Healing's response as the heat saber stalls the cut of the beam saber in her Gadessa's hand, violet eyes sharply hooding as she glares at the one-eyed Dom in front of her. "Do you think that'll keep me from turning you into an exploding pile of scrap, meatbag!?" the feminine-sounding pilot of the silver GN-T mobile suit screeches. "Let me show you the error--!!"

Wait, what? Smile..?

Suddenly, beams, hundreds of them. In Healing Care's FACE.

The silver mech recoils instantly, arms flailing, as it were before it finally seems to pause. Within the cockpit of the Gadessa Healing Care snarls as her panoramic screen goes fidgety and haywire, static interrupting the majority of her picture and targeting sensors going nuts. A few swift kicks later, Healing just snarls again.

"Bullshit. Bullshit!" she cries. "Like that'll STOP me!?"

A second beam saber is produced after the large black Mega Launcher is briefly locked into place on the Gadessa's back. Only then does the silver unit burst forward, attempting to swing both sabers in from either side of the Funf like a pair of scissors. Glowing, /lethal/ scissors.

COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Kurz Weber. Dual GN Beam Sabers added to their queue.

As Almer grows more and more enraged, Kyosuke curiously finds himself growing less so. The Shadow Mirror rants and raves and comes hurtling in with his super robot, jabbing its arm blades deep into the Alteisen's shoulders. A small explosion erupts from the heavily armored mech, and one of claymore pods goes sailing free. Held in place, the ATX commander has a moment as he waits for the follow-up, waiting for just the right moment. "It doesn't matter what she was." Some of the color has returned to his voice. Axel's kick comes sweeping in, cutting short the possibility of more conversation. It's now business time. The Alteisen's hand rises to intercept, catching Soulgain's foot before it can crash into something important. Already damaged, it strains for a moment, ready to give at any moment. It's enough. Ripping forward, tearing itself free of the armblades in a shower of shredded robot, the Alt buries the Revolver Stake in the white super robot, firing it repeatedly until the entire clip is depleted. It's the one to kick off afterward, ejecting spent shells and slipping a new clip into the revolver in a motion so well-practiced that it's second nature. "Who she was came through." Especially at the end, Kyosuke thinks. It is not a happy thought, but it's somehow more bearable than it was the last time he thought of her. As if to prove his point, the Alteisen reaches to its side with its still-functioning arm, drawing forth a long chain with a big, spiked iron ball on it. Nice and dense, just like the Alt itself. Swinging the weapon around to build up a good head of momentum, it's only moments before the red PT rushes forward, laying about with the hammer to crush, maim, and otherwise maul the Soulgain.

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has attacked Axel Almer. Boosted Hammer added to their queue.

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has struck a solid hit on Rachel Miu Athha's MVF-M11C Murasame using One Strike.

The advantage lies with Zechs. He has piloted the Wing Zero, he knows its capabilities and with Heero refusing to use its greatest advantage, he can see its movements. He knows that the Buster Rifle is coming; he is prepared. The Epyon an extension of his will.

The huge column of golden energy silhouettes the Epyon as it charges. Zechs' gut clenches, his mind going blank. Pure reflexes, a decade of Mobile Suit combat honing his instincts. The vernirs on the Gundam come back online, lifting the Epyon up in space. The beam of energy sizzles beneath it -- the huge attack fading into sparkling motes of light.

"You have such a compassionate soul," Zechs intones, amazed that Heero fights for the colonies. Weren't the Gundams sent to Earth for their own reasons? Does Heero fight for Zeon, then? "I cannot lose to someone like you. Not today, at least, not yet!"

"-- But has Zero shown you, too, Heero?" Zechs wonders, ambiguously.

The Epyon does one thing good and one thing only -- fight Gundams. Knowing that the Wing Zero will need a moment to recover from the Buster Rifle's discharge, Zechs goes right back into attacking. Boosting forward, he wields the Beam Sword like it were a baseball bat. Both hands gripping the oversized silver hilt, he swings the huge sword back and cuts it across the horizontal. The emerald blade flourishes, swooshing with the movements.

"I'm sorry, Heero, but you cannot kill someone who is already dead."

COMBAT: Zechs Merquise has attacked Heero Yuy. Beam Sword Cleave added to their queue.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has struck a glancing hit on Axel Almer's Soulgain using Boosted Hammer.

COMBAT: Zechs Merquise has struck a devastating hit on Heero Yuy's Wing Gundam Zero using Beam Sword Cleave.

Knock Out! Heero Yuy's Wing Gundam Zero unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Healing Care has missed Kurz Weber with her Dual GN Beam Sabers attack.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has counter attacked for a minor critical hit on Healing Care's GNZ-003 Gadessa using 90mm Machinegun.

Roberto gasps, the black Rick Dias, pauses, standing dangerously still for a moment as Norris Packard's unit is one minute there, and the next not. Well there's a bunch of scrap, and Roberto is sincerely hopeful the recovery teams will be able to make something of it, but, whoah.

Beam pick still burning in one hand, a longer, brighter, pinker blade ignites in the other and his Rick Dias zips through space to make an aggressive stab for the cockpit. "EARTH HAS NO PLACE IN SPACE!"

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has missed Rocbell Dajalah with his Ultra Mega Mega Launcher - Rapid Fire attack.

Johnny grunts, feeling the impact of Chimera's fist against the Gelgoog's shield resonating through his own arm. Rocbell's insistence that she is not a rookie anymore does not seem to comfort Domino any, nor dissuade him from trying to reach her.

"This has nothing to do with rookie or not rookie," says Johnny. "This has everything to do with--" Cima interrupts the Agent. Her own words seem to hit a rather potent nerve, because the next moment, Johnny Domino raises his voice at her: "Lady?! She's not a lady, she's a /MELTRANDI/!"

Whoa. That tone, what is it? Disgust? Denial? Pride? It's not a very /nice/ tone, that's for sure. And as Cima proves herself to be a more bothersome obstacle than Domino had initially expected, Chimera stops trying to push past the Gelgoog.

Hovering too close to Cima's unit to successfully avoid her beam sabers, Chimera can still sense them coming... and this time, the bio-unit's pilot is paying attention. Sinking through the beast's exoskeleton, the swords begin carving up -- but stop before they get very far. Quick to act, Chimera moves to grab the Gelgoog's own arms, keeping them in place. The beam sabers remain lodged inside the beast's flesh for a single, precious moment.

Inside the cockpit, Domino holds his breath. He can feel the weapon inside his own body. His nerves are protesting. His stomach is turning. His bio-unit is pissed.

Gripping at the Gelgoog's wrists, Chimera's own arms are similarly occupied. But who needs hands when you have tentacles? Growing from out of the beast's gauntlets, a thicket of tentacles extends, moving to coil around Cima's unit and extract bloody vengeance.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has attacked Cima Garahau. Slumbering Beast added to their queue.

COMBAT: Roberto has attacked Louise Halevy. Beam Saber added to their queue.

COMBAT: Cima Garahau has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has struck a devastating critical hit on Cima Garahau's MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine Commander using Slumbering Beast.

"Hey, looks like they're ganging up on that one," Ryouma says blearily, jabbing a finger toward the side window. His helmet is briefly lit up by fantastically pretty lasers. "Haha, and something blew up! Let's go over there."

Musashi grunts. A button goes popping off his uniform. "Urghh! Ryouma! You were right about these uniforms sucking! I'm switching back to my honorable Getter Samurai armor right after this battle!"

"Construction Samurai, right," Ryouma says.

"I'm a modern samurai! Modern hero for a modern age!"

"Yeah, whatever. CHANGE GETTER-1! SWITCH ON!"

The planes fly in sequence, each locking into the one in front of it. Once again, reality becomes an annoying backseat driver in a limo where the chauffeur is completely comfortable with rolling up the divider window. Limbs and other protrusions split forth from the smooth metal, creating the legendary Getter-1! It immediately goes tumbling head over feet.

"Agh, space can blow me! Getter Wing is being all drifty!"

During one of the spins, Getter has decided to sprout countless machineguns from its wrists. Some of them are guns rotating around other guns, creating some kind of double gun. They may be firing normal ammo, but there is so much of it.

Ryouma, regretting his choice in recreational drugs this evening, tries to get a bead on one of the machines. He squints. Flip, flip, flip, flip-- "HA HA!" Getter-1 stretches its arms out, trying to lead the other robot. It is half successful.

"It /couldn't/," Axel roars back. "She was just a DOLL!"

The Soulgain throws a hand forward -- and catches the Boosted Hammer. Armor accordions and crumples along the hand and fingers, and plates break away as the fingers curl. A spike rips through the palm, and bioelectricity explodes along the entire hand. His eyes narrow, and he draws the fist backward.

The pilot fires the thrusters, and the Soulgain blitzes to one side. Shoulder plating breaks off, and Axel looses a single missile ahead of him -- right for the Alteisen. As it approaches, it explodes into thin flechettes.

"She didn't decide shit!" he snaps, genuinely angry. "She /malfunctioned/!"

COMBAT: Axel Almer has attacked Kyosuke Nanbu. Armor Breaker added to their queue.

COMBAT: Getter Team has attacked Staren Wiremu. Getter Machine Guns added to their queue.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has struck a minor hit on Kyosuke Nanbu's Alteisen using Armor Breaker.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has counter attacked for a minor critical hit on Axel Almer's Soulgain using Split Missile.

Norris Packard says "So you'll destory Zeon to the last man woman and child? To hell with you."

The Zeobn suit seems to track the incomming future. "Earth's time is over it's time for humantiy to leve it behind but you greedily cling to the colonies. One by one they rise up in revolt in the sides. The outer colonies are also in Revolt. Mars, The Colonies on Terra Nova around mars crushed the EFA's attempts to reclaim them! Even futher out there are those who bend no knee at all to Earth."

The four beams lances out catching the right side of the Kempfer Norris has started to get out of the way before Louise could fire, the damaged machine goes spinning off into space but there is one last radio. "In the end th Federation will lose. If not Zeon another colonial uprising will /break/ it's back. You can not keep people forever who do not want your kind." IT sounds like he was going to say something else but there's a secondary explosion and his comm cuts off. Whatever else he was going to add. Still prehaps Gato and Roberto would have an opening from this. This weapons would have to take some time to cool or recharge most likely.

Having bought himself a moment, however breif it is, Kurz manages to catch a breath and center himself. She had him sweating, that was never good. Soon enough she was on the attack, but this time he was more then ready for her frontal assault. Cool, calm, one might even say focused. The portly Dom kicks on the thrusters beneath it's skirt and along it's legs to provide a quick escape from the scissoring attack, zipping, up, over, and hopefully behind Ms. Care befor rattling off with a close range burst of gunfire.

"You're getting to worked up about all of this you know. Cursing, calling me names. I mean, Meatbag? What the hell? Are you some new A-Law fighting android or something?" he wonders, needlessly prattling on as he jets away, trying to put some breathing room between them once more, his hands quickly working over the controls to get that massive artillery peice back into the Dom's hands while he still had her wondering. "Not that I'm against robots mind you, one of my favorite co-workers is a machine. Maybe I should introduce you two sometime." he continues as he settles her into the cross hairs, finger easing over the trigger, "Because, for a chick that's trying to kill me, you sound pretty hot." he adds befor pulling the trigger, loosing another shell.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has attacked Healing Care. Giant Bazooka added to their queue.

COMBAT: Getter Team has struck a major hit on Staren Wiremu's RMS-099X Rick Dias Assault Test Type using Getter Machine Guns.

With so much of the Zero commited to firing the Buster Rifle, Heero already knows -- and Zechs is certainly taking full advantage -- of the fact that he is anchored to the one spot, allowing a false move to be exploited rather severely.

This, the ZERO System is flashing rather forcefully in Heero's mind, taking its own interface to the forefront of the overwhelmed youth's mind, as if to say, "You poor, pitiful child, so unaware of your own shortcomings." The Epyon zooming across, each of its strikes so easily capable of rending the Zero in twain and consuming it in a nuclear explosion.

"It does not matter what Zero shows me... I am a human being! I will make my own decisions, not a machine... no matter how powerful or precognitive...!" Heero exclaims at the last moment, jerking the controls back and lifting the only line of defense he has left against the Epyon's incoming saber. His piledriver shield. He has the Zero lift it in front of him... and its thickness is just enough to get it torn asunder, freeing the Wing Zero of one of its arms... and to narrowly avoid a complete cockpit cut -- and therefore his own death, due to decompression.

The breach on its arm crackles for a moment, and then causes a violent explosion that rocks Heero in his cockpit, throwing him about like a ragdoll despite his extensive buckling. "You are just like the others -- an adult who has given up much too early, thinking he has... seen too much... ugh." He feels his head growing light, and he reaches for an emergency routine he'd prepared earlier, pressing one final switch before his brown-haired head hits the Zero's keyboard.

With that routine activated, the Zero transforms into its Neo-Bird mode, despite its damage, to attempt to safely pull Heero away from the site of combat towards a pre-arranged rendezvous point... unless it is intercepted. He can't do anything about that.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has missed Healing Care with his Giant Bazooka attack.

COMBAT: Healing Care has missed Kurz Weber with her GN Kick counter attack.

ROCKET ROCKET ROCKET. Rocbell (not a rocket, a rocbell) times her movements carefully, eluding the first, zipping past the second and spinning away from the third. Thankfully, her artificial arm isn't slowing her reaction time. It couldn't possibly be /improving/ it, of course, but she was worried that the added weight-metal weighing more than even giant flesh and blood, after all-would take more adjustment.

She does hear...something over the radio, somehow, that seems to irritate her a lot. Her movements suddenly grow more erratic, and she's mumbling to herself. "Not a lady, huh? I am absolutely a lady, I am in fact more ladylike than a lot of....I have /pink hair/ for crying out loud..."

This will grow relevant when the mounted Impact Cannons start launching a barrage of shell ammunition at Ridden, who will hear a very strange battle declaration over the radio.

"I! AM! A! LADY!"

COMBAT: Rocbell Dajalah has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Rocbell Dajalah has attacked Johnny Ridden. Fire-Linked Impact Cannons added to their queue.

Funnels. It is to be expected, but their speed and precision are still incredibly overwhelming, even to the most skilled of pilots. The GRM Gundam sweeps backward after the briefest of contacts with the Qubeley's no-longer-very-domelike head, shield locking back into place. The GN verniers shunt out particles, bringing it into a backwards thrust--

--only for the funnels of the Qubeley rip free and surround it. Bolts of energy rain in from countless directions; several are deflected by the Gundam's shield, ricocheting off into space and dissipating harmlessly. The others /hammer/ into the GNZ unit's pristine frame, blowing off chunks of armor in explosions of muted head and force that wash over the sweeping mobile suit. Smoke and electricity belch from charred wounds as the GRM /launches/ upwards past the ceaseless volley--

"Talk," and despite the damage, the voice of the Innovator is still so soothingly calm as it transmits. "Not here, perhaps. You should have time to think." The strangely-designed Gundam's Mega Launcher is re-holstered as two saber hilts shunt forth from its bulbous shoulders; twin blades of orange burn into existence, wavering and concentrating into sharpened edges as Almark presses both sabers against each other.

The two blades, in such close proximity, combine their blades into one, the excess particles forcing themself into shape and elongating like a sharpened lanced aiming to ram itself through the shoulder of the Qubeley, and /drag/ it downward through the joint and towards the mobile suit's hip. Ribbons' glowing eyes focus on the Qubeley, as if simultaneously piercing into Haman with his gaze. He smiles.

"To put things in perspective."

Towards the distance, the Blanc Rival remains prone, beam fire rippling across it in interception of various mech; GN-X III and ZAKUs fling past at high speeds, mobile suit explosions decorating the backdrop of space.

"Mega Particle Cannon charge at 50%, sir," speaks one of the munitions hands on the bridge as Goodman looks up from admiring a strawberry candy bean in his blue gaze. Even in his helmet, that luxurious blonde hair ripples around his fat cheeks as he looks to the side and smiles.

"Excellent," he responds, popping the candy bean into his mouth. "All we need is one good hit, and then we will begin to fall back. Being near these dirty creatures is beginning to ruin my appetite."

And another handful of candy beans are shoveled into his waiting mouth.

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has attacked Haman Karn. GN Beam Saber Assault added to their queue.

COMBAT: Rocbell Dajalah has struck a glancing hit on Johnny Ridden's AMX-011S Zaku III Ridden Custom using Fire-Linked Impact Cannons.

Tentacles.

Cima Garahau is used to a particular environment. Johnny Domino is not part of this environment, and assuming that she does not die in the next ten minutes, she will probably see a few dozen other completely ridiculous yet dramatically effective things. As writhing tentacles whip out from the boiling, apparently space-resistant flesh of the Chimera, the Gelgoog starts pulling back -- unfortunately for Cima, her leg is caught.

The Gelgoog's, of course. The thrusters whine - scream -

Cima slashes down with one beam saber, severing the Gelgoog's leg at the knee and jetting to freedom, if a freedom that involves losing the /other/ beam saber. "Motherfucker!" she declares, goggling into the comm system for a moment. "Did they grow you in some bio-war lab?"

The Gelgoog keeps retreating -- which is possibly a relief to Johnny Domino. "Here," Cima offers then, her eyes wrinkling as her lips spread into a wide smirk. (The damage to her Gelgoog? Irritating -- but who needs legs in space?) "Let me put you out of your misery."

That beam rifle slides downwards again. Cima's verniers start firing in a semi-random formation, a flurry of bursts from the shock-trooper heavy beam rifle supplemented by a steady pattern from the upper mounted vulcans on the Gelgoog, maintaining a constant, painful pressure on the Chimera. Hopefully, Cima thinks, it won't pull out its tackle and rape me to death.

"Ridden!" she shouts into the comm. "Flank that thing!"

COMBAT: Cima Garahau has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Cima Garahau has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Cima Garahau has attacked Johnny Domino. Combination Fire added to their queue.

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has struck Haman Karn with a glancing hit from their GN Beam Saber Assault attack!

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Cima Garahau has struck a minor hit on Johnny Domino's Chimera using Combination Fire.

"God damn it!"

That's the most Healing Care manages as the Dom SOMEHOW makes it out of the way of her slicing attack, the young Captain's violet eyes going intensely narrow, her hands clenching tightly. "Getting worked up?" she belatedly wonders with a sneer. "Oh, I am not even /close/. You wouldn't /survive/ me getting worked up!"

As for the latter, the "Cyber Newtype" just ignores it. Instead, she asides to herself with a harsh whisper, "How am I missing this piece of shit??" Seconds later the Dom opens fire, rocking the mobile suit and earning Kurz a snarl. "Fucking Dom--!!

"I don't care about you or your pathetic 'friends' you make up to make yourself feel better!" cries the girl as the Gadessa veers in, to meet the Dom halfway. Halfway, however, the Dom's bazooka fires; in response, the Gadessa KICKS the damn thing and sends it off course, ideally into a nearby grunt mobile suit, which instantly explodes.

Only then is the Mega Launcher unhitched from the Gadessa's back. Through static, the girl takes aim and fires. It's a warning shot, aimed for the chest. 'Warning,' because it's currently on 'low output.' And that is a /lie/.

COMBAT: Healing Care has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Kurz Weber. GN Mega Launcher - Low Output added to their queue.

"Are you trying to convince me?" Inside the cockpit, Kyosuke shakes his head, still calm despite it all. Outside, the flechettes connect, lancing through the Alteisen's armor, sending a spiderweb of cracks so small as to be invisible to the eye racing through it. Warnings flash, stating in excessively loud terms that the Alteisen is basically up shit creek at this point. Kyosuke flips a switch and quiets them, though the cockpit remains drenched in red light. His hands stretch across the controls, reaching once more for the trigger that activates what is perhaps the Alt's most potent weapon. It screams forward to meet the Soulgain in a potentially suicidal clash, stake raised to drive deep into the other machine's heart once more. "I don't need it."

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has attacked Axel Almer. Revolver Stake added to their queue.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has missed Axel Almer with his Revolver Stake attack.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has counter attacked for a solid hit on Kyosuke Nanbu's Alteisen using Code Kirin.

COMBAT: Healing Care has struck a glancing hit on Kurz Weber's MS-09F Dom Funf using GN Mega Launcher - Low Output.

Well, Johnny has to admit that whoever he's up against certainly is no slump. That, or his age is catching up with him harder than he thought it was. Or, of course, the dreaded 'both.'

The Zaku III throws its legs out and darts aside from Rocbell's first barrage of fire, and it keeps up that pattern of movement around subsequent streams, zigzagging back and forth. Occasionally, a few rounds will rattle along the side of the Zaku, but even when he does cross into a stream of fire, the Crimson Lightning never stays there for long.

Truth be told, the battle cry is far more alarming than the gunfire... especially when Cima Garahau's voice comes flooding into his helmet. Johnny contemplates it for a moment, and then reaches out for his radio controls. "Well," the Crimson Lightning responds smoothly to Rocbell, "Far be it from me to hit a lady."

And then the Zaku suddenly whirls, accelerating away from Rocbell and towards the Other Johnny, rising up from beneath Chimera's legs. It reaches down to its waist and produces a beam emitter with its left hand, raising it towards Chimera and firing a single, bright yellow beam up Johnny Domino's b-hole.

"Trade you," Johnny offers Cima, a moment after he fires.

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has attacked Johnny Domino. Waist Beam Gun added to their queue.

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has struck a solid hit on Johnny Domino's Chimera using Waist Beam Gun.

Armor crunches. The cockpit's displays fizzle for a moment before steadying. Part of the Murasame's faceplate cracks off, scattering into the wind. Wrenching backwards, Rachel's hands tighten up around the cockpit control sticks, though there's a little bit more strength in her right hand than her left.

The legs draw upward a little bit as the entirety of the Mobile Suit seems to "hop" backward through space, but she knows full well that someone like Mister Bushido isn't going to be dissuaded with hit and run tactics. The pink transformable Mobile Suit tries to lurch off to the side, presenting the shield arm for a defense, but it serves little purpose-- the beam katana named for one of his fallen friends rips across the armor and carves a deep gash, segmenting into the upper left arm and boring a hole through the workings.

"So this is Mister Bushido," she murmurs, mostly to herself; voice unaccented. Many times, she's seen him fight. But many times, before, she's wondered if she ever wanted to be on the wrong side of his blades. Now, at a time like this?

Might've been a bad decision.

Pulling the arm back from the blade as layers of armor are shorn through and break up, as damage reports pop up on screens all around her, Rachel shifts the Murasame's position. The blade in the left hand remains held in the reverse grip, the blade in her right hand flips forward.

Striking out, the blade attempts to rip across the Masurao's chest, with an outward cleave, the left-hand saber hooking ahead for a quick blow to the abdomen and wrenching back outward tip-first. The short, brutal combination attack ends as the forward grip beam saber comes down in a straight, direct cleave on the machine's chest!

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has attacked Mister Bushido. Beam Saber Assault added to their queue.

"/What/ was that?!", is Puru Two's initial reaction, furious about what she perceives as an implied threat to Aoba. If it only stayed at that, perhaps she wouldn't have made the fatal mistake of hesitating when Novas completes that thought. She does know that they're doing something strange to Aoba; to say that the way she acted that time was really unlike her is an understatement. Plus there was that message she got...

She gets promptly blasted by powerful cannons, which always helps to put things back in perspective. "Grr, you...! The pretense that you CARE about any of that! If you really cared, you shouldn't have left! Unless you're planning to come back, I don't want to hear it! No -- even if you do, this is a 'no prisoners' day, /sorry/!"

She's not in the greatest of shape after that barrage, but she's not about to give up now. Taking distance won't matter, the Ashsaber has something for all occasions. Sword Breakers detach from the machine's back, the remote weapons locking on in an instant. "Enough of this!" For one tiny, fleeting moment, her tone softens as she promises, "I'll see to Aoba...", but it's back to full intensity shortly after: "...and I won't allow any of you /traitors/ to interfere!" The Funnel-alikes swarm the Zentradi machine, firing purple death beams from every conceivable angle.

COMBAT: Puru Two has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Puru Two has attacked Novas Stellas. Sword Breaker Shot added to their queue.

Anavel Gato's eyes slowly widen; they are tracing the four beam emissions and the exploding Kaempfer on their terminal end, none of which he can do a thing about.

And then his eyes narrow.

STEP THIRTY-FOUR OUT OF FIFTY-FOUR COMPLETE: WARHEAD ARMED AND READY FOR TRANSFER

The GP-02A sheathes its beam saber, grabs the underside of its bazooka, locks it down in place against its right shoulder. "If Norris Packard was lost," Gato coldly radios, "if you and yours' mad, misplaced ambitions into the new world you've already denied yourselves has extinguished another of its lights..."

The bazooka's front in is retrieved from its shield's inner wall as it streaks erratically towards the GN Cannon. Minor modulations, twitches to one side or the other are thrown in the hopes of keeping Warrent Officer Halevy off-guard, so that once the bazooka has been assembled, the Physalis can dive sharply beneath the GN Cannon.

"... I promise you..."

The GP-02A surges upward once in position, seeking to jam the bazooka's muzzle against the GN Cannon's underside. Blue Minovsky particles scatter erratically around the mobile suit's frame as the Physalis' shoulder verniers and arm actuators struggle to keep the GN Cannon trapped against the bazooka.

It probably doesn't help that what particles /do/ gather in the gun's barrel are exerting some outward pressure.

"... your streets, your homes, /every/ place dear to you will drown in blood, in shattered dreams, in lost possibility."

If the GN Cannon hasn't just kind of fallen off yet, the GP-02A will try and gurantee that the GN Cannon remains in place by gripping one of its legs with its shield hand.

The contact needn't be a long one, anyway; as soon as Gato has ascended a ways, he will turn them so that the GN Cannon is beneath the GP-02A.

"You are /poison/. You are a /blight/ on my race."

The bazooka's distorted build of Minovsky partcles will then reach a crescendo, all drawing deep within the barrel, snuffing the light momentarily. And then it will take its hand away so that when the high energy stream of blue radiance seeks to wash the GN Cannon away, no part of its own frame will be consumed.

"The future. Is. Ours."

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has attacked Louise Halevy. Beam Bazooka added to their queue.

Okay, Louise just took some guy down in one hit, this is getting Mr. Bushido levels of serious. Time to test the big guns... Two circular sections on the top of the backpack flip up over the Rick Dias's shoulders. The Rick Dias turns to face Louise's machine, lining up a shot... Energy begins to gather in front of the circles... And then machinegun fire rains into the mobile suit, and the weapon discharges before folding back up. "Tch! What the... Getter Robo!"

Staren turns to face this new threat. "You three are supposed to be defenders of Earth! How can you stand for A-LAWS's bullying? ...Or is it that you're defenders of only earth, and not of space as well? No matter... Getter rays won't stop me!" Thrusters fire as the MS flies to close to melee with Getter Robo. "Let's see how your super robot fares against good old mega particles!" The Rick Dias swerves in for a charging punch, the spike being electromagnetically driven into the target if it hits, and injecting it with mega-particles to try and mess up its internals, or armor if the spike fails to penetrate.

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Getter Team. Beam Spike added to their queue.

"Then HOW DO YOU KNOW?!" Axel roars back, letting forth the rage and anger he feels instead of keeping it silent. "HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!"

The Soulgain rushes right for the Alteisen. Blue light explodes along it, rushing along seems and from the arms, as bioelectricity explodes off the machine and into space. "Limiter, DISENGAGE!" Axel shouts. The fists energize; lightning crackles off them, and the left hook comes hard for the Alteisen's head.

The right slams into the gut, and the fists come back into a blur. Blow after blow is laid into the armor, as Axel fires the punches off at the Alteisen.

"CODE KIRIN!"

The machine then goes into a spin; the arm blades carve and strike down, one after the other, in a rapid set of slashes. Finally, the thrusters fire, and it swings a foot around, and kicks it hard at the midsection of the Alteisen.

The hands come back, palms revealed and put together. A huge lance of blue light fires at the Alteisen, and tries to send it flying.

The Soulgain bursts off after it. It shoots above the Alteisen, and brings back both fists. They crackle with lightning -- and then the right one swings out at chest. The left one slams down at the head, and then the right comes flying upward. Blue fire rolls off its fist, as it rises up.

"MAI SUZAKU!"

He launches the final uppercut, right for the Alteisen's head.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has attacked Kyosuke Nanbu. Mai Suzaku added to their queue.

COMBAT: Puru Two has struck a major hit on Novas Stellas's Queadluun-Rau using Sword Breaker Shot.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has missed Louise Halevy with his Beam Bazooka attack.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has counter attacked for a minor critical hit on Anavel Gato's RX-78GP02A Gundam Physalis using GN Long Cannon Snapshot.

COMBAT: Roberto has missed Louise Halevy with his Beam Saber attack.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has counter attacked for a minor hit on Roberto's Rick Dias using GN Long Cannon Snapshot.

Zechs inverts the Epyon to float in space, letting the verniers cool to conserve energy. He watches the Wing Zero transform and begin its retreat, passively. He is never going to attack an enemy during their retreat -- not unless there is some extreme circumstances. There is honor to be had on the battlefield. "Farewell, Heero Yuy," he says softly, switching off the HUD-cam of the Neo Bird's ascent. "I enjoyed our battle immensely."

Lifting the helmet to be able to see space with his own eyes, Zechs feels the fugue of disconnecting from ZERO set in his mind. He exhales, studying the battlefield.

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has struck a solid hit on Getter Team's Getter-1 using Beam Spike.

COMBAT: Getter Team has missed Staren Wiremu with their Getter Cutter counter attack.

She kicked the god damned shell? "Okay, that was a little cool, I'll give you that." admits Kurz as she takes the pointy foot of the Gadessa to the bazooka round, sending it hurtling away where it promptly puts a end to someone's day. Kurz allows himself a cringe of remourse befor turning his attention back to Healing. It is a fortunate thing, after all, she's just whipped out one of those massive guns that fill him with just a little bit of jealousy. It's a fleeting emotion, fading in the face of the sudden rush of being fired upon by said weapon. Kurz narrowly avoids going on patrol during the next roll call on the TDD-1, the heft MS unit jetting just to the edge of the mega launcher's beam, a strip of it's torso simply scooped away by the graze.

"Man, you know what, I take it back. Robot or not, I can't say I'd want to match you up with anyone." remarks Kurz tersely. The dom snaps the assault rifle into line, locking Healing's Gadessa in it's sights befor Kurz pulls the trigger, giving the gun a voice once more as he looses a string of burst fire shots, trying to riddle the enemy unit with highly accurate shots. "Hot voice or not, you're kind of a bitch."

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has struck a major hit on Kyosuke Nanbu's Alteisen using Mai Suzaku.

Knock Out! Kyosuke Nanbu's Alteisen unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Kyosuke Nanbu has counter attacked for a major hit on Axel Almer's Soulgain using "Trump Card".

COMBAT: Knock Out! Axel Almer's Soulgain unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has attacked Healing Care. Assault Rifle Snipe added to their queue.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has missed Healing Care with his Assault Rifle Snipe attack.

COMBAT: Healing Care has counter attacked for a minor hit on Kurz Weber's MS-09F Dom Funf using GN Vulcans.

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has missed Mister Bushido with her Beam Saber Assault attack.

"-Hey! HEY! That's not what I meant! That's not what I meant at all! You should fight a lady! Don't go after my allies!" Rocbell sputters as Ridden changes focus, and realizes that Domino is now under fire from two angles at once. From two very powerful opponents, at once. And she is his partner, which means she has to have his back, insulted or not....

Which is why the Queadluun-Rau flies up near Cima, the Meltran girl's voice booming over the radio frequency to Domino. "Hang in there! I'm gonna get that one off of you, at least!" She has to check her missile stocks, making sure she hasn't blown all of the cartridges in this battle yet, before the Rau's shoulders unfold and launch larger missiles that spin, dance, weave and otherwise act rather impractically in a visually dazzling manner before they all veer explosively towards Cima.

COMBAT: Rocbell Dajalah has attacked Cima Garahau. Missile Launcher Salvo added to their queue.

COMBAT: Rocbell Dajalah has struck a major hit on Cima Garahau's MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine Commander using Missile Launcher Salvo.

Knock Out! Cima Garahau's MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine Commander unit has become disabled!

Ryouma watches, bemused at the rapidly shifting view. With course corrections from Hayato, he manages to get the Getter-1 stabilized in space. And then SO MUCH TALKING JUST FLOODS INTO HIS RADIO. He watches the enemy robot rush toward him, partially frozen by the stream of angsty teen bitching flooding into his ears.

"What the hell are you even talking about? Stop whining before I jump out of this cockpit and beat you with a belt!"

The Rick Dias' beam spike pierces Getter's chest and fires its payload-- Getter swings wide with the buzzsaw on its arm, and strangely looks none worse for the wear. Green light floods from the wound when Getter-1 kicks itself away, its arms occupied with reaching up toward it shoulders to detach two spiked tomahawks. Never one to back down from a melee fight, Ryouma flares his robot's cape, sending it lurching forward with both axes flailing in a wild swing.

 Anavel Gato transmits, "Remaining Divine Crusaders forces: be alert. There is a nuclear warhead armed and readied to keep the Federation forces at bay."

COMBAT: Getter Team has attacked Staren Wiremu. Getter Great Tomahawk added to their queue.

As Staren retreats from Louise, the young lady breathes a sigh of relief in the midst of her tension; she's got a little more breathing room now, and those petty accusations have stopped besides. Improvement all around. She's down to just those two machines with the lineage of Gundam -- her purity of purpose is attained, and now she can focus.

Turning her attention to Gato and the GP02, she remains calm even as she opens a comm to Norris's still-standing ally. "You think you own the future? ZAFT left you for a reason," she starts, thinking back to her countless conversations with Revive. How did he put it?

Bringing her machine's beam saber up to parry away the Rick Dias's saber, then pushing off into a whirl away from the immense beam of the GP02, she remembers. She remembers clear as day.

"They've heard the future -- and the future is beautiful music," she affirms, pulling out the heavy Buster Rifle of the GN Cannon. It's not like Heero's, though the lineage can be traced, perhaps, if one looks closely.

Louise has never gotten a knack for gauging power output on this particular vicious weapon. Slowing the GN Cannon to acceptable sniping velocity, she makes a rough guess... and fires twice, once for the shield of the heavy Gundam, and the second for its center of mass.

There's a girl.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has attacked Anavel Gato. GN Buster Rifle - Warning Shot added to their queue.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has missed Anavel Gato with her GN Buster Rifle - Warning Shot attack.

They say that anger can be a killing thing.

The statement was made by some oldtype human long, long ago. But whenever they said it -- there's a chance that they were thinking of a scattering of cosmic atoms, extant somewhere in the universe, energy that would repurpose itself over and over until one day, it configured into Regent Haman Karn.

Ribbons speaks at Haman. He talks at her. He does not speak with her; they does not converse. He might as well be entreating a hot fudge sundae, and at least the hot fudge sundae would melt a bit in response. Haman Karn's mind is elsewhere, as the GRM Gundam's mighty sword rips into its side, causing wires and tubes and various metal shapes to tumble out into the void and free-float.

Haman Karn's mind is beyond any of this.

inner, contorted. it's like loathing. put on armor. killing. the one is old in the mirror. blue. kills. kills. full from someone whose hair looks like something she has known and at one point considered home. killing inner home. kill inner home and leave him and-- is it? up. children. it. you. rage. an old, hot grief. it is from somewhere where it is not. will. it's contorted, something the eyes express and recognize in the mirror. the inner what. from horror, anger. i've done something on him. face blue from being someone. him, sputtering. contorted rage is what is done. the wailing leaves when you do. fever to their women, plague to their men, waves of loathing, pure, preposterous. roses. blazing. contorted. express will. not the all. angers. know will. expression, person, flame, women. anger. slaughtered. not days. killing. coming. rose.

slaughter.

This all pours out of Haman Karn. She couldn't regulate her Newtype Rage if she tried -- and she really, really doesn't. The Qubeley, already seemingly on its last legs, sparking and trailing pieces of itself, is held together by the jumble of Haman Karn's addled mind. This power radiates out from it. Newtypes across the battlefield can feel it.

They can feel her.

It feels like reaching out, grabbing a hot coal, and being unable to let go, even when you know that the skin on your hand is burning away.

Haman Karn doesn't know how she knows this man's name. It comes to her. It screams at her from the void and she hates it for this because once something is named, it has power, and once it has power, it becomes real.

But when it becomes real, it can be killed.

"RRRIIIBBBBBBOOONNNSSS!!!"

Funnels. Everywhere.

COMBAT: Haman Karn has attacked Ribbons Almark. Funnel Spiral added to their queue.

COMBAT: Haman Karn has hit Ribbons Almark with a glancing hit with her Funnel Spiral attack.

Chimera watches the Gelgoog hack off one of its own limbs in order to get away. The bio-unit is amused. The sort of amusement a predator might feel, seeing its prey driven to desperation.

In the cockpit, Johnny Domino breathes again. Then he hears Rocbell's voice over the radio and stop breathing. Did she hear him? Why does she sound so... so... something? For reasons the young man cannot quite articulate, this new development has left him feeling extremely distraught.

Chimera's amusement at the poor poor Gelgoog vanishes as it feels its pilot losing focus. Mentally jabbing at Johnny, the Agent comes back to his senses. Cima fires. Chimera crosses its arms in front of its body, the beast's gauntlets absorbing the brunt of Cima's attack. But instead of pressing the offensive against the weakened Gelgoog, Domino remains stuck in the defensive.

Deeply troubled due to Rocbell, the Meltrandi's presence is not helping Johnny any. By now, the young man is fairly certain he is feeling embarrassment and guilt. With every passing second, the desire to get away from the pink-haired alien grows stronger and stronger. He shouldn't have been assigned to her. Why was he assigned to her? Why was she here? Why did she keep following him around and nagging and being such a... such a /girl/?!

But no, she's not a girl. She's a Meltrandi. She's...

Chimera releases a mute roar into the void of space, irritated by its pilot. This irritation reaches smoldering anger when Johnny Ridden hits it in the back. The lower back. The very low back.

This has gone on long enough, decides the beast. It was time to take matters into its own hand. Before Domino can protest, Chimera washes over him in a violent wave, granting the Agent his wish. Absorbing his mind, Johnny Domino loses consciousness, taken far far away from Rocbell Dajalah.

And as Domino goes away, Manticore arrives.

Yellow eyes blink a deep red, followed by a pair of wings erupting from the beast's back. Do you remember it, Johnny Ridden? Because Manticore remembers you. It remembers your moves, it remembers your taste, it remembers the feel of your machine against its body. The only thing it doesn't remember is the sound of your voice, screaming in agony.

The tentacles, still deployed, shoot towards the Zaku.

Remind it, Ridden. Remind Manticore what it sounds like to die.

Johnny Domino's Chimera transforms into its Manticore mode.

Johnny Domino changes into his Beast pilot form.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has attacked Johnny Ridden. Kraken Constriction added to their queue.

Roberto laughs as his Rick Dias makes with relentless pursuit. Louie is entirely too dedicated to fighting at extremely far range for his liking and it's a difficult tactic for him to counter effectively while still mounting effective offense.

His Rick Dias takes a few chips and dents as she never fails to return fire. A tactic he knows the value of.

He bites his lip and decides to get mean. His Rick Dias maintains pursuit, never letting the GN Custom maintain lazy sniper range, drawing both of his pistols and firing them in even alternating bursts.

"That music joo are hearing, is the angels singing, That is the peace joo will find today. Juan way or another joo will leave today, and joo will find peace."

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has struck a glancing hit on Johnny Ridden's AMX-011S Zaku III Ridden Custom using Kraken Constriction.

COMBAT: Roberto has attacked Louise Halevy. Twin Beam Pistols added to their queue.

"Why are you still talking!?" cries the pilot of the Gadessa as Kurz manages to avoid getting ruined by the shot from the Mega Launcher in its hands. Snarling lightly, the girl asides to herself harshly, "He's a goddamned roach. Stupid humans. God I hate them /so much/."

The Dom takes aim with its assault rifle, and instantly a grim sneer blossoms on the young woman's face. The Vulcans on the Gadessa's head ignite as the silvery GN-T machine veers harshly aside, spewing beam gunfire as it evades the burstfire provided by the Dom Funf. All the whilte, Healing Care cackles in delight.

"Tell me something I don't know already!" the girl chimes. The Launcher is raised once more.

"Now," A switch is flicked. The yellow energy collecting at the rifle's crackling tip grows brighter.

"Say goodbye~!"

The rifle fires /again/, this time with a just a /bit/ more power. A bit more power that could likely destroy a small city.

COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Kurz Weber. GN Mega Launcher - Medium Output added to their queue.

"I didn't think you cared about me," Novas adds, frowning a little. "It's not like I really planned on it." She looks away, guiltily. She didn't want to leave Ouka, or Aoba, or even Puru. But she didn't really have a choice about sticking around. If she hadn't, Joshua would've been brigged or killed or worse. Well alright, she could've done SOMETHING with that, sure 'nuff, but leaving the Vesalius out to dry for the sake of two, maybe three people--she couldn't do that.

"But," She says, flicking open her targeting system but before she can open fire, the funnels--she forgot about... FUNNELS!

Lasers ripple across her machine's body, shredding the armoring and cutting open space. Bleeding from her scorched stomach, Novas coughs twice, her transmissions going crackly.

"You can kill me if you can, I don't mind. But..." Novas adds something else, "Thank you for looking after Aoba when I can't. You're a lot nicer than--" the transmissions beats out.

But Novas isn't going to give up a fight that readily. Her weapons charge up and she unleashes a swath of bullets, intending to rip her Ashshaber apart--though it isn't a full bullet hell, she's trying to avoid the cockpit block and is leaving enough space to maneuver through them for the Puru--more than she really needs to--but even so the pure breadth of firepower might make it hard to push through.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has attacked Puru Two. Bullet Hell added to their queue.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Healing Care has struck a glancing hit on Kurz Weber's MS-09F Dom Funf using GN Mega Launcher - Medium Output.

COMBAT: Getter Team has missed Staren Wiremu with their Getter Great Tomahawk attack.

COMBAT: Puru Two has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Puru Two has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has struck a devastating critical hit on Puru Two's ASK-AD02 Ashsaber using Bullet Hell.

Knock Out! Puru Two's ASK-AD02 Ashsaber unit has become disabled!

"Too slow," chides Mister Bushido, as Rachel Miu Athha's beam blades come swinging at his Masurao. The high-speed close combat mobile suit lives up to its designation, as the One Man Army pilots the machine like an extension of his own body; with remarkable speed, particularly not using its 'other' abilities, the red and black mobile suit avoids the Murasame's slashing attacks, ducking and weaving and occasionally knocking aside with one of its own compressed particle blades. By the time Rachel's assault stops, the Masurao... Seems to have not been struck once, not by that attack, at least. With an air of negligent confidence, it deactivates the shorter beam katana, Howard, and stows it away, before taking the larger weapon, Darryl, in both hands. "However, as I said, I respect your skill. Allow me to demonstrate my respect to you..." Mister Bushido grins, wildly, and the near-madness sounds in his voice. "...AND SHOW YOU MY OWN SKILL!" The GNX-U02X suddenly erupts forward in motion, the single, oversized katana formed of compressed GN particles flashing and blurring, a burnt-orange streak of light in the black void of space as the Masurao whirls, striking again and again for the Murasame. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has attacked Rachel Miu Athha. The Strongest Sword added to their queue.

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has struck a devastating hit on Rachel Miu Athha's MVF-M11C Murasame using The Strongest Sword.

Despite how talkative he's been for the duration of the battle, Kyosuke chooses to remain silent now. It's as much out of neccesity as choice, as he's pressed hard by the Soulgain.

Its rain of blows fall upon the Alteisen, each one hammering home with absurd force. The Alt's armor, already weakened, begins to crumple, each punch leaving a small crater that slowly joins with a larger whole. One of the monitors in the cockpit shatters, spraying glass everywhere. Kyosuke squints through it, deftly maneuvering as much as he can to prevent any hit from being the one that ends his life. Then the final blast comes, shattering through the AB field to once again melt red armor into something near unusable. In the scare moment Kyosuke has in the aftermath, he's able to speak. To prepare. "I got to know her." And as Soulgain rushes in for the final blow, the Alteisen retaliates, meeting the large white robot with a half-wall from its remaining claymore. The PT is quick to follow up even as its battered, head crumpling in at the last second, forcing Kyosuke to rely on memory, on feel alone for the second it takes to finish retaliating. It comes in the form of the stake, driving forward where Axel is, where he /has/ to be. Kyosuke can only feel it as the consecutive shockwaves ripple back through the arm and up into the cockpit, the only sign that he's connected; with the Alteisen in the shape it's in, headless and broken, he can't even tell if he's out of ammo or if the trigger just doesn't work anymore. It doesn't matter. If his last gambit hadn't worked, he wouldn't be around to question it. The radio hisses, one of the few things that still work if only barely. Kyosuke speaks into it anyway, despite being unsure if Axel can even hear him anymore. "You can't bluff some things."

This is a pretty big problem for Cima Garahau. One of the disadvantages of piracy is that usually, you've already won by the time you've started the attack...

The first two missiles on the Gelgoog don't worry Cima too much. The second wave, though, of half a dozen slamming into and obliterating the shield arm /do/; her verniers start firing then, hard enough to jerk her around in the cockpit, but unfortunately this is not enough to preserve her, as one fine missile flies, improbably, /right/ into the eye slit -

And with a great explosion, Cima is left flying blind, or near enough as makes no difference. "Fuck," she says to herself, bitterly; the verniers keep firing, steadily accelerating her, as she keeps one eye on the reactor read out and a finger over the dump switch. Just in case...

"Not a lady, was she," she murmurs to herself. "Hmmmm."

Sure it could destroy a small city, but it was no match for Kurz Weber! Because he is getting his scrawney ass out of the god damned way! Even with the chunky wonder's unexpected maneuverability, Kurz can't get compleatly out of the way of the blast, a leg is lef trailing, the foot simply disappearing in the glare of the blast. He's holding it together however, he can still win this one, he has to! She's going to swallow each and every dipsaraging remark she's even thought about making against his Dom Funf!

"Something you don't know?" Kurz grates as he brings that massive bazooka against her once more, locking her in the cross hairs. There is a short gap, a heart beat where he steadies his aim, reflects on her every move.. Which way will she go? He makes his bet and lays his money down. With a squeeze of the trigger the shell is on it's way.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has activated a spirit command.

Axel's eyes go wide -- as he sees the revolver stake slam into the stomach of the Soulgain. The machine shudders, the round shoved into the battered armor of the super robot, and feels the explosion as it rips through the machine. The blast throws Axel from the magnetic strips on the floor that he stands on -- and he hits the front of the cockpit. He bounces backward.

Static explodes across his machine, as cracks run across where the explosion shook the entire thing. He spits, staring as the Soulgain floats backward. Energy flow cuts; the machine shudders, and the eyes dim.

Kyosuke's voice, filled with static, crackle across the cockpit.

He has no words for that. Beowulf believes it -- believes that doll, that nothing, somehow became a person. She somehow became something more than they made her to be, and became human. Axel swallows, and looks down angrily.

For a moment, he believes it too.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has attacked Healing Care. Raketen Bazooka Sniper Fit added to their queue.

Angsty teen bitching from an angsty teen macha pilot? Who'd have thunk it? "Yeah, you do that. Jump out of the cockpit and try to fight me with a belt." His eyes narrow as the robo heals hitself. He sighs. 'Getter rays...'

And then, tomahawks! The smaller suit nimbly avoids them this time, moving back a bit just out of melee range. "Even if they can repair your unit, Getter Rays _still_ need energy to do so! You can't defy the laws of physics! Eventually, you'll run out! Take this!" The flat cylinders pop up and gather energy, before emitting a pair of wide mega-particle beams at the super robot.

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Getter Team. Twin Hyper Mega Cannons Short Burst added to their queue.

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has struck a major hit on Getter Team's Getter-1 using Twin Hyper Mega Cannons Short Burst.

COMBAT: Getter Team has counter attacked for a major critical hit on Staren Wiremu's RMS-099X Rick Dias Assault Test Type using Getter Rampage.

STEP FIFTY-FOUR OUT OF FIFTY-FOUR COMPLETE: MK. 82 WARHEAD PREPARED AND READY FOR DEPLOYMENT

"And Zeon," Anavel Gato says as the warhead sliding down his bazooka's barrel stops against another developing ball of megaparticles, "is its composer."

'Target rich' is the word for the word, with the way the Divine Crusaders forces are dropping off. Warnings have been given, but really... at this point, the greatest problem at hand is the installation being defended. The Physalis' computers are chugging away to check and recheck their firing vectors to guarantee a minimum of damage to Luna Five.

And then the GN Cannon nearly dumps that careful planning right into the toilet.

Dodging the buster rifle shots is troublesome in and of itself, because there is just so much beam to go around; the GP-02A is almost sinfully agile for its side, but the second blast /still/ compresses its right side dangerously as it barrel rolls to safety; no major harm done, but the technicians will be pissy for hours as they hammer the dents out.

"Tch..." he exhales as he is forced to find a new angle, somewhere out of the GN Cannon's immediate line of fire. The wait is perilous; the Gundam's entire frame is beginning to shudder from the strain of containing so damn much energy in one place for longer than what is proscribed.

Finally, he finds a location: an asteroid located far enough away from Fifth Luna that the base will be spared excess harm without hedging out too many desireable targets.

"For Norris Packard," he growls as he steadies his finger on the bazooka's trigger switch. "For /Zeon/."

A shaft of blue megaparticles lances through space.

Locks at the very tip of the bazooka's barrel release, allowing the Mk. 82 nuclear warhead housed within to tumble perilously through the center of particulate tunnel.

Pieces of the asteroid begin flying from the core when the tip of the beam strikes it; shortly afterwards, the warhead collides with it, too.

And then the whole world is cast in white. In high radiation warnings. In heat. In waves of violently expelled kinetic energy.

Anti-glare mechanisms or no, Anavel Gato can scarcely look to his monitors as the great white globe of nuclear death expands, hungry to consume any and everything too slow to escape its edges.

There are no Eraser Heads /here/, and so he tries--has to allow himself to believe that this time will be different from the last.

For Norris Packard.

For Zeon.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has attacked Staren Wiremu, Kurz Weber, Mister Bushido, Healing Care, Roberto, Johnny Domino, Louise Halevy, Getter Team, Zechs Merquise, Rachel Miu Athha, and Ribbons Almark. Atomic Bazooka added to their queue.

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has struck a devastating hit on Healing Care's GNZ-003 Gadessa using Raketen Bazooka Sniper Fit.

COMBAT: Healing Care has counter attacked for a solid hit on Kurz Weber's MS-09F Dom Funf using GN Beam Saber.

COMBAT: Healing Care has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has struck a glancing hit on Kurz Weber's MS-09F Dom Funf using Atomic Bazooka.

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has missed Staren Wiremu with his Atomic Bazooka attack.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has missed Getter Team with his Atomic Bazooka attack.

COMBAT: Roberto has struck a solid hit on Louise Halevy's GN Cannon using Twin Beam Pistols.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has missed Louise Halevy with his Atomic Bazooka attack.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has missed Johnny Domino with his Atomic Bazooka attack.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has missed Healing Care with his Atomic Bazooka attack.

COMBAT: Zechs Merquise has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has struck a apocalyptic hit on Zechs Merquise's Gundam Epyon using Atomic Bazooka.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has struck a devastating hit on Rachel Miu Athha's MVF-M11C Murasame using Atomic Bazooka.

Knock Out! Rachel Miu Athha's MVF-M11C Murasame unit has become disabled!

Puru Two is being thanked, and called nice, and almost being /encouraged/ to go for the kill. If the radio was still getting through, she'd have to call Novas all kinds of crazy. Must be an Alien thing, clearly this can't be the thought pattern of a normal human being. And you'd have to be pretty crazy to be thinking that Puru Two cares about anybody. Of course not, impossible, no way, no how. Whatever her motivations for doing things might be, they couldn't possibly have anything to do with that. Why else would she be denying it so often?

"I don't care about anything you say!", she reaffirms one more time, even if it's not getting across. None of this is upsetting her in any way, and that's why her Newtype prediction and evasive action is completely off. It's the punch in the side of the head she got from Haman's mental rage and NOTHING ELSE. The Ashsaber gets peppered with cannon fire before Puru Two is able to get the unit away from it, the heavily battered mech immediately setting in a retreat.

"Lucky... just got lucky, is all...", she tries to convince herself as she flees the scene, in a way actually relieved she has an excuse to - she feels a migraine coming on, the common mental wavelength just got a tiny little bit uncomfortable there. And besides which, FRIGGIN NUKE going off nearby.

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has missed Ribbons Almark with his Atomic Bazooka attack.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has missed Mister Bushido with his Atomic Bazooka attack.

Zechs gets blown up by a nuclear missile. The Epyon partially evaporates in the atomic bloom of the explosive bazooka's beam, having no where it can go. He should not have hung out in the middle of the battle; it was a rookie mistake. It is only the Gundanium alloy that saves him from immediate death.

"Hnh," he exhales, falling back in space -- inertia fucked from bazooka. The Epyon doesn't respond, despite Zechs yanking at the controls. He's going to hit reentry soon. "Such a weapon has no place in outer space."

"I DEFY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS EVERY DAMN DAY! The laws of physics pays me protection money!" Ryouma shrieks, leaning forward onto the controls, his eyes wide and teeth pulled back in a wide-mouthed grin. He tosses the tomahawks away for now, reaching out with the Getter-1's clawed fingers. Staren's beams wash over Getter briefly, but it is still there, blackened, eyes gleaming bright green. "The laws of physics passed out at a party after trying to outdrink me and I drew a cock on its forehead!"

Ryouma's ranting is briefly interrupted by the nuclear explosion-- the awkward and large Getter does not move out of the way; instead the emitter in the middle of its torso opens just as the atomic blast washes over it. This time, the glare does not disappear when the detonation dies down. A fluctuating aura surrounds Getter-1. This... is the Getter Shine! As it flows off of the robot's body, Ryouma launches forward, ripping and tearing, the metal of the larger machine groaning like a beast as it tries to pry off parts of Staren's mobile suit. Only when it is satisfied does Getter casually toss the modified Rick Dias aside, spreading its arms.

The rest of the glow flows between its palms, taking on a metallic sheen that eventually becomes, somehow, a massive revolving cannon with a trailing line of missiles. Getter hefts it appreciatively, and then takes aim at the clay pidgeon it just launched.

COMBAT: Getter Team has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Getter Team has attacked Staren Wiremu. Missile Machine Gun added to their queue.

Somewhere the laws of Physics sighs and sends Ryouma this month's protection money.

Novas Stellas is pretty nutty when it comes to getting killed. Part of her is more worried about Puru Two than the possibility of her dying. She doesn't want to die again, of course, otherwise she'd already be dead! But she doesn't like this situation at all. The simple fact of the matter is is that Puru Two is adorable and her own machine is barely functioning and Puru Two is adorable. In the surly brat you just want to hug sort of way. Except she wants to kill her. And that's sad.

But maybe she'll help Aoba out. That'd be nice.

Nukes are starting to go of. In her present state, Novas thinks that's as good time an any to get the hell outta dodge. She transmits she's falling back as she--falls back.

"Again? What is this bullshit?!" Healing wonders to herself as the Dom again manages to prove that it isn't the piece of shit she presumed it to be. Furrowing her thin green eyebrows, the young "Cyber Newtype" pilot simply scowls before leaning forward in her cockpit seat and sneering. "That's okay, I can be pretty patient when I /want/ to be."

Except when there's a damn bazooka flying at the Gadessa and she can't quite get out of the way. So what does Healing Care do?

She barrels /through it/.

At the same time there are NUCLEAR explosions going on, but somehow(?) the GN barrier around the Gadessa protects it from radiation and getting hit. That just pisses Healing off even MORE.

Struck REALLY HARD by the raketen bazooka shell, the Gadessa is violently blasted, the silver machine erupting with silent explosions and flame. Yet somehow it still manages to MOVE, GN-Tau particles roaring from its engine as it blasts itself toward the Dom--and drives a beam saber into its gut before ripping it out and kicking off. It puts her at close range.

Close enough to kick the Dom RIGHT IN THE MONOEYE.

"Get the hell out of here--I have a bigger fish to FRY!"

COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Kurz Weber. GN Kick added to their queue.

COMBAT: Healing Care has struck a major hit on Kurz Weber's MS-09F Dom Funf using GN Kick.

Knock Out! Kurz Weber's MS-09F Dom Funf unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Kurz Weber has counter attacked for a minor hit on Healing Care's GNZ-003 Gadessa using 90mm Machinegun.

Well, Cima got sort of a raw deal, there.

The Crimson Lightning's eyes narrow when wings burst out of Chimera's back - oh, /this/ thing again - and it turns upon him, tentacles whipping through space towards his Zaku. The first one to arrive snags onto his left arm, entagling itself around the limb and yanking it out to the side. The others are only a split second behind-

- a spark of light glints in Johnny Ridden's mind, making sure he is /extremely/ aware of Cima Garahau's spike of frustration and bitterness. He doesn't even need to look over his shoulder to tell she's been shot down-

- and then the spark expands, tearing into a jagged beam of ethereal lightning that flashes across his vision, casting the shadow of not only Johnny Domino's soul, but of Cima Garahau's and Rocbell Dajalah's, across his vision.

The Zaku suddenly twists its arm sharply, yanking the tentacle taut, and a beam blade flashes out of the emitter in its left hand, extending directly into an onrushing tentacle in the same instant that it turns to circle around the entangled MS.

The beam blade flashes again, the Zaku savagely wrenching on its arm, and it cuts another few tentacles out of space before they get to it, the blade moving as if the Crimson Lightning knows exactly where the tentacles are going.

Because, of course, he does.

The blade flashes a final time, and the one tentacle grappling the Zaku goes slack as the beam weapon parts it like butter. Finally free, the Zaku... turns, and accelerates back toward Rocbell and Cima, the lightning still alive in his mind. The thought that he should tell Cima he'll cover her crosses his mind, but he discards it. He already told her-- or is that he's going to? He's not sure, at the moment.

The Zaku's right arm levels its Ultra Mega Mega Launcher towards Rocbell's Queadluun-Rau and opens fire again, a pair of huge rockets streaking out towards the machine. The second doesn't even go towards where the machine /is/ - it goes where she's /going/ to be.

The Zaku itself accelerates in right behind the two projectiles, its beam blade thrusting in towards the machine's shoulder. Johnny tenses to wrench the weapon out and stab again--

-- and then his eyes widen, and he suddenly jerks to the side, trying to interpose the Queadluun-Rau between himself and a vast swath of empty space.

An instant later, there is a /nuclear God damn explosion/ in that vast swath of empty space. Time will tell if a Queadluun-Rau makes a good shield.

 Cima Garahau through static, but a recognizably mocking tone, "This wasn't in the deaaaaaaaaaal."

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has attacked Rocbell Dajalah. Ride The Lightning added to their queue.

Louise takes her machine into a whirling defense, but it's not quite enough to weave around Roberto; the beam pistol fire bites into her machine, sending it flailing off course in a random direction. For a moment, Louise Halevy finds the words to curse her fate.

In the next, she realizes she's lucky. Rather than flying right into the mouth of the blast, she's sent careening off into dead space, narrowly evading death through sheer bloody luck. Unsure what to even say about what's just transpired, Louise settles for doing something about someone who's been pursuing her all night -- Roberto, in his Rick Dias, the 'Gamma Gundam.'

Swiveling her machine's heavy top shoulder cannons around, she decides to swat down the last bothersome fly in the area -- if she's to face a true Gundam, like the GP02, she needs to be undistracted. She needs to have crisp, perfect focus.

Unfortunately, thanks to his earlier beam pistol shots, only one of the two cannons actually fires -- so far. The shock of attempting and failing moves the other back into place.. but for now, only a single beam streaks toward Roberto's Rick Dias.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has attacked Roberto. GN Long Cannon added to their queue.

 Dr. Hell transmits, "By the by, Mister Gato, one of these days you'll have to let me know where you find all of these nuclear weapons."

 Johnny Ridden transmits, sharply, "Cima, pull out. I'll cover you."

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has missed Roberto with his Atomic Bazooka attack.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has struck a devastating hit on Roberto's Rick Dias using GN Long Cannon.

 A Delaz Zaku II pilot reports he's got Packard's machine and the cockpit's intact.

 Anavel Gato transmits, "That, madman, is /none/ of your concern."

 Cima Garahau transmits, "At last. Hmhhh; I suppose I'll have to get back on my drill."

 Dr. Hell transmits, "You're so very flippant to someone who is ostensibly your ally."

Roberto is becoming very intently focused now on the GN Cannon. However, numerous sensor arrays and information coming to him tell him that he is about to be destroyed by some omnipresent super attack. He diverts all the power to the boost, and somehow manages to get his dias behind the shielding of some allready destroyed mobile suit.

He looks up about the move his Rick Dias in the for the attack when avery well aimed shot of Louise' strikes his Dias in the shoulder. That arm jerks back, hanging awkwardly immediately afterwards and the robot hand loses its grip on the pistol. The pilot ignores it for now grabbing his beam pick, and accelerating to maximum boost on a ramming collision course with the GN unit slashing frantically with the pick, his beam saber ignites closer to the last moment and strikes with greater precision.

COMBAT: Roberto has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Roberto has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Roberto has attacked Louise Halevy. Beam Assault added to their queue.

COMBAT: Getter Team has struck a devastating critical hit on Staren Wiremu's RMS-099X Rick Dias Assault Test Type using Missile Machine Gun.

Knock Out! Staren Wiremu's RMS-099X Rick Dias Assault Test Type unit has become disabled!

The newtype power is palpable. The quantum brainwaves that fluctuate across the battlefield are all too real; yet Ribbons Almark views it all impassively as he takes hold of his machine's controls, glowing eyes focused on the Qubeley with an almost expectant look.

"How sad," he muses to himself, his commlink turned off.

"But I guess children shouldn't be trusted with loaded guns." His eyes close. And what meets Haman's mighty Newtype tantrum is simple:

Like the icy cold edge of a knife pressing against Haman's throat, the absolute psychic dead noise is harrowing -- more importantly, it is meant to /jolt/ her out of her rampage with the unnatural feeling of nothingness pressing against her mind. Meant to jolt her into reality--

Just in time to see the damaged white form of the GNZ-001 punching upwards through a stream of funnels with a trail of GN particles following in its wake like a hellish pyre. Beams lance through, puncturing a hole through the GRM Gundam's right leg before a bright, crackling sphere of orange encompasses the mobile suit. Beams deflect off the freshly-generated GN Field--

--and then the nuke goes off. Ribbons Almark's glowing eyes widen for the briefest of moments as the GP02's pilot decides to unleash the nuclear warhead into open, allied space. He lifts a brow.

"How foolish."

The nuclear pulse ripples against the edge of the GRM's GN field as it /bursts/ backwards. The force alone from the outward shockwave causes the orb of crackling orange to fluctuate and push inward, as if threatening a collapse. GN particles warp and warble, and the entire encasement seems to waver for the briefest moment. But GN fields are nothing if not impressively sturdy; the shockwave of nuclear force washes over the GNZ-001, as if gobbling it up alive--

-- but a second later, the damaged, but still operational machine BURSTS through the haze of heat, GN Mega Launcher is unholstered once again... and pointed directly downward toward Haman Karn.

"Haman Karn," the calm voice utters in stark contrast to her howl of rage, as if urging -- subtly -- into a semblence of awareness.

"Do you think anger will give you what you want?"

The GN Mega Launcher's two-pronged barrel hisses open. Electricity crackles around the accelerators.

"When you're ready to learn how to grasp onto true victory... I'll be waiting to speak to you. I have nothing but time.

"But do you?"

The Mega Launcher fires straight downward; swirling masses of multi-toned orange particles diffuse across a wide birth as violet electricity coats the hellish inferno in erratic patterns, puncturing through space to devour the Qubeley without a single ounce of compassion.

"They--they launched a--HURK!!"

Arthur Goodman's surprise is cut off the second a candy beam lodges in his throat. Blue eyes widening in even /more/ raw shock, the tubby man suddenly launches out of his chair, floating wildly through the bridge as he grips his throat and lets out strangled, pitiable pleas.

The rest of the bridge, meanwhile, respond immediately; the initial shockwave is still significantly far from the Blanc Rival, yet it /still/ begins backing away almost immediately... because it knows what comes next. The powerful thrusters of the Pegasus-class ship send it into a full-scale backwards retreat as the blinding white fury of a miniature sun being born on the battlefield spreads outward, further and further. Mobile suits are gobbled up on both sides, the Ural-class ships attempt to enter evasive action--

--only to have one utterly and completely consumed by the nuclear fury. The edges of the blast catch the rightmost mobile suit hangar as the electromagnetic pulse of the nuclear blast wreaks havoc on the ship's systems. Some attempt to run away, as if they could escape the fury--

--but in a matter of seconds, the entire Ural-class transport ship is destroyed as the Blanc Rival's crew watches on in muted horror.

"*HOCK* *HURK* HHHHHHHHHHHH--"

A single, green candy beam is launched against the viewscreen of the Blanc Rival as a blue-faced Arthur Goodman turns bulging blue eyes towards Fifth Luna.

"hhhh... ggood... F-fire! Fire the Mega Particle Cannon!" Distantly, Goodman frowns as he catches his breath, his face full of sweat and his large chest heaving.

The Blanc Rival's response to the warhead is simple: in a brilliant, BLINDING flash, its mega particle cannons unload, the brilliant surge of power -- while not nearly as impressive as the nuke -- is no less deadly...

... and aiming to carve through whatever resource depots throughout the asteroid base it can.

"Trying to make me choke myself to death, are you, vermin?!"

 Johnny Ridden transmits, "And Anavel?"

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has attacked Haman Karn. GN Mega Launcher - High Output added to their queue.

 Anavel Gato transmits, "Crimson Lightning."

 Johnny Ridden transmits, "Some warning next time, if you would?"

 Anavel Gato transmits, "You... were warned; I was sure of it."

 Anavel Gato transmits, "I would /never/ try to carelessly throw your lives aside."

 Johnny Ridden transmits, "Hmm. My apologies, then. I must be going deaf already."

 Anavel Gato transmits, "The heat of battle is a chaotic place; these things happen."

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has missed Haman Karn with its GN Mega Launcher - High Output attack.

 Anavel Gato transmits, "I am /thankful/ that you weren't harmed. Packard and Garahau are clear, as well--what's /your/ situation, Regent Karn?"

<Radio: D - Zeon> Haman Karn transmits, "GGGGGGHHHNNNNNNGGGGGHHHHH!"

<Radio: D - Zeon> Haman Karn transmits, "/HE VIOLATED MY MIND/--"

<Radio: D - Zeon> Haman Karn transmits, "/I'LL/--"

<Radio: D - Zeon> Anavel Gato transmits, "I--"

<Radio: D - Zeon> Haman Karn transmits, "EEEEAAAARRRRRGGHHH!"

<Radio: D - Zeon> Anavel Gato transmits, "/Who/?"

<Radio: D - Zeon> Haman Karn just makes more insane-o screamy noises.

<Radio: D - Zeon> Cima Garahau transmits, "Destroy him, Lady Karn! Rip him apart!"

He had hopped to finish her off with that last shot. He is unplesently surprised when she rips through the explosion and powers through to him yet still! She's too quyick and too close for him to avoid, he can only hope to try and roll with the strike, letting the beam saber sink into the side of the Dom, the metal seeming to boil befor it erupts. His thoughts turn to evasion, he had to put more space between them if he wanted to come out on top of this. His comupter chimes a warning to him, a side-screen popping into view that pictures the GP-02 launching it's trump card. Thoughts of escape rush into him, but he's locked with the Gadessa. Healing, for all her piss and vinager, might have just saved his life. The GN barrier covers him completely, but also offers him some shelter from the intense heat and radiation, The Dom's metal skin still nearly boils away but it is still largely intact. He has a few choice words over the radio in the after glow befor Healing cuts in.

"Hey, I'm trying to get the hell out of here myself, lady!" he retorts the kick thrusting the pointed foot of the Healing's unit into the Dom's already battered armor. With a rush from his Dom's few remaining functionalm propulsion units, Kurz falls back, a hail of bullets erupting from the assault rifle as he does so. He was out of the fight though, once the nukes start flying the party's over.

<Radio: D - Zeon> Anavel Gato transmits, "/Engaging/."

<Radio: D - Zeon> Johnny Ridden transmits, "Lady Haman, perhaps you should withdraw, and leave the rest to us...?"

Ryouma launches into his own tirade. Then suddenly, nuke! Staren uses Getter Robo like a shield, hiding behind it and its Shine for protection from the explosion.

And then things get bad. Getter Robo turns around faster than he expected and grabs the Rick Dias, ripping off arms and legs, before throwing a torso to play target practice with.

Staren isn't going to wait for them to touch off one of the reactors. The binders twist what's left of the suit to aim the head back towards the Katharon lines, and he ejects, an orange-and-red spacesuit flying through the void. Ohhh, this sucks.

Behind him, he sees that what's left of the Rick Dias is in fact still intact. He ejected for nothing. Great.

<Radio: D - Zeon> Haman Karn transmits, "/SHUT UP, CHAR/!"

<Radio: D - Zeon> Haman Karn transmits, "I-- wh--"

<Radio: D - Zeon> Haman Karn's voice: tight, weedy, controlled. "I'm going to kill this pathetic little man and if any of you try and stop me I'll kill you, too."

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has struck a apocalyptic hit on Rocbell Dajalah's Queadluun-Rau using Ride The Lightning.

<Radio: D - Zeon> Johnny Ridden transmits, "... yes, my lady."

<Radio: D - Zeon> Anavel Gato transmits, "...."

For no particular reason, despite floating in a reversed upside down posture relative to local orientation and steering a mostly wrecked Gelgoog towards a ricochet around Fifth Luna, Cima Garahau smiles, the radio playing sweet music into her ear.

<Radio: D - Zeon> Anavel Gato Transmits, tightly, "Yes, Regent Karn."

Well that...

...was certainly not expected.

Slapped mid-execution, the Armstrong woman's blue eyes briefly widen before they hood dangerously, half-lidded as she stares down the blade toward the Flame Alchemist. He falls, but not without a parting hail of machinegun fire. It pelts the twisted, warped husk of the Gadessa, causing the young woman to gasp in surprise before her lips peel back over her perfect teeth.

"Bastard. Now where was I--oh /right/~!"

The Gadessa turns, burnt orange GN particles suddenly dimming from the mobile suit's engine. Why?

Well, because most of that power is being funneled into the Mega Launcher. And it is aimed for Gato.

"So, like...really. Who still uses nukes these days? Don't get me wrong, I applaud you for bringing some pretty scary things to this silly, futile little fight, but...and this sounds wrong coming from /me/, but I think you may have gone a /little/ overboard."

The swell of beam energy gets painfully bright.

"Ah well~! Let me give you a token of appreciation, regardless. And, oh yeah.

"Tell Commander Gable I miss him! Please? And tell him I'd like to talk to him again sometime~!"

With a sudden, intensely powerful blast of orange energy and crackling violet, an incredible blast of energy blasts from the Mega Launcher, possessed of more than enough power to decimate an entire, insignificant planet like, say, Leo Stenbuck's home planet. Yeah.

COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Anavel Gato. GN Mega Launcher - Apocalypse added to their queue.

She's missing. Damn it-- damn it, she just can't hit him! The controls are precise and responsive, but there's something that keeps the Mobile Suit from feeling the sting of the beam sabers in her possession. Is it the machine's ability to use the GN Drives? Should she have aimed for them from the start, and tried to force a purge?

The oversized beam katana comes flying her way one more time in a series of powerful slashes. Though she tries to bring that shield arm up one more time, it doesn't do her much good in the long run. Crash, crash, and crash, the saber tears out chunks of armor and working parts. Deep gashes in the chest, deep gashes in the shoulders and abdomen, and a few that scar the Murasame's face.

At the point of the final strike, the shield manages to get in there and block what could've possibly been a lethal blow-- pushing the saber aside and giving her enough of a window to hold the weapon back.

Catching her breath, Rachel Miu Athha narrows her eye and prepares her next attack.

Or she... would.

"What the hell-?!"

The shockwave that erupts from the nuclear weapon far enough away to catch her in the light and flames but close enough to capture her, and Mister Bushido's Masurao, in the shockwave. Unfortunately, the positioning of the nuclear weapon and the Masurao seem to be juuuust right; the relatively new-model Morgenroete machine is thrown into the A-LAWS' most Japanese man from Japanland samurai in all of outer space, the sheer force shearing off a wing binder and sending it flying over both of their shoulders. Parts are crushed. Parts rupture and explode.

The green glow in the pink Murasame's eyes begins to dull, and Rachel glances down at her screens with a tense jaw. The Mobile Suit floats, at first, seemingly dead weight. But a nuclear-mangled hand reaches out to push it away from the Masurao, the touch and pressure a little more gentle than you'd expect from someone whom even Mister Bushido recognizes the killing skills for.

With a few swift bursts of thrust, the Murasame hurtles off into space, off-balance and sputtering smoke. Clicking on her comm line again to Katharon-friendly channels, Rachel flicks up her visor and begins to assess the damages.

"This is Cross-26, I'm pulling out-- or else I'm gonna start falling apart."

Rocbell may have managed to show Cima WHAT FOR, but she's...not in the best place right now. Domino's suddenly started acting very strange, and when she remembers what he told her about Manticore, it leaves her...very uneasy. And then...

And then comes the Zaku, as Ridden proves just what Domino meant when he said the Crimson Lightning was dangerous. The Crimson Lightning is, indeed, very dangerous. Rocbell can't move fast enough to elude him this time, the beam blade just missing her very own shoulder as she prepares herself for the next blow...

Which comes from behind. If she were indeed out in a space suit, she would have been killed in that massive explosion. Instead...

There is very little Queadluun-Rau left, but there does appear to be /something/ there. It's a bare framework, melted down and corroded, its weapon systems barely functional at this point. Rocbell herself is dazed, unable to counterattack yet, saved only by the virtue of Zentradi construction and partially exposed (in space suit) by gaping holes in the powered armor.

Manticore bares its fangs as the Zaku begins hacking away at the tentacles. The beast almost had it. Just a split second longer and Johnny Ridden would have begged for his life. Manticore was looking forward to it. Not just the voice, but the sensation of violated metal stimulating its flesh... the beast hungered for that sensation.

Before the bio-unit is able to reclaim its hold over the Zaku, Ridden tunrs around. Manticore does not appreciate this kind of treatment. Charging after its prey, the predator doesn't care for nothing else. Not other units on the field, not Rocbell, not the nuclear explosion--

--a nuclear explosion that rapidly expands, catching up to the bio-unit. A moment before the flames engulf the beast in their warm embrace, Manticore twists, feeling its tentacles getting singed. If it didn't care before, it cares now.

Now it is also far too late.

Manticore disappears, drowned in the bloom of Anavel Gato's garden. Out of sight and unconscious, no one can tell Johnny Domino's fate. Not until the flames retract, getting sucked back towards their point of origin, does Manticore reappear.

The tentacles are gone, burnt away. The beast's synthetic mane is similarly missing, the wings on its back hanging in blistered tatters. Half of its exoskeleton is missing, melted away in the inferno. Underneath, the mass of throbbing flesh that makes up Manticore's body stands exposed for all to see. A mish-mash of internal organs and muscle tissue, glistening with pus and dark ichor.

Droplets of this disgusting malady part from the beast's body, drifting off into space. Flakes of meat are also released into the void, burnt and dead. Manticore's faceplate, at least, is still intact, keeping its true face hidden from the world. And its eyes... they still burn a bright red.

Livid with pain, Manticore doesn't forgive. It doesn't forget. It wants blood. Ridden's blood, Rocbell's blood, everyone's blood. With half its armor gone and no longer weighting it down, the beast resumes its chase, a lot faster than before. Something of this size should not be so quick... but it is. And it's going to savage Ridden and Rocbell with its bare hand if given half the chance.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has attacked Johnny Ridden and Rocbell Dajalah. Unforgivable added to their queue.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has missed Johnny Ridden with his Unforgivable attack.

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has missed Johnny Domino with his Meltrandi Throw counter attack.

A nuke goes off and it's like Haman Karn doesn't even realize it. The explosion hurts her eyes, forcing her to blink and look away, but -- it's like it's not real to her, like it's someone walking in front of the movie screen, just some bother that will be over in a flash of nuclear fire and atomic devastation.

This man -- boy -- /thing/ -- this Ribbons -- he speaks to her, and that's all she hears. It's like his voice isn't entering through her ears so much as rising out of the pit of her belly and moving from one side of her brain to the other like a stereo pan. It reverberates. It's like moving through the corridors of a beautiful hotel, knowing that none of it is yours, none of it ever will be, but it's there, within your grasp, for just this moment, this fleeting instant that you're paying for the privilege of--

--and this is her mind--

--this is the sanctity of Haman Karn's mind that Ribbons Almark has violated. This is the only thing in the universe that is hers and hers alone. Neo Zeon she must share with a child, at least in theory. Her Qubeley, the pinnacle of her innovation, has been shoved into Mass Production. Her lover--

There is one thing that Haman Karn can call her own, and Ribbons Almark has violated that.

"Anger..."

Haman Karn's funnels begin to detach themselves in greater volume. They whiz off into space, disparate paths that fan out like a peacock fluffing its tail, as beam launchers glow with the electricity of hatred. Psycommu systems begin to push visual meters into the red. Ribbons Almark fires. The beam hurtles toward her.

And then, when it arrives, Haman Karn just isn't there anymore.

Suddenly, she's swooping downward, coming /right/ at the Innovator's Gundam, beam launchers firing rapid bolts, funnels crashing down like a rainstorm, like a monsoon, like a tsunami, like a Biblical flood--

"ANGER WILL GIVE ME EVERYTHING, BOY!"

"ANGER WILL GIVE ME /YOUR LIFE/!"

COMBAT: Haman Karn has attacked Ribbons Almark. All Range Attack added to their queue.

And so, just as the battle was getting good, just as the blood was pumping on the precipice of victory and defeat, the razor's edge of life and death... Light. Light everywhere, blindingly brilliant. The GNX-U02X Masurao is rocked and battered by the shockwave, especially as it impacts with the mangled Murasame, which seems to have soaked most of the impact for the A-LAWS ace. Mister Bushido stares, his eyes saved by the darkening of his viewscreens as a safety measure, his teeth gritting, his eyes hugely wide, his hands gripping the Masurao's controls tightly enough that the pilot suit gloves creak audibly. Who... Who would dare? Was it... It was, wasn't it? As Rachel Miu Athha's Murasame pushes away, Mister Bushido has already forgotten her. Instead, the GN Taus spin up, an enormous burst of particles suddenly hurling the damaged custom mobile suit like a comet, rushing at ridiculous speeds through the night in a beeline at the RX-78GP02A. "SO! SO WE SEE THE TRUE COLOURS OF THE DIVINE CRUSADERS ONCE MORE!!" Mister Bushido bellows like a god damn lunatic, leaning forward in the comfortably reclining seat of his mobile suit. "Using weapons like these in the middle of an honourable battle between warriors... Truly, you have no sense of the warrior's spirit at all, CRUSADER!" The Masurao attempts to, basically, COLLIDE with the Physalis at this point, a high-speed mobile suit shoulder block, uncaring of Healing Care's own blasts, before striking again and again, with the Masurao's oversized beam katana, feet and even, at one point, the suit's damaged head. "YOU, ABOVE ALL, DO NOT DESERVE THE POWER THAT YOU HOLD..." The One Man Army roars as he lashes out at the Nightmare of Solomon. "FALL INTO OBLIVION... /GUNDAM/!!"

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has attacked Anavel Gato. Ki-Ken-Tai-no-Ichi added to their queue.

COMBAT: Haman Karn has struck Ribbons Almark with a solid hit using All Range Attack.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has struck a major hit on Anavel Gato's RX-78GP02A Gundam Physalis using Ki-Ken-Tai-no-Ichi.

COMBAT: Healing Care has missed Anavel Gato with her GN Mega Launcher - Apocalypse attack.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has struck a major hit on Rocbell Dajalah's Queadluun-Rau using Unforgivable.

Knock Out! Rocbell Dajalah's Queadluun-Rau unit has become disabled!

As it turns out, a Queadluun-Rau makes a /great/ shield!

As the nuclear explosion fades, the crimson and black Zaku wrenches its beam saber out of the Meltrandi robot's shoulder and deactivates it; he can tell, from how savaged the thing is - not to mention from the sensations coming from the pilot - that it's out of the fight.

Except /oh wait there's a giant woman inside it./

Johnny just stares; he was still retired during the whole Zentradi... thing, and has only heard stories of the giant aliens, and seen the occasional picture. Seeing one in person is... well...

Johnny doesn't get that much farther down that train of thought, because suddenly Manticore is coming for him, and he can feel its rage, its hunger. It is not a pleasant feeling.

The Crimson Lightning glances over his shoulder at the onrushing Chimera, and then back at the disabled Queadluun-Rau a few meters from him. He frowns for a moment, and then shrugs. It's like the old saying goes; you don't have to be faster than the horrifying space monster, you just have to be faster than the unconscious giant alien woman.

The Zaku III tosses its Ultra Mega Mega Launcher aside, grabs the remains of Rocbell's machine, and flings them at Manticore. The instant the Meltrandi leaves its hand, the Zaku starts accelerating backwards, its now-free hand reaching down to its waist and withdrawing another beam emitter.

And then, still falling back, it opens fire, beam after beam of bright yellow energy lancing through space back towards the hopefully distracted Other Johnny.

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has attacked Johnny Domino. Twin Waist Beam Guns added to their queue.

<Radio> Tightbeam from Quattro Bajeena says, "Haman!"

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has struck a devastating hit on Johnny Domino's Manticore using Twin Waist Beam Guns.

Knock Out! Johnny Domino's Manticore unit has become disabled!

<Radio> Tightbeam from Quattro Bajeena says, "Do you think this helps anything?"

<Radio> Tightbeam to Quattro Bajeena: Haman Karn says, "What -- What are you talking about, Char?! I'm -- this little -- he touched my /mind/, with -- greasy, cold, metal fingers--"

<Radio> Tightbeam from Quattro Bajeena says, "Ngh... we'll talk later."

"Look around you."

The words come clear and punctuated even through the continuous tirade of Haman's anger. Like an immovable object, the clarity and serenity of Ribbons' every word remains unblemished against the storm.

Funnels carry forward like a heavy rain of particles, bolts of yellow slicing through empty space as the GRM Gundam weaves back and forth. Bolts are bashed through with the GNZ-001's shield until the thing is literally /blown/ off the Innovator-use mobile suit's arm.

Splinters of metal scatter upward as the Gundam simultaneously divebombs down; funnel blasts scorch through the machine's back, blowing off a leg. The Gundam continues to swerve downward, as its main thrusters lift, glowing with an effervescent orange quality. Remote weapons hammer into the GNZ-001's back, and an explosion rocks it violently. Ribbons launches forward in his seat, ever-so-slightly. Haman's power is obvious. But--

"Your anger has allowed all this to happen. Allowed you to foolishly preempt a conflict you weren't prepared for. Allowed this destruction to be leveled along your territory. Allowed your subordinates to unleash WMDs in your own territory.

"Is this your concept of 'everything'?"

And then, the thrusters expel raw particles, launching the GNZ-001 GRM Gundam STRAIGHT upward through the void like a hellish, smoking demon. Beam sabers eject and ignite into twin spires of flame-like energy.

"A woman who lets her wrath consume everything senselessly--"

The sabers /sling/ upward and into the back of the Qubeley, to carve through thrusters, and sever that tail binder and the funnels they contain in one brutally efficient stroke.

"--how do you think such a person should be punished?"

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has attacked Haman Karn. Dual GN Beam Saber Mastery added to their queue.

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has missed Haman Karn with its Dual GN Beam Saber Mastery attack.

COMBAT: Haman Karn counter attacks Ribbons Almark with a minor hit using Beam Sabre.

Rocbell can see through the tinted helmet of her space suit and the holes in her battered machine, which isn't good because she sees...that. It doesn't look like anything on Earth. It looks unnatural, in fact. It looks...honestly, it looks like /Radam,/ or a Space Monster, or worse. And why is Domino, a human, using something like that...?!

And why is it looking at her like that?

Desperate, she jams on what remains of the controls of the Rau, slamming on the sputtering thrusters which very nearly take her out-and again, it's only the Rau that saves her, getting shredded in the process. Claws strike the machine and tear it apart, as Rocbell ducks away, weary and wounded, in her spacesuit. She desperately hits her belt and starts broadcasting a distress signal, while looking away from the eyes of that...thing.

Manticore catches Rocbell's Rau, unleashing its fury on the machine. This fury isn't blind, however. The beast recognizes the Meltrandi's armor suit. It knows who is piloting it.

Rocbell Dajalah, the person responsible for Johnny's weakness. If not for her, Domino would have been able to fight. She must die.

Unaware that the Meltrandi has escaped, the beast works its dark magic on the Rau. And as Ridden had hoped, Manticore is quite distracted.

The Other Johnny's hits pierce through exposed flesh, hitting vital organs in the process. The beast jerks violently with each shot, the Rau's remains slipping from between its fingers... and then all is still. Manticore floats, body savaged, limbs sprawled every which way.

COMBAT: Roberto has missed Louise Halevy with his Beam Assault attack.

The GP-02A's armour has been refined over the last couple of years. Initially, it was sufficient to protect the pilot and unit from being atomized by its sole reason for being; anything /else/ was a luxury at best.

Now, though a few chunks of external protections are sheared from the whole of the frame, its main systems are fully functional. Even its thermal index is hovering within an acceptable range; though the Gundam is cloaked in incredible amounts of steam as the vents on his shield struggle to force building heat into the void.

The bazooka slides backwards; along the way, its front end is detached, returned to the safety of the shield's inner curvature. Its empty right hand curls into a hard Gundarium fist of defiance.

"There isn't a thing in the world that I could say to you, child," he dismissively tightbeams to Healing Care. "Nothing taht you could understand. Take your token."

He narrows his eyes on the unmistakable build-up of GN Particles. How many of these damn launchers will he be faced with today? With a soft grunt of disapproval, he sets his hands on his controls."

"Take your well-wishes."

The control yoke is yanked madly when the Launcher's discharge begins to unfold; white fire carries the Physalis up, up, up through space, out of the apocalyptic discharge. To safe--

"Choke on th--"

--to Mister Bushido.

The Masurao cuts a wicked line from the top of the GP-02A's shield to its bottom; coolant spills freely, bounces from the Masurao's frame, and generally does things that are significantly less useful than 'coursing through the GP-02A's body'.

"Nngh--" Gato groans as that very same shield is slid beneath the Masurao's arm to throw it slightly off balance before its bext blow can fall; this is, at best, a minor setback for the One Man Army. The GP-02A barely has time enough to draw its beam saber before the assault is renewed.

"--gghh--"

The two mobile suits dance, then; the beam saber's blade flickers, grows, shrinks, wobbles, dances, its I-Field shell shifting in dimensions seemingly at random. Mostly, it is good for preventing more deadly katana blows from falling, even allowing the significantly more massive Physalis to drive the Masurao gradually towards Healing Care's Gadessa. Fists, shoulders, kicks, all of them land intermittently; Anavel Gato's only real saving grace is that they are glancing blows that dent armour and knock circuits out of joint rather than crumpling its chassis and sending sparks sprinkling out into space.

But that may not hold true for long. There has to be an out, an opportunity--he sees one opportunity to try disposing of two foes at once. With a sharp burst of vernier fire, he seeks to take it: the GP-02A surges into the Masurao to send it spinning towards the Gadessa.

"--GRRRAAAAAAGH!"

The cry of zealous passion that falls from Gato's lips has nothing at all to do with the way the Physalis' beam saber stabilizes its shape. Nor with the way it begins to lengthen, so that when the stolen mobile suit boosts towards its two foes, the emerald blade approaches the point of being longer than the pair of them put together are wide. Even the way the GP-02A stops just before the pair, twists on its axis and tries to bisect both GN Tau-powered mobile suits in one go is unlinked to the sound.

That the Nightmare of Solomon sincerely hopes that the flippant Innovade and fanatical, nosy ace Samurai are atomized in his beam saber's wake, though, there is some relation between this feeling and that noise.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has attacked Healing Care and Mister Bushido. Beam Saber Combo - Variable Output added to their queue.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has struck a glancing hit on Healing Care's GNZ-003 Gadessa using Beam Saber Combo - Variable Output.

COMBAT: Anavel Gato has missed Mister Bushido with his Beam Saber Combo - Variable Output attack.

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has counter attacked for a minor hit on Anavel Gato's RX-78GP02A Gundam Physalis using Howard.

Getter-1 floats backward, lowering the mighty missile machine gun to its side where it is secured to its right arm by a binder. The weapon flickers.

"Musashi Tomoe once again activates the homing missiles at precisely the correct moment!" Musashi bellows, slamming his hands on the sides of his cockpit. "This is a victory worthy of Space Getter!"

"We're just Getter," Ryouma says testily. This far in an engagement, the Getter Rays are flowing through his robot and flooding the cockpit. He's eager and on edge. Hayato had better find that nuke-firing robot soon so he can get down to business again!

"Ryouma," Hayato murmurs. "There's already two engaged with the target. One of them's in melee. The Getter Beam might complicate things too much for him."

Ryouma slams his fists onto the controls. "Tell him to get out of the way! Getter can end this all here!"

"Hey, there's someone transmitting a distress signal!" Musashi interjects, because that's usually the only way he can talk. "As a symbol of peace and protection, Getter should save its ally! This... is the true meaning of Getter!"

"Yeah, sure, I'm coming down from it about now anyway," Ryouma says. The missile machine gun flashes at the seams, the glow coming to swallow the weapon whole, returning to surround Getter's body. Getter-1 takes off like a flash, shooting the battlefield like a fireball. It is quick enough to pick its way through the wreckage and scattered fighting, one of its massive hands reaching down to press against the wounded Meltrandi armor's back.

Strangely, being within the concentrated Getter Rays is immediately soothing, even energizing. That's how they get you-- it's only when the radiation gets to ridiculous, sustained levels that people start experiencing spontaneous cell breakdown and leak blood from all of their orifices. Ryouma transmits by direct radio, if it still works: "Hey, big woman! You alive in there? This is Getter-1. Do you remember your address?"

The GN Cannon weaves around the incoming beam assault from Roberto, parrying the saber with her own handheld saber and simply moving out of the path of the pick's attacks. "Katharon pilot -- I'll show you the power of the A-LAWS!" This thing that she has dumped so much of her will and spirit (and money, for that matter) into -- it has to succeed. It just must.

Bringing her Buster Rifle up front and center, Louise positions herself directly in front of Roberto; less than a meter away from his mobile suit, she's practically close enough to kiss the Rick Dias on the forehead. Unfortunately for Roberto, she instead shoves the heavy beam rifle directly into said forehead and fires.

This could definitely ruin someone's day.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has attacked Roberto. GN Buster Rifle added to their queue.

It's pretty clear that Haman Karn is not looking around her. Haman Karn /doesn't/ look around her. The world exists in accordance with her whims, and her whims exist in the direct cone of vision in front of her face. Someone tries to radio her -- she snaps something -- "What are you talking about, Char?!" -- she kills the line after some words, she doesn't even remember them by the time they leave her mouth -- this little green-haired prick -- how does she even know he has green hair -- what did he do to her -- space isn't black anymore, it's red -- the edges of stars are glowing colors that don't even exist and stop existing once they're imagined --

Haman Karn can't even think about what she's doing. Everything is abstract now. Blocks of color. Beams of light. Her beam saber ignites and she swings, trying to take a chunk out of Ribbons' gundam, while the Qubeley moves -- how does it move that fast? Haman Karn isn't even telling it what to do anymore. Her thoughts are too fast, too pure, to be infected by the virus of language. Haman Karn has achieved machine bliss.

Bliss is pain, though. Bliss is pure, unrelenting, annihilating pain. Pain that Haman Karn, Regent of Zeon, wishes to spew back out at the world ahundredfold.

"You talk so much, Ribbons. And yet you say -- /nothing/."

Haman Karn's funnels -- god, there are so many of them -- they all start to move. All of them. They flow from her. Waterfalls. Death parades. Hatred incarnate.

"A great man once said something, Ribbons. Words that -- once I heard them, I'd never forget."

The funnels keep moving. Priming. Building their flow, swooping out from her, extending like horrible wings, like a demon, like an angel, like, like, like--

"'Blame this on the misfortune of your birth.'"

COMBAT: Haman Karn has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Haman Karn has attacked Ribbons Almark. Infinite Funnel Works added to their queue.

COMBAT: Roberto has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Louise Halevy has struck a Dynamic Kill hit on Roberto's Rick Dias using GN Buster Rifle.

Knock Out! Roberto's Rick Dias unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Roberto has counter attacked for a solid hit on Louise Halevy's GN Cannon using Beam Pistols - Running Hot.

Rocbell finds herself, well, pulled out of the fire by Getter-1. She slips more or less out of what's left of the Rau, which by now is useless scrap, leaving...well, a big woman in an armored space suit. Her voice is shaky, and she appears to be in a state of shock. Her radio is working, however.

"I'm alive. I'm Rocbell Dajalah, EFA..." Roberto dives brazingly through the rifle fire, firing his own pistols willy nilly,until they over heat. He throws them away about to pull out his beam-blades for another assault. A burst of buster fire tears across the torso of his dias and blasts chunks of mobile suit across the void in roughly equivalent bite sized pieces, one by one.

Somewhere in the distance the bassplayer noodles around doing whatever he wants as someone goes off on an insane roll on the kettle drums.

COMBAT: Healing Care has activated a spirit command.

Tilting her head slightly at Gato's response, Healing Care's expression seems genuinely puzzled. Slowly but surely, however, that expression shifts into a look of annoyance, violet eyes rolling slightly before she exhales. "Honestly, ask a favor and you get some dramatic bullshit. Can't you just /do/ what I /ask you/?"

However, Gato and his Physalis manage to outright /avoid/ the worst Healing has to muster. Instantly the young woman's eyes go wide, a look of sheer disbelief on her face. "What the hell!?" she screams, punching at her console. "That is bullshit--how can a /human/ manage such a thing?!"

It's about then Mister Bushido and his Masurao come blazing in, landing a solid hit on the mobile suit. Snarling, the green-haired androgynous young woman(?) just scowls darkly at the lone wolf. "Stupid bastard," she mutters. Then, slowly the girl's lips pull into a Cheshire's grin. "But hey, if he wants to play with the nuke-toting freak..."

Gato and the Physalis come blazing forth, the solitary beam saber seeking to take both out. At the very last possible second a hazy orange barrier erupts around the Gadessa, but not without some loss; struck briefly in its side, the pilot issues a 'hrrk' as the suit is buffeted lightly. Then, quickly, the Gadessa--in all its barely functional glory--pulls back.

Now her eyes are yellow.

"Well, I can't say it's been fun, but I'll let you two ladies have at it. Nuke-guy! Don't forget to tell Gable what I told you, okay?

"Paradigm-1, out~!"

Turning on its proverbial heels, the silver machine takes flight, making hurried escape out of there for whatever unknown reason. Meanwhile, within the mobile suit, Healing Care just grins to herself.

COMBAT: Healing Care has retreated from the area.

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Haman Karn has missed Ribbons Almark with her Infinite Funnel Works attack.

"EFA, huh?" Ryouma replies. A little direct video feed window of Musashi appears in the corner of his viewing area.

"Wow!" Musashi hisses, looking out the window at Rocbell.

"Yeah, Musashi."

"Look at those--"

Ryouma cuts the feed, kicking his feet back up on the controls as Getter-1 veers off from the mothership. "I guess we can drag you to some base that can, uh, fit... you."

COMBAT: Getter Team has retreated from the area.

The glorious brutality of melee combat is all that exists at the moment, in the mind of Mister Bushido. As the Nightmare of Solomon lashes out with his own beam weapon, the One Man Army quickly retrieves his smaller blade, igniting it and using it to parry each swipe in a tremendous clash of electromagnetic forces, mega-particles and refined GN particles erupting against one another, carelessly beautiful destruction in the void of space. With each powerful slash, though, the Masurao is forced backwards, towards the Gadessa, and in the final strike, with that enormous beam blade... The Masurao shoves off of the Gadessa, meeting that great beam saber with its own, and riding down /along/ the beam blade towards the GP02A, slashing once more with that beam katana, named for long-dead Howard Mason... "Truly, you are the legendary Nightmare of Solomon," Bushido says, fury mingling with a grudging respect mingling with a desire, above all, for that true battle which his very soul longs for. "Now, with this, I can truly stop holding back, and..." Both beam blades begin to flicker, losing stability. "What now..?!" Bushido wonders, staring down at the controls of his mobile suit, where the following message is clearly displayed: WARNING: PARTICLE RESERVES BELOW CRITICAL DENSITY! COMBAT PERFORMANCE COMPROMISED! Mister Bushido says a very naughty word. The Masurao's arms drop to its sides, the beam blades dying entirely as the samurai-styled mobile suit regards the Physalis with what might almost be exasperation. "It seems the Buddha smiles on you today, Gundam," he says, audibly angry and frustrated as the limitations of the GN-T drives result in a set of deathmatch blue balls. "But remember, the next time you see his face... He'll be welcoming you into the next life!" The Masurao doesn't quite run like the Gadessa, but the custom suit does jet back on its remaining particles, moving /backwards/ away from the Physalis to an almost respectful distance, before turning and making a beeline for the Blanc Rival.

COMBAT: Mister Bushido has retreated from the area.

Louise, as she finds her opponents have, for the most part, evaporated -- and those who have not are mostly in hand -- decides that now would be a mighty fine time to get out of here, before she enters the realm of 'pushing her luck.'

"Louise Halevy, returning to the Blanc Rival for resupply pending return to the Shirogane," she transmits, before putting her GN Drive to good use and getting right the Hell out of there.

His immediate problems dealt with, the Crimson Lightning weighs his situation and his options; his Zaku is banged up; everything still works, but his Ultra Mega Mega Launcher is back that way, and it would be a pain in the ass to find it again. Also, that... /thing/ over there appears to be some sort of unstoppable murder machine, judging from how it flattened Norris.

Frowning, Johnny gives all of the Zaku's limbs a few swings; there is a lot of resistance, and sparks spray from almost every joint on his Zaku. Yeah... yeah, this isn't happening.

With a few flashes of vernier fire, the Zaku wheels around and accelerates into the distance after Cima Garahau.

COMBAT: Johnny Ridden has retreated from the area.

'Blame this on the misfortune of your birth.'

"Oh?"

The thoughtful voice cuts in like a knife as soon as the funnels deploy. The corefighter/thruster set of the GRM tilts downward as sub-thrusters burn bright, sending the GRM spiraling through the air. Its armor crackles, its body is beaten and broken.

But it's still moving.

Funnels ignite. It should be impossible to avoid all of them. And yet... one by one, Ribbons swerves past each bolt, as if predicting the movements of every individual funnel. The arms of the GRM sweep up, unloading rapid-fire vulcan rounds. Spherical bursts of concentrated GN particles hammer through funnel after funnel, destroying one after another.

Each burst of yellow mega particle energy comes dangerously close to striking home; one scorches the tip of the GRM's remaining foot, sheering off pure white alloys. Ribbons looks upward, and smiles.

"That 'great man' is exactly why you will achieve nothing here."

Several more funnels sweep in from the front, and suddenly, the GRM's arms begin to spin at high speeds. Those beam sabers in its grasp create twin whirlwinds of sparkling burnt orange energy. Concentrated GN particles intercept the final volley of beam fire and deflect each handily. It seems as if it might press the assault...

But instead, those sabers come to a stop. The GRM's right hand sweeps to the side -- to gesture plainly at the destruction leveled to both Fifth Luna and to the remaining forces.

"I wonder... will you be remembered like Degwin Sodo Zabi? Like Zeon Zum Deikun? Or... will history forget you entirely?"

The retreat beacon of the Blanc Rival flares as it begins to fall back. Ribbons Almark, however, simply lifts his glowing eyes up to the damaged Qubeley, head tilting slowly to the side.

"The transition into space isn't something you alone desire, Haman Karn.

"And when your pragmatism wins over, I'll be more than happy to discuss exactly that desire."

With that, the GRM lifts upward... and then turns, blasting off at high-speeds in the opposite direction of the Blanc Rival's retreat. This... was a productive day.

COMBAT: Ribbons Almark has retreated from the area.