2010-02-21 - Suck Under and Drown Slow


 * Before - Location Unknown|

"Oi, are you done yet?"

Ensign Ramsus Hasa looks down irritably as he leans against the southernmost wall of his glum, spartan surroundings, the airy hiss of something opening and then closing accompanying his annoyed words. The room is large and empty, save for the presence of Ensign Dunkel Cooper, who looks up from his crouched position before a series of large cabinets with a sneer.

"/You/ wanna start sifting through all these fuckin' corpses? Be my guest." Another hiss, as Dunkel opens up a cabinet part way, revealing a disfigured face. Ramsus frowns.

"Whatever; we've got a schedule to keep up on." Ramsus' eyes turn away from the sight, folding his arms over his chest. "We still have other shit we've gotta do--"

Another hiss. "Shut up," Dunkel interrupts, his voice less spiteful and more interested. Ramsus looks over again, to see the other man leaning over a new body, staring intently. Lifting a brow, the former Titan wanders over.

"This is the one, ain't it?"

Leaning forward, Ramsus looks down... and grins.

"Heh. Yeah, this is it. Let's get outta here.

"The boss is waiting for us."


 * Now - Heaven's Base|

In terms of defenses, there can be no safer place in Federation-controlled Europe than Heaven's Base.

Embedded deep within the comfortable ranges of Iceland's cold mountain ranges, Heaven's base borders hard land and vast seas, protected by its landscapes natural defenses on top of expansive automated defense systems. On top of this, there are a number of unsubstantiated rumors of a powerful weapon housed within the massive, sprawling facilities to aid in its defense, but much like Daedalus, these are rumors at best.

What -is- certain is that Heaven's Base is by far one of the Federation's best-defended institutions the Federation has in Europe, and Earth itself, thus making it the most logical place to hold the Federation's newest acquisitions for questioning. Both the infamous Axel Almer and Ken Marinaris have been transferred here not a day earlier -- and it is here they wait, deep inside the detainment facilities of Heaven's Base, for Federation officials all too eager to pry into the knowledge they possess, one way or another.

Major Yazan Gable has never liked to wait.

Following the disastrous failure of the mission against the Republic of Zaftra a week ago, Gable had become a virtual non-entity -- presumably, to help clean up the mess that was made in the aftermath. Neither hide nor hair had been seen of the man, having sequestered himself away at Heaven's Base earlier in the week. Now, the commander of the special ops squadron "Phantom Pain" sits deep within the massive Federation facilities, staring at a computer data read out in front of him behind his simple mask as he taps a finger blandly. His eyes roll blandly towards the clock to his side; lips twist in mild agitation as he waits.

"What's keepin' those idiots so long--"

As if on cue, Yazan's personal communications line begins to beep. Glancing sidelong, the man idly picks up his phone, leaning back in his seat. "Yo. You jackasses got everything set up yet?"

"Yeah," Dunkel Cooper's voice comes in on the other line. "We're in position; the package is all set for delivery, too." From agitation to delight, Yazan's lips twist into a feral grin as he leans forward, gloved fingertips primed over his keyboard.

"Heh. Well then--" Data is input. Security clearances are bypassed, each with a simple confirmation as Gable breaches deeper and deeper into remote databanks:

<>

"--let's get this shit started."

Heaven's Base is one of the most well-defended Federation facilities in Europe. And, in one fell swoop... all of those defense systems that had helped to make it such a bastion shut off. One after one, each of the automated defenses, missile launch bays, artillery turrets, security systems, all go offline as the AI systems in control of them are remotely overridden. WARNING signs go off throughout the control center of Heaven's Base as the officers are left to stare in mild confusion--

... and then, the entire power grid goes down.

Like a set of dominos, everything that had kept Heaven's Base so well-protected tumbles over in a matter of seconds; back-up power systems go up a second later, illuminating the halls with dim, low-power lighting as panic sets in throughout the facilities. Because they know -- this shut down was not scheduled or remotely intended.

And that can only mean one thing.

Normally, an event like the one that just occured would give the Earth Federation time to lock it down before anyone managed to take advantage of it. Systems have backups that would be brought online; machines could be scrambled to defend Heaven's Base.

That, however, only works when there aren't Crusaders within arm's reach.

Glancing once more at the chronometer in her R-Eins, currently almost invisible with all its stealth systems operating and hidden deep underwater in a fjord not too far away from Heaven's Base, Echidna's lips purse very slightly. She gives it an additional ten seconds, just to be sure, then:

"Crusaders, engage the target," Echidna says, her voice flat and unemotionless. The R-Eins stands up, engines humming as they engage full force, her ASRS stealth systems flickering offline as she launches straight up. "Destroy incoming mobile suits. Allow me to complete the rendezvous."

Cresting the water and rocketing up the fjord's side, the R-Eins hits the ground with a slam and immediately starts running directly for Heaven's Base. She's awfully close - much closer than she should have been able to get without being detected beforehand - and she isn't alone.

 Security systems and main power at Heaven's Base in Iceland have been remotely shut down under authority of security clearances registerered to Jamaican Daningham.

 Zechs Merquise transmits, "Hnh ..."

 Latooni Subota transmits, "Daningham is dead. This is a security breach."

 Ring Mao transmits, "You've got to be kidding me."

 Viletta Vadim transmits, "It is a classic tactic, if... thoughtlessly executed."

 Ingram Prisken transmits, "Contingency 7. We have a ship in the area just in case this happened."

 Zechs Merquise transmits, "Who is in the area? Stenbuck?"

 Ingram Prisken transmits, "The systems were taken down with proper command clearance as well. I reccomend preparing for a frequency rotation."

 Leo Stenbuck transmits, "Yes, sir."

 Zechs Merquise transmits, "You're in charge. Your priority is reestablishing control of Heaven's Base. Secondary is resecuring our prisoners, if they have indeed escaped."

 Zechs Merquise transmits, "And Leo --?"

 Leo Stenbuck transmits, "Y-yes, sir?"

 Zechs Merquise transmits, "Remember why you fight."

 Leo Stenbuck transmits, "... yes, sir."

Shin Matsunaga, THE WHITE WOLF OF SOLOMON, doesn't like being on Earth. It feels like he ends up on the surface more than he would ever care for. He's always aware of the mild discomfort that comes from being well-anchored by the planet's gravity. Being underwater helps, a gracious respite from the worry, but it can't last very long. His Zaku III isn't tuned for combat underwater; it's just fitted well enough to keep it dry for long enough to get on land, following the lead of the R-Eins. "Acknowledged." Even as Shin accepts the command, his MS blasts upward in a spray of water, jets flaring to propel it onto solid ground, where it begins to follow at a short distance, eye swiveling to keep tabs on its surroundings, ready to engage any hostiles that come to intercept the attack.

A new unit had joined the Divine crusader lines today, finally getting clearance from BAHRAM. The unit was obviously an orbital frame. It's head was a small orb seemingly barely connected to the main body and didn't give the feeling of a natural connection at all. On the head was a wide half ring set of 'horns' that wrapped around said head. Three red eyes rested in the center of said head, glowing as it prepared for it's signal to go. Connecting from said head was the rest of it's body. The main body itself seemed very small compared to it's limbs, but it was obvious the frame was built with evasion in mind. Arms sprouted from said torso, longer than they should be, hanging down halfway where the 'knees' of said unit should be. The arms became wider the farther they were from the body, ending in claws. It's legs were wider at the top, ending in tips, where the 'skates' were deployed currently, allowing it to stand on the land underneath the water. It's 'knees' sprouted two large yellow spikes, contrasting the mostly black body.

With this, every three seconds, white lines of metatron could be seen spreading across the body of the Quareen. Around it's lower body was a red energy like cape, protecting various systems, including possibly the cockpit.

Inside the cockpit of the Orbital frame Suriel sat for the moment, waiting for the signal to go. The silence of the water only interupted by his AI speaking up.

"Signal confirmed. Shall I switch to direct pilot mode?"

"Yes." was the answer. "Direct pilot mode, ENGAGE!" he said, thinking that the approprate thing to say.

"...Acknowledged." was the automated response. The more traditional cockpit seemed to fade away, as Suriel stood up. The chair retreated back, and the various systems that allowed Suriel to control it retreated. Underneath Suriel a small circile formed, as a trace system started to come down from above him. The Boosted child stood, resisting the pull of the latex like stuff that streached around his body. Within a few more moments the suit was complete, with electrodes coming down and connecting to various parts of his body.

The Unit mimiced his motions, claws swiping out as he moved. "Lets do this! Quareen launch!" and with that, the unit shot forward, bursting out of the water of the fjord.

SOME TIME AGO

A positron cannon mounted into a hillside overlooking Tokyo-03 is, to put it bluntly, blown the fuck up by the wrath of God. Rei Ayanami's Evangelion Unit-00 is decimated -- a smoking, ruined, stumpy torso lands some distance away, and within the plug, Rei is unconscious, possibly brain-damaged. Like anyone would notice.

SOME TIME AGO

"We're not sure if she'll walk again, Doctor Ikari."

"Mm. Measure the cost of physical rehabilitation versus the cost of activating the next one."

SOME TIME AGO

Cheered on by Leo Stenbuck on the one side, and less enthusiastically (and more awkwardly) so by Shinji Ikari on the other, Rei grips the balance beams to either side of her, taking slow, measured, painful baby steps.

SOME TIME AGO

Rei Ayanami sits in a futuristic wheelchair -- that is, its wheels are made of materials even less biodegradable than styrofoam -- and speaks to Leo Stenbuck over a communications screen. The physical scarring has yet to completely clear up, but most of her hair has grown back, leaving no more of those unsightly bald patches.

SOME TIME AGO

Rei walks by the side of Gendo Ikari, her steps aided by a small cane. "We think you'll be able to pilot again in as soon as two months, Rei. The repairs to Unit-00 will be long finished by then."

Rei Ayanami, who only recently nearly died inside an Evangelion, can't keep herself from smiling faintly. "Thank you, Doctor Ikari."

SOME TIME AGO

Under absolute secrecy, the newly-rebuilt Evangelion Unit-00 is transferred to Heaven's Base in order to effect various upgrades and modifications -- in addition to testing its synchronization with its injured pilot in an environment far from Tokyo-03.

SOME TIME AGO

Rei Ayanami watches her plugsuit hiss and contract over the cast covering her forearm, causing a strange bulge in the vinyl-like material. She stares at her arm, vacantly, for nearly five minutes.

SOME TIME AGO

"You're all cleared for duty, Rei," Doctor Akagi says boredly, clearly more interested in a new cigarette.

YESTERDAY

Rei Ayanami and Leo Stenbuck have been reunited since the occasion of her sixteenth birthday. Through a window, the stars can be seen, although not particularly up close. Rei stands by the window -- a bed rests nearby. "Leo," she says, over to her boyfriend since she was fourteen. "I have something to say. Please listen. I thought quite a bit about our relationship while I was convalescing. Please don't reply to what I have to say. You may say something foolish, and that would not be ideal for either of us. But having given it a lot of thought, and having looked deep into myself..." Rei takes in a deep breath, and turns to face the spacenoid.

"I love you, Leo." Rei is quick to append: "Don't reply. Don't say anything. Take your time and think about it. Don't act hastily. This is too important to me. I don't want to hear you say you love me unless you're ready to... and you mean it." Rei turns again, walking toward the bed. "I'm going to sleep now. Good night."

NOW

Someone, as it happens, has broken into Heaven, during the final run of synchronization tests before Eva Unit-00 is due to be shipped back to Japan. The giant unit pivots at the waist as klaxons and alarm lights go off inside the hangar it's housed in. "Please open the door," Rei says, beginning to make the Eva march toward the exit. "If there is an invasion -- I must do my part."

 Ingram Prisken transmits, "Almer is likely a member of the same group that this 'Evil Coop' and Vindel Mauser belong to. Capture him if at all possible. If not, ensure he does not escape."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Rei Ayanami transmits, "Rei Ayanami, Evangelion Unit-00, reporting for duty."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Fiona Gureden transmits, "No 'likely' about it."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Chief Taiga transmits, "Do you require Gutsy Galaxy Guard assistance?"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Latooni Subota transmits, "We confirmed it, sir, at the beginning of the month."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Isamu Dyson transmits, "Fuck him."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "As I suspected."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "That, however, makes him an ED threat, and therefore not a POW as such. He should not have been remanded for sentencing."

Working underwater is a strange experience for Gabby Hazard, Zeonic Ace. He didn't spend much time on Earth during the War, and he certainly hasn't spent much time here since. And yet, here he is, one leg thrown over the arm of his mobile suit's control chair, idly playing with a bit of his officer's cape and watching an octopus furiously attempt to make love to his mobile suit's face.

"Go get 'em, little buddy." He lazily waves his hand, offering encouragement to the amorous cephalopod. "I know just how you feel." There aren't many octopodes in space, but Gabby finds himself wishing he had one aboard his ship, at least. He could get a tank installed in his ready room, have conversations with it, feed it whatever an octopus eats-- rabbits? He's not sure why rabbits spring to mind, but it just feels... right. "Yes, I think I'll take you home as soon as this ridiculous mission inevitably fails to begin."

As if on cue, the mission begins. Groaning in the most long-suffering of manners, the Knight of Zeon lolls his head back and rolls his eyes, reaching blindly for the controls and activating his custom suit. The pink mono-eye flares to life, and this only seems to further excite the octopus. Gabby sighs, switching to the auxiliary camera and breaching the surface of the water. The suit glimmers dully as droplets fall free from its brown and black armor, flexing its hands and pulling out a beam rifle as it gains some height over the waves.

"Guess you're not the only one with an intimate rendez-vous tonight, little buddy," he comments, glancing at a side monitor which still shows the octopus. "Sorry you're... /stuck/... coming along for the ride!" He chuckles at his own cleverness.

REINFORCEMENTS: AMX-014-C DOOBEN-WOLF HAZARD CUSTOM - CEPHALOPOD EQUIPMENT TYPE

LAST WEDNESDAY

It is Rei Ayanami's sixteenth birthday, and as it so happens, her schedule and that of Leo Stenbuck have managed to find an open night at the same time. The planets must be aligned; between Leo's increasingly demanding job, Rei's physical therapy after the disastrous results of the last Angel attack, and NERV in its entirety, they've had less and less time to spend together. For the past few months, they've been lucky to actually physically see each other once every two or three weeks.

This happens to mean that they had to spend such recent dates as Christmas, their one-year anniversary, and Valentine's Day apart. But, well... one out of four isn't bad, right? And Leo, at least, has determined to make it up to Rei by taking her to a restaurant that goes beyond 'nice' and enters into the realm of 'nice-ass' for her birthday. It's not much of a Sweet Sixteen bash, but, well, it'll have to do. After all, how often does she get to go to a nice-ass restaurant?

Even if that restaurant is currently being made a little less nice-ass by the fact that they started making out about two minutes after they were seated, and only stopped to order food, which now sits, untouched and rapidly cooling to room temperature, on their table.

Leo comes up for air, pauses a moment to catch his breath, and then quietly tells Rei, "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything. I've just been so busy, and..." He trails off with a sigh. "But I'm going to get you something, like, super great soon, to make up for it. Okay?"

He leans his forehead against hers, and attempts to tell her he loves her. As they are wont to do for young men, the words catch in his throat. He scowls for a second, and then settles for kissing her again.

It's not like there's any hurry.

NOW

Leo looks up from what he was doing, some necessary but thoroughly menial administrative task, in the bowels of Heaven's Base, as things start... powering down. The boy just stares; this has got to be a drill or something, right?

And then what amounts to carefully managed panic starts coming down the communications lines, and Leo spits an angry curse. He doesn't know what's happening, exactly, but of /course/ it has to happen today. The young Major drops what he's doing, turns, and beats feet back to the hangar where his MS is parked.

It isn't long before the MS in question, an RX-110 Gabthley, launches from one of the Heaven's Base hangars. Leo had taken it out as transportation, to get the dust off it; it's fast enough, and it isn't like he was intending to go into combat.

So of /course/ this happens today, Leo thinks again, glaring at his panoramic monitor as a rapidly increasing number of tiny red squares indicating incoming DC forces appear across it.

"Seems like an awful lot of trouble for a rendenzvous," Ali Al-Saachez thinks out loud, sitting in the lower stratosphere within the cockpit of the black GN Sefer, the core fighter-esque aircraft he's somehow found himself in possession of. The Crusader comm chatter is a bit too boring for his tastes -- but the tactical dossier for the mission indicated a high prospect of combat -- so he'll wait. He'll wait -- patience dripping away with each second.

Finally, the strike team way down below in the water gives him the cue. "Heh," he laughs, flipping the controls of the GN Sefer and blasting forward; twin trails of orange GN particles spilling from its thruster engines. "... Hey Haro," he transmits to some invisible point in space above him. "Get my Gundam ready, you piece of junk."

A few thousand feet above the GN Sefer, a little blue Haro makes some inscrutable noises and bounces into the cockpit of a black Gundam. The Trinity Mothership that houses it lights up briefly, spitting the Gundam Rasiel out into space.

"Oh /my/," Healing notes from the MS Hangar of the Pillar of Heaven. "Looks like someone's out to have a little fun in Heaven's Base."

Around the Innovade--clad in her deep green and black normal suit--the hangar is in a frantic mess. People panic, no thanks to the Federation alarms buzzing all across communications. All able pilots are to report to Iceland as soon as humanly possible. While some pilots feel uneasy about the mess, Healing Care is completely comfortable with the chaos.

"Hey, you!" the girl snaps, violet eyes locking on a poor hangar jockey. "Get my Garazzo ready.

"I am going to go have me a bit of /fun/."

Several minutes later the Garazzo rockets from the hangar, GN-T particles spraying from the drives mounted on the sleek silver machine's broad back. With its arms trailing at its sides, the machine hurries its course toward Iceland, its pilot comfortable nestled in the cockpit.

"If this is boring," the young female pilot notes with an airy sigh. "I'll just have to start shooting people down until things actually get /interesting/."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Meiya Mitsurugi transmits, "I believe he was turned over for ... 'questioning'."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Latooni Subota transmits, "Yes sir. Above my rank."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "You understand the implications, Latooni?"

crack Billiard balls scatter across the table in all directions as Shams Couza breaks, pausing for a moment to admire his handiwork before rising up from his position. Nearby, Mudie Holcroft sits quickly on a bar stool with her back to the bar itself, while Sven goes over a report and quietly sips some tea. "Tch, the damn genefreaks try to nuke us all with a gigantic space laser, and now we're negotiating with them? We should have just stomped all over their precious colonies if you ask me," Shams growls. Mudie simply sighs. he's been like this since the ceasefire, "Give it up Shams... it probably would be better in the long run if we simply wiped ZAFT out, but the politicians are all worried about their reputation. They won't go through with it as long as their precious carreers are on the line." Sven pays no heed to the conversation between his two subbordinates as he scrolls through the datapad-- and then suddenly the lights go out. A nervous murmur rumbles through the recreational center as officers try to figure out what is going on when the backup generators fail to kick in. Reports start filtering through on the secured channel about an unathorized access by a deadman, and then the attack begins. Well trained instincts kick in as Sven and his two cohorts hurry to their machines, unaware of who is at fault for this. They are not privy to Yazan's machinations. They're just the hired help after all. Shams' Verde Buster is the first out of the gate, followed up by Mudie and her Blu Duel. What follows next however is not the Strike Noir that Sven usual pilots but rather a Dagger equipped with a Doppelhorn pack. The Strike Noir is still under repairs after a rough encounter with a psychotic Zeon pilot.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Latooni Subota transmits, "Several, sir. However as he has been here for at least twenty months, perhaps he was treated as such? It is not usually my field."

With talks of pre-treaty formal events in the air for the coming week, Ring Mao had decided to stay on Earth a while longer. Her Gespenst needed immediate repairs as it was, and it would be easier to piece it back together at a dirtside EFA base before returning to the Moon. So while her II-M was being re-assembled, the CEO of Mao Industries surveyed the damage to her corporation's facilities across Europe. Needless to say, she wasn't in a good mood when she returned to the Base.

She was in even less of one when a dead man shut down Heaven Base's defense grid. Ring had been halfway through her first glass of scotch at the officer's mess when the primary power went out, the glass was left behind as she caught the next tram over to the hangar where her Gepsenst had just completed repairs. She didn't even bother to get out of her qipao and heels before hopping in the PT's cockpit.

There's just one problem. "What do you mean the power's out on the doors!?" While techs furiously argue with the manual controls, the purple and lavender Gespenst takes matters into its own hands. With a creak and shriek of stubbornly refusing gears, the PT pries open the door, stepping out into the crisp Icelandic air. "Alright, you bastards. Who wants a piece of the PTX Team today!?"

The Kiribito is still undergoing minor repairs. Nothing too much... but the docking points with the Zai unit were damaged in that first fight. It's just as well, since Aoba is a lot more comfortable piloting her Nana-Two Way. As the assault begins, the Jinki rises up from underneath the waves, kicking at the water and literally launching up past the surface. The Rebound Boots bounce off the sea, propelling it closer to shore.

Right before the Jinki lands on solid ground, the boot plates retract, flipping to the backs of the legs, and it touches down with a spray of rocks and dirt. "Today is important... We're going to rescue Ken. And Axel Almer too." The girl nods once, hands clenching into fists. "I'll be sure to watch your back, Puru Two! Okay? Let's do this together!"

The situation that has occurred was not unforeseen. When Ingram saw that Almer was being transferred for sentencing, he knew that something was up, and whomever was arranging for this transfer was not someone who had the best interests of the EFA at heart. After all, the appearance of Fiona and 'Evil' Coop revealed that there was a new threat to be dealt with. And Ingram was in charge of dealing with unknown Extra Terrestrial threats. Extra Dimensional Threats certainly fell within that area as well, and Ingram had filed for Almer to be remanded to his custody for questioning. That it was overridden was the first sign that something was up. And so he had spoken with a few others about ensuring that they had forces in the area... just in case someone actually decided to try and use this opportunity to launch a rescue attempt. The R-GUN glides up to overlook from where he can see most of the base. It's clear that they are going to have quite a problem here - deep down, Ingram doesn't think they have much chance of stopping such a well planned rescue attempt. Realistically, they would need to minimize damage to the base, discover whom had shut down the defenses, and do as much damage to the DC as possible. "This is Major Prisken. Do your best to keep them out of the base, and ensure that none of the prisoners escape." And let us just hope that they didn't rig the base to explode as well, he doesn't mention.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Isamu Dyson repeats. "Fuck him."

Waiting. That is always the most difficult part of an assignment like this. The wait, the calm before the storm. Gym has time to think like that, though; instead of being on the edge of his familiar Mahiroo's pilot seat, he is leaning back rather calmly, arms crossed, and simply... waiting for the signal.

And then it comes. Gym's face splits into a wide smile, and he extends his arms out in front of him, stretching himself out. "Well now," Gym says to the empty and largely unfamiliar cockpit, "I think that's our signal to go." He lowers his hands to the arms of the pilot's seat, placing both hands on the pommels set into the arms. He inhales slowly, and lets out a low chuckle.

The water, much further from the base, shoots into the air as something erupts from beneath the surface. It isn't in sight at first, but Earth Federation and Divine Crusader sensor systems will pick up something approaching at velocities most often referred to as 'insane,' rapidly closing on what was once one of the most heavily defended installations in the hemisphere.

The difference is that the pink-and-black machine, apparently garbed in some sort of cloak, is listed as a friendly on Divine Crusader detection systems. The Federation troops in the area are not so fortunate.

The pilot's voice comes over DC radio bands almost immediately. "Gym Ghingnham, Ardjet, entering the combat zone! Let's tear them apart!!"

Fiona Gureden had a sinking feeling about that suspicious prisoner transfer. But she's a quasi-military mostly-civilian kinda-immigrant with legal status conferred mostly by dint of the Ruler of All Space deciding she was cute. Or however that worked; Fiona's not entirely sure.

Either way: Fiona's waiting in the hanger in her awesome Alaskan super-civilian-installation, waiting for more word back on tests...though, knowing the way things are going, ultimately the response will probably be another 'we need more tests'.

The alert comes through her fancy EFA comm; Heavens Gate down. Almer may get busted out. And Fiona never did get a chance to ask him anything...damn!

Fiona grabs the Excellence's activation key off her table, muttering about palace politics while she hops into the Argent Fighter, and soon, Excellence Striker is boosting away toward Iceland.

Don't ask how it got to Iceland in a handful of minutes, IT'S A TIME MACHINE, OK, GOD

Puru Two simply had to come on this mission. She's been trying out to be assigned an Ashsaber of her own, and this effort is kind of hampered by one of the people whose okay in this matter would count for a lot being imprisoned. While unable to get his approval this time for obvious reasons, she's pretty sure that Axel's not going to mind her piloting her trial-basis Ashsaber for this mission. Besides, it's another opportunity to demonstrate her ability in the machine, that's never a bad thing.

The blue and white Shadow-Mirror machine boosts up to clear the water when instructed to, landing on shore in a crouch. Straightening up, the humanoid PT walks on over to flank Aoba's Jinki, Beam Machine Gun at the ready. "You got it," she responds, a smirk coming to the young Newtype's face. "This'll be a cakewalk, they'll never know what him 'em."

"SEIRYURIN!"

A huge chunk of metal goes flying down the hallway of Heaven's Base. Several soldiers are caught in it -- infantrymen, who have the two ton steel door slam into them and crush their bodies. Electricity crackles along the length of it, and Axel Almer steps forth, wearing his white uniform. He cracks a grin, looking around, and at the final door between him and the exit.

He reaches his hands out in front of him, and cracks his knuckles loudly.

"C'mon, Marinaris," he says. He grins and looks over his shoulder. "We don't wanna be late."

Viletta Vadim was at Heaven's Base for the express purpose of talking to a few of its technicians about the R-GUN's temperamental 'everything', and maybe even putting it through its paces for the first time in a few weeks.

Mysterious power outages, combined with Ingram's co-opting the SRX support weapon for his own purposes mean that Viletta is instead in the cockpit of the Rapidity-type Gespenst she piloted to the base to begin with.

Given that its HUD won't, say, suddenly be replaced by the starkly spiritual but nonetheless intensely aggravating image of a glowing, thousand-petaled lotus blossom, it's something of a more reliable choice anyway.

With its beam rifle already armed and loaded, the Gespenst stomps out of the base behind Ring Mao's. She rather idly says, "That, with any luck, will not be drawn from your bank account later," across a tightband to the chairwoman's cockpit, and then her unit is gone.

Somewhere nearby, rather a large snowbank is settling; the PT's armor may still be noticably, brightly blue, but Viletta is more than willing to /try/ and keep herself out of view for the moment.

Normally, a jailbreak - even a jailbreak involving DC prisoners - isn't the kind of situation which the Gutsy Galaxy Guard would deploy units for.

Given that the potential escapees from this happen to include at least one known "Shadow Mirror" pilot, though, Chief Taiga has decided to err on the side of caution and have GaoGaiGar put in an appearance. Final Fusion was approved and executed before the G-Stone-powered super mechanoid even approached the prison's airspace - and GaoGaiGar is just reaching the edge of the potential battlefield now, with Guy paying full attention to the situation as it develops ...

Ken knew there was to be no escape this time, she frowned as she was kept in her cell. She knew what was coming. Theyd want information, metatron, orbital frames and if they had wind of the projects she was apart of like those too. She knows the odds of her surival were bleak, there were small pockets in the EFA very good at things like this and hiding it.

At least thats hoe it was till a while ago untill Axel had sprung into action she nods once to Axel and says, "No we dont Axel, lets get going you know they will likely try to kill us to keep us from escaping I broken lose before and they seem to have little love for you as well."

Shes alos in a white prison uniform and keeping pace with Axel for the most part, she does grin a bit, it seems she was going to ahem get to repay the EFA for their kindness.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Leo Stenbuck transmits, "All units, check in. Who've we got in the air?"

Earlier This Week

"Well Mr. Amalfi, you should be clear to fly again...I don't expect you'll be doing much of that though considering the surrender." A nurse tells Nicol as he takes his last check up after war time injury.

Nicol smiles and nods. "Well I guess that is for the best. I never was a very good soldier anyway."

The Evening

"We're going to need to send some of our pilots to support the EFA while they rebuild their navy. You know...as a gesture of good faith."

"Well who are we going to send?"

"What about Le Creusent's squadron? They haven't yet been reassigned...."

"All one of them?"

"ONE?! What the hell happened to the others?"

"Two defected, several were killed, and one of them is Yzak Joule."

"Well those are all certainly good reasons not to use any of them! Send the last one over to Heaven Base."

Now

Nicol sits silently in the cockpit of Gundam Blitz. He's been on standby since he arrived to back up the pilots on this base. This was mostly for his safety considering the dirty looks he got when he arrived. People just didn't seem to like Coordinators very much under the circumstances.

Oh well. Nicol was glad to just have some quiet time to himself. ...which is ended by the alarm.

Nicol sighs and powers up his Gundam, waiting for the order to launch.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Rei Ayanami transmits, "Evangelion Unit-00 reporting -- on the ground, sir."

What, now it's Iceland? Only this time the fortress is shutting down from the inside. Thats sort of...concerning. To say the least.

A Lady Bird type transport plane flies over Iceland, as it's rear hatch opens and extends a combat robot out on a pair of struts. "Meiya Mitsurugi, launching." The supports release and the Type-00R drops from the plane towards Heaven's base. Rushing down through the air like a skydiver. "Axel Almer and Ken Marinaris." she frowns.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Sven Cal Bayan transmits, "This is Sven Cal Bayang. I have deployed from Heaven's Base."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ring Mao transmits, "This is Ring Mao, I'm on the ground."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Fiona Gureden transmits, "Excellence 02, coming in fast!"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Viletta Vadim transmits, "Viletta Vadim, occupying a snowbank on the ground."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Meiya Mitsurugi transmits, "Lieutenant Mitsurugi, air dropping in from above Heaven's base."

Heaven's Base: MS Rapid Deployment Hangar: Prior to THE INCIDENT

It's been a normal day in the Rapid Deployment Hangar - technicians have been running their hourly checks on the EFA's current rapid-response team, on-call aces tease squadron rookies, still more aces share their favorite Patrick Colasour stories, considering there's really never anything to do on these godforsaken days. The only real stand-out oddity is that nobody - not anybody - has wandered into a very specific corner of the RDH. There is a reason for this.

Bring Stability has been in that very specific corner of the hangar since sunrise, leaned against a pillar, dressed for flight. A foot rests upon his helmet - he hasn't moved from this spot for hours. Currently his attention is riveted to the ammunition feed on his sidearm; for what has to be the seven hundredth time, Stability unloads his pistol, inspects the loading chamber, and reloads it. After a hundred more tries, he's going to move to the trigger guard.

"Is that freak -still- staring at his gun?" A lieutenant asks one of his privates for a status update - he falls into a seat next to the soldier. Both of them stare at the 'interloper'.

"Yes sir. If he follows his usual pattern, he'll move to the trigger guard in... now!" With a satisfied nod, the private looks to his superior.

Bring Stability begins examining his weapon's trigger guard; the base's power shuts off. As the backup generators hum to life and power is restored, the sirens serve as a sort of backdrop for the silent, intense fear and confusion that only the armed forces can claim. Without a word, the Innovade slips his gun back into its holster, kicks off of his place on that pillar, and moves towards his Garazzo, pushing his helmet into place.

Within a minute, the Garazzo is leading the EFA's Rapid Deployment squadron out of their hangar to an observation position on the base's tarmac -- for now, observing the area and waiting for orders.

"So," Novas Stellas transmits to Nicol in the middle of a very important mission from her Samsara. "Did it work out? Is she gonna go with you? From the twitfeed she may not really grok what's goin' on yet." She stifles a small yawn and adds, "It's so weird helping the Efags out but I guess it's to be expected--" She lets out another quick yawn, "Man, I really need to stop staying up late watching Nostalgia Newtype."

She runs some final systems checks and adds, "Ready to move out, Amalfi?"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Bring Stability grunts. His Garazzo appears on the EFA IFF, and pilots in the area would see that he is situated at the Heaven's Base tarmac.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Leo Stenbuck transmits, "Alright. You heard the Colonel... our first objective is defending Heaven's Base until it comes back online. Keep the DC away from the base, and keep an eye out for anything that might be the prisoners escaping."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Guy Shishioh transmits, "Roger that,"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Rei Ayanami transmits, "Understood."

The Crusaders are far closer than they appear; it's only thanks to the shrewd thinking of a handful that Heaven's Base does not fall completely into chaos as the forces of the Crusade suddenly /burst/ free from the water's surface at Heaven's Base's port. Yet still, chaos they have; Gespensts and GMs are destroyed just as soldiers begin to deploy in them, the walls and buildings of the Iceland facilities are bombarded. It is a vicious sight.

Varying degrees of panic overtake the hangars as Yazan Gable walks calmly past each of them. Rolling his neck, he delves further and further into the base, until he arrives at a specialized hangar -- those designated for Phantom Pain.

The Dopplehorn Dagger launches off, the last of the Phantom Pain units shooting into the skies -- save for one, as Yazan enters. Looking up, he frowns, staring at his strike E in the distance. Grinning savagely, the former Titan strides forward, staring at the engineer tending to the machine as he approaches.

"Is this thing ready to go?"

"Y-yes, sir; the Sword Pack's been loaded, just like you asked," the engineer replies, looking somewhat hesitant. "All the systems check out, too. Everything looks fine, but..."

"What?"

"Sir -- I think there's someone else inside the cockpit."

Yazan pauses. He squints. "Ya looked inside the cockpit, huh?"

"Well, of course, sir. I think one of the engineers might have been using it to na--"

The sound of gunshots echo throughtout the hangar, three in all; two bullets lodge in the chest of the mechanic, the third and final in the head as the Federation soldier collapses in a spray of his own blood. Yazan stares down blandly as the ascent rope activates, scratching at his ear.

"Yeah. Shouldn'ta done that."

A second later, Gable falls into the cockpit of his machine. He looks behind him as he rapidly activates all the systems, the green eyes of the Strike E flashing open as sky blue phase shift ripples over the armor.

"Alright, buddy," he remarks to the slumped form behind him. "Lemme show you how a /real/ person handles a mission, eh?"

The thrusters of the Sword Strike thrum with life, targetting arrays come online as the world spills out into a vast landscape of IFFs. Yazan looks at one towards the corner, and his lips contort sadistically. "Oh, wouldja lookit that. Looks like I get to tie up /all/ my loose ends."

The thrusters ignite. From the depths of Heaven's Base's hangars, the Sword LAUNCHES through the air. Slinging its rightmost blade through the air, Yazan activates it, launches forward...

... and aims to drive it /right/ through the back of Leo Stenbuck's approaching Gabthley.

"Looks like ya made it JUST IN TIME to screw up another mission, eh, MAJOR STANBOOST?!" Yazan Gable activates his GAT-X105E Strike E unit. Yazan Gable's GAT-X105E Strike E transforms into its Sword Strike E mode.

COMBAT: Yazan Gable has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Yazan Gable has attacked Leo Stenbuck. Schwert Gewehr Strike added to their queue.

COMBAT: Yazan Gable has struck a devastating hit on Leo Stenbuck's RX-110 Gabthley MS using Schwert Gewehr Strike.

Though a last minute hire, the Nirvash leaves a green trail as it passes above, following the Crusader units. Though they have done such terrible things, all of them do. It's not something ... different between them all. They're all alike, and so why shouldn't they still focus on making a living...?

"This is Gekko-state... we'll move in with you." Eureka radios over, before the refboard angles down, diving towards the Federations emplacement.

It's not hard, with what she knows they 'stand for' personally. Even if they are human ... and alive.

Emerging from the hangar as everything in Heaven goes to hell, Evangelion Unit-00 doesn't walk across the battlefield. It plods. Even the fatter mobile suits have some measure of mechanical grace as they cavort through the air, but there are no mobile suits quite like Evangelions. The hundred-foot-tall cybernetic armor moves like a lobotomized animal, its long, thin form seeming to exist in a constant state of wilting, as if gravity weighed more heavily on it than anything else.

Inside the plug, Rei Ayanami surveys the coming onslaught. Knowing her strategic advantages lie in pure destructive power and the fact that she's a big, easy target, she doesn't hesitate to look for the most dangerous target on the field, and antagonize them. Orange GN particles stand out to the girl as she lines up her target, raising the Eva's pellet weapon, each shell the size of a subway car.

The gun lets off a noise like thunder choking as bullets sail toward Ali al-Saachez' incoming Gundam.

While doing this, Rei surreptitiously opens a small video window -- a direct communications line to Leo Stenbuck's unit. "I didn't want to say this on the main radio. I know you're sensitive and don't like being teased about our relationship during combat operations. But Leo, good lll--OOK OUT!"

COMBAT: Rei Ayanami has attacked Ali Al-Saachez. Pellet Pistol added to their queue.

Echidna Iisaki charges the base on foot, disdaining the flight abilities of the R-Eins at the moment - it's too hard to see what she's doing from high up. She literally runs through one of the smaller, already blast-damaged walls, shouldering it out of the way with the R-Eins after slamming into it foot-first to break the hole.

Once she's past the first layer of defenses, Echidna moves much more slowly. She has a G-Revolver in one of the R-Eins' hands and the other is holding one of those blade tonfas they are occasionally seen using on the elites. She takes out with pinpoint accuracy two currently unmoving missile launchers, continuing to walk forward.

Echidna flips a switch inside her cockpit, and life sign scanners pop up. Pilots show up as little points of light, her R-Eins a fuzzy haze instead. This is not terribly useful - there's a lot of little dots. However, one of the people she is looking for puts out a /lot/ of bioelectricity, making him easier to find.

She does find herself momentarily vexed by a second bright patch, but looks up and onto the regular scanners long enough to notice Evangelion 00 before tuning it out.

Leo sets about the... honestly, no longer that arduous task of making sure everyone on the field is accounted for and pointed in the right direction. As he does, he absentmindedly steers the Gabthley around to form it up in a line with the rest of the defenders, ready to meet and repel the incoming DC attack.

The RX-110 bounds past an open MS hangar just as Yazan's Strike E is launching from it; Leo pays the MS no mind, and turns his attention to the tiny video window displaying Rei's face. He smiles broadly at his girlfriend's words... and then scrunches his face up in confusion when she cries out. Look out? Wha-

The Strike E's sword plunges into the right side of the Gabthley's lower back; the MS doesn't brace for it, or twist out of the way, or anything. The force of impact slams Leo forwards in his seat, safety restraints straining briefly before he snaps back, the back of his head cracking against the (thankfully padded) rear of the seat.

And then the Gabthley, which was mid-leap, begins to fall. Gravity does its part to assist Yazan's treachery, as the sword is simply dragged out the side of the MS. This added trauma severs the machine's leg entirely, blowing it off with a tremendous explosion that blasts the RX-110 out of the air, driving it to the ground, where it tumbles to a halt in a snowbank.

Inside the machine, Leo's head is reeling. What even just... happened? The Gabthley beguns struggling to pull itself upright - a task made much more difficult by the missing leg - while Leo pierces together what was just done to him.

He gets it after a few seconds. "Yazan, what the /fuck?!/"

The intentions of the Jinki and its pilot are good and well enough--

But Healing Care and her Garazzo have other plans in mind.

As the Jinki daws ever-closer toward the Iceland base, the Garazzo sails overhead, cutting a swath of orange particles across the sky. For a brief moment its pilot seems to neglect the Nana-Two Way. Then Healing Care doubletakes. Wait a second. She knows that machine. It's--

"Oh it's /you/ again!"

Swerving sharply in the air, the Garazzo spins around and begins to make a reckless descent toward the Nana Two-Way. Only before it appears the Garazzo is going to actually CRASH into the other machine headlong does it suddenly sweep its legs around and forward, verniers roaring as it catches its descent. Legs continue to move, right for the chest of the Nana-Two Way with a punt.

"I'll rip your ass to pieces this time!!"

COMBAT: Healing Care has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Aoba Tsuzaki. GN Kick added to their queue.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Leo Stenbuck transmits, "Yazan, what the /fuck?!/"

COMBAT: Rei Ayanami has struck Ali Al-Saachez with a major hit using Pellet Pistol.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Russel Bagman transmits, "Leo what's going on? Sir are you all right?"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Healing Care transmits, "Uh oooooooh!"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Hmmmm."

"Yeah. Atleast I think she said yes. She didn't seem to care much about it. Is that a bad sign? I don't really know this girl at all." Nicol responds back to Novas from the comfort of his cockpit. He continues to prep systems, wondering if he should activate the Mirage Colloid system upon launch. "I guess it's a little weird considering Blue Cosmos still being around. But this is a step toward peace so we need to do our best so the negotiations go on."

"Lets go then! Blitz Gundam launching!" The black Gundam flies out of the hangar, scanning the battle. "Novas. I'm not sure whats going on yet. Can you get a hold of base command?"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Rei Ayanami transmits, "/Leo!/"

"Looks like Commander Gable finally roused from his slumber," Shams says with a bit of a grin on his face, "I was wondering when he was finally going to pull his head out of his office and join us in some carna--" then Sven and his two comrades witness the blazen act of betrayal, "--The hell? What's he doing?" Sven twitches his mouth as he survays the situation, then makes a decision baised on it, "Focus on the Crusader forces." Mudie turns the Blu Duel to face Sven's Dagger, "But--" "We are unsure of what the situation involving Commander Gable is. Until we can ascertain the situation, we should focus on the known threat instead of wasting time on an unknown quantity." Shams tears his eyes away from Yazan and Leo, "Tch, damn! I hate when things get complicated!" The hip armor of the Doppelhorn Dagger snaps open as Sven grabs three of the kunai-shaped piercing explosives from within, then tosses it towards the approaching R-Eins.

COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has attacked Echidna Iisaki. Stiletto Penetrators added to their queue.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Rei Ayanami sounds -- for maybe the first time ever -- genuinely agitated. Even shocked. "Gable, what are you /doing/?!"

Axel Almer strides towards the door. He kicks the door to the outside open. It breaks open, and a blast of cold wind shoots inward -- rushing over the man and Ken Marinaris alike. He grins and looks over his shoulder. "Stay with me," he says. "They're not gonna be able to mess with us once we've got some kinda mech."

The man steps out, and looks up -- and further up. His eyes settle on the R-Eins coming downward.

The R-Eins. What were the chances that the one he had fought against before would be piloted by that same woman? That was enough to draw Ingram's attention - after all, he had found that woman to be quite unusual. The fact that she showed very little in the way of pain her hesitation... she was an unusual specimen, and it wouldn't hurt to learn more about her. The R-GUN leaps off of it's perch high above the base, plummeting straight down towards the entrance that the R-Eins had used to gain ingress to the base only a moment before. It was all a matter of timing, hitting the thrusters at just the right time so that his personal trooper skimmed across the floor of the base, rather than slamming into it at a huge rate of speed. Or smearing himself across the mountains below. But as Ingram comes in towards Echidna, he doesn't even bother to decelerate. The R-GUN just drops one shoulder, aims for the center of the Eins back... and goes in, full bore.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has attacked Echidna Iisaki. Shoulder Check Sneak Attack added to their queue.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Leo Stenbuck shouts, "Answer me, God dammit!! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Use your head, Leo."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Meiya Mitsurugi transmits, "Am I correct to assume Yazan gable has opened fire?"

COMBAT: Healing Care has struck a solid hit on Aoba Tsuzaki's Nana-Two Way Aoba Custom using GN Kick. COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has counter attacked for a minor hit on Healing Care's GNZ-005 Garazzo using 120mm Machine Gun.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Rei Ayanami delivers a seething "Yes."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ring Mao transmits, "Assume he's just handed in his resignation."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Leo Stenbuck transmits, "Bullshit! He wouldn't- he's not-!!"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "It would take someone with a high rank and level of access to pull off this rescue."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Yazan has both."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ring Mao transmits, "Goddammit."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Meiya Mitsurugi transmits, "Affirmative. Redesignating his machine as hostile."

The GN Sefer continues to descend from above, about two thousand feet ahead of its companion unit, the Back Rasiel. The Sefer gives Ali al-Saachez the speed he needs to get into the combat /fast/ -- since it it is basically a pair of thrusters strapped to a cockpit. Targets start to light up on his console within seconds of the kill order, and the familiar feeling of battle adrenaline starts pumping through his veins. Now that's living --

Plans suddenly change.

Bullets from the Eva rip across the black undercarriage of the GN Sefer. "The hell --" Ali exclaims, damage klaxons billowing through the cockpit of the GN Sefer. Smoke coiling off the armor of the damaged Sefer, Ali locks onto the new threat. He laughs, recognizing it. He's fought that piece of garbage before.

Pulling up on the controls of the GN Sefer fighter, the jet banks to the left. Ali smashes the afterburners, GN Particles glowing bright, spilling from the engines of the black aircraft. Using its thrust to its advantage, Ali is able to get the Sefer around quickly -- and on its banking back towards the Eva-00 -- it starts spitting laser-like orange beams of energy down on poor Rei.

Two thousand feet above sea level, Blue Haro beeps and continues to fly the Back Rasiel towards Heaven's Base. The COMM HUD of the Gundam shows a thumbnail of a Yellow Haro, a White Haro, and a Green Haro.

"Haro," the Yellow Haro transmits.

"Haro Haro," the Blue Haro replies.

"Haro" The White Haro beeps.

"Haro haro HARO!" the Blue Haro rages.

"... Haro." The Yellow Haro chirps, solemnly.

An AWACS Comm Officer flying above the battlefield looks to his copilot. "Get a look at this. The one Haro just broke up with the other one, thinking it's about to die. It's tragic, man."

COMBAT: Ali Al-Saachez has attacked Rei Ayanami. GN Proto Bits added to their queue.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "We've prepped the radio for a frequency cycle. If Yazan doesn't have something to say in his defense, exclude him from the system and cut off his access."

COMBAT: Ali Al-Saachez has struck Rei Ayanami with a solid hit using GN Proto Bits.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Latooni, can you find out what he's been accessing on the system for the last few weeks? He knocked down the system with someone else's access codes - we need to make sure he doesn't have more."

"I... don't know." Novas admits quietly, focusing on Ilyse because, well, she has weird priorities. "I don't think I've known her THAT long--I don't think it's a REALLY BAD sign, it might be mildly bad, but it might be really good! Maybe she's playing hard to get, you never know. Or she might just not realize you're, you know, asking out yet. If you're too shy, girls don't always notice it. Or sometimes they really don't think 'hey this guy is going to ask me out' and so they totally misinterpret it anyway. She's kind of a workaholic, I bet, so she probably didn't realize."

She realizes, at this point, she is going to need to get a mask, or costume or something. Maybe she could just get away with the 'ghost' sheet costume. Hmm. But that's lazy.

"We're still in peace talks so I don't actually have any of their commfreqs!" Novas flies out, "But so long as we help the Efags out I'm sure it'll be okay, I'll see if there's anybody I recognize and try to call 'em up." This may be a very sneaky way of avoiding asking Leo Stenbuck for directions. She sees an R-Gun trying to beat down that big breasted girl and decides to send a transmission thataway.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Latooni Subota transmits, "Not quickly, sir, but I can."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Isamu Dyson transmits, "Fuck him."

"An octopus?" Viletta quietly wonders when her sweeping cameras settle on Gabby Hazard's mobile suit. "What in the--hunh."

Gently, ever so gently, she squeezes her beam rifle's trigger about half way; blue light begins to build at the tip of its muzzle, resulting in a tiny blue dot aainst the otherwise featureless white expanse of her frigid cover. Her camera, struggling to account for the thin powdering of snow over its lens, whirrs persistently; Viletta is doing her best to zoom in on the Doven Wolf and pick out a target, and she's pretty much having to do it by hand. The targetting sensors are no help whatsoever, considering.

"An /octopus/."

Following a soft sound of one part grudging amusement, two parts disapproval, she finally manages to get something approaching a good lock on the Doven's right knee. "There; no use in killing the thing, yet."

The front half of Viletta's snow bank melts immediately when a powerful beam of agitated neutrinos lances from her rifle. The blast's passage cuts a rippling trail of heat through the air all the way to the Doven Wolf, and as it flies, she pulls her Gespenst into a crouch, sucks in a breath and sends it on a long, low jump towards a communications tower she hopes to utilize for continued cover.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has attacked Gabby Hazard. Mega Beam Rifle added to their queue.

The sky sparks, briefly, as Excellence Striker finishes boosting across a continent and also an ocean in a handful of seconds (TIME MACHINE) and starts descending toward the battle over Heaven's Gate, eyes tracking around as the system starts tracking targets. Yazan Gable, retagged hostile - big surprise there. Ashsabers. Dammit, this is all--

Her teeth grind, and then she takes a slow breath, tapping at keys to focus her monitors. "Time-flow engine to--49%? Great. All systems online, though...Well, no time like the present!" That... machine, gets jumped by something she doesn't recognize with an EFA signature, so Fiona takes her own cue - diving suddenly out of the sky, crying, "Excellence 02, entering combat!" as the Crusher Arm clicks open and slams hard into Puru Two's Ashsaber - before CRUSHING.

COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has attacked Puru Two. Crusher Arm added to their queue.

COMBAT: Full Frontal has activated a spirit command.

"Heh, yeah, it can come out of my paycheck," Ring tightbeams back to Viletta.

Chaos. Pure chaos. GMs and Gespensts exploding. Base defenses firing. Heroes and villains and bullets and lasers and missiles flying everywhere. To a rookie pilot, it must be terrifying. To a veteran, the old habits kick in. Concentrate. Clear your head. Prioritise. Inside her Gespenst, Ring closes her eyes, then re-opens them.

And spies a giant robot on a surfboard. "Hell, not them too."

The personal trooper comes equipped for most contingencies, Ring had made sure that her own Gespenst had everything it would need. For giant robots surfing in at range, she has just the thing: A split missile launches from behind the II-M, coming with a message: "Welcome to Heaven's Base! Now get out!"

COMBAT: Ring Mao has attacked Eureka. Split Missile added to their queue.

Ken Marinaris nods to AXel as she keeps moving, "I will, I'm not as slow as you think! It takes about the same level of training for Gundam fighter to get an Martian to the levels were we can match an Earth bone and handle a frame!" She pauses "...and I'll bet Ardjet's in this mess somewhere. I doubt it would let itself be sidelineed while I was a pow. A lot of frames are ... tempermental."

COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has missed Puru Two with her Crusher Arm attack. COMBAT: Puru Two has counter attacked for a minor hit on Fiona Gureden's Excellence Striker using Laser Blade.

The Type-00R flips upright and fires it's engines as it comes down towards a snowy mountain slope. Both feet press into the white fluffy snow, but it's deeper then even it's feet will sink, and the machine slides.

Meiya twists in her seat, the enhanced control systems rectify the balance on the pilot's own instinct, and it starts down hill in a controlled slide.

Yes that is a large purple robot basically skiiing down the mountain towards the base.

"So Yazan has decided to show his true colors. I'm amazed it took this long." She looks down at her sensors, hey isn't that the R-1 down there?

The Type-00R jumps over the base wall an lands behidn Echidna's R-Eins "Ryuse-" she stops, and stares. That is no R-1. Meiya almost swears as she jams the control sticks side ways, launching the Type-00R into a side ways jump as it pulls out it's machine gun and fires.

COMBAT: Meiya Mitsurugi has attacked Echidna Iisaki. 87 Style Assault Gun added to their queue.

With the sabotage taking place, it certainly seemed the perfect time to strike. "So why have they waited long enough for additional defenses to deploy out to Greenland, of all places?" a certain voice criticizes the decisions made so far. "And how did half of them get here so fast?" But clearly, someone has a plan for how this is to play out, and despite his private objections, the masked Zeon pilot is an observer here. Until he decides not to be.

That'd be right now.

A snow bank seems to... deflate?! Melting away to the soft hiss of air escaping, the snow bank dummy lowers, revealing inside of it a red mobile suit. Its singular eye pulses to life, that signature sound effect coming as it raises one mega machine gun into the air. Aiming at the nearest faceless target, which happens to be a line of tanks, the machine gun opens fire rather swiftly, rather promptly, resulting in a neat row of explosions with the same lightning speed that the Zaku III employed in its previous missions.

Inside, Full Frontal's expression is grim. PLANTs has betrayed Neo-Zeon with their decision to surrender. It's only a matter of time until those peace talks result in the Coordinators re-joining the Federation.

Rising up atop a base jobber, the red Zaku flies forward, using the platform as a glorified hover board as god intended it. But the reason why his expression is grim? The IFF in the suit has picked up the Blitz, and with the tap of a finger, the pilot switches it from friend to foe.

There's no need to issue a verbal warning. The machine gun does it for Frontal, firing a thick volley at the defecting Gundam.

COMBAT: Full Frontal has attacked Nicol Amalfi. Mega Machine Gun added to their queue.

COMBAT: Full Frontal has struck a major hit on Nicol Amalfi's Blitz Phase Shift using Mega Machine Gun.

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has activated a spirit command.

The pure white Zaku III continues at speed, loping easily across the hard, frozen terrain, taking the occasional pot shot at the base with the small beam weapon held in hand, more to keep the defenders nervous than to do any actual damage. Keep 'em off-balance. After all, a calm warrior is a /dangerous/ warrior. And nobody that Shin can see looks more calm, more aloof and detached, than the Garazzo simply standing there, surveying the battlefield. "Damn, what an arrogant looking machine." The White Wolf (of Solomon) squeezes a little bit more go out of his Zaku, sending it hurtling ahead, beam gun raised. It quickly ceases being a beam gun, instead giving rise to a solid yellow bar of energy, scything toward Bring's machine in a low, horizantal cut. "Let's just take you off your high horse."

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has missed Gabby Hazard with her Mega Beam Rifle attack.

COMBAT: Shin Matsunaga has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has missed Echidna Iisaki with his Stiletto Penetrators attack.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has counter attacked for a minor critical hit on Sven Cal Bayan's Doppelhorn Dagger L using G-Revolver.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has struck a glancing hit on Echidna Iisaki's R-Eins using Shoulder Check Sneak Attack.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has counter attacked for a minor hit on Ingram Prisken's R-GUN using G-Revolver.

COMBAT: Shin Matsunaga has attacked Bring Stability. Beam Saber added to their queue.

The Grim Reaper like Orbital frame dives into the melee...it was crazy. With only one unit turning on them, it seems that the entire EFA line was thrown into chaos or something. Suriel thinks this is a great idea, inviting a traitor into their group of freedom fighters. This is obviously a great idea, but orders were orders. He wasn't to question orders. His head hurt just even entertaining the idea.

The Orbital Frame Fighter dives towards one of the most terrifying things on the battlefield. It was obvious, that if GaoGaiGar was allowed to roam unchecked, their forces could substain a lot of damages...also, in reality, Suriel was both a bit over confident, and wanting to test his limits.

Who better than someone as famous as this robot.

"HERE I COME!" he booms to guy, his hand coming up and starting to form something from a VECTOR TRAP. A scythe appeared, completing the Grim Reaper appearance of his unit, as he took the weapon and attempted to drag it across GGG in a simple strike.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has attacked Guy Shishioh. Scythe Slash added to their queue.

Taking a deep breath as the fire begins to fly overhead, Aoba flexes her hands in and out of fists a few times. The Jinki does the same, mimicking her movements, before it reaches back and draws its machinegun. "Okay... this should be easy. I'm just going to--" The girl blinks and looks up as she gets one of her bad feelings. "That... whoah!"

The Nana-Two squeezes off a few shots from its gun before the Garazzo impacts with it, causing it to stagger back a short distance. "I remember you!" The gun is quickly stowed away again, and a thin cylinder is grabbed from its docking point on the Jinki's right arm. As it spins the cylinder, the metal extends out, forming a long spear... in fact, it looks a bit too long to be useful for a robot the size of the Nana-Two. Aoba doesn't seem to have a problem handling it, though. "Hey, Puru Two! I'm going to be fighting this thing... be careful, okay?" She probably didn't need to give the warning, but she'll still keep an eye on her friend!

Taking a step back, the Nana-Twi twirls its spear over its head. "Harken mode... engaging!" The butt end of the spear extends outward, forming a double scythe blade as it spins. The Jinki's grip changes, and the scythe end is slashed down at the Garazzo. "Yaaaa!"

COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has attacked Healing Care. Hybrid Spear - Harken Mode added to their queue.

COMBAT: Ring Mao has missed Eureka with her Split Missile attack. COMBAT: Eureka has counter attacked for a minor hit on Ring Mao's Gespenst Mk. II-M using Boomerang Knife Throw.

COMBAT: Bring Stability has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Bring Stability has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shin Matsunaga has struck a major critical hit on Bring Stability's GNZ-005 Garazzo using Beam Saber. COMBAT: Bring Stability has counter attacked for a major hit on Shin Matsunaga's AMX-011S Zaku III Matsunaga Custom using GN Backalley Beatdown.

COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has missed Healing Care with her Hybrid Spear - Harken Mode attack. COMBAT: Healing Care has counter attacked for a minor hit on Aoba Tsuzaki's Nana-Two Way Aoba Custom using GN Vulcans.

Orange lances of GN energy pierce Evangelion Unit-00, one beam gliding through its hip, the other striking it in the forearm, going clear through, and hitting it in the shoulder. Rei's video link-up with Leo remains open -- she's too busy to focus on things like 'closing it.' So the spacenoid pilot, if he looks, can see the end result of damage to the Eva -- Rei curls and flexes in her pod-like pilot's seat, grunting in agony as her body attempts to convince her that it was she herself who received these wounds. Her shoulder spasms, and she jerks her hips to one side, like a torturous dance.

If nothing else, though, Rei is not only serious, but also a professional. The small, blue-haired girl ignores the pain and soldiers onward, righting the Eva and ejecting the spent clip from its pellet pistol. The mammoth unit simply drops the gun, crushing two trucks and leaving a small crater in its wake. The Eva replaces the weapon with the Pellet Rifle -- larger, sleeker, and with more of a kick to it. More murder per bullet guaranteed.

As is her custom, Rei refuses to initiate radio contact with her target, even if she's theoretically video-chatting with Leo at the same time. Her red eyes flash with determination, and her mouth settles into a thin, almost imperceptibly small frown as she brings the Evangelion's gun up. Unit-00 takes aim at the Sefer and fires, the crack of the gunshots seemingly loud enough to split the sky.

COMBAT: Rei Ayanami has attacked Ali Al-Saachez. Pellet Rifle added to their queue.

The Orbital Frame streaks towards the base in a blur of speed. It doesn't start out nearby, but closes in a handful of seconds. Gym's smile doesn't fade a bit during the approach. Enemy units appear on the heads-up display, highlighted in red to pick out even more easily against the snow, ice and water.

"There," Gym says, looking at a spot on the HUD. A window appears and zooms in momentarily, and Gym gets an approach vector helpfully put on-screen by the AI in the Orbital Frame. He could get used to this sort of thing. Ardjet drops altitude, skimming over the top of the water and making it shoot up all around it in a tremendous wake for just a moment. It shoots skyward, moving overhead and completely avoiding the scattered ground units.

"Hahahahaha!" The pink-and-black Frame zooms overhead, Gym briefly considering pinging Echidna's R-Eins and then deciding against it. She'll know he's there; those dolls always seem to. As for her foes...

Lasers begin to fall from the sky, curving improbably through the air and descending in a ring around the R-Eins, one edge nearby to catch the R-GUN and the other further out to blast the Dagger. It would seem Echidna has some covering fire.

COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has attacked Ingram Prisken and Sven Cal Bayan. Homing Lasers Volley added to their queue.

COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has struck a solid critical hit on Ingram Prisken's R-GUN using Homing Lasers Volley. COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has missed Gym Ghingnham with his Gatling Gun counter attack.

COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has missed Sven Cal Bayan with his Homing Lasers Volley attack.

Echidna Iisaki, already firing on immobile targets, still has a gun in her hand when the Dagger's explosives are flung in her direction. Echidna swings the R-Eins to the side, firing two shots back the way they came -

And a third in a different direction, twisting the R-Eins' body sideways and firing 'behind' where she was before, catching the incoming R-GUN without even seeing where it was.

The impact of the R-GUN on the R-Eins is not enough to send it flying; it kind of skips off, leaving a dent behind. Echidna ejects the brass from the giant revolver, reloading it with fresh ones while making one last leap; the machine lands in a perfect kneeling position, back facing a door.

A hatch opens. She knows you're coming, Axel.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Gabby shouts, firing the beam rifle with each syllable. Only two of the shots result in the actual explosion of an enemy mobile suit; the second shot only blows off a Raptor's head. He looks vaguely disappointed, but swiftly waves away the feeling. "Well, I'm no Brenev Auggs," he justifies, with a chuckle. Whatever happened to that guy, anyway?

"Hey, how're you holdin' up there, little buddy?" he queries the octopus, which has bleached itself white with terror. For some reason it keeps holding on. Perhaps it knows that releasing its grip would mean a long fall towards a short death. Perhaps it's just that horny for the Dooben-Wolf's face. Who knows what secrets an octopus' head conceals? Gabby shrugs, leaving the creature alone.

It is then that a Gespenst pops up its head long enough to take a potshot at the Zeonic officer's machine. Gabby frowns, twisting a control lever at speed. The Dooben-Wolf stretches its right leg back like a figure skater, pirouetting on the slick ground and narrowly avoiding the shot. "Well," he sighs, reaching up to fasten his crash webbing. "I guess I have to do work at /some/ point. I really would rather be useless, though..."

Captain Hazard dashes after the crab-walking Gespenst, glancing at the cover it's using and making a swift decision. "You can't hiiiiiiide from meeeeee," he hums to himself, making up an impromptu tune. A projectile fires in a ballistic arc towards the comm tower, ready to explode fantastically at the slightest impact. "One! One grenade! Ah ah ah!" Another projectile fires, because one is never enough. "Two! Two grenades! Ah! Ah! Aaaaah!" Gabby cackles, waiting for the inevitable 'boom'.

At the back of his mind, he wonders why The Crimson Lightning is making such a flashy entrance, but says nothing.

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has attacked Viletta Vadim. Grenade Launchers added to their queue.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has missed Guy Shishioh with his Scythe Slash attack.

COMBAT: Ali Al-Saachez has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rei Ayanami has struck Ali Al-Saachez with a devastating hit using Pellet Rifle.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Russel Bagman transmits, "+Radio"

"Marinaris! C'mon!" Axel says. "You can worry about your robot buddy later!"

Axel leaps. He lands in the hatch of the R-Eins, as it comes under fire, and looks at Echidna. His eyes are narrowed -- why is a /doll/ the one to save him? Why not one of his men. He grunts, and turns, swinging a hand down, as he looks down at Ken.

"Hurry!" he yells. He looks over his shoulder, and says the one word that he never, ever wanted to.

"Echidna!" It comes out surprisingly natural. "Get ready to lift off!"

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has struck a major hit on Viletta Vadim's Gespenst Mk. II-R using Grenade Launchers.

As the Nirvash pulls closer to the base, Eureka gets a report from the machine - through the sensors dotting the car like front. Instead of 'out of gas' or 'fuel change needed' it has such important things like 'armor critical' and 'missile lock'.

It comes in extremely handy.

The Nirvash's slow and steady path down spikes up, the board turning almost straight into the air, jacking the front of the board skywards. The single missile explodes into many many smaller missiles, and the Nirvash jack-knives, grasping a pole sticking out from the base and twisting completely around, the other arm tossing a blade for the mass of missiles.

They explode, the blade skidding along the trapar that keeps up the board, continuing on to tear against the Gespent. The Nirvash passes through the smoke and the tail end of the explosion far too close - but mostly unscathed. "That's very kind ..."

"But I .. just can't." They had a nice offer. Of money, of course.

The LFO accelerates towards the Huckebein, Eureka pressing down hard on the pedal, accelerating straight towards Ring ... and then peeling off, grasping the thrown knife and leaving the wake that it road in on to do the work for her!

COMBAT: Eureka has attacked Ring Mao. Ref Board Wake Blast added to their queue.

The sudden machine gun fire catches Nicol off guard, leaving him no time to get the Blitz full out of the way. The bullts scatter across the hull, leaving dents and holes through various parts of the suit. Luckily for Nicol, the Phase Shift armor keeps the Blitz from losing anything vital. The green haired pilot grimaces as the red Zaku continues firing on the black Gundam with astouding accuracy. "Novas. We'll continue this conversation later, ok? I need to make sure I don't get hurt again."

Nicol pulls the Gundam up into a verticle climb, attempting to flips the situation around and come behind the Zaku. "I don't know who you are but I guess we're going to have to fight."

The Blitz Gundam raises it's arm and fires from the 50mm rifle in the Trikeros system in it's right arm. "I don't want to hurt you!"

Even Nicol's shots say this as they aim for the crimson Zaku's mechanical componants and not for the cockpit.

COMBAT: Nicol Amalfi has attacked Full Frontal. 50mm Beam Rifle added to their queue.

COMBAT: Nicol Amalfi has activated a spirit command.

Ken Marinaris breaks into a full run as the R-eins comes in, she knows this is the most vunrable part of their escape. "You don't have to tell me twice." She runs as fast as she can, at this point. She grabs the hand and starts to pull herself up with his help.

"We don't want to stay around for this!"

The Nana-Two Way/Ashsaber team-up advances together right up until they get attacked. The pilot of the Ashsaber, being one of those freaking Newtypes, knows something is approaching on an attack vector in advance. And since this particular freaking Newtype is Puru Two, she naturally responds aggressively to this.

Beam Machine Gun is temporarily replaced by a Laser Blade. With an almost impossibly precise dodge, the Ashsaber's thrusters fire at just the right time, the machine dashing aside to avoid the threatening arm as well as the machine altogether. It does so while extending its energy blade, and letting the Excellence's speed do the rest.

"Heh... I'm fine, you just pay attention to what you're doing yourself," Puru Two responds to Aoba, taking out the previous weapon again before taking a closer look at what she's up against. While she may not have encountered it in person before, she does know about that unit. "Well well, isn't this a surprise? I don't think we were done with that machine yet, maybe I should try to disable and bring it back, I'm sure that would make somebody happy."

Almost immediately after, she lets loose with the machine gun, sending a volley of energy blasts towards the Excellence. "Naaaaaah."

COMBAT: Puru Two has attacked Fiona Gureden. Beam Machine Gun added to their queue.

The fight breaks out over Heaven's Base, and its Rapid Deployment Squadron bursts into movement, flying intercept paths, shooting down "bogeys", and generally doing a fantastic impression of flies buzzing around a fresh pile of horseshit. Except it is not horseshit they are flying around, it is Bring Stability, and Bring Stability might be -thinking- about horseshit while he sits there, monitoring the fight's aces, but there is no man alive who could claim to know what Bring Stability is thinking about at any given time.

It's probably not moving -- he hasn't done any of that since the fight started. Things seem to be well in-hand. This changes when Shin Matsunaga's Zaku comes loping over the tundra like some kind of giant, iron Greek Warrior, blade in hand and death in its eyes. Chatter filters in through his radio; aces shrieking commands at him, newbies trying to tell him that they're "pretty sure that guy's about to gut you, man".

That's basically what happens, too. Because Bring STILL isn't moving. Even as the Zaku rears back and slices itself a nice, big slice of Garazzo pie, even as feedback simulators set Stability to shaking and juddering within his cockpit, even as alarms shriek out their warnings and a seductive feminine computer announces severe left-side trauma, Bring Stability retains his focus on that Zaku.

It's right where he wants it. Before Shin finishes his cut, the Garazzo's left hand lurches upward, mechanical, unfeeling. Fingers find the Zaku's head and -squeeze-, distorting and puncturing armor plating, likely obscuring the enemy pilot's cameras. The Garazzo then takes a single step backwards, utilizing its small momentum to brutally TUG Shin forwards, sending his Zaku face-first into the pavement of that Tarmac. If the DC pilot isn't quick about getting his bearings, Stability's raised the Garazzo's right arm; its fingertips flicker, then explode into small pinpricks of beam energy - beam claws. The claws coalesce into a single, blazing lance of energy, and the Garazzo steps forward before driving this lance -STRAIGHT- into the Zaku's back.

COMBAT: Bring Stability has attacked Shin Matsunaga. GN Hand Beam Saber added to their queue.

With the slide of the ship-cutting sword out of the far-too vulnerable exterior of the RX-110, the Sword Strike descends rapidly, landing with a solid -whud- on the ground seconds before the Gabthley drives into the ground.

"Y'know, this used t'be a respectable place," Yazan mutters thoughtfully; the second Schwert Gewehr is unslung, both blades resting to either side of the Strike E as its glowing eyes observe the Gabthley. "An' then all of these shitty kids start showin' up, actin' like they have feelings they can sob all about over their stupid little diaries like little girls while they're tryin' to fight wars with /feelings/ and /talking about their problems/. You're all a buncha pussies.

"An' you're the worst of all of 'em."

The thrusters of the Sword Strike begin to activate again. "You know what's really funny? You thought that dimension hoppin' retard was all suspicious when everyone was so goddamn eager to hold hands an' hug her an' sing kumbaya with her over hot cocoa. Probably figured she was up to somethin' real bad, eh? An' it turns out you were totally off the mark." The Strike begins to run, as fast as possible, /just/ as the thrusters /lift/ it off the ground, using that additional momentum to /vault/ it straight towards the Gabthley. Gable's eyes widen behind his mask.

"HOW'S IT FEEL TO FUCK UP AGAIN, EH?!"

The Sword Strike's rightmost rocket anchor suddenly /launches/ forward, aiming to /slam/ into the Gabthley while it is still trying to recover itself. Using its own momentum, the Strike E will /whip/ past... and then /keep/ going, aiming to /drag/ the Gabthley at high speeds across the harsh ground with its full momentum, to grind off armor before /slingshotting/ it into a building wall.

"That's the problem with Enders like you -- ya just don't have the smarts to make it in the real world! GahahahaHAHAHAHA!"

Within GaoGaiGar's cockpit, Guy's eyes go wide as he sees Yazan - former leader of the Titans, and a war criminal by any measure Guy Shishioh would care to apply - backstabs Leo's mecha in the most literal sense. The fact that Stenbuck isn't incapacitated in the process is one bit of good news - but right now, Guy's glad Chief Taiga thought it'd be a good idea to deploy GaoGaiGar.

The incoming Orbital Frame brings its scythe down - and GaoGaiGar lurches to one side, left arm coming up. He doesn't even need the Protect Wall (or Shade, for that matter), it turns out.

Just as well. "DRILL KNEE!!" Guy shouts as he swings back around, trying to drive one of the knee-mounted drills into the Orbital Frame's hip - maybe a little close to the cockpit for comfort, but Guy knows how he's aiming it.

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has attacked Suriel Misaki. Drill Knee added to their queue.

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has missed Suriel Misaki with his Drill Knee attack.

COMBAT: Shin Matsunaga has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Bring Stability has struck a major hit on Shin Matsunaga's AMX-011S Zaku III Matsunaga Custom using GN Hand Beam Saber.

The Doppelhorn Dagger shudders as a revolver round slams into it's hull, deforming armor around the area it impacted. The damage isn't sever however and Sven shrugs it off with ease as he pulls the Beam Carbine from it's rack. Unfortunately, before he can open fire on the now immobile R-Eins, the Ardjet and it's warcrazed pilot interfers. Verniers flare to life as they strain against the heavy and unaerodynamic weight of the pack, forcing the Dagger L into the air as the homing lasers pierce into the ground where he stood moments before. As the Dagger comes down for a hard landing once again, it snaps the carbine up and unleashes a quick shot at the nimble Orbital Frame.

COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has attacked Gym Ghingnham. Beam Carbine added to their queue.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Yazan Gable transmits, "Oh, right. You chumps. I'm tired of you all bein' a buncha idiot fuck ups; I got a better offer. Consider this my official resignation."

COMBAT: Nicol Amalfi has struck a solid hit on Full Frontal's AMX-011C Zaku III Frontal Custom using 50mm Beam Rifle.

So, was this the main thrust of the attack? It was hard to say - Ingram knew that this one was important. She was skilled, and had access to some good hardware. And now another unit, the Ardjet, attacking from the sky. "...I see that this is going to be difficult," he mutters, trying to decide what to do. He can follow the R-Eins deeper into the facility, or he can try and fight off Gym attacking from above. Sven can engage the other, but... Tch. "We can't allow them to get the prisoners out of here," Ingram transmits to Sven. "Try and stop the Eins at all cost - but keep the other one off of our backs." That said, Ingram turns the R-GUN's gatling onto the back of the Eins. Bullets chew out chunks of the base floor, the massive shells skipping off the ground as Axel and Ken run forward - but most of them are meant for Echidna's machine.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has attacked Echidna Iisaki. Gatling Gun added to their queue.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Meiya Mitsurugi transmits, "Yes I believe we already got to that point."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Healing Care transmits, "Aww, I'll miss you!"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Lock him out."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Arado Balanga transmits, "What?! You bastard!"

COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has struck a major hit on Gym Ghingnham's Ardjet using Beam Carbine. COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has counter attacked for a minor hit on Sven Cal Bayan's Doppelhorn Dagger L using Homing Lasers.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has struck a solid hit on Echidna Iisaki's R-Eins using Gatling Gun. COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has counter attacked for a minor critical hit on Ingram Prisken's R-GUN using G-Revolver.

COMBAT: Puru Two has struck a solid hit on Fiona Gureden's Excellence Striker using Beam Machine Gun.

COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has activated a spirit command.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Isamu Dyson transmits, "Fuck him."

COMBAT: Yazan Gable has attacked Leo Stenbuck. Anchor Bash added to their queue.

"You /remember/ me?!" the green-haired pilot of the Garazzo squeals in response, as the silver mobile suit swings its legs and strikes the Nana. Seconds later, however, the other machine opens fire, causing the Garazzo to be pushed back midair, bullets pelting and bounding off the thick silvery husk, while several rounds actually pierce and lodge halfway into the machine's chest. A hand reaches up to swat them away with minor annoyance.

"WELL I AM GLAD!" Healing cries, wide-eyed and sneering as she glares at her HUD. "I haven't forgotten your little attempt to snipe me, you little pest!" The spear twirled over its head, Healing seems less than impressed by the Nana-Two Way and its display. It charges and slashes--but the Garazzo careens sharply to the side, avoiding the slash while opening stray fire. Fortunately, the sharp maneuver causes its aim to be off, GN-T vulcans spraying everywhere /but/ at the Jinki.

"Didn't you come with a /friend/?" she wonders, looking toward the Ashsaber.

"Well--" Verniers flare brightly before the Garazzo tears right for the Ashsaber, fingertips igniting with claw-like extensions made of pure energy. "I'll just have to CUT your distraction OUT!" Closing in quickly on the Ashsaber, Healing and her Garazzo attempt to rake the hell out of the OTHER Crusader unit.

COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Puru Two. GN Beam Claw added to their queue.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "If you keep cursing him like that, I'm going to assume that is what you literally want, Isamu."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Isamu Dyson transmits, "He can fuck himself."

Suriel is caught by surprise at the PROTECTO SHADE...O! The scythe doesn't hit anything, but it does bounce back as if striking a greater force. The Frame Runner Fighter is caught off guard for a moment, but the frame does manage to drop to the ground at the last moment, the drill knee hitting the air that the Qareen once occupied. Backpettling, Suriel grimmaced thinking that maybe the direct approach was a BAD idea.

However as it fell back, it aimed a hand forward towards the super robot...

And from it's hand fired a barrage of blasts of energy towards it, trying to break through the protect shade and hopefully manage to damage the Super Robot. The Frame orbits the larger unit, continiously aiming to send blast after blast at him.

For those that are paying attention, and know such tactics, his manuevers are similar to those from the school.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Some variety at least."

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has attacked Guy Shishioh. Energy Blast added to their queue.

COMBAT: Yazan Gable has struck a major hit on Leo Stenbuck's RX-110 Gabthley MS using Anchor Bash.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has struck a solid hit on Guy Shishioh's GaoGaiGar using Energy Blast.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Yazan Gable transmits, "Awwww, shucks, you're all gettin' me teary-eyed. Besides, you can go thank that stuttering idiot Loveless for everything -- she's the one who set all this up."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Yazan Gable transmits, "May she rest in peace. HAH!"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Yazan Gable's radio cuts off mid-laugh.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Did I not say to lock him ou-there."

COMBAT: Healing Care has struck a glancing hit on Puru Two's ASK-AD02 Ashsaber using GN Beam Claw. COMBAT: Puru Two has counter attacked for a minor hit on Healing Care's GNZ-005 Garazzo using Burning Dagger.

The R-Eins remains kneeling. It is a short climb up the back and into the cockpit... which is rather crowded, as it was designed to seat one and is now seating one with two people wedged behind the chair.

Kneeling it is an easy target because it can't move its body. Echidna does fire the revolver again though, taking potshots while twisted to fire at the awkward angle. She manages some hits even when the rear armour on the R-Eins is chewed up.

And then they're in. Echidna closes the hatch immediately, the R-Eins standing and then starting to walk forward. "Commander. Marinaris. Please hold on," she suggests, before jumping.

R-Eins can fly. It does so now, lifting up and starting to head back toward the fjord she came from. Echidna draws the G-Railgun instead of the revolver and fires it downwards at the R-Gun, trying to dissuade pursuit.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has attacked Ingram Prisken. G-Railgun added to their queue.

COMBAT: Eureka has struck a major critical hit on Ring Mao's Gespenst Mk. II-M using Ref Board Wake Blast. COMBAT: Ring Mao has missed Eureka with her Steel Knife counter attack.

The GN Sefer loses a wing due to Rei's good accuracy with her Pellet Gun. The giant bullet impacts, sparks, and then the follow-up shot just literally rips the wing right off the body of the Sefer. And considering that the wings of the Sefer are the Proto-Bits, that loss is substantial.

"That's enough of this," Ali growls, the Sefer swooping past the Eva-00 with more smoke curling off its bullet-riddled frame. He's basically fighting a walking anti-aircraft artillery battery. That's stupid, when you're in a flying jet and not a Gundam. "Get your ass down here and link up --

"-- Haro" "HARO! "Haro." "Haro Haro Haro." four voices reply.

"The hell? Did you multiply?" Ali slams his fist onto the console of the Sefer. "Just get the hell over here!"

Pulling up, the Sefer corkscrews and then rockets up in the sky. The Haro-controlled Gundam above boosts itself, vernier thrusters spilling their own orange particles as it blasts forward. They meet in space, and immediately the fun happens. The damaged Sefer twists and expands, forming into a harness-like bit of metal and bits. The Black Gundam twists, linking into it. The cockpits merge, Ali rising into the GN Sefer Rasiel while the Blue Haro slides into its little pod to his right.

"You actually did something right," Ali rasps, his gloved hands gripping the controls of newly formed Gundam. The power behind them already makes him feel better. With a flip of a switch, a Proto-Bit immediately detaches from the shoulders of the Gundam.

Ali cuts his altitude, the Gundam dropping towards the tarmac of Heaven's Base. The Proto-bit, a big silver flying lasergun rockets forward on its own independent pattern. More lasers swarm across the Eva-00's vicinity -- Ali adds to the crossfire with some bolts of orange energy from his GN Rifle.

"I bet that stupid girl is in there," he says, eyes thinning. "I wonder if she even knows how to fight."

Ali Al-Saachez's GN-XXX Gundam Rasiel transforms into its Sefer Rasiel mode.

The Good:

Viletta's radar warns her if the incoming grenades just in time for them to be shot down with two quick pulls of her beam rifle's trigger.

The Bad:

'Just in time to be shot down' is not the same as 'just in time to be shot down without blowing like half of the Gespenst's back clean off', so the PT is now skidding along the surface of the base at the fore of those blast shockwaves.

Inside, Viletta is sporting a nasty shiner thanks to her face smashing into the console; sudden lurches forward, always troublesome when piloting a mecha. Groaning, she balances struggling to right her Personal Trooper with taking a quick accounting of the damage done. Her lips press into a thin line at loss of most of the machine's missiles and a couple of other back-stored weapons, but thankfully, none of the machine's offensive options are /entirely/ out of play, yet.

As soon as the Gespenst is upright, she snags one of the larger pieces of debris; getting it held overhead with just the one arm is a challenge, but a surmountable one in the end, and once she does so she flings the concrete chunk squarely towards the Doven Wolf.

It is not the weapon, though, not by any means; she ducked behind that tower for cover, and by God, she is going to get it. At just the right moment, she will squeeze off a few rounds from her beam rifle, intended to not only disintegrate the concrete and spray Gabby's MS with enough particulate matter to maybe baffle his sensors briefly, but, you know, maybe burn a few holes in its armor too.

Viletta's head rolls briefly on her neck afterwards; with her unit's back mostly gone, her own rear sensors are mostly giving up static. Finding another real piece of cover will be a challenge.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has attacked Gabby Hazard. Mega Beam Rifle added to their queue.

COMBAT: Ali Al-Saachez has attacked Rei Ayanami. GN Proto Bits - Form 1 added to their queue.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Huang Qin Shi transmits, "Am I the only one who finds it ironic that the man who wouldn't stop calling me a traitor has himself betrayed us?"

Leo is distracted from his attempts to right his Gabthley by Rei's obvious emotional distress as she joins in on his shouting at Yazan... and then, a moment later, by her obvious pain as she takes fire from... whoever she's fighting. He doesn't have time to figure it out; he has to get up, has to defend himself from Yazan, has to--

The rocket anchor buries itself into the Gabthley's side, and a heartbeat later Leo's head cracks against the rear of his seat again as the RX-110 is dragged across the ground. One of its arms, which was already laying at an odd angle, tears off with a loud metallic shriek and a spray of sparks as the MS transfers from being dragged across snow-covered earth to being dragged across snow-covered tarmac.

And then the Anchor releases, and the Gabthley slams into the side of Heaven's Base. The structure, reinforced to stand up to much more than that, merely cracks... the Gabthley is not so lucky, and slumps to the ground, electricity arcing from the stumps of its missing limbs.

Rei is treated to video of a dazed-looking Leo coughing blood all over the front of his flight suit. It is delightful. "Y-Yazan," the boy snarls, venom in his voice. "You son of... a bitch..."

The Gabthley reaches up with its remaining arm, digs its fingers into the side of the building it's slumped against, and begins to haul itself awkwardly to its feet. It's actually managing to get up, this time, but... things don't look good.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Meiya Mitsurugi transmits, "No, you are not the only one, but the moment irony is a secondary concern."

Ironically, Guy is actually caught by surprise this time, and doesn't manage to get the barrier up which caught the scythe's slash previously in time to block the energy barrage. But if it's ranged combat his opponent wants? He can provide.

"PHANTOM RING!! PLUS!" Guy calls out, the ring in question detaching from StealthGao II's engine nacelle to hover above the lion-chested super robot's right shoulder, GaoGaiGar itself settling to the ground, feet sinking slightly into the terrain. Its right arm comes up, forearm going smoothly through the floating ring ... and the fist and forearm start spinning, starting to glow magenta as power builds up. "BROKEN ... *PHANTOM!!!*" Guy shouts, flinging his rocket punch at the Orbital Frame, aiming high on the torso this time ...

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has attacked Suriel Misaki. Broken Phantom added to their queue.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Ingram Prisken transmits, "The irony scale is lower than Sanger's defection."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Kaitou Muramasa transmits, "We have an irony scale?"

<Radio: A - EFA C> Huang Qin Shi transmits, "...we have a...damn."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Kaitou Muramasa transmits, "Sorry, sir."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Ingram Prisken transmits, "I suspect Yazan generally fought for us more out of amusement and convenience. Stilll, this action was somewhat... extreme."

<Radio: A - EFA C> EnRyu transmits, "Does this mean we can shoot Yazan now?"

"Yeah, I'll do that," Axel says. He looks at Echidna and wonders -- wonders just what this robot is thinking and doing, wonders just why she was sent to get him istead of a soldier. She is risking her life, he thinks, for a moment. Then, he corrects himself. She would be risking her life if she had a life to risk.

"Is this just for lil' old me?"

<Radio: A - EFA C> Ingram Prisken transmits, "You are authorized to kill him."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Guy Shishioh transmits, "What about capture and arrest?"

Bring Stability, in his fancy GN powered machine, does what nobody has managed to do in a long time. Specifically, take Shin Matsunaga completely off-guard. Almost before he can blink his robot's single, glaring eye, the famed Zeon ace finds himself shaken up, blind, and flat on the ground. He's not even sure what just /happened/. In the moment it takes him to get his bearings, the Garazzo strikes again. It's only thanks to long-honed instincts that the Zaku III is not immediately turned into a huge, billowing explosion.

It rolls to the side, so that instead of piercing something /important/ like Shin, or the generator, the beam blade instead only rips through armor and machinery and arm and leaves the agile machine with the tattered remnants of an arm and half a torso, now little more than dead weight. The Zaku comes up sliding awkwardly backwards, secondary cameras clicking to life to give a somewhat fuzzy picture to the pilot within. Matsunaga releases the breath he'd been holding, staring uneasily at the Garazzo, even while assessing the damage. "Huh. Maybe I won't, then." And then the beam saber goes into motion again, not to hack at Bring, but to first divest the Zaku of its spare, now useless arm. It clunks down heavily on the machine's foot, where it rests for a moment, a sad reminder of failure. Matsunaga decides to give it another chance, and straight up kicks it at the Garazzo, quickly rushing in in its wake. The beam saber sweeps up through the arm, which /naturally/ explodes immediately, creating a sort of cover which the White Wolf immediately tries to take advantage of, bringing the beam saber back around to slash at the Garazzo's hand and then follow up by leaving it embedded in the enemy machine. Somewhere nasty. Like the cockpit, maybe. Boy, wouldn't /that/ be nice.

COMBAT: Shin Matsunaga has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shin Matsunaga has attacked Bring Stability. Beam Saber Assault added to their queue.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Ingram Prisken transmits, "You don't arrest a mad dog. It might be useful for snapping and snarling and scaring the robbers away, but once it bites you, you ensure it can not do so a second time."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Huang Qin Shi transmits, "...at any rate, while I would typically be loath to believe a word coming from his mouth, it is concerning that he said what he did about Miss Loveless. That she set this up?"

The base jobber proves to be not-so-good in this instance, as the Blitz manages atmospheric flight and that tight maneuver, assailing the Zaku from behind. The spray catches the left leg of the unit as it attempts to send the sled to one side, resulting in the unit partially buckling.

Inside of the unit, Full Frontal is less than pleased -- he's aghast at the minor damage readout that appears on his heads-up display. "What--?" he mutters to himself, brow furrowing against the cold feel of the mask. He shakes his head, formulating an attack pattern as he opens up the communicator. "If you're not ready for a fight, then you shouldn't have entered that mobile suit!" That voice.

The jobber banks around, coming back at the Blitz Gundam. The communicator cuts off, and the pilot shakes his head. Without further adieu, the red Zaku III leaps up, letting the sled fly on without the custom unit. The unit itself trails its machine gun not on the Blitz, but on the flight system it just abandoned.

That proves a feint however, as a clay round from a bazooka sounds off, the weapon held along the underside of the Zaku's other arm!

<Radio: A - EFA C> Rei Ayanami seems to have stopped listening at 'permission to kill.' "Acknowledged."

COMBAT: Full Frontal has attacked Nicol Amalfi. Clay Bazooka added to their queue.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Huang Qin Shi transmits, "Misdirection would serve us little against a dead woman. And he was gloating."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Let's not focus on that, Huang. We have other concerns."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Allenby Beardsley transmits, "I'm curious 'bout that myself, Huang."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Fiona Gureden transmits, "I don't remember anyone like her in the unit from back home..."

COMBAT: Shin Matsunaga has missed Bring Stability with his Beam Saber Assault attack.

The Type-00R is not doing so well today. Not that it's perticullarly damaged, but sliding on it's side through the snow is not what one would call... elegeant. "Hnnhg." Meiya grunts slightly.

The Type-00R rolls back up to it's knees. The melee of robots over the base is getting completely insane. She can't keep track of the enemy.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has missed Ingram Prisken with her G-Railgun attack.

COMBAT: Full Frontal has missed Nicol Amalfi with his Clay Bazooka attack.

COMBAT: Ali Al-Saachez has struck Rei Ayanami with a solid hit using GN Proto Bits - Form 1.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Most other defectees I would want to hear their reasoning if we captured them. Yazan... well."

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has struck a glancing hit on Suriel Misaki's Qareen using Broken Phantom.

Ardjet's pattern in the air isn't much of one. It circles above the battlefield momentarily and watches the R-Eins advance deeper into the facility, chased by the R-Gun until it begins to turn around and retreat, this time in the air. The Orbital Frame breaks it's brief holding above, dipping lower and moving alongside and past the R-Eins, as the faster unit is prone to do. It passes in front of it, off to it's right, and then turning sharply and strafing the enemy units giving pursuit.

The beam carbine's shot strikes the Orbital Frame as it comes around again, a flash on Gym's HUD and the sudden feeling of being knocked backwards by the impact from the beam throwing him off for only a moment. More of the blue lasers curve out into the air, diving for the mobile suit as it rights itself.

"Heh. Not bad. Lets see what else you can do!" Gym's smile turns into a grin. "Ardjet! WISPS!" he barks.

Gym presses down slightly on the pommels in the cockpit as he leans forward, small objects seeming to appear from behind the Orbital Frame. They immediately start forward at the Dagger on the ground while Ardjet continues it's strafe, the drone-like missiles moving quickly, but not nearly as fast as the Frame itself.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Paptimus Scirocco transmits, "His motives are as plain to the eye as you have deduced, Prisken."

COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has attacked Sven Cal Bayan. WISP Strike added to their queue.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Scirocco. I trust you had no prior knowledge of this?"

COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has struck a major hit on Sven Cal Bayan's Doppelhorn Dagger L using WISP Strike.

The Samsara hangs back even as Nicol starts firing. She says, "Sure thing, Nic'." Though, she reflects, maybe she should really just use NICK but she dismisses that fault as ridiculous. Novas stretches out her hands and transmits to Nicol a moment later, "Looks like Yazan Gable /betrayed someone/. As ridiculous as that sounds, we better update him to the enemy combatants. Don't get too close to him if you don't want to get hurt, though, 'cause well--that's all he's good at and like most idiot savants, well, he's got a way of making it happen."

Novas?! SASS PEOPLE!?

She might be worried about someone named Full Frontal going after Nicol because, well, Full Frontal ... Nicol. But she doesn't know who that guy is and is blissfully ignorant of the terrible truth. She heads towards Ingram, intending to support him in keeping the prisoners from escaping--she really doesn't want to worry about Axel unleashed again after seeing that display on PLANTS.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Ingram Prisken transmits, "His planning seems to be fairly precise. If you have any data he might have left behind, it will make cleaning up after this mess easier."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Shiro Amada transmits, "I think if anyone but him knew about this beforehand, they'd've told /someone/."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Isamu Dyson transmits, "They probably gave that donk a Gundam."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Paptimus Scirocco transmits, "Just as I trust you're not questioning an admiral of this Federation's military."

The Qareen dives to the side...

The Broken Phantom didn't hit him directly, but the combination of the pure force from the arm of the GaoGaiGar breaking the barrier of sound and the backlash of power was enough to cause the unit to tumble end over end before stopping itself on the ground. Suriel was thankful it was not a direct hit...as it started to rise off the ground, shaking itself off from the force of the blow.

"You wana play rough huh?!" Suriel says, before diving straight for Guy...seemingly following the path of the arm of the GGG before diving upwards suddenly, and then back down, flipping over the superior sized unit. The scythe of the Grim Reaper Frame again flashing out, as he dived in...each slash cutting in with abandon, trying to damage joints and make each shot count. It was dangerous to stay in Melee range with Guy for too long.

"HAAAAAAA!"

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has attacked Guy Shishioh. Scythe Combo added to their queue.

"You've got to be kidding me." That was one hell of a maneuver, Ring would be far more impressed if the Nirvash had been doing that for her side. The blade is parried by a forearm, leaving a long sparking gash to mar its illustrious purple finish. The pilot only tightens her face further. She just had it repaired!

Eureka does the chairwoman a favor, however, coming in close. Ring antes up by jetting in to meet her a third of the way, a shiny knife sliding out of its holster. "It wasn't a request," she answers back flatly. Her cunning plan falls apart at the seams, however, the wake blowing the Gespenst through a base wall before it could even begin to shiv. Great, she was up against one of those builds, wasn't she?

From the rubble, the personal trooper erupts, leaving a trail of sparks and broken masonry. She closes the distance again with amazing speed, re-routing all of the Gespenst's systems to two priorities: Thrust and its one good arm. "It was an order! GEEESPEEENST PUUUUUNCH!"

COMBAT: Ring Mao has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Ring Mao has attacked Eureka. Gespenst Punch added to their queue.

Fiona growls, watching the machine pivot preternaturally. "Saw me? What the--"

Striker hits the ground, a little dinged up, and then brings her Crusher Arm up to absorb the worst of the beam gun fire; it's a sturdy little thing and manages to survive the assault. Fiona's about to unload again, pressing forward, when Healing Care swoops out of the sky like an eagle, distracting Puru's machine. Fiona glances between the two, unsure what to be doing about the situation. There's another unit that's going to tackle in, she's sure...but...

Her eyes narrow, and she pulls both the triggers on her control sticks; the Chest Smashers swing open, drawing in ambient power and catalyzing it inside the engine. "Then, we'll try and end this real fast! CHEST SMASHER!" Fiona yells, a pair of screaming beams of energy, scratching with unwholesome rainbow hues as they smash forward to hopefully tear Puru's machine open. Try to get one machine out of the way, so they can tag-team the other...? That'd be pretty nice.

COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has attacked Puru Two. Chest Smasher added to their queue.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has struck a major hit on Guy Shishioh's GaoGaiGar using Scythe Combo. COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has missed Suriel Misaki with his Plasma Hold counter attack.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Paptimus Scirocco transmits, "His actions are his own, and a surprise to some. I'm sure his commanding officer will forward any logs through if you're planning to man this investigation."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Of course not. However, all of our bases will need to be covered in light of this."

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has missed Gabby Hazard with her Mega Beam Rifle attack.

COMBAT: Eureka has activated a spirit command.

The revolver shell slams into the R-GUN's shoulder, digging out a chunk of the armor. Ingram grimace for a moment, watching a few more pieces of the PT's outline flash to the orange 'damaged' state. At least the machine was behaving for the time being. "I'm afraid that I can't allow you to escape, madame," the blue haired pilot states quite simply, watching as the R-Eins comes running at him. The leap up into the air - along with the shot - is to be expected. Ingram counters it by boosting backwards, allowing the shot to waste itself against the floor, leaving a rather large bullet hole in the steel plating there. In the same motion, the R-GUN's two Beam Gladius' snap out of their holders, and the PT boosts off the ground into the Ein's path - both blades slashing across in an X pattern at the chest of Echidna's unit.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has attacked Echidna Iisaki. Double Beam Gladius added to their queue.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Major Hyuuma growls, "Who *was* that rat Gable's CO, anyway?!"

COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has successfully covered Puru Two. COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has struck a major hit on Aoba Tsuzaki's Nana-Two Way Aoba Custom using Chest Smasher. COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has counter attacked for a minor hit on Fiona Gureden's Excellence Striker using Iron Blade.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Meiya Mitsurugi transmits, "...Jamaican. I believe."

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has missed Echidna Iisaki with his Double Beam Gladius attack. COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has missed Ingram Prisken with her G-Railgun counter attack.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Zechs Merquise transmits, "The command structure of Phantom Pain is classified, Major."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Ring Mao grunts.

"You are such a dumbass," Yazan remarks almost conversationally as the Gabthley crashes into the side of Heaven's Base. The rocket anchor retracts, locking back into its wrist-launcher with a solid 'clack.' "I betcha tried to tell yourself every night, 'it's okay, Yazan's still fightin' for us,' right? 'He's such a bad guy, but golly jeepers, at least he's on our side'!" The Gabthley struggles to get up, and the Strike's left Schwert falls to the ground, the edge digging sharply into the earth.

"Don'tcha feel stupid now?"

The Strike E walks forward slowly, as if it has all the time in the world as the Gabthley digs its last hand into the side of the Federation facilities. "You think I was just playin' around with everything I said to you, you shit for brains? Guess what -- it's the truth. You're worthless. Ya always were worthless, you'll always be worthless." The blade slowly lifts, high into the air, as the Gabthley hauls upward. "You an' your li'l girlfriend -- you're just an incompetent little spacenoid freak that got promoted 'cause Scirocco's got a thing for little girls. You couldn't even figure out the stuttering robot bitch was a fuckin' traitor! Gahaha, what a joke! But hey--" The Strike begins to run again-- "at least ya can tell yerself your career ended just as fantastically as it started--"

The Sword Strike attacks. One movement, a single, powerful downward stroke, aiming to cleave the Gabthley clean in two with titanic force, the blade all-too intentionally aimed to carve /uncomfortably/ close to the cockpit -- but not close enough to slice through it. Like Gable was mocking Stenbuck.

"With ANOTHER OUTSTANDING FAILURE!"

COMBAT: Yazan Gable has attacked Leo Stenbuck. Schwert Gewehr Slash added to their queue.

COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has activated a spirit command.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Paptimus Scirocco transmits, "While I appreciate the anger, please save any speculation for a better time. You have a mission to complete."

COMBAT: Yazan Gable has struck a apocalyptic hit on Leo Stenbuck's RX-110 Gabthley MS using Schwert Gewehr Slash. Knock Out! Leo Stenbuck's RX-110 Gabthley MS unit has become disabled!

Ken Marinaris calls out to Echidna, "I owe yu one and I will!" She makes sure to hang on as tight, she's got no plans to let go, she's just glad they came for them. The shots from Ingram came close to ruining their day but they got lucky. "Hey let's not complain they came for us Axel. They were going to pump us for everything we knew and it wouldn't be plesent to say the least!"

COMBAT: Ring Mao has struck a glancing hit on Eureka's Nirvash typeZERO spec2 using Gespenst Punch. COMBAT: Eureka has counter attacked for a solid critical hit on Ring Mao's Gespenst Mk. II-M using Ref Board Slice.

"Of course I do! Um..." Well, she never did find out the name of the pilot. Or of the robot, which is more important to Aoba. "I remember your Mobile Suit, anyway! What's it called?" Now we get to the core of what the girl is interested in. "It looks really cool!"

A nervous laugh escapes Aoba. "Ehehe.. sorry, I didn't mean to blindside you like that! Really!" A few stray shots of vulcan fire manage to hit the Jinki, but they don't seem to do very much. "Wh.. hey! Puru, look out!"

Thrusters fire as the Jinki launches forward, placing itself in the way of blast. "You leave her alon--oof!" The beams strike neatly, tearing into the Nana-Two's armor, but it manages to right itself quickly and strike out quickly with the spear. "I... I've got this one."

The spear is twirled again as the Jinki charges in, feet pounding against the ground several times before one of the Rebound Boots flips down. As soon as the Rebound plate touches the ground, it launches the Jinki upward at the Excellence. "Don't you know it isn't nice to do that?" Worst battlecry ever, but it's punctuated by a series of jabs from the spear, followed by a slash from the harken scythe blades on the other end.

COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has attacked Fiona Gureden. Iron Blade Mastery added to their queue.

Pilots capable of the sort of carnage that is Bring Stability's hallmark might have started looking elsewhere, after stabbing Shin Matsunaga's Zaku in the back. There's virtually no way that they would have missed the cockpit, and fights are all about speed. However, Bring Stability is not any of those pilots. He is Bring Stability, and Bring Stability is the sort of guy that kicks his tires before he gets in his car. He is not easily surprised, because he doesn't let himself assume things. Makes an ass out of you and me.

The fact that the Zaku is -still moving- after being stabbed in the back is enough to cause the Innovade's eyes to widen. It is the first facial expression he has given the entire fight. The second is quick to follow -- a scowl, and then he's setting his jaw, and reevaluating his opponent. The rapid turn, the self-mutilation, the -ARM-KICK-...

The Garazzo's GN-Tau engine flares an umber orange. This is a fishy situation, and as stated earlier, Bring Stability doesn't assume things. It's testament to his own skill that he's able to GET AWAY from that wicked, masterful beam saber combination; between the DC fighter's ingenuity, ruthless efficiency, and candor, Stability's pushing the Garazzo past its specs just to keep operational.

Aided by a preperatory GN-T charge, the 'fancy' mech rockets backwards, toppling a supply cart and damn near colliding with one of the landed supply planes nearby. Luckily for them, Bring's able to slam both of the Garazzo's feet into the tarmac and sacrifice some seventy-five feet of pavement as a speed-bump. He doesn't bother pausing afterwards - Bring Stability has no time for witty repartee. Instead, the Garazzo darts to the left, in a wide, clockwise circle around the Zaku. At perhaps an 80-degree angle, the GN mech flashes inwards, Beam claws extended -- upon hitting his opponent's side, Bring Stability will be brutally -STABBING- one hand directly into the Zaku's side, lifting it into the air, and using his other hand to rake additional Beam Claws across its already wounded head before simply kicking the mech away.

COMBAT: Bring Stability has attacked Shin Matsunaga. GN Jazz Hands added to their queue.

"Ah, the ol' 'shoot through a concrete block with a beam rifle' trick, eh?" Gabby muses, flinging his brown-on-black Dooben-Wolf down and to the right of the attack. The particulate matter is still an issue, though; while Gabby is perfectly safe from it within his giant death machine, there's the matter of the octopus. "Don't worry, little buddy!" he cries, with more passion than he can usually muster in a fight. "I'll protect you!"

And he does, by putting the mobile suit's hand over the cephalopod, shielding it from the debris. "Whew," he breathes. "I can't have my octopus all scarred up, what would people say?"

This preoccupation with defending a sea creature has, however, cost him a clear shot of the Gespenst. He takes a moment to scan the battlefield, looking for places where the stealthy pilot may have taken refuge. There are many options, but they aren't all /good/ options. Gabriel 'Gabby' Hazard solves this puzzle with a simple question: "Now... where would /I/ hide?"

This narrows down the options to two nearby bits of cover, and Gabby hardly has the time or inclination to go and pop over one or the other going OOGABOOGA right now. Instead, he flips a switch and sends a pair of disc spinning from the Dooben-Wolf's hips. Suppressing a grin, he calls, "Go! Slash rippers!" in a fair immitation of certain EFA pilots. The 'slash rippers' spool out from the robot, trailing wires, and head for both cover spots. Then, they start shooting beams, in a distinctly un-slash ripper-like maneuver.

"Haha, just kiddin'. We have /real/ weapons here in Neo Zeon."

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has attacked Viletta Vadim. Incoms added to their queue.

COMBAT: Shin Matsunaga has activated a spirit command.

The Doppelhorn Striker pack was not designed with mobility in mind it seems. In fact, mobility was the last thing in mind when the designers created it. It's a set of big, bulky, unweildy cannons that weighs the Dagger L down emmensely without any attiquete form of conphensation. In short, it's a brick, and it moves like one. ergo, it's little surprise when the Dagger gets smashed by the multiple little drones that rain down upon it. The Carbine goes skittering away, snapped in two and the armor starts to spiderweb under the assail. Somehow though, it doesn't explode. Instead it weathers the attack and draws it's twin beam sabers, then launches ungainly into the air. it may be a brick, but it's a brick with swords.

COMBAT: Bring Stability has struck a devastating hit on Shin Matsunaga's AMX-011S Zaku III Matsunaga Custom using GN Jazz Hands. Knock Out! Shin Matsunaga's AMX-011S Zaku III Matsunaga Custom unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has attacked Gym Ghingnham. Twin Beam Sabers added to their queue.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has struck a glancing hit on Viletta Vadim's Gespenst Mk. II-R using Incoms.

Rei Ayanami has a peculiar way of looking at a fight. Maybe not so peculiar, actually, but certainly less popular than some other approaches. Essentially, she walls herself out from pretty much any other mode of experience and focuses solely on killing her opponent -- or dying in the attempt. It's the only sensible strategy with foes as dangerous as angels, but it does lead to the odd snag when she ignores the radio, ignores collateral damage being incurred, ignores her own safety...

At this moment, Rei can't force herself to ignore the sight of her boyfriend vomiting blood. The sight causes her red eyes to open wide, and she squeals, "Leo--!" in a sudden burst of emotion, like the muddy grey tones of her speaking voice were suddenly injected with technicolor steroids. This little breakthrough, though, comes at a particularly bad time, as the Evangelion she's sitting in is promptly shot up with /lasers/.

With its long, skinny arms, the Evangelion raises its rifle to fire again -- but before the trigger can be pulled, it simply -- /stops/. Inside the plug, triangulating sights move this way and that on the video display, targeting various juicy spots on Ali al-Saachez' Gundam. Rei isn't looking at any of that -- she's looking at the display of Leo. All she can see is the view from the cockpit, but she knows Leo's just wiped out. She can hear it. No. She can /feel/ it.

And with that, Rei Ayanami makes her choice. The Evangelion lurches, swooping to one side with the agility and beauty of a sloth that's just had its lights punched out. Rei Ayanami chooses to ignore Ali al-Saachez, the most dangerous man in the world, and open fire on Yazan Gable instead.

As she does so, Rei breaks her own rule. Despite the video chat with Leo still being open, she punches open a radio line to Yazan, and the fury accompanying her voice -- something no one's heard before -- makes it sound like something's literally boiling within her.

"GABLE!!!"

COMBAT: Rei Ayanami has attacked Yazan Gable. Pellet Rifle added to their queue.

"Gwaah!!" Guy can be heard crying out as the Qareen's scythe carves into GaoGaiGar's armor, finding enough of the joints to inflict some real damage to its arms and shoulders - which hurts plenty, integrated into GaoGaiGar as the cyborg himself is by means of the G-Stones. But the external damage is nothing that GGG can't repair.

Assuming of course that Guy makes it back.

Which he has every intention of doing. The cry of pain gives way to a wordless roar, a battlecry and a shout of defiance wound together into a single vocalization as he charges at the Orbital Frame and attempts to return the 'favor' of pain in kind, lashing out with punches and kicks and at least one drill-tipped knee.

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has attacked Suriel Misaki. Lionheart added to their queue.

Echidna Iisaki fires several more times before jerking heavily to the side. If her passengers weren't braced, they're likely to fall over; Echidna does not care, because it is the only way she can see to clear out of the way of the beam swords.

The R-Eins lands again, causing yet another slam that makes the cockpit shake and tilt at unpleasant angles. It lasts, because Echidna runs it while hunched over. "Colonel Mauser's orders. Commander Almer was to be rescued; Captain Marinaris if possible. Please get out."

That last is a little surprising; the hatch pops open again, but there seems to be nothing here but a rocky bit of terrain... until two /more/ mechs, previously stealthed, launch up from the water. One is a fast-moving R-Eins, the other a slower Randgrith, and both have pilots - rookies, brought only to make the mechs get out of the water on cue.

Echidna makes sure to cover their means of escape with the R-Eins' body. She is a very easy target now.

Puru Two chuckles to herself as she opens fire, looking forward to a good match with this machine she's heard so much about. But of course, wouldn't you know it? Just when she was starting to enjoy herself, someone interferes. Again being a Newtype pays off, getting mentally warned of someone else approaching with intent to kill, and the Ashsaber turns to face the new arrival, greeting it with a missile barrage. "Back off, I'm busy!"

Unfortunately this isn't enough to make the Garazzo do so, forced the Ashsaber into an awkward dodge. The energy claw scratches past the machine's side, doing minimal damage, but doing plenty to piss off Puru Two. Annoyance which is initially directed at poor Aoba. "I thought /you/ were going to take care of that one!"

Aoba immediately redeems herself by taking a shot from the Excellence that Puru Two wouldn't have been able to avoid in time. "Aoba!", she cries out, immediately correcting herself, "...that was a pretty stupid thing to do." Can't let that outburst get mistaken for worry or anything.

With that, the blame is finally put where it belongs: on everybody else. She's much more comfortable just shooting people, so that's exactly what's going to do. "So! People are just lining up to die today, huh? Fine by me! You can all have a taste of this!" What might have looked like parts of the PT's armor separate from its back and shoulders, the Funnel-like Sword Breakers scattering off in groups of three. One trio treats the Garazzo to a beam barrage, while the other group takes the Excellence under fire.

COMBAT: Puru Two has attacked Healing Care and Fiona Gureden. Sword Breaker Scatter added to their queue.

COMBAT: Puru Two has struck a solid hit on Healing Care's GNZ-005 Garazzo using Sword Breaker Scatter.

COMBAT: Healing Care has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has struck a glancing hit on Gym Ghingnham's Ardjet using Twin Beam Sabers.

COMBAT: Puru Two has missed Fiona Gureden with her Sword Breaker Scatter attack.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has activated a spirit command.

Ken Marinaris activates her RGV-30 Randgrith unit.

Nicol is unaware that Full Frontal, the guy Novas might warn him about, is currently trying to kill him. This is all just one laughable affair considering.

Nicol continues maneuvering Blitz to keep the Zaku in his sight. Something told Nicol that he didn't want to lose this man again. Next time, those bullets will be aimed at his power supply or the cockpit. Nicol does blink when he hears that voice over the radio. Where did he know that voice from?

Nicol watches the rifle aim for...wait. In that same second, Nicol spots the claw Bazooka turning to aim at him. "Tch." The second proves enough for Blitz to avoid the blast, still shaking the unit as the shell explodes behind the black Gundam.

Nicol breaths heavily, weighing his options. He was going to need to catch this guy off guard in some fashion. There was only one thing Blitz had that could do that...However, if it didn't work, Nicol would be a sitting duck. Without it, death might just be further away. Nicol quickly activates the Mirage Colloid system.

Right in front of Full Frontal's eyes, the black Gundam is sprayed with a gas which starts to make it disappear. As the Gundam moves, it becomes harder and harder to spot it amongst the battle, save for a slight displacement of light. Kinda like in Predator. Only Nicol wasn't a Predator...As far as the rest of Zaft knows anyway. >.>

COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has struck a major hit on Fiona Gureden's Excellence Striker using Iron Blade Mastery.

Nicol Amalfi's GAT-X207 Blitz Gundam transforms into its Blitz Mirage Colloid mode.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has missed Suriel Misaki with his Lionheart attack.

The reliable, if increasingly outdated Gespenst is an old stand-by of the Earth Federation's military. Pretty much every EFA base worth its salt has tons of the damn things hangared just in case, and while they're almost all relatively low performance models, they all look completely alike. Viletta's Rapidity-styled Gespenst is thus able to use a plethora of its mass produced cousins as effective cover by just kind of standing still amongst a bunch of units that there just aren't enough pilots for. Thank goodness and Gozzo for cephalopod distractions.

Yes, it is totally okay to suggest that they all look alike.

Unfortunately for her, wire-propelled remote turrets are good for sneaking fire into unexpected places; while the two cover points that Gabby identified are both busts, a few stray shots /still/ score across Viletta's armor, resulting in wobbling that might well give its position away.

If it somehow /doesn't/, the PT darting between two rows of its brothers to first sprint, then leap on a cloud of thruster fire on a low, horizontal arc intended to carry it past the Doven Wolf probably will.

Its Neo Plasma Cutter - completely different, somehow, from the Minovsky particle beam sabers it looks one hundred percent like - is drawn from an upper thigh-mounted sheath along the way, and should she manage to slip by the Doven Wolf unmolested and unevaded, she will try to draw the saber's radiant blade across the mobile suit's flank.

Then she'll land in a crouch just beyond it, sword out and ears tuned for explosions; this is purely tactical, and not because she's been binge-watching wire-assisted Gundam Fight movies lately.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has attacked Gabby Hazard. Neo Plasma Cutter added to their queue.

COMBAT: Ken Marinaris has activated a spirit command.

Axel jumps downward from the open hatch. He lets out a whoop, but he doesn't waste much time -- he just reflects on the fact that he has Colonel Mauser to thank for this. The man goes descending downward, through the air, and then grabs onto the outside of the R-Eins lifting upward. The hatch opens, and the rookie pilot slides to the side.

Axel ducks inside; the hatch slams shut, and with a long hiss, the air inside begins to warm up. He grins, slightly, clutching the controls.

"Welcome back, sir," the rookie pilot says.

"Let's do this shit," he says. He looks off towards the Samsara, and one hand swings up the large railgun; the air roars to life, as he fires, loosing a heavy burst of rounds for the machine. "C'MON!"

Axel Almer activates his R-Eins unit.

By the time Yazan has closed on the Gabthley, it's propped up on its one leg, the stump of its missing arm leaning against the side of the building. The Schwert Gewehr goes up, and the Gabthley's forearm pops open, deploying a beam saber hilt into the MS's waiting hand. The Schwert Gewehr comes down, and the Gabthley swings its remaining arm up, the beam saber igniting--

It isn't fast enough. The Strike's sword cleaves through the Gabthley's forearm and continues downwards to carve into its chest, tearing a massive, ragged gash in the MS's frame. Electricity arcs along the machine's entire surface, and bright light begins to swell, visible through the massive tear in its body...

Leo ejects a moment before the Gabthley explodes, a brown and tan sphere housing the pilot and the occkpit erupting from the machine's chest. The MS itself erupts in a tremendous explosion, blowing a tremendous hole in the side of Heaven's Base and an equally tremendous crater in the ground beneath it.

The escape pod soars a few hundred meters and then crashes into a nearby snowbank. Within, the back of Leo's head cracks against the headrest of his seat yet again, his punishment for being too stupid and stubborn to wear a helmet. The boy reels in his seat, his vision swimming; once again, he's unsure what's going on.

Most of his panoramic monitor is black, save for a half-dome disoplaying the footage from the escape capsule's one low-fidelity forward camera, which as it so happens is conveniently facing Yazan. In a twist that has less to do with convenience and more to do with luck, the capsule's meager communications systems have also managed to keep the link with Rei open.

"R-Rei," the boy mumbles, shortly before coughing up another mouthful of blood all over his chest. HAnds shaking, Leo reaches up and begins clumsily attempting to undo his safety harness. "Rei..."

COMBAT: Axel Almer has attacked Novas Stellas. G-Railgun added to their queue.

"Clever," Ingram allows. Unfortunately, the mechs coming in would make it much harder to actually stop Almer and his cohort from escaping. But Ingram didn't have too much expectation of that to begin with - with inside help, he'd have been more surprised to see the EFA manage to successfully present this. That meant that there would be more than enough time to do a considerable amount of damage to the DC in the process of making their escape. And they just needed to minimize damage to the base. "A pity that Gable decided to work with you, but he's never been entirely reliable. You're welcome to him, and may he cause you as much trouble he did us." The two beam gladius slam back into their holders with a loud clang, and Ingram ejects one of the R-GUN's several ranged weapons from it's holder. The Magna Beam Rifle comes up - and the R-GUN wastes no time strafing it's enemy. A pair of shots roar in towards the back of the Eins - and the Ardjet finds another pair coming up to meet it. Surprise!

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has attacked Echidna Iisaki and Gym Ghingnham. Magna Beam Rifle added to their queue.

It wasn't long ago that Eureka was doing that for Ring's side - but having been broken out of the military cog a few years ago - and without a contract to the Federation ( the Crusaders took the Gekko up first, launching the strike ), things might have changed a bit. With the PT thrown through a wall, the Nirvash switches to a straight path.

For the short time it goes un-harassed. "Good job Nirvash - the rest of the base has to be destroyed, I think. So ..." There's still people in it. She'll just have to stall, or be very careful.

That is, until the trail of sparks gets her attention, the sound echoing through the speakers attached around her head. "Ah!?" The Gespent lunges, and the green light of the powersource in the Nirvash flashes, the fist seeking the side of the LFO - and it reaches it.

The fist screeches against the armoring, and the Nirvash ducks, grasping the board as Eureka presses the break down hard, twisting the wheel as if it was on fire. The Nirvash loops, the bottom of the board facing the air - before it cuts down and against the Gespent, tearing into the metal of the PT as the PT's fist sparks against the armoring, digging a gouge into the Nirvashes body armor.

"I don't have to follow your orders... and I can't leave anyways." It's too much money - money that needs to be spent for food and such - and repairs. Always repairs.

It dips down, the Nirvash twisting the board up again, a stream of green trapar particles announcing it's climb, a singele knife brought to the underbelly of the PT.

COMBAT: Rei Ayanami has struck Yazan Gable with a major hit using Pellet Rifle.

COMBAT: Eureka has attacked Ring Mao. Single Knife Slice added to their queue.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has struck a major hit on Gym Ghingnham's Ardjet using Magna Beam Rifle. COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has missed Ingram Prisken with his WISP Missile counter attack.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has missed Gabby Hazard with her Neo Plasma Cutter attack.

Today has not been a good day for the White Wolf of Solomon, nor has it been a particularly /long/ one. That was some of his best stuff right there, a desperate but skilled attempt at turning the tables back in his favor. Somehow, it has /completely failed/. There's just empty air where a robot should be, the Garazzo seeming to be unrealisticly fast, like a violation of the natural order of the universe. It is not a pleasant turn-around for a man used to causing a similar reaction in others. "--what!?" Cutting short his own cry of surprise, Shin Matsunaga tries to react, tries to just /get out of the way/. He's not fast enough, or Bring or the Garazzo, one of them is too fast, maybe both, and he can't get his wounded machine out of the way in time. The Zaku is speared, beam claw effortlessly puncturing through its armor, and then takes another brutal strike across its top. By this point, nothing in the machine is working, at all. It's a minor miracle that Shin is still alive at all. Then he and his MS get kicked away like the garbage that they are, functionally speaking, gently soaring across air to come to gradual, skidding halt. Thankfully for Shin, his Zaku III is a highly customized testament to Neo-Zeon engineering. It doesn't explode, this time, instead choosing to remain as a smoldering heap of twisted, melted wreckage.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has struck a glancing hit on Novas Stellas's Samsara using G-Railgun.

"Oh my god, are you trying to be /friends/ with me!?" Healing wonders of poor Aoba. She can't help but smirk as she's complimented on her machine. "At least you're aware of /good/ technology. It's okay if you're jealous!" The Garazzo makes its move shortly thereafter.

Without really notifying poor Fiona, Healing Care essentially swoops in with little consideration and simply makes her move against the Ashsaber. Claws graze against the husk of the machine, though it is quick to retaliate with a barrage of missiles. Forced to evade as quickly as it can, the Garazzo is pelted, its form tumbling lightly before it catches itself and jets a short bit away from Puru's unit. Fiona attempts to attack her as well, but Aoba and her Nana-Two get in the way. Healing curses lightly.

Not about to give up on the Ashsaber, the Garazzo lingers nearby, beam claws spread. "Oh? Well, I'll just have to kill you FIRST with an attitude like /that/!" Healing Care sharply responds as the Ashsaber opens fire with an array of beam fire that aims itself at both Federation units. A barrier of hazy orange flickers into existence around the Garazzo, dulling just a fraction of the damage before its barrier fades and the Garazzo is directly struck. Healing is not very happy.

"You bitch, I'll kill you!" she cries as the Garazzo's hand snaps together, five beam claws becoming a beam /sword/--a sword which Healing seeks to try and ram into the Ashsaber's chest with a mighty stab.

"Hey, you!" the girl calls in the midst of it, to Fiona. "Try not to /die/ or something fighting that ugly machine, okay??"

COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Puru Two. GN Beam Sword added to their queue.

"hahahaha!" Novas laughs as she sees Leo Stenbuck get his mech totaled like NOTHIN'. Yazan Gable was like a -11 (on a scale of -10 -> 10) on approval rating but he's now back comfortably within the -10 slot after that stunt. "Oh man, he totally violated Stenbuck--" If that's not a violation, Novas isn't sure what is. It may be poor form to laugh at an EFA pilot having trouble and in most cases, Novas wouldn't, but Leo Stenbuck has a special place in her heart.

She is too late to keep Axel from getting to the R-Einse but Novas doesn't really mind all THAT much--she might if he gets away--because last time she fought Axel she was outside of her robot and already wounded, winded, and tired. This time she's in perfect condition!

Axel opens fire first, the Samsara twists to the side at the last moment, the Railgun dinging off the mech's shoulder as it flings itself forward, aiming to tackle into the R-Eins bodily! "Hahaha, thought you'd never say that!" Novas beams, "Hope prison wasn't too dull for ya!" She wasn't really looking to dump him in a jail when she fought him, that was just a consequence she hadn't thought about.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has attacked Axel Almer. Meltrandi Martial Arts added to their queue.

COMBAT: Healing Care has struck a major hit on Puru Two's ASK-AD02 Ashsaber using GN Beam Sword. COMBAT: Puru Two has counter attacked for a minor hit on Healing Care's GNZ-005 Garazzo using Beam Machine Gun.

Ken Marinaris sees the battlemech like marchine and the watches the pilot kenee the machine down so she can scramble up and in. Ken's moving quite quickly. for it is cold and she might turn into a fine mist if any of the shots around here. She looks to the rookie who is climbing into a copilot seat. "Thanks, now lets get us both out oof here!"

The youn pilot whose looking skitish nods as Ken starts to bring the machine into full combat mode. It's time to get moving, the machine rumbles to life and is making a break for it now.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has missed Axel Almer with her Meltrandi Martial Arts attack. COMBAT: Axel Almer has counter attacked for a minor hit on Novas Stellas's Samsara using Sudden Blade.

"Good eyes," Full Frontal compliments the now-enemy pilot, the ploy failing to catch any definitive pay dirt. His head turns as the red Zaku continues to fly through the air after that leap, turning about in his chair even as his hands guide the unit on. It reconnects with the jobber sled, landing with an expertise only years can acquire.

By the time he brings the sled about, the Gundam has disappeared from sight entirely. Across the battlefield, he spots the other Zaku III as its shot down. "The White Wolf, falling so soon?" he wonders at the assailant, to have vanquished one of Zeon's aces.

But the masked pilot has his own concerns. Like the inevitable return of the Blitz Gundam. To assist with predicting the attack pattern, Neo-Zeon's newest Commander sends the platform higher and higher, priming the multitude of weapons that the suit has on offer.

Suriel was at least moderately good at this super robot fightans.

The Grim Reaper falls back once GaoGaiGar starts punching and kicking. Punches hitting air, kicks narrowly avoiding the Orbital frame...and suddenly the massive super robot dives for him...the Qareen can't avoid it....

Until the image that was struck slowly starts to fall apart. Much like sand the image fades...

However, the fact that the punches moved THROUGH him, instead of exploding him like a cheap fourth of july firework...

Qareen appeared in the sky this time, holding a hand out as it charged with energy once more. "BURST ATTACK!" Suriel shouts, releasing a barrage of energy blasts down from the sky, aiming to try and pelt Guy with everything he could.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has attacked Guy Shishioh. Homing Blast added to their queue.

The Sefer Rasiel's Proto-Bit lights up the EVA-00 and then Rei runs away. Ali tilts his head in the cockpit, guiding the 'bit back to its shoulder lodging. The trajectory of the Eva is heading for Yazan's Strike Gundam. "Heh ... That guy," Ali says, squinting at it with a headbob of approval. "He knows how to make them fight hard. He's the sort of person I could get along with...! Ha ha!"

Pulling back in the air, the Sefer Raisel spins both of its Proto-Bits around on its shoulder housings. Taking aim any weapon emplacements, they GN Drive powered Gundam starts incinerating a whole bunch of shit. Towers explode, generic Mobile Suits ignite, and orange lasers light up everything. Ali just laughs as he goes, signaling the Trinity Mothership to send down a few more Sefer pods.

"What do you think, Haro?" Ali wonders, slapping the little basketball drone on its head. "These Gundams... Aren't they the best?"

"Hah! Clever minx," Gabby laughs, watching the Gespenst rush away from its fellow clunky MPs. He slaps a palm to his head, resisting the urge to have his machine copy the movement-- somehow he doubts the octopus would survive it. "Should've guessed /that/ one!"

The Gespenst comes at the Dooben-Wolf, brandishing its blade, and Gabby does the dignified thing: he yelps and scrambles away as quickly as possible. The two beam sabers mounted on his mobile suit don't even enter his mind. He just gets the hell out of dodge, diving into the water butt-first. This has the added benefit of giving the octopus a much-needed dousing. Slowly, it unpeels from the Zeon machine's head and attempts to escape back into the deeps.

"Whew-- hey! Not so fast, little buddy!" Gabby shouts, grabbing a piece of debris and jamming it into the shallow seabed, effectively penning the octopus. "I'll come /back/ for you. Don't you worry! You're going to have all the rabbits you can eat."

As soon as he's done destroying this base and everything near it, of course. They don't call him 'Hazard' for nothing (ignoring the fact that it's his last name).

Shoving himself back up onto the banks like a huge fat seal, Gabby Hazard fires right towards the waiting back of the high-mobility Gespenst. Twin beam cannons erupt in fire from the Dooben-Wolf's backback booster binders. As soon as the shots are away, he's sweeping the machine to its feet and firing a pair of snapshots off towards some more approaching Gespents. He's not big on getting tag-teamed, so it's better to take care of them now.

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has attacked Viletta Vadim. Beam Cannons added to their queue.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has struck a devastating hit on Viletta Vadim's Gespenst Mk. II-R using Beam Cannons.

The Samsara dives in to tackle Axel's R-Eins, but a quick burst of thruster fire sends it to the side. Good, the man thinks, he is not entirely rusty after a stay in prison. "Damn good to be out," he spits back at Novas. "So, looks like PLANT decided to change sides, eh? I guess I don't blame 'em -- but you coulda stuck with us!"

The right hand flips a knife out from the armor; the weapon stabs, hard, at the Samsara, as it passes. The G-Railgun is thrown back into place by the other hand, and the machine draws out the beam sword with the same.

A short, wide blade of energy bursts to life. Axel throws the R-Eins forward, and stabs the beam blade hard for the Samsara's midsection.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has attacked Novas Stellas. Beam Gladius added to their queue.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has struck a minor hit on Guy Shishioh's GaoGaiGar using Homing Blast.

COMBAT: Ring Mao has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Eureka has struck a minor hit on Ring Mao's Gespenst Mk. II-M using Single Knife Slice.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has struck a solid hit on Echidna Iisaki's R-Eins using Magna Beam Rifle.

Nicol breaths a sigh of relief as the Zaku seems fooled by Blitz's disappearance from the battlefield. He needs to keep moving for his to work. If he learns that the Blitz is cloaked for a second, Full Frontal might be able to find him and end this quickly.

As the Zaku climbs and preps weapons, Nicol aims the left arm of Blitz toward the fleeing Zaku. "I'm sorry. But I need to survive this battle. I won't kill you but I won't lose to you either!" Nicol says to himself, not transmitting to avoid blowing his cover.

Blitz fires it's anchor toward the Zaku's back, aimed to breach the hull and not the power pack hopefully. If Nicol could snag Full Frontal's suit, he will be able to get another edge on this pilot.

If the shot misses, Nicol will just have to keep moving before the Zaku can figure out where the shot came from.

COMBAT: Nicol Amalfi has attacked Full Frontal. Anchor Quick Shot added to their queue.

COMBAT: Bring Stability has activated a spirit command.

Meiya watches the R-Eins deliver it's cargo of prisoners. "Why didn't they just /escape/?" She frowns. "Do they intend to take the base?" well she can't just let /that/ happen.

The Type-00R ignites it's jets and moves from point A on the base to point K without stopping to visit points B through J.

Point K was /supposed/ to be Axel Almer. Meiya has questions for him, but Ken Marinaris is in the way. So she will just have to cleave through with her sword. "HAAAAAAA!"

COMBAT: Meiya Mitsurugi has attacked Ken Marinaris. PB Blade added to their queue.

COMBAT: Meiya Mitsurugi has struck a major critical hit on Ken Marinaris's RGV-30 Randgrith using PB Blade.

The Gabthley explodes, the eruption as brilliant as it is violent. Gable shields his eyes from the burst through the vague veil of his mask, frowning as he notes the escape pod. "Heh," he grunts, grinning thinly. "Oh, good. We can finish our heart t'heart."

Slowly, the Strike E turns. Pitting its focus entirely on the escape pod as it crashes, it starts to advance. Once again, the Gundam's massive ship-cutting sword lifts. "Hey, jackass! Y'think I'm just gonna let ya run away like a girl an' get away with it?!" Gable's voice booms now, speakers on the Strike E turned on and broadcasting across the battlefield -- just to make sure Leo can at least hear his end approaching. "I think I remember tellin' you I'd do ya a favor an' make you less of a pussy even if it killed ya! An' me, I like to consider myself a man of my word." Yazan clenches tight on his controls, turning down on the right lever with a sadistic expression lighting his face.

"So we're gonna go with option number two. Don't worry!" The sword swings down.

"I'm sure hell's got an extra-special place for screw-up Ender tras--"

Yazan's death knell is cut short the second solid rounds /smash/ through the Strike E. Pellets rip through the Strike's shoulder armor, veering its sword off course so it SMASHES /just/ a few feet to the side of the Gabthley's escape pod. Armor is torn off, the explosion knocking the Gundam backwards as it stumbles, each step shaking the ground like a small tremor. Yazan is knocked back in his seat, snarling as he looks up. "Who the fu--?!" And then he sees it. The Eva. "Oh. It's the robot girlfriend." Yazan squints. And then... he grins.

"Hey, Stenbuck."

The fact that he's using Leo's name might be a bad thing.

"I think I remember promisin' ya somethin' else."

The Strike /leaps/ forward as Rei yells with that blood-curdling anger -- it's surprising, even to Yazan. But the former Titan is a man on a mission. Lashing out, he /swings/ both blades towards the much larger Eva, aiming to SLAM them both into the kneecaps of the machine, to just carve through them as viciously as possible -- to take out or at least impair its abilities to move.

"I'm thinkin' maybe I should make good on it, first."

COMBAT: Yazan Gable has attacked Rei Ayanami. Schwert Gewehr Slam added to their queue.

Echidna Iisaki's R-Eins doesn't move while it's disgorging people. This time she can't even fire back immediately; Ingram slams a bullet in at its rear, slightly to the side, and it just stnads there and takes it. Armour shatters under the impact, and the entire mech rocks.

Echidna finally gets it to stand up. She is, very slightly, smiling. A job well done, even if she does nothing else today. She does not bother responding to Ingram, though she can hear him - maybe later, but he hasn't said anything worth responding to.

And now she can actually fight back.

Redrawing both Blade Tonfas, the R-Eins bursts into a loping run, bringing them up to slash at the R-GUN's upper body and head in a series of chopping strikes. She needs to keep an eye on Gable, too - Mauser wouldn't be happy if she forgot to bring /him/ back, too, although not as unhappy as if she'd missed Axel.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has attacked Ingram Prisken. Blade Tonfa added to their queue.

COMBAT: Yazan Gable has struck Rei Ayanami with a major hit using Schwert Gewehr Slam. COMBAT: Rei Ayanami has missed Yazan Gable with her Progressive Knife counter attack.

Gym look down into the explosions caused by the WISPs to see the bulky Doppelhorn Dagger leap free of it. He can see the damage done, but decides it just isn't enough. The ungainly launch up at Ardjet takes the Dagger right within arm's reach, and the beam sabers strike something solid--

--but only the edge. The Orbital Frame darts backwards. Gym still isn't quite used to this unusual control system; he twitches now and again in reflex, muscle memory making him want to move this way or that to get his machine to cooperate. Ardjet itself seems to be compensating for this reaction pretty readily, and the graze is enough to tip him off that maybe he should try harder--or get shot in the back.

A pair of WISPs launch as soon as the Magna Beam Rifle's pair of shots blast the Orbital Frame. It resumes it's flight pattern after dipping and rising, smoking momentarily, spinning around to face the R-Gun and keep both it and the Dagger in his field of vision. Gym thinks, and quickly. Ardjet responds by highlighting both of them, the WISPs shooting out to both sides and spiralling around the Orbital Frame. Both the mobile suit and the personal trooper will find the air around them filling with contact explosives.

COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has attacked Ingram Prisken and Sven Cal Bayan. WISP Swirl added to their queue.

COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has missed Sven Cal Bayan with his WISP Swirl attack.

Fiona opens fire, btu then Aoba's coming at her instead...This is just /confusing/, Fiona thinks. It's been a while since she was trained to handle crazy fights like this--

But still, she's got to fight on. These guys...are gonna let Almer get away! And then she'll have to sacrifice another Striker to get her claw on him again!

Man, these DC guys are good at intercepting people. It's kind of annoying.

Either way, Aoba lays into her, yelling at her over laser radio (she's not even sure how that works, why would they even build a system that lets her talk to the enemy?), and Fiona can't just turn it off because it turns out that that's the only way to actually talk to her fellow pilots at all, god. Either way: Aoba yells at her, and Fiona brings the Crusher Arm up, its massive armor once again absorbing the worst of Aoba's assault, while Healing jeers at her not to get murdered.

"Ghhh, of course I won't get taken out in a fight like this! I've still got too much to /do/!" She finally throws her Crusher Arm wide, slinging Aoba's weapons to the side, and then lowers her head and LUNGES, the thrusters firing behind her and slamming the Striker's forehead-mounted blade hopefully into the Nana Two-Way, and using that, Fiona jerks the machine's head up, sending Aoba up - and then pushes off, thrusting upward and spinning one razor-sharp foot smasher up into the Nana's body, dashing her back toward the ground.

COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has missed Ingram Prisken with his WISP Swirl attack.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has struck a glancing hit on Ingram Prisken's R-GUN using Blade Tonfa.

COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has attacked Aoba Tsuzaki. Freestyle Assorted Sharp Bits Combo added to their queue.

COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has struck a solid hit on Aoba Tsuzaki's Nana-Two Way Aoba Custom using Freestyle Assorted Sharp Bits Combo. COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has counter attacked for a minor hit on Fiona Gureden's Excellence Striker using Glass Canopy Headbutt.

"I /said/ it wasn't a request!" Ring's teeth start to grit as she finds herself vulnerable to the counter-strike. The Gespenst buckles from the strain, it can't take too much of this. And the other pilot is still being all nice? Maybe she's being too polite about this? No, its not as if she was Gespenst Punching by Marquis of Queensbury rules! At the least, she made some form of dent on that stupid surfboard!

Now its that knife again, and the PTX Team veteran's instincts kick in. Rather than try to spin away, she instead spins into the move, raising the damaged arm again. It takes the brunt of the strike again, letting the knife nearly slice it entirely off. That's part of the plan, for the other arm already has its mega beam rifle aimed squarely for the Nirvash's chest. "And stop being so soft-spoken and nice! This isn't a tea party!"

COMBAT: Ring Mao has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Ring Mao has attacked Eureka. Mega Beam Rifle added to their queue.

Ken Marinaris takes a bad hit even with Ken's making the machine move in ways it normally should not. The blade rips into her machine and the damage is pretty bad. It might have been worse, she's not making any effort to fight at this point, she's turning tail and making to flee.

"Hang on this is going to get crazy!"

Meiya's got a radio comming her way. "Sorry don't got time to play! Go find Sanger if you want a duel!"

COMBAT: Axel Almer has struck a solid hit on Novas Stellas's Samsara using Beam Gladius.

COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Eureka has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Nicol Amalfi has struck a solid hit on Full Frontal's AMX-011C Zaku III Frontal Custom using Anchor Quick Shot.

The Dagger L slams down to the ground with a heavy thud, unable to fight the forces of gravity any longer... but that doesn't stop Sven as he quickly beats feet. The contact explosives detonate behind him as he takes cover behind one of the hanger doors, only emerging once the explosions have died down a little. Sven frowns as his Dagger peers around the corner. The striker pack is too much dead weight. Time to use up it's ammunition so he can ditch it. The Doopelhorn Dagger kneels down on one knee, then takes aim and... BANG!

COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has attacked Gym Ghingnham. Recoilless Cannon added to their queue.

COMBAT: Ring Mao has struck a major hit on Eureka's Nirvash typeZERO spec2 using Mega Beam Rifle.

Speaking of Slash Rippers: there they all go, tumbling to the ground after a cannon shot destroys not only the rest of her Gespenst's weapons backpack, but its left arm.

She tries futilely to activate the little discs, but the radio arrays responsible for remote controlling them are slagged messes; she does not swear at this, but she does frown really goddamn hard over it.

Rather than fret over what she cannot have, she decides to make the best of what she's got; this means tossing the rifle aside, crouching to scoop three of the discs up, and carefully tucking them between the PT's fingers. There are manual toggles on each; she engages them, then clamps down on one end to ensure that the blades will only pop out of the exposed sides of each ripper pod.

The noise is a horrible grinding squealing mess, but the blades are spinning even though they probably ought not to.

Long ranged combat, agile skirmishing, both have failed; mounting the Zeonic mobile suit and shredding its armor like a big, blue, buglike Wolverine might bear more fruit, so that's what she'll try and do.

If she can get some kind of purchase on the Doven-Wolf's left flank, she will try to dig those engaged Slash Rippers into its neck and the back of its head to do as much damage as she possibly can before inevitably being shaken off.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has attacked Gabby Hazard. Unusual Tactics added to their queue.

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has activated a spirit command.

The Garazzo stands still on the tarmac, facing the wreckage of Shin's Zaku. For like a full thirty seconds. Bring Stability is not the sort of man to assume things. Once he's certain that Shin isn't going to be kicking any more explosive limbs at him, Stability directs his attentions elsewhere - distress calls reach his unit, and the Garazzo leaves the Rapid Deployment squadron in a flare of brilliant red-orange, shooting skywards. They can deal with the DC gumbies on their own.

This is where shit gets unfortunate for Gabby. The skittery pilot's done a great job shooting down the onslaught of Gespensts, but the Garazzo's spinning out of its flight path, nimbly interspersing itself between a pair of attacking Gespents - both of which are promptly shot down by Gabby's defensive volley. The Garazzo is undeterred by this; like a stunt-car driver navigating traffic cones, Bring ensures that he's untouched by any of the enemy's defensive fire. Some few seconds away from impact, the Garazzo's fingers spread wide, Beam Claws blossom from their tips, and Stability maximizes the thrust.

Like some kind of jackassed, crimson sentinel, the Garazzo shrieks through the last few hundred feet between itself and Gabby's Dooben, angling for a full-bodied tackle. If successful, Stability will proceed to penetrate the Dooben's back with all five fingers before dragging them dangerously close to the octopus skitching on the DC mech's mech-ass. LOOK OUT OCTOPUS

COMBAT: Bring Stability has attacked Gabby Hazard. GN Jazz Hands added to their queue.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has missed Gabby Hazard with her Unusual Tactics attack.

COMBAT: Eureka has activated a spirit command.

The Pellet Rifle is spent after the barrage it unleashed toward Yazan Gable's Strike E. Evangelion Unit-00 throws the weapon aside as casually as one might discard a candy wrapper. The rifle is considerably larger than a candy wrapper, though -- heavier, too. The Evangelion stalks through what is rapidly becoming a graveyard. The rifle lands on the smoldering remains of broken mobile suits, crushing mangled chassises flat. Every step of the giant cyborg machine emanates across the ground like a minor quake -- and sounds like a mortar being detonated. The radio link to Yazan stays open, and Rei focuses on that, staring straight ahead, seeming to ignore Leo.

"Yazan Gable," Rei Ayanami says, her voice considerably calmer. "I'm not scared of you. I'm going to kill you. Prepare to die."

As Rei says this, the Evangelion acts -- it flicks open its Progressive Knife. The blade's serrated edge hums like a power plant and then /glows/ vividly. This is a knife that can cut angels -- not even God's handiwork can compare to the science of an Evangelion's murderous tools.

Rei's face spasms in outright anger as she swoops the knife toward the incoming Strike E -- but Yazan's blade cuts /through/ the Progressive Knife, cleanly severing most of the blade from its handle, and slams into the Evangelion's knees so deeply that it nearly cuts the monstrous unit's legs off. All the same, he might as well have.

When the blade comes out, gore and LCL spew and ooze from the wounds, as well as showers of bright blue sparks. Unit-00 wobbles for a moment -- then collapses, as it can no longer support its own weight in any kind of upright fashion. The huge unit shakes the battlefield -- or, more accurately, shakes all of the destroyed suits and dead bodies, jostling the corpses and ruining their eternal sleep. But still the Eva remains unbowed.

"I'm going to kill you," Rei repeats, and with some effort gets the Eva to roll over -- so that one of its massive, unwieldly shoulder fins can break open, and a missile can launch, firing toward the Strike E on a contrail of grey-black smoke.

COMBAT: Rei Ayanami has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rei Ayanami has attacked Yazan Gable. Shoulder Missile added to their queue.

"Decoy holograms, huh?" comments Guy as GaoGaiGar holds its ground, then takes flight - not up but backwards - at the last minute, trying to lure the Homing Blast into the ground rather than taking it directly. And to some extent, it works. "Guess I can't afford to take my eyes off you for even a split second ..." Inwardly, though, he admits that Volfogg would probably approve.

Guy's going to have to remember to mention this particular incident to GGG's resident ninja police-car robot.

But for now, he flies up at the Qareen again, right fist and forearm spinning up again but foregoing the Phantom Ring. "BROKEN ... !!" GaoGaiGar accelerates, right arm drawing back, the whole mechanoid twisting - and then Guy lashes out with the punch, trying to drive the rapidly-spinning knuckles into the Orbital Frame's face before he finishes calling his attack, "MAGNUM!!!" and only then launching it.

Of course, he has to actually connect for that to do any good.

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has attacked Suriel Misaki. Broken Slug added to their queue.

Man, Novas thinks, he's still good. Luckily Leo was so terrible today that Novas would have to shoot herself to do that poorly. In theory. Axel is obviously more skilled than Novas--but since when has that stopped her from squeezing out a victory before? It's not all skill, after all.

"I guess they're talkin' 'bout it. I'm supporting the Captain, I don't care about any of that stuff." She smiles, "But it's not like I hate you guys or anything. I'm not a hater."

However, even if Axel's initial barrage whiffed, he is able to slam a knife into Novas while she shifts to offense--where her defense is weakest--following up with an energy gladius that rips through the Samsara's midsection, nearly skewering Novas herself with its thrust.

"Kh." Novas grunts, pulling her mech back sharply and then dropping down. "So much for that--" She rolls back, tilting her machine back so she can retaliate with a barrage of impact cannon fire! "If he said 'take 'em out' I would've done that too!" Though she finds it more likely that they would've been imprisoned or something, rather than outright executed.

Contact explosives are dangerous this, that is true - on the other hand, there isn't all that much that they can do if they don't make contact, and Ingram goes into immediate action as soon as he sees them start flying every which way. The R-GUN's gatling opens fire, shooting apart the Ardjet's WISPs with deadly precision. It takes a few moment to eliminate all of the threats, and it is that moment that Echidna uses to launch her own attack. Sparks fly as one of the Beam Gladiuses snaps out of its hard point, the beam blade meeting the R-Eins' tonfa and deflecting it, then coming around to counter another blow. Blade meets blade, the two units sparring for a moment - a few minor cuts get through, scoring the armor on the R-GUN, but the PT remains more or less intact. Ingram lashes out, knocks the tonfa blade high, and then spins around, bringing the R-GUN's foot around in a wide arc meant to intersect with the R-Ein's head.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has attacked Echidna Iisaki. R-GUN Pistol Whip Kick added to their queue.

COMBAT: Yazan Gable has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rei Ayanami has hit Yazan Gable with a glancing hit with her Shoulder Missile attack.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has attacked Axel Almer. Fire-Linked Impact Cannons added to their queue.

COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has missed Gym Ghingnham with his Recoilless Cannon attack.

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has struck a devastating hit on Suriel Misaki's Qareen using Broken Slug.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has missed Echidna Iisaki with his R-GUN Pistol Whip Kick attack. COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has missed Ingram Prisken with her Sudden Blade counter attack.

COMBAT: Bring Stability has missed Gabby Hazard with his GN Jazz Hands attack.

COMBAT: Full Frontal has activated a spirit command.

Surviving this battle with a stealth suit seems like a simple option, really! Frontal already has plans for what he'd do with such a system, but that's not what they've filled the Zaku III Custom with. They've filled it instead with a variety of weapons, and the pilot simply waits for the enemy pilot to announce himself.

And so the Coordinator does, that anchored claw slamming into the back of the unit, digging in to catch -- and reveal. The shift in weight is nearly enough to rip the red unit from its sled, and after a moment of fighting the additional pull, the pilot opts to go with it.

Twisting the Zaku about, its hand seeks out the line of the anchor, wanting to ensure that the hidden Blitz is not able to elude for too long. Freefalling, the unit gives the line a heavy tug, getting a feel for where it's originating from--

--and then that underarm bazooka opens up, using the heavy ordnance this time, firing round after round of explosive payload. Can the hidden suit evade a scorched earth approach to this game of cat and mouse?

COMBAT: Full Frontal has attacked Nicol Amalfi. Bazooka Barrage added to their queue.

COMBAT: Full Frontal has struck a devastating hit on Nicol Amalfi's Blitz Mirage Colloid using Bazooka Barrage.

Suddenly...

It was bad times for the Qareen. GaoGaiGar suddenly dives into the air, the massive arm aims right for him...and it was everything to not completely get plasted in a single strike. The Grim Reaper Frame is blasted into the ground, armor starting to crack and break, systems starting to redline as Metatron starts to surge to repair the damage instantly. However, inside his frame, Suriel feels the blow. Screaming in absolute pain...it hurts...and his entire body feels the error he made. Grunting, he slowly gains control again, standing up as in the cockpit he feels the metatron start to repair. Breathing deeply, he focuses again...

Turning his pain into anger...

A line of metatron flows over the cockpit, over the pilot. "GO DOWN!" he booms, diving right towards Guy, as his Scythe calls out once more summoning it from it's VECTOR TRAP. He dives in, charging up a single powerful slash...and aims to drive it right into the powerful Super robot in a burst slash.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has attacked Guy Shishioh. Scythe Burst added to their queue.

Echidna Iisaki has two tonfa blades.

Echidna gets her first one knocked out of line and jerks low rather than following it up and away; she bumps the R-GUN with one of R-Eins' shoulders in her haste to avoid the kick, which is enough to put /both/ of them out of line. Her slash doesn't hit, but then again, neither does his kick.

Echidna kicks backwards, trying to smash one of R-Eins' feet into the back of R-GUN's knee and send it forward, off-balance. She spins, following it up with a straight 'punch' with one of the Blade Tonfas, driving it in a forward thrust directly at the R-GUN's center of mass. She shoots another glance back, checking her scanners. Gable must be occupied; there's no other reason he's not here, or leaving.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has attacked Ingram Prisken. Blade Tonfa Drive added to their queue.

"Just because we have to be enemies... doesn't mean I want to kill you!" Eureka takes Ring's 'advice', opening a direct comm - and if she has sight, she might see a bit of green and glowing from the person herself. "Even if... The Federation is why everything happened... would you rather I ... I want to hurt you?!"

It's a bit of a snap, alright.

The mega beam rifle is pressed to the chest - and Eureka has time to see the overcharge. The aim. The attempt of adding an extra oomph to tear away her and the alien based machine. It pulls it's limbs in, just in time to take the brunt of the blast into the chest - the Nirvash's armoring melting. Parts of the white and red metal vaporizing just by touch, leaving the alien skeleton intact - damaged a bit as well. But it's capable of healing. At least, out of combat.

The Nirvash tumbles, grasping onto the baord as it falls from the sky, losing altitude rapidly. Pressed against the back of the seat, Eureka fights the controls - and the board is forced under just before landfall.

With all that momentum, the inevitable acceleration back up is almost a streak of green light, both boomerang blades held out.

"Is this .. what you want!" The ref board is aimed squarely at the Gespent's chest, to slam into it, as the knifes would be brought down to attempt to shear off both arms.

The charging Gespensts fall back, and Gabby smirks. "Yeah, that's right. You run!" he hollers, over the loudspeaker. This is for the benefit of the octopus, who can see how magnanimous and amazing his future master truly is. He even shakes a giant robot fist at the departing EFA soldiers, though his attention has returned to the fancy, beat up Gespenst which has been his hide-and-seek partner for the past several minutes.

"Throwing away your gun, eh?" he muses, then sees the robot pull out... real slash rippers? His smirk fades as he sees the enemy rushing him again. His shoulders slump as he sees the determination in the machine's movements. "Oh, come /on/!" he cries, throwing up his (and his robot's) hands and turning to run away. "WHY CAN'T WE FIGHT WITH GUNS LIKE CIVILISED PEOPLE?!"

Captain Hazard narrowly evades the vicious bite of the slash rippers by taking a wrong step and falling on his ass. He breathes a sigh of relief, which catches in his throat as he looks up and notices-- Jazz Hands?! "WHAT THE HELL!" he howls in anguish, scrambling and rolling out of the way of the vicious assault. It doesn't look pretty, but he survives. The octopus floats impassively in its little water pen some distance away, almost seeming to watch.

With a burst of thrusters, melting snow and slurry, the Dooben-Wolf regains its feet. "Okay! Pause! Time out! I never said I wanted to fight /two/ bigshots at once... and certainly not with /swords/. Maybe we can... you know... talk this out?"

He backs away as he says this, holding up the Dooben-Wolf's hands in a placating gesture as he does.

Of course, this is a bald-faced ploy. Made obvious seconds later when those hands /come off/ and fly into the Garazzo's face, firing beams from the palms. At the same time, the Incoms whirl into action in an attempt to drive off the Gespenst, and Gabby peppers the air with head vulcan shots as well-- just in case.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has struck a glancing hit on Ingram Prisken's R-GUN using Blade Tonfa Drive. COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has missed Echidna Iisaki with his Beam Gladius counter attack.

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has attacked Bring Stability and Viletta Vadim. All-Range Attack added to their queue.

COMBAT: Yazan Gable has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Eureka has attacked Ring Mao. Ref Board Dicer added to their queue.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Novas Stellas has struck a major hit on Axel Almer's R-Eins using Fire-Linked Impact Cannons. COMBAT: Axel Almer has counter attacked for a minor hit on Novas Stellas's Samsara using Beam Gladius.

COMBAT: Eureka has struck a devastating hit on Ring Mao's Gespenst Mk. II-M using Ref Board Dicer. Knock Out! Ring Mao's Gespenst Mk. II-M unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has struck a major hit on Bring Stability's GNZ-005 Garazzo using All-Range Attack. COMBAT: Bring Stability has missed Gabby Hazard with his GN Beam Claw counter attack.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has missed Viletta Vadim with his All-Range Attack attack.

Shooting things is clearly the best answer to everything. Puru Two's mood improves considerably by doing this, aided even more by hearing the breakout was successful. With the primary objective complete, there's no more need to keep that in the back of her mind, all that remains now is doing as much damage as possible. Can do! "Temper temper," she remarks when Healing loses it, as hypocritical as it is for her to make a remark like that.

What happens next gives slightly less reason for being cheerful. Thankfully, the Newtype manages to maneuver her machine so that the incoming blade is no longer lined up with the cockpit. Unfortunately, that doesn't prevent the sword-punch from going straight through the Ashsaber's shoulder instead.

Pushed backwards by the mighty stab, Puru Two yelps in momentary panic, but upon discovering the damage wasn't fatal, her demeanor changes. "You got me!" That sounded a bit too unconcerned to be a good sign. This is confirmed when she appends with a grin, "Or... maybe I've got you."

The three Sword Breakers that went after the Excellence return, as well as the three that fired on the Garazzo. It might seem that they were just returning to the Ashsaber... but instead they're aiming to slam into the Garazzo, three from the front, three from the back. Should they strike, they'll do so while spinning rapidly, to add some holes to the armor of the enemy machine, as well.

"Sorry, Puru!" After a brief but noticeable pause, Aoba adds, "Two!" There, maybe she won't get yelled at more. "I promise I'll do better!" She gives a soft giggle, glancing aside at the Ashsaber. "It's okay, though, Nana-Two can take it! Don't worry about me!" The girl grins confidently. It's going to take a lot more than that to stop her!

"Um... maybe?" Healing's radio transmission causes Aoba to blink. "I don't even know your name though! I just think your robot is really cool!" Her gaze shifts aside to wath the Ashsaber fighting. "Are you okay there? I--hold that thought!"

When the Excellence dives toward the Jinki, Aoba doesn't dodge. She meets the attack head-on... literally. The glass canopy of the Nana-Two slams right against the bladed forehead of the Striker, though there doesn't seem to be any damage to the cockpit cover. It probably isn't too difficult, though, for Fiona to see Aoba sitting right there. The follow-up kick, however, does manage to strike, slashing deeply along the Jinki's flank and knocking it to the side. A quick flip in midair keeps it from impacting the ground too hard, though.

Standing in her cockpit, Aoba lifts a hand high. "Alpha Ball!" A sudden mental pressure can be felt as the giant soccer ball flies into view from over the ocean. As it gets close, the Jinki crouches slightly, then leaps into the air, flipping upside-down. The Rebound Plate touches the ball, isntantly propelling it at high speeds straight at the Excellence frame.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Firing lock is cleared. Preparing for reconfiguration."

COMBAT: Puru Two has attacked Healing Care. Sword Breaker Drill added to their queue.

COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has attacked Fiona Gureden. Alpha Ball added to their queue.

"Yeah? That's good," Axel says. "But it's not good enough. The Captain messed up. He should have done what I said, and maybe PLANT wouldn't be next on our list!"

The Soulgain speeds inward; the impact cannons rip into the R-Eins, leaving armor gashed and ripped into, dents cut into the thing. The machine brings its beam gladius backward and stabs it forward, trying to impale the Samsara on it -- even as the armor on the Commander's Personal Trooper has smoke pour off it.

He pulls the beam gladius backward, and drops the steel knife downward. It descends towards the ocean below, and the machine blitzes upward, into a tight spiral.

The R-Eins drags away the Double Magna Rifle, and takes aim. Two large bolts of energy go descending downward, for the Samsara.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has attacked Novas Stellas. Double Magna Rifle added to their queue.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has struck a solid hit on Guy Shishioh's GaoGaiGar using Scythe Burst.

Nicol feels pretty good when the Anchor strikes the back of the Zaku III. This plan just might work. Nicol prepairs his lancer darts, hoping to pin the Zaku down somewhere it can't do too much damage. Instead, he is given a scare as the Zaku seems to turn and seize the Anchor's line. The pilot's eyes widen at this sight. He knows that even with the stealth system on he is a sitting duck under these conditions.

And so it is proven as Full Frontal gets a direct hit on Blitz. The Explosive round embedds into the Gundam and explodes, revealing the unit for a split second as the hull sparks from damage. Nicol can't stop now. He raises his right arm, hoping to use a Lancer Dart to disable this Zaku before it kills him.

COMBAT: Nicol Amalfi has attacked Full Frontal. Lancer Dart added to their queue. COMBAT: Nicol Amalfi has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Nicol Amalfi has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Puru Two has struck a glancing hit on Healing Care's GNZ-005 Garazzo using Sword Breaker Drill.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Meiya Mitsurugi transmits, "Nhg, command. Should I pursue Marinaris or engage another hostile? She seems only interested in fleeing."

Leo's vision eventually clears enough to let him make out what he's seeing; Evangelion Unit-00 and Yazan's Strike, fighting. Luckily for him, he comes to his senses just as the Evangelion's legs are practically severed, and the boy's heart skips a beat in terror, his eyes widening. "R-Rei!" he gasps, fumbling ever more furiously at his safety restraints. He has to get out, has to help her somehow...

He knows, of course, that even if he does get out he can't help her; by the time he hoofed it into a hangar and found another MS, their battle would be resolved. But he has to try.

He eventually gets the safety restraints unbuckled, and jams his finger on the button to open the escape capsule hatch. It gives a loud, hydraulic hiss, begins to open...

... and almost instantly jams. "God DAMMIT!" Leo shouts, Another wave of panic hits him, and he resumes fumbling, this time at his controls. Explosive bolts, how does he trigger the explosive bolts?!

COMBAT: Full Frontal has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Nicol Amalfi has struck a major hit on Full Frontal's AMX-011C Zaku III Frontal Custom using Lancer Dart.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Isamu Dyson transmits, "I'm launching ..."

COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has missed Fiona Gureden with her Alpha Ball attack.

GaoGaiGar brings its arms up protectively as the scythe comes down, and the blade digs into its bulky forearms - but it doesn't breach the Super Mechanoid's key systems. "If you think the likes of you can beat the King of Braves," Guy calls out, "think again! You're not even the reason I deployed here - what's *your* purpose here? Were you trying to rescue your Shadow Mirror allies?"

His words are followed up - as soon as the scythe is out of the immediate way - with another punch, literally trying to knock the Qareen's head off its shoulders from all appearances ...

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has attacked Suriel Misaki. The Power of Courage added to their queue.

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has struck a major hit on Suriel Misaki's Qareen using The Power of Courage.

Ring naturally has video links, some days she has to confer with board meetings from the PT cockpit! That's also why on Eureka's end, she'll find herself faced with a mildly surprised older pink-haired woman in a pink qipao. (The blazer was left at the bar.) "Hey, wait, I didn't mention anything about killing-" Holy hell, just what /is/ that under the mech's armor...

The Gespenst is trusty, reliable, and easy to produce. What it not is faster than the Nirvash. Ring knew she couldn't take another hit, but that choice was taken out of her hands. Literally. The II-M stumbles back, dropping to a disarmed kneel. Literally. The chairwoman closes her eyes again, she knew she should've picked on a GINN or a Zaku. Her poor little Gespy wasn't designed for this.

"No," she repiles, opening those pink eyes back again as she stares firmly into her video link. "Killing isn't what I want." She'd move the joystick to gesture the Gespy's arms about it to all the other fallen GMs and PTs, if it still had any arms to do so. "If that's not what you want, then why are you here? Look around us!"

Meiya's sword tears through the armor of the thickly armored machine. "Blast it, Marinaris." Meiya radios back. "Why do you work with Axel Almer and Mauser's group? They're not interested in Martian liberty."

The engines of the Takemikazuchi angle down and boost the machine upwards after the Randgrith. "You're just a tooll to them!" The sword is sung diagonally down at the Randgrith's waist with both hands with a stunning amount of force for such a thin limbed machine.

COMBAT: Meiya Mitsurugi has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has missed Novas Stellas with his Double Magna Rifle attack.

COMBAT: Meiya Mitsurugi has attacked Ken Marinaris. PB Blade added to their queue.

"Tch!" is Healing's response to Puru's chiding, followed by a sharp, bark of a laugh. "Temper? Oh, you haven't even begun to see my temper, lady." Primed for attack, the Garazzo glides in with its blade extended--only to find the Ashsaber moves somewhat, avoiding the cockpit. Instead, the beam saber plunges into the shoulder of the mech. Healing sneers.

When Aoba replies the "Cyber Newtype" girl just rolls her eyes somewhat. "I'll tell you my name when I am about to kill you. How does /that/ sound?" she asks. Flipping a switch her transmissions shift to Fiona. "Good, keep that in mind and don't get hit!" Fortunately, Fiona does /precisely that/!

Focused on the Ashsaber now, Healing grins. "Got me?" The Sword Breakers return before they suddenly veer and refocus their aim on the Garazzo. Turning around as warning alarms scream in her ear, the Garazzo sweeps a claw hand up, two of the three Breakers deflected--the third, however, punctures the thigh of the Garazzo, a hole boring itself into the armor. Healing curses lightly again before she rips the thing from her unit's leg and tosses it aside.

"Here I /COME/!" the pilot shrieks as the Garazzo suddenly blasts forward, claws splayed at its sides. It'll attempt to actually collide with the Ashsaber before it reels one hand back and summarily drives it forward, claws attempting to pierce the armored husk, followed by a second plunge of beam claws with the opposite hand--before both will suddenly RIP out as the Garazzo rebounds off the mobile suit!

COMBAT: Healing Care has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Puru Two. GN Beam Claws Assault added to their queue.

Wonder of wonders, the Slash Rippers are still working even after a few seconds of being treated as roughly as Viletta is; this is proven when she releases the three pods to send them buzzing through some of the incom wires and spare herself the trouble of being shot up by the Zeon Ace's own take on remote controlled weaponry. Once freed from the Gespenst's grasp, they all properly unfold and stutter through the air on their very direct, unassisted course.

"Thank you," she says simply to Bring Stability, via tightband. "He is very, very quick; be cautious."

The Slash Rippers don't have a chance in hell of actually making back to her; they're basically bladed grenades at this point. That they're able to both defend her and maybe, possibly strike the Zeon machine is a testament to her having a pretty good eye and a decent sense of timing.

She was at the top of her test tube clone baby class.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has attacked Gabby Hazard. Slash Ripper added to their queue.

Ingram twists to one side - the R-GUN follows his motion, sliding out of the way of the main thrust from R-Eins. The blade leaves a smoking tear in the side, the armor scored by the close passage of the weapon, but there is no serious damage done. The PT suddenly boosts up to full power, launching up and away from the ground and the location where Echidna is standing. And it is moving incredibly fast, arcing up higher and higher, until Ingram has a fairly commanding view of the entire battle. And he smirks. "Begin transformation," he states, reaching down to pull a lever on the R-GUN's console. In several quick, smooth motions, the R-GUN begins to reconfigure itself. The arms contract into the sides, the backpack sliding around to lock onto the legs, the entire unit compacting itself into a much more blunt, utilitarian form. Ingram laughs quietly to himself, and states, "Metal Destroyer... Dead End Shoot!" And from the barrel formed by the R-GUN's body, a tremendous beam of energy erupts forth, roaring straight down towards the R-Eins. A massive cloud erupts from the snow in the area as it instantly vaporizes - and then the path of destruction grows, as Ingram maintains the beam. And sweeps it across the ground, cutting a molten path across the face of the base. Gym will find himself in it's path, and then... ...well, Axel didn't really expect that Ingram was going to let him escape, did he? The beam finally terminates, focusing on Almer's machine and attempting to melt it into slag.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has attacked Axel Almer, Echidna Iisaki, and Gym Ghingnham. Metal Destroyer added to their queue.

It's confusing, fighting somebody like Captain Gabby Hazard. The term 'evasion' brings to mind graceful arcs and clever maneuvers, which are what trigger muscle memory and ultimately contribute to the rapid-fire decisionmaking that epitomizes real-ass robot fighting. So when a dude falls on his ass like that - just like that! - it's understandable that Bring's Garazzo isn't stopping. Stopping wasn't really part of the plan at all. The crimson mech sails over Gabby's head, beam-laden fingers scarring the air it used to occupy, and Stability regains control some hundred feet away, where he turns for a brief about-face. Stands there, for a few seconds, while Gabby begins backing off. Perhaps Bring is considering what the possibility of an actual surrender is. Perhaps he's gone back to thinking about his interrupted gun-check. It doesn't matter; when Hazard fires off his ridiculous hand-lasers, the Garazzo's rushing forward once more, beam claw raised high, a high-pitched shriek accompanying the sudden rev of its GN-T particle distributors. It looks like it's going to be a stellar, grade A++++++ shot to the Dooben's face, but it's ultimately those lasers that throw his aim off. Half of the Garazzo's face is sheared off, and the mech's path slightly altered by the impact. It certainly means that Bring won't be clawing anybody's face off, but Gabby has failed to account for the Garazzo's other hand - curled into a fist and actively being dragged through the Dooben's gut during Bring's flyby.

COMBAT: Bring Stability has attacked Gabby Hazard. GN Spiked Knuckles added to their queue.

COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has struck a solid hit on Gym Ghingnham's Ardjet using Metal Destroyer.

'I'm going to kill you,' Rei Ayanami repeats again, like a promise. Yazan Gable frowns, his expression twisting -- perhaps in worry, perhaps--

"Jesus Christ, shut the fuck up already. Are you stuck in some idiot robot loop?"

The Strike leaps back, and just as it does, the Evangelion Unit-00's shoulder fin splits apart. "These ugly pieces of crap--" Gable mutters, before a missile /explodes/ from bizarre bay. Behind his mask, the former Titan's eyes widen. The Sword Strike twists in the midst of a sudden evasive maneuver; its body /flips/ through the air, /swinging/ its right sword forward. Cleaving through the warhead, the missile /explodes/ in a brilliant fireball that /slams/ into the hull of the Strike E in a rippling shockwave of heat. The boom is staggering, drowning out Yazan's screech of "YOU LITTLE BITCH--" within its deafening boom; it is a sight to behold.

The force, even with that brief contact, is enough to knock the Strike /straight/ into the ground. The Gundam ricochets, tearing across the harsh earth and mech-strewn ground with a series of skipping impacts. Armor peels off, sparks fly, setting off small fires in pools of flammable oil here and there. Ultimately, the smoking mass comes to a stop. There is silence.

"Pretty sure..."

Slowly, the Strike E comes to a stand. Against the backdrop of destruction, its eyes flash ominously.

"... I promised ya..."

The powder-blue, scorched suit lifts its left arm, directing it towards the Eva. LCL drips like globs of blood off the tip of its swords, orange liquid sizzling into nothingness with every contact with the blades' crackling, energy edges.

"... I'd take care of your li'l girlfriend for ya. Well, guess what. One way or another..."

The Sword Strike leaps high into the air, becoming like a dot against the sky. Its rocket anchors launch from both its wrists, /slamming/ into the shoulder and head of the Eva. Instantly, they begin to retract; their tensile strength isn't nearly enough to lift a machine as massive as the Eva into the air, but the fact that the Strike's thrusters are aiming to propel it downward should hint to the simple fact that it doesn't /want/ to pull the Eva up.

"... I'M MAKIN' GOOD ON ONE OF MY GODDAMN PROMISES TODAY!!"

It wants to come /down/ to greet the Eva /personally./

The momentum from the gravity, the rocket anchors, the thrust, all begins to add up. The Strike E becomes like a blurring missile of pain, with one projected path, one intent: to IMPALE its two Schwert Gewehr swords, meant for destroying battleships, in a perpendicular, cross-formation -- straight into the entry plug of the Eva.

To completely and utterly skewer it.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

COMBAT: Yazan Gable has attacked Rei Ayanami. Dual Ship Cutting Swords added to their queue.

COMBAT: Ken Marinaris has activated a spirit command.

COMBAT: Yazan Gable has struck Rei Ayanami with a devastating critical hit using Dual Ship Cutting Swords. Knock Out! Rei Ayanami's Evangelion Unit-00 unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Puru Two has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Healing Care has struck a glancing hit on Puru Two's ASK-AD02 Ashsaber using GN Beam Claws Assault.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has missed Axel Almer with his Metal Destroyer attack.

COMBAT: Meiya Mitsurugi has struck a major hit on Ken Marinaris's RGV-30 Randgrith using PB Blade.

COMBAT: Full Frontal has activated a spirit command.

Suriel screams in pain...the damage transfered right to him from the punch. He grunts...painfully, trying to refocus. He can't make the school look bad...he can't fail here. He WILL suceed!

"SHUT UP!" he shouts over through the radio at Guy. "I am getting sick of you people and your high and MIGHTY ASS ATTITUDE! I am here for my allies! I am not going to let you stop me...not now, NOT EVER!" he says, as the Qareen stands up once more. It starts channeling energy from everywhere, as it's pilot starts to shout. "AHHHHHH!" he says as the scythe seems to break int many pieces, and his right arm comes forward. The pieces of the scythe come together, forming around the hand and forming some type of cannon.

The cannon aims forward, as a large ball of black energy forms inbetween the pieces of scythe that was formed to make the cannon. "NOW DIE!" he shouts, and fires a single blast of the cannon right towards Guy. Once it hit, however, it would instead of blasting away, would attempt to entrap Guy's unit in a similar black ball of energy, while the energy attempted to simply errode the super robot into nothing.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has attacked Guy Shishioh. Burst Cannon added to their queue.

Perhaps he should have severed the line. It's a thought that rolls through Full Frontal's mind as his unit continues its freefall. His decision left them both at each other's mercy; tethered to one another, they're little more than two immovable walls that are opening up on one another. But instead of feelings, they're using heavy ordnance.

The dart finds its target. That massive blade slams hard into the body of the red Zaku III, the force behind it enough to loft the mobile suit backwards before gravity sets in again. It tears through critical systems, to the disbelief of the pilot within. "What--?!"

Disbelief turns to outrage in the Commander's mind. How dare this turncoat strike him! Both hands of the Zaku grab that tether, and with a tremendous pull, the pilot seeks to end this by burying the foot of his unit right into the Blitz's chest, and then drive the enemy down into the unforgiving ice below!

COMBAT: Full Frontal has attacked Nicol Amalfi. Frontal Kick added to their queue.

COMBAT: Full Frontal has struck a devastating hit on Nicol Amalfi's Blitz Mirage Colloid using Frontal Kick. Knock Out! Nicol Amalfi's Blitz Mirage Colloid unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has struck a major hit on Guy Shishioh's GaoGaiGar using Burst Cannon.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has missed Echidna Iisaki with his Metal Destroyer attack.

The R-GUN rockets straight up, and Echidna follows. The R-Eins does not fly nearly as quickly as the other machine, but it /does/ fly, the Tesla Drives installed in it humming away as she ascends.

She does not get there nearly fast enough to stop the transformed PT from firing, but Echidna takes advantage of what she assumes is a less agile alternate form; the short-barreled cannons on the R-Eins' shoulders begin to fire, not simultaneously but one after another, cycling between the two repeatedly until she has to let them cool down. She has to swerve to the side to dodge Ingram's own shot; it doesn't interrupt her mechanical firing pattern.

Echidna's voice comes on the radio, followed shortly by her picture: pink-haired and rather severe-looking. "Retreat," she orders Ingram, and nothing more.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has attacked Ingram Prisken. Twin Beam Cannon added to their queue.

Why is Novas starting to get the feeling that even if she manages to take down Axel, Yazan Gable is just going to kill the EFA Faction? Maybe, she thinks, she should just let 'em go to not encourage violation. Then again, she doesn't actually know if Yazan is joining the DC or anything, he might just be doing this for the lulz. It's Yazan Gable, while you can generally assume he'll do the worst thing, there's a lot of worst things he might be picking from. That's a fact.

"Maybe," Novas admits, "But I'm not smart enough to know how that's gonna play out, so why worry about it? I might be sad for a bit but I'll get over it. Being a target isn't the worst thing you can be. I'm not with him cause he's a tactical mastermind, he cares about his men, that's all I need."

She gets ripped across her mech's chest--taking a lot of damage there, Novas reflects, is he actually trying to off her? Or win? Or both and he doesn't really care? Or maybe he does care?

She drops down again, flitting between the two laser blasts (and to allow Ingram his shot), and then soars in close again--blobs of spirit energy lancing off the Samsara to fling themselves at his machine!

"I'm with my friends, that way I don't have to worry--why are you fighting so hard for this?"

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has attacked Axel Almer. Spirit Blast added to their queue.

COMBAT: Bring Stability has missed Gabby Hazard with his GN Spiked Knuckles attack.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has missed Gabby Hazard with her Slash Ripper attack.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has missed Axel Almer with her Spirit Blast attack. COMBAT: Axel Almer has counter attacked for a minor hit on Novas Stellas's Samsara using Sudden Blade.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has struck a major hit on Ingram Prisken's R-GUN using Twin Beam Cannon. COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has counter attacked for a minor critical hit on Echidna Iisaki's R-Eins using Beam Gladius.

"HELL NO!"

Axel Almer's voice is a loud roar, as he sees the beam fire. He shoots his machine high into the sky; the thrusters on the R-Eins fire all at once, sending it into a high arch and heating up, then deactivating automatically before they burn out. His machine comes arching downward -- and comes down not far from Yazan's Strike, slamming into the Earth, and sends a wave of dust outward from it.

Almer looks up, for a moment, at the Evangelion. His eyes narrow, and then he looks up. His machine's head locks onto the Samsara, and one hand shoves the railgun back into place, before leaping. The blasts scar the ground, burning two holes into it, and one hand grasps a second knife from the forearm armor. He throws it for Novas' machine, before two cannons swing up from the back of the machine. They settle on the shoulders.

"So... it's about the people to you, eh?" Axel asks. "At least you're consistent--but what happens if he was wrong?! What if that decision gets his people killed?!"

The beam cannons fire. Two huge columns of light shoot into the air, centering on the Samsara. This time, the target is not directly the chest -- but the blast is large enough to hit nearly everywhere.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has attacked Novas Stellas. Twin Beam Cannon added to their queue.

The alien skeleton, 'grown' within the Siberian soil, lives and breathes - or at least lives. Much like Eureka, whom came from the very same place. The video link that shows her the older pink-haired woman, who seems to not like it as much as she does. At least, that is what she believes - and as the Gespent stumbles back, to a kneel - the Nirvash leaps off the board, grasping it, as it stands above the fallen Gespent.

The fallen machines - the violence all around. The battlefield... it's still better than what she had before.

"It can't be helped!" She snaps at Ring, as she asks why she's there. "Before I was able to earn a life... I was a murderer for the Federation." The girl can't be past sixteen, from the looks of it. Perhaps even fifteen. "Before I learned to even talk, or understand anything about you ... I was taught to kill you."

She looks straight at the visual feed - and it's telling. The teal hair, the odd pink eyes with a red circle - and most importantly, the greenish and glowing sections of her body, mainly her arm and a bit of her face, that now entirely faces the screen.

"It can't be helped... That I live in violence, because it's the only way I was taught!"

COMBAT: Axel Almer has struck a major critical hit on Novas Stellas's Samsara using Twin Beam Cannon.

Striker's cameras see a canopy, but as Fiona is from a /rational/ tech level, she assumes it is plastic and not something retarded like glass.

Either way, she twists around and manages to cycle her foot into the Nana, sending it flying. Aoba calls the Alpha Ball, and Fiona's sensors detect something moving WAY too fast - "What!" Fiona yells out, jerking to the side and coming down, kicking up dust as she lands. Fiona takes a few deep breaths, checking her condition. Not good...but she's not out of the fight yet, either. She sees Healing Care handling Puru pretty well, so Fiona just has to focus on one target...right. Right. She'll have to wind up, so "WHAT THE!" she yells, as the Alpha Ball suddenly redirects frictionlessly at her, and Fiona has to move /fast/ - gunning the lunge thrusters, darting forward, and yelling, "NOT SO EASY!" as she ducks /under/ the incoming assault, before redirecting the lunge thrusters up - propelling Excellence up to GORE the Jinki on her face horn!!

Before Aoba can react, if Fiona's pulled this off right, she reaches up with her crusher arm and shoves the Jinki off, and then redirects her own lunge forward, the Crusher Arm snapping open and blasting in with the internal plasma beams to keep Aoba cornered...

"I'M ENDING THIS! GIGANTO! CRUSHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"

And then SLAMS into the Jinki, and drilling into the thing, the whole Crusher assembly spiralling wildly to rip and tear.

COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has attacked Aoba Tsuzaki. Giganto Crusher Arm added to their queue.

Gym's (borrowed) Orbital Frame does not appear to be as tough as he would like. He'll have to deal with that, though, largely by doing the smart thing and avoiding enemy fire altogether.

BANG! The recoilless rifle's shot screams through the air. While it might be 'recoilless,' it is hardly quiet. Ardjet blurs to one side, the shot tearing through the sky and disappearing into the distance. The machine focuses on the source of the shot for a moment, ready to retaliate. "Not good enough! You think you can--"

The light from the Metal Destroyer makes Gym take pause in his declaration of Sven's inevitable demise. Ardjet doesn't waste any time moving out of the path of the deadly beam, or at least trying to; the Orbital Frame moves directly upwards, but the sweep of the Metal Destroyer tears across it's lower half. It's a wonder the thing can even still fly after punishment like that.

"...heh. Made of tougher stuff than I thought," he murmurs. "Alright! If that's the way you want to play, fine!" The WISPs seem to spread out around Ardjet while it hovers in mid-air. It flies a lazy path around the R-Gun and the Dagger below while the WISPs begin to light up, swirling around it and glowing with yellow-white illumination like a cloud of fireflies. The swarm gathers closer, seeming to momentarily encase the Orbital Frame--

"/LETS PLAY/!!" The light focuses in front of the Frame and a brilliant beam lances out from it of the same yellow-white light. It moves quickly, slicing through the air, the snow, the ice, and even the section of the base between the Dagger and the R-Gun like a hot knife through butter. The path of devastation is less impressive than the R-Gun's, but that may simply be because it is more focused, and no less dangerous.

Gabby Hazard is in the thick of it now. He'll need all of his years of experience-- nearly a decade!-- and his wiles, and his hard-earned skills to make it through the fight intact. He watches the battle play out, chewing on his bottom lip, and makes just. A. Slight. Shift.

The Dooben-Wolf pivots on its left foot, presenting its profile to the Garazzo; the spiked knuckles graze its chest, screeching against metal, but removing only paint.

The slash rippers roar by /exactly two centimers on either side of its head/.

The Zeonic Ace frowns, releasing his bottom lip and reaching up to scratch at the back of his head. "Heh. I meant to deploy the mega beam launcher."

Or maybe God really does love fools. Either way, the Dooben-Wolf still has enemies to deal with and they are WAY too close for comfort. Gabby 'punches it', and the machine rockets straight up into the air, executing a backflip about four hundred meters in the air. As it flips upside-down, the wing binders split open and fire four missiles, carpeting the area directly below him.

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has attacked Bring Stability and Viletta Vadim. Missile Sweep added to their queue.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has struck a glancing hit on Viletta Vadim's Gespenst Mk. II-R using Missile Sweep.

COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has attacked Ingram Prisken and Sven Cal Bayan. Cocoon Laser Strafe added to their queue.

Ken Marinaris keeps on speeidng away the attacks contiune toi come as her machine is ripped into. The damage is bad but Ken is pressing on, there is a shriek oir ripping metal as Ken pulls herself free from Meiya's attack and she keeps on moving to flee as fast the damaged machine will go. She's ripping up the ground as she goes. She's making a full out break for it now.

"Tch, like you know anything about being a Martian!"

The machine speed is picking up and Ken's really pushing it hard she's got to flee.

The dart strikes the Zaku III and yet it keeps going. Nicol already knows it is over. As the two free fall, Nicol attempts to sever the tether but is too late as the Zaku takes the line into both hands. Nicol stares as the Zaku pulls up and kicks the front of Blitz in. Luckily, Nicol is pretty safe inside the cockpit. Unlucky for Nicol, the Blitz shuts down, fading to a grey color as the unit is throw at the ground below.

Blitz drops with a thunderous bang, embedding in the ground. Nicol looks up, feeling blood run down his head from a cut. Does he has a concussion? He doesn't know, feeling alright mostly thanks to safety features and not being cleaved through by a beam saber. He groans as he sends out a distress beacon.

COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has missed Ingram Prisken with his Cocoon Laser Strafe attack.

COMBAT: Bring Stability has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Bring Stability has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has missed Bring Stability with his Missile Sweep attack. COMBAT: Bring Stability has counter attacked for a major hit on Gabby Hazard's AMX-014 Dooben-Wolf Hazard Custom using Bring Stabbity.

COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has struck a devastating hit on Sven Cal Bayan's Doppelhorn Dagger L using Cocoon Laser Strafe.

"He'd probably feel like shit and get drunk, and wonder where he made the mistake, how he made it, if he made it, what he could have done differently--he worries about that after every engagement. That's what the Captain would do. He worries about people all the time. Maybe he's wrong, but how can he know that while making the decision. He might be able to weigh all sorts of crap, but in the end we ain't gods and frankly I don't think even gods can plan for everything."

Novas Stellas has been lucky, all things considered, to be doing this well. Axel can carve into her mech like a hot knife through butter and Novas is having trouble hitting him--but at least he's not ripping her mech to shreds like last time. She considers her options, now, later? Better try to hold on just a bit longer, Novas reflects, you'll only have one shot at this rate. Axel's machine slams into the Samsara's right arm, causing her to swear underneath her breath, halting philisophical dialogue for a moment before KRABOOM!--two beam blasts collide into Novas's machine, causing her to be blown backwards. The right arm of the Samsara explodes into a vibrant white light and she just flings herself back forward in an increasingly desperate maneuver, trying to rip through his machine with the spirit lance.

"Every group, every warrior makes decisions that kill people. But if they die, if the human race dies, life will continue on! If all life dies, the world will continue on, if you explode a planet, there will be others, even if the universe is destroyed, there will be other universes! We do the best we can and if we're wrong, someone else will get it right!"

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Novas Stellas has attacked Axel Almer. Infinite Journey added to their queue.

So here's what happens, more or less.

Yazan's Strike E plunges its swords down down down -- all the way down, and they jam through the Evangelion's chest. Not into its heart, but worse, toward its plug, the cell keeping the whole thing moving, if only because that's where the pilot is. LCL and thick, clotted blood spurt up around the blades as they sink through armor, through necrotized flesh, through bionic structural enhancements, through whatever passes for bone in there. The blades strike home, and with a loud 'KA-CHUNK,' pierce the plug from either direction -- forming a crude 'X' as they come out the other side.

Rei Ayanami is about to try and respond when the dim light inside the LCL-filled plug suddenly flashes in urgency. "WARNING," a computer voice chimes. "EJECT PLUG IMMEDIATELY. PLUG HAS BEEN COMPROMISED. UNCONTROLLED DECOMPRESSION IN THIRTY SECONDS."

Thirty seconds is forever when you know what you're doing. Rei immediately begins the procedure to eject, moving quickly to tip the Eva onto its side. "Hnngh." It takes a few seconds longer than it should. The swords are still sticking out of the giant grotesque.

"UNCONTROLLED DECOMPRESSION IN TWENTY SECONDS."

Rei doesn't listen to it. She's got to get out. She bashes the escape button -- and nothing happens. The plug starts to go, then stops -- the swords have it pinned, trapped inside the beast. Rei's eyes go wide in realization, and she turns to the small video window of Leo.

"I... Leo," is all she can think to say. She's silent for a moment, before realizing every second counts. "I love you, Leo. I meant it when I said it. And I still do."

"UNCONTROLLED DECOMPRESSION IN TEN SECONDS."

Rei looks around, nervously. She knows she has nowhere to go. She knows what's going to happen. Everything that could possibly go wrong has gone wrong. She seems wounded when she turns back to Leo -- not physically, but the look in her eyes. "Leo. Promise me, no matter what happens. Don't let me forget what I said. Don't let me forget what I /feel/. Promise me, promise me, Don't let me forget." The words come fast and furious, a desperate verbal assault.

"EXPLOSIVE DECOMPRESSION IN ONE SECOND."

Rei closes her eyes. She doesn't want to see it coming, nor does she want the last thing she sees to be Leo's look of horror. Instead, she seals herself off -- as she's done so many times before -- and waits. One second stretches forever. She thinks on all the things that might have happened. She never cooked for Leo. She never got Leo and Gendo to see eye-to-eye. She never got Gendo and Shinji to reconcile. No. Leo. Back to Leo. She never got to go on a vacation with him. She never got the chance to marry him. To get too old to do this Evangelion thing anymore. To have kids, to move from EFA base to EFA base, to get complacent or resentful or have fights or make up after or feel proud of all that they've managed to overcome. The last thing Rei thinks is that she and Leo never really and truly got to dance together.

And then, lifetimes later, Rei knows it's time to let go.

Uncontrolled decompression is one of the most violent fates a human body can endure. Factor in the macabre aspect of LCL, and the only positive thing that can be said is that it's nearly instantaneous. The LCL permeating Rei's body, carrying oxygen to her directly, begins to expand, as do the various gases within her body. It's a bit like having a bellows blowing into one end and a funnel pouring into the other. Her flesh ripples, but it happens so quickly that no one would notice. Her body simply... grows, bulging outward, grotesquely misshaping itself like a bad joke of an inflatable toy.

And when Rei Ayanami's form can take no more, she bursts. The hull of the plug warps from the force of the explosion. Her body throws itself apart as forcefully as it possibly can, as if its molecules simply refused to abide by one another any longer. In the LCL, blood and parts free-float. Nothing is left of her head but a long scrap of skin with hair and lips and broken fragments of skull. Her spine launches out of her body so hard that it breaks her chair. No fingers or toes survive -- the body parts that remain fundamentally intact just resemble hunks of raw meat. Her plugsuit, ragged and ruined, floats about with the rest of it.

The video link, of course, remained open, unable to be deactivated.

TOKYO-03

Gendo Ikari is walking down a hallway in NERV Headquarters, carrying a dossier on some project or another. His employees nod to him as he walks by -- he does not nod in return. Then, suddenly, he recoils, as if some invisible force had just struck him. He drops the dossier, and falls to his knees.

As various NERV employees rush to assist their leader, the emblem of the organization hangs above them. God's in His Heaven, it proclaims.

All's Right With the World.

"PROTECT WAAAAAAAAALL!!!!" Guy calls out, engaging the defensive barrier ...

Which the singularity simply wraps around along with engulfing GaoGaiGar, trying to crush it out of existence. Guy can be heard starting to cry out in pain before communications are interrupted ...

And then ... the singularity dissipates, and Guy's voice can be heard again, gasping and coughing. (Yeah, even a cyborg like him still needs to breathe, from the sound of things. "Heh ... I won't die here, no. And you won't either."

GaoGaiGar was brought down to its knees by the Burst Cannon attack, incredibly enough, but perhaps MORE incredible is that it gets back up, hands clenching into fists, optics glowing ominously between the edge of the mask and the rim of its helmet's cut-out. "Here for your allies ... I'll respect that. But if you thought you were going to die gloriously ... not today." The battered Super Mechanoid draws itself up to its full height, spreading its arms to either side ... and its hands start glowing, yellow light rippling outward from its left hand, crimson energy swirling out from the right, as Guy calls out:

HELL!!! AND! HEAVEN!!!"

Deep within GaoGaiGar, the G-Stone flares brighter as its power output ramps up - and outwardly, the glowing hands are brought together, lightning-like discharges crackling between them as the opposing forces are brought closer together. Guy's voice can be heard as he chants, "Gemu giru gan go gufo ... !"

The hands lock together, and with a surge of energy, a tunnel of swirling electromagnetic fog erupts out and forwards, trying to engulf the Qareen and lock it into helpless immobility.

And GaoGaiGar charges forward, Guy's voice rising in a full-throated roar, echoed by Galeon's own roar, barreling towards the Qareen, the locked-together fists dipping, twisting -- aiming to plunge right into the Orbital Frame and rip the cockpit block right out of the machine, the pilot included.

"A murderer..." Now it all starts to make sense. If this girl was unnatural, then unnatural science was to blame. Dr. Hell wasn't the only expert in that field after all. Least of all the company that brought into existence the term 'Vanishing Trooper'. This, however, went beyond playing with black holes. This was a girl's life, wasn't it. Ring falls back into her seat, a hand coming to her parted lips. "Dear God." Jayce...

The woman catches herself, closing her eyes again. "Forget what I said. If you're forging your own path, then... ignore the mutterings of an old veteran."

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has attacked Suriel Misaki. Hell And Heaven added to their queue.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has struck a devastating hit on Suriel Misaki's Qareen using Hell And Heaven. Knock Out! Suriel Misaki's Qareen unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Fiona Gureden has struck a glancing hit on Aoba Tsuzaki's Nana-Two Way Aoba Custom using Giganto Crusher Arm.

And once again the additional weight of the striker pack proves to be a detriment to the machine's ability to evade. It's encased in the coccoon of lasers and assailed from all sides. one arm is ripped off at the shoulder and a leg snaps in two. The Dagger sags down as it's frame is scorched and seered. It collapses back into the side of the hanger... Sven groans a bit as he checks his guages... no good. Mobility is shot and there's heavy damage across the frame... but then he notices that the recoilless cannon is still online. he takes a hold of the controls and takes aim with his (im)mobile suit, and then lets out another thunderous crack.

COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has attacked Gym Ghingnham. Recoilless Cannon added to their queue.

COMBAT: Axel Almer has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Axel Almer has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Novas Stellas has missed Axel Almer with her Infinite Journey attack. COMBAT: Axel Almer has counter attacked for a solid hit on Novas Stellas's Samsara using Double Magna Rifle.

Landing heavily next to the fallen Blitz, it would seem that the Zaku is in perfect position to finish off the now-enemy Gundam. Inside, Full Frontal considers doing just that, ripping the lancer dart from the chassis of his unit. Would it be ironic to finish the enemy unit with its own weapon?

It isn't the dart that hits the broken Gundam, but a communication line instead. "Let your superiors know that we are less than pleased with their decision to abandon the alliance."

The dart clatters against the black ZAFT unit. The Zaku III is gone.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Our position is rapidly moving towards 'untenable'. Unit 00 just went out of it, the pilot may be dead. Stenbuck is down, the ZAFT mobile suit is down, Miss Mao as well. Most of our units have taken serious to near critical damage on top of that."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Meiya Mitsurugi transmits, "..I'm aborting from attempting to stop Ken MArinaris and engaging hostile enemies."

"DIE?! Who the hell wants to die?!" Suriel shouts, before he was caught in the protect shade. D-DAMN!?! He tries to move, but the Qareen was unable to move out of the field. He can only watch in horror as the two hands of the super robot slowly close in together...

This was going to hurt.

Suriel can't do anything but watch the attack come...well, he'll have to take solis in the fact that he managed to take it down this far. Take pride in the fact that he managed to get his allies out of prison.

Screw that, this is going to HURT.

It hurts far worse than he can ever imagine. His trace suit transmits every single ounce of pain, the metatron feeds back into his body. But luckily for him, there is only so much the human mind could take before it shuts off. Suriel passes out from pain a few moments later, as the entire Orbital Frame SHATTERS.

So much for a first mission.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Guy Shishioh transmits, "One DC Orbital Frame down, I've got the pilot!"

"Don't give me that!" Meiya shouts back. "You have /no/ idea what I've been through, so don't you dare tell me I know nothing!"

But the Type-00R kicks out it's legs and fires it's jets, breaking hard, then sliding across the ground in a power turn to face back towards the huge battle, returning to it via jet assisted leap.

That... didn't work as well as expected. The beam manages to at least strike Gym - unfortunately, it doesn't manage to impact anything else. Ingram curses, even as the R-GUN returns to it's prior configuration. Unfortunately, the two massive beams from the R-Eins are coming roaring straight up at him, and there's no time to evade. Well, evading isn't what Ingram has in mind at this point. Instead, he simply smiles... and boars straight on in. The two massive energy bolts slam headlong into the R-GUN, shattering hull plating and tearing off armored chunks. But he powers on through, pulling out the Beam Gladius and swinging it down to try and bury it right into the face of Echidna's machine. The brief image of her that is transmitted to his machine is noted, and will be considered later. But Ingram is in the middle of an attack, and can't break off just yet. One hand tosses the beam gladius away, even as the PT pulls out it's boosted rifle. And Ingram shrugs slightly in response to Echidna, even as he begins pulling the trigger, delivering the hyper velocity shells at near point blank range. "You may be correct about that."

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has attacked Echidna Iisaki. Boosted Rifle added to their queue.

COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Sven Cal Bayan has struck a major critical hit on Gym Ghingnham's Ardjet using Recoilless Cannon.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has missed Echidna Iisaki with his Boosted Rifle attack.

The double magna rifle is aimed at the Samsara. Axel's eyes narrow, as he rises above Unit 00. The R-Eins is positively dwarfed by the Evangelion, and Almer is (perhaps fortunately) unaware of the violent end its pilot met. He rises higher and higher, and sees the spirit lance aimed down at him. White energy crackles across it, and he clinches one fist -- and reminds himself that the R-Eins is not able to handle Axel doing what he does best.

Verniers fire in a careful, controlled path. The double magna rifle fires; two large bolts of energy hurl at the Samsara as it passes, and then the machine slams the rifle back into place. Axel slams his controls forward. "Heh... that kinda faith," he says. "You make me a little jealous, Stellas. Me..."

The R-Eins plunges its hands down to its side. The twin blade tonfas are drawn free; the swords energize, turning red hot as the heat blades come online. Axel's lips curl back into a smile, and he leans forward. "I only got that kinda faith in one guy: me."

He drives downward, and then stabs the left blade, hard, at the Samsara. The second, however, is the larger threat. The right slashes across the top, at the neck of the robot, and tries to cut the head away!

COMBAT: Axel Almer has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Axel Almer has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Axel Almer has attacked Novas Stellas. Blade Tonfa added to their queue.

COMBAT: Novas Stellas has activated a spirit command.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Chief Taiga transmits, "Ingram, are you attempting to take additional prisoners, or should Guy deposit the pilot out of harm's way?"

COMBAT: Axel Almer has struck a apocalyptic critical hit on Novas Stellas's Samsara using Blade Tonfa. Knock Out! Novas Stellas's Samsara unit has become disabled!

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "One moment, I'm still engaged. Damn, the other ZAFT pilot's unit just went down."

Bring Stability cannot help but regret his foolishness - of COURSE that's what Gabby's been relying on this entire fight. His wiles. You can't kill somebody who's constantly got a card (or whatever) up their sleeve. The Garazzo comes to a shambling halt before it's able to turn and follow the Dooben's trajectory upwards. Thing's moving quickly enough, awkwardly enough that the Garazzo's camera is having some trouble -following it-.

The GN-T engine on the mech's back flares and groans, bright red text flashes across Bring's HUD. |GN CAMERA ACTIVATED| The Dooben's progress becomes much clearer - Stability is able to see the colorful stains of octopus shit smeared over one of its thighs, even. His computers quickly find a lock on the slippery specimen, and predicted pathways are, perhaps for the first time in the fight, entirely clear.

The Garazzo launches, sending plumes of sand to gust dozens of feet away by means of thruster blowback. By the time the sand clears, the Garazzo's no longer -there-; it's weaving through that rain of missiles, a series of daring, skillful pirouettes and twists that remove it from the clear and present danger of getting impaled with a seven-to-ten foot long explosive shaft. As before, the GN Beam Claws become exposed during the attack. The difference is in what happens upon contact.

Each Beam Claw stabs into one of the Dooben's shoulders, virtually pinning the Garazzo to the DC mech. It hangs there, feet dangling in the open air, and simply -releases- from its precarious perch. Considering that Gabby's going much, much faster than Bring, it's through the power of physics that Bring's beam claws rake deep, garish furrows into the Dooben's chest, hips, thighs, and calves -- and then puncture the mech's feet as Bring reaffirms his grip.

His GN-T engine flares to life once more; Stability disengages from the Dooben's feet, streaks forward to reestablish a face-to-face flight-path with the DC mech, and turns face-to-face into a face-on-face encounter, courtesy of yet -another- doomsaying flare from that GN-T engine. Orange particles seethe from the Garazzo's neck-vents, and it brings its head forward in a classic, now GN-powered bar favorite.

COMBAT: Bring Stability has attacked Gabby Hazard. GN Headbutt added to their queue.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Chief Taiga transmits, "That's something of an answer ... Guy, put the pilot down somewhere safe, and get back into the fight if you believe GaoGaiGar can still be of assistance. If it's too badly damaged, withdraw."

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Bring Stability has missed Gabby Hazard with his GN Headbutt attack.

"Yeah, yeah," is Puru Two's non-committal reaction to Aoba. Trying her very best to sound like she doesn't care in the slightest bit. Unlike most of the time, this actually takes a bit of effort on her part.

It's kind of weird to be called 'lady'. She's been called a lot of things, but 'lady' isn't one of them. 'Little lady', yes, not that it matters much because neither is exactly welcome. "'Lady' yourself!", is the awkward excuse for an rebuttal. "My name is Puru Two! Remember it, on the off chance you survive!"

The Sword Breaker attack does not exactly have the intended results, however, prompting an annoyed mumble. "That was just luck, but this time...!" She doesn't get finish that thought, because there is a Garazzo coming straight for her. Before she full well realizes it, the machine crashes into hers, a beam claw ready to strike...

Things suddenly appear to be moving in slow motion, Puru Two's Newtype senses taking note of what's happening behind her. While she can't see it with her eyes, in her mind's eye she can tell that Aoba is in trouble. This changes everything.

In a flash, the Ashsaber drops to the ground, narrowing avoiding a worse fate than getting crashed into as the incoming claw merely clips its head. While rolling through the snow, the PT loses its machine gun, and instead withdraws a much larger rifle, until finally rolling up to one knee, taking aim into the distance. The barrel of the rifle parts in two, and energy builds up in its center in the form of a ball.

She only warns Aoba with two words. "Aoba! Switch!" With Healing heading in Aoba's direction, hopefully her partner for this mission will be able to capitalize. As for the Ashsaber, the lengthy charge sequence of its Halberd Shooter comes to an end, and an enormous blast of energy is unleashed, roaring /just/ past the Garazzo, and instead heading straight for the Excellence. "No more playing around!"

COMBAT: Puru Two has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Puru Two has attacked Fiona Gureden. Halberd Shooter Full Charge added to their queue.

Having said what she wanted to - that she wanted to for so long. To stop hiding what she was - though, perhaps she should. The woman seems to recoil. Could it be because of what she is? Could it be what she's changing into? Perhaps... simply what she said.

Humanity is just so difficult to understand.

"But ...maybe... It's not all bad." She notes, looking down, "Since I was found, in the ground... even if I was a murderer. I ... wouldn't have met everyone. If I wasn't taught what I was - I'd be useless... to everyone." It's not the only thing that she wanted to say - for once.

The destruction of the EVA is not ignored - but she doesn't fully notice it. It's a Bio-unit .. but just disabled, right? "I ... just have so much to say..." It's as if she's able to finally think. "I'm just sorry ... if they come back and ... And thankful ... that I got to met people like Adrock Thurston." She looks back to the camera. "...Thank you. For listening..."

The Nirvash shoots off, into the air, launching skywards. The contract wasn't just over, even if she would have liked nothing better than to just pull out.

COMBAT: Puru Two has struck a devastating hit on Fiona Gureden's Excellence Striker using Halberd Shooter Full Charge.

Payback = bitch?

Payback = bitch.

"Eh?" Novas says, moments before two bolts of energy slam into its side, temporarily disrupting the motor controls of the Samsara which is pretty impressive because it hardly looks like there ARE motor controls. Swearing underneath her breath, she punches open a control panel, an explosion of wiring hitting her as she struggles to get the plummeting Samsara into movable condition. It's about this point that Ingram asks her what her chances are of stopping Axel.

She actually laughs, that's the funniest thing she's heard all day.

"Fair enough, Axel--" She murmurs, "It's alright, I believe in you too--" She replaces a wire, snaps it shut, and then--

--The R-Eins rips a blade into the chest of the Samsara--and follows through by ripping the head off of the Samsara. Novas isn't elligible for the Gundam Fight, but this would count as a victory if she was.

Then again, another thing that counts as a victory is the way the remains of the Samsara slam into the ground with an explosion of white energy that rapidly dissipitates, flickering white flames gradually dissipitating around it.

GaoGaiGar comes to a halt near the edge of the battle area, cautiously parting its hands to check on the 'captured' DC pilot.

And then the King of Braves carefully kneels, gently setting the unconscious pilot down before drawing back, with Guy taking a quick diagnostic of his machine's condition. The fight with the Orbital Frame took a pretty severe toll on GaoGaiGar's systems ... but there's still at least one enemy whom Guy doesn't intend to allow to leave unmarked.

GaoGaiGar takes to the air again, its gaze sweeping the battlefield as Guy looks for Yazan Gable's machine ...

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has activated a spirit command.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Guy Shishioh transmits, "All right ... what's Yazan piloting tonight."

Suddenly, finding the explosive bolts trigger doesn't seem so important.

Leo's eyes are drawn up to the video link when Rei starts to speak, and he just... stares. This can't be happening. It's a nightmare, or a hallucination, or, or something. He has to have been knocked out when he ejected. Yeah... yeah, that's all it is. It's not real. It can't be real.

Leo's mouth moves, but no words come out; he slumps forwards in his seat and presses his hand against the monitor, just beside Rei's video feed. "No," he chokes out eventually. "No, no, no, Rei, you can't, please, you can't, I need you, I lo-"

Rei Ayanami explodes.

"-ve... ... you..." Leo gapes in horror as the grisly death of Rei Ayanami is etched indelibly into his memory. No... no, she's okay. She's- it just- she has to be, it- he has to go help her, if he-

Leo's heart pounds faster and faster in his chest, and, unsure of what else to do, he attempts to stand. His legs simply refuse to hold his weight; he staggers, and collapses back into his seat, his entire body trembling.

Gradually, denial becomes an impossibility. Leo feels like he should scream, like he should cry, like he should be furious. But he doesn't do any of them. He rests his violently shaking hands in his lap and just stares into the middle distance, deaf to everything but his heartbeat. Dimly, in the back of his mind, he wonders if he's dying, too.

Leo Stenbuck has shed a great many tears in his days, for a great many reasons. He doesn't think he has any more to shed... so he just shuts off.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Isamu Dyson transmits, "... Shit."

Glass or plastic, it's still the only thing separating Aoba from the cold cruel Greenland winter! And the cold cruel steel of Fiona's blades!

The ball continues to fly as the Excellence dodges out of the way. Where it goes.... Aoba never asked. It must go -somewhere- since it always comes back when she calls. The quick movements of Excellence do manage to pierce the horn into the Jinki's armor, but Aoba is fast as well. Still on her feet, the girl reaches down and swings out a punch. The motion gloves translate this to Nana-Two, which quickly shoves away from the other robot before it can follow up its attack. "That's not going to do anything... My Nana-Two is too fast!" A small puff of metallic chaff is released from the backs of the Jinki's feet, just as the Rebound Boots swing downward. As soon as the boot plates touch the chaff, the Jinki is suddenly gone. "PHANTOM!"

Well, it technically isn't -gone-, but it's moved away so quickly that it almost seems it did disappear. The Nana-Two slows down enough to be more easily visible some distance away, having left a furrowed path of ground in its wake. "I'm going to--huh?" She looks up and blinks at Puru's transmission, then quickly nods. "Right!"

Oh, don't think she's forgotten you, Healing. "You... you talk really big! But you aren't going to kill anyone!" Another puff of chaff is released, and the Nana-Two is propelled forward, straight at the Garazzo. It reaches its right arm out, trying to grab hold of the Mobile Suit's arm. That grab is followed up by the left arm slamming a fist forward. Both legs are curled up slightly, then planted against the Garazzo's torso... and as soon as they touch, the Nana-Two is propelled away and the Garazzo may very well be sent flying downward thanks to the Jinki deciding to follow the third law of thermodynamics for once in its life.

COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has attacked Healing Care. Glittering Dragonfly Kick added to their queue.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Isamu Dyson transmits, "Leo, are you there?"

Ingram has seen Echidna before. There is not really any new information there - although last time, she was in an Ashsaber, not the R-Eins.

She puts the R-Eins into a dive; one of the rounds from the Boosted Rifle actually knocks off the short 'fin' on the right side of the head, causing some of Echidna's more long-range sensors to go offline; she switches to the backups, although now she's getting bad data from some of them.

Echidna spends about half a second trying to fix it before just leaving it, charging directly at Ingram. "I told you to retreat," Echidna says, driving forward with one of the Blade Tonfa braced against the length of R-Eins' forearm, slashing and cutting repeatedly with the other. Then she drives upwards, delivering two upward slash and a kick.

Then she jams the overboost as far as it will go.

Echidna's thrusters all blaze at the same time, and she is jammed downwards with about eight G-forces. Even her constructed body feels the strain; she can't breathe as the R-Eins revolves, both Blade Tonfas pointed upwards so that her entire machine is a drill.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has attacked Ingram Prisken. Code Killing Assault added to their queue.

COMBAT: Ingram Prisken has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has missed Ingram Prisken with her Code Killing Assault attack.

COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has struck a devastating hit on Healing Care's GNZ-005 Garazzo using Glittering Dragonfly Kick. COMBAT: Healing Care has counter attacked for a minor hit on Aoba Tsuzaki's Nana-Two Way Aoba Custom using GN Beam Claw.

There is little choice for Viletta beyond getting the hell away from those explosions; one good hit, with so much of her PT's internal workings exposed, could easily set the reactor off.

She /might/ be able to make something out of that if she timed it right, got just the right trajectory with her thrusters--

No, far too risky, even if a certain piece of genetic memory is all of a sudden screaming at her to try it anyway.

The PT test pilot grunts as she's rocked in her seat by the edges of a few blasts hitting a little too close to comfort; she's /still/ in the fight, but barely. She's already keeping one hand strategically near the cockpit block's eject switch, just in case. It makes her task of running her battered, one-armed Personal Trooper across the snow, snagging a downed incom, tracking Gabby Hazard and trying to keep the blood from a nasty forehead wound from leaking into her eye sort of interesting.

She hasn't the time or the, well, hands to make a really good go of what she's planning, but all the same she raises that incom bit high and twirls it overhead a few times to build momentum. Its floppy severed wire is whistling through the air with each revolution, and thanks to its necessarily sturdy construction, threatening to slash the armor of embattled fellow Federalis.

She just manages to spare the other Gespensts and GMs and such this fate, however; instead, at the height of the wire's rotary momentum, it is cast far, far up to the two mobile suits locked in combat with one another. The SRX Team's training officer is intent on wrapping the wire around a leg, an arm, the torso, anything at all and continuing to run.

Physics, and with any luck, the surety of the Garazzo's grip should hopefully take care of things for her from there.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has attacked Gabby Hazard. Unusual Tactics added to their queue.

COMBAT: Viletta Vadim has missed Gabby Hazard with her Unusual Tactics attack.

Ring listens, steepling her hands over her lap as she does so. Ingram's status updates are becoming more dire. She'll have to go as well, at the least she has the thrusters to do so. First, though, there's one last thing to do.

"You're welcome," the woman's lips part into a softer smile. Sometimes listening is the best you can do. "If you need a pair of ears again, look me up. I'm usually on the Moon." The Nirvash takes off, and shortly afterwards does the Gespenst. Its pilot guiding it almost absently. "Jayce... What the hell /have/ we done..."

Ken Marinaris brings up the speed to as fast as it can go, and her machine along with the rookie on board are getting the hell out of dodge. "Tch." Is the last thing Ken says as her machine gets clear.

This time, the rifle round strikes home. The thunderclap of the recoilless rifle--well, cannon, rather--is heard heartbeats before the sound of the slug striking the Frame. An explosion preempts the pink-and-black streak falling from the sky, striking the icy ground far below and shattering the section of unmarred surface from the impact. It does not, for the moment, get up.

Inside the cockpit, Gym reels from the sudden shock sent through the Frame. He shakes the dazed feeling off, a ringing through his ears the price of surviving this. Ardjet isn't looking so good now, but the ridiculous technology and even more ridiculous material the thing is made of keeps it from coming apart. It even looks like itself, still! Mostly, anyway. It wouldn't do to give it back to it's Runner in multiple pieces.

Against all odds, the Orbital Frame rises up into the air again, hovering just above the ground. It steadies, focusing on the shape of GaoGaiGar in the distance. He can't see what it's doing, but he knows that one of their pilots has been taken by the so-called King of Braves. Gym has the feeling that letting one of their pilots get captured while breaking out two others is a poor plan.

The shimmering white will-o'-wisps swirl around the Orbital Frame again. They focus in front of it, and the bright illumination of the death laser that the cocoon around Ardjet creates cuts through the snow and ice in front of it, parting the sea of white.

Gym doesn't even give Guy the benefit of a warning before he shoots him in the back.

COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has attacked Guy Shishioh. Cocoon Laser added to their queue.

Ali, with a lot of shit blown up, pulls up. Anti-air towers and low-level Mobile Suits burn all around the black Rasiel -- its proto-bit system making it really too easy to wage wide-scale destruction against non-elite pilots. Satisfied with it all, he pauses his ascent briefly to admire the destruction of EVA-00. "I owe that guy a beer," he says, before a laugh. A memory of another girl getting cut in half by his own hands flashes in his mind.

"That bitch probably had it coming too."

COMBAT: Gym Ghingnham has struck a major hit on Guy Shishioh's GaoGaiGar using Cocoon Laser.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "I need unit recovery on the Samsara and Blitz - both units are down and we don't want to leave their pilots for the DC."

Slowly, the two blades of the Strike E withdraw from the fallen behemoth before it withwet, sickening 'schluck'ing noises as dead musculature and LCL cling to the edges. Yazan looks down in distaste as he pulls the weapons back with a grunt and a yank, staring down at the Eva with mild distaste before he turns his entire machine away, flicking LCL mildly to the side.

It is a tribute to his complete disregard for the life before him that Yazan doesn't even bother to watch as his actions so cruelly take it away.

"There," he mutters blandly as he holsters the weapons that killed Rei Ayanami, his tone eliciting a complete lack of care, as if he had just completed a simple chore. "An' now we're almost even."

The Strike E turns again. It steps so very close to the Gabthley's ejection block, lifting a foot -- only to stop as the R-Eins and the Samsara bring their fight so dangerously close to Gable's mobile suit. As if snapped back to reality, the masked man turns his gaze, refocusing it on the dueling pair. Ah, right. The mission.

"Ah, shucks," Gable mutters casually as he pulls on the controls of his machine. He looks back at the shady figure still strapped into the Strike cockpit behind him, hairless brows scrunching together behind his mask. "Looks like we're all outta time, 'Major' Stunbrisk. Congrats on another stunning mission. Guess now we're just gonna hafta chalk up your albino girlfriend's name on another long list of 'casualties attributed to the great Major Steblask,' eh?" He doesn't even bother to hide the delight in his voice as he steps his mobile suit backwards, beginning to ignite the thrusters.

"I'd help ya join her, but... a useless little Ender like you ain't worth it.

"Maybe next time, eh, li'l buddy?"

Next time. The ground-based Strike E begins to stride off, to pull out of the area -- as if he had all the time in the world to let his victory sink in and savor every second. Because, after all... there's always next time.

The close range counter attack - Ingram can more or less see it coming in at this point. But he's having a hard time connecting with the R-Eins, and the R-GUN's temperamental targeting systems are not helping in the least. But the spinning drill attack - while it is original, it doesn't leave a lot of room to adjust the aim if you miss with it. And Ingram reverses the R-GUN's thrusters, and hurls the PT away from it's opponent, clearing the spinning death vortex easily enough. It's clear enough that this battle is going to be wrapping up soon, and there is one thing more important than continuing the fight. Leaving ZAFT pilots here to face the DC's retribution was not goingto be a good step towards peace. And that decided, Ingram break off, jetting away from the R-Eins and Echidna and setting a course for the Blitz. The PT descends down in a long, low arc, landing heavily next to the downed black Gundam and reaching down to pick it up. It only takes a moment to get it into a fireman's carry, and Ingram radios the pilot, hoping he can hear. "This is Major Prisken - I'm recovering the Blitz to return it with us to an EFA repair facility. I trust you don't have a problem with this?"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Isamu Dyson transmits, "Can you get Leo? He's not responding. He's probably ..."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Isamu Dyson transmits, "Not ... Doing well."

"Puru Two? What the hell kind of name is that?!" wonders Healing Care, completely oblivious to the irony of her question. Giving her head a shake, the "Cyber Newtype" just sneers behind the visor of her flight helmet. "Well, whatever. I'll kill you so I won't have to bother trying to remember a dumb name like that!"

That's about when the Garazzo makes its attempt to skewer and rip the Ashsaber into pieces. Unfortunately, Puru Two is having none of her sass, and with impressive maneuvering (and the desire to actually /help/ someone out) avoids the worst of what could have very well be some pretty nasty damage. It draws a hiss from the girl, who follows this by kicking several times in her seat. Gripping her controls tightly thereafter, the girl sneers.

"Luck my ass! I'll--wait, what!?"

Puru Two is going after Fiona??

"You /tease/!"

It's about then that the Nana-Two registers again on the sensors of the Garazzo, signals blaring as it wars the "Cyber Newtype" pilot of her impending doom. "Wait a second," she mutters as she swerves around, watching the Jinki do its thing. The girl slowly frowns. "Not /this/ shit again!" The Jink vanishes.

Healing frowns darkly.

"I'll kill /who I want/! And you're quickly reaching my #1 spot!"

The chaff erupts and the Nana-Two reappears, grabbing the Garazzo by its arm. Somewhere in all of this the Garazzo manages to snap a leg UP and kick the Jinki in the face, seconds before the Jinki kicks IT in the chest, sending the silver mobile suit spiraling toward earth, where it impacts. Snow and dirt fly, and explosion rocking the mobile suit, clouding its landing.

...then, without warning, the singed, smoldering and wrecked Garazzo BURSTS through the smoke like some gruesome specter, all of its digits laced with vicious beam claws. It flies straight for Aoba and her Jinki, intent on landing on it like some goddamned alien facehugger, wrapping its legs around the other machine's waist. Then?

She will stab the Jinki over and over and over and /over/ again with those claws in some crazy berserker-like rage.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Shiro Amada transmits, "Damn..."

"GAAAAAH!!!" GaoGaiGar staggers - in mid-air - as the WISPs' fire converges on its back, a part of StealthGao II's fuselage exploding under the impact. It's not enough to fell the Super Mechanoid.

It is, however, enough to keep him from spotting Yazan's mobile suit. It's also MORE than enough to royally piss Guy Shishioh off, and the G-Stone super robot whirls around, fists clenching, right forearm and fist starting to spin up. "You ... !! HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!!"

The flight engines sputter briefly, then erupt into full power and maximum thrust as GaoGaiGar heads for the other orbital frame - and this time, he's not winding up for Hell and Heaven, he's not trying to remove the pilot.

BROOOOOOOOKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!"

He's just smashing the hell out of it - and rather than aiming for the head like he did with Suriel's OF, he's trying to punch through the main power core, the spinning knuckles grinding into the armor if Guy's swing connects. And if it does connect ...

MAAAAAGNUUUUUUUUUM!!!!!"

Blastoff.

COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Aoba Tsuzaki. GN Beam Sword Apocalypse added to their queue.

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has attacked Gym Ghingnham. Broken Slug added to their queue.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Gendo Ikari transmits, rather firmly, "NERV will be retrieving the Evangelion and its pilot."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Healing Care transmits, "Don't forget your spoon."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "That may be difficult, Commander Ikari. If the DC attempt to cart it off, we will have to try and contest their claim."

"Goddamn," Axel says. He forgets, sometimes, just how hard his machines can hit. In a cockpit, with levers and controls, the pilot does not have that instinctive control in the Soulgain -- in a very real sense, he cannot show the control. He leans backward, and lets out a sigh, as he sees the machine slam into the earth. "You better be okay in there, Stellas. We ain't done yet."

He fires the thrusters and lifts into the air. The next part, he asks over an open channel -- because he doesn't believe in secrets. He cracks a smile.

"Hey, Gable," he says. The cold smirk is clear in his voice, but visible over the radio, too. "You comin'?"

Nicol radios Ingram back, feeling the unit being lifted into the air. "No Major. I might need some medical attention as well. I seem to have hit my head. I should be fine during transport. Thank you for picking me up." The pilot sits back in his chair, not sure whats going on in the battle that's going on around him.

Gabby's Dooben-Wolf is thoroughly molested and abused by Bring Stability's grabby knife hands, and there isn't much he can do other than reel in the machine's hands and throw them up in front of the machine's face, before it slams into the ground. Brown armor litters the snow, smoking slightly as it melts into the snow pack. Inside, the Ace is just glad he had on his crash webbing, because holy shit.

"Holy /shit/," he repeats, aloud this time, reaching up to touch his forehead. He pulls it away expecting to see blood, like in those dramatic scenes, but it's actually maple syrup. Gabby frowns, licking the pancake topping off his finger and wondering who the hell put maple syrup in his cockpit.

BEFORE THE MISSION

CHIVVAY KAI CLASS "CHILIAD HAWK"

Giggling like a schoolgirl, Gabby's XO shoves a bag full of maple syrup into the cockpit of the captain's Dooben-Wolf, then scampers away out of the mobile suit hangar.

"That'll teach him to make fun of French Canadians!"

BACK HERE

Gabby shrugs, and turns his attention back to the devil robot and the one-armed devil robot. "Why aren't these guys /dead/?" he mutters, trying to regain his feet before Bring gets in close again. It doesn't work; the Garazzo comes in for a vicious head-first assault, and Hazard has to make do with whatever's at hand. In this case: snow. A full burn of his back thrusters buries the Dooben-Wolf deeper into the snow, /JUST/ letting the Garazzo fly by overhead.

Then, he takes off into the air, trying desperately to get that ranged advantage again. The Garazzo is mighty fast, and its pilot knows what he's doing. Breathing heavily, he steals a glance at the blue PT, and just in time. "Shit!" he coughs, blanketing the area with head vulcans, which manage to tear up the errant Incom's wire. If it were possible, Gabby starts to feel even more stressed and under siege.

"This is ridiculous!" he shouts at last. In frustration, he just starts firing wildly at both of his evil assailants with the beam rifle and hand guns. "I mean, come on! /Come on/!"

COMBAT: Guy Shishioh has struck a glancing hit on Gym Ghingnham's Ardjet using Broken Slug. COMBAT: Knock Out! Gym Ghingnham's Ardjet unit has become disabled!

<Radio: B - EFA S> Arado Balanga transmits, "I-Is she...?"

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has attacked Viletta Vadim and Bring Stability. COME ON added to their queue.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Gendo Ikari says, again firmly, in that 'I'm the daddy' tone, "NERV has the situation under control."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ring Mao transmits, "Someone had better."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "From the amount of damage the pilot compartment has suffered, it seems likely."

COMBAT: Bring Stability has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has struck a solid hit on Bring Stability's GNZ-005 Garazzo using COME ON. COMBAT: Bring Stability has counter attacked for a major critical hit on Gabby Hazard's AMX-014 Dooben-Wolf Hazard Custom using GN Spartan Assault.

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has struck a solid hit on Viletta Vadim's Gespenst Mk. II-R using COME ON. Knock Out! Viletta Vadim's Gespenst Mk. II-R unit has become disabled!

<Radio: B - EFA S> Arado Balanga transmits, "M-Man."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Isamu Dyson transmits, "God dammit, you piece of shit Earth Federation and your stupid orders!"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Arado Balanga transmits, "That's... I'm really sorry, Commander Ikari."

Echidna Iisaki comes out of the spin. She is not dizzy, although there is some lingering discomfort from being mashed down with several hundred pounds that, strictly speaking, she doesn't actually have.

She sees Ingram go. Technically, her orders are at this point to start the retreat - but she has some lingering irritation to work out. She still blames the EFA for W17's malfunction, something they infected her with, and she has one here to take it out on.

Echidna fires the first weapon she can find, which drops a grenade into each of the R-Eins' hands. She throws them at the R-GUN before turning, heading toward the /other/ R-Eins on the field - Axel Almer, who she still has to protect.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has attacked Ingram Prisken. Chaff Grenade added to their queue.

COMBAT: Echidna Iisaki has struck a minor hit on Ingram Prisken's R-GUN using Chaff Grenade.

The round discharges the chamber with enough force that it shakes the heavily damaged Dagger L something fierce. This shuddering has the side effect of knocking something important loose and causing the mobile suit to loose power all of a sudden, throwing Sven into pitch blackness. It takes several moments for Sven to find the explosive bolt trigger in the inky black, but when he does, the cockpit is flooded with light as the hatch blows open and he steps out into the cold, brisk air with his helmet in one hand.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Gendo Ikari's tone does not betray emotion. "As I said, the situation is under control. Good day."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Sven Cal Bayan transmits, "This is Sven Cal Bayan, my Dagger L has been crippled. I am abandoning it and pulling back on foot."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "We've taken a high number of casualties, and there seems to be little chance of stopping Almer, Marinaris, or Gable from escaping. Collect our wounded and disabled, and fall back."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Fiona Gureden transmits, "Damn, these guys are completely unreal...Yes, my lord. Retreating."

Good News:

Viletta's reactor /doesn't/ explode when her Gespenst is pummeled by a good four or five simultaneous beam and projectile shots.

Bad News:

The goddamn thing is basically just a cockpit block skipping merrily across the snow thanks to being explosively ejected from the rest of the unit; spare Gespenst pieces are strewn about all over the place, and while many of the parts are pretty easy to replace, it'll be a little bit before she's behind its controls again.

The intelligence agent/trainer/test pilot/special forces soldier/closeted sitcom fan frowns thinly.

There was a goddamn octopus on that mobile suit's head.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Healing Care transmits, "Oh hell no-- you better finish what you started! Kill that ugly machine!"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Fiona Gureden transmits, "How!? --gh, I guess...there is one choice. OK, gimme a sec."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Your orders are to fall back, Fiona. If you need to eliminate a target to secure your line of retreat... just don't get yourself shot down."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Fiona Gureden transmits, "After that last hit, I'm not sure /how/ Striker's still in one piece."

Guy finds a fundamental problem with punching into and through the Orbital Frame: he can't. The punch, with it's spinning knuckles and destructive grinding, hits the front of Ardjet and pushes it backwards through the air. It staggers against it and twists sideways, letting it fly past and getting out from under it. Ardjet blurs through the air, leaving faint afterimages as it charges towards GaoGaiGar, apparently ready to go for one more round, right to the bell--

--and then just moves past it, grabbing the cockpit and shooting straight upwards into the sky at ludicrous speeds, disappearing from sensor range in the blink of an eye. From the brief glimpse, it looks like Ardjet's paint isn't even really scratched. Metatron is funny like that.

It's like Gym is some kind of SRW boss or something. What kind of bullshit is this?!

<Radio: A - EFA C> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Then fall back. Don't get yourself killed over a lost cause. The DC is also breaking off."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Guy Shishioh catches his breath, "And another orbital frame's out of the fight ... retreated with the pilot from the first one."

The Type-00R slides to a stop near the Gundam Blitz, both swords drawn and held up. Losing a ZAFT pilot on something like this could bea political disaster. So Meiya will just have to safe guard him until evacuation is possible.

Irritation often leads to getting smacked in the face by a chaff grenade. The hit is more annoying that anything else. Ingram grimaces, his screen going wild for a moment. There wasn't too much that it was going to hinder - he hardly needed his precise targeting systems to do search and rescue. He just does his best to ignore the static - and the large crack across his view screen - and pilots over to the Samsara. "I'm going to recover your compatriot as well before we leave," he transmits to Nicol. "Either of you falling into the hands of the DC would not be doing anything good for our negotiations."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Fiona Gureden transmits, "...yes, my lord. I've got better things to die for than this."

Is he coming?

Gable looks at the radio, staring at Axel for a long, silent moment. Grinning, the former Titan, former Phantom Pain commander, former Federation major, lifts a gloved hand, clenching onto the edges of his dark mask. Peeling it off, he tosses the thing to the side, letting it smack against the side of his cockpit with a leathery slap. His face is scarred -- burn marks stretch in random, ugly patterns across his rough skin, carving through his right eye in a nauseatingly charred crawl that stretches down and over his ear.

Yazan considers them souveneirs.

"What d'you think?" The Strike E's thrusters begin to emit a soft, blue luminescence as its legs bend at the knees. The last remnants of LCL drips from the tips of its blades and torso as that glow grows more intense. Nice little reminders.

"Let's leave the losers t'lick their wounds an' cry. Hahaha!"

With that, the thrusters ignite, propelling the Sword Strike like a shot through the air, the powder blue machine growing smaller and smaller as it rapidly leaves the destruction Gable has so gleefully helped to wrought.

COMBAT: Healing Care has missed Aoba Tsuzaki with her GN Beam Sword Apocalypse attack. COMBAT: Aoba Tsuzaki has missed Healing Care with her Iron Blade counter attack.

<Radio: A - EFA C> Shiro Amada, jokingly, "You'd better stop calling people 'lord' before you ruin 'sir' for the rest of us, Gureden."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Fiona Gureden transmits, "Eh? O-oh."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Isamu Dyson transmits, "She can call me Lord."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Isamu Dyson transmits, "Lord High Supernova, king of the skies."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Ingram Prisken transmits, "A simple sir will do, Fiona. There are few members of nobility here, and none you are required to use such honorifics with."

<Radio: A - EFA C> Shiro Amada transmits, "Don't know if we should go that far, but you are pretty good."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Viletta Vadim transmits, "I am signalling for a transport as we speak; if the salvage teams could get a few Gespensts worth of spares, it would be very helpful for me."

Okay, so the Orbital Frame didn't actually go down ... but it *did* retreat. Guy's not going to complain about that.

As he's gathering himself and moving to survey the field again, he feels his head starting to spin - maybe from adrenaline burning off ... or maybe from his cybernetics starting to glitch up. There *are* reasons why he's not supposed to use the old-fashioned Hell and Heaven move - reasons why the Goldion Hammer was built in the first place.

And he's not the only one who knows them - or what shape he's currently in. /Guy,/ Mikoto's voice comes over the radio, /you need to fall back./

"But Yazan -- !"

/You'll have other chances to bring him to justice, Guy,/ Chief Taiga interrupts. /Rendezvous with Amaterasu for return to Orbit Base. The EFA regular forces can take it from here./

".... roger," Guy answers, and GaoGaiGar starts to fly towards the maintenance ship. "GaoGaiGar ... returning to base."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Understood. Have you been injured, Viletta?"

Fiona buries her Crusher Arm up to the elbow in the dirt, sending clods of dirt and dust screaming into the air instead of metal and wires.

She barely has time to pull it free before the Halberd Shooter swings up, and Fiona just kind of gawps. "The FU--"

It's a couple hours before they pick up Striker's IFF signature over the Atlantic.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Chief Taiga transmits, "GaoGaiGar is now departing from the battlefield under my orders. Hopefully the remaining EFA forces can handle what's left ... did Gable get away?"

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Yes. Stenbuck and Ayanami were unable to stop him."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Viletta Vadim transmits, "One eye is swollen shut, and there is a gash just above both. There--is--assorted bruising and abraiding as well."

<Radio: B - EFA S> Isamu Dyson transmits, "Nothing a drink with Lord Supernova can't cure."

It's telling, really, how the Garazzo hits the ground after its failed headbutt and -all- of its beam weaponry (read, beam fingers) fizzle, sputter, and finally cut out. He knows Gabby Hazard is still mobile - he also knows that Viletta Vadim is about to bite some dust in a very unhealthy way. The fight -needs- to finish; Bring brings the Garazzo to an about-face, and rather bluntly rushes in for yet another point-blank melee attack, caution seemingly thrown to the wind. Beam shots lance through the air around the Innovade mecha's shouolders and torso - a few impact it in an utterly shallow fashion, searing and warping armor about its waist and shoulders, and utterly ruining one of the machine's auxillary cameras. This does not stop Bring Stability from making his point, however.

The Garazzo bowls the Dooben right the fuck over, one elbow leading the way and rather proudly punching into the DC machine's chest plating. Reserve thrusters continue driving the two machines forward, and at this point Bring's really just -riding- Gabby through the snow, and rocks, and small, frozen animals in the way. Headbutts are interspersed with vicious joint strikes to the neck, shoulders, and elbows -- Bring notices, at the last moment, that the southermost wall of Heaven's Base is coming up, and quickly. His GN-T engine flares, the Garazzo delivers a final, punshing, GN-aided headbutt... and rolls off of Gabby's Dooben like a tired, shallow boyfriend. The Dooben is still skidding along the snowy ground like some kind of hyper-fast toboggan, right towards Heaven's Base.

COMBAT: Bring Stability has attacked Gabby Hazard. GN Headbutt added to their queue.

<Radio: B - EFA S> Ingram Prisken transmits, "Very well. We'll be having medical teams standing by onboard the Bastion as well. The ZAFT pilot in the Blitz is also injured, and I am uncertain as to Novas' status."

The Nirvash circles the skies once more, a greenish trail as it does so.

Once the Crusaders leave, however, the Nirvash... doesn't immediately. "I think I will... In the future. I'm Eureka." She finally transmits, in ending, to Ring. "Part of Gekkostate." Which entails a whole load of stolen EFA things.

Though the others begin to retreat - a beacon about where the Nirvash is proclaims that the Nirvash is open to help defend/clean up the Federation. And look, it's a mess right there! What perfect timing.

The Nirvash vultures over the site for a bit longer, until it's told to 'get lost' or hired.

COMBAT: Bring Stability has struck a major hit on Gabby Hazard's AMX-014 Dooben-Wolf Hazard Custom using GN Headbutt.

"Shit!" Crunch. "Shit!" Crack. "SHIT!" KRUNKBOOM.

That's the sound of Gabby getting his shit ruined by the skillful pilot of the Garazzo. The Dooben-Wolf slams into the wall of Heaven's Base, thoroughly bitchslapped by the EFA pilot's eloquent fag drag through the snowbanks. Two thrusters were crushed, slowing the bulky machine even further, and one of his own cameras has shattered, making the two even. Captain Hazard coughs, picking glass out of his chest and forehead. He sees the label-- GENUINE MAPLE SYRUP-- and shakes his head. There is real blood up there now, mixing with the sugary substance, but he doesn't bother wiping it away.

"That'll teach me to make fun of French Canadians," he grunts, checking the mobile suit's weapons systems. They're all still online. That's the good news. The bad news is that just about everything else is on the verge of failure. "Welp," he sighs, using the ruined wall to lever the machine to its feet. "Nothin' for it now. Time to pull out the big gun."

The long beam rifle makes its way into the mobile suit's hands, and then, strangely, gets its butt plugged into the two particle cannon barrels in the Dooben-Wolf's chest. Lights come alive, and the flanges at the end of the barrel twitch, eager. "Alright, alright, looks good. Charge at 100%... nah, let's feed it a little more." The charge rises to 110%. Gabby smiles. "Now you're thinkin' like a professional sports player!"

The Dooben-Wolf stands and peeks over the building, finding the Garazzo. Then, without another moment's through, Gabby pulls the trigger.

All around him, the snow instantly evaporates. The damaged wall behind him simply falls into the base, crushed. From the gullet of the weapon surges a great pink and red dragon, roaring up into the sky, seeking to consume the Garazzo in its entirety.

Inside, Gabby hums the theme to Hawaii 5-0.

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has attacked Bring Stability. Mega Launcher added to their queue.

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has struck a apocalyptic critical hit on Bring Stability's GNZ-005 Garazzo using Mega Launcher. Knock Out! Bring Stability's GNZ-005 Garazzo unit has become disabled! COMBAT: Bring Stability has missed Gabby Hazard with his GN Beam Claw counter attack.

The sensors on the Nana-Two are somewhat limited. It's meant to be piloted mostly by sight, so the cloud of dust and snow and debris does a good job of hiding the Garazzo. As the Jinki lands, it quickly stows the spear and reaches back to draw its sword. Maybe it's all over... but if it isn't, she's ready to press the attack!

It's probably a good thing that she drew the sword, though. When the Mobile Suit launches out of the smoke, Aoba lets out a surprised yelp. She doesn't panic though... Sanger would lecture her so much if she panicked at a time like this. Even if he left and doesn't want to talk to her anymore! The girl takes a deep breath, leaning back slightly... then suddenly surges forward. The Nana-Two charges in to meet the Garazzo, metal blade catching the beam-fingers with a sizzle and a shower of sparks. Yet, somehow, the blade manages to hold firm long enough for the Jinki to lift its leg and use it to shove the Mobile Suit back. "Like I said.. you aren't going to kill anyone today!"

Aoba shifts her weight, preparing for another strike, when the order goes out. "I wish you would tell me your name..." She lowers her arms slightly, grip relaxing. "I'm being told to pull back, but I'm sure we'll meet again. Just remember... I'm Aoba. Aoba Tsuzaki!" There, now Healing will be rude if she doesn't give her name! "C'mon, Puru Two, let's head back!" The sword isn't put away, but the jinki does take a few steps back before leaping backward, toward the beach.

The glowing energy emitted by the Halberd Shooter slowly fades away, and the Ashsaber fully gets to its feet once more. Raising the weapon up into the air, Puru Two proclaims confidently, "That takes care of that." Seeing how things went on Aoba's end, she smiles, and transmits, "Nice one. I knew they'd be no match for us." Their teamwork really has improved a lot. She feels almost... happy about that. She thinks. She's not really sure how that feels, it's that unusual.

Unfortunately, her celebration is premature, as she notices when the Garazzo still moves. "What the... I thought she was dead for sure!" The same thing she thinks about Fiona. She really should learn not to be so quick to assume.

There's a momentary panic, and Puru Two aims the Halberd Shooter at the Garazzo in a reflex. Unfortunately that's not going to help anything, since she just put every drop of energy it had in that one shot. Luckily Aoba continues to be on the ball, and Puru Two can let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

Upon being told to head back, Puru Two keeps up appearances by responding only in the form of complaining, "Aoba, you need to put more power behind your attacks next time, that could've been dangerous." And off the Ashsaber goes, to join the Jinki in its retreat.

It's not like Bring has much in the way of a defensive mindset - he's vividly aware that this is a valuable tactic and keeps it as such, but offense is just >more effective<. So it comes to pass that the Garazzo's staring down the face of a Big Fucking Gun, some very telling patterns of rapid snow-melt, and a prolonged charging time. Bring's making decisions about where he wants to take the fight. The Garazzo's GN-T engine flares melodramatically, its balance shifts the slightest bit forward, and Stability punches in a very specific sequence of commands to its pilot console. GN Particle reserves CRITICALLY LOW: Confirm Weapons Activation Y/N Bring presses 'Y' - his cockpit loses ambient lights, monitors shut off, and only the mech's engines, primary camera, and HUD remain active. The Garazzo streaks forward, fingers erupting in that familiar five-pointed blaze of energy. The Dooben's Laughably Huge Gun fires. Stability utters his first words in days: "...A /drago--/" The Garazzo is, as stated earlier, consumed entirely by the dragon's form. The destruction is so vast that it is practically anticlimactic -- as the dragon dissipates, there's simply nothing but a pair of Garazzo feet, permanently melted into the ground beneath them, and a very small personal jet, streaking into the sky and presumably away from the -exceptionally dangerous- Gabby Hazard. Bring Stability makes a note: Never assume that clumsy pilots cannot fire huge, frightening guns.

The Garazzo and the Nana-Two collide halfway, meeting one another's attack with their respective weapons. Almost instantly do Healing's eyes go wide, violet depths shocked and stunned at the fact the girl was actually capable of stopping her onslaught so quickly. Surprise, naturally, gives way to rage. Violet eyes begin to shimmer, going golden.

"LIKE HELL I WON'T!" the girl shrieks, completely neglecting the poor Jinki pilot's wishes for a name. Instead, the Garazzo fights against the blade of the Jinki, struggling to somehow overcome the girl's defenses and just /stab/ the crap out of it. It doesn't go as she desires, unfortunately, as the Garazzo is shoved back with a push of the Nana-Two's foot.

"I don't give a shit what your NAME IS!!" the girl wildly screams. "I will KILL YOU! Do you HEAR me? Next time YOU ARE SO FUCKING DEAD! You AND your friend! /DEAD/!" Despite the rage and fury in the "Cyber Newtype's" tone, the Garazzo, oddly enough, does not pursue. Instead, it holds its ground for the moment. Then, slowly, its silvery head turns toward--another Garazzo!?

Leaping into action, the Garazzo--despite being in a smoldering mess--makes its way toward the other, though it seems more intent on going after the offending Crusader unit hassling (read: demolishing) Bring's unit. It doesn't stop; instead, the Garazzo speeds forward and swings a fist, attempting to slam its spiked knuckles into the side of the Dooben-Wolf's metallic skull.

"HEY BRING!" the girl shouts as the Garazzo is basically vaporized. "I've come to help! Am I too late!?" Not at all sarcastic.

COMBAT: Healing Care has attacked Gabby Hazard. GN Spike Knuckles added to their queue.

COMBAT: Healing Care has missed Gabby Hazard with her GN Spike Knuckles attack.

Gabby Hazard continues to hum the Hawaii 5-0 theme song as the Mega Launcher disengages and separates into its component parts. He notes the melted feet with satisfaction, and swings the long rifle up to rest on the Dooben-Wolf's shoulder. "That's /right/," he smirks, kicking at the crumbled base wall. He feels like a triumphant badass, which, really, is what he is in this moment.

Of course, all moments must end, and Gabby's ends when ANOTHER GARAZZO comes after him, all bristlin' with spikes and rage. Gabby turns to face the new threat and blows out a long breath. "Really?" he asks, quirking a brow in despair. "/Really/??"

By the skin of its teeth, the Dooben-Wolf survives. Thrusters flare again, sending it backwards and up over the ruins of the base. Gabby's starting to get tired now, but that's partially because in robot cartoon terms he's basically geriatric. He's like... 32 or something. "Alright, I'm too old to deal with any more of this shit," he mutters, opening fire with the beam rifle. And the chest beam cannons. And the hand beam guns. And the head vulcans. And the surviving Incom. And a pair of missiles.

"Why can't you people just ADMIT that you've LOST?!"

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has attacked Healing Care. Hazardous Materiel added to their queue.

COMBAT: Gabby Hazard has struck a glancing hit on Healing Care's GNZ-005 Garazzo using Hazardous Materiel. COMBAT: Knock Out! Healing Care's GNZ-005 Garazzo unit has become disabled! COMBAT: Healing Care has counter attacked for a solid critical hit on Gabby Hazard's AMX-014 Dooben-Wolf Hazard Custom using GN Kick.

(and uhhh this is where my log cuts out someone else can add the end if they have it blam.gif)