2010-11-29 - Princess Diaries

SPACE

The private freight ship 'Catherine de Medici' is officially a bulk carrier out of Neo-Italy. It is actually a covert transport for the Ruler of Known Space, travelling via low profile; it carries very few mobile suits and is hardly commodious within, but Shine seems to enjoy 'roughing it'. She is in fact seated, now, in the pilot's lounge...

... playing cards.

She peeks at the two cards she has, then at the table, then gives Latooni a mock-cross look. "Hmmm... I'll call."

Suddenly the ship shakes.

The intercom crackles, the faceless pilot saying with an audible Italian accent, "Princess, everyone - they've found us - please, escape and we'll distract them!"

OUTSIDE

The paltry little beam turrets on the armed merchantman fire, doing adequately against one or two of the Bug class drones now swarming in a good dozen about the ship. More, doubtless, are on the way.

Shine flips over her cards as she stands up, revealing an ace and an eight as she mashes the intercom button. "Sir!" she declares into it. "I will do no such thing. I bid you to let us deploy, sound your alert, and then make haste to Neo Riksent. We shall be fine."

"But miss," comes the reply, "that is exactly the same thing that I said, but it is also more dang-"

"Sh!" Shine says, frowning.

Then she looks over at Suzaku Kururugi, seeming embarrassed for a moment. The ship shakes again as a Bug's ring-laser strikes true, before she straightens upright, reaching up to adjust her hair. "I am terribly sorry for this - please, though, don't worry!"

OUTSIDE AGAIN

As Mobile Suits prepare to launch from the jury-rigged cargo packs on the side of the portly space scow, a powerful signal starts radiating into the spacelanes, echoing off stray asteroids and half-detonated Zakus. EED902 - SOS - EED902 - SOS -

AEUG Flagship Argama 32 Days On The Run 2000 Local Space Time

CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS

"Nnh.." Bright groans slightly from his stooped position over the sink. His hands thrust into the pool of water, its coolness soothing the fresh set of bruises on his right knuckles. His hands lift up, bringing a splash of water against his bristly face. Bright sighs faintly as he tilts his eyes up and is slightly taken aback at how he nearly doesn't recognize himself. His eyes are baggy, his cheeks bright red from lack of sleep. He's going on over thirty hours now, doing his best to get his crew somewhere the Balmarians and the mysterious 'Mister Silver' cannot find them. Sleep is a luxury he cannot afford, much less for his pilots.

"..I'm beginning to hate Mart--," Bright's aloud acceptance is interrupted by a blip from his intercom. What now? It's probably Balmarians. It's always Balmarians. The Captain begins to hope as he reaches for the intercom button that maybe it's just that fucking chicken has gotten loose again. "..Go ahead," he lets out another groan.

"Captain!" Saman's voice is loud and alert, something has clearly shaken him out of the drowsiness. Something like an emergency. "We're intercepting a distress call somewhere in Lagrange 3! SOS code EED902!"

Bright blinks his tired eyes. "E-E-D-9-oh-2? That's.. that's an Earth Federation code.. for the highest ranking off---.. lay in a course for the distress call! I want mobile suits in the air on five!"

The Argama's engines roar, its stressed hull groaning as it makes its way toward the Catherine de Medici. Runways begin lighting up and crewmen begin making a frenzied dash for their stations. When the Captain calls for mobile suits, the immediate forecast is cloudy with a chance of warfare!

 Saman transmits, "Set condition one through the ship! All pilots to your mobile suits, scramble sortie in five minutes!"

 Joshua O'Brien transmits, "Alright, then."

 Rachel Miu Athha transmits, "Roger!!"

 Heavy Russian accent: Isa Reichert transmits, over the jangle of harness buckles, "Da, understood."

Latooni Subota doesn't know why she even plays cards against Shine anymore. She has never won, at least over the long term. She wouldn't go so far as to accuse Shine of /cheating/, but it is verifiably true that she has some skills that Latooni does not.

Latooni considers her cards carefully; she has been counting cards as always. She reaches for her pile of chips to consider betting, inadviseably, when the ship shakes.

"I am not," she says, before holding her words while Shine talks on the intercom. She hates to interrupt. Then: "I am not sure that this is adviseable, Princess. We need to get you to safety." While she speaks, Latooni reaches over to her nearby helmet, left around in case of emergencies - she always wears the flight suit in a ship if she can, so she can run and deploy if necessary.

She doesn't know why she argues with Shine, either. It rarely works.

Suzaku Kururugi has insisted on traveling with Princess Shine Hausen since her alleged 'death' and subsequent 'resurrection', knowing of her propensity for both danger and preternatural ability to attract it. He is a good cabin mate because his form of security, the white and gold Z-01 Lancelot Knightmare Frame, does not take up a ton of cargo space compared to most Mobile Suits and other mecha.

When the attack alarm goes off, Suzaku is not surprised. He simply frowns, lowering his first pair of Aces (he has been losing this entire game) and glancing at Shine. Danger Magnet.

But then it is all action. Standing up, Suzaku pulls his sweet ivory and gold jacket on while moving towards Shine. He gets one arm through a sleeve. "Your Majesty, I agree that you you are probably safest in a robot, but I must insist you allow me to protect this transport's crew while you and Miss Subota flee --"

SOS.

One of the earliest lessons drilled into Kazuma Ardygun's head, even before he was old enough to start learning to pilot the Valhawk, was that you *never* ignore a distress call if you're in a position to render assistance. Kazuma isn't aware yet of the distress call being transmitted, but he knows two things: the Argama is currently changing course hard enough for the hull to grumble about it, and all pilots are supposed to be heading to their mobile suits.

He only needed the first signal to send him running for the Valhawk, tossing a mealpack to Mihiro and scrambling into his seat, strapping in while Mihiro starts up the mobile unit's systems, then battens down the box of food. She'll eat later, when they get back; the way Kazuma flies, it's a bad idea to take off with a full stomach (but she's done that before too). "There was a distress signal of some kind just now, oniichan ..."

"That explains it," Kazuma remarks as he seals the cockpit and his displays light up, from status monitors to main visual screen. "Good of Bright Noa to take a distress call seriously. - Launch control, this is Kazuma Ardygun; the Valhawk is ready to launch. Just tell us when our turn is for the catapult."

What with the predations of Balmarian ships, a distress signal means that the most likely source of the transmitter's trouble is none other than Balmarian aggressors... and there's always time and to spare for chasing down those bastards.

It's a bit of a rush to get out of her quarters, and Isa Reichert manages to smack her head on the doorway when she miscalculates the low gravity, along with a string of fierce cursing. She gives an urgent wave to her two Skytalon copilots -- "Domino! Liese! Stay here, I will take Lightning this time! Is no time to calibrate!"

Isa Reichert takes the hallway to the deck as quickly as she can, hauling herself along through zero gravity as she fights the last pieces of her flight suit into place, jamming her helmet on and lunging for the black and silver Valkyrie's cockpit.

Engines fire up with the response she's come to enjoy; it takes only seconds to taxi to a proper runway for launch, the sleek Valkyrie in its fighter configuration. The cockpit glows with its familiar lights as the engines come to life; Isa punches in a few commands with gloved fingers, deft in spite of her bulky pressure suit.

"Geist One, ready for launch, as soon as I have runway."

Garrod is still on the Argama. With things still tense over the attack on the ship combined with Garrod's agonizingly near success in bringing Macua back, it was decided that he should stay aboard at least for now. The Argama could always use the extra fighting strength and garrod is almost champing at the bit for another shot. Now apparently, he has his chance. Bright wants the mobile suits ready for launch in five. Garrod is so eager for the chance that he's ready in /two/, powering up his Gundam even as other pilots filter into the hanger to board their machines, "Garrod Ran, Gundam X-Divider, LAUNCHING!" The catapult releases, hurtling him forward and off the deck. A moment later, his verniers take over as he hurtles towards the source of the distress signal, "C'mon Mac... be there..."

Scouring the emptiness of space with her perceptions had lucked out, Ketol thought to herself grimly. She had not expected that she would come across a Newtype so potent on a ship so... modest, but it would suffice. A simple capture would be enough, even if she was just a navigator, or a...

Her frown dropped a touch lower. That Newtype felt... Odd...

Dropping a pair of birdlike drones in front of the Cahterine, the icy-blue teardrop of the Blue Angel flashes in front of bridge for a heartbeat, before flying away.

Looking the ship over from her vantage point, Ketol rubs her chin. And then her attention flicks outwards, across the vastness of space.

No.

No, that would be too convenient...

The signal to launch is given, and again, a white shape darts into space.

"This is White Glint; heading out."

Joshua O'Brien has been ready to go for a while. He's been one of the first to volunteer for standing on alert and one of the few who hasn't really needed to get completely overhauled after every launch. White Glint usually comes back without so much as a scratch on it--but maybe that's because he's using up all his banked luck.

White Glint waits for further orders, but Joshua is pretty sure he knows what they'll be. The NEXT moves towards the signal.

When the call came through, Rachel Miu Athha was chasing Judau Ashta down the halls, the ship's doctor hot on the young Newtype's heels. He snuck out of the infirmary again, and left the orphans to hide in his medical gown while he stumbled into a meeting between the Second Princess and the Argama's new prisoner.

Immediately, she was changing course, bouncing down the halls and ricocheting around corners, gripping onto glide-assist bars and taking the shortcuts to reach the locker rooms in time. The repairs on the Zeta Gundam should have been done by now-- even if they're a little rough, the system should still be able to function properly.

After all, what was the point of flying a prototype unit if she couldn't test it in even the worst conditions?

"Isa, I'm heading out first," she says on the way in the hatch, finger on the small earpod-and-microphone.

Settling back in the cockpit chair, Rachel feels the pressure of the connection jacks plugging into the back of the flight suit while systems start up. The clear dome of the Bio Sensor lowers over her head, and the crimson red Zeta Gundam moves to the flight deck.

"Rachel Miu Athha, Zeta Gundam P2, 3C-- launch!"

Blazing out into space, the distinct red Mobile Suit makes a swift, smooth, systematic shift into it's Waverider mode, cracking off into the depths of space and toward the fight. Senses sharpening, Rachel's eyes narrow-- something feels a little off, but... familiar, all at once.

Just as the 'Catherine de Medici' sings out for help, space briefly shudders before the poor, beleagured vessel; spikes of distorted gravity /explode/ from the center of the phenomenon, threatening a collapse of some kind for all of the handful of seconds it takes for the distortions to settle into the birth of a golden star.

"Sample vessel," Baraq Sheraga transmits across what communications bands he can reach, "surrender your technologies, your lives and your dreams to the glory of the Ze Balmary Empire!"

As the light begins to recede, an enormous, humanoid machine wrapped in a golden cloak is visible at the heart of it all. A visibly roiling solar storm is barely contained by the translucent containment vessel extending from the crown of its head; now and again, tendrils of of that contained energy flash against the containment dome, causing the yellow crystal formation at the center of its forehead to flicker briefly. Despite the cloak, it's pretty easy to tell that its arms are crossed imperiously over its chest--either that or it has the kind of mecha-bosom normally reserved for Venus/Diana A.

"Or don't; you won't be any /less/ valuable just because you're too stupid to help yourselves. It's up to you." Baraq's eyes - and the Uriyah's head - turn towards the approaching Argama when one of his comrades alerts him to its presence. The young Balmarian smiles.

"Adom, Ketol--how do you think the Argama would look as a /trophy/ for my Uriyah?" he wonders of his companions.

Camille Bidan is too legit to quit.

He has gotten perharps five hours of intermittent sleep since the attack on the Argama no less than two days ago. They'd been on the alert ever since, remaining vigilant for the next ambush, the next red alert. It was a taxing situation to be in, and only a ridiculous concoction of military-approved stimulants kept the Newtype up and ready to deploy at a moment's notice. He didn't like using them, and he liked even less keeping at a secret from the girl peeking over his shoulder as he ran some diagnostics on the Zeta Gundam.

"Camille.." Lines of concern set into Fa Yuiry's face, her tone filled with uncertainty, "Why don't you let me handle this for a while? You've been pushing yourself so hard, you've barely gotten any re-"

"Orders are orders, Fa." The AEUG ace cut her off gently; more weary than irritated, "I'll sleep when Captain Bright tells me I can sleep, and not a moment before." Or at least until he can give them the slip again inside the Zeta's cockpit. Though another slip-up like the last may cost him, "Besides, i'd rather you not get involved in all this."

"In all what? Fighting?" The girl didn't fail to rise to the bait as concern was replaced with rising irkedness, "I'm a pilot too, you know! In fact-"

Camille doesn't cut her off this time, not when the familiar klaxons of the Argama and the orders to launch do it handily enough. The Zeta pilot's shoulders lighten as if relieved of some onerous burden.

"I'll take the Methuss..!" Pride still stinging, Fa's tone all but dares the boy to say otherwise.

"You can't." He answers quite succinctly, not even looking up to see the demanding gaze of 'Why not?!' she shoots at him (But knowing it is there) before following with, "Some thoughtless person fried the navigation system while running a routine check. They haven't had time to repair it yet."

"/Camille/!"

"Sorry, gotta fly!" The cockpit seals shut, and the last image Camille sees is Fa's indignant face before the Zeta's HUD glows to life and proceeds to the Argama's catapult. "Camille Bidan, Zeta Gundam, lets get it over with!"

Ketol isn't alone, the Esh is floating there by her machine. She pauses as she senses a newtype, there was something else about it. That cargo ship did have a newtype. Which made it alone worth hitting, she now speeds for the human ship, she doesn't fire, she's just blitzing it.

She does open a channel to the ship and Adom's face would appear on screen if they accepted.

"Hello samples, there's one of your kind of intrest, surrender and you will be allowed to live."

Sure converted into Balmarians but hey that does the world good it saves from from being culled, they are quite the lucky bunch.

But then there are other pressures she's sensing.

On another channel she says, "They are comming, and it would be a fine one."

She sends a transmission

"Ah the Argama come to surrender this time samples hummm? I admit I'd like a fight but it would better if you just joined us."

EARLIER: On the Argama

When the sirens go off, people within the Argama are running about trying to get to their stations. But there are some within that do not have a station to go to. One of those people, instead, is are trapped within... staring at a wall that simply carries a set of names - like 'CAMILLE B' and 'SARAH Z' with a series of hashmarks next to their names. The brig; showing its repeat offenders. But the one within is not a repeat offender. The one within is a prisoner of war, a Divine Crusader. The room's lights are dimmed, and the single guard who is still present is just /partially/ opening the door to check inside, as something is occurring inside. Loud bonking against the side of the door - followed by loud clattering of metal. Believing that Ascian had somehow undone some of the inside plating, the guard wants to make sure that there is no way the guy can escape. What he finds is a tray flying through the opening straight to his face and hitting him square in the face, knocking him out. "Yes! Hit!" Ascian pulls an arm back along his side to emphasize his words. The alarms kept going loudly, making it hard to hear what was going on inside.

The young BAHRAM framerunner pushes himself off of the wall and moves his hand out from the slit between the dooropening to touch the keypad. He slips his fingers along the keys and listens carefully as each makes their individual sound. Within his mind he makes a mental image of their sounds and location - remembering the combination the guards had punched in at least six times now. With a bit of patience, and not a single mistake, Ascian manages to dial the numbers in their order. The door immediately slides open.

Meanwhile, on Bright's deck, his captains are too busy with checking the radar and preparing for potential combat to notice a little blinking red light that indicated that the brig's door was open... only to close again a few moments later. The guard had been dropped inside by Ascian, who has found a nearby wall-closet with some normal suits in it and slips into one of the larger ones. With his helmet on, set to a slightly darker mode, he believes he will not easily be detected or be found suspicious. For a good bit of the way, the man floats through the halls with his hand on the moving railtrack on the wall and makes his way through the ship. He remembered the path he had been dragged through on the way to the brig: he only needed to reverse this path.

There was however one obstruction he would find in his path. Almost near the hangar, before him stand a twosome of kids. He abruptly stops and gives them a confused looks. The twosome both have their hands set to their sides and are staring a hole through his very soul. Or at least, so the little ones thing. Shinta! Qum! A female voice can be heard in the distance, from the direction of the hangar, on the hallway that runs paralel to the one he is within - she was calling for the kids. Qum turns her head about for a moment whilst Shinta points a finger at Ascian. "I don't recognize youuu!" He claims accusingly. "Who are you." - "Hehe..." The framerunner blinks. 'You have got to be kidding me. Stopped by kids? Maybe I can outbluff them.'. "Ah, I'm a pilot of course! I am going to save the Argama from the evil aliens."

Of course, this does get a gleeful response. "Waaai!" Shinta throws his hands in the air. "Now, let me through - I gotta get to my mobile suit." Of course, the suspicion is not entirely gone yet. Qum looks around - since the female voice had stopped calling out for a moment. "You don't look like one of the piiiilots!" She claims and floats towards Ascian /just/ so she can poke him in the chest. 'Found out!' Ascian sweats this one out for a moment before he shows her a smile. "Shhh. I'm a friend of Camille's." He claims. Of course he'd seen images of the guy. "I'm his brother." He bends down so they can see his haircolor. If he could make Bright hesitate about thinking that Bian Zoldark was back, he could make these kids believe to be Camille's darn brother! This claim does catch the two guards of the Argama off-guard.

"WOOOOOOW! Camille's brother. Does that mean you are a NewType too!? Can you read our minds?!?!" The questions come storming out from the little kids. "I'll answer all your questions when I've saved the Argama. Okay?" Ascian tries to get past them, and succeeds in leaving the two behind - and looks behind him just to see them get captured by that particular one female - Fa Yuiry. She looked rather peeved, as if her boyfriend just said 'NO' to her. "Phew." For a moment he takes off the Normal Suits' helmet, just so he can wipe off the sweat from his brow. "That was close." - In the meanwhile, behind him; "Hey hey! Camille's brother is going to save us!" The two kids chime in unison. "His brother?" Fa of course, can only resort to confusion... then suspicion, when she turns her head into the direction of the youth. She continues to push the two younglings into a room and follows 'Camille's brother'. Ascian's helmet goes back on.

A LITTLE LATER: Argama's hangar.

The Amenthes was still a wreck. Wires were hooked up to it and its cockpit from all kinds of angles, but the unit was barely showing any energy responses. A painful feeling swelled up within Ascian's chest as he threw himself over the railing and began floating to the nearest unit he could find - a technician just opening the hatch to it. It looked quite similar to an actual Gundam. A sniper rifle is being pushed into the unit's hand just as he lays his hand on the top of the hatch. "Hey!" The technician calls out, confused by the sudden appearance of another pilot. "Don't worry!" Ascian raises a hand and smiles at the man. "I'm helping out!" He doesn't give him long to see him as he slips in. "Careful!" He warns as he lets his eyes scan the cabin for buttons. Damnit... it wasn't /that/ similar to a LEV after all. The youth's eyes quickly scan for the basic equipment. "It's kind of... more similar to one of those old Zakus."

"Hey, you sure you know how to fly this thing?" The technician quickly intercedes. "Sure!" Ascian responds and fastens himself - spotting a button that claims 'hatch'. He flips it, and the front of the unit begins to close. "Okay... startup procedures." He eyes around quickly and notices a few switches marked with numbers. "This must be a training model." If there was one thing, the Divine Crusader is a quick learner. He lets his fingers snap along them and watches as the insides of the unit come to life. "Feet on pedals..." he mutters and grabs the steering controls. "I think I can do this." The youth then notices the radio from the corner of his eyes and snaps it on, but does not change the channels. Who knows - the Argama might just recall them later. Patiently he moves his unit to the designated exit 'ramp'. But when it comes to call off his name for launch procedures, he doesn't. Instead, he maneuvers the robot... or rather... stumbles it... into the quick-release mechanism and tries his best to move it into a proper position.

The unit ends up on the bottom runway - next to the one Isa is finding herself on. That's just when Bright gets a distressed call from Fa Yuiry in the hangar bay; "Captain Bright! Captain Bright! I just saw some guy claiming to be Camille's brother - he went to the hangar. I think he got on the M-ONE-A Astray unit.". And right after that the sound of a technician. "Hey, he did have blue hair!" Waiting for himself to be pushed off, Ascian plays a bit with the controls of the kidnapped unit - tapping the pedals with his foot and flexing the unit's hands. "Basic... I think I can do this." He comments and checks for the weapon controls.

 Fa Yuiri calls for Bright Noa, "Captain Bright! Captain Bright! I just saw some guy claiming to be Camille's brother - he went to the hangar. I think he got on the M-ONE-A Astray unit." After which a Technician can be heard saying, "Hey, he did have blue hair!"

 Garrod Ran transmits, "Eeeeh? camille has a /brother/?"

 Camille Bidan transmits, "I sure as hell don't!"

Shine blushes slightly. She does protest lightly to Latooni, even as she slips her helmet on, "I understand I am being quite difficult, but our Fairlions will be able to withdraw in a far more organized manner than the ship --"

To Suzaku, she shakes her head slightly. "I am sorry, but I do not feel that this will be acceptable to me." She smiles, though, before plunking the helmet on her head. "They will likely do quite better under their own power. They may even completely escape in the heat of battle." Then...

OUTSIDE

A cargo pod busts open, revealing mechs which deploy. The red Fairlion, humming faintly as invisible energies begin radiating from it like a mysterious and subtle cloak, rises upwards. Its pilot takes a breath, to suppress the cold feeling in her stomach.

"Your plots have failed, and you have chosen to increase your demands to our very dreams," Shine Hausen, her voice recognizable and almost theatrically defiant in her little-girl way, transmits. There is a brief lull --

-- in the Fairlion's cockpit, Shine has leaned away from the microphone to breathe and to glance towards the other machines to ensure they are not going to be murdered by a Bug swarm --

-- before she says, "I implore you once again to cease your criminal acts of aggression against the people of the Earth Sphere. It is not yet too late--"

She frowns slightly. Something about the anticipated presence - the Argama - is unusual. What is it? It's hard for her to put her finger on. Disruptions in her 'I'm so clever look at me seeing the future' plans are usually unwelcome.

Isa and Kazuma are in luck for the Argama has two catapults on either side. The queue to launch moves that much faster and soon enough, the Argama's groundcrew is signalling either of them to lock-in and take off.

As for Bright, he simply settles into his chair with an anti-gravity leap up and over the head-rest. "Status?"

Ron Keith calls it in from ops, "We're one minute away from the Catherine de Medici.. but the enemy already knows we're en route! Mobile suit launch at eighty percent!"

"Saman, transmit to the Federation ship we're moving in to assist. Ready main batteries.. Torres, take us right up beside the Medici and deploy dummy balloons!" Bright motions with a forward wave of his hand. He reaches for the phone at his right, bringing it up to the side of his helmet. "This is the Captain. We've just received a distress call from a civilian ship we believe to be carrying the Ruler of All Known Space as well as a civilian ship. Protect the ship and the Princess at all c---"

..but Bright's orders are interrupted by someone shouting that Fa said something about someone calling themselves Camille's brother launching in an Astray. "..What!? Camille has a brother!?" the Captain sputters. "Damn it, we can't deal with Bidan family drama right now! All pilots, protect the ship and the Princess at all costs!"

The Argama surges forward, like some kind of goddam white beacon of hope in the midst of so much darkness. Its forward-mounted main gun alive with firepower, blasting great big holes into a swarm of Megillots as it rushes toward the Catherine de Medici.

Over the radio, Saman's voice tries to hail the EFA units, "Catherine de Medici, this is the Argama. We've received your distress signal and are launching mobile suits to assist! Hang on!"

 Captain Bright Noa transmits, "This is the Captain. We've just received a distress call from a civilian ship we believe to be carrying the Ruler of All Known Space as well as a civilian ship. Protect the ship and the Princess at all c--- What!? Camille has a brother!? Damn it, we can't deal with Bidan family drama right now! All pilots, protect the ship and the Princess at all costs!"

 Ascian Luddite chuckles across the Radio - obviously not aware is has been turned on.

Several seconds behind the red Fairlion, the purple one follows.

Latooni does not talk to the Aerogaters. She doesn't want to; she doesn't like them, she has no skill at public speaking and she's not the sort who is able to make a defiant speech most of the time. She trails Shine closely, her bodyguard never moving very far away from her.

More of her attention is on watching. The Balmarians, and the Argama; she doesn't recognize all the units the Argama has deployed, though her excellent memory provides most of them immediately. She finally does reach for her own microphone.

"This is Lieutenant Commander Subota," Latooni sends, to the Argama. "Understood. Thank you." She hangs up, hoping she didn't give the entire game away; she is well-known to usually appear around Shine, as she is the most public of her bodyguards after the entire Gundam Fight 'incident'.

She starts to draw up firing lines to all the Balmarians in the area. Since there are a lot of Bugs, this takes a while... though she preferentially looks over the elite units instead. The Uriyah, for instance, is incredibly obvious at any distance.

In its turn, the Valhawk takes off from the Argama's flight deck, with Mihiro balancing the engines for maximum thrust as Kazuma heads for the Catherine de Medici ...

Only to spot Adom's red Ezekiel. "You have GOT to be kidding me," he groans, nearly faceplanting into his console. "What does it take to get her to leave us alone?"

"Capturing her and getting Macua-neechan's mind free, maybe?" Mihiro suggests.

"All too true," says Kazuma, cutting the throttle just a bit and banking around to pursue. "Open a channel ... Hey, Macua. This is really a bad place for you to be while you're still stuck inside a purportedly-Balmarian head. Any chance we can get you to come with *us* instead of *us* coming with 'Adom Nazir' ... ?"

Suzaku is the last of the pilots from the Catherine de'Medici to launch, but probably the most obvious. The white and gold Knightmare Frame, with its attached purplish-pink FLOAT Pack, makes for a splendid spectacle as it launches into the air and immediately opens fire on a wave of Megillots. The VARIS Rifle of the prototype Knightmare Frame ignites with green energy, concussive particle fireballs ripping from the variable rifle in rapid shots.

"We're lucky," Suzaku says, exhaling as the different Bug Explosions line his horizon. "I don't see the Astranagant among them."

But then the Argama is hailing them. Suzaku frowns, his green eyes staring at the famous ship on his Knightmare's HUD. Another mixed message from Katharon -- a faction of this Side that Suzaku Kururugi still cannot understand. But right now, with an Aerogater attack force in their face, he can't really complain about a little backup.

"Princess," Suzaku says, flipping the output mode of the VARIS from rapid fire to sustained. "Please lead the way -- I've got you covered."

Isa quickly readies the Lightning, fingers dancing over the bank of controls in front of her. There's not much else to do but prime the systems while she waits for a catapult.

"Da," Isa confirms over the radio to Rachel, reaching up to adjust the canopy's mirrors. "Do what you have to do."

She drums her fingers on the canopy, finally seizing an open catapult when her unit is called over. Engines firing, she thrusts the throttle forward, gritting her teeth against the sharp pressure of a catapult launch. Off and away.

"Geist One, VF-4 Lightning III, launching!"

The black and silver Lightning streaks into space, its silver underbelly reflecting stars.

"Time to see how Valkyrie handle out here, da? I will take Skytalon next time, Rachel," Isa adds, setting final preparations and priming the weapon systems. "Will need time to recalibrate her, first. For now, Valkyrie should be good enough. Time to go!"

With that, Isa punches the engines. With a flare of the engines, the Lightning leaps forward towards the engagement area.

"Geist One to Argama. Weapon system primed. Ready to engage." Isa reaches up, flipping a comm switch. "This is Geist One of Argama to Catherine de Medici. We are coming -- hold tight."

And with that, the Lightning swoops in, loosing a salvo of anti-aircraft missiles in the direction of the swarm of attackers harrying the Catherine de Medici. That should get their attention!

In the interest of keeping Adom from targeting the Argama or assisting the assault against the Catherine de Medici, though, Kazuma lines up his sights and opens up with a burst from the Laser Vulcan - mostly to get Adom's attention, as stated. He hates to shoot when he knows who's really in there, but he has to ... and at least he knows how to avoid shooting up her cockpit. Hopefully.

There she is, just as Garrod had hoped. The Gundam X surges forth, grabbing it's beam machine gun off it's holster. He had hoped he wouldn't have to use it against Macua, but at the same time he knows just how potent the Balmarian's mind control technics are. Plus there's that whole 'gotta protect the ruler of the entire planet from harm' thing. "So, am I talking to 'Adom Nazir' today or do you remember who you are Macua?" his rifle snaps up, unleahsing a quick burst from his beam machine gun, "If you are yourself again, then stand down and let us free you from whatever the Aerogaters did to your mind! don't make us fight you!"

"You know, i'm really getting sick of these guys calling us sample." Camille glowers under his breath, noting the Crimson Zeta off to his side, "Rachel...did you feel that?" He sends a tightbeam over her way, in reference to that bleeding psychich presence that could only be the Ruler of Known Space, which Bright confirms moments later, "Damn..we've got to keep her out of enemy hands!" They'd lost enough already.

"And for God's sake, I don't have a freaking brother!" He'll snap over the general line as an afterthought. There is positively zero Bidan family drama for anyone to be worried about ever again.

Fraternal confusions aside, the Zeta Gundam instantly hones in the familiar visage of Uriyah when it shows up on the visuals, "You again...back for more?!" The pilot sneers, bringing all weapons systems online with a few precise master strokes over the controls, "I won't let you get away this time!" He'll try to back that sentiment with a few hopefully-precise shots from the Zeta's beam rifle.

 Camille Bidan transmits, "For God's sake, I don't have a freaking brother!"

Fiona Graydon has had a thought. It is a thought she is not sure she trusts, and a thought she feels she needs to run by a wise, firm ruler, because Fiona is still a Britannian, and still trusts the wisdom of royalty.

Cornelia is too busy to provide individual council on things that are not the violent murder of spacemans, however, and Princess Euphemia has her own concerns, and besides which, only one royal in the Earth Sphere really has the frontline experience of the Aerogaters to give Fiona a sense of what's happening.

Which is why Fiona has taken the Argent Fighter, unaccompanied, to try and make a very subtle rendezvous with the Catherine de Medici. Unfortunately, Lloyd caught wind of her unauthorized trip, and instead of punish her, just made the engine do strange things in mid-flight. End result: Fiona is like an hour late.

ANd apparently, as the small Argent Fighter makes its approach.../just in time/!

Fiona's eyes tick over from the astronav console as the combat alarms start blinking. She'd taken Argent Fighter, figuring not taking a Frame would make her profile smaller, but now...

"Shit!" Fiona snaps out, fingers flying to her console. "Units in the air, looks like...friendlies, Trailers? And...Katharon?" Blink. Frown. "Shit, if they're here to capture the princess...just like those guys!" she mutters, and then flips a few buttons on the console. "Well, if the bad guys are distracted, then maybe I can do this...Man, I hope the receiver's working..."

The Argent Fighter reconfigures in a quick few jerks - the wings folding down into adapter panels, the cockpit pulling in, forming a human...head??? In which the stealthy, slow-burning TF Engine suddenly spikes through the roof, sparks of green, white, and yellow blaring in every direction around it.

Fiona patches in to the EFA taccom, announcing, "Excellence 2! I see your distress signal! Uh, sorry I'm late, Your Highness! I'm pulling up the Cosmo-driver, but I need a few seconds' cover!"

Far, far below, in the Tintagel's hangar for the Excellence Frames, the Excellence Cosmodriver begins to glow and spark in the same hues.

 Judau Ashta transmits, "You got a brother??"

 Lockon Stratos transmits, "Older or younger?"

 Ascian Luddite transmits, "Older of course."

 Camille Bidan transmits, "Aaarrgh"

 Joshua O'Brien laughs.

As the Fairlions emerge, Ketol looks at them curiously... then smiles. Smaller targets to carry. How considerate. With a moment's thought, she redirects a portion of the drones to lay into the Catherine, and blow it to pieces.

The only valuble cargo they were carrying just presented herself. Recalling her own Familiars, she sends them winging towards the red Fairlion, reconfiguring them into a storm of feathers. They all line up, diving towards Shine in a wall as the open fire. The intent is not to destroy, but to cripple the emerging Armoured Module as it joins the fray.

Numbers and data flit across the bubble of the cockpit's panoramic display. An off-color band appears high and low, just enough of a tint to indicate to her with accuracy as to 'high' and 'low,' degree markers and notations dancing across her displays to keep her accurate. The voice that calls the Argama, that's--

Latooni... Her head cants as Camille calls to her next, and the Second Princess gives a firm nod. "Yeah, I'm-- I'm on my way to help!!"

Opening the throttle, the Zeta-Waverider accelerates with a burst before the limbs shift, the legs and arms open. Shifting into the form of a Mobile Suit, the shield is snapped up onto the left arm and the stout beam gun is taken up on the hip. The eyes glow with a burst of green, and the black-- not gold-- V-crest pops up.

Hands releasing the controls, palms tapping against the control sticks, the P2/3C's cockpit shifts into it's secondary configuration. The Bio Sensor's dome shifts to remain over her, the chair becomes flat and vertical-- more of a backing board, while the control sticks fold up. The pedals shift position, and a holographic console flits around in front of her.

Rachel shifts her right arm a bit, grabbing at the air as she pushes her will into it-- effort, control. Hefting the shortbarreled beam gun, her aim holds true while a pair of shots are cracked off, two green bolts blazing toward Adom's Ezekiel!

When even Bright fails to realize just what is going on, the young man chuckles loudly before calling out; "Camille's Brother! Launching!" And he feels the Mobile Suit Catapult launching him forwards. "Shit... thrusters." He looks around wildly before realizing that he could just try pushing the pedals at max. So he tries as such - causing the Astray to jump up and tumble over forwards for a moment before the thrusters respond and send him in a straight line upwards. "Yrrrrr..." The sudden force has him surprised, due to the Amenthes canceling out most of such things on his body. His gaze flicks over to the radar and then to the window in front of him. "Alrighty. Let's go." He whispers to himself and pushes more firmly on the thrusters and bursts forwards.

Whilst in mid-flight, he begins to play a bit more with the controls he has his hands on - trying to see if he can reach the beam rifle. But he just isn't quite capable of figuring out how to get his unit to reach to its side. he keeps over-extending and missing it. A few quick glances are thrown as Isa's unit darts past his 'loaner' Astray. Then Camille goes shouting through the comm, but he just plays along for another while until he finally reaches the combat zone. "Camille's Brother - flying the... Astray?" He had not quite caught the indication number. "My unit is trashed at the moment, so I figured I'd loan this thing. Figured you guys could use another hand."

The targetting systems have by now booted up, and he has found a magical red button whilst he makes a bees-line towards Baraq's unit. By now, he recognized the Uriyah, and he remembered how popular the Mal'akh had been in previous battles with people who were way too talkative for his own tastes. So the X-winged Astray pushes further and ends up flying somewhat /too/ straight at the guy. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" Ascian tries to get it to 'pull' up, causing its arms to move upwards instead and the vulcans to spew a massive load of hot metal at the unit he was just about to ram into had he not pressed his foot on the pedal more firmly and launched upwards.

Joshua feels something... different. The Balmarians are a peculiar sensation that he's learned to pick out from the rest, but this is new. Something strong, but something unusual. The Newtype in the NEXT frowns to himself, but shakes his head, trying to focus on the AMS rather than the pressure that's mounting all around him. He inhales deeply, concentrating, and then exhales slowly, pushing out all distractions.

White Glint matches speed with the Gundams, the slimmer Armored Core NEXT easily keeping pace with even one of the Zetas in it's Waverider configuration. "I have your backs, Gundam Team," Joshua transmits. He advances with the P2/3C, slowing and changing his angle of approach to keep some distance between himself and Adom. He lines up a shot...

The sound is lost in space, as it always is. A short burst of automatic fire pelts down at the Balmarian unit. Adom may feel some amount of deja vu.

With its cargo deployed like a live-birthing guppy fish, the Medici is... not much faster, but it is now putting out its jets to start accelerating. The ship's pilot contingent signals the Argama thankfully, their firing from the pew-pew guns on the ship's dorsal area coordinating with them.

Shine can feel Camille Bidan's forceful presence - it is familiar, as is, in a strange way, Rachel's. It reminds her vaguely of Latooni more than Cagalli. She answers Suzaku, quietly, "I suppose we are fortunate, yes... thus far." The Balmarians, after all, do not need to move in lines through space.

As the Balmarian whose name comes closest to liquor fires upon her with a storm of feathery shapes, the Fairlion suddenly rises relative to the plane of the battle; some of the rays do seem to reach the machine, making Shine bite her lip. The Argama comes closer, and her rational mind tells her: can they truly be counted upon? It is a stray thought, one which sensitive sorts might pick up, though the tone lacks real menace.

As this happens, the Fairlion bobs and weaves, moving like a tiny sparkling dancer through subtle and strange variations in the wall that Ketol had created. The wall is tight enough, of course, that Shine cannot escape harm -- but when she emerges on the far side of the temporary formation of Familiar energy, the Fairlion is still quite intact. Shine answers Fiona, brightly. "Fiona -- please do not blame yourself. I am glad you are well -- though I apologize for telling you that you would beat us to our meeting!"

Then back to Ketol, as she has passed the Balmarian's defensive screen for now. "Don't f- Trifle with my Fairlion!" she says, in a tone that attempts to be imperious and comes off instead as mildly petulant. Either way, the head of the Fairlion erupts in a series of energy bursts, even as it breaks left, perhaps anticipating pursuit by those Familiars!

Latooni Subota does not even recognize that she /has/ a mental presence, because she is about as psychic as... well, not.

Distracted by her radio, Latooni speaks into it for several seconds before shutting down the transmission. Shine is under attack! Latooni dives after her, following through gaps in the laser fire that are barely there, swerving as tightly as any Newtype despite not having any of the power herself.

She comes up shooting. Latooni sprays a blast of tiny energy pellets from the 'hair' on the Fairlion, a sustained stream of shots as she darts around in arcs, trying to interpose herself between shots and Shine - though Shine seems perfectly able to get out of the way herself, at least some of the time.

The Lancelot inverts and hovers in the air, the anti-gravity abilities of the Higgsian FLOAT System keeping the Knightmare Frame stationary in the sky. With a flourish of radical, all four of its Slash Harken's fire in unison -- two from the wrists, two from the hips. The bladed weapons slam into four different Megillots, Harken-cables snapping tight. The Megillots spin, their trajectories altered, to smash into one another in the airspace ahead of the Lancelot.

Suzaku launches forward, boosting through the fireball to come back into formation with Shine and Latooni up ahead... And in time to see Ketol attack the Princess.

"Your Majesty!" Suzaku calls, pushing the Lancelot forward. The Yggdrasil Drive thumps, rotating intensely as it tries to fuel the requested actions of its kamikaze pilot. Kururugi immediately opens fire on the offending Aerogater robot, whipping the VARIS Rifle back out. The impact rail of the weapon extends, motes of green energy dancing at the tip of the rifle's barrel before firing an emerald beam.

Adom Nazir says in reply to Kazuma with a smirk over the comm.

"I am Adom Nazir, who else do you think I'd be. I know who I am!"

That sounded oddly a little more like Macua if Kazuma or Garrod thought about it much.

"Why would I go with you and leave my family behind."

The machine has it's hands on it's hips at this point and she doesn't seem to happy with things at all.

"There's nothing I need to be freed from! Your the one who need to be freed from the cycle of endless carnage your race inflicts upon it self! Balmarians don't war against other Balmarians!"

She summons her spear and it expands as she gets ready to engage the rest of the samples comming at her, and several she can sense.

"Ah good some other samples I can feel your here! NOW SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN DO!"

She trusted Ketol could handle the rest of samples and she now reslises one of the Princesses of Orb is comming right at her. Her pressure does feel like Macua's but it's twisted altered and warped a lot. The incomming shot does get her attention as do the attacks from the others. She is fast, very fast. Evading the large number of the incomming shots from Kazuma and Garrod. She's seeming to learn their style, as for Rachel? The blast catches her machine much like a shotgun, she senses another pressure. Joshua gets a blast from the short barreled rifle which she holds one handed as the spears in her other hand. She does laugh though.

"Not bad this should be fun! COME ON FIGHT ME WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT!"

The Esh speeds up, moving at high speed and seems to vanish and reappear as she's dancing? Wait no good can come from this as suddenly, Rachel, Kazuma and Garrod would find themselves under rapid assault from Adom. Only one Esh is real, the rest are some sort of illusion. She strikes again and then she's gone, hovering and eyes several other targets. Joshua would suddenly find himseld under a hand to hand assault, kicks mostly the odd punch, then she's gone again. She's spyed other prey. This prey is Isa, the poor alien knows not what she does as she fires an optical rifle blast at the scary !russian Lady.

"'Let me'?" Baraq wonders over the radio as compressed Minovsky particles and vulcan rounds meet similar fates of scattering haphazardly under the influence of tortured gravity and perforating the Uriyah's cloak.

"So I suppose you won't 'let me'--'let /us/' harass you all up and down the space lanes, won't 'let us' steal your friends and families and teach them how to bring you our revelations--won't '/let us/' pick you apart while you struggle to figure out how to stop fighting amongst /yourselves/ long enough to present a united front against a superior enemy, either, huh?"

The last few disassociated particles of Zeta Gundam's rifle bursts wink out of existence; already, the occasional shallow pit or scar is visible in the Uriyah's body through the panoply of small holes in its cloak.

"Somehow, I think we'll manage. /I'll/ manage."

On that note, the Uriyah suddenly - as suddenly as a machine weighing hundreds of tons and measuring well over a hundred meters can do /anything/, anyway - turns to face the Argama; the back of its cloak flutters when propulsion mechanisms arrayed on its back and the bottoms of its feet spray golden fire to send it racing towards the AEUG capital ship, and along the way it seeks to pluck Ascian's M1A Astray from space and carry it along for the ride.

Even if it /fails/ in getting hold of the OU mobile suit, its massive right hand will eventually thrust - palm or Astray first - towards the center of the Argama's mass, intent on crushing it before drawing away. to regather its cloak tightly around its body.

Its head will then turn towards the Zeta in silence.

The Argama pulls up beside the Catherine de Medici, just in time as Balmar drones set upon it.

"Deploy dummy balloons!" Bright cries out, "Anti-air batteries to intercept!"

The broadside of the AEUG lady opens up. All along the starboard batteries, rubberized packets are shot into the limitless void of space. With the aid of launch propulsion, they distance themselves decently and suddenly expand, becoming great big balloons that quickly dominate the visual field. The drones that get past are subject by the simultaneous launching of anti-air warheads, which easily lock on and catch them.

And then all of a sudden, the Uriyah throws its weight around. The robot's fist slams into the bulk of the Argama, near smooshing it against the side of the Catherine de Medici.

Bright rocks within his seat, "Damn it! We're taking concentrated fire. Have our gunners target the giant robot and get me Camille!"

Bright suddenly takes up a corner of Zeta Gundam's display.

>Bright: "Camille, we can't protect the civilian ship and fend off this super robot! You'll have to get its attention and take it out!"

Kazuma Ardygun is most emphatically not used to being penetrated. You'd think that with the number of times he's gone up against Adom and her freakin' spear, he'd be acclimating *somewhat*.

Either way, the Valhawk's armor gets perforated several times, the sleek, swift mobile unit shuddering with each impact despite Kazuma doing his best to at least score a few hits on Adom ... but she refuses to stay in his sights long enough for any of the laser pulses to actually hit her. "That's where you're wrong, Adom ... you're not leaving 'your' family behind, just the family they made you believe was yours! Your real family is still back on Earth, waiting for this invasion to be over! Your parents and your sister love you, Macua, and they want you home safely! Now come on - !"

The Valhawk's engines roar back to maximum thrust as he tries to ram the Ezekiel, hard, wherever he can hit it.

"- WAKE UP, MACUA!!"

"Only because you put everyone in your empire through 'adjustments' and make them into brainwashed slaves!" counters Garrod as he hurtles in, trying to get close to Adom to restrain her. Instead he ends up eating a spear to the shoulder for his troubles, "You never really ended the hatred and prejiduce that plagues you Balmarians! you just found an easy way out and screwed with everyone's mind! You didn't obtain peace, you just fell back on oppression of the worst kind!" Garrod twists and rips the spear free from his Gundam, then quickly swaps out for his beam sword, barreling at Adom. But instead of laser blade death, she gets a gigantic shield to the face. "We might be backwards and violent to you, but at least we're trying to progress through our actions! we're trying to stand upon our own two feet! we don't need crutches like 'indoctrine' and 'brainwashing' like the Balmary do!"

Unlike them NewType types, Ascian feels absolutely nothing but a slight 'pressure'. One that is easily discounted as that felt by a soldier in a battle situation. Murderous intent and all that. Of course there is also the nervousness that overcomes him by being in a unit that simply is /not/ his own. Overcome by somewhat of a tunnelvision, he concentrates on Baraq. He hated being outside of the Amenthes - which made it much easier to see the battlefield around him, letting him know where everyone was and who was firing at him. Here, he had to rely on the much less sophisticated radar and the his own eyes. No Vid-windows. No complex energy readings. No 'presence' to relate to. No voices.

No voices, except for those on the radio - and that of the creak of his unit as he suddenly finds himself unable to control it. He'd been so focussed on Baraq's unit that he'd known exactly how to dodge the unit. He'd gripped his controls and poured as much of his concentration into it. And of course... nothing happened. This was not the Amenthes. "SHIT!" The young man calls out as the Astray begins to shudder under the massive pressure of the unit's massive hand and ends up crashing into the hull of the Argama. The structure bends and breaks up partially - and the wings of the unit bend forwards. "Grrr..." Ascian begins to pull and push on the controls until suddenly. CLICK!

The hand of the Mobile suit had found the beam rifle at his side. With his limited ability to move he aims it upwards slowly towards the chest of the Uriyah, he still manages to put the end against its chest. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" He calls out through the speakers. "First you take away my old unit, now you try to destroy this thing!? I won't have any of it!" And he presses the trigger.

The large blue shape streaking through empty space spins and tumbles, evading the incoming fire of the Fairlions... Until, at last, a spray of energy pellets from Latooni bounce off the energy field surrounding the hull. As it jinks away from the incoming fire, however, it presents an irresistable target, and the VARIS's beam slams into the Blue Angel, leaving a small scar across its belly.

Ketol responds fairly calmly... By scattering her feathers across her attackers, firing a light shower of energy beams their way.

Switching to the open channel, she states, in an bored, condescending tone, "You have quite a number of people willing to die for you... Princess. Do you truely believe your life is more valuble then all of theirs? With your knowledge, your blessings, you're truely willing to watch them die in your name?"

There's a moment's pause, then. "I know. But we both know I had to ask."

With that, the scattered feathers converge upon the red Fairlion again, now firing angry blue beams from all directions, aiming for weak points all over the AM!

The two shots strike home. While it seems like the Balmarian unit is put under the effect, a distinct pressure homes in on her own mind, lighting up her senses. Adom Nazir-- Or Macua Huitl-- is someone that she'll never forget the presence of, as one of the first people to welcome her into Katharon... and as one of the first people that tried to reach her, in her past.

After she's made her intentions clear-- identified herself to Latooni and Suzaku-- Rachel's arms sway outward to the sides. The red Zeta's arms follow suit as the left knee draws forward, and the right arm draws back far. The Zeta's damaged shield presents itself to absorb some of the blow, the white-haired Newtype's left arm crossing over her chest. Despite the sudden, sheer speed, the movements that the Balmarian unit can make, Rachel's mind is focused on what's in front of her. It's not some Aerogater, it's not the Ezekiel.

Macua.

In one of those spots where the Ezekiel Esh is supposed to reappear, there too is the red Zeta Gundam. The P2/3C Type swings out with the hand holding the Shortbarrel Beam Gun in an outward motion, swatting the Balmarian unit with the butt end of the handle as though it were half-punch, half /pistolwhip/.

"Get real, Macua!! I know you can do a lot better than that!"

Her feet shift, pressing down against the pedals. The Zeta blitzes to the side, pitching to the left, the Ezekiel's right and returns the gun to the Mobile Suit's hip. The Second Princess's hand comes down to her hip and grips, sweeping outward-- and so the crimson Gundam's arm follows suit, drawing a single beam saber from the recharge rack. Blazing to life with a burst of green, the blade follows an arc before coming straight--

-- And charging straight back at the Ezekiel Esh.

Twisting a bit to her left, hooking her right arm across her chest, Rachel comes back around with a more powerful swing aimed at the Balmarian machine's shoulder-- aimed to rip a deep, heavy gash into the alien machine's joint!

"It's fine!" Fiona calls back to Shine, as her whole machine is briefly bathed in shining green, white, and yellow. "It's not like you could've known!"

Fiona is a little skeptical about this whole future-seeing thing.

"Besides," Fiona begins, and then the world is briefly obscured in a shining, screaming torrent as the Time-Flow Engine synchronizes two spaces in the world and decides one of them should be over here; it is Cheating, there is a resonant sense of, of, /something/ happening that the sensitive can tell is an event, but once it passes there is nothing especially remarkable about the unit left behind:

"Excellence Cosmo-driver!" Fiona announces, as the thrusters on the space frame snap open. "Entering combat!" The cockpit's context-sensitive gauges start to light up; a panel illuminates with the Fairy controls, the weapons gauges lights up with ammo counters for the Magnums and an energy meter from the Engine (effectively arbitrary), and the thruster heat gauges appear. Fiona quickly sets to burning through those, Cosmo-driver darting across the distance toward Ketol's machine, whipping up her hi-coat magnums and blasting a few massive solid slugs in Ketol's direction. Princess Shine has plenty of protection, but still...! And with the Fairies, maybe she can keep this one's drones busy, too! Eventually. She notes they don't have any solutions yet. Freakin' machine, Fiona can never rely on it!

The Yuktobanian throws herself against the harness as the Lightning weaves in and out between Balmarian drones. While the Lightning is wonderfully responsive, it's not the same as the aircraft she's used to. She's not quite used to the Lightning just yet.

"--Hurk!"

There's a brief flash of light to warn her at about the same time the optical rifle round slams into the side of the Lightning. The force of the impact throws Isa against the harnesses, growling a string of curses in Russian.

"Geist One, engaging!" The woman then flips a few switches, shifting her frequency to a local broadband; enough for Adom Nazir to hear her. "Shut up and die," she snarls. It's concise enough to get to the point.

The Lightning banks, engines flaring in the blackness between the stars. Isa flips a series of switches as a control lights up red on the console. "Fine," she growls to herself, checking the Esh's position with a quick glance. "You want to play hard ball, I play hard ball right back."

A final switch is flicked, loosing a large missile from beneath one of the wings. Its rockets flare with yellowish light, streaking after Adom's unit even as Rachel lights into her like a payload of dynamite.

 Heavy Russian accent: Isa Reichert transmits a sharp "--hurk!" and discordant jangle of restraints. "This one is feisty!"

"This one is gunning for the Princess!" Suzaku says, adrenaline surging into his thin body. He cannot believe that the Aerogater's are still trying to capture her. Won't they ever give up? But memories of what Ingram Prisken has said to Kururugi flash in his mind. Their intentions, their methods. The way they are so similar to another Empire he knows very well.

No, they won't. There is only one language they can understand. The VARIS in the Lancelot's grip hums again.

Fiona appears in that moment, all radical and full of Time Flow. "Miss Graydon!" Suzaku says, with a degree of astonishment. He'll never get used to the Excellence Frame, even when he finally gets to /pilot/ it!

But with an opening made, Kururugi acts. His targeting HUD chimes, locking Ketol's unique Balmarian machine in its reticle. The wings of the FLOAT System fan out, green tips glowing as they stabalize the Knightmare in the sky. And again, the VARIS lets it rip, a series of rapid fire energy balls crackling from the weapon -- Suzaku sweeping it to try and keep up with the Aerogater.

"Leave Princess," spears, "Hausen alone!"

"I don't even have time to care right now." Seriously, why was this shit always happening to him? "I have no idea who you are, but call yourself whatever." However, if Camille /did/ have a brother, he certainly wouldn't be doing such a crappy job piloting that Astray. "Man, I really hope that isn't Katz."

It takes a moment to process just what was going on in the battle, but the Newtype gets a fairly clear picture in his head. He'd lost track of Rachel for the moment, but Princess Shine and her retinue seemed to be engaging the Malakh. A team like that should do an adequate job of protecting her, for the moment...long enough for him to take care of things here, at least.

"You..." Camille finds it harder and hard to control his temper against this pilot's arrogance, "Do you even understand the consequences of what you do?!" He doesn't know why he bothered to argue with them. It was always the same, "Or do you just not care?!"

The answers seems to be a wave of devastation that sweeps up the Argama, the Astray and specificaly /not/ him. The Zeta is intentionally left in the cold of space, powerless to stop the scintillating attack. The Uriyah stares at him expectantly, and Bright's words register somewhere through Camille's building newtype rage, "Roger that." You hear that, Baraq? Papa said /knock you out/.

"If you think you can afford to ignore the Zeta in combat, you've got another thing coming." A push up on the throttle and the Zeta Gundam is suddenly magnifying on all sensors far faster than one might think, a burning pike at the end of the Hyper Mega Launcher aiming to put itself straight throught that damn swiveling head, "If you can't even manage me, you're going to have a hell of a time with the rest of the Earth!"

Latooni Subota briefly debates sending her opponent a message in response - but no, there's really no point. She's not going to listen, so why argue? People with that kind of attitude never do. She wonders briefly if she had that attitude before the Balmarians got her, or if it's a new thing... assuming this person was even taken. There have to be /some/ native Balmarians here.

The Fairlion dances around the return fire from the beam familiars, settling into a straight flight near the end instead of continuing to whirl around Shine. The multiple engines on the stiff 'skirt' of the Fairlion hum and then glow, trailing specks behind it, a faint glow and sparkle.

Latooni charges straight at the Mal'akh until, at the very last moment, she whips aside, attempting a long slash with the blade on one arm. She orbits the larger unit, lashing out repeatedly with the knives, making herself an almost impossible target for the Balmarian as she whirls around and around, always using her momentum to add power to her blows; the Fairlion is /fast/ and Latooni is going to abuse that as long as possible.

While doing it, she still finds time to start sending Fiona targetting data for her Fairies. Damn multitaskers.

Shine thinks to herself: How embarrassing - he speaks so highly of me and yet he is using that term, in a very technical sense, incorrectly... should I bring it up? He would wish to know, but at the same time to tell him would simply shame him and he is already so sensitive given his failures and difficulties!

She is also irritated by Baraq's words. She cuts in the radio to answer him, rather hotly. "Yes, we have heard you mock our political disunity before, and yet you seem moved to strike. Is your goal to generously give us a common atrocity to bind us together???" At this point, lasers glance off the Fairlion again, making Shine yelp.

She answers Ketol with huffiness in her tone. "Why do you ask such questions when you already know the answers? Is it the mission of the Ze Balmary empire to see if they can come here and make us blush?!"

Her eyes water slightly as Fiona's machine blasphemes against reality, but she does not quite connect the two events. She has, however, gotten her blood up, apparently. "Latooni!" she declares, feeling a strange tickle -- something passes through her, arcing momentarily towards a red machine, but really focusing towards the familiar presence of the Gundam of Gundams.

And the Fairlion pivots around, accelerating at great speed and suddenly. The machine's arms splay out and it pivots, like a whirlwind, as if to see if the Balmarian machine's armor and the tender mechanisms beneath will...

... blend.

The short-barreled beam rifle the Ezekiel carries strikes a glancing blow on the NEXT. The beam splashes against it's Primal Armor, the particle field illuminating and dispersing the damage. The outer armor gets slightly scorched, but Joshua is sure that isn't the best she can do, and is sure that it's--

--something? He glances aside, feeling the Event as it occurs. "What was--?" He shakes his head. Nothing, it was nothing, Josh; focus, he tells himself.

ELSEWHERE SECONDS AGO

Lloyd Asplund performs a thorough scan on a peculiar electronic component contained within the Excellence Cosmo-Driver, sans the core piece with the engine. He stands on a ladder, gadget in-hand, and looks down at the display. Lloyd hums quietly, leaning to one side a little to duck, reaching down and picking up a cup of something hot and caffienated. He raises the instrument with one hand--

--and detects nothing, because the actual thing he was examining has decided to be elsewhere.

Lloyd lets out a long-suffering sigh and resolves to go get some lunch.

HERE NOW

White Glint suddenly meets the Balmar unit head-on. Two kicks slam into the Primal Armor and the NEXT itself, caving a section of armor plating. He returns the favor with an amateurish kick, barely managing to even connect, but doing no damage--and then pushing off before the punch can smash something vital. White Glint shoots backwards, a booster flashing and propelling it away at absurd velocities. Joshua holds on--

--and leaves Adom a missile that splits into six parts, cunningly disguised by his brilliant Kojima particle-filled wake. If that doesn't give him some room to maneuver, he's not sure what could.

"Balloons? Dummy balloons...?" Baraq wonders of the AEUG's captain, cruel amusement twisting his voice to a hateful edge. "I figured, when I was running through the specifications for this heap of Earthman crap, that they were some kind of /joke/. Non-weaponized distractions filled with /air/--could you /be/ any sillier?"

As he mocks Bright Noa, Baraq's Uriyah is peppered with round after round after amber round of ammunition that lights up the endless night before sinking into the Balmarian Titan's gravity well; once there, the rounds orbit its figure for a second or two before finally slamming into its body at a dozen different angle. No one bullet does much damage on its own, but together--together they, like the Astray and the Zeta's opening assaults, further damage the machine's cloak and leave more scars criss-crossing the armour beneath.

Also, Baraq's attempt at reciprocating - a narrow green beam fired from the Olga Cannon hidden behind the Uriyah's left eye - actually punctures a balloon and sends it hissing through space for a few seconds before its tattered remains lose their motive force and simply drift liftlessly like so many other trophies of the countless wars fought in space.

The young officer frowns--but before he can follow the beam with something more substantial, he's met by Ascian, gutsy enough to enter the Uriyah's Gravity Territory for the purposes of making a point and taking his frustrations out on the Uriyah.

The distorted gravity itself is hazardous enough - Ascian will have to keep very careful control over the Astray's systems to avoid being cast away violently - but the tactic pays dividends: from such a close range, the Gravity Territory is completely useless as a protective measure, so the rifle shot not only shreds a hole through the Uriyah's cloak, it penetrates through several layers of armour before finally terminating in a series of small explosions.

Baraq's frown deepens; a broad burst of blue energy fires from the Magdar Cannon behind the Uriyah's right eye, sweeping through the Astray to try dissuading its pilot's tenacity in remaining so near; the beam continues towards the Argama, though with the number of dummy balloons entering the battlefield, it's difficult to say whether or not it will actually make contact.

With that taken care of, the Uriyah turns to face Zeta Gundam.

"'You took my unit'," Baraq mockingly transmits. "'You /ignored/ me!' /Please/. The more I tell you people how childish you are, the more eager you seem to be to prove me /right/. Fine--you want my /attention/? You're eager to experience what your idiot wingman in the Astray did? /Fine/--"

The Uriyah's eyes fix on the incoming Zeta, and at the last moment...

... it swats the mobile suit aside with the back of its hand. Despite the nonchalance of the gesture, the Bayonet is every bit as dangerous as the /last/ time Baraq chose to meet it with aggression; the thick, blazing head that's formed at the tip of the Hyper Mega Launcher catches in the Balmarian Titan's wrist and cuts a long strip out of its armour before being dislodged; the wound ends about midway up its forearm. Arcing electricity and shattered crystalline forms are visible through the tortured metal.

"By the way--" The yellow crystal seated /just/ above the Beam Bayonet wound briefly glimmers before expelling a radiant tether that the Uriyah its quick to take in hand. It lashes out towards the Zeta Gundam, intent on snaring the AEUG's pride and drawing it back in to administer /more/ of its destructive attentions to the mobile suit.

"--I don't care. I just don't; you people are a sand castle on the beach of time--vaguely interesting, 'till you're inevitably broken down and re-absorbed into the greater whole, where you belong."

Say what you will about the dummy balloons, Baraq Sheraga, they are immensely effective.

The Magdar Cannon evaporates one such balloon that drifted in its aim, leaving an unobstructed view -- of empty space!

As this may be infuriating, what is even more anger-inducing is how the Argama is angling around now that it has managed to push the Catherine de Medici out of the way. Its rear gun-battery is lining up with its forward mount, guncrews meticulously trying to take the Uriyah's gravity well into account of their firing solutions. In most forms of mobile suit warfare, it is considered preferable to aim for the center mass.

"Suppressive fire!" Bright commands. "If this is anything like the Antenora, its important systems are in its cockpit. We'll just have to hope the cockpit is in the chest!"

The sudden... *appearence* of the Cosmo-Driver takes Ketol by suprise, as the Magnum's slugs hit the hull, a heavy *thwack* echoing within the cockpit. It's followed up by Suzaku's VARIS leaving another heavy burnt patch across the outer hull... But then Ketol recovers. Latooni's Fairlion might be fast, but the Blue Angel is faster, evading the attack with a burst of speed...

That places her right in the path of Shine's whirlwind. The Angel manages to excape with a tear in its armor, but Ketol is pissed as she climbs back away, leaving her Feathers to scatter some paltry returning fire.

Banking around, she dives towards Shine and Latooni, tearing apart the sky like a blue meteor. The hull of the Mal'akh burns with a bright blue flame, as cracks start appearing along the hull. The glow becomes brighter as it charges them... but at the last minute, there's a sudden explosion. A blast of energy envelops the Blue Angel, threatening to encompass both Shine and Latooni's AMs as well, and a cloud of frozen vapour covers the area where it once was.

There, drifting in space for a moment, is the Mobile Suit-like machine forming the core of the Aerogator weapon, assuming a fighting stance.

If you must dance....

... Then dance with an Angel.

"Shut up kid. I am trying here. I just have never flown a damn Mobile Suit. I think I'm doing pretty darn well for a complete newbie." Ascian calls out at Camille's Zeta Gundam whilst he holds firmly onto the controls as his unit gets swaggered around. He can /hear/ the metal bending inwards as the Gravity Territory so violently weighs down on the Astray. "Keep together you piece of crap machine." But as much as he was saying this, he was in fact surprised just how well this thing was keeping up. So suprised that he was a bit late in reacting to the light that bursts to life.

It melts part of the Astray's shoulder off just before he can get away and lets himself be 'launched' upwards - away from both the Argama and the Uriyah whilst a grin forms on his face. He'd hit! The framerunner's gaze shifts onto the rifle for a moment, and the smile grows. "I will not be taken for a fool this time alien! I know you probably don't recognize me. That I am just another fly on the wall for you. Even if I am not going to be the one to destroy you, I sure as hell am going to make a difference in this thing!" The Astray's thrusters come to life harshly and it flies straight above it to try and get /behind/ Baraq's unit - and raises the Beam rifle gun whilst upside down. Well, upside-down compared to the Uriyah that is.

"Look, Camille. I know I am not actually your brother. We both know that. But I had to give the two shrimp an excuse so I could get into this thing. I am not going to run. I am going to help you guys fight." He was sure that Bright could hear him right now too. "Sorry Bright! But I am not good with staying in enclosed spaces. I am a soldier." And he pushes the Astray's arm forwards to press the rifle /into/ the Gravity Territory, hoping to create another miracle... and presses the trigger. "Ascian Luddite - engaging our collective enemy!"

"What ...?" is all Suzaku can muster when the Balmarian Enemy sheds its ugly coccoon and emerges -- well it isn't a butterfly, but maybe a moth. Moths are pretty ugly. That sounds right. But the reality is that the 'Blue Angel' is an extremely fast robot. It might, even, be as fast as Suzaku's own Lancelot. And it seems to be durable, inhumanly durable. Like it were an alien. Crazy!

Suzaku swallows, his hands tightening their hold on the Lancelot's controls. The VARIS Rifle is stowed back into the Z-01's leg holster, a la Robocop, and Suzaku instead pivots the Knightmare the air. Lifting its hands, the two Maser Vibration Swords are pulled from their shoulder sheathes. They vibrational blades sychronize witha flash of red light, the long blades locking into their attack configuration.

Kururugi waits for an opening in the defenses of the Mal'akh, his eyes skipping across the Lancelot's cockpit monitor. This isn't a good situation; the Princess is far too exposed for his tastes. But she won't retreat. The only alternative is to destroy the enemies quickly, before they can do her harm. Kururugi exhales, waiting, waiting, there --!

Suzaku does what he always does -- he flies straight at the enemy and tries to cut it up. Coming hard at the unleashed Blue Angel, Kururugi uses the speed and momentum he's built up to his benefit -- trying to lunge one of the MVS straight into something important on the Balmarian, while using the sword in the other hand to /chop/!

Camille had to admit: He really didn't see a backhand coming (then again, he never does). The Zeta's head snaps 90 degrees to the right (And if this were a video game you might have seen the word FACE! pop up on the screen), the Beam Bayonet going wild as the Mobile Suit sails off in an unexpected direction thanks to the unique clusterfuckers of it's thrusters pushing close to max, the power of that unrighteous smack and the annoy gravity field the Uriah had around it.

"Hnng..!" Restrained as he was, Camille was not enjoying the stress that kind of trajectory change was placing on his body, coming close to blacking out until managing to gain some control over the bucking mobile suit. "That's not my wingman." When he retorts, there is a coppery taste; must've bit his tongue, "If my wingman was here, you wouldn't be half as chatty right now."

At least on benefit of his massive deceleration was being just out of reach of that weird lasso attempt. With careful application of the foot pedal, Camille deftly pulls the Zeta free of further danger as the Argama looms overhead... and an idea comes.

"Who the hell are you calling a kid?!" The young ace snaps over the radio at the Astray pilot as he puts just enough juice in the thrusters to start killing his acceleration; the Zeta's feet touch the hull of the Argama tenderly, "You're going to get yourself killed, whoever you are!"

The OG Zeta Gundam leaps off the Argama with impressive force, shooting itself straight back at the Uriyah with un-assisted thrust until that crucial moment: when he suddenly switches stance from what appeared to be another beam bayonet attack into a rocket-powered dropkick, flipping the mobile suit upside down with a boost from the verniers at the strike's apex. With any luck, that heel was going right through the cockpit.

Camille has enough time to groan at Ascian's admission, "For the love of-why do we even /have/ a brig?!" Camille also permits a whistle at the moment he catches on the HUD's side monitor, "Damn, Princess Shine's new knight is some kind of badass. I wonder if I know him?"

Fiona narrows her eyes. Got to keep this under control, she thinks. There's people relying on her...and she can't let the Princess get hurt! She sucks a breath in, then puffs it out quickly, as Cosmo-driver darts past, whipping its magnums back around, lining up another shot...

When Lat sends thorugh that tracking data. The Fairies panel lights up, and Fiona grins a bit. "Ok, then," she says. "Now we can start!" She reaches for the activation control, and outside, the antenna on the top of Cosmo-driver slides down, a bright green light boiling out from it, the eye lighting up. "GO! FAIRIES!" Fiona yells!

They filter out of her machine's back, about six or seven good-size remote units, darting around and disappearing into the fray of the battle, aligning and realigning as data from Latooni and data pulled down from the Engine coordinate their targetting. Fiona knows the enemy also has remotes, though, so she's got to keep that busy; she whips up the magnums, firing slugs at Ketol even as the Fairies start lining up shots and blasting bolts of pencil-thin green light into the fray, blasts stopping and fairies shifting dynamically as things intervene - as if the system already knows where and when to be shooting.

At least Baraq seems to not be focused on mocking all of them forever. "I would ask you, sir," Shine replies with another attempt to be arch, "whether the same is not true of us all..."

Something tickles at her awareness. It is more than the simple sensation, like being in a resonant room, near the powerful minds from the Argama. Camille Bidan and that other one, to say nothing of the aliens. Something --

The Fairlion whirls suddenly to turn towards the Malakh. This entity uses area effect weapons, ones notoriously hard for the Fairlion to dodge. Shine wonders for a passing moment if it was built, just so, in an effort to try to confound her abilities. It would be flattering, to think that her Fairlion has gotten such grand estimation in the eyes of the enemy...

The wave of matter hits /something/ in front of the Fairlion. The energy field produces a beautiful plasmic aurora even as the superheated matter splatters against the Fairlion's outer armor carapace, its eyes seeming to narrow as it regards the revealed form of Ketol's machine.

"Sir Kururugi," she breathes out as the man rushes in heedlessly. She draws back, then. She does not leave them unguarded; the front apertures of the Fairlion open, its energy fields distorting to 'lens' a burst of energy into an intense blue ray aimed towards the thing. Shine then sends two transmissions.

One is to the Argama. "Argama, thank you for your efforts. I hope that when we have seen these people off, we may speak companionably."

The other is to Latooni. "Latooni -- are you prepared for 'That'?"

Very little is more agile than the Fairlion. A few things: Wildraubtier is, Vic Viper is, she's not sure what else. The cocooned Mal'akh is not one of them, even if Latooni finds herself unable to strike it solidly for some time while being pecked away by familiar point defenses.

Latooni's lips purse as she recgnize that the Mal'akh is doing /something/. Breaking apart, splitting - Latooni rockets backwards, her thrusters blazing again as she clears the hell away from the shattering frame. That she manages to deflect one of the chunks with an errant blade slice is largely irrelevant. It doesn't do much to either of them.

Latooni holds position for several long seconds before charging again. Shine fights at range; Latooni seems to prefer staying in close. The shoulder prongs of the Fairlion flip down, and as she charges, she is surrounded by a halo of prismic light; long trails of it wisp behind her like a particularly violent comment as she tries to slam her shielded machine directly into the Mal'akh, drilling through it with the focused blast.

"I am almost ready," Latooni sends to Shine, mid-charge; it crackles intensely, making her hard to hear.

Okay, so sure, maybe those balloons are good for /something/; Baraq hasn't - at least, he /thinks/ he hasn't - experienced too many battleship disappearances in his time, and yet, for all his mockery the dummies did their job by hiding the Argama's movements from he and the Uriyah's gaze. Baraq's fist clenches, even trembles--but the bout of anger passes about as quickly as it set in.

If he were still in his Ezekiel - or, okay, if his brain were being molested by a strange mobile suit with pregnant eyes - right about now is probably when he'd be well on his way to falling into a violent rage, but something about being in the Uriyah's cockpit is comforting enough to make maintaining a calm center easier than it normally might be.

Accordingly, though the aim of the Argama's gunnery crew is as true as ever, the Uriyah again demonstrates its ability to cope with the AEUG mothership's weaponry by clutching the inside of its cloak in one hand and casting it out with a deft flourish; inexplicably, its surface not only sends the beams arcing /back/ towards the Argama, it appears to be unharmed by the contact. A brief shimmer of gold courses down its surface afterwards.

As the cloak is drawn back into place, Baraq tilts his head ever so slightly at Ascian's communication; it takes him a split-second to place his voice, but once he does... the Uriyah's head turns until it's peering behind itself out of an eye.

"You are, in fact, another fly, or insect, or--/whatever/," the Balmarian officer smirkingly replies. "But you were also at the Zaftran Wall; you've traded /down/, haven't you? Shameful; you should be more careful with your Orbital Frame." As he speaks, the Uriyah clutches its cloak tightly; as soon as the last word is spoken, its entire surface briefly flares with blinding golden light meant to baffle sensors and sting human eyes. When the glare fades, the sniper rifle shot is gone as if it never occured; there's certainly no sign of damage to the Uriyah's body.

The same cannot be said once Zeta Gundam has connected with its body, however; while its heel lands somewhere north of the Uriyah's cockpit - that goddamn Gravity Territory, again - it still leaves a sizable crater in the Balmarian Titan's torso and sends more shreds of its cloak into space.

"You don't mean the soft, awkward girl you were with the last time, do you...? I /hope/ not, for your sake." The words are mostly to try and rattle--or better yet, anger Camille, as with the Zeta so close, Baraq has to react quickly... once his cockpit stops shaking from the impact, anyway. With a small forward boost, the Uriyah parts its cloak with both hands, only to try folding it around the OG Zeta so that's trapped in the dim space between the Uriyah's body and its protective/weaponized cloak.

While it struggles to get - and perhaps even /keep/ - hold of the Zeta, several surviving Megillots suddenly freeze thanks to their operations being taken over by the Uriyah's systems. Targetting information is uploaded, and soon the Bugs have drawn together to make a concentrated assault on the Argama, seeking to bombard it from all sides with ring lasers.

And meanwhile, if the Uriyah has managed to entrap Zeta Gundam, the dim space within its cloak will grow sharply, painfully, destructively bright when the next best thing to sunlight is violently expelled the various crystal formations studding its body, courtesy of the Titan's Pulse Ion Engines.

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Captain Bright Noa transmits, "Camille, watch out!"

Adom Nazir has Garrod closing in on her for a moment. She fires a shot a instant before Garrod's shield slams into her own amchine. "We're just saving you from your selves! You spit on this gesture when every other race aware of your kind wants you /dead/ or worse."

She seems to think there's nothing wrong with what they do.

"Call it what you will! But we'll save you from your selves!"

Then comes Kazuma at her machine she's fast anc counters him with her spear agian but she's not there longenough for him to day.

"Feh, I know how you confused your foes. My sister is barely alive thanks to you savages!"

Kazuma would find himself facing down the spear again as she strikes, but is unable to connect with his attack.

Then comes an aerospace fighter, how cute, how very cute. But before she can do much more as Rachel gets in her face, this actually pleases her. She wants a good fight, and she eyes the mass produced Zeta and actually makes it a brinng it on gesture. She is indeed behaving a lot more like her self but was that inentional to make her struggle less under her chains?

"I am real and the name is Adom! Get it right!" She'll bring up her spear to meet Rachel in close combat and she parryes the beam saber, then launches a counter attack, seems she's turning up her game. But Rachel has set Isa up to score a hit from behind, missile explodes and Adom feels it.

Her flight suit lights up and she feels the feed back.

"Not bad, teaming up is the only way any of you even have a remote chance to win this fight!"

"Ah a lynx again, humm you know the ones you call the Ravens are higher on sample list you know. But then again you have the sort of powers. Prehaps Kharul could use a wingman when i'm done with you!"

The incomming attacks, are well done, but she senses them comming, she shoots them down, one after the other and even sends a blast at Joshua himself.

"So you don't rely on only your powers do you? Good, that actually makes you useful. Now come please show me what you really can do!"

She's moving again and the Esh is now right in Joshua's face, he may have time to respond and evade this but the spear is comming and seemingly almost for what could be a vital point on the NEXT.

She'll twist the spear if she gets a hit in. Before she'll rip it free.

She then puts the spear away, and leaps from one machine to another, Kazuma, Rachel, and Garrod punches, kicks even severa blade susing her hands almost like blades. The Esh and it's pilot just doesn't let up.

"I'll just use my fists to deal with you all."

The assault keeps up, and she'll even try to crush the face of Garrod's and KAzuma's machines before she breaks away. Isa meanwhile would just get flat out kicked, plane vs KICK?! THis could be bad.

"You can call it whatever you want 'Adom', it's still slavery and it's still wrong!" Garrod counters. the hand reaches out for his gundam, but is barely able to get a hold before his arm snaps up and knocks the hand away. "Balmary civilization is based on a lie! What else can you call it when so many of your people aren't even really Balmarians? just brainwashed people from other species who THINK they are Balmarians!" This time Garrod really does com in with his sword, quickly slashing up across the chest (avoiding her cockpit mind you) before whipping around to deliver a swift kick to the gut, followed by a sword throw at her machine's head. Because throwing your sword always works. "You always claim that you know who your family is, but do you! Every brainwashed person in your fleet must think they're from your world, and they must think they have family back home! How can you be so certain of who you are when /EVERYONE AROUND YOU LIVES A LIE!/"

"Ascian Luddite?" Bright Noa is overheard echoing the name. It takes him a minute to realize that the plucky (and reckless) Astray pilot is the same man he locked up in his brigade. "But he-- damn it, that idiot can't accomplish anything if he throws his life away!"

Then all of a sudden, a Katharon marine emerges from the elevator, rubbing his head. "Captain, the prisoner--"

Bright groans, "I know, I know."

Proximity alerts erupt inside the Argama's bridge. A collection of red blips on radar begin swarming uncomfortably close to the stationary point of the battleship.

"Megillot swarm incoming!" cries out Caesar. "Multiple vectors!"

Shit! Bright glances to the side, observing a quick tactical read-out. "Deploy anti-air countermeasures! Torres, bring us back into firing range! Main batteries, target the head! While it's busy with Camille, we might be able to neutralize one of its heavy weapons!"

Missiles stream out of the Argama, each warhead synched to an individual Megillot. They fly on trails of propellant, curving around to smash the Balmar drones dead-on. Explosions rack up on every side of the battleship, battering the hull with residual vibrations. Energy rings cascade against the white armor plating, burning the finish but otherwise dissipating.

Main guns re-calibrate their aim and continue their assault. Streaks of yellow energy fly, vaporizing Megillots that've swarmed too close on their approach to the Uriyah.

The Valhawk is battered further by Adom's beating, but it's still flying, and although Kazuma and Mihiro get jounced around in the cockpit, they're still conscious and still have the willpower to keep fighting. "Okay, say for the sake of argument that Adom Nazir is real," Kazuma transmits, feigning patience (fairly effectively, truth be told). "I'm STILL saying that Adom Nazir was 'born' based on someone else's identity! What does someone have to do - let you capture one of us and then we make sure you watch what happens to us? Have you watch every step from beginning to end? Is that what it's going to take for you to confront the truth? Or are you afraid, because you know what we're saying is right and you don't want to confront it?"

The Valhawk whips around, and starts trying to hem the Ezekiel Esh in with virtuoso flying and carefully aimed salvos of lasers and plasma. "How much of your own history can you really tell us?!" Kazuma demands over the radio. "Who taught you mecha-based martial arts? Which planet were you born on, or was it on a ship instead of groundside? Who was your first crush, or your first love? When's your birthday? COME ON! A real person KNOWS those things!!"

"Last I remember reading a file on the Argama's gundam units, you were quoted younger than me. It's mere fact. But can we stop argueing? I don't care if you think I am going to get myself killed. I'll just have to prove you wrong!" Ascian responds to Camille's calls at him. "I'll get back in the brig when this is all over." Anything not to chase the Argama's chicken, which Judau wanted him to catch so badly. "Just work with me here!" The young man pressed down on the pedal himself, having figured out how to fly /backwards/ and leads himself away from the enemy unit; quickly throwing a look at the Zeta Gundam. He wanted to work together... assist the guy. Show that he was to be trusted. That, and have higher odds of coming out of this alive. After all, no matter how much confidence may be presented in his voice when he speaks to Camille - there is doubt in his mind.

This doubt is replaced by somewhat of a surprise by the fact that Baraq remembers him. "Yes, that is correct. Amenthes is still alive! And trust me, soon enough you will feel her wrath!" So he promises the Balmarian - a slight red glow burning at the sides of his eyes as a tiny bit of the Metatron poisoning is still present. He swings around again for another attack, targetting the center of mass of the Uriyah - whilst at the same time eyeing the position of the Gundam Zeta. "Take it or leave it - but laying covering fire!" He calls out to Camille over tightbeam - launching a large series of shots in a half-circle to mark the position to strike - hoping to weaken the Gravity Territory enough for the Gundam Pilot to get in there and rip the unit a new one.

That one moment, wings outstretched, radient with power... Was a moment too long for Ketol. With a horrible *crunch*, one of the four wings on the Blue Angel is severed at the joint, leaving the twitching stump to spew an arcing cloud of blue energy into space, as the Angel flails wildly in... pain? The beams from the Fairies strike home, peppering the feminine robot with scorch marks and burns. Dashing away, it's all Ketol can do to avoid further punshiment from the Fairlions, evading Shine's beams, and Latooni's charge.

Finally, Ketol can stand no more. Charging at full tilt towards the Fairlions, the Angel clenches its fists, burning with rage as it does. Flashing towards Shine, it reaches out, and tries to grab hold of the Fairlion's arm in its burning, consuming grip, and with a rapid, 5G barrel roll and a +15G forward thrust, throw the AM into the Catherine's hull.

And then it turns to Latooni.

The armour on the Angel's chest peels back and reforms, arranging itself into a large firing chamber, shining as bright as the sun. She *lunges* for the purple Fairlion, and attempt to pull the AM into a massive, crushing, bear hug...

So that she'll be in point blank range of her chest cannon when it fires.

Stop staring.

STARLIGHT... SPARK!

The Lightning's engines scream as it threads its way through friendlies, hostiles, and the barrage of fire from both sides of the battle -- but in jerking to one side to avoid somebody else's artillery, the Lightning rams right into the kick flung at it from the Ezekiel Esh.

Cockpit warnings immediately start announcing the damage in a feminine monotone.

"Dammit," Isa rasps, single eye flicking toward the damage readout displays on the cockpit's screens.

Hmm. That was a pretty bad blow, and there's a crumpled dent dangerously close to the Lightning's engines. It may not be the same flawed design as the Skytalon, but bad things are still going to happen if they're ruptured.

Her eye flicks back up, back towards the Esh, then back down to the console and weapon controls. Gloved hand hovering over it, Isa guides her fighter closer to the Esh -- and then with a little more force than necessary looses a missile towards the Balmarian craft.

...A really /big/ missile.

Suddenly, a picture of Bright pops up in the corner of Shine Hausen's Fairlion display.

>Bright: "There won't be much to talk about if you're dead, young lady. Stay on target and I'll see you soon!"

The spear locks with the blade for a moment; Rachel's eyes narrow and the Newtype girl shifts her footing, leans her weight in some-- she's trying to put pressure on the blow, but it becomes quickly apparent that Adom is the one winning this particular deadlock. Rather than risk overstepping her boundaries, the white-haired girl throws her weight backwards, trying to get some distance between them.

Relying again on the shield, the Second Princess curls her fist and holds her left forearm out, trying to soak the brunt of the damage against the surface. Of all the things that /were/ repaired on the prototype Zeta Gundam, the shield was left for last-- and it can't withstand too much damage all at once!

As a result, a few of those hits push the defensive measure away, rips and tears through the armor. Rachel grunts as one of those kicks hits the Mobile Suit in the chest-- and sends it reeling backwards. Directional thrusters and verniers fire, steadying the machine before it lurches forward, heading toward the Ezekiel on a straight course.

"Don't delude yourself, Macua! You're being brainwashed, that's all there is to it-- you're in there, I know it... Garrod knows it-- all of us do!! Whatever they did to you, to all of our friends, there's a way out... a way back!!"

The beam saber is released. Caught in the left hand as it disengages, Rachel only seems to /accelerate/. Reaching up to the shoulder, a port opens to allow a smaller, shorter hilt to emerge. The Zeta's shield shifts backward on the arm, locking to allow the left arm more mobility than it has now.

"And if we got to, we'll smack you around until you wake up!"

At the last possible moment, the red Zeta drops, dips off to one side-- and then hooks upward at an angle, aiming to drive an ignited beam knife into the Balmarian unit's side, low, and /wrench/ it at a sharp angle before pulling it back and backing away!

"As a matter of fact, I don't." Camille's one and only wingman was the eponymous /Heero Yuy/. Rachel, talented as she was, had a piloting style better suited to complementing Judau's....er...tactics, if you could call them that. "All the same, don't you /dare/ talk about her!" The instinctive sense of protectiveness Camille felt for the cyber newtype kicked into full gear at the idea of the balmarian pilot's sneer as he said those words, even as the Zeta's bootheel struck north of home (Damn that gravity field!) and was taken hold of by the machine.

"Shit..!" You know, this is exactly what they tell you never to try an actual kick in a legit street fight. Anything more than a leg sweep exposes you horribly. Still, a mobile suit had far more options at its disposal in this situation than a human being, which Camille is about to aptly demonstrate in a brillian four step program.

STEP ONE: He hurls the Hyper Mega Launcher 'down', freeing the Zeta's arms.

STEP TWO: Those newly unburdened manipulators bring forth the Zeta's shield as those ominous crystals light up, slamming it into the Uriyah's chassis several times in an attempt to break free, "Like hell you're going to take me down here!!"

STEP THREE: ????

STEP FOUR: Profit! Though some inexplicable yet internally consistent method Camille sails free of the Uriyah's deadly grip, escaping with only some partial scorching on the Zeta's right side and a nasty case of colored spots in his vision from the dazlling lightshow.

Fortunately, he managed to wind up right where he wanted to be: beneath the threatening Aerogator unit, with the Hyper Mega Launcher just within reach! "Do whatever you want!" The AEUG pilot insists, not having much time to be concerned about a person he doesn't particularly know and was with the DC anyways, "Just don't blame me for whatever happens!" And try not to explode within his mental range, it's very unpleasant.

The Zeta's targeting reticule turns red, and a bulge of violet, destructive fury coalesces at the Launcher's end, "Got you, you son of a bit!" Camille's eyes narrow in suitable grim fashion; a massive peal of mega particles race to split the Uriyah straight up it's crotch.

Latooni Subota doesn't even look up as something beeps on her control panel. Something is done charging, and she knows what it is. Her lips actually curl up into a half-smile. Reaching for something else, she speaks to Shine, saying few words:

"RHB ready to engage."

Latooni pulls back, getting out of melee range with Ketol again, turning around in a wide arc. She realizes, about ten yards into her flight, that Ketol is chasing her, visible in the single back-mounted camera of the Fairlion (better than a rear-view mirror!)

Latooni bites her lip. The maneuvers she puts the Fairlion through are grueling, almost impossible. The gravities slam her against the back of her seat, as she can feel herself pushing into it; her eyes water as her vision blurs, the Fairlion's maneuvering enough to nearly put even a Coordinator built for that out.

Finally, she dives, just as Ketol fires. She comes close enough to /just/ miss Fairlion-S's leg and drag her back; the beam blasts directly 'above' Latooni, destroying a few pieces of space debris but not the Fairlion.

Slightly battered from her maneuvers but unstopped, she comes to a stop near to Shine's eventual landing point closer to the Catherine. She's damaged, Latooni can see... but functional. So they'll have to end this. "System engaged," Latooni says, initializing the FELL ART of...

Dancing.

The Fairlion is seized and flung, Shine feeling the pressure of the immense acceleration. Something makes her want to throw up and black out at the same time, but she thinks she sees a warm green light -

The Fairlion rebounds off the de Medici, toppling through the 'air' for a moment before its thrusters kick in, reorienting it and landing it, very briefly, on the foredeck of the Argama. Fortunately she has no hostile feelings towards it.

And, she thinks to herself as Latooni evades and moves into the proper posture, it is that lack of hostility they must feel. Her eyes close for a moment as she breathes in and out; the Fairlion, one leg severely damaged and crackling, but otherwise intact for now, rises upwards, next to the Fairlion-S. "Latooni -- I give you my controls...!"

And then Shine Hausen closes her eyes, says a short prayer, and clears her mind of everything. First the hostile feelings, and then all feelings, until all that is left is the warm background hum of joy which is, she thinks, the fundamental nature of all things if only they would feel it. Data readouts give Latooni the benefit of Shine's precognitive anticipation, the day classes at the Newtype Lab facilities letting her think of such things in clarity, scope, and depth.

What happens in a different plane is quite different. Shine herself seems to manifest, eyes closed and looking determined, even as the Fairlions whirl around, first Latooni's, then Shine's, then both together with a half-whispered phrase of "Synchro Attack." Afterwards, both stand side by side, the emitters of their sonic breaker emitters.

The vision is crystal clear. Shine is reaching out, in tone-perfect loneliness.

Latooni takes her hand.

The Fairlions join hands even as the psychic impressions, Shine herself and the pitch-perfect emulation/echo of Latooni, press together, cheek to cheek, the same bliss as before echoing out all the sweeter after that moment of dramaturgical solitude and isolation.

Shine spreads her other hand out, reaching into the universe. She resonates joy tempered by skill. Latooni, or the Latooni echo, resonates with the converse; skill tempered with joy. All of this, of course, exists on a plane beyond that of crude matter...

... in the plane of crude matter, the unprepossessing Fairlions are now a mass accelerating forwards at immense linear velocities, their twin "pinpoint barrier" Sonic Breaker systems having unified to produce a wider sphere surface. They spin, the barrier contracting, turning to a sharper sphere, a hemisphere, an ellipsoid, an oval, a cone, a bullet--

Aimed straight for the heart of Ketol.

Shine speaks softly out into the world. "Won't you come home?" She is not specific.

Spinzaku knows that he can't stay near the enemy robot when employing GANG TACTICS.

The moment that the Maser Vibration Swords do their job, he's pulling back -- by firing a Slash Harken into the body of a swarming Megillot. The Harken tears into the armor of the Bug, ripping Suzaku and the Lancelot back in the air at an appropriately violent velocity. This leaves the firing lanes clear for Fiona to attack Ketol with her ... Fairies. They unfortunately don't dance, wear pastel colors, pilot the Macross Quarter, or have terrific senses of style.

The Lancelot's boot smashes the Megillot free of the Harken a moment later, the Harken's cable snapping the blade back into the Knightmare Frame's wrist with a pop. Kururugi spins then, the FLOAT Wings humming green as they balance the Lancelot out in the air. He breathes out.

"Princess, I must again," Suzaku looks at the feed on the lower corner of his cockpit showing the huge explosion ELSEWHERE. Could it all be coordinated? "-- Ask that you begin evacuation manuevers. The Aerogater's may summon reinforcements or have more tricks --"

There's not much point in Suzaku continuing his plea. From his hovering vantage point, he can clearly see the two shooting stars that descend on the Balmarian from each direction. He's studied enough about This Side to recognize what they're doing. So instead he just floats, his mouth half open, a few more words of protest floating at the tip of his tongue.

And then it all happens. Shit gets real and Kururugi closes his mouth. Robots are dancing and murdering. And there's ... There's just not much point in protesting when the Princess you're trying to help protect is death rolling the evil alien enemy. And it works, the Balmarian's defenses are down. Suzaku opens his mouth again.

"-- Can you please teach that to Princess Euphemia when this is all over?" he asks, punching the Lancelot forward at the Aerogater. "But first, ALLOW ME!"

The Lancelot explodes from four different directions, firing each of its Slash Harken's at the Mal'akh. The gold-bladed weapons launch, first two from the wrists and as Suzaku continues to rocket forward -- two more from the hips. Time to dis/arm/ something!

As Shine lets go of Latooni's hand -

- and the Fairlions detach -

Shine says, a little shyly, "I will do what I can, sir."

The SALINE05 warheads detonate prematurely, shot down by the Balmarian craft. White Glint rides the shockwave, watching the Ezekiel dart around and eventually follow in his wake. Joshua finds himself a little impressed; it's not often that a fighter can take so many opponents on at once and do it so well. She is really an ace.

"I'm sorry, miss," Joshua transmits, "but I've been someone else for long enough to know it isn't for me." The NEXT waits until the Ezekiel rushes it, the speartip nearly touching the edge of the Primal Armor. White Glint suddenly accelerates backwards, forcing the Ezekiel to pursue for precious heartbeats. It fires it's vertical boosters and there's another bright flash of white light, propelling it straight 'down' and beneath the Ezekiel.

White Glint is suddenly coming up behind it, chasing the Ezekiel Esh towards the red Zeta Gundam. It's 063ANAR Assault Rifle chatters in silence, expelling solid slugs around the sides of the Ezekiel Esh. It's practically hearding it right for that beam knife of Rachel's; Joshua has heard that she's devastating up close, and if he can get the two melee combatants together...

"But I'd be happy to show you what a LYNX can do, Miss Adom Nazir," Joshua casually remarks. "So you can tell your friends when you get back to..." Beat. "Where are you from, anyhow? Got a home? A family?"

Flash! White Glint ascends again on a plume of white while Joshua chats away, aiming it's 051ANNR straight down, matching pace precisely with the Ezekiel Esh. It keeps up without any real effort, the demon's-eyes array of blue optical sensors along it's head focused on the Balmarian machine. It stares down the barrel, following it without firing, letting it know that he is /right there/ and ready to shoot.

Which is what he does. Three shots fire, one at each of the joints where the arms meet shoulders and another down right at the center of the thing's head. He doesn't seem to care if anything like 'armor' gets in the way.

Catching Baraq and/or his unit in a situation where it's physically difficult to respond due to other distractions is a problem that can and has cropped up for the Balmarian; even catching him from awkward angles or performing in an unexpected fashion is a threat, too. He's intelligent, for a brutal and hateful enemy alien, but he has his limits.

Catching him with head-on cannon fire - cannon fire aimed at one of his unit's most vital regions, no less - does not, however, push them, at least not on this occasion. Even as Ascian's beam rifle rounds scatter through the Gravity Territory to erratically scar various points all along the Uriyah's body, Baraq pulls the Titan upwards a ways, hoping to get an angle on all three of his opponents. Its ascent is briefly halted--and nearly stopped /dead/ when the Hyper Mega Launcher explodes through its crotch; the Gravity Territory does what it can to dissipate the energy, but the end result is still a few deactivated Jeremiahs tumbling from the gaping hole in its lower body.

Once it manages to resume its rise - and once Shine Hausen's delicate psychic voice has touched some deep, forgotten corner of Baraq's mind - the Balmarian Titan slowly directs its right arm towards its brow; by now, it's aglow with golden light, courtesy of a sharp increase in the golden cranial lightning licking at the sides of its containment dome. In truth, he doesn't really know why he does it; none of the Uriyah's energy emitters require any such measures, but it--/feels/ right. Natural, even. Similarly, as he divides his attention between transmitting a reply to Ascian and keeping a close eye on the locked-on cannons firing towards the Uriyah's head, he grows increasingly less aware of the why behind his words--or, indeed, the words themselves:

"I've /felt/ your 'Amenthes'' wrath, Sample--it couldn't stay me /then/, and it wouldn't now, not with the blessings of my Lord around me! /This/ is /His/ wrath--/my/ wrath! I borrow the power of the sun!"

At that last word, the Uriyah turns its hand inwards, it is, in short ordered, filled with a scintillating sphere of solar energy that is, immediately, flung towards the Argama's incoming shots. It--

--explodes without actually reaching the AEUG battleship, and while the detonation consumes one of the beams, the only reason the others don't crush the Uriyah's brow or worse is that the Gravity Territory nudges them far enough down that the lower half of its face is sheared away instead. The Balmarian giant's head snaps back with the impact; within the cockpit, Baraq is violently tossed in his seat for several seconds before managing to settle and forcing the Uriyah to seat its right hand against its brow once more. Another killing globe of artificial sunlight explodes from the crystalline formation, hungry for the Astray.

"OR ELOHI!" Baraq exclaims, just as a third blazing ball races towards Zeta Gundam; both are primed to explode against their targets and stick to their frames like energy napalm should they make contact, and once they've both been released, the Uriyah's limbs sag. Baraq sags in his seat, hoping for a few seconds to catch his breath; both unit and pilot have been pushed so, so hard by the Argama's defenders today, and the weird itching that's suddenly cropped up at the back of his head and won't go away isn't making it any better.

The fairies do none of those things, no, Suzaku - but they do apparently ruin Ketol's Messenger a fair bit, and Fiona lets herself grin before Cosmo-driver blurs away from the field, darting around while Fiona tries to get a sense of the situation. Cosmo-driver /has/ some melee but it is by no means the machine's /intent/, and she's got the Fairies in the air so that should be OK! This battle's a little crazy, but...she's pretty sure they can handle it. Right...? Right!?

And then the Fairlions, and Fiona just kind of...gawps. "I," she says, blankly, completely null to the psychic expression going on. "That's," she says, also blankly.

Well. That's one way, she thinks, but it doesn't seem to have...worked. She shakes out her head, slowly. Royalty, she decides, is scary. Suzaku gets his own attack off, while Fiona looks over at her Fairy controls, and finds a heavy assault solution ready to go. "Well, shit!" she snaps, hammering the accept button with a fist. "Don't just sit there, shoot the bitch!"

They emerge from everywhere, blasts of light screaming out of the night from every angle and every conceivable path, darting around impossibly; the rays fire for a few seconds, then individual beams stop abruptly, reposition, fire again. For a moment, every angle is blocked by a scything beam of light, as the night briefly glows green. She has to hope that worked, she just has to--!

"Princess Shine's Fairlion is taking heavy damage! So is Isa Reichert's Lightning and Zeta Gundam!" Caesar starts shaking his head. "They can't take much more of this firepower!"

The Eternal Captain needs only a fraction of a second to decide. "We need to wrap this rescue up. Arm mega-particle cannons! Load missile batteries alpha through omega and recalibrate main guns for synchronized firing!"

The Argama's crew is a well-tuned machine. As orders of their Captain work their way across the decks, the battleship responds. Mega-particle cannon mounts extend from their housings and activate. Teams of two load projectiles for each missile launcher and give the green light for clear. Gunneries work out the complex math problems, trying to catch a point of the Uriyah that they can achieve easy joy from.

"All stations are go, Captain!" Caesar answers.

"Then on my mark.." Bright says as he lowers down into his seat. He sits on the edge of his chair, leaning on the arm-rests for support. "... dispense justice."

The Argama comes around for another run on the Uriyah, battering aside Megillots in order to get a clear shot.

Bright clenches his fist and shouts, "..Fire..!"

And everything suddenly becomes searingly bright.

Ascian's hits struct true - much better than he had expected. And he was indeed surprised about this of course. "Okay..." He hits the verniers as hard as he can manage when the Zeta Gundam uses the Hyper Mega Launcher so he is out of the way of any fallout that might generate - only to be forced to burn them to their maximum thrust again as the Balmarian rises up and begins another assault. He stares right at the blazing ball of sun energy and tries his best to get a better control on the Astray unit. He sure isn't anywhere near as good as a veteran mobile suit pilot - but something... something about his skills proves that he has potential. That potential may simply just lie outside of the Mobile Suits known as Gundams. He can see the energy lick at the metal of his unit, and some of the monitors start snowing out for a moment. Yet somehow he manages. Somehow, his training on evasion in the extremely high velocities that the Amenthes can reach, help him in escaping the attack unharmed.

And right as he comes out from behind the attack he is once again forced to move! And rapidly at that. He could sense the light coming from behind him and sends the unit into a spin and breaks away as Bright's bombardament spams past him. Almost like he just gained some serious skills, he dances around the shells and beams, and at the same time uses the joystick-like controls to get the unit's hands to grab for the second rifle on the other side. "Gotcha." A little light burns to warn that he made proper target and from amongst the barrage which Bright has put up, he shoots behind the shells - hoping that they will pierce through his enemy after the explosions weakened that damn strange field he had struggled with so often.

"Let me tell you this - Balmarian scum! You haven't seen anything. Amenthes is yet still a child compared to what it will become! The tiger who has yet to become the dragon! She will mature, and you will be destroyed by her -- so don't die on me now, so I can show you her true power in the future!" And he lets loose, pressing on the Vulcan and the rifle beams' triggers.

Adom Nazir says, "Anymore wrong that what your species does to it's branch races like pyschodrivers or newtypes? Hummm You'll be a person not a wind up doll of some sort, she counters and just punches at Garrod's maachine before she's forced to break off from him by Kazuma for a moment. "I'm from a colony actually if you must know sample!"

"That's cute but I am Balmarian born, Sample #525263"

She says somewhat coldly for a moment. I remeber my little sister's birth, her taking her first steps. Out father taking us into the jungles in the valley below our city." She also gies a Balmarian date for her birthdate and she pauses. "I have had little time for much romance I have been training most of my life..." She trials off maybe there'sd someone but she never gets to finish as suddenly there's a reflex missile. There is a massive kaboom, a flash of light ansd she's barely avoided the attack even then taken prety heavy damage from Isa.

"It seems the flying relic has some teeth after all, a reflex weapon."

Damn it that hurt, and then she newtype flashes as Joshua-2 comes after her her, she dodges, weaves and twists out of the way of the incomming fire, she's doing quite a good job of avoiding the damage that he is putting out. She smirks a little bit. "Just as I said." She gives the colony name as well. But she doesn't quite realise that Rachel is comming in. She'sbeen set up and she listens to Rachel for a moment. "I have seen what you done to my comrades, even /Baal/. I am not deluded. Your the deluded one if you think you can win..."


 * SHANK*

The weapon sinks into her machine and rips it clear, revealing a good deal of damage. One can hear the pain in her foce, the wound is mimiced on her suit and she felt that.

"I am awake your the ones who are dreaming!" This time she launches into a barrage of attacks. She'll appear near Isa, and this time rather than kick her she'll move to drive her fist through the other machine. She'll not stay long, but she'll look right into the cockpit at ISa.

"Missing an eye huh?! You can shoot straight? I'm shocked!"

She appears now once more at Rachel and this time? She tries to drive her hand fully into the Zeta clone. Her intent is to rip something vital out and quite burtally if she can pull it off. "You will lose!"

Then she senses Ketol is not all right something may be going wrong with her machine, things just got bad.

Once again about their lord, their so-called God. Just who was this self-proclaimed God-King, anyways? "What kind of God would lead his people into endless conflict?" The Newtype wonders to himself, though not over the radio. Disillusioned with the notions of deities as he is, the ways of Balmar aren't pushing him in a terribly positive direction on the matter.

Then the Uriyah does something Camille hasn't seen before...specifically, he doesn't see it until it's almost on him. "What the?!" Any evasive manuevers he attempts at the range are futile; the swirling sphere of burning fury slams into the OG Zeta's core block with a reckoning, knocking Camille around like a ragdoll and sending the internal system into heywire as non-essential functions were shut off, power was re-routed and the Hyper Mega Launcher (once again) flew useless into the uncaring void of space.

"Damn...a direct hit..." It had been a while since he'd taken one that fierce...he'd almost forgotten.

Any euphoria on Baraq's part may be premature though, as this may well have only awoken a sleeping giant. "You..." Camille's shoulders shooked with incadescent anger at the threat this enemy represented to the Argama, Princess Shine and everyone else he cared about. The lingering guilt of Tessa and Macua's current fates seeped into Zeta's very frame, the mysterious bio-sensor reacting as it must to the pilot's spiraling emotions, "You think that's going to be enough?! After everything you've done?!"

The Zeta Gundam is wreathed by a flaring aura of violet energy as Camille's force of will extends over the battlefield, shimmering with psychic force as the attacks of Argama and the Astray unleash overhead. "You don't care about anything! You've given up on living you life!" Like clockwork, a beamsaber hilt extends from the Zeta's hip into it's awaiting hand, purple flames livid with righteous anger, "Someone like you shouldn't even...!"

And then, that infinite rage is tempered by an equivalent in joy.

'Won't you come home?'

There's a warm hand on Camille's face. He doesn't know whose it belongs to, but it feels...right, correct. An understanding touch, a compassionate word, a sympathy he'd always wanted, and rarely received. "Mother...?" He knew it couldn't be her, nor did his real mother live up to the standard, but he had no other word explain the presence he felt.

'Aren't you tired of always being angry, Camille..?'

The Zeta's flare wavers and begins to subside. Camille thinks of the people who've been abducted: Tessa, Macua, Heero's friend...and whoever this opponent was.

"Hey..." His voice reaches out across that radio, sullen, vaguely ashamed, and not without some level of grace, "Whoever you are...i'm sure you were someone different before all this. Someone with their own dreams and aspirations. So for that person's sake...why don't you retreat?" He's serious, "You can't win like this. I won't attack you if you leave right now." Battered as the Zeta may be, the threat it had been mere seconds ago did not lurk far away.

As Shine opens her eyes into the space between souls... She can see the Blue Angel in all its horrifying glory. Ketol is there, her body beaten, brused, and the burned, injured wings hanging phantasmally from her back. It's a sick, nausating aura that rolls off her... But it's not coming from /her/. The Mal'akh is cluched around her, and through her, like a living suit of armor, as she channels what meager powers she has to guide it. And it's clear, there's not much more she can give.

As Shine and Latooni charge towards her, a flash of insight guides Ketol away, but not fast enough to avoid being burned by the machine's burst. As they pass, however, Ketol reaches out to Shine's projected awareness, and tries to grab her attention.

Her awareness is dulled, slowly returning. Green liquid is all around her, as she floats upright in a clear tube. Beyond the walls of her artificial 'womb', the image is too distorted to see, so instead, she looks at her arms. Looks at the fine seams along their insides, and across the rest of her body.

Don't compare me to a Sample, Shine.

The Angel dances away in the blink of an eye, even avoiding the Lancelot's attacks with unnerring accuracy, as Ketol pours all of her will into just keeping it moving fast enough for one... more... escape...

Until it's not enough. Bolts of light stab out of the darkness into the Messenger's frame, and Ketol *screams* in pain, finally, truely, unable to fight from her-- The Angel's esxtensive damage. Drifting aimlessly in the void, spewing clouds of what was once perhaps coolent or fuel, the Angel is caught in a Balmarian teleport system, and is recalled as the operator looses consciousness.

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Captain Bright Noa transmits, "Camille, what're you doing!?"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Camille Bidan transmits, "It's...I felt something, a connection. I think there's a way I can reach the people these pilots used to be."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Kill him - stupid kid! Or he will just end the lives of innocents!"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "He practically wiped out the entirety of Zaftra not a week ago! You think he won't do the same to a colony?"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Captain Bright Noa transmits, "I trust you, Camille. Don't make me regret it!"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Camille Bidan transmits, "Their being controlled against their will! I can't just overlook that, not with people like Ra-er.."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Camille Bidan goes silent for a moment, "Thanks, Captain Bright."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Joshua O'Brien transmits, "If you think it's going to work..."

Surprisingly, Garrod doesn't immediately bite back at Adom for her rebuttle. In fact, he just sort of grins as Adom's attention is diverted... then decides to divert it some more. "Yeah, and I'm sure that every other sample taken in and reconfditioned remembers their new lives. their first loves, that special birthday that they hold close in their hearts, their mother and father... but that doesn't make it /real/! You say you have your memories, but the Balmarians have already proven that they specialize in messing with the memories of /SAMPLES/!" The Gundam x-divider, left unpestered for the moment, takes this moment to fall back and snaps up it's shield. Adom should recognize this attack, having seen it on numerous occasions. the shield snaps open and the 18 beam guns and revealed, glowing brightly with energy. "You have memories of your existance, but what you don't have is /PROOF!/" And then the Beam harmonica opens fire.

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Juku Reimaru transmits, "Lightening? Lightening III?"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Heavy Russian accent: Isa Reichert's signal crackles. "Ghh--/shto/." /What/.

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Rachel Miu Athha transmits, "It's okay, Isa-- pull back!"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Heavy Russian accent: Isa Reichert can be heard snarling off-radio. Probably at Adom's insults. "/Da/, I have only one eye, and I still shoot better than you! Are you trying to say something, you--" And she just trails off into downright acidic cursing in Russian. Which then breaks at the sound of Rachel's voice. "--Prasti." Sorry. "I will retreat. Cannot risk another hit."

When Camille suddenly decides to go soft on Baraq... Ascian's head turns red. Anger. Severe anger. Try to talk this out? He'd seen the results of that between many Mobile Suits before, and never had it gone /anywhere/. "Are you mad!?" He calls out on the speakers, only becoming more angered as Camille talks on the Radio. A connection? The kid had felt a connection? "Kill him - stupid kid! Or he will just end the lives of innocents!" He shouts on the radio as loudly as he can. Supporting his words he continues on to claim, "He practically wiped out the entirety of Zaftra not a week ago! You think he won't do the same to a colony?" He had seen footage of the aftermath. He'd seen satelite footage.

But then... he suddenly calms down. One of those moodswings he reportedly had. As more chatter happens on the radio, he calms down and goes quiet for a moment. "Looks like your execution has been given a stay of absence. What is your name...?" He asked Baraq - not remembering if he had ever asked. The framerunner doesn't wait for a response. "I am Ascian Luddite. BAHRAM framerunner - or bug to you. Whatever." He stands down his unit's guns and sends it upwards a bit so that he can give Camille some room to fly around.

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "This better not get me killed - kid."

Isa throws herself against the harness restraints, snarling at Adom's Balmarian arrogance.

"You want to see teeth? I will show you teeth! Dammit, why won't you listen to sense? What others are saying? Would make our day a lot easier," she growls, irritably.

Going up in flames right out of the starting gate seems to be an unfortunate trend lately for the Yuke pilot; no amount of skill or experience seems to be helping her bad luck.

At least there are others here to carry on the battle against the Balmarians... but unless she intends on losing another unit, she'd better get gone before she gets exploded. Again.

"Dammit," Isa rasps again, flicking an eye toward the display showing damage reports. There's an awful lot of red on that particular screen. This is frustrating. She /wants/ to fight, but it seems like the universe has other ideas.

Ignoring the cockpit's steady droning voice reporting battle damage, she banks the Valkyrie to try and avoid the fist headed for her aircraft. She underestimates the speed of that fist, though, and it punches right through the lower part of the fuselage.

"Stoij, stoij, stoij...!" Stop, stop, stop...!

That fist comes /alarmingly/ close to shattering the cockpit glass; there's a flash of very real fear from the Yuke, and she breathes out as it misses. Yes, it still deals staggering damage to the aircraft, but it doesn't break the barrier between her and the crushing blackness of space.

"Bozhe moi..." My God... Isa breathes out, looking up just in time to look face to face with Adom. She snarls almost instantly, single blue eye blazing at the insult.

"/Da/, I have only one eye, and I still shoot better than you! Are you trying to say something, you--" Isa's response trails off into downright acidic cursing in Russian, enraged at the insult. She cuts off almost mid-word, though, switching her frequencies around a bit.

Frowning, Isa checks the damage readouts again, finally giving a snor and shaking her head in disgust. When she responds, this time, it's to Rachel.

"Geist one to Rachel. Da, I hear you. Prasti." Sorry. Probably in reference to not being more useful. "I will retreat. Cannot risk another hit."

Isa has time enough for a rude gesture through the cockpit glass towards Adom -- boy, she sure hopes the Balmarian's still watching for that -- before turning the Lightning around and high-tailing it back for the Argama.

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Hey White Bunny - what unit are you on?"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Joshua O'Brien transmits, "'White Bunny'?"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Judau Ashta transmits, "Tccchhh...!"

"Shut up," Baraq tersely transmits; his voice is raw and intercut by panting. He basically sounds like crap, fatigued and preoccupied and disturbed as he now is. The Uriyah sweeps its arm through space to intercept the incoming barrage of ordinance from the Astray; bands of golden light trail from the back of its hand, resolving into a shimmering folding fan spread wide to shield the Titan from harm. Some of the beam shots slip through the makeshift barrier; they pierce its palm in several places. "Shut up, just--shut--up--I am going to /crush/--"

Baraq's threat - delivered through gritted teeth - is sharply aborted by uncomfortable groaning.

And he only gets /more/ uncomfortable when the combined fire of every gun on the Argama explodes through the Uriyah's body.

Gravity does its best to redirect and misdirect dozens--hundreds of bullets, bombs and beams; the end result is the annihilation of its protective, weaponized cloak, revealing a massive crimson frame covered in ugly scars from the fighting today. The crystals growing from its joints are snapped off or missing entirely in places, allowing artificial sunlight to leak haphazardly into space. Armour hangs in ribbons from some places while in others, it's missing entirely to reveal alien innovations. The only part of it that /isn't/ damaged in some ways is its chest, and even then the crystal plate protecting it is perpetually 'scarred' with a glowing golden cross.

Just as soon as he's he stops being tossed about in his cockpit - narrowly avoiding concussion by low hanging monitor screen - Camille is entreating him to leave. Telling him that once, he was someone different--something /other/ than the Seventh Fleet's resident arrogant berserker-savant.

Under different circumstances, he would be swift to crush the Zeta for its affrontery; today, beneath the building pressure of his awkward dreams of, well, being someone different, something other than the Seventh Fleet's resident arrogant berserker-savant...

... he pulls the Uriyah's arms close to its body and disengages its targetting protocols.

"If--" he exhales, battered and tired and struggling to keep the fear and uncertainty from his voice, "if you see the sample you call 'Banjo Haran'--if you find him wherever he's been hiding from this war--tell him that I'm going to ruin everything that he holds dear."

With that, the Uriyah vanishes, yanked back to Neviim with all the violent physics and none of the brilliance that heralded its arrival.

It will probably /be/ a while before Baraq feels comfortable with leaving his cockpit, or sleeping.

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Rachel Miu Athha transmits, "Th-- I told you, my name is Rachel!"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "My appologies. Lady Rachel then. You have still to answer my question - if you so please?"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Rachel Miu Athha transmits, "... The red Mobile Suit."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Heavy Russian accent: Isa Reichert's signal crackles. Cockpit warnings are reporting damage in a feminine monotone in the background. "Geist One; am retreating to Argama. Please cover me if that bitch starts shooting again. Can't take another hit."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Joshua O'Brien transmits, "I've got your back, Geist One."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Heavy Russian accent: Isa Reichert transmits, "Spasiba." Thanks. "Will thank you properly later."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "I hope you don't mind me calling you what I call you now and again - I think it fits you better."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Anyhow - when you see the guard before I do. Tell him I am sorry about the bump on his head."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Joshua O'Brien transmits, "Ohhh, you're that Runner from the Sahara, aren't you?"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Judau Ashta tranmits sourly, "Rach's name fits Rach just fine. --Wait, what the hell're you doin' on our radio anyway?! What's up with that??!"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Well, this Astray I hijacked kind of had this frequency on..."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Joshua O'Brien transmits, "Well, I like to think that White Glint is pretty distinct..."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Ah yes - I remember now!"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Joshua O'Brien transmits, "Good to meet you outside a radioactive pit."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Joshua O'Brien adds, "I'm sure Captain Bright would appreciate it if you'd bring back the Astray so I don't have to chase you down later."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Captain Bright Noa transmits, "Get your ass on board."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Captain Bright Noa transmits, "-Now-."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Judau Ashta transmits, "Tch! --Yeah Bright, you tell 'em! Tryin' t'steal our mobile suits isn't right!"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Judau Ashta does not appreciate the irony.

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Keep your panties on!"

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Camille Bidan's silence somehow resonates over the radio.

Shine's answer is crystal clear to Ketol.

"But you aren't a Sample." "You're a person, like any of us."

Saccharine, perhaps, but steadfastly felt.

Of course that is Shine's brain. Her body is now twitching slightly from oversecretion in the adrenal glands. The Fairlion, as a result, does not immediately lunge at the remaining Balmarian. Shine takes the moment to send a transmission to the Argama!

"Captain Noa... while this shall have to be rather unofficial and, I think, in my capacity as a, a private citizen, I would be pleased for you and your men to come to my home and replenish yourselves, in thanks for your timely aid."

A momentary pause.

"I believe you may have it marked in your chart as 'Gryps,' but I may assure you, things are quite different now."

Camille really wouldn't have been surprised to be on the receiving end of of something unpleasant for his compassion, but the blow never comes. The combined might of the Argama and the Astray pilot (Who is miraculously /alive/, by the way) seem to have served as an effective deterrant to further aggression. "Banjo...?" The Aerogater's last words throw Camille for a loop. What connection could the pilot have the master of Daitarn 3? "But no one even knows where he.."

A cold feeling suddenly sat in Camille's stomach, a thought he did not want to dwell on, "No...it couldn't be." It just...he would have to think about it later.

In the meantime, there was the little matter of their escaped prisoner to attend to.

The Zeta doesn't waste any time getting all up in the Astray's business, "I know you helped out here, but you need to get back on the ship." His voice is calm, without threat, "After all this, I think we both would prefer not to have any trouble."

The Argama drifts through the space once occupied by the Uriyah. Now, Megillot wreckage and dust.

"/White Bunny/?" Captain Bright is overheard echoing the name used over the broadband. "We seriously need to bump up our security detail for our prisoners."

"Enemy units are retreating, Captain." Caesar observes from the tactical read-outs. "Several of our units are critically damaged but the Federation entourage is safe!"

Bright lets out a gust of air, "Dispatch recovery teams to bring back whoever can't make it on our own. I want damage crews on the Catherine de Medici in twenty minutes and a welcome detail on the hangar in five." Inwardly, the Captain sighs. More teenagers..

Speaking of which, one is talking directly to him right now. Bright has better things to do than play tea party with the girl ruler of the universe. Then again, his crew could probably used it. Then there's the whole matter of trying to get more Federation officials on-board with villanizing A-LAWS. "We'll worry about that after you're on board, Princess Shine," Bright answers through his command phone. "I'm sending my two best pilots to ensure you're safely aboard and dispatching a damage team to make sure your transport ship can reach safe harbor."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Captain Bright Noa transmits, "Camille and Rachel, see to it the Princess and her retinue are safely aboard."

It should kill her.

Rachel's eyes widen as the Ezekiel Esh appears in front of her in a flash, revealing itself with the speed, strength, and ability to threaten her Mobile Suit enough that it could actually destroy it. In a moment's notice, the shield is purged from the left arm, and both arms actually cross over her chest in a defensive pose, trying to stop the blow from getting any closer.

The arms press to the chest. The hand breaks through some of the outer layers of armor, splitting the casing as though it were an armor-piercing weapon rather than a mere hand. The whole cockpit rattles, the displays fill with light-- and for a moment, the young Newtype finds herself wondering if she's going to escape from this one in one piece.

'If it seems like there's no way to survive, I'll make one with my own two hands.'

"URRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAGH--"

Pushing back with all the strength she can muster in the combination of the Bio Sensor and motion-tracking suit, Rachel Miu Athha is putting everything she's got into the movements, all of the emotions she's got inside. The Zeta responds accordingly-- and the whole Mobile Suit starts to glow. It's bright, it's shiny, and it's an orange hue-- a glow that starts to bleed outward, wick into a repelling field-- one that keeps those fingers from digging too far into the chest of the red Zeta Gundam and /push/ the Balmarian unit away.

Jerking backwards, the red Zeta becomes a streak of movement. Becoming a line of light in the near distance, the Mobile Suit jerks left and right, moving on sloping, angular lines... and trailing light in it's wake. In either hand, a beam saber ignites-- and the Mobile Suit makes a swift turn, legs swinging down and momentum shifting... carrying it right back to Adom-- to Macua.

"I'll make you remember who you were--"

She strikes out once, twice, three times. Rachel's adjusting angles on the fly, making impossible turns and light moves that should play hell on her body with the G-force alone. Yet still, it looks graceful, smooth-- each time she comes in for another set of strikes, the machine moves out, in, and out of striking range again.

And her voice carries-- not just on the radio, but into hearts, minds.

"-- WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!!"

Or you know, maybe the prisoner can make his own way back. "Look, just go back to the ship." Camille warns Ascian with just a little bit of encouragement, "If you try to get away, i'll shoot you down." Apparently his newfound compassion didn't apply to Zekes. As for Rachel.. well.. he can read her emotions all the way from here. She'll be juuuuust fine.

So then it's a matter of ensuring Shine's safety, now that all her defenders are suddenly floating in space lifelessly for some reason (Maybe they fell asleep). "Princess Shine!" Tuning his radio to the right frequence, Camille is surprisingly laidback about addressing royalty, "Captain Bright's asked me to escort you to safety. We have things wrapped up here."

When Baraq flees, a small smile appears on his face. The longer that one would live - the longer he'd have to get Amenthes to mature and finally trump that man. But one thing surprised him. Camille had said there'd been a connection, and he had indeed been able to make the man flee by just words. "NewTypes." He mutters under his breath, and shifts the direction the Astray is facing by stepping on just a single pedal. He continues to participate in some radio chatter which ends up coming down to one thing: "Get your ass on board!" This is only emphasized by Camille getting behind him to bring him a same message. "I will." Ascian tightbeams to the Gundam behind him and then turns his eyes to the screen. The 'White Bunny', as he called Rachel, had claimed to be in the red Zeta Gundam.

And he finds her - still in mortal combat. "Not all the aliens have left though!" Ascian then adds to his previous transmission to Camille and aims both of the guns towards the unit flown by 'Macua'. He remembered that unit? Did he not? He'd seen Ezekiels a few times now, some more dangerous than others. "White Bunny! Move to your left! Incoming fire!" He could definitely be a team player. And not two seconds after shouting this warning over the Radio, he unleashes a two-some of beams and a volley of hot lead from the Astray's Vulcans. It had not been that hard to get a bead on his enemy; for he was now moving in space, and he was at a good enough distance.

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "White Bunny! Move to the left! Incoming fire!"

Another snapshot slams into the NEXT's Primal Armor. The beam punches through the thinning particle field, a red line blossoming across the Armored Core's left arm. It just misses the shoulder array, but the damage to the fragile-looking AC is done, though it isn't quite enough to keep it from shooting right back.

"You're right. You don't have the gaps I thought you might. We're not the deluded ones, though." White Glint breaks off as Rachel keeps basically trying to murderize the thing with her terrible robot hands. He coasts along, covering Isa's retreat back to the Argama without much trouble, just like he said he was. He watches the fight all the while, though, waiting for... something. An opening, maybe?

Not so much. Joshua waits until he's got the back of the Ezekiel Esh presented to him, in a manner that will not put Rachel in the line of fire. He speaks quietly into his radio and then fires, staggering his shots--but not with his rifle. That hasn't been working so well.

Adom, meet missile. Swarms of smaller warheads spread out from the Line Ark-manufactured missile launchers, converging on the Ezekiel in a continuous barrage of explosive death.

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Joshua O'Brien transmits, "Don't adjust any further; she's right where we want her."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Sorry Captain Bright, I hope you don't mind me sticking around a /little/ longer to assist lady Rachel."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "I came out to fend off all the aliens, and I hate to leave a job half-done."

Shine speaks graciously. "Could the both of you escort me?"

She answers Camille, a little worriedly, "Are you sure everyone is well? It is very kind of you to escort me, but if I will be causing your men inconvenience I will risk the spacewalk." In a suit, of course, she's not a total dorcus.

She answers Fiona, then, as the Fairlion drifts into a complex orbital position designed to maintain equidistance between the Zeta Gundam and the Cosmo-driver, "Yes... I am a little tense, but I am not as experienced a pilot as most, I fear."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Captain Bright Noa transmits, "Land. The Astray. Now."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Ascian Luddite transmits, "Fine! Tsssk..."

Adom Nazir is suprised as well, and she says, "Humm I have all the proof I need. If you can't take my word for it well then I'm sorry Sample." Does sound honest. "However when I get your little friend? I'll make sure if you surive, you'll be her guardian mmmmm? I'm not heartless after all."

Suddenly the most lethal harmonica in the solar system. How did Kid get ahold of that thing anyhow. She's sent reeling, her allies are pulling back. It's time to consider where she should be going.

Adom's done some serious damage to the Red Zeta and she's got a shark like grin. "I can feel your mind, your like my self." She's pushed back she does counter attack though, and she feels the sample in her mind. It's not like that terrible weapon the CB pilot of the Raiser uses. No this is more natural and not an abomation still it's unsettling to hear a sample in her mind.

The blade sinks into the Esh, the pain is intenses even with the limiters on the feedback. She's got to admit the dancing is good much like her own.

"Suprising, your much like me. But it will not be enough."

Stock Footage attack.

There's nothing she can do she's recovering from the beating at Rachel's hands. The shots add to the pain and the damage. The machine looks like a wounded person with how it's moving. She knows the others are gone. There's too many even for her, at this point.

Newtype Flash.

Josh would find his attacks comming in at her, she pulls her rifle and some how manages to shoot down the missiles at first. The explosions from the others set off the rest of the missiles as the fireballs form from the blasts, setting off their small supplies of oxygen? There's a gravity distortion when the blasts clear the Esh is nowhere to be seen.

Camille turned a glance back at the epic space battle that was still wrapping up somewhere in the distance, suppressing a chuckle at what was in store for Ascian once he landed (Hey, some schadenfraude never hurt anyone), "The Argama's crew is made of harder stuff than that, Princess. I appreciate the concern, but they'll be fine." Fiona's demeanor is....off-putting to say the least, but for diplomacy's sake Camille keeps his legendary temper in check, "Sorry to be presumptious... why don't we just go with Princess Shine's wishes, then?"

MEANWHILE, IN A PARALLEL REALITY

"NO ONE SHUCKS MY CORN BUT ME!!!!" The Zeta shone with light a thousand exploding suns as absurdly extended (And totally non-phallic) beamsaber cleaved through space, time, and probably Fiona.

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Captain Bright Noa transmits, "Good work, everyone."

<Radio: C - Katharon Basic> Heavy Russian accent: Isa Reichert transmits, "Thank you, Captain. ...Am only sorry I could not stay out there longer."

On the final strike, the red Zeta, glowing ever as it is like a beacon, continues past the Ezekiel and a bit further on into space. As the thrusters cut, the eyes burst with a green glow-- and the Gundam slowly twists around to face the Esh as it disappears. Is she really like Adom Nazir?

"No. You're like me, Macua," she says, voice calm.

Standing still and upright in the Mobile Suit's cockpit, the odd glow on the Zeta Gundam starts to die down as she herself begins to calm. The beam sabers disengage, and the weapons shift in her hands to mimic the movements taken the pilot in the free-standing cockpit. Turning her head to look up-- back at the units retreating for the Argama, including the Princess and her entourage, the Zeta's head follows the movement in a smooth, highly-animated manner.

She takes a moment to collect her shield.

"This is Rachel, I'm on my way back."

The Mobile Suit starts to move again, the whole torso starting to flip over. Arms and legs shift, the shortbarrel gun is mounted, and the Waverider-formed Zeta Gundam starts making tracks back for the Argama, her head turning. "Come on, Mister Luddite, back to the ship-- Captain Bright is probably not going to be happy."

Fiona frowns a bit. REBELS. THE WORST!! (Britannians do not take kindly to rebels) (it's a thing)

But Shine begs for Fiona to not start a shooting fight, so Fiona instead says, "As you wish, Your Highness," and starts the jets, propelling her machine slowly toward the Argama. Eventually, the Fairies return to their slots in Cosmo-driver's rear compartments, while the machine puts its massive hi-coat magnums away. "I'm glad you're well, Your Highness. I understand that feeling..." she laughs, getting off her propriety horse a little as she leans back in her chair. "I'm still getting used to all this fighting, myself, I think."

Pause. She should probably thank him, or something, she decides, and opens her mouth to do so, but then, "Wait, what the," she mutters, flipping a few toggles on the engine controls as the power output abruptly spikes, as somewhere far away, Camille Bidan slices the Time-Flow Engine completely in half, exposing a naked singularity's access to the Time Vortex to real space, causing a massive time-space cascade failure that converts Super Robot Wars MUSH into a GI Joe game.

This energy goes somewhere.

"The excitement of piloting a robot in battle can be wearying, but it's really not any substitute for physical exercise, Fiona. You should try to get at least half an hour of activity outdoors - or in an open space, if you live in a colony - each day, to keep yourself in shape!"

Shine's words cascade down a pattern.

"Gosh, Princess Shine! I had no idea physical exercise was that important to my bone density - and my health!"

"Well," Shine says with a little giggle, "Now you know."

Shipwreck, in the other Fairlion, says, "And knowing is half the battle!"

Bright comes in over the radio again as soon as Ascian has launched an attack on Adom and snaps back over the radio, "Fine! Tsssk." Why was he being recalled? Was it because he was in a suit they didn't want damaged? He was just trying to help. Of course, he normally did not disrespect commands from anyone. But with the Esh now gone, he has no reason to keep disrespecting Bright Noa. The Astray's verniers slightly burn for a moment, pushing his suit into the direction of Rachel's red Zeta Gundam whilst closing his eyes. He'd somehow survived this mad 'battle'. Mad, merely for the fact that he'd gone out in a unit he was entirely not familiar with. "I'll be right over." He adds to the radio message and slumps his shoulders - calming down.

When Rachel's voice breaks through the radio box however, he quickly snaps out of it. "I am sure he will, White b~... lady Rachel." He responds, correcting himself before aiming his unit properly at the Argama and hitting the thrusters. "Ascian Luddite - Astray - coming in for landing." He announces through the radio and tries to guide it in for a proper landing. The approach and landing do abide to the 'rookie luck' rule in that they succeed entirely, and he brings in the Astray properly with his hatch open as a show that he has no intentions to run.