2010-12-06 - The Valley of Kings

'''Western Europe(#334RntJ) &#x5B;EFA&#x5D;

Western Europe is a prospering area, its countries cooperating to produce the parts for many mass-produced robots. Their cooperation has boosted their economies, and they're doing very well. Individual countries seem to specialize in specific parts. For example, France's corporations almost solely produce giant robot legs, while Spain almost entirely produces the important interociters, and so on. Western Europe has been trying to take care of its heritage, attempting to always make sure that the monuments in its cities avoid damage from giant robot battles where possible, and if damage is done, it is often repaired very quickly. The cost of this, however, is fairly high taxes on a lot of items, which leads to some grumbling.

Alps &lt;A&gt;: The Alps&#x5B;E&#x5D; Up &lt;U&gt;: Sky Over Western Hemisphere&#x5B;?&#x5D; North &lt;N&gt;: British Isles&#x5B;E&#x5D; East &lt;E&gt;: Eastern Europe&#x5B;?&#x5D; West &lt;W&gt;: North Atlantic South &lt;S&gt;: Mediterranean Sea&#x5B;?&#x5D;

Early December, a bunker just inside Germany's eastern border. 0600 hours.

He wears a lightly decorated set of fatigues, a small pin set into the collar of his collar. Before him, a table- small figurines stand in for the modern strategic diagrams and electronic projections so common in today's briefing rooms. This was a rush job- the plans, however, weren't.

The man in the fatigues adjusts his mask. The room before him is tight- a room meant for twenty that currently houses sixty. Nearly every soul wears the same badge, of a valkyrie looking into the distance. Among them are those of Katharon, Trailers, fighters of the EFA- but these individuals, those who wear those badges, they are The Ghosts of the Razgriz. Each man and woman a veteran of the One Year War- each of them, masters of the sky. They are prepared for war, to take back what is rightfully theirs- Cipher wonders how many will live to see home again. He wonders, how many of these brave souls will see this fight to its end.

He wonders if he will do the same.

But- if there is anywhere he'd not mind being shot down, it's over these skies. Cipher's eyes turn to steel and his hands press against the table as the clock strikes six. "Alright," he starts, grimly, "This is the plan."

The next day, 0800 hours, dawn. It is a cold, snowy day.

Avalon dam, once the last bastion of the Principality of Belka during the One Year War. A natural fortress, surrounded by great, rolling mountains capped with glaciers hundreds of years old. This great territory, far in the north, is still pristine- untouched by the nuclear weapons unleashed on Belka's southern territories.

It is the perfect base- the ideal staging ground for this assault- but first, they'll need to take it.

Leading into Avalon is a ravine, miles long, that leads from the dam in the north down through into Southern Belka and Germany. It is treacherous, mired and reinforced with steel butresses where years-old guns now sit silently, devoid of command or control. They called it the Valley of Kings, the sole corridor from the outside world into the heart of Avalon. The mountains in the area provide natural cover, and by keeping low to the ravine floor, a skilled pilot would be able to render himself nearly invisible to most common forms of detection.

They would be going in low, they would be going in quietly. A plague of black wings and black shadows passing through the narrow corridors of the Valley of Kings. At their lead, a stratofighter painted black, red and gold, nearly invisible in the still dim light of morning. His companions are all painted alike- and as they skim the river below, the curtain rises.

''Amidst the eternal waves of time From a ripple of change shall the storm rise Out of the abyss peer the eyes of a demon Behold the Razgriz, its wings of black sheath.''

Amuro Ray activates his MSZ-006-3A Zeta Gundam 3A unit. COMBAT: Amuro Ray has reset their systems to full. Amuro Ray's MSZ-006-3A Zeta Gundam 3A transforms into its Mobile Suit mode. COMBAT: Amuro Ray has reset their systems to full. Amuro Ray's MSZ-006-3A Zeta Gundam 3A transforms into its Waverider mode. COMBAT: Amuro Ray has reset their systems to full. COMBAT: Isa Reichert has reset their systems to full. COMBAT: Fighter Ace Team has reset their systems to full. Maximillian Jenius's VF-1J Valkyrie transforms into its VF-1J Fighter mode. COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has reset their systems to full. Takeru Shirogane activates his Type-94 Fubuki unit. Takeru Shirogane activates his VF-1A Valkyrie unit. COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has reset their systems to full. Takeru Shirogane activates his Type-94 Fubuki unit. Urvin Gallion activates his SV-51 Variable Fighter unit. Urvin Gallion's SV-51 Variable Fighter transforms into its SV-51 Fighter mode.

If he wasn't fighting Balmarian forces at random, then he was being adjusted at the Earth Cradel. Suriel's last few weeks have been a haze for him...they were getting him ready for something. Something big...days ago they had brought him to his Ashsaber, They had gone over the changes, and fitted a new interface system for it.

Now, he stands in his red and black colored Ashsaber custom. Most Ashsabers do not have metatron lines running down their bodies. Most do not have custom cockpit designs, made specifically for direct interfacing by their pilots. But the most custom thing about this mech had yet to be revealed.

He travels behind the back so to speak...while his AI came on.

'''Booster mode will be semi-automatic. We are preparing to enter the combat zone, so please be ready.'''

"Yeah, whatever I got this. Activate the GIEM system connections."

Activating connections, GIEM system will be ready to activate in less than one minute.

Suriel smiled a wicked smile, he had a focus...he would surpass his master...he would show these people his strenght. He would break the Balmarian war machine beneath his fists... The timer ran down as they flew, the Ashsaber starting to resonate a stronger and stronger Metatron signal as the fight was inevitable...

Suriel Misaki activates his ASK-AD02X Ashsaber Metatron unit. Tori Adenbright activates her VF-1S 'Super' Valkyrie unit. COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has reset their systems to full.

The Valley of Kings.

This long, dangerous ravine is hell for any pilot insane enough to fly through its rocky embrace. The cliff walls seem like they reach out to embrace unlucky aircraft, closing in on the incautious.

But these pilots are masters.

This is their domain.

Cruising at low altitude behind the flight lead of the Ghosts of Razgriz is a curious-looking plane, quite large for a fighter. Its engines are quiet, no afterburner issuing. It would be suicide to rush breakneck through here, and there's no reason to. The guns and munitions are all silent.

&lt;&lt;Razgriz Four to Razgriz One. Is too quiet here... I do not like this.&gt;&gt;'' Isa Reichert flies in the Skytalon, sporting the same red-accented black coat of the Razgriz. ''&lt;&lt;Am keeping weapon system primed. Just in case,&gt;&gt;'' she mutters into her radio.

For the time being, however, she follows the Demon Lord of the Round Table, tense and alert in her black warbird... this mission, this is going to be the true test of every ace. All of the missions ahead of them — but this one is particularly important. They'll need a suitable base...

The Ghosts of Razgriz are innumerable... but not the entire air command division flies, today. Stealth was needed. The element of surprise was necessary for this attack — stealth and enough numbers to guarantee a certain bite to their bark.

Today there are no less than twenty-two aircraft. Though the aircraft are all different, depending on the squadrons they originally came from, every single one of them sports the same menacing black paint scheme, with the valkyrie on her badge and black helm.

They fly unified — aces from all different nations, prepared to do battle over these skies to the death if need be.

'&lt;&lt;Razgriz Five through Razgriz Thirty on standby.&gt;&gt;' It's a Belkan that announces it, the flight lead of the former Grau Wespe squadron. '&lt;&lt;Awaiting your orders, Razgriz One.&gt;&gt;'

Kazuma Ardygun's Valhawk transforms into its Air Force Valhawk mode. COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has reset their systems to full.

0800, that is when it started. Remille Fortner had been ready far earlier then that and when the que to go was one, she was already on the move to stay in rank with the others. The Martian Armored Core moved with ease, keeping pace. The two machines gun in the hands of the mecha, painted black. The pilot had no argument against the paint job. It was for a reason and the reason she could not argue.

The only thing strange for her in this mission was the fact she had to not come by her drop ship. Though this was also not a problem for the black haired woman, but her companions were not the most thrilled about it.

Remille stayed radio silent, though at times, she flip a switch or two to update the sensors and jammers. Those saphire blue eyes would scan over the five monitors, before she type in a command over the soft glow of the keyboard.

The one thing on her mind outside of assisting in the stealth operation, was to not fail, and with not failing, to not be the first to go down. May the wings of the raven guide that and may it not turn upon her, instead lead her shots right through the very armor of her target.

Tori Adenbright is not a fighter pilot. However, she did give the Ghosts a chance, and the IDB Custom is not likely to be a very handy machine for this type of operation anyhow. The shape of the mobile suit would be a little obstructive to flying in formation. And thus, through several changes of hands in the bureaucratic circuit, she was able to secure a VF-1S 'Super' Valkyrie craft for the operation.

The noise of the valkyrie's turbines whistle in the back of her ears. She almost feels like she's flying naked here — she isn't really used to actually being able to spot visual through the hull of a glass window. It almost feels... troublesome. She flicks and adjusts some more switches as she activates the overboost to catch up to the rest of the fleet.

'&lt;&lt;Razgriz Ten...&gt;&gt;' she starts up, on the comm. &lt;&lt;Flying in formation. Awaiting attack orders.&gt;&gt;

Urvin Gallion, Divine Crusader, mad man and overall strange individual rested within the cockpit of the SV-71. One hand rested tightly against the controls, his single eye stared forth out at what laid ahead. The machine was quiet, painted black and streaked alongside the others as readily as it could.

"Odin of DC reporting in, awaiting orders," Urvin commented on the comms. After that mere silence came from his machine.

Max's Valkyrie was flying near the front of the pack, not that he minded. The unusual thing was that he had his Valkyrie on Autopilot as he was adjusting his radar unit. &lt;&lt;Razgriz One, this is Razgriz Seven, Standing by.&gt;&gt; However, he does take the time to look out towards Adenbright's Valkyrie and almost winces. "I'll keep an eye on her. Don't think she know all that much about the Valkyrie's systems. Not that I know much more."

Meiya was alive.

That thought alone had cooled the anger of Takeru Shirogane, ordinary college student forced into a war of a world that exists only in the legends of his own. His fury at the Balmarians, at a race he had suspected of killing a person dearer to him than he could fully comprehend, had not dulled; but rather, it was no longer mindless, undirected, aimed at a civilization. Now, it was sharp, a blade cooled in the crucible called determination, ready to slice through the forces of these alien invaders and recover the one who meant so much to him.

Now, in his distinctive white-and-blue Type-94, his eyes are sharp and focused on the screens; his fingers are wrapped around the control sticks, guiding the TSF into formation behind its fighter plane cousins. His feet work the pedals calmly, recalling the days when he and Meiya and Mikoto and Sumika would game in the Valgern-ON pods. The carefree days of another world...did they miss him? Did they even know he was gone?

Had some other Takeru taken his place?

No, he couldn't afford to focus on that right now. Meiya's life was in danger; the longer he waited to find her, the more likely it was that someone might shoot her down, and if that happened...if that happened, they might not be the type to spare her.

Takeru grits his teeth tight, holding back tears of anger. The Balmarians were going to pay for this.

"Razgriz 11, joining the formation..." he reports quietly, flipping switches and toggling toggles to stabilize the machine. He was going to pull her out of there, if it was the last thing he did.

"Please wait for me, Meiya...I'm going to save you...I'll fulfill my promise!"

The Valhawk isn't exactly designed for stealth; it's made for speed and agility. But given that the 'Knights of Razgriz' were looking for all the help they could get tonight .... and Kazuma is consistently looking for opportunities to bring some pain down on the Balmarians, plus the pay and conditions for this are reasonably good ....

All of this means that the Valhawk, in Air Force Mode, is presently accompanying the other Knights units as they proceed towards the inevitable engagement with the Balmarian forces. "Razgriz 1, this is Razgriz 69, ready for the fireworks."

"Oniichan," Mihiro asks quietly, "why do you get a weird look on your face at that number?"

"... ask Pops later, and make sure you tell him that number was not my idea."

'&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Takeru Shirogane transmits, "Razgriz 11...joining the formation." COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has reset their systems to full. '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Cipher transmits, "This is Cipher, Razgriz One for this operation. All wings, report in." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Tori Adenbright transmits, "Tori Adenbright, Razgriz Ten, copy." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Takeru Shirogane transmits, "Takeru Shirogane, Razgriz Eleven, copy." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, "Razgriz Four on standby." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Kazuma Ardygun transmits, "Razgriz 69, in formation and ready to rip." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Urvin Gallion transmits, "Urvin Gallion, Razgriz Two-Sixteen, in formation." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Fighter Ace Team transmits a brief splash of static, and then: "Razgriz Seventy through Ninety-Two on standby." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Rachel Miu Athha transmits, "Razgriz one-oh-one, on descent."

Some days, you just have to go with the popular vote.

An Armored Core NEXT joins the formation, flying up from a position near the ground and joining the mass of fighters. The slim mech's boosters carry it through the air at high speed, but it's Overboost does not appear active. The machine bears it's stylized Eye of Horus emblem on one shoulder, but today flies with the emblem of the Ghosts of Razgriz on the other. The front of the Core in their colors, but the dark shades fade into the normal, gleaming white as it reaches the limbs.

Inside the cockpit, the pilot smiles.

'&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Joshua O'Brien transmits, "This is White Glint. Razgriz Nine, ready for combat."

It is a stealth mission against the implacable alien swarm. It is the sort of maneuver that only dedicated humans can deliver, aces one and all. It is the sort of quiet action that only the greatest and the best will ever succeed at.

It is the kind of maneuver that Asfanit Kolot, the singular supergenius of the Balmarian front, specializes in disarming.

At the moment, this very second, Asfanit Kolot is getting back into her lab after getting checked over for a small fainting spell she experienced last night, which was determined to be simple overwork. Adom was...troubled, but Asfanit is pleased by her recovery, even if she feels somewhat troubled by the whole exchange, for a reason she can't quite place.

Asfanit sighs, sliding some tactical data from the European theater from the database onto her main screens for assessment. Aviano's a loss...But she knows that. All the other tacticians on Neviim will be monitoring that area. They'll be attacking elsewhere. She knows it. But where, why, how? She scans through spy reports, intercepted communications. Planes. Paint?...

Her eyes narrow, head still clearing from the fog of her treatments. Something's wrong... But...

Her eyes quickly tick over to the map, plotting the data she has on a map of the region, quickly mentally tabulating probabilities of targets. Canyon, low visibility, utility as a foothold...

"...You'd need planes to get there," Asfanit mutters, as Avalon blinks on her map. And if she were in charge, they'd be starting right about...

She surges to her feet, grabbing her radio and opening up comm lines: "All available pilots to the hangars, we have a problem."

But much of their force is down for reconditioning - or dead. The worst possible time for a human gambit, she thinks, shrugging her robes off and reaching for a flight suit. They're better than she expected.

Adom Nazir had been sent to check out the Avalon Dam, it had been an imporant site to the samples tatically. It still had a lot of use to the Balmarians. It was a source of power they didn't have to set up after all. Which would save them time in securing the area. It could be replaced in time.

It was indeed a cold and snowy day. Adom herself was perched on her machine's shoulder taking in the view. Then she saw something for a moment, she stared. She also felt a feeling, something was comming.

"LEV! Something's comming!"

She then saw them. Combat planes, weapons old since before the Meteor was sent to earth. Only the outer colonies used them in any large numbers and those were often more what would be called mobile armors.

But come they had and in large numbers. She lept down to her machine's cockpit and inside, the machine powered up. She then sent a warning over the comm as the Esh came to life. It was planes but ... there were so many. Even a sample was smarter than any Balmarian drone, which those places could match the speed of...

'&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Cipher transmits, "Target confirmed over Avalon Dam." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Cipher transmits, "All units, prepare for combat. Evasive maneuvers, weapons hot!" '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz 69 Kazuma Ardygun transmits, "Roger that!" '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Amuro Ray transmits, "Razgriz 36, target locked in and confirmed." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, "Razgriz Four, I have visual confirmation of target. Weapons hot."

Shal'hevet is mere meters away from Adom, sitting atop her own machine and doing the same thing. It had been a nice moment of quiet introspection between friends... albeit one that wouldn't last much longer regardless due to the cold weather. Then Adom starts acting worried, confusing her. "What? What are you talking abou—" Then she sees Adom is very, very right. With Adom already inside, Shal'hevet follows seconds later, settling into the Se'arat's cockpit. The black machine seals up and begins to ascend, pulling the handle of its laser scythe in-hand. "Perhaps we can get behind them and force them to veer off if we're quick about it...!"

'&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Cipher transmits, "Second Balmarian confirmed. It looks like this won't be as easy as I thought it'd be." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz 69 Kazuma Ardygun transmits, "... nuts, it's that reed one - Adom's machine." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Cipher transmits, "But we're not some wet-behind-the-ears nobodies. Let's show them who owns these skies!" '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Tori Adenbright transmits, "Wouldn't think of it any other way, knowing them. Moving in."

The pink Waverider flies in the wings of the Ghosts of Razgriz, being about as stealthy as all of the other non-Razgriz machines navigating the treacherous trench out here. Inside, Amuro Ray looks wan and pale— so, normal. He remembers the Ghosts of Razgriz from the war, certainly, but never expected to be sitting in a mobile armor flying with them to attack alien invaders.

Honestly, he never really expected alien invaders, period. The whole concept was, well, alien. At least until the first encounter with those Aerogaters.

Either way, here he is, the Hero of the One Year War himself, feeling too old for this shit and exhausted from weeks of underground activities. At last it's time to take on the enemy head-on.

'&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, "Razgriz Four, second target confirmed. Today, we fly to take back our skies, Razgriz! Today, we give them no quarter...!" '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Amuro Ray transmits, "No dimes, either."

It's a crack of thunder on the horizon, a streak of light in the sky. The light of re-entry and descent is distinctive and familiar to anyone in this day and age— and one of the 'aircraft' that clears the sky and cloudlines cuts an impressive, familiar, and somewhat aggressive silhouette. Modeled after the Zeta Gundam and the work of Camille Bidan, enhanced with Anaheim's ingenuity and ability to look at something and say 'how do we make it even more insane,' the form of the crimson red MSZ-006-P2/3C Zeta Gundam P2/3C Type breaks through the clouds.

In it's Waverider mode, the Mobile Suit looks more like some kind of hellish jet rather than the conventional models used by others— like Isa Reichert, the woman who's been looking after her for the past few weeks and one of Mithril's strays. The delay in her arrival is likely attributed to the stick-on temporary paneling along the shield and along the broad wings; coloring it a bit more black against the red and camo-print darker red armor on the hull. It's an attempt to match up a bit with the operation, even if the heat of re-entry has burned part of it away.

Rachel Miu Athha's feet shift on the pedals while her hands slide the control sticks along their tracks.

Mind and senses as wide open as ever, the Newtype's head cants, stark-white hair rustling as she glances off to the side. The pink Waverider, that— that machine is...

"Amuro...?"

'&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Fighter Ace Team | One of the Razgriz pilots laughs. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has reset their systems to full. '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Cipher transmits, "If retreat is necessary, move through the Valley of the Kings. Minimalizes casualties, but if you're going down..." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Cipher transmits, "Take one of them with you." COMBAT: Cipher has reset their systems to full. '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, "And set ejection handle to green if you have them, da? We want minimal casualties today. This is not our last battle!" '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz 69 Kazuma Ardygun transmits, "Roger that, Razgriz Four." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Cipher transmits, "That's right. We will survive, Razgriz!" '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz 11 Takeru Shirogane transmits, "Roger." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert laughs, maliciously. "We are ghost. You cannot kill something already dead. And we will show these bastards that." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz 216 Urvin Gallion transmits, "Tch, they wish they could kill us." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Tori Adenbright transmits, "Well, let's not have such glum talk before we even exchange fire, shall we?" Er'ela Sufa activates her Gespenst Type-R unit. '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, "Razgriz Four to Razgriz One-Oh-One, I must also thank you for your work — see what I am flying today, da? Thanks to you." A laugh. "We will see how well she fly against these Balmarian bastard, and see how many she can take down, da?" '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Rachel Miu Athha transmits, "I'm glad I could help!" '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Rachel Miu Athha, sounding far too cheerful for this. Er'ela Sufa activates her Gespenst Type-R unit. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has reset their systems to full.

Cipher hears his wingman's warning and nods softly to himself. The COFFIN feels tight tonight, too. It's like there's something in the air, is it the anticipation? No, his instincts are abuzz. He feels it, that sensation. That notion that, just over the horizon, there's something waiting- something dangerous.

His hair bristles. His breath settles into a calm, easy rhythm. And then he sees them.

Two machines, rising out of the horizon. The Falken's IFF reads them, twin readings in the distance. One of the squares turns red as his eyes move over the signals. "All wings," he says, "Enemy units confirmed at twelve-hundred. Lock onto targets and wait for my signal."

The Falken approaches, pushing forward at incredible speeds. A second, smaller square moves over the first crimson reticle. His eyes narrow, his hand grips the joystick tight, "All wings, FOX TWO! FOX TWO! FOX TWO!"

The trigger is pulled. The missiles erupt in a great conflagration of smoke and munitions that go to rain down upon the distant machines. Battle has been joined, and the stage is set!

The white-and-blue Valhawk and its pilots, and that red Ezekiel Esh and its pilot, have a long and colorful history - which dates back to before the Balmarians ever launched their invasion. As soon as Kazuma spots Adom's machine, he knows who he's going after ...

And then the order to break and attack is given. Kazuma follows it - the Valhawk dumps some altitude, then plows through the sound barrier like ancient drink mascots busting through walls, just barely slewing away from Cipher's missiles and other people's likely lines of fire ... and opens up with both Laser Vulcan and Beam Shot Launcher, the former to try and box Adom in, the latter for the real punch - but any damage to the Ezekiel can only work in the Ghosts' favor ...

Normally Kazuma might issue a verbal challenge or calling-out or something. Today, though, weaponsfire is all the greetings Adom's going to get from him by way of announcing his arrival.

Up in the sky, setting sunlight glints red off of one more distant object along with the others, sparkling as slight angle changes reflect or don't reflect the light.

Alongside the other Katharon NON-PLANES IN DISGUISE, a large red 'plane' flies. Inside the canopy, the sky reflects off the visor of Staren's helmet — his armored flightsuit colored safety-orange with red trim and markings. This is why he made the Star Hawk a transformer, he thinks. So he could get anywhere, carrier or no. Perhaps it's an unneeded design, he reflects as he looks at the Zeta and Zeta Plus off to his side... Then again, the Star Hawk has its own merits, and aside from his personal machine, doesn't need to transform. Ah well. He checks his map. ALmost there... Time to focus on the mission. He takes a deep breath, and closes his eyes.

It took some getting used to, controlling a plane for a body. Hours and hours of practice got him to the point where he could rack up more hours and hours of real flight time. It comes naturally now. A view of the land and sky around him is projected into his visual cortex as if he were seeing it with his own eyes — augmented reality indicators indicate friend, foe, firing arcs, objects of note, like an all-around HUD.

One of the planes begins firing missiles. Staren dives, firing the beam 'shotgun', a cluster of small beam cannons, at the base and machines. It's not really aimed, but it doesn't need to be, as the mega-particles rain down...

Instinct snaps like a taut bowstring; Isa Reichert sits up straighter in the cockpit chair, gloved hands tight over the flight stick. She glances left over her shoulder, briefly, to her two copilots. "You two, are you ready?"

Dominic's helmeted head bobs up and down in a nod. "Let's kick some Balmarian asses, babe."

"Ready." Liese, in the third seat, does the same, head bobbing briefly. "I'm ready."

Isa looks forward, grinning behind her masked helmet. Tension hums like electricity down through her neck and shoulders, her arms and hands. And then, Cipher gives the signal to lock on.

&lt;&lt;Razgriz Four, target confirmed. Engaging.&gt;&gt; Isa keeps the plain on a steady course, as Dominic flicks the cap off the weapons controls. '&lt;&lt;Firing on your command.&gt;&gt;'

"On my mark, Domino."

"Got him in my sights."

Engines hum as the Skytalon cruises along in formation, right behind Cipher's right wing. Gradually, it drifts to port. It's a large aircraft — almost eighty feet long, sixty-three feet wide... and bristling with weaponry.

Cipher gives the signal, punching the engines to keep up with Razgriz One.

"FIRE!"

&lt;&lt;Razgriz Four, Fox Two! Fox Two!&gt;&gt; Isa roars, into the radio. Two missiles drop from the wings, contrails white in the snowy skies as they streak down, spiralling towards the unit down below.

COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has attacked Adom Nazir. Combined Fire added to their queue. COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has activated a spirit command. '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz 11 Takeru Shirogane transmits, "What does Fox Two even mean?!" '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Cipher transmits, "Fire the missiles."

Max heard the warning as well, and smiled. Sliding his visor down to take care of sun glare, Max turned his head towards the coordinates and puts his hands on the controls. "Autopilot off." He says and flipped a switch on his control stick. &lt;&lt;AMM-1 Missile select.&gt;&gt; He then simply watched the console before it gives a ding of a lock. &lt;&lt;Razgriz Seven, Fox Two.&gt;&gt; His right thumb flipping up the safety before he pulled the trigger, sending a missile towards the Balmarian mech.

COMBAT: Cipher has attacked Adom Nazir. Starshower added to their queue. COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has attacked Adom Nazir. AMM-1 Hybrid Multipurpose Missile added to their queue. COMBAT: Your attack has been added to Adom Nazir's queue. COMBAT: Isa Reichert has attacked Adom Nazir. Air To Air Missiles added to their queue.

Tori puts her hand to her comm radio. It's begun. She stares forward to Adom's machine, and weaves tightly under a row of craggy outcroppings and focuses still. Even without the benefit of the Biosensors on her regular machine, she can still sense her enemies ahead. A strange, alien presence, their minds obscured in some fashion that isn't readily apparent to her.

She pauses for a moment, as she senses the presence of other Newtypes. Zetas... yet, there is one whose presence feels familiar. Like they have flown together before in the past. It brings her back to the actual battle of A Bao A Qu. Could it be?

The White Rose — Razgriz Ten — shakes her head further as she pulls upwards. She really isn't used to this; it's like riding in a beast that doesn't care if you live or die, the forces of flight rattling much more intensely against her body as the VF-1S presses onward. ''&lt;&lt;Razgriz Ten, deploying missile payload. Transmitting attack trajectory.&gt;&gt;''

The aircraft lifts into the sky, and dozens of shelves slide downwards, fistfuls of missiles all launching with beautiful white trails of tracer smoke arcing around the air and swiftly guided towards the Balmarian machine. Which she can... sense. "A Newtype...? Or some other..."

COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has attacked Adom Nazir. Itano Circus added to their queue.

The dam at Avalon was not the greatest of the Balmarian strategic locations. But with the Balmarian ability to warp directly from Neviim means reinforcements are easy to send en mass to any location. But the two pronged attack has split the available reinforcements, so how do they protect this area?

ES Waves are detected by those with the ability to do so, the wave form matches Balmarian teleport technology. The flash of light quickly resolves into a dark purple machine of smooth armor despite it's bulk and swept shoulders.

A Gespenst Mark I Type R.

Painted in dark purple the machine quickly leans forward and launches the extra load of Split Missiles it had on it's back. The warheads streak intot he sky and divide into smaller munitions, spreading out to fill the sky with explosions.

Inside Er'ela Sufa looks at the sky "Aircraft... hmph."

COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has activated a spirit command.

Behind the lead planes are a veritable swarm of Razgriz aircraft. All different makes and models, they share in common the same menacing paint scheme, and the same unquestioned skill in all of their pilots. Twenty-two in total, there are, and they all fly together. The instant Cipher gives his signal, all of the planes accelarate, afterburners flaring in hues of violet and cyan. &lt;&lt;Razgriz Seventy through Ninety-Two, all planes, Fox Two! Fox Two!&gt;&gt; ...And in beautiful synchronicity, all twenty-two aircraft drop a missile from each wing, firing all together. Forty-four missiles streak for the Balmarian forces, all in synchronicity.

'&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Fighter Ace Team transmits, "Razgriz Seventy through Ninety-Two, all planes, Fox Two! Fox Two!" '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz 11 Takeru Shirogane transmits, "...that machine..." '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Tori Adenbright transmits, "Razgriz Ten, deploying missile payload. Blast radius transmitted."

Suriel smirks...

Oh this is going to get FUN! He flies over the twisted and difficult terrain, his eyes focused on the horrizon...until the Balmarians came into view.

"YES! HAHAHAHA! FINALLY SOME ACTION!" he booms, and shoots foward, his sword breakers coming out as they shoot forward...but they just hover around him. Instead...

"GIEM SYSTEM! ACTIVATED!" There is a strange change in the metatron unit itself, as the unit's metatron lines become red. Suriel's voice inflects differently as he speaks...

"FIRE!" he booms, as the sword breakers fire...but a distortion of space appear in the path of the sword breakers.

There is another distortion behind Adom and Shal.

As the beams fly out of them.

'&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz 11 Takeru Shirogane suddenly sounds really, really angry all over again. "I'm going to take care of that machine...! Razgriz Eleven, going at the target!" COMBAT: Fighter Ace Team has attacked Adom Nazir. AIM-9M Sidewinder Missiles added to their queue. COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has attacked Adom Nazir and Shal'hevet Lev. Metatron Bullshit added to their queue.

The firing started with earnest and Urvin Gallion watched quietly within the variable fighter he had fielded in. The machine felt alien to him, he was accustomed to fighting from the pleasure of his bridge or the soft chair of his Sleipnir. To be relegated to this...machine, it was a displeasure. Still, one had to do what one had to do to save the world from alien invasion, and so Urvin merely gritted his teeth and swung the SV-51 along in formation.

"Razgriz Two-Sixteen, fox four," Urvin commented as he pulled gently on the trigger, hoping that he didn't yank too hard and generate poor accuracy overall. The machine guns of the SV-51 flared as they unloaded a stream of bullets toward Shal'hevet's unit. After that strafing run the SV-51 peeled away, attempting to adjust it's flight path for another run on the Balmarian machine.

COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Gsh-231 Minigun added to their queue. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has set their HP to 5 person boss HP. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has struck a major critical hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using Itano Circus. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Er'ela Sufa and Shal'hevet Lev. Beam Shotgun Array added to their queue. COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has activated a spirit command.

That machine. That machine! That unforgettable machine, that machine that had humiliated him, had beaten him and Meiya into unconsciousness, had stolen her away and had fought against him every time - that machine, that Balmarian! That man...!

Takeru's rage suddenly surges up in his chest. He can feel his heart beating faster, excitement and hatred and a raw, burning need to take care of that mech himself, personally, personally, burns to the forefront of his mind. That machine was responsible for everything...for dragging him into this war of this world that wasn't his...for taking her away from him...for making him miserable, furious, and so full of hatred...!

"YOU!" Takeru roars, '&lt;&lt;"Razgriz Eleven, I'm taking care of that machine! ''Don't get involved!"&gt;&gt;'

The TSF peels off from the rest of the groups, flying towards the Gespenst. Its shield comes up, and its sword slides out of its concealed sheath, unfolding into a long, sharp blade. The blade is pointed at the Gespenst Type-I R, square at the head. The stance is unmistakable.

Inside, Takeru's hands are trembling. Rage and terror are starting to intermingle; he remembered well this warrior's ability to reduce his machine to its component parts. But he had to deal with this. He had to do this.

'&lt;&lt;"Whoever you are...Balmarian..."&gt;&gt;' Takeru exhales slowly as he radios the Gespenst. &lt;&lt;"I'm going to finish you...for what you did to me and Meiya, I'm going to get revenge...so prepare yourself! This is personal!"&gt;&gt;

And he comes plowing forward, the sword brought to the side...for parrying, as he uses the shield as a charge attack?!

'&lt;&lt;"HERE I COME!"&gt;&gt;'

COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has attacked Er'ela Sufa. Combo Breaker added to their queue. COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has missed Er'ela Sufa with his Combo Breaker attack.

NEVIIM

Asfanit Kolot sits in the cockpit of Lekhishah as the machine boots up, readies itself. "Systems online," the pleasant voice of the cockpit computer chimes.

Asfanit hums, leaning back. "Queue up multiple drops of Mishlei to the coordinates I'm inputting," Asfanit commands, keying in codes. "We'll be dropping to the same place."

"Confirmed," Lekhishah replies. "Please specify number of recalls—"

"As many as it takes," Asfanit mutters, grimly, as the systems light up with the warp—

AVALON

The gravity tremors begin, warping and thudding against the skin of the world. Then...they descend. The mission was intended to operate against a single under-manned, unexpecting base. They have succeeded in catching the Balmarians unawares...but surely they did not expect them to stay that way, having shown their reaction times.

They burst out of the sky in waves, bird-like drones that have mostly been seen in the vicinity of the White Star - they fall upon the Ghosts of Razgriz with ring lasers and talons, ripping and shredding...but that is not all they must contend with.

Because soon, LEkhishah appears, and immediately transitions to its active Tzrikha mode with a muttered, "Activate Lambda Driver," from Asfanit. No messing around. No playing. If they will fight hard, so shall she.

She takes a few seconds to assess the situation, and then just points around, invisible forces suddenly renting the air and tearing planes out of the sky.

"Hello, Samples," Asfanit announces, her voice strained. "You've done well to catch us off guard. Thank you, for proving so thoroughly your cunning."

"I'll enjoy killing you all."

COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has attacked Fighter Ace Team. Higher Order Mathematics added to their queue. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has struck a glancing hit on Er'ela Sufa's Gespenst Type-R using Beam Shotgun Array. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has struck a major hit on Fighter Ace Team's Swarm of Aces using Higher Order Mathematics. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has set their HP to 3 person boss HP. COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has struck a solid critical hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using AMM-1 Hybrid Multipurpose Missile. COMBAT: Fighter Ace Team has missed Adom Nazir with their AIM-9M Sidewinder Missiles attack. COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has struck a minor hit on Shal'hevet Lev's Se'arat Berakim using Gsh-231 Minigun. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has counter attacked for a minor hit on Urvin Gallion's SV-51 Fighter using Spark Torpedo. COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has struck a glancing hit on Shal'hevet Lev's Se'arat Berakim using Metatron Bullshit. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has missed Shal'hevet Lev with his Beam Shotgun Array attack. COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has struck a solid hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using Metatron Bullshit. COMBAT: You have missed Adom Nazir with your Air To Air Missiles attack. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed you with her Short-Barreled Optical Rifle counter attack. COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has struck a solid hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using Combined Fire. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed Kazuma Ardygun with her Short-Barreled Optical Rifle counter attack.

White Glint glides along with the innumerable aces. The Newtype pilot feels the hectic emotions of the huge number of combatants all at once. With a deep breath, he tunes it out, reducing it to a sort of 'background buzz.' It's difficult; the Allegorical Manipulation System relies on him keeping his mind open and the connection strong, even while physically connected. He can't just do that for long...

The Armored Core NEXT turns and drops out of the sky, diving downward and under the swarm of ring lasers as they spread out all around them. It pulls upward, pointed straight up as the beams come down. White Glint pulls it's arms in and spins, once, twice, three times—and then passes directly through the middle of two of the lasers, blitzing past the swarm and dropping a spread missile in their wake, leaving a cascade of explosions behind him.

White Glint hovers and circles. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the NEXT is using the Lekhishah as a midpoint in it's rotation. It's assault rifle, held in it's left hand, points straight out as it comes around in arc. The weapon fires a burst as it passes the Balmarian machine, evenly timed and spread. He isn't holding down the trigger; he's deliberately firing it as fast or slow as he needs to.

"You talk awfully big," Joshua observes aloud in Asfanit's direction, his tone relaxed, easygoing. "But you can't kill ghosts."

Shal'hevet brings her black machine, the Se'arat, into the air only to be met with waves of plane fire. Fire heavy enough that she's quickly separated from Adom and tries to spin to fly backwards, hoping to let the planes pass by and overhead. This does not entirely work; Urvin manages to get a quick pass in with his minigun, and Suriel's sword breakers manage to land a 'barely a hit' to the side of a leg... though Staren's beam blast misses cleanly due to this change in flight path. Lev is trying to get behind the attacking flight group, knowing that if they get stuck with a problem at that angle it may make base attacks that much harder. "They called for anti-air units... I think I can do that!" Her mind's focus goes tense, something psychics in the area may feel. This is both because she is preparing an attack, and has found something interesting. A pink Waverider, among other flying units. "The flight mode of a Gundam, isn't it? Most of the others with a machine like that have been very special... if I can bring you in to our culture, that will be quite the accomplishment." It's with those words that she brings her machine onto vertical level with a significant part of the squadron, and releases a series of sparkling blue TK energy blasts, shaped like large tornados spiralling through the air!

COMBAT: Joshua O'Brien has attacked Asfanit Kolot. 063ANAR Assault Rifle Burst added to their queue. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has attacked Amuro Ray, Staren Wiremu, and Urvin Gallion. T-Link Storm added to their queue. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has struck a solid critical hit on Staren Wiremu's Star Hawk Mk. II Fighter using T-Link Storm. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has struck a solid hit on Urvin Gallion's SV-51 Fighter using T-Link Storm. COMBAT: Cipher has struck a major hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using Starshower. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed Cipher with her Short-Barreled Optical Rifle counter attack. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has set their HP to 4 person boss HP.

Remille Fortner watched as everyone went after the one unit. However she didn't follow, instead she was attempting to see how far she could get in. How close she could get in, even with the attacks going off round her.

The Martian Armored Core, her Nightingale moved quickly along the sky, it even at one point almost seem to run along the wall, before leaping off to avoid any stray shot that may come in that direction. It was however when she spots Shal'hevet's unit does she suddenly bank out and go right for the alien machine.

There was no radio communication on, it was just dead silence from the Frightener.

The two machine guns in the armored core's hands went off with a burst of fire, blasting bullets right for her target.

Urvin Gallion shifted his weight, shoved down on one of the foot pedals and lurched the SV-51 into an upward spiral. The sparkling blasts that hurtled throughout the aerial combat zone struck the already lightly battered variable fighter, which caused Urvin to grimace as he attempted to maintain control of the machine. The plane shifted as control was regained, and then headed down toward the ground like a dart.

As the SV-51 levelled off near the unstable surface area Urvin had already called up a quick menu to scroll through available weapons. He was unaccustomed to the weapons of the SV-51, and so with minimal comprehension he picked one and flipped a switch. Then, as the SV-51 hurtled toward Shal's deadly machine he pulled the trigger and unleashed a stream of missiles.

COMBAT: Remille Fortner has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Twin ZWG-AR/K Machine Guns added to their queue. COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Random Missile Barrage added to their queue.

The Lekhishah.

Rachel's never been able to fully control the empathy that she possesses; Newtypes that she's met before have been exposed to her and been left with headaches for the effort— her emotions shift suddenly, jarringly... and what she feels, she feels so directly, honestly, strong. The strength of her mind and heart have increased— greatly. Her mind focuses on the star pendant worn around her neck, even now.

She doesn't call Asfanit Kolot by her Balmarian name. Instead, with hope and intense focus burning in her chest, Rachel Miu Athha's golden eyes narrow. She's heard the rumors and news, read the reports after her XM10 was disabled and she was knocked out.

The white-haired girl calls her by her name.

"Tessa!!"

Twisting, rolling through the sky, the red Zeta Gundam's beam gun is mounted to the fore of the flight mode. Remaining in the Waverider mode for the moment, the weapon starts to fire— or does it?!

The beam cuts short before fully leaving the barrel in a burst of energy, instead forming an impromptu blade— a beam bayonet, one running along the Zeta P2/3C's frame as she angles the Mobile Suit to buzz by, to rip the blade across the armor and keep right on going!

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Awkward Beam Bayonet added to their queue.

Tori is coming in at her one of the others like her she can sense her. There's just too many missiles and shots coming in at her she can't avoid them all.

''&lt;Brave or foolish, your life ends here sample. Either by my hand or once your uplifted!&gt;''

She doesn't have time for much more as others are coming in, and coming in fast.

Max's own missiles follow Tori's up and they hit hard, she's feeling all the damage too. But theres more she's got to keep moving before too many more drag her down and drag her down hard.

The Fighter Ace Team are good, they force Adom to be unable counter attack them, if she did? She's be caught in a cloud of missile, she's also got her rifle out now intercepting more missiles.

Then comes a DC unit, one of the strange units employing metatron? Wait it's not an orbital frame? She's not fast enough to evade it, then come three more flying in formation. Isa's she's run into before, and here comes the missile. She lines up her rifle closes her eyes feels out where the missiles are and soon? Several fireballs are birthed from her counter attack but Isa is unharmed. She had to chose to shoot the missiles down over getting a lock on Isa.

Kazuma follows the assault up with one of his own at her. She knows that machine and he manages to get a rise out of her.

"It's you again hummm still taking your little sister into fights? How Barbaric she's not even of age!"

The Demon Lord has returned once more, and has set her sight on. Her the IFF reports it's Razgriz 1.

"So you are the leader, do you not know ghosts are already dead? This is a brave assault but in the end it's futile!"

"Shall' watch your self, I do not think these are fodder pilots at all. Be on your guard!"

She counter fires at Cipher, but he score a huge hit ripping into her machine, and it looks like she's not going to be going very easy on the samples her damaged machine rises up.

"I am Adom Nazir the Fire Dancer. Can you keep up with this dance? My dear Ghosts?! Signon Egroph Mechani Secret Technique Thousand Fists of Fury!"

She starts moving rapidly, very rapidly, without showing any signs of stopping, Kazuma would suddenly find her above him, launching a barrage of punches at his machine before she's gone again. Soon Cipher would be getting warning that Adom was behind hi and lunging at his plane to punch it and leap away, she's gone shortly after. Max would be next up on the list of Adom's victims as she machine appears and brings out her spear. She'll try to stab his machine and she's gone again. But her rampage isn't stopping there, next up would be Suriel who would find Adom just there above him and slamming both fists into his machine. She doesn't leave long for counter attack. Still there's a chance to get her if Suriel is quick then she's gone again. Isa would then find Adom's machine before her and rushing at her.

"You think you can sample just with that one eye of yours?! Let me make you a ghost in fact!" She strikes aiming to punch the plane before returning to the top of the damn.

"COME ON! Is that all?! A Bunch of relics?!"

COMBAT: Adom Nazir has attacked Kazuma Ardygun, Cipher, and Maximillian Jenius. Drakon Zoem added to their queue. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has struck a major hit on Maximillian Jenius's VF-1J Fighter using Drakon Zoem. COMBAT: Cipher has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has struck a major hit on Cipher's ADF-01A/F Falken using Drakon Zoem. COMBAT: Adom Nazir's Drakon Zoem has been added to your queue. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has attacked Isa Reichert and Suriel Misaki. Drakon Zoem added to their queue. Maximillian Jenius's VF-1J Valkyrie transforms into its VF-1J Battroid mode. '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, urgently, "—T-Tessa?! Razgriz Four to Razgriz One, I am needed elsewhere! Good luck with that one! And do not get yourself shot down, 'Demon Lord,' da?" COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has missed Amuro Ray with her T-Link Storm attack. '&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt;' Cipher transmits, "Understood. Sustained some damage, but..." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "I will not be so easily shot down!" COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has activated a spirit command. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert laughs. It sounds just a wee bit unhinged. "That is what I was hoping to hear!" COMBAT: Joshua O'Brien has missed Asfanit Kolot with his 063ANAR Assault Rifle Burst attack. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has counter attacked for a solid hit on Joshua O'Brien's White Glint using Redirection - Physical. COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has struck a major hit on Asfanit Kolot's Tzrikha using Awkward Beam Bayonet. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has counter attacked for a minor hit on Rachel Miu Athha's Waverider P2/3C using Wrist Monocutters. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz 69 Kazuma Ardygun transmits, "Goodl uck!" COMBAT: Amuro Ray has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has struck a glancing hit on Kazuma Ardygun's Air Force Valhawk using Drakon Zoem. COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has missed Adom Nazir with his Laser Vulcan counter attack. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has struck a devastating hit on Suriel Misaki's ASK-AD02X Ashsaber Metatron using Drakon Zoem. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; White Glint, R9: Joshua O'Brien sounds relaxed. "Razgriz Nine, engaging target."

"T, tornado??" Amuro yelps, wrenching the Waverider into a gut-wrenching barrel roll. He hates fighting in gravity— especially fighting in the air in gravity. The TK blasts race past without touching the pink murder machine, but Amuro is bothered all the same. "Can this person control the weather, or is it just a mental projection matching their personality?" he wonders, knowing it doesn't really matter at the end of the day.

"Well, nothing for it now," he grunts, pulling the Waverider back to horizontal and snapping off a pair of powerful red shots from the heavy beam rifle. "Just got to... take this one down...!"

COMBAT: Amuro Ray has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Heavy Beam Rifle added to their queue.

Bird-like drones rip through the sky, masses of them headed for the formation of Razgriz pilots behind the front line. True, these were all aces of the Belkan War, but that does not make them invincible. The first rank of pilots manage to pull straight up and to the side, shouting alarms to their companions and hitting the afterburners to push themselves to safety. Well, relative safety. Nothing's going to be safe once this furball gets started — there are missiles and bullets everywhere, and the sky is like a sea of ammunition. But the back rank is not so lucky. The airwaves are soon crowded with panicked pilots. The drones rip into the last ten planes, shredding airframes and warping hulls with their cutting lasers. Some of the pilots panic, and one of them even pulls straight into the cliff, his aircraft erupting in a brilliant fireball — though it seems the pilot manages to eject, cockpit block flung upward from the point of impact. ''&lt;&lt;Razgriz Seventy-Two! I've been hit! Ejecting!&gt;&gt;'' ''&lt;&lt;Razgriz Eighty! I can't shake him! Someone get him off me!&gt;&gt;'' &lt;&lt;Razgriz Eighty-Six, someone sanitize my six o'clock!&gt;&gt; &lt;&lt;Razgriz Seventy,, those bastards are Swiss-cheesing my plane!&gt;&gt; However, these are veterans. These pilots were tempered in the flames of war over the Round Table, Airspace B7R, and they quickly manage to compose themselves. They lose several, though. No less than five planes are sent into the ravine in the wake of the attack; mainly the back ranks, who were unable to pull up quickly enough. Many more planes are damaged, but they're still flying. The surviving pilots regroup, forming a massive wedge formation again. Accelerating up and out of the ravine, they bank gradually, splitting off into smaller squadrons as they gain altitude. Coming in from different headings and altitudes, half of them swoop down and converge to strafe Adom Nazir's unit, while others jockey for position, taking their turn as well to strafe down. Every single aircraft is black, with the same red fin flashes. Every single aircraft attacks in silence, with not a word spoken to the enemy. There's nothing left to say, now; not anything that a missile or a bullet couldn't convey. From Strangereal, with love!

COMBAT: Fighter Ace Team has attacked Adom Nazir. Gunslinger added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team transmits, "Razgriz Seventy-Two! I've been hit! Ejecting!" BOOM. "Razgriz Eighty! I can't shake him! Someone get him off me!" "Razgriz Eighty-Six, someone sanitize my six o'clock!" "Razgriz Seventy, those bastards are shredding my plane...!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Stay focused, Razgriz." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team transmits, "Razgriz Ninety! Shack on the target...!" "Razgriz Ninety-One, Fox Two!"

Muting his comm system except for the Rezgriz Comm line, Max rolls his eyes, just in time to eat one of Adom's attacks. At least, thankfully, He can't hear her rambling anymore, nor can she hear him. "Oookay. Time to play." He says mostly to himself as his Valkyrie shifts to Soldier mode. Despite the hit to the fighter's wing, it still shifts to soldier mode, hefts it's Gun pod and opens fire. Despite Adom's speed, she has a very critical flaw. She's predictable.

COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has attacked Adom Nazir. GU-11 55mm Gunpod added to their queue.

Suriel goes flying, crashing into the ground and rolls across the broken terrain like a ragdoll. Metatron takes TIME to heal the unit, as it starts to raise up. "That actually HURT...you stupid alien b-..." And then Asfanit appears. He looks up, forgetting the fact that mech just obliterated his mech. He laughs...oh yes...

"OH! LADY FREAK! It's nice to see you again!" he says, as the unit starts to rise towards reality breaking bullshit. The Halberd shooter comes up pointing it right towards the strange Balmarian unit.

"I am going to CRUSH you for making me look like a fool...for embarrasing me infront of my master!" before a metatron enhanced blast fired out. pockets of space compression appear around her, as it bends the beam in four pieces, attempting to split it all over the place and cover her in the beam.

"Heheheh...."

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Halberd Shooter added to their queue.

The Gespenst's head lifts up to look at the Fubuki as it transmits openly. In the middle of a battle? "Completely insane." Er'ela comments to herself. The dark purple armor of the Gespenst isn't like the charcoal black of Galuin's, though at Takeru's initial distance, maybe thats hard to tell.

The Gespenst leans back, lettingt e shield wiff past it's head. "Clever." a cylinder snaps into the Gepenst's hand and ignite into white blade of plasma as she lunges back in at the gespenst, the beam shotgun shot only grazes the Gespenst's back, making armor sizzle. Er'ela doesn't take full notice of it as she aims to plunge the plasma saber into the Fubuki.

"But ultimately amaturish."

COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has attacked Takeru Shirogane. Plasma Cutter added to their queue.

The Falken rocks with the impact of the Balmarian's fists. Dents begin to appear in the machine's light superstructure, but by some mercy of the gods of war, he manages to roll with the blow and survive the impact. No, more than that- they're watching from on high. All those who have gone before him. All those whose names he must carry on!

His eyes narrow, the Falken's main weapon slides open. A small ring appears on the HUD as the black jet rockets into the distance, toward the end of Avalon- before it turns over on itself, rotating on an axis so tight that one could see the sonic boom shatter the surface of the lake. He finds his target, centers it in that ring, and opens fire.

What emerges from the mouth of the aircraft is nothing less than the fury of hell itself. The TLS lances out, and for a moment, night turns to glorious day.

COMBAT: Cipher has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Cipher has attacked Adom Nazir. Laser Plane added to their queue. COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has struck a solid hit on Takeru Shirogane's Type-94 Fubuki using Plasma Cutter. &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Staren Wiremu transmits, "...What kind of weapon is that...? Those blue things..." &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Heavy Russian accent: Isa Reichert transmits, tense but oddly cheerful, "There are weapon everywhere! You are going to have to be more specific!"

"Don't be an idiot, Macua-neechan!"

The transmission is coming from the Valhawk - but this time, it's not Kazuma; it's his younger sister, Mihiro Ardygun, the Valhawk's usual sub-pilot.

"We're not giving up on you!" Mihiro continues. "I know I almost got killed during the fight outside the White Star, but I didn't get killed - I lived through it, I got better, and I'm not going to let oniichan down when he needs my help! This is my job, my role in the Valstork Family! I back oniichan up, I help him fight! If you can't understand that, Balmarian or not, then just think on this - every shot the Valhawk's weapons fire, every punch or kick or Ray Blade slash it swings at an opponent ... it's not just oniichan's will and his spirit! It's mine, too - both of us, brother and sister! I want you back from the Balmarians' mind control just as much as oniichan does! So don't tell either of us I shouldn't be here!"

Mihiro mutes her microphone. "Oniichan? Let's pin that machine of hers to the ground and start peeling it open until we can get Macua-neechan out."

Kazuma just laughs quietly. "Glad to have you with me, Mihiro-chan. All right - let's go for it! Watch our allies, I don't want us getting blown away by a shot aimed for her machine!"

"You got it!"

The Valhawk loops back around, Kazuma having recovered from the passing strike while Mihiro was chewing Adom out, and once again opens up with both weapons - but Kazuma and Mihiro are truly working in synch now, Kazuma tracing along the Ezekiel's armor with the Laser Vulcan, while Mihiro aims and times her shots precisely for optimal damage to the Balmarian machine ...

COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has attacked Adom Nazir. Coordinated Barrage added to their queue.

Though the Reaper of the Round Table might have only one eye, she has long since learned to make up for her handicap. The Skytalon is like an extension of her, hands practised over the controls — Isa Reichert knows every inch of this fighter and controls it accordingly.

Adom Nazir delivers her taunt, and Isa skins her lip back from her teeth in a sneer. Her helmet hides her face, but her tone of voice delivers her scorn well enough.

''&lt;&lt;I am still here to be bothering you, da? Should say something enough if you cannot even kill me. Alien scum. But so sorry, I cannot play with you today. I have calling elsewhere!&gt;&gt;''

So saying, the Skytalon's engines scream, the large fighter streaking up and past Adom's Ezekiel. She even tosses a wave towards Cipher as she goes, though he likely won't see.

''&lt;&lt;Razgriz One! Take care of yourself, I am needed elsewhere! Give that one my regard, will you? Preferably, with missilel.&gt;&gt;''

Rising above the chaos, the Skytalon's engines afterburners flare a pale blue as they strain against the snow-muffled air. The wings tilt as the entire craft banks — and then, amazingly, simply stops in midair. Verniers flare all up and down the fuselage as the Skytalon stops for a moment, twisting in the direction of the Lekhishah, engines flaring.

As Rachel makes her pass against the Lekhishah, something else flashes past as she does... a snatch of black and red accents; one of the many Ghosts of Razgriz. But this one's a lot bigger. A flurry of missiles are released and launched for the enemy craft as the jet streaks past — a brief glimpse of the pilot inside, head twisting to watch and see if those missiles connect.

''&lt;&lt;Ay! Dievushka! You do not fight alone, today!&gt;&gt;'' Isa's statment is grim and determined; up above, the Skytalon twists, banking and firing its verniers to slow and turn its nose toward the Lekishah. &lt;&lt;Let me help you!&gt;&gt;

COMBAT: Isa Reichert has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: You have turned on your &#x5B;Focus&#x5D; spirit command. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed you with her Drakon Zoem attack. COMBAT: Your attack has been added to Asfanit Kolot's queue. COMBAT: Isa Reichert has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Homing Missiles added to their queue.

Staren sees a black machine rise up, and fire some sort of particle beams at him! Wait, no... Something isn't right here... Staren mispredicts their behavior, and the TK Storm rains down upon him. "What kind of weapon was that??" He wonders, as he turns to intercept the black unit and pours on speed. Just as he flies over, a pair of canisters pop out of the Star Hawk and explode, showering the area around Shl'hevet with... acid? "I've got my own special attacks... that should soften them up...!"

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Acid Grenade added to their queue. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has struck a minor hit on Shal'hevet Lev's Se'arat Berakim using Acid Grenade. COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has missed Asfanit Kolot with his Halberd Shooter attack. COMBAT: You have struck Asfanit Kolot with a solid hit using Homing Missiles.

The plasma cutter cleaves right through the Fubuki's back, and Takeru is treated to a horrible, horrible moment where there is a god damned laser blade sticking right out of his cockpit, right through his machine. It's melting the metal; it's a blade, a plasma blade, and it missed him by such a fraction that only true dumb luck could be what saved him. Not skill; not tactical planning. Dumb, dumb, dumb luck.

But if dumb luck was all he had, he was going to make use of it.

The Fubuki wrenches itself free of the blade, whirling around to face the Gespenst. He's visible; the hole in the cockpit is enough that the pilot of the Gespenst can see him, can target him, sitting there inside that vulnerable-as-hell machine, in his flight suit and gas mask. But it's those eyes - those disconcerting, determined, shining eyes.

"I don't care what you think of me, Balmarian! I'm going to get her back...do you hear me? I'm getting Meiya back, no matter what you do - so if you think I'm just like the Takeru you beat back then, forget it!"

"I've got something I have to do now!"

Takeru's machine comes swinging forward, the blade raised high over its head, the shield positioned in front of it like a knight charging the battlefield. "I've got something that I absolutely cannot fail on!"

"I HAVE SOMEONE I HAVE TO PROTECT! AND A PROMISE I HAVE TO FULFILL!"

"AND YOU'RE NOT ENOUGH TO STOP ME FROM TAKING HER BACK!" The blade comes whistling down as the TSF's thrusters kick up, and at the end of its arc, it's inverted, sweeping back up. It's amateurish as hell - he was relying on dumb luck and unpredictability. Any pro pilot would tell him that against an opponent of this caliber, he was going to die.

But he had heart.

And he had talent.

And he had something he had to do.

COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has attacked Er'ela Sufa. Button Mashing added to their queue. COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has missed Shal'hevet Lev with his Random Missile Barrage attack. COMBAT: Remille Fortner has struck a major hit on Shal'hevet Lev's Se'arat Berakim using Twin ZWG-AR/K Machine Guns. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Amuro Ray has struck a major hit on Shal'hevet Lev's Se'arat Berakim using Heavy Beam Rifle.

There is focus inside Tori's mind as she feels Adom's resonating power. She stands strong, mentally, a rock against her incoming wave of psychic emanation. "I would like to engage with you further, however..." She glances towards the diverging crew, and decides to back them up. She takes a hard curve and flies past a set of jagged rocks, cutting a very tight swerve as she moves along towards the Lekhishah.

Isa mentioned a 'Rachel'... is that the other feeling she notices in this battlefield? No, there are definitely more... this is not a fight in which she, mentally, is alone. She can feel their sweltering emotions moving about her. She focuses and cranks up the thrusters, twin trails of light-blue vernier fire cutting her across and its swarm of birds.

"A pleasure to meet you, Balmarian," Tori greets through the intercom as she accesses the targeting computer. Twin reticles appear on her screen and turn red as she flicks the switch for the double beam pods, lasers billowing out with a tracing line of red fire as they sweep across the valley. "Tori Adenbright, currently with the Razgriz forces." She really needs to stop being so polite, but she can't help it. She's tired of youthful anger.

COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has attacked Asfanit Kolot. High-Power Double-Action Beam Pod added to their queue. &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Staren Wiremu transmits image of the T-Link Storm projectiles. "Something's off about them..."

Shal'hevet finds that causing telekinetic 'storms' in the group... does a fine job angering them and bringing their attention onto her. An armored core joins the fray, sweeping machine gun fire toward the Se'arat Berakim at about the same time as Urvin fires a missile volley. Explosions ring out around their target, but these bursts spray acid everywhere and start to melt through the Balmarian menace. The missiles are swept aside with another TK 'tornado', flinging them into one another... but Lev can't duplicate that feat against the machine guns, bullets ripping into the black-painted metal and opening several holes in it! Holes that Amuro adds to with his swooping pair of shots; Lev jukes down and aside from the first one, but he correctly tracks this movement on the second shot and slams a beam through the Berakim's 'ribs', sparks flying! With this many enemies flying about, keeping behind all of them is going to be nearly impossible; Lev settles for holding her general air-space and hoping to keep them busy, slightly away from the base itself. "You've all proven your ingenuity and drive, attempting a mission like this." There is no mockery in her tone, she sounds genuinely impressed. "I can't let you succeed, but your failure will not be your loss. Whether you fall here or stand down on your own, I'm sure you'll contribute great things to our culture." Staren and Amuro may find some familiarity in her voice and maneuvers, and Amuro in addition may feel psychic 'pressure' and impressions he has felt before... just not any time in the last several months. "You can surrender if you want me to stop firing, but until then...!" Lev extracts herself from the fire-storm her enemies have caused, long enough to deploy a yellow, curved energy blade from her polearm handle. She flies the Se'arat toward Urvin's SV-51 first, making a wide spinning slash at it before veering toward the Star Hawk, a fist raised and covered in a red glow. A straight punch is aimed at the center of the machine and then Lev tries to veer away, well aware that she will be under attack from every angle!

COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has attacked Urvin Gallion. Laser Scythe Fury added to their queue. COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has attacked Staren Wiremu. Geist Blow added to their queue. COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has missed Er'ela Sufa with his Button Mashing attack. COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has counter attacked for a minor critical hit on Takeru Shirogane's Type-94 Fubuki using Plasma Cutter. COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has missed Asfanit Kolot with her High-Power Double-Action Beam Pod attack. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has counter attacked for a solid hit on Tori Adenbright's VF-1S Fighter using Mind Bullets. COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has missed Adom Nazir with his Coordinated Barrage attack. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed Kazuma Ardygun with her Short-Barreled Optical Rifle counter attack. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has struck a solid hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using GU-11 55mm Gunpod. COMBAT: Cipher has missed Adom Nazir with his Laser Plane attack. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed Cipher with her Short-Barreled Optical Rifle counter attack. COMBAT: Fighter Ace Team has struck a minor hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using Gunslinger. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed Fighter Ace Team with her Short-Barreled Optical Rifle counter attack. &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Katz Kobayashi transmits, "What are those things?" &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Staren Wiremu transmits, "A new weapon, I guess..." &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Heavy Russian accent: Isa Reichert grunts, over thundering engines. "Don't know." COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has missed Staren Wiremu with her Geist Blow attack. &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Rachel Miu Athha transmits, "Just be careful!" &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Katz Kobayashi transmits, " Yeah those EFA bastards will do anything to hurt us." COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has missed Urvin Gallion with her Laser Scythe Fury attack.

They swoop in quickly. The Mishlei descend on the Ghosts of Razgriz and keep them busy, and perhaps, against a less elite team, would be an even match; but to be here, for the humans, is to have been selected as a true elite. The drones can keep up...but they cannot possibly defeat such a force.

That is nominally what the aces are for, but that's true for the other side, as well. Asfanit lays into them...until the White Glint appears before her. She sees him moving, calculates carefully. She's stressed, her mind is still fuzzy from her treatments, but—there.

"Ghosts, no," Asfanit replies, just as even - no, slightly less so, audible tension in her voice. "But men playing at ghosts die just as well as any."

Hand snaps up. The barrier flashes, precise and controlled, one two three four, bullets stopping enmasse...and then volleying back in White Glint's direction, leading him precisely. She knows where he's going to be—?

But for what it's worth, the calculations to do that opened her up to Rachel's dive. She snaps her blade up, misses the parry - it sinks into the shoulder of the Zeta and then sings away, while Asfanit gets a cut across her chest that juggles her right into Isa's missiles. She recovers, quickly - spiraling around and shooting away on apparently nothing more than her will from Suriel's assault. "...Tessa again," Asfanit mutters. "That name you Samples keep saying. It seems she left quite an impression."

She snaps a hand up - the beam pod blasts shatter under her regard, blasts of force slamming into her machine.

She takes a slow, deep breath, concentrating. "But I am not that person." Asfanit glares around, then blurs forward, streaking across the distance twoard Rachel, slashing her monocutter at her once. She moves on, darting away; her blade never came close to the Newtype's machine, yet a powerful slash slams into her defenses. Then she whirls around, snapping a finger at Suriel. "A mind like that will get you killed," Asfanit announces. "Run."

In the cockpit, one corrupted finger flicks upward, a dismissive motion that sends a rippling shockwave past Suriel, not at him but rather at Isa's Skytalon.

COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has attacked Rachel Miu Athha. Imaginary Blade added to their queue. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot's Force Wave has been added to your queue. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has attacked Isa Reichert. Force Wave added to their queue.

It is through the grace of God that Urvin Gallion managed to avoid the devestating slash intended for the SV-51. The plane spun wildly away from Shal'hevet as she came in for the kill, the swing nicking only air where Urvin had previously been. The Divine Crusader unit twisted about, throttle roared as it swept up toward the heavens as Urvin attempted to maintain complete control. "How about if you surrender peacefully? I do not see a good future for you if you keep on with these actions," Urvin said over the radio to Shal'hevet.

The SV-51 dropped like a rock as Urvin reached the apex of his climb and opted to point it back downward. The plane hurtled almost uncontrollably toward the direction of Shal'hevet, even as Urvin tried his best to figure out how to properly bank the plane so that it wouldn't destroy itself in the impending collision.

COMBAT: Isa Reichert has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: You have turned on your &#x5B;Alert&#x5D; spirit command. COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Dear God Save Me Now added to their queue. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has missed you with her Force Wave attack. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has struck a major hit on Rachel Miu Athha's Waverider P2/3C using Imaginary Blade.

The female voice at least speaks out from Nightingale, "Oh, please don't stop fighting. That be such a waste for me to be here then." Is all Remille Fortner has to say to the Balmarian. As she quickly then turns her Armored Core around she takes aim once more, moving her machine back, then over to the side; continueing to try and stay one step ahead; or perhaps behind the alien target.

The machine guns continue to fire, letting the bullets fly and hopefully avoid any and all incoming or outgoing attacks.

Things explodes around Suriel.

Suriel laughs...oh man, it was GLORIOUS!

"Oh man, telling me to run?! Why?! Your going on about not being that person! Who cares! I care about one thing right now..." The Metatron unit flares again, as the GIEM system forces his brain faster...faster...the Metatron making his reactions almost happen before he has even thought them. He is litterally one with his machine.

Suriel dives into the air, before he comes back down, his unit covered in a large space distortion shield as he attempts to ram her machine down, attempting to pin her for the briefest of moments...before he rises upwards...

"AhahahahAHAHAHAAHAHA! DIE!" he says, as the machine snapes it's fingers, attempting to compress the small area into a singularity and expand it again.

COMBAT: Remille Fortner has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Two-Gun Style added to their queue. COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Raging Behemoth Charge added to their queue.

There is an even smile from Tori as she focuses her eyes on what's coming ahead. There is a damage report filtering in as the refraction from the beam pods grazes against the relatively fragile Valkyrie. She isn't quite in the line of fire yet, and that's good... but she won't let up now. She may not know this person personally like the rest of her immediate wingmates, but she won't disappoint them regardless.

"The silent type, are you? Too bad," Tori comments as she punches a quick access-code to swap what's loaded in the deployment bays below. Missiles are flipped in for conventional bombs... set. "It rather makes the fight... impersonal, I find."

The VF-1S dips in from above, with the White Rose screeching through at high speeds to layer the Lekhishah with an explosive carpet of bombs. Tori shuts her eyes for just a moment as she starts to feel the raw force of the personalities clashing in this battle. There is, most definitely, a personal stake going on here. The worst kind of combat, to be pitted against those that you know, and care.

COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Conventional Bomb added to their queue.

Adom Nazir has a large number of pires comming after her, they are fast, and they are hounding her. She can't avoid the mass of fire on her. Some shots are evaded, some are not. They pelt her machine and one craftly pilot manages shoot her shoulder a secondf before she fires. Her aim's thrown off and the shots miss the planes. Then comes Cipher the demon lord himself, the Falken flies at her, she brings the rifle. She pauses for half a second and fires. Her shot intercepts the blast from the other machine, there's a massive explosion and a flash of light. Then nothing, Adom is standing there unharmed, then comes Max catching her off guard with a number of rounds, but she doesn't fall for Kazuma's follow up assault. She actually parries the incomming attacks with her spear spinning it around, and starting to deflect them.

"You really need to give that up."

Adom now fires off a blast from her rifle at Cipher, but Kazuma has fully got her attention, and she now has the rifle away. A second later she attacks with her spear trying to drive it into the head of the other unit.

"Come, this will not do you any good!"

COMBAT: Adom Nazir has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has attacked Kazuma Ardygun. Spear Mastery added to their queue. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has attacked Cipher. Short-Barreled Optical Rifle Burst added to their queue. COMBAT: Cipher has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has struck a apocalyptic critical hit on Cipher's ADF-01A/F Falken using Short-Barreled Optical Rifle Burst.

Knock Out! Cipher's ADF-01A/F Falken unit has become disabled! COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed Kazuma Ardygun with her Spear Mastery attack. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Tch-" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; &#x5B;Takeru Shirogane-&gt;&#x5D; Random Gumby shouts, "GALM ONE, FOX THREE!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Not YET." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "I don't go down so easily!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team | Razgriz Seventy-Three transmits, "Watch yourself, Razgriz One!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Solo wing, EAT YOUR HEART OUT."

A 'tornado'? Staren quirks a brow... And then thinks of Akira summoning fire and elements. Perhaps this balmarian has a similar ability? One way to test it... But then, the black unit is charging him, with a freaking scythe!

As the Se'arat zooms in to strike, the Star hawk suddenly opens up, parts folding and unfolding — And the fist is caught by a hand, while an armblade is raised to block the scythe attack that doesn't come.

"Hmh." Staren grunts, and switches on the psychic jammer. Fortunately, with this being largely a plane battle, no allies should be close to him. If Sal'hevet is an ordinary psychodriver, she'll sense a sort of annoying static... The more powerful her ability, if any, to read the emotions or thoughts of others, the stronger and more annoying the sensation is. In any case, Staren is hoping it will provide a distraction while the Star Hawk chases after, beam-edged armblades swinning slash after slash at the back of the fleeing machine, as Staren lays into it and tries to put Shal'hevet on the defensive!

Staren Wiremu's SRH-2X Star Hawk Mk. II Prototype transforms into its Star Hawk Mk. II Humanoid mode.

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Hybrid Sword Rush added to their queue. &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Amuro Ray transmits, "Huh." COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has struck a major hit on Asfanit Kolot's Tzrikha using Raging Behemoth Charge. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has counter attacked for a solid hit on Suriel Misaki's ASK-AD02X Ashsaber Metatron using Applied Physics. COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has struck a solid hit on Shal'hevet Lev's Se'arat Berakim using Dear God Save Me Now.

"'We Are Borg'," Amuro Ray mutters in response to the Balmar's statements. He can't shake a feeling of deja vu... but he has a job to do. And that job, as far as he knows, is 'distraction'. There are people he knows all around him out here, and he can't fixate on the ghost of a feeling... not yet, at least. When Lev pulls out a beam blade and goes to town, Amuro does a loop-de-loop to gain more distance from the fearsome combatant. "Not this time..." he breathes, lining up his sights and charging his lasers. His consciousness reaches out, trying to find and latch on to Lev's psychic signature. Something to keep her in his sights... and, just maybe, to confuse her head enough to give the 'good' guys an advantage. Psychic pressure can be a powerful tool, when properly trained and deployed.

Just in case, though, he begins a series of blisteringly fast rolling maneuvers, left and right, left and right, varying his throttle and to make himself as difficult to target and as hard to predict as possible— all the while blasting away with the heavy beam rifle on the Weverider's fuselage. "Come on... come on...!"

COMBAT: Amuro Ray has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Barrel Roll Barrage added to their queue. COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has missed Asfanit Kolot with her Conventional Bomb attack. COMBAT: Remille Fortner has missed Shal'hevet Lev with her Two-Gun Style attack. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Amuro Ray has missed Shal'hevet Lev with his Barrel Roll Barrage attack. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has struck a major hit on Shal'hevet Lev's Se'arat Berakim using Hybrid Sword Rush.

The plasma cutter parries the blade of the Fubuki, holding the weapon down after cutting through the armor of the Fubuki once more. "You humans always think if you throw yourselves into it, you'll come out on top." the other hand of the Gespenst reaches out and grasps the head of the Fubuki as the rods in the arm housing recoil into the house; smoky whisps of blue plasma wafting out of the housing.

"The truth is..." Er'ela takes a deep breath "The truth is you're just punishing yourself!" The plasma from the stakes crackles as hte charge increases.

"Leave and you won't fall to Ze Balmary EMpire this day!"

"Jet...MAGNUM!"

The rods explode outwards with the Fubuki's head in it's grip, the plasma discharge sounding like the thunder at hte end of the world.

COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has attacked Takeru Shirogane. Jet Magnum added to their queue. COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has struck a major hit on Takeru Shirogane's Type-94 Fubuki using Jet Magnum.

There's a flash of light as the Balmarian weapon slams into the Falken's underside. And with a puff of smoke, it seems as though the game is over.

The music stops.

And someone, somewhere, exclaims that "GALM ONE IS GOING DOWN!"

Except, the IFF doesn't disappear. It doesn't simply fade silently into the night. The Falken emerges from the explosion, both its wings lopped off. The engines cut out- and then re-engage. The GN-TI falls out of the shattered hull, and the old engines come right back online. "SOLO WING-" he roars, streaking across the battlefield as a comet of black and crimson, the TLS open like the mouth of an angry god. It fires, "EAT. YOUR. HEART. OUUUUT!" It roars through the warzone, the weapon shining like a beacon in the cold morning. His hand is over the ejection lever, but not quite. Not while the Falken still flies!

Two cocentric rings slide over one another. The TLS erupts in a fury of light and power, drawing on its original power source for the first time in a long time. He smiles under a cracked helmet. That's right. This is how it's supposed to be. On the skin of his teeth, all the time, EVERY TIME!

The ruined Falken charges forward, its maw open and glowing with incredibly fury. It lashes out, a single, incredible lance of power.

And so, the music returns as the Demon Lord rises from the ashes.

COMBAT: Cipher has attacked Adom Nazir. Knight Lancer added to their queue.

Shal'hevet snaps back to Urvin, "I can't, and you know that!", then to Remille, "Your bloodlust is unfortunate, but... I'm sure we can find a use even for that." She doesn't have time to say much more; the SV-51 is aiming for a collision (!) and the Nightingale continues its gunfire. She manages some brief conversation with Adom even while trying to get clear, to very limited success. Urvin's plane manages to slam against a leg and send the Se'arat Berakim into very clumsy flight, though she still manages to swoop into a dive and then sharp curving ascent to throw off the gunfire. Then Staren and Amuro start messing with her head, with profound effect. She's cut off radio in mid-conversation, making a startled gasp as sensations just start pounding her mind. The calm, composed woman from just seconds ago is gone, replaced with desperation. She darts toward the Waverider, then flits aside from its initial shot and goes into a roll of its own to just barely slip through the rest of Amuro's attacks... which leads her into Staren's path, the blade slashing off the leg Urvin started to work on. Amuro is going to feel psychic sensations of his own in return. Frightened anger, as Lev's ambitions of bringing in so many useful Samples give way to an urge to just win and survive. A scream goes out over open bands, heralding the creation of a series of TK storms in her immediate air-space! Swirling blue-energy tornados all over, each trying to suck in machines and rend them apart!

Max simply hovers in place for the moment as he partly watches his sensor as Cipher's plane falls. This only doubles his efforts against Adom's mech as he opens fire with his gun pod again.....

COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has attacked Adom Nazir. GU-11 55mm Gunpod added to their queue. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has attacked Amuro Ray, Urvin Gallion, and Staren Wiremu. T-Link Hurricane added to their queue. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has struck a solid hit on Staren Wiremu's Star Hawk Mk. II Humanoid using T-Link Hurricane. COMBAT: Cipher has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Cipher has attacked Adom Nazir. Knight Lancer added to their queue. COMBAT: Cipher has struck a devastating critical hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using Knight Lancer.

The monomolecular blade cracks across the hull of the Waverider; the Mobile Suit's flight mode shifts and dips deeply at the initial prodding and the follow-through swing. Rachel tightens her jaw and plants her heels into the pedals, pulling back on both sticks just enough to force the Zeta to level out before colliding with the terrain below, her eyes wide and focusing on the ground far too close for comfort.

Then, the sticks wrench backward.

"Just be careful, Isa! That's Tessa, whether or not she knows it!"

The red Zeta climbs; panels of the temporary Razgriz paint shear off as the Waverider twists. Thrusters become legs, the arms unfold. The shield is scooped off and slung over the left forearm, and the black V-crested head of the Gundam emerges.

Rachel's hands leave the control sticks as the weight of gravity starts to pull her downward. The cockpit chair shifts, flattens and rises to form a backing-board of sorts, a padded point for her shoulders to rest against as she finds her balance on the pedals that have sunk partway into the cockpit's floor. The Bio Sensor shifts, and the control sticks have folded back, giving way to a holographic console appearing around her.

Rachel thrusts out her arms and mashes her hands into fists, probing outward with her will— and the Gundam mimics the movement in real time, the Mobile Suit twisting around to face Asfanit and the Lekhishah with a stern glare. Stopping it's climb, the Zeta Gundam's eyes burst with a glow of green, arms falling to it's sides. It's a probing stare, even for the face of a Mobile Suit... but she doesn't hide or try to dampen those emotions. She's worried.

There's another worried glance to the Zeta 3A— but Rachel's attention turns singularly again to Asfanit. "Your name is Tessa— and you're one of my best friends!!"

Thrusters fire, putting enough pressure on Rachel's body that the white-haired girl sinks against the modified pilot's seat. She's forced to keep her balance, watch her movements— it's like piloting an Arm Slave, at moments like this. With a snap of her left hand, the shield shifts backward to free up the left hand— and either hand moves to the waist, to the recharge racks on the Mobile Suit's hips. Drawing a beam saber in either hand, the blades glow a bright green as they ignite... and she descends on the brainwashed girl with both blades coming down in a hammerblow!

"And I'll do whatever it takes to remind you of that!!"

Rachel Miu Athha's MSZ-006-P2/3C Zeta Gundam P2/3C Type transforms into its Zeta Gundam P2/3C mode. COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Dual Beam Sabers added to their queue.

"Bite me!" snaps Kazuma, snap-rolling the Valhawk so hard to the left that even with their long acclimation to how Kazuma flies, it's a wonder he and Mihiro don't lose their lunches in the process. And Adom's spear hits ...

Nothing. Doesn't even scratch the paint - although with the rifle blast slamming into Cipher's machine, the thought flits across the back of Kazuma's mind that all the evasive luck may have been with the Valhawk at that moment, when the older pilot's Falken probably could have used some of it.

But then the Falken comes ripping back out of the heart of the explosion, bringing the fight right back to Adom ... and all Kazuma can do is grin. "All right," the teenaged Trailer says, grinning ear to ear.

"Let's show the crazy Balmarian bitch why you don't pick a fight with the Trailers."

He and Mihiro start putting the Valhawk's mobility to the fullest extent of its use, the sleek, swift machine veritably dancing in the air as Kazuma rakes at Adom's machine with lasers and plasma bolts - nowhere near as impressive as the cannon which the Falken was hiding, but besides staying dodgy as heck, this kind of flying also makes it harder to actually dodge ... at least that's the theory ...

COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has attacked Adom Nazir. Aerial Superiority added to their queue.

Remille once more watches as those around her are getting picked off she almost hmphs softly, "If I didn't know any better," She then corrects her glasses on her face, "I would start to think you were avoiding me, Balmarian. Does the red dust on my machine scare you?" The dark haired pilot then quickly taps in some things on her keyboard, before she flips a few switches. Her face remains serious, so does her tone. "If you want me, then come and get me." Before she then kicks off the side of the cliff face once more, the AC for only a moment seeming to fly upside down as it crosses the machine guns as she tries to pass right by Shal'hevet's machine. Someone managing to avoid everything, like it was all in slow motion. Some would say this was cocky, some would say it was arrogant move. She would say, this was her trying to draw some attention away from the others with bigger guns.

COMBAT: Remille Fortner has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Remille Fortner has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Remille Fortner has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Twin ZWG-AR/K Machine Guns added to their queue.

The strange fighter actually hovers, pivoting slowly so its nose can turn to face the Lekhishah. That means the entire weapons payload is also facing hte Lekhishah — missiles and bombs bristle on their pylons beneath both wings; the central cannon under the cockpit is also starkly visible in frontal view.

That cannon isn't open, though. Not yet.

In the front of the cockpit, Isa lurches forward, throwing herself against the Skytalon's controls. That ripple of disturbance is enough to tell her something's wrong, and instinct tells her to move, now.

Afterburners flare; the Skytalon launches itself past the Lekhishah before stopping and turning to hover again.

''&lt;&lt;Da, that is true. She did leave quite an impression... and somewhere under all this Balmarian bullshit, you are still her, I think.&gt;&gt;'' Isa raises a hand, signaling to the pilot behind her. &lt;&lt;So...&gt;&gt;

"Domino! Line it up!"

Isa snorts in response to Rachel's voice on the radio.

&lt;&lt;Da, I know, dievushka... I know.&gt;&gt; Isa breathes out hard, hands like vises over the controls. ''&lt;&lt;But be careful, too. She may not remember us — but she is strong still!&gt;&gt;''

Her attention then turns toward the Balmarian.

&lt;&lt;Your name is TESSA,&gt;&gt; Isa snarls, face twisting behind her helmet mask. ''&lt;&lt;Remember who you are! You have ship to pilot and crew to captain! You are not one of these invaders...! Friends who miss you! WAKE UP!&gt;&gt;''

"Domino! NOW!"

The Skytalon then kicks its engines, streaking past Asfanit — and releasing some of its ordinance as it goes. A bomb, in fact, sent falling end over end towards the Lekhishah. Several bombs. A very large number of bombs.

Did she just use ground ordinance against a freaking mobile target? Yes. Yes, she did. And a lot of it, too.

COMBAT: Your attack has been added to Asfanit Kolot's queue. COMBAT: Isa Reichert has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Bombing Run added to their queue. &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Amuro Ray transmits, "Focus, Rachel." COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has struck a solid hit on Urvin Gallion's SV-51 Fighter using T-Link Hurricane. COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has activated a spirit command. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; White Glint, R9: Joshua O'Brien transmits, "Razgriz One-Oh-One, Razgriz Four, I'm making an opening. Lets see if we can bring her down."

The shots stop in mid-flight. White Glint's pilot looks puzzled for a second—and then surprised when they come right back at him.

Asfanit, however, is not the only one with a trick. White Glint is suddenly surrounded in a blazing sphere, a shell of white and green light. The bullets punch through it, but they're slowed significantly. Pieces of White Glint's frame shatter and armored bits fly off, tumbling through the Primal Armor and to the ground.

White Glint does not slow. It loops around again, putting some distance between itself and Asfanit. It looks like it's running away... except that Joshua can aim perfectly well at it from here. He levels his other rifle at her, sighing quietly. "Is that all you've come for? Killing?" He sounds disappointed. Maybe he was expecting something... else. He 'listens,' trying to get a read on the pilot of that strange machine. Maybe...

BANG! Joshua suddenly fires two shots, sending the rounds straight up as Rachel rushes in. He trusts his instincts and his machine with this one: the first goes straight for her, but he practically curves the second bullet with his own Primal Armor, and the shot goes for a joint, a gap in the armor, an exposed cooling device... anything he thinks can slow it down, if only for a moment.

Maximillian Jenius's VF-1J Valkyrie transforms into its VF-1J GERWALK mode. &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Katz Kobayashi transmits, "Amuro!" Maximillian Jenius's VF-1J Valkyrie transforms into its VF-1J Battroid mode. COMBAT: Joshua O'Brien has activated a spirit command. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, "Razgriz Four to Razgriz Nine, understood!" &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Amuro Ray transmits, "Not now." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Razgriz One to all Ghosts." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "I'm going for the dam." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "All units cover me." COMBAT: Joshua O'Brien has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Trick Shot added to their queue. &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Katz Kobayashi transmits, "But—-fine." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz 69 Kazuma Ardygun transmits, "Roger that, Razgriz One, Razgriz 69 will keep this crazy bitch busy." COMBAT: Joshua O'Brien has struck a glancing hit on Asfanit Kolot's Tzrikha using Trick Shot. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Tori Adenbright transmits, "Affirmative." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team | Razgriz Seventy through Razgriz Ninety-Two, excepting the ones that got shot down, respond: "All Razgriz units, acknowledged! We'll keep this alien bitch busy, too!" "Razgriz Seventy-Three to Razgriz One; Godspeed, Demon Lord!" And some unidentified Razgriz shouts, "YAAA-HOO! Eat missiles, you Balmarian bastards...!"

Takeru brings the shield around, but it's not nearly enough, not against that; the Jet Magnum punches through the shield like a hot knife through butter, and it explodes in Takeru's hands as the fist impacts the chest of the Fubuki. This is it. He's going to die.

He's going to die here, on another world, fighting in a war he was dragged into because someone he loves was taken, stolen from him to fight somebody else's battle. He's going to die, as the metal rips into the Fubuki, as it plows up the chest and into the head, as it rips it apart and melts it and obliterates it with a sound like god descending from the heavens for judgement. He's going to die here.

"S...sorry, Meiya..." Takeru murmurs, "I..."

Wait. The last time, that machine was piloted by a man. Kar Wai-Lau. But that voice was...that voice was...female. That was...

Meiya's voice?

At the very last instant, before the whole upper chest and head of the Fubuki are ripped to shreds, Takeru grabs the thrusters and pulls backwards. The machine jerks away at the very last instant; its thrusters peel off, adding velocity where once there was none. And thanks to that, Takeru Shirogane survives. The TSF-94 Fubuki hangs there in the air for a moment; its shield is gone, its head is missing, and most of its chest has been sheered away. But there's fire in its pilot's eyes as he stares through the holes in the machine; fire and determination.

"You're Meiya, aren't you?" Takeru says finally. He closes his eyes for all but an instant; when they reopen, it's clear. His mind is made up. "Then I have no choice!"

The broken lump of a shield is tossed away; from the TSF's compartment, its machinegun is unslung, tucked under its arm and pointed square at the Gespenst. Takeru's fingers fly across the controls, inputting targetting data; calculations that were as rote to him as playing a video game (because that was indeed where they came from, obsessive practice on a video game that doesn't exist in this world) input for a matter of life or death. This was more important than anything he had ever done in his whole life.

"I'm not going to back down. I'm not going to run away. I don't have any choice in the matter - I made a promise to you, and I'm not going to break it now!" Takeru's eyes flick across the screen. "I promised you I would protect you! And I failed...but I'm going to make it up to you, I'm going to make it right!"

"Even if it kills me, I'm going to rescue you! Because you are someone..."

"YOU ARE SOMEONE I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO PROTECT! THAT'S YOUR ANSWER, MEIYA! TO THE QUESTION YOU ASKE ME THAT DAY!"

"YOU'RE THE SOMEONE I HAVE TO PROTECT!"

Takeru pulls the trigger. He cannot afford to hesitate; Meiya has more experience, more skill, and she is right now completely ruthless. He has to disarm her, disable her, remove her ability to fight.

The spray of bullets sweeps out in a random pattern, or so it appears; Takeru calculates, mercilessly, the projected positions she'll take, the areas she'll move to. He calculates like a god of war; it's just like playing a video game. That's all he has to tell himself.

He's not afraid anymore.

COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has attacked Er'ela Sufa. Projectile War added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Amuro Ray transmits, "Don't do anything stupid." &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Rachel Miu Athha transmits, "I'm okay, Amuro!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Code Six-Six-Six. Confirmed." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Open up, Avalon!" COMBAT: Adom Nazir has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Your machine's experimental state has suddenly decreased its damage. COMBAT: You have missed Asfanit Kolot with your Bombing Run attack. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has counter attacked for a solid hit using Mind Bullets! COMBAT: 1256 points of damage taken! 7244 health points left! COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has missed Adom Nazir with his GU-11 55mm Gunpod attack. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has counter attacked for a minor hit on Maximillian Jenius's VF-1J Battroid using Short-Barreled Optical Rifle. COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has missed Asfanit Kolot with her Dual Beam Sabers attack. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has counter attacked for a minor hit on Rachel Miu Athha's Zeta Gundam P2/3C using Wrist Monocutters. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has struck a solid hit on Amuro Ray's Waverider using T-Link Hurricane. COMBAT: Amuro Ray has counter attacked for a minor hit on Shal'hevet Lev's Se'arat Berakim using Vulcans. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert croaks, over the sound of something SLAMMING into her plane, BLAM. "—Shto—" What? "—you are going into Av—do those even work still!?" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "We're going to find out." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, "I hope they do. We will keep them busy for you!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team | Several different Razgriz units reply in the affirmative. "Come on, boys, let's go hunting!" "Good luck, Demon Lord!" "What, are you gonna let the Demon Lord grab all the glory again? Let's show 'em what the Osean Air Force can do...!" "Hey, don't forget about us! Belka still has teeth! Let's show them!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "My comrades. I have only one thing to say to all of you." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Survive."

As the SV-51 crashed into Shal's machine Urvin managed to shift the flaps, the boosters flared and the variable fighter shot away without taking signficiant damage. A few seconds later Urvin grinned, as he managed to feel a certain degree of accomplishment while he banked the fighter-craft in a long arc. This feeling was destroyed when the SV-51 shook, a new assault smashed into it as the TK-based weaponry once more was unleashed. The SV-51 was sucked into the tornado and spit back out, hurtled into a distant hard rocky surface and crashed hard.

A second later it sputtered and took to the air again, within the cockpit Urvin touched at the fresh wound on his forehead before he glared at the cracked monitors in front of him. "Definitely the first and last time I ever pilot one of these," Urvin commented to himself, as the SV-51 once more flew back toward Shal'hevet's direction. The computer emitted a lock-on tone and Urvin thumbed a missile firing button, a few missiles detached and hurtled off toward the Balmarian.

COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Medium-Range Missile added to their queue. COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has struck a solid hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using Aerial Superiority. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed Kazuma Ardygun with her Short-Barreled Optical Rifle counter attack. COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has missed Er'ela Sufa with his Projectile War attack.

Staren watches Lev's tactics change and a grin spreads across his face. Their psychic powers may be a weapon... But they're also a weak point for attack! Who's mighty now, alien? "Hahahahahahahahaha!" he laughs as she flees and screams...

&lt;+1 Dark Side Point&#x5D;

The TK storms bring an end to his dark cheer though, and he grunts as the Star Hawk braces for impact, psychic energy tearing and scraping at his armor plating. "Hrmph..." You're not getting away that easy, he thinks, and pushes the Star Hawk to keep chasing her, keep prying into her brain, while he continues to lay into her machine with the hybrid swords and the occasional short-range railgun or beam shotgun burst!

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Way Of The New Science Secret Technique - I'm In Ur Hed Fryin' Ur Brainz! added to their queue.

Suriel takes Asfanit to task for her choice to dismiss him. He grabs her - slams her into the earth with his power. The Lambda Driver's field takes up most of the impact..., and then, screaming triumphantly, Suriel attempts to crush her into nothing. It doesn't work - the Lambda Driver resists it, Asfanit colocating forces onto his own machine, crushing him instead, but still, that kind of power...

Asfanit turns her eyes on him. "You're going to make this difficult," she observes. She takes a slow breath. So she's got this kind of berserker on her...she can't believe the humans do this to each other. Better, she decides, to put him out of his misery. She's getting ready to bombard — when Tori's assault forces her to bolt away quickly, rather than force the attack right there. "Tch." Asfanit's talking plenty, thank you!

Her rapid movement is interrupted when Josh shows he's not so bad at this either, an unexpected shot just barely missing the heat dispersal fins along the back, never even triggering the barrier. What—? She tsks. "Today? We make an example," Asfanit replies, coolly. "If you survive...perhaps I'll allow you to work for me."

And then, Rachel and Isa, back to back, calling out to her. She darts and moves; Isa's bombs slam into the ground inches behind her as she skates along the surface, bolts of force striking the skytalon in equal measure. Then Rachel slams in for a hammerblow, and Asfanit slides a panel of force between them, thrusting Rachel's blades aside and responding with her own.

"My name is not 'Tessa'!" Asfanit snaps back. "Why do you Samples care so much about such a wretched woman, anyway!?"

...huh??

SHe recovers from the sudden oddly specific comment, quickly replying, "But if you insist...my name is Asfanit Kolot! Among the highest commanders of the Balmarian Invasion! Please remember it..."

The machine's eyes flash - and then they come, slamming, razor-sharp forces appearing in every machine - simultaneously, ripping through vital systems. She knows your weaknesses. She is using them, perfectly assaulting vital weaknesses in the design.

It's the sort of thing a certain other person loved to do.

"Although, when you serve me," she adds, "it will be your place to call me, 'My Lady!'"

And for those trying to sense Asfanit, there is...stunning, utter silence. Tessa Testarossa was always hard to read, a virtue of whatever strange creature she happened to truly be - her mind quiet, nearly imperceptible to all but the most cunning unless she was actively reachng out to their hearts. Only one person here knows the frequency of her resonance.

Even that is chillingly quiet.

COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot's Testarossa's Vengeful Shade has been added to your queue. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has attacked Rachel Miu Athha, Isa Reichert, Suriel Misaki, Joshua O'Brien, and Tori Adenbright. Testarossa's Vengeful Shade added to their queue. COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has struck a major critical hit on Tori Adenbright's VF-1S Fighter using Testarossa's Vengeful Shade. COMBAT: Joshua O'Brien has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has struck a major hit on Joshua O'Brien's White Glint using Testarossa's Vengeful Shade. COMBAT: Isa Reichert has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: You have turned on your &#x5B;Alert&#x5D; spirit command. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has missed you with her Testarossa's Vengeful Shade attack. Tori Adenbright's VF-1S 'Super' Valkyrie transforms into its VF-1S Battroid mode. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has struck a major hit on Shal'hevet Lev's Se'arat Berakim using Way Of The New Science Secret Technique - I'm In Ur Hed Fryin' Ur Brainz!. COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has missed Shal'hevet Lev with his Medium-Range Missile attack. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has counter attacked for a minor critical hit on Urvin Gallion's SV-51 Fighter using Spark Torpedo. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has missed Suriel Misaki with her Testarossa's Vengeful Shade attack. COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has struck a solid hit on Rachel Miu Athha's Zeta Gundam P2/3C using Testarossa's Vengeful Shade. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, "Rachel...!" COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has activated a spirit command.

Adom Nazir thinks that is the end of the flight leader is done with. It's time to turn on his comrades and make them join his leader. Then she senses something, something's comming. The Esh quickly turns onlyt to see what is more still airborn wreck.

"How is that thing still in the air?!"

Even more shocking it fires, the blast burns off a huge portion of the alien machine's armor. What the hell was that sample?! He was less a man and more a deamon!

Who were these sample pilots they were ... insane.

She is worried about Lev, Er'ela and Asfant. These samples were pressing the attack hard. Reports had come from a second opearation. Headed by the Wolf's Dragoons. The samples had been planning this for some time.

She counter fires at max, as Cipher's wrecked machine is heading for the dam. That should be the end of him, there.

Kazuma is next as he comes in at her and she laughsd a little bit at her for a moment.

"Keep thinking you vagabonds are actually something rather than the nothing tou really are!"

She speeds up and launches into a flurry of movements and she's bee almost dancing, hell she is as she evades the various stray shots from other fights ans heads right at Kazuma stabbing the spear over and over again. She pulls out turns and blasts at Max with a blast from her rifle as well.

The force rips through the VF-1S as a surge of spikes rip through the Super Valkyrie. The transformation circuit is shredded and the aircraft's form begins to crumple, the One Year War veteran shifting quickly into Battroid form. Immediately, as the window ducks into the machine's chest, she feels much more comfortable... and nearly crashes, at that, as she regains control of her machine.

"Asfanit Kolot... and yet, it seems that more than one person would say otherwise," Tori comments softly, as she raises the Valkyrie's rifle and quickly calculates the trajectory of her next attack. All missiles, checked. Bomb payload... confirmed. Synchronous fire... go!

The Battroid rises upwards again, verniers taking it upwards through the craggy terrain as Lt. Adenbright gets into position to unleash a full payload of explosive ordinance onto the Lekhishah. "I feel their pain. No one should have to be dealing this... with having to convince a friend back. Even you are frustrated about this."

COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Full Volley added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Rachel Miu Athha transmits, "This is nothing!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert snarls. "Da. I am bringing the Talon online. Do not be between her and I when it fires!" COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has missed Asfanit Kolot with her Full Volley attack. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has counter attacked for a solid hit on Tori Adenbright's VF-1S Battroid using Mind Bullets. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has attacked Kazuma Ardygun. Spear Dance added to their queue. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has attacked Maximillian Jenius. Short-Barreled Optical Rifle Burst added to their queue.

Psychic hurricanes? Crazy anti-brain machines? Glowing minds and souls? Yeah, sure, why not.

Amuro Ray has been there, obviously.

And it is from there that he launches his next assault. The TK hurricans buffet the Waverider hither and thither, and there's nothing Amuro can do about it; hurricanes are big, and he is in a confined space. The vulcans discharge their mighty blast in response, but the Newtype's mind is elsewhere.

In that glowing space between spaces, where souls and minds meet beyond the time, a blue figure shimmering in the sky waits and hovers, watches, reaching towards the bisected consciousness of a brainwashed Balmarian. It is a titan here, a force like few others, pure concentrated will and emotion controlled by an iron mind.

And it is here that this figure reaches down, into the mind of this 'Lev', and... pulls. Digs. Looking for something out of place, or an off switch... or something.

COMBAT: Amuro Ray has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Newtype Bullshit added to their queue. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has attacked Fighter Ace Team. Short-Barreled Optical Rifle added to their queue. COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has struck a devastating hit on Maximillian Jenius's VF-1J Battroid using Short-Barreled Optical Rifle Burst. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed Kazuma Ardygun with her Spear Dance attack. COMBAT: Fighter Ace Team has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed Fighter Ace Team with her Short-Barreled Optical Rifle attack. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Remille Fortner has missed Shal'hevet Lev with her Twin ZWG-AR/K Machine Guns attack. COMBAT: Amuro Ray has missed Shal'hevet Lev with his Newtype Bullshit attack. Maximillian Jenius's VF-1J Valkyrie transforms into its VF-1J GERWALK mode.

In the cockpit of the M-0209 Skytalon, the one-eyed pilot nods her head to some rhythm that only she can hear. Perhaps she's imagining music of some kind, something with a hard-driving percussive beat, or perhaps she's watching and reading the tide of the battle around her.

''Did you know? There are three kinds of aces. Those who seek strength, those who fight for pride, and those who can read the tide of battle.''

She's always been a skillful combatant, even if her machinery isn't always capable of standing toe to toe with what she's sent up against... but she has the heart and courage to give it her damndest shot.

Well, that's the three.

And Isa... is one of those who can read the tide of battle. That is exactly what she does now, falling quiet. Her single eye flicks down to the console of her aircraft. A glance is tossed to the pilot behind her.

"Domino. Bring the Talon online."

"You got it." Dominic punches in the commands, entering a keycode, eyes steely against the glare of the monitors in front of him. "Access Code Oh-Four-Nine-Eight-Echo-Delta-Zulu."

Something clicks.

As the Skytalon hovers, the large forward compartment below the cockpit shifts. Engines whirr as two bay doors are retracted into the fuselage; dropping down slowly and telescoping out from within comes the nozzle of a very large cannon. A lurid cyan glow emits from deep within, casting a backlight over the cannon itself and the front of the aircraft. The light creeps forward from within as the cannon's separate powerplant comes to life.

Extended there is the finest weapon among the Skytalon's rollout — the Talon XCL-02 chemical laser, primed and ready to fire.

And that is exactly what she does, the nose of the aircraft pivoting through the use of its verniers to follow and track the Lekhishah.

&lt;&lt;Am not going to serve any of you bastards,&gt;&gt; Isa snarls, as a flash of cyan light washes over the cockpit — and a more concentrated flash streaks for the Lekhishah. ''&lt;&lt;Wake up, Colonel. If Rachel think you are in there somewhere, than so do I. And we will do whatever we have to in order to pull you back out.&gt;&gt;''

Lev makes no coherent reply to Remille's taunting; all she'll hear in response is frightened, rapid-breathing gasps as psychic sensations continue to mess with Shal'hevet's mental state; scared... but not of red dust. There are mind-wars going on that are worrying enough, and they split her attention from the just-as-worrying gunfire from her attackers... and Lev reacts to it all with very little composure; she's panicked, lashing out wildly with a mix of horizontal and vertical TK tornados every which way. Most of these go wide, hitting nobody... though one does send Urvin's missile off course and go on to glance his SV-51. Another one completely misses Staren, and he manages his pursuit of various pestering shots; they quickly add up to blast off an arm from the black Balmarian machine. Shortly after that, the air begins rippling around it; signs of a T-Link Field protecting the machine, the impressive defense contrasted by her shouting "Get away, get away, get away! Get away from me!" The former stops Remille's strafing run, and Lev's mind is too full of wild terror for Amuro to probe very well; she manages to force him out before he can pick up on much more than the fact that Shal'hevet wants to stay alive, and is very worried about what might happen to her friends and peers if she fails here. Essentially a bundle of panic fire right now, Lev continues to fling TK energy every which way she can think of. This would normally be forfeitting the battle to elite pilots, but the sheer width of her blasts means even they may be hit. Nonetheless, anyone trying to pick up on her mental state can do so; she's not sure what to do and is just attacking anything nearby in a desperate bid to get out of this alive... nevermind that the mental strain she's subjecting herself to may sabotage that plan on its own, and surely isn't something Lev can sustain indefinitely.

COMBAT: Isa Reichert has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: You have turned on your &#x5B;Valor&#x5D; spirit command. COMBAT: Your attack has been added to Asfanit Kolot's queue. COMBAT: Isa Reichert has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Talon XCL-02 added to their queue. COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has used the spirit command &#x5B;Ward&#x5D; on you. COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Urvin Gallion has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has attacked Urvin Gallion. T-Link Gust added to their queue. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has attacked Staren Wiremu. T-Link Gust added to their queue.

Max takes another nasty hit from Adom's Ezekiel just before it shifts forms again to Gerwalk mode. He starts flicking off safeties with a bit of a nasty smile. "all right. You wanna dance....let's dance." He says ominously as his radar tracker starts beeping, then lets out a low flat tone. &lt;&lt;Fox two, Fox two, Fox two, Fox two, Fox two&gt;&gt; He spouts off into the radio as he lets an entire rack of missiles at Adom fly...

Energy ripples out...However he seems to phase out of reality for just a moment. His unit does not have Zero Shift, but all Metatron units can shove themsleves into subspace for short periods of time...it's increadibly dangerous to do so, but the kid cares nothing for his own well being. He wants to WIN. He wants this at any cost...even if it kills him. He rephases back, sparking dangerously as he looks at the Balmarian. His hands crackle as he draws out the beam saber.

"Hehehe...so your machine is something else too?! Well...lets see if I can't rip it out and make it part of MY POWER...ha ha.."

Suriel charges on, once more trying to close the difference between them. As he gets in, he starts to charge red again, swinging his blade and attempting to drive it into her unit repeatedly. His style is raw...untrained, wild all at the same time. He moves completely on instinct at this point...doing anything to try and cut through her mech.

Finally he turns, coming behind her and attempting to swing through her and releasing another Compression field on her again. Trying to crush her unit with the force...but it doens't stop...

Suriel reels back...as he cackles again... "I WILL DEVOUR YOU!" he booms, as his sword swings once, releasing a giant ball of compression, "Ain Soph Chashekah." he shouts as the small ball of darkness aims to consume all.

COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Metatron Madness added to their queue. COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has activated a spirit command.

There it is- his opening! Cipher grunts, pushing the Falken to its limits. Warning lights flash and crackle throughout the cockpit as he pushes passed the alien machine. It seems as though Cipher is about to run head first into the dam- except...

The dam's surface seems to be split at one side. A crack just small enough for a fighter to get in- if it's coming in wing first. Cipher pulls up on the control sticks, steadying the Falken as it dips into the abyss of Avalon. At the very last moment, it turns, spinning and dipping downwards, sailing into the channel at the facility's heart.

The jet hisses and sparks as it comes down, only held aloft by the dwindling supply of backup fuel and the VTOL engines at its base. It leaks foam as smoke vanishes underneath an onslaught of fire retardant gas and fluid. Wheels drop from the plane's fuselage and gently touch down on the winding runway built into the dam's substructure.

The Falken, it's not going to be flying any time soon. Not until they reattach the wings. And reinstall the TI drive.

But as Cipher drops out of plane, he doesn't pay it any attention in the least. He's not worried about it. There are other things to take care of. He hugs the wall until he finds a small indent in the surface. His hand finds a handle, and he turns.

The corridors of Avalon lie before him. He unhooks the flashlight from his belt, and shines it down the corridor.

Now, to the control room... This way!

COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has attacked Adom Nazir. RMS-1 Anti-Ship Reaction Missile added to their queue. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has struck a solid hit on Urvin Gallion's SV-51 Fighter using T-Link Gust. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has missed Staren Wiremu with her T-Link Gust attack. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Your machine's experimental state has suddenly increased its damage. COMBAT: You have struck Asfanit Kolot with a major hit using Talon XCL-02. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has counter attacked for a solid critical hit using Redirection - Beam! COMBAT: 1243 points of damage taken! 6001 health points left! COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has missed Asfanit Kolot with his Metatron Madness attack. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has counter attacked for a solid critical hit on Suriel Misaki's ASK-AD02X Ashsaber Metatron using Wrist Monocutters. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Remille Fortner transmits, "One of the Balmarians seems to be flipping out." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Keep on the pressure." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "I won't be long." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, over what sounds like an unpleasantly close explosion, "—eep pushing! Show them what the Ghosts of Razgriz can do!"

Kazuma snickers while evading the hell out of Adom's spear, "Oh, you know what we're worth. You're one of us, and deep down? You haven't forgotten. Macua Huitl is a Trailer too, although she's picked a longer battle than a lot of us go for ... but no matter what, she's still the girl I love. Even if it means we wind up on opposite sides of the field now and then."

Adom's attention shifts to other targets as she blasts away with her rifle at the other fighters, and Kazuma takes a break from talking to (or at) her ... but only to coordinate with Mihiro. A moment later, the Valhawk comes back - seemingly on fire, actually with the heat field fully energized and wrapping the Valhawk's fuselage in burning red plasma ... and trying to ram the Ezekiel Esh with everything Kazuma, Mihiro, and their trusted, beloved machine can bring to bear.

COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has activated a spirit command.

Spark torpedos are the devil, and Satan opened shop on Urvin's SV-51. Another torpedo plinked into it, barely doing any real damage but it proved to easily disrupt the flight path of the variable fighter. As Urvin struggled with the somewhat alien controls he found himself once more smashed by Shal's well placed miiinnnddd powers. "Alright that's enough, pulling out," Urvin stated over the radio to anyone within range of his machine. The SV-51 roared toward Shal'hevet's machine, then careened wildly away and toward the recommended escape path given by Cipher...the Valley of the Kings.

COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has attacked Adom Nazir. Heat Edge Exploder added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Right."

She goes by getting missed once more, though almost barely. Remille narrows her eyes. Something is happening to the pilot within. She isn't sure what nore does she honestly have any good ideas.

By watching her targets movements, they don't seem stabled. Scared perhaps? Of her— probably not.

Maybe something else?

Remille then moves her Armored Core against the wall. The Ac holsters one of the machine guns as it actually hangs onto the edge of the wall like a person. That optical visor just watching the fight.

She broadcasts the situation and waits for the reply. Once she gets the reply, she closes her eyes for a moment. 'Keep on the pressure'.

Then form her perched location on the mountain side. A small missile launcher comes around before taking aim on the Shal's machine. Then with a few moments, the missile goes firing out for the Balamarian before Remille leaps off right behind them.

"Do you know what they call me? They call me Nightingale, singer of death. Wings of furry. The huntress of the night." There was a momentary pause, "Now sing for me." She says calmly, almost deathly calm, "Let me hear your screams."

COMBAT: Remille Fortner has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. ZWM-M24/1MU Missile Launcher added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Amuro Ray transmits, "I'm feeling a familiar psychic resonance from her— trying to check it out, but there are some strong defenses in place."

Several of the Ghosts of Razgriz cheer when the Demon Lord streaks past his confused opponent, missing his wings but still flying... and not just that, but he manages to score a hit in passing, too. That seems to do wonders for their flagging morale, bringing them back front and centre to the battle.

''&lt;&lt;That kind of pilot... they call a Demon Lord.&gt;&gt;'

Several of the fighter aircraft spin away from Adom Nazir's onslaught, twisting as they climb, afterburners flaring.

&lt;&lt;There's a reason the Demon of Ustio's the flight lead!&gt;&gt;

If anything, Cipher's incredible aerobatics seem to inspire them, more than demoralise them. They split, deftly avoiding the beam fire that Adom tries so hard to rain down on them — fighters are fast and manoeuvrable, and these pilots are the best of the best. Veterans all, with no less than ten to fifteen years' worth of experience in the air... and the drive to win this battle.

''&lt;&lt;YAAAA-HOO! Take that, you Balmarian bastards!&gt;&gt;''

The flurry of fighters rise high, climbing in scattered squadrons as they keep Adom Nazir's unit in their sights. They then split off and dive in even smaller numbers, each of them firing two missiles with every pass that they make.

''&lt;&lt;For the Demon Lord! For the Ghosts of Razgriz! And for all of us—!&gt;&gt;''

...It's hard to tell whether there's going to be anything left of the Ezekiel, if their massive missile salvo is successful...

COMBAT: Fighter Ace Team has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Fighter Ace Team has attacked Adom Nazir. Starshower added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team | "That kind of pilot... they call a Demon Lord." "There's a reason the Demon of Ustio's the flight lead!" "YAAAA-HOO! Take that, you Balmarian bastards!" "For the Demon Lord! For the Ghosts of Razgriz! And for all of us—!"

Forces pull and stretch against the interior of the Zeta Gundam, a literal contest of wills— but the young Newtype's Bio Sensor and the intensity of the crimson red Mobile Suit are hard to define, the feelings inside of her... the Lambda Driver within the Aerogater's machine will feel that resistance, as Rachel's eyes press shut, the Zeta trying to get a little bit of clearance.

She's shared the space of her mind with the pilot of the Balmarian unit four times.

Once, it was intentional. "We got your gifts— the ones you left behind for us. They helped us out a lot, even if you attacked them. I'm still learning how to fix them."

Rachel turns her head to get a good look at her surroundings. Isa's still engaged with Asfanit, and so is Mister O'Brien. As she glides, making the Zeta nimbly dodge the terrain while getting a good reading on the Lekhishah— her attention finally seems to catch the Valkyrie nearby. That pressure— that... feeling, she's never felt that before.

The IFFs read friendly, even if it seems to be a Federation machine. Rachel's eyes narrow, and the Zeta pilot's weight shifts forward, hands shifting positions. The beam sabers are put away, returned to their charge racks while the Mobile Suit moves in one more time. Reaching up to the left shoulder, a panel snaps open in the pauldron and projects the hilt of another beam blade... but this one considerably smaller, able to fit in the Gundam's hand and remain relatively hidden.

"I'll only ever remember you as who you really are!" she exclaims, a little more heartfelt than someone engaged in battle needs to be. Trying to time her movements with the Valkyrie, with the Skytalon, Rachel angles the Zeta to catch the Lekhishah from behind— and from below.

The small handle in the hand ignites to a short, narrow blade... and Rachel attempts to drive it into the Balmarian machine's side, above the hip. If she can plant it there, the Mobile Suit's wrist will roll, moments before she tries to push the Gundam back and get clear!

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Beam Knife - Prison Shanking added to their queue.

"Get away? You want us to get away? YOU get away! Get away from our planet, and never come back! ...Unless you're secretly one of us, in which case snap out of it! WAKE UP!"

And then she fires another TK Gust. The Star Hawk has to transform and fly out of the way quickly... Which brings Lev reprieve from the psychic jammer. Staren switches it off to avoid accidentally catching Amuro or other psychic allies in it. As he flies up, though, he releases a bomb, the spherical object arcing over the gust towards Shal'hevet. As the Star Hawk loops around for an attack, he sees a target of opportunity in Er'ela's gespenst — another bomb is dropped by her. It explodes in a shower of mega particles. Then Staren approaches Shal'hevet again, aiming to close so he can use the jammer again...

Staren Wiremu's SRH-2X Star Hawk Mk. II Prototype transforms into its Star Hawk Mk. II Fighter mode. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Er'ela Sufa and Shal'hevet Lev. Power Bomb added to their queue.

Amuro Ray frowns. This is very strange... but strangely familiar. He's no stranger to being brainwashed, after all, but this feels different somehow. Either way, the psychic exploration only seems to be causing the Balmar pilot mental anguish, and Amuro Ray is not a cruel man... so he stops.

"I'll have to figure this out later... right now, we've got to protect that dam." And stay in the air, needless to say. No mobile suit mode for him. Amuro really wishes he could transform— he's never been a fighter pilot, not like these Ghosts of Razgriz, and it shows.

Instead of transforming, the Newtype gets back to work trying to disable Lev's machine. It's doubly difficult for him, as his comfort zone in combat is 'shoot everything through the cockpit, cry later', but the man is trying to turn over a new leaf. Cut him some slack.

The lasers go pew pew pew, trying to strike at engines and stabilisers.

The Belkans had fought tooth and nail when the Balmarians over ran them. Their Airforce had taken heavy losses, their ground forces likely even worse, there are still signs of the fighting, the odd body, spent shells, dropped weapons, Ciphere would find his way through the complex to what is an over run barricate, there's the remains of Belkan infantry, manning sentry weapons. They didn't die along, a bug is away from them brought down from combined fire.

The control room is still sealed the locks are active and a technian. IT would take work to get the doors open. He might have to blast his way through the lock, if his own side arm isn't enough? The fallen soliders weapons would be enough.

Inside he's find the back up control room, on the screen is flashing. Several bits of text

Defence System Lock Down Active.

Below that is the following word.

Tausend?

Below that is password box.

COMBAT: Amuro Ray has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Dual Beam Sword Shot added to their queue. COMBAT: Remille Fortner has struck a major hit on Shal'hevet Lev's Se'arat Berakim using ZWM-M24/1MU Missile Launcher. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has missed Shal'hevet Lev with his Power Bomb attack. COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has missed Adom Nazir with his RMS-1 Anti-Ship Reaction Missile attack. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has counter attacked for a solid hit on Maximillian Jenius's VF-1J GERWALK using Spear Mastery.

The problem with treating this just like a video game is that Er'ela is not driven by an AI that follows the same patterns over and over. What's worse is that Er'ela Sufa does not react the name of Meiya Mitsurugi.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She scowls. THe Gespenst fires its thrusters and acelerates towards the Fubuki, zig-zaging in a mad pattern through the feild of fire right past the bullets. In some cases it's so closer to the shots from the TSF that it's nigh impossible to tell. "What I need..."

The Gespenst reaches down to grab Takeru's mech by the ist and heft it up. It's free hand draws back. "...is for you..."

The balled up fist hammers forward at the Fubuki, aiming directly below the cockpit in a hammer blow thats loud enough to echo off the dam wall.

"...TOO. LEAVE."

COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has missed Er'ela Sufa with his Power Bomb attack. COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has attacked Takeru Shirogane. Graze The Bullet added to their queue. COMBAT: Amuro Ray has missed Shal'hevet Lev with his Dual Beam Sword Shot attack. COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has struck a major hit on Takeru Shirogane's Type-94 Fubuki using Graze The Bullet. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz 11 Takeru Shirogane transmits, "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE THIS TO ME!" COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has activated a spirit command. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz 11 Takeru Shirogane is so angry, it's literally shaking the radio. COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has struck a glancing hit on Asfanit Kolot's Tzrikha using Beam Knife - Prison Shanking. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has missed Rachel Miu Athha with her Wrist Monocutters Drive counter attack. COMBAT: Fighter Ace Team has struck a major hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using Starshower.

Shal'hevet is barely even aware she has managed to drive off Urvin's SV-51; she still has three more attackers on her, and that plane apparently wasn't the source of the psychic sensations tormenting her. Remille gets a clean shot; Lev only notices the missiles when they're almost upon her, and her attempt to juke away from them is too late. Explosions rock the machine, and when the smoke clears one can see some of its inner workings exposed through charred, jagged metal. Even as Staren and Amuro reduce the pressure on her mind, Shal'hevet's attacks lose intensity anyway. Part of this is because she's devoting much of her focus to warding off their attacks, the T-Link Field surrounds the Se'arat Berakim and protects it from the energy-scatter bomb, then Lev sends her machine into a sharp rise above Amuro's volley. He corrects for it with his usual skill and experience, but this time the T-Link Field stops his remaining shots regardless. "I'm not one of you... I'm not, don't insult me like that!" A moment's bravado from Lev, shouted back at Staren... and it's heralded by her pushing herself further than she really should. Amuro will pick up on this first, as her mind gains some focus and intensity... joined by her sending a smaller TK tornado at him, and a much larger one swirling around the airspace to try to rip through Staren's machine as the Star Hawk continues to pursue and torment her!

COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has attacked Amuro Ray. T-Link Breeze added to their queue. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has attacked Staren Wiremu. T-Link Tornado added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert breathes out hard. "Razgriz Eleven! Calm down! You fight angry like that, you will go up in flame!" COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has struck a glancing hit on Staren Wiremu's Star Hawk Mk. II Fighter using T-Link Tornado.

Cipher moves through the facility, collecting he could along the way. An assault rifle. Dog tags from every fallen soldier. He moves through the inside of the facility like a ghost- or perhaps, like a Valkyrie, collecting the names of the dead and the departed. Each one is wrapped about in his fist in a tight ball of silver and metal. They will not be forgotten.

They will never be forgotten.

Cipher approaches the door to the facility's heart. He levels the assault rifle at the lock and unleashes a short burst of fire. It clatters to the ground hopelessly and he slides the door open with the chain-wrapped hand. Each one of these men and women died defending this facility.

He would see it used again. As it was meant to be used- in defense of the Belkan homeland.

Irony, that the man who conquered this place now goes to save it.

He approaches the console, eyes fixed on the sole word displayed across the screen. There's a frown, his brow furrows. Tausend- Belkan Air Force. Reassigned to homeland defense. He met with Tausend One, once. It was after the war- at a bar in Directus. He was a bear among men, someone he respected- and respected dearly.

A close friend. They were all his close friends.

And the words that this man flew by- the words that he lived for, to defend his homeland. Oderunt dum Metuant. Let them hate, so long as they fear.

He smiles, and taps the 'enter' key.

COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has missed Adom Nazir with his Heat Edge Exploder attack. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has counter attacked for a minor hit on Kazuma Ardygun's Air Force Valhawk using Short-Barreled Optical Rifle.

"I've served before," Joshua replies, "but I don't think that I want to do it again. Not for any one person in particular. Sorry." As he speaks, White Glint comes under attack by sudden force from... somewhere, he can't tell. He feels the machine starting to get pulled apart as milliseconds pass... and decides to be elsewhere.

The shoulders of White Glint suddenly elongate, spreading like wings. Numerous boosters are revealed, layers of them flipping up. A noise like something spinning up is audible as a light gathers behind it—and then it explodes into motion with a blinding flash of light. White Glint goes fast enough that the naked eye literally cannot track it for more than an instant, body blurred even on sensors. It goes from a few hundred KPH to several times the speed of sound in an instant, a maneuver that should crush anyone in the cockpit.

Joshua O'Brien feels mildly discomforted.

The razors of force lessen as Primal Armor does it's thing: that is, it's 'thing' of 'never losing a fair fight to physics when it can fight dirty.' The field bursts, pale green motes like that of a True GN Drive scattering and floating in the air. White Glint leaves a trail of them, dispersed all around, more like a plume from the spot the Overboost triggered at in the direction he went.

He comes from a completely different angle. White Glint turns on a shaved dime, coming back around and passing Asfanit overhead. He keeps going, vanishing into the distance, the speck that is the NEXT glinting as it turns to come back...

...and then the bullets start arriving, a storm of armor piercing rounds coming from both sides.

COMBAT: Joshua O'Brien has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Joshua O'Brien has attacked Asfanit Kolot. 063ANAR Assault Rifle Fury added to their queue.

Remille was continuing to stay on guard. She didn't like the fact that nothing has come her way. Perhaps because the other two were doing better damage at taunting. That was fine, she us that to her advantage.

As The Balamarian let out her attack, The Nightingale went straight into the air with a sudden boost of speed trying to get over the Balamarian, before the thrusters cut off. As the Armored Core then started to fall, she started to let lose with more machine gun fire.

The plan was simple, very simple; There was no plan!

COMBAT: Remille Fortner has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Two-Gun Style added to their queue. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Joshua O'Brien has missed Asfanit Kolot with his 063ANAR Assault Rifle Fury attack. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has missed Joshua O'Brien with her Complete Nonsense counter attack. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has missed Amuro Ray with her T-Link Breeze attack.

Adom Nazir does indeed want to dance, she fances quite well. She ses themissiles comming in after her. She knows what those missiles are, she's got to move fast and she sends them on dizzying chase after her, trying to avoid all the missiles. She throws her self at Max's machine, hoping the humans have safties on the missiles to keep them from, blowing up their own craft. It seems this is so and she score a hit, but here comes Kazuma.

"Enough of it. You cry for one who is dead, you should move on."

She chases afte rKAzuma's machine as she acvoids his attack keeping up her own attacks she fires shots at Max who is drawing fire away from the main body of the force backing him up. He's likely saved a few lives keeping Adom on him, as for Kazuma Adom? She rushes to kick his machine and fly off before firing another barrage at the fighters who dare to stand against her. Thats when she meets their full fure, which does even more damage to her machine. The damage is telling, it's visably messed up, who knows howmuch longer it can hold out.

&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Amuro Ray transmits, "Any progress with the dam? I can't see through all these storms!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team | "What the hell are these things made of? That missile didn't even scratch it!" "Just keep shooting! Kill the bastards!" "Razgriz Ninety! Juke right! Right!" COMBAT: Adom Nazir has attacked Maximillian Jenius. Short-Barreled Optical Rifle added to their queue. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has attacked Fighter Ace Team. Short-Barreled Optical Rifle added to their queue. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has activated a spirit command. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, "Razgriz Four. We are fighting best we can. Razgriz One went into Avalon to activate anti-air cover, but I do not know whether he found it or not—" COMBAT: Adom Nazir has attacked Kazuma Ardygun. Beita Mechanit added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "...Avalon." COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed Maximillian Jenius with her Short-Barreled Optical Rifle attack. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed Fighter Ace Team with her Short-Barreled Optical Rifle attack. Maximillian Jenius's VF-1J Valkyrie transforms into its VF-1J Battroid mode.

Asfanit watches them falter. She smiles a little to herself at the crackes she creates, knowing that their machines can withstand her wrath only so long.

Tori earns her wrath first, eyes turning in her direction. Her machine blurs to the left and right, juking out of the way of those missiles, blurring between them - smacking a few aside with force, blurring upward as bolts of...thought, crash into Tori's Valkyrie. Asfanit is frustrated, but she knows perfectly well it's because these damn Samples have come up with a good idea and are pressing their attack in ways Asfanit did not expect they could manage. "I have only one desire in my heart," Asfanit admits, but before she can offer it up, Suriel is there. Move fast, she thinks; that machine can do terrible things if she lets it. She snaps back, movements impossible but precise, snapping to left, right, left, back, evading every blow from him - and then lunging in, monocutter slamming into and through the compression field, seeking out a weak point in the Ashsaber, slicing through a metatron conduit and sheering it open.

She moves away, quickly, a move which gets her cleanly in the path of Isa. Asfanit just sighs. "Wake up?" she wonders, quietly. "You are so dedicated to this delusion of yours...Then, you'd have me be some miserable little girl?" Asfanit wonders. "A leader, afraid to lead? A commander, afraid to command? A lonely wretch, afraid of her friends?" She emits a dismissive sound. "I'd rather not, thank you." SHe holds out her hand, expecting a fairly run-of-the-mill laser...and emits a "ghk" as her force shields are thoroughly overwhelmed. "What—" Asfanit grates out, her corrupted arm clenching up at the collision of forces. The Tzrikha receives quite a bit of damage from it, but the forces swing around the shield, too, before relocalizing and shooting back at the Skytalon!

Just in time for Rachel to make her decree. Asfanit snaps her eyes down, swings her blade down, slicing the control cables enough that Rachel can't quite rig the hit with the force she needs; the eruption does little, just sending Tzrikha dizzied for a moment.

Asfanit sighs, shaking her head, even as her corrupted arm slowly eases. "...all I want," Asfanit mutters, "Is to give you damn humans a peace you seem so adamantly opposed to. But if you intend to fight your medicine, I'll shove it down your throats!"

She snaps out - one arm to Isa's Skytalon, the air distorting under the sudden force of her regard, like an automatic hammer slamming into center mass. Another arm, spinning around, leveled at Suriel's Ashsaber, which has proven to have a power rivaling her own. Unacceptable. Forces wash out from her, just raw, elemental power. She doesn't have time to focus on particularly fancy tricks, there's too many targets. And then...Joshua O'Brien.

She snaps her arm up at him, trying to calculate his motions and having difficulty with it. "nngh," she mutters. Her head hurts. Her fingers itch. She doesn't really want to be here, but something makes her want to say, too...she knows, she knows, it's a vital facility, but...

Finally she snaps her head up. The bullets coming at her are no longer, ricocheting in every direction. They don't stop and return like before, they just suddenly turn around, chopping up the dirt where Joshua had been rocketing by. Asfanit is getting annoyed. "Hot in here,' she mutters, and triggers a manual release in the moment of downtime; the Lambda Driver dispenses a revolver heat sink, which soars out, red hot, to the planes below.

Then she plants an unmoving force wall in Joshua's path and hopes he runs into it like a dope.

COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has attacked Suriel Misaki. Force Wave added to their queue. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot's Imagination-Driven Megaton Hammer has been added to your queue. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has attacked Isa Reichert. Imagination-Driven Megaton Hammer added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team | "Where the hell is our anti-air support? We're getting eaten alive out here." "Relax. The Demon Lord's got it covered. Just hang in there, Seitz, keep that plane up in the air!" Let's make those bastards eat hot Belkan lead...!" COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has attacked Joshua O'Brien. Immovable Object added to their queue. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has missed Joshua O'Brien with her Immovable Object attack. COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has missed Kazuma Ardygun with her Beita Mechanit attack. COMBAT: Isa Reichert has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: You have turned on your &#x5B;Alert&#x5D; spirit command. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has struck you with a devastating hit using Imagination-Driven Megaton Hammer! COMBAT: 3425 points of damage taken! 2576 health points left! &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert's signal crackles, like she's about to say something, but it just cuts into an explosion. "—" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Tori Adenbright transmits, "Tsk... I'm not making much headway here. Will need to pull back soon." COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has missed Suriel Misaki with her Force Wave attack.

The computer goes silent for a moment.

By the blood of Knights, the Land of Kings shall never know defeat.

By the will of the King, the sword is loosed from the stone.

Lancelot Defence Protocall online.

Scanning IFFs...

Belkan IFF's detected.

Hostile IFF's detected.

A number of status displays show up, a large number of defence systems are off line, destroyed in the inital invasion but many are online now. There was a reason in the one years war they needed to use the valley of Kings to get in.

The fighters out side would pick up power signatures and motion from the damn the remainin intact defence systems are comming back online and targeting Balmarian units, drones fo up in the inital salvo as they start firing. Also from the mounts come a number of SAM launches.

Cipher would get a large number of targeting displays and other status reports.

Outside the fire contiunes.

The power of thought further ripples through the Battroid, and a system error persists in dogging Tori's unit further. There's a guilty sigh from the White Rose as she watches the next wave of attack be resisted, and signals her retreat, disabling her IFF as active as she pulls back. "Razgriz Ten, retreating." She really would like to interact further with the enemy — she feels as if, with enough persistence, she could make some headway, but this is a very heady situation for the both of them.

COMBAT: Tori Adenbright has retreated from the area. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Avalon..." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Is online."

Max jerks the controls almost reflexively out of the way of the optical cannon attack. However, his Valk surges towards the ezekiel changing into fighter mode for only a couple of seconds.

Once the Blue valk closes with the Ezekiel, it's legs suddenly kick out and boosts the mech up, doing an exaggerated forward flip over Adom's mech, switching to soldier mode as it flips, it's left hand grabbing Adom's mech on the shoulder. He then plants both mech boots on the back of Adom's mech and RAMS the barrel of his gun pod onto, what he guesses is, the reactor of the mech. He says absolutely nothing as he pulls the trigger of the gun pod.....

COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has attacked Adom Nazir. Full Volley added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, over the steady beep-beep-beep of cockpit damage warnings, "Good..."

Suriel brings the sword out, as well as an compressionfield as Asfanit sends her attack through him...or attempts to. The boy...holds fast...using his own power to hold the attack at bay and keeping it from harming him. This apparently has become a stalemate between their power...as he laughs alittle. "Did you think that half assed attack would work on me?! DID YOU THINK THAT ATTACK WOULD WORK ON ME AGAIN!?" he cackles. The GIEM system was pumping at full power, as he tore through the force way with nothing but pure will.

"Hahaha...simply marvolous!" he commented on the power of the Ashsaver... "I can not wait for it to go into a REAL unit!" he says, slowly turning towards Asfanit's unit again. "Why so sloppy!? ENJOY THIS MOMENT! This is the moment where I CRUSH you..." he says as he dove in towards Asfanit's machine. Compressed space appeared everywhere again, distorting his movements slightly, but he charged forward, aiming to punch her unit into one of the compressed space traps.

"Now hold still...it will only hurt for a moment!" he says...

"THIS HAND OF MINE GLOWS WITH AN AWESOME POWER! IT'S DARK ROAR TELLS ME TO CONSUME YOU!"

He dives towards her, attempting to drive his hand into the other unit...attempting to find that driver...the source of her power... "METATRON FINGER!" he shouts out, releaseing the compression field into her unit...or attempting to.

COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has attacked Asfanit Kolot. God-Smashing Blow added to their queue. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Suriel Misaki has missed Asfanit Kolot with his God-Smashing Blow attack. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has counter attacked for a solid critical hit on Suriel Misaki's ASK-AD02X Ashsaber Metatron using Applied Physics. COMBAT: Knock Out! Suriel Misaki's ASK-AD02X Ashsaber Metatron unit has become disabled!

"She's not dead yet!" Kazuma retorts, banking hard away from Adom's continued assault. "And you know it just as well as I do! As long as you're alive, Macua is still somewhere inside you ... she's been through this before, when the EFA did the exact same thing! Remember? And Macua still broke out to reclaim her independence, and start putting the pieces of her memory together! That more than anything else is why I'm not gonna give up on her, no matter what!"

The Valhawk whips back out of its evasive maneuvers, engines roaring like thunder as Kazuma tries to ram the Ezekiel Esh once again, Heat Edge Exploder still blazing around the Valhawk ...

COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has attacked Adom Nazir. Heat Edge Exploder added to their queue.

The Skytalon hovers on its verniers, but gradually, it begins to creep forward again. Though it's capable of manoeuvring like a helicopter, it can't necessarily do it for very long. The verniers don't generate enough of a thrust to weight ratio to keep it in the air like that; not without burning massive amounts of fuel and risking internal damage.

It's more than enough for the short span of combat manoeuvres, though. The Skytalon begins to bank at about the same time the Lekhishah's arm snaps out, eliciting a snarl from one of its three pilots.

"Come on! Get this thing's ass in gear, babe! If that hits, it's going to crumple us like a tin ca—" Dominic never finishes his urgent statement.

Inexorable as death (or maybe taxes), the arm of the Lekhishah closes in on the Skytalon. A thrust of verniers keep the jet from being completely overwhelmed, rolling with the blow, but it still does considerable damage, crunching in the forward section of the port wing. It connects with the screech of tortured metal. Several of the verniers simply explode, setting off the missiles in spite of their safeties with the heat and force of the explosion, worsening the damage.

"Ay, ay, ay!" Isa squawks, beating on the console. "Drop those damn missiles, Domino! Drop them, now, before they chew hole in fuselage...!"

"Done and done! Christ, why did the safeties fail!? Get us away from that bloody thing!"

Isa tightens her hands on the control, sweat beading and threatening to run into her good eye. She blinks hard, focusing her gaze on the instrumentation, along with a brief glance out to the looming form of the Lekhishah.

&lt;&lt;Bitch,&gt;&gt; Isa snarls, juking the aircraft to one side. ''&lt;&lt;We will have peace when we send last of you bastards to ground in fire and smoke! Now give us our Colonel back! I read people well, da? And Colonel Testarossa, she was not afraid! Now go to ground in flame, and take a little time to think about who you really are!&gt;&gt;''

Twisting in midair to adjust the aircraft's list to one side, thanks to the gaping hole in its left wing — there's actually not much left to the thing at all, and sparks dance in the gaps where the interior can be seen. But, it still has enough engine power in its main thrusters and remaining verniers to manoeuvre adequately.

And as the jet makes a few minute adjustments to put the Lekhishah in its sights, Isa smiles a crooked, malicious little smile. "Domino! The Talon!"

"Babe, I think that's the best thing I've heard all day. Firin'."

&lt;&lt;Rachel, out of the way!&gt;&gt; Isa warns, before signaling for Dominic to punch the Talon.

As before, the cannon warms up, cyan light washing out from the interior cannon bay... and with a blinding flash, it lances up and out from the inside, straight for the Lekhishah's centre of mass.

COMBAT: Isa Reichert has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: You have turned on your &#x5B;Valor&#x5D; spirit command.

"'With strength of heart and soul of steel, by valor and broken bone-'" Cipher recites the mantra, as he moves over the control panels. Each one coming online. Each SAM still in-tact suddenly twitching with life again. The sky is painted with crimson targets. AA guns slide out of their housing as gunnery towers suddenly burst from hollow cylinders atop the Dam's surface. Countless guns open fire as a swarm of missiles explode from the A sensation- a chill runs down his spine. It feels like he isn't alone. For a moment, he can hear other voices calling out, joining him in the prayer- in the oath. Cipher smiles- that's right. This is his homeland... "We shall split our foes upon the earth and claim the heavens as our own!"

"Avalon Dam—" Cipher roars, his hand slamming into the table at the center of the room. There's a grin on his face as his mask trembles for a moment, then falls away, dropping, falling and clattering down alongside his fist.

He looks toward the video feeds, his face revealed for the first time in years. His eyes shine strong, his visage flawless, unmarred by war and injury. There were no burns. His voice shakes the room, pouring into the radio, crackling through static and meters of concrete, "AAAAAAAWAAAKEEEEN!"

"Strike down our foes! Be our fortress one last time, and stand strong against the darkness that encroaches upon Belka's fair brow! Rise again, Avalon! The last refuge of the King of Knights, AVALON!"

COMBAT: Your attack has been added to Asfanit Kolot's queue. COMBAT: Isa Reichert has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Talon XCL-02 added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "With strength of heart and soul of steel, by valor and broken bone—" COMBAT: Kazuma Ardygun has struck a major hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using Heat Edge Exploder. COMBAT: Adom Nazir has counter attacked for a minor hit on Kazuma Ardygun's Air Force Valhawk using Signon Egroph Mechani. COMBAT: Remille Fortner has missed Shal'hevet Lev with her Two-Gun Style attack. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team | Twenty-odd aces take up the cry: "With strength of heart and soul of steel, by valor and broken bone—...!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "We shall split our foes upon the earth and claim the" COMBAT: Maximillian Jenius has struck a devastating hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using Full Volley. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "We shall split our foes upon the earth and claim the heavens as our own!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "BELKANS!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "WELCOME HOME!" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team | Belkan aces of the Razgriz Formation finish up the cry, joined by their allies, in thunder and pride: "WE SHALL SPLIT OUR FOES UPON THE EARTH AND CLAIM THE HEAVENS AS OUR OWN!" COMBAT: Cipher has activated a spirit command.

The White Devil is at work, using the TK tornado's psychic winds to surf around them and gain momentum, flying off towards Lev's unpronounceable machine with a vengeance. "Got to... take this thing down... safely...!" he grunts, fighting the G forces. "But..."

The only option is to take out the giant wing binders, as far as he can tell. And so, the afterburners kick in, sending the Waverider barreling towards the Balmar hybrid machine with the speed borne of tornado winds and man-made engine power. The Heavy Beam Rifle charges up... but instead of firing, it sprouts a long bayonet.

The Waverider flips on its side at the last moment, aiming to carve the huge wing binder's from Lev's fly ride rather than, you know, going kamikaze. "Let's clip those wings!" he shouts, short of breath from being pushed back into his seat.

COMBAT: Amuro Ray has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Awkward Beam Bayonet added to their queue. COMBAT: Cipher has attacked Asfanit Kolot and Adom Nazir. Ace of Aces added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert can be heard, though the aircraft sounds horrendously damaged; the signal crackles so badly it's hard to hear Isa. "—don't care if it burns the cannon! Fire it! One more time! Bring her down before she finish us off...!" COMBAT: Cipher has struck a apocalyptic critical hit on Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh using Ace of Aces. Knock Out! Adom Nazir's Ezekiel Esh unit has become disabled! COMBAT: Cipher has struck a devastating hit on Asfanit Kolot's Tzrikha using Ace of Aces.

"I'm not...going...anywhere!"

The fist slams into the lower half the Fubuki, ripping through another chunk of it; the sound of the damage is catastrophic, tearing the entire waist off the machine. And Staren's bomb smashes into the back of the Fubuki explosively, peeling off another chunk of armor and leaving it smoking into the clouds.

Wait. Did he intentionally not even try to block that attack, so the bomb wouldn't hit her Gespenst and kill her? Or was that just a coincidence?

The Fubuki's torso, or what's left of it, floats there in the air; it hovers, amongst the clouds, above the Valley of Kings. It is headless, shieldless, and legless; a chunk of its chest has been ripped open, and the proud blue and white paint that once covered it is scarred black from the heat of the Jet Magnum.

But it still flies.

Takeru can hear his own breath reverberating in the flight suit. It's stale; the recycled air is getting stale, from panic and anger and sorrow and determination and all these things that are running through his mind and his heart. He's not a super robot pilot; he doesn't have a magic jewel or a magic sword or a magic robot or a G-Stone or Getter Rays or a Raging Heart or any of those things that would let him make reality what he wants it to be. He doesn't have a super prototype; he doesn't have a machine that's unique, a Gundam, an Arm Slave, a Lambda Driver. He doesn't have Newtype Powers, he's not a Psychodriver, he's not a Boosted Child, or a cyborg, or an alien.

He's just a kid from another universe, a video game nerd who didn't want anything but to hang out with his friends and play games and graduate college, and maybe one day settle down with one of the six or so girls who was interested in him and possibly have kids, get a good job.

But because of these aliens, he can't do this. Because of this world, he has been thrust into something he does not understand, cannot understand. All he knows is that the person he loves does not recognize him.

His lips quirk upwards. That's fine, isn't it? She doesn't even know who he is. She didn't recognize him then, either. On that first day, she'd looked him like he was a stranger. And it had hurt a lot more than this ever could.

"You're Meiya," Takeru says coldly, his voice hardening. "Even if you don't know it, you're Meiya. You're the same Meiya who got addicted to that training simulator. You're the Meiya who called me weak on the first day of my basic because I couldn't do arm situps. You're the same Meiya who showed me how to use a sword, the same Meiya who helped save that old woman with me."

"You're the same Meiya who was my first kiss, under the mountain, when we thought we were going to die trapped in your Takemikazuchi."

"So even if you don't recognize me, Meiya...I don't care! I'm not going anywhere without you! I don't care about the Balmary Empire, I don't care about the war - I just want you back!"

"And if I have to take you back...then I will!"

Takeru's mangled, legless, headless TSF jerks forward. The thrusters kick in, as the blade snaps out again; the gun falls to the ground far below as its engines kick up to full. Even with all of that damage, he's not willing to let her go...but this can't just be a simple sword attack. That hasn't worked so far - he can't be that dumb!

The TSF plows in, and hits the range of her fist...and Takeru's lips split into a wide, clever grin as the TSF suddenly disengages, going around to the back and moving to wrap its arms around the Gespenst in a hug.

And jam the sword, like a knife, right into the Gespenst's neck.

COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has activated a spirit command.

Staren is prevented from closing with Lev by the telekinetic attacks — they tear at the edges of his machine as he pulls up to barely avoid the attack. "Rrgh... You can't keep me away forever!" He opens his mouth to say more, then pauses, and shakes his head. He looks down 'behind' him, and aquires a target lock, before dozens of missiles launch from his gunpod as he begins to loop around... the missiles loop around the other way, headed straight dowan towards Shal!

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Shal'hevet Lev. Star Hawk Missile Barrage added to their queue. COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has attacked Er'ela Sufa. Attack The Weak Point added to their queue.

Asfanit makes a very reasonable assumption: something moving as fast as White Glint cannot turn very quickly, nor stop fast enough to prevent itself from ramming a solid object placed directly in front of it. For anyone else, it would mean death, either by ramming into it or clipping their wings and hitting a mountainside.

For a NEXT, this presents much less of a problem.

Joshua couldn't possibly see the force wall. It's invisible, it doesn't appear on any sensors that he wouldn't doubletake at and still end up hitting it because of, and he's going too fast to notice anything like a change in how the wind blows. He heads right for it—

FLASH!

The Newtype wills his machine to move, and move it does. The Allegorical Manipulation System feeds his thought directly to the drive system, and, in the distance, there is a sudden flash of white light directly in front of the wall. The Quick Booster sends Joshua to the right, narrowly skirting a cliff face with an Overbooster and his missile pack. White Glint flashes twice more, circling overhead at the insane velocities it moves at, changing it's direction with sudden boosts in seemingly random headings.

Bullets come again. Fewer, this time; individual shots from the long rifle in his right hand come down, descending on the Lekhishah. He drops after three, flashing past it and firing backwards twice more with the weapon, immediately taking to the sky again.

Rounds converge. Joshua has seen the heat sink revolver and the vents, and they have become prime targets. If you can't hit the main booster...

COMBAT: Joshua O'Brien has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Joshua O'Brien has attacked Asfanit Kolot. 051ANNR Rifle Mastery added to their queue. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has struck a solid hit on Shal'hevet Lev's Se'arat Berakim using Star Hawk Missile Barrage. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Amuro Ray has missed Shal'hevet Lev with his Awkward Beam Bayonet attack. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team | Razgriz Eighty-Eight speaks up. "Razgriz! It's time to blast these invaders out. These skies are protected by Avalon, now, but that alone can't send them packing. It's up to we pilots to do the rest of the work! Give them hell...!"

Lev's situation goes from bad to worse in a matter of seconds. Unable to inflict any further losses on the enemy with her last-ditch attack, she is now faced with three attackers in markedly better shape than she is... and the base itself has turned on her! Lev manages to guide the damaged Se'arat Berakim through the initial missile volley, and manages to weave through Remille's continuing gunfire as well, darting this way and that despite mounting damage to the machine. A tiny part of her mind manages to notice, with some awe and worry, that Amuro weathered the storm quite well and is on his way to attack her. She flies to meet him, swinging the laser scythe in the Se'arat's remaining hand to deflect his flying cut... though as she emerges beneath that, Staren manages to get a lock and fire from a good angle. Most of his missiles slam against a T-Link Field to no effect, but one of them causes a distinct 'crack' in the rippling air... and a few missiles behind it slip through for clean hits, blasting its midsection open but not quite severing it. Inside the cockpit, Lev realizes the situation is hopeless. Her head is throbbing from over-exertion of TK abilities, her machine falling apart bit by bit, and the base seems to be lost. She can only see one outcome resulting if she stays here: The Samples will shoot her down, taking her machine away for their own study and use... and likely have a field day torturing her with whatever it is they've been using on her mind; it's troublesome enough when cockpits and air separate them, she's sure it will be a living hell — or painfully fatal — when used face-to-face! Already terrorized, Lev looks over to see her teammate engulfed in missiles... almost certainly dead. Morale shattered, she turns her damaged machine away from the battle and flies. She has no particular direction to go right now, just away from here, away from her friends being obliterated by missiles, from the Samples assaulting her mind... she just wants out now, and will figure out where to go later.

COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has retreated from the area.

The knife only strikes a glancing blow; the blade doesn't get a chance to rip and tear the way she wants it to. The Red Zeta immediately pulls backward, away from the Tzrikha— but Rachel doesn't stop, not for anything or anyONE. Rachel's legs shift backward as her eyes remain locked on the Balmarian machine, and the Zeta Gundam comes into contact with the slopes and crags of a nearby hill with enough force to rattle the girl in the cockpit and leave deep impact prints on the rock surface.

Pushing off just as quickly, the Zeta Gundam advances again. The Valkyrie pulls back; Rachel spares a worried glance it's way. "Be careful!" she adds, as it goes.

Blazing through the European skies, the beam sabers are again drawn. In the cockpit, Rachel's left wrist turns and her hand turns upward, fingers opening to spin the hilt of the weapon across her palm in an overly practiced, well-motioned move that sends sparks skidding across the hand with the contact.

The weapon swings to the side, igniting in a backhanded grip as she moves in.

"You aren't a miserable little girl! Even if you are lonely, even if you've got doubts, you have all of us— you have your friends!! The people you care about. It's been made clear that we don't want what the Aerogaters consider peace— what they've done to you, what they've done to all of our friends! If you really are so high-up now in their group, you should be able to make it clear to their invasion force!"

There's something rising within her. A strength— in her mind, her heart. The Bio Sensor even seems to react to it... it starts to form a glowing trail of light. Faint as it may be, it's still there. "If they were interested in peace, they wouldn't have razed cities and killed just as many people as they've taken!"

"You're different than that. You're stronger than all of them! You're a lot stronger than me— and that's why you're Tessa!!"

Blades strike out. Spinning movements, lashing strikes, all of them— all of them with the strength and precision of someone that knows how to hit more than where to hit, and all of those blows seem to be aimed to disable the Lekhishah, rather than destroy it.

COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has attacked Asfanit Kolot. Beam Saber Mastery added to their queue. Maximillian Jenius's VF-1J Valkyrie transforms into its VF-1J GERWALK mode. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: You have missed Asfanit Kolot with your Talon XCL-02 attack. COMBAT: Thruster Boost has triggered! COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has counter attacked for a solid hit using Redirection - Beam! COMBAT: 1599 points of damage taken! 977 health points left! COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Joshua O'Brien has struck a major hit on Asfanit Kolot's Tzrikha using 051ANNR Rifle Mastery. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has missed Joshua O'Brien with her Applied Physics counter attack. &lt;Radio: B - Kathysec&gt; Staren Wiremu transmits, "Does anyone need help?" COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rachel Miu Athha has struck a devastating critical hit on Asfanit Kolot's Tzrikha using Beam Saber Mastery. COMBAT: Asfanit Kolot has counter attacked for a major hit on Rachel Miu Athha's Zeta Gundam P2/3C using The Whispering Voice. Staren Wiremu's SRH-2X Star Hawk Mk. II Prototype transforms into its Star Hawk Mk. II Humanoid mode. COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has struck a devastating hit on Er'ela Sufa's Gespenst Type-R using Attack The Weak Point. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "I'm preparing the facilities." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "When we drive those bastards off, we've got a runway. And some Dinsmark Lager, an entire case full." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert's cockpit warnings are annoyingly insistent, and Isa almost has to shout over them. "Razgriz Four! That will be a good reward, I think, da?"

The Nightingale activates the boosters just in time to see the target leave. She tsks softly before she once more clings to the side of the mountain way. The dark haired female glances over at her energy bar for her Armored Core's power which was starting to head to the red. "..Hm." She then typed in a few things to start the machine to try and recharge its systems. It was a long flight out of here after all..

Unless someone was willing to give her Armored Core a lift.

&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz 69 Kazuma Ardygun transmits, "Ya know ... I'm almost tempted to take you up on the lager .. this is worth celebrating." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team | Several of the Razgriz pilots break into anthem: "Oh, azure skies, o'er emerald plains, where freedom and justice prevail..." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Heh, that Anthem, huh? Well." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher joins in as well, "With courage and strength, we'll fight to the end, for liberty in our land~" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert, over cockpit alarms, "Ay! I know that one! 'With courage and strength, we'll fight to the end, for liberty in our land~!'" ♪

The Belkans had fallen and fled, but they had left one last surpise for the Balmarians. It's made clear as multiple targeting warnings come online. The remains of the Avalon defence system is back online. That distracts Adom long enough for Max to up up on her weith missile and gun pod. The Esh is ripped up badly. There are interals exposed at this point. Then comes Kazuma as he contiunes going on about this Macua.

"Your devotion would be touching if it wasn't so missguided."

WHAM she's sent flying towards the damn. That's where the Belkan defence lock on to her machine and she vanishes in a chain of explosions. One might pick up the signs of a Balmarian recall. Back on the White star her machine hits the deck smouldering and several ground crews move to help her out.

Years later. Macua is at a bar talking to an person doing a documentry.

"Cipher? The Demon? Lord? Ya I knew him. First ran into him, in Belka one snowy winter day..." She then began to retell what she could remeber of the Avalon dam battle.

Well, that's one Balmarian down... Staren feels a little bit bad about scaring her like that, but desperate times...

The Star Hawk transforms and lands in the base, tall red humanoid watching the rest of the battle. If the remaining Balmarians don't leave soon, he'll go help deal with them...

&lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert exhales sharply, over the Skytalon's cockpit warnings beeping incessantly. Her signal is also pretty much eaten alive by static. "Time to end this."

Asfanit finally grows tired of Suriel.

He comes at her fast, hard, hateful and mighty. He unleashes that glorious power of the Metatron...and then Asfanit raises her corrupt arm off the rest, and Tzrikha's arm snaps forward, and...catches, the compression field.

Asfanit grits her teeth. This is...difficult. This is very hard. She makes it look easy, perhaps, but with this kind of equipment even the hard stuff looks easy. She forces that energy back, not into her own system but into Suriel's, corroding and devouring the Ashsaber Metatron-Type with twisted, warping space. "Shut, UP!" Asfanit commands, before shoving that energy back with all her strength, hopefully sending it flying. ANother enemy retreats. Fine, she'll take that.

That megaton strike from Asfanit's attack hammers Isa, and she responds in kind. "Or you can enjoy it immediately, at my side..." Asfanit replies to the furious Totally Not Russian. "You fight so desperately against what you truly need. It's disquieting."

But they keep saying it and Asfanit is getting annoyed. "I'll gladly take you to her!" Asfanit snaps. "I'm sure she's some wretched maid as befits a coward!" She holds up her arm - the Talon fires again, and this time she doesn't underestimate the assault. The beam lance whirls around Asfanit's shields for a few, lingering seconds - and then ROCKETS back at Isa, blasting another hole in her machine.

And then things go very wrong. Asfanit has about two seconds to realize that the systems are online. "What—!?" she stammers, before the anti-air fire swarms over her, waves of rockets and missiles exploding all over her machine - another revolving heat sink pops out the back, the machine sent rocketing back in the moment of system latency. Force waves hammer down, taking out installations in undignified blasts of hate. It distracts her long enough.

She only notices what Joshua is doing at the last second. She snaps around, leveling an arm at him. It's hard to tell what she's doing because the effect never quite materializes before Joshua blasts enough damage into the vents that the system momenatrily shuts off, causing Asfanit to plummet. She growls, quickly working to recover—but then, there is Rachel.

"I..." Asfanit growls out, more frustrated than lost for words. There is no sign of the girl called Tessa; Asfanit's frustrated, maybe a little frightened, but there is not even a fleck of breakage. Were they wrong? Is this just not even her?

The slashes come in - slice at Tzrikha's arms and legs, forcing it back, back, back, but Asfanit sees the weaknesses; the Lambda Driver comes alive at the last, systems popping and bursting inside the Red Zeta, until the Biosensor itself takes a direct hit from her willful anger, setting off alarms and fires.

"I am NO SUCH PERSON!" Asfanit yells back. "A coward who'd hide her heart from her friends, is that who you'd have me be!? A useless woman who refuses to stand on the front where a leader belongs!? A selfish, hopeless child, lost in her own despair!? I refuse! I refuse! Absolutely not!"

Tzrikha blurs away at the last, darting between the oncoming waves of missiles, her teeth gritting in her head, anger boiling inside her for reasons she cannot grasp. "...all I wanted was to give you a world you'd be happy in..." she says, some actual pain in that voice. It's quickly erased, back to anger: "I keep forgetting how ungrateful you can be! Er'ela, we're leaving! This place is lost!"

"Initiating recall," Lekhishah cheerfully supplies - and then, the Tzrikha darts into the sky and vanishes.

The Skytalon slows to a hover once again, its profile looming like some kind of predatory entity. The engines hum quietly as the verniers come to life once again, flickers of blue and cyan down the fuselage and remaining wing. A short must have happened somewhere in the interior of the left wing — smoke billows from the sheared-off hole.

Its pilots have time enough for one horrified screech in unison as their own laser is warped back at them. Isa throws the controls so fast it knocks her helmeted head against the side of the canopy — "Ay...!" — forcing her to grit her teeth and muscle her way through the stars dancing in her vision.

By the time it passes, the laser strips the paint off the lower edge of the fuselage, clear down to the Skytalon's new engines. Through some miracle it hasn't actually ruptured the engine, however, but the damage looks to have run deep — several verniers are knocked out of commission, and a few of them have simply been detonated wholesale.

Isa groans, in the cockpit. "Ay, my poor Skytalon. Hang in there. We will get you back to base in one piece, da?"

&lt;&lt;Shut up,&gt;&gt; Isa snarls to the Balmarian, even as she succumbs to all manner of bladed attacks by Rachel. The Skytalon hovers crookedly, wing pouring thick black smoke, and smoke wisping from the line its own laser had cut along the fuselage. Seh'll let Rachel do the attacking, here; her machine is so damaged she'll be lucky to land it in one piece. ''&lt;&lt;You are right. You are not such a person. I admit, I do not know well Colonel Testarossa, but I do not think she would hide from her friends, or refuse to stand on front line. She is not selfish, or hopeless, or in despair.&gt;&gt;''

The aircraft lurches drunkenly to one side as several of the verniers short out and fail. Isa's next statement is quieter.

''&lt;&lt;I would not follow a child into the hell of war. No, she is not a child. She is wiser than that... and she is brave. Strong.&gt;&gt;''

Isa watches, looking more disappointed than anything else as the Balmarian unit blurs away, retreating. The Yuktobanian heaves a long, shaky sigh.

''&lt;&lt;Razgriz Four, returning to base. I am done here and my Skytalon is in pieces.&gt;&gt;''

Firing the main thrusters and banking the Skytalon, Isa heads back towards the dam, coming in low for a landing on the broad roof of the facility. The Skytalon lurches drunkenly even as it descends; when the landing gear hits the ground, it jounces enough to knock Isa's head against the canopy again. She has to fight it constantly to keep the thing from swerving on its landing gear, thanks to the lack-of-a-wing.

The airbrakes deploy, then, flaps rising on the remaining wing and tail flaps; engines guttering and finally dying as she strives to stop the aircraft.

&lt;&lt;Rachel.&gt;&gt; Isa glances up through the canopy glass, back towards where Rachel's 3C Zeta Gundam. &lt;&lt;You okay, dievushka...?&gt;&gt;

For a second...Suriel is there...

A second later there is a sonic burst so strong that windows for miles EXPLODE, SHATTER, and then turn into birds before crashing into the ground. Suriel himself is gone. However, there are tale tail signs of his presence. Mech shaped holes through mountains and anything that got in his way for hundreds of miles from where the two forces collided.

COMBAT: Isa Reichert has retreated from the area. COMBAT: Amuro Ray has reset their systems to full. COMBAT: Shal'hevet Lev has reset their systems to full.

Er'ela's eyebrows pull together as Takeru takes the powerbomb blast. There was plenty of time for him to see and react to that. Why didn't he move? Why didn't he get around her and cause her to take the blast?

"You...You're completely mad, aren't you!?" The Gespenst's drives power up to full thrust, driving the Type-R directly towards the remains of the Fubuki as it dives at her. Fully intent on smashing another Jet Magnum directly into the machine and obliterating it.

Untill Takeru goes on about all those things. First kiss? Being trapped together in... "...T-takemikazuchi...?" something twists in her stomach. Something isn't right. "N-no...you're lying! THis is just another sample tri-!"

Realising her mistake too late, the sword plunges into the Gespenst's neck, and the Fubuki slams into the Gespenst, sending both of them spiralling down to the ground. "Auhg!"

The pair impact the wall of the dam with a screach of metal. "Y-you....YOU BASTARD!" she snarls. "This is just another one of your human tricks! It's how I was damaged last time!" something on the Gespenst's waist starts to glow green.

Er'la starts breathing harder. "You human Samples are all the same. You just want to destroy and devour and don't SEE what's in front of you!"

The weapon at the gespenst's side is grabbed and drawn out, twirling in the PT's nimlbe fingers as it glows an intense almost nonexistant shade of green.

"WILL!!!"

"KNIFE!!!"

The weapon's edge become monomolecular in sharpness and descends through the remaining shoulder of the Fubuki.

"Have you run to from away here now!"

Why did that not make a lick of sense?

Systems pop and go red. Sparks dance around the cockpit, and the will of Asfanit Kolot— or Teletha Testarossa— once again finds itself headbutting with someone as stubborn and headstrong and completely honest as Rachel Miu Athha. At the feel, the twinge of the pain in the back of her head, her footing shifts and her forearms cross, eyes closing as she focuses on protecting— not just the Gundam, but the Bio Sensor itself, on keeping one of the critical systems that's allowing her to even move the Mobile Suit without crashing horribly into the craggy mountains.

Energy wicks around the Mobile Suit even as the damage manifests itself outside of the Gundam. It becomes a full globe, a glowing sphere of light that is, more or less, made out of her own will. Smoke and flames burst out of joints and seams in the armor, bursts of sparks from the side of the neck.

The thrusters fire again and support the Mobile Suit's weight as the torso is engulfed in smoke— smoke that is quickly blown away by the bright, orange-hue glow. The forearms uncross, lowering to the Gundam's sides— and Rachel breathes hard, sweat rolling down her face. The Lambda Driver is a miracle machine— a pain in the ass, but a miracle machine. How it hasn't actually destroyed the Mobile Suit from the inside-out on more than one occasion, she isn't sure...

... though maybe it's because Tessa and Rachel have a stronger connection to each other than anyone could ever really think.

Hovering in the sky, the glow slowly bleeds away, and the young Newtype stumbles a bit in her position; the Zeta mimics the motion to some degree as the body lurches forward and the head hangs, nearly dropping the beam sabers in the process. Straightening up, Rachel stares dead ahead at the screens as Asfanit— as Tessa— flees. She's exhausted, her head hurts like hell, and her body, the system... it's just not fully ready for atmospheric combat yet.

And then she swallows, drawing in one more breath.

"... Y-Yeah, Isa... I'm okay."

COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has attacked Takeru Shirogane. Will Knife - Monomolecular added to their queue. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Rachel Miu Athha sounds exhausted. "One-oh-one, ... target fleeing..." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; White Glint, R9: Joshua O'Brien transmits, "Good work." COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Er'ela Sufa has missed Takeru Shirogane with her Will Knife - Monomolecular attack. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, "Razgriz Four... I am landed. ...Someone will need to help me fix this bird, she will not fly again for another day or two, I think. Ugh." Pause. "Good to hear you are alive still, dievushka. I will wait for you on runway." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "We've got bunks waiting down below. They're not a luxury hotel, but they'll do." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Rachel Miu Athha transmits, "... I... I can help, Isa..." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert mumbles. "Will sleep in cockpit if I have to. Have done it before... later, dievushka; we are both resting after that. Have earned it, I think, da...?" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "...Wait a sec- oh god damnit." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Rachel Miu Athha transmits, "A-Amuro... is Amuro okay?" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher sighs. &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, probably to Cipher, "Shto?" What? &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Avalon's got a scar in it. Anyone want to help take some concrete to the wound?" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Fighter Ace Team | Several Razgriz pilots pipe up. "We'll help out." "Hey, it's your damned dam, you can fix it. I'm beat." "Hey, aren't there several squadrons of Yukes incoming, too? They can help out." "Let me get my plane on the ground, and Grau Wespe will help out, too." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Alright. Let's get this place in tip top shape." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, "Da, there are several Yuktobanian squadrons incoming. Will be here during cover of night, I think. They were not able to leave in time, not without attracting attention. ...Am exhausted, but I will help, too." Grunt. Flick of a cigarette lighter. "Can sleep when I am dead." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "We'll move the rest of the Ghosts in, get all the planes stacked nice and tight. I'll have to put in a few calls, see what can't be done about repairing and replacing the defensive munitions..." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Amuro Ray transmits, "I'm fine." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Razgriz Four: Isa Reichert transmits, "Da... I will brief my Yuktobanian comrades on situation when they arrive. Some of them, carrier squadrons; they will fit nicely inside Avalon, I think." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "Hold on a sec—" &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, "...Got it. Alright, grabbing control of the defenses in the Valley." &lt;Radio: E - Razgriz&gt; Cipher transmits, " That'll take a bit, but..."

"Of course I'm crazy! I told you..." Takeru smiles in the opened cockpit, a sad smile sinking deep into his eyes. "I told you I can't let down my promise, Meiya...and you won't listen to anything but a fight, right...? So I don't have any choice but to fight you, even though it's killing me....every time I fight you, I'm risking both our lives, and if I was responsible for your death..."

"If I was the one who..." Takeru's voice chokes over the radio momentarily. "If I was the one who took your life...or if I couldn't save you before someone else did it...I'd...I'd never forgive myself, Meiya...I'd never...I couldn't go on..."

"I couldn't go on, knowing that I'd failed you like that..."

Those tears rolling down his cheeks, the warm, sorrow-filled tears...those are real. Those aren't fake, they couldn't be fake; that look on his face, that sad, sad, distant smile under the breathing mask. "I'm sorry, Meiya...I let you get captured...I let you get turned into this...I...I'm so weak...I can't stop crying, even now, here, on the battlefield..."

The knife stabs into the dam behind the pair as Takeru lets out a laugh full of self-loathing. "Do you know what they said to me? They told me I was an idiot...Mikoto, and Class Rep, and Ayamine, and Miki...they told me I should've saved you, should've fought harder. And I should've...I was weak, I didn't understand what was going on. But...but..."

The water from the dam's scar starts to pour down onto the TSF. It's not long before Takeru will be up to his legs in water; he can feel the puddle splashing around the pedals, the jets starting to groan with water. But he still had to say what he had to say.

"But it didn't hurt as bad as how stupid I felt. I wanted to do such awful things...when you told me that there was no Meiya, I wanted to go and start hurting every Balmarian I could find, until I found the one who took you. I wanted to do something terrible, Meiya. I wanted to do such terrible things."

"And just knowing you're alive...if I have to let you go for right now...it's okay, right? Because now I understand what I have to do to save you. And I will save you - I will, it's not an if or a maybe or any of that insecure, stupid stuff from the recruit who didn't know anything about this world."

Takeru looks up, his eyes gleaming through the tears. "I will save you, Meiya. I promise."

"I love you."

There. He'd said it. Even if it was to an alien, brainwashed version of Meiya who'd never remember what he'd said, he'd said it. It was off his chest; that horrible weight, that sinking feeling that he'd never get to tell her those words, that she'd died before he could and that he'd go forever without her knowing how he'd felt.

The TSF Type-94 Fubuki's upper body, soaking wet and filling with water, releases the Gespenst. It backs away; Takeru knows what's coming next. That teleport.

But he's still smiling.

"Please wait for me...because next time we meet, I'm going to save you, Meiya."

COMBAT: Takeru Shirogane has retreated from the area.

The Will Knife misses. Too bad this thing doesn't home in on it's target. It does however sink into the wall of the dam. The Gespenst drags down by the hilt of the blade as Takeru escapes, digging a long scar in the wall of the damn. "Tch. Freaky bastard."

The will knife is pulled out of the concrete wall and the gravitic warp pulls the Gespenst away.

"I'm going to kill you one day."