Eternal Rubicon - IC

**Satehi** · July 6th, 2015, 01:16 AM

Reid von Staufenzollern-Luxemhorn
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Hallways
Date - Monday, April 16th, 10:58 AM

As the noise faded from his gun, Reid felt a surge of relief, tension fading from his body.

It had gone fairly well- those brutish machines had been turned into scrap, and most of them were fairly well off. The headache he could do without, but it was nothing compared to misfortune that had befallen that one guard. If he had done better in shooting down the missile…

But such thoughts were pointless now.

Pausing to spare another glance at the injured man, Reid followed Clarissa to the hole.

What he saw in there disgusted him. The flesh strewn across the floor, the distorted figures that could only have been human bodies… It was a massacre not only on human life but on human morality. A sight that should have instantly repulsed any decent human being. Just seeing the mangled pieces floating the water was enough to make him feel nauseous, even without the headache from earlier, but the misshapen forms were too much for Reid to stand more than passing glances at.

He had known when he had joined that death and gore were not uncommon on the battlefield. That much he was prepared for. But this… this was a level of depravity far beyond anything he’d expected. Just staring at the sight was enough to make his stomach hurl, and only his dignity kept him from vomiting on the spot.

Originally Posted by Clarissa

“Look around. get me anything you can find. Files, documents, computers, whatever works or is legible. I want to know what, and more importantly, who was doing this.”

“R-roger.”

He slowly calmed down. Even if he wanted nothing more than to leave this room, they had an objective to fulfill here, a duty as soldiers of the EAU. Suppressing the shivers racing down his spine, he walked deeper into the room, careful to tiptoe around anything that even resembled tissue.

Originally Posted by Katyusha

"His corporation works with pharmaceuticals; it isn't such a big jump from medicine to medical massacre."

Reid could only nod in agreement. The location itself should have been more than enough to incriminate Mauser- but there was a chance that he wasn’t the only one involved. Letting anyone get away with this violation on human rights- that was simply unacceptable.

Gradually, he made his way over to the computer terminal. As the former heir to the Staufenzollern-Luxemhorn family, he was no stranger to navigating computers. Electronics were clean, familiar. Much better than poking around the bodies- just the thought made him feel queasy again.

Thanks to the explosion the terminal was in poor shape, but with some luck it was still usable. Given the state of the physical records, the information it held could be invaluable. As he glanced over in search of the on switch as well as an access port, Reid withdrew the other device he had brought with him- the “data spikes”. For a crime of this scale, safe guards-access restrictions, passwords- to hide away the data from prying eyes were only natural.

And that was where these would come in handy. Filled with viruses designed by the EAU’s cyber-warfare division, they would quickly let him bypass any system defenses. Once he was in and the system infected, he could search for the files with ease- and then, the data spikes were data storage devices, he could also copy those files from the terminal onto them. Then they could serve as evidence, or be analyzed in detail at a later date.

…

After his work on the terminal seemed about finished, he moved over to the chemical cabinet.

Taking care to avoid contact with any strange chemicals, he took each chemical out one at a time and inspected them, reading over any labels. Unfortunately, he had no special tools to apply here. He could only rely on his upbringing and training as a soldier to recognize these. Their names, effects, makers- he tried to commit these to memories, looking for any links that would clarify what these people had been doing and who they were.

Whoever had committed this atrocity would find themselves in a real mess, of that he would make certain.

**Zagrin** · August 29th, 2015, 08:30 AM

Takeshi Wakahisa
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Hangar Bay 5
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:16 AM

"Wha-!?"

That was all he was able to get out before being interrupted and sent hurtling back by the resultant force from the impact of CIVOPS officer's strange technique. His flight was anything, but graceful and it's no doubt he'd have had quite the bit of airtime if it weren't cut short with a loud thud by the nearby wall.

"Uuugh."

Well it wasn't as bad as the dose of electrotherapy he had received earlier, but that had still hurt. Nonetheless Takeshi continued to stand, intent on watching the spectacle that was Fujita Katsu's fight style. However what he saw when he lifted his head was a large steel container headed right his way!

"Tch!"

Having no wish of ending up as a human pancake, Takeshi twisted his body and dived to the right, narrowly avoiding the container as it crashed into the area he had previously occupied. Seriously what kind of monster was Fujita to be able to send such heavy objects hurtling simply due to the shockwave released by the impact of his punches!? Not even something like a Rubicon could do that yet this old man made it seem like child's play.

Blinded by the display of Fugita's power, he found himself caring less and less about the situation he was in, instead shifting to the important question that now burned in his mind.

"What the hell is this, old man!?"

**Mellon** · March 31st, 2016, 04:46 PM

Commander Kang Tae Hwan, Takeshi Wakahisa
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Hangar Bay 5, New York
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:19 AM

With huffing breath, you madly stumbled through yet another doorway into yet another featureless hallway. Damn this ship was annoying to navigate, with its damn confusing maze of nigh-identical hallways. Your escape from the bridge had been far too close to comfort for your tastes. Heck, the only reason you most likely managed to escape was due to the brief cover provided by the smoke grenade. No. It was probably a miracle (and maybe thanks to these very hallways) that you managed to survive this far. Reaching another access port, you plugged your round beeping helper into the system using Haro’s connector cable and painfully slumped to the ground next to the spherical droid.

Haro beeped loudly next to you.

“Doors. Closed. Assailant. Missing.”

Your plan had been simple, honestly. You had simply closed the doors behind you as you were forcing your pursuer through different, hopefully much longer, paths to chase you down. Closing all the necessary doors would have taken far too long due to your unfamiliarity with Alliance operating systems (and the fact that you were using random minor access ports), but manipulating one or two doors was still possible, even in your current state. Kang’s eyes fell to the small puddle of blood forming underneath him. God knows you wouldn’t be hard to catch otherwise, considering the speed you were actually capable of moving with your wound. Neither would you really be hard to track, considering the small trail of blood that you were perpetually leaving behind.

Your vision blurred dangerously and nausea overtook you for a brief moment.

Status Effect

This was bad. If things continued like this, you would faint in these blasted dimly-lit hallways and then it wouldn’t really matter how many bloody doors you closed, because you would be dead either way. With a couple of quick commands to HARO, a small map of the ship layout was displayed holographically. The exit wasn’t far. While you did feel a pang of sympathy for Wakahisa, who you assumed was still in the medical bay, your most obvious response was to get out of this blasted ship and contact the guards outsides. Besides, if they hadn’t attacked the white haired pilot yet, then drawing the invisible assailants attention to him would be ill advised. You very much doubted that was the case, though.

With a painful groan, Kang Tae Hwan got up from the floor, picked up his spherical companion and continued his journey through the “White Dagger’s” hallways, heading towards the exit ramp. Minutes later, as you were finding yourself nearing the exit of the ship, you could make out faint sounds of… gunfire (?) in the distance, followed by a massive wave of force that rattled throughout the ship, shaking even the heavy steel framework of the ship itself.

Damn, did they set off an explosive?

The explosion had most assuredly come from outside the ship. It was harder to trace the gunshots but… in any case, it was quite likely that some sort of fight was taking place outside. A wave of hesitation ran through Kang at that thought. Could it be that the ship was the more “safe” option at the moment? Perhaps he should attempt to link up with Wakahisa before heading out? Honestly, it might be an “out of the frying pan and into the fire” kind of situation after all. A brief pang of muted pain your side brought you back to reality to face the cold hard facts. Honestly, at this point, you really didn’t have a choice. You might not have it in you to even reach the medbay, not to mention find Wakahisa if the erratic pilot had decided to leave.

No, you had only one option here.

With your steps shaking from blood loss, you stepped into the brightly lit hangar that housed the White Dagger. And promptly grasped the handrail with all your strength as another explosive wave wracked the hangar and nearly took you off your feet.

“Well this was…. unexpected.”

"What the hell is this, old man!?"

The so-called “old man” gave the younger boy an amused grin.

“Simply the childish tricks of an old man, I’m afraid. And the result of far too much free time, I suppose.” His eyes flickered from the white-haired pilot’s form to the Vice-Captain of the Ark Royal, who was now standing on the exit ramp of the White Dagger. “And it seems that our vice-captain is in one piece as well. Good, good.”

The older man was standing in the middle of what could only be described as a massive dent in the steel floor of the hangar. Bent railings and twisted steel had been blown outwards in a massive wave of force and now littered the vicinity. As a show of force, in had been incredible, unbelievable even and it was all done seemingly by pure physical force alone. It was nonsensical. However, if the situation was nonsensical, then the old CIVOPS officer’s opponent was just as incomprehensible. With his coat only slightly singed from the massive blast, the cloaked stranger had evaded the incredible attack and was somehow still in one piece.

Though judging from the crimson stain that was now seeping through his bodysuit, he hadn’t gotten away quite unscathed.

“Boy. I need you to get to the Vice-Captain before the poor man bleeds to death. Do you see the flicker about fifteen meters to your right? On top of that container?” Almost as if by command, the rather obvious flicker caught your eye. “Heh. Those who specialize in hiding themselves can never avoid their inherent shock upon being found.”

Vision Update

“Keep that flicker in your focus, boy. The moment you lose it, you will lose him.” Fujita’s eyes now crossed over to the robed stranger and the other (you assumed) assailants in the room. “Go to the vice captain and protect him. Just from that enemy in your sight alone. I will deal with the rest.”

“Can you do it, Wakahisa-kun?”

Conrad Eagle, Riley Guardstein, Takuto Satoyama and Zach Ayers
Location - EAUN “Vanguard”, Near the Bridge
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:20AM

A random, almost constant stream of gunfire and flashing was all that could be grasped in the bridge of the Vanguard now. Unlike in the illustrious Alliance war programming, there was little left of grace or calculated approaches. A simple struggle for survival, where both sides were simply scrambling madly to get out of this mess in once piece, nothing more. In the middle of it all, two figures rushed through the brief, almost imperceivable pause in the hail of gunfire, caused by the scattering of shots fired out by Takuto’s two pistols.

Environmental Effect Triggered

Through the dispersing mist, you could almost make out the flicker of crimson as they ran towards the central console, their faces set in a grin filled with equal amounts of enjoyment and apprehension before they vanished into the still smoke-filled interior of the bridge.

As Conrad rushed through after his subordinate officers, followed shortly by Takuto, the first sight that greeted the blonde-haired captain and the young pilot, was the sight of Cinque sailing backwards through the air, almost as if the younger officer had been violently thrown away from the console they had just charged at brief seconds earlier. His face set in a slight grimace of pain, Cinque lifted his pistol and was already firing back towards the central console, even as he himself was flying through the air. With a loud thud, the sunglasses-wearing pilot was flung against one of the secondary command consoles nearby. His seemingly scattered pattern of shots was rewarded with a sudden thud, as the last remaining enemy soldier near the console itself, leaving only the dusky skinned enemy captain.

Who, from the looks of it, was seemingly straight in the middle of a fisticuffs fight with your red-haired Vice-Captain.

“Hiyaah!”

It was quite amazing, actually. With a quick bob of her upper body to the left, the captain of the Vanguard, avoided the falling axe kick sent out by your second-in-command by mere inches, and fired of a lightning fast punch that you could only barely see, only for it to be deflected by a sharp palm thrust that sent the incoming jab sailing off course. It was clear that both of them had extensive self-defense training, to say the least. The enemy leader was clearly proficient in what seemed to be standard boxing, almost to an uncanny degree in fact, while Chen body was set in a clearly more oriental fighting stance. Bak Mei Pai, if you had to put a finger on it, though that was just an educated guess at best. The two women struck out once more at each other with peerless grace.

Meanwhile...

Praying for his lucky stars, Zach charged into the small cubway with his rifle held up and his eyes madly scanning the small room for any enemies. It was somewhat of a 50/50, really. If they knew you were coming, this was… well, suicide. And if they weren’t ready for your sudden charge, they would probably be open enough for you to take them down before they could respond. Well… that was if there was one or two of them. If there were more, it was pretty much the crappy outcome again.

Imagine the young pilot’s surprise when the spacesuit holding area was completely and utterly empty of any enemy activity.

Nothing. Zilch. Amidst the empty racks normally filled with spacesuits, there was neither a hair nor sign of any EAU soldiers or officers. Despite the still ongoing battle behind you, tension drained out of Zach's body at the sight of the empty room. That, of course, was immediately followed by a flash of pain that ran through your left arm. Well, that was all well and good but you still had to figure out how to clean out the…

Wait. Empty racks?

The only reason they would be empty was if they were in the middle of an evac..!

Forgetting the pain for a moment, you immediately turned around on your heel heading out of the room and towards the escape pods. Indeed. The only reason the racks would be empty if they were in the middle of an evac…

A loud sound, almost akin to that medieval cannon fire, resounded through the bridge as all of the bridge evacuation pods were ejected as one.

...uation.

Near the main console

“Heh. It seems that I have been slightly outmatched… or is it outwitted? Poison and hidden weapons? What happened to old-fashioned honor and fisticuffs, girl?”

The dusky-skinned captain of the Vanguard clutched her arm tenderly, as it was now bleeding quite profusely from Chen’s attack. Nevertheless, despite her words, not a shred of true spite was visible on the older woman’s face. It was quite obvious from her disposition that this officer wouldn’t shy off from using underhanded tactics herself. And her opponent? Chen for her part looked no worse to wear, although judging from her movements she hadn’t come out of this fight completely unscathed. Blood dripped from her fingers, the most likely cause of the almost claw like marks that now decorated her opponents arm.

Chen gave Julietta a rather tired, but cheeky smile.

“It’s a simple sedative, I’m afraid. Nothing quite as dastardly as you are imagining, no doubt.”

“We aren’t that desperate, you know? Yet, at least.”

The EAU captain simply let out a burst of laughter.

“But desperate enough to charge the bridge of a fully staffed battlecruiser?” Julietta simply gave an amused shake of his head, as her body started wobbling uncertainly. “Well, you have bested me, alright. Of that, there can be no doubt.”

“But you know what they say. There are times where you must lose a battle to win the war, y'know?”

Despite the sedative coursing through her veins, the tall woman acted before any of you, even Chen, who was closest to her, could respond. With an almost superhuman desperation, Julietta’s other, still unwounded, fist came down on the emergency switch on the wall right next to her. This was most likely what she had been aiming for at the very start. The howling instantly alarms filled the bridge, along with the characteristic rumbling and sliding sound that characterized the activation of heavy machinery.

As the captain of the Vanguard collapsed motionlessly on the floor of the bridge, a single ominous message was displayed on all the information screens present on the Bridge.

Stevie St. Angelo and Freira Lima
Location - EAUN “Vanguard”, Corridor
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:18 AM

“So sitting in the engine room for the better part of 15 minutes was a fruitless endeavor?”

Mashta’s rather irritated voice echoed throughout the empty hallway, as your little team was rushing through the, now almost deserted, empty hallways of the Victorious. From the way the younger, dark-skinned girl, was glaring at Eliza, it was evidently clear who she considered being the source of this mind-boggling mishap. The girl in white, however, responded to her relative hostility with her typical sense of… casual ease, for the lack of a better word.

“Yes, yes. I should have checked the communications five minutes ago. But it was so exciting! A real ambush! Not at all like the ones in the simulations!” A rather dejected pout appeared on her face. “How was I supposed to know that they would rather ditch the ship than deal with a minor hull breach?”

The evacuation alarms were screaming throughout the ship and the red emergency lights that had been activated gave the white, sleek hallways an almost menacing look. Once you had figured out that no-one was coming, your priorities had immediately shifted. No-one would bother with the engine room if the entire ship was on general evacuation mode. The fundamental issue here was that an evacuation order would undoubtedly draw attention from the rest of the EAU forces in the area. Which left you with limited options. Without at least some kind of protection, the Vanguard, even if you managed to take over the entirety of the ship with zero issues, would be nothing more but a sitting duck to that EAU warship that had been hounding you ever since Nova Calendus. And more than just that… their Rubicon’s as well.

To even fighting chance in this situation, you needed to secure the hangar. Preferably before all the mobile suits there had taken off.

Your fears were further assured when the large double doors leading to the hangar slid open. From the looks of it, the evacuation procedures were almost complete, as the only remaining individuals present on the ship were Valkyrie pilots, who, from the looks of it, were in the midst of final pre-launch checks, before taking off. The engineering crew had long since evacuated the hangar, leaving the entire thing running on automated launch protocols. A computerized voice echoed throughout the hangar.

“PLEASE CLEAR THE LAUNCH DECK. LAUNCH IMMINENT IN 20…19…18…!”

One of the Valkyries was already attached to the launch catapult, the azure glow of its engines humming at a low intensity. Due to the way the launching area was constructed aboard most EAU vessels, the launch area would undoubtedly be depressurized and subjected to the vacuum of space once the ejection gates were opened. Further back in the hangar, the rest of the four Valkyries were clearly waiting for their turn in the launching order.

Mashta quickly extended her hand towards Freira without any hesitation.

“Freira-nee! Grab my hand!” As the older sister did so, a small mischievous grin appeared on the younger sister face. “Remember that time that uncle took the three of us rock climbing? And you said you didn’t like it because it took such a long time?”

“Well, do I have a solution for you, neesan.”

Suddenly, with a sharp whistle, a thin bolt was launched from Mashta's other wrist, which was now pointed directly at the launching Valkyrie. Nary a moment later, a slight clinking sound could be heard, as the projectile struck true to its target. The mechanical voice, meanwhile, continued its merciless countdown.

“14…”

Your only warning was a slight whizzing noise before you were literally pulled off your feet towards the mobile suit in the distance at incredible speeds. Now, you were not unfamiliar with the concept of mechanical grappling hooks. They were quite common amongst… certain contingents and were something Freira had worked with earlier. However, the issue here was that… you couldn’t make out the rope at all? How the hell was this thing even working? And the speed of which it pulled you towards the Valkyrie on the launch deck was incredible. In fact, you were quite certain that this stunt would, at the very least break both of your legs! However, the very moment you were about to impact the steel surface of the EAU mobile suit, you felt something, almost akin to a cushion, soften your fall. Not that it wasn’t jarring enough in itself.

Now you only needed to hijack this plane before you (and your sister) would be jettisoned into the cold emptiness of space.

No pressure, right?

Challenge

“Ooh, look at them fly off!”

Eliza, for her part, was excitedly pointing towards the pair that had just flown off into the distance.

“I didn’t even know that they managed to get the Quadrant-Axis past experimental phase! I thought they were still thinking about how to not get ground into paste on im… ooooh, I get it now! They used the anti-gravity tech from Parralax, only with reversed polarities! Though… judging from the impact, it’s still relatively inefficient.”

“Mouuu… I want to take it apart now! Right, let’s take over rest of these Valryies, so that I can have a closer look at those boots, Stevie!”

The white haired girl pointed eagerly towards the docked mobile suits.

“Go! Go! Punch them out of their cockpits or something!”

Challenge

Reid von Staufenzollern-Luxemhorn, Katyusha Volkovnika
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Hidden Research Lab
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:09 AM

Digging through the waterlogged documents was… not a pleasant experience. Undoubtedly this place had been abandoned for some time. A year or two, you would assume, judging from the looks of it. And not only had water done its work, it was clear that whoever had been here earlier, hadn’t quite made preservation of documents their priority. Despite what you assumed initially, it seemed that at least some of the canisters had been broken prior to the blast. This meant that the vast majority of the documents were completely unsalvageable. Not only that, they had been soaked in the clinical liquid from the tanks, the chemical smell of which made you feel nauseous to the pit of your stomach.

That is if the malformed body parts that littered the entire room hadn’t done it first.

However, not all of Katyusha’s effort had been wasted. Despite everything, some of the documents could still be restructured using the visual scanners onboard your flying friends. And some documents, in spite of all the hardships this place had obviously gone through, were even in semi-readable shape. Collecting as many as you could, one of the documents especially caught your eye. Both due to its rather disturbing content and due to its relative legibility.

Report #4

Reid meanwhile, slid the data spike neatly into the entry port of the laboratory computer. Nigh-instantly, the computer, that previously simply gormlessly demanded a password, had countless tiny windows popping up on its screen, as the system itself was overflooded by a veritable tidal wave of invasive viruses designed by the EAU cyber-warfare division.

You didn’t even have the time to say “Open, Sesame”, before you were greeted by the internal database of the terminal.

Or what was left of it in any case.

Judging from the data that was available… the list of “volunteers” and their various conditions and responses to treatment (although the specifics of this “treatment” remained a mystery), numerous 3D images of what appeared to be… extremely complex protein structures? Along with a fair amount of DNA code, the purpose of which completely alluded you at the moment. From the looks of it, actual reports were submitted via hand (for some bizarre reason) and most of the personnel information had been lost in the blast.

New Inventory

Copying everything you could to the data spike, you stood up from behind the partially damaged terminal and headed to the chemical cupboard, a heavy, bright yellow steel cabinet in the corner of the room. Most of the remaining bottles there simply confirmed your initial suspicions. Calcium phosphate, DEAE-dextran, a variety of dendrimers and more – all in all, everything you would ever need for gene induction. In fact, the sheer variety of different gene induction methods on display here was quite… peculiar. Some of these methods hadn’t been in use for a very long time, making their presence here suspicious in itself.

Why would they need to use multiple competing methods to induce DNA into cells?

While shuffling through the small fridge placed inside the cabinet, you came across a small set of unlabeled samples of unknown origin.

New Inventory

As the two of you handed your findings over to Clarissa, her face could have might as well be carved of stone. Her blue eyes, now colder than steel, quickly scanned over the report that Katyusha had found earlier. It was now quite clear that genetic experiments were being performed on this station, even if it was without the knowledge of the local security attachment. And not only that, real life human volunteers were used in these “experiments” as well.

The malformed individuals inside the glass tanks and their twisted limbs left little to the imagination on their final fate.

Clarissa’s calm voice only barely managed to hide the fury that was boiling inside.

“We need to speak to Mauser. “

“Even if he was not responsible for this, it is hard for me to believe that he would have no knowledge of this. Considering that he owns this station, he should be one of the few people who are even aware of the existence of this room.”

“That man has an obsession with perfection. There is no way he wo….”

The station shook violently once more, as it was undoubtedly, once more, rocked with distant explosions. However, something was… different this time. The blast came from the… outside of the station? But that would mean…

“I see. So not only did they flood the station with their battle droids, but they now want to destroy the entire station? Don’t they even care about civilian casualties at this point?”

“Or were the droids meant to simply tie us down, while they move their pieces in place?”

Only frustration, over this entire nonsensical situation, was visible on the Swedish princess’s face.

Zhen Hoshi, Yamada Taro, Sylvia Hanaika, Captain Jin Yeong Song
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Space
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:20 AM

Yamada Taro

In a flash of blinding light and heat, the incoming attacks, both kinetic and beam based, fell on the Mandragora’s frame. Melding Michihi, in a way that only you knew, Yamada pushed it to fold into a wide shimmering layer in front of the dark Rubicon. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that you asked it to do so and it chose to comply. After all, the spear (if it could even be called such) was more akin to a sentient mass of AI-controlled liquid, then any actual real physical object.

No one would hear you complaining about it, though, especially now.

When the Mandragora emerged from the blaze of light, it clearly looked worse for wear. It was clear that the Michihi’s shield mode, while useful, wasn’t quite up to the task of blocking multiple simultaneous attacks from enemy battleships. Structural damage to the black Rubicon was considerable and while you still seemed to have full control over most of the systems on board the mobile suit, the Hakajirushi subsystems had been considerably damaged, to the point where trying to magic something out of the broken emitter system would have been a straight out miracle.

Damage

Nevertheless, you, at least, gave as good as you got, as the Kanoke missile you had fired at one of the approaching GUARDIANs lit the darkness of space up in an intense blazing flash. From the looks of it, the enemy suit had at least been considerably damaged, its missile launcher melted into an unusable husk.

TAC Bonus Activated

Sylvia Hanaika

Your blade cleaved neatly through the GUARDIAN, splitting reinforced steel and high-durability carbon compounds, almost as if they weren’t even there. In a single clean stroke the enemy Mobile Suit was split into two halves, its hapless pilot dead before she even managed to scream out. A flicker of a second later, the entire suit exploded in a brilliant flash. The swordsmanship was perfect of course. Anything less would be a disgrace and a mark of failure.

And you left such things behind long ago.

Alloros eyes flashed menacingly, as you turned your attention towards the other two GUARDIANs in the area and pointed the tip of your blade in their direction. The intention was clear. You would simply cut them down without mercy, much like you did their comrade. To their credit, the two GUARDIANs showed no clear signs of hesitation. Instead, the pair lifted their beam rifles and opened fire towards your general direction. However, even from a casual glance, you could see that their shots would miss your position. Sylvia’s hand moved towards her Rubicons throttle, the boosters on the white-green mobile suit humming in response. Just as you were about to accelerate…

… you noticed a flash.

For a brief second, light seemed to vanish and the darkness of space became almost all-consuming to you, before everything returned to normal. It took you only a brief second to understand what had just happened. From the looks of it, something had, for a brief moment, sucked all light towards it. A rather peculiar phenomenon, if you were completely honest, but one rather convenient for your opponents, as the beam shots that were about to simply whizz past you, were now exactly pinpointed towards Alloro’s frame. The question of “how” still slightly haunted you, before the solution struck you like a truck of bricks.

Right. The disgusting goo-filled missiles. Great.

Equipment Wise Up

Zhen Hoshi

“Zhen. We are in range. Lets blow this hunk of steel skyward and get out of here before the EAU dusts us with their gigantic oversized gun.”

In a blaze of blue and white, the engines of the black mobile suit roared, as Altoris accelerated towards Desponia (and the stabilizer ring) at full speed. Reaching the outer stabilizer ring, Altoris quickly flicked the switch which engaged hover mode and activated the Torsion Faisceau system.

The frame of Noir Wing unfolded, releasing clouds of white coolant mist in the process.

“Cover me for a second, will you?” Altoris’s voice took on shades of his typical, more cocky nature, as it echoed through the Azure Wing’s cockpit speakers. “Trust me, I would make the most annoying ghost ever, so don’t even think about skipping out, Zhen-chan.”

Having said that, the unfolded form of the Noir Wing was suddenly enveloped in a steadily intensifying glow of brightest crimson. Even for an outside observer, it was quite obvious that the dark mobile suit was readying itself for something Most likely a large-scale attack of some description. For Zhen however, it was nothing unknown or new. She already knew what the blue haired young man was preparing and the approximate charging time he would need.

Countless simulations on this specific scenario tended to do that.

A wry thought flashed briefly through Zhen’s mind.

Time to protect the princess and save the day, I guess.

Lisa Redfield and Hanite Bishara

“Remember, Lisa. Our mission is to buy time. Let Altoris and Zhen deal with the rest.”

“I know, I know. Geez, without Junko-nee and her incessant badgering, I would have never signed up for this. Why not have Janice or Selene deal with this nonsense...”

“You know exactly why, Lisa. Now stop your whining and get to it.”

“Right, right.”

The two suits suddenly accelerated towards the green Rubicon in the distance, their forms melding into streams of azure and white. In an elegant aileron roll, the Murmure morphed into its flight mode, a familiar sight to any veteran of the EAUN. Although seeing such a design in on the opposite site would undoubtedly be a jarring experience for many. Accelerating even further due to the increased thruster output, the blue-white jet opened fire without even a shred of hesitation.

“I’ll leave the defenses to you, Lisa!”

“Got it!”

A stream of deepest orange flew out towards Alloro, the halo of raw energy writhing around it almost as if it was alive.

TURN 3 BATTLE LOG
EP 4 BATTLE MAP

**Zagrin** · March 31st, 2016, 10:58 PM

Takeshi Wakahisa
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Hangar Bay 5
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by Old Man

“Simply the childish tricks of an old man, I’m afraid. And the result of far too much free time, I suppose. And it seems that our vice-captain is in one piece as well. Good, good.”

"Tch."

Suffice to say Takeshi wasn't entirely happy with the explanation the old man had given him, and who could blame him? After all the geezer had bent the steel floor underneath him as if it were nothing, normal people don't do that! He swore that he'd get answers out of him once this was all over, but for now there were other matters to attend to such as the one that had just arrived.

Takeshi turned his gaze to his illustrious vice-captain and noted his condition. Well the man was right, he was in one piece albeit bleeding profusely, a wound earned from one of these hidden cowards no doubt. Still he could have at least tried to look less pathetic than he did now, but then perhaps this simply was the limit for a "man of science" such as Kang.

“Boy. I need you to get to the Vice-Captain before the poor man bleeds to death. Do you see the flicker about fifteen meters to your right? On top of that container? Heh. Those who specialize in hiding themselves can never avoid their inherent shock upon being found.”

A flicker? Takeshi couldn't see any flicker, had this old man gone senile or something...?

Wait, no, there was a flicker there. At first it was difficult to see, but gradually it became clearer and clearer for Takeshi to see, to the point that it began to stand out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the scenery in the hanger. Again this geezer had astounded Takeshi, how had he been able to catch something so minute? Well whatever the case might have been at least for now Takeshi could make out where his enemy was standing.

“Keep that flicker in your focus, boy. The moment you lose it, you will lose him. Go to the vice captain and protect him. Just from that enemy in your sight alone. I will deal with the rest.”

Orders? Takeshi didn't normally make a habit of taking orders from anyone other than his commander for a mission (and even then there were times he didn't listen!), but for this old man he'd make an exception. These skills of his had earned him at least that much respect from the rabid youth, and that was really saying something.

Still only one enemy? Well he guessed that keeping the egghead alive would make it somewhat interesting. Nonetheless if he got the chance he'd take that flickering coward out, after all if that figure is the only threat he had to deal with once it's neutralized it'd be over, right?

“Can you do it, Wakahisa-kun?”

"Hahaha...do you even need to ask?"

With that answer Takeshi raced forth towards Kang's location, never taking his eyes off the flicker while doing so. Whatever else was happening in the hanger wasn't any of his concern at the moment, the old man said to watch that flicker, and he would do so reacting as necessary. As for Kang, first he'd secure his position then decide on the plan forward, for now it was just paramount that the schmuck didn't die on them.

**Mormarth** · March 31st, 2016, 11:23 PM

Stevie St. Angelo
Location - EAUN “Vanguard”, Corridor
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:18 AM

"Hmph."

Well, let's take a moment to get the lay of the land.

I, unfortunately, wasn't able to get my Predator on (was looking forward to it, too...), as the Unionists had apparently caught on to our little scheme and declared the ship compromised, issuing a general evacuation.

As such, our priorities had shifted a tad, new objective: Secure the Hanger.

I nodded, compartmentalize, cut the mission down to size and focus on what you have to do right now. I'm no good with big-picture, so I might as well focus on what's in front of me.

And that's the four Valkyries in front of me.

Guys going through pre-launch checks, don't think they've cottoned on to the fact we're here, yet, so let's try and make this nice and smooth.

It's about to get a little noisy in here.

Wish I knew a bit more about them to make it easier on me, but alas.

Guess I'm going to have to get them out the hard way.

I scuttled towards the back of the hanger at a loping pace, moving quickly but silently and low to the ground. They're probably going to be a bit displeased by some asshole stealing their planes, so better make it snappy.

Just like those old jet fighters back home, come out of the jungle, move to the hanger, then do a bunch of things I'd rather not reminisce about.

Jump up, get them out, make it quick, move on. I don't have enough know-how to get complicated with this, quick and clean.

**Snax** · April 1st, 2016, 01:18 PM

Commander Kang Tae Hwan
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Hangar Bay 5
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:19 AM

"Guh, hahaha, this is a bit too much exertion for a non-combatant as such as myself..."

Smiling somewhat helplessly, Kang slowly totters down the handrails, stumbling and landing on one knee at the bottom of the rails. Haro under one arm, his other free arm attempting to quench the flow of blood from his side wound, he woozily gets up, looking around to see a bunch of chaos happening around the bay. At least Takeshi and the CIVOPS officer were around, making things look a bit less grim.

"Well, tell me to get the hell back into combat school, ugh. Do what you need, Wakahisa - I'll try and call up some backup."

Slumping against a wall, trusting the pilot to do whatever was needed, Kang pulled out his comms device, dialing up the commander.

"This is Cm. Kang, currently in Hangar Bay 5. Request for immediate evac, there are insurgents with optical camo currently operating around the captured ship. Total number of assailants, unknown. They are armed and aiming for the kill. I repeat, we request immediate evac. Currently we have me, Wakahisa, and the CIVOPS officer Fujita in here."

In the meanwhile, Kang looked around if he could find any access ports - maybe he could use one of them to access the hangar mainframes and use something to their own need...but with this blood loss, he would have to concentrate on not fainting...

Life was hard, indeed.

**Bloble** · April 1st, 2016, 05:41 PM

Katyusha Volkovnika
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Hidden Research Lab
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by Clarissa

“We need to speak to Mauser.“

"That we do," Katyusha murmured.

It might've been strange, but to her, it wasn't. As Clarissa got more and more riled up, Katyusha's anger died down. Or rather, it was forced down, packed into a tiny box that would explode like a grenade when needed but was for now merely an inert container. What Clarissa needed was a clear mind; if she herself couldn't supply it, Katyusha would make do.

"Then, Clarissa, we need to get moving."

Her drones jumped around the room as Katyusha's fingers twitched. "We last saw them, in the meeting room. He'll likely have left. But it's a start." She could only speak in short bursts. Her anger had carried her for the past few minutes, but as it and the adrenaline ebbed away, her broken rib made itself known. She stood stiffly, trying not to pull on it with any jerky movements, pretending she wasn't as mobile as a tin woman.

"We can ask questions, when he's there to answer."

There was something else the anger had blown away momentarily. They had at least one seriously wounded soldier, unable to walk without assistance. Katyusha wasn't about to leave the man behind, especially not after he and his buddies had pulled her out of harm's way, and perhaps his condition could even be of use.

She drew in slightly closer to Clarissa, turning her back to the opening in the wall in the process. Katyusha's voice fell to a pained whisper, but her eyes were steeled.

"There is a med bay nearby. The guards have a wounded man. Better send them there, than bring them along. Between us and Mauser, they'll be tempted to choose the one signing their paychecks. If you press the issue, when we find him."

Then, there was one more concern.

"If the attack intensifies..." The station itself could be compromised, and every living thing within it killed instantly by the gentle mercy of outer space. Katyusha wanted to see Clarissa's wishes granted, but even more important was ensuring her principal's survival. "Securing an exit should be a priority. The hanger - it's nearby."

**Vritra** · April 1st, 2016, 07:10 PM

Yamada Taro
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Space
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:20 AM
Turn: something I’ll find out later…

As the projectiles slammed into the Mandragora, as the world in front of me exploded into light, as I was thrown around against the seat restraints I can only curse my inabilities as the aching sets in.

God's damned empty headed blind foolish overconfident inept imagination, next time I get the chance I’m learning how to not get shot no matter what, ooooooow. Yet despite the bruising I choke down any further curses that my mother would threaten to sew my mouth shut if she ever heard them

…if she was alive.

A black mobile suit spreads its wings and begins to glow foretelling destruction I nothing is done.

There was once a village

I can feel the heat from the flames that consume it, I can hear the gunfire, I can smell the burnt flesh, I can see those who were supposed to be protected but were killed instead. In the past but forever with me I can see once more how it will end if I fail. A burning visage where the lives of those who should never have been involved are recklessly thrown in and abandoned, different time, different circumstances but the end is all the same.

No.

That is not something I will allow, never again. I never want to see that hell ever again.

“So, so, so DON’T THINK I’LL JUST LET YOU DO AS YOU PLEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASSSSEEEEEEEE.”

A spark sets off a resolution that I’ll cling to as my mind races and I snap the Mandragora into action.

Lock on complete.

Septimus system activated.

Thrusters engaged at full throttle.

The engines of the emperor give out a deafening roar that is lost in the silence of space as it glows and races its own barrage of destruction to stop what is about to unfold. Twisting along a spiraling zig zaging flight path as it sought to minimize threat to both it and by extension the station from enemy fire. A burning charge of one given the name of a emperor who steered the course of empire which shaped human history, shield held aloft as finally it dips to reject the Guardian's attempts to further damage the station.

A resolute made by a boy who lost everything and one who now vows to not losing anything more, a resolution realized and transformed into action by by the power of a machine that defied common sense.

Wise Up

**Dranes** · April 1st, 2016, 08:41 PM

Zach Ayers
Location - EAUN “Vanguard”, Bridge
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:20AM

A situation that was bad just got a lot worse, it seemed to be the recurring theme of the day for Zach. The captain of the Vanguard seemed to have been one step ahead of them, all of the space suits had been used or ejected with some pieces remaining scattered around the bride. Whether they were in a usable condition or not was another question and whether they'd even be any good in this situation was another, after all...all of the escape pods had been ejected and with that any hope of escaping this floating death trap.

-----!!!

Pain assailed him again, it was a light wound but it hurt all the same. Zach grimaced as blood dripped from his arm.

"Damnit."

He cursed under his breath, both from the pain and the red flashing screens around him. Almost as if they were a last taunt from the EAU that had just escaped with the pods.

Clipping the safety back on his gun, he moved forward to the bridge enduring the prickles of pain that came and went now..

"They took most of the suits with them but we've got enough spares left if we need them," he stated, confirming if anyone had some doubt on the little good fortune they might have had today, "Wait, what's happening outside...?"

His confusion wasn't surprising if any of them looked to the scanners or even to the outside view port. The entire time they had been fighting a battle against the EAU in the ship but something bigger was already happening outside, another full scale battle. It seemed to be the EAU and the Alliance? No, that wasn't right, this was neutral ground even if the EAU was stationed here now so even if those machines looked like the same ones he had fought with just a few days ago they were undoubtedly not allies. The capital ship designs and the custom valkyries that seemed to be leading them also looked like nothing of the EAU's or the Alliance's, so it could only mean one thing...

"Pirates? What are pirates doing her-"

There was no question as to what they were doing here.

Somehow they had found out about their ship, it was the only logical explanation.

And with how things were going, they would be blown to bits in the cross-fire. The station already looked like it was a victim of it, battered by the pirate attack, the pirates were even worse than the EAU in this regard...after all they followed only their own rules. The innocent casualties in that space station didn't mean anything to them, no one would hold them accountable for their actions. The thought caused the young man to clench his teeth, they were stuck helpless in space while all this was going on. They had also taken out the communications so it was impossible to contact the other EAU ship regarding the SOS distress.

"I know the comms are shot but is there no way we can contact the others still on the ship?"

A faint hope but it was quickly dimming.

**Mereo Flere** · April 3rd, 2016, 04:08 PM

Riley Guarstein
Location - EAUN "Vanguard" Bridge

"This situation was not within any of my expectations," Riley muttered to himself. "Then again, anything that didn't involve us dying horribly by now was already out of my expectations."

Now that they were trapped on the bridge, floating in space, there wasn't much he could personally do to get them out of it. Trying to repair the comms was a bit out of his expertise. As for the battle that was going on outside, there wasn't enough information to determine whether or not the people who were fighting the EAU were allies or not. While it was true that they were keeping the EAU preoccupied, convenient timing wasn't enough to count them as friendlies.

After all, pirates were hardly the most trustworthy of people. Riley hadn't forgotten that the EAU had some assistance when they attacked the training facility.

However, just because he couldn't count on the pirates, it didn't mean there weren't other people out there that could help.

"We might not need to contact them. She's already done it for us," Riley said, gesturing towards the unconscious captain. "The EAU may know where we are, but so does everybody else thanks to the SOS transmission. They'll know that something to the bridge - and we're the most likely something around. A distress signal wouldn't have been sent out if the bridge was fine."

The only question was whether or not their allies were in a position to help. If they were, then they would try. If they weren't, then it wouldn't matter that they couldn't contact them directly.

"Right now, our best bet is to prepare for the possibility we might be saved, and gather what intel we can about the enemy forces stationed around here."

**Satehi** · April 3rd, 2016, 06:29 PM

Reid von Staufenzollern-Luxemhorn
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Hidden Research Lab
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:09 AM

“Mauser’s going to have to wait.” Reid said.

As disgusted as he was at the lab and its associated atrocities, the shaking just now had brought other priorities to the fore. He could feel his nausea at the scenery disappearing a little, as he focused less on the gore and more on their next course of action. More familiar territory. Making sure that Mauser owned up to the crimes that had transpired, whether by his negligence or intent, was an important responsibility that fell upon them as human beings- but even before that, they had to ensure the safety of the station. Even if he didn't like it, his training as a soldier had drilled into him that the lives of his comrades and the people on board were more important than their anger.

“I don't like proposing this, but... we’ve already got the evidence. Mauser’s a big fish- he’ll have to answer for what’s happened here, eventually. We need put whatever’s been attacking the station first. We still don’t have any idea of what’s going on there- and if this place has been taking more fire than it can handle, Mauser and the other bigwigs might have already left the station. The safety of the people on board, ours included, take priority.”

In that case, their course of action was clear. Reid gestured towards the hole that they had used to enter.

“In that case, it seems clear to me that we need to get some help for the injured, and find out what’s going on. If the forces outside need help, we can go and do that. What happened here can wait until that’s done with.”

**Katie** · April 4th, 2016, 02:31 AM

Sylvia Hanaika
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Space
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:20 AM

Sylvia was rather used to attracting laser fire, as people tended to think that the Alloro was easy pickings from afar. Somewhat true, somewhat not, but the damned laser gel was an old trick that slipped her mind. She should have realized it from the start, but the situation was what it was.

“Don’t think you’re cleverer than me, now.”

She flipped a switch, and all at once, hundreds of flares suddenly were ejected at the poor GUARDIAN that thought such a cheap trick would actually work on her. Bright light and flame enveloped them, not only rendering the gel inert, but also buying her much needed time. Using the momentum from the flares, the Alloro itself dashed past enemy fire, placing itself somewhat close to the enemy cruiser.

“Because you’re not.”

She needed to reset, and she leaned back in her chair, eyes scanning every non-existent corner of space.

First things were first, the new mobile suits on the field. One transformed much like a Valkyrie, and that was interesting. Certainly the EAU had done training between Valkyries before, but she was the only one to associate the familiar design with the enemy. In other words, it was a fresh change of pace.

Second, the Vanguard was still unresponsive, the Captain needed to lay down fire support, Christopher was taking care of the other GUARDIAN that dared shoot at her, Taro was in quite the situation, and now she was in the middle of enemy territory.

…Being in the military was not doing any wonders for her heart.

Idly, because she could, out of sheer whimsy, she opened up communications with the Vanguard. She felt more than confident that she’d make it out alive—it was the others she was worried about.

“Alloro speaking. Status update?”

Not that she would get much, considering the SOS signal, and asking the Captain to tell her would just lead to her getting yelled at for asking for unnecessary or impossible to get information. Better for her to pique her curiosity now without interference, before they all decided to shoot at her again.

----------------------------------------------

EN: 150/300
Hinotama used.

Wise up!

**Mellon** · April 4th, 2016, 05:23 AM

Reid von Staufenzollern-Luxemhorn, Katyusha Volkovnika
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Hidden Research Lab
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:03 AM

"Securing an exit should be a priority. The hanger - it's nearby."

“In that case, it seems clear to me that we need to get some help for the injured, and find out what’s going on. If the forces outside need help, we can go and do that. What happened here can wait until that’s done with.”

The eyes of the militant princess flashed dangerously.

“No! We don't have any jurisdiction in Persephone. If he is responsible, then we need to declare war with a neutral colony to just drag him out of his….” Suddenly pausing in the middle of her sentence, Clarissa took a deep breath to calm her mental state. “The two of you are right, of course. Chasing Mauser down here would be a foolhardy effort. He might have already evacuated the station along with the other CEO’s.”

“We can deal with that old snake later, but first, we need to make it out of this station alive.”

With her previous frustrations apparently wiped from her mind (or simply set aside for the moment), the so-called “Queen of War” was seemingly back to her prime, as she gave a slight smile brimming with confidence to her two subordinates.

“Right. We will head to the medbay to quickly patch you two up, as well as our unfortunate escort. I’ll grab the guard while the two of you watch my flank, will you?”

“Katyusha, keep your “eyes” on the lookout. As for you, Reid…. I just hope you’ll be a tad more accurate this time. I really will assign extra firing practice otherwise, you know? And at least three weeks of latrine duty, back on Ovan, if I end up getting shot.”

And with that, rather amusing commentary, your little band was off, heading to the nearby medbay.

Desponia Orbital Facility, Medbay #14
Monday, April 16th, 11:12 AM

Luckily for Reid, your little group actually didn’t run into any trouble at all. Which, in itself, was already kind of fishy. If they were to hold you down until the station was destroyed, then their rather peculiar lack of initiative was quite puzzling. They already knew your general direction from the data sent back by the combat droids you had faced earlier, didn’t they? In this context, their behaviour was quite… puzzling.

Neither Reid, nor Katyusha, could quite shake the feeling that something deeper was going on here, more than simply an attempted assassination on a high-ranking EAU VIP.

“Right. I am activating the quick-heal procedures. Stay still.”

While the three of you were lying on the fully automated operating tables, Clarissa was managing the medical equipment. While she was no doctor, most military-grade medical equipment was simplified to the point where even a basic grunt could operate it. No doubt the work would be slightly shoddy compared to the Corporal Occhino’s work (who was the resident doctor of the Knights), it would still be enough to patch up your larger wound and conditions.

Or at least pump enough drugs into your bodies for it not to matter.

“Something about that… room, rankles me though. Vasili Ivanovich, the man in that report, was killed in Moscow more then a decade ago. Shot in the middle of the street, in fact. And this was verified by most of our intelligence on the matter.”

“If this is the same man, then some other hand, other than Mauser’s, has to be involved. He is remarkably influential, no doubt about that, but nowhere enough to fool all the eyes that were on that case. Maybe on Persephone, but in Russia? GRU would have to be completely compromised for this to be even remotely possible for Mauser.”

The orange screen next to your surgery table flashed briefly, displaying a message.

MEDICAL OPERATIONS COMPLETE

Status Effect Update

As the three of you got up from the tables, Clarissa was examining the automatically generated wound logs for any possible incoherencies. Finding none, the holographically displayed log popped out of the existence, as the second princess of Sweden powered down the medical equipment and turned to the few remaining hapless members of the security staff that had been “escorting” you so far.

“You are dismissed. I don’t care what excuse you would like to make to keep on escorting us, but I will hear nothing of it. We will be joining the fight outside in our Mobile Suits, so your further presence is unnecessary.”

“Considering that this station may be destroyed soon, I recommend you evacuate using either the docked shuttles or the escape pods.

“Reid, Katyusha. We need to head to the north-side hangar. If I understood correctly, that is where they transferred our Rubicons after the docking procedures,”

Commander Kang Tae Hwan, Takeshi Wakahisa
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Hangar Bay 5, New York
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:19 AM

In a flurry of motion, Takeshi raced towards Kang’s location, not for once removing his eyes from the blur in front of it. Off to the side, you could hear someone shout out a loud “Shinha! Mougeki Reppa!”, followed by what could only sound as a series of consecutive explosions in rapid succession. But you forced down your inherent curiosity and and focused on the task that had been given to you. If the old man was confident enough to claim to be enough to deal with all of them, you were hardly one to say otherwise.

You had your own issues to deal with.

Even with your nerves fried as they were, it would seem that you were faster then your opponent. By the time the shimmer had properly started to move, you had already crossed half of the the distance to Kang. Not only that, but it would seem that with movement, the shimmer became more and more clearer to your eyes. Disdain rose in you. More of an ambush tool then, rather than a true weapon of combat. With another signficiant shimmer, a flurry of crossbow bolts were fired out towards your position by the unknown assilant.

However, compared to the attack that had fired towards you mere moments ago, it came across as crude and lacking in finesse.

Challenge - Takeshi

For Kang, getting damn reception in this place was turning out to be more of a challenge then it would normally seem. Either due to the… fight, or because of some other reason, getting a clear signal through on the general EAU comms was proving to be quite difficult. Nevertheless, even semi-delirious, you were not known as a genius for nothing. After a couple of cycles of fiddling with various frequencies and audio cleaning, you were able to send out something that you thought was at least… kinda coherent. Slightly choppy maybe, but definitely coherent.

Or maybe you were starting to finally completely lose it due to blood loss.

A quick observation of your surroundings revealed an access port nearby. You seriously doubted you could, at the moment, activate any of the major hangar defenses (if they were even left functional by the enemies), but activating some of the subsystems like the cranes that were responsible for cargo transport, or the hangar bulkeads, might have been possible.

Or maybe that was the slight dizziness talking.

**Zagrin** · April 4th, 2016, 02:13 PM

Takeshi Wakahisa
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Hangar Bay 5, New York
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:19 AM

Takeshi caught sight of the volley of bolts that had been unleashed in his directions, however something was different about them. Certainly they could skewer him just as easily as the one from before had, but something about them just seemed...off? Perhaps his opponent was inexperienced when it came to dealing with someone that could actually respond to their cowardly sneak attacks and so he had panicked when firing those bolts off? Or maybe it was because the numbness in Takeshi's muscles from the earlier electrocution had finally begun to wear off and he could respond to such an attack without suddenly tripping over himself.

Whatever the case may have been, it was clear that this current display was a pathetic far cry from the single bolt that he had nearly taken his life earlier. Actually if Takeshi wanted to he could probably evade these bolts and rush the coward, taking him out before he even knew what hit him! He salivated at the thought of finally being able to crush one of these cowards, however he reigned in his blood lust opting rather to continue as originally planned.

It wasn't for any concern of his vice-captain of course, he looked like he could still survive a couple more minutes before he bled out. No, it was rather thanks to the painful lesson that he had the pleasure of experience earlier from the coward's comrade. A device that blasted anyone that came near with an electrical backlash, no doubt the rest of that man's crew were equipped with something like that and Takeshi wasn't in the mood to repeat the same mistake again, especially one that had happened so recently.

Thus there was only one thing for him to do.

As he continued on his path to his vice-captain, he dived towards where Kang was, rolling forwards before getting back up and charging towards his ailing compatriot with seemingly renewed vigor. However Takeshi's steely gaze never left that of the flicker in the distance and he mockingly brought two fingers to his eyes before pointing them straight towards the camouflaged foe, trying to unnerve him even further than he was.

"I see you."

**Ayakashi** · April 4th, 2016, 02:50 PM

Character - Unit
Zhen Hoshi - Azure Wing

Location
X:14 | Y:30

Date
Monday, April 16th

The enemy Rubicon was still functional. How it had managed to survive the onslaught launched at it, Zhen had no idea, but it was clear that while the unit had received damage, its ability to pose a threat was still very present -- the burst of missiles it had fired was more than enough proof that this ordeal was far from over... if the lock-on warnings on Altoris' unit weren't telling enough.

“What the…”

These missiles were nowhere near the EAU standard-issue weapons. The speed at which they flew out and spun towards their target was far from what current technology realistically allowed -- Zhen had little time to get into scientific details and analysis at any rate; such kind of mumbo jumbo wasn’t for her. What she had to do here was simple: stop these missiles from reaching their destination, namely, Altoris’ unit.

Without wait, the Azure Wing flicked the “Claire De Lune” to unhinge its massive barrel and let it rotate down perpendicularly to the gun’s bore axis, like a typical break-action rifle. Two receivers quickly opened to receive a pair of red-colored canisters, inserted dexterously by the Azure Wing as if the unit had become one with Zhen: a hunter loading her rifle to shoot down her prey.

It all happened within a second or so.

“Altoris, watch out, incoming high-speed warheads... I can’t guarantee I’ll shoot all of them down!”

Her stoicism and usual bland tone broke as Zhen warned Altoris, a change that the ‘Princess’ should definitely have noticed -- a fair warning to Altoris that he might want to keep an eye out for the incoming missiles.

With another quick flick, the barrel of the Claire De Lune rifle swivelled back into place and locked in the loaded canisters, the weapon glowing in multiple parts due to its exhaust vents and compensators preparing for the incoming cataclysm. As she took aim, one could say that Zhen was facing a swarm of birds, even if there were only four missiles: their speed and agility made it look like there were three times more. The only difference here in comparison to usual bird-hunting, was that instead of having to content herself with shooting only one down to ensure a meaty dinner, every single mark had to be hit for Altoris’ sake.

"Tch..."

She grimaced as she pulled the trigger. To use such an ability on four measly projectiles felt like a waste, but the easier the job was for Altoris, the better.

Movement
X:14 | Y:30 --> X:14 | Y:30

Attack Target
X:15| Y:26 --> "La Lune" enhanced "Rouge" shot.

Wise-Up!

[UNIT GENERAL INFO]

Unit Name: PMSI-Y16S "Azure Wing"
CLS:C
RNG:B
MNV:C
DUR: D

EN:D (200)
Base Energy Usage (Per Turn):10
Energy Left: 120/200
[UNIT EQUIPMENT]

PSC-016 “Claire de Lune” Long Range Variable Canister Rifle (1 unit)
A beam rifle that uses a variety of pre-loaded “canisters” designed by the Saluer Corporation, to create a variety of different shot types for a variety of situations.

Saphir - A high density azure beam that deals extremely high damage on a successful hit, capable of penetrating even the most thickest of armors. Can be fired at an extremely long range, but is extremely hard to hit within close combat. Boosts attack rank to A when used, but attack accuracy is greatly reduced the closer your enemy is to your position.
(20 EN to fire a canister)

Rouge - A crimson beam shot that, midway on its flight, splits into a large number of smaller beam attacks that cover an entire area. While overall damage is reduced, it is extremely effective against larger numbers of weaker suits or extremely mobile suits that are hard to tag. MAP attack, 2 square circle from the target point.
---NEW---(20 EN to fire a canister)

La Lune - La Lune - The original purpose of the rifle, “La Lune” refers more to a method of shooting, rather then a specific canister type in itself. By loading two canisters simultaneously into the loading chamber, instead of cycling single canisters, it is possible to release a single “white” attack that combines their effect. For example, by loading in two Rouge canisters, it is possible to double the attack effectiveness.
---NEW---

Range: 2-7 Squares (Saphir/La Lune), 1-5 Squares (Rogue)

PSC-009MB “Aile Mobile” Pulse Vibration Mobility System (4 units)
A set of metal fins built into the frame of the Mobile Suit itself, Aile Mobile is a unique propulsion method developed by the Saluer Corporation on the Persephone Colony. Through the generation of a solid light wave that is guided through the composite metal wing at a certain frequency, it is possible to generate a directed pulse of energy capable of generating directional thrust. It is possible to recalibrate the wings to release a cutting lightwaves when used, typically for use in close to mid range combat (effectiveness is greatly reduced over longer distances). Whenever the Aile Mobile system is activated a blue corona of light is released, a phenomena that is responsible for the name of the Mobile Suit in question.
(EN - 10 EN per usage)

PSC-009X “Danse du Sabre” Mass Production Beam Saber (25 units)
A set of metal fins built into the frame of the Mobile Suit itself, Aile Mobile is a unique propulsion method developed by the Saluer Corporation on the Persephone Colony. Through the generation of a solid light wave that is guided through the composite metal wing at a certain frequency, it is possible to generate a directed pulse of energy capable of generating directional thrust.
When activated, the MNV of Azure Wing is increased by a single rank for any action taken in conjunction (dodging, closing in on enemies, etc). Can be activated multiple times for an action for a further boost (up to A rank).
It is possible to recalibrate the wings to release a cutting lightwaves when used, typically for use in close to mid range combat (effectiveness is greatly reduced over longer distances). Whenever the Aile Mobile system is activated a blue corona of light is released, a phenomena that is responsible for the name of the Mobile Suit in question.
(EN - 10 EN per usage)[PILOT INFO]

Pilot's Name:Zhen Hoshi

CLS: A
WPN:B
DUR: E
TAC:D
MEK: D
[PILOT PERK(S)]

Battle Huntress
Zhen’s 6 culminated years of experience on the battlefield and her rather exotic ‘hobbies’ as a child gives her enhanced usage of the environment and any given tactical information - she can very easily make sure that she remains hidden to deliver the first surprise strike, and is extremely adaptable to shifting conditions, and also, quite hard to surprise. This results in improved/additional effects from superior TAC scores and reduced/heightened effects on negative/positive battlefield modifiers (Unstable Footing, etc).

**MssrNeko** · April 10th, 2016, 08:41 PM

Captain Conrad Eagle
Location - EAUN “Vanguard”, Bridge
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:20AM

Rubbing his chin, the young captain thinks carefully on the situation him and his crew were in. Guarstein was not wrong in assuming that in their current state, waiting for help would be beneficial. And with the hostages to use as leverage, Conrad could negotiate on equal terms. However they were still missing the rest of their crew mates and they were still on the Vanguard while they were in the ejected bridge compartment. The more they floundered in space, the shorter the time the squad left on the ship had before security forces would surround them. Another negative factor is the appearance of the pirates currently skirmishing with EAU forces. The only thing that mattered to pirates is money, anything else is unimportant collateral. And the last thing the Captain wanted was for any of his crew to be caught in the crossfire.

Conrad's decision cut through the fog of questioning and doubt. His eyes flared cold fire as he rushed to the blaring console, rapidly typing down commands. The blue eyes darted back and forth as he pulled up the emergency controls and external cameras. "We are heading there," he states, pointing at the white cylinder-like docking port connected on the illustrated on the holographic screen. "Agents Guardstein, Satoyama, Ayers. Keep watch over our guests. Cinque take over and do not crash us on the station." Conrad step aside to let their most experienced pilot take the helm.

----------------
Move (32,11) --> (30,11)

**Mellon** · April 12th, 2016, 04:34 AM

Zhen Hoshi, Yamada Taro, Sylvia Hanaika, Captain Jin Yeong Song
Location -Desponia Orbital Facility, Space
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:22 AM

Sylvia Hanaika

HINOTAMA Activation Confirmed

With a mechanical click that resounded throughout the cockpit, the flareports on the Alloro opened, and two hundred and thiry seperate heat emitting flares were discharged from its frame in less then a second. Even with the inherent blanketing equipment inside the Alloro, the white glare that shined outside was almost overwhelming. No doubt that anyone in the vicinity would at the very least be blinded for some time. Not only that, two nearby GUARDIANs had received the full brunt of the searing flares, their external armoring seriously damaged by the intense heat.

However, you yourself handn’t come out of the ordeal unwounded yourself. While obviously your own flares wouldn’t damage your Rubicon (as that would be an extreme design oversight), Alloro’s frame was heavily rocked by the two beam shots that had curved towards your position earlier. A quick diagnostic showed some damage to the emerald Rubicon, but nothing truly dangerous, for the time being. Though… your eyes ran over the Touka’s status screen with some apprehension. It was heavily damaged, most likely because most of the goo had stuck to the blade when you had cleaved through those missiles earlier. It would, at best, be only good for a couple of attacks before it would fully break apart.

Damage Report - Alloro

As you pushed down the accelerator stick, Sylvias body was roughly forced deeper into her seat, as the Alloro accelerated forwards, towards the enemy battleships with a speed that almost seemed unbeliveable. The deep orange beam fired off by the strange morphing custom suit sailed harmlessly past you, as your sudden burst of acceleration threw off all predictive algorithms the other suit might have used. You hoped that the Valks could deal with the custom suits for at least a while.

And who knew, maybe the newbie would actually survive till the point where you managed to finish up on your end?

Yamada Taro, Altoris Sao & Sylvia Hanaika

The barrage of hypersonic missiles was met by a veritable rain of laser fire.

While the sheer speed of Kanoke missiles was normally enough to bypass almost all known anti-missile defenses, the sheer saturation of hundreds of beam attacks fired off by the Azure Wing was enough to tag most of them as they were heading towards their target. In the end, a single missile slipped through the almost labyrinthine maze of laser fire and reached its destination, exploding in a brilliant flash of light.

Damage Report - Pirates

Yamada could only have a brief moment to savor his triumph, however, as attacks from the distant battleships rained upon him once more. In a quick boost of the engines, you forced the Mandragora into a deep dive, causing one of the heavy railgun rounds to whiz ineffectively over your head while the second only grazed you in passing. However, such a maneuver put you straight in the path of a nearby GUARDIAN who, without any hesitation, opened fire on your position.

The purple beam of destructive energy hit you straight on.

Damage Report - Mandragora

As your bright warning messages were telling you, the Mandragora’s long-range sensors had been damaged and the overall frame integrity was dropping near-critical levels. From the looks of it, this, coupled with the last barrage of attacks, was really taking its toll on the dark Rubicon.

Well, at very least you weren’t alone in your disgraceful state.

For Altoris Sao, things were really not going well. Not that he expected some great result against EAUs insane Rubicons, but this was even beyond his worst expectations. Well… maybe not that badly off (he was still alive), but not far off either. Firstly there was the missile that had gotten through Zhen’s screening. While he managed to shield most of his emitters, the missile still did considerable damage to the frame of the Noire Wing itself.

And then came the beam bombardment. Oh, the bloody beams.

With an almost unbelievable accuracy, the heavy beam cannons on the Ark Royal had locked on to him and fired at his position. Before Altoris could even react to the incoming fire, the left arm of the Noir Wing had been blown clean off and the only reason the dark suit had completely avoided being turned into a hunk of melted steel was that the sheer impact of the first attack had blown him away from his original location.

Altoris could only sigh in the cockpit of his half-wrecked Mobile Suit.

“Almost blown off the battlefield before I could even make a single attack, what a goddamn day.”

Noire Wing - Damage Report

Torison Faisceau , damaged. Maximum output…. 67%.

“Well, got to make do with sixty, I guess. This probably won’t be enough, but it's not like we have any choice on the matter.”

With a flick of a switch, the blue-haired boy converted the stored energy into raw destructive power.

Four intense beams of crimson were fired off, crossing the distance between the station and the Noir Wing almost instantly. Unlike with normal beam type weapons, there wasn’t a possibility of dodging or intercepting the attacks. Not that his current target was even capable of something like that. Giant space station and all. On impact, the Torison Faisceau lasers cut through the reinforced armouring of the station like butter and were followed by brilliant explosions from the station mere moments later. Altoris originally planned to destroy all six of the structural key points that they had identified earlier, based on the schematics that had been provided, but the lowered output meant that he either had to bank on definitely destroying four or half-assing on all six.

Well, it's not like it won't break down.

With more than half of its reinforced connections gone, the Desponia wouldn’t be stable anymore and would start to gradually disintegrate as the rotation of the station would slowly, but surely, start to apply stress the still functional connections, which would lead to their inevitable tearing and destruction.

So… about thirty minutes?

Wiseup - Noire Wing

Hainite Bishara & Lisa Redfield

“Wha… Goddamn it!”

The flustered voice of the Indian girl echoed throughout the cockpit of the Murmure, as she watched the green Rubicon blaze past both her and Lisa in a blinding flash of light. Her shot went wide of course. The Alloro’s acceleration was something the dark-skinned girl had not anticipated in the slightest. Not only that, she felt a strange pulling sensation on the Murmure, one that seemed to pull her towards the emerald Mobile Suit. Trying to pull out of the strange glue-like field to head over to help Altoris and Zhen would probably require a fair bit more effort than usual.

Besides..

“Lisa! It’s heading towards the Decarabia! Intercept!”

“Got it!”

The only reason that Rubicon would make a beeline for the two ships would be to destroy them. And she had heard enough horror stories of EAU Rubicons as is. And she definitely wouldn’t allow this fight, as disadvantageous as it was, to become another one like that. Turning the jet-like Murmure around in an elegant swirl, she pointed the barrel of her rifle towards the enemy suit, this time taking into account it’s newfound speed. Another brilliant orange beam was fired off towards the strange Rubicon.

“Captain, Mr. Feroda! Enemy mobile suit nearing your position!”

“We see it, Hanichan! Fire the portside Atargiers! Full barrage!”

“Understood, Murmure. Providing covering fire.”

Meanwhile, the Rayon was accelerating towards the Alloro at full speed. Not like Lisa had anywhere else to go. Rayon wasn’t quite the fastest suit around and unlike the Murmure, she couldn’t really morph into a high-speed form either. The Rayon was specialized in two things. Close range combat and defensive support. It's ranged weaponry was… well… there. But she wasn’t quite the crack shot that Hani was if she was truly honest. But well, since the enemy was already drawing her in….

“Since you are inviting me so graciously… Allow me to accept your invitation with everything I got!”

Lemuria, the large blade that was stored normally in the Rayon’s backpack, was ejected and was caught by the blue-white Mobile Suit in a smooth motion that expressed ultimate confidence. A rather ominous light lit up around the edges of the large blade, wreathing it in a subtle blue glow that seemingly swirled around the strange blade. Even at this distance, it’s similarity to standard issue heat blades, used by both the EAU and the Alliance, was striking. Backed up by the increased gravitational pull of the Alloro, in a burst of its boosters, the blue custom suit was right next to the EAU Rubicon and brought down its massive blade on its enemies frame.

“Lets dance, shall we? Rubicoooooooon!”

TURN 4 BATTLE LOG
EP 4 BATTLE MAP

**Snax** · April 19th, 2016, 11:53 AM

Commander Kang Tae Hwan
Location - Desponia Orbital Facility, Hangar Bay 5, New York
Date - Monday, April 16th

".......Eugh."

His vision swimming but still conscious thanks to the pain and the urgency of the situation, Kang grabbed Haro's control pad with quivering hands, first inputting commands that would make the cranes in the area go wild, except for the few around Kang and his allies.. While it wasn't anything big, it would probably distract the invaders as they would be unsuspecting of it. Perhaps them getting hit by some cargo would be an added bonus. Opening the transport system and the conveyor belt system might also help them, so Kang decided to just open every single system he could.

Still bleeding out, he watched as his subordinate pilot came to the rescue. Smirking a bit, he shakily got to his feet and started shuffling, Haro hopping and rolling after him.

**Katie** · May 8th, 2017, 02:47 PM

Sylvia Hanaika
Location -Desponia Orbital Facility, Space
Date - Monday, April 16th, 11:22 AM

“Ooooh, am I screwed or what?”

It was a very deadpan complaint. She had gotten herself into this mess with little chance of survival, and now she had to pay the price. Her only saving grace was that the Alloro was relatively undamaged, the Touka unimportant for what she was about to do. If she could withstand some dents to her frame, then everything would be in the clear, right?

Not that the purple laser or the huge sword being swung at her looked particularly appetizing. In fact, those scared the shit out of her, but it was neither here nor there, because the Captain seemed to be having her own difficulties with communication and Taro was, well, getting messed up.

“Alloro to Ark Royal, I’d appreciate some cover fire. It’ll work out.”

At least false bravado was a good motivator. Nobody on the Ark Royal would think that she was panicking—she was that arrogant ass pilot from the Alliance who wormed her way in for being a traitor. Too bad they wouldn’t miss her in the least…

“The glorious emperor rises,” she says, activating the Alloro’s trump card.

It was time to kill or be killed, and she just wanted to survive.

------

EN 5/300

Augustus Supremo - 125 EN

**Bloble** · May 8th, 2017, 04:47 PM

Katyusha Volkovnika
Desponia Orbital Facility, Medbay #14
Monday, April 16th, 11:12 AM

The cocktail of drugs and patches and gels was enough to dull the pain, enough-so that Katyusha could at least move without wincing. Dodging and diving were both possible again. Piloting? That would be even easier. No need to worry about broken ribs when only your arms, legs, and eyes matter.

She understood Clarissa's musings enough to know that she herself could add very little to it. Katyusha was a soldier, not a politician, though she was certainly too familiar with the streets of her not-home country. "You don't need to compromise the whole thing to get what you need in Russia," she'd grunted as the auto-doc patched her up. "Just some alcohol or cigarettes, money, a gun, and a few names." She showed a wan smile. "Like a falling tower game. Take out enough pieces and the rest falls into place - or apart."

It was useless talk, and exactly what Clarissa needed. Such humour was a military staple: padding before a tense fight, so she didn't hurt herself with that razor-sharp focus.

But all too quickly the treatment ended and the station shook once more, reminding them that a battle was being waged.

Originally Posted by Clarissa Bernadotte

“Reid, Katyusha. We need to head to the north-side hangar. If I understood correctly, that is where they transferred our Rubicons after the docking procedures,”

Somewhat stiffly - her side was now numb instead of wooden - Katyusha nodded. "My eyes are charting the way as we speak." Her fingers twitched, executing the standard indoors scouting program that would have them discreetly rolling along the hallways, watching for enemies, and returning as soon as possible. Though the soldier didn't show it, she was eager to be in the cockpit again, wielding something stronger than a pistol designed for infiltration. "Though I don't expect us to meet much resistance. Just a hunch, but... there's juicier prey on board."

She nodded to Reid and took up the front, but not before one last thing - a salute to the security guards that had stuck with them the whole time.

"Ask Mauser for a raise," she suggested. "After this, you'll have earned it."

Thread: Eternal Rubicon - IC

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