Our Finest Hour (L4 Defense)

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#21
Part I of II: The Great Circle

"A-a-a-aliens!?"

On the bridge of the Shinryu, Captain Harris gawked, looking on in slack-jawed disbelief as the reality of Madin's proclamation began to set in. It was true! All the propaganda, all the late-night television and crank publications - true! There really were extraterrestrials!

She let out a strangled cry, a noise that almost defied the nature of print to define it, only barely describable as "Oaarghyagah!", and slammed the emergency contact cut.

"Hm."

Meanwhile, on the vast multi-tiered deck of the Tantra, Madin found himself staring at a blank screen, simply reading "TRANSMISSSION LOST". There was a pregnant pause... and then he turned expertly on his heel, clapping his hands together, giving those around him the full blast of an optimistic smile as he began striding purposefully back towards the elevator.

"I think that went well!"

The only sound that went up from the assembled Circle dignitaries was the low groan of the Strategist, as palm met face.




"Hey, you. Space man."

On the Tantra's launch deck... Elhirut's somber preparations didn't go unnoticed.

When did she get here?

In the intervening weeks before they had arrived, Decima had been taken under the Meyvens wing. In his presence, she was the perfect child - demure, precious, and so sweet that being in her presence caused one to suspect the imminent, spontaneous formation of cavities. Madin was thrilled to have an audience, and she to have someone who would see to it that her every need was answered, as a "V.I.P.".

But... Whenever the two were separated?

"You're not really gonna fly that twiggy looking thing are you?"

Decima plopped down gently behind Elhirut, a catlike smirk on her features as she addressed the young man, blonde tresses bobbed through the air. She didn't wear a spacesuit - no, rules it seemed, were for little people, and she had quickly crowned herself as Princess of the Tantra, pointing to the Org-Valu as if it were a toy among her collection.

Whenever she were out of earshot of the Meyven... the contrast in behavior was like night and day. She became capricious, cruel, calculating... and surprisingly adept at making her way into high security areas of the vessel. The Strategist had voiced his concern regarding the young girl's movements - but, for all his own patience and carefully reasoned arguments, they had fallen on deaf ears, leaving the two of them to share stories of her true nature in private.

"...It looks... frail. And weak." She said, her features scrunching up in disgust, before turning her gaze back on Elhirut himself. There was a strange, almost... reptilian gleam to those eyes, as if there were not quite... normal, as she continued gently:

"Kind of like... you."



The Tantra's laser batteries flared to life, sending rays of light arcing out into the void as the storm of Lamalice descended upon it. Hails of railgun-fire tore into the front ranks of the monstrosities, mowing them down in droves - but the tide of flesh was unending, and in mere seconds the beasts had fallen upon the frontal wave of Liege Geios, a gnashing, screeching tide of thrashing, grasping claws.

Three of the hulking, silver behemoths were swept away instantly, seized by the creatures and hurled bodily backwards into the teeming mass, their Bioroid pilots not even uttering a sound as they were shorn violently limb from limb. The remaining withdrew in rows, laying down waves of suppressing fire to keep the swarm from growing any closer. Beams of dark energy petered out pitifully against their armor plates, the Lamalice unable to outgun the Circle's finest fighting machines...

For now.


And... There was one other thing, as well.

The uninvited guests lingered, as they often did, at the fringes of the battlefield, their verdant, wing-like shapes cruising slowly along in a loose V formation, five total. The Lamalice posed little threat to them, the automatons barely registering on whatever malefic senses they used to perceive the world around them - and so, the Opus tagged along, recording, analyzing, compounding every scrap of data they could get their hands on. Mechanical lenses clicked in and out, oscillating gently as every possible angle was scrutinized at a level of detail that would have turned even the Tantra's engineers green with envy.

SCANNING...
MULTIPLE SAMPLES OF OF [INSTANCE 418] DETECTED.
NO DEVIATION FROM STANDARD BEHAVIOR PATTERNS.

CONTINUING OBSERVATION...
What, exactly, were they searching for?
 
Last edited:
Dec 18, 2018
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#22
Despite this, someone seemed to notice- Not out of any superhuman ability... But merely from observation of how light in the distance was playing around. Once again on her open channel, the nurse soon gave a vague response. "Hey, uh... There's something over there... No idea what it is, but there's something over there." As she pointed with her machine, communications officers at least seemed to bother to put some notice of it to the point that they would check later- After all, there were still the hordes of Lamalice to deal with. Unfortunately, she had just bumped into one of the aforementioned Lamalice... And it was starting to screech despite the airless void. As if her mind was being invaded in some capacity. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks given how she REALLY didn't want to be here. Maybe it was possible that she was actually hearing this, even if it might've been the machine she was in following some manner of obtuse programming. Still, as she began to stare at the oncoming singular Lamalice... Her survival instincts kicked in. Her machine was still holding onto the bladed pistol, and she began to do what came naturally... Jabbing it into the Lamalice. She was no pro- She could've told you this a thousand times before even imagining she was in a war machine like this. But she was still human at the end of the day, and violence is something that humanity needed in order to survive to some degree. And it was soon clear that this was going to be a gory display as the blade was jammed in every possible space that the Lamalice actually had and wriggled until there was little more than a lifeless corpse... And it was repeated, again and again and again. Still, it wasn't out of any malice- She merely had to survive, and she clearly wasn't enjoying it. At most, there was just hyperventilation coming from her feed. Still, this meant that she was a sitting duck that needed SOMEONE to get her out of the way...
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#23
Part 2

Valsione & Garmraid

The Directory forces protecting the Colonies from harm unloaded round after round into one of the 5 "limbs" of the sweeping, teeming swarm as it surged towards them, The protoype MTDM missiles screamed through the heavens, leaving jagged, ice-blue trails of energy before slamming into the swarm, each vanishing in a small explosion that pulverized Lamalice into little more than grape pureee. The Valsione itself charged the oncoming swarm heroically, Divine blade swinging left and right, each slice finding a target-

Yet, there were so many.

Despite losing approximately a fifth of its mass, the horde forced its way forward. The Valsione in particular, found itself in a desperate situation as the creatures began to swarm over her armor towards the troops she had left behind, claws ripping and tearing at its armor, the monstrosities attempting to - in a very literal sense - bury the Ultimate Robo's spawn with their numbers, a whirling avalanche of malevolent, pulsing flesh.

But then-

"Burning Breaker!"
An explosion of flame and light, as one of the "walls" suddenly caved, giving rise to the appearance of the mighty, crimson Garmraid. Terminus Energy - that violent, unstable, ethereal flame of the cosmos, barely bridled to service the hands of man, lashed out across the clouds of Lamalice, incinerating all it touched, sending the creatures scattering. Joe's timely rescue had given them a window - but the creatures were closing ranks, and if they held their ground, in moments they would be subsumed yet again - only this time... together.

The Lamalice horde rained down on the defenders of L5, peppering them with dozens of black rays of destruction. The horde was thinning, splintering - but there were only precious moments before they were fully upon their front lines, and those roving, shearing claws seemed all too eager to tear into their fleshy counterparts.

Lamalice Tendril 1: 72/100




Nick & Sayuri

At the heart of the Lamalice swarm, the Ultimate Robo approached. Much as they had at L2, frothing waves of Gravity pulsed out from its regal form, churning the space around it into a vortex. The Lamalice thrashed and screeched, pulled into the warped space - but such was their number, that not even the Valsion could contain them all. As the Ultimate Robo supernova'd, sending a cataclysmic explosion in all directions, the swarm reeled, over a third of its number lost in a single strike -

And then lunged.

The mauled "limb" of the swarm came crashing down on Nick with surprising speed, aiming to rend him, heart and soul - not even the annihilation of its fellows had stopped it. These creatures - they felt no fear. No pain. Nothing but absolute hatred for all living things, carved into every inch of their bodies - a thousand times the lost could fall, but not a single one would hesitate to throw itself into the firing line for a chance to sink their claws into the flesh of man. Not even the Ultimate Robo could survive such an onslaught - it would be dragged into the mass and shredded, not unlike the Liege Geios from before.

In a curious mirror to its distaff counterpart across the battlefield, however, Nick was unexpectedly spared.

Twin glittering stars lanced out into the void, and contacted the tide - and the resulting gleam so bright that it left spots scattering on the eyes, as if they had beheld a miniature sun. The twin Positron Cannons of the Vangray discharged into the heart of the swarm, concentrated particles ripping and tearing apart the abominations at a level that could only be described as molecular, carving two gaping holes out of the mass where the creatures would appear, to the uneducated observer, to have simply disintegrated.

The swam reeled in pain, its composite parts splitting apart even further, this part at least seeming now fully subjugated-

And yet... Suddenly halted, as if...

Listening.

"...Can your hear it, Nick Mallor?"

A second "limb" of the horde had suddenly changed direction, sweeping forward to reinforce its fellows. The "voice" Nick heard crackled over no radio, but seemed to reverberate within the confines of his own skull, as if it were being projected into his heart.

It sounded... familiar.

The second swarm rushed towards the two, pelting them with a rain of dark rays - yet, unlike its sister swarms, this one seemed more... orderly, as if each individual Lamalice were dancing on a hundred, ethereal threads. As it whipped and whirled, within the heart of it, Nick might have glimpsed... something. It was... sitting, it seemed, cross legged in thought, an island of calm surrounded by a maelstrom of chaos, a monstrous soul that he might have hoped to never see again in his lifetime..

zenadye.png

"...The dull, thudding pulse of the stars..."
Lamalice Swarm 2 & 3:
23/100
100/100
Zenadye
 

GEAR

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#24
Part III

Brasta & Sevirus

The Shinryu and its accompany fleet's barrels turned in the direction of the oncoming Lamalice hordes - and flared. Missiles and beams punched out across the stars, dispersing the creatures, blunting their offense somewhat - and as a consequence, Luna found herself an opening. The newly-enhanced Brasta's bayonet found ample targets as the Lamalice floundered, skewering a row of the creatures on the radiant spear of energy, finding only scattered shots from the surrounding monstrosities in retaliation.

Backup came in the form the the Sevirus, the Nurse having effectively drifted in the direction of the Colonial fleet. Bullets of hardened light from its machinegun chewed apart the thin-skinned Lamalice with ease, and in only moments the two found themselves being further assisted by the Mobile Weapon crews of the three Peregrines, as well as Ed's Ganonia, the lattermost almost nothing more than a glimmering cerulean star in the distance as its Heavy Shock Shooter sent round after round into the scattered Lamalice.

Leonisis and Cosmolions formed in tight squads, flanking the Sevirus and Brasta both, pouring fire into the surrounding beasts, attempting to keep them from regaining their furious concentration, railgun rounds and electron-bolts splattering blobs of purple across the battlefield.

But, for how long could it last?

Meanwhile, in the Shinryu's hangar, Alan Cicero paused in his direction of the work crews, glancing down to remove a slim personal terminal from his pocket. This one was thin, black - and notably different from the one he normally carried. A small red light was illuminated on its side, and wordlessly, he reached up, holding it up as a projection was emitted, one not unlike what he had shown Luna before.

"There's a problem."

Click.

It was only a single line, and the man's features hardly seemed to change... but his thoughts were racing. A decision needed to be made - Immediately. Turning, he regarded the horned machine lurking at the back of the hangar - one he had not planned on bringing to this particular fight. Observing the Brasta's VX was his priority - but, he couldn't ignore this development. Kicking off from the catwalk, he began to drift towards it, smoothing back his hair as he called out:

"Chief Engineer. Get the Augar ready for launch."

Slipping into the cockpit of the colossal custom Ganonia, the Corporatist quietly regarded his own reflection as the airlock hissed closed. His features, as usual, betrayed no emotion - only the cool professionalism of his trade... but, he thought once more, it was a poor indicator of the tempest raging within.

"This timing..." He said aloud, thoughtfully as the machine hummed to life,

"It can't just be a coincidence."

One emerald-armored arm reached out, retrieving from over its shoulder the colossal scythe that served as its primary armament, cradling it carefully in both arms as it was guided to the Shinryu's catapult. Guiding lights turned from red to green, and the Colonist braced himself for the coming acceleration, monstrous as it would be.

"This is Cicero. Ganonia Augar, taking off."

Lamalice Swarm 4: 70/100
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#25
Nick grit his teeth as he realized his error in judgement, in the Valsion's most vulnerable position it would be easy pickings if not for the two shots fired by Sayuri which allowed it enough time to recover from the MGW. He braced himself for a second round with the swarm but the Lamalice stopped as a voice echoed within his mind. A voice he knew. One already well associated with Lamalice and the destruction they wrought, the self-proclaimed standing one 'Abremalin Zahed'. Or as Nick had dubbed him, a mere madman.

Though his voice may be as twisted as his mind now, the fact he seemed to be at the heart of a group of Lamalice was a notable feat. A morbid one, but notable nonetheless. The Valsion turned to face the fresh swarm and got out of reach of the one already damaged, getting a glimpse of the existence underneath. Something that most certainly wasn't the auto-warlock Nick had previously thrown into the black sun.

"Abremalin Zahed." Nick answered as the Valsion glared with contempt. He wouldn't honor the question with an answer, he already knew more than well enough that this man rambled madly and trying to reason with him would prove fruitless. But talking had served as quite the good distraction before, it allowed Nick to rocket the mad mage into the black sun for one.

"You're less dead than I hoped. It seems another one of your damned miracles saved you. So it seems my estimation is confirmed, you are the twisted one and it seems the world once again needs to be defended from your ilk." Nick sighed, raising the Valsion's arm as he spoke. He spoke with no fondness, no sympathy. Abremalin Zahed was a man in cahoots with the monstrous Lamalice that destroyed L5 the purple grape like beings merciless monsters themselves.

The hailstorm of black energy came upon the Valsion as it raised its shielded arm to block the volley, an unseen force stopping half of the assault dead in its tracks before they could even reach the Valsion and as soon as there was a pause in the firing line the Valsion put the shield horizontally towards the hundred Lamalice ball.

"Cross Smasher!" The iconic, and dreaded to some, beam shot out of the Valsion's arm aimed straight at the heart of the new swarm and trying to lay siege to the monster underneath and the monster it piloted. He would pierce as many Lamalice as he needed to get at the man behind the curtain and kill him for good this time.
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
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16
Somewhere in the UK
#26
Kathryn's response to the swarm clearing around them was to... dive back in.

"This was a bad idea."

"Oh, shut up. I've got a plan!"

"That is highly unlikely. On an unrelated note, energy signatures matching the Mega Graviton Wave were just detected in another sector. I can now say with 90% certainty that a Valsion-type weapon is present. And appears to have a functioning plan."

"Damnit, that was my plan! Screw it. Purge time! Dump everything in the outer armour into the Psycoblaster, then purge the plates. It's time!"

Even as the Lamalice ripped into the Valsione's outer plating it was detonating and launching outwards, hopefully distracting or obstructing her while her Machine's true form was revealed to the world.


The Valsione was quite literally glowing white, its face moving in perfect sync with the girl piloting - who was still somehow cheerful, despite her precarious situation. She winked at Joe's Garmraid before turning the outer speaks on, continuing her usual attempts to draw as much attention as possible.

"Behold! The Valsione! You guys might have the classic, but this one's New and improved!"

As Kathryn made her speech the glow started to change, becoming a deep red and concentrating in both the Valsione's arms. She pirouetted, forcing the energy outwards and into twin balls of destructive force that circulated her machine. Said storm was ripping apart and detonating anything unfortunate or stupid enough to get close, and seemed to be growing as she charged through the tendril. leaving a funnel of destruction behind her.

"PSYCOBLASTER! COME GET SOME, YOU PURPLE FREAKS!"

When the Psycoblaster was about to die out she dived up and away from the swarm, hoping to emerge before her attack ran out and the swarm could dogpile her for the third time today.



"...Hey, Alex. Why don't I spin with the mech during that?"

"The possibility of dizziness and vomiting was considered too high. Vomiting in zero gravity is extremely hazardous, to say nothing of the resulting distraction in a combat situation."
 
Dec 18, 2018
10
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#27
The nurse was shocked to say the least. After some time spent panting and trying to get a hold of herself, she noticed the improved Valsione. "... O-Okay, what just happened...? And why do you have that thing under- Oh... One of those people... Well, I guess I can't say you don't have guts given what that thing requires from what those geeks at work tend to say, but... What the?!" Her machine was soon knocked aside thanks to the new arrival. Although to be fair, she was still trying to get a hang of controlling it, and she didn't exactly have the best viewpoint- At best, her machine seemed to be, in a sense, fresh out of the box, not really marking anything beyond the Lamalice as foes- Everything was just some vague dot... Except for warships which were thankfully more clear. Still, she was at least trying to not get in the way, and thankfully, some of her newly renewed shots were at least leaving some of the Lamalice open for others to either get away from a pinch, or apply some manner of finishing blow. After finally managing to get some manner of control and some space, she began to lean back and take stock of everything that was going on.

"Alright, Elizabeth... You're in some giant military weapon, you've been shanghai'd into pest control even though you're not really into all of this... And literally everyone can hear you right now... What has my life become?"
 
Jun 28, 2018
100
0
6
#28
Sayuri's eyes gleamed with the reflected light of the kaleidoscope. The dozen panes strewn about her HUD, the hundreds of scattering Lamalice, and the milling colors of the explosions lancing through them all joined in visual cacophany. Her sensor arrays were already trying to sort through the fireworks ahead of the next volley. Individual movements were being tracked, progression waves computed, the order within anarchy groped for and wrestled into submission. In that moment her eye was that of a samurai watching a school of fish. Minding the ripples in the water, and waiting for the moment the pack were just heading into the densest configuration, that she might hit as many as she could with the next shot. All while her trusty steed carried her ever closer to their number.

But then the school reversed itself. Another swept in, and she found herself staring down iron lines in regimented formations. Ones who were quick to loose a volley toward Nick and herself. A smirk crossed her lips, the thrusters of the Utsuromaru flared, and shuttle and rider slid into trajectory behind the Valsion, letting it be their shield. In return, the corvette opened up its guns, pelting suppression fire just beyond the Ultimate Robo's flanks. Life coursed through the Jinrai barrels again, fresh coolant welling to the ready.

She watched closely for where Nick's Cross Smasher landed. And shortly after, lanced another pair of antimatter mortars into the throng to cover the gaps.
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
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16
Somewhere in the UK
#29
"Keep the firing line up, but don't be afraid to pull inwards. The Void has no life, don't waste your life holding irrelevant scraps of space!"

The crowd of Lions withdrew inwards, several of their number falling to the storm of bolts. But they were making the Lamalice pay for every inch. One of the Huckebeins was struck as well, losing a thruster as the remainder of the Directory squad fled from the Super Robots and their suicidal charges. That doomed machine decided to go out with a bang, configuring the rest of the missiles in his launcher to detonate and ejecting moments before the swarm fell upon his MW.

With little to do but watch, Mason turned to the less glamorous job of managing military intelligence. He opened a line personally to the Shinryu, having an aide transmit them the IFF codes of both his entire unit of freshly-stolen Lions and the super robots and Huckebeins that had been forced upon him. An attempt at opening another transmission was also sent towards the Tantra, but this one was to be redirected to an entirely different individual.



L4 Colonies - Coeus HQ.

URGENT MESSAGE TO:Geoffrey Marsh
Subject: Alien contact

I know you've been watching the conflict outside, and those new machines that pulled our collective asses of the fire. Try to negotiate with them - I don't care what you get in return, but if you can make them set whatever alien IFFs they use to mark us as friendlies, it'll keep my men safe.

And if you can get theirs right back, it'll stop one of the fools under my command from accidentally starting a war. Again.
Geoffrey Marsh adjusted his suit nervously. Was a suit the best thing to wear to first contact? Not that it mattered, there was no time to change into something more casual. Sweat could be seen dripping off his face, his slicked-back blond hair not looking as perfect as he'd like. Armageddon was a bad time for personal care unless you wished for a beautiful corpse. He took several deep breaths to calm himself while waiting for the line to open, his hurriedly prepared greeting echoing in his brain. If and when it did open, Geoffrey would take the initiative in the hope they understood English.

"Greetings, Extraterrestrials. As a civilian representative of the forces guarding this colony, I wish to exchange protocols such that our units will not accidentally fire upon each other."




L4 Garrison Composition:

8x Lion
9x Cosmolion

2x MP Huckebein MK2 (Rectangular Launcher)
1x MP Huckebein MK2 (MDTM Shooter)
2x MP Huckebein MK2 (Magna Beam Rifle)
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#30
Part I




The call to the Tantra was instead answered this time by the Strategist, who remained on the bridge, directing the flow of the battle. Notably unlike Madin, he appeared... More or less human, save for the mountain of metal that existed from the neck down, constituting his body. Myr Rodis regarded Marsh's transmission with only the smallest amount of attention. If only he knew, he thought, that the Circle had acquired their IFFs months in advance - such was the extent of the choreography that had gone into today's events.

"By all means, Representative Marsh. We shall be happy to do the same." He said smoothly, barely taking his eyes off the holographic display before him, his mechanical hands working constantly through the air, issuing orders to the squadrons of Bioroids engaging the otherworldly threat.

"Together, let us drive these monstrosities back into the abyss."

Outside, the twin sub-cannons of the Tantra lit up, blasting apart even more of the Lamalice, doing its best to keep the arm of the cloud that had been directed their way from reforming. Some of the creatures were now on the ship's hull, gnawing away at the exterior armor plating, sucking and siphoning away at the its constitution. Alone, they were nothing - but en masse, they could successfully pull away enough power to threaten the lives of those within, and as such, Leige Geios units were being redirected back across the ship, laser blades cutting apart any that survived the barrage.

The remainder had split apart, turning the battlefield into a frenzied free-for all. Liege Geios units chopped, smashed, and blasted their way through what felt like endless waves of the beasts, even as others among their number were isolated and overwhelmed. Neither force was giving way - and it seemed the Circle forces were determined, at the very least, to hold this particular group long enough for the Terrans to make short work of theirs.




Meanwhile, the observers continued their wayward watch as metal and monster crashed against one another. Few paid them any heed, and they in turn were equally dispassionate, focused solely on their own mission... That is, until a certain signal piqued their interest, not unlike finding a diamond among the sediment. Its discovery sent a flurry of activity among the five's networked artificial intelligence units, a lightspeed internal debate that culminated in a single, perfectly realized act.

UPDATE:
UNREGISTERED OBSERVATIONAL UNIT DETECTED
MODEL/MAKE: UNKNOWN
ESCALATING IMMEDIATELY
...
SHIFTING TO COMBAT MODE:
WEAPONS SYSTEMS: ONLINE
...
With a low, oscillating whine, the wing of Opus units dove nose-down into the fray below, leaving faint verdant trails behind them.
 

GEAR

Administrator
Staff member
Jun 15, 2018
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#31
Part II

Valsione & Garmraid

The Psychoblaster ripped out, a whirlwind of energy as the the Valsione's armor shattered, revealing the jaw-dropping appearance within. Sadly, such a sight was lost upon the Lamalice, which both lacked the appropriate faculties to appreciate it, and then further were now bereft of the organs necessary to behold it, as the disk-like waves of power shredded the beasts into little more than tatters. The swarm reeled, pulling back as if stung... but then, its frenzy began to slow, as if heeding some whispered, soothing command.

Neither could have comprehended the chimes of disaster that were echoing across space from across the battlefield, as Abramelin Zahed's foul incantations began to bear their bitter fruit. Several of the creatures gave an unusual shudder, halting in the rhythmic swaying and swarming of their comrades... And, almost dreamily, grew close together. Their sodden forms blackened, as if liquefying, flowing into one another...

Changing.

The black, tumorous masses that remained were only formless, however, for a brief moment. In seconds, wriggling, blood-red tentacles penetrated the gloom, extending out into the vacuum as the things took form. A long, hooded body, almost akin to that of a jellyfish, save that it presided over a myriad of gaping, mouthing, mask-like faces clustered about a bloated, limbless body. There were five total, replacing twenty-five of the smaller Lamalice, each towering over forty meters tall - a wall of pulsating, horrifying flesh.

7AAF632D-7D38-4204-B0FF-849ADDB50676.png

"Gsshaaaaakk..."

For the moment, the Lamalice Canas remained stationary, arrayed about the two in a pentagram-like fashion as their remaining allies swooped in, claws grasping, aiming to exact vengeance on the Valsione and its blazing companion for injuries they had suffered, sending a hail of black beams aimed to penetrate the chest and arms of the two machines...

Lamalice Tendril 1: 25/100
5x Lamalice Cana Type




Nick & Sayuri

"Indeed. A miracle."

Only Abramelin could have referred to the disaster at L5 in such a reverent fashion. The timbres of his voice were... Different. Distorted, as though formed from an eerie chorus of voices that was neither the same, nor entirely dissimilar to what had once been his own. God only knew what had happened to the man himself within the cockpit - or, had he been fused to the eldritch beast, as part of whatever black pact his actions had fulfilled?

"The demanded sacrifice was paid... and I have become one with the Dirac Sea."

As the Cross Smasher lanced out, this time it seemed, the dark sorceror was ready. Within the heart of the swarm, the Zenadye's hand unfurled, revealing within its palm... a pendulum, of sorts, small and gold, wrapped about its wrist with a similarly colored chain. Its remaining hand splayed underneath this, and a blue flame roared to life in its palm. Almost as soon as this ritual had been completed, the Zenadye vanished - and in doing so, the cloud it had concentrated about its being dispersed, scattering - as a consequence, the Cross Smasher only managed to graze it, shearing away a few luckless Lamalice caught on the fringes of the beam.

"Yet... So much more is needed. Much... much... more..."

Sayuri's attack, for her part, met with a little more success, the twin positron bolts impacting two clouds of Lamalice, managing to completely disperese the last of the creatures from one "arm" - but the triumph was short lived, as the swarm now brought its full weight to bear on the two of them. The monstrosities flowed forward, attempting to subsume both the Valsion and the Vangray both, to drag them into its heart, where they would be mercilessly set upon by a sea of gnashing, grasping claws.

Further adding to their malaise, the Zenadye reappeared, reforming behind the two from what appeared to be... For lack of better term, a mass of smaller Zenadye, each flowing into one another in a fashion not unlike the Lamalice currently melding together across the battlefield, grasping in its hands the same long, sinister scythe with which it had previously menaced the soldiers of the Circle.

Yet, before the Sorceror could execute yet another spell, there was an unexpected interruption. A beam of bright green lanced down, incinerating a pair of Lamalice, followed in short order by more, causing Abramelin to look up with a start. Overhead, the forms of five Opus units came into view, weapon barrels blazing as a hail of plasma thundered down on the creatures, as well as the Zenadye itself, causing it to pause - not halt, but long enough for the two to, perhaps, extricate themselves from the situation.

What did they want?

Lamalice Tendril 2:
0/100 (Annihilated)


Lamalice Tendril 3:
92/100
Zenadye


Neutral Reinforcements:
Opus x5
 
Last edited:

Kyca

New member
Jan 19, 2019
18
0
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#32
Head glued to his seat, Joe could barely lift a finger to the controls, not that it would matter, the Garmraid continued its charge off momentum alone. Before the pressure could finally overtake the initial adrenaline rush, Joe mustered up a scoff. Typical Kath. Just as Joe manages a big save, she steals all the glory and… pulls a girl from her unit? Joe did double-take.
It wasn’t the G-forces affecting his mind, the Valsion really had disappeared in a flash of light, in its place, an angelic figure. Joe was speechless. This…

Explained a lot actually.

“Ugh, Typical Kath... Wait, how do you even wink with meta-” If only for a quick moment, Joe overcame the forces over him (and his annoyance), pulling back the controls and causing the Garmraid to violently spin downwards. By the end, his stomach churned, but he hadn’t lost his lunch just yet, he had to find out who did that. Big mistake.
In sharp contrast to the Valsione, the culprit’s throbbing form was… less appealing, to say the least. Joe gathered his bearings as the creature fully materialized itself, holding himself back from retching a bit. “Christ- Anybody else got a new form I should know about?!” Whatever was before him, Joe liked one thing about it; It was big enough to brawl, unlike the shrimps that made it up

“So, a new species, huh?” The Garmraids shoulder popped out of its place, sending the terminus energy it was funneling flaring from its side, and luckily, stopping The Garmraid’s spin. “Well then how’s this for first contact!” With that, the fang knuckle zoomed onward, Joe following in tow, going for a shoulder first-tackle right for the creature
 

MKR

Moderator
Staff member
Aug 19, 2018
626
3
18
#33
"No. There's been enough of your fake miracles and monsters. Not one more." Nick stated at the void, the man himself trying to find where the Sorcerer had disappeared to. Spotting the five units coming down on them and noticing that they were in fact targeting Abremalin.
For the time being the revolutionary chalked it up to more Xenos and to leave them enough for the time being, especially considering he had plenty of issues to deal with already.

Intentionally or not the five Opus units had given him enough time to do what he wanted to. As the Lamalice came down the Valsion's tails shook, Nick spinning the unit back to the swarm causing the Shield of the Valsion and some unseen force to cooperate in warding off the endless tide of purple.
The thing that had made the Valsion oh so dangerous back in the day yet persisted. The Warp Field an ultimate defense for the ultimate robo. The barrier that allowed it to continue fighting for what seemed like forever, as long as there was a drop of energy within the unit that field was active.

The four eyes on the Valsion faced down the swarm, but this moment lasted only for a second as the shaking of the tails concluded and the thruster on the back of the machine activated, rocketing it out of Abremalin's grasp and to relative safety. Of course, this would not be a retreat without some retaliatory action, the Divine blade would act to both keep a distance between himself and the swarm and to cut in twain any Lamalice that dared approach the Nightmare of Terra Sigma.

And now that he had moved, something else caught his sight and his ear. The word Valsione alongside the appearance of the... Unique mech and its wink caused the veteran of many battles to pause more than a sorcerer could ever make him do.
"What in the..." Nick muttered before shaking himself out of it and rotating the Valsion to face the swarm once more. That... Thing, Valsion... Girl, was something for later. More pressing issues were present and he had a spell caster to kill, again.
 
Aug 4, 2018
77
0
6
Srilanka
#34
The Brasta charged through a Lamalice with it's bayonet spiker spewing purple blood on itself. The mobile weapon's eyes glowed green as the monster floated behind along with it's blood.

"Maaan! This is awesome!" Luna cheered with a grin. The Brasta was faster, stronger, and more responsive than ever before. "But whew..There's still a lot of them left..Not to mention those big ones back there..." she said tilting her head towards the others who were busy fighting their enemies.

At that moments a few other units started attacking the Lamalice in front of her. Luna grinned at the sight. "Oh well! No point thinking about it! Whatever happens happens!" she said with a wink and made the Brasta spin it's EAGLE with the bayonet spiker still active making the energy spear make a glowing circle as it spun.

The Brasta then stopped spinning it's weapon and switched the magazine from bayonet spiker to the nets magazine. The mobile weapon then aimed the EAGLE now equipped with the nets magazine. "Here fishy fishy!" Luna shouted as she fired two cylinders from the EAGLE which flew towards the swarm of Lamalice and opened into nets right above them. If the net were to catch a few Lamalice that'd mean less things to worry about. Luna then switched the EAGLE to semi-auto mode equipped with a live ammo magazine and started shooting while also flying erratically though space in order to avoid any sort of incoming attacks.
 
Nov 12, 2018
52
0
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#35
Compared to the battle seething outside, the Tantra's hangar proceeded with the same, almost apathetic aplomb that characterized much of the Circle's more mechanical operations. Rushing did not exist, at least not without rhythm - there was always enough time, enough perfectly allocated time for one mechanical limb to lift one part into place right where it needed to be.

Elhirut, however, much to his chagrin, was having the equivalent of an accelerated nervous breakdown, although he couldn't necessarily grasp the term for it while he was doubled over, gasping for breath. The swarm outside, previously just a sense of sickening malaise in the back of his head, was now a searing set of irons, malice curling around a single dot in his consciousness.

It only took a few moments for him to recognize the feeling, and a sense of cold purpose flooded his limbs. So the bastard had got off scot-free from his own failure.

"You!" He cried out to no one in particular, attempting a wild spin upright.

"You." Elhirut's gaze settled on Decima, who had probably been watching with at least a hint of amusement.

"Yes, I am going out in that machine. And I can handle myself," the grey-haired man coldly stated. He began to push off, slowly drifting towards the Org-Valu. However, he was in no hurry - and he still had words for her.

"I want to know what you are, anything. Give me a name, a title. What it is doesn't matter. When I get back, I want to know what you are."

Then, he turned. He clearly wasn't expecting a response.
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
0
16
Somewhere in the UK
#36

"Oh, you're one *ugly* squid. Didn't even realise you things could get worse~"

While the Valsione lacked the Warp field of its parental figure, it had something the original Valsion lacked - mobility. Katherine swooped around over and behind what remained of the tendril, watching the Garmraid smash into one of the bigger Lamalice with a grin.

It looked like Joe had one under control, so Kath put herself to the task of eliminating another before they started doing weird things.

"Y'know... all of this, and I haven't pulled out my classic fix for things! Here ya go, squid face..."

The Valsione's hair started to glow as the orbs on her shoulders detached, rotating around the machine as they moved down to her outstretched palms. Her slightly crazed grin was replicated on the machine's face as it swiftly charged, forming a purple ball that soon detonated out into the Valsione's inherited signature move.

"CROSS! SMASHER!"

It was aimed directly at the 'face' of the Cana - the biggest one, to be precise. Because what better way to kill a space monster than to shoot it in the face?



While Kath was doing her thing, Nick Mallor would have a communication line open on his machine.

"Greetings. I am 'Alex', an artificial intelligence designed to work with the Valsion Kai unit. This message is primarily to inform you that both factions of colonials are now cooperating, and provide a list of relevant IFFs. Be aware there are at least five units confirmed not to be aligned with the extraterrestrials or our own forces. Proceed with caution."
 

GEAR

Administrator
Staff member
Jun 15, 2018
1,165
1
18
#37
Elhirut

"What are you talking about?"

Decima gave Elhirut a cynical grin, leaning in closer. His agony in the presence of the Lamalice was delicious - she could sense their presence nearby, the teeming mass of Negative Energy setting her own senses aflame. The blonde batted her eyelashes at him, sarcastically, as her voice drawled out:

"I'm just a cute, defenseless little girl..."

"Miss Decima, Elhirut!"

Her diatribe, fortunately, was interrupted by the arrival of the Meyven, who trotted up to join the two of them. He slapped an encouraging hand on Elhirut's shoulder, affixing him with a winning smile full of confidence.

"It's up to us to deal the finishing blow, my friend!" He said, giving him a shake. "I have to repay you from before... Can't afford to be outdone before my men now, can I?"

He gave a loud belly laugh, and Decima gave a momentary cringe - before her features defaulted to their usual look of innocent dismay, as Madin dropped to one knee, reaching out to take one hand as he spoke to her, firmly:

"You need not worry, Miss Decima." He said, squeezing her hand - "We'll protect you, and the Colonies without fail."

The young woman gave him a lopsided smile as the Meyven, seemingly oblivious to her own nature, began to run towards his own machine, evidently eager to be on the front lines himself. Decima, for her part... Gave Elhirut one last, stinging glare, before turning on her heel herself, and walking away, her own intentions... uncertain.

Part III

Ex-Captain Luna's bizarre strategy seemed to be working quite well. The Brasta spun through the ranks of the Lamalice, the extended energy blade shredding more of their ranks as they attempted to close in, even as missile-fire from the Shinryu poured down about her. The nets lashed out, and immediately enshared several of the creatures, causing them to shriek as they were entrapped, electricity crackling across their bodies, before fire from the Selvirus finished them off, giving the unlikely pair some breathing room among the disaster - though sporadic fire still rained down upon the two from unexpected angles, forcing them to stay on their toes.

In response to Mr. Marsh's communique, there would be no immediate returned message - yet, within moments, a series of friendly IFFs would have arrived - ones that, surprisingly, were set to their exact specifications. No alien code were these, but Colonial - allowing for the machines of the Circle to be easily identified.

Meanwhile the Shinryu and its associated Peregrines continued pouring fire into the swarm surrounding the Brasta, allowing Luna and Elizabeth to take the lead, as other troops fought to keep the monstrous Lamalice from closing in.

Lamalice Swarm 4: 41/100
 
Dec 18, 2018
10
0
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#38
Elizabeth sighed, soon dodging Lamalice and potential accidental friendly fire as she tried to check for some kind of instruction manual- She knew her machine wasn't exactly a heavy hitter, but she could be better with it. Still, she couldn't resist a bit of small talk on her mic.

"So is anyone else not exactly a soldier? I mean, it's not like you guys are all sticks in the mud- I've heard of people wearing the outfit that the Valsion or whatever uses... Is it Valsion or Valsione? I honestly don't know why the names are so similar despite the fact that they look so different... I'm pretty sure they use different control systems or something, so why make the names so similar?"

Still, as she talked, she wasn't exactly ignorant of what was around her as she took shots at some of the Lamalice, making openings for some of the other machines to take some initiative, even if it was mere bug bites to the thick skin of the creatures that were invading... Although Elizabeth couldn't help but think she had some itch in the back of her head- Was something causing this, or was it truly just random? At the very least, she wasn't sure given how she wasn't exactly informed.
 
Jun 28, 2018
100
0
6
#39
The wizard rambled incoherently, and their gallant hero bristled back with nose in the air! A grand and tense exchange indeed - and one Sayuri was blissfully unaware of. From her vantage point, the Valsion was shooting into the barrel at the funniest looking one in the distance. But as one figures the Ultimate Robo can probably eviscerate most things not also a Valsion, she had her focus on the rest of the swarm of monstrous space produce. Even in the vacuum nature abhored a vaccum, and where one overgrown vineyard burned away to stardust, another now raced in to capitalize on the market. And her barrels were still covered in rime!

Her heel tilted a foot pedal and Utsuromaru turned its engines over, the main ones cutting while the reverse thrusters sputtered. A hail of lasers and electromagnetic rounds peppered at the inbound wave while the shuttle backed its way out. It was getting awfully juicy with this wave of purple coming in, but the last thing she wanted was to have repaint the hull again. Or replate it. Or... find a new one entirely and have to break it in all over again to get its comfy level just right. Thankfully the Ultimate Robo was a good natured sort, the kind of guy giant metal man that offers a damsel an umbrella in the rain.

As before, the mount and its rider took shelter behind the nice, wide, ethereally shielded target Valsion made. Nevermind the part where, turned parallel to the Valsion's back, Utsuromaru 's nose poked out some ten meters above. Or its enges ten meters below. That was the beauty of drafting though - the flow parted and went around them both!

Of course, the big bot eventually moved off, and as it withdrew, it momentarily revealed the broad side of the barnicle. Just before the shuttle's engines kicked to life to follow the tank, a pair of freshly defrosted barrels protruded over the bow. Leaving a pair of parting shots into the oncoming storm, and then promptly running for dear life, lest Sayuri have to actually cover the underside of her own ship herself!
 
Aug 4, 2018
77
0
6
Srilanka
#40
Luna switched the EAGLE to semi-auto mode and stared down the remaining Lamalice. So far she hardly had any problems dealing with these space monsters though she wasn't really satisfied with the difficulty of the situation...

"Hey fatty.." the ex-pirate captain spoke into the comms obviously contacting Cicero. "Aren't space monsters supposed to be..I dunno.. Tougher? Or more ROAAR than Squeak?" she asked in a very disappointed tone, as if she were a bored child as a few missiles flew by dangerously close to the Brasta but didn't even faze Luna from her boredom.

Of course Luna couldn't rest for long since the monsters were attacking...And someone else talking in the comms. "I'm not a soldier! But I'm pretty bored though" she pouted before making the Brasta do a back-flip and avoided a few incoming missiles behind her. Luckily Luna didn't exactly see the Valsione..Otherwise she might have not bothered fighting and only taken pictures of the mobile weapon.

The Brasta aimed it's weapon towards the remaining Lamalice and started firing with less enthusiasm from when it started.