The Sounds of Silence (Taskforce Upsilon)

GEAR

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#1
OE 102
January 12th, 1:58 AM
Location: Unknown


Lao Xi Feng's naked feet pressed into the soft sand below, as he made his way across the beach, familiar, simple white robes clasping his form. A crescent moon and a gleaming sun both hung in the sky above... And a hazy, golden fog spread out, all around him, obscuring his view of the otherwise dazzling coastline.

It seemed, he thought... A pleasant dream. One well deserved after days of restless toil, ensuring the transfer of the Granzon… He had slipped into sleep faster than normal, and he found himself grateful for that, his worries feeling... Distant.

Clear, pristine water crested gently against the beach, lapping at his toes with its charming warmth... And he could feel a seductive calm impressing itself upon his person.

This place, he felt... Was one of peace. Even now, he could feel fatigue weighing heavily on his mind, his soul - and an overpowering desire to let go, to simply... Sit, and rest, in this beautiful place of solitude and tranquility.

A familiar, sing-song voice called out to him, across the water...

"Along the shore the cloud waves break,
The twin suns sink behind the lake,
The shadows lengthen

In Carcosa."

Carcosa!

The very word alone was enough to snap him back to his senses. This was no dream. He - of all people - had been beckoned to the world of the spirits against his will. He began to walk faster now, gaze turning to the misty waters, straining to see the owner of the voice. Perhaps, now that his senses had cleared, the true nature of the landscape about him was becoming clear as well - as he could not suppress a shudder at the sight of a desiccated skull resting on the beach, now suddenly aware of how dangerously close he had been to joining it, as his pace quickened once more.

"Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange moons circle through the skies,
But stranger still is Lost Carcosa."

At last, after what felt like an eternity, he came upon the singer. Her form was hidden almost completely by a long, golden veil - one that shimmered as beautifully as the morbid sands below in the twilight, seated atop a rocky outcrop in the water. He was seized by a sudden, manic desire to know who she was - to confirm if what he was experiencing, if what he was feeling, was real, and not just the product of tortured memory. Lao waded out into the water, eyes fixed on the figure as she spoke once more - still that lustrous tone, as if it were being whispered affectionately into his ear, every word a drop of poison that sapped his strength a little more.

"Songs that the Hyades shall sing,
Where flap the tatters of the King,
Must die unheard in Dim Carcosa."

The figure only reacted slightly to his approach, turning her face slowly towards him.

He was aware now that they were not alone - That there were figures moving towards them in the mist, clad in those ghastly saffron robes, gliding soundlessly over the waves.

That beneath his feet in the water was soft, cloying texture of corpse innumerable, hidden just below the waves.

Summoning the last of his strength, his hand lashed out, tearing the veil from the singer's face in defiance-

...But what lay beneath...

…Was anything but human.

2DCFFB74-8C39-4844-8220-D544BB556AF8.jpeg

"Song of my soul, my voice is dead,
Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
Shall dry and die

in Lost Carcosa."

***

Archbishop Lao bolted upright in his bed with a start, as though he had been electrocuted, his astral form returning to its mortal prison with all the force of a falling meteorite. Cold sweat was present on his forehead, as his conscious mind began to assemble the meaning of the vision... And arrived at only one, dread conclusion.

They were coming.

He thumbed an intercom switch located to the side of the bed, causing it to crackle to life.

"Get me Brigadier General Rogers, immediately." He said smoothly, reaching up to wipe a hand across his forehead as the focus returned to his eyes.

"We're in terrible danger."

***​
OE 102
January 12th, 2:11 AM
Belfast, Ireland


Alarms blared through the halls of the Air Christmas class, shaking many an exhausted crewman awake. Confusion reigned briefly, with the only bastions of order being the eternally calm C-Types, marching with ordered precision to their assigned stations. Crewmen hurried back and forth, calling to one another, everyone trying to remember where they were supposed be, and what they were supposed to be doing. Over the ship's loudspeakers, an announcement rang out, its purpose loud and clear:

"Attention all personnel: Unknown Prana reactions detected in the vicinity. Enemy contacts are expected to follow.

All pilots, report to the hangar, and prepare to engage. This is not a drill. Repeat..."
The first test of Taskforce Upsilon's vaunted strength, it seemed, would come sooner that they had otherwise expected...
 
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MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#2
Johanna shot up in her bed, the sounds of the announcement and the alarm echoing throughout her room.
She hated these surprise deployments, let alone when they interrupted her sleep. But she still got up with a groan, putting on her pilot suit which luckily didn't take nearly as long as the standard military garb.

The pilot grabbed the mask off her table as she walked out, luckily she didn't have long hair so putting it on as she walked towards the hangar was not that hard a task.
The HUD on the inside activated, allowing her to see again as she walked. The lights activating also helped wake her up somewhat.
Now, the announcement said something about Prana, Johanna wondered if that was one of the things this mask could detect and she'd be proven right shortly after. She looked around to see if the mask picked up anything but kept walking towards the hangar.

It wouldn't take much longer for her to arrive and now actually awake, mostly, she began heading for the Weissritter getting inside her mech seemed like a good idea and if the pilots were meant to gather somewhere she'd hear it. The suit and mask did make her stand out after all.
 
Aug 4, 2018
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Srilanka
#3
Armor Module Network Activated
Connection to units successful
Pilot status: Stable
"Not bad" Kaizo muttered as he continued to monitor the Mironga. "Could do better" he commented turning to his wife.

"Not impressed?" Himari asked Kaizo

Kaizo shrugged, "More like, I expected this to be the result... Can't be too mad I suppose. Connecting to a 12 units is something none of our previous test pilots were able to achieve" he answered crossing his arms. With a slight disapproved look on his face.

Himari tilted her head towards her husband and asked "Are you planning on linking a few more?" with a slight smirk on her face, as she waited for his answer.

Kaizo thought about it for a moment, "I could... What's his status?" he asked.

"Perfectly stable" Himari answered flashing her tablet at Kaizo.

"Alright then.." Kaizo nodded. "Onryo, let's connect 10 more units" he said holding up his microphone.

Inside the Mironga Onryo sat on the pilot seat with blank stare as he took in the all information that was being fed into his brain with relative ease. After 2 days of testing Onryo has adapted to the pressure and has little to no issue with it.

Onryo prepared himself after he heard his father's announcement. But at that moment the alarms started to blare. And the emergency announcement echoed throughout the hangar.

"So much for testing..." Kaizo muttered.

Himari tugged Kaizo's shirt "If Onryo gets deployed it means more data for us" she reassured her husband.

"You're not wrong I suppose... Alright! Prepare for live combat testing!" Kaizo said raising his fist into the air. He then grabbed his mic "Onryo deactivate the AMN system for now and get ready for combat" he ordered.

"Combat?!" Onryo shot up after hearing his father's statement.

"You'll be fine! You've been through a bunch of simulations for the last 2 days. You'll be fine. " Kaizo said reassuringly somewhat calming Onryo down.

"Alright..." Onryo nodded as he deactivated the Mironga's AMN system.

"The Mironga's more of less ready for combat" Kaizo said as he examined the mobile weapon. "All we need to do is replenish it's energy and it'll be good to go" he said with a smug smile on his face.

At that moment he noticed a woman wearing a mask dashing towards the Weissritter. Kaizo rubbed his forehead at the sight. "How many cults does the Directory have..." he commented as he watched the woman enter the Weissritter cockpit.
 
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VeraC

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Jun 18, 2018
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#4
Tian Di was awoken by sirens and alarms, getting up from her bed on board the Air Christmas Ship. She hadn’t gotten accustomed to the uncomfortable bed on the ship, and wished she still had her Comfur-Pedic mattress shipped along with her. She was alerted by Vayne walking into her room, calm as ever, and looking at her.

“...You’re deploying.”

“...’Kay.” Tian Di clambered out of her bed leaving Sleep’s warm embrace. She flung her cloak around herself and followed Vayne to the Hangar. There, Granzon awaited them, its blue profile almost looking down upon Tian Di menacingly. She made her way to the cockpit, and entered its cold enclosure. This feeling of isolation wasn’t the first time she had experienced this, every time she entered the Granzon it was as if she was being buried alive.

The Lights and panels of the inside came to life, and the various Prana mechanisms hummed to life, and the purple eyes of the mech glowed to life.

“You need me… Without I, your life has no meaning…” An ominous voice lurked in the back of Tian Di’s head, but she shook it off, with newfound determination filling her spirit.

“I don’t need you. I don’t want you. I won’t go along with your ploy.” Tian DI gritted her teeth and her face grew more focused.

“I’ll show them all.”
 
Sep 30, 2018
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#5
Pierce jumped out of bed in surprise of the alarms. "Shit! Already?!" He shouted, already pulling his clothes on and running to the hangar.
What are we up against, I wonder? Though this could be the perfect test for Grungust's new parts.
A flash of images went through his mind and a small ping interrupted his train of thought. It also stopped him dead in his tracks as he held his head for a brief second.
What was that... He thought as he looked at the floor. When nothing else happened, he just contributed that to constant late nights setting up the Grungust before he began running again.
The sight of the Grungust gave him relief as he sprinted to it. He climbed into the cockpit, plopping on the seat before starting it up, the cockpit lighting up around him. "Alright, buddy, let's get going." Pierce said with a serious expression, powering up the last of the Type-3's systems.
 
Aug 25, 2018
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#6
'Oh in the name of Alabaster Lich or whatever it was that we were supposed to worship you can't do this to me!' Johan wailed to Slask when the alarm woke him up.

It was far too early in the morning for him to deal with this, so Slask ignored Johan's wailing until he was out of his room.'What are you going on about now?' Slask asked while walking towards hangar, conveniently ignoring Kvinna's murderous gaze on his back.

'My promised time with my own body you idiot! This attack is in the middle of the night, I don't have time to enjoy my own body now!'

Slask sighed. The negative energy Johan produced was not worth the headache. 'Let us focus on the fight for now, we can return to this conversation later if you insist.'

'Sure, lemme smash 'em. I'm a better pilot than what you are.'

'Absolutely not. You would get us killed in the opening shots.'

'Like hell I would! I'm more than skilled enough to survive!'

'If you are so skilled why do you always end up in such dangerous situations? Because it is what makes life worth living? Your 'living' is horribly inefficient and full of risky maneuvers that hardly pay off even if they do succeed.'

'Well your way barely gets anything done! You are not maximizing the results your mech can bring! And it's horribly dull!'

'No. Mine is efficient, something you can only dream of.' The two continued their civilized discussion on whose piloting was better on their way to the hangar. It came to an abrupt end when Slask collided with Fabularis' foot. Wordlessly, they entered the cockpit. There would be no purpose in staying out of Fabularis, they all could hear any orders just fine from there, and they wouldn't waste any time sitting outside their Mobile Weapons.
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#7
Lao entered the bridge, a hubbub of activity already. Brigadier-General Rogers was already seated in the command chair of the Air Christmas, bright and alert as ever, and he gave Lao a crisp salute as he entered. Before he could greet him further, however, the two were interrupted by a shout from an operator below.

"Sir? We've just received word of something strange."

"Out with it, then."

"It's the tides, sir. The water around Belfast has gone... Completely still."

"What?"

So it was, that as of that moment not even a single wave crashed against the rocks. Boats sat still in the quiet waters - and only the slightest of ripples crossed the surface of the sea... Now little more than a vast, flat surface. Rogers looked out, steely-eyed... Yet, wholly uncertain of what to make of it. The golden, malevolent fog that had closed in about them as well, had him perplexed. Lao, for his part, could only think one thing:

It's just like back then.

"We have visual confirmation of contacts!"

"Bring it up on screen."

"Yes, sir."

trikera.png

Out of the yellow fog, several forms loomed, steadily drawing closer to the docked Air Christmas in a semi-circle formation. Large, triangular, tower-like bodies cut through the haze gently, their golden exteriors emblazoned with all manner of sacred runes. Compared to ordinary mobile weapons, they were... Anything but standard - they lacked arms or heads entirely, and more closely resembled walking towers or turrets, each one striding across the surface of the water on three pincer-like legs, upon which they perambulated in a strangely graceful gait. They came in clusters of three, each machine staying equidistant from its partners, so they moved as one, their tripartite of yellow eyes glowing eerily in the twilight, leaving faint trails in the air as they bobbed ever nearer with each soundless step.

"What... are they?" Asked one operator uncertainly - only to be silenced by Rogers, who barked out a command, galvanizing the crew back into action.

"The enemy, that's what! All forces, destroy the unknown Elemental Machines!"

Enemy Force Composition:
Trikera x 3 x 4
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#8
Once inside the Weissritter a connection formed between the unit and Johanna's new choice of apparel. A connection she was still getting used to as her eyes now saw through the eyes of her mech. Her hands wrapped around the controls, ones she knew well enough to navigate blindly by now otherwise this new gift would've been nearly useless. Now all that was left was to sortie.

Launch procedure was simple, it had been drilled into her constantly. Just wait your turn, get into the launch bay and go. With the Weissritter this also involved starting up the Tesla Drive before she plummeted into the water below but after exiting the bay itself. Once outside she was stunned by what she saw, unnatural yellow fog with odd machines marching among it and the still waters below, the mask notified her of two things, that these weird machines were indeed Elemental Machines and that the signs of prana manipulation was everywhere in her surroundings.

"This is van den Berg, there are signs of Prana tampering everywhere, keep an eye open." She said over the comms as she sent the Weissritter upwards.

Once she was a comfortable distance away she readied her Oxtonge rifle, setting it to Energy mode. Her vision zoomed in on the odd machines, her targeting systems helping it stabilize and adjust. She breathed in once, out once.

She had a lock on one of the units in front a blast aimed directly at the middle of its figure, where a head would and should be were this any regular machine.

Another breath in, another breath out.

She pulled the trigger, one, two, three, times and held it down the fourth time. Three energy blasts, red and yellow in color, would hail down from the sky in meteoric fashion. The last would be a constant stream of this same energy, it wasn't perfectly accurate so Johanna had to ever so slightly move the rifle around in an attempt to keep the stream of energy on the unknown enemy. After a few seconds the stream stopped, her UI displaying one energy charge had run out.

Johanna raised the rifle again, she would need to reload it before using E mode again.
 
Sep 30, 2018
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#9
Pierce launched next. He was surprised by the strange golden fog. His surprise didn't cause him to stop moving completely. It was a few moments before seeing the strange machines.
What are those machines?
Pierce maneuvered the Grungust's arm to grab only one drill. He pulled the right arm back.
Just one should do it!
"Drill Boost! Knuckle!" Pierce shouts, the drill spinning up and a booster igniting behind the elbow. He thrusted the arm forward, the arm shooting off at the elbow and rocketing towards the unidentified machine. Pierce made sure to ready his Eye Solid Laser in case the unidentified machine were to avoid the Drill Boost Knuckle.
I wonder if we're poking the wasp nest by attacking them. Ah well. Better to be sure and get stung rather than not be sure and them terrorize everyone.
 
Aug 4, 2018
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Srilanka
#10
The next unit to launch was the Mironga. But unlike the Weissritter Onryo decided to hover above sea level.

"Remember to take pictures. It'd research data. Also don't hesitate to use the AMN system if you have to..." Kaizo said through the radio. Onryo nodded and gripped his unit's controls. He didn't know why but..He felt something coming from the enemy units...Something familiar.. But Onryo immediately dismissed the thought and readied himself for combat.

"I'm no good in close combat...but I can at least do this!" Onryo said as he readied the Mironga to fire it's micro missiles. But he didn't fire just yet.

Activating the Mironga's thrusters Onryo dove it into the ocean. Gritting his teeth he unloaded a barrage of micro missiles at a single unit. Followed by a TGB missile.
 
Aug 25, 2018
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#11
Finally, Fabularis launched after the rest. It quickly moved slightly past Weissritter before coming to a halt. Looking around, he noted the unusual circumstances. He knew enough about Earth to know that golden mist and sea being so still, as if frozen, was unusual.

'What are you doing? Go in, charge! Don't just hover far away like this!' Johan demanded. Slask ignored him. His severely misguided...companion was demanding risky actions with no potential reward. Instead he stayed a good distance away from their enemies. He calmly studied the forms and how they moved, before raising Sagitta Lumens. A small pale blue orb formed at the end of the barrel as electricity crackled through it. After a short buildup, the orb shot forward as a large beam, barreling towards the lower body of one of their enemies. Should it hit, large clusters of ice would spring forth on the area that was hit.


'Not opening with your precious Parvus Acies?'

'I would rather see how well they move first.'

'I still say you should just let me handle this, especially when you refuse to dash in.'

'Shut up.'
 

VeraC

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#12
Granzon launched last, its sinister blue frame being flung out of the Air Christmas. Tian Di quickly identified the remaining strange yellow walkers and took count of how many there were. Granzon floated over the water, and saw all the previously launched mobile weapons already engaging the enemy. The enemy looked weak as is, so perhaps it wasn’t necessary to go all out quite yet… Though it was likely Rodgers wanted to see the capabilities on the Granzon.

“Then we’ll go with this…”

Granzon clenched its fist before opening it and creating an orb of dark energy. Purple and black energies swirled within, and the surface crackled with an almost volatile energy. The orb was tossed into the air, then multiplied immensely.

“Graviton Cannon, fire.” Tian Di commanded Granzon.

The orbs descended quickly on the incoming enemies, once impacting with them, would expand and engulf the golden robots, before shrinking down to nothing, a gap in space where it previously existed. It took with it the surrounding water and air, causing both to flow into the now vacated space.
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#13
Death rained down on the Trikeras, even as they advanced unhurriedly - the Granzon's gravimetric spheres fell from the skies, throwing up a dark purple cloud, followed in short order by Onryu's missiles, the freezing blast of DARC's frozen masterpiece, the Fabularis; Johanna's expertly-aimed shots, and the whirling, screaming fists of the mighty Grungust Type-3 - all smashed into the cloud, throwing up massive explosions and howls of twisted metal.

As the dark smoke began to clear, however... The Trikeras stepped through, not a scratch on their gleaming, ornamental forms. The reason for this became immediately clear - something, or rather, some things, had interposed themselves between the two groups, right at the moment of impact. How they had managed to approach undetected was anyone's guess - but it seemed as though the prana-suffused space around them was not merely for decoration, and some form of trickery was at work.

...Regardless, what stood before them now seemed very real, the surfaces of their golden carapaces now pitted, scarred, compacted, and in some areas, sporting pointed crowns of ice as their shield-like forms tucked several pairs of arachnid-like legs back beneath their bodies.

These new contraptions were... Curiously similar to the Trikeras, standing at approximately thirty meters in height. Each was squat, its limbs held close to its form, and its overall construction rounded where the other was tall and angular - viewed side-by-side, the two made for an almost comic pair. Their surfaces were comprised of overlapping armor plates, and a yellowish-green eyeball peered out from between slits in the armor, inbetween a pair of heavy, club-like grasping pincers. The overall impression was that these were less machines, and more like... beasts that had been bound within armor, and were being herded with gusto towards them, to vent their silent fury.

With no fanfare, the Shimeisous wasted no time, and began advancing on Taskforce Upsilon's units as one, hovering forward sideways, their right hand sides facing towards Earth's finest. As they did, each raised its claws - and emitted bolts of jet-black Dimensional Energy, spitting death at the closest foes, in this case Onryu, Slask, and Johanna, each one attracting the attention of two newcomers.

The Trikeras, for their part, remained where they were - but each spread its legs out, stabilizing itself atop the water in a tripod. Their triangular upper bodies shifted, their frontal armor plates shifting to reveal gleaming golden barrels, each machine an ornate artillery piece. Each barrel roared to life - but emitted no sound whatsoever, sending blasts of penetrating prana energy in the direction of the two most heavily armored targets - the Granzon and the Type-3, as well as the Air Christmas itself - four apiece.

Enemy Force Composition:
Shimeisou x 6 (?) - Reinforcements
Trikera x 3 x 4 (?)
 

VeraC

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Jun 18, 2018
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#14
“Tch.” Tian Di clicked her tongue at the result of the combined assault on the Trikeras. She began clicking away at the side panel of the cockpit, accessing the prana circuits of Granzon. Tian Di saw the Trikera taking aim at herself and the Air Christmas, and moved to defend. As the Prana beams were launched, she moved in front of the Ship, and Granzon held its arms out, calling forth several dimensional portals, each about the size of the incoming beams. With careful coordination and prediction, the prana would enter the portals, no longer threatening the two.

Granzon then shifted its armed forward, opening new portals aimed at the Trikera. Exiting forth out of them from moments ago, the same prana beams were now being used against them. Granzon then moved to the ground, and planted itself firmly on the ground. Dark energies began swelling in its hands, before being released into several black ‘orbs’ that aligned themselves with Granzon’s torso.

“Move.” Tian Di spoke on the comms; her voice could be mistaken to be referring to the enemy, but rather it was a warning to the allied units that were out before her.

The Torso section of Granzon opened revealing the yellow core that lay in the center. A yellow beam shot out from it, entering through the aligned orbs, each one amplifying the strength of the beam. The back thrusters then ignited and came to life, along with a now reddish white beam, much wider than the previous yellow one spewed forth from Granzon, vaporizing all before it. The ground, water, and should any landmass exist beyond, would all cease to exist. After the beam ended, water would flow fiercely into the vacuum of existence.
 
Aug 4, 2018
77
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Srilanka
#15
After the Granzon fired it's Graviton Cannon at the enemy units. Onryo who was still underwater fought against the now flowing current and managed to get himself above sea level.

With the Mironga hovering above water Onryo let out a sigh of relief just glad to still be among the living.

Turning his attention towards the direction where the Trikera were last standing. He was taken a back after seeing them still standing. Especially after the Granzon's last attack. "No way..." he muttered in disbelief.

He then noticed the Shimeisou before him. "Reinforcements?". At that moment the Shimeisou began charging it's claw with dark energy. Onryo quickly fired the Mironga's thrusters trying to create some distance between him and the new enemy units.

"Move" a voice said through the radio. Onryo was confused at first but then noticed the Granzon fired a beam through it's chest. "Not again.." Onryo said as he fired the Mironga's thrusters at full power somehow just barely managing to avoid the attack.

Looking back Onryo saw the aftermath of the attack. Onryo sat on the pilot's seat of the Mironga breathing heavily. Just glad to have survived not one but two large scale attacks from the Granzon...Who was supposedly his ally.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Back in the hangar. Kaizo wore a bitter face at the fact that the Granzon nearly destroyed the research he's been working on for almost 19 years now... Same goes for Himari.

"Himari?" Kaizo turned to his wife extending his hand.

"Yes?" Himari replied.

"Pass me the radio" He said to Himari who immediately passed him the radio.

Kaizo then contacted the Granzon's pilot. "Ms. Tian Di was it? I'd a appreciate it if you would stop trying to destroy my life's work! You insolent puppet!"
 
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MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#16
As her allies poured out of the Air Christmas one by one Johanna would watch each of them begin their own assault, then it came to the last one which fired a black orb... Upwards, the direction she had gone towards.

The Weissritter scurried to get out of the path of this attack, but it stopped just below her into a ocean of the same orbs. Feeling more than a little disgruntled about the lack of warning from an ally and the feeling of her own heartbeat the Ensign was about to say something only to be interrupted first by single word uttered by the pilot of the friendly fire happy mech and then by some other guy calling her a puppet.

After this she decided to not go further in on this and instead focus on the battle ahead. Especially with the two crustacean mecha heading after her, the fact that none of them took any damage was odd, this combined with the lack of any response from her mask on these crabs sparked curiosity into what was going on here, perhaps a more in depth scan would yield info. But she had to move as she scanned, there were projectiles inbound as such the wings on the back of the Weissritter spread open, it would give her the maneuverability needed to weave in between the bolts of Dimensional Energy as she twirled the rifle around, cooling it down just enough by using the still sea air.

Picking the Shimeisou closer to her as her target there was a click in her rifle, W mode was activated, three solid rounds shot out in quick repetition as she dashed towards the enemy for once. All her attacks would be aimed towards the eyeball on the monstrous mecha, she had no intent of dealing with its heavy plating.

Three beams followed shortly after, all of them aimed at wherever Johanna had hit on the foe, whether or not that was the intended target of the eye. Then it became clear why she had approached instead of retreated. The Weissritter spun its rifle around, pushing the back of the weapon to its shoulder and rotated itself to have its side aimed at the approaching Shimeisous. A beam fired from the Oxtounge rifle right at the reinforcement with explosions forming at the end for a spectacle in the sky not too dissimilar from fireworks.
 
Sep 30, 2018
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#17
Confident the Grungust could hold up to the attack, Pierce moved the arms in front of the Grungust's body, taking the shots without much trouble other than a rough shaking. "Alright, time to-"
Pierce was cut off by friendly fire hitting him in the back.
"Hey! Watch it!" Pierce barks into the radio, stabilizing himself from the sudden hits. He moved out of the firing line of the Granzon to make sure he wouldn't get hit by friendly fire before taking action again.
Pierce moved the Type-3 once again, making sure his allies weren't in his firing line. Confident he was clear enough, he took a deep breath. The Type-3 thrusted its left arm out, then it's right arm, before pulling them straight back.
"OMEGA! BEAM!"
A large beam of pure black energy erupts from the torso of the Type-3, the width of the beam as large as it's torso. The black energy pierced its way through the sky towards one of the Trikeras.
 
Aug 25, 2018
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#18
Coolly Fabularis moved out of the way of the Dimensional Energy beams, blocking the ones it couldn't dodge with its shield. Luckily Slask's movement moved him away from the Granzon's line of fire, allowing the two to admire the destruction.

Johan whistled in admiration. 'You sure you Melior Esse can deal with that?'

'....Yes?'

'Is that hesitation I hear?'

'Silence your tongue.' Heavy mist spewed from Fabularis as Slask studied the hovering Shimeisous that had attacked him. Air combat it was then. the trapezoid Parvus Acies shot to the air from the 'wings' on Fabularis' back, a large layer of ice forming around them as they flew through the mist. Pointing at the two Shimousa with Fabularis' bladearm Slask guided them to assault the two crablike foes, all fifteen Parvus Acies launching towards them at high speeds.

'You really should let me pilot Fabularis, at least in air combat. You can't handle it well at all.' Johan commented mid attack, causing a few of the blades to fly astray past the Shimousas. Wherever the Parvus Acies struck, heavy layers of ice immediately formed around the impact zones. After impacting on something, whether it was ground, water or an enemy the Parvus Acies shot back to Fabularis, reattaching to the wings.

'Are you trying to get us killed?' Slask questioned.

Johan laughed.
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#19
As arcane energies pulsed around the Granzon, the Trikera seemed to sense that all was not well, and began hurriedly attempting to spread out - but the effort would prove to be futile. The Destroyon Break, easily one of the more deadly tools in the Granzon's arsenal, lanced out like the divine blade of an angry god - and instantly swallowed three of the machines, vaporizing them completely, leaving a semi-circle of evaporated water carved clear into the ocean for milles... And there it stayed, the water simply remaining still in the air as it refused to fill the trench now cut into its form.

Pierce's attack burst out across the frozen waves, catching one of the Trikeras off guard as it pivoted to adjust its aim. The blast of pure plasma energy washed over it, blowing out the tripod's legs from under it in a series of small explosions, causing it to hop almost comically on its one remaining limb... and then collapse into the water below. Almost immediately, the golden fog enveloped both it and its squadmates… And they faded from view, receding mysteriously into the mist.

The two Shimeisous that had targeted the Weissritter followed it persistently, their forms levitating after it into the air. They unfolded into attack form, approaching her from either side, giving new meaning to the term "pincer attack" - but as one completed its transformation, it was greeted by a shot that smashed clean into its eyeball. A spray of... not oil, no, but blood fountained violently from the creature's face as it shuddered horribly, its entire form trembling.

Though it made no sound... It was clear that the monster was screaming.

As its partner was in their death throes, the other was no less aggressive - it raised its claws like shields over its own face, allowing the beams of the Oxtongue rifle to smash into their armored surfaces, leaving them melted and cracked - but still no less murderous - as it closed ranks. reaching out with a swift swipe - aimed to directly smash aside her weapon as it surged forward in a violent tackle, perhaps attempting to put some distance between its ailing ally and the white Personal Trooper.

The frigid bolts of the Parvus Acies hailed down on the Shimeisous that had targeted Slask, the bulky machines not even bothering to dodge as they charged. The lead unit approached him lengthwise, its deadly claws bristling with dark flame - but as the icy blast impacted it, the creature found one if its limbs stuck fast, encased in a prison of frost - and instead opted for a brutish, albeit now awkward - but no less devastating - open-clawed swing from its right, aiming to simply smash the fragile looking robot's chest with surprising swiftness for something so large.

One simply maneuvered clear around him in an awkward semi-circle, its surface now decorated with tufts of frost - instead it directed its attentions on the Grungust Type-3, its legs unfolding as it suddenly dropped like a ton of bricks, its body turning almost lazily in the air to fall... right on top of Pierce, bringing a sledgehammer-like claw down with the intention of brutally crushing the Super Robot's head.

As Onryo fought to keep from being killed by his allies, he would unfortunately find no respite from the golden host. A Shimeisou approached him from in front, its eye rattling around irritably in its skull as it attempted to keep track of the buzzing gnat that was the Mironga. It swept up from below, its arms opening wide - and swung them inward, expanding their size suddenly, attempting to sweep the fragile GESTALT trooper into an embrace that could mean only certain death.

The remaining Shimeisou that had initially charged him changed course - and began making a beeline for the Granzon, silently hurtling through the air in a fashion wholly unbecoming of a crustacean, mechanical or otherwise. It offered no immediate response, but the fire from the remaining 4 Trikera only intensified, a hail of Prana Blasts providing it cover for its advance as they rained death persistently on the vessel of Volkruss.




Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Air Christmas, Brigadier General Rogers watched the scene play out before him with a sense of deep unease. He had only begun to contemplate further, when the bridge suddenly rocked with a series of vibrations, causing him to grunt as his chair rattled.

"What was that?"

"B-Brigadier General! There's more reinforcements! They're... behind us!"

Sure enough, lurching out of the darkness behind them... Came another six Trikeras, their long, claw-tipped legs carrying them effortlessly over the buildings of Belfast, coming soundlessly through the golden mist. Rogers could only watch, aghast, as the foes that they had cut down only mere moments earlier... Had risen once again, and returned as if they had never even been harmed to begin with.

"A feint?" He wondered aloud; "Why didn't we detect them earlier?"

However, it was not one of the operators that responded to him - it was a familiar voice, as a holographic window popped into view above his command chair.

"There's something interfering with our sensors, Sir... A Prana field of some kind."

"Miss Juliette?"

The young engineer gave a solemn smile, pulling a pilot suit over her shoulders as she nodded.

"I'm going out to get a better look. I can't get a good reading on the prana field from here."

"Understood. Be careful."

"Deploy the Riots! Don't let the enemy get any closer to the Air Christmas!"

As the purple-haired young woman faded from view, Rogers slumped back into his seat with a sigh.

"What do you make of this, Director?"

Only silence, however, met his inquiry, causing Rogers to quizzically turn his head - only to see an empty space where his superior had formerly stood.

"...Director?"

The Archbishop was gone.




Lao Xi Feng strode purposefully through the halls of the Air Christmas, his pulse pounding, his head feeling as if it was being squeezed with agonizing slowness in a vice. He could sense the dread energies converging on this place from the netherworlds - a technique his protégé was quite fond of using, but that these halfwits would have no idea how to counter - Not before the Sirens had slaughtered them to the man. They were here for the Granzon - he could infer that much - but how had they determined its location?

This was no mere accident.

Something had beckoned them.

Someone.

He could feel it, pulsing away from within these halls, its nefarious energies like a hellish mist about his person - a beacon of sorts, a signal to the Carcossans that had lured them here. He allowed his thoughts to drift, let instinct take him to the center of the energies, his footfalls carrying him closer and closer to the source as he moved deeper into the heart of the vessel, far from the lit halls... and into its dark, churning innards. At length... he stopped, suddenly, atop a catwalk as he regained his senses.

He had barely even noticed it, but the area around him had suddenly become...

Quiet.

Unusual, he thought, for an engineering deck. Around him, machines churned and hummed away, providing fuel and oxygen to the residential quarters nearby... But they were almost silent now, only a dull hum thrumming in his eardrums, like... White noise, almost. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and his fingers flexed instinctively, beginning already to instinctively weave protective spells about his person.

Now, he thought as he began to creep closer towards the source of the anomaly, where are you?




The Trikeras advanced soundlessly on the rear of the Air Christmas, their cannons blazing as beams of prana smashed into the ship's protective barrier - but came to a halt, as without warning, a burst of blue particles lanced out, passing just barely overhead. Their surprise was further compounded as quartet of bottle green and eggshell machines came into view, each on a plume of almost blinding blue-white energy, as the Directory's latest mass-production machine made its debut.

At their center, a lavender and white machine, its feminine silhouette characterized by a pair of long, thruster-laden shoulder shields, a twin-eared helm, and a bright green visor gathered its hands together. Dimensional energy flickered about its palms, and in moments, a submachinegun-like weapon, equipped with a fierce bayonet, materialized and dropped into its waiting palms. Juliette's Serius two reached up to the top of the weapon, disengaging the safety as it began to draw a bead on the closest monstrosity.

"C-Types, restrict your fire as much as possible. Draw the enemy away from the residential zone."

"Acknowledged."

Within the cockpit, the Engineer's eyes narrowed as data already began flooding in, and she began the task of sorting it as the Riots advanced in a phalanx, beginning to engage the Trikeras.

"Whatever's going on... We're going to stop you." She breathed, perhaps with a little more confidence than she felt...

Enemy Composition:
Shimeisou x 6 (?)
Trikera x 3 x 4 (?) - Reinforcements

Allied Forces:
Serius II - Juliette
4x Riot C
 
Last edited:

MKR

Moderator
Staff member
Aug 19, 2018
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#20
The Weissritter spun its rifle to cool it down as it backed off, but Johanna froze for a second as she saw the liquid coming from the Shimesou. In the moment of distraction the other crab like creature would succeed its effort, the Oxtounge rifle going airborne and out of the Weissritter's hand. As such Johanna was quickly shaken out of her moment of disgust, dread and surprise. She kicked the white personal trooper backwards and after her weapon, speaking up in the meanwhile.

"The crab type enemies are organic!" She notified her team, the Weissritter not breaking its gaze from the enemy as it went after the weapon.

To cover her momentary retreat a set of split missiles would shoot out from the back of the machine, speeding towards the two creatures that had pursued the Weissritter as they passed their point of origin. But that was not all, the Personal Trooper grabbed its left arm with its right arm, the three beam cannons on it flaring to life.

She paused for a moment, she was waiting for the signal to fire.

It came immediately, the split missile canisters burst open releasing the projectiles within and bringing the hail of steel upon the crabs, the split missiles, while certainly no longer top of the line in regards to the damage they could do would serve as an excellent deterrent for any pursuer. They made a veritable mine field in the air. Blue beams shot out of the arm shortly after the canisters opened three shots piercing through the explosive laden air, all three aiming at the bleeding and dying Shimeisou.

With her personal defenses put up Johanna turned around, tracking her rifle, she would have to be quick if she didn't want it to plummet into the still waters below. Finding out how the energy part of the rifle reacted to water which seemed frozen in time was not something she was eager to learn. As such the Weissritter dove downwards, passing just above the water below while facing upwards, unless she was disturbed this would allow her to not only catch the rifle but immediately fire it when she did so.