Grand Theft Battleship (Jericho)

Aug 4, 2018
334
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Somewhere in the UK
#1
Southern Italy

2nd September, 11:15AM

The first sign of trouble was a Killer Whale surfacing off the coastline, broadcasting a distorted and long out-of-date Directory IFF. The Forsaken as it was now calling itself had been out of contact since the fall of the original Directory, and now it was dispensing hostile forces onto Italian soil. Five mobile weapons in total, alongside a couple of smaller vehicles before the submarine vanished between the waves once more.

Their objective was clear enough, the unknown force heading directly for the Jericho site holding the Bianceve.




"Surrender the Bianceve, and nobody needs to be harmed!"

A transmission sent out on a wide band, but followed by the unmistakable sound of a Railgun being fired. Just a warning shot for now, the projectile slamming into the ground just short of the facility's walls. The convoy had split off by this point, just leaving the team of mobile weapons threatening those garrisoned there. For now only the Huckebeins were in view, their colours painted for the desert heat rather than the temperate Autumn of Italy. All directory iconography on the machines had been somewhat poorly painted over, replaced with an unknown symbol.

Perhaps they were bandits, but what sort of bandits would try to steal a battleship? For now both mobile weapons would remain still, weapons primed as they awaited a response - or return fire, should things turn violent.

Neither expected the base to accept, but they had to ask. Not doing so would be improper. Unfitting. Wasteful.



2 * Huckebein MK2-M

3 * Barrellion
 
Last edited:
Mar 23, 2021
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#2
It’s only been… a day? And they were under attack, again. Well, at least Dimidas has had more rest than he could ask for back then. That didn’t matter now, however. The time for retaliation was now. But of course they would expect them to make the first move, so they had to be fast before the enemy could even muster a thought.

From below the two Huckebeins, it appeared that something was causing an irregularity in the waves below. But it was in their blind spot, the only way to tell that there was something there was the rapidly growing red dot on their onboard radars.

Beep!…Beep!… Beep! Beep! Beep!Beep!BEEP!

As the signal came right on top of them, unseen below the waves, the Ritter launches out of a large pod as it was catapulted towards the surface by the pod’s remaining momentum. The waves crashed, and in their wake a large spout of water emerged as sharp green eyes glowed behind them.


”Cut them in half, Ritter!“

A circular light made itself seen in the spout of water before turning into a large beam blade, moving to split the Huckebeins in one go. Should that fail, a follow up swing from one of the beam sabers in the shoulders would at least hit one of the two units as it would actively pursue them. It would then quickly back off away from the wall which had been missed by a previous warning shot, whatever shot it might very well lock onto the Ritter if it’s not careful with positioning.

”If you thought of asking politely, maybe you should have left your weapons at the door.”
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#3
The sound of running water filled the bathroom.

It wasn't enough to drown out the pounding in her head, like hammers raining against the inside of her skull.

Tilde Curtaine watched her own blood circling the drain, hunched over the sink, the taste of her own blood filling her mouth. She knew she'd gone too hard, too fast... but there had been nothing for it. It was do or die, and she'd acted without thinking of the consequences.

Her stomach jumped, and she retched... but this time, nothing came forth. Just a dry heave, leaving her gasping for air, her fingers slowly working themselves into her hair, massaging her scalp pitifully as she clenched her eyes tight from a spinning world. It was as if she were in the grips of the worst hangover in the world - a not ill-fitting description, given the nature of what ailed her. One hand unsteadily groped across the counter to a small collection of pill bottles, scrabbling and fidgeting, snapping off plastic caps as she pushed a fistful of small, colorful capsules into her mouth, forcing them down her throat as she rinsed her mouth, trying to at least get the taste out.

Gradually, the shaking, the nausea, subsided... and she was back, cold, alone, and in control. Only her own eyes met her reflection this time. No dragons, no monsters.

Just Tilde.

How long can you keep this up?

She blinked, the thought leaping to her mind unbidden. It was killing her, that much she knew. Slowly, carefully, taking its time, as if her mind were a ball of yarn held at the mercy of a particularly loathsome feline intent on unraveling it at its own, lazy pace. As she pondered this thought for what felt like the umpteenth time, the sound of the alarm was almost welcome. With a shuddering intake of breath, she pulled back her hair, making certain it wasn't flecked crimson, and strode out to meet the enemy.




As Dimidas charged out, the larger, looming form of the Ascalon took a slower tack. Instead, it rose above the ship, spying the Barrelion in the distance. Nothing the kid couldn't handle on his own. In the meantime-

...Something... was out there.

A pulse, trembling beneath her fingertips. Resonating off the Celestial Reactor, unseen, but not unfelt. But... where? The silver Special turned its head back and forth as it scanned the surroundings. Tilde gave a low sigh within the cockpit, trying to ease the disturbances she felt from the distant clash of metal. Find your center. Feel the aura. Instead, the machine drew one of its Enders Blades, holding it before it in both hands. Tilde closed her eyes... and once more, allowed the power to flow through her body.

"Om bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ,
tat savitur vareṇyaṃ..."

White, vapor-like energy began to stream off the blade, giving it a curious glimmer in the mid-day summer's light. Tilde fed it, let the Celestial Reactor's power expand into the surroundings like a creeping fog. Her eyes, half-lidded, watched the flickering of the weapon's edge as it danced like a candle before her eyes, rhythmically, her lips moving almost soundlessly to the mantra.

"Bhargo devasya dhīmahi,
dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt..."
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
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16
Somewhere in the UK
#4
"Hostile Contact! Looks like they're not going to just hand it over quietly."

Both Huckebeins twisted towards the source of the radar blip, photon rifles trained on the water. But they were slow. Just slow enough to leave an opening. Their return fire tore through the pod the Wildschwein had launched from, just inches short of the actual target. And while they tried to leap back at the first sign of the whirring blade, it still cleaved through one arm on the closest Mobile Weapon - leaving just a sparking stump as the pilot reached for a beam sword with their remaining arm. The crippled Mobile Weapon was still barely able to parry the second strike, forcing the suit back a little as the undamaged Huckebein lined up a more accurate second shot. They were motivated, but by no means a match for an Ace. Nor where they meant to be.

The hellish sound of lightning in the distance made that fact clear once more. Three loud detonations, closely followed by a matching trio of sonic booms as their projectiles shattered the sound barrier. One would hit home on the wall that had previously survived the warning shot, while the second was loosely aimed at Dimidas - demolishing another building as it flew by. The third went skyward, aimed at the Super Robot that was apparently idle. Just because it hadn't attacked yet didn't mean the pilots wanted to take any chances.

"Get the Barrelions to adjust, this one's an ace!"

Oddly all of their communications were on old Directory channels, rendering them easily accessible to Jericho's own networks.



Pressure. It wouldn't take long for the Celestial reactor to find an oddity, abruptly being stopped as if it had struck a brick wall. Something was out there. Something aware.
A flash of red on the horizon - killing intent. For a moment it froze, attention locked on her as the two beings became aware of each other. Unsettling.. unnatural. Incomprehensible in a way that was truly inhuman. Anger tempered with doubts, but those doubts washed away as they shared that fleeting moment of awareness.

Once the connection broke it would change direction, rushing directly towards her at speeds most Mobile Weapons would struggle to even reach. Let alone maintain.
 
Mar 23, 2021
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#5
With the Beam Ripper still active, Dimidas quickly blocked the incoming shot with a beam shield, the photon blast turned into a dispersed cloud of energy as it made contact with the shield. As the railgun blasts missed Dimidietas entirely, he checked the trajectory of the projectiles to see where they came from. He would use that data to deal with the artillery later, for now he had the two Huckebeins in front of him to deal with.

One was practically defenseless, and the other was still armed. But this was battle, and so something had to be done to gain an advantage. Dimidas charged the disarmed Huckebein and attempted to wrap a whip around it as the Beam a ripper segmented itself into such a weapon, should he succeed, he would use it as a shield from incoming fire from the other Huckebein. Should he fail, he would charge the second one regardless as he pulled out one of his Rail Cannons and fired it repeatedly at the armed Huckebein. His shots mainly aimed at the photon rifle as well as the chest in order to secure a quick kill or at least disarm his enemy before getting a clear shot.

As he fought he was left wondering, what exactly was Tilde doing? He should leave her be, that Reactor is stress enough for her as it is.

”Identify yourselves and I shall spare the rest of you!” He said over the open Directory channel they used.
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#6
Oh, Lord.

Tilde felt the breath in her lungs turn to ice, as if all the air in the cockpit had been sucked out, as the vapors around the sword suddenly flared - and then died. On the horizon, glimmering gold, was... was something. An aura, deep and rich, like the radiance of the sunlight, before which her own paled terribly. For a moment she felt paralyzed - but the sudden screech of her HUD, the sharp crack of distant thunder-

Anyone who'd spent even a small amount of time on the battlefield would know that noise.

On impulse more than anything, the Ascalon dove - and the railgun round smashed into the dock behind it, pulverizing apart a crane as easily as if it had been made out of toothpicks, proceeding to punch through two more buildings before detonating in a shower of dust and flame. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted, however - not at this moment. There was nothing to it but to pray Dimidas could handle the situation.

She'd started the day in the grips of a devil, and now sure enough an angel had come to get its pound of flesh as well. As XN-L approached, the Ascalon wearily drew its swords, crossing them protectively in front of its chest, as though it were trying to ward away a demon - curious, given its design. Cold sweat poured down Tilde's face as she managed to utter in its direction:

"What... are you...?"
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
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16
Somewhere in the UK
#7
"The Chosen will not bow to you! Not while our guardian watches over us!"

The damaged unit shouted back first, the pilot practically spitting into their microphone as they leapt back from the whip. Vulcans blazing away in defiance with the hope of at least slowing down the hostile ace. Their colleague went still for a moment, trying to line up a shot past the shield - and finally getting one off a split second before the boosted railgun struck their own cockpit. Dimidas would find his fire rewarded with a piercing scream, followed by one final desperate transmission.

"My lord..."

"Avenge me."


His dying words were matched by a growling light on the horizon, piercing golden light charging the Ascalon. But at the last second - seeimingly on instinct - it'd abruptly switch angle, leaving a blazing trail in the sky as it dived for the Wildschwein like a glowing missile. Should she strike home she'd drag the machine along the ground with her, tossing it like a ragdoll ahead of her before returning to the sky.

"I am XN-L. And I will be taking your vessel. Comply or be killed."

"Is that sufficient identification for their survival?"

Her words were punctuated by the ignition of a golden blade on each forearm. There was no second round of railgun strikes as she spoke, the machines falling silent for now. Although whether that was to avoid hitting their 'Angel' or simply for maneuvering purposes was hard to tell. XN-L's gaze never left the Ascalon as she spoke, but her focus only truly returned to it after she was done. Something changed in the 'Angel's gaze, her wings unfurling into a more threatening stance.

"And you. What is the source? Answer me. What is the origin?"

Something about the Ascalon had unnerved her, the emotions leaking into the projected voice where there had formerly been none. Confusion. Anger. One could even call it fear, but such a being woul presumably have been beyond such petty emotions. The halo at her back distorted with each sentence, switching between a circle and a cross repeatedly - finally settling on the latter with her final question, each edge igniting with hostile intent. Any wrong answer could cause the being to attack, but what was the right answer?

Was there a right answer?
 
Mar 23, 2021
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#8
As the electromagnetically charged round left the barrel of the Wildschwein’s Rail Cannon, the Beam Ripper’s segments would retract and would form a shield before the photon blast could do anymore damage to the chassis. However hearing their cries of zealotry towards someone or something worried him. He glanced towards Tilde at the corner of his monitor, she was still, her aura had gone dormant. IT was out there, but what exactly was it?

“Something powerful within the vicinity, is that what she’s looking out fo-“

Suddenly he would feel the crash against the coast, a white warrior glad in gold. He couldn’t react fast enough as the golden blur slammed him across the ground and flying into the coastal shelf. His body was thrown about multiple times, and it felt like he was simply thrown aside. Thankfully, all it managed to do was throw it, albeit with a restricted amount of force on their part.

Dimidas coughed as the Wildschwein’s battered frame moved out of the hole that had been carved for it by the impact’s force. Some areas of the armor were warped, there was dirt and grime all over it as well.

“Yes, but I am afraid I don’t even have the faintest clue as to who or what you are.” he said to himself.

He patched a comm link between himself and Tilde. “Tilde, hold that thing off, I’m going after the heavy artillery.” After what had happened the last time, his resolve was strengthened closer to its former self, he couldn’t stay weak and self sacrificial forever. Dimidas was a man of action, and he needed to be that right now where his past self had failed. “Don’t you dare try anything funny this time, that is an order!” He spoke with the commanding tone of a leader, not something he had done in a while.

With the trajectories of the previous Railgun shot traced, Dimidas made a rush for the traced location of the artillery units. He fired multiple rounds from both his Rail Cannons near the area where he suspected them to be laying down.
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#9
What is the origin?
"Now you have my attention."

An angel. I get to kill an angel. It knew something. The knowledge lodged itself at the forefront of Tilde's brain like a thrown ice-pick. Already she could feel it boiling up inside her - that murderous impulse, clawing at her guts, rising to the forefront of her consciousness, making it sharper, keener, deadlier. The Ascalon seemed to almost sing back to her in kind, its motions becoming smoother, cleaner, almost prescient the deeper she drew on it. Here, faced with certain annihilation for the second time?

She let it have its way.

XN-L banked hard, off in the direction of Dimidas - but as it did, there was a sudden sensation, a looming presence. The Ascalon barreled after it at top speed, the flaring Celestial Reactor lending more swiftness to the Special's movements as it pulled alongside XN-L, frozen grin gleaming as blue stared into red, and silver regarded gold. The Boost Drive had done its job - even if she was now locked in combat with this thing, her ASRS module now expended to give her the sudden burst of acceleration she needed. She make the absolute most of it - XN-L would regret trying to turn its back on the Nemesis.

"Let's dance."

With a terrible roar of its thrusters, Tilde slammed into the golden angel in a flying tackle, opening the thrusters up to full as the aura about it supernova'd, a brilliant burst of white as the Ascalon's forearm snapped out around XN-L's waist, dragging it into a meteoric descent towards the earth below. Unhindered, the two would plow through a command tower in a spray of concrete, slamming home into an abandoned hangar with a massive explosion of dust and grime that plumed up into the air, shattered concrete raining down in every direction.
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
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16
Somewhere in the UK
#10
The Giant blinked, becoming aware of the Ascalon's change seconds before it impacted her. Something flashed in her eyes. Recognition. This was different from the feeling that had drawn her towards the Ascalon, but it was infinitely more familiar to her.

Hatred.
XN-L could feel the emotions of the pilot. The emotions of the Ascalon. Before this had been an obligation, a necessary evil to obtain something that would tip the balance. Collateral damage in a greater war. But now?

She could find meaning in this.

"...May you take pleasure in this last moment of bloodshed."

Another flash of light came forth as XN-L's wings extended with brutal force - aiming for the Ascalon's arms to make the woman release her grip. Similtaneously she extended her wristblades, grasping each barehanded and flipping them inwards before driving the golden spears backwards into her foe. Both were directed at the cockpit. At the source of the killing intent she was sensing. Tearing it out was her primary goal, and she cared little if that source was the pilot or something else entirely.



Dimidas's railgun fire was met with a return shot from the scrubland - marking the position of one of the mobile weapons with a flash of white light and the boom of thunder. All three had remained grounded, keeping their position low and their guns ready to fire at the first sign of movement. But by opening fire they'd revealed their own locations, and that first shot almost exactly followed Dimidas's own tracers. He was shooting in the right direction at the very least.

Regardless of the success or failure it'd soon be followed by a second slug, this one gauged slightly ahead of his movement to try to force the ace to slow down and disrupt his momentum. They were clearly setting something up, recording his reactions so that when the third fired, it would be a killing-

"Now!"

The voice over their comm lines was timed with the third and final railgun, producing a cacophony of noise even as this shot sailed clean overhead. But this shot was a ploy - a cover for the real threat. The last remaining Huckebein had followed Dimidas, and used the noise produced as a cover for their own photon rifle. Firing the weapon repeatedly into the Wildschwein's unprotected back.
 
Mar 23, 2021
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#11
As Dimidas saw the slug fired at him from afar, he immediately returned fire towards the first 2, aiming at the first one with more accuracy than the second. Regardless, the third shot sailed past him and made his warnings blare, making the Huckebein’s approach almost unknown until the last second where it managed to land a shot onto the back unit.

Dimidas felt the impact left by the blast as one of the thrusters was damaged. Thankfully he managed to turn around and put his beam shield up, blocking the rest of the shots fired at him. Thanks to Tilde, that was the only damage he managed to sustain throughout this whole fight but he would need to think of something very soon if he wanted to help her. That rail gun from whatever shot that round should do the trick.

He returned fire at the Huckebein, firing rapidly into its chassis as the Beam Ripper deployed and protected the Wildschwein from further interruptions from the Barrelions down below.

”Tilde, I have a plan. I’ll tell you when to move out of the way, just keep that thing still until then.”
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#12
"A poor choice of last words."

The Ascalon practically bulldozed XN-L into the earth, sending dust flying up into the air, flecks of concrete and rebar pinging off the two's metallic hides. As XN-L spread its wings however, the silver giant, almost unfeeling of the impact that should have shattered its pilot's body, fueled by a seemingly endlessly increasing furor, was already making its move. As the wings splayed out - the Ascalon reared back, blades held high like a praying mantis, and slammed the two weapons home, punching clean through the Giant's wings - and pinning it to the ground, as if it were a captive butterfly. Tilde, hands working as blisteringly fast as they could, felt every second passing by as if it were molasses. She barely even heard Dimidas words, laser-focused on the target of her fascination.

"Celestial Reactor, energy release!"

The murderous arm blades came up, flashing out like the first glint of dawn towards the source of the malefic aura - and as it did so, there was a sudden burst of smoke, and the roar of a small engine. Were XN-L to crane her head slightly upwards, she would have seen the tail of the Ascalon's cockpit block rocketing away into the distance, launched from its hatch just above the chin, having been ejected as her blades struck true, sinking deep into the Special's glowing chest...

All according to plan.

Got you!


1626510210747.png

The red light at the heart of the Ascalon supernova'd as the stored energy was released in one final, apocalyptic Celestial Buster, the beam punching out with such force, combined with XN-L's strike that pierced its body, that the frame of the special was instantly incinerated, a massive explosion of pure destructive energy blossoming from the impact point that colored the sky a deep, lurid crimson over a bloody, red-glass crater. The shockwave alone sent cracks along the ground, carving scars in a complete circle that radiated out from the impact point, excess energy discharging in every direction it could possibly find as Tilde hurtled through the air, jinking her controls in the direction of the battleship.

There was no more noble fate for a sword than to be snapped off in the throat of a dragon.
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
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16
Somewhere in the UK
#13
She was pinned.

XN-L roared as the blades went through her wings - time slowing down as she witnessed her own death. Shining red. Tinged with hatred, and... fear? This was not a suicide maneuver - the pilot had already escaped. Striking against the Ascalon would do nothing but waste her time. In some ways this death was fitting, but she was not one to go quietly. She would find a way to escape her incoming doom, and renew her crusade anew. No matter the cost. Going through the machine was out of the question. Severing the arms would take too long. But if she was to remove the obstructions holding her down...

Unthinkable. For this to work she would be sacrificing a part of herself. Ripping it away. And yet it was the only option. To consider it for too long would leave even this extreme measure to slip through her fingers. With some effort her spears were ripped out of the Ascalon and turned on herself, piercing through the joints that attached XN-L's wings to her body. At the same time she flexed, propelling herself up as far upwards as they could still move. Unimaginable pain wracked her body, but as the spears cut through her flesh the wings began to tear. Peeling away from her body before finally splitting off with a sickening snap.

A horrific screech of metal being torn, mixed with an alien scream of pain. Two spears of light shining into the sky like beacons, but soon eclipsed by the deep red of the Celestial reactor.

No cost too great.



Ascalon's detonation bathed the battlefield in red light, adding a morbid shadow to the Huckebein's destruction - but doing nothing to hide the blood splattering the holes in the machine's cockpit. Two more shots from the Barrelions fire at the apparently stationary Wildschwein, both striking at the shield with force far greater than the weapon could likely tolerate. The third remained silent, its pilot distracted by the Celestial buster. Distracted just long enough to notice that not everything had been destroyed. That familiar crack would echo through the air as a Railgun shot sailed towards Tilde. She wasn't out of the woods yet, even if she had slain the giant opposing her.

"You will slay..."

But she wasn't dead. Not yet. One final spear flew out of the dust cloud, soaring towards Dimidas in an almost lazy arc. It was silent compared to the Barellions, but practically pulsing with energy - and would shatter seconds before impact, forming a magic circle inches from the Wildschwein's location.

"No more."

XN-L's form was shattered, the once golden body marred with burns and cracks. Where her wings once spread there were sparking stumps, golden light leaking out erratically between each step. She may have been broken, but she was not beaten. This made seeking an alternate form of transport all the more important.. and a way to fix the wounds she had been forced to inflict upon herself.
 
Mar 23, 2021
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#14
After having disposed of the Huckebein harassing him, he would quickly begin to move once again, barely dodging the Railgun blasts as they tore off the tips of his armor plates but doing no real damage. He would use the Beam Ripper‘s field in front of him to enhance his shots as the velocity of the rounds fired through it would increase sharply. They accelerated faster if only for but a moment before rushing towards the two Barrelions who fired at the Schwein, hitting both of their approximate locations with at least 6 rounds. They wouldn’t be able to correct their positions after those shots, so it was inevitable that either of them could avoid the shots.

Turning his attention to the distracted 3rd Barrelion, he would move closer to its position as much as he could with his broken thruster. As he began to see the clear outline of the artillery unit, Dimidas quickly used the shorter blade of his Zweihander as a throwing weapon, aiming for the main sensor of the Barrelion. That was until the explosion behind him occurred, he saw the pod flying away and was filled with relief until the spear came hurtling towards him only to stop point blank.

As the magic circle formed in front of him, he quickly backed away as he heard XN-L’s words. To stop those who would slay? That was an impossible task, there are always those who would use force, in fact he wasn’t even opposed to the idea. But this being who claims to halt death by causing death to occur was one filled with hypocrisy. It was a monster that couldn’t be suffered to live any longer, he’s already seen this more than once, those with good wills that resort to the most horrible of means. But whatever being this was, was clearly not on speaking terms. Even if it was it’s tone of voice made it feel like some omnipotent presence like a divine being, it will not change, it will never change. The only choice left was opposition, to defy extinction.

”I do not know what your conclusion was, but one thing is for sure, you shall no longer pose a threat to humanity. No matter what vision of the future you see, we shall defy it. Humanity has always found its own path, and that path will always find it’s way through the dark clouds you create.”

He would quickly throw the blade at the Barrelion’s sensor as he had planned earlier and dashed towards the Barrelion, all power being diverted to the remaining main thruster, giving him a lopsided trajectory. He quickly recalled the Beam Ripper, he sensed he would need it soon and at a moment’s notice.

”If you are to slay those who would cause war, then you would first slay the monster laid inside of you!”
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#15
XN-L dragged itself across the battlefield, bleeding rays of sunlight. Small surprise then, that the crew of the Biancaneve was spellbound as they watched the confrontation unfolding from the bridge. Enough that they didn't even notice the escape pod of the Ascalon, as it had ground to a shuddering halt in their hangar, and a furious figure extracted herself from its wreckage. It was only a few short minutes later, when the bridge filled with a distinct burning smell as the door opened that they were able to break their gaze from the spectacle.

Tilde Cortaine stepped across the threshold, eyes wide as she glared at all present, one hand clutching her chest. A couple of broken ribs and what was very likely a concussion was not going to slow her down. Too much was at stake. The Captain rose from his chair, starting to speak in a consolatory tone.

"Miss Tilde-"

There was a dry click, and he felt cold metal pressed up against his throat. Tilde's finger hovered over the pistol's trigger, threateningly, staring into the man's soul with a gaze that was as full of hatred for incompetence as it was for the enemy outside.

"Shut it." Rasped the dragonslayer, flecks of blood spraying across the man's face as it dripped out of her mouth.

"We are not allowing this ship to fall into enemy hands. Lord Jericho forbids it!"

As if on cue, the various barrels of the Biancaneve's turrets began to come to life, operators hurrying to draw a bead on the golden menace and its associates. Hatches housing homing missiles creaked open in tandem. The Captain, weary of this woman's reputation, silently gave a nod to his crew as she pushed him back, striding onto the bridge as she brandished her pistol threateningly, eyes focused on the golden figure in the monitor.

"...What are you all doing? Don't just stand there, you idiots!" She barked;

"Fire! FIRE! FIREFIREFIREFIREFI-"

The sound of a dozen cannons firing drowned out Tilde's stomping of her feet, the Space Noah Class finally electing to enter the fray itself with a portside barrage directed at the wounded Giant. A dozen VLS missiles joined the hurried assault, peppering XN-L's location as the vessel's Impact Cannons and Sub Guns joined in, booming like thunder as they fired in sequence, resulting in a surprisingly controlled barrage that nevertheless pulverized apart the scenery, blasting apart mercilessly road, building, and hundreds of thousands of credits worth of equipment all in a matter of seconds.
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
0
16
Somewhere in the UK
#16
"Slay those who cause war?"

XN-L seemed confused. The giant had been dazed by the firepower thrown at her so far, but it wasn't enough to put her down for good. Not yet. Her body began to glow as she focused her magic towards healing, the burns beginning to vanish - but those sparks of light from her shoulders became glowing beacons once more. Wasteful. She could feel her energy leaking out, fruitlessly attempting to heal the limbs she had torn off to save her life. Concerning. If she could not fix her wings...

She would have to claim a new method of flight for herself.

"I care NOTHING for your conflicts, only the energy they create. You are collateral damage in a battle for existence!"

Her voice echoed across the battlefield, magnified even above the explosions and destruction happening around her. No shield came to protect her from the shelling, and the loss of her wings rendered the easiest way of avoiding the barrage impossible. A lucky hit brought her to her knees, the ground around the giant cracking as her body impacted it. It likely inspired a moment of hope for those on the ship, the light shining out from her body winking out almost immediately. She had given up on healing herself, choosing not to waste what little energy she had left on recovering something that could never be restored. Not when it was time to go on the attack.

XN-L leapt with an explosion of light, sailing through the air rather ungracefully and crashing down in front of the circle she had created. A light tap twisted it in midair, refocusing the construct on Dimidas like a reticule.

"Every day more of your kind are slaughtered by demons and monsters. You speak of threats to humanity? Look to the frozen poles! Your burning cities! If you will not fight the Vaura, then I will rip your weapons from your hands and DO SO MYSELF!"

The halo shattered as her voice reached a fever pitch. Reforming into a cross and igniting with green light. No time was wasted on charging the shot, the beam coming out instantly and pouring yet more power into the magic circle. Imperfect. Weak, compared to what she could have done prior. But this was all she could do, and it was more than enough to shatter a single mobile weapon.

"Choose your path! Remain here and fight with me against those who would end your world, or leave and waste your life fighting your own kind!"

She slammed her fist into the magic circle, burning her hand but manually activating the power stored within. An Azure pillar scouring the battlefield, rocketing towards the Wildschwein with the force and speed of a bullet train. XN-L seemed to collapse again for a moment following that attack, returning her focus to the ship. It had been her initial objective, the reason for coming here. For her followers to give their lives. Some part of her considered retreating, withdrawing with her own life and returning with others. But to do so would further dishonour their sacrifice. She had lead these.. humans of her own free will, and this victory was theirs as much as hers.

If any of them lived to see it.

"Withdraw! Inform the reserve crew that it is time. I will see this battle through myself."

For once the Giant's words were not aimed at her enemy, instead at the three surviving Barrelions. Battered and broken, but not yet destroyed. The two who had been left mostly untouched activated their ASRS units first, fleeing the Biancaneve's wrath before it was turned on them. While the third could have fled with them, it took the chance to fire one last defiant barrage at the approaching Mobile Weapon first. Half a dozen missiles were launched from the lower torso before it was interrupted by the thrown blade - silencing the sound of the Railgun before it could be fired as well. It would activate its ASRS instead of continuing to attack, fleeing behind the others with the blade still embedded deep in its barrel.

Only one target remained on the field, her battered form still standing against all odds. But her focus had once again changed. She turned towards the Biancaneve once more, eyes locking with the bridge despite the distances involved. Her final words seemed aimed at the ship more than Dimidas, but the threat clearly applied to both of them. Above all she sounded.. tired. Both in a physical sense and a mental one.

Was this really worth it?

"...I will not impede your retreat. But should you raise your arms against me once more, you will die by my blades."
 
Last edited:
Mar 23, 2021
159
0
16
#17
“If you destroy every human, then what existence would remain? You will destroy all of humanity given time, conflict large or small is inevitable, even between higher powers like good and evil. Deities without men are simply myth, and if you are so keen to destroy us before unity can be achieved then to myth shall I return you!” Dimidas’ voice boomed as he made his declaration on the loudspeakers of the Wildschwein.

Seeing the Barrelions flee, he quickly swapped his Rail Cannon out for his beam rifle which was fired at the missiles, easily dealing with the barrage as he backed away from the magic circle. Its radiant azure light blinded his vision as he placed up the Beam Ripper as a temporary shield in front of him, it wouldn’t hold for long as he dashed away and to the side, moving her sight away from the ship as it bombarded her with shot after shot.

As he stared into the azure, Dimidas in a moment thought back to one moment from his childhood.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Earth’s Orbit
Passenger Transport


Earth, the pale blue dot whose existence was but ephemeral to the universe at large. Two reptilian eyes fixated upon the miracle of creation that floated in the lonely vastness of space. Why was it here? How did things come to be? Why were humans blessed with intelligence? He had many questions. Soon a man came close to the observant child.

His face… he could barely even remember what he looked like.

“We’re almost there little dragon, you’ll be seeing Earth for the first time.”

The man patted the child’s head, two black horn stumps were felt by his hand as he ran a hand through the boy’s hair.

”Father…” the child spoke, his scaled jaw articulating to emit sounds from his mouth, and his eyes still gazing upon the blue marble. “I still… I still don’t understand.”

“Why are you training me to protect people, to protect humanity? People have tried to do it before, you taught me that. But in the end they always fall…” Despite his appearance, the child already seemed learned in history, a topic he was taught well in from a young age.

If he could remember how he smiled, he would try to right now. But he couldn’t, the blank faced man simply crouched down to the child’s level.

“I want you to understand that we’re fighting for, Dimi. We aren’t exactly fighting for humanity like what your uncle says. We’re fighting so that people can live. But I know that you think that’s the same thing, but it isn’t. When people live, and I truly mean live, they aren’t just alive and surviving but they are doing what they love.“

The man looked around at the people near him, the child’s eyes followed. It might have seemed like the same old motions one might go through in their life, but it was clear they were all truly living. They were… satisfied with what they had. Not wanting more, not wanting less.

“Some people have tried to do it before, yes. But they only failed because they lost sight of what they wanted to do in the first place.”

His blank face turned to the child and once again the child’s eyes followed the lead. He stared into the erased slate before him.

“Dimidas. You might not understand what I say now, but you will in time. This is what we’re fighting for, this is what Phantom Trigger is fighting for. Don’t you forget that.”

The voice echoed as the final word was said, and Dimidas slowly slipped back into reality.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The azure beam had managed to get past the shield, melting away the left arm as the Wildschwein attempted to shield itself physically. Thankfully the beam ended before it could have done anything more. The Wildschwein raised its rifle and fired at the legs of XN-L, attempting to disable its movement.

”I would like nothing more than for humanity to stop conflict with each other, but I know that will never happen. Ideas will always conflict and spark conflict. But I take comfort in knowing that even in another space in another time, someone will wake to see another sun rise. No more shall your false angel wings block out our stars!”

What remained of the beam ripper changed itself into a discus, floating next to the Wildschwein as it unloaded shot after shot at the golden giant.
 

GEAR

Administrator
Staff member
Jun 15, 2018
1,165
1
18
#18
"They're getting away!"

BANG!

All on the bridge jumped as Tilde Cortaine's fist smashed into a control panel, staring after the fleeing units with the hatred of a thousand suns. Once more, the Captain attempted to raise his voice.

"Miss Tilde, please listen-"

"No, you listen! I'd sooner blow this ship to Hell than let it fall into the hands of-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, as the entire bridge was enveloped in brilliant light, soliciting a gasp from all present.

1627465139978.png

A flash of white.

Incandescent. Roaring, howling devastation.

A blast erupted across the battlefield, unspeakable in its scope, sweeping the Barrelions up in its inescapable, howling fury. It punched over the horizon with such force it caused the vessel to shake in its dry dock, rocking treacherously back and forth as it sent crew tumbling back and forth.

"Targets annihilated."

Hovering in the distance, framed against the mid-day sun. a blocky, yet somewhat diminutive form hovered. The twin barrels, ends glowing from the power they had just unleashed, swiveled back over its shoulders as its squat, curved head unit lowered its blast shield. Flanking it on either side were six dark blue machines of a similar make, each cradling a stubby, handheld rifle, their green visors watching the display unfeelingly.

"Guardian System uplink complete. Muzzle correction is within expected parameters."

The Blood Ark scanned the harbor. Its gaze moved to the flailing Wildschwein, to the ship in the distance, and finally to XN-L herself, data populating its HUD as Hyperion waited patiently for the analysis to complete. Blood pattern: White. There was no doubt, then - this was one of those "higher existences". The kind that couldn't keep its nose out of human affairs after failing in its one, simple task. The barrels rose threateningly up over its shoulders as it drew a bead on the wayward Giant.

"...It's the anomaly. Prepare second-

...

...Belay that.
"

A hand was raised, coming to the side of the machine's head, as though it were thinking - or rather, receiving some form of coded information. After a moment or two, it gestured ahead - and with a rip of metal, each Gun Ark shot into the sky, bodies twisting into cruising form. The Blood Ark joined them, and they collectively accelerated, bursting out of view with surprising speed as quickly as they had arrived.

""Ruin" is on the move. All units, converge."

On the Bianceneve's bridge, a hand groped across the control panel once more. Tilde slowly pulled herself into view, blinking against the light, watching the tails of the Gun Arks as they retreated into the distance with a kind of silent, muted horror. Others had started to recover, including the Captain, who by virtue of his position, was already barking orders at the rattled bridge crew.

"Operators, calculate those machine's course-"

"It's.. Jericho."

Tilde's voice was simultaneously a near silent whisper, yet it traveled across the bridge like a knife.

"What?"

The woman, mouth flecked with blood, turned to look back at the assembled mass. Fury was gone, now, replaced with a far more different kind of pressing urgency.

"...He's in danger."
 
Nov 12, 2018
52
0
6
#19
"Th-that - "

The brief pause of the bridge's activity devolved into frenzied chaos. The silence in the wake of the Blood Ark's beam snapped like a string torn past its limits. Someone managed to find themselves back at their controls, and another tugged at Tilde, pulling her away from her abused console.

"CEASE COMBAT!" A communications officer screamed into his microphone, his strained voice blaring into Dimidas' ears. There was some measure of thought in his following words, but the stumbles and audible desperation came through in every millisecond-long pause. "XN-L. Whatever you claim to be - whatever you have said - Hyperion is dangerous. Please. Y-you - you, whatever you think you're doing - if he comes back, he'll kill you. Do-do you really think he'll just let you take this? He's your enemy as much as he is ours! Retreat! Before he - before he comes back. Before you become worth his time. Y-you'll have a second chance! But if he blows all of us s-sky high, none of us l-live. Please. L-let this go. W-we can't allow him to w-win by letting b-both of us lose."

Hyperion's reappearance had cast a long shadow on these men and women. He wasn't just a human. That was impossible. Humans couldn't appear from nowhere wielding Zeus' thunderbolt. Humans couldn't become what he now embodied - destruction, power, omnipresence. The skeletons had emerged from the closet with arms and armor. Even if his action hadn't just been a show of force, even if the annihilation he'd just unleashed had been for a purpose -

It was unanimously unnerving. Something that stirred and silenced beating hearts.

"You k-know this is true. Yo-eve-even you can't survive t-that. W-we'll leave as soon as able, but his target was - was almost you."

"D-don't risk it. If you w-want to fight on..."

The ship remained in an indistinct stasis, awaiting a reply.
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
0
16
Somewhere in the UK
#20
"Ridiculous Delusions. Listen to my words, or die ignorant of their meanings."

XN-L raised an arm towards the Wildschwein, shoulderpad shifting on instinct to bring up a wing against the fire - the force of the impact pushing her back when all that came to her aid was a burned stump. An unfortunate habit to have developed. Enough mercy had been given. If the pilot wanted to die in battle against her, that was a death she would be more than willing to gran-


Annihilation.

The screams of the dying were drowned out by the sound of the blast, but it wasn't enough to truly silence them. Three more dead. For her. Her gaze settled on the Blood Ark, looking onto the pilot with a blade she didn't remember lighting. Daring them to do it again. Challenging them. She continued to watch as they fled, saying nothing until her train of thought was interrupted by the broadcast from her... Obstacles.

They were posing valid points. Trying to argue for their own survival in the face of a mutual enemy. Much as she had done only moments prior. Some of their points were valid, but they had missed something important.

"If they wished to try to kill me, they would have fired. I stared down the barrel and witnessed nothing but endless silence!"

XN-L tossed her blade aside, letting it embed into a pile of rubble with little thought. The gesture was more important than where it landed. Further fighting was pointless at this moment. She took a few careful steps towards the ship, moving so she could see clearly into the bridge. Focusing her gaze on the captain, but also watching the woman that had taken her wings with what almost seemed to be anger.

"Who are you to speak off loss? You who clipped my wings? You have lost nothing but metal and a device that was worthy of nothing but destruction. None of the bodies here bear your emblem, there are no matyrs for your cause. Yet. Spilling your blood would not give those deaths value."

One more step closer. The giant was practically testing them, seeing if the ship's gunners would take advantage of the clean shot she had seemingly given them.

"If I was to let you leave with your lives, where would you go? After them?"

"I would have taken your wings to replace my own. Filled it with what machines my followers still have, and dealt purification out to your true foes without wasting time on petty territorial conflicts."

XN-L seemed to pause for a moment, her eyes dimming as something came to mind. An idea she would have previously refused to even contemplate. One that would not necessitate the destruction of one side or the other.

"...Forcing them to a swift end would free up your resources for more fruitful efforts."