Gundam: Wrath of the Stars IC

[Merilan]

Surprise stirs in Athrusa's face as she overhears the conversation. She... bites her lip quietly, sniffling just a bit. It was a major relief, in a way. So often, when she'd overheard conversations, it was usually quite nasty; people calling her 'traitor', 'cat freak', or any number of slurs against her; people who'd say it was only a matter of time before she decided to turn over to the other side, how they'd never let her near a mobile suit if they could help it.

She exhales quietly, hoping that the rest of the ship would be as kind.

She knew she couldn't rest for long. The Ragalians were after them. She wasn't out of the fire, like any of them here. But just for now... she was so tired...

Her eyes close, and she hopes to dream of kind people.

[DoctorFaust]

Yuuki pauses for a second, and then jerks her head in a nod. "Yeah, I can live with that. At least for now."

Once the meeting breaks, she lets out a piercing whistle, and yells, "Rafe, Hannah, c'mon! We gotta get the Shura ready to go. At least for now."

[DualShadow]

"Yes ma'am." she saluted before leaving for her crew and suit. So one of the pilot was that Haro unit somehow and that made her sigh and mumbled about sending toys to battle.

A distance away among her tech crew she relayed the captain's order "The Captain wants us to load the Freedom to have it ready for an emergency launch if needed. Run a quick diagnostic of the suit and then go help any of the other crews that needs help." Agrias suggested. "Especially that half destroyed unit, it needs lots of work but seeing as this is an emergency situation I would say patch armor over the critical bits, reinforce the arm so we can use it as some sort of turret on the ship."

With that she got in the Freedom's cockpit and started to run some check-ups before loading up the suit for a quick deployment meaning she should stay in the suit. With the suit's physical check done it was her turn to make sure she was alright. Agrias breathed in slowly and started doing Tai chi movement inside the Freedom, the suit mimicking the pilot's movements providing a weird show for those who can see the suit.

[Erynn]

"Thus far, I've only seen one tech from the CGUE upgrade project, Captain.", Tana replies, explaining the situation, "I don't think he's coping too well with something either. The man's nervous as a chihuahua. I'm hoping the rest of the team is aboard, lost somewhere, but his behavior gives me cause to fear the worst. As for the CGUE, it's in working order but needs refueling and rearmament. I can direct crews in how to go about the process, but there's the issue of logistics. Even with assigned personnel, does this vessel have the correct ammunition aboard? If not, I'm stuck with what's left in the magazines, then just the sword."

Tana then glances over toward the bay where her mobile suit has been docked, hoping to catch sight of Gordon in order to keep track of where he may be going and what he may be doing. If he's where he ought to be, then Tana's gaze shouldn't have to wander very far. Then again, the tech's behavior seemed a little off to her, so there was really no telling where he might be found.

Rolling clever approach: (4d3-5)[3]

[Shimmer]

Lucia finishes double checking the MSN-04 Sazabi until she's satisfied the suit is in as peak of operation as can be expected at the time. Completing her work she rises from the cockpit seat with some trepidation as she eyes the decimated mech not far off from them with mild curiosity. Where they really planning to field that thing? Still shaking her head Lucia determines it's none of her business. Sazabi his her responsibility and if the enemy returns...well she didn't want to go out there with barely any fuel and ammo. Stepping onto the lift she descends and makes her way towards the Captain with her report, her pace still slow with her slight limp.

Standing politely to the side she awaits the other woman's notice watching as two of the others, whom she assumes to be pilots, depart past her to go about her business. Giving Tana time to speak her piece Lucia finally gives voice to her own report.

"The MSN-04 Sazabi's systems are green. The suit is low on fuel and ammo however, and if it is possible could you have one of the officers send for any of my crew that are uninjured and have them report to the Mobilesuit Hanger? I don't think it would be wise for me to leave the AI to go collect them myself. If we have to do an emergency launch the mobilesuit will be a sitting duck without fuel to maneuver and while I might be able to make due with a beam sabre I'd really rather not." Lucia spoke her tone soft, but clear as she listed off her unit's condition.

"If we can get the Sazabi space worthy quickly my crew and I can move to providing assistance to the other mobile suits. I've a fair hand at repairing heavy damage if that's all right with you Captain." She added deferring to the older woman.

[Burden King]

Xaia looked up to the captain, waiting patiently for her orders. As she was a soldier, a combat pilot, a mobile suit made weapon. She only wished to be given a target, or some orders. She looked to Tim "What should I do?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

Xaia:. Tim picks up the Haro and turns towards the Gai-Sura once the captain tells him to get to it, and nods at Xaia's question, before walking briskly back towards the suit's berth.

"You should run your pre-mission checklist and get ready for deployment. If we're not jumped by the enemy, I suspect the captain will be having a pilot briefing soon. She wouldn't be telling us to get you and the other suits ready if she wasn't planning on needing you soon.". He considers for a moment, then looks back down at Xaia. "Once everything shows green for you, then you should wait for further orders from the captain. She knows you're the Gai-Sura's pilot now; I doubt she'll leave you out of whatever she's planning."

He sets the Haro down, and looks to the other techs, then begins giving orders for them to finish attaching the covers they had been working on, and to load the vulcans, leaving Xaia to run her checklist.

Yuuki: Rafe and Hannah look up, then nod, each in turn. Hannah scurries off to start fueling the Shura, while Rafe goes to gather some of the other techs to start loading the thousands of rounds of ammo the Shura carries. Yuuki, however, isn't left alone, as her father moves up to her. His face seems wracked by stress.

"Yuuki, what did the captain say? I heard you tell Rafe and Hannah to get the Shura ready to go. Did one of them volunteer to pilot? Or...did they perhaps, find us another pilot?"

Agrias: Agrias's crew nod, and quickly go about the preparations while she runs the suit's physical checks. Everything looks good, and the suit finishes fueling by the time Agrias is ready to start her own physical check. A few of the crew seem a bit startled when the Freedom starts moving, but they quickly get over it, especially once advised by the tech team that this is a normal routine for Agrias. Once the crew is done, they all follow Agrias' order to help the teams working on the Nephilim, and it seems the help is rather welcome. Perhaps by the time the captain needs it, the trashed suit might be usable, though only if they can find a pilot.

Tana/Lucia: Captain Brighton frowns as Tana explains her suspicions about Gordon, and her gaze flicks to the man, as well. He's standing where Tana left him, his gaze fixed on the Sazabi. Who can blame him for being nervous, what with what happened with the suit earlier? Still, it's something of a nuisance, and the fact that the rest of the CGUE's crew seems to have gotten lumped in with the base staff that ran aboard when the bombardment started instead of being pulled down here after takeoff is just icing on the cake. She glances down at her datapad again, and seems to make a few notes.

"I believe we have the correct ammo for your suit in stores, though I'll have a loading crew double check it and report back to you. I've also assigned two of my staff to go try and find the rest of your suit's tech crew; I'm not sure how they might've gotten mixed in with other evacuees. Once you're full on ammo and fuel, as long as you don't need him, have your man go help the other crews with that wrecked suit. Chief Gantz will keep an eye on him and hopefully, with something to keep his mind occupied, he'll settle down. You yourself are to stay ready for active deployment. If we have to scramble, the CGUE and the Freedom are probably the two that will be out first, so I'll be counting on you and Agrias until the other suits can be scrambled. I'll have the loading crew check in with you ASAP. Unless there's something else, you're dismissed."

With that, she looks to Lucia as the young woman comes up, and listens intently while she explains the Sazabi's status. When Lucia finishes, she makes a couple of notes on her datapad, and nods.

"That's fine. I've sent orders to fetch your team; since Chief Gantz says they were isolated, they should be back at the Sazabi by the time you're done here with me. I've also ordered a loading and fueling team to assist you. As long as Sazabi doesn't object to you working on another suit, the more hands on the Nephilim, the better, in my opinion. I need to go check a few things, but with any luck, I'll be back soon, and hopefully our situation will have improved. Unless there's anything else, you're dismissed for now."

And with that, unless Lucia stops her for some reason, she tucks her datapad under her arm and heads for the lift once more. Lucia's team is already at work on Sazabi by the time she gets back to the suit's berth, loading ammo and fuel. Most of them are too busy to say much to her other than to give a nod or a "Hey" in greeting, though one or two are engaged with the staff from the Vengeance, making sure that the correct munitions are making their way to their proper places on the suit.

Athrusa:

It's hard to tell how long Athrusa sleeps for. An hour, maybe two or three? Eventually, though, she becomes aware that someone is in the room with her once more. Cracking an eye reveals that she indeed does have company, a dark-haired woman in a dark uniform. She seems to be studying a datapad, and seems oblivious, at least, for the moment, of Athrusa's being awake once more. Odd, too, since she must have some rank, since her uniform's coat has epaulets dripping gold fringe. At least the pain meds Athrusa received seem to still be working, since she can shift her body without much pain, at least, for the moment. The woman in uniform glances at Athrusa every now and again, but seems to be trying to stay mostly quiet while here with the artificial Ragalian. Odd, to say the least.

[Merilan]

There's something of an acquired habit of Athrusa's body stiffening whenever she notices she's around someone she doesn't immediately recognise, and that's what she does when she looks up to the woman in the uniform. "U-um..." she stirs to wakefulness once more, as her eyes flutter open. "Is something... is something the matter?" She feels her throat burn for a moment, and she sounds just a bit hoarse.

[DoctorFaust]

Yuuki sighs, and stares down at her feet. "...No, Dad," she says slowly. "They haven't yet. But the Captain said she'd try, and so I thought I should at least go along while she looks so they don't try to force me to do anything."

She looks back up at her father, worry obvious in her eyes. "They can't actually make me fight, can they?"

[DualShadow]

Focused on her breathing and movements, Agrias performed the martial movements in slow deliberate movements like in those old kung fu movies. Feeling the feedback of the Freedom performing the same movement was still odd to her. She had tested the MTS cockpit quite a few time by now but the feeling was still there and it was both amazing and bothersome to have it feel so natural like moving her own body but also a little off. Not to mention controlling the unit's wings, that feeling was brand new and a little disturbing at times, it was like trying to move a muscle that you don't have and that last part still required quite a bit of concentration.

After five minutes of Tai Chi drill in her suit she declared that the suit ready and exited the Freedom. Feeling a bit more focused she looked around the deck as she made her way down the suit. Reviewing the info she had so far:

- The Nephilim is rather busted for the moment and the pilot injured. She could go check up on that but seeing as the infirmary was rather far she opted to limit herself to the mobile suit deck.

- There was the Gai-Sura that was piloted by the Haro ball. The unit was nearly ready for sortie.

- The heavily armed and armored Shura seemed rather ready but she knew that there was no pilot and the potential one was a civilian.

- She had no information on the Sazabi and its pilot though she guessed that the girl that attacked the suit with a wrench might be the pilot.

- Finally there was the CGUE, it seemed intact enough but didn't know about the pilot.

As she touched the deck's ground Agrias headed to the Shura to meet with the pilot Yuuki and her father. "Who is the candidate to pilot this unit?" she announced as she got near.

[Shimmer]

Lucia listens quietly to the Captain and Tana speak before following their gaze to the tech in question and can't help, but frown at what she finds there. She knew Sazabi had caused some problems, but she didn't think he warranted that level of attention and fear or perhaps this was the techs first encounter with the mobilesuit? Her team had kept the restoration project extremely quiet in case of spies as the MSN-04 had earned a reputation the last time it had been launched as one of the few mobilesuits to truly strike fear in the enemy or as much fear as they might be able to experience. Still the Red Comet was on their side.

Jolted from her musing Lucia turned back to the Captain offering a nod of understanding. "Thank you Ma'am. It should be safe to lend aid once I have Sazabi ready for combat. I don't fully trust him alone with my techs right now so I'll be getting back." She informed the Captain before letting the busy woman be on her way before offering Tana a small smile as she turned on her own heel to head back to work. Crossing the deck once more however, she didn't get terribly far before she found herself pausing alongside the tech known as Gordon. For a moment Lucia is lost for what to say only that she finds herself hoping to reassure the man.

"The AI is finicky, but he won't hurt you unless you give him just cause to do so." Lucia spoke her voice soft as she offered the man a gentle smile. "But if you're ever worried just come find me. I'm Lucia." She offered before leaving the man to his thoughts and moving to meet with those of her not injured and able to work. For the moment she would oversee the reloading and refueling process keeping a wary eye on her mech, but thus far the Sazabi seemed unperturbed. Then again the AI was mostly wary only in regards to it's cockpit which she took care to ensure her crew gave a wide berth.

[Nova_Eclipse]

Athrusa: The woman's attention snaps over to Athrusa as she speaks. She chuckles bitterly, and smiles wistfully, before rising and moving over to the side of the bed.

"What isn't would be a better question. I did, however, come to see you with a purpose in mind. I felt it was better to let you rest, though, after speaking to the doctor, especially given what I need to ask you, Athrusa." She pauses, brushing a bit of hair out of her blue eyes. "By now, you've probably guessed who I am, but I might as well introduce myself. I'm Nina Brighton, captain of the Vengeance." She smiles, not the wistful one from before, but one that's filled at the same time with warmth and sadness. "There's something I need to tell you, and something I need to ask you. The doctor explained it to me, and I felt you should hear it from me before I ask my question. You've been injured pretty badly; and my team has done everything they have the equipment to do for you. Your body is functional, but you've suffered a lot of nerve damage, and due to your modifications, we don't have the right equipment to treat it. If we can get you to a station or a larger ship with a better equipped medbay, then it should be fixable, but until then, you're going to be in a lot of pain when you move around without some form of painkillers."

She sighs, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose for a moment. "Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but given our situation, I have to ask you to do something I normally wouldn't. You're the Nephilim's only remaining pilot, and none of your team know the controls due to its age. If the doctors can give you enough painkillers to suppress the pain for say, an hour or two, would you be willing to try and pilot it? I've assigned extra people to your team to try and repair it as far as possible, and I'll have them do the prep work for you so that you can spend as much time resting as you need before we need to sortie, but right now, the Nephilim and the other Gundams are the only mobile suits I have to field, and I'm sure we're going to have to fight our way clear of the system. Once we're clear, I can see if you and your team might be able to train someone else to pilot, at least until we can get you to a better facility, but right now, you're all I've got. I won't force you; this is completely up to you, and like I said earlier, I wouldn't be asking this of you if this situation was anywhere close to normal, but we're in a definite pickle. What do you say?"

Yuuki/Agrias: Ichiro places a hand on his daughter's shoulder. There's sadness in his eyes, but determination on his face. He obviously doesn't want to say what he's about to, but he feels his daughter needs to hear the truth.

"They can, yes. Technically, the captain has the final say; the Admirals' council gave the power of conscription to captains three months ago, though normally they can only do it when in a warzone. I suppose this qualifies, though, which means that she can draft you on the spot, and order you into combat, and you failing to follow her orders can get you thrown in the brig, or worse." He grimaces, and looks to the Shura. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I shouldn't have brought you with me, nor should I have let you get so involved in the work on the Shura. This is my fault. Your mother joined the military because she wanted to, but I don't think she would have wanted this for you. Unless, by some chance, the captain manages to find someone else, but I guess we shouldn't get our hopes up."

He looks to Agrias as she approaches and calls out and shakes his head.

"They seem to be looking very hard at my daughter, here, but I am hoping someone else will turn up between now and when the Shura is ready. You are the pilot for the Freedom, yes?"

Lucia: Gordon looks to Lucia and just nods, before deciding to head back towards the CGUE. The crew working on the Sazabi take Lucia's warnings to heart and stay well clear of the cockpit, which is easy enough. Between the loading and fueling crew, and Lucia's own team, refueling and loading take a remarkably short amount of time. Soon, Lucia and her team are free to help others with their suits. The Nephilim is probably the obvious choice; most of the other crews seem to have things well in hand by this point. The wrecked suit seems to be coming along quickly thanks to the sheer number of people working on it, though it's questionable what they're going to do about that missing arm. There's also the matter of the pilot, if the rumors about the Vengeance being short-staffed of pilots is true, but there's probably little Lucia can do about that.

[Merilan]

Athrusa's eyes widen a little, and perhaps, it's a little endearing how the little artificial Ragalian tries to make a salute even though she's basically bound to her medical equipment when Nina drops her title. She listens to her lay it out. Nerve damage... well, that couldn't have been helped -- the fact that she's still here at all, despite being partially washed in the radiation of a beam, was... remarkable, nothing short of a miracle, really...

But her eyes widen further. "... I'm--" she bites her lip, swallowing gently. "I would have been dead on Stetchkin 4 if it weren't for Matthias... and... you didn't leave me behind."

There's a little tremble from the young girl, as her eyes water. The way she expresses it, it feels as if she was so sure she would be discarded the moment things went pear-shaped. She hears those voices again, telling her to life a good life. "... I'll do it. For Matthias' sake... and everyone else who was lost too. ... I'm sure you already got the reports from everyone else, but I think the mobile suit wasn't in a really good condition, though... it might not be able to perform amazingly, but-- but I can try to provide fire support or anything else you need me to, with what it has left on it. People have been kind here to me... it's... strange...
but... nice."

[DualShadow]

"Yeah I'm the Freedom's pilot, name's Agrias Oak." she answered with a smile. The pilot's gaze switched between the daughter and the father, "I'm gonna be honest with you two, I would prefer not having her out there with me. Going out in combat with an inexperienced civilian is just gonna put us into more danger but seeing the situation I'm starting to reconsider the idea."

Agrias looked around at the Shura, Ichiro and Yuuki, the situation was bad and once the ship tries to escape the system things would get worst. With a sigh she smiled a bit to the father/daughter duo "Look kid, the way I see it, either we all die when the ship blows up from enemy fire or everyone on this ship does their absolute maximum to make sure we all survive to live another day. So that means you going out there in that suit so that the ship, with your father on it, can be saved. How does that sounds to you? The captain is doing her best to find another pilot but in the meanwhile you should use your time wisely. Go in your unit, try to run a combat simulation or something."

[DoctorFaust]

Yuuki pulls herself closer to her dad as the other pilot approaches, staying silent until she finishes talking. "Yeah, I know," she says quietly. "It's just...I'm scared. Not just of me dying, because I am really scared of that, but also what might happen to you guys if I do go out and screw up."

[DualShadow]

Agrias grinned "Your suit looks ready but you clearly are not. So how about we use what time we have to train in simulation to fix that problem instead of worrying about it?"

[Burden King]

Xaia watched as her mechanic left her to her checklist, and had she the capability, she may have pouted at the fact she had been left with this chore. Instead, with really no other options, she rolled over to the Gai-Sura and sent a burst of commands to the mobile suit. While the Haro unit docked at a near by charging pad, Xaia felt the cool rush of her code filling the systems of the Gai-Sura.

"Artificial intelligence transfer and conversion achieved. Integrity of consciousness steady at 100 percent. Beggining pre-flight check list."

The Gai-Sura slowly came to life, panels and other small devices along its body and inside its form performing testing movements or actions. Then slowly more and more things with the Gai-Sura became active and began to move

"Articulation and adaptive armor confirmed functional. No anomolies detected.

Sensor suite confirmed functional. Cameras Theta 1 and theta 2 offline. Cause: Missing Armature Theta 1 and 2. System deemed non-essential. Diverting power to other systems.

Continuing Sensor suite scan....

Cameras Beta 1 and Beta 2 offline. Cause: Missing Armature Beta 1 and 2. Systems deemed non-essential. Diverting power to other systems.

"

Xaia let out a growl of annoyance, which came out of the Gai-Sura sounding a quick release of steam.

"Removing all systems directly connected Aramarure System Theta and Beta from essential list.

Continuing Checklist..."

Roughly fifteen minutes later, the Gai-Sura was all checked, and Xaia felt a bit accomplished, sending a transmission to the captain "Xaia reporting in Captain. The Gai-Sura is prepped and ready for combat. Awaiting orders...."

[DoctorFaust]

"Alright, I guess," Yuuki replies. "I don't know how much the hour or whatever we have left will help, but I guess it at least can't hurt."

[Nova_Eclipse]

Yuuki/Agrias: Ichiro sighs, and nods.

"I suppose that's probably the most reasonable course of action, given the circumstances. Can you help me set up the simulation, then, Miss Oak?" He gestures towards the Shura's docking area, indicating that both Agrias and Yuuki should follow him. Once they reach cockpit level, he orders one of the techs to bring the computer used for calibrating the Shura's cockpit, and in short order, has it hooked up and rigged so that Yuuki can use the Shura's cockpit as a simulator.

"You can set enemy levels and positions through this terminal, and you should be able to give Yuuki advice through this microphone here." He gestures towards the relevant controls, and moves aside so that Agrias can use the terminal. He looks to Yuuki. "You should get into the Shura now, Yuuki. I've already keyed it to skip the startup sequence, so you shouldn't need to worry about anything other than training."

Athrusa: Captain Brighton smiles, both gratitude and relief evident in the expression.

"I've got my people working with your team on getting your suit ready, and the other teams have started to pitch in as well. Given the state your suit is in, I'd like to use it as fire support, but a lot is going to depend on what they can get done before we need to move. For now, don't worry about that. I'll conduct a briefing soon, once I have a few final details worked out. Just rest and save your strength for when you'll need it." She stands and takes a few steps towards the door, before turning back towards Athrusa. "I'll send someone to come get you once things are worked out. Thank you for being willing to do this. I won't forget it. And Athrusa..." Her expression grows very serious. "If anyone on this ship mistreats you, I want to know about it, ok?"

Xaia: Xaia receives a text message back from the Captain, short and to the point: Stand by and await further orders. Briefing will be coming soon.

While she's waiting, Xaia can observe the others going about their business. She could probably split her processing time while waiting and extend some of her senses back through her Haro if she desired, especially since the pilot of the Freedom seems to be helping the pilot candidate of the Shura with something. Then again, there are a number of other people she could interact with, if she chooses to, including the teams working on the Nephilim. No telling how long the wait will be before the briefing.

[Merilan]

Athrusa's eyes water further, and she-- lets out a little sniffle, and the Captain can really feel the fragility of the young girl as she wipes her eyes. Like she's never really heard that spoken to her so earnestly before. Matthias was kind to her, but it was a pocket of solace under a structure that largely treated her like a tool. "... yes, Captain," she nods. "Thank you..." she reclines back onto the bed, gasping for air again.

[DoctorFaust]

Yuuki nods silently, climbs down into the cockpit, and mechanically begins strapping herself into the cushioned pilot's chair. Once the final buckle snaps into place, she turns her attention to the control panel in front of her and its rows of familiar, solidly blinking lights. She focuses on them, taking slow breaths in and out until she can make herself transmit, "I'm ready to go. Um, Ma'am."

[DualShadow]

"Remember to stay calm and in control of yourself." Agrias makes some configuration on the console, entering some parameters and a custom scenario.

Over the console's conmmunication takes the role of a mission controller "Enemy approaching, emergency launching of the Shura!" With that she launches the simulation with the mobile suit getting launched out of the ship. The combat scenario contains two enemies set to quickly rush at Yuuki with a trigger-happy attitude but low accuracy, the goal being to have her feel the pressure of a relentless assault to see if the civilian pilot would crack under pressure.

[DoctorFaust]

"Sh-Shura launching to intercept!" Yuuki shouts, grabbing the controls. She steels herself, and pushes the controls forward, mimicking the acceleration of her mobile suit, sending the simulated Shura flying forward into space.

---

Three-quarters of an hour later, Yuuki hauls herself out of the cockpit of the mecha, dripping with sweat. "So," she pants, "Was any of that alright?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

Agrias/Yuuki: Itachi helps Agrias adjust the controls as the latter sends waves of enemies at Yuuki for the next 45 minutes. When the simulation is finished, he looks considerably paler, not because her performance was poor, but because of how good it was. Agrias hears him mumble something as Yuuki's climbing out of the cockpit.

"Her mother.....just like Mayu..." He clears his throat. "E-excuse me, I need a moment."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

You can roll to create your advantage now, and remember to add a +1 since Agrias helped you. I'd say this is probably a Clever approach, since you're thinking through the issue at hand and trying to address it.

Athrusa: The captain simply nods, before leaving. Athrusa is left to rest once more....at least, until.....

---

The Vengeance shudders violently, knocking objects from their places. Klaxons blare, signalling red alert, as two Ragalian strike teams appear on the ship's sensor readouts at maximum range, consisting of a pair of destroyers and no less than twenty mobile weapons, which fan out to try and cut off the carrier's retreat options. The asteroids make for treacherous conditions, but the destroyers and their escorts press on, firing their powerful beam weapons at the carrier. The first shot grazed the ship, but did little damage, but the second is a direct hit that shakes the ship like a dog with a chew toy. It doesn't penetrate the ship's armor, but it's a near thing, and several electrical systems nonetheless take damage. Captain Brighton orders a return fire, but if the mobile suits aren't scrambled, there will be no escaping the asteroid field.

On the mobile suit deck, just as Agrias and Yuuki are finishing up their training session, the ship shudders once as the klaxons go off, then lurches violently. Several techs are thrown from their feet, either to the floor, or bouncing off in random directions when working in areas with the artificial gravity turned off. Crates fall or go careening off, sometimes with consequences; several techs working on the Nephilim are injured, along with the pilot for the CGUE, who was trying to climb into her cockpit when the ship lurches, and banged her head on the hatch, knocking her unconscious. The pilot for the Sazabi is among those injured working on the Nephilim when a crate of electronic parts slammed into her unexpectedly, causing her to hit her head once more on the suit's armor, and causing a relapse of one of her earlier injuries. She, and the other injured, are rushed to the medbay for treatment, but the ship is now down two suits to deploy.

Over the intercom comes Captain Brighton's strained voice, echoing throughout the entire ship: "All mobile suits, emergency scramble! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! Repeat, ALL MOBILE SUITS, EMERGENCY SCRAMBLE!"

[Merilan]

Athrusa's eyes shoot open the split second before impact is felt -- and there's a scream from the young artificial Ragalian as she's thrown clear off her bed, IVs dangling and ripping off her arm or tugging the metal rack along with her. She needs several seconds of trembling to reel and contextualise what's happening, eyes widening as she whimpers, saying, "I--is it them? Is it the enemy? Is it..."

She gasps and chokes out loud as she hears Captain Brighton's voice. "M-mobile suits..."

She looks to the nearest person, begging through the pain, "Nurse... Nurse Celeste. Help me... help me..." At first, she's just begging to be assisted, but she chokes out a, "... let me... let me onboard. I can help... somehow... if I can..."

[DoctorFaust]

As the mobile suit deck springs to life around her, Yuuki starts trying to shove her way through to the bay doors. After almost a minute of pushing with no progress, though, she opts to simply grab the person nearest to her and shout, practically right in their face, "Do you know where the captain is? I need to talk to her!"

[Nova_Eclipse]

Athrusa: Nurse Celeste appears after a moment, frowning in worry, but carrying a pilot's space suit in Athrusa's size, along with another hypodermic on a tray. She sets these aside as soon as she sees that the Artificial Ragalian has been thrown to the floor, and hurries to help the injured young woman up.

"Here, let me help." She kneels down and helps Athrusa up into a sitting position, doing her best to keep her patient's IV line intact. Miraculously, it didn't pull out, but the stand has been knocked over. Once Athrusa's sitting up, she'll start disconnecting the bag line from it. Her presence seems to help the worst of the pain subside after a moment, and she works quickly and skillfully. "Captain Brighton told us what to do if you needed to scramble, and it sounds like you do. She left us a pilot's suit for you, and I've got a mix the doctor said should help with the pain and keep you alert for a full shift if needed. Catch your breath, and we'll get started, ok?"

Yuuki: Yuuki has managed to grab one of the assistant crew chiefs, who stares at her wide-eyed for a moment....before something slams through the number 2 catapult bay doors, and sprays shrapnel over the oddly-shaped suit called the Gai-Sura, which had been preparing to launch. Several pieces penetrate its armor, and red fluid runs down its legs as it collapses, actuators disabled by a massive hydraulic leak. One of the other pieces manages to ricochet and hit Agrias as she's running for the Freedom, punching a neat hole through her left thigh. Two medics rush to her and begin first aid right away, but it's doubtful she'll be able to pilot now. Thankfully, the air containment field kept the hangar from depressurizing, but now the Gai-Sura is blocking that catapult. At least the Vengeance has more than one. The assistant crew chief blinks for a moment, and touches the earbud in his right ear.

"She's...uh...on her way down now, ma'am. But...uh....I think you should maybe get to your suit." He nods towards Agrias, who's now being helped by the medics. "Be a shame if that happened to you, too."

[DoctorFaust]

Yuuki stares, her face bone-white, as Agrias is carried away. "O-okay. I'll go and get it warmed up."

She begins running back the way she just came, snagging a pilot suit along the way. After a short climb up the scaffolding around the Shura, she practically throws herself into the safety of the cockpit and seals it shut behind her. Equally quickly, she pulls off her civilian coveralls and shoves herself into the suit, latching her helmet down before turning on the comms system to try to raise other members of the Axis technical staff. "Dad, Hannah, can anyone hear me? Does anyone know what's going on?!"

[Merilan]

Athrusa manages to stop herself from hyperventilating as she sees Nurse Celeste, allowing her to sit back up with a quiet nod as she grits her teeth through the pain. "P-please, do that," she whispers, squeaking tears out of her eyes. She's not sure whether it's because of the pain or the emotion. "I'll fight. I'll fight to keep everyone alive...!"

[Nova_Eclipse]

Yuuki: Itachi comes over the comm, managing to sound both relieved and worried at the same time.

"Yuuki? Oh, thank heavens you're ok! The ship is under attack, the enemy seems to have found us. Are you in the Shura? It should be ready to deploy, but the crew chief tells me the Captain has belayed her scramble order until she arrives on deck, I'm not sure why. She should be there any minute now; can you see her?"

Sure enough, the captain has arrived on deck, not in her uniform, but in a pilot's suit, helmet clipped to her belt, her long hair tucked under the suit's collar. She rushes up to the Sazabi, and seems to be having an intense conversation with its tech team. Yuuki might be able to use the Shura's sensors to listen in, if she's of a mind to.

Athrusa: Celeste nods and finishes disconnecting the bag line, before taking the shot from the tray, prepping, and administering the painkiller inside into Athrusa's IV. The powerful drug floods the young woman's system, and in a moment or two, the pain completely subsides, and an alertness sets in, as though she's just taken a few caffeine pills. As soon as the drug seems to have kicked in, Celeste has managed to remove Athrusa's IV line, and put a bandage over the tap site, secured with some tape. She offers Athrusa her hands.

"Take it easy now, let me help you stand, and then you can get changed and head for the Mobile Suit deck."