Gundam: Wrath of the Stars IC

[Merilan]

"... Y-yes, captain," Athrusa murmurs, shaking her head for a moment as her vision starts to blur. What was once numb was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. "I'll leave it to Nurse Celeste to see if I can't be cleared for another sortie... I don't mind pushing myself."

The Nephilim begins its own landing procedure, its functioning wing furling around it as it descends onto the catapult to be retracted inward to the mobile suit hangar.

"... Captain... one more thing," she reports. "I'm not sure if it's just a hallucination or-- some system onboard? I feel like there was something strange for a moment while I was out there. ... i--it's probably nothing, actually, probably a medicine interaction?"

[DoctorFaust]

Yuuki brings her mobile suit to rest beside the Sazabi, but she clearly isn't happy with the situation. "Captain," she protests, "I can't pilot very well, but I am a mechanic. I should be in there helping with the Nephilim, not sitting out here waiting."

[Nova_Eclipse]

"Have your team lead run a diagnostic while the wing's being worked on Athrusa. And let the doctors know if it happens again, but I don't think it's a medical interaction," Captain Brighton says, as the suits are staged back onto the catapults and the fuel teams rush out. The channel changes, as she shifts to a private channel between the Shura and the Sazabi.

"Normally, I'd agree with you, but we need to be ready to launch as soon as we come out of micro-jump. If the Nephilim can't fly, we'll be in serious trouble, and I'll need you right there with me if we're to have any hope of escape. The jump point is heavily defended." She speaks lower, in a more worried tone. "To be honest, I'm not sure we can make it through, but we have no other choice. If I had another pilot who could fly the Freedom or the CGUE, I'd have them right there with us, but even I can't fly either of those suits. At least, not right now. I'm not a Coordinator, and the brief I got on the Freedom implies that there's a learning curve to its piloting system, one we don't have time to climb." She pauses, before going on. "I'm sorry, Yuuki, but this where I need you right now. Reset the Shura's targeting systems for all-range attacks, if you can. One of the loading teams says they can fill your main guns in the time we have, but not your missile racks, or the auxiliary cannons. I'll be running some calibrations on the Sazabi; make sure you're ready; there'll be a one minute warning before we jump."

Spoiler: OOC

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We're out of combat turns for the moment; in the interlude, I'd like to try something a bit different, to make things more natural, as far as roleplaying goes. If you want to interact with each other, you don't need to wait for me; likewise, if you're interacting with NPCs, I'll post as I can for them, instead of waiting for everyone to take their turns. I think it will be more natural. This interlude is only going to be about 5-10 minutes long in game-time, for reference.

[DoctorFaust]

"But..." Yuuki huffs, and settles down in her seat. "Alright, fine."

She punches a few commands into the computer, and sits in silence for a few moments before asking, "So if you couldn't handle the Freedom, does that mean you're an Oldtype?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

Captain Brighton chuckles to herself for a moment, before answering Yuuki's question.

"No, I'm a Newtype. Class S, actually, if it matters to you. No, the Freedom has a new type of cockpit system; the controls are completely different than what you or I are used to. Supposedly, it traces the pilot's movements. I have no idea how that translates into space battles, but apparently it can be learned by anyone, since as far as I know, Agrias is an Oldtype." There's a pause, before she grows a bit more serious. "To be honest, I don't care whether someone's a Newtype, an Oldtype, a Coordinator, Artificial whatever, or anything else humanity's come up with. We're all people at the end of the day, trying to survive, no matter the distinctions between us, and as long as you do what you're asked to help keep yourself and the people you care about alive, that's all that matters to me."

[Merilan]

"Roger, Captain..." There's a tired, beleaguered sigh as Athrusa takes her helmet off and slacks the cushion on her spacesuit's neckbrace. She waits until she's cleared to disembark, wobbling as she steps out and holds up a small flash drive towards the nearest mechanic. "This is all the combat data and analysis points from the flight route... she's in pretty bad shape, but that's all I can do, unfortunately."

[Nova_Eclipse]

Techs of all shapes, sizes and races have already swarmed over the Nephilim by the time Athrusa makes it out of the cockpit. An entire team is already working on the suit's damaged wing, while others reload its machine cannons, refill its fuel tanks, or patch and reinforce other damaged areas. The man she hands it to turns out to be the Nephilim's own crew chief, who nods, and takes the drive without fanfare. As soon he gotten it, he's away, tasking teams with more repairs. Standing off to the side, however, is Nurse Celeste, who's got a databoard and a tray with several bottles on it. She nods at Athrusa and smiles gently as she moves up quickly.

"How are you holding up, Athrusa? I don't see any damage to your suit; you haven't been injured any further, have you?"

[Merilan]

Athrusa can't help but think she's getting more and more fond of Nurse Celeste, perhaps even seeing her -- almost like a mom in some way... not that she ever really remembers having one. She looks really happy as she comes by the nurse's side, holding onto the railing as she tries to steady her breathing. "I avoided getting shot too bad, but a lot of the inner stuff was really acting up..." she wipes the sweat coming off her forehead. "I-- how am I doing? I think the sedatives are starting to run thin... I'm starting to get a bit-- thick in the head. Like wool's in my mind. I think I remember some of the handlers saying something about how my-- metabolism means drugs pass through quicker?"

She sits down on a nearby bench and breathes. "But I-- I want to be ready in case we do have to deploy again. I don't want to put it all on Yuuki and the Captain..."

[Nova_Eclipse]

Celeste frowns for a moment, then nods, making a note on her databoard.

"I see. Is it just fogginess, or has the pain returned as well? Your body may process different medications at different rates, and if we can narrow down what's leaving fastest, we might be able to help keep things managed for a longer period of time."

[DoctorFaust]

Yuuki snorts. "I'm glad to hear someone doesn't care. There's not a lot of people that agree."

[Merilan]

"The pain's just kind of... dull? It's not throbbing or acting up..." Athrusa reports, ruffling her white hair for a moment as her ears perk up a little. "I... feel like I hallucinated in the cockpit a little. I thought I saw something about... 'ZERO'..."

She shakes her head. "I think it might just be a side-effect, I know I've gotten those before with certain kinds of benzos..."

[Nova_Eclipse]

Yuuki: "Yes, there are a lot of military types who like to classify based on that, and civilians too, for that matter, but I'm not one of them, and I won't allow it on my ship, either. If someone from the crew is hassling you, I want to know about it." Captain Brighton's voice is stern and set as she says this. Apparently, she's had some history of it herself, if her tone is any indication.

Athrusa: Celeste puts on a thoughtful look, and scrolls through something on her databoard.

"Well, I don't see that listed as a side effect of any of the drugs we've given you, but I'll make a note. I can give you something to help perk you back up and keep you alert, and I can also give you a little more for the pain, if you think you need it to get back on duty..." She trails off as one of the Ooontaa crew wanders over. The alien is dressed, as most of them are, in mechanic's coveralls, carrying a databoard of his own. He scratches the side of his head and nods at Athrusa.

"Heard you've been seein' things in the cockpit. Near as I can tell, there's some kind of extra system in there, sort of a reverse psycommu sort of...thing. Might be damaged, or malfunctioning somewhat, we're not sure yet. We'll need to run extended diagnostics when we have some time, but we can't risk disabling it right now and breaking something else. Just thought it might help you folks."

[Merilan]

"... well... I wouldn't be surprised if I had to, is all," Athrusa replies to Nurse Celeste, nodding at her suggestion of another medicine to keep her back and alert as she looks towards the Ooontaa crewmember with a soft smile. "An extra... system? I've never heard about it..." She frowns very quietly as she says, "But I do remember reports about some kind of black box we're never meant to touch. I wonder if that could be it..."

[Nova_Eclipse]

"Probably is, but we'll know for sure once we're safe. It shouldn't be dangerous, at least, to you." The sensation of velocity aboard the ship has intensified; it must be nearly clear of the asteroid field. The alien waves, before continuing on his way. "Well, I'd better get back to work."

Nurse Celeste stays quiet for a moment, watching him go, before nodding at Athrusa. She prepped a new dose of drugs while Athrusa was talking to the alien. The dose is quickly administered, before she smiles at Athrusa.

"There, that should help." And indeed it does. A moment later, and the tiredness and pain fade back into an afterthought. Just in time, too. A warning klaxon blares briefly, giving the two-minute warning for jump. Nurse Celeste waits until it shuts off, before speaking, her smile growing a bit worried. "Be careful, ok?"

The team lead for the Nephilim comes over before she can say more, and taps Athrusa on the shoulder.

"Miss Athrusa? If you've gotten your medical needs attended, we could really use your help in the cockpit of the Nephilim. We're close, we just need your help with this last bit."

[Merilan]

It shouldn't be dangerous, at least, to you.

Athrusa wasn't quite sure if she was convinced of that... those hallucinations felt quite-- strong, like she wasn't quite there, like someone pulled the wool over her eyes. But she had to trust the technicians, they knew more about the suit's current state than she does at this point. She stays still while Celeste administers her dose--

--and there's a quiet breath as she nods, saying, "Thank you, Nurse Celeste..." and-- gives her a hug, before picking her helmet back up. "I'm coming!"

[Nova_Eclipse]

Celeste squeezes her quickly, before letting her go, smiling after the young woman. The tech leads her back to the Nephilim, which is still positively swarming with bodies. He talks as they walk.

"We need you to trigger a few things while the mechanics align the binders. If we can get timed just right, it should fix the major damage."

Spoiler: OOC

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Athrusa can now make an attempt to Overcome Imbalanced Thruster Output. Quick or Careful would be the most appropriate approaches, but others may be possible.

[Merilan]

Athrusa nods as she throws herself into the cockpit, adjusting the collar of her normal suit as she leaves the blast door open. "Alright." She puts the speaker up as she looks towards the cams where the technicians are working, and starts to proceed through the standard workflow of the wing binder-- up until the point where it starts to grind into a lock.

"That's where it goes wrong, just let me know when you want me to trigger it!"

She waits for their signal, somewhat familiar already with the operations of the suit and the ranges in which its wings can go... and...

"Now...!"

Spoiler

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Overcome! (4d3-5)[2]

[Nova_Eclipse]

There's a loud Chunk! as the suit's actuators trigger, and a second later, a collective cheer from the swarm of techs who've been frantically working on the ancient suit. Readings come up positive, as the wing's thrusters come back online. The team lead pokes his head into the cockpit, giving Athrusa a big smile and a thumbs-up.

"That got it, Miss. You should be ready to sortie, then. We've refilled your fuel, and reloaded your machine cannons. Your beam cannon only has two shots left; we didn't have time to swap its e-pacs, but it's still usable. I'll let the Captain know; we're bound to jump any second now."

As if on cue, there's a sudden sensation of the floor dropping for a split second, before snapping back. Although this doesn't actually happen, the sensation is quite memorable, similar to, but jarringly different at the same time as, the sensation when a ship enters a normal jump. The tech braces himself for a moment, before pulling himself out of the cockpit so Athrusa can close it up and prepare to launch once more.

Yuuki will also feel the sensation when the ship jumps, signaling their arrival into another battle zone. Captain Brighton comes over both mobile suits' comms a moment after the jump.

"Athrusa will be joining us here momentarily. Use catapult 3, Athrusa. I'll brief you two in a moment; we're getting new and updated data from our sensors."

Spoiler: OOC

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Success: Imbalanced Thruster Output has been Overcome!

[Merilan]

Athrusa feels good as she hears the cheer from the team... it's a change from how brusque and distant some of the teams she's worked back at Stetchkin could be. "Thank you. Oh, I liberated one of the enemy's beam rifles too -- could you make sure you prime that for me? Thought we could do with as many weapons as we can scavenge..."

She pauses and rattles for a moment, adjusting the collar once more as she puts her helmet on. "--did we just-- jump? I wonder where we've ended... I hope we escaped their formation..."

She nods to the tech and finishes fixing herself up. "Roger that." She adjusts the panel and starts working on her launch sequence as she watches the suit be loaded to Catapult 3...

[DoctorFaust]

Yuuki audibly swallows as they jump out, but manages to force down her nervousness enough to joke, "It's good you're back, Athrusa. I was worried that the squad didn't have quite enough seniority over me."

[Nova_Eclipse]

The tech gives a brief nod to Athrusa's request before he pulls himself out of the cockpit. As the Nephilim is making its way to the catapult, Captain Brighton cuts in, sounding rather irritated.

"Something's wrong. They're not here. They should be here, where are they?!" Data from the ship's sensor net is now available, if Yuuki and Athrusa want to see for themselves what the Captain is going on about, but clearly, she's not expecting whatever it is she's seeing. "I don't like this. Not one bit."

[Merilan]

"A-aww, you don't have to think that way, Yuuki... I'm here for you, okay?" Athrusa replies on the comms, but pauses as she stammers, "Captain? What's the matter?"

[DoctorFaust]

Yuuki patches herself into the ship's sensor net, bringing up the data on her main display. "Was someone supposed to meet us here, Captain?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

"There was a half of a battle group here according to our scout drone just before we launched in the asteroids. They should still be here, it's the logical tactic to try and catch us, and they must know we defeated their hunting party. Instead, there's just...nothing." Captain Brighton's agitation level doesn't seem to be going down, but the sensor data that Yuuki taps into confirms what she's saying. There's nothing here....at least, for the moment. "We're an hour from the system jump point, but-" She cuts off as there's a massive power surge on the sensors. Visuals come up, and she's suddenly yelling orders:

"EVASIVE, KENT! EVASIVE!" Even strapped into their suits as they are, they can feel the ship suddenly lurch as it undertakes a violent maneuver. On the sensor screen, a rip forms in the fabric of space, an instant before a massive, hulking machine slams into the space where the fleet the Captain was expecting should have been. The machine, a starship, is truly gigantic, the size of a space colony, perhaps larger even than that, and from the way the ship bucks, if the Vengeance's pilot hadn't been on his toes, it would have slammed into the much smaller ship, obliterating everyone aboard. As it stands, the Vengeance is now within 500 meters of the enemy vessel's hull, a very close shave indeed. The comm goes silent for a moment, before Captain Brighton finally breaks it quietly, in a way that would be humorous if not for the dire situation the entire ship is now in.

"Well #%$^."

[Merilan]

Athrusa had to even wonder what it would mean that there was no battle group. Did they escape? Did another situation come up? It--

She clutches at her head again as the ebb and flow of the systems onboard start to throb and pierce her head. "Ugh...!" she can only vaguely hear the captain screaming about evasive manuevers, and then they're violently rocked--

--and they're left staring at a space-colony sized ship. "... no way... what is that...?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

"They call it a 'Worldship', from what I've been told," Captain Brighton says quietly, though there's a bitterness in her tone that suggests something other than awe or worry. Anger, perhaps. "We don't know much about them, they've only started showing up recently."

[Merilan]

"W-what do we even do?" is all Athrusa can ask. "Can we run? We can't possibly fight a behemoth of that size..."

[DoctorFaust]

Very hesitantly, Yuuki says, "Maybe...we captured one? Do they have IFF on?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

Captain Brighton takes a measured breath that both Yuuki and Athrusa can hear over the comm before replying. The data on Yuuki's board comes up a moment later. The vessel is definitely Ragalian in IFF code.

"All we can do is try and run for the jump point. The briefing I was given on this class of ship says that their sensor nets near their hulls are very poor unless they're at a dead stop, and they don't reach full resolution until about a kilometer out." She must have the line open between the two other suits and the bridge. "Kent, keep the ship on this skim trajectory, and pour on the boost. We're going to catch attention anyways, once we pass their stern, but hopefully, they won't have anything heavy enough back there to damage us too badly. I-field on max, weapons on flak only."

There's a muffled sound over the channel that Athrusa can just barely make out as an affirmative from what sounds like a male soldier.

"Yuuki, Athrusa, our goal is to get the Vengeance out of here. We don't have the armament to destroy a ship like this now, and we can't board it, either. Their sensors are bad, but I'm sure someone's going to spot us soon, and this close in, without sensor lock, they'll send more mobile suits after us. Our job is going to be to keep the pursuers away from the Vengeance. Intercept anything that's got heavy armaments on it first, if you can pick them out, otherwise, destroy anything that gets too close. We won't launch until they've launched pursuers and they've closed distance with the ship to less than 25 kilometers, to try and save fuel. Stay within 12 kilometers of the ship, or you might not be able to catch back up. Got it?"

On the sensor readouts, at max range behind the Vengeance, an angry swarm of red dots appears. Apparently, the enemy has spotted them. That didn't take long.

[Merilan]

Athrusa winces as she listens in on the plan, feeling like they're going up against literal gods right now. But she stammers out a, "Y-yes, Captain," as she locks the beam rifle at the ready with the Nephilim's existing arm. "I'll do my best."