Super Robot Wars æ: Martian Mecha Mega-Crossover

Celestial Being possesses the mobile weapon Gundam, named for Angels.

Tekkadan possesses the mobile weapon Gundam, named for Devils.

BAHRAM possesses Orbital Frames, named for Gods.

Hell and Heaven, God and Devil

Gods of Creation, and Gods of Destruction

I promise I'm not exclusively going to update this quest when someone reminds me it exists, but you've caught me procrastinating updates for other things, so...

---

[X] "Who are you?"

You can see the barest hint of a flinch in her expression when you ask the question - she knew you were going to ask it, but she wishes you hadn't. Either because she doesn't want to answer, or because she wanted you to already know.

"I'm Sophia - your other half," she says simply. "The Venus to your Mars, and the one who will always support you, no matter what. Become a God or a Devil, die and be reborn, save the world or ruin it...I'll be by your side."

She looks at you fondly, one more time. "You need to go now. I promise...I'll find you for real, and we'll fix what's wrong. With you, with the world, everything. You aren't alone, S█b████----"

---

[X] Plan: The Devil You Know
-[X] Get to Know Theletos, part 2
-[X] Top Gunnery
-[X] The Slumbering Behemoth
-[X] Current Events

You've been happier awakening from dreams. Much happier. As it is, your head is killing you, you can't see, you're nauseous, and you're strapped tightly to a chair. You'd definitely be happier back at the riverside with Sophia...whoever she is.

"Looks like your guest's awake," you hear a woman's voice in an accent you vaguely recognize as Russian. She's shushed unintelligibly, then the bag that was covering your eyes is unceremoniously taken off and you're immediately blinded again by small floodlights being faced toward you, silhouetting someone else - probably another woman, you note after a couple of blinks. She leans down to your eye level and begins what you realize is an unceremonious interrogation.

"Who are you?" she asks - different accent on this one, Japanese-tinted English.

"All this and you didn't even steal my wallet?" you ask, gauging reactions. She doesn't strike you for that - good sign - but--

"You're Lilia, mercenary of the PMC Trust, on contract to the armed forces of the Union of Solar Energy and Free Powers. You're a nobody with nothing who didn't exist before a few months ago who's had exactly two combat engagements - both of them dealing with alien overtechnology, driving a high-spec mobile suit with no design records anywhere, and rubbing elbows with megacorporate research tanks and New UN black ops groups so classified that their pilots are legally dead."

You're about 80% sure that there's a funny story about paperwork behind that assessment of Gai Shishioh, but you're not feeling inclined to share.

"See? What are you asking me for?"

"Who are you really?" your interrogator says, leaning in close enough that you can get a closer look at her even with the showy floodlights. She's a little older than you, definitely under 30, hair cropped to fit in a helmet and with bags around her eyes that speak to active combat or some other high-stress job. You hope she's not a cop. Competent cops would have offered you painkillers by now.

You do your best to meet her gaze. "Just a refugee trying to make her way in the world, only now it looks like I'm getting trafficked. Or why else do you have me on a boat?"

She blinks at that one. Got her. "How d'you figure you're on a boat?"

"All metal room, small, not a dedicated interrogation room. Means it's probably a ship or a spaceship. You've got me bolted to the deck, so I can feel the damn thing moving. I don't know how the hell you Earthians stand all this moving surface area, honestly," you admit.

She sighs, and stands up. "You're Martian, then?"

"Yeah, you can have that one. Tell me who the hell you are, and maybe we can sort this out," you offer, as if you're in any position to cut deals. You see she's got a gun on her hip, and aside from the other woman's voice, you can now make out the vague outline of at least two more people standing behind the floodlights. They're serious about this.

"It doesn't work that way. Not when you're one of the Union's hired guns," she says.

A memory stirs in the 'in case of situation fucked, break glass' section of your brain. "Hang on a sec. This is a long shot, but does the phrase Mercury Rising mean anything to you?"

At that, a several second pause, followed by a mixed series of harsh invectives in Japanese, Chinese, and English all at once. "Dammit. You're the special project of Silver's that Gold warned us about. Couldn't give us a damn description, could he."

You keep mum about the fact that you have no idea who Silver or Gold is.

"Untie her."

"You can't be serious." The Russian accent is back...and you hear a pistol's safety clicking off directly behind you. "This bitch nearly killed me. She's Union."

"She's a merc, and she's got protection from the money boys. Not much I can do about it."

"Okay, wait. I think there's been a misunderstanding here," you say, feeling confident now that you've identified these people as whatever vaguely-identified terrorist group that Lee was trying to give you an in with when he gave you that code phrase. "See, I'm not Union, and I'm only a merc to pay the bills."

"In truth, I might just be the last living member of BAHRAM"

CHARM CHECK (DC 10): Roll 8 + 1 (Lilia) + 2 (DEVIL) = SUCCESS.

Both of the interrogators go silent at that.

"BAHRAM? You'd throw that name around on Earth after Mars got near wiped out by the lizards?" the Russian asks.

"If it means meeting someone else who wants the zero-sum game to change? And it means I don't get shot? Why not?"

She scoffs...but you hear a safety click back on again. "This is above my paygrade now. You and your campers can handle her. But Miss Lilia of BAHRAM?"

A hand tugs on your ponytail, pulling your head back and giving you a good look at the the Russian accent.

"If I see that claptrap machine of yours in my sky again, you won't even make it back to the ground."

---

Minutes later, you're unbound and sitting in a ship's mess, mug of surprisingly well-prepared tea and anti-seasick meds in hand, sitting across from the other woman who'd been interrogating you.

"I'd say not to take her too seriously, but no, she's probably completely serious. No one from the HRL's ever had a sense of humor, as far as I'm aware," she says. "As for me, I guess we really did get off on the wrong foot. You can call me Seina."

"So what is all this? Why grab me off the street?" you ask.

"Even if I believe you about being BAHRAM, there's only so much I can spill to a merc. Think of us as part of a loose affiliation of people who don't think the Union's doing much of a job of being a government. You've obviously met a different part of the group before--"

"Hence the murderous Russian," you nod. "I think I shot her down in the South Pacific."

"--and painted yourself a high-value target for us thanks to that weird-ass mobile suit of yours. Looks like we're sisters-in-arms, though, or at least someone up the chain from both of us thinks so."

"Silver and Gold?" you ask.

"Dumbass codenames. There's an Iron kicking around too, supposedly. We got told to avoid him at all costs, and I might as well pass that on to you," she grumbles. "Honestly, I don't trust any of them, but fighting for freedom takes more guns than you can just pull off the street or out of a normal black market."

You think for a second. "Is that why--"

Seina holds up a hand. "Listen. Like I said. There's only so much I'm willing to spill. As far as I'm concerned, we go our separate ways after this and pretend we never met. I'll do my part, you do yours. Maybe we free our particular slices of our particular planets from imperialism, maybe we don't, but in the end, I'm happy just knowing someone who's willing to stick it to the bastards is high enough up in the merc food chain she might actually do it."

You think on this. What Seina's saying is smart - traditional cell tactics. Keep information isolated for everyone's safety, stick to specific silos and lanes. On the other hand...in your current position, you might end up working at cross-purposes to people who you really should be fighting alongside. Or they could end up doing something stupid and flashy that accomplishes nothing but wasting manpower, while you could start building a genuine network to help out Mars in the shadows of Earth's squabbling factions. You'll have to consider this carefully...

---

You have the opportunity to negotiate with Seina, leader of A21, an anti-Union rebel group based in Japan. Or possibly an anti-Japan rebel group who's attacking Japan's superpower military umbrella, you can't be sure yet. You are currently employed by the Union, but they're also ultimately the imperial power that was benefiting from the colonization of Mars...and who are presently doing nothing to liberate it from Jovian occupation. This will take the form of a plan vote, where one possible "plan" is abstaining:


[] Seina's right. It's best to shake hands and part, for now. Anything she reveals to you could theoretically get back to the Union and compromise her.

If you vote for the above option, choose no others. This is the "Safe" choice that poses no risk to you or Seina, but gives no particular benefit beyond the joy of making a new friend.

Otherwise, form a plan that consists of equal numbers of options that start with "Ask Seina" and "Tell Seina", up to three each - this is an even exchange of information, and you'll get what you ask for, as long as it's equal to what you give.

[] Ask Seina for an overview of A21's origins and objectives in Japan - no specifics, but enough to stay out of their way, or know which terrible things happening here are righteous rebellions against imperialism and which ones are just space monsters.
[] Ask Seina for intelligence on opposition she expects to face in Japan - you can get the Union oppo for yourself pretty easily, but there's clearly more going on here, between GGG, those mystery Arm Slaves, and the various monster attacks.
[] Ask Seina about her backers - Silver, Gold, Iron, etc. You want to make inroads with this organization and see if they can help where the states of Earth won't. Even a name you could take back to Lee and demand answers about might help.
[] Ask Seina what the hell that white-haired Russian's deal is. This may or may not include why her cell was at Mayan Island diving for alien overtechnology.

[] Tell Seina as much as you can about Gjallarhorn - the sheer volume of your intel on how they operated on Mars and are currently operating in space is enough to make up for the fact that they're not supposed to screw around on Earth's surface (they definitely will if it benefits them).
[] Tell Seina about GGG - their mission statement and the fact that they can be expected to deploy against alien monsters. You don't know enough about their tech to leak anything useful and not just sound like a lunatic, and you'd frankly rather die than dox a little kid to terrorists, even friendly ones.
[] Tell Seina the Asuka's schedule for the next month. This is 100% treason, but the kind where you and she both understand that the real tactical advantage is being where the carrier isn't, not attacking it.

[] Fuck it. Super Terrorist Wars. Join A21 and let your Union employers hang +3 Devil

I strongly considered whether to offer this option but ultimately I don't have a way to fit that into the intended scope of the quest and I've gotta draw a line somewhere.