Look at diplomacy in action. Look at the results it gets us, when we asking for something so much more reasonable and not against federation regulations about not cooperating with the enemy. Look at how poorly that went when the Ple clone sitting next to us was willing to let us try, rather than a zeon fanatic who might object to ceasefires with federation pilots.
Can we just not gamble with everyone's lives on a diplomatic long shot? Piloting mobile suits against other aces is what Cybele is good at, not talking them out of fights. Can we stick with what Cybele is good at in a dangerous situation while all our teammates are fighting for their lives?
[X] Try to convince the "Scarecrow" to postpone this fight until Rita is no longer piloting the giant death machine. There are clearly bigger fish to fry.
[x] Fuck this guy and the spindly-looking MS he rode in on! You'll get to Rita in due time, but first you're going to obliterate this "Scarecrow".
Ignoring any arguments about whether Jona can or cannot be reasoned with here, I just like characterizing Cybele as vengeful and maybe a little bloodthirsty.
Ignoring any arguments about whether Jona can or cannot be reasoned with here, I just like characterizing Cybele as vengeful and maybe a little bloodthirsty.
[X] Try to convince the "Scarecrow" to postpone this fight until Rita is no longer piloting the giant death machine. There are clearly bigger fish to fry.
Due to how the timeline played out, and the situation being what it was, the events of this tale never came to be. However, under different circumstances, what will be portrayed here could very well have happened.
Cybele Naese, leader of Londo Bell's Cascadia Team, decided that today was a good day. Their last mission had been a resounding success, and everyone had just received their paychecks, herself included. With her pay deposited and newly-acquired credit card in hand, she set out with her adopted little sister Sicilia on a quest! They'd worked hard, and thus deserved a reward! That's right, branded merchandise of their role models!
Cybele couldn't wait to get that Amuro-branded plushie she'd heard so much about! Rumor had it that it was super cute and very huggable! Sicilia was gushing about getting her own official Quatrro Bajeena Sunglasses. Cybele couldn't relate to the little Cyber-Newtype's idolatry of a very specific time in the life of a reviled war criminal, but to each their own.
The Londenion air was crisp and refreshing, constantly cleaned and circulated by the colony's systems. Protected by Londo Bell, Londenion was usually quite peaceful, if not slightly tense at the presence of troops and Mobile Suits at all times…
So, Cybele expected a nice, calm day at the museum… and paused as at the edge of the museum's large lawn, she spied a very, very large protest near the front doors.
"Big Sis?" Sicilia glanced up at her. Cybele shrugged a little and stuck her hand into her jacket, confirming the presence of her military ID. She wasn't on duty at the moment, but just in case she needed to throw rank around… well, she'd only do that if this got in the way of her acquisition of Amuro plushies.
Casually, so as not to arouse alarm, Cybele approached the crowd from behind as if just heading into the museum. Huh, most of the crowd was around her age, and almost uniformly women. She couldn't see what their signs said, though, they were facing away from her.
"Excuse me." She tapped the shoulder of one of the protestors at the back, "What's going on here?"
Was it a protest against Londo Bell? A show of dissent against their military rule of the colony? Maybe it was some kind of moral exception to the glorification of war that the museum represented? If so, she might not mind helping to break this up. It would disturb her day off.
"Oh, didn't you hear?" The woman turned around, "The gift shop pulled all of their White Meteor merchandise! Nobody can buy them anymore!"
Cybele didn't even hesitate.
"Gimme that!" She snarled, wrenching the sign from the woman's hand and raising it high as she could, "Tyrants! Fascists! Give me my Amuro goodies!"
"Big Sis, what are you doing?!" Sicilia grabbed at Cybele's jacket in alarm, "You might get arrested! This isn't worth it! Let's just go get my Quattro Ba-"
"Oh, they pulled the Quattro stuff too." The woman Cybele shoved groaned from her place on the ground.
"DOWN WITH CENSORSHIP!" Sicilia screeched like a complete demon, clambering atop of Cybele's sign to scream her grievances towards the museum guards standing near the front doors, "SIEG QUATTRO!"
Now two individuals stronger, the large gathering of enraged fangirls continued to howl and rant at the poor security guards, waving signs emblazoned with mostly profanity.
"It's finally over." Amuro sighed in relief as the last pallet of boxes was moved into place. It had taken a few days and a lot of pulling rank, but he had done it.
The nightmare was finally over.
Finding out that he had missed entire years because of the odd interaction between space-time and Psychoframe had been bad. Awful, even. But discovering that, in his absence, Bright had licensed Amuro's image to create a veritable commercial empire of branded goods in his name?
That alone had haunted his dreams.
Well, that and a few other things, like how the Earth Sphere had deteriorated into all-out-war, how Psychoframe tech had proliferated and was enabling enough war crimes to fill entire documentary miniseries, and the eerie memory of Char screaming about his mommy fetish before the light of the Psychoframe made the world fade out.
But thankfully for Amuro, this specific atrocity was within his sphere of influence. He still could hardly believe that there was enough merchandise of him to fill an entire warehouse, but now the accursed things were sealed away, safely ensconced in one of Londo Bell's military complexes.
Them and some other distasteful products he'd noticed while at the museum. Nobody was getting them anytime soon. If it was up to him, nobody would buy another Char-branded boxer shorts ever again.
Sure, it wasn't defended with more than soldiers on patrol, but he doubted that anyone would go through so much trouble just to get pillows with his face on them.
Then, as he was leaving the warehouse, a panicked young soldier ran up to him, panting from his desperate sprint.
"C-Captain Ray, sir!" The young man shakily saluted, "The-The location of the w-warehouse was leaked!"
"Leaked?" He frowned, "Leaked to whom, and why does it matter?"
Why should he be concerned that someone knew where all the merch was?
The guard house and gate at the complex entrance all but exploded as the fast-moving silhouette of a Mobile Suit slammed into it, sending the single guard on duty scrambling away screaming. An enemy attack, here?! Amuro moved to take cover, but paused when the smoke began to clear, revealing the distinctive Mobile Suit of their attacker. Its green eyes glared as it stepped out of the crater with its large, angular legs.
Her.
"The gate is open!" Cybele Naese shouted passionately over the Woundwort's PA, "Everyone, charge!"
Numerous vans poured in through the opening, each packed to the windows with young women sporting crazed expressions. Their squeals of excitement and passion chilled him to the bone.
At that moment, Amuro knew. He couldn't let these lunatics get ahold of his branded merchandise.
The only thing that could fight a Mobile Suit was another Mobile Suit (usually), and even though Cybele's TR-6 was unarmed, Amuro needed the Nu Gundam to oppose it. It was still at the docks, but Amuro knew of Newtypes that could summon their MS through the use of Psycommu. He'd never done that before, and didn't even know if he could, but he needed to!
And so, through sheer desperation and force of will, Amuro reached out and the Nu responded. It burst out of the gate leading to the docks, streaking across the colony to slam into the ground between him and the oncoming fangirls.
The vans screeched to a stop in front of the Nu as Amuro grabbed the backpack off of the terrified soldier next to him and flew up into the cockpit, sliding into the seat as the hatch slid shut.
He toggled the PA and increased the brightness of the Nu's eyes, making it look down on the stunned fangirls. For extra effect, he made it expel hot steam from the chest vents.
"You are all trespassing on military property!" He shouted, "Dismount from your vehicles, and that includes you too, Ensign Naese! Refuse, and I'll be forced to make you!"
He glared down the road at the TR-6, ignoring the women at ground-level chattering to themselves. His Nu could pick up the audio, but it probably wouldn't be good for his sanity to listen in.
"It's Amuro! The Amuro!"
"He even brought the Nu! He looked so dreamy getting into the cockpit!"
"Oh my god, I never realized how realistic and true-to-life my RX-93 lingerie set was!"
Yep, he definitely wasn't listening to that shit.
"I'm going to have to disobey that order, Captain." Cybele declared as she squared up against him, "There's a time in every girl's life when she has to stand up for what's right, for what she believes! If I backed down now, I'd never be able to live with myself!"
Seriously? Why was she saying this with such passion?! She was risking her life and career all to get some souvenirs with his face on them?!
"Ensign, you're going to face court martial for this." Amuro gripped the controls tightly, "If you stand down, I'll ensure that your sentence is lenient. Consider this a personal request."
She clearly thought highly of him. Maybe this would get through to her?
Cybele seemed to hesitate before answering, "Sorry Captain, but this is bigger than you! This is about our ideals, our destiny, and our right to spend our disposable income on goods of our choosing without interference from authoritarian governments!"
"The fact that our victory would result in my acquisition of multiple Amuro plushies-" Cybele shouted as her backpack roared to life, sending those on the ground scrambling to clear the streets, "-is entirely unrelated!"
With that rather blatant lie declared for the whole world to hear, she rammed him with her Woundwort, the two Gundams grappling as Cybele tried to push past him.
Incredulity, indignation, and disgust all swirled about Amuro. He was appalled, and it was enough to trigger the Nu's Psychoframe. The armor segmented, revealing the Psychoframe vents as they pulsed green.
"You may have a strong drive," He growled, "but mine is stronger! I will protect my dignity!"
Cybele gasped as the light of Psychoframe washed over the Woundwort. This power-! She couldn't possibly compare! Amuro forced her MS to a knee, and there was nothing she could do.
Was this how it all ended? Would she never lay her eyes on another beautiful Amuro figurine again? Never hold another White Meteor pillow? Never pamper her hair with Amuro-branded conditioner?
Just when it seemed like all was lost, another more powerful wave of Psycho-energy washed over the two, overwhelming Amuro's own light.
"You can never understand the passion of a young woman!" Lorelei Vogel announced as she slowly descended in her MP Nu, the light of the Psychoframe gently bearing her MS to the ground, "Our strength comes from deep within us! It's something not even you can defeat!"
"What could that possibly be?!" Amuro gaped as he struggled with the Nu's controls as they became increasingly unresponsive. With a sinking feeling, he saw as Cybele's TR-6 broke free from his grasp and wound up a punch, eyes gleaming.
"It's-!" Cybele yelled as she swung upwards, "-Love!"
The Woundwort's fist caught the Nu under the chin, sending it up and back as Amuro was shaken about in the cockpit. The Nu's heels caught on the cracked pavement and sent it slamming down onto its back, through the warehouse wall.
Amuro was completely stunned as the Nu shut down, the monitors turning off. He was… defeated, just like that? But he'd felt the light from the soul of Lorelei Vogel. She truly meant it. Her strength came from something he just couldn't defeat… although personally he thought of it more as delusion rather than love.
Groaning, he popped the hatch and slowly crawled out. Already, the horde of women had entered the warehouse through the breach and were in the process of looting the boxes of pillows, mugs, clothing, and every product that could possibly be branded with his name. Lorelei and Cybele had already dismounted their MS and were running through the warehouse themselves, stuffing sacks full of various items that Amuro had hoped were sealed away forever.
And that little Ple clone that followed Cybele everywhere was off in the corner rummaging through a much smaller pallet, which if he remembered correctly was where he shoved all the Char-branded stuff into.
Welp. This day couldn't get worse. Maybe he should think about retiring. The future belonged to the youth, after all. If what they wanted to do was fill their lives with gaudy accessories emblazoned with his likeness… Well, maybe he shouldn't stop them. Not like he could anyways, if today was any indication.
As he slumped to the ground against the side of his Nu and closed his eyes, Amuro heard the sound of Sicilia running in his direction, along with the sound of rustling cloth. Was she putting something on? A shirt?
Opening his eyes, Amuro saw one of the most ridiculous things he'd seen ever. A little Puru clone, dressed up as Quattro Bajeena. With a level expression, she glanced at him.
"…I came here to laugh at you." She nodded.
Yes, things had well and truly spiraled out of his control.
Opening his eyes, Amuro saw one of the most ridiculous things he'd seen ever. A little Puru clone, dressed up as Quattro Bajeena. With a level expression, she glanced at him.
"…I came here to laugh at you." She nodded.
Yes, things had well and truly spiraled out of his control.
I have to ask myself "If Lorelei needed to pry a limited edition White Meteor signed trading card from Luke's cold dead hands, would anything stop her?" We all know the answer, and I can't show any less Dedication to my Ple collectibles.
That said, their are limited edition Elpeo Ple clones just floating out in space somewhere, and their getting rarer by the mission. We got Lutetia this mission, Sicilia will always be the best, but we need to save Camilla, and we have no idea where Ria disappeared too, hopefully we will learn the name of the Ple that's deserting alongside Jutha Whampay. At this rate we might not even collect half a dozen Ple's before Cybele's next birthday! I can't get side tracked searching axis trying to figure out which door marked hazardous materials is glemy toto's bedroom.
I have to ask myself "If Lorelei needed to pry a limited edition White Meteor signed trading card from Luke's cold dead hands, would anything stop her?" We all know the answer, and I can't show any less Dedication to my Ple collectibles.
That said, their are limited edition Elpeo Ple clones just floating out in space somewhere, and their getting rarer by the mission. We got Lutetia this mission, Sicilia will always be the best, but we need to save Camilla, and we have no idea where Ria disappeared too, hopefully we will learn the name of the Ple that's deserting alongside Jutha Whampay. At this rate we might not even collect half a dozen Ple's before Cybele's next birthday! I can't get side tracked searching axis trying to figure out which door marked hazardous materials is glemy toto's bedroom.
I'm not actually sure if killing Jonah is the best call. On one hand getting all hands-on deck to stop Rita could be important and killing what was once a close friend of hers might play horribly to her mindscape, but Rita herself was fighting Jonah and calling him a traitor a few chapters back, if my memory serves me correctly, so maybe this is lowkey the more effective short-term answer. Or maybe it will make things worse.
Either way, I just hope not too many people die while we're busy dealing with the adds.
Also, for being such an Amuro fan, Cybele really isn't playing really close to his rulebook. He's absolutely the kind of guy to try and talk everybody to help out with the biggest problem, though I guess Cybele doesn't have his experience with how horrible war is for both sides, how human her opponents are. She's still only seeing it from her side and doesn't realize that a lot of the people on the Federation's side don't really deserve to die either. I suppose her introduction to the horrors of war are more one-sided than Amuro's though. At least the attack on the neutral Side 7 was only about Project V and not a seemingly directed massacre of innocents because of the prescence of one Newtype, which has been constantly blamed on her.
Also, for being such an Amuro fan, Cybele really isn't playing really close to his rulebook. He's absolutely the kind of guy to try and talk everybody to help out with the biggest problem, though I guess Cybele doesn't have his experience with how horrible war is for both sides, how human her opponents are. She's still only seeing it from her side and doesn't realize that a lot of the people on the Federation's side don't really deserve to die either. I suppose her introduction to the horrors of war are more one-sided than Amuro's though. At least the attack on the neutral Side 7 was only about Project V and not a seemingly directed massacre of innocents because of the prescence of one Newtype, which has been constantly blamed on her.
Also as Riddhe pointed out even a good chink of the non-Newtypes of the Federationare less diehard supporters and more conscripts totally out of their depth.
also @TheBleachDoctor how much money does the Amuro merch actually net Londo Bell?Like are we talking 'marginal revenue','keeps the lights on' or 'BEHOLD this new fleet provided by the wallets of Amuro simps'.Also why so they have Quattro Bajeena merch?Why not have a section dedicated to other OYW aces or even a White Base themed set of merch.Totally unrelated but does the G-Fighter exist here?
I'm not actually sure if killing Jonah is the best call. On one hand getting all hands-on deck to stop Rita could be important and killing what was once a close friend of hers might play horribly to her mindscape, but Rita herself was fighting Jonah and calling him a traitor a few chapters back, if my memory serves me correctly, so maybe this is lowkey the more effective short-term answer. Or maybe it will make things worse.
Either way, I just hope not too many people die while we're busy dealing with the adds.
Also, for being such an Amuro fan, Cybele really isn't playing really close to his rulebook. He's absolutely the kind of guy to try and talk everybody to help out with the biggest problem, though I guess Cybele doesn't have his experience with how horrible war is for both sides, how human her opponents are. She's still only seeing it from her side and doesn't realize that a lot of the people on the Federation's side don't really deserve to die either. I suppose her introduction to the horrors of war are more one-sided than Amuro's though. At least the attack on the neutral Side 7 was only about Project V and not a seemingly directed massacre of innocents because of the prescence of one Newtype, which has been constantly blamed on her.
That's actually one of the things I find fun about Cybele: she idolizes Amuro but she's honestly far closer to Char. She's a middling newtype that compensates by being a skilled pilot, and she very much has revenge-brain with a noticeable bloodthirsty and ruthless streak.
And, of course, she's got very young girls that like to gravitate around her (no but seriously char what the fu-).
E: Now that I think about it, being obsessed with Amuro is another thing she's got in common with Char isn't it
also @TheBleachDoctor how much money does the Amuro merch actually net Londo Bell?Like are we talking 'marginal revenue','keeps the lights on' or 'BEHOLD this new fleet provided by the wallets of Amuro simps'.Also why so they have Quattro Bajeena merch?Why not have a section dedicated to other OYW aces or even a White Base themed set of merch.Totally unrelated but does the G-Fighter exist here?
Londo Bell needed revenue, merchandising out Amuro's image raked in money. Bright didn't want to be indebted to giant corporations like with how the AEUG became puppets of the elite. He was a practical man, and although it pained him to sell out Amuro like that, it had been necessary. Or so he told himself at the time.
But really, revenue from Amuro merchandise was a pittance next to Londo Bell's other forms of financial backing. Really, he didn't have to license out Amuro at all. The extra money was nice, but…
I'm not actually sure if killing Jonah is the best call. On one hand getting all hands-on deck to stop Rita could be important and killing what was once a close friend of hers might play horribly to her mindscape, but Rita herself was fighting Jonah and calling him a traitor a few chapters back, if my memory serves me correctly, so maybe this is lowkey the more effective short-term answer. Or maybe it will make things worse.
If we mission kill him, aka disable his mobile suit, he's out of the fight but not dead, which means neither his death or engaging with Rita trigger an emotion fueled Newtype power surge.
That's actually one of the things I find fun about Cybele: she idolizes Amuro but she's honestly far closer to Char. She's a middling newtype that compensates by being a skilled pilot, and she very much has revenge-brain with a noticeable bloodthirsty and ruthless streak.
And, of course, she's got very young girls that like to gravitate around her (no but seriously char what the fu-).
E: Now that I think about it, being obsessed with Amuro is another thing she's got in common with Char isn't it
Cybele seems like a history class flunker, so she probably only knows Amuro by his performance as a pilot. Ideals don't come into it. Her infatuation is entirely based on watching him survive char.
Yes, it and the Core Booster.
Although the G-Armor/G-Fighter in this continuity was ultimately retired due to the disproportionate logistical upkeep it demanded relative to the effectiveness of the platform.
Naturally you have to have Quattro Bajeena merch kept in proximity to Amuro merch. Nothing convinces Quattro Fans to part with their money quite like a couple of Amuro fans to walk up to afterwords and say "I came here to laugh at you."
Naturally you have to have Quattro Bajeena merch kept in proximity to Amuro merch. Nothing convinces Quattro Fans to part with their money quite like a couple of Amuro fans to walk up to afterwords and say "I came here to laugh at you."
Also, apologies for the delays in the updates for this arc. The battle is, to put it simply, a Clusterfuck, and trying to figure out whose perspective to write from to convey what's going on is kind of a nightmare.
Making progress on this next update but I think for simplicity's sake I might switch to third person past-tense for everyone other than Cybele.
Also, apologies for the delays in the updates for this arc. The battle is, to put it simply, a Clusterfuck, and trying to figure out whose perspective to write from to convey what's going on is kind of a nightmare.
Making progress on this next update but I think for simplicity's sake I might switch to third person past-tense for everyone other than Cybele.
