TheBleachDoctor
Secretly a Cat
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- The Plane of Infinite Kittens
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- She/Her
You have chosen Dessert over Found Family.
[Cybele Will Remember That]
Joking aside, it's all good. Locking votes, prepare for parfait.
Gundam Crucible - [An AU Universal Century Quest]
- Thread starter TheBleachDoctor
- Start date
[Cybele Will Remember That]
Joking aside, it's all good. Locking votes, prepare for parfait.
Though we also WILDLY overestimated our abilities and underestimated his when deciding to fight him. You thought he was a pushover and we immediately got our MS totalled with the only reason we were alive was because Jona decided we were a good person.
- Pronouns
- Reader
nice. I'm glad Sicilia will be happy. the most perfect little sister in all of Sol System deserves parfait.
Now to learn who in Londo Bell is an Obstacle Cybele needs to destroy so that they can never come between her and Ple clone bonding time again.
now for my analyst post.
in retrospect, I think if we'd taken the shot, Jona would have used his core fighter to intercept it. Ironically I still think the ensuing fight would have resulted in a better ending overall than not shooting did, but Cybele would have likely also been in even more trouble than she currently is.
I really feel bad for Michele here. she genuinely wants to help and believes Jona does, and doesn't understand that he's not in his right mind and that his idea of helping is really messed up. if only we had gotten Jona in our earlier fight.
this is where we very nearly saved Rita, only for Kamille to fuck it up. to be fair, Kamille couldn't tell Jona was squirrelier than a hivemind of acorns, but he could bothered to try and understand Jona's intentions better rather than going instant benefit of a doubt.
and here Jona justifies all of Cybele's mistrust. guy is just beyond saving.
the really horrible thing is that if Cybele hadn't been preparing to save Rita from Jona, she would have been ready to take out pukey lukey and kamille could have helped michele convince Rita to surrender in return for London Bell's protection, but Jona has to ruin everything.
next time Cybele. he can't keep living for ever. if the Black Death doesn't get him, Kinslayer will. his Koolaid cartons take up way to much space in pilots lounge refrigerator.
you should have shot Jona when you had the chance. Jona, not Rita, is the reason everything went to shit.
we prevented an energy crisis, and it only cost us a ton of mobile suits. go team.
really wish we'd taken it second instead. would have saved an entire colony from Rita, prevented the Neo Zhong 2 from. ending up under her control, and probably gotten her to join Londy Bell, and defeated Jona before he had all that extra Psychoframe bolted on.
Hathaway's fall could just have been passed on. all it would have cost us is the ability to fight on earth. who wants that anyways?
instead of potentially dying, Lorelei could have been reuniting with her family in Vogel's homecoming.
so in short, the moral of the story is never let yourself be weighed down by gravity on earth when you could be in space living the dream. let's never set foot on humanities cradle again. Sicilia hates stinky earth babies anyways.
wait a second. Aren't they kind of stranded in the middle of space? like, at least several thousand kilometers from the fuel station that is the nearest inhabited structure?... did jona just unwittingly leave them to suffocate, freeze, or starve in the middle the that battlefield?
after everyone else's suits get wrecked. man do we do a good job keeping Sicilia safe.
this was the moment. the moment someone in Londy Bell has us unjustifiably detained, and the chance to be one of 6 sisters sharing Parfaits slipped from our grasp. there will be a retribution. let's defect to Zeon. that'll show them!
huh. this implies that Sicilia's branch was made and conditioned during the time of the zeta gundams.
no. at no point did I say he was a pushover. I said Cybele had far more experience in taking on crazy Newtypes in combat than she did talking them out of whatever madness their considering. I said that Jona was to crazy to be trusted and given his plan this entire time seems to have been to homicide suicide Rita as a way of "ending her suffering" I feel pretty justified in that assertion. I also thought Lutetia might interfere and bungle negotiations if we even bothered.
I don't think there was a good ending to this, but I'm fairly convinced teaming up with Jona would have lead to a worst one. ultimately we got Cybele and Sicilia through the mission and acquired Juntee Anspray and his team as allies while avoiding an energy crisis, and that will just have to be good enough.
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TheBleachDoctor
Secretly a Cat
- Location
- The Plane of Infinite Kittens
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Londo Bell SAR teams went through and picked them up along with Sayla, Eris, and every pilot unfortunate enough to lose their machine during that fight.
- Location
- Australia
Just to check, when you say "every pilot" does that include Luke, who also lost his machine during the fight, in the same general area?
TheBleachDoctor
Secretly a Cat
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- The Plane of Infinite Kittens
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Their newbie and Acothley recovered both him and their commander before returning to the Gaunland.
- Pronouns
- Reader
Neat. Does that mean they'll be dragging Rita into the same interrogation room as Cybele since she had not one but two crazy dead newtypes in her head, one of them a cheap knockoff char?
NHO
Dumb is a state of existence
- Location
- ᓚᘏᗢ
Pity. Someone needed good old long deprogramming session.
TheBleachDoctor
Secretly a Cat
- Location
- The Plane of Infinite Kittens
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Rita is in serious need of medical attention. She's been cold-turkey on her Cyber Newtype meds for years, and the Phenex has been the only thing keeping her alive.
She's in the infirmary
Chapter 56: Dancing Marionettes
TheBleachDoctor
Secretly a Cat
- Location
- The Plane of Infinite Kittens
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] "Yay! Parfaits! Lead the way, Stea!"
You probably should go find Big Sis and talk to her about the battle.
Probably.
But… Parfaits.
… No. This isn't complicated.
The choice is easy. It's simple.
There's only one clear option.
The only right option.
The one you know in your heart is the correct one.
"Yay! Parfaits!" You cheer, hopping up and down, "Lead the way, Stea!"
Big Sis can wait. She's probably relaxing on a comfy couch right now anyways.
The metal chair is a little hard under your butt. You swear, this part of the ship is in the centrifuge on purpose. The designers wanted the person sitting here to feel the weight of gravity, artificial though it may be!
You do your level best to glare at the four men opposite of the table, the only furniture (aside from the chairs) in this almost-cliché interrogation room.
"So, Ensign," Bright finally breaks the silence, frowning, "When were you going to tell us about Haman Karn?"
"Eh… Eventually." You wave dismissively.
"Eventually?!" Kamille narrows his eyes at you, "The former leader of Axis Zeon was talking to you through your Gundam's Psycommu and you were going to tell us 'eventually'?!"
"What's the big deal?" You scoff, trying not to flinch, "She's dead, and it's not like I'm being mind-controlled or something."
"Haman Karn was a war criminal." Judau retorts firmly, "She's one of the few people to execute a Colony Drop on Earth. Millions of innocents died in the war she waged. Yet you think that her talking to you specifically is not a big deal? That it wasn't something you should tell Bright about?"
"Yeah, it's not an issue. She's just giving me pointers and stuff. Mentor shit."
"Pointers… Mentoring…" Amuro massages his temples in frustration, "Ensign, surely you must know how this looks. You have been working with one of the most infamous Zeon leaders for who-knows how long, without telling your superiors. Hell, you didn't even tell your own teammates! How is Bright supposed to take that? How am I supposed to?"
Okay, you flinch a little at that. You didn't want to let Amuro down.
"Haman Karn was fighting the Federation too though, right?" You argue, a little weakly, "Doesn't that kind of make her an ally now? We aren't exactly loyal Feds ourselves anyways."
"She did help us, and we're grateful for that," Amuro concedes, "but Ensign, this is a matter of trust. You're in the military now, you can't act like a reckless kid. We need to know that we can trust you to do what's right."
Okay, for the first time in your life, you're glad that Eris forced you to sit through her lectures about the history of Bright Noa and the Aces he mentored, even if you can never remember the third boy's name right.
"Reckless kid? You three are the last people who should be telling me to sit down and be a good little child soldier!" You jab your finger at Bright, "Besides, results are all you care about Commander, isn't that right? Well, we did our jobs. I've led my team just fine so far, we accomplished all of our mission objectives, and so far no one has died under my watch!"
Bright stares you in the eye for a long, silent second before replying.
"Lorelei Vogel might."
It's like your guts have suddenly tied themselves into a knot.
"...Say what?"
"Lorelei Vogel. Your teammate Mort had to rescue her after her machine was destroyed." He explains, "She has suffered serious injuries. Bone fractures, internal bleeding, lots of blunt force trauma… she's in surgery right now, not to mention comatose."
… Oh.
"I uh, I didn't know that." You lower your hand, "Fuck, I… can I see her?"
"In a bit, Ensign." Bright nods, "We need to address your conduct first."
Ah, right. The thing you were here for.
"Cybele, we're not here to slap you and tell you to get it together or anything like that." Amuro continues while glancing at Bright, "We're here because we see a bit of our younger selves in you, and we're trying to tell you that you're making the same mistakes that we did."
"There's nothing inherently wrong with working with Haman Karn." Bright says, which earns him a look from his three protegees, "We're on the same side, nominally. She was a powerful Newtype, a brilliant strategist, and a masterful politician. The main issue here is you not telling anyone. What if she has an ulterior motive? Just because we share a common enemy doesn't mean that all of our goals align, and you need an outside perspective to help you see when she's trying to manipulate you."
"Manipulate me? She's been nothing but helpful!" You protest, even as you try to forget how Haman kept urging you to kill Rita, "And besides, she can't force me to do anything. I'm in control."
"The Dead shouldn't influence the outcome of history." Judau says, "Most of the deceased seem to follow this rule, but some don't. A few are obvious, but many use an intermediary. You're an intermediary, Cybele."
They're calling you a tool? Haman's tool? After everything you've done for Londo Bell?!
"If you don't trust me, then why not just send me on my way?" You lean forward, glaring at Bright, "You don't need me. I don't need you. Or are you planning on locking me up?"
"Neither of those options." Bright answers, looking rather exasperated as he shoots quick looks at the other three pilots to get them to shut up, "Cybele, you're a promising pilot, and I don't believe you're a bad person. You're young, and older people like to take advantage of the young… god knows I did."
He has the grace to look rather ashamed at that, but continues, "We just don't want you to be used. Do you really know Haman's motivations? Do you know what she wants out of you? Your relationship with Londo Bell is, ultimately, transactional, but you know what we need from you, and we know what you need from us. Can you say the same of Haman's 'mentorship'?"
You open your mouth to shout him down, but pause.
Um, no, actually, you don't. You don't know what Haman wants, besides from what she's said.
You only know about her from history books and documentaries. You haven't spoken to anyone who was close to her. You have no way of figuring out what she's planning. She's a freaking ghost, it isn't like you can go digging about in her personal diary or anything like that.
"… She's said she wants me to be her, um, heiress. To follow in her footsteps." You finally admit, slumping a bit, the weight of it all pressing down on your shoulders, "I don't know exactly what she means by that. However, she's offering me power. She's offering me guidance. She's offering me what I need to keep my friends safe."
Quietly, you add, "They're all I have left."
They're silent as they take in what you said. Some unspoken words are shared through brief looks, before Bright speaks again.
"Very well. Ensign Cybele Naese, this will go on your record as an informal warning, but no further action will be taken. In the future, please be mindful of who you're talking to, and keep Captain Nouri apprised of future developments. I trust you'll keep us updated as well on any further communications with Haman Karn, as well as any directions she gives you. Is that understood?"
"Yes…. Understood, Commander Bright." You nod, wrinkling your lower lip in confusion, "Wait, is that it? You're just trusting me to tell you what I talk about with her?"
"Yes, I am." Bright answers simply, "I'm extending some trust here, even when I have no reason to, and you seem to understand that. In return, I'm asking for some trust from you. I want you to trust that we are only trying to help you, Cybele. We're asking a lot from someone your age, we know, but we're not the enemy here. Trust us, please."
You mull over that for a minute. Trust Londo Bell? You are fighting for them, you guess, and you kind of are starting to consider yourself as a part of this organization, but how can you trust leadership that you can't hold accountable? At the end of the day, Londo Bell is acting as a military dictatorship. They have no real government structure. It's only a matter of time before this goes bad.
But still…
"…I guess. I will, for now." You sigh, "But I'm only going to talk to Amuro about Haman."
Looking at Kamille and Judau, you add, "You two have too much personal history with her."
"That's fair," Bright nods, "Alright, we're done here for now. You're free to go, Ensign. You can find your teammate in the infirmary."
"Thanks." You stand, giving them a wide berth as you move around the table and towards the door, "Oh, Commander?"
"Hm?" He turns to look at you.
"Why did that soldier shove a gun in my face? Did someone order him to do that?"
Bright looks distinctly displeased at that, "I'm not sure, I'll have to ask. I only ordered you brought here, I didn't specify the use of force."
Okay, that pisses you off. Someone down the chain decided to append that… Urgh.
"…Alright." You close the door and head towards the infirmary. As you grab one of the conveyor handles, though, you notice something. One of the ECOAS guards nearby is tossing a crumpled-up wrapper in a garbage receptacle. The logo on that wrapper…
"I knew it." You mutter as you let the handle carry you away briskly. MacDaniels. Surely, they must have caught onto your investigation, and they hoped to provoke a confrontation! They hoped you would resist and get shot! Well, you're onto them! You'll blow the lid on this whole conspiracy wide open one day! You just need evidence…
"Haman Karn wants to train Cybele to be her successor." Kamille mused aloud after the aforementioned pilot left the room, "What do you think that means?"
"It probably means that she sees potential in Ensign Naese." Bright replied, "I feel the same way."
"Yes, but potential for what exactly?" Kamille follows up, "Haman wasn't just an Ace, she was a leader. Somehow I doubt she just wants to make Cybele a good pilot. She might be grooming her to be a leader… but a leader of what?"
Exactly. Leader of what? That unsettled all of them.
"Axis Zeon no longer exists," Judau thought out loud, "and the Republic of Zeon already has a leader. The Sleeves are basically defunct too. What could Haman want Cybele to lead?"
"...Do you think Haman wants Cybele to create her own nation?" Amuro ventured, "Now that I'm saying it though, that feels unlikely."
"She isn't the kind to throw a coup either." Bright added.
"I don't know about that. She did help an angry mob break into one of our warehouses."
Judau, Bright, and Kamille turned to stare incredulously at Amuro.
"When did that happen?" Bright asked, utterly confused. He would have heard if something like that happened!
"...Oh, right. Sorry." Amuro shook his head, "That was just a vivid nightmare I had. It's been a long day."
"I would hope so." Judau muttered, "I know I got away with a lot of things back in my day, but damn that would be outright mutiny."
Bright very much hoped that Cybele didn't turn against them. While he was sure that wouldn't happen, and he had confidence in the rest of his forces, the cost to put down a rebellious Cascadia Team would be high.
"Make sure she keeps you informed on what Haman is teaching and telling her, Amuro. We'll figure out what she's planning as we learn more." He instructed, "I need to go and contact Luio and Co. Let them know we have Michele Luio. I'm sure they'll be glad to have her back."
The infirmary is pretty packed. That's kind of expected, really. That battle was brutal. Still, to fill a room with the capacity to rival most mess halls…
Nurses are running around with bandages, syringes, and other medical tools as they frantically try to stabilize the wounded, many of which look like they lost a fight with a bonfire.
You're pretty sure not all of them have all their limbs.
"Is there a reason you're here, Ensign?" The ship doctor asks, his facemask, gloves, and scrubs spattered with blood, "You're in the way."
Ah. You didn't mean to.
"Sorry, I'm looking for my teammate. Lorelei Vogel?"
"Oh. The pilot girl." He gestures to the back of the room, "She got out of surgery a few minutes ago. You can see her, but don't hinder our work."
You nod and move towards the curtained-off area he pointed to, giving the nurses a wide berth so as not to block their way.
Pushing aside the curtains, you step through and immediately are met with a gut-wrenching sight.
Lorelei, whom you last saw whole and upbeat, is now laid out on a hospital bed, with bandages all over her body, many of which are partially soaked in blood. A facemask is feeding her oxygen, and her face is all bruised up. Mort is sitting next to her, looking pensive.
"You came." He looks up for a second, "I found Lorelei adrift. That Luke kid overpowered her and destroyed her machine. She almost didn't make it."
"…I see." You mutter, taking in that information. Luke almost beat her? You weren't sure that Lorelei could be beaten, to be honest. She was a powerful Newtype and an uncanny pilot. Does that mean Luke was a bigger threat than you thought? Or maybe you overestimated her?
"My Methuss is out of action for a while." Mort continued, "Theo said that he doesn't have any replacement parts for his unit. There's no sign of Eris yet…"
You sigh, "That's most of the team down for the count. I just hope the Feds hurt as much as we do right now… is she going to make it?"
He doesn't answer for a few seconds.
"The doctor said she's in critical condition. Could go either way, really, but for now she just needs rest."
Lorelei could die. Your new friend, and Sicilia's new adoptive big sister…
All of this for the Phenex.
"A steep cost." Haman quietly speaks, her voice sounding like it's just behind you, "Was it worth it, Cybele?"
You… don't know. You don't know if it was.
The two of you stand in silence, listening to the commotion beyond the curtains.
Almost a minute later, you hear quiet voices from the next bed over, which is also partitioned off with curtains.
You probably shouldn't snoop, but…
You push the plastic sheets aside before anyone can stop you, and you're met with the sight of Rita Bernal on another hospital bed, sitting up with her head in her hands. A hospital gown is her only article of clothing, and there's an IV running into her arm.
Sitting next to her is Michele Luio, looking a little worse for wear. She's in a gown like Rita, and you can see some bruises on her arms and legs.
"Oh… You're Cybele Naese, right?" Michele spoke, giving you a grateful smile, "The Black Death? I heard what you did for Hong Kong. I dread to think what would have happened if you and your team weren't there."
Ah. Praise. You blush a bit at that.
"It was nothing." You play it down sheepishly, "Just doing my duty. I had the power to help, so I had the obligation. Anyways… How are you two doing?"
Michele looks at Rita sadly, and you can finally hear the Cyber Newtype talking.
"What… What have I… What have I done?" She mumbles repeatedly, "Have… Have I… What have…"
"How much do you know about Cyber Newtypes?" Michele asks quietly, and you pull up a chair as Mort respectfully closes the curtain behind you, leaving the three of you alone.
"Not much," you admit, "They're Newtypes or Oldtypes who are augmented to have Newtype abilities, or enhanced abilities, right?"
"In layman's terms, yes." She nods, "If we were to be specific, though, they're not augmented to become a stronger Newtype. They're augmented to be more like Amuro Ray."
"…Come again?" You ask. That sounds oddly specific.
"Zeon Cyber Newtypes are a bit different, but Federation ones are all based off of the same template." Michele continues her explanation, "After the One Year War, the Federation studied Amuro Ray. They knew what he could do, and how he was different from other people, but…"
She scowls slightly, "They didn't know how his differences let him do the things he did. They just knew that if you had a body and brain like Amuro Ray, you could do the things he did."
That tracks. You're still not getting something though. You motion for her to go on.
"Children like Rita were gathered and studied, trying to find out what exactly made Newtypes tick. But they still couldn't develop them to Amuro's level. They didn't know why. So rather than wait for development and growth to happen naturally, or isolate the specific genes that made a Newtype a Newtype, they just… brute-force the issue."
"Wait, how do you 'brute force' someone to become like Amuro Ray?" You ask, still very confused.
"You cut them." Rita replies, surprising the both of you, "You cut them out of themselves, piece by piece. You tear their Wings from them and stitch on copies fashioned in His image. You replace their insides until they're more Amuro than themselves."
…
Oh.
You feel sick.
"The Titans… well, the Federation, they 'enhanced' Rita." Michele makes a noise, something between a scoff and a gag, "So, much like most Cyber Newtypes, she has to take a whole cocktail of drugs just so her body doesn't tear itself apart trying to reject the artificial organs and cybernetic implants. She can't remember who she even is without those drugs, her brain can't recognize whole parts of herself."
Wait, Michele mentioned brains, and they're talking about replacing organs with-
"No. There's no way." You stare in horror at Michele. No wonder Rita and Jona were complete nutters. The former has been off of her meds for years, and Jona wasn't even entirely himself anymore.
"I… I thought it would be all worth it." Rita says, "I knew that without my meds, what was left of my mind would begin to go. When the end came for me, when my body shut down, I wouldn't even remember who I was. But… I thought it'd be worth it."
She lowers her hands and grips the blankets, "I thought that it'd be worth it if I at least died free. But the Phenex kept me alive, and eventually…"
Rita looks to you, and you see tears streaming down her face.
"All those lives… It wasn't worth it. Not for me."
No talk about birds. Only one mention of wings. Rita is the most lucid you've seen her yet, for as little a time as you've known her.
Must be the meds doing their job.
You almost want to feel sad for her.
Almost.
But then you remember what it cost the Federation, Zeon, and Londo Bell.
You remember what it cost you.
"…You're right." You reply, a little coldly, "You weren't worth it."
Michele looks absolutely scandalized by your words, but Rita just looks down out of shame.
"Not even counting the pilots you killed, an entire colony was slaughtered at your hands, Rita." You continue, a fury rising in you, "One of my friends nearly died. Sicilia lost one of her sisters. All that pain and suffering, all for you. You're right, Rita. You aren't worth it."
She chokes back a sob, and Michele starts to yell something at you, but you stand so suddenly that they both freeze.
"You're not worth it yet." You say with fists clenched as you stare into her eyes, "What are you going to do now, Rita? Now that all these people have died for you, what are you going to do to make that sacrifice worth it?"
You can almost hear Haman's voice saying this with you as you feel just how right it is to speak.
"Can you still fly, Rita Bernal?" You address her with a burning passion and determination, "To make things right, to make those lives lost mean something, will you fight to ensure that no one like you is ever mutilated, violated again? Do you still possess the strength to spread your wings, or have they been broken?"
"That's enough!" Michele interrupts, grabbing your arm furiously, "Rita has suffered enough! She's coming back with me to Hong Kong, where she can recover in peace and-!"
"No."
Rita cuts off her childhood friend.
"I can still fly." She speaks with resolution, with a fire in her eyes that's equal parts indignation and shame, "My wings are not yet clipped."
"Good." You smile. All according to plan… you think. You have no idea where this plan came from.
"Rita, you don't have to." Michele pleads with her friend, "You have no duty, no obligation to! No one deserves a rest more than you do!"
Rita just gives the Luio heiress a sad, reassuring smile.
"Cybele is right, Michele. I have to make it all mean something. I can't live with myself otherwise." She looks back to you and nods, "I'll fly for you, Ensign Naese, if you'll have me."
Michele clutches her hand to her chest, her eyes helplessly pleading with Rita.
You extend your hand, and the Phenex's former pilot takes it.
"Welcome to Cascadia Team, Rita Bernal." You feel Haman's proud gaze upon you.
Michele glares angrily at you, "Bright will hear about this, Ensign."
"I'm sure he will." You say plainly, careful not to appear condescending and insult Rita's friend, "But I think Bright will agree with me that Rita has had enough of people making choices for her. This is, after all, her decision."
You turn and leave, walking through the curtains and past Lorelei's bed. You feel Mort's bewildered stare as you pass him.
"Well done, Cybele." Haman whispers in your ear, "We'll make a leader out of you yet."
Her praise feels so right.
"I don't know if I'm a leader," you say under your breath, to both yourself and her, "but if I have the power to do so, then I must."
"La noblesse oblige."
Parfaits are sweet and good.
Some may say that you went overboard, but they are all filthy liars who are just jealous of your amazing super-duper parfait.
Strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, and raspberry frozen yogurt in a tall glass cup, layered between blueberries, seedless cherries, and granola, all come together to make the perfect dessert.
You're in heaven!
"What do you think?" You look to your sisters around the table, holding up your marvelous creation.
"Looks delicious." Stea comments, "But can you compete with this?"
Hers is smaller, but she managed to layer mango syrup in between some of the layers of yogurt! No fair, that looks good!
Lutetia has her own relatively simple parfait, with vanilla yogurt, granola, and some strawberry syrup. However, she has it set aside and is nursing a mug of warm milk. She said she was a bit too nauseous to dig in immediately.
Blasphemy.
Still, you suppose it would be bad if she threw up her parfait, so you'll allow it.
Nearby, you see Camilla walking past with Artesia. The former has a nice little banana split, while the latter has… a whole tray of food.
That is a lot of food.
"Ah, there you are!" Stea beckons her sister over, "Sit with us! You too, Lady Artesia!"
The blonde seems a bit embarrassed as she sits down and you eye the biblical portion on her tray.
"…I haven't eaten in almost a day, alright?" She mumbles indignantly.
Whatever. When you're hungry, you're hungry. You move to dig in, when suddenly a bolt of intuition hits you. Big Sis is incoming! She'll be here soon! You hardly notice that Peche lady and another one of your sisters sit down too, you have to prepare for Big Sis!
But what should you get her?
[] A matching parfait. Best Parfait for Best Big Sis.
[] An assortment of sweets. Big Sis has varied taste.
[] Big Sis is probably hungry. Acquire sustenance of sufficient quantity.
[] Oh, MacDaniels sent Londo Bell some provisions! Get her a "Sizable Mac".
[] A heaping bowl of natto. For reasons.
You probably should go find Big Sis and talk to her about the battle.
Probably.
But… Parfaits.
… No. This isn't complicated.
The choice is easy. It's simple.
There's only one clear option.
The only right option.
The one you know in your heart is the correct one.
"Yay! Parfaits!" You cheer, hopping up and down, "Lead the way, Stea!"
Big Sis can wait. She's probably relaxing on a comfy couch right now anyways.
The metal chair is a little hard under your butt. You swear, this part of the ship is in the centrifuge on purpose. The designers wanted the person sitting here to feel the weight of gravity, artificial though it may be!
You do your level best to glare at the four men opposite of the table, the only furniture (aside from the chairs) in this almost-cliché interrogation room.
"So, Ensign," Bright finally breaks the silence, frowning, "When were you going to tell us about Haman Karn?"
"Eh… Eventually." You wave dismissively.
"Eventually?!" Kamille narrows his eyes at you, "The former leader of Axis Zeon was talking to you through your Gundam's Psycommu and you were going to tell us 'eventually'?!"
"What's the big deal?" You scoff, trying not to flinch, "She's dead, and it's not like I'm being mind-controlled or something."
"Haman Karn was a war criminal." Judau retorts firmly, "She's one of the few people to execute a Colony Drop on Earth. Millions of innocents died in the war she waged. Yet you think that her talking to you specifically is not a big deal? That it wasn't something you should tell Bright about?"
"Yeah, it's not an issue. She's just giving me pointers and stuff. Mentor shit."
"Pointers… Mentoring…" Amuro massages his temples in frustration, "Ensign, surely you must know how this looks. You have been working with one of the most infamous Zeon leaders for who-knows how long, without telling your superiors. Hell, you didn't even tell your own teammates! How is Bright supposed to take that? How am I supposed to?"
Okay, you flinch a little at that. You didn't want to let Amuro down.
"Haman Karn was fighting the Federation too though, right?" You argue, a little weakly, "Doesn't that kind of make her an ally now? We aren't exactly loyal Feds ourselves anyways."
"She did help us, and we're grateful for that," Amuro concedes, "but Ensign, this is a matter of trust. You're in the military now, you can't act like a reckless kid. We need to know that we can trust you to do what's right."
Okay, for the first time in your life, you're glad that Eris forced you to sit through her lectures about the history of Bright Noa and the Aces he mentored, even if you can never remember the third boy's name right.
"Reckless kid? You three are the last people who should be telling me to sit down and be a good little child soldier!" You jab your finger at Bright, "Besides, results are all you care about Commander, isn't that right? Well, we did our jobs. I've led my team just fine so far, we accomplished all of our mission objectives, and so far no one has died under my watch!"
Bright stares you in the eye for a long, silent second before replying.
"Lorelei Vogel might."
It's like your guts have suddenly tied themselves into a knot.
"...Say what?"
"Lorelei Vogel. Your teammate Mort had to rescue her after her machine was destroyed." He explains, "She has suffered serious injuries. Bone fractures, internal bleeding, lots of blunt force trauma… she's in surgery right now, not to mention comatose."
… Oh.
"I uh, I didn't know that." You lower your hand, "Fuck, I… can I see her?"
"In a bit, Ensign." Bright nods, "We need to address your conduct first."
Ah, right. The thing you were here for.
"Cybele, we're not here to slap you and tell you to get it together or anything like that." Amuro continues while glancing at Bright, "We're here because we see a bit of our younger selves in you, and we're trying to tell you that you're making the same mistakes that we did."
"There's nothing inherently wrong with working with Haman Karn." Bright says, which earns him a look from his three protegees, "We're on the same side, nominally. She was a powerful Newtype, a brilliant strategist, and a masterful politician. The main issue here is you not telling anyone. What if she has an ulterior motive? Just because we share a common enemy doesn't mean that all of our goals align, and you need an outside perspective to help you see when she's trying to manipulate you."
"Manipulate me? She's been nothing but helpful!" You protest, even as you try to forget how Haman kept urging you to kill Rita, "And besides, she can't force me to do anything. I'm in control."
"The Dead shouldn't influence the outcome of history." Judau says, "Most of the deceased seem to follow this rule, but some don't. A few are obvious, but many use an intermediary. You're an intermediary, Cybele."
They're calling you a tool? Haman's tool? After everything you've done for Londo Bell?!
"If you don't trust me, then why not just send me on my way?" You lean forward, glaring at Bright, "You don't need me. I don't need you. Or are you planning on locking me up?"
"Neither of those options." Bright answers, looking rather exasperated as he shoots quick looks at the other three pilots to get them to shut up, "Cybele, you're a promising pilot, and I don't believe you're a bad person. You're young, and older people like to take advantage of the young… god knows I did."
He has the grace to look rather ashamed at that, but continues, "We just don't want you to be used. Do you really know Haman's motivations? Do you know what she wants out of you? Your relationship with Londo Bell is, ultimately, transactional, but you know what we need from you, and we know what you need from us. Can you say the same of Haman's 'mentorship'?"
You open your mouth to shout him down, but pause.
Um, no, actually, you don't. You don't know what Haman wants, besides from what she's said.
You only know about her from history books and documentaries. You haven't spoken to anyone who was close to her. You have no way of figuring out what she's planning. She's a freaking ghost, it isn't like you can go digging about in her personal diary or anything like that.
"… She's said she wants me to be her, um, heiress. To follow in her footsteps." You finally admit, slumping a bit, the weight of it all pressing down on your shoulders, "I don't know exactly what she means by that. However, she's offering me power. She's offering me guidance. She's offering me what I need to keep my friends safe."
Quietly, you add, "They're all I have left."
They're silent as they take in what you said. Some unspoken words are shared through brief looks, before Bright speaks again.
"Very well. Ensign Cybele Naese, this will go on your record as an informal warning, but no further action will be taken. In the future, please be mindful of who you're talking to, and keep Captain Nouri apprised of future developments. I trust you'll keep us updated as well on any further communications with Haman Karn, as well as any directions she gives you. Is that understood?"
"Yes…. Understood, Commander Bright." You nod, wrinkling your lower lip in confusion, "Wait, is that it? You're just trusting me to tell you what I talk about with her?"
"Yes, I am." Bright answers simply, "I'm extending some trust here, even when I have no reason to, and you seem to understand that. In return, I'm asking for some trust from you. I want you to trust that we are only trying to help you, Cybele. We're asking a lot from someone your age, we know, but we're not the enemy here. Trust us, please."
You mull over that for a minute. Trust Londo Bell? You are fighting for them, you guess, and you kind of are starting to consider yourself as a part of this organization, but how can you trust leadership that you can't hold accountable? At the end of the day, Londo Bell is acting as a military dictatorship. They have no real government structure. It's only a matter of time before this goes bad.
But still…
"…I guess. I will, for now." You sigh, "But I'm only going to talk to Amuro about Haman."
Looking at Kamille and Judau, you add, "You two have too much personal history with her."
"That's fair," Bright nods, "Alright, we're done here for now. You're free to go, Ensign. You can find your teammate in the infirmary."
"Thanks." You stand, giving them a wide berth as you move around the table and towards the door, "Oh, Commander?"
"Hm?" He turns to look at you.
"Why did that soldier shove a gun in my face? Did someone order him to do that?"
Bright looks distinctly displeased at that, "I'm not sure, I'll have to ask. I only ordered you brought here, I didn't specify the use of force."
Okay, that pisses you off. Someone down the chain decided to append that… Urgh.
"…Alright." You close the door and head towards the infirmary. As you grab one of the conveyor handles, though, you notice something. One of the ECOAS guards nearby is tossing a crumpled-up wrapper in a garbage receptacle. The logo on that wrapper…
"I knew it." You mutter as you let the handle carry you away briskly. MacDaniels. Surely, they must have caught onto your investigation, and they hoped to provoke a confrontation! They hoped you would resist and get shot! Well, you're onto them! You'll blow the lid on this whole conspiracy wide open one day! You just need evidence…
"Haman Karn wants to train Cybele to be her successor." Kamille mused aloud after the aforementioned pilot left the room, "What do you think that means?"
"It probably means that she sees potential in Ensign Naese." Bright replied, "I feel the same way."
"Yes, but potential for what exactly?" Kamille follows up, "Haman wasn't just an Ace, she was a leader. Somehow I doubt she just wants to make Cybele a good pilot. She might be grooming her to be a leader… but a leader of what?"
Exactly. Leader of what? That unsettled all of them.
"Axis Zeon no longer exists," Judau thought out loud, "and the Republic of Zeon already has a leader. The Sleeves are basically defunct too. What could Haman want Cybele to lead?"
"...Do you think Haman wants Cybele to create her own nation?" Amuro ventured, "Now that I'm saying it though, that feels unlikely."
"She isn't the kind to throw a coup either." Bright added.
"I don't know about that. She did help an angry mob break into one of our warehouses."
Judau, Bright, and Kamille turned to stare incredulously at Amuro.
"When did that happen?" Bright asked, utterly confused. He would have heard if something like that happened!
"...Oh, right. Sorry." Amuro shook his head, "That was just a vivid nightmare I had. It's been a long day."
"I would hope so." Judau muttered, "I know I got away with a lot of things back in my day, but damn that would be outright mutiny."
Bright very much hoped that Cybele didn't turn against them. While he was sure that wouldn't happen, and he had confidence in the rest of his forces, the cost to put down a rebellious Cascadia Team would be high.
"Make sure she keeps you informed on what Haman is teaching and telling her, Amuro. We'll figure out what she's planning as we learn more." He instructed, "I need to go and contact Luio and Co. Let them know we have Michele Luio. I'm sure they'll be glad to have her back."
The infirmary is pretty packed. That's kind of expected, really. That battle was brutal. Still, to fill a room with the capacity to rival most mess halls…
Nurses are running around with bandages, syringes, and other medical tools as they frantically try to stabilize the wounded, many of which look like they lost a fight with a bonfire.
You're pretty sure not all of them have all their limbs.
"Is there a reason you're here, Ensign?" The ship doctor asks, his facemask, gloves, and scrubs spattered with blood, "You're in the way."
Ah. You didn't mean to.
"Sorry, I'm looking for my teammate. Lorelei Vogel?"
"Oh. The pilot girl." He gestures to the back of the room, "She got out of surgery a few minutes ago. You can see her, but don't hinder our work."
You nod and move towards the curtained-off area he pointed to, giving the nurses a wide berth so as not to block their way.
Pushing aside the curtains, you step through and immediately are met with a gut-wrenching sight.
Lorelei, whom you last saw whole and upbeat, is now laid out on a hospital bed, with bandages all over her body, many of which are partially soaked in blood. A facemask is feeding her oxygen, and her face is all bruised up. Mort is sitting next to her, looking pensive.
"You came." He looks up for a second, "I found Lorelei adrift. That Luke kid overpowered her and destroyed her machine. She almost didn't make it."
"…I see." You mutter, taking in that information. Luke almost beat her? You weren't sure that Lorelei could be beaten, to be honest. She was a powerful Newtype and an uncanny pilot. Does that mean Luke was a bigger threat than you thought? Or maybe you overestimated her?
"My Methuss is out of action for a while." Mort continued, "Theo said that he doesn't have any replacement parts for his unit. There's no sign of Eris yet…"
You sigh, "That's most of the team down for the count. I just hope the Feds hurt as much as we do right now… is she going to make it?"
He doesn't answer for a few seconds.
"The doctor said she's in critical condition. Could go either way, really, but for now she just needs rest."
Lorelei could die. Your new friend, and Sicilia's new adoptive big sister…
All of this for the Phenex.
"A steep cost." Haman quietly speaks, her voice sounding like it's just behind you, "Was it worth it, Cybele?"
You… don't know. You don't know if it was.
The two of you stand in silence, listening to the commotion beyond the curtains.
Almost a minute later, you hear quiet voices from the next bed over, which is also partitioned off with curtains.
You probably shouldn't snoop, but…
You push the plastic sheets aside before anyone can stop you, and you're met with the sight of Rita Bernal on another hospital bed, sitting up with her head in her hands. A hospital gown is her only article of clothing, and there's an IV running into her arm.
Sitting next to her is Michele Luio, looking a little worse for wear. She's in a gown like Rita, and you can see some bruises on her arms and legs.
"Oh… You're Cybele Naese, right?" Michele spoke, giving you a grateful smile, "The Black Death? I heard what you did for Hong Kong. I dread to think what would have happened if you and your team weren't there."
Ah. Praise. You blush a bit at that.
"It was nothing." You play it down sheepishly, "Just doing my duty. I had the power to help, so I had the obligation. Anyways… How are you two doing?"
Michele looks at Rita sadly, and you can finally hear the Cyber Newtype talking.
"What… What have I… What have I done?" She mumbles repeatedly, "Have… Have I… What have…"
"How much do you know about Cyber Newtypes?" Michele asks quietly, and you pull up a chair as Mort respectfully closes the curtain behind you, leaving the three of you alone.
"Not much," you admit, "They're Newtypes or Oldtypes who are augmented to have Newtype abilities, or enhanced abilities, right?"
"In layman's terms, yes." She nods, "If we were to be specific, though, they're not augmented to become a stronger Newtype. They're augmented to be more like Amuro Ray."
"…Come again?" You ask. That sounds oddly specific.
"Zeon Cyber Newtypes are a bit different, but Federation ones are all based off of the same template." Michele continues her explanation, "After the One Year War, the Federation studied Amuro Ray. They knew what he could do, and how he was different from other people, but…"
She scowls slightly, "They didn't know how his differences let him do the things he did. They just knew that if you had a body and brain like Amuro Ray, you could do the things he did."
That tracks. You're still not getting something though. You motion for her to go on.
"Children like Rita were gathered and studied, trying to find out what exactly made Newtypes tick. But they still couldn't develop them to Amuro's level. They didn't know why. So rather than wait for development and growth to happen naturally, or isolate the specific genes that made a Newtype a Newtype, they just… brute-force the issue."
"Wait, how do you 'brute force' someone to become like Amuro Ray?" You ask, still very confused.
"You cut them." Rita replies, surprising the both of you, "You cut them out of themselves, piece by piece. You tear their Wings from them and stitch on copies fashioned in His image. You replace their insides until they're more Amuro than themselves."
…
Oh.
You feel sick.
"The Titans… well, the Federation, they 'enhanced' Rita." Michele makes a noise, something between a scoff and a gag, "So, much like most Cyber Newtypes, she has to take a whole cocktail of drugs just so her body doesn't tear itself apart trying to reject the artificial organs and cybernetic implants. She can't remember who she even is without those drugs, her brain can't recognize whole parts of herself."
Wait, Michele mentioned brains, and they're talking about replacing organs with-
"No. There's no way." You stare in horror at Michele. No wonder Rita and Jona were complete nutters. The former has been off of her meds for years, and Jona wasn't even entirely himself anymore.
"I… I thought it would be all worth it." Rita says, "I knew that without my meds, what was left of my mind would begin to go. When the end came for me, when my body shut down, I wouldn't even remember who I was. But… I thought it'd be worth it."
She lowers her hands and grips the blankets, "I thought that it'd be worth it if I at least died free. But the Phenex kept me alive, and eventually…"
Rita looks to you, and you see tears streaming down her face.
"All those lives… It wasn't worth it. Not for me."
No talk about birds. Only one mention of wings. Rita is the most lucid you've seen her yet, for as little a time as you've known her.
Must be the meds doing their job.
You almost want to feel sad for her.
Almost.
But then you remember what it cost the Federation, Zeon, and Londo Bell.
You remember what it cost you.
"…You're right." You reply, a little coldly, "You weren't worth it."
Michele looks absolutely scandalized by your words, but Rita just looks down out of shame.
"Not even counting the pilots you killed, an entire colony was slaughtered at your hands, Rita." You continue, a fury rising in you, "One of my friends nearly died. Sicilia lost one of her sisters. All that pain and suffering, all for you. You're right, Rita. You aren't worth it."
She chokes back a sob, and Michele starts to yell something at you, but you stand so suddenly that they both freeze.
"You're not worth it yet." You say with fists clenched as you stare into her eyes, "What are you going to do now, Rita? Now that all these people have died for you, what are you going to do to make that sacrifice worth it?"
You can almost hear Haman's voice saying this with you as you feel just how right it is to speak.
"Can you still fly, Rita Bernal?" You address her with a burning passion and determination, "To make things right, to make those lives lost mean something, will you fight to ensure that no one like you is ever mutilated, violated again? Do you still possess the strength to spread your wings, or have they been broken?"
"That's enough!" Michele interrupts, grabbing your arm furiously, "Rita has suffered enough! She's coming back with me to Hong Kong, where she can recover in peace and-!"
"No."
Rita cuts off her childhood friend.
"I can still fly." She speaks with resolution, with a fire in her eyes that's equal parts indignation and shame, "My wings are not yet clipped."
"Good." You smile. All according to plan… you think. You have no idea where this plan came from.
"Rita, you don't have to." Michele pleads with her friend, "You have no duty, no obligation to! No one deserves a rest more than you do!"
Rita just gives the Luio heiress a sad, reassuring smile.
"Cybele is right, Michele. I have to make it all mean something. I can't live with myself otherwise." She looks back to you and nods, "I'll fly for you, Ensign Naese, if you'll have me."
Michele clutches her hand to her chest, her eyes helplessly pleading with Rita.
You extend your hand, and the Phenex's former pilot takes it.
"Welcome to Cascadia Team, Rita Bernal." You feel Haman's proud gaze upon you.
Michele glares angrily at you, "Bright will hear about this, Ensign."
"I'm sure he will." You say plainly, careful not to appear condescending and insult Rita's friend, "But I think Bright will agree with me that Rita has had enough of people making choices for her. This is, after all, her decision."
You turn and leave, walking through the curtains and past Lorelei's bed. You feel Mort's bewildered stare as you pass him.
"Well done, Cybele." Haman whispers in your ear, "We'll make a leader out of you yet."
Her praise feels so right.
"I don't know if I'm a leader," you say under your breath, to both yourself and her, "but if I have the power to do so, then I must."
"La noblesse oblige."
Parfaits are sweet and good.
Some may say that you went overboard, but they are all filthy liars who are just jealous of your amazing super-duper parfait.
Strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, and raspberry frozen yogurt in a tall glass cup, layered between blueberries, seedless cherries, and granola, all come together to make the perfect dessert.
You're in heaven!
"What do you think?" You look to your sisters around the table, holding up your marvelous creation.
"Looks delicious." Stea comments, "But can you compete with this?"
Hers is smaller, but she managed to layer mango syrup in between some of the layers of yogurt! No fair, that looks good!
Lutetia has her own relatively simple parfait, with vanilla yogurt, granola, and some strawberry syrup. However, she has it set aside and is nursing a mug of warm milk. She said she was a bit too nauseous to dig in immediately.
Blasphemy.
Still, you suppose it would be bad if she threw up her parfait, so you'll allow it.
Nearby, you see Camilla walking past with Artesia. The former has a nice little banana split, while the latter has… a whole tray of food.
That is a lot of food.
"Ah, there you are!" Stea beckons her sister over, "Sit with us! You too, Lady Artesia!"
The blonde seems a bit embarrassed as she sits down and you eye the biblical portion on her tray.
"…I haven't eaten in almost a day, alright?" She mumbles indignantly.
Whatever. When you're hungry, you're hungry. You move to dig in, when suddenly a bolt of intuition hits you. Big Sis is incoming! She'll be here soon! You hardly notice that Peche lady and another one of your sisters sit down too, you have to prepare for Big Sis!
But what should you get her?
[] A matching parfait. Best Parfait for Best Big Sis.
[] An assortment of sweets. Big Sis has varied taste.
[] Big Sis is probably hungry. Acquire sustenance of sufficient quantity.
[] Oh, MacDaniels sent Londo Bell some provisions! Get her a "Sizable Mac".
[] A heaping bowl of natto. For reasons.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yeah, there's something a bit ominous about the way she recruited Rita, isn't there? Pouncing on a young Newtype while they're emotionally vulnerable and exploiting their trauma and guilt to get them to fight for you feels like a play out of Char's book.
[x] Oh, MacDaniels sent Londo Bell some provisions! Get her a "Sizable Mac".
At least Cybele didn't need to smack her to get in the Gundam. She's also right she can't just pack up after all the deaths she's caused. I'd say this isn't anime logic where you can get away with anything as long as your friends but this is Gundam.
Nottheunmaker
Altman be praised
- Location
- USG Ishimura
[X] Oh, MacDaniels sent Londo Bell some provisions! Get her a "Sizable Mac".
I'm fine with the season 2 villain route so long as she lives in constant fear of MacDaniels and never stops being an Amuro fangirl at absolute creep levels.
I'm fine with the season 2 villain route so long as she lives in constant fear of MacDaniels and never stops being an Amuro fangirl at absolute creep levels.
[x] Oh, MacDaniels sent Londo Bell some provisions! Get her a "Sizable Mac".
- Pronouns
- Reader
[X] A matching parfait. Best Parfait for Best Big Sis.
The food of space nobility everywhere.
[X] Big Sis is probably hungry. Acquire sustenance of sufficient quantity.
Or nutrition. That newtype stuff is hungry work.
I don't know what all this season 2 villain stuff is about. Cybele is just going to be a knight and noble who fights for her people. She certainly won't be the kind of wasteful person who destroys colonies by dropping them on earth.
The food of space nobility everywhere.
[X] Big Sis is probably hungry. Acquire sustenance of sufficient quantity.
Or nutrition. That newtype stuff is hungry work.
No! Not gravity! Cybele is a proud Spacenoid! She can't afford to have her mind weighed down like this! 😭
Wow. All four of them. There has to be at least a dozen important things needing there attention between all that just went down but their so fixated on the threat of the Ghost of Zeon being in Cybele's head they've dropped everything for the sake of attending this interrogation. This is hilarious.
Take it as a commentary on the lack of standardized learning material about newtype abilities and leadership made available to the talented rookie pilots your sending on war critical missions where they face threats beyond the norm. You put Cybele in situations that tested the limits of her abilities and required critical thinking and decision making with little in the way of mentoring on how to handle these.
Cybele kicked Jona's ass thanks to her help. Pukey Lukey, your next.
Deal with it boys. Your grudges can't overcome the appeal of the Ghost of Zeon as an ally.
Awesome. This was a productive meeting. People now know that Cybele is destined for girlboss greatness.
Damn haters. Jealous of the swag already.
We have a daunting prospect ahead of us. How can we root out such delicious evil from the world and still find time to order some damn funnels?
An order of Spacenoids knights. Of new Nobility among the stars. Of newtype revolutionaries who aren't Idealists.
Yes! My Mad Egg Cake girl lives! Luke will pay!
Yeah! Ace title and credit! Cybele number one!
Wow. That's fucked. Like it was mentioned before but the fine details really help clarify what a horror show it was.
There is the guilt. It's not as much her fault as she thinks, but that kind of logic doesn't help much.
Wow. We ended up recruiting her. Did not see that coming.
Wow. Someone did a 180 fast.
Yes! Buch Concern pick paying off.
I don't know what all this season 2 villain stuff is about. Cybele is just going to be a knight and noble who fights for her people. She certainly won't be the kind of wasteful person who destroys colonies by dropping them on earth.
Last edited:
- Location
- Australia
[X] Big Sis is probably hungry. Acquire sustenance of sufficient quantity.
Fuck, if she's here Londo Bell has no chance of winning /s
Further evidence that MacDaniels is probably a front for the Illuminati. Must investigate further.
[X] Oh, MacDaniels sent Londo Bell some provisions! Get her a "Sizable Mac".
Cosmo Babylonia Intensifies
Look, it'll be fine. We'll know things are worrisome if Cybele starts looking into mask catalogues and acquires an interest in buzzsaws.
NHO
Dumb is a state of existence
- Location
- ᓚᘏᗢ
Earth has a lot of mountains sufficiently augmented Newtype can just pull up with their brain and relocate over their enemies.
- Location
- USA
[X] Oh, MacDaniels sent Londo Bell some provisions! Get her a "Sizable Mac".
[X] Oh, MacDaniels sent Londo Bell some provisions! Get her a "Sizable Mac".
You WILL be lovin' it
But actually the more comedic traits we have the less villain-y we are
But actually the more comedic traits we have the less villain-y we are