This is not going well, Unit 2 is down a foot, Unit 1 has a unknown toxin, a paralytic that gives us a unknown operational time before it is out of the battle, needless to say retreat is looking more likely here, if just to conduct emergency repairs..... if not having to resort to dropping an N2 mine, so going to focus everything into one last dich effort.
[X] Operation Stone Sentinel
-[X] Shinji: Keep going
-[X] Asuka: Switch weapons with Rei and back her up
-[X] Rei: Focus on protecting Asuka
-[X] Instructions for the JSSDF: Bombardment of the stinger (after Unit 1 has moved out of the area) its AT-field should either be weakened if not neutralized to allow the ordnance to get through, the VTOL wing is to wait until either the AT-field around its head is neutralized or an opening to start supporting fire.
My rational for this is number 1 to keep have our pilots regroup here, our offensive power is already been halved with Unit 2 wound, so going to need to concentrate everything we have on its head, number 2 I'm not a fan of having Asuka hop around to try to attack/dodge so have her swap weapons with Rei, and have them work together in offensive/defensive until Shinji gets there to neutralize the AT-field around its head again, or to shoot the head with Asuka or switch to the progressive knife and carve it up with with Rei.
Yeah, with Asuka down a leg and Shinji on his way to paralysis, only Rei has any chance of retreating, and that would be at the cost of losing the other two pilots.
Yeah, with Shinji taking that hit we can't easily move him around, so my phase 2 plan is probably not applicable. On the plus side, the Angel's pretty badly hurt, and we've still got three units in the fight right now. If we can do some more damage, we might get to a point where Rei and Asuka can take it, with the JSSDF's help. Also, Shinji closing with the enemy to do point-blank shots was... well, it wasn't the intention, but it's impressive he did it. We'll have to buy them all a cake. Each.
Yeah, with Asuka down a leg and Shinji on his way to paralysis, only Rei has any chance of retreating, and that would be at the cost of losing the other two pilots.
That is another reason why I want them to regroup, if things go completely south, it is going to be up to Rei to carry/pull/drag Unit 1-2 out of there....or at the very least Unit 1 while Asuka crawls to safety the best she can.
Also, Shinji closing with the enemy to do point-blank shots was... well, it wasn't the intention, but it's impressive he did it. We'll have to buy them all a cake. Each.
We'll need to tell them not to eat the cake in one sitting. In a way that Asuka doesn't interpret as a challenge.
Anyways, with two out of three mechs' continued function in an extended battle being as unlikely as it is, we need to do something fast. Unfortunately, we're not in a great position to do much impactful this turn...
[X] Operation Stone Sentinel
-[X] Shinji: Keep going
-[X] Asuka: Switch weapons with Rei and back her up
-[X] Rei: Focus on protecting Asuka
-[X] Instructions for the JSSDF: Bombardment of the stinger (after Unit 1 has moved out of the area) its AT-field should either be weakened if not neutralized to allow the ordnance to get through, the VTOL wing is to wait until either the AT-field around its head is neutralized or an opening to start supporting fire.
You tell Shinji to keep fighting for as long as he can, but midsentence Gendo cuts you off. He turns to Ritsuko and asks her whether there is risk of permanent damage to Unit-01 if it continues to fight. Ritsuko looks at the screen for a few moments, and then shakes her head. There are no physical effects that can't be solved through regeneration and flushing out the LCL in the system. Gendo considers this. What about mental effects? Ritsuko narrows her eyes. No, there's no way the toxin would affect the consciousness of the Evangelion in the long term, or the pilot's.
Fine, Gendo says, then opens a communication channel directly to Shinji. Shinji reacts with surprise. Father? His voice has just the faintest note of hope in it. You resent the power this man has over the people around you. Gendo instructs Shinji to continue his mission for as long as the Evangelion will allow him. When he feels unable to continue, he is to get clear of the battlefield and await further instructions. It is imperative that he keep the Evangelion from being destroyed. Shinji says okay, sounding a little disappointed.
Gendo tells Rei to be ready to help evacuate Unit-01 from the battlefield should it be rendered unable to move. Rei says okay. Asuka complains. What about Unit-02? Gendo says what about it. She can move, can't she? She does not require Rei's help. Asuka begrudgingly admits she could probably escape on her own. She's just that good, after all. She doesn't need the First's help.
Gendo, after having issued these instructions, tells you to continue with your operation. His face is as impassive as ever. Everyone on the bridge is looking at you. Your head is throbbing. You grit your teeth and instruct Asuka to switch weapons with Rei and for Rei to focus on keeping the Angel away from Asuka for as long as she can.
The pilots comply without complaint. Asuka tells Rei not to screw this up as she hands over her weapon. Rei says she won't with the typical subdued annoyance she reserves for talking to Asuka as she hands over hers. Asuka begins limping to a safer distance.
Meanwhile, Shinji fires on the stinger again. The Angel thrashes around and begins spitting the clear fluid leaking from its jaws everywhere. The Evangelions' armor resists the acid, though sensors indicate that there is mild damage to the armor due to its sheer corrosiveness. You tell Shinji to do what he can to neutralize the AT-Field around it before getting clear. Shinji says okay, he'll do it. His speech is a little slurred. You ask if he's okay. Shinji tells you his face is numb.
Rei takes the Smash Hawk and swings it into the base of one of the Angel's mandibles. It leaves a deep gash, though falls short of impairing its ability to shut its jaws. Rei is shoved backwards and nearly loses her balance after the Angel jerks its head violently in her direction. She runs towards the side of its head and begins driving the axe into the wounds inflicted by her Positron Cannon. The exoskeleton compacts and warps from the force of the blows. In response, the Angel rears up like a snake, pulling its head off the ground and out of Rei's reach, towering high above the ground.
You tell the VTOL wing and Asuka to open fire. The Angel's head is bombarded by missile fire and positron beams, creating an aerial ball of fire at the end of the Angel's trunk. Chunks of exoskeleton and flesh rain down to the ground below, as well as a great quantity of its acidic saliva, which Rei manages to just barely dodge out of the way of. Shinji crawls out of the wall of smoke on the other side of the mountain, Unit-01's limbs twitching and convulsing. He says something completely unintelligible as language before unsuccessfully attempting what seems to be a thumbs up. The JSSDF begins bombarding the mountainside with artillery.
The Angel goes limp and its trunk crashes to the earth near Rei. A cloud of dull reddish gas emits from the Angel's body and envelops the entire mountain, as well as about a dozen of the VTOLs flying close by. You can't see a damn thing. You hear Rei make a few grunts of exertion. Rei says she's located the Core in the "neck" of the Angel. She has decapitated it.
A few moments later, Aoba informs the bridge that the Angel has been destroyed.
TAMIEL ~Fin~
First off, you send in the JSSDF and Emergency Services to get to work on extinguishing the forest fire you've started. Luckily, today isn't terribly windy, so it hasn't had much opportunity to spread far yet. It will likely take days to fully extinguish, however. Air quality is going to be awful.
You wait several long minutes for the cloud of gas to dissipate enough to get visual confirmation through the red haze. Finally, you can see what your efforts have wrought. First, the bad news. The VTOLs that were caught in the gas cloud have crashed into the mountain. Casualties are assumed to be total. The Angel apparently released the gas cloud from pores along its body in a last-ditch attempt at self-defense. The substance is unknown but assumed to be highly toxic. Daigatake will be designated as a contamination site and closed to the public until further notice.
The good news is that all three pilots are alive, and the Angel has been destroyed. There wasn't much left of the Angel's head to decapitate. A mangled and charred mass which used to be its head sits a short distance away from Unit-00, which stands with the Smash Hawk embedded in a dead, black core protruding from the stump of its neck. The Angel's tail, meanwhile, has been reduced to a black smear. Rivers of tarry blood course down the mountainside between the burning trees. Unit-01 lies curled up at the bottom of the mountain, twitching slightly. Unit-02 is on one knee not far from Unit-00.
You wait impatiently as the pilots are extracted and returned to you. The three of them are presented to you by some medical staff. Asuka looks tired and angry at herself. You notice she's limping. The medical staff informs you that Asuka will shortly be taken to the medical ward for additional examination. Asuka mutters something under her breath. Shinji looks drained. He has to be supported by Rei to stand up, as most of his body has gone limp. He says he would like to go back to bed, though it comes out as "ahn ma toh pag kto blud". He will (unsurprisingly) also be receiving some additional medical attention. Rei seems no worse for wear, though she similarly looks tired. She tells you she is fine. She keeps looking at Shinji and Asuka with concern. Rei says she's going to skip the debriefing meeting to escort Asuka and Shinji to the medical ward. Asuka grumbles she doesn't need to be "escorted". Rei flicks her eyes to her in annoyance and ignores her.
[ ] Let Rei go with the others and attend the meeting alone
[ ] Insist Rei be present at the meeting [ ] Skip the meeting yourself and go back to bed (if only)
[ ] Anything you want to say to this miserable bunch? (write-in)
well glad we beat the angel, though have even more toxic zones near tokyo is not great. As for Rei she needs to come as Gendo and others would get mad imo.
Performance wise they did good though not great. Asuka getting caught in the teeth like she did was definiely not optimal and put the whole situation at risk.
Also tell everyone they did a great job and to get healed up, maybe we can go get a treat all together (should Shinji's brain start getting back on straight.)
You tell Shinji to keep fighting for as long as he can, but midsentence Gendo cuts you off. He turns to Ritsuko and asks her whether there is risk of permanent damage to Unit-01 if it continues to fight. Ritsuko looks at the screen for a few moments, and then shakes her head. There are no physical effects that can't be solved through regeneration and flushing out the LCL in the system. Gendo considers this. What about mental effects? Ritsuko narrows her eyes. No, there's no way the toxin would affect the consciousness of the Evangelion in the long term, or the pilot's.
Fine, Gendo says, then opens a communication channel directly to Shinji. Shinji reacts with surprise. Father? His voice has just the faintest note of hope in it. You resent the power this man has over the people around you. Gendo instructs Shinji to continue his mission for as long as the Evangelion will allow him. When he feels unable to continue, he is to get clear of the battlefield and await further instructions. It is imperative that he keep the Evangelion from being destroyed. Shinji says okay, sounding a little disappointed.
Shinji crawls out of the wall of smoke on the other side of the mountain, Unit-01's limbs twitching and convulsing. He says something completely unintelligible as language before unsuccessfully attempting what seems to be a thumbs up.
The substance is unknown but assumed to be highly toxic. Daigatake will be designated as a contamination site and closed to the public until further notice.
[X] Let Rei go with the others and attend the meeting alone
[X] "Let's save the congratulations for tomorrow morning. Dismissed."
I like this. It feels appropiately to-the-point. A big speech wouldn't feel appropiate for a moment when Shinji is half-paralyzed by venom and Asuka is still dealing with the sympathetic pain of having her foot chewed off. And trying the touchy-feely praise stuff would feel similarly out of place.
