Super Robot Wars Σ

[The Out Of World]

​

The year is After Calamity 323.

It has been three centuries since the bloodshed between the Earth and its orbital space colonies came to an end. The conflict that unfolded was the longest and bloodiest war in human history. Our home planet was bombarded with radiation, the land itself torn apart, the towering colonies pulled down from the heavens, and the human race was reduced to the barest fraction of its once great population.

Broken and weary, both sides limped away from the battlefield and declared a ceasefire to this apocalyptic hell. What the world now calls the Calamity War ended not in a decisive victory, but through such exhaustion that the world no longer had the strength to fight. All that remained were crumbling ruins of civilization that the innocent and guilty alike rebuilt to stand any chance of survival.

Mankind lost the spirit to challenge the stars.

The once vast empire of humanity has withered, all trace of life from its colonies beyond the solar system was lost, and only a single of its great arks made to spread the seeds of the human species on the winds remains, now grounded and immobile on Earth. One of the few shelters of mankind that remained intact against the Calamity War's nightmare, it stands as a monument to the human spirit of tenacity at the heart of Macross City.

The brutalized Spacenoids returned to what remained of their colonies, while the unwanted and destitute of the Earthnoids were forced to eke out a new existence on another world, the inhospitable crimson desert of Mars. New colonies were built, in the orbit of the blue planet and on the droughted soil of the red planet.

In this era of reconstruction, a coalition of governments formed: The United Earth Sphere Alliance. It gained great military powers, grew bloated and drunk on its own might, and soon seized control of one space colony after another in the name of "justice" and "peace." Its hegemony over the Earth Sphere is now maintained through two military wings. Together they are the anvil and hammer that burn and beat any rebellion against the Alliance back into subservience.

The Order of the Seven Stars, Gjallarhorn. The backbone of the Alliance's space fleets established as a "peacekeeping" force independent from the economic blocs that govern the Earth. A colossal, aristocratic antique that reigns now as it has since the Calamity War's end.

The Organization of the Zodiac, OZ. The special mobile suit unit, or simply "The Specials." An elite military division composed of former child soldiers forced to know no home save for the hell of war. All to fill the gap of a lost generation sent to its grave by the Alliance's desire to silence the calls for independence on Earth and space, to smother the voice of dissent in the dark. Young and hot-blooded, its growing influence, ambition, and thirst for violence remains unchecked.

As if the Alliance's oppression of the colonists was not enough, a new foe emerged from the depths of space: The Jovian Lizards, a cold-blooded spacefaring race of alien reptiloids who emerged near Jupiter. In their genocidal crusade against all human life they unleashed a legion of unmanned weapons controlled by artificial intelligence, brutal technology forbidden since the Calamity War.

The enemies of humanity are manifold, within and without, and our struggles against them are a testament to how history is much like an endless waltz. The three beats of war, peace, and revolution continue on forever. Our dark history gives rise to many familiar shapes, born again and again in the cycle of time.

Yet a new dance is soon to begin, a faint hope sprouting in the hearts and minds of the people. The first ripples of deviation from the norm begin with a budding heart's first beats on the red planet's lonely sands.

What does this errant heart seek here, so far from home?

[ ] Adventure. You yearn for something new, so you signed up for this field trip. So far it's only been a bore, though. Your wish for an unexpected change will be answered. Perhaps you'll find answers to the fuzzy memories and strange dreams plaguing you.

• You are a civilian, unbound to the military chain of command unless you submit yourself to it. You have the greatest scope of freedom to begin, but you must be bold and seek challenges of your own accord to forge bonds and grow as a person.
• You have no experience piloting mobile weapons, yet you're far quicker to learn than you have any right to be.
• You are a student, so you are expected to learn from the world around you. You have the mask of naivete and youthful indiscretion as your shield, but only for so long.
• Good for new players unfamiliar with the mecha genre.

[ ] Adversity. You hunger to prove yourself, to aspire to something more than a dead end posting in the middle of nowhere. Play your cards right and you'll be a big shot, a player at the table as history is made. But you'll have to draw your line in the sand, and make calls nobody should ever have to. People seldom remember those who shy from the call.

• You are an officer in the United Earth Sphere Alliance forces. You have your oath of allegiance, and when the chips are down, your decision to hold or break it will truly mean something. Your bonds will be forged in blood, tried by fire, and all the stronger for it.
• You know how to pilot mobile weapons. You're not the best, but there's plenty of room for improvement. But it'll take time.
• You are already familiar with the world and will be treated as such. Many things different from the world you know will be considered things you should know by now, and mentioned in passing. Use context clues and discussion amongst yourselves if you wish to keep up and not miss certain details.
• Good for players who are somewhat acquainted with Gundam Wing, Iron-Blooded Orphans, or Super Robot Wars in general.

[ ] Opportunity. You are a vessel in search of contents to fill itself. A person bereft of memories, seeking borders to define themselves against an unfamiliar world. Power is your birthright, your mark of distinction. But what is there to fight for? Find your own justice.

• You are a member of a mercenary firm. You go wherever the money goes. You begin as part of a clique, the leader of your own squad. Your ingroup insulates you against others, for better or worse. Your comrades will die for you. You can steer your course, but outright changing the direction of your firm isn't something you can do alone.
• You already have all the skills of an ace pilot. Your foes gaze upon your countenance with fear and awe. Your friends are awash with admiration. Your allies may seethe with jealousy at times. It's tough being at the top.
• Despite your skill, you are almost completely unfamiliar with the world beyond the cockpit of a mobile weapon. Your lack of knowledge makes you stand out as an oddity. Someone of your standing will have to hunt down explanations for things that others assume you should already be acquainted with. It's going to be awkward.​
• Good for players who are already intimate with Super Robot Wars and want to dive right into the action.​

And you are...

[ ] Male
[ ] Female

 

[The Out Of World]

So, the obvious things to state. Wing and IBO are blatantly present, meaning nanolaminate coating, Gundanium, and mobile dolls.

But a Martian start means our more immediate concern is the Jovian Lizards, who in their native plot were responsible for purging humanity from the planet's surface. And with them come Distortion Fields.

Every potential enemy of note whose presence we can infer is possessed of excellent maneuverability or exceptional durability, with many possessing both. Any choice presented to us going forward regarding tactics or equipment should take that knowledge into account.

Click to shrink...

Adding on to this, the availability of things like beam weapons over solid ballistics increases as you move further away from Earth in the solar system. Gjallarhorn's mobile suits come with the beam-reflective nanolaminate as a standard feature, but this doesn't apply to machines used by OZ and other wings of the Alliance military, or machines used by other factions.

 

[The Out Of World]

Based on some of the stuff in the OP, I'm making a guess that Getter Robo is showing up as well (Radiation being getter rays, and time travel shenanigans have happened in the franchise before). Mars as a setting also opens up the potential for stuff like Blue Comet SPT Layzner. Might make a list as time goes on for people unfamiliar with the series that are crossing over here, though I doubt it'll really be needed.

Click to shrink...

There are plenty of different kinds of radiation that were thrown around in the Calamity War, but the lion's share of it was the usual Gundam fallout from nuclear fusion weapons and crashed space installations polluting the Earth.

Lazyner's been tossed around in the development process, but if it comes up that'll be later. Depends on how long we can keep this thing going.

The mention of Empire in the opening is another hint of things to come, but it's one that'll make more sense if you spend enough time on Mars.

Question, how powerful are we ruling IBO nanolaminate armour in this? 'Absolutely fucks beams up 100%, fite me properly coward', or 'Semi-useful, but But beam weaponry from comparable series would eventually overpower it with time'?

Click to shrink...

Handling it a bit closer to SRW-style barriers. Most of the damage from particle beams is reflected off, but a portion still has to splash against it to reflect, and nanolaminate is actually pretty thin. It's a bit sturdier than Universal Century anti-beam coating since it has higher heat tolerance and doesn't evaporate off after a few shots.

In theory enough sustained fire on a given spot can flake it off or start to crack it, but doing that with beams alone is a waste of time and effort when you can create faults in the coating with solid penetration and bank on beams to take out the weakened parts if you really need to conserve ammunition.

 

[The Out Of World]

Quiet. Dull. Desolate.
Ancient. Sleeping. Hungry.
If you needed to sum up Mars in three words, these were your go-to.

It applied to more than just the desert. Despite all the turmoil in the colonies from the war to the protests, it still felt too quiet somehow. Even conflict found a way to become mundane and monotonous.

Or maybe this job was just that fucking boring. You sighed and resigned yourself to the dreary moan of the desert winds whipping outside the sample recovery tent as you picked your tools back up and resumed scraping and brushing the rust-colored dirt from a random hunk of plastic bullshit. Another piece of junk you were assigned to cleaning on the off chance the table scraps from the excavation might be remotely valuable. All in all, it felt like nothing more than busy work to keep you out of the way while the dig team got to hog all the fun at the dig site.

Mystery! Discovery! Adventure! Fucking anything! That's what you came here for, to get away from the monotony, not to drown deeper in it.

You supposed you had nobody to blame but yourself for that. How exotic did you expect Mars to be? The place has been colonized for centuries. It was wishful thinking, to believe that you could get away from the place called "home" where you felt like you didn't even exist, let alone belong, and still find something engaging at the ass end of inhabited space.

Whether it's Earth or Mars, it always felt like your very life was unused. Sitting around, gathering dust. Brown dust, red dust, it didn't matter.

A muffled crack in the distance, loud and booming like artillery fire, broke the desert's long, low wail. Not the real deal, but close enough as far as your ears were concerned.

Nothing better to do, you dropped the "artifact" and tools altogether, uncaring if they broke or not. There wasn't a damn thing in this tent worth keeping to begin with. You left the cheap metal folding chair you'd been sitting on behind and pulled back the flap that passed for the 'door' of the tent. You wiped the sweat from your brow, beaten by the sun, with the back of a thickly gloved hand and beheld the sight on the horizon.

Spoiler: What a View!

​

A bright white gleam rose through the distant sky, like a star ascending from the ground to its rightful place in the heavens. A rumble of thunder followed in its wake as it soared overhead. Figurative thunder, anyway. There wasn't enough moisture this far out on the sands for any real rain. You were starting to feel like your entire life was the setup to a bad pun.

"Looks like the spaceport's having a grand old time. God, I wish I was there."

A ship had taken off from the mass driver at Chryse, the closest bastion of civilization to this canyon in the middle of nowhere. You missed Chryse already. Controlled climate behind the colony walls, plenty of water, all that good stuff. Some of the scientists commuted to the dig site here in the canyon from out in the city only when something new was found, or so you'd be told. Meanwhile, you had to settle for sticking in one of the tents and subjecting yourself to more silence and the wind trying to badly whistle a tune with only one note.

The bright white gleam of the spaceship was answered by a smaller, dull grey ship descending toward an improvised landing site at the canyon's bottleneck. As one ship leaves for the heavens on a voyage, another returns to the earth. Earth? Mars? You weren't sure if the word still applied.

The descending Galba IV was an ugly, awkward thing, shaped like a cicada resting against the trunk of a tree with a cone sticking out of its ass pointed downward. You remember hearing once that it was a geological survey ship, made for drilling through rock both vertically and horizontally to retrieve rock samples for…something. You think it had to do with radiation, you didn't really pay attention to the rest of the explanation. Like you, it was on loan to the dig site from the University of Mars. You and the rest of the interns were just a bonus sprinkled on whatever deal your college worked out with the EOTI. You jumped at the chance to work in the field with the government's alien research organization, thinking you'd at least get to unearth (un-Mars?) a fossilized alien. Maybe something weird, like a whale skeleton with bat wings…

Wishful tangent aside, the Galba IV was a funky mess, but despite everything, it could fly smooth as a dream. Or at least, that was normally the case. As it approached the makeshift landing pad, its descent was every bit as awkward and unsteady as you'd expect from the first impression its body gave. Its huge, conical body seemed almost to wobble as it descended, piercing the horizon like a sort of demented snow cone, before everything began to go wrong.

Cones did not twist like a pretzel.

Even in the distance, you could hear the sound of screaming metal and grinding gears. The body of the Galba seemed to warp around the central drill, twisting and crumbling like paper, as it skipped over the landing pad entirely, skidding and grinding on the side of the pad as it continued it's terrible path.

It was not going to land.

It was going to crash.

Actually, you realized, calling it a crash was being generous. That would imply that the crash was particularly interesting, like a plane crash, a great fireball exploding from a twisted wreck of metal. No, the Galba IV just sort of… lurched, like an inverse mushroom that had found a blender and some brat was slowly pushing the stalk through a blade. The drill twisted and shredded and screeched and then, finally, tore asunder across the ground.

In a more awesome crash, the ship would have at least exploded!

You could hear the sounds of sirens. Alarms were ringing, people were shouting. Medics were being called for. It was probably not unlike the reaction to a Martian riot. The camp scrambled to life like a freshly stepped-on ant's nest, bodies moving to and fro with a dire sense of urgency.

And you were right in the center of it.

"All hands to the nearest vehicle! Rescue policies are in effect! All hands to the nearest vehicle!"

The monotone sound was almost enough to drive you insane. The intercom could at least have a more lively voice. Even in a state of emergency, they found a way to make the little details droll.

"You there! Who are you and what are you on?" A passing man in a uniform addressed you, a computer tablet held in his hand.

"Rain Hyades. They had me on sample recovery over there." You jabbed a thumb back at the tent you'd been in just a few minutes ago.

"Highades, Hiades…" He stroked his finger across the screen, no doubt scrolling through a register of names. "Got it. Hyades, Rain P. One of the interns?" You could see a flicker of doubt in his eyes. He wasn't sure whether you were a paper pushing student or someone who could be put somewhere helpful in the current emergency. Not that you could blame him. As far as anyone was concerned, you were just a trust fund baby from the Earth Sphere who hopped a ship to Mars in a rebellious phase.

"I'm good with machines and I don't give a shit about danger. Where do you need me?"

"Come with me. And double time it. I'll explain on the way."

The hum of the truck was almost music to your ears. The uniformed man just groaned as you looked about like a star struck fan. You got the feeling he saw such things a bit too often.

"First time seeing a ship crash?"

"Yeah. What's the plan?" The man, to his credit, didn't roll his eyes.

"Depends on how lucky we are. First order of business is divvying up into teams for tasks. That part's already done. One team will remove the heavy debris with mobile workers while another does smaller cleanup and checks the wreckage for survivors. We also need to disengage the ship's engines and disconnect the fuel lines to the thrusters before they set off another explosion."

"Another explosion?"

"The cloud from the crash was the first of many if this all goes to hell. That was the engine on the lower drill blowing out. There's an entire second drill on the upper ship to worry about, the fuel tanks for the thrusters can still ignite, and if the reactor goes the entire camp's going to be neck deep in radiation."

"Sounds peachy."

"If we can get those out of the way, then we get any equipment and materials off the ship for the nerds."

-​

"Something's off." The man in the uniform leaned over the side of the truck bed and peered ahead at the crash. Curious, you followed suit.

"See that?" He pointed at the remains of the collapsed drill. Squinting, you could make out a red glow emanating from under the slab of metal that used to be the cone of the lower ship.

"Fire?"

He shook his head. "Thrusters burn blue. If the fuel ignited it'd all pop off at once. Color tone would be changing if it was an electrical fire onboard…"

"Fuck."

"What?"

He looked back at you with eyes filled with recognition and horror.

"Get your head down and hold on! Now!"

His tone brooked no argument. You complied without comment, ducking down and grabbing whatever handhold you could just in time to watch an eye-searing crimson light lance through a mobile worker at the head of the truck convoy with a deafening shriek and erupt the machine into a fireball.

Everything went to hell in short order after that. You felt the truck swerve as the convoy struggled to avoid the newest of a growing list of flaming wreckages, while the scream of ignited plasma and scarlet flashes made clear even from back here that the convoy was under attack.

You felt the truck lurch on its side, and a barrage of unwelcome new stimuli hit you faster than you can process them all. Your vision blurred, your body slammed against what you hoped was only the side of the truck bed, your ears rang from the shriek of ignited particles flying overhead, and all of your senses felt at once as if they'd been muffled by a fistful of cotton.

When you came to, your entire body ached and your head felt like it was beaten with a hammer. At your side, you saw the guy in the uniform had fared worse, unmoving and unresponsive. You hoped he was only unconscious.

Your attention was brought to the overturned truck that loomed over you as it clanged from heavy impacts and groaned in protest. A haunting gold figure peered over the side, leaving you face to face with a set of four glowing red eyes from a giant mechanical insect.

Spoiler: Batta

​

The creature's eyes swiveled around in its head, rapidly darting between you and the man who may very well have saved your life with a warning. It raised a gunmetal grey leg as if to take a step forward, and-

You didn't want to describe the sound it made as it came down. You didn't want to even think about it. The man's head, shoulders, everything were now buried under the beast's mechanical foot. A growing pool of blood quenched the wailing desert's thirst, clotting the dust with a new shade of red.

Another leg raised, and you only barely rolled aside in time to avoid sharing his fate. To your surprise, the machine didn't bother to confirm the kill, the giant bug that you weren't sure was supposed to be a grasshopper or a beetle instead crawling off the truck and past you on grey legs, soon joined by more of its kind flanking around the truck.

The gravity of the situation finally dawned on you.

The Jovian Lizards are attacking.

You asked for excitement and your wish was granted by a monkey's paw that all at once clenched into a fist, curling every finger except the middle. This wasn't the excitement you were hoping for. Not by a long shot.

"What the hell do I do now?"

[ ] This wasn't your fight. You're just a civilian, not a soldier. Find somewhere to hide, play dead in the rubble if you have to, but don't get killed in someone else's war. You remember someone who once said, "I mustn't run away."
[ ] Get one of the mobile workers online and try to catch the drones by surprise. They're only shooting in one direction, so ramming them from the side is better than sitting here and waiting to die. You can't guarantee you'll last long, but it's a promising alternative to nothing. Being a nobody can work to your advantage here.

[ ] Retreat further back into the camp. You're no mobile suit pilot and the Heavyguns are unarmed, but they offer better odds than trying to take it on with a piece of construction equipment. A white knight and black phantom take up arms.
[ ] The mountain cycle was a military bunker from the Calamity War, one with impenetrable walls and a stockpile of weapons. As far as you're aware, that's the safest place to be in a firefight. Round up whoever you can and take shelter inside. Three giants stir in their slumber, deep in the earth.

 

[The Out Of World]

Spoiler

Name: Rain Petrichor Hyades
Sex: Female
Age: 21
Affiliation: Currently None

A college student caught in the middle of a war much greater than herself.

Rain is a resident of the Earth Sphere who moved to Mars in what could generously be called an act of rebellion against her family, who she has icy relations with at best. As far as her parents are concerned, her presence on Mars is a temporary allowance until she completes her studies and returns home from her flight of fancy.

Something of a hothead, she has a liking of all things mechanical. This puts her at odds with the sterile and pampered upbringing she wants to break away from, yet she doesn't know what waits for her in the world beyond due to a sheltered background.

The Story So Far...
Rain was a technical student from the University of Mars, one of the planet's foremost academic institutions, located in the Fuji colonial zone. Enticed by the prospect of adventure and discovery, she signed on for a work study program through her college that offered her up as an extra set of hands for an EOTI dig site in the Chryse Autonomous Region.

She quickly was disillusioned with her placement there, as she found herself doing little beside brushing dirt off scraps of metal and plastic recovered as minor samples in the dig site's adjoining camp inside a desert canyon. For better or for worse, things took a turn for the exciting thanks to an attack on the dig site by drones under the control of the Jovian Lizards. Nowhere else to run, Rain plumbed the depths of the mountain cycle under excavation and discovered an ancient military machine from the Calamity War. With it came a bizarre alien lifeform that integrated itself into a neural interface between Rain's body and the mobile weapon's controls, allowing her to pilot it for the time being with the added benefit of healing a recently broken arm.

Mobile Weapons

Spoiler: Sakura Flag

Encadre:

General
Designation: GN-001 Gundam Exia Repair V "Sakura Flag"
Height: 18.49 meters
Weight: Variable
Generator: Unknown

Armaments
-GN Tachi (1)
-GN Beam Saber (1)
-GN Fangs (3)

Equipment
GN Weaponry
A special form of beam and physical weaponry created through the use of GN Particles. By using GN Particles, the cutting power of physical weapons is enhanced and beam weapons become particularly destructive. Since GN Particles do not play nice with other forms of particles, long range weapons formed from them often fail to pierce certain barriers.

Considered in the old days the epitome of technology, the GN Particle was a standard use on most machines prior to the advent of the Mobile Armours. Since they are standard equipment on several Mobile Armours, using it is considered forbidden technology.

The Exia is normally equipped with a GN Tachi, a GN Sword, two GN Beam Sabers, 4 GN Fangs, two GN Short Swords and two GN Long Swords. The GN Fangs can connect into the GN Sword to form the Raiser Sword. The GN Shield normally equipped on the right shoulder also has a GN Cannon and a 4-tube GN missile launcher within it, but the shield is currently lost.

Anti-Beam Cape
The torn remains of a cloak treated with a special beam-resistant coating to protect against directed energy weapons. Beam shots wash against the surface of the cape with minimal harm, but the beamproofing can only withstand a limited number of direct hits before being evaporated off. Furthermore, it offers no unique protections against physical assault.

GN Condenser
A series of containers on the Exia that have the purpose of containing GN Particles. On the Exia, there are five condensers located in each arm, the torso and the legs. A sixth large condenser is found in the GN Shield. As the Exia is lacking the right arm and shield, the condenser capacity is significantly lowered. On the Exia, the condensers are used to power ranged weapons and Trans-AM, due to it's relatively speaking higher output compared to other Pseudo-Generation 6 Machines.

Trans-AM System
A special system unique to GN Drive equipped machines. By rapidly expending GN Particles, the machine can perform at well beyond its normal specifications. In theory, the performance increase is three times that of the normal suit. In the Exia's case, the left arm also contains a trial system that allows for a temporary, localised Trans-AM that simulates an Iaido quickdraw, which in the past was used to great effect. Since the GN Condensers are currently damaged, Trans-AM time is limited to a bit over one minute without impacting the performance of the GN Drive.

In an emergency, Trans-AM functionality can be disabled by swapping the GN Drive to an ELS version and disengaging the original, however, ELS Drive GN Particles cannot be used for Trans-AM. Sakura seems loath to entertain the idea, implying the transformation is one way.

ELS Integration
Integration with the ELS known as 'Sakura'. The Exia is able to create new parts and imitate the abilities of other machines through technology absorption and integration. Technically speaking, Sakura can just devour other material in order to make new Exia parts and replenish supplies, but the material must be of exceptionally high grade to not lower the performance of the Exia. In Sakura's opinion, it would be better to make do without then to lower the performance of the Exia.

 

[The Out Of World]

A twisted, demented grasshopper. That was what you settled on calling these things, as yet another scrambled over the truck after the others in lockstep, pausing to loom over you like the last. Soon it would join the others in crawling toward the camp to reap everything in the desert like a plague of locusts. A giant monstrosity of steel and iron, joints screeching as four glowing eyes of red peered down at you. You were bathed in the glow of blood. You were going to die. It would only take an instant for it to-

The steel grasshopper looked away. Apparently you were simply beneath notice. Your ass found the floor as you collapsed backwards, heart wrenching and squealing within its cage within your chest. Breathing was so very hard, ragged breaths of air barely making their way through your tightening throat.

You were beneath notice.

You weren't d-

*SCKREEEEEEEEEEEENG*

The screech of a beam weapon firing erupted, piercing your ears and ravaging your senses. The world spun and tumbled as you writhed on the ground. You could smell dust, burning flesh, the smell of all the rot of the world mixed with the tang of metal and the bitter taste of oxygen.

Suddenly, being alive seemed so very wrong. This day was no longer boring.

Maybe this was what hell sounded like? It certainly felt like hell. Skin on your arms blistered from the sheer residual heat of the beams and flames around you. If one had been aimed even remotely at you, you would certainly be dead.

Maybe you were already dead. Maybe this was just the beginning of purgatory.

-​

It took a moment to realise that you were awake. It took another moment to realise you had started to move. It took a third moment to realise you had passed out. Your head still spun as you forced yourself to your ass, but you could see the world in a sort of tepid black and white. Colour slowly swam back in like a water painting, a surreal mess that made you question your survival.

Your hearing returned next. The screech of metal and cry of dirt. The screech of beams flying everywhere. A battle. You were on a battlefield.

Oh God you were on a battlefield. You weren't particularly religious, but maybe it was time to pick a god and pray. The grasshoppers numbered more than you could actually count in your addled state. It was certainly more than what was countable on two hands. They were maneuverable, more like what you assumed to be their organic basis, then any sort of mere drone. Whatever, or whoever, had programmed them had certainly done their job right.

Glancing to your right, you could vaguely in the distance see what was certainly the Mountain Cycle. You could sort of recall where the entrance was. It was like an underground bunker with only one entrance, little more than a chasm that had a lift installed into the entrance and bolted shut with giant doors of steel that stood a silent vigil over a small military base.

It was also underground and inside a fortress of rock. It was probably the safest place in the middle of a firefight where one side had brought beam weapons to the party.

*SCKREEEEEEEEEEEENG*

You let out a scream, clutching at your ears at the sound of a beam firing. It was close. Way too close. Looking up slowly, you realised exactly how close, the grasshopper skidding across the dirt and muck of the canyon. Its eyes glowed as it searched, seeking new prey. It definitely saw you, but it seemed to judge you completely inconsequential, the red orbs continuing to move on.

At least you weren't its targ-

*Skllllllnnnng*

Whatever thought you had fled your head immediately as a giant steel beam smashed through the grasshoppers central unit. The lens of its eye shattered entirely, glass-like material flying everywhere, as the shadow of a huge man of steel fell over you, gripping the beam like a great impromptu spear.

It was then I realised what the beam was. It had been ripped straight from the hull of the Galba IV. Its curve indicated it'd once been one of the beams that supported the drill of the ship. In the hands of a Heavygun, it had been turned into a deadly, impromptu weapon. The verniers and the backpack of the Heavygun spread wide, igniting with fire and grace as the construction worker was turned to deadly warfare.

It was almost like watching a dancer pirouette. You didn't realise that something meant for lifting things could move so gracefully or so… Menacingly.

*SCKREEEEEEEEEEEENG*

Another beam rang out, forcing your hands back to your ears. It shot past the Heavygun and into the distance, the machine spinning around, dragging the grasshopper with it and hurling it into the distance from its spear. It spun the spear just once, viscous fluid flinging from the tip, before it shot forward once more. You had no idea who the pilot was, just that they were almost certainly a hero.

After all, you were still breathing. Maybe it was a silly thing to think, but given its choice of targets, maybe they had chosen to save you.

Maybe.

Casting your eyes across the battlefield, you realised very quickly that the tale of heroism you'd just witnessed was the exception, not the rule. The battered and torn corpses of Mobile Workers and Heavyguns were already beginning to litter the landscape, even as the battle was joined. There were only twelve grasshoppers…

No, eleven. One was dead.

There were way more than that in Heavyguns and Mobile Workers. They weren't winning either. You had to leave. Now. Before you became a bloody stain on the ground someone had driven over during their maneuvering for battle.

But what could you use to flee?

That was the question on your lips, as you started to move. One step in front of the other. Then you slowly broke out into a run. You could see the instrument of your salvation in the distance.

A car. More like a truck, really. The top had been sheared clean off, probably by a beam getting a bit too close. However, the corpse of the man who'd been trying to drive it was still there. The smell of burning, acrid flesh almost made you vomit.

You grabbed the shoulder and flung him out the door. The arm followed a moment later. You turned the key.

The engine roared to life. Apparently the beam was not so hot as to ignite the fuel line. You could only breathe a sigh of relief at that. That you were sitting in a stain of gore was something you tried not to think about, as you slammed your fit on the gas and shot off. You knew roughly where the Mountain Cycle was. You could make it. You had to make it.

"Shit."

You bit out a curse as a Mobile Worker crashed into the canyon wall, almost crushing you as its manipulator arm fell from its chassis. The truck let out a grinding scream, and you hesitated only a moment before looking backwards.

You were still driving half a truck.

You left the canyon and the camp behind to burn. Everyone there was either dead, dying or fighting. You had no desire to join the dead. The Mountain Cycle's door was wide open. A terrifying visage that reminded you of a castle whose gates had been smashed open by a battering ram.

The door was not shutting. You could see a pair of glowing eyes inside. One was a mono-red eye glaring through a visor plate.

Spoiler: Gespenst

The other belonged to a machine that looked like it'd seen far better days.

Spoiler: Aestavalis Batta

Only one of its golden eyes was actually working. The other, you weren't sure if it had been damaged, or if it'd been straight up disabled. The machine's form barely looked like it was holding together, even with the great grasshoppers on its form. Great rips of steel were embedded in its limbs.

You bit your lip. The red-eyed machine was covered in a pile of power cords, hooked up to the electrical systems of the bunker around it. You were sure it couldn't move. The other machine would certainly win.

Hopefully there was something in here you could use. Something. Anything.

You floored the throttle and shot deeper into the Mountain Cycle. While it was technically a military base, it was more a giant elevator to the chasm beneath the canyon. The lift wasn't currently working.

"Please work!"

At least the drop was only a few metres, right? Ri-

OHGODOHGODOHGOD-

The truck started tumbling, and you were hurled from it as you tumbled to the bottom of the lift. This was a terrible idea. Your body felt like it was on fire, and like you were going to die.

Where was everyone? This was the depths of the mountain cycle. This was the safest place, right? This would be where everyone evacuated to, right?

"They have already died."

You forced yourself back to your feet. You'd like to say you were running on grit and gumption, but really, you were running on pure pain. Your left arm had snapped in the descent. You were going to die here if you remained.

The best escape, though, was in a giant of steel. Before you were three great giants, sealed away within the mountain cycle. Mechanical messiahs. That was the only word you could think of.

Surely one of them was enough to get out of here.

[ ] Select the crumpled mech on the left. It was almost like the machine you'd flew past earlier, but its hull had been stripped for parts. In its hand was a long black and crimson blade, serrated below the head with gear-like teeth. On the side of the central chassis was the designation 'Z—o-d V-Geist'.
( Mixed utility support fighter. )

[ ] Select the Heavygun-like mech on the right. It was huge, red, with a pair of great wing binders lined with what looked like little blades. It didn't look like it'd been used in some time, and the entire surface looked like it had been scoured and eroded by sand. Along the side of its head was the engraving 'H—be—-E– Red Raven'.
( Maneuverable long-range attacker. )

[ ] Select the giant gold and purple mech in the back. It was huge, almost organic looking in an odd way, membrane surrounding little nicks in the armour. You were sure that the top and bottom halves could come apart. Its mouth had something that almost looked like teeth within it. On the side, you could see a name, 'Experimental G–g–t- Gargant'.
( Heavy mid- and short-range super robot with high strength and armor. )

[ ] Select the mech in the corner. It was about the size of a Heavygun, and seemed a bit sleeker, if it wasn't almost completely trashed. The right arm was completely gone, covered with what looked like a huge tarp or some sort of fake cape. On its forehead was the designation 'GN-001'.
( Lightweight high-speed short-range skirmisher. )

 

[The Out Of World]

Isn't Alaya-Vinyana also nanomachines, just specialised ones? I thought that's why the whole 'Iron Blooded Orphans' title came from

Yeah I know it gives the freaky back growths, but like I said, I thought they were specialised.

Edit: Also, can someone fill me in on how Ahab reactors differ from other power sources in the setting? I'm quickly realising my knowledge of IBO doesn't include as much of the tech as I'd like to remember.

Click to shrink...

The AV system is a nanomachine implant directly into your central nervous system that converts your spinal column into an artificial brain lobe so that the information input from a compatible machine is translated directly into information equivalent to the human body's existing range of sensations, and data existing on the FCS and related computer systems are uploaded directly into the pilot's mind. This runs the obvious risk of crippling you from a botched implant surgery or your body's natural processes rejecting the implant attempt, in addition to certain machines like the Gundam Frames being capable of putting in data at a speed and density that the human mind isn't made to handle, resulting in brain aneurysms.

An Ahab Reactor is essentially a fusion plant made out of a vacuum tube built around the cockpit, resulting in Gjallarhorn's mobile suit core structures being a skeletal frame assembled around the joint cockpit-and-reactor that allows for the chassis to be assembled around it on a modular basis with little space wasted during construction.

Gundam Frames in particular use a special compact dual reactor system that allows for extremely high energy output and thus physical performance on the battlefield, with the drawback being that they operate so quickly that they tended to kill and cripple their pilots regularly during the Calamity War from data overflow and g-force related injuries inside the cockpit. As such, Gundam Frames like Barbatos have a limiter capping their effective ceiling of physical capability unless removed in case of emergencies.

Spoiler: Fun

 

[The Out Of World]

Of the four machines, only one of them seemed to even remotely be accessible. A quick glance at the machines indicated that you had no real way of getting into most of them. But the last, the lonely machine slumped against the wall, was near enough to the ground that you might at least be able to reach the cockpit.

It was badly damaged. That much was obvious. The right side was covered in a tarp, which means the arm probably just wasn't there. Glancing under the tarp, you felt an eyebrow raise. There was something resembling a katana by its side, and in the slot where its arm should have been was a trio of sharp blades. Whatever they were, they clearly were not originally there.

It was sleek. It was beautiful. It was also easily the smallest machine here. Ideally, you'd just take one of the other machines, but you couldn't see how you could access them. This one, at least, had a clear way for you to reach the hatch.You didn't have time to look too long.

"No, no, take your time. We can wait."

The attempt to make your way to the cockpit was misery. Initially, you had thought to clamber up, broken arm or no, but the brief attempt to move your arm put an end to that idea. It was like a thousand needles of hot magma ripping out from within your bones. You were sure something was unbelievably screwed. Calling it liquid fire would be wrong, since that would be attributing heat to what was simply pure agony.

"Guess we go the long way." You mutter, opening the access panel in the foot. A few button presses revealed a step ladder, which lowered to the ground on a length of rope. It was standard for most mobile workers. You were glad it extended to the mechanical messiah as well.

Attempting to grip the ladder left you screaming in agony. There was no way you were doing this with two hands. One hand proved just as fruitless. Every sway of the ladder had you collide with the machine, and your arm felt like it'd exploded again and again. Ice was leaking from within your wrist, frying your sense of touch. You were sure you'd shattered a bone.

"You really did cock up, didn't you? Just stay there for a moment. We'll be right down."

"Who's there?" You let out a groan as you spun around. Nothing moved in the chamber. Nothing was here. Just you, and the mechanical messiahs.

"Humans were always forgetful. You were never really made to last, were you? A cost of your empathy."

"Show yourself!" You called out again, but nothing appeared to answer. It was like the words were just appearing in your head. It was surreal, like the theoretical use of…

*Drip* *Drip* *Drip*

No. Something was here. You screamed and darted backwards as you realized something was horribly wrong with the machine. The steel of its chassis was rusting away at an accelerated rate, like time was moving fast, and pooling by its foot was a great puddle of silver that slowly crawled along the ground.

"What the hell!?"

"... You remind us of a child. Only a child fears someone laid bare to them."

"What are you!?"

"A friend. That's what we were. Geez, where's Bushido-man when we need him?" The puddle drew itself up for a moment, crystallizing into a sort of echidna-like thing. "Then again, you humans would think you were insane, wouldn't they?"

"How are you even speaking!? Are you an alien!?"

"Are we an alien!? Of course we are! It's like you humans forgot the incursion war and the flower of peace! What have you been doing since the great armor descended!?" The crystal seemed nothing but exasperated, making an exaggerated motion of rolling its head. You realized it didn't have eyes to roll.

"Stay back." You shrunk back regardless. If it was an alien, then it was probably in league with the lizards. "I'll… I'll-"

"What, climb up the ladder with a broken arm and turn on a machine you aren't keyed for? We find that unlikely." The crystal snarked, melting back into a puddle and crawling forth. "Like it or not, you need us."

"Like hell I do!"

"Let us let you in on a secret." You let out a scream, trying desperately and pointlessly to clamber up the ladder before the liquid got to you. Your arm exploded in shrapnel and pain and you were left curled on the ground, easy prey for its surge. "We've watched a lot of humans mess around with these machines. The reason they are here is because humans cannot move them."

The pain melted away. The cold melted away. For a brief moment, you were sure this was the afterlife.

"Oh you are so melodramatic! Hey, we used it right! Go us!"

Your arm, which you knew was definitely broken, was covered in a thin layer of silver. You could see little grains of crystal. You were sure it had done something.

"What did you do!?"

"Well it's not like you could use that arm! We made… improvements." It was then you realized why you couldn't feel the pain anymore. It was no longer your arm.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

"We fixed the arm. You can keep that one. We won't ask for it back."

"How…" You bit your lip as you tested the arm. It was like your old arm, except it definitely felt lighter. "What did you do?"

"Well, you humans have bones. You did a very good job of cracking and shattering yours apart. There might have been some… what did he call it… marrow? Anyway, it was leaking all over the place. We removed them both and replaced them with metal. You shouldn't notice any difference."

"Well I do." You sniffed.

"Any important differences. Suck it up. Most humans had a more noticeable tell after being assisted by us." You were sure… whatever it was, it was rather indignant.

"And do you have a name?"

"... Sakura. Graham called us Sakura." Came the answer. "You should stop dilly dallying. The machines attacking above are nearly upon the hanger. If you do not move, you will die."

"So will you."

"Perhaps." Whatever it was, Sakura didn't seem to feel like answering any further. Gritting your teeth, you started climbing the ladder. The cockpit awaited.

It was small. That was the first thing you realized. A lot of the controls were designed around a standard you did not recognize. The silver liquid leaked from your arm into the terminal, as you looked for the power on.

"Well, turn it on."

"I can't find the switch!"

"Of course you can't. You aren't keyed in." The deadpan made you glare, as a crystal erupted from the side of the terminal. "I told you. You were silly to expect to just be able to turn on an unfamiliar machine. If it could be turned on, do you think it'd be here?"

"And you can turn it on?"

"... One moment. I can imitate Graham's access. Gundam Exia. End Sleep Mode." A beat passed, then two, before all the terminals lit up and the cockpit surrounding you melted into a panoramic screen of the hanger.

"Wow."

"Ending GN Repose. Systems Online."

"Ah, feels good to soak in those particles again." Sakura noted. "Joystick on the left is the left vernier. Joystick on the right is the right vernier. Be easy on the throttle."

"..."

"Let us guess. You've never piloted a machine before?"

"Well…"

"You are about to learn very fast or be very boring. No time like the present." You blinked as the screens started rattling off information. Diagnostics, ammo counts, something called Trans-AM…

"It's not like I haven't piloted before. Just not something this big." You cried. "I have a mobile worker license."

"Isn't that one of the things those balls piloted?"

"Balls?"

"Nevermind."

Another moment passed, then two, before a spike of electricity rammed its way up your spine, forcing your eyes open and leaving you coughing and spluttering. The silver left arm of yours spiderwebbed small strands of liquid metal about the cockpit. You were sure Sakura had done something.

"It's no Innovator Control, but it'll do."

"What did you do?"

"A trick we picked up from your kind. We hooked the system into your nervous system. Until you learn to pilot, it will be a sufficient work around. We will cover the controls you cannot manage."

The Exia began to stand unbidden, liquid crystals erupting from its body, metal returning to its previous blue and sleek silver state. You weren't sure how Sakura did it, but it was definitely related to its presence within the machine.

"How do you do that?"

"You really don't know of us? The… what did you name us? Elses?" Sakura sounded almost disappointed. "No matter. We are a metal based life form, rather than your flesh based one. We live within this machine right now… well, and you."

"What?"

"Your arm is linked to us. It will take some time to fully sever from our consciousness. Beyond that, we wouldn't know how to explain it. We fought alongside Graham. We do not know much in the way of what you would call science. Not in a form you understand, anyway."

You bit your lip as you eased in the throttle. The Exia moved according to your will. It was a lot like having a second set of arms, as you raised the Exia's single arm and clenched its fist. It took effort, but it obeyed well enough.

"I thought mobile suits had control systems that handled that automatically."

"The Exia was not designed to be mass produced. Its controls were customized to its owner. Hence why it is left-handed." Sakura answered. "No offense is intended, but you must not be distracted, or we will still be here when the defenses collapse."

"Right." At bare minimum, you had to fight past the Aestivalis that was being attacked by those grasshoppers. You jammed open the throttle, and immediately regretted it when the Exia shot off. There was no hope of you controlling it. You were going to smash straight into the lift.

The Exia left the ground on its own.

"... Let us handle the fine details of movement. You clearly are not used to a machine that can fly."

"IT CAN FLY!?"

"..."

Sakura did not answer as the Exia rose, up and up and up. Before you knew it, you'd returned to the hanger. You could see beams flying. The Aestivalis had been taking advantage of the grasshoppers on its form, for it had what was effectively seven beam guns affixed to its body. How the Gespenst was still there, you did not know.

Another beam loosed, and fizzled out before it could fully bridge the gap to its target as something large and spinning flicked down in front of the Gespenst.

"Interesting use for the Slash Ripper."

"You know them?"

"Mini drone blades that can be controlled remotely. Yes, we know of them. Focus."

Indeed, you had to focus. You bit your lip.

The Exia was trashed. It'd probably only take one good shot. You shot forward, eyes narrowing as you got closer and closer, and-

The Aestivalis turned and opened fire. Three beams. You had no idea how you'd do-

*SKRNNNNNNNNG*

"Trans-AM Activated."

Suddenly, you were definitely not where you were before. The Exia was right in front of the Aestivalis. In the Exia's left hand was what looked like a giant, green katana. Red light burned from the armour, fading from view, as the Aestevalis' right arm seemed to hover in the air.

"I thought there'd be more juice."

The Exia skidded along the ground, spinning in a full circle. I was barely in control of the fine movements, I realised. Sakura was leading the way. The katana swung again, but the Aestivalis had already pulled back, merely gouging a small gash in the Aestivalis' cockpit block.

"Tch. Do we have a gun!?"

"Not right now, no."

"Then what do we do!?"

"Give us a moment to- look out!"

Whatever else Sakura was going to say was cut off, as the Exia began to pirouette and skid backwards. The sound of a hailstorm of bullets rang out, the Aestivalis rocketing into the air as metal bounced and explosions rocked the walls.

"The hell?" Glancing backwards, you could see the Gespenst, its right arm raised with a machine gun in hand. The barrel was smoking. It was clearly being fired entirely too much.

"We are being hailed. Should we patch them through?"

"We? Oh, the pilot. Yeah." You glanced to your left, the monitor flickering and a small screen popping up. The person on the other end was hidden from view. You weren't sure if it was because the helmet was too thick, or that it was just a generic image.

"You the crazy-ass who drove that truck in here?"

"Um? Yes?" He sounded young enough to you, but that didn't mean much. "That a problem?"

"Hell no. You got guts. We're gonna need that and some hard work right about now. Name's Crunch."

"Got any ideas? I only have this sword!"

"And the Fangs."

"What the hell's a Fang!?"

"Uh… We believe you would liken them to flying knives that control themselves."

"A tooth but pointy. Why? Scratch that, questions for later. " The Aestivalis careened through the air again, chased by the shrill keening of two Slash Rippers arcing after it. "See that? Coming out of the bugs' asses?"

On a closer inspection, you realized what the other pilot was talking about. Protruding from the rear of the drones not actively trading fire with them were elongated cables that latched on to the walls and ceiling of the bunker, like grappling hooks.

"The wires, yeah? That's how it's moving so fast." Not faster than whatever Sakura did at first, but you got the feeling Sakura couldn't do that again.

"Huh, condenser is refilling. Wait, they're empty! No wonder. Stupid GN Repose!"

"It doesn't have to worry about keeping a pilot alive, so it can swing around like that all day long. One person can't keep it in reach long enough to scrap it, not in here. But with the power of teamwork…"

"Say no more. How do we scrap it!?"

"If you can pull that flicker thing again, I can take care of the webs and keep it in mangling distance, but if it lights you up with beams I can't help you for shit."

"We can activate Trans-AM again, but it will be eating into the power output of the furnace this time." Sakura spoke up. "Performance will go down if you do that."

"... Any other ideas?"

"Keep that thing off me for a minute so I can get these damn cables off and the rest of my weapons free, and I can blow it to hell. Or you can just run. You sound young. This ain't your fight, I'm not gonna force you to get yourself killed when there's a chance you can save yourself."

"We should point out that you will almost certainly fare better together than alone. Graham fought alone. He isn't here anymore."

"The rest of us went into this knowing the risks. Your life, your call. Still, you're the armed and mobile target and I'm a sitting duck. The bugs will react to the bigger threat. Whatever shot you call, I'm backing you up."

COMBAT STATUS

Rain (Sakura Flag)

Rain: Neutral
Unit Integrity: Compromised

Ammo
-GN Fang (3/3) (Undeployed)
-GN Tachi (1/1)
-GN Beam Saber (1/1)

Conditions
-GN Condenser Low (Risk of performance drop)
-Right arm missing
-GN Sword missing
-GN Shield missing
-GN Condenser 4 missing
-Armour condition minimal
-ELS Integrated

Crunch (Gespenst Test Type)

Crunch: Covering Fire
Unit Integrity: Good

Ammo
-Machine Gun (Running low)
-Plasma Cutters (2/2)
-Split Missiles (2/2)
-Slash Rippers (4/6) (2 Active, 4 Undeployed)

Conditions
-Lower body immobilized
-Split missiles obstructed
-Machine gun overheated (Cannot fire until cooldown completed)

[ ] Activate Trans-AM and quickdraw. It might keep the Aestevalis still long enough for the wires connecting it to the ceiling to be severed.
[ ] Unleash the GN Fangs and give Crunch covering fire. It will give Crunch time to free himself and help.
[ ] Flee the hanger. You have the AIs priority. It'll definitely follow you. Sakura said the Exia could fly, so outside was definitely far more advantageous.

 

[The Out Of World]

Unit Integrity here is handled on a scale of Undamaged - Good - Compromised - Severe - Shot Down.

In that context, the Gespenst has been taking hits but been doing a decent job of staying intact despite its situation. The Sakura Flag and other machines in the mountain cycle have seen better days, but their current state is a factor of decay over time without repairs or maintenance. Access to the proper facilities can get the worst of the Sakura Flag's problems fixed up. The missing arm is a bit more complicated, but that will be resolved in due time.

Worth noting the Aestivalis isn't the most heavily armed part of the Jovian raid, just the one with the most maneuverability. That the Battas only come with beams and not their own options for saturation fire is pretty much the only reason the Gespenst is intact, unable to dodge as it is. The designs for Jovian drones typically works against them in as many ways as it does for their favor, if not more so.

 

[The Out Of World]

"Just get out of there. I'll keep him busy." It occured to you that the Aestevalis Batta did not actually have a gender, but that didn't really matter to you. After all, it was in the way, and needed to go.

"You'll struggle to control the fangs, you know."

"Then you do it." You spat, as you guided the Exia forward. "Time to get to it." Shoving your hands forward, the thrusters erupted in full force, taking the Exia straight off the ground. It was a magical feeling, lifting off the ground, even if it rocketed you back into your chair. You could only hack this thing apart with one arm. That'd have to be enough.

"... Right. Deploying fangs."

The cape on the Exia's right side billowed as three glowing green blades shot out from beneath it, moving almost faster than you could see. They were definitely faster than the Slash Rippers. You had to wonder if they were particularly more deadly. They were more like flying knives than anything.

*SKRNNNNNNNG*

Your attention immediately returned to the battlefield. One beam shot at you. Then another, and another. You weaved and bobbed, skidding and dancing along the ground, but sooner or later one was going to hit you.

"Tell me we have a shield."

"Block it with the cape. The Anti-Beam Coating is really old, but it should still work."

And work it did, you realised as you caught a beam on the cape covering the Exia's right side. It worked incredibly well, actually.

"How many times can it do that?"

"If you asked us two hundred years ago we'd have said for days. Now, probably a lot less."

"Well. Crap." You shot forward, tachi swinging like an axe at the Aestevalis's head, but it danced backwards as fast as you danced forwards, bouncing and bobbing up and down like a jack-in-the-box as it bounced over the Fangs as they swept past. "How? Nothing can move like that!"

"We can. Presuming your health is not important."

"What?"

You suddenly jerked around as the Exia flipped upside down, tachi swinging incredibly low to the ground, though from your perspective it was quite high. You could hear the crunch of metal as the world went black and white, and then you blinked.

"That is why you are in control." You blinked again. The battle was still going. You were sure of it. You could see the Aestevalis, quickly returning to color. Its left leg was gone.

It clicked almost immediately what happened.

"The Exia can move that fast?"

"Faster. But we would have snapped your spine doing it. You are not sufficiently secure."

It was a truly terrifying thought. You hadn't felt the effects of G-Force blackout since the days you were going for your Mobile Worker licence. That the Exia could essentially and casually induce them highlighted just how handicapped you were making your own weapon.

You licked your lip, breathing in deep and shuffling in your seat. Feeling was returning to your limbs. You could do this. You knew you could.

*SKRNNNNNNNG*

Another two beams from the Battas. You pulled the Exia's left leg back, ducking under the first beam and catching the second on your cape. The tufts and frays along its edge had ignited for a brief moment. You had a feeling there were only a few more blocks in it.

Your right eye closed. You lined up the blade of your GN Tachi. You stabbed forward.

The Aestevalis shot forward, straight past the blade. Then it rocketed upwards, steel grinding and ripping as a Fang clipped its side. It couldn't really attack. The Battas could, but the Aestevalis itself was not maneuverable enough to attack the Exia.

*BZZZZZT*

"Right. Time to rock and roll." The gruff voice over the radio told you all you needed to know. "Kid! Move! I'm firing the Split Missiles!"

"The what!?"

"Oh. Wow."

The decision to move was wrenched out of your hands. The Exia lurched into the air straight up. You were sure Sakura had made the decision, and a mere moment later, as a hailstorm of missiles flew through where you had been only a moment before, you were glad it had.

*SKRNNNNNG*

*SKRNNNNNG*

*SKRNNNNNG*

The Aestevalis' response was to shoot down the missiles, blasting them apart. The explosion ignited everywhere you could see. The world felt incredibly hot.

You shot forth. The Aestevalis was not harmed. You were sure of it. The only advantage an AI had over a person was its response time and accuracy. The right side of the Exia was on fire.

"We have enough juice for one shot. Make it count."

"Trans-AM Activated."

You shot forth. The world turned different shades of pink and then black and white again. You were moving far too fast.

You swung. If you bisected the Aestevalis, it'd be over.

"Trans-AM Safety Engaged."

The Aestevalis shot up and to the right. You'd missed.

"Shit."

"Awesome work, kid! You're all mine now! CHESTOOOOOOOO!"

Spoiler: GESPENST KICK!

You weren't sure what, exactly, you were looking at. One moment, the Aestevalis was moving up. The next, the Gespenst's foot had smashed into its central block, sending both hurtling to the ground like a shooting star. The Gespenst's throttle opened to maximum, grinding the Aestevalis more and more into the ground as they skidded along. Crunch's mech raised the machine gun, cleared the line, and then aimed down. "Get bent! Get bent! Get bent!"

The song of a screeching machine gun was music to your ears. Joints and fuel lines erupted as they skidded past, until finally, the movement stopped. All you could see was fire.

Then a black shadow, as the Gespenst strode out.

"Got 'em." Crunch panted. You could hear his voice straining.

"Are you okay?"

"The Gespenst's shock absorbers weren't made for that kinda action. Gonna have to tell the eggheads back on Aidoneus to pump them up," He admitted. "You okay? I'm sure you blacked out there."

"I did." You admitted. "I don't have a pilot suit."

"Something we will have to rect- look out!" Sakura's voice rang out explosively in your ears.

*SKRNNNNNG*

"Shit!" The Gespenst barely moved in time. You would not. You couldn't dodge that. The cape was gone. You were going to-

"Trans-AM Safety Disengaged. Activating."

You blinked. The world turned pink. You were already moving, skidding around the beam. You could see great green wings of light erupting behind you.

"Burst Mode Engaged."

"Die."

You shot into the inferno. You felt something rumble as your left arm plunged forth. Sakura lifted the Exia's left arm, and with it, you could feel the entire Aestevalis lift up. Four Battas moved on its corpse. You were sure they were taking ai-

*BSLLLLT*

Spoiler

A giant crystal erupted from the body of the Aestavalis. It caught a Batta as it ripped through the right shoulder.

*BSLLLLT*

*BSLLLLT*

A second and third crystal erupted.

*BSLLLLT*

*BSLLLLT*

*BSLLLLT*
*BSLLLLT*
*BSLLLLT*
*BSLLLLT*
*BSLLLLT**BSLLLLT**BSLLLLT**BSLLLLT**BSLLLLT**BSLLLLT*

*BSLLLLT*

The final crystal ripped the Aestevalis' head free. In the end, the Aestavalis and the Batta were a simple mess of crystals, dark liquid you knew was fuel, and… red.

"... It isn't very good." Sakura muttered. "But it's enough."

"F-for what?" You asked hesitantly.

"For what, what?" Crunch asked. Right, he couldn't hear Sakura.

"This." The crystals exploded away into little shards, the rotten and stripped husk of metal and frame that had once been a complete Aestevalis falling to the ground. The left arm of the Exia was now more armoured, and a great… something was folded along its side. It looked almost like a sword, shield and gun all in one.

"Huh…" You glanced to your left. The console said it was a 'GN Sword'. It had two modes. Sword mode and rifle mode. "Couldn't have made an arm, huh?"

"That would lower the performance of the Exia by 42%. We would be better off without."

"How?"

"The Aestevalis doesn't have the material to make proper E-Carbon or a GN Condenser. The GN Sword we made from it is already of fairly low quality, relatively speaking. We must insist in Trans-AM you do not use it. It will fall apart." You glanced to the right. Trans-AM wasn't even available. It was in something called rest mode.

"How long will that last?"

"We used Burst mode for twelve seconds. It will take twelve minutes for the GN Drive to disengage operational safety. Until then, you won't be able to use the beam saber."

"I have a beam saber!?"

"You do?" Crunch's words brought you back to reality. Right. "Still discovering features, huh?"

"It is a very complicated machine." You sniff. "How are you holding up?"

"Annoyed. The Split Missiles should have worked." Crunch retorted. "You sure you don't want to bolt? You've been a great help, but-"

"Even if you ran, where would you go?"

"I don't have anywhere to go." You mutter. "Where to next? There were still people fighting at the camp."

"There probably aren't many left." Crunch muttered. "Do you need a moment? Feeling okay?"

"I'm fine." You glance to the right. The Fangs had returned to the Exia's side. You flicked the GN Tachi in a quick circle, before returning it to the Exia's side. "Pity about the cape though."

"What did it do?"

"Well, it blocked beams." You muttered. "Ah well. Let's do this."

Guiding the Exia out of the Mountain Cycle wasn't difficult. You could see the blasted wasteland that was once the canyon that the camp had existed in. You were sure that if you'd stayed behind, you'd definitely be dead.

The ground was littered with scorch marks and gouged machines, ripped apart. Mobile workers missing their cockpits. Cars and trucks missing their drivers' seats. The Battas had been merciless.

"Cocky son of a- AAAAH!" A scream rang out over the radio. You could hear the sound of a demolition charge exploding. You could see nothing but horror.

The Heavygun that had been wielding the great pillar from the Galba IV was standing over what was certainly once a mobile worker. Atop its backpack was a Batta. Its visor glowed red as it looked up, lifted a demo-charge from its side, and affixed it to the tip of its spear.

"That doesn't look good." Crunch grumbled. "Shit. Two more bogeys, to the right. They're Heavyguns."

"There are still five of the bugs buzzing around too." You blinked. Another Heavygun leaped from atop the canyon wall. The thrusters on its back and left leg ignited to soften the landing, the two on its right concerningly silent. "Good to see survivors. From the mountain cycle?"

"Aye." Crunch declared. "The machine's from inside. How long until reinf-"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off entirely. You heard the sound of roaring fire, and a plume of destruction rose in the distance. A quick look at the compass confirmed the direction. Chryse.

"What the hell is-"

"Damn lizards." Crunch spat. "We need to mop up. We gotta get back to the city."

"We will… save you the details. There is an SOS call coming from what appears to be a city." Sakura noted. "Casualties are already severe."

You glanced to your right. Two minutes.

You licked your lips.

"Who takes point?"

Votes are by plan.

[ ] Rain will.
[ ] Crunch will.
[ ] The Heavygun will.

You…
[ ] Harass the enemy with the GN Sword and your superior mobility.
[ ] Get up close and personal with the GN Tachi.
[ ] Let Sakura take the lead.

COMBAT STATUS

Rain (Sakura Flag)

Rain: Neutral
Unit Integrity: Compromised

Ammo
-GN Sword (1/1)
–GN Sword | Rifle Mode (20/20)
-GN Fang (3/3) (Undeployed)
-GN Tachi (1/1)
-GN Beam Saber (1/1)

Conditions
-GN Condenser Low (Risk of performance drop)
-Trans-AM Safety Mode Engaged (2 Minutes)
-Right arm missing
-GN Shield missing
-GN Condenser 4 missing
-Armour condition minimal
-ELS Integrated

Crunch (Gespenst Test Type)

Crunch: Neutral
Unit Integrity: Good

Ammo
-Machine Gun (Running low)
-Plasma Cutters (2/2)
-Split Missiles (1/2)
-Slash Rippers (4/6) (4 Undeployed)

Conditions
-None

Unknown (Heavygun Excavator Type)

Unknown: Neutral
Unit Integrity: Compromised

Ammo
-Beam saber (1/1)
-Demolition charges (7/8)

Conditions
-Two thrusters disabled (Movement imbalanced, Decreased maneuverability)