Winning Vote:
[X] Plan Media Offensive and the Might of Gundam
-[X] Media Blitz
--[x] Isabelle Cronkite
--[x] Diethard Ried
--[X] Milly Ashford
-[X] Reinforcements
--[X] Quatre in the Gundam Sandrock, and Trowa in the Gundam Heavyarms
--[X] The Gundam Exia
Torrington Base
"IT'S THE GUNDAM SANDROCK! FALL BACK, FALL-BLAAAAGH!"
The transmission of a Dwadge pilot abruptly cuts off as the machine is bisected by the Gundam Sandrock's Heat Shotels.
A Desert Zaku pilot attempts to blindside the Sandrock, but is abruptly cored by a salvo of beam rounds from the Gundam Heavyarms.
"Don't be intimidated by them, we have experience and numbers on our side!" A Dom Tropen pilot yells. His mobile suit is promptly shot and destroyed by one of the Jestas of the Tri-Stars team.
"Keep pushing! They're on the brink of collapse!" Nigel, the leader of the Tri-Stars team says.
The Nemos that Torrington Base managed to finally scramble rally and advance, firing on the Zeon Remnant forces with aplomb.
The City Surrounding Torrington Base
You are Banagher Links, and you're currently trying to get Loni Garvey, the pilot of the enormous mobile armor Shamblo, to stand down. She's spent the entire battle torching the surrounding metropolis, and causing civilian casualties in...well, you don't want to speculate on such a morbid figure at the moment. In the corner of your eye, you see the Gundam Exia peeking out from behind the corner of a nearby convention center.
So far, your attempts to talk Loni have not been working.
"Shut your mouth! My mother and father died in the hunt for Zeon remnants! They were butchered without being allowed to surrender! I'm here because I'm devoting my life to finishing what my father started! Your precious BOX can stay shut! My hatred runs too deep for something like that to dispel it! So GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Loni rants.
One of the Shamblo's claws grabs the Unicorn and makes to throw you. As it winds up though, a salvo of grenades impacts the arm and forces the Shamblo to drop you.
"Banagher!" You hear a familiar voice.
"Ensign Riddhe!" You say in surprise as his Delta Plus grabs the Unicorn by the arm.
You are Setsuna F. Seiei, and as you listen to Banagher Links and Riddhe Marcenas debate whether or not it's possible to save Loni Garvey, you contemplate a potential plan of attack.
Your thoughts are interrupted when you see the Unicorn interpose itself a short distance from the Shamblo.
"Listen to me, Ms. Loni! Is this what you really want? Is this what the real you wants?! Ms. Loni!" Banagher implores.
"But this is all I have...I don't have anything else to live for." Loni replies mournfully.
"Then find something! It's too sad to live for nothing but hatred and anger." Banagher says.
"It's only human to be angered by injustice! People aren't gods!" Loni retorts.
"Even so, you have to stop this!" Banagher yells.
You double take when you realize that Banagher has opened the cockpit of the Unicorn, stepping out into the open air and removing his helmet.
"Are you crazy, Banagher?!" Riddhe yells.
Does Loni stand down?
DC 8
Roll 1d10 + 2 (Banagher's...unique charisma) - 2 (Death of Kirks)
Roll 6
6 + 2 - 2
At first the Shamblo stops moving. In the distance, you see a series of explosions.
"Scratch that ZAKU I sniper!" Watts, a member of the Tri-Stars team woots.
The Shamblo jerks back to life, and you swear its movements are more...feral.
The Unicorn Gundam, sensing a threat to its pilot, closes the cockpit hatch.
"You can't fight reality." Riddhe says sadly.
Riddhe fires a round from his beam rifle at the Shamblo, only for its reflector bits to redirect it and almost cause it to hit the Unicorn.
"I...I want to stop her. I have to stop her! UNICORN!" Banagher says.
The Unicorn goes into NT-D mode, psychoframe parts glowing red as they unfold and the horn splits into a V-fin.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrXhrYmhcN4
You are Banagher Links, and as the psychofields of the Unicorn and Shamblo clash, you struggle to think of something to say to her. Riddhe fires a few beam rounds at the Shamblo, only to be forced to dodge his own rounds as the reflector bits send them back at his Delta Plus.
"Don't interfere!" Loni yells as she fires the Shamblo's beam cannons. The Unicorn's I-Fields protect it from the ensuing salvo of beams, but even as they curve around you, the surrounding city is devastated.
With the power of the Unicorn's Psychoframe and your own newtype abilities, you attempt to psychically reach out to Loni.
Does Banagher manage to get Loni to stand down?
DC 14
Roll 1d10 + 4 (Newtype 4) + 2 (Psychoframe) - 2 (Runaway Psycommu)
Roll 3
3 + 4 + 2 - 2 = 7
You manage to appeal to Loni with your newtype abilities, only to be forced out by a malicious figure.
"NO! Don't let it consume you, Ms. Loni!" You yell in futility.
"Damn it Banagher, get on! She's too far gone now!" Riddhe yells.
As the Unicorn clambers atop the Delta Plus, which is in waverider mode, someone makes contact with you.
"I think I may be able to disable the Shamblo." A distorted voice says.
"Who the hell are you?!" Riddhe exclaims.
"The pilot of the Gundam Exia." The voice replies in a surprisingly cordial tone.
"And why the hell should we work with Celestial Being?!" Riddhe yells, in anger or frustration, you can't tell.
"We both want the same thing. If my plan fails, you already have the means to destroy the Shamblo." The pilot of the Exia says.
"Riddhe...please, if there's any chance that we can save Ms. Loni..." You say sadly. You hear Riddhe scoff.
"Fine. We'll try it your way. But if it doesn't work, I'll take the Beam Magnum from you and take the shot myself!" Riddhe says.
"Excellent. The two of you only need to distract the Shamblo. Go in on my signal." The pilot of the Exia says.
Sieg Zeon, Sieg Zeon, Seig Zeon, SIEG ZEON! You hear Loni's current thoughts through your newtype abilities.
"Whatever you have planned, please hurry, Exia! I don't think Ms. Loni's mind is going to stay intact for much longer!" You implore.
"We have less time than anticipated then. Go now!" The pilot of the Exia urges.
You and Riddhe charge, Riddhe firing his Delta Plus' beam rifle while you fire 3 beam gatlings, one held in the Unicorn's right hand, two built into its shield, all given to you by the crew of the
Garancieres. As expected, all of the rounds are deflected away from the main body of the Shamblo by it beam reflector bits.
The Shamblo responds by unfurling a beam cannon built into its head and firing it at the two of you. Riddhe curses before pulling the Delta plus into a sharp turn, barely managing to avoid the massive beam. As you endure the resulting Gs, you're glad that for once, the Shamblo didn't hit the surrounding city. Out of the corner of your eye, you spot the Exia cautiously inching forward on the Shamblo's right flank.
You are Loni Garvey, and your mind is not wholly your own at the moment.
"Sieg Zeon, Sieg Zeon, SIEG ZEON!" You mindlessly repeat over and over.
You spot a new contact on your right flank. One of Celestial Being's Gundams? You could care less about them, ending war won't dispel your hatred or bring back your family. Before you can move to attack it though, another salvo of beam rounds from the split-horn and its companion force you to move the reflector bits to shield the Shamblo from them.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" You scream as the Shamblo's psycommu urges you to destroy everything in sight.
As the Shamblo readies its head-mounted beam cannon again, you feel an inexplicably calming presence.
"Kirks...?" You say tearfully.
Loni, our war is over. Kirks voice rings in your mind.
You break down in tears.
You are Banagher Links, and you don't like what you're seeing.
"Exia, we're out of time!" You say.
"Understood. Initiating Trans-Am!" The Exia pilot says.
Exia attempts to disable the Shamblo
DC 36
(Roll 1d10 + 6 Ability + 3 (Will 8) + 2 (Kirks' spirit) - 2 (Shamblo bulk)) * 3 (Trans-Am)
Roll 8
8 + 6 + 3 + 2 - 2 = 17*3 = 51
Result: Setsuna is able to utterly dismantle the Shamblo, damaging its psycho-frame in the process, restoring Loni's mind
As the Exia begins to glow red, you hear Loni's voice in your mind.
Banagher...isn't it sad?
"Oh shit!" Riddhe curses as he pulls the Delta Plus up in a steep ascent in an attempt to avoid the Shamblo's beam.
As the Shamblo fires its head-mounted beam cannon, its beam reflector bits interpose themselves ahead of it at the same time, effectively neutralizing the beam.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKw9hgzncZw
A blur of red passes by the Shamblo's neck, and a second later, it's decapitated. Another pass of the red blur, and one of the Shamblo's claw arms is severed at the joint. You realize that red blur is the Exia, moving incredibly fast and leaving afterimages in its wake. It's drawn a pair of beam sabers, and is hacking away at the Shamblo's most obvious weapons and means of locomotion in an attempt to disable it. The Shamblo fires its scattering beam cannons in an attempt to force the Exia away, but what few hit are deflected around it by a glowing red spherical barrier that appears around it.
After what seems like an eternity (likely because the Shamblo's sheer bulk) but is more likely only around 1-2 minutes, the Shamblo slumps over, effectively mission-killed. For good measure, the Exia slashes a gouge above the Shamblo's cockpit, and the malicious presence you've been feeling disappears. The Exia stops glowing red as it lands on the ground.
You sigh in relief before opening a channel with the Exia.
"Thank you." You say.
Before the pilot of the Exia can respond, a new contact appears. You, Riddhe, and the pilot of the Exia glance up.
"A...black Unicorn?!" You say in alarm.
The Exia immediately moves to flee, and the last thing you see before you pass out from an impact to the cockpit is the black Unicorn unfurling a massive claw.
A/N:
You know those times when you lie down, only intending to take a quick, 30 minute nap, and instead conk out for like 3 hours? Blame that for the reason this update didn't happen earlier in the afternoon. Anyway, please discuss and critique!
