Titan Aieeeeee! [1/A lot]
WHO: Amuro Ray, Benjamin Sisko, Gai Daigouji, Nono, Nita Callahan, Rei Ayanami, Sanger Zonvolt, Shinji Ikari
WHERE: THE FUTURE, Sci-Fi Sector
WHEN: Friday evening, January 12th 2007
WHAT: The Serpentine Twins found an ancient alien Buster Machine! There totally isn't an evil plot in the background! Carry on, IPA, heedless of your role as pawns, MUWAHAHAHAHAHA...ahem, that was just a cough.
EDITS: Spelling, added an "Amuro" into a pose where he forgot to put his name.
Neo Solar System Sixth Planet "Saturn", 48th Satellite [Titan]
An inhospitable moon, Titan has not responded well to terraforming efforts - the entire moon is frequently buffeted by deadly methane rain, and it is not possible for normal humans to survive within the atmosphere without an environment suit or other precaution. The primary spot of interest on Titan is the thick mound of space monster corpses, tens of thousands of years old, which bulge from the surface - burying something. Nobody's quite sure what's down there, but whatever it is, it occasionally alters the local gravity slightly, giving the phenomenon its name: The Titan Variable Gravity Well.
It is this that Fraternity now seeks to excavate.
The final stages are being prepared. The rumors are flying - they say that what's down in that hole might save humanity forever. Some say it may be the ancient Buster Machine of some long lost alien race, even. But the truth will not be known until the revival operation is successful.
There are nine Topless here, and seven Buster Machines - provided one counts the combining Quarante-Deux as only one, that is. Nikola Vacheron has not been called to serve with his Vingt-Sept, instead watching over the operation from the control platform. The other two Idol Topless are present, however, L'arc Melk Marre and her Dix-Neuf and Tycho Science and Quatre-Vingt-Dix, floating silently over the excavation site, waiting.
The other Topless present are the blonde and busty Pasica Pesca Persicum and her Buster Machine Soixante-Et-Un, with its massive shoulder spikes and spikes on its forehead; the Vietnamese pilot Nian Fok Cham and her Buster Machine Trente-Six, which has massive chainguns for arms and legs; Roy Anion and his Buster Machine Cinquante, which somewhat resembles a vaguely humanoid seagoing battleship; and Gurka Kuksis and his Buster Machine Quatre-Vingt-Sept, which resembles nothing so much as an insect - little more than a head and body region with four massive wings which unfold and point forward for battle. The Serpentine Twins, Piaget and Lecoultre, are down at the bottom of the shaft in their mutual parts of the combining Buster Machine, Quarante-Deux. Nono is not present - the Fraternity representative to the IPA and Black Sheep Squadron has been tasked with something she could never dream of turning down. She has gone to Pluto - a week-long journey from here, even using the Gates to bypass several spaceports and stops.
The Topless are getting antsy, lacking much of anything to do, but their job is to run interference - there is nothing to do until the enemy appears. Nobody's quite sure what the Twins are up to, but they've all come this far - there is no backing out now.
They wait for the promised IPA support to arrive and get in position. They sense, though none wish to say it, that they may need it.
Sanger Zonvolt had been one of the people who promised to come - but his promise was not to a government, but a girl. It is the sort of the promise he takes much more seriously than one to a government. He would do his best to protect Nono's friends, while she was gone. The Grungust Type 0 has been freshly repaired from yesterday's activities; new armor has been fixed onto the chest, giving it a definite sheen.
The massive, fifty meter tall mech glides through the nearest Gate and straight towards Titan. Its golden eyes blaze, as it comes in orbit over it and looks downward, towards the immense shaft. Sanger's lips draw into a frown. He has a vague idea of what may be down there - something truly powerful.
He flips on the communications console and speaks into it. "Major Sanger Zonvolt, reporting! On behalf of the IPA and the Black Sheep Squadron."
The IPA is on its way.
Impulse drive is fun - and it's on this high-speed but somehow still sublightish propulsion system that part of the IPA contingent coasts into orbit of Titan. There are four ships. The flagship for this expedition is naturally the USS Defiant, but it's not alone. Three more Starfleet vessels have come with it - the USS Utah and the USS Leacock, both older Miranda-class starships, and the USS Mescalero, a slightly less old Excelsior-class starship.
Even at impulse speeds they managed to cross interplanetary distances in a matter of a few minutes. Take that, THE FUTURE!
On the bridge of the Defiant, Captain Sisko watches the viewscreen, the huge smoky-orange-yellow disk of Titan looming large in it. It is strange for him to be in THE FUTURE, where everything is the same yet different. In his world, humans are active in the Saturn system, and there are no huge heaps of space monsters on the surface.
"Report."
Tapping the science console - or rather, the operations console with a couple of halfassed science functions built in - Dax reports, "We've attained high orbit of Titan. Reading nine Buster Machines in the area, and Major Zonvolt just arrived."
"Combat status."
"Engines and thrusters are green," Kira reports from the helm.
Worf cranes his neck to look over from tactical. "Shields at full. Phasers online, photon torpedoes loaded and ready for deployment if needed. Ablative armour at one hundred percent integrity."
"The Utah, Leacock, and Mescalero report ready," adds Dax.
The comline chitters. ["Everything's alright down here, Cap'n,"] O'Brien reports.
The reports tell Ben what he already knows.
He sits back and folds his hands over his stomach. "Alright. Open a channel."
There is a twitter.
"This is Captain Benjamin Sisko of the USS Defiant, at the head of Starfleet Task Force Thirty-Seven Beta. We've come to offer assistance on behalf of the IPA and the United Federation of Planets."
And now, a visitor from THE PAST.
Compared to the myriad exotic Buster Machines stationed around this area, the silver and violet Gundam G-3 must look relatively lackluster. It's easily one of the smaller machines present, and hence has been equipped with the Hyper-Bazooka instead of a Pulse Rifle in order to be more effective against potentially larger targets. The Gundam flies out of the nearby gate, remaining in mid-space and then heading towards the other Buster Machines as its pilot sends a message down.
"This is Lieutenant Amuro Ray of the Earth Federation Forces, here to offer aid." The young pilot in the Normal Suit offers a salute, his voice level and concentrating. This should be a relatively routine patrol.
Which does not explain the minor headache that he hopes is a coincidence.
EVA-00 had not been "substantially" damaged, and as such, no major repairs have been undertaken. This means that when the blue "machine" exits the large-scale Gate, its arms look partially damaged.
Reinforcement for Titan's atmosphere have taken place, and are largely invisible from the outside. The main alteration internally is an additional heater to maintain LCL temperature in an environment noted for freezing rains of lighter fluid. Due to the lack of domestic power supplies, EVA-00 has brought a palette rifle instead of something larger and more energetic.
"Rei Ayanami, First Child," Rei says over the slightly staticky radio. A moment later she adds, "EVA-00. Extralegal government agency 'NERV'." She figures they know about the whole 'helping' thing.
There is a dull crack that sounds like a particularly vigorous gunshot.
Nita rather abruptly stands near the Buster Machines, not even looking particularly tired; she prepared the long-jump teleport yesterday and just activated it now. She is surrounded with a mostly transparent spherical shield that keeps everything from weather to space off her, and gives her some real air to breathe. She did, however, wear her big jacket. It gets cold in space.
"Did I miss anything?" she asks, brightly. Nita likes space, and thus is always excited when she gets to work on foreign planets.
Oh like they ever have a routine patrol.
Being the Black Sheep Squadron's token Eeyore, Shinji Ikari, designated Pilot of Evangelion Unit-01, figures a roll of his eyes is enough to covey this thought to his slightly more optimistic friend and cohort in not really liking being a killing machine, Amuro Ray. Evangelion Unit-01 is halfway through the gate, it's terrible gangly arms struggling with...something. "What I want to know is..." Shinji grumbles because, he has found, grumbling a little makes the terror recede slightly, "...why we keep saying our names every time we go somewhere sort of new, like it's new student day at school or someth-iiiing!!"
The squeak and Shinji's voice cracking is because his package, which is covered in the world's largest plain brown paper bag, courtesy of Gendo Ikari, has finally gotten through the gate. Unit-01 trips over its own feet, falling on the ground with a SLAM that could rattle a city, and "catches" the package on his chest. Shinji, who's chest is sympathetically buckling along with his Eva, groans faintly, hitches Unit-01's feet back in the ground, and PUUUUUSHes the paper bag into the air, letting him get into an upright position.
"We brought a housewarming present." Shinji deadpans to the Fraternity reps. Inside is...A MYSTERY. Ayanami and Amuro may also notice that Shinji is stuttering a little less and sarcasiming a little more these days, which coincide with an enormous fight he had with his father that they also may or may not know about. Shinji didn't talk about it, but having psychics for friends is rough sometimes.
L'arc and Tycho both grin at the appearing pilots and assistance. There is an almost palpable air of relief coming from the Buster Machines as so much help appears. There won't be a problem with help like this - no way. "Thank you for coming, everyone," L'arc says. "We're not sure what to expect, but keep your eyes open. This could be nothing, or it could get pretty bad..."
"Preparations are almost ready!" shouts someone in the Fraternity command platform. "Everyone, please get into position as soon as possible. It's time. We have to start now. Miss Callahan, you may want to get onto the command platform - this may get dangerous." FOrtunately, it's nearby.
"Ah, hey, Ikari..." Tycho pipes up, ignoring the command and cocking an eyebrow on the viewscreen. "The heck is that?"
On the far side of the Solar System, at the Charon Civilian Unmanned Spaceport, a girl with pink hair and stars in her eyes watches silently as the baggage claim rolls on. She is the only person here. She may be the only person for billions of miles. She is waiting for her luggage. From here, she will take a flight to Pluto - and there, she aims to claim the apparently mostly intact wreckage of the downed Buster Machine, Trente-Trois. "Onee-sama...Sanger-san! Yes, everyone...! Nono has finally come this far..." She turns, to regard the lifeless gray orb, so far from the Sun's light, looming large outside the windows of the spaceport. "It won't be long now."
Back, on Titan, at the control platform for the Titan Excavation Project, Nikola Vacheron stands in the middle of the platform, observing the sensor suites and listening as the men around him report the status of the operation's final preparations. "Confirmed," someone says. "Surveillance target has arrived at destination."
"All Buster Machines in position," another man says. "IPA support's in place, too."
"Gravitational variation in central shaft area is currently stabilizing," comes a woman's voice.
"Shafts 2 and 4 stabilized. Shaft 3 conditionally stabilized."
At the bottom of the miles and miles-deep excavation shaft, a light turns on, illuminating Buster Machine Quarante-Deux A and B, the two halves of a combining Buster Machine. Inside, the Serpentine Twins eagerly await the word that all is prepared.
"Angel adenine having effect. Safe repair debt successfully eliminated. Starting time count."
Machines begin to work at the bottom of the shaft, pumping liquids from their tanks into whatever bizarre devices the Serpentine Twins intend to use for their work.
"Two. Three."
"Beginning revival operation," the Twins say, and begin to cut into the seemingly organic floor of the shaft.
As the operation begins, L'arc explains: "This may get rough. Nobody but the Twins knows what's down there. We think it might be some ancient alien Buster Machine...but it's buried under miles of Space Monster corpses. Whatever it is...we don't think the Space Monsters will let us wake it up so easily." She nods, grimly. "Be ready for a serious attack."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami says, "It is familiar."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari says, "Yeah, Science kind of looks like you with pigtails...or do you, um, mean the Buster Machines?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami says, "She does?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami says, "No. The way they are organized."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "A little..."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Stand by and be prepared. Something about this is... worrisome."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari says, "Oh. Yeah. Isn't the word for when science and the military get together like that 'Technocratic'?"
"Roger that," Sanger replies to Titan's control. The man watches from his cockpit, calmly, as Type 0 lowers itself downward. It moves a little slowly, the directional thrusters on its massive frame firing here and there to keep it from entering the atmosphere in a dangerous manner. However, he wants to be ready to drop to the surface if he has to.
He then flips over a switch, patching him through to the USS Defiant. "Captain Sisko," he says into his radio, "This is Major Zonvolt of the Black Sheep."
He knows where he stands. Battleships are better to place command in - he might outrank Sisko if they were from the same world, but he has worked with the Hiryu Custom before. "I am transferring command of IPA personnel to you, sir. Good luck, and do us proud."
"Sure," Nita says, clambering up onto the command platform. It doesn't bother her; shield or not, she'd rather not stand somewhere particularly dangerous if there's no need for her to do so. Mostly she watches with great interest, because she's never seen anything like this. Rest assured that the book in her hands is recording everything as if she had a video camera, even though she doesn't.
Someone else appears next to Nita without even the crack that she normally produces - a shorter, skinnier girl who looks like Nita in the face and eyes, but has bright red hair. She looks maybe twelve. "Don't tell me they started without me," she complains, immediately, to Nita.
Up in orbit, the Starfleet vessels maneuver. Of the four the Defiant is the newest and toughest, and it hangs somewhere out near the front, while the Utah and the Leacock keep a side-by-side formation. The biggest ship of the bunch, the Mescalero, holds a somewhat higher orbit, looking incredibly majestic about it. The Excelsior class may be old, but it's pretty as hell.
Actually, were they from the same world Sisko would comfortably outrank Sanger - by two levels. He's a naval captain. His XO, Kira, is a Major.
The viewscreen splits as Sanger gets in touch. Straightening a bit in his chair, Ben gives the Type 0's pilot a brisk nod. "Acknowledged, Major. Hold your position for now, and keep your eyes open."
He looks over at Jadzia. "You too, Old Man. I want every sensor on this ship operating at peak efficiency. If so much as a Malthusian pygmy mouse moves out there I want to know it."
The Trill smiles, though it's a tight one. "Of course, sir."
"Well, it's kind of a military thing," is Amuro's sheepish explanation to Shinji before he turns his attention to L'arc. The Gundam flies closer to the surface, faster than the larger machines and able to make a quick landing if need be. He's thankful that Titan doesn't have much of an atmosphere, as atmospheric entry is something /difficult/ to pull off in a Mobile Suit.
"We'll keep our eyes out, Marke..."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "Oh great. Sorry, I forgot to say - my sister's here, too, she's the kid, don't kick her out."
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Are you sure that's appropriate in a potential combat zone?"
[Fac-IPA] Nono | Nikola Vacheron says, "We can't very well do that now, anyway. As long as she's safe..."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "Well, /I'm/ only fifteen. Anyway, even if I don't like saying it, she's a more powerful wizard than I am. Younger ones usually are."
EVA-00 steps behind a slight rise in the relatively featureless ground and kneels down. This 'slight rise' is really a twenty-foot hill of hydrocarbon ice, but it's all relative, really...
Rei lifts the palette rifle and looks towards the excavation site. "Roger," she says into the communication system; she doesn't sight along the weapon yet, although the head of EVA-00 looks left and right as Rei takes in the locations of the various friendly forces.
Her stomach squirms briefly in visceral discomfort at the lighter gravity of Titan. She pushes it down.
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Alright, I'll trust your judgment on this one."
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "All units remain alert and at combat readiness. I have a bad feeling."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Roger that, Defiant."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "That /also/ means there's a laptop on legs somewhere around here. It's shy, though, so you might not see him. - Okay."
"Science." Shinji says, nodding in greeting. She is not harassing Nono right /now/ and Shinji isn't HOT BLOODED anymore...well, no more than usual...so the Third Child is just quietly grateful to have someone in this strange community of space mutants who is on a last name basis with him. He then gets to work, his orders fairly clear.
"Military." Shinji mutters with only mild bitterness. He doesn't know if he's vaguely disappointed in the idea that Amuro is sort of...getting used to being a soldier, or a little envious that his friend outranks him now. He wonders, idly, what his rank would be if the pilots had ranks like normal officers, and is vaguely disgusted with his own curiosity. Shinji's a little weird like that.
Shinji also finishes unwrapping the package, revealing...what looks like, to his vaguely unbelieving eyes, a giant, old-fashioned battery. Shinji blinks, seeing that his EVA's power cord is attached to it, and blinks again as the giant battery emits some strange, blinking lights...causing it to float. He looks at the screen. "It flies."
"Tee hee!" Maya Ibuki snickers, in spite of herself, while a triumphant Aboa and a grumbling Hyuuga exchange funds.
To Shinji's credit, his left eye only twitches a little as he sighs, and takes a position. "Ready, um, down here."
"Pretty handy," Tycho says. She seems to be at terms with the fact that she was being a huge bitch. Nono has a way of making people a little less dumb. "Guess it's the sort of thing that helps when you need that cable..." ...but OK she's still a little snide. Although it sounds like it's probably a joke.
"Thanks, Ray," L'arc says. "And to all of you. Good luck."
Unfortunately...
Something is wrong. On the far end of the solar system, a space fleet patrolship picks up the first signs, as before them, the Red Milky Way blossoms to life with warp signatures. "Th....the Way...!" croaks the operator. "The Red Milky Way is overflowing!!"
At the Security Command Center of the Space Fleet Western District Air Defense Control Array on Triton DS, the klaxon of maximum alert sounsd. "Security threats going from Saturn to Jupiter are increasing, one after another!!" "Space monster intrusion from outside the defense perimeter confirmed!!" As the cries go out, the map that circles the room, showing the status of the entire Red Milky Way, slowly turns a bright red, indicating active intrusions. "40,000...45,000...the highest number in recorded history!! I can't acquire them all!!" "Impossible..." croaks the base commander.
At the Civilian Space Port on Charon, a klaxon sounds, and the outgoing flight lists turn bright red and retract into their displays. The lights turn out, leaving Nono, finally with the last of her luggage, alone with only the dim glow of the red emergency lights. "No...w-wait...wait a minute!! Someone...Someone!! But..." She looks off at Pluto, her voice wavering. "I've come so far..."
Her despair is answered, as a bright light descends outside, revealing Casio Takeshiro, piloting a chartered short distance tour bus. He smirks, and offers a small, two-fingered salute against his ornate captain hat.
On Titan, they appear en masse. Every radar shows the same thing - a swarm of blips, so tremendous it blots out the entire screen, as more space monsters than have ever appeared in a single attack all form up at once. Only the Defiant's incredible scanners stand any chance of supporting the sheer mass of enemies materializing, and even then...Titan's orbit is completely choked. "It's incredible," Roy Anion whispers. "They're thronging from all points...!"
Nian Fok Cham says, "Does that mean they're THAT afraid, just like the Twins said??"
Gurka Kuksis calls, "It's seriously amazing...!! The Titan Variable Gravity Well...it's the real thing!!"
Pasica, however, is down to business. She looks up in her Control Heart, staring up at the incoming wave. "The first wave is coming!!"
Tycho grunts, tapping away on the keyboard in her control heart. "Just like we planned it...Princess!"
L'arc grunts. "Let's do this. Physical Canceler, full power! Exotic Maneuvers!!" Her head and the head of every Topless pilot begins to glow, and the Buster Machines fly up into the atmosphere, ready for war. Explosions are visible from the surface as the Buster machines unload bullets and lasers and everything else - as are the thick waves of spiraling space monsters, come to kill. The battle line is blurry - they come from orbit toward the surface, and attack anyone they can reach. But from orbit, it becomes clear - fully half of that tremendous armada is splitting off, teleporting away again, going...somewhere else?
"Approximately half of the engaged space monsters have broken off," someone calls in the Titan command center. "Estimated heading is...toward Pluto!!"
L'arc's eyes widen. She realizes exactly what that means. "NONO!!"
[Fac-IPA] Nono | Titan Command says, "Here they come! God, there's a million of 'em...40,000, 45,000...our instruments can't keep up! Wait--half of the swarm is breaking off. Calculating heading. They're going toward...Pluto!"
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Nono..."
[Fac-IPA] Nono | L'arc Melk Marre: "NONO!!"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko] Dax: "Reading at least fifty thousand of them and increasing!"
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "Dair can get to Pluto in one jump and take me, if you want me to keep an eye on things. No further without some kind of power source, though!"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "Can we stop them before they reach Pluto?!"
[Fac-IPA] Rei Ayanami says, "Is there a Gate?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "We could, but there are still units closing on Titan."
[Fac-IPA] Nono | Nikola Vacheron says, "Intercept what you can! They're going to warp there, but we should be able to at least thin the crowd! Pluto's on the far end of the Solar System from Titan right now...and there's no Gate that far out..."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "If they split in half...m-maybe the Fraternity can handle here on Titan, and we can try and get to Pluto using one of those, um, warping ships..."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "I can go, but I can't bring any of these big machines..."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Damn it!"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Alright. All units, engage the Space Monsters and thin them out as best you can!"
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan's sister Dairine comes on. Apparently she is using Nita's radio. "Yo. - Look, I don't think we've got time to argue here, do you want me and Neets to teleport or not? What's /on/ Pluto here? If anything."
[Fac-IPA] Rei Ayanami says, "Requesting release of N2 devices."
[Fac-IPA] Misato Katsuragi fumbles with her radio a few moments. "...granted, Rei."
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "Roger that! Gai Daigouji, launching!"
[Fac-IPA] Sakata Gintoki says, "What the hell is going on now?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Not yet, Miss Callahan. And use whatever weapons you have available. We need to destroy as many as we can."
[Fac-IPA] Nono | Nikola says, "Dammit...as-is, we're going to have trouble containing this many, we need all the help we can get."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "-Mister Daigouji's an N2-level weapon?"
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan steals her radio back. "Are these things sentient?"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "...well, I guess that's appropriate."
[Fac-IPA] Sakata Gintoki says, "...Tch."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Understood!"
The Space Monsters come, in great numbers. Sanger's eyes widen as he sees them start to stream out all around them. His surprised expression quickly becomes an enraged snarl, especially as they begin teleporting away. "Damn it, /no/!" he shouts. Nono was there - and protecting her friends means a little less if she dies.
It was a risk he knew she had to take, but he doesn’t want to see it come to this. The hand of the Type 0 reaches over its shoulder and draws the Colossal Blade free, as the first Space Monster comes.
"Get back, demon! Not today!" The hand of the Type 0 fires off - rocketing towards the face of the beast. Then, the thrusters on the back of the Colossal Blade activate as he sweeps the sword out in an arc around him.
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari fights back the terror, "Um, space monsters are attacking, Mister Gintoki."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari chuckles weakly, "More exciting than another friday night, um, washing dishes, you know?"
[Fac-IPA] Sakata Gintoki says, "Really? Sounds like here...So Washing Dishes is pretty uncommon."
The Defiant's powerful tactical sensors begin to ping with readings. Jadzia checks her readouts - and her eyes widen a little. "I'm reading a massive buildup of space monster numbers swinging into the solar system. Forty... no, fifty thousand, at least, and that's just a rough estimate."
"They are closing on Titan!" rumbles Worf.
Ben scowls, one hand gripping the arm of his chair. With the other he gives his command console a tap. "Defiant to all units. Engage the Space Monsters and thin out their ranks as best you can. Use /any/ /means/ /necessary./"
The channel closes, and he signals with one hand. "Major Kira, attack pattern Psi-5000. Mr. Worf, arm the quantum torpedoes, wide spread, maximum yield!"
With a roar of impulse engines (well, a roar IN SPACE) the Defiant leaps into battle. The tough little ship shoots towards the formation of Space Monsters, the other three Starfleet vessels coming with it. As they close on the swarm the Utah and the Leacock break off in tandem and cut hard towards one side, firing photon torpedoes from their overslung weapons pods into the swarm. The bright orange projectiles speed forward in groups of two, each ship's volley detonating among the monsters with a massive clap of photon energy. The much larger Mescalero hangs back, the torpedo launchers on its chin belching slower, larger red torpedoes that produce larger explosions. It fires a few wide-beam phasers, as well.
The Defiant itself shoots forward and turns on one nacelle, a pair of ports on its hull flaring as it unleashes a volley of Starfleet's strongest weapons: quantum torpedoes. They deploy along a wide spread, slashing into the Space Monster ranks to erupt, unleashing devastating spheres of zero-point energy - no doubt enough to rip apart Space Monsters en masse. Or they were last time, anyway.
Rei's display uses relatively simple electronics. The arrival of the Space Monsters somewhat overloads the systems: figures that were meant to track hundreds of targets are confronted with thousands, and then tens of thousands. The heads-up display elements inside of EVA-00's plug flicker for a moment, before finally resorting to 'grouping' notable clumps of Space Monsters. The 'group' outlines flicker and stutter before finally resolving erratically.
Rei feels a moment of cold and unfiltered terror. It contorts her face for a moment at the hideous sight of the things swirling and storming through nearly every direction she can see hits her. Her teeth grind together and her mouth goes as dry as it can in a liquid breathing medium.
It passes. She requests the release of weapons, but even NERV requires time to move them through the Hub. She crouches down, aiming for a cluster of Space Monsters that seem to be heading for the command bridge (as best she can tell) and depressing the rifle's trigger. A hail of high-velocity rounds the size of artillery shells spray out towards them; Rei tries to split her focus as well, to develop the Evangelion's AT Field around it.
She can't do much about the cable but hope.
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari primly, "I always make sure the house has clean dishes, Mister Gintoki."
[Fac-IPA] Sakata Gintoki says, "Really? Want to clean mine?"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "Um...that's more of a question for M-misato..."
[Fac-IPA] Sakata Gintoki says, "Ey Misato. Mind loaning me your hired help?"
[Fac-IPA] Misato Katsuragi says, "...They have school on top of their IPA and NERV duties, so probably not."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "Probably, she says..."
[Fac-IPA] Misato Katsuragi says, "And they're not my hired help."
Well, Amuro briefly thinks to himself, that would explain the headache. Which has not yet gone away...
He reacts quickly, his eyes widening when he hears the news. They're going after Pluto, and Pluto is where /Nono/ is right now. And she'd be defenseless against them, especially enough to fill his radar with white dots. He doesn't need to confirm the report of 40-50 thousand Space Monsters. He believes it on his own.
"Dammit..." The G-3 equips and shoulders the Hyper-Bazooka, charging up a round. As soon as one of the Space Monsters comes into firing range, it unloads with one, no, two rounds of heavy firepower, his mind flashing as the Gundam immediately maneuvers to the right.
He takes a deep breath. Calm. Steady. He's been through bloody battles. He can get through this. He can...why the hell is his head feeling so strange?
Hmmmm! Well, the Nadesico was more or less on standby these days, really. I mean, the overall goal is to get to MARS!
Buuuut, they'll lend their aid to the IPA, if needed! As such, well, the Nadesico is fairly quick to arrive on the scene. There's a pair of faint sparks launching, as the Nadesico hangs back to cheerfully do what it does best. Namely, to play 'Nuke 'Em Till They Glow!' Gai Daigouji is grinning cheerfully as he glances down at a screen.
"Alright, Fryboy! You keep 'em off the Nadesico, and I'll go help the rest of 'em, got it?"
Akito Tenkawa, Ship's Cook and Reluctant Pilot, blinks a few times, then attempts to object. "Look, Gai, I know you're good, but there's five hundred thousand of them! You'll get shredded in moments!"
Gai just laughs maniacally at that! "Wrong, Fryboy! Hey, Captain! Aim a Gravity Blast right at the planet, will ya?"
On the bridge, Yurika Misumara, Captain of the Nadesico, blinks and cocks her head to the side. "Oh. Planning to travel down that way, Mister Yamada. Well, whatever. I'm sure Akito will keep us safe, right Akito?!" Yes, she is smiling. A lot. Akito groans. Gai is laughing while his eyebrow twitches at being called 'Yamada' for the umpteenth time. All is right with the universe.
"Welllll, okay. Anyways, Ruri, fire the Gravity Cannon, alright?"
Ruri just shakes her head, then taps a few buttons. "Firing Gravity Blast Cannon. Have fun, Mister Yamada, and please don't get killed. It causes lots of paperwork."
Gai twitches, then flips his Aestivalis end over end as the Gravity Blast Cannon roars out from the Nadesico's prow, Gai coasting right in behind the beam as it stops and burning straight towards the planet, taking the same trajectory as the earlier blast, flaring his distorion field to full. Have Large Cannon, Will Travel!
"Have no fear, GAI DAIGOUJI'S HERE! I'm on the way, folks!"
And lo, Gai Daigouji, Prophet of Gekiganger, didst descend to Titan! Hurrah!
After a few moments of sheer surprise and shock, Nita and Dairine go into a huddled discussion. It isn't in English or Japanese or any other strictly terrestrial language, and neither one of them is attempting to be understood by anyone but the other. After a few moments of that, Dairine vanishes again. She's sloppy; the crack is audible.
Nita looks up toward the army of space monsters descending, bites her lip, and looks through her Manual as fast as she can. "Come on, come on, offensive wizardries..." Finding the page she wants, she recites a half-dozen words, probably twenty syllables total, clearly into the air.
Something that looks like nothing so much as a gun appears in Nita's hand. It is long, and narrow, vaguely tapered to a point at the far end; it even has a trigger and a stock. Nita kneels, pointing the particle accelerator up at the air with the stock resting against her shoulder, tenses, and squeezes.
A thin red bolt lances out, superaccelerated particles approaching the speed of light - and then breaking it, because this /is/ magic. She is carefully aiming away from the Buster Machines, and any other allies.
Dairine appears on Pluto with a /very/ loud crack. It takes her a few moments to recover from the change in gravities and atmospheres.
"You wouldn't like me very much when I don't need the plug, Science." Shinji mutters in what sounds like battlefield comradery but is actually an accidental admission on account of the frillion space monsters that just showed up. Ayanami's got the right idea with the N2 equipment, but Shinji quietly wishes Asuka was here, as jumpkicking a line of monsters to music seems somehow...better than using an N2 mine.
Deciding that a little hypocrisy was necessary to keep sane, Shinji pulls out his pallet rifle, and oh my God.
It's like someone took Sachiel and multiplied him by a million.
Evangelion Unit-01 drops its rifle as Shinji's little tricks and distractions collectively fail, and he's stuck trying to absorb the sheer terror of facing down the enormous armada of Space Monsters. 'Move', a voice that sounds like him whispers in his ear, 'Move, damnit. Someone you care about is in trouble. You. Need. To. Move.'
But he can't. He's a worthless coward and he's got to /move/ but he can't and.
There is a lot of bad news and not so much good news. The tally that Titan HQ is listing off seems to be a listing of motherships - massive dozens-of-meters-long needles, each of which is disgorging much, MUCH more smaller craft - enough to make distinguishing them difficult. The number of these smaller space monsters is much, much larger, and increasing by the second. The motherships are also far more sturdy, and only about twenty succumb in the initial barrage of the Defiant's quantum torpedos, and more falling beneath Sanger's blade.
The Nadesico appears. The Gravity Cannon cuts a swath through the enemy mass, fully fifty exploding immediately, dozens more sustaining damage. About a dozen of the mother ships turn their full attention to the Nadesico, and begin pouring countless numbers of their smaller craft in its direction. Others turn to Sanger or to the Defiant and its assistant craf. Each has but one goal - crash and destroy.
The good news is that the smaller craft are fragile kamikaze craft - quite literally, little more than living needles that electrocute things and then explode. Even the Evangelions' famously weak pallet rifles tear through them easily, causing explosions as dozens of monsters are destroyed. Nita's attacks work even better, literally pulverizing an entire wave. But they still come."You really helped me out," Nono says to Casio, watching intently as they pilot toward Pluto. Casio chuckles, adjusting his hat. "Trente-Trois is an old war buddy. I have my reasons. But..." He glances over his shoulder at Nono. "I'm amazed that you came all the way out here."
Nono's grip on his seat tightens. "Nono needs a Buster Machine!!" she shouts from the heart. Her eyes are set, and hard. "Nono wants Onee-sama's approval...no. Sanger-san's...everyone's approval!!" Her face twists, showing the sadness of a truly bleak future. "Or else...or else Nono will...I will..."
What will happen will forever be a mystery; the ship is struck by a powerful blast from behind, but rather than destroyed, its electronics are merely knocked out, and the rear segment suffers a powerful explosion. Casio squawks, "Man! Now what is it!?" He looks in his driverside rearview mirror, and...gapes. Behind them, space is turning red from the sheer number of space Monster warp-in points. "...Space Monsters!?"
He whips around, and stares, wide-eyed, at Nono, who is staring intently at Pluto, as if willing it to draw them in.
This is what Dairine will find waiting her as she appears on Pluto's surface - a small ship, literally little more than a spacefaring minibus, smoking and coming in for a crash landing, while over ten thousand space monster motherships materialize out in the void.
On Titan, in the pit, Piaget laughs as her Buster Machine manipulates fine equipment. "Just like we planned. Half went after the robot!" "Now we can buy enough time to tame this thing!" Lecoultre agrees.
"We need a Topless so we can remain as one..." "We can't afford to lose it..."
And in the pit, a brilliant blue-white light begins to shine.
"H...HERE IT COMES!" calls Piaget. "It's answered..." begins Lecoultre. "...our call!!" they finish as one.
In the control room, that blue light takes over the entire bank of monitors, cameras switching over to external view. "Gravitational variation rising!" someone calls. "Clef signal illumination confirmed!!" someone else says. "This light..." whispers Nikola Vasheron. "It CAN'T be!!"
Outside, combat continues, regardless of the madness going on elsewhere. Pasica throws her Buster Machine's shoulder discs as an enormous spiked discus, which tears through entire legions of space monsters before returning to her shoulders as the guards. She huffs and puffs. "There's no end to them!"
Nian Fok Cham's Buster Machine shoots hails of bullets into the air, all four limbs firing fully automatic in a neverending torrent of lead. Shell casings fall to the ground like rain, and the space monsters continue to explode. "Isn't the revival operation done yet!?"
Roy Anion's Buster Machine fires a tremendous beam attack from between its extended 'arms'. "What are the Twins hung up on!? We can't keep this up forever!!"
"Sixth wave coming up!!" Tycho announces loudly. "Behind that, waves seven through thirteen!!"
The sky is turning black from the sheer size and number of the space monster attack swarms. Radars demonstrate the same - an endless field of blips, extending outward into space. There seems to literally be no end to them. Gurka shouts, "My radar's all white! There's no way to stop that many!!"
WHERE: THE FUTURE, Sci-Fi Sector
WHEN: Friday evening, January 12th 2007
WHAT: The Serpentine Twins found an ancient alien Buster Machine! There totally isn't an evil plot in the background! Carry on, IPA, heedless of your role as pawns, MUWAHAHAHAHAHA...ahem, that was just a cough.
EDITS: Spelling, added an "Amuro" into a pose where he forgot to put his name.
Neo Solar System Sixth Planet "Saturn", 48th Satellite [Titan]
An inhospitable moon, Titan has not responded well to terraforming efforts - the entire moon is frequently buffeted by deadly methane rain, and it is not possible for normal humans to survive within the atmosphere without an environment suit or other precaution. The primary spot of interest on Titan is the thick mound of space monster corpses, tens of thousands of years old, which bulge from the surface - burying something. Nobody's quite sure what's down there, but whatever it is, it occasionally alters the local gravity slightly, giving the phenomenon its name: The Titan Variable Gravity Well.
It is this that Fraternity now seeks to excavate.
The final stages are being prepared. The rumors are flying - they say that what's down in that hole might save humanity forever. Some say it may be the ancient Buster Machine of some long lost alien race, even. But the truth will not be known until the revival operation is successful.
There are nine Topless here, and seven Buster Machines - provided one counts the combining Quarante-Deux as only one, that is. Nikola Vacheron has not been called to serve with his Vingt-Sept, instead watching over the operation from the control platform. The other two Idol Topless are present, however, L'arc Melk Marre and her Dix-Neuf and Tycho Science and Quatre-Vingt-Dix, floating silently over the excavation site, waiting.
The other Topless present are the blonde and busty Pasica Pesca Persicum and her Buster Machine Soixante-Et-Un, with its massive shoulder spikes and spikes on its forehead; the Vietnamese pilot Nian Fok Cham and her Buster Machine Trente-Six, which has massive chainguns for arms and legs; Roy Anion and his Buster Machine Cinquante, which somewhat resembles a vaguely humanoid seagoing battleship; and Gurka Kuksis and his Buster Machine Quatre-Vingt-Sept, which resembles nothing so much as an insect - little more than a head and body region with four massive wings which unfold and point forward for battle. The Serpentine Twins, Piaget and Lecoultre, are down at the bottom of the shaft in their mutual parts of the combining Buster Machine, Quarante-Deux. Nono is not present - the Fraternity representative to the IPA and Black Sheep Squadron has been tasked with something she could never dream of turning down. She has gone to Pluto - a week-long journey from here, even using the Gates to bypass several spaceports and stops.
The Topless are getting antsy, lacking much of anything to do, but their job is to run interference - there is nothing to do until the enemy appears. Nobody's quite sure what the Twins are up to, but they've all come this far - there is no backing out now.
They wait for the promised IPA support to arrive and get in position. They sense, though none wish to say it, that they may need it.
Sanger Zonvolt had been one of the people who promised to come - but his promise was not to a government, but a girl. It is the sort of the promise he takes much more seriously than one to a government. He would do his best to protect Nono's friends, while she was gone. The Grungust Type 0 has been freshly repaired from yesterday's activities; new armor has been fixed onto the chest, giving it a definite sheen.
The massive, fifty meter tall mech glides through the nearest Gate and straight towards Titan. Its golden eyes blaze, as it comes in orbit over it and looks downward, towards the immense shaft. Sanger's lips draw into a frown. He has a vague idea of what may be down there - something truly powerful.
He flips on the communications console and speaks into it. "Major Sanger Zonvolt, reporting! On behalf of the IPA and the Black Sheep Squadron."
The IPA is on its way.
Impulse drive is fun - and it's on this high-speed but somehow still sublightish propulsion system that part of the IPA contingent coasts into orbit of Titan. There are four ships. The flagship for this expedition is naturally the USS Defiant, but it's not alone. Three more Starfleet vessels have come with it - the USS Utah and the USS Leacock, both older Miranda-class starships, and the USS Mescalero, a slightly less old Excelsior-class starship.
Even at impulse speeds they managed to cross interplanetary distances in a matter of a few minutes. Take that, THE FUTURE!
On the bridge of the Defiant, Captain Sisko watches the viewscreen, the huge smoky-orange-yellow disk of Titan looming large in it. It is strange for him to be in THE FUTURE, where everything is the same yet different. In his world, humans are active in the Saturn system, and there are no huge heaps of space monsters on the surface.
"Report."
Tapping the science console - or rather, the operations console with a couple of halfassed science functions built in - Dax reports, "We've attained high orbit of Titan. Reading nine Buster Machines in the area, and Major Zonvolt just arrived."
"Combat status."
"Engines and thrusters are green," Kira reports from the helm.
Worf cranes his neck to look over from tactical. "Shields at full. Phasers online, photon torpedoes loaded and ready for deployment if needed. Ablative armour at one hundred percent integrity."
"The Utah, Leacock, and Mescalero report ready," adds Dax.
The comline chitters. ["Everything's alright down here, Cap'n,"] O'Brien reports.
The reports tell Ben what he already knows.
He sits back and folds his hands over his stomach. "Alright. Open a channel."
There is a twitter.
"This is Captain Benjamin Sisko of the USS Defiant, at the head of Starfleet Task Force Thirty-Seven Beta. We've come to offer assistance on behalf of the IPA and the United Federation of Planets."
And now, a visitor from THE PAST.
Compared to the myriad exotic Buster Machines stationed around this area, the silver and violet Gundam G-3 must look relatively lackluster. It's easily one of the smaller machines present, and hence has been equipped with the Hyper-Bazooka instead of a Pulse Rifle in order to be more effective against potentially larger targets. The Gundam flies out of the nearby gate, remaining in mid-space and then heading towards the other Buster Machines as its pilot sends a message down.
"This is Lieutenant Amuro Ray of the Earth Federation Forces, here to offer aid." The young pilot in the Normal Suit offers a salute, his voice level and concentrating. This should be a relatively routine patrol.
Which does not explain the minor headache that he hopes is a coincidence.
EVA-00 had not been "substantially" damaged, and as such, no major repairs have been undertaken. This means that when the blue "machine" exits the large-scale Gate, its arms look partially damaged.
Reinforcement for Titan's atmosphere have taken place, and are largely invisible from the outside. The main alteration internally is an additional heater to maintain LCL temperature in an environment noted for freezing rains of lighter fluid. Due to the lack of domestic power supplies, EVA-00 has brought a palette rifle instead of something larger and more energetic.
"Rei Ayanami, First Child," Rei says over the slightly staticky radio. A moment later she adds, "EVA-00. Extralegal government agency 'NERV'." She figures they know about the whole 'helping' thing.
There is a dull crack that sounds like a particularly vigorous gunshot.
Nita rather abruptly stands near the Buster Machines, not even looking particularly tired; she prepared the long-jump teleport yesterday and just activated it now. She is surrounded with a mostly transparent spherical shield that keeps everything from weather to space off her, and gives her some real air to breathe. She did, however, wear her big jacket. It gets cold in space.
"Did I miss anything?" she asks, brightly. Nita likes space, and thus is always excited when she gets to work on foreign planets.
Oh like they ever have a routine patrol.
Being the Black Sheep Squadron's token Eeyore, Shinji Ikari, designated Pilot of Evangelion Unit-01, figures a roll of his eyes is enough to covey this thought to his slightly more optimistic friend and cohort in not really liking being a killing machine, Amuro Ray. Evangelion Unit-01 is halfway through the gate, it's terrible gangly arms struggling with...something. "What I want to know is..." Shinji grumbles because, he has found, grumbling a little makes the terror recede slightly, "...why we keep saying our names every time we go somewhere sort of new, like it's new student day at school or someth-iiiing!!"
The squeak and Shinji's voice cracking is because his package, which is covered in the world's largest plain brown paper bag, courtesy of Gendo Ikari, has finally gotten through the gate. Unit-01 trips over its own feet, falling on the ground with a SLAM that could rattle a city, and "catches" the package on his chest. Shinji, who's chest is sympathetically buckling along with his Eva, groans faintly, hitches Unit-01's feet back in the ground, and PUUUUUSHes the paper bag into the air, letting him get into an upright position.
"We brought a housewarming present." Shinji deadpans to the Fraternity reps. Inside is...A MYSTERY. Ayanami and Amuro may also notice that Shinji is stuttering a little less and sarcasiming a little more these days, which coincide with an enormous fight he had with his father that they also may or may not know about. Shinji didn't talk about it, but having psychics for friends is rough sometimes.
L'arc and Tycho both grin at the appearing pilots and assistance. There is an almost palpable air of relief coming from the Buster Machines as so much help appears. There won't be a problem with help like this - no way. "Thank you for coming, everyone," L'arc says. "We're not sure what to expect, but keep your eyes open. This could be nothing, or it could get pretty bad..."
"Preparations are almost ready!" shouts someone in the Fraternity command platform. "Everyone, please get into position as soon as possible. It's time. We have to start now. Miss Callahan, you may want to get onto the command platform - this may get dangerous." FOrtunately, it's nearby.
"Ah, hey, Ikari..." Tycho pipes up, ignoring the command and cocking an eyebrow on the viewscreen. "The heck is that?"
On the far side of the Solar System, at the Charon Civilian Unmanned Spaceport, a girl with pink hair and stars in her eyes watches silently as the baggage claim rolls on. She is the only person here. She may be the only person for billions of miles. She is waiting for her luggage. From here, she will take a flight to Pluto - and there, she aims to claim the apparently mostly intact wreckage of the downed Buster Machine, Trente-Trois. "Onee-sama...Sanger-san! Yes, everyone...! Nono has finally come this far..." She turns, to regard the lifeless gray orb, so far from the Sun's light, looming large outside the windows of the spaceport. "It won't be long now."
Back, on Titan, at the control platform for the Titan Excavation Project, Nikola Vacheron stands in the middle of the platform, observing the sensor suites and listening as the men around him report the status of the operation's final preparations. "Confirmed," someone says. "Surveillance target has arrived at destination."
"All Buster Machines in position," another man says. "IPA support's in place, too."
"Gravitational variation in central shaft area is currently stabilizing," comes a woman's voice.
"Shafts 2 and 4 stabilized. Shaft 3 conditionally stabilized."
At the bottom of the miles and miles-deep excavation shaft, a light turns on, illuminating Buster Machine Quarante-Deux A and B, the two halves of a combining Buster Machine. Inside, the Serpentine Twins eagerly await the word that all is prepared.
"Angel adenine having effect. Safe repair debt successfully eliminated. Starting time count."
Machines begin to work at the bottom of the shaft, pumping liquids from their tanks into whatever bizarre devices the Serpentine Twins intend to use for their work.
"Two. Three."
"Beginning revival operation," the Twins say, and begin to cut into the seemingly organic floor of the shaft.
As the operation begins, L'arc explains: "This may get rough. Nobody but the Twins knows what's down there. We think it might be some ancient alien Buster Machine...but it's buried under miles of Space Monster corpses. Whatever it is...we don't think the Space Monsters will let us wake it up so easily." She nods, grimly. "Be ready for a serious attack."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami says, "It is familiar."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari says, "Yeah, Science kind of looks like you with pigtails...or do you, um, mean the Buster Machines?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami says, "She does?"
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Rei Ayanami says, "No. The way they are organized."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Amuro Ray says, "A little..."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Stand by and be prepared. Something about this is... worrisome."
[Y-Black Sheep Squadron] Shinji Ikari says, "Oh. Yeah. Isn't the word for when science and the military get together like that 'Technocratic'?"
"Roger that," Sanger replies to Titan's control. The man watches from his cockpit, calmly, as Type 0 lowers itself downward. It moves a little slowly, the directional thrusters on its massive frame firing here and there to keep it from entering the atmosphere in a dangerous manner. However, he wants to be ready to drop to the surface if he has to.
He then flips over a switch, patching him through to the USS Defiant. "Captain Sisko," he says into his radio, "This is Major Zonvolt of the Black Sheep."
He knows where he stands. Battleships are better to place command in - he might outrank Sisko if they were from the same world, but he has worked with the Hiryu Custom before. "I am transferring command of IPA personnel to you, sir. Good luck, and do us proud."
"Sure," Nita says, clambering up onto the command platform. It doesn't bother her; shield or not, she'd rather not stand somewhere particularly dangerous if there's no need for her to do so. Mostly she watches with great interest, because she's never seen anything like this. Rest assured that the book in her hands is recording everything as if she had a video camera, even though she doesn't.
Someone else appears next to Nita without even the crack that she normally produces - a shorter, skinnier girl who looks like Nita in the face and eyes, but has bright red hair. She looks maybe twelve. "Don't tell me they started without me," she complains, immediately, to Nita.
Up in orbit, the Starfleet vessels maneuver. Of the four the Defiant is the newest and toughest, and it hangs somewhere out near the front, while the Utah and the Leacock keep a side-by-side formation. The biggest ship of the bunch, the Mescalero, holds a somewhat higher orbit, looking incredibly majestic about it. The Excelsior class may be old, but it's pretty as hell.
Actually, were they from the same world Sisko would comfortably outrank Sanger - by two levels. He's a naval captain. His XO, Kira, is a Major.
The viewscreen splits as Sanger gets in touch. Straightening a bit in his chair, Ben gives the Type 0's pilot a brisk nod. "Acknowledged, Major. Hold your position for now, and keep your eyes open."
He looks over at Jadzia. "You too, Old Man. I want every sensor on this ship operating at peak efficiency. If so much as a Malthusian pygmy mouse moves out there I want to know it."
The Trill smiles, though it's a tight one. "Of course, sir."
"Well, it's kind of a military thing," is Amuro's sheepish explanation to Shinji before he turns his attention to L'arc. The Gundam flies closer to the surface, faster than the larger machines and able to make a quick landing if need be. He's thankful that Titan doesn't have much of an atmosphere, as atmospheric entry is something /difficult/ to pull off in a Mobile Suit.
"We'll keep our eyes out, Marke..."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "Oh great. Sorry, I forgot to say - my sister's here, too, she's the kid, don't kick her out."
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Are you sure that's appropriate in a potential combat zone?"
[Fac-IPA] Nono | Nikola Vacheron says, "We can't very well do that now, anyway. As long as she's safe..."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "Well, /I'm/ only fifteen. Anyway, even if I don't like saying it, she's a more powerful wizard than I am. Younger ones usually are."
EVA-00 steps behind a slight rise in the relatively featureless ground and kneels down. This 'slight rise' is really a twenty-foot hill of hydrocarbon ice, but it's all relative, really...
Rei lifts the palette rifle and looks towards the excavation site. "Roger," she says into the communication system; she doesn't sight along the weapon yet, although the head of EVA-00 looks left and right as Rei takes in the locations of the various friendly forces.
Her stomach squirms briefly in visceral discomfort at the lighter gravity of Titan. She pushes it down.
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Alright, I'll trust your judgment on this one."
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "All units remain alert and at combat readiness. I have a bad feeling."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Roger that, Defiant."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "That /also/ means there's a laptop on legs somewhere around here. It's shy, though, so you might not see him. - Okay."
"Science." Shinji says, nodding in greeting. She is not harassing Nono right /now/ and Shinji isn't HOT BLOODED anymore...well, no more than usual...so the Third Child is just quietly grateful to have someone in this strange community of space mutants who is on a last name basis with him. He then gets to work, his orders fairly clear.
"Military." Shinji mutters with only mild bitterness. He doesn't know if he's vaguely disappointed in the idea that Amuro is sort of...getting used to being a soldier, or a little envious that his friend outranks him now. He wonders, idly, what his rank would be if the pilots had ranks like normal officers, and is vaguely disgusted with his own curiosity. Shinji's a little weird like that.
Shinji also finishes unwrapping the package, revealing...what looks like, to his vaguely unbelieving eyes, a giant, old-fashioned battery. Shinji blinks, seeing that his EVA's power cord is attached to it, and blinks again as the giant battery emits some strange, blinking lights...causing it to float. He looks at the screen. "It flies."
"Tee hee!" Maya Ibuki snickers, in spite of herself, while a triumphant Aboa and a grumbling Hyuuga exchange funds.
To Shinji's credit, his left eye only twitches a little as he sighs, and takes a position. "Ready, um, down here."
"Pretty handy," Tycho says. She seems to be at terms with the fact that she was being a huge bitch. Nono has a way of making people a little less dumb. "Guess it's the sort of thing that helps when you need that cable..." ...but OK she's still a little snide. Although it sounds like it's probably a joke.
"Thanks, Ray," L'arc says. "And to all of you. Good luck."
Unfortunately...
Something is wrong. On the far end of the solar system, a space fleet patrolship picks up the first signs, as before them, the Red Milky Way blossoms to life with warp signatures. "Th....the Way...!" croaks the operator. "The Red Milky Way is overflowing!!"
At the Security Command Center of the Space Fleet Western District Air Defense Control Array on Triton DS, the klaxon of maximum alert sounsd. "Security threats going from Saturn to Jupiter are increasing, one after another!!" "Space monster intrusion from outside the defense perimeter confirmed!!" As the cries go out, the map that circles the room, showing the status of the entire Red Milky Way, slowly turns a bright red, indicating active intrusions. "40,000...45,000...the highest number in recorded history!! I can't acquire them all!!" "Impossible..." croaks the base commander.
At the Civilian Space Port on Charon, a klaxon sounds, and the outgoing flight lists turn bright red and retract into their displays. The lights turn out, leaving Nono, finally with the last of her luggage, alone with only the dim glow of the red emergency lights. "No...w-wait...wait a minute!! Someone...Someone!! But..." She looks off at Pluto, her voice wavering. "I've come so far..."
Her despair is answered, as a bright light descends outside, revealing Casio Takeshiro, piloting a chartered short distance tour bus. He smirks, and offers a small, two-fingered salute against his ornate captain hat.
On Titan, they appear en masse. Every radar shows the same thing - a swarm of blips, so tremendous it blots out the entire screen, as more space monsters than have ever appeared in a single attack all form up at once. Only the Defiant's incredible scanners stand any chance of supporting the sheer mass of enemies materializing, and even then...Titan's orbit is completely choked. "It's incredible," Roy Anion whispers. "They're thronging from all points...!"
Nian Fok Cham says, "Does that mean they're THAT afraid, just like the Twins said??"
Gurka Kuksis calls, "It's seriously amazing...!! The Titan Variable Gravity Well...it's the real thing!!"
Pasica, however, is down to business. She looks up in her Control Heart, staring up at the incoming wave. "The first wave is coming!!"
Tycho grunts, tapping away on the keyboard in her control heart. "Just like we planned it...Princess!"
L'arc grunts. "Let's do this. Physical Canceler, full power! Exotic Maneuvers!!" Her head and the head of every Topless pilot begins to glow, and the Buster Machines fly up into the atmosphere, ready for war. Explosions are visible from the surface as the Buster machines unload bullets and lasers and everything else - as are the thick waves of spiraling space monsters, come to kill. The battle line is blurry - they come from orbit toward the surface, and attack anyone they can reach. But from orbit, it becomes clear - fully half of that tremendous armada is splitting off, teleporting away again, going...somewhere else?
"Approximately half of the engaged space monsters have broken off," someone calls in the Titan command center. "Estimated heading is...toward Pluto!!"
L'arc's eyes widen. She realizes exactly what that means. "NONO!!"
[Fac-IPA] Nono | Titan Command says, "Here they come! God, there's a million of 'em...40,000, 45,000...our instruments can't keep up! Wait--half of the swarm is breaking off. Calculating heading. They're going toward...Pluto!"
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Nono..."
[Fac-IPA] Nono | L'arc Melk Marre: "NONO!!"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko] Dax: "Reading at least fifty thousand of them and increasing!"
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "Dair can get to Pluto in one jump and take me, if you want me to keep an eye on things. No further without some kind of power source, though!"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "Can we stop them before they reach Pluto?!"
[Fac-IPA] Rei Ayanami says, "Is there a Gate?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "We could, but there are still units closing on Titan."
[Fac-IPA] Nono | Nikola Vacheron says, "Intercept what you can! They're going to warp there, but we should be able to at least thin the crowd! Pluto's on the far end of the Solar System from Titan right now...and there's no Gate that far out..."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "If they split in half...m-maybe the Fraternity can handle here on Titan, and we can try and get to Pluto using one of those, um, warping ships..."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "I can go, but I can't bring any of these big machines..."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Damn it!"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Alright. All units, engage the Space Monsters and thin them out as best you can!"
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan's sister Dairine comes on. Apparently she is using Nita's radio. "Yo. - Look, I don't think we've got time to argue here, do you want me and Neets to teleport or not? What's /on/ Pluto here? If anything."
[Fac-IPA] Rei Ayanami says, "Requesting release of N2 devices."
[Fac-IPA] Misato Katsuragi fumbles with her radio a few moments. "...granted, Rei."
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "Roger that! Gai Daigouji, launching!"
[Fac-IPA] Sakata Gintoki says, "What the hell is going on now?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Not yet, Miss Callahan. And use whatever weapons you have available. We need to destroy as many as we can."
[Fac-IPA] Nono | Nikola says, "Dammit...as-is, we're going to have trouble containing this many, we need all the help we can get."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "-Mister Daigouji's an N2-level weapon?"
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan steals her radio back. "Are these things sentient?"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "...well, I guess that's appropriate."
[Fac-IPA] Sakata Gintoki says, "...Tch."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Understood!"
The Space Monsters come, in great numbers. Sanger's eyes widen as he sees them start to stream out all around them. His surprised expression quickly becomes an enraged snarl, especially as they begin teleporting away. "Damn it, /no/!" he shouts. Nono was there - and protecting her friends means a little less if she dies.
It was a risk he knew she had to take, but he doesn’t want to see it come to this. The hand of the Type 0 reaches over its shoulder and draws the Colossal Blade free, as the first Space Monster comes.
"Get back, demon! Not today!" The hand of the Type 0 fires off - rocketing towards the face of the beast. Then, the thrusters on the back of the Colossal Blade activate as he sweeps the sword out in an arc around him.
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari fights back the terror, "Um, space monsters are attacking, Mister Gintoki."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari chuckles weakly, "More exciting than another friday night, um, washing dishes, you know?"
[Fac-IPA] Sakata Gintoki says, "Really? Sounds like here...So Washing Dishes is pretty uncommon."
The Defiant's powerful tactical sensors begin to ping with readings. Jadzia checks her readouts - and her eyes widen a little. "I'm reading a massive buildup of space monster numbers swinging into the solar system. Forty... no, fifty thousand, at least, and that's just a rough estimate."
"They are closing on Titan!" rumbles Worf.
Ben scowls, one hand gripping the arm of his chair. With the other he gives his command console a tap. "Defiant to all units. Engage the Space Monsters and thin out their ranks as best you can. Use /any/ /means/ /necessary./"
The channel closes, and he signals with one hand. "Major Kira, attack pattern Psi-5000. Mr. Worf, arm the quantum torpedoes, wide spread, maximum yield!"
With a roar of impulse engines (well, a roar IN SPACE) the Defiant leaps into battle. The tough little ship shoots towards the formation of Space Monsters, the other three Starfleet vessels coming with it. As they close on the swarm the Utah and the Leacock break off in tandem and cut hard towards one side, firing photon torpedoes from their overslung weapons pods into the swarm. The bright orange projectiles speed forward in groups of two, each ship's volley detonating among the monsters with a massive clap of photon energy. The much larger Mescalero hangs back, the torpedo launchers on its chin belching slower, larger red torpedoes that produce larger explosions. It fires a few wide-beam phasers, as well.
The Defiant itself shoots forward and turns on one nacelle, a pair of ports on its hull flaring as it unleashes a volley of Starfleet's strongest weapons: quantum torpedoes. They deploy along a wide spread, slashing into the Space Monster ranks to erupt, unleashing devastating spheres of zero-point energy - no doubt enough to rip apart Space Monsters en masse. Or they were last time, anyway.
Rei's display uses relatively simple electronics. The arrival of the Space Monsters somewhat overloads the systems: figures that were meant to track hundreds of targets are confronted with thousands, and then tens of thousands. The heads-up display elements inside of EVA-00's plug flicker for a moment, before finally resorting to 'grouping' notable clumps of Space Monsters. The 'group' outlines flicker and stutter before finally resolving erratically.
Rei feels a moment of cold and unfiltered terror. It contorts her face for a moment at the hideous sight of the things swirling and storming through nearly every direction she can see hits her. Her teeth grind together and her mouth goes as dry as it can in a liquid breathing medium.
It passes. She requests the release of weapons, but even NERV requires time to move them through the Hub. She crouches down, aiming for a cluster of Space Monsters that seem to be heading for the command bridge (as best she can tell) and depressing the rifle's trigger. A hail of high-velocity rounds the size of artillery shells spray out towards them; Rei tries to split her focus as well, to develop the Evangelion's AT Field around it.
She can't do much about the cable but hope.
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari primly, "I always make sure the house has clean dishes, Mister Gintoki."
[Fac-IPA] Sakata Gintoki says, "Really? Want to clean mine?"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "Um...that's more of a question for M-misato..."
[Fac-IPA] Sakata Gintoki says, "Ey Misato. Mind loaning me your hired help?"
[Fac-IPA] Misato Katsuragi says, "...They have school on top of their IPA and NERV duties, so probably not."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "Probably, she says..."
[Fac-IPA] Misato Katsuragi says, "And they're not my hired help."
Well, Amuro briefly thinks to himself, that would explain the headache. Which has not yet gone away...
He reacts quickly, his eyes widening when he hears the news. They're going after Pluto, and Pluto is where /Nono/ is right now. And she'd be defenseless against them, especially enough to fill his radar with white dots. He doesn't need to confirm the report of 40-50 thousand Space Monsters. He believes it on his own.
"Dammit..." The G-3 equips and shoulders the Hyper-Bazooka, charging up a round. As soon as one of the Space Monsters comes into firing range, it unloads with one, no, two rounds of heavy firepower, his mind flashing as the Gundam immediately maneuvers to the right.
He takes a deep breath. Calm. Steady. He's been through bloody battles. He can get through this. He can...why the hell is his head feeling so strange?
Hmmmm! Well, the Nadesico was more or less on standby these days, really. I mean, the overall goal is to get to MARS!
Buuuut, they'll lend their aid to the IPA, if needed! As such, well, the Nadesico is fairly quick to arrive on the scene. There's a pair of faint sparks launching, as the Nadesico hangs back to cheerfully do what it does best. Namely, to play 'Nuke 'Em Till They Glow!' Gai Daigouji is grinning cheerfully as he glances down at a screen.
"Alright, Fryboy! You keep 'em off the Nadesico, and I'll go help the rest of 'em, got it?"
Akito Tenkawa, Ship's Cook and Reluctant Pilot, blinks a few times, then attempts to object. "Look, Gai, I know you're good, but there's five hundred thousand of them! You'll get shredded in moments!"
Gai just laughs maniacally at that! "Wrong, Fryboy! Hey, Captain! Aim a Gravity Blast right at the planet, will ya?"
On the bridge, Yurika Misumara, Captain of the Nadesico, blinks and cocks her head to the side. "Oh. Planning to travel down that way, Mister Yamada. Well, whatever. I'm sure Akito will keep us safe, right Akito?!" Yes, she is smiling. A lot. Akito groans. Gai is laughing while his eyebrow twitches at being called 'Yamada' for the umpteenth time. All is right with the universe.
"Welllll, okay. Anyways, Ruri, fire the Gravity Cannon, alright?"
Ruri just shakes her head, then taps a few buttons. "Firing Gravity Blast Cannon. Have fun, Mister Yamada, and please don't get killed. It causes lots of paperwork."
Gai twitches, then flips his Aestivalis end over end as the Gravity Blast Cannon roars out from the Nadesico's prow, Gai coasting right in behind the beam as it stops and burning straight towards the planet, taking the same trajectory as the earlier blast, flaring his distorion field to full. Have Large Cannon, Will Travel!
"Have no fear, GAI DAIGOUJI'S HERE! I'm on the way, folks!"
And lo, Gai Daigouji, Prophet of Gekiganger, didst descend to Titan! Hurrah!
After a few moments of sheer surprise and shock, Nita and Dairine go into a huddled discussion. It isn't in English or Japanese or any other strictly terrestrial language, and neither one of them is attempting to be understood by anyone but the other. After a few moments of that, Dairine vanishes again. She's sloppy; the crack is audible.
Nita looks up toward the army of space monsters descending, bites her lip, and looks through her Manual as fast as she can. "Come on, come on, offensive wizardries..." Finding the page she wants, she recites a half-dozen words, probably twenty syllables total, clearly into the air.
Something that looks like nothing so much as a gun appears in Nita's hand. It is long, and narrow, vaguely tapered to a point at the far end; it even has a trigger and a stock. Nita kneels, pointing the particle accelerator up at the air with the stock resting against her shoulder, tenses, and squeezes.
A thin red bolt lances out, superaccelerated particles approaching the speed of light - and then breaking it, because this /is/ magic. She is carefully aiming away from the Buster Machines, and any other allies.
Dairine appears on Pluto with a /very/ loud crack. It takes her a few moments to recover from the change in gravities and atmospheres.
"You wouldn't like me very much when I don't need the plug, Science." Shinji mutters in what sounds like battlefield comradery but is actually an accidental admission on account of the frillion space monsters that just showed up. Ayanami's got the right idea with the N2 equipment, but Shinji quietly wishes Asuka was here, as jumpkicking a line of monsters to music seems somehow...better than using an N2 mine.
Deciding that a little hypocrisy was necessary to keep sane, Shinji pulls out his pallet rifle, and oh my God.
It's like someone took Sachiel and multiplied him by a million.
Evangelion Unit-01 drops its rifle as Shinji's little tricks and distractions collectively fail, and he's stuck trying to absorb the sheer terror of facing down the enormous armada of Space Monsters. 'Move', a voice that sounds like him whispers in his ear, 'Move, damnit. Someone you care about is in trouble. You. Need. To. Move.'
But he can't. He's a worthless coward and he's got to /move/ but he can't and.
There is a lot of bad news and not so much good news. The tally that Titan HQ is listing off seems to be a listing of motherships - massive dozens-of-meters-long needles, each of which is disgorging much, MUCH more smaller craft - enough to make distinguishing them difficult. The number of these smaller space monsters is much, much larger, and increasing by the second. The motherships are also far more sturdy, and only about twenty succumb in the initial barrage of the Defiant's quantum torpedos, and more falling beneath Sanger's blade.
The Nadesico appears. The Gravity Cannon cuts a swath through the enemy mass, fully fifty exploding immediately, dozens more sustaining damage. About a dozen of the mother ships turn their full attention to the Nadesico, and begin pouring countless numbers of their smaller craft in its direction. Others turn to Sanger or to the Defiant and its assistant craf. Each has but one goal - crash and destroy.
The good news is that the smaller craft are fragile kamikaze craft - quite literally, little more than living needles that electrocute things and then explode. Even the Evangelions' famously weak pallet rifles tear through them easily, causing explosions as dozens of monsters are destroyed. Nita's attacks work even better, literally pulverizing an entire wave. But they still come."You really helped me out," Nono says to Casio, watching intently as they pilot toward Pluto. Casio chuckles, adjusting his hat. "Trente-Trois is an old war buddy. I have my reasons. But..." He glances over his shoulder at Nono. "I'm amazed that you came all the way out here."
Nono's grip on his seat tightens. "Nono needs a Buster Machine!!" she shouts from the heart. Her eyes are set, and hard. "Nono wants Onee-sama's approval...no. Sanger-san's...everyone's approval!!" Her face twists, showing the sadness of a truly bleak future. "Or else...or else Nono will...I will..."
What will happen will forever be a mystery; the ship is struck by a powerful blast from behind, but rather than destroyed, its electronics are merely knocked out, and the rear segment suffers a powerful explosion. Casio squawks, "Man! Now what is it!?" He looks in his driverside rearview mirror, and...gapes. Behind them, space is turning red from the sheer number of space Monster warp-in points. "...Space Monsters!?"
He whips around, and stares, wide-eyed, at Nono, who is staring intently at Pluto, as if willing it to draw them in.
This is what Dairine will find waiting her as she appears on Pluto's surface - a small ship, literally little more than a spacefaring minibus, smoking and coming in for a crash landing, while over ten thousand space monster motherships materialize out in the void.
On Titan, in the pit, Piaget laughs as her Buster Machine manipulates fine equipment. "Just like we planned. Half went after the robot!" "Now we can buy enough time to tame this thing!" Lecoultre agrees.
"We need a Topless so we can remain as one..." "We can't afford to lose it..."
And in the pit, a brilliant blue-white light begins to shine.
"H...HERE IT COMES!" calls Piaget. "It's answered..." begins Lecoultre. "...our call!!" they finish as one.
In the control room, that blue light takes over the entire bank of monitors, cameras switching over to external view. "Gravitational variation rising!" someone calls. "Clef signal illumination confirmed!!" someone else says. "This light..." whispers Nikola Vasheron. "It CAN'T be!!"
Outside, combat continues, regardless of the madness going on elsewhere. Pasica throws her Buster Machine's shoulder discs as an enormous spiked discus, which tears through entire legions of space monsters before returning to her shoulders as the guards. She huffs and puffs. "There's no end to them!"
Nian Fok Cham's Buster Machine shoots hails of bullets into the air, all four limbs firing fully automatic in a neverending torrent of lead. Shell casings fall to the ground like rain, and the space monsters continue to explode. "Isn't the revival operation done yet!?"
Roy Anion's Buster Machine fires a tremendous beam attack from between its extended 'arms'. "What are the Twins hung up on!? We can't keep this up forever!!"
"Sixth wave coming up!!" Tycho announces loudly. "Behind that, waves seven through thirteen!!"
The sky is turning black from the sheer size and number of the space monster attack swarms. Radars demonstrate the same - an endless field of blips, extending outward into space. There seems to literally be no end to them. Gurka shouts, "My radar's all white! There's no way to stop that many!!"