Titan Aieeeeee! [3/A Bunch]
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: More HOT TITAN ACTION.
EDITS: Spelling, added an "Amuro" into a pose where he forgot to put his name.
Dairine rather abruptly looks horrified. "Uh - sorry - gotta go - " She vanishes. There is no clap. She is not a terribly empathic person at the best of times and Nita is currently calling desperately for help. She appears at Nita's side, almost immediately channeling power to her sister despite gate shock.
Nita herself remains on her knees because it's easier. The wizard's web breaks under the strain, and the rock starts going again; fortunately, Nian Fok Cham is out of the way by now. Unfortunately, this means she has almost no power left to try to stop whatever Pasica is yelling about; she puts what shield she can up, tying it directly into Dairine's power, but it is unlikely to fully stop anything that large.
Dairine stands there, reinforcing the shield with all the power a young wizard can muster. She picks up the particle accelerator, too, but does not do anything but hold it.
Ben sees the needles coming. "Pick those things off, Mr. Worf!" he barks, his voice loud and commanding. He is sitting leaned-forward in his chair, his eyes intent.
The Defiant's phasers blaze towards the needles. The pulses manage to blast some of them - but many more make it through before the tough little ship can do away with them. A train car is not huge in comparison to the Defiant, but the impact of so many objects against the hull shakes the ship, and it lurches in space, turning on a nacelle and bouncing to one side. The shields flicker. A console blows out.
Worf recoils from a shower of sparks, then checks his readings.
"Shields at fifty percent!"
["We've lost the warp drive!"] O'Brien reports over the com line.
Ben closes one fist. He lets out a hard breath through his teeth. "Quantum torpedoes. Full spread. Target th-"
And then, Dax interrupts. "Sir, the creature's firing at two of the Buster pilots! They won't be able t-"
Ben pounds his console, interrupting. "Both of you get out of the way!" he shouts at Pasica and Gurka. "Can somebody get ahold of those two?!"
Then he straightens, lifting his chin defiantly. "Mr. Worf! Target the beast. Quantum torpedoes, full spread!"
The Defiant doesn't need its warp drive right now anyway. It rockets in on impulse, aiming to one side of the beast but keeping a decent distance. It is a fast ship indeed, and it's turned with its ventral hull partially towards the hideous monster. In sequence a volley of bright quantum torpedoes spits from the battlecruiser. They arc forward before whipping around, leaving bright cometary tails as they speed at warp towards the beast, glomming in on it like hawks swooping towards their prey.
Just behind, the Mescalero has risen on its Z-axis and lined up the beast in its sights. The elegant cruiser fires a few red photon torpedoes, the projectiles swooping downwards towards the monster. Unlike the Defiant, the Mescalero is NOT maneuverable.
Meanwhile, the Leacock and Utah have completed basic repairs and are beginning to move slowly towards the battle zone.
Additionally, the Mescalero also took some needle damage. A couple of them are sticking out of its 'neck'.
Gai's Aesti rips around, the Aesti Pilot cursing as he glances up at the panicking kids. Dammit dammit dammit. Screw Gekiganger! This is REAL!
"RIGHT! AESTIVALIS, DON'T FAIL ME NOW!! GEKIGAN.....FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE!"
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd, with that, the Aestivalis pilot rockets straight upwards, a blur of energy around him from his Aestivalis' Distortion field, the older pilot slamming the rocketing Aestivalis right up in between the needles and the Topless. A small, tiny, part of Gai's mind is yammering on about how this isn't how the show is supposed to go, it never happens like this in Gekiganger. The surprisingly practical and optimistic part of Gai's mind has cheerfully shoved the whiner in a box, as the blue Aesti whips both rifles up, eyeing the incoming rifles.
"Alright! Gai Daigouji is on the case! Calm down, take a deep breath, and concentrate on doin' your job! GEKIGAN MISSILE BARRAGE!"
Annnnd, with that the missile pods on Gai's legs spew a hail of rounds towards the oncoming needles, twisting and corkscrewing around in a rather pretty wall of explosions. "But wait, there's MORE! I'm on fire tonight, kids! GEKIGAN DOUBLE SHOOT!"
And, with that, Gai rips both of his Aestivalis' rifles up and just locks on to the remaining needles and any missiles that missed, spewing rifle fire at them, Gai doin' his damnedest to keep Pasica and...Gurka, is it? from getting skewered and turned into shish ka-bob by a combo of direct rifle fire and fraticiding missed missiles to knock needles off course! "Now, calm down and do it by the numbers, got it? These things aren't that tough if you can avoid the big ol' beams, so let's do it, and I'll treat you all to a full viewing of Gekiganger III when you get home, alright?"
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "Sorry...I can't catch this one!"
[Fac-IPA] Nono | L'arc croaks, "W...what is that thing. An...I feel...an unimaginable evil...rejecting...Humanity's very existance...wh...it...must be...a a real...Space Monster...? But...but then...what in the world have we been fighting until now!?"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji sounds distracted. "Different Space Monsters."
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "It's hateful alright..."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari dimly, "Fake Space Monsters?" Pause. "Sorry, that's dumb...Amuro, you can feel it? Can you...I don't know...punch it in the hate or something? Like you did to Karn that one time?"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "I-...I can try?"
The huge needles impale EVA-00. The arm with the progressive knife is rendered useless if not completely detatched; only the saving grace of having the quasi-Buster Machine in front of her saves her from more complete impalement.
Rei doesn't scream. She gasps, instead. She can feel herself bleed into the plugsuit. She quavers for a moment, as her arm feels - gone? Is it there? She doesn't know. She can't let go.
The plan forms in her mind, clear and simple. Approach the enemy; restrain and fully extend the AT Field to maximise explosive pressure. Detonate remaining N2 mine. Detonate EVA-00's core. But...
EVA-00 lurches upright, and slouches, spines perforating its body. The AT Field develops in front of it, and Rei speaks in a quavering tone.
"Unit Zero, active. N2 device retained," she says, her hair falling into her eyes. She should say something to Ikari, she thinks, but she has no words. Talking hurts.
Shinji Ikari pants, and is vaguely suprised to be alive. Damn, the crazy part of him thinks, they don't explode and the thing was only speared. Good, the sane part of him thinks, Ayanami and I are still alive. Oh shit, most of him thinks, deadly needles the size of train cars! Unit-01 moves its hands forward to summon up an ATField, but its palms are pierced before the octagonaly shaped forcefield can manifest...
...causing Shinji Ikari to scream in pain as his hands are rather abruptly pierced as well, causing nasty, spear-like cuts to jab into and through the palms of his hands. Fighting to see through a stream of tears and a lip so throughly bit its bleeding, Shinji looks at his power reserves. Three minutes. The Third Child sighs, and reluctantly forces his hands back onto the butterfly controls... "Ayanami! I...this is my fault, for freaking out! I'll cover you, I swear! I'm sorry!"
...and Unit-01 leaps out of the way just before the Defiant's torpedos impact, proceding to heft the trendily Biblical needles up and hurl them like javelins at the monster as the explosion clears, smoke and ash moving out of the way just as Shinji moves on instinct, unsheathing the Magnalock Exterminate Sword and pulling it up for a massive overhead slash. He does not say 'Gekigan Cut!'.
But a small part of Shinji Ikari's mind is /thinking/ it, complete with sound effects and an epic J-Pop song playing in the background because his job is to kill monsters and it's the coolest job EVER.
Yeah. Emphasis on /small/ part.
Amuro might die here. He'll /probably/ die here.
So what the hell is he doing freaking out and feeling sorry for himself? The pilot should fight as if he is going to die! That's the least he can do!
Telling himself this, the Gundam pilot grits his teeth as the G-3 turns to that horrible, massive beast. And hears Shinji's words. Punch it in the hate?
Wait, that makes no sense.
But neither does anything else here.
And as his machine turns to face the beast, the thing looming over L'arc, as he fires a barrage of heavy fire from the Hyper-Bazooka at some of those needles it shoots out, and any smaller creatures in his way, he tries to just look at it. And look into it. And look right at it. And listen, and /think./
'What are you doing?! Get out! You aren't supposed to be here! Get out and-'
He falls still, as a flood hits him. The creature isn't really shooting it at him. It's thinking it at everyone. It's sentient. It hates. It despises. It destroys because it hates. It hates because it destroys. It doesn't think like a human does, but rather in an endless, streaming wave of hatred untarnished by reason or logic. Amuro has effectively tried to see into the heart of a Great Old One of Space.
Which is why he turns white in the face, narrows his eyes, and just starts /firing/ cartridge after cartridge at the big monster. Some still-rational part of him is glad he brought backup ammunition. Actually, most of him is still rational.
"...Destroy that thing," he instructs over the radio. "/Just destroy it./"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "-......"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "...Destroy that thing. /Just destroy it./"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "It hates you. It hates me. It doesn't hate individuals. It doesn't think. It /just hates./"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari somehow talking over monster swordfight. It's a skill. "Amuro, buddy, um, the whole mid-battle crazies is sort of my thing. ...you okay?"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray stops to catch a breath. "-I'm okay. It's affecting me somehow. I don't understand it. They called it a Topless, maybe
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "Maybe it's a psychic evil space horror."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan sounds exhausted. "I don't know what it is."
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "I tried to hear its thoughts and I just heard a whole lot of hate. It was kind of disturbing..."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari deadpan, "Great. I'll look for a core."
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko] Dax: "Some kind of feral space predator, maybe?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "We can hypothesize about it later. Right now we have to stop it before more innocent people are killed."
[Fac-IPA] Rei Ayanami's voice is wavery. "Do they possess cores?"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "Sorry. I'm calming down now. Daigouji, good job saving the Buster pilots."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari meekly, "S-sorry sir, um...sometimes it's either this, or freak out because I'm fighting a psychic evil space horror, you know?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko hms. "If it's between this and freaking out, then continue. So long as you can juggle between it and your duty."
Needles stream by Gai. A few pierce Pasica's arm and shoulder joint, another rips of one of Gurka's wings.
Then Gai blows the rest of them the hell up. It is astonishingly effective. The Buster Machines are damaged, but Gai's sheer level of firepower obliterates enough that the two pilots are not killed, skewered, or otherwise murdered. "We...I..." Pasica croaks. "I'm getting out of here! Gurka, COME ON!" The two ships take off into space. The monster does not pursue them, because it is being hammered from all angles and a few Topless are the least of its problems. It is wounded - an N2 mine may bounce off an AT field, and this True Space Monster's defense is truly epic, but it is not quite that tough. Shinji's javelins stab into it. It is slashed open - although Shinji's blade barely penetrates that thick armor. Amuro's bullets only penetrate where the armor is already weakened. Quantum torpedoes blow it up. Yet it still comes, not even slowing down. The Troopers resurge, several leaping toward Shinji. Two leap toward Tycho, who howls and bats at them with her ice attacks - and one leaps toward L'arc, even as another swarm of needles heads in her direction. Roy is also the recipient of another, as he whispers incoherently in his cockpit, unable to move from fear.
On Pluto, Casio and Nono stand before Trente-Trois' shattered corpse, the Space Monster armada above watching silently, their tentacles wriggling. "It's...really useless after all..." says Casio. "I realized it a long time ago...that I was getting long in the tooth...of course my Topless powers faded, I'm so old..." His tears make soft sounds as they impact the broken Topless Seal that refused to adhere to his forehead. Dairine's absence is only barely noticed by both, deep in their shame and fear.
Yet, Nono begins to hum, a gentle, music box melody. Her hair and scarf flap in a breeze that does not and cannot exist. Casio looks up, startled, and says, "Nono...??"
"WHAT HAPPENED TO EVERYONE!?" L'arc demands on Titan, all but begging for answers. "I don't know! Hey! Hey!! Dix-Neuf! Move, please...please..."
Its artificial left arm is shot off, utterly obliterated by one of the true Space Monster's needles. Dix-Neuf is moving, slowly, but it will not be fast enough to escape... "DIX-NEUF!! MOVE!!" L'arc shrieks in a panic. She doesn't seem to even fully realize that others are still there.
[Fac-IPA] A radio crackles to life. "...anger... ...volt..."
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "...Major?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Major, is that you?"
Something emerges right before L'arc's Buster Machine. It drops down between her and the looming threat. It takes a moment before it can even be recognized. The shape is humanoid, but it has been warped by intense heat. Slagged, silvery metal drips down the arms and the chest of it. Gold, black, and red armor have been blended together here and there.
By and large, though, the armor is simply /gone/. It appears as a great skeleton, metal insides unveiled. They are bent, sometimes broken; sparks fly from battered circuits, fluids ooze from cut lines. The shoulders are ripped and torn, the legs holed through, and the torso a patchwork of melted armor and gaping holes.
The head is the most terrible part. The armor crest on the left side has melted down the head, while the right side has been blasted away entirely. The face, though, is human - but riddled with cracks and holes, unveiling pulsing circuitry underneath. The eyes, though, still glow with a bright white.
Its arms shoot out, holding its blade before it - a battered thing of white and red tiger stripes, painted black and with deep rivets cut through it by the energies. The thrusters on the back are largely blown out and the pommel has been half-melted, but even in such a sorry state, it is what it is.
The Colossal Blade strikes the needle from the Space Monster, standing between it and Dix-Neuf. It cleaves in half, and Sanger Zonvolt scowls. "I... am Sanger... Zonvolt..." Blood runs down his face in the cockpit; half of the systems have exploded, having been ripped apart by the damages done. He spits blood out, then dives forward with his blade raised. "THE SWORD THAT SMITES EVIL!"
He is facing evil.
He is not afraid.
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt cuts in, clear as day. "THE SWORD THAT SMITES EVIL!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji begins laughing maniacally.
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "DRAMATIC RESURGENCE! ALRIGHT!"
[Fac-IPA] Kyosuke Nanbu says, "Good evening to you too, Chief."
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray sounds, for the first time all night, intensely relieved. "Major!"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari grins. It's all he can do, he's tanking three mobs and the archvillain.
By no means is Ben Sisko a saint of a Starfleet officer. He is a frontier type of commander, a man who backs up his diplomacy with a closed fist. Another officer, a Picard perhaps, might regret destroying this monster without learning about it... but having seen it bore a hole through frigging /Titan/, Ben Sisko has no regrets.
Well, there is one. Even if he succeeds, he might not come out alive.
But that's a risk he must bear.
Presumably, more needles come shooting towards the Federation contingent as well. This time the Defiant is able to get out of the way of the worst of them, though the ship does take some shield damage - but the Mescalero gets hit by the brunt of what spines come that way. The needles ping off of the big ship's hull, leaving a few ugly breaches.
Ben grimaces at the damage to the other ship. Too many people have died today.
And then, his radio crackles.
"-Major!" He is quite surprised indeed. DRAMATIC RESURGENCE is not a Star Trek tactic.
He turns to look at Kira. "Bring us around to starboard! I don't want to hit Ikari and Zonvolt." Then to Worf - "Mr. Worf, lock a tractor beam on that creature! Let's see if we can't give our friends a hand."
From the Defiant's ventral hull a shimmering beam of green-blue shoots, making a warping noise. The tractor reaches out towards the gigantic Space Monster, attempting to lock onto it - and if it's successful, the beam will hold the monster immobile, at least for a moment, opening it to attacks from the /rest/ of the IPA contingent.
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "-um, try and grab the needles, they're piercing this thing's skin better than anything else I've been using! -owowowhandshurtowowowstupidsynchratioowowow."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Understood, Shinji! Apologies for not reporting in sooner."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "J-just glad you're, um, alive!"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Good to see you back with us, Major. We'll try and give you a few free shots."
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko, in the background, "Mr. Worf, lock a tractor beam on that creature!"
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan and Dairine say in sync, "Clear the head!"
Nita Callahan and Dairine drop the shield again when they can't hold it anymore. The others have saved them, or not; there is nothing they can do about that.
What they can do is help with the monster. Nita looks frightened, but firm; Dairine mostly looks cocky. Neither of them want something so - evil - to exist here. Raising the particle accelerator, the spell abruptly expands into a two-person gun; Dairine holds it about halfway up the now eight foot long barrel, while Nita grips the back end and has the stock set firmly against her shoulder. Nita kneels down slightly while Dairine remains standing, tilting the whole weapon up to point directly at the...thing.
They fire at once. The beam this time is not coloured; it's a pure silvery white, as much raw magic as hyperaccelerated particles, narrowed to a pencil-thin beam with all the force behind it and aimed toward the 'face' of the Space Monster.
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "Sheesh, Zonvolt! Quit worryin' folks! A plus on the dramatic re-entrance, though!"
You know what, Amuro thinks to himself, f*ck looking into its heart to see what it is. Just /kill/ the thing. Even if the relatively underpowered G-3 can only do so much against it. His brain is kind of sore today and would prefer no more hatehatehate meltyplanet visions for the rest of the day, or rather, the week.
And then his eyes widen, as he hears a voice on the radio, and sees the Major. /Sees/ him, appearing dramatically in front of grounded L'arc, battered, angry, and /brave./
'Someday, I want to be like him.'
'Pfff nice try.'
'Okay, someday I will raise a kid to be as incredible as him, /and/ the kid will be able to do martial arts, maybe.'
'Fair enough.'
With resurged energy, he smashes down on the Gundam's thrusters, equipping the Beam Saber and racing upwards to try to slash through the oncoming crab creatures. He'll clear the way for clear shots, if nothing else.
"L'arc, hold on! We're going to help!"
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Hn... worry about that later! L'arc, get away. Nono ordered me to protect you. As long as you stay in this ground, Type 0 will not move."
Rei hurts. Sanger Zonvolt's return is pleasing to her on some level; she does not want a comrade to die... but, on another, it strains her. She feels her eyes ache in a strange way.
She does not think they can stop it. She does not even know if she can.
Others keep firing. She only has one limb now. She tucks the N2 mine under the Evangelion's good arm and starts to walk steadily towards the thing; the AT Field develops in front of her. If nothing else, she thinks, it will distract it.
The hand that would normally control EVA-00's left (and wrecked) arm lifts, almost slowly, to press at her cheek. Am I crying? she thinks.
Shinji Ikari and Unit-01 are tackled by the Trooper monsters, somehow managing to hold on to his sword. He figures it's because it barely nicked the damn thing. "D-damn..." But something in Shinji Ikari's brain is actually....hopeful. Ayanami did not blow herself up, lives are being saved, Sanger Zonvolt is alive, and he knows that this thing's own needles hurt it more than anything else. He...but he's...but he...
He's Shinji Ikari, and he kills giant monsters for a living. He can /do this/.
"Two minutes and thirty seconds is more than enough time to take out jerk monsters like you! TORYAAAAAAA!" The strange euphora may not last...it never does, even in the Evangelion, where he can do things right, but Shinji takes full advantage of it. The cover fire slows the monster down enough for Shinji to react to the monsterous Troopers, the Magnalock E Sword moving with a terrible swiftness, slicing one in half, crushing another with a well placed kick, and allowing Shinji to spin around mid-kick to slice the third in twain. Shinji sheathes the Magnalock sword...
...and, having watched cheesy Sci-Fi programming, waits for the Tractor Beam to fire /before/ reaching forward to grab his makeshift javelins. He winces from the sheer pain of holding things with his bloody, psuedo-stigmatized hands(You need the feet and chest for the full effect, thank you 12 years of Cathloic education), flinging one instinctually towards Rei with a shouted, "Ayanami! These pierce its armor!" and a quick duck backwards to allow Nita and her sister to do her thing.
Satisfied that he's given artillery enough time, Shinji channels the collective spirit of all the Tankers and Scrappers who charged into the breach before him, and attempts to spear the thing dead in the chest.
Hmmmmmm! Needles are bad, m'kay! Gai frowns as he glances down at the other rookies. Dammit, who's bright idea was it to shove kids into the middle of this fight? I mean, they're freakin' out, because they obviously haven't watched enough Giant Robot ANime. Gai frowns, and then turns his thrusters to full, burning towards the fight, Gai cheerfully yelling at Roy as he burns for the nearest Buster Machine, which happens to be Tycho. Still, yelling is easy! It's a free action!
"OY! KID! QUIT ACTIN' LIKE AN EXTRA AND GET YER BUTT IN GEAR! IF YA WANT TO SURVIVE, DO IT WITH GUTS! Asides, you ain't allowed to die now! It's payback time!"
Still, Gai isn't going to make it, he's like...over THERE...and Tycho's over THERE...and ROy's even farther away...man, war is hell...Oh well! At least Gai didn't know him, so that's fine! ... What? The Nadesico crew are sometimes jerks. I mean, just look at Uribitake, always throwing a fit over Gai improving his Awesome Aestispaceganger.
ANYWAYS! THAT is when a heavy missile barrage comes arcing down, explosions erupting and blossoming in front of the needle swarm heading for Tycho. The Nadesico, mostly untouched due to the earlier withdrawl, is hovering overhead, gleaming, Yurika hmmming at the brawl. "Oh my. This is quite the mess! Target the big one, Ruri!" "Roger, captain." Annnnnd, with that, a Gravity Blast rocks outwards from the Nadesico, aiming for the Space Monster QUEEN as Gai has named it, the heavy energy blast cracking the abused ground underneath it as it goes. Gai, for his part, is hovering near Tycho, playing overwatch for the Buster Pilot! Gai loves being a hero when things go right!
L'arc's morale is utterly shot. She is saved from certain death only by Dix-Neuf and Sanger, Sanger parrying an entire wave of needles and Dix-Neuf running the hell away. The good news: The Troopers do not pursue Dix-Neuf, their claws clacking. No. They pursue Roy. He fires several more blasts of radiant light, tearing through two more Troopers, before a wave of needles rips through his beam arms. "No..." he croaks, "NO!!" he manages to say, before a Trooper spears his Control Heart on its claw.
"ROY!!" Tycho shrieks, but no sooner does she do so than she is saved by Gai. She says, "Th-thanks...I'm...falling back, i don't have much more..." She retreats quickly, unable to take more, flying away toward an area some miles away, where the other Buster Machine Pilots are gathering.
The Troopers fall like wheat. A beam saber rips one in two, and the Magnalock E Sword follows up on another. They are nothing special - not like this monster, this beast. Even Amuro's G-3, somewhat smaller than it, is able to take them down with a little work.
The True Space Monster falls under fire. Nita and Dairine open fire, blasting its carapace.
But it is still moving. It turns. Turns, turns to face -- the Buster Machine Pilots. Slowly, its maw begins to open - and then the Tractor Beam comes down, holding the monster fast. But it is struggling, and deep within its maw, another blast is forming. The Buster Machine Pilots stare, unwilling or unable to move anymore, their morale torn to pieces. They are not used to this kind of war. That attack won't come until it can open its mouth fully - there is time yet. But, time enough to defeat it...? Either way, Shinji spears it, and it shrieks again in fury.
So far away, Nono's eyes snap open. "ONEE-SAMA!! SANGER!! SHINJI!! EVERYONE!!" In her eyes, in the star-shaped pupils, a red glimmer emerges, which steadies into a solid red-white glow. Two metallic wings emerge, clicking into place, forming a symbol common in this universe of the pupils of her eyes - forming the logo of the Terran Imperial Space Forces.
"I'M COMING!!"
Casio staggers away, as a wind picks up from nowhere, whipping Nono's hair outward, and red glimmers of light appear, floating around aimlessly, but slowly coalescing in Nono's hair, causing it to glow like fire. Nono claps her hands together, and as she separates them, calculations and data in red text scroll along her palms. A pinpoint of glorious white forms, growing and gestating, before shining bright and transforming into midnight black bordered by red. This then shrinks back to the size of a golfball, while more light surrounds it, a miniature galaxy to orbit this miniature black hole.
Above, the Space Monsters emit a whirring sound, and their colorations shift from green and blue to orange and magenta. Nono's clothing evaporates, and red light coalesces around her. She holds the singularity between her palms high, her body floating off the ground - and then crushes it between her palms. There is a sound like reality being torn apart, and the world disappears in a flash of white. When sight returns, Nono and the space monsters are gone.
Casio croaks, "Just now...That...it...couldn't be..."
[Fac-IPA] ??? Nono says, "Onee-sama...Sanger, Shinji, everyone...Please, hold on for just a moment more!"
[Fac-IPA] ??? Nono says, "I'm coming!"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "...Nono!?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "It's going to fire! We've got to kill it before it can get its mouth open!"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "--Wait, wh... what the hell?"
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Nono..."
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji just laughs! "DO IT WITH HARD WORK AND GUTS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "...r-roger?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Hit it with everything you've got!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "Roger that!"
[Fac-IPA] Rei Ayanami says, "Move from immediate area."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "A-ayanami, you're not going to..."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Ayanami. What are you intending?"
[Fac-IPA] Rei Ayanami says, perhaps just a little softer, "I will throw the N2 device."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari lets out a breath. "Okay. G-got it."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Shinji. We'll move in after the N2 mine detonates. Are you ready?"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "I'll hit it at any weak point I can find..."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, hoarsely, "We're about out. I didn't pack enough premade stuff. I can probably amplify the mine a little, though..."
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "Nita, are you going to be alright?"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "You were great, Callahan. T-thank you. Ah...I'll do my best, Major Zonvolt!"
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Do it, Callahan. Do you and your sister need to be withdrawn from your current position?"
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "Yeah, I'm just running out of anything to power things with."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "...maybe later. We'll be fine here for now."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Roger that."
The Space Monster's mouth begins to open, and Ben immediately straightens. "It's going to fire!" he barks into his comlink. "Hit it with everything you've got!"
Worf doesn't even need to be told twice. The huge Klingon keys in a firing sequence and reports, "Quantum torpedo sequence laid in! Targeting the creature... firing quantum torpedoes!"
Ben's eyes don't leave the viewer. He watches, intent, knowing that this could be their last chance to destroy it before it fired another of those hellish beams.
The Defiant doesn't need to be at close range to attack. It opens up with all of its guns at once, raining firepower down at the space monster queen, phasers and quantum torpedoes alike glomming in on the monster's head and chest. The ship's targeting sensors are /very/ precise, disgorging torpedo after torpedo, unleashing a relentless onslaught upon the monster.
Finally the Utah rejoins the fight, but the Leacock appears to have had its weapons knocked offline. The Utah and Mescalero join in with the firepower, flanking the Defiant and unleashing their own less powerful torpedoes in a triple barrage of explosive trans-nuclear Federation firepower.
Back on the bridge, Ben keeps looking forward even as he gives a quiet order. "Dax. Can we deflect the beam with a tractor?"
"I don't think so-"
"If we can't stop it before it prepares to fire... we'll set a collision course and activate the self-destruct sequence."
He thinks of Jake, a universe away, as he gives the order... but he knows that if things turn bad, this creature could kill millions. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one. His expression does not change.
Dax nods, slowly and gravely. "...Aye, sir."
He won't destroy the ship until there is no other hope.
Rei's eyes narrow as the pain washes over her again. Her tongue runs over her lips; it may look somewhat strange, especially with the bit of blood there. She considers the proper angle.
43 seconds of active time remain. It takes her a second to shift the N2 mine back to the Evangelion's hand; the activation signals are transmitted and the device is set to impact detonation. EVA-00 hurls the device in a simple if forceful underhanded throw towards the thing's lower body, trying to throw slightly -through- it -- so that if it dodges, the wrecked earth near it may detonate the mine.
A thought that isn't hers crosses her mind: such a horrible thing, but used for such a great end. She blinks, once.
The N2 mine tumbles in the air, red letters on the side glittering faintly: 'UN'
It probably is a good thing that Dairine left before she saw Nono do /that/.
Both Dairine and Nita look pretty drained at this point; they're both standing, but mostly by leaning on each other. Dair isn't Nita's normal partner, but the two work well together anyway - at least for certain tasks. Blowing up things appears to be one of the certain tasks.
Although they may be running out of premade spells, both of them still have /something/ left. When the N2 mine arcs through the air, Dairine creates a basic energy-manipulation matrix around it, while Nita actually gets her hands in the local control unit.
THe net effect is that the N2 mine's explosion is about ten percent smaller, but significantly more powerful; the energy there is much more focused, even beyond the simple compression.
Amuro listens to the radio for orders and directions. The Gundam G-3 is one of the smaller machines, and it doesn't have the heavy firepower of the battleships, the EVAs, or Sanger's massive Mobile Suit. But it has accuracy. He can just sense where to fire, where to launch shots and where to cut in order to try to make a dent in that massive beast.
The Mobile Suit weaves in and out, avoiding the massive, explosive attacks of others, and thanks to a mind-flash, ducks away from the massive blast of the N2 mine. It closes in, aiming and trying to fire as much as it can into the monster's mouth, into any weakness in its body, anywhere to just slow that massive beam and keep it from melting L'arc and Sanger. It keeps as safe a distance as it can while still in range. It darts about, like a silver and violet bug.
If Nono is coming, he thinks to himself, hope she makes it soon...
Sanger watches on one of the few working sensors as Dix-Neuf pulls back. L'arc is escaping. He protected her, for Nono. The samurai swallows, before he looks back at the main view screen and watches the True Space Monster get grappled by the tractor beam. It will only hold for a moment - and if it fires that beam, they will all die. Even the mighty Grungust can only take so much. One blast was nearly its limit.
The Type 0 kneels down, grabbing a fallen spine from the little part of Titan they remain on. The machine clutches it in its hand, holding the Colossal sword in another. Sanger will need both for this. This thing--this was the true enemy. The petty criminals, the warlords, they all paled before this monster. Everything mankind fought for, everything it dreamed to be would be crushed before the likes of this.
The Type 0 leaps backward, as the Federation ships open fire and the N2 mine is thrown. The machine lands near the edge of the solid ground, part of it cracking. A few rocks tumble into the molten lava, but Sanger is undeterred. He ignores the blood running down his face. Instead, he looks at the monster. "SHINJI!" he bellows, as the artillery fire ends. "/NOW/! FOLLOW MY LEAD!"
Type 0's thrusters fire. It hops, jumping from its current position into an immense arc. As he comes down, he stabs the needle down towards the True Space Monster's hide. A moment later, the Colossal Blade follows in an effort to stab into it twice. Then, the Grungust's feet hit it. He jumps back off it. As he goes airborne, he throws the needle down at the monster.
Then, he grabs the Colossal Blade in a samurai-style grip... and slashes long and hard as he lands, trying to meet Shinji halfway through.
Okay. Lots of things to think about, and Shinji Ikari isn't-
The N2 Mine takes priority as Unit-01 leaps the hell out of the way, Shinji covering his eyes to avoid being blinded by the flash. Nono musti've activated that Buster Machine she was talking about, Shinji thinks, and she's on her way. Maybe it has...superspeed or something. Or maybe she's overestimating her speed and we're all going to die. Oh look there's Amuro, so Shinji and Unit-01 tense up...
...and there's Sanger's call. Shinji's hand...he doesn't have time to dellude himself into thinking its anything but his hand right now...is on the Magnalock's hilt as Sanger gives his call. He waits for the Grungust to come into view, and doubles forward, grabbing onto the still-there needle-spear and sending both of Unit-01's legs swinging at the monster's face, Shinji's legs hitting the ground just as his free arm sends his sword in a follow up slash at said face. He sees Sanger pause, and does the same thing...
...and only thinks, 'Man, Toji or Ayanami would be better suited for this whole samurai schtick than me.' for a second before giving out another "TORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" and swinging the Mangalock Exterminate Sword in perfect synchronization with Sanger's swipe, aiming to meet his kendo teacher's Colossal Blade right in the middle! Of something! Yes!
Hmmmm. Well, that ain't good. The damn thing is opening its mouth again. Sigh. Gai always did want to do things heroically. As such, and completely ignoring any orders to the contrary...welll....Gai cheerfully rockets forwards, idly playin' things by guts and instinct.
"Damn! Those kids are too shocky to get outta the way...and they called the thing a gravity well...which means...yeah! It might just work! By the time I get there, the Hyper Gekigan Bomb should have gone off...ALRIGHT! Here we go!"
See, Gai has a Plan. Yes one of those. And then Sanger jets forwards as well, calling for Shinji.
Well, Gai isn't Shinji...but, hell, it works with his plan. See, between the N2 mine and Sanger and Shinji's Awesome Adventure, Gai has an ace up his sleeve. He's a bit battered by now, and out of ranged weapon ammo. Which leaves his Aesti's polearm. So, while Sanger is going down, Gai's going UP, then flipping over and slamming straight down, putting full power to his mech's thrusters as he dashes along the top of the space monster, the field-disrupting polearm activating.
See, the crazy thing doesn't actually break disruption fields, which are basically gravity barriers. It SHUNTS them, which causes them to lose cohesion long enough to break through.
Which means, at the right angle, you get...
"PASSION SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!" Also known as a Very Pointy Blade made of the disruption field's own gravity!
Giant Robot Anime can solve ANYTHING, if you try hard enough!
"Should we have called out some kind of attack name, Mister Zonvolt?" Shinji asks via the magic of an aside, eyes blinking innocently.
"Yes," Sanger says with complete seriousness. "IRON CROSS STRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE!"
"HAHAHAH! I APPROVE!" Gai says, with EXUBERANCE!
"Iron Cross Striiiiiiiiiiiiike." Shinji mirrors in a mumbling, half-hearted tone, blushing something awful but more afraid of what Sanger and Gai will do if he /doesn't/.
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "NO! NO! SHINJI! YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "DO IT WITH PASSION!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "PASSION, DAMMIT!"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "I'm s-still hitting the thing, aren't I?!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "But it won't work right unless you yell the name RIGHT!"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko] Worf yells an attack name. "DoJbeq' HegHmoHqab!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "SEE?!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "He's got the idea!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "SO! TRY IT AGAIN!"
The monster falls under heavy fire. Held in tractor, it is unable to dodge as blasts erupt around it. It hasn't, come to think of it, MOVED this entire time. The Buster Machine Pilots are scrambling to move, but it's difficult - they are demoralized, and so are their Buster Machines. The N2 Mine explodes, and slams it hard into the earth. Its carapace is seared. It is bleeding, a thick, viscous substance not of this or any world. But still it comes. Shinji and Sanger strike. It is pierced, again and again, and it howls its fury. Then, they try to slice it in half, but...the armor catches the blades. Incisions are made - it is not impervious to such fire, and certainly not after being blown up so many times. But its armor is thick and strong. It is in pain. It may indeed be dying. But not fast enough. It twists around, and thinks, (HATE. KILL. /YOU/.) in a way that even totally normal people may feel the utter, limitless rage. It exists only to kill. A beast existing only to destroy that which invades its territory - and all the universe is its territory. It rips free of the tractor beam, and opens its maw - at Sanger, Shinji, and Gai. The light reaches its peak.
There is a sound like glass shattering, and the surface of Titan right in front of the trio suddenly explodes open. This is nothing like the volcanic eruptions already taking place all over the former moon. No magma emerges - merely the dust and rock of the shattered moon's surface, and a wind-whipped scarf, and hair like fire. A girl, about six feet tall, with a white and red bodysuit with sections of blue.
The energy blast contracts, and then fires, tearing across space with planet-crushing force. No force in all the worlds could stop an attack like that.
There is a whirring sound, almost inaudible amidst the din, as three lenses in three clear shells on her body - one on the back of each hand and one over her heart - activate, and begin to glow a dull blue, green, and red. The energy assault strikes some invisible barrier, rebounds away, but rather than flying off in its new trajectory, gathers up into a sphere, which flows in a thick stream into those three shells.
She floats there, suspended in midair by no visible force, arms crossed, eyes slanted downward and hidden from view by bangs and an orange visor.
There is no way this could be who it appears to be. There is no way it could be anyone else.
"Nono...is that you?" L'arc breathes.
"From Pluto?" Tycho croaks. "How in the..."
"By warp!" the figure proclaims. It is Nono's voice. "For the bonds between Nono and her friends, distance no longer has any meaning!!"
The monstrous True Space Monster...sits there. Wounded, battered, and now - utterly stupefied.
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Nono!"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "Nono!?"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji laughs! "Nono!"
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Nono, are you able to handle this monster?"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "Her...hair's on fire."
[Fac-IPA] ??? Nono says, "You've all done an excellent job. It's hard for normal weapons to hurt something like this. I think...with a little support, I should be able to take it from here."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt might just be smiling. "Roger that. We will assist you."
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "...This...is so /COOL/."
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "...Do what you have to do!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "HEY! FRYCOOK! THIS GIVES ME AN IDEA!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji |Akito Tenkawa says, "Oh god not again."
WHERE: THE FUTURE, Sci-Fi Sector
WHEN: Friday evening, January 12th 2007
WHAT: More HOT TITAN ACTION.
EDITS: Spelling, added an "Amuro" into a pose where he forgot to put his name.
Dairine rather abruptly looks horrified. "Uh - sorry - gotta go - " She vanishes. There is no clap. She is not a terribly empathic person at the best of times and Nita is currently calling desperately for help. She appears at Nita's side, almost immediately channeling power to her sister despite gate shock.
Nita herself remains on her knees because it's easier. The wizard's web breaks under the strain, and the rock starts going again; fortunately, Nian Fok Cham is out of the way by now. Unfortunately, this means she has almost no power left to try to stop whatever Pasica is yelling about; she puts what shield she can up, tying it directly into Dairine's power, but it is unlikely to fully stop anything that large.
Dairine stands there, reinforcing the shield with all the power a young wizard can muster. She picks up the particle accelerator, too, but does not do anything but hold it.
Ben sees the needles coming. "Pick those things off, Mr. Worf!" he barks, his voice loud and commanding. He is sitting leaned-forward in his chair, his eyes intent.
The Defiant's phasers blaze towards the needles. The pulses manage to blast some of them - but many more make it through before the tough little ship can do away with them. A train car is not huge in comparison to the Defiant, but the impact of so many objects against the hull shakes the ship, and it lurches in space, turning on a nacelle and bouncing to one side. The shields flicker. A console blows out.
Worf recoils from a shower of sparks, then checks his readings.
"Shields at fifty percent!"
["We've lost the warp drive!"] O'Brien reports over the com line.
Ben closes one fist. He lets out a hard breath through his teeth. "Quantum torpedoes. Full spread. Target th-"
And then, Dax interrupts. "Sir, the creature's firing at two of the Buster pilots! They won't be able t-"
Ben pounds his console, interrupting. "Both of you get out of the way!" he shouts at Pasica and Gurka. "Can somebody get ahold of those two?!"
Then he straightens, lifting his chin defiantly. "Mr. Worf! Target the beast. Quantum torpedoes, full spread!"
The Defiant doesn't need its warp drive right now anyway. It rockets in on impulse, aiming to one side of the beast but keeping a decent distance. It is a fast ship indeed, and it's turned with its ventral hull partially towards the hideous monster. In sequence a volley of bright quantum torpedoes spits from the battlecruiser. They arc forward before whipping around, leaving bright cometary tails as they speed at warp towards the beast, glomming in on it like hawks swooping towards their prey.
Just behind, the Mescalero has risen on its Z-axis and lined up the beast in its sights. The elegant cruiser fires a few red photon torpedoes, the projectiles swooping downwards towards the monster. Unlike the Defiant, the Mescalero is NOT maneuverable.
Meanwhile, the Leacock and Utah have completed basic repairs and are beginning to move slowly towards the battle zone.
Additionally, the Mescalero also took some needle damage. A couple of them are sticking out of its 'neck'.
Gai's Aesti rips around, the Aesti Pilot cursing as he glances up at the panicking kids. Dammit dammit dammit. Screw Gekiganger! This is REAL!
"RIGHT! AESTIVALIS, DON'T FAIL ME NOW!! GEKIGAN.....FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE!"
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd, with that, the Aestivalis pilot rockets straight upwards, a blur of energy around him from his Aestivalis' Distortion field, the older pilot slamming the rocketing Aestivalis right up in between the needles and the Topless. A small, tiny, part of Gai's mind is yammering on about how this isn't how the show is supposed to go, it never happens like this in Gekiganger. The surprisingly practical and optimistic part of Gai's mind has cheerfully shoved the whiner in a box, as the blue Aesti whips both rifles up, eyeing the incoming rifles.
"Alright! Gai Daigouji is on the case! Calm down, take a deep breath, and concentrate on doin' your job! GEKIGAN MISSILE BARRAGE!"
Annnnd, with that the missile pods on Gai's legs spew a hail of rounds towards the oncoming needles, twisting and corkscrewing around in a rather pretty wall of explosions. "But wait, there's MORE! I'm on fire tonight, kids! GEKIGAN DOUBLE SHOOT!"
And, with that, Gai rips both of his Aestivalis' rifles up and just locks on to the remaining needles and any missiles that missed, spewing rifle fire at them, Gai doin' his damnedest to keep Pasica and...Gurka, is it? from getting skewered and turned into shish ka-bob by a combo of direct rifle fire and fraticiding missed missiles to knock needles off course! "Now, calm down and do it by the numbers, got it? These things aren't that tough if you can avoid the big ol' beams, so let's do it, and I'll treat you all to a full viewing of Gekiganger III when you get home, alright?"
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "Sorry...I can't catch this one!"
[Fac-IPA] Nono | L'arc croaks, "W...what is that thing. An...I feel...an unimaginable evil...rejecting...Humanity's very existance...wh...it...must be...a a real...Space Monster...? But...but then...what in the world have we been fighting until now!?"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji sounds distracted. "Different Space Monsters."
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "It's hateful alright..."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari dimly, "Fake Space Monsters?" Pause. "Sorry, that's dumb...Amuro, you can feel it? Can you...I don't know...punch it in the hate or something? Like you did to Karn that one time?"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "I-...I can try?"
The huge needles impale EVA-00. The arm with the progressive knife is rendered useless if not completely detatched; only the saving grace of having the quasi-Buster Machine in front of her saves her from more complete impalement.
Rei doesn't scream. She gasps, instead. She can feel herself bleed into the plugsuit. She quavers for a moment, as her arm feels - gone? Is it there? She doesn't know. She can't let go.
The plan forms in her mind, clear and simple. Approach the enemy; restrain and fully extend the AT Field to maximise explosive pressure. Detonate remaining N2 mine. Detonate EVA-00's core. But...
EVA-00 lurches upright, and slouches, spines perforating its body. The AT Field develops in front of it, and Rei speaks in a quavering tone.
"Unit Zero, active. N2 device retained," she says, her hair falling into her eyes. She should say something to Ikari, she thinks, but she has no words. Talking hurts.
Shinji Ikari pants, and is vaguely suprised to be alive. Damn, the crazy part of him thinks, they don't explode and the thing was only speared. Good, the sane part of him thinks, Ayanami and I are still alive. Oh shit, most of him thinks, deadly needles the size of train cars! Unit-01 moves its hands forward to summon up an ATField, but its palms are pierced before the octagonaly shaped forcefield can manifest...
...causing Shinji Ikari to scream in pain as his hands are rather abruptly pierced as well, causing nasty, spear-like cuts to jab into and through the palms of his hands. Fighting to see through a stream of tears and a lip so throughly bit its bleeding, Shinji looks at his power reserves. Three minutes. The Third Child sighs, and reluctantly forces his hands back onto the butterfly controls... "Ayanami! I...this is my fault, for freaking out! I'll cover you, I swear! I'm sorry!"
...and Unit-01 leaps out of the way just before the Defiant's torpedos impact, proceding to heft the trendily Biblical needles up and hurl them like javelins at the monster as the explosion clears, smoke and ash moving out of the way just as Shinji moves on instinct, unsheathing the Magnalock Exterminate Sword and pulling it up for a massive overhead slash. He does not say 'Gekigan Cut!'.
But a small part of Shinji Ikari's mind is /thinking/ it, complete with sound effects and an epic J-Pop song playing in the background because his job is to kill monsters and it's the coolest job EVER.
Yeah. Emphasis on /small/ part.
Amuro might die here. He'll /probably/ die here.
So what the hell is he doing freaking out and feeling sorry for himself? The pilot should fight as if he is going to die! That's the least he can do!
Telling himself this, the Gundam pilot grits his teeth as the G-3 turns to that horrible, massive beast. And hears Shinji's words. Punch it in the hate?
Wait, that makes no sense.
But neither does anything else here.
And as his machine turns to face the beast, the thing looming over L'arc, as he fires a barrage of heavy fire from the Hyper-Bazooka at some of those needles it shoots out, and any smaller creatures in his way, he tries to just look at it. And look into it. And look right at it. And listen, and /think./
'What are you doing?! Get out! You aren't supposed to be here! Get out and-'
He falls still, as a flood hits him. The creature isn't really shooting it at him. It's thinking it at everyone. It's sentient. It hates. It despises. It destroys because it hates. It hates because it destroys. It doesn't think like a human does, but rather in an endless, streaming wave of hatred untarnished by reason or logic. Amuro has effectively tried to see into the heart of a Great Old One of Space.
Which is why he turns white in the face, narrows his eyes, and just starts /firing/ cartridge after cartridge at the big monster. Some still-rational part of him is glad he brought backup ammunition. Actually, most of him is still rational.
"...Destroy that thing," he instructs over the radio. "/Just destroy it./"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "-......"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "...Destroy that thing. /Just destroy it./"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "It hates you. It hates me. It doesn't hate individuals. It doesn't think. It /just hates./"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari somehow talking over monster swordfight. It's a skill. "Amuro, buddy, um, the whole mid-battle crazies is sort of my thing. ...you okay?"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray stops to catch a breath. "-I'm okay. It's affecting me somehow. I don't understand it. They called it a Topless, maybe
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "Maybe it's a psychic evil space horror."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan sounds exhausted. "I don't know what it is."
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "I tried to hear its thoughts and I just heard a whole lot of hate. It was kind of disturbing..."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari deadpan, "Great. I'll look for a core."
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko] Dax: "Some kind of feral space predator, maybe?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "We can hypothesize about it later. Right now we have to stop it before more innocent people are killed."
[Fac-IPA] Rei Ayanami's voice is wavery. "Do they possess cores?"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "Sorry. I'm calming down now. Daigouji, good job saving the Buster pilots."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari meekly, "S-sorry sir, um...sometimes it's either this, or freak out because I'm fighting a psychic evil space horror, you know?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko hms. "If it's between this and freaking out, then continue. So long as you can juggle between it and your duty."
Needles stream by Gai. A few pierce Pasica's arm and shoulder joint, another rips of one of Gurka's wings.
Then Gai blows the rest of them the hell up. It is astonishingly effective. The Buster Machines are damaged, but Gai's sheer level of firepower obliterates enough that the two pilots are not killed, skewered, or otherwise murdered. "We...I..." Pasica croaks. "I'm getting out of here! Gurka, COME ON!" The two ships take off into space. The monster does not pursue them, because it is being hammered from all angles and a few Topless are the least of its problems. It is wounded - an N2 mine may bounce off an AT field, and this True Space Monster's defense is truly epic, but it is not quite that tough. Shinji's javelins stab into it. It is slashed open - although Shinji's blade barely penetrates that thick armor. Amuro's bullets only penetrate where the armor is already weakened. Quantum torpedoes blow it up. Yet it still comes, not even slowing down. The Troopers resurge, several leaping toward Shinji. Two leap toward Tycho, who howls and bats at them with her ice attacks - and one leaps toward L'arc, even as another swarm of needles heads in her direction. Roy is also the recipient of another, as he whispers incoherently in his cockpit, unable to move from fear.
On Pluto, Casio and Nono stand before Trente-Trois' shattered corpse, the Space Monster armada above watching silently, their tentacles wriggling. "It's...really useless after all..." says Casio. "I realized it a long time ago...that I was getting long in the tooth...of course my Topless powers faded, I'm so old..." His tears make soft sounds as they impact the broken Topless Seal that refused to adhere to his forehead. Dairine's absence is only barely noticed by both, deep in their shame and fear.
Yet, Nono begins to hum, a gentle, music box melody. Her hair and scarf flap in a breeze that does not and cannot exist. Casio looks up, startled, and says, "Nono...??"
"WHAT HAPPENED TO EVERYONE!?" L'arc demands on Titan, all but begging for answers. "I don't know! Hey! Hey!! Dix-Neuf! Move, please...please..."
Its artificial left arm is shot off, utterly obliterated by one of the true Space Monster's needles. Dix-Neuf is moving, slowly, but it will not be fast enough to escape... "DIX-NEUF!! MOVE!!" L'arc shrieks in a panic. She doesn't seem to even fully realize that others are still there.
[Fac-IPA] A radio crackles to life. "...anger... ...volt..."
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "...Major?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Major, is that you?"
Something emerges right before L'arc's Buster Machine. It drops down between her and the looming threat. It takes a moment before it can even be recognized. The shape is humanoid, but it has been warped by intense heat. Slagged, silvery metal drips down the arms and the chest of it. Gold, black, and red armor have been blended together here and there.
By and large, though, the armor is simply /gone/. It appears as a great skeleton, metal insides unveiled. They are bent, sometimes broken; sparks fly from battered circuits, fluids ooze from cut lines. The shoulders are ripped and torn, the legs holed through, and the torso a patchwork of melted armor and gaping holes.
The head is the most terrible part. The armor crest on the left side has melted down the head, while the right side has been blasted away entirely. The face, though, is human - but riddled with cracks and holes, unveiling pulsing circuitry underneath. The eyes, though, still glow with a bright white.
Its arms shoot out, holding its blade before it - a battered thing of white and red tiger stripes, painted black and with deep rivets cut through it by the energies. The thrusters on the back are largely blown out and the pommel has been half-melted, but even in such a sorry state, it is what it is.
The Colossal Blade strikes the needle from the Space Monster, standing between it and Dix-Neuf. It cleaves in half, and Sanger Zonvolt scowls. "I... am Sanger... Zonvolt..." Blood runs down his face in the cockpit; half of the systems have exploded, having been ripped apart by the damages done. He spits blood out, then dives forward with his blade raised. "THE SWORD THAT SMITES EVIL!"
He is facing evil.
He is not afraid.
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt cuts in, clear as day. "THE SWORD THAT SMITES EVIL!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji begins laughing maniacally.
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "DRAMATIC RESURGENCE! ALRIGHT!"
[Fac-IPA] Kyosuke Nanbu says, "Good evening to you too, Chief."
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray sounds, for the first time all night, intensely relieved. "Major!"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari grins. It's all he can do, he's tanking three mobs and the archvillain.
By no means is Ben Sisko a saint of a Starfleet officer. He is a frontier type of commander, a man who backs up his diplomacy with a closed fist. Another officer, a Picard perhaps, might regret destroying this monster without learning about it... but having seen it bore a hole through frigging /Titan/, Ben Sisko has no regrets.
Well, there is one. Even if he succeeds, he might not come out alive.
But that's a risk he must bear.
Presumably, more needles come shooting towards the Federation contingent as well. This time the Defiant is able to get out of the way of the worst of them, though the ship does take some shield damage - but the Mescalero gets hit by the brunt of what spines come that way. The needles ping off of the big ship's hull, leaving a few ugly breaches.
Ben grimaces at the damage to the other ship. Too many people have died today.
And then, his radio crackles.
"-Major!" He is quite surprised indeed. DRAMATIC RESURGENCE is not a Star Trek tactic.
He turns to look at Kira. "Bring us around to starboard! I don't want to hit Ikari and Zonvolt." Then to Worf - "Mr. Worf, lock a tractor beam on that creature! Let's see if we can't give our friends a hand."
From the Defiant's ventral hull a shimmering beam of green-blue shoots, making a warping noise. The tractor reaches out towards the gigantic Space Monster, attempting to lock onto it - and if it's successful, the beam will hold the monster immobile, at least for a moment, opening it to attacks from the /rest/ of the IPA contingent.
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "-um, try and grab the needles, they're piercing this thing's skin better than anything else I've been using! -owowowhandshurtowowowstupidsynchratioowowow."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Understood, Shinji! Apologies for not reporting in sooner."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "J-just glad you're, um, alive!"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Good to see you back with us, Major. We'll try and give you a few free shots."
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko, in the background, "Mr. Worf, lock a tractor beam on that creature!"
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan and Dairine say in sync, "Clear the head!"
Nita Callahan and Dairine drop the shield again when they can't hold it anymore. The others have saved them, or not; there is nothing they can do about that.
What they can do is help with the monster. Nita looks frightened, but firm; Dairine mostly looks cocky. Neither of them want something so - evil - to exist here. Raising the particle accelerator, the spell abruptly expands into a two-person gun; Dairine holds it about halfway up the now eight foot long barrel, while Nita grips the back end and has the stock set firmly against her shoulder. Nita kneels down slightly while Dairine remains standing, tilting the whole weapon up to point directly at the...thing.
They fire at once. The beam this time is not coloured; it's a pure silvery white, as much raw magic as hyperaccelerated particles, narrowed to a pencil-thin beam with all the force behind it and aimed toward the 'face' of the Space Monster.
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "Sheesh, Zonvolt! Quit worryin' folks! A plus on the dramatic re-entrance, though!"
You know what, Amuro thinks to himself, f*ck looking into its heart to see what it is. Just /kill/ the thing. Even if the relatively underpowered G-3 can only do so much against it. His brain is kind of sore today and would prefer no more hatehatehate meltyplanet visions for the rest of the day, or rather, the week.
And then his eyes widen, as he hears a voice on the radio, and sees the Major. /Sees/ him, appearing dramatically in front of grounded L'arc, battered, angry, and /brave./
'Someday, I want to be like him.'
'Pfff nice try.'
'Okay, someday I will raise a kid to be as incredible as him, /and/ the kid will be able to do martial arts, maybe.'
'Fair enough.'
With resurged energy, he smashes down on the Gundam's thrusters, equipping the Beam Saber and racing upwards to try to slash through the oncoming crab creatures. He'll clear the way for clear shots, if nothing else.
"L'arc, hold on! We're going to help!"
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Hn... worry about that later! L'arc, get away. Nono ordered me to protect you. As long as you stay in this ground, Type 0 will not move."
Rei hurts. Sanger Zonvolt's return is pleasing to her on some level; she does not want a comrade to die... but, on another, it strains her. She feels her eyes ache in a strange way.
She does not think they can stop it. She does not even know if she can.
Others keep firing. She only has one limb now. She tucks the N2 mine under the Evangelion's good arm and starts to walk steadily towards the thing; the AT Field develops in front of her. If nothing else, she thinks, it will distract it.
The hand that would normally control EVA-00's left (and wrecked) arm lifts, almost slowly, to press at her cheek. Am I crying? she thinks.
Shinji Ikari and Unit-01 are tackled by the Trooper monsters, somehow managing to hold on to his sword. He figures it's because it barely nicked the damn thing. "D-damn..." But something in Shinji Ikari's brain is actually....hopeful. Ayanami did not blow herself up, lives are being saved, Sanger Zonvolt is alive, and he knows that this thing's own needles hurt it more than anything else. He...but he's...but he...
He's Shinji Ikari, and he kills giant monsters for a living. He can /do this/.
"Two minutes and thirty seconds is more than enough time to take out jerk monsters like you! TORYAAAAAAA!" The strange euphora may not last...it never does, even in the Evangelion, where he can do things right, but Shinji takes full advantage of it. The cover fire slows the monster down enough for Shinji to react to the monsterous Troopers, the Magnalock E Sword moving with a terrible swiftness, slicing one in half, crushing another with a well placed kick, and allowing Shinji to spin around mid-kick to slice the third in twain. Shinji sheathes the Magnalock sword...
...and, having watched cheesy Sci-Fi programming, waits for the Tractor Beam to fire /before/ reaching forward to grab his makeshift javelins. He winces from the sheer pain of holding things with his bloody, psuedo-stigmatized hands(You need the feet and chest for the full effect, thank you 12 years of Cathloic education), flinging one instinctually towards Rei with a shouted, "Ayanami! These pierce its armor!" and a quick duck backwards to allow Nita and her sister to do her thing.
Satisfied that he's given artillery enough time, Shinji channels the collective spirit of all the Tankers and Scrappers who charged into the breach before him, and attempts to spear the thing dead in the chest.
Hmmmmmm! Needles are bad, m'kay! Gai frowns as he glances down at the other rookies. Dammit, who's bright idea was it to shove kids into the middle of this fight? I mean, they're freakin' out, because they obviously haven't watched enough Giant Robot ANime. Gai frowns, and then turns his thrusters to full, burning towards the fight, Gai cheerfully yelling at Roy as he burns for the nearest Buster Machine, which happens to be Tycho. Still, yelling is easy! It's a free action!
"OY! KID! QUIT ACTIN' LIKE AN EXTRA AND GET YER BUTT IN GEAR! IF YA WANT TO SURVIVE, DO IT WITH GUTS! Asides, you ain't allowed to die now! It's payback time!"
Still, Gai isn't going to make it, he's like...over THERE...and Tycho's over THERE...and ROy's even farther away...man, war is hell...Oh well! At least Gai didn't know him, so that's fine! ... What? The Nadesico crew are sometimes jerks. I mean, just look at Uribitake, always throwing a fit over Gai improving his Awesome Aestispaceganger.
ANYWAYS! THAT is when a heavy missile barrage comes arcing down, explosions erupting and blossoming in front of the needle swarm heading for Tycho. The Nadesico, mostly untouched due to the earlier withdrawl, is hovering overhead, gleaming, Yurika hmmming at the brawl. "Oh my. This is quite the mess! Target the big one, Ruri!" "Roger, captain." Annnnnd, with that, a Gravity Blast rocks outwards from the Nadesico, aiming for the Space Monster QUEEN as Gai has named it, the heavy energy blast cracking the abused ground underneath it as it goes. Gai, for his part, is hovering near Tycho, playing overwatch for the Buster Pilot! Gai loves being a hero when things go right!
L'arc's morale is utterly shot. She is saved from certain death only by Dix-Neuf and Sanger, Sanger parrying an entire wave of needles and Dix-Neuf running the hell away. The good news: The Troopers do not pursue Dix-Neuf, their claws clacking. No. They pursue Roy. He fires several more blasts of radiant light, tearing through two more Troopers, before a wave of needles rips through his beam arms. "No..." he croaks, "NO!!" he manages to say, before a Trooper spears his Control Heart on its claw.
"ROY!!" Tycho shrieks, but no sooner does she do so than she is saved by Gai. She says, "Th-thanks...I'm...falling back, i don't have much more..." She retreats quickly, unable to take more, flying away toward an area some miles away, where the other Buster Machine Pilots are gathering.
The Troopers fall like wheat. A beam saber rips one in two, and the Magnalock E Sword follows up on another. They are nothing special - not like this monster, this beast. Even Amuro's G-3, somewhat smaller than it, is able to take them down with a little work.
The True Space Monster falls under fire. Nita and Dairine open fire, blasting its carapace.
But it is still moving. It turns. Turns, turns to face -- the Buster Machine Pilots. Slowly, its maw begins to open - and then the Tractor Beam comes down, holding the monster fast. But it is struggling, and deep within its maw, another blast is forming. The Buster Machine Pilots stare, unwilling or unable to move anymore, their morale torn to pieces. They are not used to this kind of war. That attack won't come until it can open its mouth fully - there is time yet. But, time enough to defeat it...? Either way, Shinji spears it, and it shrieks again in fury.
So far away, Nono's eyes snap open. "ONEE-SAMA!! SANGER!! SHINJI!! EVERYONE!!" In her eyes, in the star-shaped pupils, a red glimmer emerges, which steadies into a solid red-white glow. Two metallic wings emerge, clicking into place, forming a symbol common in this universe of the pupils of her eyes - forming the logo of the Terran Imperial Space Forces.
"I'M COMING!!"
Casio staggers away, as a wind picks up from nowhere, whipping Nono's hair outward, and red glimmers of light appear, floating around aimlessly, but slowly coalescing in Nono's hair, causing it to glow like fire. Nono claps her hands together, and as she separates them, calculations and data in red text scroll along her palms. A pinpoint of glorious white forms, growing and gestating, before shining bright and transforming into midnight black bordered by red. This then shrinks back to the size of a golfball, while more light surrounds it, a miniature galaxy to orbit this miniature black hole.
Above, the Space Monsters emit a whirring sound, and their colorations shift from green and blue to orange and magenta. Nono's clothing evaporates, and red light coalesces around her. She holds the singularity between her palms high, her body floating off the ground - and then crushes it between her palms. There is a sound like reality being torn apart, and the world disappears in a flash of white. When sight returns, Nono and the space monsters are gone.
Casio croaks, "Just now...That...it...couldn't be..."
[Fac-IPA] ??? Nono says, "Onee-sama...Sanger, Shinji, everyone...Please, hold on for just a moment more!"
[Fac-IPA] ??? Nono says, "I'm coming!"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "...Nono!?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "It's going to fire! We've got to kill it before it can get its mouth open!"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "--Wait, wh... what the hell?"
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Nono..."
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji just laughs! "DO IT WITH HARD WORK AND GUTS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "...r-roger?"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko says, "Hit it with everything you've got!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "Roger that!"
[Fac-IPA] Rei Ayanami says, "Move from immediate area."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "A-ayanami, you're not going to..."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Ayanami. What are you intending?"
[Fac-IPA] Rei Ayanami says, perhaps just a little softer, "I will throw the N2 device."
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari lets out a breath. "Okay. G-got it."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Shinji. We'll move in after the N2 mine detonates. Are you ready?"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "I'll hit it at any weak point I can find..."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, hoarsely, "We're about out. I didn't pack enough premade stuff. I can probably amplify the mine a little, though..."
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "Nita, are you going to be alright?"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "You were great, Callahan. T-thank you. Ah...I'll do my best, Major Zonvolt!"
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Do it, Callahan. Do you and your sister need to be withdrawn from your current position?"
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "Yeah, I'm just running out of anything to power things with."
[Fac-IPA] Nita Callahan says, "...maybe later. We'll be fine here for now."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Roger that."
The Space Monster's mouth begins to open, and Ben immediately straightens. "It's going to fire!" he barks into his comlink. "Hit it with everything you've got!"
Worf doesn't even need to be told twice. The huge Klingon keys in a firing sequence and reports, "Quantum torpedo sequence laid in! Targeting the creature... firing quantum torpedoes!"
Ben's eyes don't leave the viewer. He watches, intent, knowing that this could be their last chance to destroy it before it fired another of those hellish beams.
The Defiant doesn't need to be at close range to attack. It opens up with all of its guns at once, raining firepower down at the space monster queen, phasers and quantum torpedoes alike glomming in on the monster's head and chest. The ship's targeting sensors are /very/ precise, disgorging torpedo after torpedo, unleashing a relentless onslaught upon the monster.
Finally the Utah rejoins the fight, but the Leacock appears to have had its weapons knocked offline. The Utah and Mescalero join in with the firepower, flanking the Defiant and unleashing their own less powerful torpedoes in a triple barrage of explosive trans-nuclear Federation firepower.
Back on the bridge, Ben keeps looking forward even as he gives a quiet order. "Dax. Can we deflect the beam with a tractor?"
"I don't think so-"
"If we can't stop it before it prepares to fire... we'll set a collision course and activate the self-destruct sequence."
He thinks of Jake, a universe away, as he gives the order... but he knows that if things turn bad, this creature could kill millions. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one. His expression does not change.
Dax nods, slowly and gravely. "...Aye, sir."
He won't destroy the ship until there is no other hope.
Rei's eyes narrow as the pain washes over her again. Her tongue runs over her lips; it may look somewhat strange, especially with the bit of blood there. She considers the proper angle.
43 seconds of active time remain. It takes her a second to shift the N2 mine back to the Evangelion's hand; the activation signals are transmitted and the device is set to impact detonation. EVA-00 hurls the device in a simple if forceful underhanded throw towards the thing's lower body, trying to throw slightly -through- it -- so that if it dodges, the wrecked earth near it may detonate the mine.
A thought that isn't hers crosses her mind: such a horrible thing, but used for such a great end. She blinks, once.
The N2 mine tumbles in the air, red letters on the side glittering faintly: 'UN'
It probably is a good thing that Dairine left before she saw Nono do /that/.
Both Dairine and Nita look pretty drained at this point; they're both standing, but mostly by leaning on each other. Dair isn't Nita's normal partner, but the two work well together anyway - at least for certain tasks. Blowing up things appears to be one of the certain tasks.
Although they may be running out of premade spells, both of them still have /something/ left. When the N2 mine arcs through the air, Dairine creates a basic energy-manipulation matrix around it, while Nita actually gets her hands in the local control unit.
THe net effect is that the N2 mine's explosion is about ten percent smaller, but significantly more powerful; the energy there is much more focused, even beyond the simple compression.
Amuro listens to the radio for orders and directions. The Gundam G-3 is one of the smaller machines, and it doesn't have the heavy firepower of the battleships, the EVAs, or Sanger's massive Mobile Suit. But it has accuracy. He can just sense where to fire, where to launch shots and where to cut in order to try to make a dent in that massive beast.
The Mobile Suit weaves in and out, avoiding the massive, explosive attacks of others, and thanks to a mind-flash, ducks away from the massive blast of the N2 mine. It closes in, aiming and trying to fire as much as it can into the monster's mouth, into any weakness in its body, anywhere to just slow that massive beam and keep it from melting L'arc and Sanger. It keeps as safe a distance as it can while still in range. It darts about, like a silver and violet bug.
If Nono is coming, he thinks to himself, hope she makes it soon...
Sanger watches on one of the few working sensors as Dix-Neuf pulls back. L'arc is escaping. He protected her, for Nono. The samurai swallows, before he looks back at the main view screen and watches the True Space Monster get grappled by the tractor beam. It will only hold for a moment - and if it fires that beam, they will all die. Even the mighty Grungust can only take so much. One blast was nearly its limit.
The Type 0 kneels down, grabbing a fallen spine from the little part of Titan they remain on. The machine clutches it in its hand, holding the Colossal sword in another. Sanger will need both for this. This thing--this was the true enemy. The petty criminals, the warlords, they all paled before this monster. Everything mankind fought for, everything it dreamed to be would be crushed before the likes of this.
The Type 0 leaps backward, as the Federation ships open fire and the N2 mine is thrown. The machine lands near the edge of the solid ground, part of it cracking. A few rocks tumble into the molten lava, but Sanger is undeterred. He ignores the blood running down his face. Instead, he looks at the monster. "SHINJI!" he bellows, as the artillery fire ends. "/NOW/! FOLLOW MY LEAD!"
Type 0's thrusters fire. It hops, jumping from its current position into an immense arc. As he comes down, he stabs the needle down towards the True Space Monster's hide. A moment later, the Colossal Blade follows in an effort to stab into it twice. Then, the Grungust's feet hit it. He jumps back off it. As he goes airborne, he throws the needle down at the monster.
Then, he grabs the Colossal Blade in a samurai-style grip... and slashes long and hard as he lands, trying to meet Shinji halfway through.
Okay. Lots of things to think about, and Shinji Ikari isn't-
The N2 Mine takes priority as Unit-01 leaps the hell out of the way, Shinji covering his eyes to avoid being blinded by the flash. Nono musti've activated that Buster Machine she was talking about, Shinji thinks, and she's on her way. Maybe it has...superspeed or something. Or maybe she's overestimating her speed and we're all going to die. Oh look there's Amuro, so Shinji and Unit-01 tense up...
...and there's Sanger's call. Shinji's hand...he doesn't have time to dellude himself into thinking its anything but his hand right now...is on the Magnalock's hilt as Sanger gives his call. He waits for the Grungust to come into view, and doubles forward, grabbing onto the still-there needle-spear and sending both of Unit-01's legs swinging at the monster's face, Shinji's legs hitting the ground just as his free arm sends his sword in a follow up slash at said face. He sees Sanger pause, and does the same thing...
...and only thinks, 'Man, Toji or Ayanami would be better suited for this whole samurai schtick than me.' for a second before giving out another "TORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" and swinging the Mangalock Exterminate Sword in perfect synchronization with Sanger's swipe, aiming to meet his kendo teacher's Colossal Blade right in the middle! Of something! Yes!
Hmmmm. Well, that ain't good. The damn thing is opening its mouth again. Sigh. Gai always did want to do things heroically. As such, and completely ignoring any orders to the contrary...welll....Gai cheerfully rockets forwards, idly playin' things by guts and instinct.
"Damn! Those kids are too shocky to get outta the way...and they called the thing a gravity well...which means...yeah! It might just work! By the time I get there, the Hyper Gekigan Bomb should have gone off...ALRIGHT! Here we go!"
See, Gai has a Plan. Yes one of those. And then Sanger jets forwards as well, calling for Shinji.
Well, Gai isn't Shinji...but, hell, it works with his plan. See, between the N2 mine and Sanger and Shinji's Awesome Adventure, Gai has an ace up his sleeve. He's a bit battered by now, and out of ranged weapon ammo. Which leaves his Aesti's polearm. So, while Sanger is going down, Gai's going UP, then flipping over and slamming straight down, putting full power to his mech's thrusters as he dashes along the top of the space monster, the field-disrupting polearm activating.
See, the crazy thing doesn't actually break disruption fields, which are basically gravity barriers. It SHUNTS them, which causes them to lose cohesion long enough to break through.
Which means, at the right angle, you get...
"PASSION SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!" Also known as a Very Pointy Blade made of the disruption field's own gravity!
Giant Robot Anime can solve ANYTHING, if you try hard enough!
"Should we have called out some kind of attack name, Mister Zonvolt?" Shinji asks via the magic of an aside, eyes blinking innocently.
"Yes," Sanger says with complete seriousness. "IRON CROSS STRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE!"
"HAHAHAH! I APPROVE!" Gai says, with EXUBERANCE!
"Iron Cross Striiiiiiiiiiiiike." Shinji mirrors in a mumbling, half-hearted tone, blushing something awful but more afraid of what Sanger and Gai will do if he /doesn't/.
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "NO! NO! SHINJI! YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "DO IT WITH PASSION!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "PASSION, DAMMIT!"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "I'm s-still hitting the thing, aren't I?!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "But it won't work right unless you yell the name RIGHT!"
[Fac-IPA] Benjamin Sisko] Worf yells an attack name. "DoJbeq' HegHmoHqab!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "SEE?!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "He's got the idea!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "SO! TRY IT AGAIN!"
The monster falls under heavy fire. Held in tractor, it is unable to dodge as blasts erupt around it. It hasn't, come to think of it, MOVED this entire time. The Buster Machine Pilots are scrambling to move, but it's difficult - they are demoralized, and so are their Buster Machines. The N2 Mine explodes, and slams it hard into the earth. Its carapace is seared. It is bleeding, a thick, viscous substance not of this or any world. But still it comes. Shinji and Sanger strike. It is pierced, again and again, and it howls its fury. Then, they try to slice it in half, but...the armor catches the blades. Incisions are made - it is not impervious to such fire, and certainly not after being blown up so many times. But its armor is thick and strong. It is in pain. It may indeed be dying. But not fast enough. It twists around, and thinks, (HATE. KILL. /YOU/.) in a way that even totally normal people may feel the utter, limitless rage. It exists only to kill. A beast existing only to destroy that which invades its territory - and all the universe is its territory. It rips free of the tractor beam, and opens its maw - at Sanger, Shinji, and Gai. The light reaches its peak.
There is a sound like glass shattering, and the surface of Titan right in front of the trio suddenly explodes open. This is nothing like the volcanic eruptions already taking place all over the former moon. No magma emerges - merely the dust and rock of the shattered moon's surface, and a wind-whipped scarf, and hair like fire. A girl, about six feet tall, with a white and red bodysuit with sections of blue.
The energy blast contracts, and then fires, tearing across space with planet-crushing force. No force in all the worlds could stop an attack like that.
There is a whirring sound, almost inaudible amidst the din, as three lenses in three clear shells on her body - one on the back of each hand and one over her heart - activate, and begin to glow a dull blue, green, and red. The energy assault strikes some invisible barrier, rebounds away, but rather than flying off in its new trajectory, gathers up into a sphere, which flows in a thick stream into those three shells.
She floats there, suspended in midair by no visible force, arms crossed, eyes slanted downward and hidden from view by bangs and an orange visor.
There is no way this could be who it appears to be. There is no way it could be anyone else.
"Nono...is that you?" L'arc breathes.
"From Pluto?" Tycho croaks. "How in the..."
"By warp!" the figure proclaims. It is Nono's voice. "For the bonds between Nono and her friends, distance no longer has any meaning!!"
The monstrous True Space Monster...sits there. Wounded, battered, and now - utterly stupefied.
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Nono!"
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "Nono!?"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji laughs! "Nono!"
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Nono, are you able to handle this monster?"
[Fac-IPA] Shinji Ikari says, "Her...hair's on fire."
[Fac-IPA] ??? Nono says, "You've all done an excellent job. It's hard for normal weapons to hurt something like this. I think...with a little support, I should be able to take it from here."
[Fac-IPA] Sanger Zonvolt might just be smiling. "Roger that. We will assist you."
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "...This...is so /COOL/."
[Fac-IPA] Amuro Ray says, "...Do what you have to do!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji says, "HEY! FRYCOOK! THIS GIVES ME AN IDEA!"
[Fac-IPA] Gai Daigouji |Akito Tenkawa says, "Oh god not again."