STMC Finale, Split 3, Part V

[doomlimit]

Part five! In which the war is over, but certain SHU SHIRAKAWAS make sure the battle lasts a little longer.

Watch For!! Shu. Also, what happens when you piss off Superman.



Shinji Ikari says, "Yes, AMuro, that's it."

Excellen Browning takes a deep breath. Then another. "..Is it over..?"

Admiral Akbar says, "The Force was with us, this day."

Ruri Hoshino says, "Yes."
Ruri Hoshino waves a pair of little flags around, unenthusiastically.
Misato Katsuragi says, "I NEED BEER."
Jana Frost says, "Is everyone OK?"
Roy Fokker says, "If I recall right, Mu is buying the first round."
Ryusei Date says, "I... think I need a nap."
Amuro Ray says, "I'm alright."
Excellen Browning says, "Major? I saved some of the champagne I got from the Ms. Universe competition. Unless it got particularly trashed, they should still be stored in the Sheep common area." Cracks a grin. "Feel free to get a head start.."
Amuro Ray says, "I...I'm alright."

Shin Matsunaga says, "...All forces, this is Crusader One."
Shin Matsunaga says, "...It's over. We've done it."

Roy Fokker says, "Sounds like a plan to me."

Shu Shirakawa says, "Indeed you have."

Yurika Misumaru says, a bit smugly. "The Nadesico is still in fighting trim." And then in a more normal tone, "And we haven't had any crew fatalities reported in."
Shu Shirakawa says, "I have to thank you."
Excellen Browning says, "We did it.. We did it!"

Misato Katsuragi says, "That sounds wonderful."

Misato Katsuragi says, "Thank you all. Thank you so much for your help."
Roy Fokker says, "The Sheep common area was undamaged in the attack."

Captain Amuro Ray says, "It's my pleasure, Misato."

Shu Shirakawa enters Jaburo's depths by elevator.
Shu Shirakawa has arrived.

Roy Fokker says, "Crusader One, Sheep One. Enjoy the evening."

Admiral Suzumiya says, "Of course it went well! With this much power, nobody can stand in our way!! HA HA HA HA!!"
Shin Matsunaga says, "You too, Sheep One. Enjoy the peace."
Superman says, "Haruhi, did you do your social studies homework?"
Admiral Suzumiya may or may not be one of those IPL members they let in so she doesn't go crazy and try to take over the cosmos.
Captain Amuro Ray says, "Oh, and one more thing. Fokker, get your act together already."
Amuro Ray says, "...."
Gen Fudo states, "True victory lies in the hearts of the men and women who have fought for it. Vectors, your mission here is over. Return to Daeva."
Misato Katsuragi snortchokes on some bottled water.
Roy Fokker says, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Amuro Ray says, "...I didn't say anything!"
Ruri Hoshino isn't sure who to call an idiot.
Misato Katsuragi wheeze, cough, pant.
You know what I mean.
Captain Amuro Ray says, "You know what I mean," and clicks off.
Hulk Hogan says, "Man, that was awesome, everyone! You guys are all true champions, brothers! Don't forget to train, say your prayers, and eat your vitamins! Keep strong, brothers! Hulkamania rules! I'm out!" Real American hits, and steadily fades.
Roy Fokker mutters. "Need a drink."
Admiral Suzumiya says, "But now, with our task over - SOS Armada, away!"
Misato Katsuragi says, "That's just surreal."
Amuro Ray says, "Okay, IGNORING WHATEVER THAT WAS, thank you, everyone."
Amuro Ray says, "Really, I mean...thank you."

Megumi Rhenard says, "He-hey! Wait a second. The Granzon... it's not leaving, it's heading down towards the planet?"

The last STMC has been destoryed. The Universe is at peace.

Or so you would like to think. A brilliant crimson comet sails down from orbit, the Granzon handling reentry without issue whatsoever. He helped kill the STMC, so he's just coming to get some repairs and well-deserved R&R, right?

If you think that, you don't know Shu very well. He plummets into the massive burning crater created by the burning rainforest... Into the smoking ruins of where the superweapon Ikari thought it would be a lark to fire was.

Pillars of violet energy erupt in a wide circle around the location, and a low, deadly rumble begins to sound out, audible for miles.

Oh God, looks like Shu is being... Shu.

Shu Shirakawa may or may not be stealing the ruins of the Grand Giant Laser thing. Pay no attention to the pillars of gravity ripping up the installation.
Mu La Flaga says, "What the...!"

And just like that.. JUST LIKE THAT.. It's over. The RahXephon is already streaking away from the IPA units in order to run sweeps of the area, Ayato taking his place in the IPL seriously. The few stragglers that remain will not for long, but only once all reads clear does the God Mech nod to those that remain and begins retreating back to join those it arrived with.

Excellen, however. Excellen lowers her gun, taking slow, deep breaths as the adrenaline rush begins to fade. It's over? "We did it.." she murmurs, almost disbelieving. Then, laughter. "We did it...!"

...Hey, where's the Granzon going? "What the..?" Boggling a moment, Excellen's jaw drops open as the sensors flare. No way..! This is just like at the Antarctic..!

Excellen Browning says, "..What..!"
Misato Katsuragi says, "...I don't know. I don't care right now."
Superman says, "Damn it!"
Excellen Browning says, "But, Major M..! That's Jaburo..!"

Superman enters Jaburo's depths by elevator.
Superman has arrived.

Roy Fokker says, "The Macross may be damaged, but I can have a fully armed Veritech there in five minutes."
Misato Katsuragi says, "Dammit, am I still supposed to be responsible? All right, all right..."
Superman says, "I'm on it."

Fire Bomber is STILL PLAYING.

Amuro Ray says, "Thank you, Superman."
Misato Katsuragi says, "Appreciate it, Superman."

Roy Fokker says, "Right. To the Macross?"
Misato Katsuragi says, "I'm leaving the bridge, I'll meet you guys in the breakroom."
Amuro Ray says, "I'll meet you all there..."
Ryoto Hikawa is obviously smiling. "Yes..."

The Combined SOS Armada (Brigade Chief Suzumiya Branch), amid the sound of her half-crazy laughter...warps out.

And then Nono begins ZOOMING TOWARD DIX-NEUF AT SUPERSPEED except...

She stops, as a comet of red screams past. "What--" she whispers, and then, feeling the absence of her precious scarf as she goes, she follows Granzon passing by. She brings a hand up...and scowls. "We just fought so hard to protect that!" she calls. "I, Nono, will never allow evil men to take advantage of the hard work of others! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

She takes off after Shu, but does she have the power in her Physical Reactor to beat him?

...no, not really.

Excellen Browning says, "--Gha! Nono, wait!"
Jana Frost says, "And they just finally finished repairing my ship... *sighs* I'm sorry I couldn't help out like I did with last night's battle.""
Yurika Misumaru says, "You'd better believe we'll be there!"
Excellen Browning mutters something about 'friggin' Granzon..'

The earth shakes and shudders as the pillars of gravity seep their tendrils deeper into the earth, the entire installation shuddering with the forces Granzon is bringing to bear. Shu watches the progress from his cockpit intently, his head resting on a hand as he waits for the inevitable response.

But this is going to proceed as he expected. The alliance will already be colapsing under its own weight... And he hasn't shown them the full potential of his creation.

Hope there's no one alive left in that place. This could get bumpy.

It didn't take long for the SINISTER GOINGS ON of one Shu Shirakawa to reach the Man of Steel. Soaring through the sky, Superman tears through the atmosphere, ripping through the clouds, faster than a speeding bullet!

And with a CRACK, the form of the Man of Steel manifests in front of Shu's deadly machine, arm crossed, brow furrowed, face twisted into a scowl. He's tired, he just fought an army and tanked alien super artillery, and he's having a bad day, so there's really only one thing to say right now.

"Halt, evildoer!" Superman snaps out, his voice somehow rising over the dim and chaos of the Granzon in action, "That doesn't belong to you."

Ruri Hoshino says, "OOC: Oh, hey, what's the name of this dude we have? The dude from Zeon."
Ryoto Hikawa says, "OOC: Bernie Wiseman?"
Ruri Hoshino says, "OOC: No, the dude we captured last night."
Ryoto Hikawa says, "OOC: Gihren Zabi."
Ruri Hoshino says, "OOC: Head honcho guy."
Ruri Hoshino says, "OOC: Thank you."
Jana Frost says, "OOC: I have a question that may seem a little strange. Basically, Jana is still active with the Earth Planetary Force, even though she's with BSS. The EDF is thinking of promoting her within the EDF because of her bravery in last night's fight. This is just 'for decorative purposes' but would it cause any problems within the group?"

There goes Granzon, there goes Superman and.. "Gah! Nono, wait!" This is a REALLY REALLY bad idea, but the Weissritter is soon streaking after the two, muttering about the Granzon in irritation. Excellen damn well doesn't rate her chances on blowing up the red mech, but then again, that's not her intention at all..

Still can't hurt to provide at least a little covering fire, right? Though she holds off for the moment once she's passed through the atmosphere, slowly gliding to a hovered standstill close to the ruined crater.

But not too close.

Nita Callahan | A small black cat comes on the radio long enough to say, "We found where the STMC were coming from in the Hub."
Shin Matsunaga says, "--Mm?"
Regular-Sized Nono says, "...I /thought/ that--were they getting in through a Gate?"
Nita Callahan | Rhiow says, "They were using some Gates in the sub-sub-basements. We've been climbing around them for hours. Nita put a wall in front of them."
Amuro Ray says, "...Thank you, Nita!"
Regular-Sized Nono says, "Then..."

And as the last of the terrible plague upon humankind is finally being eradicated, the dark lingering presence within the minds of Psychodrivers everywhere suddenly begins to lift. Ryusei, within the cockpit of the SRX, begins to close his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. ... That is, until from out of the corner of his eye, he spots the familiar frame of a particularly dark blue mecha from his past. It was this mecha, perhaps, that was the first one to make Ryusei fear for his life and recognize the kind of situation war was. And it is this mecha that Ryusei feels it -his- responsibility to stop him. And so, once Ryusei catches sight of him, he practically -leaps- for the controls. ... Only to find the SRX's once awesome power has decreased to a level where it only gives a dull roar. "... That machine!!! We have to stop it!" he yells, but the hulking Super Robot doesn't respond.

His teammate, however, does. "Ryusei, stop it!!" Rai yells. "Aya's unconscious. We won't be able to move for a while, much less actually fight!!" his commanding voice booms. Ryusei opens his mouth as if to protest... but then just simply sits back in his pilot suit, and closes his eyes, apparently exhausted himself.

Nono says, "Then it really is over..."

Mu La Flaga says, "Hot damn..."
Mu La Flaga says, "Good work."
Shin Matsunaga says, "We'll scour the outer system for any STMC we may have missed. But by all reports, we got them all."
Nita Callahan | Rhiow says, "They can't come in /this/ one. We're going to keep looking around to make sure we're not missing any, and we're going to need some sort of permanent power source to power them with. And there's a few dozen drones sitting around down here that might get out."
Nono says, "I, Nono, will help with that."
Shin Matsunaga says, "...Tell Lady Callahan she's done exemplary work."
Nono says, "Buster Machine Seven exists to beat up ugly space bugs!"
Nono says this in an improbably adorable way.
Nita Callahan | Rhiow says, "For the wall, that is. It's a forcefield. I'm giving this back."
Shu Shirakawa says, "Back."
Excellen Browning says, "Maybe so, but I think I speak for all of us when we say we're just glad to have Nono back."
Misato Katsuragi says, "Seconded."
Amuro Ray says, "We missed Nono."
Nono hee hee.

"It does now." Shu replies idly, the Granzon not stopping in the least. His calculations have, so far, been completely borne out. "You can't stop me, Man of Steel." He smirks at Superman, this fact just somehow communicated to him through the power of Smarm. Or perhaps a video commlink if he has one handy. Nono is ignored. As long as she doesn't interfere, he has no issue with her.

Shu Shirakawa says, "You shouldn't try to move, Ryusei. You might damage something... Valuable."

Mu La Flaga says, "Geh... Superman!"
Mu La Flaga says, "I'm on my way."

Mu La Flaga enters Jaburo's depths by elevator.
Mu La Flaga has arrived.
Prayer Reverie enters Jaburo's depths by elevator.
Prayer Reverie has arrived.

Nono keeps flying, gritting her teeth. There's dust in her eyes, she thinks - it's kind of annoying. Is this what the visor was for? No wonder.

She angrily blinks it away, scrubbing with one hand, while soaring on toward Granzon. She tries to form a Buster Beam in her hands, but the energy sputters and dies.

Her face twists. This is a problem. She is /completely/ out of juice.

Much of the IPA is exhausted and torn apart. However, Mu La Flaga prides himself on being one thing: the man who can make the impossible, possible. The Aile Pack-equipped Strike has zoomed along the curvature of the Earth, flying over its gravity well to close in on the Granzon. As it does, its eyes flare just once; the Mobile Suit is getting a good lock on the immense mecha.

"That thing's a monster," Mu concludes. He smirks, despite himself. "Doesn't matter, though."

He lines up his beam rifle. Unlike Nono, he is not out of juice - he has a good twenty-nine percent of his battery left. The rifle fires, a bolt of energy hurtling off towards the machine!

Mu La Flaga gets a glancing blow on Shu Shirakawa with his Ripoff of the Original Gundam Approaches! Command? attack.

Superman floats for a minute, as if pondering this.

And then he floats back, cracks his knuckles...

...and /soars/ right at the Granzon at top speed, the air shimmering with sheer power as the Man of Steel whales away at Shu's monsterous machine, Superman's goal being fairly simple-punch his way into the cockpit.
Superman hits Shu Shirakawa with his Smarm This attack.

Standing on a floating piece of what is now debris, General St. James sits there in his mech, the Wyvern Prime. Waiting for his extraction, he takes it upon himself to watch the altercation growing between the Granzon, Superman, Nono, and now La Flaga.

The black painted mech shifts around as the General checks his assault rifle... still set on 'Safe'. His brown eyes peer down at what is about to be a battle. He ponders on this.

Pleasepleaseplease don't make her fight the superweapon stealing the other superweapon. She say what happened to the Shirogane. GIANT HOLES punched into the side of a ship with a mini blackhole of sorts is REALLY hard to forget. Angling in, attention is split between the movements of the Granzon and the remaining IPA units, with the white knight moving in beside the smallest Buster Machine. Who.. Oh dear. Someone's battery is running low.

..And here comes Mu. "Shit, MU, WAIT!" Excellen yells suddenly into the radio as she watches the rifle be raised. Oh hell.. "Nono, take cover!" she yells as the Oxtongue is hefted up and aimed, B-Mode locked and set. Oh MAN, if she dies here, Kyosuke is going to kill her.

Excellen Browning misses Shu Shirakawa with her Worst Idea of the Evening attack.

The Granzon is assaulted on all sides, though Nono's attempt brings another smile to his face. "Is this the best that Number Seven can do? Only one swarm of aliens at a time?" He shakes his head. Shu didn't expect mere words to dissuade such a... determined personage as Superman. The Granzon shakes as Superman plows into the mecha, crushing more of the internals and putting a visible, annoying dent into the internal cockpit block through sheer brute force. An eyebrow twitches at the sight. This man really IS ludicrously strong. The assault from behind simply confirms the situation. As the laser bolts glance off os the armor remnants, the central emitter dims, and the complex ceases rumbling... for the moment. One hand, however, slams down into the ruins, a shockwave rocketing through the burning wreckage as metal plating of all shapes and sizes rises, shredding in towards the Granzon (and through Superman, if he is not careful). The plates latch onto the mecha, sealing up the holes and spot-welding through sheer gravitational force, fusing into smooth metal. It only takes moments to restore the outer plating... While it's not as effective as his actual armor, it will do.

"It seems I will have to prove my point." A wormhole opens next to him, as he reaches in, withdrawing the massive Granworm Sword. The gravity-impelled weapon slashes down at Superman, before Granzon plummets through the wormhole...

And coming out behind Mu La Flaga, slashing down at the speedy Gundam-ripoff itself. "You can't stand against the power of Granzon."

Shu Shirakawa gets a glancing blow on Superman with his The Blade That Cleaves Whoever Shu Says To Cleave attack.
Shu Shirakawa gets a glancing blow on Mu La Flaga with his Not Sephiroth attack.

"Not so fast!" Mu shouts. He swings the Strike to the side - and the sword comes tearing down, but only after light has flickered from La Flaga's forehead like a quick burst of lightning. The Newtype turns, and raises the shield of the Aile Striker Pack. It catches the Granworm sword on it; armor plates bend, buckle, and then snap as it tears through.

But, he did not lose any critical systems - just the shield. "I just had a new paintjob on that thing!" Mu snaps at Shu, before he tosses the remains of the shield into Granzon. This is a quick feint to distract him, as he pulls out a new weapon: the beam saber mounted on the back of the wings.

Mu La Flaga gets a glancing blow on Shu Shirakawa with his Mu, Shu, Goo? feint.

Wham!

Normally, it wouldn't be a thing. Right now? Superman's already bleeding, and getting hit with a sword made out of gravity's not making it any better. The teleporting? Also kind of a problem. He needs...

...a breather. Clark pulls back, and up, huffing, and puffing...

...and BLOWING a veritable torrent of icy cold Super Breath, aiming to freeze the Graneon in its tracks!
Superman stuns Shu Shirakawa with his Minty Fresh action.

Nice sword. But she's seen better. And possibly bigger - how big is the Granworm Sword compared to the Colossal Blade?

Out of range of the swings ahead, the Weissritter takes off to avoid contact with the earthshaking and any collapsing trees, Excellen busy forcing the machine to give it her all even with sirens wailing and her own exhaustion closing in. But adrenaline is rising again, and with a final thump, the leg compartment sealed at Weissritter's thigh slides open, ejecting the Shishioh blade.

"Nono! Here! CATCH!" calls the blonde, before throwing the fine samurai sword at her smaller compatriot. This done, gun is once again brought up to bear, and B-Mode resumed. "Boom!" she crows, taking potshots at Granzon's face with the hopes that she might do visuals and sensors some damage.

Excellen Browning hits Shu Shirakawa with her IN UR FACE jab.
Shu Shirakawa is no longer stunned.

"Well, if goddamn Superman is punching him..." General St. James mutters to himself, stepping his unrefinded mech to the edge of the derelict hulk he's standing on. Kneeling down to take better advantage of available cover and get a more stable firing position, Sinclair points his assault rifle downwards, towards the growing battle. "...then I'm not gonna question whether or not he deserves it. But an ally is an ally." As Sin moves the selector from 'Safe' to 'Single', he takes aim at the one hovering on the edge of the battleground... Excellen and her Weissritter. Not wanting to get into a full fledged confrontation he doesn't think he can win, he goes for the scare tactic, trying to place a bullet in her unit's leg... it doesn't need that while flying.

Sinclair St. James gets a glancing blow on Excellen Browning with his Assault Rifle - Warning Shot feint.

Nono keeps trying to get a start, but "My physical reactor's empty!" she calls back to Excellen. "It's no good, I can't--"

Excellen THROWS THE SWORD and Nono goes "What!?" But the Buster Machine Seven isn't so clumsy as to miss an opportunity, and her hands reach out. She's so small, how can she possibly --

Soaring down from the heavens comes a pair of GIGANTIC FREAKING HANDS. It's just like with Diebuster earlier, except smaller, about the size of a Gespenst's hands, soaring down and catching the Shishioh blade in a swordsman's grip, mirroring Nono's own posture as Nono adopts a (very poor) swordfighting stance.

"Well then! I may not be able to fire my Buster Beam, but let me show you -- what Number Seven can do!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

The scream just happens to coincide with the giganto hands and SHishioh Blade chopping the hell out of Granzon's backside!

You critically strike Shu Shirakawa with your Improvised Giant Hands + Sword = WHACHA attack.

The beamsaber slashes into the Graonzon, cutting through some of the fresh steel plating like butter. It's not meant to be actual replacement armor, more of an ablative shell. Just as the Granzon is about to go impale Mu again, Superman encases Granzon in a thick shell of ice. For a moment, the mecha strains against the shell, the ice crackling...

And then shattering when the Oxtongue Rifle blasts the Granzon in its somewhat demonic face. "..." Shu looks irritated at this turn of events, though the arrival of Sinclair as backup helps.

"Perhaps you should be worried about more than a paintjob." Shu comments, before banishingthe Granworm Sword back into the wormhole it came from. Instead, he switches tactics, and begins firing beams from his emitter into that same wormhole. All over the battlefield, beams rain down, space distorting as Superman, Excellen, and Mu La Flaga are bombarded with beams from all directions thanks to Granzon's control over space.

In the midst of his assault, Nono slams into Granzon's back. Now that she has become a threat, Shu will show her the error of her ways. You see, Granzon is very big. Nono is not in her big robot of bigness right now. See Granzon. See Granzon Step. Step, Granzon! Step!

Shu Shirakawa gets a glancing blow on Excellen Browning with his BLAM 4 U jab.
Shu Shirakawa misses Mu La Flaga with his LASERS TO THE LEFT! LASERS TO THE RIGHT! jab.
Shu Shirakawa hits Superman with his Let's Heat This Up A Bit jab.
Shu Shirakawa hits Nono with his GRANZON CRUSH attack.
You take 37 damage.

The Strike manages to weave around the dangerous blasts of energy - when they come pouring out, it slides between them and dashes to and fro, successfully dodging all of the energy bursts that come raining in. His forehead flashes several times as he does, sweat dripping down his brow. This is not an easy battle, and it has gone on long.

But, he is ready. The all too Gundam-like Mobile Suit has its beam saber out; he closes in with the Granzon, and this time, he gives a smooth slash in front of him. The young man follows it up with a hard stab with the saber, trying to bury it into the Super Robot's armor.

"I guess you haven't met me," Mu says. "I'm the man who can the impossible possible!"

Mu La Flaga hits Shu Shirakawa with his Mu Shu Chicken? attack.

Argh! Laaaazzzeeerrrrr!

Superman's thrown to the ground, groaning against the power of Granzon. Pulling himself out of the smoking crater that the laser blasts have caused, the Man of Steel shakes the Ouch off, scowls at the Shurakawamobile, and spits at the ground. "Now you've gone and upset me, Shu."

CRACK, goes the air as Superman makes another flying atckle...trying to literarly shove Granzon over! This will, hopefully, maybe release part of his cargo, too.
Superman misses Shu Shirakawa with his Stand Over There attack.

Nono isn't QUITE in range for crunching, although she's close...

...but Granzon does manage to totally flatten the two hands holding the Shishioh Blade, inspiring Nono to zip down from her hovering position above the battlefield, spin around in mid-air, and KICK the blade full-force at Excellen, shouting, "EXCELLEN! HERE!"

And then, while she's got that momentum, the littlest Buster Machine continues on and circle-kicks at the underside of the Granzon before soaring right past - right between its legs!

You hit Shu Shirakawa with your I CAN'T THINK OF A COOL NAME FOR THIS ATTACK ATTACK jab.

Oops. She didn't quite mean to shatter the ice like that, but the damage has been dealt and there's more to follow. The gun's sights are adjusted, Excellen taking aim again--

And there's a yelp as the Weissritter's leg explodes at the knee joint. Though Sinclair may have aimed for the joint, the limb had already been weakened from earlier crash-kicks into the various Variable Gravity Well monsters. The mecha shudders, limb falling away as it falls back, and in her surprise, Excellen fails to evade most of the lasers.

"Oh man, and here I was hoping the truce'd last long enough for us to recover from hang overs," she mutters, before head snaps up and the Weissritter reaches up to catch her returned weapon. Blade and gun cross, not unlike the ATX Team's logo, before the sensors SCREE and lock onto a target.

And it isn't Shu. "Hit on a girl, you better expect to be hit back," she warns, before unleashing return fire at where she thinks Sinclair is hiding out..

Excellen Browning misses Sinclair St. James with her PeekaBOOM jab.

"What kind of man would I be if I didn't support an ally in trouble?" The General radios back. His mech twists to the side, just in time for Excellen's bullet to slice clean through the armor plating that he'd been hiding behind. His lips curling up into a smile, he actually boosts his mech over the edge of the ruined spaceship, letting gravity take over and pull the black painted Wyvern down towards the Earth.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm greatful for the help. And out of respect, I'm not shooting to kill." Sinclair says, snapping his rifle's selector to 'Burst'. He locks on to Excellen, sending a pair of three round bursts in her direction, aimed at the Weissritter's chest.
Sinclair St. James gets a glancing blow on Excellen Browning with his Assault Rifle - Three Round Bursts attack.
IDLE
Shu let go of the cargo a while ago. He is trying to steal a ten-mile radius installation with deep-crust geothermal power sources. This would probably be impossible for most people not named 'Carmen Sandiego'. But Shu has the power of GRAVITY, which, much like in other places, is justification for all kinds of ridiculous things.

"Is that so?" Shu replies evenly. The Granzon isn't made for dodging much. It's made to take anything that can come at it. The saber shreds through more layers of the armor, opening up a small area which he buries the saber into. The mecha sparks and flares with energy at the impact, only for Granzon to abruptly move to backhand the Mobile Suit away. "Let's put that to the test."

Superman's flying tackle assault comes a moment later, but Shu is familiar with Superman's abilities. It's not like he doesn't have a ton of literature out. The Granzon raises a hand, Gravity rippling and forcing Superman to the side just in time to blow past the large robot. A moment later, the emitter blasts a series of gravitic distortions down at Superman...

Just in time to get circle-kicked by Nono. The little robot causes the Super Robot to budge a couple feet in the air from the hit, even. "... That's more what I expected." Shu replies, smirking, even as he gives Nono some LAZORS for her trouble. Excellen is being distracted by Singlair, so he lets them deal with each other.

Shu replies to Sinclair with a chuckle, "I have to thank you for your assistance." Not that it means anything to Shu, but he is always polite, if acerbic and sassy.
Shu Shirakawa critically strikes Mu La Flaga with his IT'S A GUNDAM PIMPSLAP! attack.
Shu Shirakawa gets a glancing blow on Superman with his You Know It's Gravity Because It's PURPLE attack.
Shu Shirakawa gets a glancing blow on Nono with his Not Using The Damn Meme: LASERS attack.
You take 23 damage.

Nita Callahan says, "Hey, Nono, can I ask a question?"

Nono grunt. "A little busy, but..yes?"
Nita Callahan says, "I'll ask later. This is annoying, not life-threatening."
Nono says, "OK!"

"Hmm, you have a point," concedes the white knight's pilot, though Excellen refrains from smiling just yet. Fortunately, Shu is leaving her for St. James to handle, which is good, because further assaults from /both/ sides would finish her off quite quickly indeed.

"Then I'll return the favour," the blonde confirms after a moment, since, honestly, there's been enough death and Excellen is tired. Tired of it. Tired of death. Attempting to put some cheer into her voice, the Wyvern will find itself locked onto again. Knight vs. Dragon. Hmmhmmhmm! "How's about the one who loses buys the other a round at the victory party~?"

The pimp slap hits the Strike hard; the skin-tight barrier projected by the Phase Shift armor ripples and gives away, as the Granzon's great strength causes some of the armor crunch inward. La Flaga yelps as he gets thrown back hard in his chair; the Strike goes hurtling to the wayside, before it fires its thrusters, and then swoops back around to level itself out.

The Strike is heavily damaged, and Mu wishes had had brought in the Sword - it would be more effective against this monster. No matter, though.

He lines up the beam rifle again. This time, he aims for the giant robot's right elbow. Three fluid, thin, but quite destructive beam rifle shoots are loosed right towards the joint.

Excellen Browning hits Sinclair St. James with her Alcohol: Everyone's Friend! attack.

Mu La Flaga gets a glancing blow on Shu Shirakawa with his The Essence of Ripping off the Gundam is Beam Rifle Antics attack.

Damn it.

WHAM.

"Stop hitting me with gravity!" Superman shouts, having gone from zero to pissed in six seconds. He flexes at the air, and with a shimmer, gravity's hold on him is broken again, as the Man of Steel flies back up to face the mad scientist. Superman pulls a fist back, scowls at Shu...and takes a SWING.

If it connects, the inerta will be so powerful that Superman will swing /again/, and /again/, and /again/, until something stops him!
Superman juggles Shu Shirakawa with his All The Punching combo.
Superman juggles Shu Shirakawa with his All The Punching combo.
Superman juggles Shu Shirakawa with his All The Punching combo.
Superman juggles Shu Shirakawa with his All The Punching combo.

Shu appears to have forgotten the first rule of fighting Buster Machine Seven.

Never, EVER, shoot lasers at her.

One smashes into her back side, but even as she's pushed toward the ground, Nono spins around in the air. She's TIRED, it HURTS ALL OVER, she wants to lie down and TAKE A NAP or maybe watch birds with onee-sama or no the nap sounded really good, but no, even before she wouldn't have tolerated this, and now she REALLY can't.

And so Nono crosses her arms, and the Physical Reactor takes over, and the laser blasts ricochet away from Nono, but then are drawn into those three shells upon her torso. Her hair burns brighter, and she gets a mean little smile on her face, and a ball of brilliance forms in her hands. She starts to levitate away from Granzon, her force field sparking to life, and then she balls her right fist, levels her index finger at Granzon, and shouts, "Then how about THIS! BUSTER BEAM!" before a pencil-thin heat lance hot enough to sear through even Shu's barrier rips across the sky.

You critically strike Shu Shirakawa with your Thank You For The Refill, <3 Nono attack.

"Ha ha... sounds like a bet, young lady." The General chuckles as the right arm is sheared clean off below the elbow joint. He'll be impressed later. For now, he's not overly concerned. The right arm was holding the rapier... and that was broken during the fighting with the STMC. Rifle still intact, Sinclair snaps it up even as his Wyvern falls like a brick... they haven't made an MST yet that can fly. He snaps off several bursts towards Excellen.

"The name's Sin, by the way. General Sinclair St. James. Nice to meet you."
Sinclair St. James misses Excellen Browning with his Assault Rifle - DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA attack.

"Excellen. Excellen Browning, EFA Second Lieutenant." Is Excellen....flirting with the enemy? Surely not! Her voice is awfully playful, however, as her unit swerves, spinning aside as the Wyvern plunges and the bullets fly. Evasive maneuvers are simple enough, even with her unit in shape as poor as that time that mystery gespenst hijacker kicked the crap out of it.. "A pleasure to meet you, Sin~"

Gun lifts again, barrel's muzzle burning within before pure energy descends in three long blasts; aiming to disable, not destroy, it's the left arm she's hoping to cripple this time.
Excellen Browning hits Sinclair St. James with her She'll only twist it a little attack.

Lasers and punching. Punching and lasers. Granzon becomes the focus of an incredible amount of punishment. The mecha's arm raises to intercept Superman once more, but Mu's sharpshooting damages the servos, leaving him open for some serious Super-Pummelling. The impacts shatter the remains of the temporary armoring, and shred the substructure which is rapidly becoming a mass of twisted metal. The Granzon groans when it moves... And Nono's Buster Beam slices a line of destruction across the mecha, causing vital internals to waver and fall out of the machine. Shu's estimations of the situation plummets similarly.

However, Granzon is heavily damaged, not destroyed. He can tell everyone is at their limit. All he needs to do... Is push them over it. A fist slams into the ground, as he pulls up a piece of reinforced structure with a long rivet poking out of it. "Enough!" Shu says, before drawing Superman towards him with his gravity fluctuations... And slamming the beam out in a baseball strike. Superman is similarly aimed towards Mu La Flaga. The 'weapon' itself is flipped, and then accelerated towards Nono at high speed in retaliation. Simple, straightforward... But is it enough?

Shu Shirakawa misses Superman with his Beam With A Gravity Nail attack.
Shu Shirakawa hits Mu La Flaga with his Drive Down Center Field attack.
Shu Shirakawa hits Nono with his Gravneto!? attack.
You take 25 damage.
Mu La Flaga has been knocked out!
Misato Katsuragi says, "uh ohs"
IDLE
+health
================================= Your Stats =================================
Agility 4 Rapid Armor: Number 7
Accuracy 3 Skilled Current Health:
Stamina 3 Durable 24/160
Power 4 Dangerous
==============================================================================
Sinclair St. James says, "Hahaha, Gravity Nail"
Amuro Ray says, "heh heh heh, he said nail, heh heh heh."
Pushing Superman over his limit?

WHAM! The fist of the man of steel SLAMS into the beam with enough force to simply shatter the gravity-force hurtling towards him, creating a Superman sized hole in the Gravity Baseball Bat. It is, sadly, not enough to spare Mu, but the Man of Steel endures.

Not the best idea in the world. "I'm the one who shouts 'enough!', criminal." Superman clips out imperiously, twisting back to get a good aim...

...and straight up grabbing the dent he made, trying to /rip/ a hole in the Granzon so Clark can get to its rich, soft, creamy center.
Superman misses Shu Shirakawa with his Mad Scientists Are Like The Creamy Centers Of Cadbury's Cream Eggs attack.
IDLE

Mu isn't hit by Superman, but he /is/ hit by the beam of gravity. It connects with the GAT-X105; the beam hits the Phase Shift armor. The forcefield folds for a moment, rippling as it tries to hold. It cannot; the energy beam rips clean through it and tears out the back side. The Strike, mighty as it is, is suddenly brought down.

And to make matters worse, the power is cut from the battery inside. This means that Mu's machine suddenly becomes a dull grey and largely unresponsive, save for a few sudden flashes inside of the cockpit.

He has emergency systems. "Damn it!"

"Heh... heh heh." Sin can't help but chuckle. He's still got it, a woman that sounds like she's easily half his age is flirting with him. Not able to actually dodge while in a free fall, he is able to twist about, taking the hits to the shoulder plating, which also shears off. "I'll be looking forward to that drink, El Tee. Been a while since I was a butter-bar, brings back memories from the English Channel."

The Wyvern leans forwards and exposes the stinger missile system that gave the MST model it's name. Several missiles launch from it's backside and spiral in on the Weissritter. This will be a close fight.
Sinclair St. James hits Excellen Browning with his Stinger Missiles attack.

The beam smashes into Nono's barrier, ripping through it just as Nono skims to the side, narrowly evading getting completely destroyed. But she's in pain. Her systems are sparking, her body aches, her MIND aches, it's been so long since she slept, since she rested, since she did ANYTHING but WORK, and now this Shirakawa bastard is keeping her up even longer, and

Nono's bright red pupils suddenly spark, and another Buster Beam charge forms in her right hand...but this time, she doesn't discharge it as she clutches it. She streaks down toward Granzon, screaming, "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--!" as she flies, energy gathering around her. Then she rears back and PUNCHES Granzon with all her strength, the Buster Beam charge there firing directly into Granzon at point blank range. It's less concentrated than Nono's regular Buster Beam attacks, but -- there's no distance to reduce its power, this time.
You hit Shu Shirakawa with your Point-Blank Buster Beam Punch super.
Shu Shirakawa has been knocked out!

Poor Sin. She'll flirt with almost anything, you know, from plushie sentient bears to members of entirely different species all together. Ah well. Better not disillusion him too early..

"Mu..!" The Strike goes down, but Superman and Nono (and, damn him) Shu are still standing, and it is concern for her allies that lets her guard down. That, and tiredness, reducing her focus considerably. The missiles connect, doing damage across the board, and (most importantly) bring the Oxtongue Rifle offline. There's a muffled curse at that, once that she refrains from sharing on channel, but her main gun is by no means her only weapon.

"Not sure what a butter-bar is, but I'm sure you've tales to tell over drinks," she replies, before pressing in on the control levers to release the last of the split missiles. The cannisters swoop away and forward, falling apart to unleash the wave of minature rockets on her opponent.
Excellen Browning hits Sinclair St. James with her A Light Dusting Should Do It attack.
The Granzon, even now, is a terrifying opponent. The Man of Steel slams into the Granzon, but the Granzon matches it, the mecha and man seemingly battling for dominance and enough room to make a finishing blow.

Nono solves the problem nicely. The fist slams into the Granzon, shattering the main emitter and opening a large hole clear through the mecha. The Granzon reels back, sparking, power levels dropping below critical levels.

Shu glares at the readings. "Tch... So be it. There are always other opportunities." He reaches down, and hits several keys, activating backup escape systems. With a roar, the Granzon begins rushing away at high speed due to the Boost Drive system that has suddenly been activated. Still, he's dropping little parts from his mecha as he runs. He's been blasted pretty good.

The rockets impact on the Wyvern's chest, sending it tumbling backwards out of control. Parts fall away, primarily those that have been installed to allow it to fight half-assedly in space for this day. It takes several seconds for Sinclair to get a hold of his machine. As it falls down through the sky, Sin doesn't take any more offensive movements, keeping the machine still.

"Well, looks like I'll have to buy you the drink, miss. See you tomorrow."

A quartet of Pave Low helicopters come swooping by, trailing cables and electromagnets behind them. They bank inward and make a pass at the General's mech, enough of the magnets managing to clamp on to the Wyvern to hold. The choppers, with the extra weight slowing them down, veer away, out of the combat area.

Shu's timing couldn't be better...

...as Nono's resolve finally fails. She follows through on her punch...and then tumbles down, down, out of the sky as her reactors fail. The color of her hair changes back to its bright, neon pink; the shining in her pupils cease, and her jumpsuit disappears, putting Nono back in what she was wearing the last time she transformed - her Fraternity uniform, with the Fraternity patch torn off.

You switch armor modes to Goony Bird.

Oxtongue may be damaged, but there's nothing wrong with the beam cannon. Excellen lifts her mech's arm, pointing towards the Wyvern...which proves unnecessary, as Sin bows out and takes the bet with him. "..I'll hold you to that!" she calls after him, remaining in place Just In Case, and it isn't until they're well and truly in the distance that the Weissritter turns about and descends towards Mu's fallen mech. It does not land, however - with only one leg, she'd tip right over!

"Mu, how're you holding up in there?" Scanners watch Shu make his rapid departure, but the EFA pilot does not move to stop him. Too damaged, and not enough weapons of her own to safely wrangle something of that size even with assistance! She looks about for Nono, too, ready to let herself slump in her chair. Then, a cry! And she veers sharply, swooping down to catch the tumbling buster machine girl. "Nono..!" Oh crapohcrapohcrap, don't be dead AGAIN.

Nono sudden catastrophic power-down sounds!!
Nono ...
Nono ...

"Whew." Superman pants. Man, that was nuts. And then...

Dang! The Man of Steel doubles forward....

...and with a swoop, catches Nono mid fall, landing with a skid on Excellen's mecha's hand. "She's okay!" Superman says, cheerful so as not to pass out. "Just exhausted. She needs some rest."

Nono zzzzzzzzzzzz
Excellen Browning lets out a relieved sigh. "Nice catch, Superman!"
Misato Katsuragi says, "...dammit, Nono, STOP SCARING US LIKE THAT"
Superman says, "You would've had her if I didn't."
Nita Callahan says, "I guess she's had a pretty busy day."
Excellen Browning chuckles. "Maybe so. Doesn't change the fact it was a great catch."
Superman says, "Hey, comes with the red cape."

Best catch ever. Weissritter's pilot lets out a relieved sigh, and the dented white shoulders seem to sag in time with her own. "Thank goodness.." Slowly, the machine turns about and carefully carried its passengers back towards the downed mobile suit, of only to keep watch and company.

"It's over. Now we can go /home/." And sleep. Sleep sounds real good right now.

Nono opines, "zzzzzzzzz"

Nita Callahan says, "If she wakes up soon, let her know I need to talk to her. No rush."
Excellen Browning says, "No worries."
Excellen Browning says, "I have a couple of questions, too.."
Nita Callahan says, "Actually, maybe I'll just ask you guys."
Nita Callahan says, "Do any of you know a way to lure these drones around? They're kind of...I blocked the Gates, but a few of the drones won't leave me alone and they're getting /really/ annoying."
Nita Callahan says, "And I'm in the Hub, so I can't even push them around."
Nita Callahan says, "So if there's, I don't know, a dog whistle or something for these things, I'd love to hear about it."
Celene Hunter says, "Psychic CATS songs scared them off, earlier."
Nita Callahan says, "I can get a psychic cat, does that - " (Don't even think about it.) " - Never mind."
Ruri Ruri Hoshino says, "Ni ni."
Celene Hunter pff.
Celene Hunter says, "Hell, I don't know. Maybe try thinking giant frowns at them?"
Nita Callahan says, "I think the best I can do is irritation. They're loud."