Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

The last RPG was "Zeta Gundam: Tales from the Frontlines - The AEUG" which ran from 2006-14.
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Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

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~February 20, Universal Century 0088~
~23:58 Coordinated Universal Time~

- Gryps 2 Space -

- The Dervish -
- Bridge -

"You're damn right they do," Abbey muttered, glancing down from the video screen to the bridge windows and patting sweat from his brow, "Stand them up in the right place and we'll knock them down,". It felt like a lifetime ago when the warning had run through the fleet that the Titans and Axis were rapidly approaching Gryps 2, but there had been an unsettling period of quiet after a frenetic rush to combat preparedness. It was only in the last thirty minutes or so the first signs of fighting were visible at the far edge of the AEUG's defense zones. A lonely hair-thin streak of beam fire here and there and a few small explosions were the only visual indication that anything was happening. On the screen above him, Capt. Loweno flashed a conspiratorial grin, "I think we can manage that, Carl. I'm going to bag a Sally K or two myself, but I'll try to save a few targets for you,". The captain smiled faintly as he secured the helmet of his normal suit.

"That's very generous," he chuckled dryly. He was doing his best to keep his normal demeanor, for the crew if for nothing else, but something felt different this time. He didn't have the same sense of dread he felt in the pit of his stomach during the Hatte ambush, and yet... He exhaled slowly and his eyes wandered from the windows to the operators at their stations. Perhaps he was just accepting that this would, in all likelihood, be his last command, whether the AEUG won or lost. He was not a fragile old man yet, but he had decided months ago that he had seen just about enough of war. If he made his way back to the moon aboard his own ship or in a pine box (metaphorically speaking), at least he had the chance to end his career with a bang.

The three stalwart vessels that made up the surviving 4th Squadron had been resupplied several days prior thanks to the work of Maximilian Gates, and the men and women who served as their crews had had a little over two weeks to decompress after Operation Maelstrom. However, half a month was not enough time to properly rest after a battle of that size and importance, especially when the AEUG had to maintain a constant vigil to protect the colony laser.
Additionally, the excitement of using Gryps 2 to push Axis off of its collision course with Granada, the continued absence of the Argama and the news pouring in from Earth and the colonies kept the pressure dialed up. The stress levels were not unmanageable, though, and the mechanics and engineers had even seemed to work at twice their normal speed over the last week or so.

Because of the state the AEUG was in the 4th was still being treated as a full strength unit despite their losses, and as such they would be expected to hold their own without being directly propped up by another Irish-class the way some of the other squads were set up in overlapping fields. Not only was that the case, but the way the fleet was initially poised to respond to the enemy would put the 4th at one of the edges of the defense. Abbey had readily agreed to the assignment. They were their own arm in Maelstrom; they could handle semi-autonomous operations at Gryps. And to begin their semi-autonomous adventure anew, the Dervish was positioned behind and slightly above her two Salamis Kai escorts. Everyone expected Gryps to turn into a slugfest, and Abbey wanted to be sure he could quickly adjust the ship's guns to hit their mark despite what would be monstrously high Minovsky density.

"The Radish is on the move, sir. Whole fleet is stirred up," Filmore reported, adding a low whistle when he saw the number of ships being tracked on his equipment. Jungst grunted, "Minovsky is spiking," just as another flash lit up space beyond the ship's effective range, this one closer than the early opening shots. "They're not wasting any time," Wade observed as he floated onto the bridge and switched places with the backup helmsman. "Not today," Abbey responded as he floated towards his command chair, "They can't hold anything back,". He reached for his field glasses and squinted into the eyepieces for a moment, trying to get a look at whatever was visible at their current range. His mouth twisted into a grimace as a small "Hrmmm" escaped his lips when he saw what appeared to be a much bigger ship among the distant Titans. "The Jupitris..." he grumbled under his breath.

"The Titans are steadily advancing... The Radish has moved to directly counter them..." Jane updated, listening to the huge amount of friendly radio traffic even as it began to break down from interference. Abbey lowered his binoculars and thought for a moment, and then ordered, "Wade, take us to point six - half power. We'll trap whoever tries to avoid Henken by coming our way,". Wade nodded and began to move the ship as the orders were transferred to the Hamburg and New Yark. "Moving to point six at half power," he repeated, and a display connected to his controls showed their course change.

Abbey picked up the handset on the armrest of his chair and connected to the hangar control room. After a short period of buzzes the other end picked up, and the captain asked, "Have you prepped the hangar yet?". "Yes sir, just about," the deck officer in the hangar answered, "We're ready for anything,". Abbey hung up the handset and called for Jane's attention. "Put us on combat standby and have the MS teams ready for launch. I want us prepared to respond on a moment's notice,".

- Team 1 Ready Room -

Fritz sat in the corner of the ready room sipping a packet of water, his normal suit already pulled up to his waist and ready to go. Dark circles had begun to form under his eyes because of a deficiency of sleep over the past couple of days, but he had gotten enough rest to function and prepare himself to fly. When he did sleep, he had nightmares about A Baoa Qu. Thinking about it only annoyed him further, because he hadn't even dreamt about A Baoa Qu before or after the Gate of Zedan. And now he was up in the middle of the night waiting for a battle to start... "Fritz," Celeste said, tearing his attention away from the water he had unconsciously zoned out staring at, "I asked if you thought we'd come across Nick again in the middle of this,". He looked at her and then blew out a breath and shook his head, "Who knows. The Titans are a mess right now from what I understand. At this point though, it wouldn't surprise me...".

Fritz ran a hand through his hair and said, "You're not still planning to take Celeine out there with you, are you? There's no way I'm letting that happen,". Celeste frowned and began to answer when Michiko entered the room. "Why did they have to get here this late?" Michiko mumbled, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she moved towards her locker. "The Zekes never were very courteous," Fritz said, taking another sip, "Titans either,".

- Hangar -

"Yes, that's good," Dr. M said, dusting his hands off on his AE coveralls as he backed away from an open panel inside the cockpit of Jacob's Kanone Dias. Rem moved aside to give the doctor some room in the small space and asked, "So, that's it? We're done?". Dr. M took a slow, deep breath and then nodded, "I hope so. This is the best we could do in three days,". They clambered out of the mobile suit's head back onto the boarding catwalk and looked out into the rest of the hangar. Merkwürdigliebe and Rem had spent the better part of 48 hours working on a sort of "patch" for the 4th so that their mobile suits would recognize and identify the Griffin as "M.156" in addition to allowing their computer to better adjust its aim based on the old paper theoretical performance stats the doctor had access to in his files. Jacob's mobile suit was the last one on the list to get the upgrade on the Dervish, and instructions had been sent to the other two ships in the 4th.

Sager approached on the catwalk above and came to a stop to speak to the pair from Anaheim. "Are you guys done yet?" he asked, leaning over the railing, "I'm gonna start clearing the floor in a minute or two - we're due for combat alert,". Rem nodded and answered, "Yeah, we just finished. We'll get our tools and be out of your hair in a flash,". Sager gave them a quick salute and moved further down the catwalk to talk to his crew. "LISTEN UP. We're gonna have pilots on combat standby any second now, and those catapults will start cycling before you know it. So stow your gear and get this floor clear! I want everything secured and ready to go!" he yelled.

- The Hamburg -
- Bridge -

Loweno cracked his knuckles and leaned back in his command chair, both actions that weren't particularly easy in a bulky normal suit. "Today's the day, John," he said, sounding a little chipper about throwing himself into a death struggle over a WMD. Lt. Stalvern responded, "Well, technically sir 'today' ends in about a minute and a half,". Loweno grumbled, "You KNOW what I MEAN. It's time to avenge the Balrampur and take out the smart guy that hit us from the debris during Maelstrom,". He smiled a little broader. The Gela, the Phelps, the Kukum, and the Thunderchild would each get a shot at revenge too - he'd keep his ship's guns firing and the mobile suits fighting until a Titans ship was sunk for each and every one of them. "<I will never forget. Courage without fear...>" the captain murmured to himself in French. His XO looked up from an operator's monitor and asked, "What, sir?". Loweno laughed and shook his head, "Nothing, lieutenant. Our honor unites us, death follows us - let them come!". He pointed to the comm station and ordered energetically, "Get our MS team ready for launch standby, and the hangar ready for refuel and rearmament for as long as it's needed!"

- Sick Bay -

Al was gingerly pulling on his boots when the doctor approached him yet again. In a whisper because of the late hour, he said, "Alfred, you understand I still haven't agreed to clear you for combat duty, but I can't stop you from leaving sick bay if you refuse to stay. But I hope you give some thought to your health and rest here for a little longer at least,". The young ensign pulled his gloves on and shook his head, "No way, doc. I can't stay in here any longer or I'll lose it,". He moved away from his bed, a little wobbly, and steadied himself before heading for the door. "Thanks for your help, sir. I promise I'll take it easy for as long as I can."

- The New Yark -
- Bridge -

Capt. Guanche, as usual, sat in his command chair with a small stack of reports in his lap going over intelligence data and scouting information. "Above all," he said to Ramon who was standing at his side for a short pre-battle discussion, "I want you to remember that this battle may be quite protracted. The struggle over Gryps 2 is a zero-sum game - early on in the fighting we should be mindful to keep our responses proportional and exact as possible to conserve strength. Protecting the colony laser is paramount, and until the Argama returns and we're given exact instructions on trapping the Titans into the kill zone we have to be prepared to resist both the Titans and Axis fleets,". Hard Ae crossed his arms as he listened to the captain's instructions, then he straightened his sunglasses and answered in a sing-song, "Hey~ Save our strength for rounds 2 through 12~! Okaay~!". Without looking up from his papers, Guanche said, "Indeed. But this win can't be by point decision or TKO. We've got to put them down permanently,".
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

- Gryps 2 Space -

- The Bindra -
- Bridge -

The orange Endra-class slowly moved in formation with the Trammel and Mandra at the edge of the Axis fleet that was closing in on the AEUG. Not too far ahead of them was the Mudra and a pair of her own support ships. With a hangar full of refitted and perfectly functioning Gaza-Cs and a stable of competent pilots (bolstered by the presence of multiple veterans), Capt. Wald was feeling confident headed into battle. Not terribly far ahead of them, they could already see some sort of skirmishing going on between the outer bits of the Titans and AEUG fleets, and a few minutes prior Capt. Finalan from the Mudra had notified M'Quve that his target was the closest Irish-class ship and any of its escorts. While parts of the fleet kept the AEUG regulars busy, rumor had it that Haman-sama was going to personally sortie to find Char Aznable among their enemies.

Pizal still wasn't sure how he felt about that. How could such a great and loyal pilot betray the princess after returning to the earthsphere to spy on her enemies? Things were made worse when it had become widely known that Char was willingly helping to lead the AEUG - there were rumors of other heroes from the war among their ranks, but Char? And now everyone was being directly reminded of it as they moved against the AEUG. He would have to make sure the ship's morale didn't suffer. "Captain, the Trammel is recommending we make ready for combat. The Titans are getting more active and we're approaching support range," Gina reported, passing along word from the flagship. "Understood," Wald answered with a nod, "Consider it done,".

He gestured to Vada with a sweep of his arm and ordered, "I want the ship prepared for combat in five minutes! Notify our pilots and put the hangar and alert status!".

- The Trammel -
- Bridge -

"The Titans have closed with the AEUG more quickly than expected..." M'Quve muttered, intently studying one of the bridge monitors. They had a few recon units providing long range data, but things were quickly becoming difficult to monitor because of Minovsky interference ballooning upwards between and among the three fleets. He tapped a finger on his cheek as he pondered the accelerated point of contact. "The Mudra will lead us in, so I want forces held in reserve. If Finalan wants more assistance he'll ask for it. We must be on guard so that we aren't cut off from the main fleet," he said, pointing at a spot on the screen for the benefit of the junior officer that was listening. If they rushed in and things went south, they could potentially be driven away from the bulk of the Axis fleet by either the Titans coming with further support in the area, or the AEUG maneuvering behind an encircled Titans unit.

"And even if Finalan does ask for assistance," he thought smugly, "I may have to avoid throwing our detachment fully into the effort,". "Hm," he vocalized, satisfied with his decision for now, "There's no need to pursue this particular line of attack until we're all dead."
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

- Gryps 2 Space -

- Alexandria-class Kirov -
- Combat Bridge -


“Understood, Jupitris. Taskforce Echo, moving out.”

The fighting in Gryps 2 space had intensified in the last half hour, scaling up from the long-range skirmishes between forward elements earlier in the day. Taskforce Echo and the auxiliary unit assigned to Cmdr. Andrewson Trent’s operational command had remained in reserve in the middle echelons of the Titans fleet rather than being committed to the main fighting. With its roster of experienced pilots, high-performance machines, and an impressive six warships, Echo was well-suited for a concentrated heavy assault. Apparently command had felt out an angle in which Echo would be useful.

The Kirov trembled as it adjusted its bearing. Anxiety had been running high in the combat bridge since the first reports of close-range combat had come through. It hadn’t helped that the massive bulk of the Jupitris blocked most of their view of the fighting. Trent briefly considered the effects these jitters would have on cohesion and morale in the bridge, but just as quickly dismissed the thought. He’d been serving with these men for the bulk of the war and they’d never failed to come through when professionalism was needed most. Not at Zedan, not at Hatte - never.

The mobile suit pilots were another story. Trent, however, could already see in his mind the entire lot of Taskforce Echo lined up against an EFSF firing squad and knew they had plenty of motivation to cooperate for now. That was all Trent had, at least.

- Kirov Vicinity -
- Delta Team -


He’d tested the Barzam X-3, or “Extra”, constantly since the reconnaissance incident several weeks earlier, but Lt. Leandro Alvarez couldn’t keep from fiddling with the electronic and communication systems while Echo remained on standby.

The panoramic monitor displayed new data from the Kirov. “We’re moving in, Kyle. Get ready for support fire.” The Extra’s thrusters came alive, pushing it to Leandro’s position high “above” the Kirov, where he would provide long-distance support fire to Echo’s attacking suit teams or otherwise supplement the warships’ AMS capabilities should enemy suits break through. Kyle Roberts would take a comparable position “below” the Echo flagship to increase Delta Team’s coverage.

* * *

- Salamis Kai-class Herakles -
- Combat Bridge -


The visor on Isaac Berg jr’s normal suit helmet slid shut as the Herakles adjusted course. “A long arc around the Jupitris to stab this taskforce into a vulnerable section of AEUG’s defenses. I can’t imagine AEUG has the manpower left to deal with this much firepower.”

He thought of the mobile suit team, ready to launch in the lower decks. You’ll deliver for me on this, Alex Weber. You don’t have any other options.
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

- Kirov Vicinity -
- Delta Team -


"Roger," Kyle responded as he brought his X-3 alive and dove in a spiral to an area below the Kirov. Once in place he took a quick scan with the external sensor to get a reading on the Minovsky build up.
After a few adjustments to boost the radome to a level where the particles won't have a drastic effect he reported in, "In position."

- Kirov Vicinity -
- Iota Team -


Lt. Allister Grant

"Alright. As we discussed earlier, there will no action till the word is given. No hero stuff. We watch each other's backs and I guarantee you we'll make it out of this," he instructs his two wingmen via the squad channel on the comm.


Ltjg. Jason Drossel

Ignoring his C.O. Jason's mind is thinking about the past few hours that occurred on the Kirov. Not much was said between the three in the hanger right before launching, just 'good luck.'
Grace has hardly said a peep after he told her of Aaron's intention and it's anybody's guess what Allister thinks but since Grace didn't talk to Jason about him he's assuming that Allister is a hard-core Titan which brings up the problem of escaping.

No matter what happens the important thing is to stay with Grace. "..stick together.." he whispers as he takes a look at the battlefield.
"War is some crazy sh**" - alexander the great
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

-The Dervish-
-Hallway-

Marvin yawned as he held onto the lift grip. Cowboy wasn't fully awake, but after weeks of constant alerts, made somehow worse over the past few days, he was getting almost no sleep anyway. Not that he could sleep all that easily anyway. As much as he hated to admit it, things finally seemed to be coming to a head, and the tension was eating at what spare time he did have. In his mind, Marvin felt more or less at peace with whatever might happen, but his body decided that it wasn't going to let him rest that easily.

He'd been woken up from what really wasn't quite sleep when the ship went on alert, and after a quick stop at the mess hall to grab just enough food to keep him going, he headed over to Team 2's Ready Room. Shockingly, when the door opened, he wasn't met by a wall of sound. Eddie was sitting with his feet up on the table, the upper half of his pilot suit off and showing the red t-shirt that had the same black and white stripe pattern as his helmet, which was floating behind him. It took another second before the loud music began once again and made Cowboy feel slightly foolish for thinking it wouldn't be on. Eckardy had easily figured out a way to help keep himself going, which basically amounted to skipping any of the quieter or slower paced songs in favor of the loud stuff. It took Marvin a few seconds to recognize the song, something only really possible because Eddie played it's album often, before heading over to his locker and pulling on his pilot suit.

"Any news on this one?" Marvin asked at a (Comparatively) quiet part of the song.

Eddie nodded and scratched his head. "Yeah, I talked to Jane. S*** hittin' the fan, might be the big one, I love you too. The usual," He said nonchalantly. Every time the Titans had so much as twiched, half the AEUG fleet had gone on alert, thinking it was the attack. Because of all that, Eddie was skeptical of every alert unless they actually were ordered out. They'd come close a number of times, and in spite of the report Eddie had gotten over the phone just before Marvin arrived that this one was more serious than previous alerts, Eddie still wasn't convinced.

"Great." Marvin sighed, zipping his pilot suit up to mid chest and falling on the couch, holding his brown helmet on his chest as the song faded out.

"Cheer up, you can get back to sleep soon enough!" Marvin couldn't see the grin but knew it was there. Again, there were a few brief moments of silence before the next song assaulted his ears. Marvin closed his eyes and just hoped they'd find out sooner than later whether this alert was going to turn into something real or not, part of his mind hoping that this was the expected Titan counter attack. Cowboy just wanted to get it over with already...
I must betray Stalindog!!!

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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

-The Kalinin-
-Bridge-

Commander Nguyen sat down in his command chair after donning and checking his normal suit. He was the last member of the bridge crew to do so, and likely the last member of the entire Kalinin. The ship was ready, like the rest of Taskforce Echo, although Nguyen was slightly worried about his mobile suit team. Bate had voiced again voiced his concerns to him earlier in the day, and once again Marshall pointed out nothing could be done and that was that. He was well aware that Bate had been pushing them hard in simulator work, but Nguyen wasn't that worried. The pilots were green, but the rest of Echo was skilled and well equipped, which would matter more than three of his pilots. His Salamis Kai was in perfect shape and ready for action, which as far was Nguyen was concerned, was all that really mattered.

-Kalinin Team-

Alpha was happy to just be flying. When word had come around that Echo would be going into action, he'd had them launch nearly twenty minutes ahead of the rest of the force, just to get in a handful of quick flights around Echo. They hadn't really helped, but it made Bate feel slightly better.

The simulators had been working. It stunned Bate, and the improvements were tiny, but they were there. The graphs and all that other crap showed that Craig, Sunoue, and Hicks were all doing slightly better. He'd still call them incompetent idiots, but maybe they'd last slightly longer. Bate was well aware that he was grabbing at straws, but it was better than nothing.

They were in a loose V formation in front of the Kalinin, with Bate's Marasai at the center, Runnels and Sunoue to the left, and Craig and Hicks to the right. Every minute or so, he had to tell Arc and Roger to close in, for they kept spreading out too far, and then tell Dwayne Craig to keep his own distance from both Hicks and himself, although he could understand why Craig wanted some distance from Hicks. They were practially crawling along in formation, waiting for the order to move out, although Bate was hoping more that they'd be left back as a rear guard. He didn't know if the Kirov was aware of just how green his pilots were. He knew Nguyen hadn't passed any word on the subject along to the flagship, and the idiots there were still probably trying to kill each other, but maybe they'd do the right thing, for the first time in a while, and leave his pilots back. He still wasn't sure what the hell they would do when they actually had to face the AEUG...
I must betray Stalindog!!!

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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

-=The Hamburg=-

-Kou-

Kou took a deep breath as he waited for the orders to deploy. More than likely Al would be deploying. More than likely Paris would be covering him. That left him and Kite. More than likely he'd want everyone to stick together. The Titans seemed to specialize in picking off lone wolves.

-=The Herakles=-

-Orsino-

The look on Orsino's face as he sat in his Hizack parked on the catapult waiting to launch, was nothing but pure contentment. He had broken Alex and Berg, and now he would deploy first in a pure bum rush, just like he wanted to. He got what he wanted. He always got what he wanted.

-Actual sympathetic Titans-

Marco grunted. When Orsino had figured out the attack plan, he knew that Marco couldn't punish him for his reckless behavior. What aggravated him even more was that Alex and Captain Weber seemed to almost demand that Orsino be the spearpoint of the assault. That meant either they were ignoring his obvious bestial traits in favor of his combat record, or that they just hoped that he would wander in the path of a beam gun. Either motive was pretty unethical, and left a bad taste in Marco's mouth. Was Orsino irredeemably criminally insane? Probably. But then again, how better were they for wanting to get him conveniently bumped off? If he didn't have a major battle, he would have voiced his concerns directly to Captain Berg.

As a distraction, he had been taken to comforting Criss. The rumors of anti-Titans death squads had taken a toll on her, especially since they were fitting Orsino's predictions. She had been firmly committed to the values of the Titans, and finding out they were wrong could seriously shatter her...

Criss meanwhile, had developed her own flimsy justification for the Titans' declining ideas. She had decided that the Earthsphere no longer could be trusted to govern itself and that only a strong, brilliant man could lead them. The people were rejecting the Titans because of their incompetence and idiocy. Orsino didn't symbolize them in the slightest. The Titans needed to take back Gryps II and return peace to the Earthsphere. And then the Universal Century could be one of peace...
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

- The Dervish -

The corridor was empty when Irene floated her way into the change room. Everyone else was already at their stations, ready and waiting in their bulky normal suits. She ate very little few hours ago as dinner although knowing full well that the fighting would likely to occur around or after midnight. Appetite didn't concern her much, for her it was like a habit before a big event making her body more responsive and readily available to her mind. Something she needed most today to fulfill her role as fighter pilot.

Irene arrived first at her team ready room and quietly if not solemnly donning her pilot suit. Her shirt and belongings was tucked neat and orderly in the locker. She wanted it that way because someone else than her may be the one who open it after she close it this time. The thought of it didn’t bother her. She braced the fact that death may come for her today.

“From caring comes courage,” she said softly thinking about her comrades past and present. She steel her heart as she closed her locker door and waiting for the boarding call for her team.
Last edited by Tangerine on Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

- Salamis Kai-class Herakles -
- Hangar -


"Well that could've gone better"

The entire fleet was on combat alert as Echo moved in towards the combat zone and it was only a matter of time before Herakles Team got the go ahead to launch. He'd be the last one out of the ship, bringing up the rear with Marco and Criss in the middle while Orsino led them around.

The actual revealing of the plan had two obvious effects. One, Orsino was ecstatic. It was like he knew he'd get the position of pointman sooner or later and now that he did, he could care less about anything that happened. Not that it mattered to Alex, so long as he didn't get himself or anyone else killed, Orsino could go wild as he always did.

Marco on the otherhand had disappointment allover his face whenever he saw him. He had the most problems with Orsino and after hearing the plan immediately voiced his opposition. He couldn't blame him, it did come off as either letting a madman off the hook in turn for his skill or just hoping he'd get himself killed. He didn't like it either but what could he do? Have him restrained? No it was better to just let him go and hope for the best.

Criss......Well he didn't know what to think of her. Marco had took a guardian role to her, making sure she didn't go insane or something. She looked ready to fight but somehow he doubted her psyche would actually be ready.

Opening a private channel, he decided to consult Marco directly "Hey Marco, what's up with Criss? She find out the meaning of life or something?"
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

Hamburg, MS deck

Kite sighed as he sat back in the cockpit of his Nemo. His eyes closing a bit while he waited, there was a pause of serenity for a moment. "I'm really jumping into the thick of it this time." His eyes opened as he sat up and pulled his helmet on. "Hope this Lieutenant doesn't get us killed," he muttered.
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

-The Dervish-
-Observation deck-

How long is he going to keep staring out there? trask wondered to himself, for the last half hour Wales had stood motionless against the railing, staring out at the distant battle being waged while wearing his pilot suit excluding the helmet. ever since the altercation with Jacob from team 1 Trask had been given the task of keeping an eye on the ensign, something that fortunatly proved easy as the guy didn't really do much

"seen enough yet?" he asked, looking down at the resealable platic containers that were in his possesion, as though he came out of a trance Wales turned around and nodded, the pair then set off for the ready rooms.

when the pair arrived at the hallway linking the rooms together Trask brought them to a halt, before handing one of the containers to the rookie "you take this one to team 2, i'l take care of team 1 and hold onto ours" owing the circumstances the chef had once again made up large servings of cake, but as everyone was at battlestations no one was able to go to the messhall so trask and a few others offered to take them around to the other crewmembers so it wouldn't go to waste.

"sure" wales replied before taking the container offered to him and floating towards the entrance for team 2's ready room, sighing to himself trask turned and went to team 1's room

-Team 1 ready room-

knocking first Trask waited a few seconds before entering, looking around he saw Fritz, Celeste and Michiko were present "Fritz, Celeste, Michiko" he adressed politely before holding out the container

"the chef has been baking again, and wanted to make sure everybody got their fair share."

-Team 2 ready room-

a cacophony of sound assaulted Wales' ears as he made his way into team 2's ready room, it didn't really surprise him though, just about everyone knew or quickly found out about eddie's taste in music, and the ensign soon began nodding his head to it as he brought himself up next to eddie and let go of the container, letting it float where it was.

"compliments of the chef" he informed him during one of the brief quiet moments "say, could you turn that up a bit?" he asked before floating out when he got an answer, giving a wave as he left.

now entering Team 3's room, Wales wasn't completely surprised to find it almost abandoned, save for irene being present, remaining silent he took up a position next to her, glancing around as thinking of a topic

"penny for your thoughts?" he eventually began

-The Hamburg-
-ready room-

"sorry i'm late sir." Apologised paris to kou as she entered the ready room, she was still slightly jittery about going into battle again, and was gripping the patch Al gave her tightly

she knew that Al was going to go into battle with them despite not ebing cleared yet, and she wanted him to remain safe on the Hamburg but knew deep down that there would be no way to convince him of that, with those thoughts in mind she tried to reafirm her resolve

just follow Lt Uraki's orders and we'll make it through, there isn't going to be a repeat of last time, the Lt, Kite, Al, me...we're all getting out of this battle alive.
Flag Fighter for life!
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King Monkey
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

Dervish
- Team 1 Ready Room -
Ironically enough, Jacob was the last to enter the room, coming in even after Trask. And unlike Fritz, he was fully rested. He was even snacking on a dessert bar and sipping a beverage pouch as he floated into the room. He crumpled both packages and disposed of them properly after taking a final bite and final sip and chewing a mixture of brownie and fruit punch.

He wasn't thinking about dying in the upcoming battle. He was only thinking about success. And since his conversation with Wales, he was only that much more certain of his success. After all, while the other man might not believe in anything or fight for a cause, Jacob knew that right would win out in the end. The Blue Mobile Suit would be destroyed and Clute would be avenged. That's all that mattered.

Still, it was fortunate that he didn't hear the conversation about Celeine. That would no doubt have ruined his mood and likely sent him on another rant. He was almost chipper as he donned his mobile suit.

"We'll teach them some manners," he said, having heard Fritz's last comment.

"Thanks," he said to the man from Team 3 as he took the container and opened it up. "Tell your guys good luck and good hunting for us. We'll watch your backs."

Bindra
-Hangar-

Djorn had not yet donned his helmet when he floated down to his Gaza. Nor did he immediately enter the cockpit. Instead, he perched atop the machine with one hand over his heart and the other fist raised high in the air.

Slowly, softly, he began to sing the Axis national anthem. As though the words could not be contained by him they grew louder as he continued until he was shouting at the end of the song.

Then, the threw both fists into the air. "For Glory! For Haman! For Axis!"
Yep...That's Texas in a nutshell. Why just say "f**k you" when you can put it on a flag?

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Wedge14
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

[Gwendoline Brouillé]
[Bindra Hangar]
The young native of side 3 sighed as the hangar started bustling with life. There wasn't much she could do. But she was still going to try her best. So the young trainee had spent some of her off time writing good luck notes to the pilots.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
,d88b.d88b,
88888888888
`Y8888888Y'
`Y888Y' -Fight For Axis! For our Home and Future!
`Y' -From Gwen
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is what the Bindra Pilots would find for them on the their mobile suit's boot up screens. Complete with mistakes!


[Pan Heyden]
[Area around the Kirov]
A lone cigarette was tucked behind Heyden's ear, the man sat motionless. His Blue, Pink and yellow cotton candy themed mobile suit floated in space rather peacefully. The pilot glanced quickly at his wingmen, and grinned to himself as he tightened his grip on his controls. "Let's send these sonsofbitches on a one way ticket to hell"
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Inferno
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

-Marco-

"Odds are she's just past the rookie fear. You think she'll still hold up when the shooting starts?" Marco was confident that Criss could manage- if she kept her distance. He had been watching her in the sims, and whenever it got to close combat, she would panic, shoot wildly, and flail her heat hawk around desperately. Oddly enough, her melee attacks were as frequent and powerful as Orsino's, the only difference being that they were panicked and poorly aimed. Still, he wanted Alex's second opinion.
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Inferno
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

-Kou-

Kou nodded towards Paris. "Eh, you're on time enough. At least I'm not going to have to pull you and Al apart with a crowbar. Kou laughed nervously. Was that sort of joke in poor taste? Possibly. But he was nervous and so was everyone else, so any joke would do.
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Kite_Ishma
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

Kite smirked leaning from the open hatch of his Nemo. He tossed the checklist, letting it float toward the mechanic's hands. "It's green across the board. Looks like we finally got everything under control. The hydraulic function in the right arm is finally doing what it's supposed to. When the Seattle got hit and we got torn apart, I think that arm was the worse of my problems."

"Well don't worry too much about it Seattle. Now that you're on the Hamburg we'll take care of you. You're one of ours now."

Kite laughed nodding. "Yeah, yeah I hear you old man."

The mechanic rolled his shoulder a bit. "Listen kid, I equipped that Nemo myself so bring it back in one piece Ensign."

"Yes'sir, I'll take care of it."
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Tangerine
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

- The Dervish
- Team 3 Ready Room -

A minute or two passed before someone entered the ready room. Irene glanced at the person and found out it was Wales. He looked unsure and after a brief moment he said, "penny for your thoughts?"

“Nothing really important,” Irene started after a while “just that I’ve been thinking if I could come back again after this sortie…” Instead of showing sadness or remorse she smiled. “Hey, Wales.. if I didn’t make it while you survive this fight will you at least attend to my funeral and say few good words about me?” she asked rather gleefully, thinking about the response she might get from Wales.
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Attomoku
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

Gamma Team

Lt. Te'litha

Nick's black tiger-striped X-2 floated "upside down" off the port side of the Kirov. The ugly machine's glowing green monoeye rotating as Nick panned over to observe what Ritter was doing, off the starboard side of the ship. Trent had wisely put them on opposite sides of the line of MS Teams in front of Echo's flagship, with Alpha and Iota between the two. So far, Wolf wasn't doing anything yet, but that might have had something to do with the 2 friendly MS teams between them, not that that meant much to Wolf. He knew Ritter would shoot through as many friendlies as it took to get to him the minute they were out of visual range and his back was turned. Now as he looked at his monitor Nick could see his snake 'sitting' on one of the missile launcher of Wolf's X-1, a portion of his fractured conscious marking Wolf a target. It had form now, his snake, and sure enough, it was was him before pain wracked his body constantly and his hair turned white. It's black hair blew in the windless vacuum of space as Nick saw his 5 year younger self stare hungrily at the battle about to be joined.
Waiting was not Nick's strong suit and he was becoming increasingly sullen and bored, having nothing to do but stare at the ass end of the Jupitris and maintain relative position to the Kirov. Cara was mute as ever and no real help, the expression of her image in one of the displays like window, gave her the sense that she was bored too. He was all set and ready to go, having taken care of the Sea Serpent's power feedback problem, and stocked up on his meds long ago.
The rumored "roving death squads" he had recently overheard about on the ship meant little to Nick. He had been dying for the past few years anyway, and somehow he knew he would meet his fate out here one way or another. He was ready in every sense really.
However, he had seen that the news was somewhat weighing on Trent for the past few days. Nick recalled the conversation he'd had with the Captain a day or so ago where he suggested only half jokingly that should the worse come to pass, he should try to surrender to the AEUG's 4th: "because, we'll somehow end up crossing paths again for god knows why.." and that, "they seem the honorable sort," which was true enough. His pink haired angel had smiled at that, standing off to his right and behind him as she did now in the panoramic cockpit.
Thinking back on that was when he noticed that it was quiet, his phantoms were not bickering as they usually did. The peace was nice, but Nick couldn't decide if that was a good thing or bad for now.


Iota Team

Ltjg. Kelborn

Grace had butterfly's in her stomach about what was coming as she sat in very loose formation off to Jason's right. Their proposed escape to Federal units in the area was made seemingly all the more daunting by what she was hearing in the mess and common areas. The thought that they could be shot once they were so close to their goal was a little depressing, so she hadn't said much lately. Still, running to the EFSF seemed like their best shot given the circumstances.
Alright. As we discussed earlier, there will no action till the word is given. No hero stuff. We watch each other's backs and I guarantee you we'll make it out of this," Her newest CO's voice drew her out her revery. She honestly had no opinions about Grant: He seemed to be a model solider, though that might not necessarily make him a model Titan, so she had stayed quiet when the question about him was asked. Later, as they lay abed for what might be the last time, it seemed from what Jason said he had taken her silence for the worst. Still, it might be better to assume the worst about him if they hoped to live and reach Federal forces, so she hadn't bothered to comment on her thoughts.
"..stick together.."
"..Always.." She whispered back over the secure channel.


Buxoro, Bridge

Ltcdr. Winter

"Course corrections complete." the helmsman declared as Edwin drummed his fingers against the command chair. "Very good." The Captain said as the ship hung in the void off the port side of their Alexandria-class command, "Maintain relative position and distance to the Kirov and remain on full standby until otherwise ordered. Lieutenant," he opened a channel to Elijah, "Is your team ready?" "Anytime Commander" came the reply. "Very well, remain on standby," Winter concluded for now.

Catapult Deck

Lt. Robin

Elijah's Marasai was strapped into the catapult, waiting on standby as per their orders. The newer suits were great, they had taken them on a few pickets and patrols and they handled quite well. Tyler, it seemed, had adapted especially well to the orange machines, despite claiming to miss the Hizack's hip launchers in the combat simulations they had run a few days ago.
Earlier, when they stepped out onto the deck, Elijah had again given his only standing order. But standing up here on the deck with the fleet spread before them and the battle faintly visible even at this distance when the huge Jovian ship deigned to give them a glimpse, Elijah couldn't help but feel a little sad: because he knew that probably at least one of his men might end up disobeying his only direct order in this fight.

Ens. August

Tyler was looking at all the assembled ships and suits around them, trying to keep himself occupied, when he spotted the one he though he was looking for off to the starboard side of the Buxoro, An uglier that usual Barzam in standard colors. He highlighted the suit and it confirmed the designation {MS-154X.2}, just like Aaron had said, but he wanted to be sure. "Hey Tim," he asked, "that's Aarron's suit right?"
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blind_dead_mcjones
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

-The Dervish-
-Team 3 ready room-

“Nothing really important,” Irene started after a while “just that I’ve been thinking if I could come back again after this sortie…” Instead of showing sadness or remorse she smiled. “Hey, Wales.. if I didn’t make it while you survive this fight will you at least attend to my funeral and say few good words about me?” she asked rather gleefully

"sure thing." wales replied after a brief pause "but, lets just make sure that both of us come out of this in one piece, having someone die after just getting to know them is something that i don't want to be a recurring trend." he flashed a quick grin before laying his head back against the wall

"although, could you promise me this? if you see one of those blue suits, don't try to take them on alone."

-The Hamburg-
-ready room-

Kou nodded towards Paris. "Eh, you're on time enough. At least I'm not going to have to pull you and Al apart with a crowbar." Kou laughed nervously.

paris blushed in response and darted her eyes towards the ground.

"um..thanks, sir." she replied before giving a nervous laugh of her own
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wonton bob
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Re: Episode 28 - Passage to Tartarus

- The Dervish -
- Team 2 Ready room -

Anxious about the battle, Bernard had been wandering about the ship in a fowl mood. Not being able to think about the future he put his whole focus on the present. Upon entering the Ready room he sees a container floating before him. With a swift kick it goes off spinning into a wall spilling it's contents in a corner of the room.

"I'd rather have cake when I'm back on board celebrating our victory," he states as he opens his locker pulling out his yellow normal suit. "What's our situation?" he asks Eddie.
"War is some crazy sh**" - alexander the great
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