Interceptions (Open)

Mar 31, 2019
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#1
Edge of Io Space
After Insurrection Era, 0025
Seventh Day of the First Calendar Month



"So does this make us space pirates now? I know you and Joshua used to do Vulture.. uh.. mercenary work, but I don't remember any stories where you two were the ones hunting vessels."

Space has a great deal of gaps, the endless void promising a theoretically infinite choice of routes for anyone who wished to travel between colonies. But some paths were more commonly travelled than others, and no government had the manpower to police every inch of space. They had their spheres of influence, areas they could and would respond to incursions within - but this was not one of them. An unusally clear path through a former battlefield, the debris having been cleared aside long ago to allow for a rather easy journey through what would otherwise be a deathtrap.

When it was clear, anyway. Now a single MS seemed to have stationed itself on the edge of the field, with nothing but a few scattered radio transmissions betraying its presence.

"No, Nebula. We're here to observe. I don't want to get you involved with the Dominion unless we know this isn't a battle they're going to immediately win."

"Besides, we'd be highwaymen. Lurking on a throughfare like this, waiting for unwary travellers? It's textbook."

"Didn't they use bikes or something? We're using mobile suits, Joshua. That's different."

"You're right. I think we're.. footpads? I'll have to look it up."

"Is this really the time for this discussion? We're not going to rob anyone."

The Kshatriya had been maintaining this vigil for an hour by this point, monitoring transmissions from the free cities while keeping an eye on the space around them. Looking for a target - or possibly another group similar to theirs. It wasn't actively displaying any aggression, but frankly a suit like this didn't need to. Displaying an MS built during the insurrection era would be a threat even if it was deactivated, the mere presence of the machine making a statement of its own.

It had been fighting for twenty-five years, and showed no stage of giving up just yet.

 

Kujo

Member
Apr 11, 2019
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#2
"It's been quite a while since we've actually had anything to deliver, hasn't it?"
"Exactly 30 days, Crown."
"I should have known you'd been keeping track, Royal."
"Well it's not like I have anything better to think about when all we've been doing lately is clear rubble and move furniture."
"The Kronjuwel needs restored as much as this shipment needs delivered... Hm, but still, 30 days eh? I suppose that's to be expected, not many people are in the position to afford our services."
"Well maybe we ought to start shipping some less expensive things."

Through the passage of debris sailed a stark white vessel; if its array of cannons did not mark it as ship of war, then the great crimson knife edge slung underneath it did. The Baronche assault carrier, pride of the Red Blades, currently bore upon its gleaming hull a twin set of hulking containers to its sides. Inside its hull, yet more materials sat, bundled up in wrappings and labels. Even in the hangar, sitting along the perimeter were stacks upon stacks of cargo. The warship had little trouble baring this much extra weight, but it was clearly holding itself back; the thrusters seemed to be restrained and the ship made few moves to avoid any stray scraps in its path for fear of jostling any important items.

A chime sounded in the Baronche's bridge as a stern looking man entered. A couple of the crew saluted curtly and promptly returned to work. The man, one captain Emir Duke, simply stood in front of the door for a moment and surveyed his helm's crew; all hardly more than fledgling youths, the young men and women were all considered to be Emir's "pages" as a Red Blade. With an unceremonious sigh, the captain continued his march to the helm. "All status?" Emir inquired simply.

"All systems nominal, sir. No reports on cargo damage."
"Assignment's still green, no updates."
"The chef is complaining about salt again, sir."
"Oh, actually I have something, Captain."

Emir stopped mid stride into his position at the helm. "You do?" He said to the young woman who just reported, staring somewhat incredulously. "Well go on, something is a better than nothing." The woman cocked her head. "Well, I guess," she said. "Anyways, I was checking our sensor calibrations just now when I noticed something on our optic array." Pulling up a holographic screen, she pointed to a small but nonetheless distinct green figure amidst the clouds of rubble. "It looks like someone lost their mobile suit. Maybe the pilot got stranded?" Emir turned from the woman's position and stepped up to the helm. "Looks can be deceiving. Open a broadcast," he commanded, barely holding back a grin. He stepped up to the helm as he was given the cue.

"Attention mobile suit. For your own safety, please keep clear of the shipping lane. This is an official delivery of the Albrecht Ways Company; if you interfere with the shipment of this precious cargo, we are authorized to respond accordingly." Captain Emir, now wholly smirking, sat down and turned to another crewmate. "Tell Crown and the boys to suit up."
 
Mar 31, 2019
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#3
"Albrecht.. weren't they dominion? I don't remember the specifics."

"Something like that. Pretty sure we got shipments through them occasionally when I was young. Soph, you got anything?"

"Universal delivery service, currently working within the Garland dominion. I don't have anything up to date, but we can expect several mobile suits."

The Baronche wasn't the only battleship in the area. A single battleship had been hidden deep within the wreckage, running silently to maintain the pretense that this was a one-MS operation. It was only running a skeleton crew by comparison, though - currently with only three people on the bridge, all of which were poring over a rather large book that had been placed next to their radio systems.

The Barioche would be able to decect a short series of tranmissions coming from the suit after their broadcast, the mobile suit activating its thrusters and moving slightly off to one side. But there would be some silence before it provided any response, the Kshatriya making no move to actually leave the shipping lane yet. There was still no sign of any active weapon signatures on the mobile suit, however - just the background hum of multiple I-Fields.

"I have no intention of blocking any lawful cargo being transported to the free cities of Io. Could you provide further details of this authorisation?"

Its background of radio chatter resumed after the response was broadcasted. The Kshatriya was clearly talking with someone in between messages, but beyond that precise information would be.. rather fuzzy.

"So.. is that a yes to robbery, or no?"

"He said it was precious, I say we give it a shot~"

"We aren't robbing anyone. This is an information gathering exercise."

"And if they say something you don't like, you're going to shoot them and take their cargo. Is that not textbook robbery?"
 
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xekuzwei

Administrator
Mar 31, 2019
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#4
"Alright, people. Keep your eyes p-p-p-", the sentence that came over their comms was interrupted by what was a blatantly a yawn, unsuccessfully held at bay "...peeled. We don't know what could be out there."

"Really?" There was a sigh and a soft pat as the responder's head thumped against the cushioned headrest of her piloting couch. "You're the most paranoid person on the ship and you can hardly keep your eyes open. Give it a rest."

"It's my ship! Of course I'm paranoid!"

Nestled deep in the bowels of the Hygiea, Tessa just grinned to herself. The captain of their quaint little vessel was a good man...and his exasperation with the rest of them was amusing more often than not. The Fa Zeos-class was slipping silently through the void as well. Far out but still well within visual range was the white-and-crimson silhouette of the Red Blades, as it had been since the ship had left port. Guard duty, if you could still call it that while eagerly anticipating your charge getting jumped. Problem was, the Vultures willing to prey on established shipping lanes and the big corps were steadily decreasing in number.

"You think these guys are gonna be upset if we just pop up out of nowhere to help 'em?"

That, of course, was the thing; hidden beneath the ship's highly classified Invisible Umbrella, the Baronche didn't exactly know they were tailing it either. Didn't want to scare off any potential bandits, after all.

"They'd have to need help first."

"Yeah, but hypothetically - hang on, I got something. Chatter." There was a long pause. "Too much interference to make out what they're saying, but I don't think it's a social call. I'm gonna take us in closer."

The redhead blipped her comms twice in acknowledgement, the battleship rumbling beneath her feet with gradual acceleration. All it took to begin the startup sequence of her own machine was a few button-presses; the Zeydalus had been on standby ever since they'd set out. Her view of the hangar's interior sprung to life as three brilliantly viridescent slit-sensors flashed to life across the mobile suit's face. The other mechanical figures that greeted her were strange, alien things by most conventions, but to she and her kind? They were staples of life.

"Last call to join the party."
 
Apr 11, 2019
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#5
Captain Emir leaned back in his seat. "Thinkin' types? Just my luck." Bringing a hand to the scruff that adorned his face, the captain mused, "Not used to Vultures that don't shoot first and ask later." The woman who had pointed out the mobile suit in the first place turned around to face the captain. "Maybe we should try not antagonizing a would-be assailant?" She said. "Nonsense," replied the Emir, "There's not a Bird out here that could hope to best a Blade. Besides, if we nip problems like these now we shouldn't have to deal with as many later when they've all scurried off and told their friends about their utter and pathetic defeat by the Albrecht Ways Company! Haha!" The woman stared in clear disappointment before turning back to her instruments.

A spectacled man to one side of the captain turned and gave his two cents. "With that broadcast a few days ago, the vultures in these parts will probably get riled up if you mention anything about the dominion, Cap." A young woman manning the station next to his swiftly turned and shushed him but to no avail. "Hm, well said Burgess." The captain's praise was met by a simple push of the man's glasses as he turned back to his station. Emir pressed a button on his chair, opening back up the broadcast for his reply.

"The content of our hold is confidential. If you are a recipient of any of these items, which I highly doubt, then you should know what you're getting and that you will receive it in a timely manner. If you are with the Dominion, please speak to our representative for any complaints. If not..." The captain's voice trailed off for a moment. "Then this is your last warning to remove yourself from the shipping lane."

- - -

Heine Noble's face popped up on a screen in Tryst's F91. "Say, what gives with the sortie order? I heard from tech that there's just one suit out there." Tryst, still clipping and buckling his helmet, was too late to respond before the elder Blade chimed in on his own screen. "Duke's at it again. That gut of his is more trouble than it's worth, I tell you." Flicking a few switches, Tryst closed his suit's cockpit hatch. "Well if the captain thinks there's more to this than the one suit, what's the problem? Even if it is, we'll just scare them off with the big guns and then we'll get back to... doing nothing... again."

"Remind me to scratch your paint on the way out so you'll have something to do, Royal."
"Don't even joke about that, Noble, you and I both know how hard it is to paint these things."
 

Nemesis

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 2, 2019
492
1
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#6
"It's not a party without you, Boss."

Owen Koenig floated over to Tessa, giving a two fingered salute as he came to a halt, looking up the Zeydalus. No matter how many times he saw them, these titans of metal never ceased to inspire in him a sense of awe. Just as well, he thought: Nobody should ever lose their respect for such machines. Sounded like a great way to get yourself killed.

"We'll do our best to keep up." He continued, giving a grin and a thumbs up.

Behind him loomed a trio of machines, one behind the other - one blood red, one black as night, and the third a different beast altogether. They looked for all in the world like waiting beasts rather than weapons of war, the final preparations for their launch being made by technicians who shouted and gestured to one another. Floating near the third Mobile Suit, the Digel, Clio Harcrow peered at the Zeydalus from around her own machine's head.

It looked, she thought, like an assassin - a hooded murderer in the night, with that lithe body. The speed it was capable of, especially in the Commander's hands, was nothing short of terrifying.

"It's rude to stare."

She gave a short, sharp intake of breath and pushed her glasses up her nose, turning her attention to the source of the snark. Roen Koenig, the younger brother, floated just below her, his entire form concealed by the coat, hood and mask that were not unheard of among their kind, as taciturn yet callous as ever. How long had he been there?

"I can't believe we were able to get this close... In a battleship, no less." She said, changing the subject as she rattled around in the Digel's neck, legs sticking out as she tried to pry something loose, causing Roen to lean back to avoid getting kicked in the head.

"They'll pick up on us soon."

"How?"

She extracted herself from the Digel, face now splotched with oil, before giving him a questioning glance. In response, he just tapped the side of his head. He'd already seen the Kshatriya, and it didn't take a genius to know what was going to happen next.

"Intuition."
 
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Mar 31, 2019
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#7
"I can't do that."

There wasn't any hesitation this time, no discussion with Alicia's hidden backup. She left the line open for now, but the static on the line would be a first warning for something the Baronche would pick up seconds later. A Mega-Particle cannon mid-charge.

Or to be precise, four Mega-Particle cannons, linked together. The glow from each cannon quickly began to converge, and within moments a single blue beam split the void - aimed directly at the Albrecht's battleship.

"If you want to retreat, go ahead. We won't pursue."



"And now we're commited. Textbook. Nebula, get on the navigation systems - I want a rough idea of how fast their mobile suits can go before I try to calculate targeting."

Even with a battle about to commence, Sophie's voice never got above a bored monotone. She just sounded.. tired, closing the book with a loud thump and shoving herself over to one of the Endra's many control panels. But despite her command the young cyber-newtype stared back blankly, as if looking at something that wasn't there.

"Are you sure? I've got a bad feeling... I don't think mom can take them."

"Alicia should be fine. Both your sisters are ready if she needs backup, but we all agreed to avoid showing our hand earl-"

"Nah."

Sophie fell silent when Joshua raised his hand, both women turning to look at the older man. He reached down to ruffle Nebula's hair, showing a split-second of concern before relaxing back to a cocksure grin.

"I know that look - Alicia gets it when she's got a hunch. We're deploying Hazel and Misty now, with the special project in reserve as soon as Nebula can get it set up."

"You're deploying two mobile suits on a hunch?"

"Three. And if Alicia wasn't already out there I'd be taking a ride in an MS myself. It's not a hunch when you've got psychic powers, Sophie. More like the windup to a punch you're not going to see coming."



"Hazel. Misty. Commence deployment in sixty seconds. Fifty-five..."

"Alright! Get out there and go back up your mother. Make sure you don't turn on any weapons until you're well clear of the ship, if we get sniffed out early this'll be a hell of a pain to get out of in one piece."

Both Mass-Production Qubeleys had already been placed on the launch catapults, their unpainted chassis still a dull gray to match the internals of the hangar around them.

"Got it! Mom looks like she's doing fine on the radar.. did we change up the plan?"

"Something like that. Call it a hunch if you want, but I'm not taking any chances."

"Thirty.."

"We were born for this, Joshua. We'll do fine."

Their thrusters ignited on zero, both cyber-newtypes in perfect synchronisation as they flew into the void. It'd take them some time to reach the battlefield, but that didn't matter yet. This was shaping up to be an eventful evening.
 
Apr 11, 2019
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#8
Captain Duke was leaned forward, inspecting the pinpricks of light in the distance where the would-be assailant mobile suit was. "Engarde , Cantref; Brace," he ordered simply. The warship raised its bow in relation to the Kshatriya; almost immediately the ship was shaken by the beam blast, a bright light flashing over the bridge window. The beam slammed against the Baronche's ramming blade and flowed over its edge like a wave, still striking the hull with great force. "Bordar?" Without any more prompting, the man to the captain's left shuffled through a variety of screens showing diagrams of the ship. "Nothing critical, cargo nominal, but don't expect to just do that every time, we can't take a lot of those even with a 'gaurd'." The captain waved a hand flippantly. "Of course, of course," he said.

"Croft, fire a split salvo at the enemy mobile suit, port to starboard; keep up with light cover at will once the Gundams have launched." The woman to Duke's right got on her headset and began relaying firing information to the ship's gunners while simultaneously punching in her own information into the console in front of her.

"Shire, Clear mobile suits for launch. All personnel to battle stations." Behind Duke, the communications woman likewise began inputting data and giving her own orders.

"Cantref." In front of the captain, an aloof looking man was slumped back in his seat, hands on the ship's yoke. At his superior's words, the man made not a move nor sound. "Trochoidal." Still wordless, the man flicked a handful of switches before fiddling with a throttle and then nursing the yoke in an easy turn. The Baronche began to roll slowly along the corridor while in an odd orbital spin. "Man, I hate trochoidal," said the woman to Cantref's left as she slumped in her seat, much like her counterpart, with an odd look on her face. "Just be glad we're going at an easy pace, Pytel," replied captain Duke.

- - -

The Baronche's triple beam cannons fired at the Kshatriya, one and then the other, while the warship's catapult hatches opened. Inside the hangar, red hazard lights and guidance bars blared as the Falchion team began to launch.
"Falchion 1, Heine Noble, Gundam M91 taking off."
"Falchion 2, Isaac Crown, Gundam F91 launching."
"Falchion 3, Tryst Royal, Gundam F91 launching."

Tryst was first off the catapult, as per standard formation, then followed by Heine in his M91 from the portside catapult and then came Crown's F91 from behind Tryst. The Gundams began to swoop and converge into each others' path as they advanced. Noble balked as the enemy mobile suit came into visual range, saying "Good-ness! what even is that thing?" Likewise, Royal sneered at the sight. "Is it some kind of custom? Looks like somebody took an ugly stick to a Gelgoog or something, poor thing." Crown remained silent for a moment, but proceeded to open a line to the Baronche. "Swordbearer, this is Falchion 2, analyze the enemy mobile suit as much as you can." The ship's message came back shortly with a chime. "Copy, Falchion 2, we'll keep you updated." The squad continued to swarm forward until suddenly, the M91 burst forth from the formation.

"Formation Delta Two, Alpha. You're on tail, Crown."
"I'm always tail."
"That's why you're the best at it."

The gilded Gundam thrust its left arm forward as the booster gauntlet engaged, propelling the M91 forward with even greater speed before Noble disengaged it and brought out the suit's VSBRs and brought up its rifle.

<Noble: "Don't say we didn't warn you.">​

The lead Gundam fired with all weapons at once, not bothering to let all the systems properly lock. Behind the M91, Royal was soaring up with his own beam rifle, firing as he advanced to Noble's firing position. Meanwhile, in the back, Crown's F91 was still cruising at its launch speed with its beam bazooka drawn, lining up a precise shot.
 
Mar 31, 2019
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#9
The Kshatriya's front wing binders closed around it as soon as the beam was clear, the back two twisting around with their thrusters roaring into life. It soared upwards - narrowly avoiding the retaliatory fire - before twisting back down to angle itself against the battleship once more. Three mobile suits against one was an unfortunate set of odds, but backup was on the way.

"It's still standing? Figured they'd dodge something like that, not just take it on the chin."

"There's a lot of possible causes. Could be anything from anti-beam paint to full on Nanolaminate. We won't know unless we get closer."

"If it was Nanolaminate coating they'd be acting differently to this. Something about that stuff makes people cocky about beam weapons, and they're anything but."



<"Funny. I was going to say the same thing.">

With the wings still on the defensive, what few shots from Noble's M91 hit would be harmlessly diffused by the suit's I-Fields. But while the front wings were busy defending, the back two were free to move - and to disgorge their inbuilt weapons. Six funnels from each binder, drifting through the void for a split second before their own thrusters activated and sent them spiraling towards their targets. They broke away from the suit almost immediately, heading away from the advancing M91 and instead targeting Crown's F91. Three groups of three firing from different angles, while the remaining trio swept around for an additional encirclement.

<"GET AWAY FROM HER!">

But while the Kshatriya wasn't returning fire against the M91 directly, the suit was still a target - two beams would tear out from the debris field just ahead of the gundam, followed by a second set aimed directly at Noble's suit. While both Mass Production Qubeleys were still a distance from their fight, that didn't stop them from lending fire support - active cannons rotating to try to track the M91 for a second salvo. This new voice broadcasting was much younger, having a fire to it that the Kshatriya's pilot seemed to lack.

"Already? Hazel, I thought the plan was for you two to hold back?"

"Nebula got a bad feeling, so Joshua sent us in. We'll back you up, mom."

"Yeah! They won't stand a chance against us!"
 
Apr 11, 2019
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#10
"Guh, no effect!?" Noble gawked as the beams slammed against nothing. There was little time for that though as he spotted the multitude of objects drop out from the mobile suit's wings. Noble got ready to defend, but the strange weapons shot straight past him. "What?" Pulling on his controls, Noble quickly thrust the M91 after the weapons but was cut off by a series of alerts followed by beam fire. He tensed and jerked hard, tossing the gundam around to evade the sudden reinforcements. "C'mon, c'mon," muttered the young leader as he quickly punched in commands through his sticks. The gundam flipped its back around to face the oncoming fire. The filigreed shield adorning the large lance stuck to the M91's waist gleamed as a beam shield erupted from just behind it, absorbing a more direct hit from the assailants.

Another alert came up on Nobles screen, this time bringing attention to the mobile suit's heat levels and prompting a choice to enter "performance mode". "Already? Well, I guess I've been pushing it right out of the gate," he said as he declined the prompt.

Royal brought up his rifle at the funnels as they passed Noble 'Missiles?' He fired and watched as the pods erratically darted away from the beams 'No, remote weapons! Are these...'

"Psychoframe resonance detected! Copy Falchion 2? Wartime database is showing a match for something called 'Kshatriya',"

A diagram appeared to Crown's side in his cockpit. "Damn, I hate when I'm right." A bunch of vulture thugs wouldn't post up in a place like this unless they had something to flaunt, and what better to show off then a newtype relic from the war. Crown eyes widened as the enemy suit's funnels darted past his teammates, evidently aiming for himself. "Tch!" Crown hastily fired off his beam launcher at the Kshatriya and quickly stowed the large weapon. The F91 flew backwards for a moment as Crown retrieved the gundam's beam sabers from its side armor. "Newtype or Praetor, don't think I haven't dealt with remote weapons before, vulture!"

Crown's F91 shot forward, dodging and dipping as the gundam's hand actuators unlocked and spun rapidly; the veteran deftly swerving at the funnels with the buzzsaw-like attack.

"X Delta!" Came the command of Noble over the team's frequency. "Form around Crown and take care of those things; stay within range of the Baronche but don't let it draw fire." The M91 fired a few parting shots from its rifle at the reinforcements as it lifted its booster knuckle up and shot backwards towards the rest of the team.

Royal renewed his efforts against the funnels, twitching as he attempted to discern their movements before firing. He tensed up, grunting as he finally found some sort of rhythm and blasted a remarkably close shot at one of the pods.
 

xekuzwei

Administrator
Mar 31, 2019
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#11
Things were really heating up out there, huh? Looked like the Baronche's own mobile suit team had scrambled in full - and additional opposition had emerged from the shoal debris to answer in kind. Both sides exchanging long-range fire, though Tessa imagined the Formula machines were far more eager to close the distance than their foes. Her eyes narrowed as she leaned in close to the monitor as though that would do anything but muddle the image; the direct feed from the ship's fore was being relayed in to all of them.

"Bridge?"

"Right where you left us." She rolled her eyes. Poor humor with poor timing. At least the ship's captain wasn't so tense now that the shooting was definitively pointed at someone else. "Confirm presence of remote weapons on those Vulture machines." The Kshatriya and Qubeleys matched old database entries, but the question was whether their pilots were truly capable of using them to their full potential - whether they were Newtypes. The camera feed was too grainy to be sure, but simple human eyes on the bridge would fare far better.

"Looks like it. Having second thoughts?"

"Exactly the opposite. Let's go, people!" She grinned; he'd been afraid she was going to say that. The Zeydalus took three colossal steps backward at her command, placing it directly over a square emblazoned on the floor. Klaxons wailed and warning lights flashed through the hangar alerting anyone that wasn't in a cockpit or a normal suit to get the hell out; she punched the override as soon as her team had finished suiting up. The 'ground' dropped out from beneath her machine as the hatch opened and allowed it to drift downward into the void, accompanied by the rush of oxygen escaping the hangar. Jagged fingers unfolded from the Fa Zeos' hull - they resembled nothing more than a mechanical ribcage emerging from its innards, electromagnetic energy flickering between their tines.

"Zeydalus, launching!" Brilliant pink-hued light burst from the rear of her Zeydalus as it barreled forward. Its own propulsion was enhanced by the Fa Zeos' electromagnetic catapult as it passed through, shoving her back into the pilot's couch with raw acceleration. Shadowing these shipping guys wasn't a waste after all!
 

Nemesis

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 2, 2019
492
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#12
"Hear that, kids?"

It wasn't long, as the Fa-Zeos class hurtled out of the void, that the ribcage-like catapult unfolded from its underside like the bones of some great beast, electricity crackling about its rails as power began building across its surface. A dark, humanoid form was lowered into its heart, black draconic curves and an array of barrels jutting from its body gave it a distinct silhouette even compared to its cohorts, standing head and shoulders over the Zeydalus.

Within the cockpit, Owen Koenig cracked his knuckles, his rough features morphing into a smile.

"Party time."

The head of the Khronos tilted up, points of light humming across its visor as it came to life, gripping the imposing, multi-barreled cannon in its claw like hands as it tucked its limbs in. Owen flicked the communications line on, letting two small windows appear on his monitors as he surveyed his wingmates.

"Roen, Clio."

"Mm."

"Y-yes?"

He gave a small sigh. Roen, impassive as ever with his features concealed behind that mask, couldn't possibly have answered any other way. The girl, though - you didn't have to be an X-Rounder to sense the nervous energy coming from her, as she fiddled with the straps on her helmet.

"We've just finished the adjustments on these. Don't take any unnecessary risks out there, you hear?"

There wasn't any more time for words - the countdown appeared on the runway before him, and he braced for what he knew was coming. No matter how many times, your body never really got used to it.

"Enso One, Owen Koenig - Launching!"

A burst of sound and light, and the black dragon was away, soaring off into the void. What followed it was almost identical in shape - slimmer, and trimmer, carrying a more modest-looking rifle and colored a deep, rich crimson that as loud as it was striking. It waited its turn patiently, as within the cockpit, Roen closed his eyes, letting his senses flow out across the battlefield, following Owen's presence. If they were to win today, they would need to be perfectly in sync-

"Roen, If you're anxious, it'll make that thing harder to control."

Clio's voice interrupted his thoughts, causing him to glance up in annoyance at the mousey engineer.

"I'm not the one who should be feeling that way." He said, voice only betraying the smallest - yet most meaningful - trace of irritation.

"We're counting on you."

"Eh? Eh?"

"Enso Two, Roen Koenig. Let's go."

The Zeydra cannonballed after its brother unit, Roen letting out a sharp gasp at the force the catapult was able to exert as it pressed him back in his seat - but he couldn't afford to lose focus. Not here, not now.

Lastly, one more machine was lowered into the catapult, of a wholly different make. This one was shorter, stockier, covered in thick xanthous armor plates that terminated in a pair of crude, three-fingered clawed appendages, arrayed around a pair of imposing looking barrels. Neatly folded behind it was a large tail, tipped with a menacing spike as it somewhat awkwardly floated down into position.

Clio looked out at the void, stretching out before her. Here, so far from home... All that was before them was violence. Still... Her hands tightened on the controls, as she pulled her resolve together as much as she could - they were depending on her. Tessa was depending on her.

"Enso Three, Clio Harcrow. Taking off!"

The Digel, like those before it, was thrown free with relish - and she was amazed, in the moments that followed, as it felt as though a wall were crushing her into her seat, that she retained consciousness. Brushing off the initial discomfort, the Digel joined its squadmates, the three traveling in an arrow-like formation with the armored machine at the center, and the twins to either side as they began making a beeline for the Kshatriya at alarming speed.
 
Mar 31, 2019
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#13
"Confirming.. three additional machines. At least. Unknown vector. We're-"

"Trap. Like I said, kids had a feeling. Take a closer look if you want, but fighting MS hunters on top of the deliverymen is too much."

Joshua cut Sophie off with a wave of his hand, taking his place at the bridge of the Mesa with a deep frown. They'd had the ship running almost silently before this, but right now? Speed was more important than remaining unseen. As the Endra-class's thrusters stirred into action the ship's presence would become obvious, deep within the debris field - and leaving in the direction of Io's territory.

"Told you there was something wrong! I'll cover mom while she gets back... make sure they can't keep following us!"

"Get back here when you can, girls. We are leaving!"



"...Reinforcements?"

Alicia's concentration broke at a crucial moment, leaving the funnels drifting just long enough for Crown's sabers to slice through one. But it didn't slow her, the other eleven firing wildly to deter pursuit as the Kshatriya was forced into reverse. A few funnels could be sacrificed to ensure her own survival. The other remotes did eventually turn to follow, a few continuing to fire.

Stalling for time.

"Nebula! Misty! Don't try dispatching funnels, just get back to the ship!"

"Aww, but we didn't even get to the fight!"

"There's too many. We're better off falling back."

Another funnel fell as the remainder started to filter back into the Kshatriya's binders, the Qubeley's following it up with some return fire of their own. Both mass-production machines had turned in wide arcs after the order, letting the active cannons keep up their firing arc against the sizable number of MS now following them. Not much time to aim properly meant most of the shots were smashing into debris instead of actual targets, but they'd do enough of a job as a deterrent to hopefully slow pursuit further.

<"Looks like the battle is ending before it's started. Oh well.">

While the three main mobile suits were retreating, the fourth was busy laying a trap around the retreating Mesa. It was making no attempt to hide as it disgorged a score of funnels and then some, secreting the remote weapons in the debris around the ship as a defensive perimiter. The heavily-stylised Qubeley was playing gatekeeper, grasping a twin-tipped spear with both hands and starting to slowly spin it in zero gravity.

<"Go ahead, keep following us. See where it gets you~">
 
Apr 11, 2019
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#14
"Huh?"

Noble watched as the enemy fire abruptly began to slow. The Kshatriya's funnels darted back past the M91 as quickly as they had flown past him the first time. Cutting the boosters on the gundam's gauntlet, Noble flipped the unit around to face the retreating enemies. "What gives? Can't follow through with-" suddenly an alert came up noting incoming units.

- - -

"Captain, magnetic anomalies detected. This looks like... Incoming mobile suits!" Pytel clacked away at her console, flicking through various screens and bringing up displays and charts. Captain Emir leaned forward as he looked at the strange units. "Feh, I thought I smelled asteroids." The young woman at the console turned and simply said, "Sir?" Emir leaned back casually. "Belters," he said, "can't miss 'em with that look. Even for how little the old Blade had seen of those upstarts out in the wastes of the belt, it was hard to forget those "space dragons" floating among the stars on dark wings.

Pytel read the charts as she asked, "Should I mark them as enemies?"
"What, you think they avoided detection so they could politely shoot us from the front? I think I know an ally when I see one," the captain waved his hand dismissively. "That being said," he trailed on, adjusting his hat, "get a salvo at the enemy ship to cut off those suits from their retreat, but keep the aft gun prepped, Croft."
"Aye sir"

- - -

Royal was snapped out of his focus as the funnels scrambled away from him and Crown. "Attention, Falchion team," came a broadcast from the Baronche, "unknown mobile suits are approaching; we have marked them as allies but be aware of their movements. Continue to route the enemy but do not pursue beyond the Baronche's range." Noble eyed the strange silhouettes of the newcomers' mobile suits for a moment before simply saying, "Copy that."

The head Blade sent a message to his team and then a broadcast to the new arrivals. "You heard them, they've turned tail so let's light a fire under them so they stay gone," said noble. "You all seem raring to fight," he said, adressing the Belters, "so go ahead and get in there, we'll get your back." Noble paused for a short moment in thought. "Oh, and not like 'we'll shoot you in the back', just so we're clear," he said smiling youthfully. "But don't expect us to stick our necks out if you get yourselves in deep, we're on the clock over here."

The gundam units joined back up in another rolling formation as they chased after the vultures, the Baronche's triple barrel cannons firing over them.