Frutti Di Mare Per Due (MK, Verus)

[Nemesis]

Europa
Abandoned Giga-Float Outskirts
8:30 AM Standard Jovian Time



"You hear all sorts of exciting rumors about this place."

That was what Wolfgang reflected upon, the wheel-like Einerad carrying the diminuitive form of his Gedlav across the waves towards its destination. The early morning rays hung over an overcast day, the shadows of the clouds and the scintillating rays of the sun mixing to form a kaleidoscopic seascape that soothed the soul. Well... That was the danger, wasn't it? You didn't have to look too close at the occasional wreckage that drifted by to understand the true nature of the boundless ocean.

"Buried treasure!" He exclaimed, seemingly to himself as he snapped upright, tending to the controls with the speed and precision of a frenzied train conductor:

"Sea monsters! Pirates!"

He thumbed switches left and right, taking the Mobile Suit off standby mode as it drifted around patches of debris, sending waves cascading on either side of the churning wheels. His voice turned into a low rasp, completed with a wide grin full of pearl-white teeth.

"Danger!"

Oh, he shouldn't. He really shouldn't. He knew that. His angel would be terribly, terribly displeased if he died so soon - but, he just couldn't help himself. Following the ship's arrival, he had immediately departed, drawn by rumors from the Wakenet - and submitted his request. Scarcely a few minutes had passed before he'd found a willing collaborator - a consort, if you would, with whom he could share the spoils. Now, he thought as he drew the machine ever closer, scanning the horizon - where were they?

 

[MKR]

Upon the horizon, having recently completed its descend from the sky, was the Sorcerer's Apprentice. A Zanzibar II class ship approaching the designated meet up spot, as the two people in charge within looked out the window.
"You don't see something like this every day." A male voice noted "Unless you live here of course." He quickly followed up to deflect any incoming remarks. The man, Barnabas, stepped to his sisters side as they drew nearer to their meet up location. The sister who then looked to her side, cradling a coffee mug and taking a sip. "It's much nicer here then back home." She remarked "But also way too wet." She flung the scarf around her neck an additional time, shaking her shoulders slightly to get it exactly right. Causing her peer to laugh slightly.
"If you got time to be laughing you can get ready." She remarked with a glare in her eyes as she took a drink from her cup.

"Sure thing sis, you also stay on the ready in case things turn out to be a bit too good you know... That thing can swim right?" He paused for a moment, looking back towards the hangar door behind them.

"Yeah it should be able to, not great but good enough." With that her brother nodded and moved to the hangar, the woman enjoying the last sip of coffee before walking off. A normal exchange by all means, except for the fact that at no point during it their lips had moved except to take a drink and for a laugh. As they approached the site and the Sorcerer's Apprentice was more then a dot upon the horizon, both of the twins were inside their respective steed. Barnabas doing a weapons check as well as a check on all four binders attached to the Kampfer while Regina noted the dot upon the horizon. Flicking open the comms as she checked the IFF on the suit with the one in the mission.

"That's our guy." she relayed to her brother without a word. She had switched out of her comfortable clothes for a pilot suit and much as she would have liked to still wear her scarf the last time some unfortunate things happened. So never again on that one. Regardless, it was time for proper introductions.

"Pleasure to meet you at last," She spoke through the comms towards Wolfgang as the IFF of Chernobog was flashed in return, letting the man know this was the group that had accepted his deal. "How's the water?" She coyly remarked at the Mobile Suit splashing about like a child within the waves.

 

[Fenrir367]

Megafloat Antares

One of the few Megafloats on Europa that fell under siege at the beginning of the Insurrection War. Originally a military base and research facility, the technology and military wares present made it a prime target for the Praetorians at the onset of the war. Abandoned early on, the facility now remains a husk of what it once was, with factory and warehouse ruins scattered about; little remained untouched in this hellscape.

Could treasures truly be found in such a desolate location?

Even if there was booty to be plundered, what were the risks in entering such an unknown place?

There was one way and one way only to find out.

In terms of exploration, two options laid before them: in the given information, there was a relatively expansive underwater complex composed of a labyrinth of tunnels and rooms. There apparently was an entrance located underwater that could be breached; and another entrance on the megafloat itself, somewhere within the above-sea complex. Finding a map was another issue, for navigating such a complicated location would only leave them bound to get lost. Perhaps in one of the many buildings there would be a system they could access to find a map file.

From a distance the megafloat seemed quiet, there was no movement that was visible. Perhaps it was too quiet though. Were traps lying in wait? Or was it as truly safe as it looked? One would best exercise caution regardless, else they were willing to face the consequences.

Would they arrive in full blow, attempting to draw out whatever may be lying in wait, if anything was lying in wait? Or would they attempt to sneak in and make as little a presence of themselves as possible?

There were an almost infinite number of ways to approach this situation, and the choice was up to them to how they wanted to proceed.

 

[Nemesis]

"Nicer than what I'm used to." Said the Coordinator, giving a wry shrug as he did so.

Right on time. Looked like he could at least count on them to be professional... For now. No honor among thieves, wasn't that the saying?

The Gedlav cruised languidly along, turning its insectoid head up at the looming shadow of the Zanzibar-Class, Even from this distance, his sensors were going crazy, registering something absolutely monstrous within its hulls as it began to power on. He eyeballed the readouts with interest, hands drumming out a steady beat on the controls in anticipation, discharging his excess energy in a fashion not unlike a grounding rod.

Must be something big they've brought for our little party, he mused.

Still - he wasn't one to wait around. The longer they waited, the greater the chances that someone - or something would cruise on up to stake its own claim... Or drag them down into a watery grave.

"I'm going ahead, see what I can find before the particle density kicks up. Watch my back!"

With that, he relished the feeling of slamming the rakers forward, the Einrad's wheels revving up with a satisfying roar as it accelerated, thrusters lighting up as it was carried over the waves, slamming into the surface of the island. It bounced, sending chunks of concrete and rock in all directions as it churned apart the road beneath, trundling into the disused earth as it began to roll through the abandoned streets towards the factories and hangars. Within the cockpit, Wolfgang ran his hands across the machine's sensors, searching for any lingering power sources - anything that could potentially contain information, such as a map of the island, or any active reactors in the vicinity.

It wouldn't be long before the Minovsky Particle rates rose to a level that would be practically blinding - so they had to make this time count as much as possible.

Still... He couldn't shake the sense of eerieness from this place. Once, it had been bustling with life...

Before the machines.

 

[MKR]

"Well that's good to know, lets take a dive then." Regina said with a smile as the Zanzibar II class opened up, pink light being cast out as two lone eyes looked out from the hangar. "Hold on tight bro." The Ahab reactor within powering the massive beast she was in, ready to depart.

"Don't need to tell me twice, lets not keep him waiting." Barnabas replied, with their help manning the fort till they got back things should work out just fine on this front. "Oh yeah, I hope you don't have a weak heart bud, my sister's in a birdy that tends to freak people out when they see it." And at last the source for the readings by Wolfgang would make itself known. The massive frame of the Hashmal plummeting down and hovering on top of the water as the Kampfer Amazing stood upon its shoulder. The 'bird' now carrying both over the water at rapid pace as they advanced upon the steel city of ghosts.

Internally the sister spoke to the brother "Do you think we'll find it here?"

"Its the best chance we have so far."

A wry smile upon her lips now formed the Hashmal raced forward quicker, "The faster the better right? Unwanted attention from tin cans or our colleagues is not the best." Now properly leaving the Sorcerer's Apprentice behind and moving towards the megafloat the method of movement employed by the Mobile Armor could be noticed, as its claw-like feet did cause waves and splashes but they remained perfectly still. The thing was hovering at ground level and moving at speeds that made you glad it was a hollow shell of itself. The black Mobile Suit on top of it calmly held on like it had done so often before. Its battery life was notably shorter then its peer so having the bird move it to their location was simple tactics.

"What's our arrangement for getting stuff in orbit by the by? You got something prepped or is it just our ship that can actually get the stuff out of here?" Barnabas asked to Wolfgang as they approached, it was good to get to know the details first and the man in the wheel seemed to not have any visible way to get stuff in orbit aside from them.

 

[Fenrir367]

The surface route was arguably the safer of the options, for the risk of sinking and drowning was less likely given that well, they were on land. Still, there could be any sort of trap lying in wait for them on the megafloat itself, for the debris hid all manners of things, helpful and harmful alike. As the three reached the edge of the artificial landmass, the scale of this place would finally become more prevalent to them, as it was much larger than it appeared from a distance. Tall buildings and warehouses alike accompanied this megafloat, making it almost seem more like a city than any military base.

Preliminary results of the Gedlav's scan showed several if barely functioning energy sources, most performing at but bare minimum. Considering the age of this facility, it seemed most of the surface power sources would need to be reactivated in order to detect anything more useful.

Not but ten minutes after they had arrived, several signatures would appear on their radars, first a single large signature, followed by four more, coming from the first. It’s origin was on the opposite side of the island, and seemed to be moving at a leisurely pace.

A voice then came on the comms.

“Attention MS Hunter and Vultures, identify yourselves.”

It was a feminine voice, yet serious and sharp.

The radar signatures belonged to one Jukon-class submarine, one RX-124 Gundam T-6 [Haze’n-thley II], and three [Kehaar II]s.

“I repeat, state your identification and your purpose here. If you do not reply, we will consider you hostile and engage.”

The four mobile suits ID’d on their radar as MS Hunters, so they weren’t a part of the official military, though there was a sense of that strict formality with them. And clearly, they weren’t there to fight them as they hadn’t opened fire yet, though considering the Hashmal’s presence, being cautious was the least they could do.

 

[Nemesis]

"The Hell's this?" Muttered Wolfgang at the sign of the approaching Mobile Suits.

Here? So soon? Something was amiss, it just wasn't possible they were beaten to the punch so swiftly. He'd filed the request as soon as the news broke - so preoccupied he was that he didn't cast his gaze back in the direction of the looming Hashmal, his head doing a swift double-take as it did so. Yet, while ordinarily a Hunter would have immediately balked at the sign of such a thing-

The Combat Coordinator just gave a low chuckle, the glimmer of a twinkle in the corner of his eye.

So that's your game. He thought, turning his attention back to the new arrivals.

The Gedlav pulled up in the middle of an airfield before the Hunters, leaning idly out of the side of the now stationary wheel as the stocky Mobile Suit within extended its leg, propping up the whole apparatus with one arm as its other rested on the grip of its beam rifle, pointed towards the ground - a sign of civility, but one that could very quickly be reversed.

"Hunter ID# 48-1695-Sigma, Wolfgang Holtz of Jamsaxa Corps." He rattled off airily over the communications array, as though he'd done it a thousand times before - though truth to be told, memorizing the numbers had been more difficult than he'd like to admit.

"I'm running a legitimate salvage operation here lady, you and your cronies better beat it or I'll send your Wakenet rating crashing through the floor."

Shortly after your bodies he noted, unable to suppress a slight grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. The Gedlav's left arm moved ever-so-subtly, transmitting muted commands to the combination turret-missile pod mounted atop the Einrad, causing its barrels to twitch almost imperceptibly as it began acquiring targets.

Oh, he hoped they would challenge them. He really, genuinely did. it had been far, far too long since he'd had the chance to sink his fangs into anything but a cold, unfeeling machine. And even that, he thought, felt like an eternity. That was the problem with cold sleep, he thought - how it fucked with your head, made you remember things that never happened like they were yesterday.

Shake it off, he told himself. It's not gonna get any easier.

 

[MKR]

As they searched for the ten minutes before their interruption was due there was mostly silence, but at the interruption immediately internal chatter began between brother and sister. "Ambush?" The sister remarked without words shooting a glance at the Gedlav, "No they haven't opened fire yet." This was the part of their script where she remained quiet, having a voice come from the MA could ruin the illusion after all so such exchanges were imperative.
The Kampfer's monoeye moved between the new presences, hand gripping the pistol as it did so slowly shifting to hang in the shadow of the Hashmal that stood taller then any other Mobile Suit in the area, virtue of being a Mobile Armor mostly.

If they wanted to salvage much of anything the Hashmal's beam cannon was straight up not an option Regina realized, which meant she had to get close if this turned into a direct fight. Which frankly, she expected it to. Still it was nice of these MS hunters to politely ask them to go away first even if they wouldn't. It meant they knew who they were fighting and who the dangerous targets were.

"We're with him so I'll pass on using our own code today thanks." Barnabas noted with a smirk to himself, under the shadow of the Hashmal now attaching the Long Rifle Attachment to the pistol so he could engage in counter fire when this cold situation turned hot. Still if these people were already set up as such it meant they had been here for a while. So much for an abandoned float.

Inside the Hashmal Regina was already plotting the best route forward, she wanted to be in their faces the Hashmal's sensors looking over the MS that presented themselves, and if she was right those were all beam weapons. How fantastic that they couldn't even attempt to oppose her, that was the feeling she liked most. A completely one sided exchange where she stomped the life out of some MS Hunters that tried to be clever and deny her what she was due. Her favorite!

All she needed was the opening volley to not be hers and she was innocent as an angle as she crushed them like insects.

 

[Fenrir367]

So these kinds of people exist too, huh.

The Four mobile suits had made landfall on the megafloat, but stopped as they reached the area. There was a momentary silence after Wolfgang and to a lesser extent the twins introduced themselves. Perhaps the pilot was checking through records, or otherwise talking with someone, but it wasn’t long until the voice came again.

“I see. Hunter ID # 00-0109-Alpha, Crimson Winds. We were sent here to gather data from a supposedly dormant Mobile Armor deep within the compound here, a relic from the Insurrection War if you will.”

A fairly old MS Hunter group, Crimson Winds was founded in the first year of After Insurrection, and was a well-renowned 'strictly business' MS Hunter Group who often worked for the Wisteria Republic directly. Perhaps today’s mission pertained to that somehow.

For what it was worth, these kinds of happenings weren’t that uncommon, multiple MS Hunter groups being deployed to the same area for one reason or another. A coincidence one way or another, but it seemed that no conflict was necessary for now, as their goals were different.

“Frankly we have no quarrel with you, nor are we interested in impeding you. That said, it seems our route may be similar, if but our destinations are different. Perhaps a truce is in order? You may have your salvage and we shall gather our data. We all go home at the end of the day. It is a win-win, no?”

There wasn’t the slightest sense of mischief within the woman’s voice, and considering how forthcoming they were with their mission, it hardly seemed like they had reason to hide any ulterior motives.

 

[Nemesis]

Wolfgang made a show of thinking, giving a long, drawn out sigh and a roll of his eyes as he tapped his foot against the ground. Given the composition of the group, it wouldn't even be a long fight... But, who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth, as they said?

"Go about your business." He said finally, giving a shrug as he did so.

"Just be careful down there. We'll follow once we've cleaned up here."

The Gedlav nodded back in the direction of the Hashmal and Kampfer. Good to see the Vultures knew to keep their mouths shut when they needed to - last thing he wanted was the authorities breathing down his neck. That gave them plenty of time to sort out whatever loot they could find above ground together... It was good to know, he thought, that he could at least trust them to have his back. Speaking of-

"By the way, before you go... Don't suppose you happen to have a map of this place on you?" He asked, putting on his most winning smile as he did, as simply as if he were requesting a cup of sugar from the nice old lady next door.

"Evidently your contact is more in the know than mine, Miss...?"

 

[MKR]

Well this turned out better and worse then planned, it seemed there was something big here which could pose a threat. But that also meant there was ample to recover from the crater left by them once they fought it. Not that either of them particularly cared about the result as these MS Hunters were likely to leave whatever nasty beasty lived down there battered and beaten. Enough for them to finish it off at least. They'd much prefer if these guys, gals? went and died of course. Less people aware of Hashmal was after all better for them and their goals, even if these were locals to Europa and as such somewhat unlikely to inform Ganymede of it, well better to not risk it. For now however the two of them were content to play second fiddle the hired help so to say.

It was what they wanted that no one should be aware of, even the guy that hired them if he figured out their plan could be a nuisance. But that was an issue for if it was here, and that was not an issue for now. For now, the Kampfer amazing rested in the shadow of the Mobile Armor, after all not sounding like one had mischief in mind was not a guarantee and they had learned well to keep their guard up against MS Hunters that seemed nicer then reasonable given their profession.

At the Gedlav's nod however the two exchanged a mental smirk, people like that. Those were exactly the kind of people to keep an eye on, the kind who seem all nice but would sell you, your cat and your grandmother for a day at the spa. But that was an issue for later, and one they were already well aware of. A MS Hunter hiring Vultures had its own curiosities already but well, he had them interested what he was after that he decided on them rather then one of his peers. The exact kind of person you'd expect to set up an ambush to hoodwink some Vultures really, but for now looting was the thing to do.

 

[Fenrir367]

“It’s Einn.”

She continued from Wolfgang’s words.

“You have our gratitude, Mr. Wolfgang and co.”

The four robots hovered across the ground to near where the Gedlav was. Once close enough, the Haze’n-thley commenced a data link with the bug-like machine.

“Our information only goes as deep as the second level. Any further than that is something we’ll need to find here.”

The machines then turned to the entrance to the underground and went along their way.

“Good luck with your searching.”

With their simple farewell, they took off and proceeded into the facility.

The data sent over was a 3-D blueprint of the megafloat’s surface, first, and second underground levels. The layout gave some clarity to the surface, as locations marked as warehouses and administration buildings that were otherwise unrecognizable amidst the debris and ruins, were made clear by the data. There wasn’t any notable point of entry for going beyond the second floor of the facility, so perhaps there was some secret entrance deep within? For whatever reason, it seemed not all was as met the eye at this location.

Nonetheless, with the Crimson Winds now having descended, and out of the way the three hooligans had free reign to search how they please on the surface; and when they felt like it, proceed into the facility.

 

[Nemesis]

Wolfgang gave no word of appreciation, only a low whistle as the map data was loaded to his machine and subsequently forwarded to his consorts. Looks like they were the real deal after all, how about that?

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Grinned Wolfgang, his fingers already moving over points of interest on the map as the Gedlav nodded back in the direction of the Kampfer and its looming, avian guardian.

"Let's get to work!"

For the moment unconcerned with the movements of Crimson Winds, the Einrad took off in the location of the nearest point - the hangars - the Coordinator already humming a merry tune to himself. For all he cared, as long as those idiots didn't wake up the Praetorians beneath, they could do whatever they wanted. All that mattered... Was his prize.

 

[Fenrir367]

Scouring the grounds for anything that might be of value, there were certainly trinkets and baubles to be found. Most was just scraps, granted, but like the old saying went, a hundred pennies made a dollar. Checking under a collapsed building, they were bound to find a damaged mobile suit, though whatever armor and form it had prior was but a mystery, they would likely need to analyze it later to figure out exactly what it once was. Or they could simply turn what was left into scrap, their choice. There was plenty to find, but the main question was how they’d haul it out of there. As they were presently lacking in a method to heavylift the larger amount of what was there, they were limited in what exactly they could take.

Regardless, once they figured out their method of extracting what resources they could find, or at least all that was of value, there was little left but for them to proceed into the facility itself, and delve deep into what lies beneath.

If it were that easy, it would be nice, but rarely do things in life go on without a hitch. A rumble could be felt followed by the distant sound of an explosion, causing the megafloat to quake and shudder. Considering these were man-made islands, an earthquake was likely out of the question, which could only mean that perhaps something was stirring down below. Was it the Crimson Winds from earlier? Or was there someone else down there? Or perhaps, something?

Regardless, there was no way to find out, other than to go themselves and see just what was happening.

Upon entering the place, things appeared normal at first. It was about one could expect of a military compound. the walls, floor, and ceiling were all composed of a sturdy-like metal, and beyond the entrance, which had some old equipment likely meant for moving supplies and materials in and out of the facility, little was remaining in the area. But as they treaded deeper into the facility, the scattered corpses of small, three-legged machines began appearing in greater and greater quantities. It seemed whoever had been here before had made quick work of these arguably weak small fry.

Not to say there weren’t any left for them, as crawling out of several vents located along the walls and ceiling of the facility, five more came crawling out, peering with their singular red eye new prey.

A second shuddering explosion from below, the room shook again, the vibrations far more stronger this time than before. Would they continue into this perilous facility, or back out before it was too late?

The choice was theirs.

 

[Nemesis]

Having amassed a veritable pile of treasure on the surface, it was with no small amount of fanfare that the Einerad went trundling down, down into the dark depths, with its new friends in tow, both having felt the quake as it rocked the Giga-Float to its core. In spite of the seeming urgency, Wolfgang whistled merrily to himself as the sunlight faded from view, and the headlights on the Gedlav snapped on, beams radiating from its eyes as it turned left and right, constantly scanning the surroundings.

Whatever kind of party was going on down there, he thought, it wasn't one he wanted to miss. Besides...

He still hadn't found what he came for.

At the sign of movement, the Gedlav screeched to a halt, beam rifle snapping to attention as its head tilted in the direction of the scratching, scrabbling noise that filled the air. Slowly but surely, the crimson lights began to make themselves known, bobbing forward as they began their slow-motion eruption from every surface.

It reminded him of... cockroaches.

"Oh, man." He said aloud, the Coordinator almost sounding deflated for a brief moment.

"So it's one of those islands!"

There was a meaty clap, as the man slapped his hands together in anticipation, and the roar of the Einerad as it revved up, wheels screeching against the metal below as Wolfgang called back to Barnabas, the anticipation already building in his voice.

Danger!

"Hang on pal, I'll get us through!"

With a victorious yell, as soon as the Kampfer had grabbed hold the Einerad exploded forward at full tilt, Beam Shield up on its left, twin beam cannons atop the weapon blasting away at any Pluma that dared to get close, vicious wheels grinding apart or flying over anything unfortunate enough to get in its path as the machine roared at full tilt down, down into the beating heart-

To where only a Praetorian could be.

 

[MKR]

Things were going nice and smooth, were being the key word in that phrase as until an explosion rung about below they had been having the easiest time securing themselves materials. Not what they had been hoping for quite yet, but extra parts never hurt. But it seemed the poor poor MS Hunters they had met prior had either run into a problem or made one for themselves with the way the island shook.

And now, now part of the problem was being seen. Plumas, this time however they were intact and functional instead of the broken state they had been when Chernobog first met the insectoid drones or during the time in which they passed them moments prior. Not the state one wished to see these things in, and it seemed Wolfgang was all too eager to get on with it as well.

Barnabas heeded the advice given by their employer and grabbed onto the Einerad with the Kampfer Amazing, internal discussion beginning.
"Another Hashmal?" His sister reached out mentally, the avenue of communication only heard by two once more kicking to life as interaction through it resumed. The world was blind to most of the discussions these two had had and that was not wont to change, who one can trust is always a difficult question and in the case of these siblings it did not go far beyond just the two of them.

"Possible, we won't know until we see it for ourselves." He replied, the psychic wavelength indicated enough neither of them was particularly happy about this let alone the possibility of having to deal with another Hashmal at which point of the two of them the best one for the situation currently was Regina herself in a direct mirror match as they had not brought their extra help along as the heat rods were great for such a foe.

At this point Regina broke her radio silence, seeing survival as more important currently.
"How many non-beam weapons you got on that thing?" She asked Wolfgang as the wheel raced off, the Hashmal beginning to glide behind it before, swiftly rotating 180 degrees as it followed the wheel sticking on its rear and protecting the backside of their movement from any who would see this retreat deeper into enemy territory as an opportunity. The metal cord tail menacingly moving back and forth dancing like a snake to a flute as Hashmal cast its shadow over the ground ready aiming to impale any Pluma that drew near with its bladed tip and then discard the tripod Preatorian.

"Beam Sabers also work." She called out, that had been a difficult lesson to learn the one time, 'nanolaminate protects you against all beams' he had said 'you're fine' and then boom, legs get stabbed. This feeling of dissatisfaction being felt psychically by the man who had said the prior statements. Who had come to his own defense prior but now was far from the time, instead he himself procured a beam saber, the pistol with attachment going into storage for now.
Fully prepared to slice at any Pluma that decided a direct flank on a moving target was worth taking.

 

[Fenrir367]

The Plumas advanced on the three compatriots, though by all means, in such small numbers they were hardly a threat. Perhaps due to the other group causing a much larger commotion below, the majority of the Plumas were focused down there, rather than with these three. Nonetheless, enemies were enemies and as such it was either kill or be killed.

Hashmal would find the most success, its tail-like weapon whipping through and smashing three of them before they had a chance to fire off their railgun. The remaining two took aim and fired at the wheel of the Einrad, seeking to disable the mobile device. Whether they hit or not, the beam turret atop the Einrad paid back the attack in full, the beams obliterating the small machines. At the end of the hallway they’d be met with a large lift that seemed to descend deeper into the facility; according to their map this was the path to B2F. The issue though, was that it had been used prior, and to call it back, it would take time. Precious minutes that ticked away along with another explosion that rattled the facility. Their radar showed still plenty of contacts all around them, but whether they were above or below, or somewhere in between, it was uncertain to them.

They could risk jumping down below, but who knows what would be waiting for them as they landed. They could also play it safe and wait to call the lift back up, but just because it was ‘safer’ didn’t mean it was ‘safer’, as now ten plumas came charging at them from where they had just come from, likely crawling out of the vents as before.

Would they stand and fight? Or take a leap of faith to what lies below?

 

[Nemesis]

"How many?" Wolfgang asked incredulously, his subsequent laughter roaring over the sound of the Plumas being ripped and shredded on either side of them.

"I AM THE WEAPON!"

True to his words, the Gedlav careened forward mercilessly, the Pluma rounds splattering harmlessly against the armored, whirling tires and the outstretched beam shield. The destruction around him was like a symphony - he almost wanted to stop and mock-conduct over the shattering crunches and mechanical clattering as the insect-like things were churned apart. Gradually the turret above fell silent as they rounded a corner, hurtling with ever-increasing speed into the darkness.

That was the thing.

It showed no sign of stopping, none whatsoever, as if Wolfgang's foot had never left the accelerator pedal. The adrenaline pumping was just too good, he thought - surely, Albertine would lecture him later - but that was then, this! This... was now! His HUD politely indicated to him the approaching opening - and the yellow machine didn't even pause.

"No elevator?" He noted incredulously, as though it were an unexpected convenience. Well he wasn't going to just sit and wait for it to come back up - the man could barely keep himself from sitting still in his cockpit for one. It wasn't like he could stop this thing abruptly even if he wanted to!

"...Oh, well. Hold on!"

The Gedlav reached the lip of the elevator - and dropped, turning a full ninety degrees down as it tires bit hard into the wall, tearing huge grooves into the surroundings and walls as it thundered straight down at breakneck speed. Whatever unfortunate lay at the bottom of the passage, if it were so inclined, would hear the distant roar of a motor for perhaps a split second before the gigantic wheel smashed it into a thousand pieces from above as it tore down the shaft, eyes gleaming, rifle brandished and eager, waiting for any target to show itself.

"YEE-HAAAAA!"

 

[MKR]

Luckily for Barnabas he was capable of holding his stomach well, otherwise this little trip could have spelled disaster for the amazing interior of his cockpit. Especially with the wanton, borderline madness, displayed by the wheel he hitched a ride upon. When he heard about the lack of elevator there was a momentary hope for reprieve as the gap between the Hashmal and the Einrad grew ever wider. But instead, the man had elected to dive even further at even higher speeds. Racing down the chute of the elevator. For his part the man was more focused on holding on for dear life then fighting, so the flanks were wide open if something could even land the shot at these speeds.

As for further back the sister felt her brother's pain, as the sickening feeling he endured was being transmitted between them. But she held on as she flipped the Hashmal to face towards the wheel racing to keep up better, but keeping up was not easy she did her best however and luckily Hashmal was plenty fast but not that absurdly fast as someone who pressed the pedal to the metal without concern for life, be it his own or whoever was in the vicinity as he raced the sun for who could lap around Europa first.

But the choice regarding Elevator was made for her when she arrived. The Tail stabbed forward, plunging itself into the metal to create an anchor as the Hashmal burst through the elevator shaft it first had to angle itself, and once legs were in position she lowered the almost birdlike machine down, the anchor releasing as she tried to somewhat keep up with the wheeler dealer who was god knows how far below.

 

[Fenrir367]

The triad of mobile weapons flew down the elevator crashing on the lift’s floor, which shook and swayed underneath due to the sheer force of their landing. For a moment one might think that it’d snap and fall, but it seemed to hold the strain, at least for the moment. The Plumas from above seemed to not chase them down the lift; perhaps their sentry perimeter was limited to the first floor?

They were not in fact met with any resistance, at least immediately. Before them laid out was a slew of more corpses belonging to the prior Plumas, as well as larger greed ‘headless’ mobile suit-like machines scattered throughout.

Just how far did this facility’s self-production capabilities extend?

Gunfire and explosions could be heard louder and louder as the team progressed forward, though they came into a fork in the path. From one corridor they could hear the sounds of ongoing combat, yet through the other passage, it all was quiet, and there seemed to be less radar signatures down it.

The decision once again came to the party. Would they go right to the gunfire or left to the unknown?

---

Into the fray they headed, to where guns, guts, and perhaps glory even could be found. It was but a minute or two down the path of dead praetorians where they would eventually enter a large and spacious room that extended both low and high, likely sixty meters in height in total. Flashes of light made the room seem more like a rave than anything else, but sure enough streams of beams seemed to lance out in all directions throughout the room.Three central pillars stood in the middle of it all, that likely supported the abnormally large room.

Four vent-like holes were visible a quarter from the top of the room, and several small devices were mounted on the corners and along the pillars, from top to bottom. It seemed all the prior noises were coming from here.

As they looked into the room, it was clear what the prior fighting was. Seemingly mounted on some platform at one end of the room, what looked like a massive mobile armor… No, half of a mobile armor was secured in place on a rotating plateau, its two arms outstretched and from each finger beams shot out at four mobile suits maneuvering around the incoming beam shots. That was hardly the end of it though as beams from the machine’s skirt armor, head, and shoulders too lanced out at the targets in the room.

Below the plateau was a fairly large blast door, roughly 18 meters in height. It seemed that if they wanted to proceed, this guardian would need to be defeated.

Additional Intruders Detected...
Initializing Protocol Theta...​

A mechanical voice could be heard over the intercom within the facility, before red lights began to flash and the many blast doors behind the party of three began to close in sequence, locking them to their fate.

“So you finally made you way down here?”

A familiar feminine voice came up on their comms; Einn seemed to broadcast on an open channel.

“It seems we’re stuck in here together. Perhaps we cooperate to defeat this, yes?”

Despite the commotion and beam fiesta that was occurring in the room, her voice was strangely monotonous. The four machines too were in relatively good condition save for frayed armor and some missing platings.