Though Jamil was not in his quarters as you had initially suspected, you find him quick enough, sitting in the Captain's Chair on the Freeden's bridge.

"David... it's good to see you again." says Jamil as you walk in. You can feel the gaze of the bridge crew, as well as Jamil's as you stand next to him.

"Yeah..." you say, eager to break the silence. "Go ahead, get it out of your system."

"Ah, er..." stutters Jamil, realizing he'd been caught staring. "Sorry. Seeing your scar dredged up some... unpleasant memories from my past. My apologies."

"It's fine." you say. "In fact, that's part of the reason why I've been trying to find you. I have some questions I've been meaning to ask."

Jamil falls silent, his lips pursed in a thin line. Finally, after a good minute or two, he speaks again.

"Alright. What do you want to talk about?"

>"Why are we taking such a huge risk coming here? It's not normally like you to enter the lion's den like this, especially if there's the possibility of dealing with New UNE forces."
>"What do you plan on doing once if negotiations go south? I don't think things will turn out in our favor, considering the New UNE's one of their biggest supporters and financiers..."
>"I know you have your reasons for coming out here, as I'm sure you know about mine. No matter the end result of my concerns, can you keep a secret?"
>Write in

>>28184405
>"Why are we taking such a huge risk coming here? It's not normally like you to enter the lion's den like this, especially if there's the possibility of dealing with New UNE forces."

>>28184405
>"I know you have your reasons for coming out here, as I'm sure you know about mine. No matter the end result of my concerns, can you keep a secret?"

>>28184405
>"I know you have your reasons for coming out here, as I'm sure you know about mine. No matter the end result of my concerns, can you keep a secret?"

>Writing...

>brb, got to pick something up from the store; I'll be back as soon as I can...

"Look..." you begin. "I know you have your reasons for coming out here, just like I'm sure you know that I have mine. Just... can you keep a secret?"

Jamil look to you, then to the bridge crew, who all try to look as nonchalant as possible, with varying degrees of success.

"Alright... but first, let's find somewhere else to talk."

You nod in agreement, and follow Jamil out of the bridge. The two of you stroll through the hallways until you reach the observation deck outside, the dry desert air whipping at your face. The wind isn't all that strong today, so it's nothing to distracting as you look at Jamil.

"So..." he continues, folding his arms. "What's this secret you want me to keep?"

"Well... You know my... near-death experience? I'm worried it's done more than just given me a scar." you say.

"You're worried you may be losing your Newtype abilities, right?" says Jamil, raising an eyebrow.

"... Got it in one." you say, sighing. "I haven't had any headaches or pain... yet... but I'm worried that abilities have dulled, or something. I was hoping that the Newtype Research Facility had the equipment available to determine if I really am losing my Newtype powers, since Zonder Epta doesn't have equipment like that."

"Hmm... I see." says Jamil, nodding. "At the very least, I hope we can get them to examine you without too much trouble."

"Same here." you say.

The two of you stand there on the observation deck, watching as the landscape speeds by, the wind whipping at your faces.

"Hey Jamil?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have a spare pair of shade I can have? I don't mean to be unoriginal, but considering you pull off the look so well..."

Jamil looks at you for a second, before a snort of laughter escapes his lips.

"I'll see what I can do." he says with a smile.

"Thanks." you say. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going."

"Sure thing." replies Jamil, nodding. "I'd imagine that the others have been wanting to catch up with you, right?"

(Cont'd.)

"Yeah, probably." you say, rubbing the back of your head.

>Go to the hangar; God knows Kid will have some choice words for you after the condition you left the Hyper-Spec in...
>Head to the rec room and catch up with the other Gundam pilots.
>Go to Tiffa's room; hopefully she's been doing well for the past two months...
>Write in

>>28185945
>Go to the hangar; God knows Kid will have some choice words for you after the condition you left the Hyper-Spec in...

>>28185945
>Go to the hangar; God knows Kid will have some choice words for you after the condition you left the Hyper-Spec in...

>>28185945
>Go to the hangar; God knows Kid will have some choice words for you after the condition you left the Hyper-Spec in...

>Writing...

>>28185945
>Go to the hangar; God knows Kid will have some choice words for you after the condition you left the Hyper-Spec in...
>>28185945

You make your way to the hangar, fully expecting the wrath of the twelve year old master mechanic, and you weren't disappointed, as your ears are filled with Kid's shrill voice ringing violently in them.

"THERE YOU ARE, YOU RECKLESS BASTARD!"

"Ow, Christ!" you say, holding your hands to your ears.

"Do you know how long it took to repair the damage to the Hyper-Spec?! Rebuilding a Mobile Suit that survived a vapor explosion from clashing Satellite Cannon blasts is not easy, you know."

"I'm sorry Kid. I know it must've been hard on you. I'm amazed you were able to repair it despite the terrible condition it had to have been in." you say.

"Yeah, I don't think I would have been able to do it without that Kauto guy's help, though. As weird as he is, he knows a heck of a lot about Mobile Suits." replies Kid, nodding.

"Ain't that the truth..." you say, looking around the hangar.

The Airmaster's upgrade, at first glance, didn't seem all that impressive; it looked to be more of a paintjob than anything, but then again, the change from regular wings to boosters, and mostly beam weaponry meant this Gundam was built for speed. As it was now, it was possibly a match for the New UNE's Gadeels. The Leopard, like the Airmaster, had made the switch to beam weaponry, thus decreasing its overall weight, and eliminated the need to carry around machine gun ammo. The second beam machine gun, along with the altered loadout, definitely brought the antiquated Gundam up to the level of new Mobile Suits.

In contrast, your Hyper-Spec, as good as it was, felt... outdated, if only a little bit. Then again, the Leopard and Airmaster, upgraded or not, felt... incomplete.

>Talk with Kid about possible upgrades for the Hyper-Spec
>Suggest further upgrades for the Airmaster and/or Leopard
>See what junk's Kid has managed to get his hands on in the two months you've been gone
>Write in

>>28186712
>Talk with Kid about possible upgrades for the Hyper-Spec
Seriously, we should probably do something like a Full Armor option, or get some weapons with more "oomph" or something.

>>28186712
>Talk with Kid about possible upgrades for the Hyper-Spec

>Writing...

"Hey Kid... Have you thought about upgrading the Hyper-Spec at all?" you ask, your gaze resting on your machine, having been scrubbed clean of the paint from a few days ago.

"Yeah, here and there." replies Kid. "Of course, while you were in a coma, Kauto added a nifty new function to the Hyper-Spec."

"Oh?" you say, raising an eyebrow. "What would that be?"

"According to him, he's added some kind of Microwave Energy dispersal function to the Hyper-Spec. The sudden release of microwave energy acts as a pseudo anti-beam barrier, and can even repulse beam sabers."

"Nifty." you say, eyeing the Hyper-Spec, which didn't seem to hold any sort of evidence of such a modification. Perhaps it was internal? "Anyway, what sort of upgrades did you have in mind, Kid?"

"Well, I was thinking of adding some sort of additional armor, to increase the Gundam's survivability." says Kid, rubbing his chin. "Of course, I also considered upgrading the arsenal, so that you wouldn't necessarily have to rely on the Hyper Satellite Cannon as your ace in the hole."

"Interesting..." you muse. "What else?"

"Other than slapping on some additional boosters, I got nothing."

"As long as my insides don't get liquefied from the G-forces, that works for me." you say, shrugging.

"Which upgrade do you want to go with, then?" asks Kid.

>Full Armor option
>More firepower
>Additional boosters
>Nevermind

>>28187216
>Full Armor option
And see if the Bits can be upgraded as well. They're too valuable to have blow up just fighting mooks.

>>28187216
>Additional boosters
2FAST2FURIOUS

>>28187216
>Additional boosters

>>28187216
>Full Armor option

gotta love dem Full Armor variants.

>Seems to be a tie... Writing!

"Well..." you say, scratching your chin. "Why not add more armor AND additional boosters?"

"That could work, but the increased weight would make it hard to move around without assistance." muses Kid. "To do that, I'd have to devise a hover propulsion system for the legs, which should be easy enough with some Septem parts..."

"How long would it take to put it all together?" you ask.

"Anywhere from a week to a two week., I'd estimate." says Kid. "Just give me until tomorrow to draw up some preliminary designs, okay?"

"You got it." you reply. "Can't wait to see what you come up with, Kid."

"You won't be disappointed, Dave, I guarantee it."

"I'll hold you to that, shorty!" you say, walking away from the young engineer.

Where to now?

>The rec room.
>The mess hall.
>Stay in the hangar, and see if there isn't something you can do here.
>Your room; today's been a... somewhat productive day, and you need your rest.
>Write in

>Seems thread traffic's trickled to a halt. We'll pick things up tomorrow around the same tine, I guess. Ah well.

>>28187676
>>Stay in the hangar, and see if there isn't something you can do here. Like eying the scrap

>>28187676
> The rec room.
Let's meet the rest of the crew.

>>28187676
>The rec room.
See how the other pilots are doing.

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>>28187216
>"According to him, he's added some kind of Microwave Energy dispersal function to the Hyper-Spec. The sudden release of microwave energy acts as a pseudo anti-beam barrier, and can even repulse beam sabers."
Looks like Kauto's been watching Build Fighters too.
>captcha: hateBox enclosed

File: 1384018503993.jpg-(139 KB, 720x668, image.jpg)

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>>28194424
I'm perfectly fine with a X Maoh.
Wonder what our suit will look like with the extra thrusters and armor. I imagine something like the mix of the AGE-3 Fortress and the X.

File: 1384033120843.jpg-(207 KB, 1100x865, 1383406640281.jpg)

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>>28187676
To the rec room.

>>28194424
Well, the Hyper-Spec was pretty much the Maoh under another name, so I'm perfectly fine with this.

Can Dave get Harry Ord shades instead, since Jamil already has the Quattro shades and Char masks seem silly for him?
Apologies, I've been marathoning Turn A.
Also, bump.

>>28200751
Let's get something a bit more... physically possible to wear.

Like goggles. Goggles and post-apocalyptic settings go hand in hand, right?

Alright then, we're back.

>Writing...

You decide to head to the rec room; it's been a while since you've actually been in there.

To your surprise, both Witz and Roybea, along with Toniya and Sala, and to your further surprise, Techcs are here. Toniya and Sala are chatting with one another, while Witz is sitting at the bar, watching Techcs give Roybea a run for his money in a game of billiards.

You're met with greetings from everyone in the room, which you return with a wave of your hand.

What will you do?
>Ask to join in on the game.
>Join Witz for a drink.
>Take a load off; relax on the couch.
>Write in

>>28201582
>Join Witz for a drink
Ask him if anything interesting happened to him during our coma.

>>28201616
works for me

>>28201616
cool

>Alright, Writing. I'm going to be heading out, soon, though, so don't be surprised if my post takes longer to, well... post.

>>28201582
> Join Witz for a drink.
Get a status report. What happened while we were out?

File: 1384055544442.jpg-(215 KB, 1078x725, hyper spec.jpg)

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Here's the Hyper Spec and armor as asked.

>>28202935
Sweet, thanks!

>Back to writing...

You sit at the bar, where Witz pours you a glass of straight whiskey. Good man. Now, whiskey was not normally your thing, but you take your booze wherever you get it.

You take the offered glass, and sip it slowly. Whiskey was a drink meant to be enjoyed, and it was clear Witz shared your sentiments.

"It's nostalgic, isn't it?" says Witz, setting his glass down. "You, Garrod, me an' Roybea on the Freeden, traveling through North America..."

"Reminds you of simpler times, doesn't it?" interjects Roybea, sinking the eight ball in a corner pocket, winning him the game.

"Yeah..." replies Witz, nodding.

"Not like you guys to be moody." you say, looking at Witz. "I've heard you guys got... involved in a battle between the New UNE and an alliance between Estard and two neighboring countries."

"Yeah..." says Witz, taking another sip of whiskey.

"There's more than that to it, isn't there?" you say. It was less of a question, and more of a statement. Their silence was all the answer you needed.

"Well... whatever happened, I'm not going to pry. Just don't let it eat at you guys, okay?"

You give Witz a "pat" on the back, which nearly causes him to choke on his mouthful of whiskey, which, of course causes everyone else to laugh, and Witz eventually joins in on the laughter as well.

"Glad to have you back, Dave." says Roybea, smiling. "Want to play a few rounds?"

>Yes
>No
>Write in

>>28202935
Holy fuck, that is awesome.
I imagined the new upgrades looking like a bastard child of the X Maoh and the Physalis, and you've pretty much delivered something to that effect.

>>28203070
>Yes

>>28203070
>Yes

>>28203090
The brush strokes kinda make it hard to tell, but there looks like a bit of AGE-3 Fortress in there, too.

>>28203070
>Write in
"Make it 2 vs 2, Me and Techcs vs you and Roybea, and you got a deal."

File: 1384056487995.jpg-(250 KB, 1167x768, hyper spec greyscale.jpg)

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>>28202935
Greyscaled.

>>28203124
I haven't begun watching AGE yet , so I'm not as familiar with the aesthetics.

>>28203070
>Yes

>Writing...

"Fine by me." you say, smirking. "Let's just hope you've stepped up your game in the two month's I've been incapacitated."

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised..." replied Roybea, pressing a block of chalk to the pool cue's tip.

>Roll me 1d20. DC is 10.

Rolled 18

>>28203458

>>28203493
Lets all stop rolling before we mess everything up

Rolled 20

>>28203458

>>28203574
Still got the moves.

>>28203510
This success might lead to Techcs playing one round with Dave to decide who is the King of the Pooltable.

>>28203574
It appears we're getting there.

>Result: 20
>DC: 10
>Critical success!

Despite Roybea's definite increase in skill, you still managed to win, quite a few times, at that. Fortunately for him, he had the sense not to bet money on the outcome.

"Man, you have GOT to be using your Newtype powers or something. The way you keep whupping me at billiards is downright embarrassing..."

You give Roybea a shrug. "What can I say? Being good at billiards is just one of my many talents, Newtype powers notwithstanding."

"Mind if I play a few rounds against you, then?" asks Techcs, approaching you with a smile on his face.

>"Sure, why not?"
>"Maybe some other time, Doc."
>Write in

>>28203648
>"Sure, why not?"

>>28203648
> "Sure, why not?"

>Writing...

"Sure, why not?" you say, grinning.

You watch as Techcs grabs a cue from the rack, and sets up the balls on the table.

"Do you want to go first, or shall I?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"You're the one that asked me to play against you; why don't you go first?" you reply.

"Alright then." he says, nodding.

>Roll me 1d20. DC is 16.

Rolled 17

>>28203882
Rolling.

File: 1384059985984.jpg-(30 KB, 225x350, Char.jpg)

30 KB JPG

Rolled 6

>>28203882
Well, let's see how this goes.

Rolled 3

>>28203882
UNIVERSE!

File: 1384060348124.jpg-(38 KB, 400x400, Mrc-f20-gold.jpg)

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>>28203929
Our X isn't covered in enough gold for that to work.

New objective - raid Fort Knox for the gold needed for the paint job.

>Writing...

>Result: 17
>DC: 16
>Success!

Compared to Roybea, Techcs had given you much more of a challenge, but in the end, you still came out on top. Techcs took the loss gracefully, and simply promised you that next time would be a lot more fun for the both of you.

You smiled, and told the doctor that you looked forward to next time, and left the rec room.

You come out into the hangar, where you're stopped by Kid, who hands you a bunch of drawings; presumably for the Full Armor package for the Hyper-Spec. They were all rather interesting, but only one design really seemed to stick out to you. Pointing it out, Kid promised to have the parts finished in a week or so. You didn't doubt the kid's word, and you yourself could attest to the quality of his craft.

With your personal goal of catching up with (most) of the crew done, you sigh, wondering if you should retire for the evening and deal with the inevitable hangover, or wander around the Freeden some more.

>Get your drunk ass to bed.
>Find something else to do.
>Write in

>>28204481
> Find something else to do.

Whom did we miss?
Garrod, Tiffa, Lucille, Kauto and I guess that's it. Someone should fill us in on what happened during the two months we've been out.

>>28204481
>Find something else to do.
Is Kai still sticking around the Freeden?

>>28204526
As far as we know, Kauto's not on the Freeden; it's basically the original crew plus Ennil.

We caught up with Garrod back on Zonder Epta, and caught up with the other pilots. That being said...

>>28204481
>Find something else to do.
Let's find Tiffa and talk with her. We may be a little drunk, but we aren't drunk to the point of stupidity.

>>28204569
Yeah. I guess we should see how Tiffa's holding up, ask Garrod on what did we miss, and see how Ennil's fitting in.
And Kai, if the dude's around.

>>28204481
>Write in
Sit in the Hyper-Spec's cockpit, go over any new upgrades that were made.
Better to get to know them now, rather than in the heat of battle.

>Writing...

You decide to wander around in your "mildly inebriated" state, as you would prefer it to be called. You were hardly even drunk, after all! Eventually, you come across Tiffa's room, and see Tiffa sitting in her room, sitting in front of her easel. You must not have been very quiet, because it's not long before Tiffa sees you in her doorway.

"David?"

"Uh... Yeah, that's me." you say, forcing a smile. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No... not really." Says Tiffa. "Would you like to come in?"

"Er, yeah, sure."r surprise the canvas on he

You walk into her room, and sit down, and to your surprise, the canvas on the easel was... blank?

"Something up, Tiffa?" you ask, your gaze shifting from the blank canvas to Tiffa.

"N-not really, no..." she says, not meeting your eyes.

"Tiffa, c'mon." you say, frowning. "I may be a LITTLE drunk, but I haven't drunk myself stupid... yet. What's bothering you?

"Well..." she begins, hesitating. "It's about Garrod..."

At that, you raise an eyebrow.

"Garrod? What do you mean?" you ask. "Did something happen between you two?"

"It's nothing like that... it's just that, well... it feels like we're growing apart..." she says, looking rather downcast.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well... He's acting so... different. It's like there's a sort of coldness around him. I haven't seen him smile... really smile, not since you went into a coma."

"Have you talked with him about this?" you say, looking at Tiffa with a slight frown.

"N-no... I know I should, but I don't know what to say..."

"That's fine. You'll find the right words when the time comes." you say, smiling at her.

Tiffa returns the smile, if only for a few seconds.

"Your breath... smells funny." she says, finally.

"Yeah, that'd be the whiskey." you say, rubbing the back of your head. "Anyway, don't worry about it too much, okay?"

"O-okay... Goodnight, David..."

"G'night, Tiffa..."

>Gomma end things here for tonight. See you guys same time tomorrow!

>>28205089
>"I may be a LITTLE drunk, but I haven't drunk myself stupid... yet.

Haha, David you card.

Okay, we need to talk with our apprentice, see what's been bugging him.

>>28207897
Probably seeing us get blasted into a coma.

Bump

>>28210779
Still, wouldn't hurt to ask.

After all, something obviously happened that Witz and the crew aren't talking about.
And we still have no idea where Kai, Lucille or the Frost brothers are.

bump

And we are back! Sit tight while I write something up...

It had been little more than a couple of days since your little chat with Tiffa, and it seemed like fate was dead set on preventing you from having a chat with Garrod. The Newtype Research Facility was only hours away, and much to everyone's surprise, the director of the facility, Karon Ratto, had allowed the Freeden and its crew entry. Jamil had requested that they allow use of their facilities to determine your condition in regards to your Newtype powers, which has thus far remained a mystery, on your behalf, with the condition that Techc and one other person of your choosing accompany you.

For now, choosing who would accompany you could wait, as negotiations would take quite a while, and you felt that you needed to talk with Garrod after your little heart to heart chat with Tiffa. You also wanted to see how Kid was progressing with the Hyper-Spec's Full Armor parts, though you felt that there was not very much progress in that regard.

There was also both Witz and Roybea's attitudes from the other day. While they certainly tried to act as normal as they could... for a given value of "normal", anyway... there was just a sense of melancholy that seemed to hang over the both of them.

You have a few hours before the examination begins. What will you do?

>Find and talk to Garrod; something's changed, and you needed to find out what.
>Look for Witz and/or Roybea. Something happened to the two of them during the time you've been comatose, but what?
>Check up on the Hyper-Spec's upgrades, or something.
>Write in

>>28220551
>Find and talk to Garrod; something's changed, and you needed to find out what.

>>28220551
>Find and talk to Garrod; something's changed, and you needed to find out what.
I have a nasty suspicion. I seriously hope I'm wrong.

>>28220551
> Find and talk to Garrod; something's changed, and you needed to find out what.

>>28220551
>Find and talk to Garrod; something's changed, and you needed to find out what.
He can also tell us what happened.

>Writing...

It doesn't take long to find Garrod; he's working on the Gundam Double X in the hangar. You approach the bed that the imposing machine is resting on, and clear your throat. When garrod doesn't show any signs of acknowledgement, you sigh, and speak up.

"Garrod." you say, your tone like that of a father asking why his son kicked the family dog. Garrod flinches when he heard your voice, but continues as if he heard nothing.

"I know you can hear me, Garrod. Come here." you say, your done as flat as a table. "We need to talk."

"Uh... about what, Boss?" asks Garrod as he climbs down from his perch atop his new Gundam.

"About Tiffa." you say. "I had a little talk with her a couple nights ago."

"Is something wrong?" Garrod asks, immediately showing concern the moment you brought up Tiffa's name. "Is she okay? Is she sick or something?"

You pause. At the very least, Garrod's concern for her well-being hadn't changed in the slightest, but you still had to make sure...

"Not exactly." you say, finally. "She's just worried about you."

"Worried about me?" parrots Garrod, tilting his head. "What for?"

"She says you've changed. Become more distant." you say, frowning.

"Well... I... It's just..." stammers out Garrod, chewing on his lower lip. "Have I really changed that much?"

"I'm not the one you should be asking, kiddo." you say, shaking your head. "Ask Tiffa. She's scared she's going to lose you, Garrod."

"Lose me? But I..." says Garrod, trailing off... "Oh jeez... I messed up big time, didn't I?"

"Heck if I know." you say, shrugging. "Seemed like everyone's changed in the last two months, and no one's got the balls to tell me why. I know the gist of it, but not the full story."

You frown, locking your gaze with Garrod's.

"Care to tell me what the fuck happened while I was gone?"

Garrod diverts his gaze from yours, and sighs, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well... It's complicated..." he begins, chuckling nervously.

"Humor me." you interject.

(Cont'd.)

"Well... alright." he says, defeated. "Let me just say, that for starters, the war in Asia wasn't exactly a cakewalk, even with the Crusaders..."

And so, Garrod tells you, in detail, what had happened in the conflict between the Alliance of Estard, Gastar, and Northernbell, and the New UNE. About how Northernbell was nearly wiped off of the map, the growing tension between Gastar and Estard, the death of the General of Estard's military forces, Roybea's near-desertion, and the encounters against several prototype New UNE mobile suits.

Garrod had said that after you had nearly died, he realized he had to "pick up the slack" as he put it, and help keep the team together. He had to get serious, because you weren't there to watch everyone's back. When he told you that, it was... sobering, for a lack of a better word. You had no idea they relied on you so heavily.

"... Garrod..." you say finally, swallowing the lump that had formed in your throat. "Do you blame me at all, for how things turned out?"

At that, Garrod blinked once, then twice, then once more, and shook his head.

"No!" he blurted out, holding his arms up in an "X". "No way, Boss!"

"We don't blame you at all... If anything, we all did our best to pick up the slack, and I guess we all just had a hell of a time filling your shoes."

"Heh... I can imagine." you say, managing a small smile.

"Still... I'm sorry, Boss." says Garrod, sighing. "I had no idea I was worrying Tiffa that much... I guess I should go talk to her, huh?"

"Yeah, you better, kiddo." you say, reaching out and ruffling his greenish-black mop, then waving him off as he left the hangar to hopefully have a heart-to-heart chat with Tiffa.

With the air FINALLY cleared on what had happened while you were indisposed, and why Garrod was acting so differently, that was quite a bit of weight off of your shoulders.

You look to a nearby clock, and found that it would soon be time to head out and get your head examined.

(Cont'd.)

Along with Techcs, there would be one other person of your choice accompanying you. The question was... who would you bring along?

>Garrod
>Ennil
>Witz
>Roybea
>Just you and Techcs should be fine.
>Write in

>>28221580
> Garrod
Did we tell him about us potentially losing our Newtype powers?

>>28221580
>Ennil
Surprised that they still committed the Aces piecemeal, I thought that originally happened because the Frost brothers were trying to get them killed off because of their grudge thing.

>>28221580
>Garrod

>>28221580
>Garrod

>>28221598
If not then, it's bound to come up soon.

>>28221607
I think they just manipulated things so they could be put in charge of the potential Newtype soldiers and kill them if they felt threatened by them or some shit. For all we know, even though the Freeden crew encountered them, any one of them, like the Rasveht pilot, for example, could have survived.

>>28221677
Rasveht wouldn't have been encountered yet.

>>28221708
Wasn't the Rasveht encountered BEFORE the crew went to the Newtype Research Facility, though? I'd imagine the same happened here in the quest.

>Writing...

You decide to take Garrod along with you; if there was a time to explain why you were getting your head checked out here, now was as good of a time as any.

You managed to track down Garrod just as he had finished talking with Tiffa, and it seemed as though the two had patched things up, and her fears were proved to be misplaced.

You told him why you needed to get an examination here, rather than at Zonder Epta, and Garrod, was certainly surprised, but had been completely understanding.

"You've done so much for everyone, Boss..." he had said, smiling at you. "If something was wrong, it's only natural that we help you in return, for all that you've done for us."

You didn't have anything to say at that; Garrod was right, after all. You did have a nasty habit of sticking your neck out for others, despite trying to be "Mr. Lone Shark" and what have you.

You, Garrod, and Techcs are escorted into the positively huge Newtype Research Facility, flanked by researchers that fit the bill of "creepy scientist" to a T. You just hoped that there wouldn't be any sort of funny business. After all, ti was an examination; what could go wrong, right?

>Gonna end things here for tonight. I'll pick things up around the same time tomorrow; and hopefully, we'll get some answers in regards to Dave's condition, and that things will speed up from there. Until next time, folks!

>>28222312
>what could go wrong, right?
Oh boy, here we go.

See you next time, GunDAMN. Fun as always.

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>>28222312
>what could go wrong, right?

>[paranoia intensifies]

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>>28222312
>what could go wrong, right?
Oh boy, here we go...

bump

Bump

So, when the time comes for Garrod to blast off into space, will we be following him, or will we try to stay behind?

>>28236334
Not sure. Hopefully we'll get off the canon rails sometime soon. It's honestly this quest's major weakness.

>>28236334
Well, IF we stick on the ground and let Garrod follow through the canon plot in space, we have a chance to mess around with the UNE troops on the Earth and possibly disrupt them enough to turn the tide against them, and deal with any repercussions that come about in the form of the SRA. On the other hand, if we head to space we get David to meet girl-Garrod, and we might even have a chance of saving Satelicon. To say nothing of the possibility of a tiny amount of contact with/hinting of DOME.

Any chance of resuming tonight?

>>28239388
Yeah, just let me get something written up.

>>28236902
We never did learn if that dude that tried to hijack the Freeden is still alive at this point. I'm assuming he's gone though, and it may have contributed to Garrod's currently cold disposition.

>>28239866
He died.

>>28239921
Okay. Well I guess the next question would be if it had the same effect on Garrod as in canon, and if we would be able to bring up the issue about it in-game.

>>28240110
Probably. Combined with Dave almost dying, and everything that followed since then, it could explain why he got cynical all of a sudden.
Hopefully he'll get better now that Dave's up and running again.

This place was impressive; that much was clear; state of the art medical and research equipment, no doubt paid for by the New UNE forces. As impressive as it was, you couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of oppression that hung in the air. The sterile appearance and lingering scent of cleaning supplies that hung in the air did little to alleviate that sensation.

You were led to one of the several examination rooms in the facility, both Techcs and Garrod close by. Garrod had made it abundantly clear that were any of the researchers to try any sort of funny business, they would be experiencing a significant drop in their projected lifespan.

You'd been lying down inside of some kind of scanning device, which was apparently supposed to read your brainwaves, and provide an image of your mind. That would have been fine, but you've been lying down for a couple of hours now, and there was this itch JUST below your left cheek, and it was driving you up the wall!

Finally, the bed you'd been lying down on slid out of the chamber, and you sat up. One of the researchers approached you, holding a clipboard.

"So..." you begin, looking at the researcher. "What's the verdict?"

The scientist looks at you, then to the clipboard, then... smiles?

"Mister... David West, correct?" he asks, tucking the clipboard under his arm.

"Yes?" you say, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm pleased to inform you that you have nothing to worry about." he says. "You are not going to lose your Newtype powers, not now, or for the foreseeable future."

"That's... that's great!" you exclaim.

In your excitement, and eagerness to deliver the good news to Garrod and Techcs the building is rocked by an explosion. causing you to lose your balance, and faceplant into the tiled floor.

"Boss!"

You get to your feet to see Garrod, and Techcs, who pull you to your feet.

"What's going on?" you ask, shaking your head. "What was that explosion?!"

"It's the New UNE!" spits out Garrod, scowling.

(Cont'd.)

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Forgot the scientist's face...

"The facility director was just buying time until their forces got here so they could take us down."

"Of fucking course." you say, sighing and shaking your head.

"It's a bit more complicated than that, though..." continues Garrod.

"Seems the New UNE's got no use for them since all of the potential Newtype candidates this place supplied them either died or turned out to be duds... Thanks to us, of course." he adds, smirking.

Of course." you say, playfully jabbing Garrod in the shoulder.

"C'mon! We need to get out of here, quickly!"

You, Garrod and Techcs turn to face the scientists that had given you your diagnosis, frowning.

"I don't disagree with you there..." you say. "But we're not leaving without Jamil."

"Damn right you aren't!"

Speak of the devil, there he was, barreling down the hallway. Satisfied that everyone had been gathered, the four of you were led outside, where a helicopter was waiting. What awaited the five of you was chaos. Gadeels, Balients, and what looked to be some kind of new Daughtress variant were opening fire on the Newtype Research Facility and the Freeden, while Witz, Roybea, and Ennil fought off their forces as best they could.

By some miracle, the helicopter hadn't been shot down as it made a beeline for the Freeden's hangar, and it's not long before you and Garrod join the others on the front lines.

>Enemy Forces: Gadeel x 5, Balient x 20, Unknown MS x 15

>Roll 1d20+2 to attack, and please specify how. DC is 16.

Rolled 2 + 2

>>28240492
>new Daughtress variant
Oh FUCK, the Daughtress Neo is already being rolled out?

ANYWAY, scatter their formations with missiles, and open fire with the beam rifle.

Rolled 9 + 2

>>28240492
Target the Neo Daughtresses using beam weaponry. Also, if the ESTO has any forces in the vicinity we should call them in.

Rolled 13 + 2

>>28240492
Same as always. Use the beam weapons to pick off the lone targets while attempting to corral the enemy into larger groups for our leg missiles. Target the new suits first - time to see what they're made off.

Rolled 3 + 2

>>28240492
Missiles and beamspam

The sea curse strikes again.

>>28240674
we still have one more roll

Rolled 18 + 2

>>28240674
But we aren't at sea.

>>28240492
MISSILES AND BEAMSPAM OUT THE WAZOO. Throw in some vulcan and machine cannon fire for good measure.

>>28240698
AND ANON MAKES THE SAVE!

Sweet Jesus that was too close.

>Writing...

Rolled 12, 10, 19, 4 + 2 = 47

>Also rolling for the others...

>Results: You - 18 + 2 = 20, Witz - 12 + 2 = 14, Roybea - 10 + 2 = 12, Garrod - 19 + 2 = 21, Ennil - 4 + 2 = 6
>DC: 16
>Success: You, Garrod
>Failure: Witz, Roybea, Ennil

Though Witz and Roybea made no progress in regards to beating back any of the enemy forces, and Ennil was being ganged up on by several Balients and new NUNE models, the timely appearance of you and Garrod managed to save her form a messy fate. Garrod took the fight to a nearby group of Mobile Suits, running them through with his two beam sabers, while you opted to knock a squad of Balients, led by a Gadeel out of formation, destroying the Gadeel and causing the Balients to scatter, while you took down a couple of them with some well places shots from your beam rifle.

>Enemy Forces: Gadeel x 4, Balient x 16, ??? x 15

You curse, dodging incoming beam fire from the arm mounted modules of one of the Daughtress-esque mobile suits, firing at it in retaliation, forcing it to back off.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, none of you noticed the helicopter leaving the safety of the Freeden's hangar, not until Kid had informed you of the scientist's treachery and kidnapping of Tiffa.

Now you were faced with a dilemma; go with Garrod to rescue Tiffa, or continue defending the Freeden from the New UNE's onslaught?

>Gonna end things here for tonight; thread traffic's trickled to a halt, so we'll pick things up around the same time tomorrow.

>>28240942
You've got to learn to start earlier I think

>>28240987
Probably. Or it could also be that it's no longer the weekend.

>>28241025
No ESTO forces in the vicinity I take it?

>>28240942
Cover Garrod until he grabs the helicopter. Nobody said we couldn't take down the escort/capture team that the helicopter is sure to attract.

Best of both worlds since Garrod can focus on the grab to insure success while we can continue to wittle down the enemy.

>>28241165
That sounds like a plan.

We need to capture that heli, and fast. Let's get the fastest suit (I'm guessing Witz) we have on saving Tiffa, while the rest of the crew deals with the NUNE.

Bump

bump

bump

Alright folks, the Quest is back on. Sit tight while I write up a post.

You curse. That rat bastard of a scientist had Tiffa! Unfortunately, there was the dilemma of either going with Garrod to save her, something which Garrod was in the process of doing, or hang back and protect the ship with Witz, Roybea, and Ennil. You weren't sure in any of the Freeden's Mobile Suits could catch up to the helicopter that Tiffa was in, considering it had quite the head start on everyone. Still, you couldn't let... whatever it was that the guy had planned in regards to Tiffa just happen!

What will you do, David?

>Protecting the Freeden takes priority. Garrod can handle it on his own.
>Catch up with Garrod; he'll need as much help as he can get.
>Write in

>>28256418
>Catch up with Garrod; he'll need as much help as he can get.
Maybe if we're lucky, we can throw canon a major curveball, and prevent Nicola from heading into space with Tiffa. Or not. But it's worth a shot anyway.

>>28256418
>Catch up with Garrod; he'll need as much help as he can get

>>28256418
>Protecting the Freeden takes priority. Garrod can handle it on his own.
On one hand, it'd mean continuing on the canon railroad, but I don't wanna pass up a chance to meet Female!Garrod/Pala Sys.

Also, after looking through Gundam X Episodes, Pala and Garrod are roughly the same height. Dunno who said Pala was taller, but you're wrong. Though, how skinny she is could give off that illusion of extra height, I suppose...

>>28256620
>roughly the same height
Yes, but she's still taller, if only by a little. Look again, Anon.

>>28256418
>Protecting the Freeden takes priority. Garrod can handle it on his own.
We need to thin out the number of those enemy Mobile Suits before they get the bright idea in their heads to follow after Garrod and/or the helicopter.

>We have a tie

Alright, since the quest has JUST started back up I'll extend the clock by... ten minutes give or take. Once it hits 21:20 4chan time, I'll count up the votes.

Rolled 2

Wow, nothing? Really? Guess I'll roll a 1d2 to determine which option we take. 1 for hanging back, and 2 for helping Garrod.

>>28256938
>Helping Garrod it is! Writing...

You weren't content to just let Garrod go off in his own, especially considering that the Freeden was RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLE.

Still, the Freeden had some very capable pilots, as well as Ennil El, defending the ship, and if worst came to worst, Jamil could step up to the plate and help out with the Divider Gundam. So, here you were, taxing the Hyper-Spec's thrusters to catch up with Garrod.

"Boss, what're you doing here?"

You look to see Garrod on your screen, looking rather confused.

"Making sure you don't screw up. Now focus, where's the helicopter?"

"I found it, but Tiffa and that kidnapping jerk aren't in it!" he replies, chewing on his lower lip. "What now, Boss?"

"I don't know, Garrod..." you say, sighing. You look around the area; seems they fled to a nearby UNE base, possibly pre war. There were what looked to be missile silos in the ground, but they were way too large to be one of those...

You're brought out of your train of thought as you spy a group of enemy Mobile Suits headed your way. Looked to be... two of those new models, three Balients, and one of the Gadeels.

"Shit!" you spit out, dodging a beam rifle shot that would have blown the Hyper-Spec's head off.

>Enemy MS: 2 x ???, 3 x Balient, 1 x Gadeel
>Allies: Garrod Ran - GX-9901-DX Gundam Double X

>Roll me 1d20+2 to attack, and specify who you're attacking, as well as how. DC is 15.

>>28257365
Go after the two new Models; fight to disable, not destroy.

We could probably reverse engineer at least one of those things and improve our mobile suits as a result, or make new ones based off of the data we gather.

Rolled 9 + 2

>>28257415
Forgot my roll, sorry.

Rolled 12 + 2

>>28257365
Go after the Gadeel first

Rolled 14 + 2

>>28257365
What >>28257415 said. We're still junk dealers/mechanics/whatever at heart, and to destroy something as sweet as those things would be a dayum shame.

>Writing...

Rolled 9 + 2

>>28257657
... and rolling for Garrod.

>Results: You - 14 + 2 = 16, Garrod - 9 + 2 = 11
>DC: 15
>Success: You
>Failure: Garrod

You make a beeline for the two new model Mobile Suits, aiming to disable them; whatever data you could gather from an intact-- well, one with an intact cockpit block at least, would prove to be invaluable. You expand your senses, and it's as though time was moving in slow motion. You duck below the massive beam blade of one of the machines' multi-purpose beam weapon, and draw a beam saber from your Holster Shield, and in an impressive aping of Iaijutsu, you sever both of the machine's arms.

Before the weaponless machine can retreat, however, you circle to its back, and plunge the saber downward into the backpack, miraculously avoiding making the whole thing explode. With nowhere to go but down, you watch as it lands, rather messily at that, on the ground below. The other MS pilot seems to be smarter, and tries to engage Garrod instead, who already had his hands full dealing with the Balients and the Gadeel. Having none of that, you plunge a saber into the cockpit block of the machine, watching as it hangs limply from your saber, at least until you disengage the blade, and watch as it too, falls to the Earth below.

>Enemy MS: Balient x 3, Gadeel x 1

>Roll me 1d20+2 to attack, and please specify what and how you will attack. DC is 15.

Rolled 5 + 2

>>28257943
Fire our leg missiles on the Gadeel.

Always go after the speedy little fuckers first; it's common sense, man.

Rolled 19 + 2

>>28257943
We target all four of them, in order to give Garrod the opening to deal with his girlfriend

Rolled 8 + 2

>writing and rolling for Garrod...

>Results: You - 19 + 2 = 21, Garrod - 8 + 2 = 10
>DC: 15
>Success: You
>Failure: Garrod

You scatter the Mobile Suits harassing Garrod with a volley of missiles from your Missile Launchers, managing to shoot down a Balient and the Gadeel. Though Garrod is unsuccessful in his efforts to deal with the rest of the enemy Mobile Suits, you manage to them down as he draws them into your line of fire.

Of course, nothing was ever this easy.

To yours and Garrod's surprise, one of the silos opens up, revealing a massive rocket; or rather, what looked like a spaceship with some kind of booster attachment. That HAD to be where Tiffa and that bastard scientist were, on that ship!

>Roll 1d20 to stop the rocket launch. DC is 18.

Rolled 5

>>28258661
rollin

Rolled 13

>>28258661

Rolled 12

>>28258661
fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...

Rolled 10

>>28258661
Rolling to derail canon!

Rolled 12

>>28258661
Rolling

Rolled 4

>>28258661
Why was garrod attacking the mobile suits? he was supposed to be going after the girl as per >>28258037

>>28258694
>>28258711
>>28258719
>>28258720
>>28258739
Well... fuck.

On one hand, I'm kind of miffed that the QM gave is such a high DC, but on the other, it's a fucking rocket/space ship. If they're ballsy, chances are we'd have a hell of a time stopping the launch anyway.

>>28258772
Maybe his failure meant that he couldn't disengage successfully?

>>28258772
>>28258840
Exactly. Can't exactly go after someone else while already preoccupied with fighting off enemies. You COULD, but it's hard as balls, because you're basically holding a target to your back.

>Writing!

>Result: 13
>DC: 18
>Failure...

You curse, shielding your eyes as the bright flash of light following the ignition of the ship's boosters nearly blinds you and Garrod. Neither of you waste any time in pursuing the ship, but unfortunately, the thrusters of both the Hyper-Spec and the Double X weren't nearly as powerful at that of the rockets, which made things all the more painful as both you and Garrod could do nothing but watch as the ship slowly crept away from your Gundams, Garrod shouting Tiffa's name all the while.

"TIFFA--!!!!"

In all the chaos, and your fruitless chase, the New UNE forces had managed to retreat. The Facility was in shambles, and the Freeden was in terrible condition, but thankfully, there were no casualties.

While Kid and the engineering crew busied themselves with the Freeden's repairs, You, Jamil, Ennil, as well as the Bridge crew, and both Witz and Roybea find Garrod and the Double X at the launch site of the ship that had carried Tiffa into space.

>Try and console Garrod; the kid's a mess of emotions right now...
>Knock some sense into him. No time for tears; only action.
>Write in

>>28259254
>Try and console Garrod; the kid's a mess of emotions right now...
Then we'll hit up our contacts to see if anyone has space capability. Lets try the cyber newtype. Haven't talked to him in a while.

>>28259347
good with me

>>28259254
>Knock some sense into him. No time for tears; only action.
Every moment he's not in action is a moment that's wasted as Tiffa gets farther away.
We can help with contacts and finding a way into space; he needs to make sure that the Double X is properly space-worthy when he goes up to the SRA and kicks their ass to get his girlfriend back.

>>28259254
>Try and console Garrod; the kid's a mess of emotions right now...
If there was one base capable of launching things into space, it stands to reason that there could be others. We could make it the ESTO's priority to locate any old UNE military bases with mass drivers, or whatever, as long as we can get into space, too.

>Writing...

"Hey..." you say, walking up to the catatonic Garrod. When he makes no attempt to acknowledge your presences, you shrug, and sit down next to him.

"You going to be okay, Garrod?"

"I... I don't know." he says, after a good minute or two of silence. "I promised I wouldn't leave her side. I told her I'd keep her safe, and now she's been kidnapped and taken into outer space."

"Hey, don't worry." you say, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If there was one base capable of sending a ship into outer space, there's bound to be more."

"... You think so, Boss?" asks Garrod, looking at you. Jeezus, he looked like a mess.

"Yeah." you say. "We can always ask Shagia and Olba, considering they used to be a part of the New UNE, so if anyone knows where bases like that are, it'd be them. Even if they don't, we'll find a way to make locating old military bases with something that can send us into space."

"Yeah... you're right, Boss. I'm not gonna just sit here and mope. Tiffa's up there, waiting for me, and I can't just sit and do nothing."

"You're damn straight, kiddo. Of course, if you're heading off into space, you'll need to make sure the DX is spaceworthy. Don't want to have it collapse in on itself because of pressurization issues, right?"

At your words, Garrod makes a face, then shakes his head emphatically.

"N-no way, Boss! I don't wanna get crushed!"

"Then you better get on it, right?"

"Right!"

>Gonna end things here for tonight... I got a job interview in the morning, so I need to get plenty of sleep, and it's around the time thread traffic usually slows down. See you all tomorrow!