>>38378089
Audrey sighs, presumably settling into her seat as she rests. “Same. I mean, who wakes up and thinks to themselves “hey, I think I'm going to spend my day working on a mind-control weapon!” It's just stupid.” Rossweisse stifles a giggle at Audrey's voice acting.

“Why are you suddenly a man?” Carya teases. “But I see your point. I always though Bask Om looked a bit too much like a comicbook villain to be trusted.”

“It's kind of sad that Titans have sunk this low,” you half-joke. “They're literally self-parodying.”

“How long until the Valkyrie's here?” you radio Noel.

“Should be groundside in fifteen,” she replies. “Factor in an hour or two for recovery and salvage operations before we can return to orbit.”

“That leaves us some time,” Haman observes. “We could do a little more snooping around now that there are no real threats left.”

True, there are still questions to be answered here...

>Investigate the offices, see if you can grab data before the Titans crews here can sneak back in and ransack it.
>Investigate the domed building the two Newtype machines came out of.
>Radio the Nagato, see if Karen can get hold of Karaba. They could hold the location for you until a full investigation can be launched by the moderate faction in the Assembly.
>Ask this woman calling herself 'Sera' what she thinks should be done next.
>Other?

>>38378165
>Ask this woman calling herself 'Sera' what she thinks should be done next.

>>38378165
>Investigate the offices, see if you can grab data before the Titans crews here can sneak back in and ransack it.
>Radio the Nagato, see if Karen can get hold of Karaba. They could hold the location for you until a full investigation can be launched by the moderate faction in the Assembly.
Priority on the offices for now, it probably wouldn't hurt to ask Sera's opinion on the next step, but having this whole thing blown wide open sounds good.

>>38378165
>Investigate the offices, see if you can grab data before the Titans crews here can sneak back in and ransack it.
>Radio the Nagato, see if Karen can get hold of Karaba. They could hold the location for you until a full investigation can be launched by the moderate faction in the Assembly.
Seems like the best idea. We get what we can now, request backup to secure the facility.

>>38378089
>someone. Will. DIE.
I hope it's Reccoa, or Quess.
>Kou choked on a carrot a died randomly.

>>38378165
Underwater salvage on the Matabiri when the Valkyrie arrives. If we've enough hemp rope, ours and the Twins suit go for a dive. Use the Valkyrie as a giant floating winch once we've secured that chunk of Luna Titanium.

Sic ALICE at sorting through the databanks while we ask Sera where they were housed. Send Ilia to secure the cyber newtypes' barracks.

>>38378165
>Investigate the offices, see if you can grab data before the Titans crews here can sneak back in and ransack it.
Here's to hoping we can discover some connection regarding Carrina's kidnap attempt. Or perhaps unravel the shadier aspects of Anaheim Electronics' management.

>Ask this woman calling herself 'Sera' what she thinks should be done next.
My question is more on how much of a window do we have for snooping for info before the Titans attempt to retake this place though.

Made good use of the time yesterday to watch MSG: The Origin, KoH?

>>38378165
>>Investigate the offices, see if you can grab data before the Titans crews here can sneak back in and ransack it.

>>38378358
Actually, no. I was toying with the possibility of waiting until they were all out and binge-watching them. Either way I'll be staying off /m/ until I've seen at least the one that's out.

>writing

>>38378165
"Sera, was it?" you ask the woman warily, mindful of the fact that you've only just met her. "How long do we have until the Titans officers try to ransack the place themselves?"

She sits in silence for a moment or two, probably reviewing everything she's been told about how to respond to a complete rout of this magnitude.

"I believe this is what Titans' evacuation protocol would describe as Plan O."

"Plan O?" you ask.

"For "oh fuck"," she clarifies calmly. "The under-river hangar for the Matabiri has likely been flooded with mud and water. Surviving senior personnel will have retreated to the Dome, where the defenses and fire suppression systems are the most extensive. Judging by the damage sustained in your assault, many would likely dead or have fled the area."

"I would suggest you hurry, but remain on guard," Sera concludes. "You have perhaps another half hour or so before the remaining Titans work up the courage to mount a focused counter effort."

Well then, that means you have some time to look over the offices yourself for anything important: lab reports, paper trails, that sort of thing. Should be plenty of time, but you'll also need to tend to your machines as well.

"Haman," you order. "Remain here and keep the engine running. Audrey? You come with me."

"I'm sending Rossweisse," Carya radios you. "I can spare her for now. We'll keep in radio contact, the Minovsky scattering effect isn't too bad."

Haman lowers the Lilium into a position where you can more easily rappel out onto the tarmac. As soon as your boots hit ground you draw your sidearm. The safety is off, and the little indicator by the ejection port says you're loaded and ready to go.

Audrey soon follows you, and you link up with Rossweisse.

(1/2)

>>38378854
Inside you find the corpse of Kou Uraki, force-fed carrots until he choked to death.

>>38378854
The office building was basically empty when you arrived on-site, due to the late hour of your arrival, but the smashed-out glass doors on the front facade tell you that someone from the facility's staff has beaten you here. Carefully treading through the shattered glass on the floor, you enter the dimmed entry hall with your pistols up.

To your right is an elevator, to your left is the reception and security desk. Straight ahead is a darkened hallway, with little indication of what lies down it.

"We're not alone here," you quietly radio your teammates outside. "Signs of forced entry, no indication where they might have gone.

"There isn't much on the ground floor," Sera replies. "The First and Second floors are where most of the work gets done."

>Investigate the first floor.
>Stop in at the security desk, see if you can't figure out who's here and where they are.
>Take the elevator to another floor.
>Take the stairs to another floor.

>>38378930
Come on, man, cut that out. Besides, last we checked Kou was on the Nagato, actually. We never did establish where South's team went after Dakar, did we? Are they just hanging out on the ship?

>>38378994
>Stop in at the security desk, see if you can't figure out who's here and where they are.

>>38378994
>Stop in at the security desk, see if you can't figure out who's here and where they are.

>>38378994
Security desk. But only if there is still juice running and the camera feeds haven't been severed.

>>38378994
>Stop in at the security desk, see if you can't figure out who's here and where they are.
>Investigate the first floor.

I wonder if personal wire grappling guns are a thing at this point? And if they work under gravity just fine, it seems like a useful instant floor bypass tool.

>>38378994
Hey KoH, is Dom's Newtype power that he basically as a Newtype catalyst, causing others to increase (Rosse) or develop (Audrey) Newtype powers?

>>38379032
If I recall correctly Kou and South joined Keith and Adel on one of the ships that had been hanging around with the Nagato for a while.

Haven't heard from them in a while: presumably Karen let them do as they pleased. They may even have joined Karaba.

>>38379211
Only if he has coitus.

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>>38379266
Audrey developed Newtype powers before we went Domscartes on her, tho.

>>38379211
It seems to be something along the lines of him just expressing ridiculous amounts of psychic energy. He's not necessarily the most powerful Newtype in the world, since there are other factors like control and sensitivity, but he seems to be the loudest. At full output you don't even need to be a Newtype to hear him. That's how he got his "Devil's Jester" nickname, because his hysterical breakdown echoed through the minds of everyone at A Baoa Qu. So if we assume that Newtype powers are the product of environmental factors as well as biological ones, constant exposure to all the energy he puts out could induce awakening in others. Like a magnetic field aligning the atoms of a piece of iron, his Newtype pressure altered the structure of the brains of the people close to him.

>>38378994
"I'm making a detour to the security desk," you announce. "Rosse, cover the hallway. Audrey, watch the stairs and the elevator."

Carefully looking over the edge of the desk lets you see that there's nobody hiding under or behind it, so you casually slide across it and into a rolling chair. In front of you are exactly what you'd hoped: a series of screens for a closed-circuit camera system.

Unfortunately, the screen is locked. If you'd had ALICE with you your could let yourself in, and probably select and move the cameras from here: but as things stand, the flickering black-and-white images don't offer much insight. The only real upside is that there's no place to keep a set of keys down here: if the intruder who got here before you had to smash their way in, they're likely run into similar problems since then. Their going will be slow, and they'll likely be making enough of a mess to let you know where they're skulking.

"Don't suppose you'd know the password for the computer here, Sera," you mutter.

"Negative. Sorry."

"Still clear," Rosse reports. "What do you want us to do?"

>We could stay here and hope to spot something.
>Change floors via the elevator
>Change floors via the stairs
>Other?

>>38379675
>>Change floors via the stairs

>>38379675
>Change floors via the stairs
Yeah, guess it was kind of silly to think a Titans black site would have an employee directory book. Alright, next floor. No elevator, though, you never use those in an emergency.

>>38379675
>Change floors via the stairs
Is this everything on the first floor? I thought there are still some places here to investigate without going up a level. Moving on, I suppose.

>>38379675
>>Change floors via the stairs

>>38379675
Call down the elevator, send it to the next floor, then use the stairs.

If there is someone up there, they'll either try to get away using the stairs, or they'll set up an ambush near the elevator, where we can corner them.

>>38379675
Okay, seems like five-minute vote territory
>A. Take the stairs up one floor
>B. Take the stairs, but send the elevator up as a distraction

>>38380048
>B.

>>38380048
B

>>38380048
>B

>>38380048
"Rosse, hit the call button. When I give you the signal, send the elevator up to the next floor."

"Got it," Rossweisse replies, immediately understanding your plan.

Audrey turns to look at you as you stack up on the door to the stairwell. "You know if they're not on the first floor, we'll have just tipped them off."

"And if they come down the stairs, we'll still ambush them," you point out. "Keep your eyes open."

>roll me a 3d10, considering first three. DC is 6.

Rolled 2, 1, 2 = 5 (3d10)

>>38380291

Rolled 9, 1, 4 = 14 (3d10)

>>38380291

Rolling.

Rolled 10, 1, 9 = 20 (3d10)

>>38380291

Rolled 10, 4, 8 = 22 (3d10)

>>38380291

Rolled 4, 19, 11 = 34 (3d20)

>>38380291

Rolled 1, 9, 4 = 14 (3d10)

Woops, left my 20 on, disregard please.

>>38380318
>>38380347
>>38380350
What the fuck is this shit?

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>>38380407

Haman is not with us.

>>38380291
You quietly tread up the stairs to the landing, stopping at the door.

"Alright, send it up," you radio Rossweisse.

As the faint sound of the elevator's pulley system fills the stairwell, you get the sense that somebody is worried by this development. Unfortunately, he's on the second floor: one level above you.

"Shit," you hiss. "Wrong floor. Audrey, out the door! Quick!"

Even as you and Audrey step out into the first floor of the building, you can hear the door to the stairwell close with a metallic click, followed by heavy boots falling on each step.

>Leave the door open, shoot at the intruder as soon as he's in view
>Wait until he's on the landing for your floor, and jump him, try to keep him alive
>Let him pass, shoot him in the back
>Other

>>38380407
Hey, we still got a passing roll. Let's just take it.

>>38380626
>Wait until he's on the landing for your floor, and jump him, try to keep him alive

>>38380626
>>Wait until he's on the landing for your floor, and jump him, try to keep him alive

>>38380626
>Wait until he's on the landing for your floor, and jump him, try to keep him alive

>>38380626
>Wait until he's on the landing for your floor, and jump him, try to keep him alive
Or a flash grenade, if it's available.

Is this Jerid still loitering around?

>>38380872
I doubt it. He was quite badly hurt, I don't think he's capable of walking, let alone fighting. His team got him out of there, I think.

Rolled 10, 9, 4 = 23 (3d10)

Rolling 3d10 for QM things, roll me 3d10 in return. Best of 3, DC 7.

Rolled 5, 5, 4 = 14 (3d10)

>>38381170

Rolled 3, 10, 2 = 15 (3d10)

>>38381170

Rolled 6, 10, 10 = 26 (3d10)

>>38381170

Rolled 8, 2, 10 = 20 (3d10)

>>38380626
You may have the drop on this asshole, and you may have better senses too... but there's one thing you didn't count on.

You're running a can on your sidearm. Your opponent hasn't done you that courtesy.

The door opens as you move to ambush your wary foe, only to find a bright flash and a loud blast that thoroughly disorient you. Your ears ring and your eyes sting, and air explodes from your lungs as you feel what seems like a sledgehammer smashing into your ribs. Wounded and blinded by the muzzle flash you take a wild swing and feel your fist connect with something solid before you stumble out onto the landing.

Audrey, on the other hand, sees all of this. And she's not liking it one bit... you can feel surprise and rage and concern from her as she quickly realizes that you've been shot.

Her gun snaps up onto target.
(1/2)

>>38381421
"You BITCH!" Audrey screams, rage twisting her voice and nearly obscuring the sound of three telltale coughs. Then you hear a dull thud, a feminine grunt of exertion... and a delayed crash as something heavy hits the landing on the ground floor.

In a moment, things manage to go from bad to worse.

Even as your eyes regain focus and you struggle to catch your breath, you hear alarms ringing out throughout the building. Fire alarms, you realize.

"I'm fine," you gasp at Audrey as she tries to help pull you to your feet. "Suit took the hit, mostly."

Still, it feels like you've probably got a broken rib or two and possibly a bruised kidney from the awkward fall... you'll be pissing blood for a while, but you'll live.

>Get out now while the building's not *as* on fire as it soon will be?
>Try to keep searching for anything you can salvage?
>Other?

>>38381585
>>Try to keep searching for anything you can salvage?
Surely this place has automatic fire suppression systems?

>>38381585
>>Try to keep searching for anything you can salvage?

>>38381585
>>Other?
check the body

>>38381585
>>Try to keep searching for anything you can salvage?

>>38381585
>Try to keep searching for anything you can salvage?

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>>38381585
>Get out now while the building's not *as* on fire as it soon will be?
Geez, no wonder that mask or a pair of sunglasses is a permanent fixture on Char. Maybe he's on to something.

>Other?
How's everyone else? And take a look on who shot at us.

>>38381585
"Rosse, there's a body in the stairwell," you struggle to report to her. "If they're alive, get them out. We'll be along shortly."

"Are you nuts!?" Audrey shouts. "You've been shot, for God's sake! AND the building's on fire!"

Almost on cue, the sprinkler system comes on in the hallway. Gesturing at the spray earns you a sigh from Audrey as she seemingly agrees to help you search the first floor. You loop one arm around her shoulders for stability as you go.

There's a bit of smoke on this floor from what's probably by now a good-sized blaze upstairs, and the lights are out. That means the building is probably on its own emergency power source: just enough to run the sirens and sprinklers.

All around you are cubicles and offices, some with paper files sitting out and others with drawers. As you should have expected there's no indication of what any of these work spaces were for or what the contents of any of the files are.

Despite the sprinklers, the smoke continues to thicken.

>Grab some files off a desk and leg it.
>Break into one of the offices, grab what you can.
>Take some time to search, risk the fire situation getting worse while you're still in the building.
>This isn't worth risking your lives over. Just leave and write it off as a loss.

>>38382298
Consider your next actions VERY carefully. You've made several mistakes so far, and they're beginning to add up.

>>38382298

>Break into one of the offices, grab what you can.

>>38382298
>This isn't worth risking your lives over. Just leave and write it off as a loss.

>>38382298
>>Grab some files off a desk and leg it.

>>38382298
>>Break into one of the offices, grab what you can.

>>38382298
>Take some time to search, risk the fire situation getting worse while you're still in the building.
High risk high reward.

>>38382298


>Break into one of the offices, grab what you can.

>>38382298
>>This isn't worth risking your lives over. Just leave and write it off as a loss.

Time to bail.

>>38382332

No don't tell us that. We've gotta learn the hard way.

>>38382298
>>Break into one of the offices, grab what you can.

>>38382298
>This isn't worth risking your lives over. Just leave and write it off as a loss.

>>38382298
>This isn't worth risking your lives over. Just leave and write it off as a loss.
Too many places to look for, too little time, and only a vague clue on what to specifically look for.
Take solace in the rest of the team data mining the enemy MS captured, and acquiring MA scrap loot.

>38382298
>>Break into one of the offices, grab what you can.

>>38382298
>>Grab some files off a desk and leg it.

>>38382366
>>38382446
>>38382499
>>38382543
>>38382725
Smash and grab.

>>38382746
>>38382431
Just grab.

>>38382395
>>38382518
>>38382581
>>38382589
Pull out early.

>>38382457
Smoke inhalation is fun!

Roll a d100 for luck, considering first 4.

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>38382925

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>38382925

Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>38382925

Rolling.

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>38382925

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>38382925

>>38382958
... okay. That's neither bad nor good.

>writing

>>38383046
inb4 we snag the art project of some OL's kindergartener.
It's a drawing of us

>>38383099

Please let it be this. I want everyone's hearts to melt when they see the crew holding hands.

>>38382925
“What do you need?” Audrey demands.

“Windows,” you tell her, pointing at the largest, comfiest-looking office. Leaning you up against a dividing wall, Audrey takes three quick shots at the window to spiderweb it before chucking a deskchair as hard as she can through it.

Then she hops in, grabs something off the desk, and jumps back out.

“Alright, let's get the fuck out of here already!” Audrey hisses, grabbing you by the shoulders and guiding you back down the stairs.

“We're on our way out!” you report as you pass by a blood splatter on the ground floor landing. Finally, you rejoin Rossweisse on the outside of the building. Looking up reveals the extent of the inferno that drove you out: the whole second floor is now fully-involved, with tongues of flame reaching out through some of the windows. Looking down you can also get a good look at your assailant: a woman with pale hair in a bloodstained labcoat. Her injuries are obviously critical, but she's still struggling for breath.

“This is Valkyrie,” Defrah's voice reports. “We're on site, bringing in recovery teams.”

You've been mentally assaulted and shot so far tonight, and your prisoner is literally at death's doorstep. Returning her to the Valkyrie could net you a source of intelligence, and it feels wrong letting her bleed to death. She's clearly not a soldier at all, just a misplaced civilian. Then again, there's more that could be done here.... which could always just end with you getting shot again.

>Pull out, take the lab technician
>Pull out, leave the lab technician to her fate
>Send the lab technician back to the Valkyrie, remain on site (write-in: what do you want to do here?)

>>38383509
>Pull out, take the lab technician
Can't just leave her to die. And we can't stay here, it's wrecked. Best we can do is interrogate her for details.

>>38383509
>>Pull out, leave the lab technician to her fate

>>38383509
>>Pull out, take the lab technician

>>38383509
>>Pull out, take the lab technician
Make sure to check for any tracking devices and/or personal affects one we're outside.

We can' leave her to die, but we can't take any risks.

>>38383509
>Pull out, take the lab technician
Get some medical treatment for two already. Leave the finer points of salvaging to Doc and Emary.

>>38383509
>>Pull out, take the lab technician
We're not going to leave her to die like this.

>>38383509
>>Pull out, take the lab technician

>>38383594
>Make sure to check for any tracking devices
This, definitely.

>>38383509
>Pull out, take the lab technician
We aren't heartless, also we can't stay here for too long since titans will come back in force.

>>38383509
>Pull out, take the lab technician

would we gain/lose anything by encouraging the fire a bit?

>>38383509
>writing

>>38383509
“We're leaving,” you announce, heading back towards your mobile suit. “Rosse, keep pressure on her wounds. Carya, get them in your hands. Be gentle.”

“Remember who you're talking to,” Carya replies as she approaches in the Viola. “If it were my sister you might have cause for concern.”

Fair point. Catrina's not the one you'd look to for “gentle” at all.

The recovery maneuvers are flawless. Your team as well as Ilia and the Purus return to the Valkyrie as legions of men and women you've never met descend into the forests and river to recover materiel. Artesia whisks the lab-coated woman away immediately, leaving you with a stack of papers and a stained labcoat. Searching the pockets produces a scant few items: a pen and a wallet, the latter of which produces a photo of the woman with a smiling young boy sitting on her knee. They have the same eyes.

You don't show Audrey. Instead you slump to the deck of the hangar, gently massaging your side.

“We have a lab report,” Audrey informs you as Rosse walks Sera towards the officers' quarters along with the Purus, who you've ordered to grab some rest while they can. “I'll have Reiko and Catharine look it over when we get back to the Nagato.

>Let's look it over now, I'm still kicking.
>Have Carya look you over, you're not sure how badly hurt you really are.
>Check in with Rossweisse and Sera, ensure that your guest is seen to.
>Other?

>>38384312
>Have Carya look you over, you're not sure how badly hurt you really are.
>Other?
Check in with the pilots affected by the mental attack as well.

>>38384312
>>Let's look it over now, I'm still kicking.
>Check in with Rossweisse and Sera, ensure that your guest is seen to.

>>38384391
this

>>38384312
>>Have Carya look you over, you're not sure how badly hurt you really are.

Don't want to end up like old Fokker did...

>>38384312
>Have Carya look you over, you're not sure how badly hurt you really are.
Or one of the other medical staff on the ship. Artesia isn't the only medic we have.

>>38384641
Most of the ones you DO have are prepping for major surgery.

>>38384684
Oh, right, it's just the Valkyrie and not the Nagato we have with us right now. Nevermind.

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>>38384607
>ship-wide pineapple salad ban issued by Karen

>>38384312
"Carya," you mutter, waving your fellow pilot over. "Let's go somewhere more private, I need you to look me over."

She nods. "Sure. I can do that."

The two of you excuse yourselves, leaving Audrey to see to the salvage efforts for a while. Your old quarters are right where you remember them, but are a bit smaller than you remember. Carya tells you to lie down as she helps you strip away your sweaty pilot suit, leaving you to shiver in the cool air.

"There," she mutters, inspecting a large bruise on your ribs. "Looks like the ballistic panel caught the round just fine."

"Still hurts like hell," you mutter.

She shrugs. "You got shot, Dom. Of course it hurts. May be cracked ribs, but they're more likely just bruised."

Carya removes the glove from one of her hands and gently prods at your side. "Does this hurt?"

"No."

Her fingertips explore further up your ribs, producing a dull, throbbing pain as you hiss to yourself.

"One... two... three... three ribs," she concludes as she finally prods a rib that *doesn't* feel like it's broken. "Wrong side to have bruised your liver, so that's good."

Carya's fingertips now slide towards the more vulnerable stretches of your abdomen, pressing and prodding firmly as she searches for signs of internal injury. Then, quite suddenly, she finds it.

"Damn," she mutters, confirming your suspicions. "You probably have a bruised kidney. That'll hurt at least for a week."

"And so what do you suggest?" you ask tiredly, the adrenaline starting to wear off.

"Bed rest and fluids," Carya replies.

>How's Catrina doing?
>How are the rest of our team doing?
>How bad was I when I got... you know. Crazy.
>What were you up against while I was going full MURDER MODE?

These questions are not mutually exclusive, but some may prompt different responses than others.

>>38385051
>>How's Catrina doing?
>How are the rest of our team doing?

>>38385051
>>How's Catrina doing?
>>How are the rest of our team doing?

>>38385051
>>How's Catrina doing?
>>How are the rest of our team doing?

>>38385051
>How's Catrina doing?
>How are the rest of our team doing?
Rosse seems fine afterwards, so she may have been the least affected. Audrey was rather frayed during the office raid, though getting shot may have contributed to that mental state escalating that way.
No idea on Haman. Internalizing the experience, perhaps?

And I also wonder if the Purus got a whiff of the mental attack too?

>>38385051
>How bad was I when I got... you know. Crazy.
>What were you up against while I was going full MURDER MODE?

>>38385051
"How is everyone doing?" you ask. "I'm still a bit shaky."

Carya rests a reassuring hand on your shoulder. "They'll be fine, Dom. Haman seems upset about the loss of control, but other than that they'll either get over it or they have already."

"And your sister?"

She sighs. "She's still unconscious, so the effects seem to be wearing off more slowly."

"And what were the effects?" you ask.

Carya shifts her weight a bit. "Lust, actually."

Oh. OH. That's actually kind of inconvenient.

>... can you promise to TRY and keep it gentle?
>Then she'll have to stay that way a while.

>>38385598
>... can you promise to TRY and keep it gentle?

>>38385598
>>Then she'll have to stay that way a while.

>>38385598
>... can you promise to TRY and keep it gentle?

>>38385598
>... can you promise to TRY and keep it gentle?
huhuhu

>>38385598
>>... can you promise to TRY and keep it gentle?

>>38385598
>>... can you promise to TRY and keep it gentle?

This might suck.

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>>38385598
>>... can you promise to TRY and keep it gentle?
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is spongy and bruised...

>>38385598
>Then she'll have to stay that way a while.
After we've got everything looted. Then we shall bruise ourselves even worse than we already are.

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>38385598
October 14, UC 0084

True to her word, Carya managed to help keep Catrina under some semblance of control, and you've managed to come out of the experience with no more bruises than you went in with. She's up and about early, and you'd almost call her perky just now. But you take a few extra minutes to haul yourself to your feet.

A report is lying for your on the table from Audrey, who's now overseeing your machines' transfer back to the Nagato. It details the results of your raiding on the Titans' supplies and damaged machines: one damaged machine referred to as a “Marasai”, a substantial amount of reclaimed gundarium armor, and some equipment off the Matabiri. The latter includes a massive beam cannon and a Minovsky craft system.

Next to that is a second note from Artesia. The captured scientist...
(1/2)

>>38386066
>Rolled 3 (1d100)
>The captured scientist...
... is dead?

>>38386066
Murdered everyone on the Nagato because she's a Cyber Newtype.

>>38386066
... has yet to regain consciousness.

By the time she got into the surgical theater she had stopped breathing, and although Artesia and her team managed to re-start her heart she had already reached the severe stages of cerebral hypoxia. The loss of oxygen has left her in a deep coma, and one lobe of her left lung needed to be removed due to severe damage. In addition, there may have been some damage to her spine after the fall crushed one of her lumbar vertebrae.

Her condition is still listed as critical.

Sera is seemingly adjusting to life aboard the Nagato, though she has so far avoided interaction with the regular crew.

Last, you check your email. Amid a few messages from your family, you find one from Cima Garahau asking for a meeting with you and Karen as soon as is convenient.

>What do?

>>38386234
Reply to our family saying that we're fine and are doing well, even though we've declared war on a tyrannical paramilitary organization. Respond to Cima by telling her that we're on Earth right now, and will contact her to agree on meet-up details once we're back in orbit.

>>38386285
You're back in orbit already. The Nagato and Valkyrie are in the process of sorting themselves out.

>>38386234

Lets go see Sera before we hit the bridge to inform Karen about this. We can help her get accustomed to being around people that don't consider her a tool, and she might know who the scientist we captured is.

So what are we going to do with the loot? The Val Varo is begging for some upgrades, as are the Purus' suits.

>>38386324
let's go with this, I guess.

>>38386324
This and go look at Tera S'ona's.

>>38386234
Dang, poor Scientist lady. Certainly fucked her up but good.

>>38386429
Considering were she worked?
Maybe not so poor.

Next update will probably be my last for the night. I'm running on fumes.

>>38386234
Send a reply to our family to ease any worries they may be having.

Oh, so is this Cima making good on our promise to share a drink with her right away? And it's okay to bring some guests too? Well, oblige her then. Visit Karen and inform her of Cima's invitation. There might be another purpose to her extending an invite to our Captain (planning an attack on Gryps already, perhaps?).

As for Sera... well, maybe some more interaction with Rosse or the Purus or Rebecca would ease her better into a niche before interacting with the rest of the crews.

And lastly, maybe have a glimpse of what Doc, Emary and Audrey may have dug up on the Leipzig suits.

>>38386234
You shoot off a quick message to your family assuring them that you are indeed okay, and that declaring war on Titans hasn't managed to prove fatal just yet.

Before you part ways with Carya and Catrina, they place a hand gently over your ribs.

"Please go see Artesia at some point," Carya insists. "At least get it properly bandaged."

You assure her that you will, but first you make a quick trip to see how Sera is doing. You find her eating in the officers' mess.

"The food is better here," she tells you as you sit across from her at the table with a mug of coffee and a bacon and egg sandwich. "I forgot what it was like to be fed like a human being rather than like livestock."

"It's the simple things, isn't it?" you ask, sipping at your drink. "You settling in okay?"

The violet-haired newtype nods. "Strange, though. A part of me misses Ein."

"I'm guessing there's a long story there," you muse. "But now isn't the time, and this isn't the place."

She nods in agreement. "Not a good topic for breakfast, either. Maybe another time."

"Maybe."

After finishing the rest of your meal pleasantly, you head to Karen's office and knock at the door.

"Just come inside, ya dingus!" she yells.

You hold your hands up defensively as she realizes what she just said to you. "So shall I sit, or?"

"Yeah, yeah," Karen replies, waving at the chair. "What's going on?'

"We need to contact Cima," you tell her. "She sent me a message. Wouldn't say what it was about."

Your Captain raises a red eyebrow at you. "Your mysterious ladyfriend needs us both for something? This should be good."
(1/2)

>>38386819
"So," you greet the haggard-looking woman, "you want me to make good on that promise for a drink so soon?"

"I wish," she mutters darkly, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. It's only now that you notice the bags under her eyes... she looks even more tired than ever.

"What happened?" Karen presses.

"We fucked up," Cima tells you. "I told them it was a moronic idea, but they insisted. I refused to cooperate, but they got another officer to issue the orders."

"What's happened?" you repeat.

"We authorized an assassination this morning. Jamitov Hymem is dead."

>>38386924
Oh. That's bad, isn't it.

>>38386924
Well fuck, well there this week's someone important is going to die.

>>38386924
>Jamitov Hymem is dead

Enter Paptimus Scirocco.

>>38386924
On that note, it's time to say goodnight. Archives are up, and thanks for playing! Starting tomorrow night, things start to take a turn.

Feel free to discuss the possible upgrades for some of your machines and I'll take a look at them later this morning.

See you all tomorrow, same time.

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>38386924
Shit. Did they at least include Bask in that hit list? Otherwise, it's gonna be a mad scramble for that power vacuum.

>>38386984
Thanks for running man. See you next time.

>>38386924

*Bask is in control* Awww yeah.

>>38386984
Thanks for running. I'm excited to see what happens next thread, shit is about to go down.

>>38386924
>Jamitov Hymem is dead.
We not a virgin anymore!
>>38386984
Thanks for running.

>>38386999
With the track record of the politicians of the republic I don't think so. They didn't do a very good job of trying to have us killed.

>>38387026
Not gonna lie, I fully expect there would be some "Hymem-tearing" jokes thrown around all over the Earth Sphere.

>>38386984
>upgrades
Right, well, I propose that we fit the Minovsky Craft System to the Val Varo, give it atmospheric capability. Add some spare Gundarium to it for improved armor, possibly an I-Field generator if we can afford it. Putting the Matabiri's main cannon on it won't work, it's not large enough for it, so let's save that as a spinal mount on the Valkyrie. You never know when you'll have to blow up an asteroid base, Instead, since Ilia is usually deployed alongside the Purus, let's add some psychomine launchers for them to use. Also something that would be nice would be if we added some docking clamps, nothing more complicated than the ones on subflight lifters, so the Purus can ride it to extend their range.

>>38386924
>"That news is still worth a toast at least. Followed by knocking back a couple of glasses of the hardest stuff."

>>38387160
What and that RoZ politicians thought they'd Bask in the afterglow?

>>38387229
I wouldn't go Bask-ing yet. It's going to be unbearable hot with this Scirocco blowing in.

>>38387201
I'm fully behind those plans with the VV. Although there is a slight worry about the power issue, so the I-field idea might not bear fruit right away.
It might entail sacrificing its offensive power, so I'm not willing to bank on that tech just yet.

Also in agreement with the main cannon on the Valk though.

As for the spare Luna Titanium, I'd rather have them used for improving our 2nd and 3rd teams' MS, with priority given to Christina's unit on the grounds of it being relatively obsolete compared to everyone else.
Some improvements on the units the Purus are fielding would also be nice.
Alternate idea is to craft two more mobile suits in the same vein as the Mk.2 or Refined Barzam for Chris and Ilia for that operational uniformity. Defrah would occasionally take the Val out for kicks.