>>40741913
Oh boy, Shadows of Zeon! Yay!

Yay, and we're back!

>>40741913
The last dance begins now?
https://www.youtube.co/watch?v=O8Ucm2GyN1U

>>40741957
For whatever it counts; might be the last thread.

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>>40741913
Your closest companions on this wild ride around the Earth Sphere are the pilots of your mobile suit teams, which all operate out of the armored helium carrier Nagato. Your co-pilots in the Lilium are Haman Karn, the former “Princess of Axis” who you captured on an early mission, and Audrey April, your unit's tech expert and best sniper. Both these women have awakened and subsequently honed their own Newtype abilities while serving alongside you.

The second machine of your team is the Viola, piloted by the Newtype sisters Carya and Catrina Marseille. After an accident in the old Newtype labs run by the Duchy of Zeon, Catrina's soul was left stranded in Carya's body, which the two have had to share for several years. They're your oldest and dearest friends, and perhaps your most powerful allies when their powers are considered together. Their copilot is Rossweisse, a one-time Cyber Newtype who you rescued from the labs at Oakland. After finding herself loved and respected for the first time since undergoing the surgeries and “training” there, she has slowly developed true Newtype powers of her own.

The rest of your crew have been pulled together from all sorts of commands and backgrounds, held together under one banner by mutual admiration and respect as well as by the common cause of ending the long-running war started by Zeon's "War of Independence".

And this is where it all has led to over the years. This place, this moment.
(2/4)

>>40741986
The two Gundams produced for the sole use of your core team of Newtypes are complete, and need only be tested before taking them into battle... perhaps to victory, perhaps to defeat. Either way it could be the last battle you ever participate in.

“Okay, first team,” you hear Karen Joshua's voice in your helmet as you glide smoothly along a catwalk clinging to the wall of your team's dedicated hangar. “We don't have much time for a shakedown, so if there are any problems with the new design find 'em quick.”

“You ever get the feeling things are moving too fast?” Carya muses over the open comm as you and your teammates stop for a moment to appreciate the sight.

Before you stand two mobile suits of unknown power: the new Lilium-III models, incorporating the psycoframe design reverse-engineered by Audrey and made real by Nina and Lucette's teams from Anaheim. Sleeker, lighter, and more composed and refined than any previous models, with a tandem dual-seat psychoframe cockpit and a standard psychoframe cockpit each at the core. Minovsky sensors and a slimmed-down stealth system fill out the torso along with multipurpose beam emitters on each wrist. These can serve as beam shields, spot guns, or simply sabers at your discretion. They're rounded out by shell/epac-round firing head vulcans, shoulder cannons, and forward-mounted cannons on the separable “bomber” sections.

Last you have a series of 15 funnels, each of which mounts a beam gun, a self-destruct system, and an emitter designed to turn three funnels at a time into a triangular beam shield. These would have been “fin funnels” at one point, had your engineers the time. But the Mars Zeon's advanced guard are not far from entering the Earth Sphere itself, and using the fin funnels in live combat is still a distant dream.

You're sure your team can make due.
(3/4)

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>>40742075
“Sometimes,” you admit. “But when the time comes there's just no arguing, you know? And now feels like the time.”

“Sounds about right,” Haman agrees with a nod of her red head. “Take things as they come, one step at a time.”

“Never gonna happen,” Audrey chuckles. “I'll be trying to plan things out right till the last second regardless, so I may as well embrace it.”

“You're nuts,” Catrina grins. “I don't know how you do it.”

Rossweisse shrugs with extreme indifference. “Nobody does. It's Audrey, after all.”

“That's not nice.”

>Order your team to focus on maneuvering first, get them used to the new thruster layout.
>Have ALICE run a simulation for you, give you something to “shoot” at.
>Square off against the Sisters and Rossweisse. Really put the new machines through their paces.

>>40742124
>Have ALICE run a simulation for you, give you something to “shoot” at.

>>40742124
>>Order your team to focus on maneuvering first, get them used to the new thruster layout.
>>Have ALICE run a simulation for you, give you something to “shoot” at.
>>Square off against the Sisters and Rossweisse. Really put the new machines through their paces.
in order, if we've time.

>>40742124
>Order your team to focus on maneuvering first, get them used to the new thruster layout

>>40742124
>Order your team to focus on maneuvering first, get them used to the new thruster layout.
Do we still have the sub-arms, by the way?

>>40742166
Yes.

>>40742124
>>Have ALICE run a simulation for you, give you

>>40742124
>Order your team to focus on maneuvering first, get them used to the new thruster layout.
First push them to the limit, see how fast these can be without killing ourselves.

Then
>Have ALICE run a simulation for you, give you something to “shoot” at.
An ever increasing number of mobile suits and ships, let see if we can take on the entire fleet ourselves.

>>40742075
What do our non-Newtype teams have? We didn't forget to upgrade them again, did we?

So are we're at the end of Zeta? Feels like Char's Counterattack. Probably because the tech got pushed up.

All the non-main suits got upgraded to current technology as well? Since we had a short time of peace?

>>40742124
>Order your team to focus on maneuvering first, get them used to the new thruster layout.
If you dodge hard enough, even bendy beams and brainwave tracking missiles become a non-issue.

Glad to see so many people playing this quest. Missed you guys.

>>40742207
>>40742260
I'd say they're at a similar level to ZZ tech. It's not quite a full "generation" ahead of most other machines, and not outside the realm of one-off machines from Mars or Paptimus.

Losing the fin funnels was the tradeoff there.

>writing

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Man, I fucking missed SoZ, Can't wait to see what Scirocco has up his sleeves. The Ghost shit the tech advancement it led to are a bit 3spooky5me, but other than that it's fucking cool. I just wish the tech advancement was more a result from Doctor J and his magical hobo powers rather than that ghost stuff.

>>40742414
wouldn't want to miss the supposed last thread.
i'm just glad i managed to catch it when it started.

I wonder if our teammates got GM III's or Jagens.

>>40742445
>see what Scirocco has up his sleeves
Compile and summarize all the threatening stuff we've faced up to this point, then ramp up the threat assessment to get a good idea on what to expect.
At least that's the attitude I'm taking going into this.

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>>40742445
>from Doctor J and his magical hobo powers rather than that ghost stuff.
Me too.
>>40742447
>wouldn't want to miss the supposed last thread.
Yup the Last Dance of the ghost of zeon of the good Federation.

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>>40742124
“Maintain your situational awareness out there,” you hear Artesia's voice order through your helmet comms. “And I don't just mean your surroundings, I mean everything about the new system too. We'll be keeping track of your biometric data from here, but if anything unusual happens... just use your heads, okay?”

That's cute. She seems to think you actually have something resembling “caution”. She must not know you as well as she thinks if she believes for one second that you're not going to push this new hardware to the ragged edge.

The hatch slides shut as the monitors around the compact cockpit of the new Lilium flare to life, showing you a 360-degree view of the flight deck. You can see the technicians outside making the last few adjustments to your integral weapons before they float clear of your two machines, allowing you and the Sisters to step out of the cradles of steel and wire.

“We'll take the port linear ramp,” you announce. “After you.”

“Maneuvering first?” Rossweisse chirps with something resembling excitement.

“You called it. But I want to at least test them out in a simulation as well.”

A window opens on your screen, showing Audrey's face behind her helmet. “I'll get to work planning something out with ALICE. Just lemme know when you want to start.”

“Don't make it too easy on us,” Haman practically taunts ALICE. “Remember we don't even know for sure what sort of performance to expect.”

ALICE's synthetic voice responds across all of your comms simultaneously. “I will try to keep that in mind, Miss Karn. But to borrow the human phrase, be careful what you wish for.”

Well, it seems like she's thrown down the gauntlet of challenge. It would be rude not to accept.

>3d10 maneuvering, best of three. DCs are at 5, 7, and 8.

Rolled 7, 2, 5 = 14 (3d10)

>>40742589

Rolled 10, 8, 10 = 28 (3d10)

>>40742589
Rollin'

>>40742463
>forgetting the Sentinel wreck we recovered
Probably gonna be a watered-down version closer to pre-Ikebana Lilliums.

Rolled 6, 8, 1 = 15 (3d10)

>>40742589

>>40742630
nice

>>40742630
noice.

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>>40742630
Whelp. That took nowhere near as long as I expected.

I'll take a d100 now as well, taking best of five.

Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>40742673

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>40742673

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>40742673

Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>40742673
We're fired up for mobile suit piloting, Hearts.

Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>40742673
Axis shock?

Rolled 36 (1d100)

>>40742673

>>40742673
So I'm guessing we accidentally caused the beginnings of Axis shock, but we don't even know how to begin to classify the phenomenon. Maybe the evil scientist we have in the brig might have some theories.

>>40742793
>evil scientist
Dr. Loki a good guy.

>>40742858
I was talking about that guy from Oakland that experimented on Rossweisse, but yeah, why not him too.

>>40742897
That is Doctor Loki. Our friendly mad scientist is Doctor Null. I don't know what that other guy's saying about Doctor Loki being good.

>>40742673
“Lilium to Viola,” you report. “You clear of the hull?”

As your machines and the Nagato continue their orbit around Luna, you're treated to the most beautiful sight in space: a classic Earthrise. The home of humanity over which so many battles have been waged looks so pristine and peaceful from here that it catches you off guard... you barely hear Carya's response.

“Hang on,” you warn Haman as you push the Lilium's throttle upward. Little warning indicators flicker and dance across your viewscreen as the thrusters scattered all over the machine's body flare to life and power up towards their maximum output. The acceleration is simply immense, pushing you deep into your seat: the technical specifications say 5G, but you're sure you're peaking a bit above that. Then, once you're at maximum burn, you reverse your thrust.

The maneuver slams you forward under the combined forces, your harness being the only thing that keeps you from flying through the monitors in front of you and out into space. For anyone but a highly-trained pilot that amount of lateral force would be enough to cause G-LoC, but not only do you manage to stay conscious you even keep in control.

“Stop the ride,” Haman groans under the intense strain of deceleration. “I wanna get off.”

“Make us go up!” Audrey hollers, much more enthusiastic about the performance capabilities of the new Gundam. “Holy shit it's like the angels are pushing us!”

You oblige your copilot, feeling a strange sense of exhilaration as you do so. It's not entirely unusual in terms of its presence, but the degree to which this excites you is unparalleled: and you can feel that your teammates are beginning to feel the same way. Carrina is laughing in her cockpit, and even Rossweisse is egging her on into increasingly intense maneuvers. Sideslipping the Lilium even provokes an amused snort from Haman in front of you despite her previously sour mood.
(1/2)

>>40742969
Oh yes. I like this suit.

>>40742969
"Dominic, Artesia says we're reading some unusual brainwave activity for your whole team," Reiko reports. "What are you seeing out there, over?"

What are you seeing? What, is she being serious right now? You're seeing the greatest performance you've ever seen in a mobile suit, that's what! You've even taken to separating the bombers and attackers, recombining and re-separating the constituent machines at will as you push ever further into a realm of power and maneuverability you never realized existed.

"It's wonderful!" you insist. "Everything's running perfectly!"

"Better than perfect!' Carrina contends. "I don't know what's doing it, and I don't really care anymore."

There IS a strange green glow inside your cockpit that wasn't there before you started really pushing your machines to the very limit of your abilities.

"You seeing this glow?" you radio your team.

Rossweisse is the first to acknowledge. "I thought it was supposed to do that?"

"A glow?" Karen's voice interrupts. "What kind of glow? From where?"

"Gentle green glow," Audrey explains. "Looks like it's from our monitors. Can't tell if it's from the exterior or not."

>Try to maneuver to examine the other machines' exterior surfaces.
>Continue the examination with a simulated intercept run on a Mars Zeon fleet.
>Continue with a simulation of ALICE's choosing.
>Spar with the sisters.
>Get the other teams involved with this somehow, make it a shipwide exercise.

>>40743128
>Get the other teams involved with this somehow, make it a shipwide exercise.

>>40743128
>Try to maneuver to examine the other machines' exterior surfaces.
>Continue the examination with a simulated intercept run on a Mars Zeon fleet

>>40743128
>Try to maneuver to examine the other machines' exterior surfaces.
>Continue with a simulation of ALICE's choosing.

>>40742445
>>40742526
So I'm guessing we're going to have the advantage at speed and control because of the psycoframe, and Scirocco is going to have a much earlier version of one, but compensating with size and armor.

INB4 a very early prototype of a Unicorn/NT-D System

>>40743128


>Try to maneuver to examine the other machines' exterior surfaces.
>Continue the examination with a simulated intercept run on a Mars Zeon fleet.

>>40743128
>>Try to maneuver to examine the other machines' exterior surfaces.
>>Continue the examination with a simulated intercept run on a Mars Zeon fleet.

>>40743128
>Continue the examination with a simulated intercept run on a Mars Zeon fleet.
>Get the other teams involved with this somehow, make it a shipwide exercise.

>>40743128
>Continue the examination with a simulated intercept run on a Mars Zeon fleet.
>Get the other teams involved with this somehow, make it a shipwide exercise.

So that they can anticipate our MS speed and adjust their combat approach accordingly with that taken into consideration.

>>40743128

Slightly changing >>40743181
to >>40743294

Counting up and writing.

>>40743454
Okay, so I forgot to ask.

3d10, DCs at 5 and 7. Best of four.

Rolled 10, 4, 1 = 15 (3d10)

>>40743515

Rolled 4, 5, 1 = 10 (3d10)

>>40743515

Rolled 10, 8, 8 = 26 (3d10)

>>40743454

Rolled 5, 10, 2 = 17 (3d10)

>>40743515

Rolled 3, 7, 8 = 18 (3d10)

>>40743515
Roll'in

>>40743530
Yikes.

>>40743530
Well, thank god for that.

>>40743530
No fucking need to roll for me, then

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>>40743530
>apparently the dice want us to go deeper
>writing

>>40743530
well we seem to have a good start on the rolls

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>>40743565
?

>>40743565
>Looks like axis shock is back on the menu boys!

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>>40743565
>>40743589
Alternatively.

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>>40743565
This will be deeply fabulous!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1m3tEj2JzI

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>>40743515
“Karen, let the other teams know that I want them to sortie,” you tell your commanding officer. “I want everyone on the same page about what we can all do.”

Somehow the mood remains lively despite the interruption, and the pending arrival of your two other combat teams. But you can immediately tell that the others realize the need for it... or is that what you feel? Damn, it's so hard to keep shit straight anymore when you're so giddy with excitement.

“Let's not waste time,” Carrina practically takes the words out of your mouth. “ALICE, bring up the simulated Zeon patrol fleet.”

“How did you know about that, ma'am?” ALICE asks quizzically. “Miss April did not specify that over an open comm.”

“It's obvious, isn't it?” Haman wonders aloud. “I mean we're going to be engaging that first deep reconnaissance patrol when it gets closer to Luna, right?”

“We are,” you mutter, not sure what to make of what you've just heard. “Start running the simulation, assume tactical pattern theta.”

“I always liked that one,” Rossweisse sighs. “Such a nice word, 'theta'.”

Your pair of machines separate into the attacker and bomber forms, and the four fighters shift into their respective high-speed configurations. Then you arrange yourself in a tight “box” so that you'd appear as one blip on an enemy sensor, each machine ready to break either up, down, left, or right at a moment's notice.

“Beginning simulated attack run,” Carrina announces as holographic images of two Zeon cruisers and a light-duty carrier appear on your monitors. Between them they carry a total of sixteen mobile suits, mostly using flight data from the Marasais you captured from Titans a while back.
(1/2)

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>>40743747
Decision time... how do you approach the enemy "fleet"?

>Hold the pattern until you're close to the fleet and then attack at will.
>Hold the pattern until you overshoot the fleet and attack from behind.
>Break the pattern early and attack from all sides, create a crossfire.
>Focus on the carrier, try to concentrate fire and destroy their catapults.

>>40743773
>Hold the pattern until you overshoot the fleet and attack from behind.

>>40743773

>Hold the pattern until you're close to the fleet and then attack at will.
>Focus on the carrier, try to concentrate fire and destroy their catapults.

>>40743773
>>40743805

>>40743773
>Focus on the carrier, try to concentrate fire and destroy their catapults.
>Hold the pattern until you're close to the fleet and then attack at will.

>>40743773
>Hold the pattern until you're close to the fleet and then attack at will.
This is a training exercise, let's get a feel against straight up fighting.

>>40743773
>Hold the pattern until you're close to the fleet and then attack at will.
>Focus on the carrier, try to concentrate fire and destroy their catapults.

Hanna-justina marseille as Carya/Catrina Marseille huh.

>>40743773
>Hold the pattern until you're close to the fleet and then attack at will.
>Focus on the carrier, try to concentrate fire and destroy their catapults.

>>40743773
>Hold the pattern until you're close to the fleet and then attack at will.
Though simultaneously allowing the funnels to break off and put the targets under a crossfire has its own merits too.

>>40743773
“Haman, tag and highlight the flight catapults on that carrier,” you order as your pair of machines slide into the simulated sensor radius of the “fleet”. You almost instinctively flick the stealth jammers on to give yourself a little extra time before the enemy spots you, even as the displays begin feeding you information about the areas you intend to target. “Focus fire there, keep the carrier from even deploying its suits.”

“Aye,” you hear a chorus of responses which you easily anticipated before even hearing them. Haman launches her funnels, as do Carrina, Rossweisse, and Audrey. Each of them spreads the weapons out in different directions, presumably to confuse your targets as to where the fire is coming from, before opening up with their initial barrage.

>3d10, DCs are at 6 and 8.

Rolled 6, 9, 1 = 16 (3d10)

>>40744059
Roll'in

Rolled 5, 3, 6 = 14 (3d10)

>>40744059

Rolled 10, 9, 5 = 24 (3d10)

>>40744059

Rolled 4, 3, 10 = 17 (3d10)

>>40744059

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>>40744102
>passed at higher DC, will return shortly.

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>>40744102
Good job!

>>40744127
If these rolls were to expand harem, it would have increased exponentially.

>>40744127
whoa wait, that's Emma? Damn.

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>>40744127
I like Emma, of all the ladies in Zeta, she was the one who wasn't crazy.

>>40744226
Titan uniforms are smexy. In a nazi kind of way. Irony.

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>>40744226
Titan uniforms!

>>40744127
The first few funnels “fire” at their targets, recording minor hits and distracting the fleet's defenses. Even as the inbound fire misses you entirely Haman recovers those funnels and it's Rossweisse's turn to open fire. This process repeats again for Audrey, until finally Carrina gets her turn. Overall the damage was minimal, but served to spread out the defensive fire as ALICE currently has no solid idea what vector you're attacking from. Your team has even managed to take out a few of the beam cannons on those cruisers, which gives you a solid place to start.

Even as ALICE realizes that you're bringing your machines in from straight ahead it's too late, as you've opened up with the massive rotary cannons in your machine's shoulders. The carrier's twin catapults are quickly damaged and the port hangar is depressurized, vastly complicating the launch process and requiring the vessel to drop back from its allies.

“Perfect,” Haman muses, practically licking her lips in anticipation. “On your word.”

You wait just a moment before giving the order. “Break now!”

Your four machines split off in opposite directions, confounding ALICE's initial attempt to hit your tight-packed group of fighters. Each of you records hits all over the cruisers, mostly clustered around their exposed bridges and fire control centers. As none of you currently have your full loadouts it's difficult to cause lethal damage, but all three vessels are certainly wounded... and now that you've closed the distance it's impossible for either of the cruisers to use their big guns without risking friendly fire.
(1/2)

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>>40744388
“Even for them that was unusual...” you hear someone, probably Takisawa, muse on the bridge of the Nagato.

Someone, Anderson you think, seems to agree. “It's almost too coordinated.”

“Here they come!” Audrey announces as blips begin to appear on your sensors, each one being a simulated mobile suit.

>Recombine, try to camp the hatch on each Musai where the mobile suits have to launch one at a time.
>Recombine, but stay mobile. You can win a maneuvering fight, so don't get greedy.
>Stay separated, tag-team the mobile suits.
>Break off, leaving the funnels, and loop back after they've softened the enemy up.

>>40744431
>Recombine, but stay mobile. You can win a maneuvering fight, so don't get greedy.

>>40744431
>>Recombine, but stay mobile. You can win a maneuvering fight, so don't get greedy.

>>40744431
>Recombine
I dunno, can we go straight for the bridge with this much momentum our side?

>>40744431
>Recombine, but stay mobile. You can win a maneuvering fight, so don't get greedy.

>>40744431
>Stay separated, tag-team the mobile suits

They focus on one of us, the other hits them from behind.

>>40744431
>>Recombine, try to camp the hatch on each Musai where the mobile suits have to launch one at a time.

>>40744431
>Recombine, but stay mobile. You can win a maneuvering fight, so don't get greedy.
Stick close, but blindspot the point defenses as much as possible. The few that are capable of keeping the bead on us could be fended off with the beam shield, if it comes to that.

>>40744431
>Recombine, but stay mobile. You can win a maneuvering fight, so don't get greedy.

>>40744431
>writing, will return
>3d10, DC 5 or 7

Rolled 7, 3, 10 = 20 (3d10)

>>40744725

Rolled 9, 1, 1 = 11 (3d10)

>>40744725

Rolled 5, 2, 1 = 8 (3d10)

>>40744725

>>40744746
Somebody call the police

>>40744746
Are you OK Anon?

>>40744746
Shiiiiiit. Is there a fire somewhere?

Rolled 2, 10, 6 = 18 (3d10)

>>40744725
Well, here goes?

>>40744725
Without even giving the order you recombine your machine with Rossweisse, who seems to realize immediately that she's closer at the moment than Audrey.

“Keep mobile,” you order. “You know what to do.”

You move your own machine quickly into range of the first enemy mobile suit: a strange cobbled-together mix of Gelgoog and Marasai. It opens fire on you with its rifle only to be peppered by cannonfire: the shells don't do much damage, but each beam shaves away at its reflective coating. The few times where a beam hits a spot that's already been damaged by a cannon shell are what really add up.

It also doesn't help that Rossweisse has yanked its rifle right out of its hand with her heat wire, letting it drift comfortably into yours. The Lilium's system registers a “rifle” in its hand, and gives you access to its simulated firepower.

“One down,” you report as a pair of beam rifle shots takes out the hapless target. You maneuver clear of its wreckage as Haman and Rossweisse leave a trail of funnels in your wake, each firing on the next mobile suit to sortie. “Status?”

“Same here,” Audrey confirms. “Carrier's trying to launch.”

“I see that,” you reply, looking down at your screen. “Maybe it's time to finish that job. You have a rifle?”

“I'll be right on your six,” Carrina insists.

Meanwhile, the voices on the bridge continue to bring you dribs and drabs of potentially worrying news.

“I've taken a look at their brainwaves,” you hear Artesia tell Karen. Well, you assume she's telling Karen at least. “I'm not even sure what to make of this...”

>Call a halt, get them to explain what's going on.
>Keep as you're going, the other teams should be here any second to join in.
>Wrap it up. You get the feeling you could end this exercise in a few seconds if you put your minds to it.

>>40745160
>>Call a halt, get them to explain what's going on.
Let's not cook our meatball.

>>40745160
>Wrap it up. You get the feeling you could end this exercise in a few seconds if you put your minds to it.

>>40745160
>Wrap it up. You get the feeling you could end this exercise in a few seconds if you put your minds to it.
Lets get dangerous.

>>40745160
>Keep as you're going, the other teams should be here any second to join in.
The point is to learn to fight with the other teams effectively, don't wipe the enemy out yet.

>>40745160
>Wrap it up. You get the feeling you could end this exercise in a few seconds if you put your minds to it.

Step one, collect good data.

Step two, everything else.

>>40745160
>>Keep as you're going, the other teams should be here any second to join in.

>>40745160
>Keep as you're going, the other teams should be here any second to join in.
No ghost hauntings though, so I guess it's not as perplexing as the bridge crews make it out to be?
Still, dial down the pace and attempt to keep the "brain activity levels"(?) where it's at. Gives the bridge crew more time to analyze without unexpectedly escalating the readings on the data they're receiving.

>>40745160
>Keep as you're going, the other teams should be here any second to join in.

Update incoming.
3d10, DC 6 and 8. Best of three.

Rolled 8, 7, 7 = 22 (3d10)

>>40745572
Here we go, let's do this and not fuck up.

Rolled 10, 3, 3 = 16 (3d10)

>>40745572

Rolled 7, 10, 5 = 22 (3d10)

>>40745572
Ghost Gato, Ghost Monsha no. Stahp.

>>40745595
Critical at lower DC, please roll me another round of d100s. Best of four this time.

Rolled 37 (1d100)

>>40745667

Rolled 22 (1d100)

>>40745667

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>40745667

Rolled 91 (1d100)

>>40745667

Rolled 2 (1d100)

>>40745667

>>40745732
You have saved us!

>>40745732
>>40745713
>>40745711
>>40745680

Thank goodness it's best of 4.

>>40745732
ohh, nice

>>40745759
ikr?

>>40745732
HAH! Made it in for one roll before I leave. I can be satisfied.

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>>40745732
Thank you!

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>>40745732
Huh.

>writing

Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>40745667

>>40745732
“Ease off,” you order, surprising all of your teammates. “Let's leave something for the others to do when they get here, yeah?”

Equally surprising to you is that despite the fact that your teammates seem strongly against backing down, they're complying without any argument. It feels like you're the buzz-kill though, and you don't like that sensation.

“Dominic,” Artesia contacts you over the comm. “Listen close, I want you to be really careful for the next few minutes. Don't push yourselves or the machines at all, okay?”

“Why, ma'am?” Rossweisse asks politely.

There's a notable pause as simulated cannon fire from the triplets in their upgraded machines streaks past you, blasting gaping holes in the “gundecks” of each Musai. On your sensors a cloud of remote weapons escorts second team, split into fireteams of Emma with Christina and Apolly with Roberto, around the flanks of the cruisers to finish the job. They all move continuously, the upgraded “quad wing” binders of what used to be the Tusche Schwarzes moving them about at quite a speed between cannon shots.

Finally, Artesia seems to give up finding a way to tell you the truth while disguising it at all and settles for the truth.

“There's an irregularity with your brainwave data,” she tells you. “A portion of the output seems like it's perfectly synchronized between all five of you, with some variance that seems like higher functions. I want you to ease off a little so I can make confirm.”

Stunned silence.
>What do?

>>40746113
"Yes mother."

Kill joy

>>40746113
OK mum, so like a collective unconscious.

>>40746113
"Can do."
Let's do as the nice doctor says.

Can we all say it at once? lets freak them out.

>>40746113
"That kind of makes sense with what I'm feeling out here. Are the rest of you feeling this, too?"

>>40746113

"Understood"
This is why we are running simulated tests not jumping straight into combat after all...

>>40746273
yessssssssss, do thissssss

for weeeeeeeee, are oneeeeeee.

>>40746113
>What do?
Follow Artesia's suggestion, of course. But do ask how "irregular" the following are.

>perfectly synchronized between all five of you
>variance that seems like higher functions

Is Dom and company hivemind now? And what are the odds of the Purus picking up on that due to proximity? Is it contained within the Psychoframe cockpit?

>>40746296
>running simulated tests not jumping straight into combat after all
Unlike nu gundam or like the Hi-nu Gundam

I just realised, we are like a reverse Hive queen, with us being the the center of it thanks to what is border thralldom.

>>40746369
>thralldom
I knew this thread was missing something. It's almost like a threadly reminder thing.

>>40746369
I think of it more like bitches love newtype jesus, or a reconstruction of harem anime, but whatever.

>>40746409
Look from someone who was paying attention to us from the start and how many females we picked up along the way and how basically everyone has had a go on Dom it really looks like something like Thralldom and the more thrall/females the quicker they join you know.

>>40746484
Damn, that plays into the Axis propaganda about Haman Karn.

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>>40746113
“That's...” you begin.

“... kind of...” Haman continues your thought, but stalls as well.

“... bullshit?” Carrina offers.

“How irregular are we talking here?” Audrey presses. “Like just a little, or “rain in southern California” irregular?”

“I've never heard of this happening,” Artesia admits as the “quad-wings” open up an obvious corridor for you and the Viola to push through to the carrier. “I don't know how it happened, or what it means. But I can only assume it has something to do with the psychoframe systems.”

Makes sense to you.

“It IS the new factor involved,” Haman agrees.

“Stop that,” Rossweisse insists flatly. “It's creepy.”

"Alright, mom," you interrupt. "We'll take it easy."

The corridor towards the carrier is still open, or you could let the triplets push through themselves and move your own machines to cover their advance.

>Finish the simulation with a direct strike.
>Escort the Purus in.
>Call it off. This is too weird.

>>40746669
>>Escort the Purus in.

>>40746669
>Escort the Purus in.
Can we did the same trick with the bio-sensors, like physically support them? Just not so hard we stop our heart.

>>40746669
>>Escort the Purus in.

>>40746669
>>Escort the Purus in.

>>40746669
>Escort the Purus in.

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>>40746669

>dat 3rd option
What's weird about it though? The crew is finally Innovating.

>>40746669
>Escort the Purus in.
SO with that .gif and the mention of "quad-wings", are we to assume the Purus are flying in pseuo-Kshatriyas now?

>>40746868
In a way they're better. They're not as slow and heavy.

But yest, they're essentially Kshatriyas.

>writing

>>40746953
Also, roll another round of d100. First five will be considered.

Also, apparently Captcha thinks weed counts as a "salad".

Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>40746995

Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>40746995

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>40746995

Rolled 7 (1d100)

>>40746995
Roll'in

Rolled 36 (1d100)

>>40746995

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>40746995

>>40747043
Nintendo 64! Huzzah...

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>>40747043
Eh. Not QUITE there, but still a very good run for you guys so far.

>writing
>will have to take a break at some point soon-ish to make tacos

>>40747118
I'm sure we collected tons of awesome data for the good and evil eggheads to explain Axis Shock.

That was never explained in the anime, wasn't it.

>>40747149
>That was never explained
But now it is if you buy this book for 9.99 by Dr. Ward and Dr Loki!

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>>40747118
“You get to take the attack in,” you tell Marida. “Form up behind us and we'll cover you.”

Without a moment's hesitation, the de-facto leader of the trio acknowledges your orders. “Aye aye, sir!” she chirps happily, excited to be called in as a heavy hitter for once. “We'll show you what these new Quad-Wings can do!”

It's a simple enough matter to blast the odd turret or drive off a stray mobile suit. The triplets are doing a good enough job with their funnels that you might not really even be needed. But still, you and Carrina do your best to intercept beam blasts from the simulated carrier as you approach, most of the shots either missing or harmlessly splashing against your beam shields. Rossweisse and Audrey take over with your funnels, shooting down simulated missiles as well before they can detonate around you in an attempt by ALICE to circumvent your shields.

Between the four of you, especially considering the near-perfect teamwork you've been showing so far, the poor AI doesn't stand much of a chance.

“It's done!” Diana declares triumphantly.

ALICE seems to agree readily. “Scenario complete.”

“Nagato, status of pilot vitals?” you ask curtly.

“Still the same,” Artesia informs you. “Karen? Orders?”

“Come on back,” you commander orders you. “And report straight to the medbay for an examination.”
>After a brief pause for food, I'll return with the next update

>>40747310
Cool. Have fun making tacos.

>>40747310
Am back, will write.

>>40747712
How were the tacos?

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>>40747310
“I can safely say that the readings from earlier were valid,” Artesia announces after reading over the series of charts and graphs ALICE produced for her for several long minutes. “While behind the throttle of these machines, your brainwaves do begin to synchronize.”

“And you think it's caused by the psychoframe?” Audrey presses.

Artesia nods, bringing up a graph on the wall projector for you all to look at. “The readings beforehand show only an incidental degree of synchronization, within the margin of error. At peak it reached 30% similarity, and dipped to 10% similarity by one hour after the event.”

“And it's still there?” Karen asks. Artesia bites her lip.

“Yes, ma'am.”

>So it was a catalyst for a permanent change?
>Are the psychoframes safe?
>Is this going to happen every time?
>Other?

With all this talk of Mexican food, I keep thinking I'm in Improvaizen quest...
And now I want Taco Bell and can't leave the house because my car's in the shop

>>40747887
>>So it was a catalyst for a permanent change?
>>Are the psychoframes safe?
>>Is this going to happen every time?
All the things. Give it to me straight, doc.

>>40747846
Great. Used leftover pulled-pork.

Though using the slaw from last night was a mistake. Forgot we put strawberries in it. Strawberries do not go well on tacos.

>>40747887
>Other?
"So aside from those moments of weird coordination, what effects should we expect?"

>>40747937
This is good too.

>>40747887
>>So it was a catalyst for a permanent change?
>>Are the psychoframes safe?
>>Is this going to happen every time?

>>40747887
>So it was a catalyst for a permanent change?
>Are the psychoframes safe?
>Is this going to happen every time?

>Other?
If this is dangerous, should we only use psychoframes for limited bursts of time? Or at least only one at a time?

Also, anyone know about the green glowing stuff? I thing something similar happened with the biosensors. That and also the ghost stuff and the physically helping each other stuff.

By the way, still much more safer than the biosensor, right?

>>40747887
>So it was a catalyst for a permanent change?

Oh God, no yes. We are attaining synchronization at a rate of a sentai team doing its assembly routine!

>"Dom Red!"
>"Ross Blue."
>"Audrey Yellow!"
>unfortunately, CC and Haman kept foisting Pink on one another and claiming Black for themselves.

>>40747887
>>So it was a catalyst for a permanent change?

>>40747887
>>40747993
Also, let's test this.

Try to transmit the thought "purple", to see if they can pick up a random thought.

>>40747887
“Purple”, you try to think loudly, willing yourself to project the thought as hard as possible at your partners. The lack of response seems to indicate its not that easy, or perhaps not that powerful of a connection.

“So what's the prognosis?” you finally ask.

“I have no idea,” Artesia admits tiredly. “If you asked for my personal opinion, I'd tell you that the psychoframe catalyzed some sort of evolutionary process. That this is a step along the growth of Newtypes that hasn't been seen before which goes beyond just survival or combat.”

“The next step, huh?” Karen muses, twisting a strand of her hair idly in thought. “I'm not even sure what to think when I hear shit like that anymore. Too old for it.”

Haman is the next to speak up. “So is this safer or more dangerous than the biosensor?”

“Less predictable,” a gravelly voice replies as Herr Doktor steps into Artesia's office. “But far, far more powerful. Potentially a game-changer, like the conical bullet, or the Minovsky particle, or even the discovery of fire.”

“What do you mean by that, old man?” Carya asks skeptically. “Putting it on the same level as fire? Don't you think you're overstating the point?”

“Not at all,” he grins back at her. “Take a look at this readout, courtesy of ALICE.”

“I subtly increased the difficulty of the simulation at several points,” the AI announces, her familiar avatar popping up on the wall projector to bow to you. “I think you will be surprised.”

>3d10, DC 6.

Rolled 7, 6, 5 = 18 (3d10)

>>40748348

Rolled 3, 8, 9 = 20 (3d10)

>>40748348

Rolled 10, 8, 8 = 26 (3d10)

>>40748348

>>40748395
Well that's a crit. I'm so glad I put in the wrong roll command now.

>>40748395

Nice moves.

Rolled 1, 7, 3 = 11 (3d10)

>>40748348

>>40748395
Taking this.
>writing

>>40748395

we know ALL the science...

>>40748463
Our minds are synched with Audreys.

Anyway I hope this is indeed the last session. I am looking forward to having to sessions of Shinigami Savant Quest.

>>40748348
… that can't possibly be right. All of you are thinking it, Karen and Artesia included.

“How?” you demand with a frown. “How can that be true?”

“That's what's so exciting!” the Doctor declares loudly, clapping you on the back. “I have absolutely no idea! None whatsoever! I'm stumped!”

“Fifteen percent above the designed maximum output,” Carya mutters, staring at the figures as if doing so will make them suddenly change so that they make sense. “Physically impossible.”

“But in your excitement, you pushed and the machines responded!” the Doctor insists with a mad grin. “Without meaning to, you caused something that should have been impossible to happen at the same time as you were synchronizing your unconscious minds, and I have no godly idea how in the world it could have happened!”

“Right now I'm the happiest old man alive, and when I show that old coot Loki and he has a heart attack I'll transcend all human definitions of happiness!”

You're still staring almost slack-jawed at the readouts. They make no sense, but in a way they also line up with your own experience and you know it. And there's still the issue of that green glow...

>Ask the Doktor a question?
>Order a full diagnostic of the machines.
>... just let it be. Any damage has been done.
>Other?

>>40748556
>>Ask the Doktor a question?
So what do you think that green glow was?
>>Order a full diagnostic of the machines.

>>40748586
This

>>40748556
>>Ask the Doktor a question?
So "synchronizing unconscious minds" Can I do math like Audrey or something...
>... just let it be. Any damage has been done.

>>40748556
>Order a full diagnostic of the machines.

>Ask the Doktor a question?
"There seems to be a pattern here. Stuff keeps happening that is theoretically impossible, even considering the weird newtype science."

"There has to be a factor that we are not considering that is pushing our technology past the theoretical limit. Sorry for sounding unscientific, but what can it be? Evolution? Expansion? War? Emotion? The human will? Love? The desire to connect to each other?"

In a different universe, spiral power

>>40748556
>Ask the Doktor a question?
"That glow we saw was real, right? It wasn't some Newtype hallucination thing like we've run into before?"

>>40748556
>Order a full diagnostic of the machines.
>Ask the Doktor a question?

>you pushed and the machines responded!
What? Was there a mental imprint left behind in the machine too?

>Fifteen percent above the designed maximum output
Did the machine "evolve" as we piloted it?
Oh shit son, DG Cells!

And these >>40748586 >>40748800 too.

>writan

>>40748556
“That glow was real, right?” you ask, a little more nervously than you probably intended. But it's a well-founded sense of concern, given the fact that you have seen some strange and disturbing things happen to Newtypes in the past.

Karen nods. “We had Noel and Catharine look the footage over, your head cameras confirmed that the exterior surfaces of your machines were glowing slightly.”

“And that was precisely when the magic happened!” the Doctor tells you cheerfully. “As for how or why, I have yet to rule out actual magic happening, but we'll find out eventually.”

You nod to Karen. “I think we need to try and get to the bottom of this.”

“A full diagnostic it is then,” she agrees, cracking her neck as she rises from her seat. “Audrey, Doc, you lead the investigation.”

Audrey salutes before leading the Doktor out towards the hangar.

“There has to be something else to it,” you frown. “Something that explains why impossible things keep happening around us.”

Catrina knocks her fist gently against the side of your head. “Maybe it's just we don't actually know what's 'impossible' anymore. Maybe we never did. Don't get your shorts in a twist over it.”

“Yeah,” you agree. “Maybe you're right.”

“I just hope this works to our advantage when the time comes,” Haman mutters quietly. “Who knows how far Paptimus and Bernini have gotten with their own psychoframes?”

“We'll see for ourselves, won't we?” Rossweisse grins confidently.

That's certainly true, you figure. You'll just have to wait and see...

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>>40749092
And that's all for now, at least. I'll admit, things went a lot better than I was concerned they might... which is good, because the paths to a quick conclusion never materialized.

So there'll be another few threads, starting with one next weekend alongside a thread of SSQ. After that I'll be out of the country yet again, with no idea when the next run will be, so that'll give me plenty of time to plan and refine my plans for the finale.

Archived thread is up, and keep an eye on Twitter for updates on my stupidly complicated and nonsensical schedule.

Thanks for coming back, and see you next time!

>>40749188
... huh. That is NOT the image I thought I clicked.

Oh well.

>>40749188
>>40749207
That's fucking hilarious, and extremely relevant considering this quest.

Just a hint on what happens after the war is over. Dom is going to be the new Genghis Khan of newtypes.

>>40749188
Well, aside from that one disturbing gaff just now, this was a good thread. Thanks for running, Hearts, it's good to have this back. See you next time.

>>40749188
Thanks for running hearts and good to see you again.
Do we take responsibility that was Kou right and not us right, right?

>>40749188
>starting with one next weekend alongside a thread of SSQ
Just to clarify: One session of SSQ for one day, and SoZ for the next day for the weekend?
I do still recall the last time you ran two different threads simultaneously after all.

Also...
>dat pic
Look's like Kou's gonna have to take responsibility now.
Anyway, thanks for running. Good to have you and this quest back from hiatus.

As an aside, are you fine with a sneak peek on stuff I'm working on that's currently in progress? It's not yet finished by a longshot (who knew bears were so difficult to color render?) but just say the word and I'll put it up right away.

>>40749295
Honestly I made it for /m/ back when that meme was fresh, on a whim. No implications for Dominic there.

>>40749330
Go for it. You don't need my permission to draw stuff, anon, I just appreciate the effort.

And no, I will NEVER run two quests at the same time on the same day. That was literally the dumbest thing ever.

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>>40749362
Well, here goes nothing. Felt like the colors are too... bright, I guess? It really should've been a bit more subdued, but that's the result when I ported it over.
Also went Kubo on the backgrounds for now.

>>40749544
>Went Kubo on the backgrounds
I don't see any couches or interesting fashion choices.

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>>40749615

>>40749544
Those're pretty much the colors of her suit in AoZ, so I think it looks just fine. I'm also happy that there's someone enthusiastic enough about it still to go to the trouble.

Thanks!

>>40749544
It look good! Nice job.

>>40749544
Jokes aside, yes, it does look pretty good. Keep it up.