>>1943211

>‘The largest force is heading on a southern vector. Move to intercept.'
>‘Pick off the smaller break-off force heading south-southeast.'
>‘No movement west. Run an offensive.'
>‘Stay positions, run standard pat.’
>Write-In

>>1943217
>‘The largest force is heading on a southern vector. Move to intercept.'

>>1943217
>>‘Pick off the smaller break-off force heading south-southeast.'
Hit and run time lads, pick off the smallest first and work yourself up

>>1943217
>>‘Pick off the smaller break-off force heading south-southeast.'
Smaller force has to be off doing something, and the larger force could just be a decoy.

>>1943211
>>‘Pick off the smaller break-off force heading south-southeast.'

>Flip off a bunch of sitters and join the cool guy club

>>1943259
?

>>1943261
Don't you want to join the cool guy club anon? Mechanic wish he could

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You issue the order.

‘Pick off the smaller break-off force heading south-south-east—if they’re heading off, pick them off from behind if possible. Keep it from escalating into an all out firefight and get them out of the way as best as you can.’

‘Understood,’ Nachi acknowledges, confirming her own vector.

You bring up the grid again. Nachi and Musashi had already begun their intercept course—one that would hopefully measure as much in success as your previous endeavour. The main threat was already gone, the Re-Class Battleship’s corpse sinking to the bottom of the ocean and its tail now safely—at least on hopeful assumption—within your possession. You bring up a secondary window, your eyes focused on the two larger blips, which had also begun to move. Not quite on their own patrol, but most definitely moving on a more aggressive pattern, if the signatures were anything to go by.

Thankfully, however, it’s blatant enough that you’re able to re-adjust your own vector.

‘Head on to the assigned point and run them in from behind. No risk—we’re hardly done here,’ you pause, sparing a glance towards the grid again—they were moving faster now. ‘Keep eyes out, head down but the other forces are making their own movements—don’t stray but be prepared for re-adjustment of bearings, Squadron.’

‘We must’ve pissed them off something bad, huh?’

‘We just took out their Command Unit—barring that they have an Oni running around somewhere.’

You stiffen.

Through the Stream, you feel Nachi’s amusement flowing.

‘That’s not funny, Nachi.’

‘I think we still have enough in us to run an escape,’ she chuckles, ‘but I can’t say that the higher-ups would be happy that their campaign would end up flogging on account of your unwillingness to achieve the primary objective, huh?’

‘As much as I believe in my team,’ you cough into your fist as one of the fairies sits on your shoulder, waving to something you can’t quite see. ‘There’s a difference between an ant trying to lift a mud-ball and trying to drag a boulder uphill.’

‘At least we got the secondary objective,’ Musashi cuts in, her reserved tone surprising you. ‘The MagiTek folks’ll be happy with that, yeah?’

‘Yeah. They—‘

RECOGNIZED HOSTILES DETECTED WITHIN UNIT RANGE
DESIGNATION: I-CLASS DESTROYER
DESIGNATION: I-CLASS DESTROYER
DESIGNATION: TRANSPORT SHIP WA-CLASS

‘We got contact, you two, guns ready—you’re just out of firing range.’

‘Visual confirmed,’ Nachi responds calmly, the click of her guns audible above the din of speed and waves. ‘Looks like a small force.’

>‘Can you pick them off from here?’ (DC: 1d12 Majority)
>‘Engage!’ (DC: 16 Initial Attack Roll a 1d6 Each)
>‘It’s just another scouting party … or a transport out. Don’t waste your time and get back to the other two.’ (Abandon intercept)
>Write-In

>>1943316
>>‘Engage!’ (DC: 16 Initial Attack Roll a 1d6 Each)
get in and tear them apart
plus transports are always fun to kill

Rolled 3 (1d12)

>>1943316
>‘Can you pick them off from here?’ (DC: 1d12 Majority)

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>1943321

>>1943316
>>‘Engage!’ (DC: 16 Initial Attack Roll a 1d6 Each)

File: RJ Bang.gif (3.47 MB, 430x659)

3.47 MB GIF

Rolled 7 (1d12)

>>1943316
>>‘Can you pick them off from here?’ (DC: 1d12 Majority)
Check my 12

Rolled 8 (1d12)

>>1943316
>‘Can you pick them off from here?’ (DC: 1d12 Majority)

>>1943329
Sorry, dude, but you forgot to put up your d6.

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>1943338

>>1943327
>>1943343

>>1943326
>>1943330
>>1943335

It looks like the majority is lost unless someone comes in with a 9-roll. 5 minutes left to vote either way.

Rolled 12 (1d12)

>>1943316
>>‘Can you pick them off from here?’ (DC: 1d12 Majority)
>>1943388
The what now?

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>>1943394
I don't like you.

Write-up incoming.

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‘Can you pick it off from—?’

A loud burst almost renders you dazed. You find one of your viewpoints looking upward and someone—Nachi or Musashi, you couldn’t tell—counting down something. In the distance, slowly heading on a tangent that didn’t quite cut into the firing solution range of your unit, but was definitely heading into proper range for direct engagement.

They don’t get the chance.

‘Direct hit.’

You see a small mushroom of smoke, water … and bits of flesh and accompanying shards of metal—the night vision of your two KanMusu had done wonders to give you a full-on view of what remained of the running interception force. As if in slow motion, the bits of metal, of flesh, fall into the sea. You don’t see movement or any attempt to counter, just a faded, blurred vision of white, blue and the dark around it. Nachi turns to Musashi, the feeling of awe and, briefly, envy, emanating from her being. From Musashi, however, you feel a small tinge of surprise at the fact that her luck hadn’t quite run out with regard to her accuracy, letting out a small click of her tongue as she meets Nachi’s glance with her own, giving off a light shrug.

‘Commander, any sign of movement?’

You immediately bring up the grid.

NO HOSTILE PRESENCE WITHIN UNIT RANGE

They had been eliminated.

‘None whatsoever.’

‘Visual re-confirms,’ Nachi lets out, shaking her head again, her hands on her hips. ‘No hostile manoeuvres within the immediate vicinity.’

‘Check the impact site,’ you bring up the grid again. As much as you trusted Yuubari’s equipment, triple-checking never hurt anyone. ‘If there’s anything left, maybe we can get back some intel … or maybe have some of the MagiTek boys run tests or something.’

‘What would they want with—’

Nachi cuts herself off, making a disgusted sound while Musashi winces. Without another word, they skate across the surface towards the impact site, passing by floating bits and pieces of Abyssal carcasses. You spare a glance to the windows on the interface, scanning for any movement or activity you would have missed. The both of them come to a halt upon reaching the approximate point of detonation of Musashi’s cell, your Heavy Cruiser bending over and picking up a piece of Abyssal metal, slick with thick Abyssal blood … and attached to what looked like part of a pale white torso.

‘Can’t see them finding any use for this,’ Nachi lets out another disgusted sound, dropping it back into the sea as she turned to her partner. ‘Nice shot, by the way.’

Musashi only shrugs in return.

‘That’s one down, sir, do we have any other movement on the grid?’

‘West looks like it’s finally moving. The first group’s changed vectors … looks like they’re heading your way.’

Musashi cracks her knuckles.

>‘We’re running a defensive plot. Catch and hold.’ (Take the larger force first)
>‘Break the western force.’
>Write-In

>>1943452
>>‘We’re running a defensive plot. Catch and hold.’ (Take the larger force first)

>>1943452
>>‘Break the western force.’
Gotta be on the offensive

>>1943452
>>‘We’re running a defensive plot. Catch and hold.’ (Take the larger force first)

>>1943452
>‘We’re running a defensive plot. Catch and hold.’ (Take the larger force first)

>>1943452
>>>‘We’re running a defensive plot. Catch and hold.’ (Take the larger force first)

Need to run some favors, kind folk. Be back in about 3 hours.

>>1943452
>>>‘We’re running a defensive plot. Catch and hold.’ (Take the larger force first)

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Can I have a count as to how many are online, we might be starting another battle in the next hour or so, and I'd like a show of hands to see if we have enough running around. Lurkers can keep their hands down because you twats don't play anyway.

so, we in?

>>1944010
Here

>>1944016
Well, I was in the police station and apparently am not a citizen of my country because I don't look fat enough for the guy in the photo, so ... I guess?

>>1944010
Im here

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>>1944010
harro

>>1944010
As a lurker I am offended by your conduct towards us.

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>>1944032

>>1944034
Look, guys, from the bottom of my heart, really ... I am just asking. Is the quest really so bad you don't want to participate? I'm putting the guns and the vitriol down, but is there a real particular reason there is an aversion to participation? As an actual GM, I don't get it, because I personally don't find this Quest a story you can pick up as a book and drop down onto the couch. So can I actually have a real reason for the non-participation?

If you just don't like it, it's fine or if the story isn't to your liking, that's fine too. But I'd actually like a real reason why the non-participation is such a thing.

>>1944049
I lurk because of a stupid reason, I don't understand the rolls very well even though they've been stated a few times, and also I don't want to vote for something that could fuck plan of abunch of anon's who have put far more time and effort into this then me.

>>1944058
hey
some fresh, out of the box ideas allways help
so dont get cold feet on playing this or any quest

>>1944049
It's fun letting everyone else do the work

>>1944058
All right, okay. I can understand that I guess. Fair enough and fair play to you.

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‘We’re running a defensive plot,’ you announce, blowing up the grid and bringing up your Squadron’s vitals. ‘Play catch and hold.’

‘Orders received, Commander.’

‘Anything you have in mind?’

The two of them get moving without so much as an order from you. You don’t blame them—standing still now would end up with the both of them being open to any preliminary offensive manoeuvres. They head slightly east at a cruising pace, your digits gathering the data needed to run your counter to the moving Abyssal force. By the signature, it was about a full Squadron—perhaps slightly less, but after everything that had happened, the last thing you wanted was to take chances on the

‘Keep it from getting into a skirmish, get into organized intercept lines,’ you bring up the course and the sensors, letting out a small sigh of relief as you realize that there was little to no ‘Head on a north-northeast bearing and run them up on the side, but keep them from going off the grid or to the secondary force …. I think they’re trying to organize a pincer attack, but considering the distance, it’s nothing we’re not going to be able to manage in waves. Western force isn’t moving.’

‘Let’s hope it stays that way.’

‘Correcting vector to bearing adjustment,’ you order, sending the data over the channel—your Squadron complies. ‘Run them up on the side—you’re not going to be able to catch them unawares without going the long way around. We risk putting ourselves in a cat-and-mouse prolonging this. Best we take them head-on, considering the firepower we still have.’

Through the din of speed of a high -powered automobile, you hear Musashi, for some reason or other, snickering in response.

‘Good to know you got faith.’

‘Never lost it.’

The blip is more visible than ever now. Worry overtakes you as you see the direction change, the force apparently adjusting themselves to come up to your Squadron’s tail. Checking the immediate proximity sensors on Musashi and Nachi, you find little to nothing to suggest the change was anything to worry about … even for high-speed strike. Still, after the pounding you’d received from the opening number, there was little in you that wanted a repeat.

‘Do we have eyes on a criss-cross?’

‘No eyes on a criss-cross, vector is still—’

The warning blares.

RECOGNIZED HOSTILES WITHIN CONTACT VICINITY
DESIGNATION: HEAVY CRUISER RI-CLASS
DESIGNATION: HEAVY CRUISER RI-CLASS
DESIGNATION: TRANSPORT SHIP WA-CLASS ELITE
DESIGNATION: TRANSPORT SHIP WA-CLASS

Nachi swears.

‘They’re heading up between your 8 and 10, keep out of the skirmishes.’

‘Visuals are confirmed, Commander.’

‘Turn and burn, Squadron.’

You hear the whirr of gears, the groaning of turrets and iron … and the call to battle reaching out for you once more.

‘Sorry for this, Onii-chan.’

>ENCOURAGE
>REIN IN
>STABILIZE

>>1944239
>STABILIZE
this shouldnt be too hard

>>1944239
A kind dude pointed out 2 errors:

>The two of them get moving without so much as an order from you. You don’t blame them—standing still now would end up with the both of them being open to any preliminary offensive manoeuvres. They head slightly east at a cruising pace, your digits gathering the data needed to run your counter to the moving Abyssal force. By the signature, it was about a full Squadron—perhaps slightly less, but after everything that had happened, the last thing you wanted was to take chances on the dice again.

And

‘Keep it from getting into a skirmish, get into organized intercept lines,’ you bring up the course and the sensors, letting out a small sigh of relief as you realize that there was little in the way of the odds heading that way; or, you at least hoped it would stay that way. ‘Head on a north-northeast bearing and run them up on the side, but keep them from going off the grid or to the secondary force …. I think they’re trying to organize a pincer attack, but considering the distance, it’s nothing we’re not going to be able to manage in waves. Western force isn’t moving.’

>>1944239
>>STABILIZE

>>1944239
>>ENCOURAGE

>>1944239
>>STABILIZE

>>1944239
>>STABILIZE

>>1944239
>STABILIZE

>>1944340
>>1944343
>>1944346
>>1944263
>Choice: Stabilize

CURRENT MODIFIER: [STABILIZE] 0
PREVIOUS BONUSES: +1, +2
CURRENT SAN: [2]
ADDITIONAL COMBAT/DIVISION MODIFERS: NIL

>BATTLE PHASE (Roll a 1d8 each)

Rolled 3 (1d8)

>>1944465
FOOOORWARD!

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Rolled 6 (1d8)

>>1944465
my bad luck rolling has to stop one day

>>1944465
just to be clear
those previous bonuses are applied on this rolls?

Rolled 3 (1d8)

>>1944465
FOR VICTORY!

>>1944475
Yeah. It's cumulative, remember? Big risk (SAN Game Over), big rewards.

>>1944482
allright

>>1944493
May I interest you in roll penalties so that I may indulge in character death?

Rolled 1 (1d8)

>>1944465

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>>1944510
>1

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>>1944510
>1

Rolled 5 (1d8)

>>1944465

Rolled 4, 3, 4, 7, 2 = 20 (5d8)

>>1944470
>>1944474
>>1944479
>>1944510
>>1944522
Let's see how you folks fare.

Rolled 6 (1d8)

>>1944465

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>>1944524
3+2+1+0 vs 4 - W
6+2+1+0 vs 3 - W
3+2+1+0 vs 4 - W
1+2+1+0 vs 7 - L
5+2+1+0 vs 2 - W

Welp, better get to writing. Congratulations, Shinji

>>1944538
>comparing commander to shinji
Mech you mean

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1ST ROLL: 3(+2)(+1) vs 4 – RESULT: OFFENSIVE MANOEUVRES SUCCESSFUL!

You hear the whistles of firing guns, the formations being run as if in slow motion. In the distance, through the eyes of your Squadron, you see the dark light of the opposing force, running their own lines to push your KanMusu back. Nachi breaks off, running as a standard support option, even without your command, your order. Musashi drives up to the right—to the North, not quite splitting up, but making sure that they were as spread out as targets went. Considering how often the enemy used corralling tactics, getting out of the way into an optimum firing range was always the best thing to do. You don’t take things for granted—even with Musashi and Nachi at your fingertips, you’re aware at just how heavy the enemy weighed upon you—how quickly the tide of battle could and would change, uncaring for your plans. A salvo whistles harmlessly to Nachi’s left as the Transports take up point, raising their hands and heads in a motion that looked like an embrace of the sky.

‘They’re getting their shields up!’

Nachi grunts as she moves out of the way of the next salvo, this one barely missing her. You feel the burning, stinging sensation on your cheek as the Heavy Cruisers shift into striking formations, the display barely able to keep up with their movements as they catch her on the back foot. You find your world alternating between darkness, water and speeding bullets, your own Heavy Cruiser dancing her way out of their firing pattern before unloading her own heavy salvo.

The shell explodes mid-air.

The Transports were running point again.

‘Musashi, spread ‘em up!’

Your Battleship complies.

The shells explode in a deafening roar as Nachi moves back, cocking her weapon as you feel the peppering of smaller arms against your skin, turning around for a clearer shot. The Transport Wa-Class had little none in the way of offensive abilities, but those shields of theirs—however they were making them—were more than just an annoyance at the worst of times. You had to get behind them—or failing that, get a shot fast enough that they couldn’t get a fast enough reaction to—

‘Manoeuvre behind them as fast as you can and get a clear shot—don’t give them an opportunity to react.’

‘We’re not rookies, we know how to hit back!’

They weren’t, but losing the Re-Class must have triggered a sort of desperation in the four that remained … and they were hardly giving up any ground.

So you’d make them.

‘Lock onto the Heavy Cruiser, but don’t fire until my mark.’

‘What?’

‘Keep a steady cruise, don’t push …’

The bullseye floated in front of your eyes … and it grew. Slowly, but surely, it grew. Without any return fire, they were encouraged, pushing …

And getting sloppy.

‘FIRE!’

You see an explosion … and an arm flying into the air, detached from its main body.

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2ND ROLL: 6(+2)(+1) vs 3 – RESULT: ENEMY PRESSURED! CRITICAL!

There was blood in the water.

Literally and figuratively.

The Transports move to press right back, but sending the Heavy Cruiser reeling with a direct hit had sent the foursome into a tizzy, the bunch of them corralling among themselves and erecting what looked like a barrier, moving at high speeds to outrun and outgun your forces. Musashi roars as she steadies her guns, charging in with her emotions running high, firing salvo after salvo as the Heav Cruisers return fire right back. You wince as you feel the odd hit, the odd breach of skin and the meeting of metal against flesh, but Musashi wouldn’t be deterred. Neither would you. The shields are up, the Transports are hardly compromised of their ability to regroup and reform the formation … but they were being pushed back, pressured, and despite the arrogance of it all, you could feel it, right at your fingertips. Past the lust and the glory, you could almost taste it.

Battle.

You wanted more.

Musashi lets loose another barrage. The Heavy Cruisers were alternating between their positions as the aggressors and taking defensive stances behind the shields of the Transports. Even backed into a corner, they weren’t going to let up. The battle occurs at high speeds, even for you—the Transports may not have had the raw speed and hit-and-run capabilities made available to the I-Class and the Light Cruisers, but they were more than capable of moving in-sync with the movements of your Squadron. Even having an arm down, you could hardly tell the difference as the Ri-Class Heavy Cruisers zoom at high speeds, peppering Musashi with glancing shots and keeping Nachi’s attempts at breaching their cover at bay. They were aware of their own weaknesses, their own compromises to get here … and they were keen on keeping it going as long as possible. Even without their heaviest hitter, they weren’t going to let up. Not by a long shot.

‘It’d be a lot easier to press them up without just the two of us,’ Nachi snarls as she finds a cut—a deep one—on her left shoulder, retaliating with a parabolic shot … only to have it rendered harmless by the Wa-Class’s shield. ‘They only have to face in two directions … if I could get close enough.’

‘No need for words,’ Musashi grins, ‘all you need is to keep hitting ‘em … until they SURRENDER!’

You hear the whirr and the click of her cannons, the groan of the barrel as it aims straight on, their master uncaring for the light shots bouncing off her skin, cutting her cheek.

With a loud cry, a shell flies … and finds its target.

It breaks through.

It doesn’t stop.

It was never meant to stop.

Tearing into flesh and black metal, you see the form of a Wa-Class turned into chunks, water and fire mixing into one as you claim another kill.

There were only three left.

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3RD ROLL: 3(+2)(+1) vs 4 – RESULT: ENEMY PRESSURED!

They immediately change their movements.

The Heavy Cruisers accelerate, their aggression raised even further compared to before. They get up close and personal with Musashi, leaving the safety of their previous approach in lieu of a more desperate push. Musashi cackles madly as she meets the both of them head-on, swerving her cannon like a pommel to strike and pushing back the armless Ri-Class. The other one, however, is hardly deterred, and you’re treated to the bared teeth of the Heavy Cruiser’s visage as her hands lock with Musashi’s, fully intent on sinking her.

Musashi wouldn’t have it any other way.

‘Got a lot of guts, ain’t’cha?’

She—and by extension you—is only greeted by a hiss in return. The Heavy Cruiser pushes back. Even from here, with your minds—your souls—linked by a bare thread, you can feel yourself there, your hands being crushed by the sheer strength of the Ri-Class. Musashi grunts, raising her knee to smash right into her foe’s gut, only to find the creature twisting itself—and thus, her—into a roll. Musashi snarls her frustration, clasping her hands harder around the digits of the enemy, her calf barely catching as she moves the opposite way … and tosses it overhead.

The Ri-Class lets loose a barrage, the closest of which grazes the top of Musashi’s cannons as it moves to gather itself in a landing.

Musashi doesn’t give it time to breathe.

She fires a shot, blowing its torso clean off.

The warning blares.

4TH ROLL: 1(+2)(+1) vs 7 – RESULT: ENEMY RECOVERS!

‘MUSASHI, WATCH IT!’

Musashi dives for cover as a shell whistles above her, before accelerating again. The other Ri-Class had recovered, more than intent to even the score for its comrade’s death. Musashi grasps her shoulder, turning around and finding the one-armed Ri-Class peppering her with whatever pot-shot it was able to spare. You try to get a lock on it, but find it too fast … Musashi’s bulk, her class, it wasn’t meant to deal with hit-and-run, but provide herself as a battering realm—a shield breaker—in oeprations. Matching her up with a swift-hitting class that could hit more than just the usual scratch was a nightmare of a team-up. She moves to accelerate again, trying to get into a more advantageous position … only to find herself face-first into the water, another hit making its mark, this time the screech of metal and fire making it known to you that one of her rigging supports had taken a direct hit.

‘Musashi, push up—it’s not going to miss the next shot!’

She snarls something undecipherable … but she gets up. A little bruised and with burn marks across her neck—a stinging sensation reaching across your own—but she gets up. She had to get back to Nachi.

Nachi.

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5TH ROLL: 5(+2)(+1) vs 2 – RESULT: RECOVERY SUCCESSFUL! CRITICAL!

‘On it.’

She finishes the job.

Before your eyes—before Musashi’s eyes—you see the lifeless form of the Ri-Class drop upon the waves, its neck smoking from Nachi’s opportune shot. Its neck, now a smoking stump, shoots forth a black substance like a volcano, before sinking underneath the waves. Groggily, your Battleship raises herself to her full height, wincing as she clutches her side towards the only remaining enemy unit … or rather, where she thought it was. The view is hazy, but the Wa-Class had somehow dropped out of sight long before she and Nachi had settled things with the Heavy Cruisers. You bring up the grid, beginning to feel the shocks of Musashi’s stream beginning to overtake you again, only to discover that it was already on the edge of the grid, either moving to gather more forces for another push … or to cut its losses and come out with a tomorrow in mind.

Nachi approaches Musashi, the former covered in gunk and her clothes looking like they’d do better as wiping rags than they would as functioning covers of modesty, her weapons smoking and her guns still hot. Through Nachi’s eyes, you see Musashi … who looked like she’d rolled around in coal and tried to pry open her equipment with a can opener. Her cannons looked to be in functioning state, but a quick view of the rigging behind saw that the whoe thing, more than likely, was being held together by Musashi’s own frame. The both of them wince as they place their hands on their knees, taking deep breaths and observing their surroundings.

Some way or another, they’d settled this one. Aside from a few scratches—and by KanMusu standards of tolerance, they indeed were scratches—you’d settled this one without much trouble. A little panicking had gone on from your part, but otherwise … you could chalk it to a job well done, whatever the case. The main forces had been depleted and the secondary objective had been achieved. As premature as the desire to celebrate was, you really couldn’t help but—

You grit your teeth in pain.

Like a spike grinding into the back of your skull, you find yourself, again, feeling the aftershocks of running on your emotions … of running with the one KanMusu who would take and tear everything you were with every step. You take in deep breaths, tensing up your neck as you held onto the metal rods of the cockpit, your eyes beginning to grow hazy as you move to focus on something, anything at all, to remain conscious, aware.

‘Commander?’

You laugh darkly, glaring at the Interface

‘Here comes the hard part.’

>REIN IN
>GIVE SOME SLACK
>MOVE IN SYNC

>>1945241
>REIN IN

>>1945241
>>REIN IN

>>1945241
>REIN IN

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>>1945245
>>1945254
>>1945293
Let's see if your luck holds out.

>>1945306
That means there's no bonus. You folks will have to match me roll for roll here.

>RECOVERY (Roll a 1d10 each)

>>1945306
lady luck does not like fat commanders anymore, it seems

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>1945313

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>1945313

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>1945313

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>1945313

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>1945313

Rolled 6, 1, 7, 10, 9 = 33 (5d10)

>>1945321
>>1945339
>>1945458
>>1945480
>>1945563
Let's see how your luck goes.

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‘Commander?’

Your eyes are blurry, watery … you can hardly see a foot in front of you. You reach around in this faded world, grasping and for air and—for life. Someone was calling for you … someone you can hardly recall. You feel like you had forgotten so much already and you can hardly tell what. Breathing is hard. Your eyeballs feel like they’re trying to jump out of their sockets, crawling their way right under their lids. Your sense of touch, you realize, had left you … and was now returning. You wince as you feel a jolt of static, touching one of the metal bars of the cockpit. You’d somehow landed on your knees, something coppery, salty, tasting upon upon your lips. The colours begin to fade in, red, then yellow … and grey and black, then white.

Clutching something hard, something steady, you lift yourself onto your feet … and find yourself caught up again in the invisible cushion of the RAY, your memories of the what, there, why and who flooding back like a flow of screws into your brain. Chatter becomes indistinct again as your senses calibrate themselves to your surroundings, the coppery taste of the liquid on your lips becoming more and more pronounced as the seconds tick by.

‘Commander!’

You were with Nagato, weren’t you?

That harsh tone couldn’t have been anyone but her.

‘Commander, please respond!’

No, it couldn’t have been. It must have been … Yuubari. She was part of your Division, right? Which Division was it a—

You curse loudly, your eyes—both of them—opening to take in the full blinking state of the Interface, sweat pouring down your forehead as you try adjust yourself to the full, sudden shock from a return. You had blacked out. Somehow, some way, you’d—no, you knew why you had. Musashi. The aftershocks of her properties had hit you like the epicenter of a train collision … with your head on the rails.

‘Here,’ you squeak into the comm, before correcting your volume, ‘Here, Nachi.’

‘What happened? You were offline for at least five minutes.’

You readjust your eyepatch, before bringing a finger to your nose and drawing it back.

Blood. Your nose was bleeding.

You wipe it on your top, grunting.

‘Nothing I didn’t expect in the first place,’ you reply nonchalantly, bringing up the grid. ‘The Western force hasn’t moved at all. Signature’s still constant.’

‘No activity here either,’ Musashi chimes in, skating up to Nachi. ‘Strange that they didn’t even move for an attack … are they waiting for something?’

‘I don’t know,’ you let out, frustrated, covering your face as you take a deep breath, hoping to soothe the growing migraine.

‘You’re not going to be handle another shot if you fail to recover again, Commander.’

You sigh.

‘What do you suggest, then?’

‘It’s your run, sir,’ Musashi answers, throwing a glance at the stone-faced Nachi. ‘Your call.’

>>1947617
>'We came here to do a job, let's at least see this through.' (Continue mission)
>'Full retreat.' (Abandon mission)

>>1947622
>>'Full retreat.' (Abandon mission)

>>1947622
>>'We came here to do a job, let's at least see this through.' (Continue mission)

>>1947622
>>'Full retreat.' (Abandon mission)

>>1947617
>>'We came here to do a job, let's at least see this through.' (Continue mission)

>>1947622
>>'We came here to do a job, let's at least see this through.' (Continue mission)

>>1947622
>>'Full retreat.' (Abandon mission)

>>1947622
>>'We came here to do a job, let's at least see this through.' (Continue mission)
What are the consequences of abandoning the mission?

>>1947708
Reputation hit

>>1947626
>>1947657
>>1947693
>>1947708
Votes are in. Writing up.

>>1947622
'We came here to do a job, let's at least see this through.' (Continue mission)

File: Acknowledged.jpg (125 KB, 850x992)

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‘We came here to do a job,’ you declare. ‘At the very least … let’s see this all the way through.’

The both of them share a look.

‘I don’t know if the Stream—if your mind—can take much more of the stress, Commander.’

Musashi’s voice is professional, steady … but even she couldn’t hide the worry that peeked through. Nachi, to her credit, didn’t look the least bit fazed by the declaration, her face already looking west, cocking her guns in anticipation for the coming battle. Musashi grunts something that you can’t quite make out, but you know it’s somewhere between insults towards your insistence and hard-headedness … and her compliance with your decision, your command. You hadn’t signed up for this without being more than aware of the risks involved … and considering all the stupid things you’d put your life on the line for, this was hardly the worst thing to put up your mind for.

After all, you were their Commander. This was an occupational hazard.

‘I’m aware,’ you give a slight smile, looking through her feed, ‘but you guys come out here not expecting to see another sunrise … as your Commander, it’s courtesy to allow myself that same dignity.’

Nachi’s silence stays.

‘Nachi?’

‘N-Nothing,’ she stutters uncharacteristically, before running a hand through her hair.

She composes herself quickly, however.

‘Acknowledged, Commander,’ she nods, ‘what are your orders?’

>‘Head on north-west and then head down on the southern vector, see if we can catch ‘em on the back foot.’
>‘It’s suspicious that they haven’t moved at all … what do you guys have for me?’
>‘Nachi, I don’t have a good feeling about this—would a scout of the area be viable with our composition?’
>‘Cruising speed, head-on. Keep vigilant of any hostiles not on the sensors.’
>Write-In

>>1947739
>>‘It’s suspicious that they haven’t moved at all … what do you guys have for me?’

>>1947739
>>‘It’s suspicious that they haven’t moved at all … what do you guys have for me?’

>>1947739
>‘It’s suspicious that they haven’t moved at all … what do you guys have for me?’

>>1947739
>‘Nachi, I don’t have a good feeling about this—would a scout of the area be viable with our composition?’ Time to use type 0 obv

File: Nothing In Sight.jpg (79 KB, 640x360)

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‘It’s suspicious that they haven’t moved at all,’ you bring up the grid—there was the force, still on the edge, unmoving, unchanging in vector. ‘What do you guys have for me?’

‘Nothing on the visuals,’ Musashi turns, her sensors now wholly interlinked with your Stream. ‘No movement, no remnants, no incoming forces. If I didn’t know better, I’d say we had a mission accomplished.’

Nachi lets out a mirthless snort, idly skating as she did a quick scan of the immediate area herself.

‘Wouldn’t that be nice?’

‘No patrols at all?’

‘None—no reinforcements or mop-up, either,’ Musashi replies, pursing her lips. ‘You’d think they’d be a little bit more aware with the mess we’ve made.’

You pause, intertwining your fingers as you take it all in.

‘I was out for five minutes,’ you begin in a slow, deliberate drawl, your voice slightly quaking from the disbelief seeping through, ‘and they didn’t even think to take a potshot?’

‘Nothing at all,’ Nachi shakes her head as she places her hands on her hips, ‘sensors and visuals confirm no activity in the immediate vicinity.’

There was a time where you would have eaten a kettle before you’d believe that.

Rather than a was, it was an is. After everything that had happened, there was no way it would end up this simple.

The Abyssals had used this part of the sea as a virtual choking point to snuff out patrols and offensives. Even counting the significant watchdogs here, you didn’t believe for a moment that this was the end of it—and judging by the large signature west of your Squadron, the numbers stacked up in favour of a follow-up assault in the event of a failure to reinforce the two forces. You were prepared for an all-out firefight. Yet now, here you were, as if on standard practice procedures, little to nothing in the way of foes or threats within sniffing distance. Even with the bulk of it gone, there should have been something left over. The I-Class Destroyer and the Wa-Class had enough time to round up an auxiliary force.

So why hadn’t they come?

You bring up the grid—there was still no sign of any activity. Just as they had said, the whole span was as quiet as a temple on a the morn of a weekend. Leaning back into the invisible cushion, you bring up more windows, piggybacking on the on-site sensors made available to you through Nachi and Musashi’s equipment, once more coming up with the same result as before: nothing. Beyond some marine life underneath their feet, there was little to suggest that there was anything resembling a hostile presence.

You don't find it reassuring. Not at all.

>‘Head on north-west and then head down on the southern vector, see if we can catch ‘em on the back foot.’
>‘Nachi, I don’t have a good feeling about this—would a scout of the area be viable with our composition?’
>‘Cruising speed, head-on. Keep vigilant of any hostiles not on the sensors.’
>Write-In

>>1947782
>>‘Nachi, I don’t have a good feeling about this—would a scout of the area be viable with our composition?’

>>1947782
>‘Cruising speed, head-on. Keep vigilant of any hostiles not on the sensors.’
aslo keep an eye on the sonars

>>1947782
>>‘Cruising speed, head-on. Keep vigilant of any hostiles not on the sensors.’

File: I Like Her Hair.jpg (11 KB, 194x259)

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‘Cruising speed, head on,’ you don’t miss a beat, swiping away the windows. ‘Keep vigilant of any hostiles—sensors might not be picking them up at all.’

‘Orders received.’

They comply with your orders, revving up as best as they can and skating through the waves. The sensors thus far had echoed their findings, weird as they had been. The lack of further resistance, further force … it was a little bit jarring compared to the rough welcome wagon that you’d received. They’d managed to hammer you down a few more pegs than you’d expected—not that you actually cared for an easy run through this, but the fact that you’d tasted the mud at the hands of Light Cruisers and Destroyers had you expecting a little bit more bite from the other side. Nachi and Musashi don’t say a word, sticking to their formation and moving at cruising speeds, their guns ready for any engagement.

The sea, however, was silent.

‘Neither one of you find it weird there hasn’t been any sort of follow-up?’

You almost bite your tongue—you’d stated the obvious time and time again here. You couldn’t care for the silence, either … and between being seen as a dunce who couldn’t keep his mouth shut and letting your worries drive you to insanity before Musashi’s stability requirements did, the former was a lot more appealing.

Nothing about this felt right.

‘You’re asking the wrong person, Commander,’ Nachi snorts again, throwing Musashi a small smirk. ‘Any break’s a welcome one.’

You sigh, leaning back against your cushion.

‘Yeah, I can see where you’re coming from.’

‘It is weird, though,’ she offers, sharing a worried glance with her fellow Squadron member, ‘the encounters haven’t been insignificant, but the briefing telling us that there’s been heavy resistance, I kind of expected … more.’

‘We’ve taken out about two units of Abyssal forces,’ Musashi interjects, ‘I’d say that would count as a significant force encounter, wouldn’t you?’

‘This is a choke-hold for any patrols according to Intel … even if we’d taken out their Command Unit, there should be an outer reinforcement somewhere—and I’d eat a kettle before I’d take anything they give me for face value.’

Musashi grimaces.

‘You and me both, sister.’

You open the grid again. It wouldn’t be much longer until you’d reached the source of the signature, whatever it was; Musashi and Nachi were making good pace and it wasn’t as if—

You notice something.

The warnings hadn’t sounded.

You were well within engagement vicinity.

‘Commander?’

>‘There’s something wrong with the sensors—signature’s showing up, but I’m not getting any warnings on enemy activity.’ (Cautious)
>‘Just keep pushing, you two. Stick to the plan.’ (Reassure)
>Write-In

>>1947823
>>‘There’s something wrong with the sensors—signature’s showing up, but I’m not getting any warnings on enemy activity.’ (Cautious)
>Other
>Order Immediate evasive maneuvers

>>1947823
>>‘There’s something wrong with the sensors—signature’s showing up, but I’m not getting any warnings on enemy activity.’ (Cautious)
inb4 they hit the RAY again

>>1947823
>try the magic eye again
its a near imposible shot
but worth a try

>>1947827
You can check your surroundings. It's not Byakugan, but it is a useful tool for nearby threats ... if there are any, that is.

Mechs eating dinner

>>1947823
>‘There’s something wrong with the sensors—signature’s showing up, but I’m not getting any warnings on enemy activity.’ (Cautious)

>>1947823
>>‘There’s something wrong with the sensors—signature’s showing up, but I’m not getting any warnings on enemy activity.’ (Cautious)

>>1947823
>>‘There’s something wrong with the sensors—signature’s showing up, but I’m not getting any warnings on enemy activity.’ (Cautious)
This with
>magic eye

This situation is weird as hell and we should use every tool we have to ensure we win the next encounter

May I please have a show of hands from the men and women that are currently online?

ready

>>1948059
hi

>>1948067
I will in 40mins-1 hour

>>1948067
Fug, meant to reply to
>>1948059

>>1948064
>>1948067
>>1948073
Not many of you around, so I'll start up tomorrow morning my time - about 9.30-10.00 A.M. That's GMT +8.

I am up. Session commencing ...

As soon as I get off the toilet. Fuck Thai food.

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‘There’s something wrong with the sensors—I have signatures showing up, but almost nothing on enemy activity.’

They give each other a worried glance, their speeds immediately dropping at the reveal. You don’t blame them one bit.

‘The alerts aren’t going off,’ you elaborate further. ‘They’re there … or at least I think they are.’

A sense of deja vu immediately comes over you—you lift your eyepatch, glancing quickly around the flight deck.

Nothing.

They weren’t playing the same game they were before.

The lack of subterfuge does little to alleviate your worry, however.

‘Commander?’

‘Just covering my bases, Nachi,’ you answer, feeling your ribcage tighten around your lungs—none of it made sense. ‘Anything on your side?’

‘Negative,’ Nachi replies, giving her surroundings a good once around, Musashi following suit. ‘Quiet out here. No sight of Abyssal movement.’

Just to confirm you weren’t losing your marbles, you bring up the grid to the fore, scanning the western edge. Indeed, there seemed to be what looked like a whole unit on that side, but even with Nachi and Musashi approaching—and already well within alert distance—the alarms hadn’t so much as turned yellow or given a minor beep. It wasn’t as if they were hiding, keeping their presence away from you, what with the grid showing it like some kind of lone light bulb in a dark room … so what were they doing? A stand was out of the question—why hadn’t they come to assist the other Abyssals in their interception of your forces? In the defence of this part of the sea?

Why had they not joined the other forces in a follow-up attack, never mind heeded a call from their fallen Command Unit?

‘Approaching point, Commander,’ Nachi announces—in the distance, you see small, blurred specks: the enemy forces, now within visual.

Still, it doesn’t sound.

Still, they do not move.

‘Musashi, Nachi, stop.’

They comply.

‘Sir?’

You stare at the specks on the horizon, creasing your brows.

They weren’t moving.

‘I’m piggybacking your sensors again,’ you announce, tapping a few buttons and flicking a switch. ‘I’m narrowing the frequency and upping the scope; you guys might feel a little—’

You wince, feeling a jolt at the back of your head.

Sometimes you wondered if the Stream was all it was cracked up to be.

SCANNING

You lean back, staring at the sea.

IDENTIFICATION MATRIX CONFIRMS:
DESIGNATION: HEAVY CRUISER RI-CLASS
DESIGNATION: LIGHT CRUISER TSU-CLASS
DESIGNATION: WA-CLASS TRANSPORT
DESIGNATION: WA-CLASS TRANSPORT
DESIGNATION: I-CLASS DESTROYER
DESIGNATION: I-CLASS DESTROYER

‘That’s a unit, all right.’

‘They’re not moving. They’re just … whatever they’re doing, they’re not doing … anything.’

>>1950302
>'Approach with caution.' (Initiate direct contact with the unit)
>'I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth; pick them off.' (Attempt to eliminate the unit)
>Write-In

>>1950316
>>'Approach with caution.' (Initiate direct contact with the unit)

>>1950316
>>'Approach with caution.' (Initiate direct contact with the unit)

>>1950316
>>'Approach with caution.' (Initiate direct contact with the unit)

>>1950316
>>'Approach with caution.' (Initiate direct contact with the unit)

>>1950316
>>Write-In
Can either of you launch a scout plane to see what they're up to.

>>1950354
>scout plane
m8, Musashi's a super Dreadnought and Nachis a cruiser

>>1950362
Yes and?

Just about all IJN ships carried floats for scouting and gunnery spotting duties.

>>1950372
Sorry, dude. In this verse, they don't have planes installed by default. That's Carrier territory. For now

>>1950385
Damn. Oh well, it was a thought.

>>1950390
It's okay. At least you didn't think the Magic Eye was the Byakugan.

>>1950316
>'Approach with caution.' (Initiate direct contact with the unit)
>Write-In
Have nachi ready a spread of fish just in case. if they do turn hostile, a spread aimed right at them will foul up any firing solution they have as they evade, allowing us to regroup and reengage.

>>1950406
I always keep forgetting to make an ammo count ... but I keep getting back to the story and reminding myself the narrative are rolls-dependent and it only ends up being complimentary to the set aesthetic rather than a proper feature of gameplay.

File: I Like This Picture.jpg (477 KB, 850x1202)

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‘Approach with caution.’

They don’t need anything more than those three words. Musashi’s guns heavily train themselves forwards, bringing her left shoulder down as she accelerated alongside Nachi. Nachi placed her hands on the metal coil by her waist, ready to set all Hell loose at the drop of the pin. As they approach the targets, you find the signatures divvying themselves up into individual signatures, glowing to signify presence, but otherwise, still unmoving on the grid. The forms in the distance, seen through the eyes of your two Squadron members, grow and grow until their shapes are distinguished.

Nachi’s hands grip one of her torpedoes. The groan of Musashi’s turrets sound in your ears. There is a heightened sense of something, a growing unease as your eyes dart between the console, the Interface and the sight through their eyes.

Still, they don’t move.

Nachi breaks right past their unit, skidding to a halt as her eyes grow wide, disbelief and confusion taking over her senses—and yours—as she observes what is before her. Musashi follows in soon after, stopping dead between a trio of Abyssals, her head darting left and right as she mutters something incoherent, whirling around as a similar feeling takes her over, too.

The Abyssals were there.

Indeed, they were. All of them were accounted for. Six units, all down to the letter.

‘Sir, are you getting this?’

They weren’t moving.

Their eyes dead, their forms stiff, they stood upon the surface of the sea, an even distance apart, they rocked in place, waves moving them up and down or washing over them like rocks. You see one Wa-Class with its head pointed towards the sky, the Destroyers stiffly in place as though fastened to the sea’s very face. None of them looked damaged or had seemed to have seen any recent battle, and yet here they were, harmlessly—and you use that word very liberally—stiff, like statues in a garden.

‘What in the world happened here?’

Musashi leans forward, coming closer to the Light Cruiser, its head downwards and its shoulders slumped, its shields little more than weights threatening to drag it below.

‘It looks like they’ve been—’

‘Turned off,’ you finish for Musashi. ‘Like they’ve been deactivated.’

‘You were on Ops, right, Nachi? You seen anything like this before?’

‘No,’ Nachi answers stiffly, skating around one of the Wa-Class Transports. ‘Never seen anything like this before—and I’ve seen some stuff I really don’t want to remember again.’

Musashi lets out a low, nervous laugh.

‘Mission accomplished, then, right? I mean,’ she clears her throat, ‘we cleared the grid … technically. Patrols should have less problems with the bottleneck now, right?’

She throws Nachi a glance.

Nachi doesn’t answer.

>Write-In

>>1950580
>>Write-In
have the girls fall back a little bit and call the situation in to the base

>>1950580
Can we contact the admiralty from our pod? I wanna push this up the ladder.

This is rather big. These are intact specimens undamaged by war. We might need to activate vessels or other sealift capabilities to ferry these abyssals away for further study.

File: maximum interrogation.jpg (251 KB, 811x811)

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>>1950580
>Call HQ, tell them what we found
Live Abyssals for interrogation

>>1950587
You're within the Hot Zone, but there's no rule against it.

>>1950580
Agree with the others, retreat back while keeping visual and report to the higher ups. Also, is asking nee-san ok? Cause if so then that too.

>>1950620
This is good. If we can get some answers this will help.

File: WHAT IS YOUR -ANSWER-.jpg (121 KB, 850x698)

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‘I’m phoning it in,’ you announce. ‘Don’t stick around—retreat to a safe distance, but keep them within visual range. Maybe we can get some answers from—’

You feel nails pressing into your brain.

It’s not an unfamiliar sensation.

One by one, you see the Abyssals jolt and twist, as though they were having seizures. One by one they sink underneath the depths, unholy cries that echoing in your ears, never to leave. Claws and teeth gnash in your ear, in your head, under your skin. You contort and cry out in pain, your fingers balling into fists as you feel like your head was being used as a pin cushion. Your eyes water as darkness takes you, threatening to drag you away from all you know, all you are acquainted with, right into the depths unknown. Grinding your teeth, you fight back, glaring into a distance immeasurable, into eyes so blue and pure they were both horrifying and seductive.

The alert screams you back into the waking world.

WARNING: SPHERE OF INFLUENCE (MATURE) DETECTED!

‘Commander!’

You fight through it.

‘GET OUT OF THERE, YOU TWO!’

A shock courses through you, again. Nachi and Musashi fall to their knees, burning sensations on their skin translated through the Stream into your own awareness. The nails return with a vengeance, scratching and drilling into your innermost thoughts and desires. You fight back—in the confines of this metal prison, helpless as you watch the both of them fall, their forms heavy, unable to bear even their own weights; birds with clipped wings. The water churns around them, the waves rocking and swaying unnaturally in formation and pattern, pushed and pulled by an unknown force, an unknown presence.

You scream.

It is all you can do.

A mountain seems to boom into existence, a monolith of a strange shape, a weird angle. Through the eyes of your KanMusu, you see white and dark indiscernible, melded into the greys and the void. The darkness seems to morph all around them—all around you—and you feel yourself—and them—being torn apart by the sheer majesty, the sheer presence of this new arrival. Tears seep from the corner of your eyes as you feel yourself melding with them, your sensations, your pain and your despair becoming one … only one.

‘Damn it … seriously?’

‘Commander, m-move, Commander…’

You can’t.

It was like fighting a storm.

Musashi raises her head to meet the blue eyes of a woman, her face like a porcelain doll, dead to the world … and something else beyond.

And the Princess stares back from the Abyss … and you do not have an answer.

>Write-In

>>1950782
Welcome to the mid-game, by the way. Things are picking up.

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>>1950782
>Get back up and run

File: Nee-san.jpg (28 KB, 300x300)

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welp nee-san

>>1950782
>>Write-In
>get the girls up and run like hell
>start raising hell on the comms about the Princess

>>1950796
This is actually an interesting proposition.

>>1950782
well then
Mission accomplished guys, lets celebrate by
>GETTING THE FUCK OUT OF HERE
Im sure nagato is waiting at home with victory sundaes to enjoy.

>>1950782
>Call upon nee-san for help. Tell Musashi to start firing at the Princess. Tell Nachi to get back.

>>1950820
bruh, the Princess will violate us if we fight her

File: Eviiiiiiil.jpg (234 KB, 850x1202)

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It seems as though you guys haven't come to a consensus, so I'll give you a little while longer to deal with this life or death situation.

>>1950782
>>write-in
Order full retreat. Forget fighting, just get the hell out of there.
Ask nee-san for help/advise

>>1950858
Squad: mission accomplished, full retreat

Nee-san: the fuck is going on?

fall back/retreat if anyone knows how to deal with a princess it's nee-san also she is already taking up space in our head so maybe the princess won't have the capacity to mindfuck us too bad

>>1950870
I second this too
>retreat+NEE-SAN TASKETE

>>1950938
>>1950870
i support these ideas

aint got time for this, saratoga

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You can feel it banging against the barriers of your Stream. Like the Oni from before, it gazes right at you—through the link, through the connection. It’s nothing like the Oni, however—poking and prodding had little to do with what you were going through right now. It feels like a great weight was pressing upon you—as though the ocean was the sky and the everything beneath you was darkness; you can’t seem to remember how to breathe … you can’t remember how to open your eyes and see here, in this blank world, where up was down and down was up. You know you’re not here—you’re back in the cockpit, a drooling mess, your mind gone, sent to oblivion for your mistake, your miscalculation … your underestimation.

Still, you fight.

You want to cry.

You do.

‘N-Nachi! Musashi! Get your asses out of there!’

‘Sh-She’s invading the Stream,’ Nachi manages, tears flowing from the corner of her eyes, her jaws barely able to respond—she can feel it, probably worse than you: the weight, the sheer pressure of the Princess’s presence. It was as though every living cell, every firing neuron, was rejecting itself in her presence; you can feel it eating away at them, at you, chipping away layer by layer of flesh by just by being there.

‘Don’t … argue with me,’ you feel your throat constricting, the skin of your face tightening around your skull. You can barely speak—it was as though you were trying to take in mud rather than air.

‘D-Damn it, what the Hell is with this pressure?’

‘She’s … breaking through. I … I—’

Nachi’s feed dies.

Musashi roars, trying to stand. You scream in agony, feeling yourself being torn into thousands and thousands of pieces, just trying to keep what was left of your existence was pain … to keep Musashi’s backlash from consuming you was like her drawing blood straight from your heart. Around you, the vital warnings sound, numbers and red windows flashing left and right. You can’t tell them one from another, the ringing sound growing louder and louder …

Then Musashi falls.

You cannot move. You cannot scream. You cannot see.

You are lost, shapeless, becoming less than form in concept, less in presence, fading … fading …

A woman stands before you. For a measure of you.

Strong, serene, wearing a dress with too many pockets, reddish brown hair … and an innocence in her that you found …

Open your eyes, fool!

Rest.

Fight back!

Come to me … Otouto-chan …

She embraces you.

You fade … fade …

Fight back, you!

There is a smile in the middle of a room.

It was Iowa’s.

‘I like this one. it’s not for everybody, though.’

You don’t remember taking a book from her. Not this one, at least. It drops through your clumsy fingers, hitting the floor.

Well, whatever.

FIGHT!

>Write-In

>>1951165
>>Write-In
>FIGHT

>>1951165
Actions in dreamscape or in the real.

>>1951168
Is there a difference at this point? You are thousands and thousands of yourself, not one but many, but at the same time, none. You are not you. Yet you are. Pieces. You might not even live or exist. Pieces. A concept that depends on your own will, your own steps forward, back, or even to fall.

What do you choose to do?

>>1951165
>>Write-In
FIGHT, maybe motorboat if possible

>>1951165
FIGHT
I REMEMBER IOWA, YOU DO?

>>1951165
>>Write-In
Grope her tits. Force a reaction for surprise.

Then push away and try to gather ourselves to push her out of our mind.

>>1951179
>>1951184
You are straying dangerously close to treason.

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>>1951165
>FIGHT. GET ANGRY.

>>1951165
>Fight before your brain mushes over
>look for nachi and musashi

>>1951189
well
those ARE some great titties, its hard to fault

>>1951193
No, I agree.

>>1951189
But its a surprise attack.

>>1951195
That's what you always say.

>>1951165
Grope her tits and fight back.

Pierce her heaven with our drill, sex is strong in the commander. he's trained hours for this under master houshou, and over master houshou and in all of master houshou's holes.

>>1951165
TIME TO GET ANGRY
TIME TO FIGHT

File: You Okay Sara.jpg (64 KB, 960x544)

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Hands.

You know what hands are.

Grabbing. Holding. Pinching. Lifting. Crushing. Punching. Hitting.

You have hands.

They gather like shards of glass, forming, breaking, and forming again. You don’t know how long this repeats—it could have been a few times, it could have been many—they could have never been broken in the first place—but for better or worse, you have hands. You know what they are for: grabbing, holding, pinching, lifting, crushing, punching, hitting, you know what they are for. You know how to move them, fingers, digits, thumb, index, you remember what they are for.

You push back.

It’s painful.

Rather than pushing against an ample chest of an attractive woman, it’s like dipping your limbs into boiling oil.

You keep pushing.

Her form blurs and fades, but doesn’t move.

You keep pushing.

She doesn’t move.

Your hands break again.

Every time you touch her, they break. Every time your hands press against her chest, squeezing, groping, crushing, they shatter. Every time they turn into pieces, they form again, and every time they form again you want to scream in pain, in agony—every time it becomes harder, but every time they form faster; it becomes easier.

And you find what you are seeking.

‘GET OF MY WAY!’

Then she breaks.

You see flashes—a fallen book, a kind smile, worried glance, a hand outstretched, ready to pick you up when you’d fallen. The feelings are alien to you; even in this state, they are a memory unfamiliar, foreign. You do not remember this, nor do you feel any sort of attachment to it. A hand—a feminine one, slender, trembling and tired—is raised and is taken, a worried glance from star-gleamed eyes to go with a reassuring half-grin as you find yourself being brought up to your full height, that face of hers looking slightly nervous, fidgety, but otherwise warm and welcoming.

‘You okay, Sara?.’

You remember the name.

‘Iowa.’

A cry breaks the darkness as you find water, rock and light melding into one, your body—or what you believed was your body—gathering, slowly, wisps and shards shattering and reforming as you find yourself falling face-first into a pool of green water. You find yourself reaching out, splashing and struggling, drowning, as though you are being dragged under the surface by an invisible force.

The illusions are gone.

A titanic hand of stone and steel crushes you against the stone walls of the cavern, a titanic face contorted with fury and burning hatred staring at you with nothing more than your utter obliteration in mind. Where there was once oblivion and serenity … there was now something.

The hand presses against you. Every bone in your body crying out from the crushing sensation.

A fist flies right past your ear, smashing its face in and sending it flying into the wall on the other side.

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>>1952347
Behind you, a familiar presence looms, only this time, rather than threatening and eldritch … majestic and protective.

Good job, idiot. Let Onee-chan handle the rest.

>'Onee-chan!' (Hug your Onee-san)
>'Why do I have the feeling that you got the timing down pat on purpose?' (Wary)
>'This is an interesting twist on a familiar position.' (Joke)
>'What the Hell is that thing?' (Confusion)
>Write-In

>>1952356
>>'Onee-chan!' (Hug your Onee-san)

>>1952356
>'What the Hell is that thing?' (Confusion)

>>1952356
>'This is an interesting twist on a familiar position.' (Joke)

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Disclaimer: I do not have a fetish for protective Nee-sans.

>>1952356
>'Onee-chan!' (Hug your Onee-san)

>>1952356
>>'Onee-chan!' (Hug your Onee-san)

>>1952359
>>1952382
>>1952388
Sometimes I have to look at my brain and tell myself "Dude, they are going to obviously choose that one. Put something a lot more cerebral".

i tried

>>1952356
>>'Onee-chan!' (Hug your Onee-san)

>>1952356
>'This is an interesting twist on a familiar position.' (Joke)

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‘Onee-chan!’

You spread your arms wide, relief washing over you like a cool shower, running towards her, fully intent in burying yourself in her warm, scented embra—

‘Ow!

Before you can embrace your titan of a sister, however, you’re greeted by a less-than-amused chop to the head, sending you knee-deep into the pool of water beneath you. She fixes you with a light glare, making you look down to your feet, feeling more than just a little sheepish from your lack of impulse. You massage the top of your head, stepping back onto the surface as she continues to stare at you with a look that reminded you too much of a mother that had caught her son coming home after a roll in the mud. Her eyes then lift themselves from your person to where she had launched the angered face, her gigantic claws opening with sickening groans.

Think of the situation you’re in, idiot.

The gravity of the situation returns to you.

You move alongside her, unsure of what to do.

You are not of the Heralds, are you?

‘Nee-san?’

You’re shaken by a tremor, turning towards where the face was … only to see the full physical form of the Princess again. A large ship-like being, strewn with growths and built in a way that defied all logical sense. It hurt to look at it, to comprehend it—even in the recesses of a place that you felt the most comfortable beside a being that you felt somehow safe beside, there was a perversion to what you were trying to take in, to what you tried to describe. A ship was the closest thing that you could make it out to be—a rock, a growth, like … like a many-tentacled jellyfish, more like. You look away as it removes itself from the wall, letting out a screech that sends you to your knees,

There is hesitation in this one. Unnecessary properties, unknown—it does not work on the rationale I am familiar with.

‘What are you talking about?’

You had never heard her laugh before. At least you don’t think you have … and not like this.

You do not wish to hear it again.

You are either born of a strand imperfect or you are a disgusting imitation. Do they bother you, faker, the words and the echoes of this place? That they resonate with your own?

It screeches again.

Nee-san only laughs in return.

No matter … I believe that as your senpai—yes, I believe that is the word—it is my duty to impart to you the lessons of this existence.

She grows large, larger than you had ever seen her before, red eyes widening with maddened glee as parting lips reveal sharp, crushing teeth.

I am at the top.

With her clawed hands, she holds Princess in place, bringing it to her gaping maw … and bites down.

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>>1952555
You don’t know how long you watch it. She savours every bite as though it is her first meal in days, weeks, months, crushing and chewing the bits and chunks of the smaller Abyssal, small shards of metal and flesh dripping from the corner of her mouth. Her face is pale and orgasmic, her form quaking with unadulterated ecstasy as she hums a tune from the bottom of her belly, the cavern quaking rougher and rougher with every [chew]. Nee-san giggles over and over again, the twitching, struggling carcass in her hands jolting violently and roughly to no avail … before melting into black liquid, dripping from the large claws of your unlikely saviour.

Survival and evolution are still attributes, I see … such a shame. I would have liked to have tasted more than an entree.

Neesan grins down at you, revealing teeth stained with bits of black and grey, as if she’d just been caught eating an ice cream cone.

It was a most pleasant meal. I believe I owe you a measure of thanks.

You open your mouth, but can’t quite find the words.

>Write-In

>>1952583
thank you, from the bottom of my heart
i dont know what i could do without you, nee-san

>>1952583
>Write-In
"Thanks, but what happens now?"

>>1952583
>>Write-In
>thank Nee-chan, love you

>>1952583
>"Thanks."

>>1952583
>Thanks, love ya nee-san, but what eas all that about?

>>1952356
>'This is an interesting twist on a familiar position.' (Joke)

>>1952592
Going for this

>>1952583
>>Write-In
Hug her again.

>>1952592
Thirding this one.

File: Hohoho.gif (491 KB, 350x197)

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>>1952592
>>1952926
>>1953948

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>>1953955

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‘Thank you,’ is all you can manage, feeling the pressure, the pain, slowly ease off you like a large boot lifted off your back. ‘I think I’m starting to owe you more than I’d care to.’

Now of a reasonable size—a head taller than you, because even if she wouldn’t admit it, she did have a bit of an ego in regards to that—she crosses her arms, glaring down at you with that same lack of amusement from before. The click of her tongue seemingly echoes in the cavern and you suddenly find yourself slamming, palms and knees first, onto a familiar, fuzzy surface: the carpet of the apartment, somewhere in the corners of your mind, soul … or the Stream. Wincing, you get to your feet, feeling more than a little pained in doing so. It was a strange sensation. As far as you were aware, there couldn’t have been anything familiar to the concept of pain here. This was a construct in a recess, wherever it was, and yet, now … it felt as though you were actually here, visiting her at a physical location, more so than ever before. Like you had dropped in through the door after walking up a flight of stairs.

Something had changed.

Now that I have enough power … I believe that your use is coming to an end,

You whirl around, almost tripping over your feet as a cold sweat starts to break.

Nee-san stands before you, hands on her hips with an apron over her usual white dress, giggling.

For a creature so inclined towards channelling its way through amusement, you really can’t tell when someone’s making a joke, can you?

She raises her arms over her head, stretching as she hummed happily.

Relax. Even if I had fully consumed the avatar, it would have hardly been enough for me to do anything more than throw you out of this room.

>>1953983
>'I believe you.' (Agree with her)
>'Musashi and Nachi, they're still out there. I can't stay here!' (Urgent)
>'You didn't kill her?' (Confused)
>'You look chipper.' (Comment)
>Write-In

>>1953983
>>'I believe you.' (Agree with her)

>>1953984
>>'Musashi and Nachi, they're still out there. I can't stay here!' (Urgent)
Time to bug out

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>>1953983
This is probably more relevant, given the context of what just occurred.

>>1953983
>>'You look chipper.' (Comment)

>>1953984
>>Write-In
"Bad nee-san. No inbetween mealtime snacking today. (Joke)
>>'I believe you.' (Agree with her)
>>Apply hugs

>>1953984
>'I believe you.' (Agree with her)

>>1953984
>'You didn't kill her?' (Confused)

I don't know if I actually voted, test

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‘I believe you.’

She doesn’t answer, turning her back to you and pulling up a chair, before sitting herself down by the dining table, a look of what you could only identify as a mix of peace and satisfaction etches itself upon her. Nee-san raises a clawed hand, giving it a fond once-over, flexing her dark metallic digits one by one as though playing an invisible piano.

A shadow of a shadow does little to sate, but I believe in your words, it is … acceptable, after being so dependent upon your mercy, to have something of my own, even slight, has its worth.

She does something with her hand, making it turn into wisps of smoke, before reforming and reshaping into what it was. Her expression turns from fondness into disappoint and she turns her hand to face its palm, fixing it with a look of scrutiny … and assuming her typical stone-faced demeanour after. You take a step back as her gaze shifts from you to her hand … and you realize that something had changed about her. She looked the same, she smiled a little differently, moved a little less gauntly, yes … but there was something very, very markedly different about the Nee-san you saw now. A change that, while not malicious, still made you feel like you had missed something all those times you’d sat and talked … and now that you had finally noticed it gone, were having trouble pin-pointing just what it was.

You shouldn’t.

Her words are soft, apologetic, even … and she puts her elbow on the table, a troubled gaze coming upon her.

‘I think that’s my choice in the end, right?’ You give half-hearted, reassuring grin. ‘Besides … I think I would’ve lost more than a chunk or two without you being around to bail me out.’

Nee-san offers a weak smile before looking away.

Such a strange sensation, this…

Her expression turns slightly coy a she raises a finger to her chin.

>‘I have to get back to Nachi and Musashi. They’re still out there!’ (Urgent)
>‘So she’s not … fully consumed? Dead?’ (Confused)
>‘You look … you feel … different.’ (Comment)
>Write-In

>>1954096
>>‘I have to get back to Nachi and Musashi. They’re still out there!’ (Urgent)
promise Nee-chan we will come back and finish this conversation

>>1954096
>‘So she’s not … fully consumed? Dead?’ (Confused)
i need to know

>>1954096
>‘I have to get back to Nachi and Musashi. They’re still out there!’ (Urgent)
Basically we can talk anytime, we thanked her, so let's get moving.

>>1954096
>>‘You look … you feel … different.’ (Comment)

>>1954096
>>‘So she’s not … fully consumed? Dead?’ (Confused)

>>1954096
>‘I have to get back to Nachi and Musashi. They’re still out there!’ (Urgent)

>>1954096
>‘You look … you feel … different.’ (Comment)

>>1954096
>‘I have to get back to Nachi and Musashi. They’re still out there!’ (Urgent)
Guys, she lives in our head, we can talk to her anytime. Let's focus on escaping the area while our kanmusu are still alive.

>>1954096
>>‘I have to get back to Nachi and Musashi. They’re still out there!’ (Urgent)
>>write-in
Quick hug before we go.

nee-san deserves hugs and headpats.

>>1954096
>>‘I have to get back to Nachi and Musashi. They’re still out there!’ (Urgent)

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You shake your head, keeping your priorities straight.

You couldn’t be here, not now. Musashi; Nachi; they were still out there … or at least, you hope they were. You don’t know how long you’d been in here, in this place, this deep corner. Every second you wasted here, however, was another moment you were away, unable to help them. There was no telling how long they could last … or if they could last in the first place.

‘I have to get back to Nachi and Musashi,’ you declare urgently. ‘They’re still out there.’

Nee-san only nods in return.

A sharp pain, like a knife being stabbed through your head from the back of your neck, is the first thing you feel as the world around you begins to whirl and churn, as though you were being put through a blender with buckets upon buckets of paint. You find yourself becoming more aware, more awake, but at the same time, it was as though every passing second was another screw or nail being driven through your head. Your eyes water as you grit your teeth, jolting yourself into conscious—

‘OW!’

And, of course, promptly banging your head into one of the hard metal fixes of the cockpit.

You let out another cry of pain as you push yourself off a metal support, finding the Interface all reading values that stated all but continued functionality. Wincing, you readjust the connection between you and the RAY, righting the band and resetting the switches. A quick glance told you that you hadn’t left Hunker Mode since your black out, but there was no telling how long it had been since the Princess had made her presence known. You swipe away the windows—the readings had reset themselves to the base data upload. The calibration and synchronization of the equipment that moderated the Stream between you and your Squadron … had been severed in that one attack. You’d been crippled in a matter of seconds of an encounter, and you’d—

‘Commander?!’

A myriad of sensations comes over you as you find your sight spread across more than one consciousness, vomiting all over the floor and holding on for dear life as Nachi’s voice rings in your ear … and the sight of both of them, through their own eyes, almost makes you weep. You steady yourself as Musashi’s voice becomes frantic over the channel, your throat constricting in sheer relief that the both of them were still breathing.

‘Commander, we’re en route to the RAY. What happened?’

‘You’re asking me? The both of you—what’s the status of the Princess?’

‘Gone.’

‘Probably thought we were already dead or somethin’,’ Musashi offers, clicking her tongue.

>‘I’m just glad the both of you are safe. Get back to the RAY.’
>‘How long was I—were we—out?’
>‘How’re the both of you feeling?’
>‘I don’t think that’s the last we’re going to see of her.’ (Reveal Iowa’s involvement)
>Write-In

>>1954533
>‘I’m just glad the both of you are safe. Get back to the RAY.’
they dont need to know that, if anything we will spill the guts back home, but not now

>>1954533
>‘I’m just glad the both of you are safe. Get back to the RAY.’

>>1954533
>>‘How’re the both of you feeling?’

>>1954533
>>‘How’re the both of you feeling?’

>>1954533
>>‘I’m just glad the both of you are safe. Get back to the RAY.’
Why the fuck are we still here, let's get the fuck out of this shit hole!

>>1954533
>‘I’m just glad the both of you are safe. Get back to the RAY.’

>>1954533
>>‘How long was I—were we—out?’

>>1954533
>‘I’m just glad the both of you are safe. Get back to the RAY.’

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‘I’m just glad the both of you are safe,’ you don’t even bother hiding your relief. ‘Double time it back to the RAY—the sooner we get out of here, the better.’

‘Man, I am not looking forward to the evaluation tests when we get back,’ Musashi grumbles, sharing a glance with Nachi. ‘Still, it’s better than the flip-side.’

Nachi snorts, before wincing and clutching her sides.

‘Give or take a few minutes on our ETA, Commander,’ she manages with a grunt. ‘Can’t run it up at full throttle just yet.’

You don’t fault them one bit. After what the Squadron had just been through … you were just happy that all three of you were still breathing—for measure of breathing in regards to the two of them, of course. You bring up the Interface again, flicking a few switches and pressing some buttons to properly re-align the system to your liking. It wasn’t quite at optimum capacity and a lot of the piggyback sensor prompts still seemed to be recovering from the Princess’s Stream invasion … but it was still enough for you to work with. There didn’t seem to be any hostile threats left on the grid … and as far as you were concerned, that was as good as it could have gone.

‘Understood,’ you acknowledge, swiping away a window. ‘Don’t push yourselves. I’ll keep an eye on the grid for any hostiles.’

‘Yes, sir,’ Nachi answers, ‘you might want to phone it in, though.’

‘I’ll take it into consideration, Nachi. Just head on back.’

You turn off the channel, bringing up the windows again. To your left, you see the fairies flipping and chirping, pointing to the console and sprinkling small bits of dust all over—what you understand to be their own attempt at getting things back into a functional capacity. Absently, you reach for one of the physical switches, flicking up and turning a knob, prompting a familiar green window to pop up into view.

ARRAY CONFIGURED: RELAY ENABLED
STATUS: ACTIVE

>Phone it in
>Don’t phone it in

>>1956062
>>Phone it in

In case we dont make it back.

>>1956062
>>Phone it in

>>1956062
>>Phone it in

>>1956062
>Phone it in

>>1956062
>>Phone it in
Well mission accomplished, almost a perfect mission too if not for the hime coming out of nowhere.

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You attempt to open a physical communications channel back to base, adjusting the frequency, intent on phoning it in. There was no time to waste. You stare at the prompts, watching the calibration bar slowly fill up,--the attack by the Princess had scrambled the systems a little more messily than you had thought; many of the settings and calibrations had been thrown out of sync with you. Throwing a glance over to the fairies, who were floating around and appearing to be sprinkling their magic dust all over the console in an attempt to fix what they could. Flicking a switch and turning a knob, you watch as the usual protocols are carried out, most of the systems, while not offline, trying to compensate for what had been lost.

At least the Magic Engine was intact … the thrusters weren’t what you’d call non-functional either and at least you could tell Yuubari that you’d brought her in in one piece.

RUNNING DIAGNOSTIC ON CHANNEL INTEGRITY – STATUS: GREEN
STRENGTH: WEAK
PATCH: -Active-

You sigh, pressing a button.

‘Base, this is Salamander.’

‘The line is clear, Salamander, go ahead.’

‘I need a patch through to the Admiral—it’s urgent.’

You hear a beep.

‘Commander,’ the Admiral’s voice sounds. ‘Everything going smoothly?’

‘Primary and secondary objectives achieved, sir,’ you announce, ‘the grid’s clear of the designated hostiles—we’re preparing for immediate departure from the hot zone.’

‘Always good to hear something going our way,’ he comments gruffly, before pausing, ‘but you wouldn’t be calling me at 0200 from the front if it was, would you?’

You pause, carefully weighing your options.

>‘Admiral, I think you need to hear this.’ (Reveal fine details on Abyssal Encounter; Iowa’s involvement, its true identity)
>‘Unexpected resistance—the kind that wipes islands off maps.’ (Be discrete, tell him only what happened on the clock)
>‘Just here to tell you mission accomplished. I’ll write up a report later.’ (Dismissive)
>Write-In

>>1956813
>‘Unexpected resistance—the kind that wipes islands off maps.’ (Be discrete, tell him only what happened on the clock)
Reveal the Iowa stuff privately later

>>1956813
>>‘Unexpected resistance—the kind that wipes islands off maps.’ (Be discrete, tell him only what happened on the clock)

>>1956813
>>‘Unexpected resistance—the kind that wipes islands off maps.’ (Be discrete, tell him only what happened on the clock)

>>1956813
>>‘Unexpected resistance—the kind that wipes islands off maps.’ (Be discrete, tell him only what happened on the clock)
>>Write-in
Will need to brief you further in private

>>1957081
Going for this

How are we going to explain that we met a Princess and lived? I don't think "Oh the Abyssal in my head dealt with it" would be a good idea.

>>1957266
We could always just go "I dunno, abyssals amiright"

>>1957284
Its the strongest defense known to man

>>1957266
Just give Sushi's excuse, in other words. "Maybe she thought we were already dead."

>>1957290
>>1957284
Mix of this sounds good.