Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM): Nexus Earth - Chapter 9.2 Desolate Litany

[Justin OOC]

Skye found herself surrounded my white nothingness, only the Old Man was there. "Have you enjoyed your journey through the worlds, Lunar Priestess?" He wore the same clothes he'd had on last time. "Are you ready to continue on your journey to find your friend, or would you like some more time to wallow in self pity over the fate you've chosen?"

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Kazuo Found himself Surrounded by Infinite Darkness of the Void between realities. Before him stood the Old Man. "I offer you a choice, Kazuo of the Web. You may go home to your world to live in peace and tranquility, or I can send you to another world, one where you will have another chance to save the world, perhaps all worlds. It won't be without difficulty, and your past may yet haunt you, but it will be far from boring and a challenge. Perhaps too much of one."

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On Dalaraan Hizashi stood in the Throneroom of the Empire, surrounded by the nobles who had risen in rebellion, and their Hiroga allies. "Where has your man gone? He's the only way we'll get past that defense system, and without him wecan only wait for them to come out."

Hizashi looked at him. "Be silent. I have already taken his absence into account. rest assured he's not dead, and already on his way back."

The noble sputtered. "How dare you speak to me as though I were your underling..." Then he noticed the sword that had sprouted from beneath his heart, and in seconds his entire body had turned to ash. Hizashi spoke in his flat even voice, "You are all nothing more than Wind and Ash before me,or either of my Sons. Should I choose to acknowledge you at all be glad and happy in whatever form it takes, ill or good."

The others looked at him with uncontrolled fear. He'd slain a high born noble pureblood with zero effort. His Dominance, his power had been proven absolute.

"Yes Lord Hizashi, What are your orders?" was the only reply.

He smiled, the first time any had seen him do as much. "This is what we shall do..."

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The video recording ended there, as Lily, Ryoko and the others all sat watching. They still had some spy cameras around the palace and one had been in the throne room. Satoshi personnel had found many but for some reason that one had remained hidden.

"The Pureblood he killed was Admiral Kusaka, one of the commanders of the 4th Republic Fleet that had spoken out against the alliance. He was among the top 5% of Dalaaran purebloods in Strength, and Hizashi slew him with a single undetectable attack." Ryoko struggled to remain calm.

Masane shook her head. "That wasn't even the released form of Kusanagi. He did that with its normal form."

Ruri frowned. "He was head captain for a reason, Lady Amaha. His power is second to none, and even based on what I've observed, everyone here together would have less than a 25% chance of defeating him if he unleashes the recorded level of Bankai."

Kai nodded. "What are they doing?"

"They're massing forces all around the moon, looking to engage the entirety of the coverage at once. From the specifications I've been provided with, such an attack, with all the Mecha from Satoshi and their three ships, could be enough to overload the shield, and cause it to collapse. Once this occurs it would take 76 hours to repair it, and they would flatten the moon in less than fifteen minutes."

Kai frowned. "There has to be a flaw, you can't keep that many ships in the field in precise formation for the time this would take."

"No you can't. Not without a core ship providing data feeds to them all. That's often how the Federation manages it." Klan was offering her own analysis.

Masane nodded. "Do those figures account for our ships fighting?"

"Yes. Though we add considerable power to the order of battle, we can only do so at the cost of massive amounts of Dalaraan lives. It's estimated, that given the current dispositions, The Macross could elimanate a quarter of the enemy fleet before being destroyed, and I'd give another 5% that perish when the ship detonates. There is however the danger of a black hole opening should the reactors go critical, which would complicate things even more."

"Ruri, What are our current troop dispositions?"

"We have the Avalon and the Black Lion, The Macross and the Quarter, along with 800 valkyries, 1500 destroids of varied type, 2700 Circinus multipurpose assault mechs, 4000 antipersonnel mecha, and 6 quadrono armors. We have the Meteor, the Dynames, The Gaogaigar and the Grungust Mk II."

Ryoma smiled. "We also have the Shin Getter, as a last resort."

Ruri nodded. "On the Dalaraan side we have 12 ships, six are corvettes, 4 cruisers, and two battleships. We face no less than 30 corvettes, 18 Cruisers, 9 battleships, and at least 2 carriers out there. If they can manage to get the Imperial Flagship to respond, I'd bee willing to credit as 3 battleships."

"That can't happen with the Emperor alive. If we could capture it.." Ryoko seemed almost excited.

"It is guarded well, and there is no way to retrieve the ship without killing a large number of Dalaraan Personnel." Ruri frowned.

Kai looked around. "So we're being surrounded, powerful tools lay just beyond our reach, and our enemies know we're fighting handicapped. I'd say we've got them right where we want them if we're going by how our usual fights go."

[z-Skye the Fallen]

Bazaroth burned below her, a sickening glow that constantly irritated her eyes. The room she stood in was a direct contrast to the ugliness outside; it was decorated in reds and blacks, all artfully designed to make the observer think of one thing. She hadn’t designed the room, but she used it to the best of her ability. The opulent room sickened her a little, that she lived in this luxury, but she reminded herself that it was for a good cause. Despite her goals, it felt as though she were condoning the evil that passed in the city around her.

Kigalchzar ran his hand over her bare shoulder, the heat of his skin like standing too close to a fire. Without looking back, Skye knew that the demon would be leering down at her. He was so damned predictable that she rolled her eyes. Yet when she turned with the cup of bloodwine in her hands, her expression was seductive. “Kiga,” she said softly, letting her voice purr, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“My pleasure,” he said, taking the cup from her and draining it. With a casual flick of his massively muscled arm, he cast aside the skull, cracking the bone goblet. “That is, Arahai, what you succubae exist for.”

Skye didn’t look at the cup, which had been somewhat costly for her to obtain. It still irked her that he was so disrespectful of her things, even things she didn’t like. She didn’t want to think about what she’d have to do to replace that. “I exist to consume the souls of lustful men,” Skye told him, barely restraining another eye roll. “Not to slake the lusts of demons. You are an empty meal.”

Kiga leaned into her and Skye bumped her back against the table that served as her wine table. The demon leaned down, his touch almost searing as he rubbed his nose over the swell of her exposed chest. “You smell… like such a fine treat to me. I want to taste you, Arahai.”

“I’m not your food,” the woman snapped. Though small, Skye was buoyed by her strength of self. Boldly, she stared at the demon and said, “My aura of innocence is my ploy to gain lecherous old men. It is not for your amusement, Kiga.”

“But it is so very amusing,” he replied. “What shall I have to do, to earn what I want?” He could force her. They both knew it. But he didn’t want to force her. He wanted to have her. She’d played the demons interested in her off one another, until they were all vying to be first. She was their game, but none of them knew she played them in return. “Let me guess – word of this mortal you seek?”

Skye smirked. “I guess word about what I want has gotten around,” she said.

“The one mortal to ever deny you. Such a burden for a succubus to bear,” Kiga said sarcastically. He ran his fingers through her two-toned hair, watching the nearly white strands twist with the ebon ones.

She fought the urge to bat his hands away. “When I get my hands on him, he’ll deny me no more,” Skye said, clenching her fists tightly. Another lie, but they couldn’t know the truth of why she sought her lost companion. “The demon who brings me word of him is the one who shall have his reward.” A double blast of the Tessen, you evil monster.

“I have heard of a mortal, one such as you describe,” he said, his voice flush with presumed victory.

Skye swallowed her initial surge of excitement. “I require the boy, first,” she said. “I will have him broken in my hands before you have your reward.”

“Of course. You should have your fun first, so that you can focus on my fun when the time comes. He was impersonatin-” Whatever Kigalchzar was going to say was forever lost. Between one heartbeat and the next, Skye faded from Bazaroth. She found herself floating in white nothingness. Thankfully, she’d long ago learned to keep anything she didn’t want to lose on her at all times. So her fans, whip and ring were all there – as was the skimpy lingerie she’d donned for Kiga. And she wasn’t alone.

Her modesty had been burned away to almost nothingness a long time ago, but she still felt the urge to hide from the Old Man’s wizened gaze. He hadn’t changed a bit; he still looked like the same self-righteous, arrogant old cuss she’d last seen in her Tokyo. "Have you enjoyed your journey through the worlds, Lunar Priestess? Are you ready to continue on your journey to find your friend, or would you like some more time to wallow in self pity over the fate you've chosen?"

Skye looked at him with withering disdain. “When I was a child, your critical words to me had merit. Right now,” she told him icily, “they do not. If you knew half of what you claim to know, you’d already be aware that I have been looking for him since leaving Ikaris. If you finally are ready to help me, I’d be grateful for your assistance. Otherwise, let me get back to my work in Bazaroth.” She prayed he had something. She so did not want to return to that hellish place, not even for a chance to change into decent clothing.

[Columbian]

Francis stood, acknowledging the odds were against them. But military and societal training had been a major factor in his training as a whole, and he searched through his memories to compare the situation before them to any possible tidbits of help.

Hizashi... Clearly off the power charts, the nobles are damn scared off him... Hmm. Something there. I don't think they really like this at all. Maybe... although somehow I question Lily, Ryoko or the Emperor signing up to this, the honey part anyway.

"Well," he announced, "they may be terrified of him, but if Hizashi and family could be dealt with, they wouldn't lift a finger to save him. What if we put quiet feelers out to the nobles... offering amnesty if they changed sides in the battle ahead, or better yet, blew up whatever ship Hizashi was on, whether by bombs or just shooting the ship to pieces?"

[SalmonMax]

"Easier said than done," Lily replied, frowning at the screen. "Right now we look to them as if we're on the brink of being destroyed. It's hard to extend amnesty under those circumstances. And Hizashi's flagship will be the most powerful one in their fleet, and most likely shielded behind the line. The Macross might have a chance, if it had the rest of our ships for cover and it went straight in..."

She shook her head.

"But that would mean sacrificing our last base of operations and most of our fleet to eliminate a handful of ships and the enemy leader. It's not a good trade, no matter how powerful he is."

The Princess lapsed back into silence as she studied the strategic map, but not for long.

"They know our situation's desperate. They're going to expect us to do something desperate. Maybe we can use that."

She got up out of her seat and walked over to the display. "Could we get a couple of jump shuttles and program them to make a very short range jump from the moon into the defenses around the Imperial Flagship? Basically, make it look like we're trying to slip a very small, high speed force through in hopes of outrunning their response."

"In reality," she says after a second, "we load them up with as many fusion explosives as we can lay our hands on. Jump shuttles don't have arms, and they'll know that if we're trying to activate the Flagship, it probably means either Ryoko or I will be on one. I think they'll try to capture them."

She circles an area of the red dots encapsulating the large green dot of the Flagship. "They draw together, trying to stop the shuttles. Then we detonate the bombs...making a hole in the defense network."

"And that's when we send in the real shuttles. In the aftermath of the blast, the EMP will have enemy sensors temporarily offline, and enemy ships in the area will be destroyed or crippled. We'll have a straight shot to the Flagship, without risking any major ships. And if something goes wrong...if they destroy the first shuttles before they can detonate, then all we'll have wasted is a little time and a couple of shuttles."

[Justin OOC]

The Old Man smiled. "Perhaps Skye." It was the first time he'd ever called her by name. "Kazuo is alive. He is not as he once was, just as you are not. I will send you to him, but your life will be arduous beyond imagining."

A portal opened, showing a large metal room. "Step through, if you choose, or, I shall return you to either your home, or Bazaroth."

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Ruri first looked to Francis. "Hizashi can be kept from a battle, he would accept a challenge from Captain Morisato or I to single combat, as we are the ranking Captains on this mission and would fight according to the rules of engagement for Satoshi officers." She frowns. "We would of course lose, but it could buy a window for others to stop the nobles."

Kai nodded. "You can control machines, can't you just hack his ship?"

"No, thee coding is more secure than even the Macross. As it stands I'm devoting fifteen percent of my energy to resisting their hacking attempts on our ships."

Ryoma and Klan looked at Lily's tactical plan. "It might work Princess, but we would be hard pressed to do any evacuations if our shuttles are destroyed."

Ryoma nodded. "I propose we attack here." He circled a small installation on a mining sattelite. "It's likely one of the C3 centers,and a concentrated attack there will draw away forces from other areas. To make it look real, I'll need the Macross and the black Lion, and whatever Dalaraan force can be spared. While we do that, the Avalon and the Quarter take you in to the Flagship. With any luck we can accomplish everything we want."

Kai nodded. "You'd Sortie in the Shin Getter?"

Ryoma looked at him. "Yes."

"There's no middle ground there Captain Nagare. That mecha can only kill."

"I cannot protect the princess if I am unaffraid to soil my hands Captain Morisato. I wish there was another way, but If I do not sortie, our forces won't be strong enough to accomplish the objective."

[SalmonMax]

"That brings up a question," Lily says. "Is capturing the Flagship going to be enough? It won't do us much good to get it, if we lose this base in the process."

[Justin OOC]

Ryoko smiles. "We won't lose the base unless both attacks fail and are destroyed. Our defensive shield is still effective the disruption this would create would be enough to halt their current plan of attack. It would buy us time. We've called in Fleets from the Frontier, but it will be four days before they arrive."

"The Flagship is a symbol of the rightness of the Empie, of our very power, of my Power." The Emperor, three Madara in tow, admonishing him to return to bed to no effect stood in the doorway. "Taking it from them robs them of its symbolism and some of their legitimacy. If you can get it a clear path back here, I can control it from here and bring it back to the base." He looks around, smiling. "It is good to see so many friendly faces, even if only a few of you are smiling."

[Columbian]

"I'd smile more if the situation were better." Francis murmured. He looked, mildly concerned at Ryoko. "True, as long as the shield stays up. Hizashi SAID he had some one who could penetrate our defenses. If that shield goes down...."

[Kazuo]

GSD Database ________________ [search]

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GSD Database k-a-z-u-o—k-a-n-a-i <<[Search]>>

Searching……………………………………Searching……………………………………Found………Retrieving……

<<<<<<<<<Warning! Access Restricted! Warning! Access Restricted!>>>>>>>>>

The information you have requested is marked SENSITIVE

Please enter your Security Clearance Passcode: _________________ [Go……]

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The information you have requested is marked SENSITIVE

Please enter your Security Clearance Passcode: **************** <<[Go……]>>

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Password Accepted

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Code:

GSD Personnel File: Kazuo Kanai
File Last Updated: 05-Vur-3662
 
Aliases: Cyclops, Cross, Kurusu, Han Solo
Species: Unknown
Planet of Origin: Unknown
DoB: Unknown
Height: 1.71ts        Weight: 87.46su (192.5grs)
Hair: Black              Eye: Brown
Department: Paramilitary Operations
IDN: 39GAH0995
Field Designation: Azrael
Theatre of Operations: --<<Restricted! You do not have rights to view this material!>>--

Kazuo frowned at the monitor in front of him. "What the hell...?"

His partner, Moss Rankin, turned his attention away from the controls of the Starhunter Class ship he was piloting for a moment and leaned over so that he could get a better look at what Kazuo was looking at.

"What?", he asked curiously.

Kazuo waved a hand at the monitor in irritated confusion and said, "I just accessed my own file. Says here I 'do not have rights' to view my own TOP! Why wouldn't I have access to my own theatre? I'm fuckin' on-stage, as we speak!"

Rankin chuckled as he saw the words on the screen, apparently indicating that the Galactic Sanitation Department's InfOp Admins didn't feel that Kazuo had sufficient clearance to know what sector of the galaxy he himself was working in - and had been working in for the past three standard years. This was funny because all he had to do to know that was look out the ship's cockpit window at the light of more than 100,000 densely packed stars that was attempting to overload the window's built-in dimmers. The Orb Radiant was sort of hard to miss.

As his eyes scanned further up the display, Rankin's eyebrows rose in surprise and he asked, "Hey, what's with that?"

"What?"

"That!"

"That-What?!"

Rankin tapped the monitor with an impatient finger to indicate what 'that' was, and further elaborated, "Species: Unknown, Planet: Unknown... DoB: Unknown. What the hell's up with that? How can the GSD not know what flippin' species you are?"

"Cuz I never told 'em", Kazuo said and shrugged as if to say, none o' their business anyway.

Rankin squinted at his strange, mysterious and moody partner incredulously and asked, "Wuddya mean, you never told 'em?"

"Baka!", exclaimed Kazuo in that alien language of his that he periodically lapsed into. Rankin had no idea what language it was or which species it was native to, but he'd always assumed that even if he didn't, the GSD did. The idea that the galaxy's premiere covert ops agency didn't know was strangely disconcerting to him. Rankin's eyes settled on Kazuo with an expression in them of vague unease. His partner looked human enough, except for the small feathered wings folded up tight against his back, but Rankin had seen Kazuo in action and he knew whatever Kazuo was, he wasn't human.

Switching back to Basic, Kazuo exasperatedly said, "I mean I. Never. Told them!"

"And just like that - they let it drop?"

"Of course not! They bug me 'bout it every time we go in fer an after-op debriefin'."

This wasn't true actually, and was in fact an outright lie. The GSD had already known an alarming amount about Kazuo's true origins and past when they'd first approached him for recruitment, and he'd filled them in on most of the rest when he'd agreed to join. Certain fields on his file said 'Unknown' only because A) the information that belonged there would make no sense to anyone who might read it (not only would no one in this universe know what the 15th day of Sangatsu, in Heisei 4 meant, but there was no good way to know - even generally - what that corresponded to on the Galactic Calendar either), and that information was so sensitive there wasn't even a listed Security Clearance Level that would grant access to it.

Kazuo had long ago figured out that when it came to any information that even hinted at the existence of the Multiverse, the (un)Official Policy of the Galactic Trade Federation, and by extension the Galactic Sanitation Department, was to sweep that information underneath a thick, shaggy rug loaded inside of an intersystem cruise missile, which was itself then sealed tight and fired into the heart of the nearest super-nova and never mention it again. Kazuo was just glad they hadn't tried to subject him to the same treatment.

Deciding to change the subject, Kazuo unbuckled himself from the copilot's seat and stood up. "Anyway", he said, stretching his wings and shoulders, "I need to hit the can. Be right back."

"Kay", said Rankin. Then he called out to Kazuo's departing back, apparently having continued to peruse Kazuo's personnel file, "What kind a name is Han Solo?"

Out in the hall Kazuo chuckled as he continued on his way to the facilities. He started to call out a sarcastic answer over his shoulder when everything suddenly went black. Kazuo instinctively dropped into a defensive crouch and braced himself in case of any impact shockwaves or hull breach caused by whatever had just taken out the ship's power, only to realize there was something profoundly unnatural about the darkness surrounding him. And, there was someone else standing before him.

Kazuo struggled to hide his surprise at seeing the Old Man standing there in front of him after all these years. It made him think of Tokyo, which made him think of demons. And demons made him think of Bazaroth, which he really didn't like remembering.

The Old Man spoke. "I offer you a choice, Kazuo of the Web. You may go home to your world to live in peace and tranquility, or I can send you to another world, one where you will have another chance to save the world, perhaps all worlds. It won't be without difficulty, and your past may yet haunt you, but it will be far from boring and a challenge. Perhaps too much of one."

Kazuo just stared at him without expression and without speaking. Of course, it wasn't even a choice for him. He wanted to go home. Fuck saving the world (any world)! He'd already had plenty of that, thank you very much. He'd take a sleazy Kabukicho bar and a cheap bottle of ice cold biru over yet another "save the world" mission in some strange universe any day.

But of course, it wasn't even a choice. Not for him. Not with the Fate that followed him around wherever he went. He couldn't bring something like that to the planet of his birth. And what was worse, as much as Kazuo hated to admit it, he actually did care about saving worlds now. All these years of playing the hero must've rubbed off on him when he wasn't looking or something, because the idea of slinking off to an early retirement on Good Ol' Earth when there were entire worlds out there that needed help that he could provide just didn't sit right with him.

And the Old Man knew it.

The old geezer might have been a huge pain in Kazuo's ass, but - in his experience at least - he did tend to be right about worlds being in danger of imminent destruction and what not, and he had an uncanny talent for strong-arming unwilling bystanders into preventing said destruction.

And so Kazuo finally just smirked at the Old Man. "I'll take what's behind Door Number Two, please", was all he said.

[Justin OOC]

A portal opened for Kazuo, showing a great metal room. "Walk through, and begin your journey and may Fate be fair to you."

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Ryoko looked to Francis. "That was the mecha that was removed by the Starlight's jump. unfortunately he's not dead, but at least he's not here now. We have a chance to do something now while he's gone."

[z-Skye the Fallen]

Home. Home was gone. Earth hadn’t been her home since she’d found that little cottage on Ikaris; home was there. But she’d destroyed that home – torn it apart with her own hands, and then burned what was left. She’d shed her tears over that loss and moved on – or so she thought, until moments like these.

The sun shining the garden she couldn’t keep alive, no matter what she did.

The stables where they’d kept their horse. She’d never gotten one after falling off the first three times she’d tried to ride. She’d always walked – or ridden behind him, her nose pressed into his back while his hair whipped around in a halo, tangling with hers.

The smell of her cooking – the one thing in the house she’d done okay with – filling the rooms, his happy shout when he came in and smelled dinner.

The way he’d held her close when they’d slept at night.

That was home and was gone – if it had ever existed. And she wasn’t going back to Bazaroth, not when the reason she was there had just become null and void. “Of course I want to go to Kazuo,” she said irritably. “Why would I want to go back to Hell? I can’t go to my Earth, not looking like this.” She reached up and ran a finger over the tip of her pointed ear. It was a deliciously sensual touch, but she ignored it.

The Old Man extended a hand to the portal and Skye walked toward it – though she wasn’t sure what she walked on. As she sauntered over – there was no other way to walk in four-inch spike heels – she wished she’d had enough time to grab a robe. Yes, she was wearing a robe, but it made of see-through black lace, designed to emphasize, not conceal. Thin lace cupped her breasts and drew down in a small triangle between her legs; calling both items underwear was a misnomer, as no one would wear the skimpy bra or throng for any reason other than removing it. The garters held up sheer black stockings. Black and white had become her own personal motif since half her hair had darkened with the curse – the only hint of color on her was the green-hued, tarnished band on her left ring finger and her blue eyes. Even the aura that always glowed around her was a soft white-silver, a mark of the power she possessed as the Lunar Priestess. She was probably the most sullied Lunar Priestess to ever exist, but she was still it.

Just before crossing over, she stopped and looked at the old fart. “Thank you,” she said grudgingly as she stepped out of her heels and tucked them into her whip, coiled around her waist. She would have been in Bazaroth, looking for him forever if the Old Man hadn’t come for her. Even if she was sure that he had an ulterior motive in this, for once it had served her purposes.

Of course, the next question was: once she found him, then what?

One way to find out.

She removed her fans and shook them open, prepared for everything. Grimly, she stepped through, hoping that the Old Man wasn’t messing with her yet again.

She was in a metal room, massive enough to make her decide it was some kind of airplane bay or warehouse. Fans held ready, she turned in a quick circle, scanning high and low, ready for an attack. She might look like she was ready for a brass pole on a stage, but she would happily hand someone’s teeth to them if they thought her easy prey.

[SalmonMax]

Lily looked up at her father's voice and DID smile. Just seeing him there, whole and well again, made the weight she felt over her shoulders ease up. He was a reminder that the powers of darkness, overwhelming though they may seem, could be defeated.

"That settles it then," she said. "We'll make taking the Flagship our objective. Once we have it, the siege on the moon can be broken. Their forces will be spread out around us, doing as much damage to as many places on the shield as possible. The Flagship, in combination with our forces, can engage them piecemeal until they no longer have enough ships to threaten us."

[Justin OOC]

Skye's trip through the portal was instant, and as she emerged within one of the Archangel's cargo holds, on the bridge a warning light went off, but it wasn't for her. The Archangel was in Orbit over Mars, and not even five kilometers away, Takashi appeared, along with the wreckage of the Starlight's jump drive.

His voice almost demonically crazed came over the tac frequency. "Mars, of all the desolate planets. That bastard jumped me to Mars. Oh well, it just prolongs their deaths a little Longer. Dalaraan and Tsunami will be mine." The laughter that followed could only be that of a madman, no human could make it, and demons could scarcely match it.

There was a moment where the E-Shadow turned to the Archangel. "I do not have time for you Archangel, so count your blessings. Next time I will slice you in half." The the mecha and its pilot was gone.

It was only then that the Intruder alarm was sounded as the lighting went red and the ship went into battle mode.

"Warning Unknown Extradimensional source in Cargo bay #3, CRT13 squad 6 report at once for suppression." It sounded bad, and there were sounds from outside the door that could only be multiple heavy footsteps.

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[Kazuo]

Originally Posted By: The Old Man

A portal opened for Kazuo, showing a great metal room. "Walk through, and begin your journey and may Fate be fair to you."

Kazuo laughed at that, a single Ha!, short and sharp. "Shyeah", he said, rolling his eyes as he walked past the Old Man towards the portal, "fuck you too, ya crazy old bastard." Though his words were harsh, his tone was more mischievous than insulting.

Without any further pleasantries exchanged, Kazuo expanded his wings to their full size and walked through the portal and into the room beyond, which he immediately recognized as being the cargo hold of a large space vessel of some kind. Little things gave it away, like the loading bay doors that were obviously designed to do double-duty as airtight seals, and the reinforced vents that could rapidly suck all the air out of a room or just as rapidly force it back in. Noting the austere quality of the hold's equipment, along with the overall efficiency of the design, he decided it was probably military.

He turned and found himself looking at the inexplicable, incongruous, but not entirely unwelcome sight of a gorgeous, scantily-clad...

"Skye?", Kazuo asked, utterly dumbfounded. After a brief pause during which his good eye traveled over his old teammate's poorly concealed form, his expression changed from dumbfounded shock to shocked admiration and he added, "Damn!"

He looked like he was about to say more but right about then alarms went off and red lights started flashing. Once again Kazuo's 'sea-legs' instinctively kicked in as he braced himself for possible impact.

"What the hell's going on?", he asked Skye, his expression and posture all business now.

[z-Skye the Fallen]

Skye spun as she became aware of another being in the room, her fans held high. They dropped almost immediately when she saw Kazuo, looking almost exactly the same as she’d last seen him. A brilliant smile lit up her face and she took a step forward – one very sexy, enticing step. She didn’t attempt to be so fine, but it seemed second nature. Still, Kazuo’s one-word assessment of her new look brought a bit of a charmingly-innocent blush to her face.

The urge to hug him out of sheer relief was almost palatable, but she choked the impulse back. She took a closer look; he was dressed oddly and a little older, but was otherwise exactly the same. A second later, she felt the unmistakable crawling sensation of evil from him. Demonic taint, in fact – she’d felt enough of it in Bazaroth to know.

Her face twisted into a scowl; she wasn’t going to be so easily fooled. With a silent plea, she invoked one of her gifts from Luna and the faint silver glow intensified, becoming very noticeable even in the well-lit hanger bay. “Blessing of the Eastern Wind!” she cried, words familiar to Kazuo. She’d just invoked further protection from her patron. One of the fans added a pale, shimmering glow to the room. “I don’t have time for this,” she growled, “so here’s the way it’s going to go. You’re going to surrender to me and stop hiding behind my friend’s face, or I’m gonna rearrange it until it doesn’t look like him. Don’t think that looking like him is going to earn you any mercy, demon.” The last word was spat with hatred and perfectly matched the look she was giving him.

[Justin OOC]

Just then the door to the bay opened and five battle armor clad troopers stormed in. Each had a large battle rifle in hand and they all aimed them at the two intruders. "Targets acquired, countermeasures set for Ikaris and Bazaroth..." The female voice trailed off. "Command we have two tridimensionals, please advise."

"Subdue and capture. We're preparing for Warp Jump."

The Black armored trooper nodded. "Roger."

She looked to Skye and Kazuo. "You two are trespassing on restricted Satoshi Heavy Industries property. Drop your weapons and surrender peaceably." She seemed to sigh then they could hear her continue. "Honestly We always get the weird ones. First the half Asrai now these two."

"Despite the fact both of you reek of Bazaroth, I'm willing to skip the whole "Subdue" part, just put down the weapons and we can take you somewhere safe. This ship is about to jump through hyperspace and we'd do well to be seated when that happens." The guns were still leveled at them with the exception of the trooper who was speaking to them.

[Kazuo]

At Skye's threatening words and actions, Kazuo's expression changed still further, from shocked admiration to just plain confused. And a little angry, but Kazuo almost always looked at least a little angry, so that went without saying.

"Eh?! What the hell's gotten into you, patsukin*? Nobo-KENJA-nayo**, eh!?", he demanded, switching almost unconsciously to Japanese gutter talk as he finished. Still growling in Japanese he continued, "I ain't no fuckin' demon, these scars're permanent in case you fergot, an' I ain't 'surrenderin' to nobody, even if ya do gotta whip and a buncha fetish gear on!"

Kazuo looked like he was about to say even more, but just then five storm-trooper-lookin' goons came rushing in with weapons raised. Kazuo spun to face them, and as he did so his wings flared and rippled, sending a small storm of feathers exploding outwards as they transformed from flesh and blood into wing-shaped masses of uncountable, tightly stacked and layered blades, razor sharp and gleaming in the cargo bay's harsh lighting.

Originally Posted By: Black Armored Trooper

She looked to Skye and Kazuo. "You two are trespassing on restricted Satoshi Heavy Industries property. Drop your weapons and surrender peaceably." She seemed to sigh then they could hear her continue. "Honestly We always get the weird ones. First the half Asrai now these two."

"Despite the fact both of you reek of Bazaroth, I'm willing to skip the whole "Subdue" part, just put down the weapons and we can take you somewhere safe. This ship is about to jump through hyperspace and we'd do well to be seated when that happens." The guns were still leveled at them with the exception of the trooper who was speaking to them.

Kazuo glowered at the black-clad woman, his lethally-bladed wings twitching and flexing to either side of him.

"Oi! You need to chill the hell out, bijin***!", he drawled, switching (for the most part) back to English (what he still thought of in his mind as 'Basic' after having lived so long in the space-faring universe that contained Cathedral). "I just gave up a job that hadda freakin' James Bond level of cool-factor to it, and a paycheck to match, and traveled to a whole other universe cuz this cranky old interdimensional bastard I know said you people needed some help! An' now I'm here an' you wanna point some fuckin' popguns in my face? That's bullshit!"

Not waiting for the Satoshi guard's response, Kazuo turned to look at Skye over his shoulder, lowering and partially folding one bladed wing to do so. With a look on his face that seemed to say can you believe this shit?, as if he'd already forgotten that she'd been threatening to beat him to a pulp only a moment before, he asked her, "This whole situation is so totally like that old fart, too, ain't it?"

Click to reveal.. (OOC Info)

*Patsukin means '(Dumb) Blonde'. **Noboken-ja neyo literally means "are you half asleep?", but if said with the correct (angry) tone, it's more like, "get your head out of your ass!" ***Bijin means "babe" or "cute girl".

Normally, his wings look more or less like this, but when he transforms them they look like this.

[z-Skye the Fallen]

The soldiers deepened her scowl. “This is not the best time,” Skye muttered angrily. “I have a demon to subdue.” But their comment that she reeked of Bazaroth brought up her hackles. “Hey!” she raged, sexily stomping a foot and drawing every eye to the inevitable chain reaction that set off in her body – those that could see her around Kazuo’s wings. “You sayin’ I stink!?” All she needed was a shower – she was no damned demon!

As everyone ignored her actual words and the soldier and Kazuo continued, Skye snorted angrily. But when they said ‘Satoshi’, her eyes narrowed in reaction, as if she’d just reassessed them. At the insistence that she surrender her weapons, the woman’s anger became cold. Silently, she let Kazuo work through his rant, thinking. She wanted to believe that it was him – wanted to believe it with every ounce of her being. When he spoke to her, she met his single eye boldly, studying him and what he was saying with the experience of the last few years. She’d gained a lot of insight – not just into others but herself, and she decided that she was letting fear rule her.

The Old Man had said he was sending her to him, and the Old Man hadn’t lied to her before. Last time, he hadn’t said he was sending her to Kazuo, but to Hell. This time, he’d said “to Kazuo” straight up, and she slowly let her guard down, just a little. She prayed she was making the right decision, even as a tiny, silver voice told her she was. “Kaz,” she murmured, “it’s good to see you, but you have been keeping some horrible company by the feel of your aura. First though… let’s deal with these goons.”

She moved to his side, throwing her hair back with a haughty snap of her head. Several of the men made uncomfortable and appreciative noises as they saw the full glory of what the winged man had been blocking. Still glowing with that silver haze, she stood proudly and boldly, prepared to do battle even if half-naked.

“No,” she said firmly to the soldiers. “I’ll come with you peacefully, but you can’t have my weapons.” She hefted the fans a little, their silver gleam bright against the black scraps of clothing. “These are my gifts of power from my patron, Luna. They will not be parted from me. The whip is a wedding gift, and you’ll have it when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.” She added a smirk. “Besides, I’m a Lunar Priestess, infused with the power of Luna and anointed by four Phases of the Moon. I am a weapon, kids.

“Your call,” she added softly, her lips pursing in a small smile. “We can fight, or we can be friends.” Her fans twitched away from herself slightly, revealing flashes of her body. “You do want to be my friend, right?” she added softly, almost pleadingly.

Click to reveal..

Justin, she is trying to “make friends” or at least make a good impression – the woman, too. Let me know if you need a roll from me.

[Justin OOC]

4 of the troopers tensed and Skye could literally feel their auras shift. Things were about to go very very badly.

"Wait."

The squad stood ready, but the leader shook her head. "Lady Akina said you were coming." At that all four of the troopers lowered their weapons from their shoulder. She unfastened her helmet and revealed her teenage face and blonde hair. "Kelly what are you doing?" It's them Randal, the one Lady Akina told us about. Contract the bridge and tell them to send the message."

Roger that." One of the troopers stopped moving completely for a moment as the message was sent. "Captain Ramius, the Priestess and her Knight have arrived. Please send the transmission to Lady Akina."

"Can you get them to a pod in a minute?"

"Negative."

"Then they're coming along for the ride."

"Roger that."

"My apologies. Captain Nanamura told all of us she was expecting visitors, but not when to expect them. Normally we'd send you down in a shuttle, but that maniac you heard of the speaker is out to kill Lord Morisato and the Princess, and we're the only ship with the ability to catch him."

"Please follow me and I'll show you to a safe room we can go through the jump in, This one will be somewhat unpleasant." One of the troopers looked at Skye and took off, running full out faster than any human.

"We have to hurry."

[z-Skye the Fallen]

Skye watched the events in front of her, wearily waiting for things to turn on their head again. When they didn’t, she relaxed a little. Man, I’m going to kill that old fart! she hissed to herself, watching the Satoshi bustling around her. He’d dumped Kazuo and her here, with these fucks. With a sigh, she decided that things could be worse. She wasn’t in Bazaroth, she had Kazuo at her back, and it sounded like these people didn’t know enough about her to be wary of her.

Instead of verbalizing her concerns, she looked over at Kazuo with an arch look and said, “Hear that? You’re my knight.” She grinned and gave him a wink. Then she realized, really realized, that she’d finally found him. Impulsively, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “I’m glad I found you,” she whispered in his ear, her breath incredibly warm on his ear, then let go of him.

“Alright, let’s go to this safe room,” she said, turning to the soldiers. Looking at the girl who was little older than she had been when she’d left her Earth, she added, “But after this jump, I need a shower, a change of clothes, an orange soda and a chocolate candy bar with caramel, in that order.” At the looks she got, Skye said, “I’ve spent the last six months in Bazaroth, four and a half years before that in Ikaris and the year before that in Bazaroth as a prisoner. I haven’t had chocolate in six years, or a real shower, with hot water. Now that I’m back in a place with refined sugar and hot water that doesn’t have to be heated up in the kettle first, I plan to enjoy it.” She waved toward the door, looking comfortable in this strange situation. “Lead on, Lady Stormtrooper.”

[Justin OOC]

Kelly showed no sign of emotion at Skye's rant, and lead them to one of the rooms down the hall. It looked fairly the same as the cargo hold but smaller, except there were benches against the wall with what looked like guard harnesses above them.

She got everyone situated just as Grace returned, shaking her head. The Five troopers Got Skye and Kazuo situated, and sat beside them, pulling the harnesses down on themselves just as the final countdown began.

"5..." Hope you folks didn't eat before..."

"4..."

"3..."

"2..."

"1..." "Hold on to your butts..."

Time seemed to stretch and elongate. It felt like their insides were being turned out. They could see each figure in the room in multiples, just as things seemed to stretch on and on, The ship Jumped.

Suddenly it was over. For a moment the ship was quiet. "Squad 6 come in"

Kelly put her helmet back on and connected. "This is Co6, roger command. "See to our guests, I'll meet them in half an hour. We jumped to Dalaraan, and there's no sign of anything in this sector. I'm going to take a bit to let DC do their job, then we go hunting."

"Roger that command."

Kelly looked to Skye and Kazuo. "Looks like the boss is busy, so you too get a chance to get cleaned up and hopefully a little more relaxed. I'll show you to where you can do so."

[Kazuo]

For the past few minutes, Kazuo’s sense of confusion had been rapidly overwhelming his irritation at the treatment he’d received from pretty much everyone since he’d walked through that Old Man’s portal.

First he runs into Skye Fell, of all people – pretty much the last person he ever thought he’d see again – and then she goes from grinning at him like a virgin on her wedding night to threatening him and calling him a demon – and doing it all in English, too! (Kazuo realized belatedly, by several years, that he liked it better when she shouted at him in German)

Then the GoonSquad comes charging in and starts threatening the both of them for trespassing. For the last three GSYs (That’s Galactic Standard Years, for those of you still catching up, although the ‘Galactic’ part of that term refers to an entirely different galaxy than the one he was currently in, on account of it being in a whole other universe and all, so that term really does more to confuse than to simplify at this point and – You know what? Nevermind. Let’s just that, “for a long time”…) his job had basically consisted of getting into places where he wasn’t supposed to be and then doing things that the people who owned or ran those places probably wouldn’t like.

Hey, it was a living.

Anyway, it made it hard for Kazuo to take their accusations seriously. Why make such a stink about it? He’d said he was there to help, so why’d they still have a stick up their asses about it? It wasn’t like he was setting and arming a whole slew of bombs, like the last time he’d been trespassing in someone’s cargo hold! And why were they trying to threaten him with guns? That was like trying to intimidate a grizzly bear by poking it repeatedly in the nose with a used Q-tip. It wasn’t scary, it was just annoying.

Then all of a sudden Skye’s back to being friendly again! What the!? “Kaz”, she says, “it’s good to see you, but you have been keeping some horrible company by the feel of your aura.” Aura? He had an aura? When did that happen? He felt like someone who had just discovered that pants had zippers on them, and that his had been open – for the past six years! Talk about awkward.

Originally Posted By: Skye the Fallen

She moved to his side, throwing her hair back with a haughty snap of her head. Several of the men made uncomfortable and appreciative noises as they saw the full glory of what the winged man had been blocking. Still glowing with that silver haze, she stood proudly and boldly, prepared to do battle even if half-naked.

“No,” she said firmly to the soldiers. “I’ll come with you peacefully, but you can’t have my weapons.” She hefted the fans a little, their silver gleam bright against the black scraps of clothing. “These are my gifts of power from my patron, Luna. They will not be parted from me. The whip is a wedding gift, and you’ll have it when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.” She added a smirk. “Besides, I’m a Lunar Priestess, infused with the power of Luna and anointed by four Phases of the Moon. I am a weapon, kids.

“Wedding gift?”, Kazuo whispered to her, consternation written all over his face.

When Skye didn’t immediately answer, on account of the fact that she was still speaking to the aforementioned ‘goons’, Kazuo repeated his question a second time. “Wedding gift?”

“You got married?!”

“Yes Kazuo, that is typically what happens at the end of one’s wedding”, Skye whispered out the side of her mouth while the guards argued amongst themselves about whether to shoot them or not.

Kazuo stared at his long-lost teammate and friend. “And you got a whip for a gift?” He looked at the whip hanging from Skye’s waist and then took another look at what she was wearing (or rather, what she wasn’t) and whistled silently. “Damn”, he muttered under his breath, “must’ve been a helluva wedding.”

He was silent for a moment with a thoughtful look on his face, during which the guards were relaying their message to command and awaiting further orders, then – “You’re married?”

He seemed to be having a hard time getting past that idea.

Originally Posted By: Kelly

"My apologies. Captain Nanamura told all of us she was expecting visitors, but not when to expect them. Normally we'd send you down in a shuttle, but that maniac you heard of the speaker is out to kill Lord Morisato and the Princess, and we're the only ship with the ability to catch him."

"Please follow me and I'll show you to a safe room we can go through the jump in, This one will be somewhat unpleasant." One of the troopers looked at Skye and took off, running full out faster than any human.

"We have to hurry."

Kazuo immediately went back to be being Really Stinking Confused. Who the hell was ‘Captain Nanamura’ and why was she expecting them? He’d stepped through the dimensional gateway into the cargo hold after Takashi’s rant, so he had no clue who the ‘maniac’ was that he was supposed to have heard, and even if he had – why exactly did the maniac want to kill this ‘Lord Morisato’ guy. And wait a minute! There was a Princess involved? Sweet!

As confused as he was, Kazuo nonetheless let his wings revert back to a more normal appearance, though he didn’t fold them up.

Originally Posted By: Skye the Fallen

Instead of verbalizing her concerns, she looked over at Kazuo with an arch look and said, “Hear that? You’re my knight.” She grinned and gave him a wink. Then she realized, really realized, that she’d finally found him. Impulsively, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “I’m glad I found you,” she whispered in his ear, her breath incredibly warm on his ear, then let go of him.

Any sarcastic response Kazuo might’ve slung at his old friend in response to the “my knight” comment was utterly forgotten in the wake of Skye’s unexpected embrace. “Uh, yeah”, he mumbled as he awkwardly hugged her back, “me too.”

Skye’s following rant at the ‘stormtroopers’ left him more confused than ever. “Hey! I was on Bazaroth too!”, exclaimed Kazuo, obliviously stating the Really Painfully Obvious as they followed the guards to the ‘safer room’. Since it was obvious that they were no longer in any danger of being shot at, he went ahead and pulled his wings in tight against his back again and let them shrink to their normal, unobtrusive size.

“What the hell were you doing there? An’ why’d you go back? Bazaroth sucks!”

He wanted to ask what ‘Ikaris’ was too, but figured he’d already asked enough questions, and was beginning to get annoyed again since he seemed like the only one who had no frickin’ clue what was going on. He endured the jump through space in irritable silence. It seemed like a slightly different method of FTL travel than he was used to, but he’d experienced worse.

When ‘Kelly’ offered to show them to somewhere they could clean up and relax, all Kazuo said was “Yeah. Sure.”

[z-Skye the Fallen]

Skye sauntered – this time without the heels – though the ship, her state of near-undress of no concern. Fortunately, few saw this display and so gratuitous prat falls such as walking into closed doors with mouths hanging open were avoided. The end of the whip hung loose, and at some point, Skye caught it in her fingers and began to swing it in a circle. The rotation of the business end of the whip created a distracting and compelling counterpoint to the sway of her stride. For those men following, it was a treat they would not soon forget – even if the modified soldiers couldn’t fully enjoy it. Skye was aware of their lack of interest, and she noted it with some concern – it fit what she knew about Satoshi.

Once in the safe room, she took her seat, buckled in and crossed her legs, looking completely comfortable. When the jump happened, she widened her eyes a little before deciding that having your soul munched on by a demon was actually still worse – that was her standard by which most things were measured – and waited. To her surprise, that seemed to be it. “Cool.” She unbuckled and stood up, following her hostess again as they left the ‘safe’ room, though Skye didn’t see what was so safe about it. Idly, she wondered who this Commander was, and if he was as much of a creepy robot as these damned kids.

Continued in Whispered Pasts so as not to clutter the main thread.

[Justin OOC]

Ryoko nodded, then looked at the Emperor. "You should be in bed uncle."

It was at that point that there was a commotion outside the chamber and the guards were bowled out of the way and the Emperor's remaining two children, Hayato and Sasami dashed into the room. They saw their father and headed straight for him. by the time they were there, Sasami was bawling and even Hayato was tearing up.

"We thought you were gone.! We missed you!"

The Emperor risked embracing his younger children and smiled. "Your sister and her friends saved me, all of them." He path their heads. "Now stop crying, we'll have plenty of time to catch up in abit. We're planning to..."

"Your plan will fail!" Sasami's outburst was unexpected.

"The bad man's almost back... if you don't plan to deal with him he'll destroy everything!"

Hayato looked at his Father, then his elder sister. "Captain Murrue just arrived behind the fourth moon of Sydar. She's got some people with her that can help us. You guys have to bring her in first."

Hayato looked to the others. "I know I'm a brat to most of you,

but right now you all have to trust me or they'll be lost. So will this war."

[SalmonMax]

"Hayato," Lily said, "How would you even know that? There hasn't been anything on communication channels or on sensors."

She looked at Sasami and added, "And Takashi could have been transported just about anywhere by a misjumping drive. What makes you think he's back already?"

[Justin OOC]

He looked at Sasami, who was to involved with their father and sobbing. "She told me. She's never been wrong before Lily, you know that."

"He isn't back yet, but on his way. The other ship Murrue's ship, the Archangel, is here though. If we don't hurry and get them here someone is going to find them. They'll be attacked just like we were soon, and they aren't the Macross."

[Columbian]

Francis seemed more and more bothered by the minute. The situation was looking more and more bothersome by the nanosecond.

"The blockade is going to make that impossible for them to break in. We probably will have to clear a path for them. On the other hand, this may be the time to make good on that plan Lily, if we're in a race against time and we're already striking in one direction."

[SalmonMax]

Lily didn't answer right away. All of her attention was on Sasami, who was shyly staring at the floor.

After a second she shook her head.

"If Takashi's on his way back, that changes things. We need to sortie an escort to bring Archangel back here, then work out our next move. If we're caught away from the moon when Takashi comes back, he'll tear through them all by himself and we'll be caught all strung out with nowhere to go."

She looked around at Kai. "Moving a big ship will attract a lot of attention, and could leave the base vulnerable. What kind of escort are we going to need to bring Archangel in safely?"

[Justin OOC]

"You, Me and Valerie, that ought to be enough." He smiles. "Francis, Masane, Eiji and Sakura can go on the raid to either clear out the Flagship, or the C3 attack. Georgi, and Ruri can remain here for defense and coordinate things. Ryoman, you and Klan go for whichever Eiji and the others don't. The Gaogaigar will be a strategic reserve."

[Columbian]

Francis nodded. "The Flagship's the primary target, and I don't intend on doing nothing, standing on a ship deck, so I certainly will help clear out there."

Glancing back at the others he was grouped with, "You with me?"

[Justin OOC]

Kelly came into the room. "It's time to go." She looked to her comrades. "Button up, we're still at combat alert." They all put their helmets on. Once Skye and Kazuo were ready they were escorted to a room just off the bridge. A brunnete woman in her early thirties sat at the head of the desk. Nex to her was a young woman of maybe seventeen wearing a flight suit. The squad stopped and saluted, which the woman returned. "At easy 0087." Kelly and her team relaxed.

She looked at Skye and Kazuo. "I am Naval Captain Murrue Ramius, Commander of the Satoshi Starship Archangel. First, I must apologize for dragging you with us, but time was of the essence. We are pursuing a very dangerous individual and were were the only ship ready to chase him. Due to the abnormalities of space/time travel we've arrived before him."

"Captain Nanamurra issued a blanket order that any ship was to expect and report any sudden arrivals of extradimensional beings. We did so."

"I do not know who you are, and why you are here. I and my crew, undermanned as we are at the moment, will do our best to keep you safe until we return to Earth."

The younger woman smiled. "I am Lieutenant Lunamaria Hawke. I pilot the Impulse gundam and Executive officer to Captain Amane Kaunac of Crisis Response Team Seven. I command the mecha complement onboard the Archangel."

Captain Ramius nodded. "Perhaps the two of you could tell us about yourselves, where you come from and who you are. We've got about two hours before Takashi emerges here based on his theoretical teleportation speed. We are reading other ships in-system and are running at high alert and silent running. So we have a little bit of time, provided we aren't discovered."

Click to reveal..

murrue

Lunamaria

[Kazuo]

Kazuo observed everything around him with veiled interest as they were escorted to the bridge. He was able to understand most of the technology that he was seeing, though it's presentation and use was frequently new and confusing, and he knew without being shown its specifications that this ship's drive engines operated on a method of propulsion that was different than any interstellar drive systems he was familiar with.

When they were brought before the vessel's captain Kazuo listened with even more avid interest. There was a lot that neither he nor Skye knew, and he could already tell that she was quickly falling out of her depth with all the techno-babble.

"Mechas, huh?", Kazuo asked, after Ramius and Hawke had finished their introductions, "I'm familiar with the concept, but never seen the idea implemented before. Interesting..."

In a manner that immediately reminded Skye why the two of them used to argue so often, Kazuo turned back to Ramius and said gruffly, "We're here ta save yer bacon, Captain. That's all ya really need to know 'bout us."

A swift and only half-subtle elbow to the ribs from Skye seemed to make Kazuo reassess his attempt at diplomacy however, because after he'd briefly cast the evil eye at his blonde friend he once again turned back to the Captain.

"The name's Kazuo Kanai, formerly a Field Agent with special clearance for the Galactic Sanitation Department, Paramilitary Operations Division, now officially a Free Agent, at yer service. I'm trained ta handle myself in just about any hotspot, disaster zone'r enemy territory, with or without proper equipment or good intel and in pretty much any environment they've gotta name for. I can survive and maneuver in open space, an' I can operate as a kinda one-man, mobile weapons platform capable of engagin' enemy ships in inter-system combat."

Kazuo shrugged. "That's all the pertinent stuff, I guess. Good enough for ya?"

[Justin OOC]

"How does a Demon Tainted Asrai manage to end up on Cathedral?" She looks at him.

Lunamaria looked at him. "He sounds like the Princess and Valerie. A one man army to hear him tell it."

She smiles. "Where we are and with what we're expecting, we can use someone like that. As for mecha, I can show you mine before I rejoin my troops." She cast a sidelong glance to Murrue who sighed. clearly there was an interesting chain of command.

"As for you saving us, that remains to be seen, but after what's happened in the last six months, I'll put little past the Fates." The Captain smiled and looked expectantly to Skye. "And you miss, care to tell us who you are?"

[z-Skye the Fallen]

Mentally readying herself, Skye prepared to meet the mysterious commander. She wanted to make a good impression, and she mulled over the various ways she could do that as she gathered up her whip, fans and the balled-up lingerie. She paused only to smooth the wrinkles out of her silk garment by running her hands over the fabric. Once again, the casual action seemed ridiculously attractive. Giving Kazuo a distracted smile, she fell into step behind Kelly as the child led them through the ship.

Arriving at the bridge didn’t make her feel any better. First, the Captain was a woman, something that Skye recalled belatedly. She had nothing against women; she was one. But men were easier to manipulate, and until Skye knew exactly what was going on here, she wanted every ace in the hole she could get. Second, there were more children on the bridge crew, which upset her. She knew what it was like to have your childhood stolen away by duties beyond her control. She wondered if Kelly had ever had a makeover or felt like a beautiful young woman. Third, the Captain used a numeric designation for Kelly, and Skye felt her resolve harden. So far, everything she’d heard about Satoshi was coming to pass.

Then she was just confused because Ramius was a naval captain of a spaceship. Unless Skye had completely misunderstood, shouldn’t someone like that James Birk guy from Star Trek be in command? And space time travel? Didn’t they just jump through space? Had these people moved them to another time? Man, she was going to be pissed if that was true. Very little of what she said next made much sense beyond two points: Satoshi had been expecting her and Kazuo and there was someone really bad coming, but they had time to talk first.

Kazuo, of course, immediately tried to shut down any talking in his usual calm, diplomatic way. As much as Skye resented being sent to aid Satoshi, they needed to play it cool until they knew what was going on. So she quietly elbowed him to get him to pretend to behave. She remained silent as Kazuo spoke, running her fingers over the five faces of Luna inlaid in her whip’s handle. She kept silent and uncomfortable as Murrue and Lunamaria continued, liking the situation less and less as it progressed. She didn't even like that they concurred with her about Kazuo's heritage.

“And you, Miss, care to tell us who you are?”

No. Skye smiled and it was a very nice smile. “I am Lady Skye Fell of the BoneGate Stronghold, the Four Times Anointed Priestess of Luna, Defender of BoneGate, Burner of the Dead King of the Ice Spire, Holder of the Life Debt of Haresdlsiethseizarishtelsith the Prince of Dragon Clan FlameWings and much more, lately known by the Lost People as Skye the Fallen.” She said it quickly in a rush, having practiced her full title. She’d practiced it extra hard after her fatal and rapid annulment, not waiting to accidently use her fake husband’s last name. “As a Priestess of the Moon, I can perform exorcisms and kick all kinds of dämonischen arsch. If you’re looking for a fighter against non-demons, I’m pretty good there, too. I doubt I’m quite as good as Kazuo, but I’m no slouch, either.” Skye didn’t fell like running down the list of everything she could do, not yet anyway. That was enough for now.

[Justin OOC]

"An Ikaris native. You'll get along well with Captain Tanaka then, his family was from there originally. Of course only months ago Captains Morisato Illiayev, the Princess, and Miss DeQuebedo and Lieutenant Douglas returned from there." Clearly there was more she could say but wasn't.

"Our outpost there hasn't reported this month, I know Captain Nanamura was looking to send a team for recon and to set things straight. Last we knew things were quiet with the conclusion of the Grail war."

It was clear the world of Magic held little interest for the captain of a starship. "If you know true magic spells, Ms. Fell, I ask that you not use them around any non-Spartan personnel. Manaburning my crew would be most unpleasant."

Lunamaria looked at Kelly, and nodded. "Murrue, I think we can trust these people. A priestess isn't going to help us in a mech battle, but I'm willing to bet she can handle anything that gets on board. I want our fifty Spartans ready and guarding key areas. I'll give Kazuo and Skye a quick tour on my way to the hangar, I'll take responsibility for them. After I'veshown them around I'll go back out."

Murrue nods, now absolved of her responsibility. "If that is what you wish Lieutenant. I'll open up a pair of officer quarters for them, since their occupants are still on Mars."

"Good thinking. You can put them next to my quarters."

"As you say."

"If that is all Captain..."

"Yes Lieutenant."

"Notify me if anything changes Murrue. I can be in my mech in a minute."

Murrue left the room and then Lunamaria smiled. "I swear Kelly you get all the interesting assignments." She seemed alot more relaxed and Kelly smiled.

"Not Like John-117, he made LT after all, but he also got trained with Captain Illiyev, and they managed to tag Captain Johnson."

"Yeah that was pretty amazing. I'll handle things from here Kelly, I want your squad on roving duty in the ship. You're the fastest team and the most experienced in volatile situations. With this being Takashi we're talking about, I need you where you can reinforce the others as needed."

"Understood Lieutenant."

"With any luck you won't have to do squat. We'll take him down or run him off. Teleporting here from Earth with his E-shadow, that's got to make even that psychopath tired."

"Yeah." She looked to her squad. "You heard the LT, reinforcement and runfast packs, let's go." She looked to Skye and Kazuo. "Pleasure meeting you both."

Now it was just Kazuo and Lunamaria and Skye in the room. "So would you like a quick tour of the ship?"

[z-Skye the Fallen]

There was no attempt to correct the Captain’s misapprehension about Skye’s true origins. She wasn’t sure how to explain it anyway. Skye also stifled any reaction to the news that only a few months had passed since the Key and his groupies had left Ikaris. It had been longer for those left behind, and it was the first piece of good news she’d heard since finding Kazuo. Instead of facing beings with years to increase their already-considerable power and probably united by marriage, she was facing children. Powerful and impressive children, but children nonetheless. She felt her tension ease a bit more.

She was a bit put out by their assumption that they would fight, but she stopped herself. She’d help Satoshi for now, until she – until they had decided what to do. She glanced quickly at Kazuo, mostly to remind herself that he was still there. Her decisions really weren’t her own anymore; she had a friend, someone to watch her back while she watched his. They’d decide together.

Once the captain had left them alone, things calmed down still more. The two girls chatted, sounding like two high schoolers talking save for the content of their dialogue. Skye listened and absorbed, starting the long process of learning about this new universe. Honestly, she was starting to get rather good at adapting to a new locale with no preliminary explanations.

At the offer of the tour, Skye glanced up at Kazuo. He looked at her and they silently asked and answered questions with those fleeting looks. “Sure,” Skye said, amused that even after all this time, their connection had held strong. Of course, they’d bonded during circumstances that few people could ever understand. “Lead on, Lieutenant. But take it easy on me – as a Lady of Ikaris, I’m going to be largely lost.” Yes, look and see how helpless I am. How lost. Just an Ikaris bumpkin, out of her element. “I don’t suppose,” she added as an afterthought, “you could find me an orange soda and some chocolate, could you? I haven’t had any in years.”

[Justin OOC]

Lunamaria chuckled. "Yeah, you think you've had it rough, Lady Amaha is from seven hundred years in the past. I think our mecha and space travel still bother her, she always tenses up when she thinks nobody's looking."

She smiled. "We don't really have anything other than MRE's,we were awaiting a supply convoy from Earth, where most of our replacement crew and supplies were coming in. The fabricators are doing well, but right now they're slaved to making essentials."

"That said, I'll ask around abit and see if any of the techs has something squirreled away."

"If you two are ready I can take you on that tour."

[Justin OOC]

Lunamaria led them through the barracks where the crew stayed off duty, but it was a veritable ghost town right now. She took them and showed them their rooms next to hers, which were like Staterooms for Command officers. She showed them to the galley and mess hall, which were empty.

The observatory was closed. "When we're not gearing up for battle, the armored shutters are retracted and you get an awesome view of space. I never get tired of seeing Earth from up here."

The way she spoke it was hard to see her as a pilot, let alone an officer.

They finally made their way to the Mecha hangar. The Impulse, normally separated into its components, stood in its rack, awaiting her return. At fifteen meters it was a large robot, slightly bigger than some of the others, though it looked a great deal lighter.

Click to reveal..

"This is My gundam, the Impulse. It has several modes, depending on what I'm facing. I'm going to need more maneuverability in this fight, hence the pack it's fitted with."

In the racks around it were several mecha, mostly Destroids used for point defense.

She pointed to one of the ones with huge cannons for arms. "That one is an Exaclibur. The beam cannons in it's arms are abit fuzzy and it's out of missiles, so we've got it racked for now."

Click to reveal..

There was one Valkyrie in the maintenence area, It's pilot in it, as techs tried to figure out why the verniers wouldn't move, locking it in fighter mode. "That's the new model Valkyrie. It's a trasformable fighter packing autocannons, lasers and more missiles than should be possible."

Click to reveal..

She smiles. "Thankfully most of our complement is here, and out on patrol in stealth mode. The Daggers and our other mecha are somewhat less advanced, which is a blessing, they're easy to hide."

"Now do either of you have any questions?"

[SalmonMax]

Lily nodded at Kai, then gave Valerie a smile.

"All right then. Once we find the Archangel we'll escort her back to base. From there we can assess the situation and decide where we're needed most. Lets get as much done as we can before Takashi gets back, so the faster the better. Lets go!"

[Justin OOC]

"Alright, Let's get moving then. We've got friends to save, a ship to liberate, and an attack to stop."

The groups began to split up, with Masane stopping by Kai for a moment. "Be Safe Master."

He nods. "Keep the others with you safe Masane, try not to kill anyone unless you have to."

"I will."

(OOC I will be creating another thread for Francis, Sakura, Eiji and Masane for their attack. Kazuo, Lily, Valerie, and Skye will remain in this thread.)))