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

[Columbian]

The anti-climatic nature of the ending caught Francis by surprise, but he also noticed the uncanny fact that almost everyone else had somehow gotten the jump on him and finished the battle before he had even fired a shot.

He moved over to Valerie and lifting up her unconcious form replied to Kai, "Not necessary. See you when you get there." Then, to an attached communicator, "Francis to Macross, get the med-bay ready on the double."

Scarcely a second later, he and Valerie vanished, to reappear within the medical bay of the Macross.

[Kazuo]

Kazuo watched the two captains vanish and then turned to look back at his battered companions.

"Why do they always run away?!?", he asked incredulously.

Annoyingly, he showed almost no signs of having just been in an epic battle with two of the most dangerous opponents in the Earth-Prime universe. While most of the rest of the group looked to have been beaten at least half-to-death, Kazuo's potent regenerative powers had already healed the wounds that the mecha-drones had dealt him during his brief space battle and the only remaining indication that he'd just been in a fight at all were the rips in his clothes and the blood still staining the curved blades of his wings.

Something like the opposite of a flash occurred, and then his wings were normal wings again, made out of flesh and blood and feathers. An instant after that and they were back to being the small, compact and easily concealable things that were the default condition of all Asrai wings.

His wings tucked tightly against his back, Kazuo moved towards the two remaining women that he'd boarded this ship with in the first place. To the battered, bloodied (and mostly naked) Skye, he simply asked, "You okay?", and to Lily, "What about you, hime-chan?"

[z-Skye the Fallen]

Skye blinked as the danger was suddenly gone. Relief and excitement washed through her - they had survived! In the moment before anyone moved, she whooped with delight – though it wasn’t exactly pure delight. The bad guys weren’t dead; they’d be back. And they’d be gunning for Kazuo now. But even those hard facts didn’t diminish the fact that she was still alive! And so was Kazuo – really alive, not just scrape-him-into-a-garbage-bag-and-wait-for-him-to-regenerate alive. Really alive!

She was able to contain herself until after Val had been evaced to Medical; then Skye bounded across the ruined bridge and slammed into Kazuo, grinning widely. Her cuts and pains didn't matter as she wrapped her arms wrapped around his torso and squeezed, babbling, “That was so awesome, Kazuo! You cut his arm off! You rock!”

Quick as a whirlwind, she let go of Kazuo and dashed to Kai. He got another hug though more sedate; Skye pressed her cheek to his and whispered, “Thank you.” He had saved her life and though she still didn’t trust him, she did like him a little better now.

Had she tried to whisper to him after their bare skin met, she probably would have forgotten the words. The second her cheek touched his, a sense of peace flooded Skye. It took her right back to the time before the demons, when her world made sense and her mother lived and the nightmares were things that were driven away by Mutter turning on a light. But it wasn’t her mother she saw in her mind; there was a beach and she was holding someone’s hand. The day was perfect and she was caught in the delight of first, sweet love - something Skye had been denied and tricked out of knowing.

To those watching, Skye's wounds healed themselves instantly and her aura returned to its blue brightness. It was like she'd been rejuvenated, just by a touch from Kai.

The exhilaration of still being alive mingled with the bliss and tangled with the memory. Instinct took over Skye slid her hands up into Kai’s hair and kissed him.

[SalmonMax]

The guttering lines of power that made up Lily's Avatar form finally broke apart and began to fade. The sphere of light that held Lily's body at the avatar's heart descended to the floor and collapsed into the Dalaraan's body. She was pale and exhausted-looking, but her skin was untouched; her body uninjured. Though her defenses had finally been defeated, she had been saved before the finishing blows were made.

"Valerie," she said in a whisper, and fell to a knee. It was too late...Valerie was gone. Lily's power had failed to protect her. It had, in fact, failed completely, and if Kai and others hadn't intervened, they'd all be dead now. "I'm sorry..."

Then it registered on her that someone...the man with wings?...had spoken to her. She looked up at him, and nodded. "I'm...okay. Not hurt. I just threw everything I had at him. It wasn't enough. I'm glad you were more effective."

And then another memory pushed through her pain and fatigue muddled senses. Kai!

The sudden burst of fear was enough to drive her up to her feet again.

"Kai?"

She whirled around...and froze where she was, staring as what was left of her world started to come apart.

"Kai..."

[Justin OOC]

Kai was completely unprepared, and to make matter worse, while his body had been healed, his mana reserves were completely tapped out. Even as Skye kissed him, his eyes fluttered, and He passed out, essentially in Skye's arms completely unconscious.

Masane sighed. "I swear Master, you have the most horrible timing."

She moved to take Kai from Skye and looked to Kazuo. "You fought well, your attacks pushed them to the point staying was too costly. It's not the knockout we wanted, but it is a victory over them both, and that counts for something."

[Kazuo]

Kazuo couldn't quite keep the scowl on his face when Skye first plastered herself against him, but then she peeled away immediately and launched herself at Kai. He was left standing there watching the exchange between Skye and their new boss with a look of mild confusion and not a little annoyance. When she actually kissed the guy he turned away with a snort, muttering under his breath, "I save the whole freakin' day an' he's the one who gets the reward. Typical."

Just as he was finishing up with his mutter his good eye landed on Lily. He saw the look on her face and heard the way she said 'Kai' and stopped. His mouth silently formed the exclamation 'Whoah!' as he deliberately backed up the necessary few feet to take himself out of the line of fire.

Kazuo's mixed expression of nervousness and amusement at what was happening drained away at Masane's words to him, however. He was sensitive enough to her meaning to realize she was offering him a compliment, but the way the woman had said it annoyed him. Dryly, he returned, "Yeah, sorry. Next time I'll try not ta be so 'pushy'. Didn't realize they were such stinkin' cowards, yanno? I mean, I been cut up way worse'n that a ton o' times... But hey, thanks."

[Justin OOC]

Masane looked to Kazuo. "The fight with Kai and you and the destruction of his Mecha took alot out of Takashi beforehand. And Lily, Valerie, and Skye had done a great deal of damage to Hizashi. Combined with my own assaults, Sakura's and the attacks you made, Leaving was simply the best option to both of them."

She scowled. "I'd hoped to finish them here and now, but that wasn't to be."

In the medical bay Valerie was taken and hooked up to a half dozen different lifesupport systems, keeping her alive, even though her cybernetics were completely burned out.

[Columbian]

Francis took another look at the hooked up Valerie, then groaned. A comrade in critical condition always was painful, even if he hadn't known them long. It also gave him a sense that even he himself was outmatched, and at serious risk too.

Turning away, and leaving Valerie to the medics and life-support, he 'ported back onto the bridge of the enemy flagship with the others.

"Valerie is set in the med-bay. But..." Dispirited and pained words could not come. "You know, not looking good. What now?"

[z-Skye the Fallen]

Skye was dazed as Kai was pulled out of her hands and away from her. She managed to find her way to an undamaged chair and sit down, folding forward until her head was between her knees. She felt dizzy from the rapid-fire changes and what had just happened.

What had just happened?

Skye shivered. It had been like being with Henry. No love, no control, no choice. For the first time since she'd strangled her husband to death, Skye wanted the lie of her happily married life back. She wanted to be happy again, like she had been in Ikaris. She wanted to be the Lunar Priestess again and not on loan to a goddess who didn't love her. She wanted to be home and safe with the man she'd loved, far away from mind-controlling men. She choked on snot and realized, to her disgust, that she was crying.

"Perfect," she whispered. Keeping her head down, she wiped her eyes and slowly sat up. At Francis' words, she looked to the others - anyone but Kazuo. "I dunno," she said, her voice still thick and froggy-sounding - at least to her. She couldn't know that the roughness in her voice gave her a sexy depth that wasn't normally there. "We're the guests here. Who's the next biggest dog around here? Masune? Princess Lily? I sure as Holle don't know what the ficken deal with this place is!"

Yeah, being angry was better than being sad or scared. People got out of the way for angry; they didn't for sad. And she was slowly getting mad. Who the Holle did Kai think he was to do that to her? Just because she'd been mentally screwed up before didn't give him the right to do it to her again. She wasn't some hure to be dominated anytime someone wanted a lay.

She caught the look on Lily's face and shrugged. "Don't worry," she said meanly to the Princess, "he's not that good of a kisser. You can have him."

Click to reveal.. (The cursing, naturally)

Holle = hell

ficken = fucking

hure = whore

[Justin OOC]

Masane looked to Francis. "We regroup, and hopefully Captain Hoshino can find a way to restore Valerie." She had Kai in her arms and nodded. "We should get to one of our ships. The Prize crew can handle this one."

Masane was a little worried about the drama that had began and resolved to handle it later, after the current situations were stabilized.

[Columbian]

Francis, without humor, chuckled. "I was thinking of after that, actually. I doubt those two give up after this, hence the siege continues."

"Anyway, all aboard for the Macross, ladies and unconscious gentlemen first."

Tapping a command button on his suit to redirect the teleporter, he 'ported Lily, Sakura, Skye, Masane, and blacked-out Kai over to the Macross. Then he tapped the button again and smiled slightly at Kazuo.

"And we awake men." Then he teleported Kazuo and himself too over to the Macross.

[Justin OOC]

With everyone aboard the massive ships seemed to explode with activity as a prize crew was prepared for the Dominion. Kai and Valerie were in different rooms in the medical ward, one resting, and the other barely alive. Due to some damage, it would take a day at least to rendevous at the Lunar base. Communications were down, due to a freak hit by a missile shearing away the entire array.

They had accomplished their mission, for the most part, and as yet, no one was dead.

(60 CP to everyone for all participation in the chapters)