[X] Step forward.
You take one small step for a woman.
Lamia's eyes harden.
He opens his mouth.
"Like an angel which has forsaken sympathy,"
The hairs on your neck stand on end. You can feel his blood type changing - and then freezing at half-blue!
"Rise up young man,"
Your mind starts to quake.
"And make yourself a legend!"
Your soul is ripped free from your body, sucked into a kaleidoscopic tunnel of light. You can feel yourself drawn backwards through time, through the relentless events of the Universal Century, and the ATB era, and then the very beginning of the universe itself.
And then you go further.
Do you know what you face?
Does it matter?
May UC0096
Shangri-La
Everything has changed in Shangri-La. Nothing has changed in Shangri-La.
It was a colony of rusted pride. It was a colony of broken dreams. It was a colony of forgotten promises.
It was an awful colony, a pile of steel left to rot so long it had turned to sh*t.
It was Duo's home.
It was Maxwell's home.
It was Solo's home.
And Duo Maxwell had come home, empty-handed.
"Hey, Solo. Been a moment, hasn't it?"
…
For once, he's run out of quips. Instead, hot, furious tears run down his cheeks.
A God of Death should know better than to believe that just words could cross the boundary of life and death.
But Duo Maxwell's not the God of Death right now. His hands are stuffed into his pockets, a key gripped in his hands.
If he was supposed to be an avenger, perhaps he could be proud of himself. He could hold onto his armful of kills and assassinations and stand as a proud terrorist. He would be a man who made right a small injustice in his own small way.
Duo Maxwell's fists clench. As if by turning his knuckles bone white, he can be the God of Death he promised he would become.
Dr. All Ives was a generous boss. Even if he was just using her organization for his own purposes, she'd given him multiple new machines, even custom designed a Gundam for him to become a "real God of Death" with.
So why was he failing with better machines?
"What are you doing feeling sorry for yourself, Duo?" an old man heckles. "And where's the God of Death? I had a job for him, not your sorry ass!"
"Shut it, old man, I was having a moment!"
"Don't sweat it, prof. He's one of my boys, he'll be enough for the job." an irreverent, yet strangely alien voice says. "It'll be just like old times, just with some new kids on the block!"
Duo turns to face the pair of newcomers. Both familiar, and yet both not.
Professor G, leaving smoke trails in the wake of his skates.
Judau Ashta, 10 years older than he should be, with a silvery metallic tinge to his hair, and a oddness about him. As if he had become alien to his own hometown.
"Hmph. It was my work of art that he trashed because he wasn't good enough to seal the deal, you know!"
"Eh. It'll be fine." Judau shrugs.
"Right, Duo?"
He offers his hand to shake.
Duo only has to stare at it for a moment.
"Yeah," he says, shaking on a deal. Swallowing his hesitation. The God of Death would kill his targets without fail. "I'll get it done."
May UC0096
Arms Fort Motherwill
A quiet peaceful tranquility, with a good bottle of wine, enjoyed in the comforts of your own C-suite office. Martha Vist Carbine treasured these moments, these brief snatches where she could be the woman she wanted to be - an eccentric art collector and wine enjoyer. Especially if she knew that Schneizel would be coming through any minute now. She could use a light buzz for that kind of meeting.
What a distasteful man, that Schneizel el Britannia; a man who saw the whole world as something to dominate and to be dominated, who saw the world as a resource management problem, one that should ideally be managed for the Britannian first and only. If she had to name a man who defined the logic of men, perhaps it would be Schneizel.
And yet Anaheim Electronics' biggest customer was, at the end of the day, Schneizel el Britannia. The Prime Minister held the title, but had no interest in ruling. The Federation assembly held court, but commanded no obedience. The Federation military held power, but with a man like Treize Kushrenada on one side and Bright Noa on the other, it had no desires of its own, save to listen to their supposed superiors. Trained dogs, who could not imagine running without a leash.
Of the men remaining, who had vision, title, and power, only Schneizel remained. Therefore, Schneizel made the decisions. Therefore, Anaheim Electronics had to stay in the good graces of Schneizel.
Martha Vist Carbine considers the vintage she's offering up. An 2056 a.t.b. vintage, made when the mantle of the world's greatest vineyards was passing from the coasts of Europe to the west coast of Britannia. He'd appreciate the year markings. "Vae victis", the wine was commemorated.
Surely Schneizel would pick up on the simple meaning of that vintage, as they drank atop the Arms Fort that stood as Schneizel's answer to the the question of the age.
Bitterly, Martha hopes that he chokes on the other meaning - that even men like him could eventually be subjected to the turning of the era.
She allows herself a tight-lipped smile. After them, it'd be her turn.
Lamia's voice sucks you into a vision - no, a DREAM. A dream of the universe that was once his.
You see a beautiful Earth, and a longing feeling for it - and yet, a feeling that it is not yours.
"This was our Earth. But humanity was menaced, and grew arrogant enough to believe that they should pacify the rest of the universe."
An explosion consumes most of the Milky Way. The shockwave is visible from Earth.
"Then came the Planet Bombs."
Earth is reduced to a wasteland.
"One man sought to avenge humanity."
A single pitch black machine emerges, with the face of the third Angel.
ZADKIEL.
Or as he knows himself, Mazinger Z.
See how fearsome your enemy is?.
I'll fight on anyway.
May UC0096
Crossbone Vanguard
Duo looked up at the two machines that stood in front of him, and the young boy he was faced paired up with. Two borderline wrecks, barely fit for construction and moving work, the Boss, and a kid who looked like he should still be in middle school.
He put his hands on his hips. Tilted his body to look up at Gump 1 and Gump 2, and then tilted back down to the team.
"So who exactly does the old man want us to bump off, Boss? A crippled old man? Why even bring these hunks of junk?"
If looks could kill, Judau and Tobia would've killed Duo where he stood.
Too bad harsh words and angry glares couldn't do anything on their own.
Then Judau broke out into a big, sh*teating smile.
"Don't talk so big for a guy who didn't bring his own machine, punk," he said, grinning wide. "After all, that means you're gonna get an even sh*ttier machine!"
"Fine by me," Duo shrugged. "If you guys think those hulks are good enough, I won't even need a machine to do the job. Who're we even going after, anyway?"
Judau's smile got even wider and more sh*t-eating.
"We're gonna go kill Amuro Ray!"
"Oh come on. There are some jokes that just aren't funny," Duo said, flatly. "I thought he disappeared into a Federation black site somewhere - what would the point of killing him even be?"
The smile disappeared from Judau's face. An aura of hostility started wafting off of him, mixed with a disorienting high-pitched inaudible whine.
"Oh, but this isn't a joke. We genuinely do have to go kill Amuro Ray - or at least his mass-produced ghost. Y'see, the Jupiter Energy Fleet is dealing with one real bad crippled old man, one Crux Dogatie. Me, Tobia here, and Ms. Browning managed to stuff him recently, but that could all change if he can mass produce Amuro Ray clones. If we don't put a stop to him, we're all gonna be in some real deep sh*t."
He leaned in, eyes gleaming in more intensely than a human eye should be able to.
"Well? Still in?"
Duo frowned.
May UC0096
Arms Fort Motherwill
(White, move 29).
"It's just one game," Schneizel had said.
Now Martha Vist Carbine was locked into a frustrating positional game, locked into the black pieces because of course she could not deny Schneizel the white pieces.
That little brat thought it was funny to challenge her in positional games, and now here she was, 30 moves deep into an asphyxiating playstyle. Even if it was her specialty, she hated playing this way. She just hated every other way to play more.
"I appreciate all the hard work you've put in to build this Arms Fort, Martha. I trust that it will deliver the results you've promised?"
The White queen at the b5 square was an unforgivable protrusion into her space. From that area, the queen would have firing lines into every bit of space she wanted to protect.
She'd have to drive it away.
"Why, of course. Anaheim Electronics has always delivered what you've asked for before, haven't we? This Arms Fort has the long range strike capability you requested. In fact, I was even thinking of giving you a demonstration!"
Black Knight to d6 square.
"I'll take your word for it, Martha."
White Queen to b1.
But the pressure on the c and d files remained.
The SCPS retreated, but the threat of MAFTY and the Sleeves remained. Full Frontal was far quieter ever since he had been bought off with the Sinanjus, but that just meant they were a threat in being, rather than a threat in immediate play.
In a tense situation like this, the best play was to play for an advantage. The a4 pawn wasn't properly defended, but if the knight on c5 was merely guarding a rook exchange, the knight on c5 could take the hanging pawn.
Black Queen to a7.
Leaving the Penelope Gundam in play could serve to anchor the Zilkhistan region, be the unofficial anchor that would allow some of her forces to knock off the ever present thorn to their African operations, the Gahvey Neo Zeon cell. It wasn't nearly as bad a blow as leaving Laplace's Box up for grabs, but anything that could keep the position simpler would prevent her chessboard from being disrupted too badly.
But there was no way that Schneizel would ignore the threat; he'd respond somehow, hopefully in a way that took his bishop out of the game and left her knights in play.
"I always find it so interesting to play against you, my dear Martha. You always play for position and advantage, always looking for pressure and influence."
White Knight to e5.
"Never a gamble."
...
Taking that pawn would clear all of White's queenside pawns, giving her a clear path to an endgame victory if she could defend it. Taking that pawn would also rip apart her own carefully constructed position, leaving her knights several moves away from being able to defend her own position.
All she had to do was defend a position against a slight deficit in material.
Black Knight takes a4.
-1
DREAMING OF THE END
The Mazinger turns to look at the Earth.
It has fought so hard to defend it all this time, and this, this is what became of it?!
Its face DISTORTS. Its skin burbles, and then sharpens. It must become harder, sharper, stronger. Strong enough to destroy the universe.
None of this would have happened if Mazinger won!
Polishing under the heat and pressure, turning the base coal of the Mazinger into a diamond capable of cutting even space-time.
Mazinger must never lose again!
And as it cuts away the weakness of its own flesh, it burns away the weakness of its own mind, in a supernova of light.
This perfect MAZINGER ZERO will never lose!
A demonic body emerges from the transformation.
A demonic face looks at the pathetic Earth and the base humanity teeming under the surface.
A demonic soul wipes away its last remaining weakness in a flash of light.
Now humanity will be forever preserved as a memory of ZERO...
"That's your enemy."
You know it.
This is the great enemy of Lamia and Aeolia Schenberg.
This is the great devil that destroyed humanity in a blink.
This is your enemy.
...and if it is even greater than ZADKIEL, you have no option but to bring your best.
In this DREAM, you call only four.
Athrun Zala, in the Gundam Kyrios. Strayed, in the Brave. Max Jenius, in the Tallgeese Corvus.
Heero Yuy, in the Wing Gundam.
Lamia frowns.
...Will this be enough?
It has to be.
As if in reply, the demon god turns to look at you, metallic faceplate breaking into an animalistic grin.
Before any of you can react, Strayed is already firing everything he can at it.
A smoky rust erupts from its mouth in response.
A river of rust that corrodes all matter it touches, missiles harmlessly disintegrating midflight.
A torrent of rust that corrodes all energy it touches, beams disappearing into the lake of total blackness.
A flood of rust that corrodes even your wills to fight, as the very universe disappears before your eyes.
In this moment, you understand it.
This is an attack that embodies
The world was ending, but that wasn't anything new. This apocalypse was what Operation Meteor was supposed to stop. Axis hadn't fallen, but MAFTY had made it onto the Earth. Billions had died, but billions still lived in his own time. There was still a living peace to fight for.
Now the world was ending much faster. Vanishing in a flash to Mazinger ZERO. Vanishing in a torrent of smoke and rust, at the whims of the ABSOLUTE ZERO RUST HURRICANE.
It taunted him. Every star in the sky winked out of existence, hidden by the enveloping darkness. Every path forward disappeared in a torrent of rust and metal. No light existed in the dark hurricane; no paths to complete the mission existed. No paths to a living peace remained - only the cold quiet of the dead.
But Heero Yuy's mission remained the same.
Destroy the evil. Destroy the rot. Destroy the POISON contaminating the earth.
No matter how much there was - not even if the darkness covered the entire universe.
Waves of rust slammed over the Wing Gundam, but the Wing Gundam could survive submersion. The controls grew sluggish, the left arm stopped responding to commands.
But the Wing Gundam would deliver the payload. The Wing Gundam would endure, because it had to. Even if the Wing Gundam was alone, this would only be the expected conditions of the original Operation Meteor. The mission was still possible; therefore Heero Yuy would complete the mission.
Next objective: finding a target for the three remaining Buster Rifle shots.
Images flashed before his eyes. The rust took on shapes as it clawed away chunks of the Buster Rifle, morphing into ghouls and corpses.
Corpses that he recognized. People that he killed. A dog, and a little girl's dress, burned to ashes.
These images were what he saw when he closed his eyes. It would not stop him. He was a killer, and he had a mission. A mission that was obstructed.
The Buster Rifle could accomplish the mission, but right now, the entire Rust Hurricane was preventing lock-on. Visual targeting was not viable, radar was completely eliminated, and no communications were possible.
And all the while, waves of rust kept clawing away at the Wing Gundam.
"Strategic level objective clear. Tactical objective unclear," Heero muttered.
"…ZERO. Where is my target? Where is my enemy?"
Silence.
The hurricane had cut off even this communication with the Doctor.
…Ah.
Everything was obstructed by the Rust Hurricane. Raven's Nest was disconnected because of the Rust Hurricane. The machines were failing because of the Rust Hurricane. The Mazinger ZERO was being hidden by the Rust Hurricane.
…Even his will to fight was being sapped by the Rust Hurricane.
Therefore, the Rust Hurricane must be destroyed.
"Heero Yuy. Tactical level decision confirmed."
The Wing Gundam raised its head. Angelic wings unfurled against the demonic void. The boy gripped the gun that would bring him out of the darkness.
If there was no light in the dark universe, make a fire. If no roads exist, carve a path. If a spark could set the universe ablaze, then it was the soldier's duty to become that spark.
"Commencing attack."
A speck of light shined in the dark universe.
That single spark burned a hole through the great storm.
That lance of DESTRUCTION smashes through the wall around the hurricane's eye, and reveals the demonic form of Mazinger ZERO.
Its metal grate curved into a taunting smile. Steel cracked and tore as it unhinged its jaw to swallow the Wing Gundam's light whole.
For a frozen second, it seemed like the Buster Rifle might be enough to punch through.
But the GN Drive gave out first, and the Wing Gundam's golden light faded from the universe. Mazinger ZERO had swallowed the Buster Rifle's attack whole.
It laughed, as if to say that the strongest attack had done nothing to the Mazinger ZERO. As if even that had failed to change the outcome of the battle, to change the world.
Your enemies aren't that simple.
Neither are we.
May UC0096
Relay Asteroid Base
Duo was in some real deep sh*t.
Killing Crux Dogatie had been surprisingly easy, for a man obsessed with oxygen counts, poison gas, and starvation down to the second. He was so used to believing that everyone in space was approximately two minutes of oxygen and thirty seconds of EVA from death that getting in close was easy. From there, a few strategically placed bombs and a lot of violence in motion had thrown Crux Dogatie and the Bio-brain researchers into space without a spacesuit, and the mission would have been all complete - except for one complication.
He tried to breathe slower, hidden in his tiny crevasse. The Amakusa above him swiveled its head, checking the five-odd Jupiterian mobile suits it had killed in as many breaths for a pulse. Their blade-like bodies drifted peacefully in space, slagged holes melted through their co*ckpits or left as so much space dust, vaporized in explosions that consumed their mobile suits.
The ghost of Amuro Ray had woken up, and in ten minutes of life it had already fought off the Gump and the Crossbone Gundam, shot down five Jupiterian mobile suits, and was already prowling for anything it still had to kill.
Why here? Why now?
Duo had already accomplished the mission! He'd killed the leaders, left them a smoking ruin, and now he was going to be killed because the Amakusa randomly wandered onto his escape path? It was ridiculous! What could a mere man even do to a mobile suit like that?!
The Amakusa's head turned once again, letting Duo could track its eyes - and he realized with a sinking feeling that the Amakusa was actually analyzing the landscape. Using Amuro's hard-won battle experience to judge the terrain features, and prepare for the next battle.
If the Amakusa wasn't killed, this moment was the weakest the Amakusa was ever going to be.
Ever so gently, one of the Jupiterian mobile suits the Amakusa shot down drifted towards him.
With a start, Duo realized that the co*ckpit was empty - still functional, even. Apparently, the pilot had lost their nerve and ejected before the ghost of the White Devil could shoot him down.
…now there was something Duo could do. Now there was a blade that could cut down even the White Devil himself. All he had to do was wield it. The God of Death could do it.
Could Duo?
…an alien voice stabbed into his head.
"Well, we're in trouble now. I don't think we can win - we have to retreat. If we distract him, can you escape?"
In front of him, the co*ckpit beckoned.
May UC0096
Arms Fort Motherwill
Rook takes c8 check.
Knight takes c8.
Seated atop the control room for the Arms Fort Motherwill, Schneizel el Britannia had gotten his desired position. Both black knights were seperated, the Black Queen was far out of position on the Queenside, and the pawn as compensation was six moves away from promotion; it may as well have been at the very start. By contrast, his White Knight was placed centrally on the board, capable of extending its will into Black's defensive position wherever it desired; White's bishop near the King could be activated and brought to the attack at will. All that remained for him was to bring his own Queen to play, and Martha Vist Carbine would find it very hard to defend her own position.
Schneizel's eyes made it clear that that question was the only question he was thinking about - which square to place his Queen. Where - and how - he would use his piece with board-wide striking power and maneuverability to put the final nail in the coffin of Black's King.
It was the pet game of the vi Britannias, and it was why Martha Vist Carbine had to learn how to play the game well. Still, no matter how good Martha's training had made her, there was a certain degree of excellence that could only be achieved by sheer, genuine interest and passion - passion that Schneizel possessed, and Martha did not.
How characteristic of the two of them.
To believe that the world of chess moves, defined pieces, and declared checks would be a simulation for the real world. As if the rules of the board were the only rules of the world, and the game could only end with a win, loss, or draw - or indeed, that the game would naturally come to an end. A game with a defined border, and rules that must be obeyed.
A game where the king ORDERED, and the pawns OBEYED.
As if there were no other permissible moves in the real world.
Gendo Ikari cleared his throat.
-1
DREAMING OF THE END
And yet, three ravens disagreed.
The world had changed.
Heero Yuy had tore open ONE opening in Mazinger ZERO's universe.
Athrun, Strayed, and Max burst through the tiny point with the Gundam Kyrios, the Brave, and the Tallgeese Corvus.
Tendrils of rust sought to batter and block their path, framing the face of the laughing Mazinger ZERO.
ZERO vs STRAYED
2d10 + 5 vs 6 + 5 = 11AC
STRAYED INTUIT!
9 + 8 + 5 = 22
9 + 2 + 5 = 17
17 vs 11AC
Strayed takes 1500 HP Damage!
STRAYED VS ZERO
1d10 + 5 vs
IMPOSSIBLE AC
STRAYED INTUIT!
10 + 5 = 15
8 + 5 = 13
15 vs IMPOSSIBLE AC
Strayed's mind was clear, and his Variable Fighter was in good condition. All systems responded the way he intended.
Strayed rained a continuous stream of beams down on the Mazinger ZERO regardless. Beams caught in the mix would hit twisters of rust, and dissipate into lightning harmlessly. What little reached the skin of the Mazinger ZERO splashed off harmlessly. It seemed like it was truly IMPOSSIBLE to damage the Mazinger ZERO this way.
So he had to close the gap, find a weak point, and unload everything he had.
Not a problem.
Tendrils of rust cleaved off more energy charge. He'd be dead in another five minutes from depletion, he could tell. And yet there was a feeling that sung to him, the joy and the anger and the pure feeling of a MAN out to cut a GOD.
The Mazinger ZERO turned its baleful, burning eye toward him. Even here, even now, the sheer size of the eye dwarfed his own. End to end, the eye was twice as tall as the Variable Fighter was long.
Strayed plunged a beam saber down anyway. The eye was always a weak point. The beam saber was a tried and true weapon. It would work.
And yet, there was a possibility where in theory, the VF Brave's right arm joint was manufactured with a slight defect. In theory, it was possible for the Energy Conversion Armor to not extend its strengthening across the entire joint, allowing for the possibility of a slight crack. In theory, it was possible that this defect would only be exposed here and now, when the VF Brave was trying to stab the Mazinger ZERO in the eye. It would be a one in a trillion event if it actually happened, and yet -
Mazinger ZERO made this one-in-a-trillion event REALITY.
The Brave's right arm tore clear off below the elbow.
Strayed engaged the right MACROSS-0 missile.
Mazinger ZERO found a possibility where a submissile was fuzed wrong, and the giant missile immediately exploded on Strayed's back. The other missile soon followed. Energy levels dropped to critical levels. Any lower, and the Energy Conversion Armor would fail, and the Variable Fighter would tear itself to pieces.
…Strayed considered the final option, in the silence of the co*ckpit and the light of the brightening eye.
He was interrupted by a flash of red, and a voice piercing through the iridescent mist.
May UC0096
Arms Fort Motherwill
Martha reacted instantly.
"Gendo?" she said, shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"Huh?" Schneizel said, finally breaking out of his chess-induced trance. "Wha - Gendo?" he said, turning in his seat.
Gendo savored Schneizel's surprise. Getting the better of Schneizel was growing more difficult these days.
"I was checking in on NERV Persia when I received critical intelligence. It was sensitive enough that I thought I should deliver it in person," Gendo graveled. "It concerns an attack on the Romefeller secretary, one Mr. Kroo."
Flabbergasted, Martha Vist Carbine came up with the thought that immediately came to mind. "Gendo, I thought you said you were in Zilkhistan two days ago! You can't suddenly visit NERV Persia and then come here without someone noticing!" Finally with a thought that she thought was promising, she pressed it for all it was worth. "What were you thinking, just waltzing into here without permission?! This is a top secret area - you could've compromised the security!"
Gendo simply nodded. Her statements were correct - but acknowledging the truth without admitting anything would let her hyper efficient brain fill in the details by herself. He simply adjusted his glasses, allowing the lenses to gleam in the hot desert sun.
Schneizel, though, Schneizel was dangerous.
Schneizel always said the right thing. Always thought the right thing. When he didn't know enough about a situation, he'd shut up and observe until he felt like he had a grasp of the situation. He was kind, brave, intelligent, and handsome - everything an ideal ruler should be, save for one crucial factor.
Gendo Ikari knew love. He knew it painfully. And he knew that Schneizel had never known love.
That's why he's confident Schneizel will bite on his bait.
"I can and did, with none the wiser," Gendo simply said. "I assure you that the information is worth the risk. I have credible information that Knightmare Frame equipped terrorists have launched an assassination attempt on Koo Krying Kroo, on the Endless Illusion."
"Terrorists? They're a dime a dozen!" Martha Vist Carbine said dramatically, throwing her hands into the air. "And Knightmare Frames? I bet you there's just repainted Amalgam Arm Slaves, nobody outside of the Earth Federation can pay for the damn Sakuradite!"
Schneizel's expression remained impassive.
"Indeed. I'm telling you because they failed. There's already rumors that new used Yggsdrasil drives will be arriving on the black market, Sakuradite still included in the wrecks of the Sutherlands."
Gendo gave the two eminent leaders a moment to work through the implications.
There was a terrorist attack against Koo Krying Kroo, using real, live Sakuradite. They believed that they could overcome the defenses of the Endless Illusion using outdated urban combat machines alone, and then they failed, and Koo Krying Kroo was not a dumb man.
He was in fact a canny, vicious, and extremely well-connected man.
His conclusion would be to assume the worst, and begin acting as if powerful men in the Earth Federation who specifically operated outdated Britannian Knightmare Frames were actively trying to kill him.
And the trap was that Gendo knew that both Martha and Schneizel saw the world the same way. Of course they did. Martha Vist Carbine only loved her fantasy, while Schneizel didn't love anything at all.
They would conclude that the only way to contain the escalation, once they believed it was already decisively broken, was to complete the first strike. The best way to deal with a false accusation was to make it true, as decisively and completely as possible.
They explicitly built the Arms Fort Motherwill to be a land-based first and last strike option, hidden in the Sahara desert. There would be no point building a larger land-based railgun on legs unless it was capable of delivering a truly devastating payload, and needed to leave ambiguity about its firing point
And when it came down to it, he was sure that neither of them would object to the obvious solution. He only needed to plant the seed - they would nurture the terrible harvest by themselves.
-1
DREAMING OF THE END
"...not yet, Kyrios! We can do it!"
A bright red machine breaks through the fog of POSSIBILITY.
ZERO VS ATHRUN
4d10 + 5 vs 4 + 5 + 2 = 11 AC
ATHRUN INTUIT!
4d10 + 5 = 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 5 = 13
4d10 + 5 = 4 + 5 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 21
13 vs 11AC
Athrun takes 500 HP damage!
ATHRUN vs ZERO
1d10 + 4 + 2 VS 14 - 5 + 5 = 14 AC
ATHRUN INTUIT!
TRUE TRANS-AM!
(5,7)
5 + 4 + 2 = 11
7 + 4 + 2 = 13
13 vs 14 AC
ZERO takes no damage!
The Mazinger ZERO's posture shifts slightly.
It retreats, just one "step".
Suddenly, Athrun is just one step short. In every possibility.
| The Kyrios dodged the clouds of rust at extreme speed, threading the needle three times faster than Strayed. At close range, Athrun throws his shield, but the Mazinger ZERO's eyelids slam shut, catching the shield between the blades. Undaunted, the Kyrios's diving foot arrives a second later - and breaks the legs of the Kyrios on the Mazinger ZERO's hard black skin. | Athrun deftly ducks and dodges, looking to rain burning pink beam fire down on the Mazinger ZERO. The beams splash harmlessly against the Mazinger ZERO's eyes, nothing compared to the power pooling in those eyes. He uses the distraction to charge in, splitting the shield to reveal the spike - and as he slams it home, the Mazinger ZERO's head smashes forward, crushing the attack and the Kyrios. | Athrun tries to gain distance to build speed for a charge. Tendrils of rust flay the Kyrios repeatedly, shearing off the wing stabilizers, the legs, the arms. But the force of the attack came from the GN Drive unleashing everything it had in a single brilliant flash; losing the limbs simply meant that the Kyrios flew as straight as an arrow, as fast as a falcon. And yet; it was just ever so slightly unbalanced, and the force wasn't focused on the tip. That single slip cost the Kyrios whatever hope it had of penetrating the eye. |
All were wrong choices.
May UC0096
Arms Fort Motherwill
"The solution to your problem is obvious. This facility is N2 capable, is it not?"
Martha Vist Carbine desperately sought normality. So of course she denied the question, aghast.
Gendo expected that. What he was concerned about was Schneizel's reaction.
Schneizel simply turned back to the chess board.
"You understand that we can't take you solely on your word, yes?"
He only took a second's thought to play Qd1.
It allowed the queen to threaten a fork between black's knight and queen, pressured black's knight on the board, and kept the queen solidly in the back rank.
As far as he saw that Schneizel had simply accepted the idea without pushback. Which meant he was now calculating it.
"Of course. Here's the data," Gendo said, producing a datastick from his jacket pocket.
Schneizel took the stick without a word, and Gendo knew he had him.
Martha's face pivoted from being flabbergasted to being disgusted. Schneizel made a gesture to play a move, and in her fluster, she played Ne2.
Incredible. Even this disturbed, Martha was still capable of playing an incredibly high level move.
Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough. Advantage had tipped slightly towards Schneizel. And while he would say that Schneizel did not understand LOVE, he understood BRAVERY just fine. Gendo also knew that at the end of the day, Martha Vist Carbine could not claim either virtue.
For Gendo, the outcome was no longer in doubt.
"That's all I had to say. I'll be off now."
"Why?" Martha snapped. "Why tell us now?"
Gendo smiled sardonically.
"I suppose you could call me something of a patriot."
May UC0096
Relay Asteroid Base
A human couldn't be a superhero. A human couldn't get revenge on a society. A human couldn't kill a legend.
A God of Death could.
…Duo had wanted to be the God of Death so that he could do the things that humans couldn't do.
"…we're not retreating." Duo said, leaping for the co*ckpit. "I'm going to send that ghost to hell myself!"
The Gump and the wounded Crossbone burst back onto the scene.
As soon as they emerged, the Amakusa immediately drilled the Crossbone Gundam in the head. The beam sabers sparsely came out before another the Amakusa was speeding towards the Gump - and yet the Gump's enormous chain hammer came out to meet the Amakusa.
It immediately dodged at full speed - but this predictability was what Duo had been waiting for!
The beam blade erupted over the crest of the oddly blade-shaped mobile suit, aiming to cleave the Amakusa in two. He charged at full speed, bracing for impact - and yet, with a subtle shift and a precisely placed shot, the Amakusa deflected Duo's charge.
His charge overshot the Amakusa. Duo's heart sank slowly as he saw the Amakusa's eyes and rifle track towards his co*ckpit. If this was the end, it was a fitting one - he had found someone who had come back from the dead, and found himself wanting.
And yet at the last second, a chain yanked him out of the way.
May UC0096
Arms Fort Motherwill
Qd8+ check.
Kh7.
The next two moves were so obvious they were nearly forced. Of course the queen positioned to make the attack would attack. Of course the king would move into the corner. Now the White Knight and White Queen were breathing down the Black King's neck, and it would only take one move to put White's bishop in play - if only the pawn move of f5 could be prevented.
"Don't tell me you're seriously considering it, Schneizel," Martha snapped. "Testing the Arms Fort by shelling the Endless Illusion is completely insane - it's against the Antarctic Treaty, for God's sake!"
If a potential defender existed, the simplest solution was to remove it.
Schneizel's cold eyes met Martha's.
"I didn't take you for a Christian, Martha."
Nxf7.
Ng6 slammed on the board almost immediately, Martha's next defense already appearing as a queen attacking the impetuous pawn.
"Slip of the tongue, Schneizel, but you should stop dodging the question! Using nuclear weapons on our own citizens is a total disaster that calls into question the security of the Earth Federation!"
Schneizel idly rolled his Queen around on his base.
"Change your perspective slightly, Martha."
Qe8. Protecting the white knight, pressuring the black knight on the edge of the board, and threatening the pawn on e6. If the White Queen took e6, Black's position would become completely untenable with an eventual Be4.
"No matter what happens, the Earth Federation's competence and security will already be questioned. Kroo will do the questioning, if no one else will. He will be effective and devastating at it."
"However, if a nuclear attack both eliminates him and is blamed on the terrorists, that would create directionless anxiety, a mood that terrorist attacks must be stopped no matter what. That is a feeling that can be harnessed towards…more useful ends."
Schneizel raised a finger to point at her.
"Can you imagine it, Martha? In the wake of the nuclear attack against the world's greatest philanthropist, we'd have nearly carte blanche to write new anti-terrorist regulations and enforce them. In the face of a lurking threat of nuclear annihilation, there are almost no liberties that people would not willingly sign over, in the name of being safe for another day."
Martha's Queen arrives in e7, a sharp rebuke. Trade the knights if you want, but the pawn on e6 is off limits.
"You would still be using nuclear weapons with this untested platform on Earth Federation citizens."
Schneizel pondered the situation for a moment, continuing to roll his queen.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I forgot something very important," Schneizel said, raising a finger. "In the face of a potential nuclear terrorist attack, and the potential for MAFTY to follow up, almost any measure would be approved. We would have a blank check written for any and all measures taken to suppress terrorists, on the standard cost plus contracting terms.
"Meanwhile, in the alternate scenario where we decide to let it go, Kroo will launch his own counterattack. Political scandals will be hitting every twenty seconds, and the security of the Earth Federation will be called into question. We will be forced to withdraw forces, draw down the budget, haul you in front of the Earth Federation council to make someone accountable for the attack against him."
"Your two options are prosperity or ruin, based on whether you have the courage to make the difficult decision," Schneizel said, steepling his fingers.
Queen takes a4.
"I leave the decision up to you. I advise that you take your time to think about it."
Martha Vist Carbine sits back, deep in thought.
The seconds drag on into minutes, the flush draining from her face as she regains her balance. Regains her rationality. And regains her ruthlessness.
At long last, she accepts the trade.
Queen takes f7.
"You make a compelling argument, Schneizel. Let's clean up after the old man, and worry about the consequences later. We were already going to hell anyway."
-1
DREAMING OF THE END
True despair began to creep in.
A second beam from the Buster Rifle pierced the darkness once more. It was just as perfectly aimed at the dead center of the Mazinger ZERO, and just like the previous shot, it was simply devoured by the Mazinger ZERO.
Nothing they had was working. Their weapons were falling apart in their hands. What more could the three of them do?
May UC0096
Sahara Desert
Gendo frowned. Schneizel liked to believe he was a sophisticated chess master and a calculator - that's what made his actions so easy to determine. But Martha didn't have that kind of ego. He wondered if in that last moment, she had actually seen through him.
…Hopefully, she wouldn't be brave enough to act on a hunch.
In his binoculars he sees three telltale flashes.
He pages the device he was given.
"Mr. Silver, I've done my part. Now you hold up your end of the bargain."
May UC0096
Relay Asteroid Base
"Don't make that mistake again, Duo!" Judau shouted. "Next time, you can't miss!"
Duo ground his teeth. Just don't miss, he seethed, wheeling around with the Crossbone's chain. If only it was that simple, he could just will himself to hit any time he shot -
His eyes widened.
He wasn't a shooter.
The God of Death did not kill at a distance. The God of Death reaped souls.
If the target tried to dodge, Duo would simply have to put the attack back on track. He could will himself to hit, if only he had the SPIRIT to do it.
DUO EVOLVES!
4 Skill
4 Spirit
GAINED SPIRIT COMMAND:
BULLSEYE
VALOR
Subtly, the Amakusa shifted again, and blasted another chunk off of Duo's blade form. The retrothrusters assembly was crippled, and Amakusa had put himself between Duo and the asteroid base.
If he missed, he was finished. If he didn't kill the Amakusa right here and now, he was finished.
But now…
Duo would hit, and he would kill the Amakusa in one shot, as the very God of Death himself!
Duo's blade flew off the Crossbone's chain.
This time, the Amakusa threw a beam saber at him, rotating the shoulder to take the impact. It knocked Duo slightly off course, but Duo no longer sought the perfect attack, only to make any attack he made perfect!
Too late, the Amakusa's artificial eyes widened.
Duo's blade slammed into the Amakusa just above the collarbone. It bit deeply, throwing the Amakusa headlong towards the asteroid with its neck only half attached to its body - and yet Duo wasn't done.
The blade stayed in the Amakusa's throat, driving it into the asteroid itself. The impact collapsed the surface of the asteroid base itself, and the blade severed the Amakusa's head completely.
He had won.
He'd killed the ghost of the White Devil.
Duo laughed, pure and honestly, as his stolen mobile suit gave out underneath him.
Yes, he had found what he was missing.
He'd found the strength he was looking for.
-1
DREAMING OF THE END
But if even one person was BRAVE enough to challenge the impossible, someone could still step forward.
ZERO vs MAX
4d10 + 5 vs 5 + 7 - 2 + 2 = 12 AC
JENIUS FOCUSES!
4d10 + 5 = 5 + 9 + 7 + 1 + 5 = 27
27 vs 12 AC
Max takes 3000 HP damage!
MAX vs ZERO
2d10 + 5 + 2 vs 14 - 5 + 5 = 14 AC
MAX FOCUSES!
TRUE TRANS-AM!
(1,8)
2d10 + 5 = 1 + 8 + 5 + 2 = 16 AC
16 vs 14AC
MAX does 500 HP Damage!
"...alright, I think I've got it," Max muttered.
Max Jenius' mother had a saying she was fond of.
A man who never learns is stupid.
A man who learns from their own mistakes is smart.
A man who learns from the mistakes of others is a genius.
All this time, he had been watching and learning. Even as the Tallgeese Corvus racked up damage, it was only wounding damage, damage that slowed him - but was worth the information he was learning in response.
The tendrils of rust were intelligent, yes, but they were intelligent in the way slime molds were intelligent, brute-force seeking the best solution available to them. Giving them a distraction with the right missiles could keep the damage mitigated.
The absorption ability was powerful, powerful enough to absorb even the Buster Rifle. Yet he'd noticed a curious inability to absorb physical force - those physical attacks had been deflected or devoured, not simply taken on the skin. Especially since the Mazinger ZERO had resorted to micromovements to defeat Athrun's scissor shield and kick - as if the intelligence in that demonic face believed itself vulnerable to physical attacks.
Even that "luck" aura that had so crushingly devastated Strayed had seemed to be less in effect in Athrun's attack. The key was the incredible particle release - it seemed to have an effect on countering that luck effect, to create afterimages-with-mass - or perhaps it was more accurate to describe it as "possibilities that could be collapsed into one", a more quantum effect than a physical process.
Those elements could be combined. A physical damage dealing lance, plus a machine capable of that red particle release, times Max Jenius' own skill, produced a formula for making even a fallen god bleed.
The name of the effect flashed across his HUD.
"Burn bright red…TRANS-AM!"
The world faded.
Only the beating of his heart provided the rhythm for his own extreme focus.
He had finally reached this feeling, the feeling of his self stretching out through the entire Tallgeese Corvus. He fluttered his tail, and he did a barrel roll over grasping tendrils.
The thicket of rust seemed to present a myriad of options for moving forward.
In his state, he knew that they were all traps for his mind. He saw both this possibility, and the other twenty possibilities where he followed those signs, and his body was shooting the one in a trillion gap before his mind had even calculated the odds. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a gathering light, and started a mental timer.
A timer hit zero, and the bright beam of the Buster Rifle fired for the third and final time. Perfectly placed, it blotted out all other light in this private universe besides its incredible light.
Its passing opened up the possibility of victory, if only Max Jenius could seize it.
| Max Jenius staggered the firing of the MACROSS-0 missiles, and set immediate dispersion. This close, he just needed them to distract the Mazinger ZERO while he lined up the killshot - and the wall of rust that slammed into the missiles blocked his path of advance. He charged forward behind the spinning red drill regardless, its force tearing apart the universe itself. It tore through one, two, ten walls of rust - but each time, it slowed just a little bit more. The blow that arrived at the Mazinger ZERO's skin was powerful, but just not powerful enough. | Framed by the heavenly light, Max Jenius cast the GN Lance straight at its eye. Mazinger ZERO, blinded by the light of the Buster Rifle, saw the red spear of death too late. It threw itself backwards, slamming its eyes shut to prevent the attack from reaching its eye. A wall of rust pooled in front of its eye, anything to stop that red spear from piercing. | Max Jenius dived into the Buster Rifle's beam attack itself, accepting the damage from the extreme heat and power of the Buster Rifle as the penalty for borrowing its power in one singularly awesome charge. The Mazinger ZERO threw a thicket of rust into the path of the charging lance, but Max Jenius simply tore through the walls with brute force, the awesome drill piercing forward with galaxy-piercing force. If only the angle were even a hundredth of a degree better, the drill would have pierced the eye itself - but unfortunately - |
Only the possibility of victory was acceptable.
Max Jenius caught up to the thrown lance.
He redirected the angle slightly.
The particle emitters in the lance unleashed at full burst.
The unstoppable lance drilled through the tiny gap between the Mazinger ZERO's eyelid, and stabbed the demon God in the eye.
An overwhelming light gathered at the point where the future had broken through the defenses of the past.
The old universe of the DREAM was passing.
The new universe was presenting itself before yourself.
"I recognize your BRAVERY, Raven's Nest."
May UC0096
The Universe Within Eden's Aegis
The sound of Lamia's voice travels around the world.
| Ame Presbund's feels a jolt in his spine, blades of the Verdant locked against his opponent's draconic Gundam. | Senpuuji Maito feels a shiver down his spine, and urges the Gaine onwards. Every second counts. | Lynn Minmay feels a chill run over her fingers. Was this a sign of overwork? Or was this a premonition that her dream life was about to end? | Amuro Ray huddles in his quiet room, hoping that closing his eyes and ears will quiet the voices calling for him. He can still hear them clear as day. |
| Banagher Links feels a terrible premonition, and yet in the haze of their anger, his fingers pull the trigger. | Teletha Testarossa feels a voice tickling the back of her head, and turns at Chidori's cry of pain. | Keito Aono feels sweat bead in his palms. His first performance review is almost here, and the dream house for Hinoki is riding on it. | Selene McGriff feels something important is happening, like the breakthrough she seeks is right around the corner. |
| Treize Kushrenada smiles softly. He feels the pleasant tingle of victory coming, and must temper it with humility, and respect for the losers. | A dangerous gleam comes into Raiga Shishioh's eyes, stewing in the darkness of his workshop. Getting forced off the board of his own company will not be the end of the Roaring Liger. He swears it. | Wang Liu Mei can feel the moment come, sitting beside a Mediterranean beach villa. Will this finally be the thing that breaks the distortion in this world? | Gilbert Durandal sets down his pen for the moment. He can tell that the moment matters, but not why. Just like how he could tell that his genes had a plan for him - but not what. |
| Mafty Navue Erin frowns. One of the men who he believed could never be brought to justice has died before his eyes, and yet he can't help but feeling it was a hollow victory. | Leonard Testarossa tsks. He contributed more than enough to take down the Second, but as usual, he was let down by a Britannian collaborator. But he moves on. His enemies were still human, after all. They'd slip up. | Nagare Akatsuki smiles wanly, the way he always does every quarterly report. How ironic. A CEO that doesn't believe in honor is kept afloat by Mr. Prospector's honor. | Martha Vist Carbine raises a glass in toast to the true ruler of this world of men: Schneizel vi Britannia. She detests him, and she detests the thrill she feels when he says they think alike. |
Perhaps they seek to preserve the world that they LOVE; perhaps they seek to destroy the world that they HATE. Perhaps they STRUGGLE onwards, deafened by the drumbeat of their own heart; perhaps they RESIGN themselves to the world, cowed by the size of the world they see.
Perhaps they are simply the ordinary 10 billion people. Perhaps there are 10 billion unique people, and yet there is not one extraordinary person amongst them. Perhaps he should trust his own plan, the one he imagined when he realized this history was controlled by humanity's own desire to collar itself.
But he would never betray the memory of his friends from his own
No matter how many ages pass, no matter how many times he has to live through this ever-repeating hell. If even one person can stand up to the end of the universe and continue fighting, his heart will always be cheering them on.
He offers them a simple congratulations. They truly are brave. They can fight the battles he thought no one else in this dimension could.
He will give them those battles, if they want it.
But first, they'll need to take their hard-won reward from this island quickly.
In ten minutes, the Endless Illusion will vanish in the light of artificial suns.
Congratulations, everyone. You've won this scenario completely.
You stand to have a ticket to fight for leadership of the Romefeller Foundation, and the mission of Kenzo Kabuto. You'll get to recruit from the greatest talents the Earth Federation's neglected. Raven's Nest is now the place you go to if you want to change the world, in this stagnant world.
But perhaps more importantly, Relena is now completely on your side. Even if all of humanity, all of history vilifies you, she never will. In this world, she may be the truest friend you have now.
Let me know what thoughts you have on the update.
SCENARIO COMPLETE: END OF THE ILLUSION
Rewards:
Koo Krying Kroo defeated! SHACKLES OF THE WATCHERS: 4/7
INTEL: [Sons of the Patriots]
INTEL: [The Birthday Truth]
"INTEL": [Romefeller Foundation Claimant: The Queen in Waiting]
RESEARCH: The NT-D System
RESEARCH: Patriots
PROTO-INTEL: [The NT-D Program]
RELENA PEACECRAFT: Even if the entire rest of the world is against you, I will believe in you, Doctor. I hope that someday, you can come to rely on me like I have relied upon you today. If there is anything I can do to help you, please let me know.
One Endless Illusion Lootbox.
UNKNOWN ASSAILANT TRUMP CARD REVEALED: Arms Fort Motherwill
EXTRA SCENARIO COMPLETE: DREAMING OF THE END
REWARDS:
RAVEN'S NEST UNLOCKS ORGANIZATIONAL SPIRIT: BRAVERY
Once per month turn, one of your units can use the [BRAVERY] spirit.
RAVEN'S NEST UNLOCKS CHALLENGER RECRUITING SYSTEM
Due to your NEWTYPE and WILLE alignment, I am preparing the Challenger system, to be rolled out some time over the following few days. The Challenger system will be an automatic recruiting system that both allows user submissions of recruitable characters and automates the process every turn. Some examples of immediately recruitable Challengers include, theoretically, Raiga Shishioh. I'll probably use him as the example.
RAVEN'S NEST UNLOCKS THE LABORS OF LAMIA
Lamia will set impossible goals before you. When you accomplish them, Lamia will set you harder battles. The battles he has been fighting on your behalf will be your battles. But the flip side is that when the sky is falling, you will be the name that they cry out to for salvation.
One Endless Illusion lootbox
CLAIM YOUR TWO ADDITIONAL REWARDS:
[] [Reward] <Speak with Dead>
The Angel's Halo is still offering the chance for you to touch the world of C... and there's a conversation you might still be looking to have.
[] [Reward] <Hear the Whispers>
If there really is a World of C that is the afterlife...maybe that's where the Whispers are getting information from. Surely it's worth a shot
[] [Reward] <Hear My Cry>
The Angel's Halo, in another sense, is a microphone directly connected to the soul of the world. You can use it to send one message.
[] [Reward] <Sutherland>
Who even thought bringing a Sutherland to a modern battlefield was a good idea? Which f*cking idiot thought this? You'd better grab their remains to start putting the reasons together.
[] [Reward] <Gloucesters>
Nobody wants those Gloucesters, right? What if you just...took their charred corpses?
[] [Reward] <AS Codarl>
Oh boy, AMALGAM cutting-edge Codarls! Those will be quite the addition to your collection.
[] [Reward] <Gundam Over-On>
The Gundam Over-on, your unfortunate fellow traveler's machine, was supposedly the Knight of Five's greatest machine. Surely you can learn something from it -... even if you have to remove the Knight of Five's rotten body from the pilot seat.
[] [Reward] <Weekday Machines>
These machines were clearly not irrelevant to Koo Krying Kroo's plan, if they were his final line of defense. Go grab them, see what you can learn - even if many of them are in mangled heaps...
[] [Reward] <Patriots I>
You want to know what the hell the Patriots even are. You're going to dive in and get all the data being stored on the systems here.
[] [Reward] <Patriots II>
You want to know who exactly the Patriots are. Look for that information specifically. It can't just be a list of long-dead men.
[] [Reward] <Bastard Sons of the Patriots>
You want every single personnel report the Patriots have ever put together. Just imagine what you could do with all those recruitable people...!
[] [Reward] <Mashiro Returns>
One of the biotanks just hissed, and released another person from the tanks. You'll secure them and make them an offer they can't refuse.
[] [Reward] <Yazan Gable>
Yazan's seen all that sh*t just happen, and he's decided he's gotta look out for numero uno. He figures a good pilot's worth their weight in Sakuradite, and not to toot his own horn, but he's one of the best there is.
