Whoa....whoa! Man, it seemed like a cool idea at the time, but I've never actually tried driving the Alt before. This thing's like a mack truck, and this is coming from a guy who drives a Valcion on his off days. Jeez. Alright, there's a guy. Let's see if I can get this to work. Eat Stake, you bastard!

*Charges forward and Revover Stakes the hell out of one of the skeletons, destroying it completely*

MAN, that is satisfying! If I can figure out how to control this thing, I might consider hanging onto it.

"Maybe you should try talking about poker and using all your ammo on one enemy! It seems to work for Kyosuke."

*Looks over and spots the Weiss floating nearby, waving*

Ah, I was hoping I'd run into you. How's it going, Excellen?

"Oh, same old same old. Chasing down DC, fighting mysterious enemies that show up, dodging taxes. The usual."

Sounds like a blast. Hey, you mind if I hang around you for a bit while I figure this thing out?

"Sure! I'll even help you."

Thanks. Okay, Excellen-sensei, you saw that last attack. What should I be working on?

"You've got most of the movement down okay, but that Stake was really slow. Most of the weapon controls are there in the cockpit with you. Do you have a "Fire All Ammo" button?"

.....Why, yes I do. I assume that's the Trump Card option.

"Yup! Leave that locked for now. Kyosuke always has his finger on that one, but you need to learn to be that crazy, first. Next, start looking for the...."

The Huckebein stops firing at a plant monster and waves at the white mech darting around, then dodges an incoming vine.

Hey Excellen! Been a while.

"And hello to you too, Jay! Shara still with you?"

Shara: "Yes."

E: "Ooooh, and you've got yourself a big gun there, too... I' think I'll stay away from Jay, then... unless you don't mind sharing..."

S: "Huh?"

Get your mind out of the gutter, please...

E: "Awww, y're no fun. I need to make sure to drag Bullet with me in the future."

Right...

The Huckebein spins away from a plant monster again.

This guy annoying you as much as me, Shara?

S: "Better believe it."

Then let's do something about it. Sabers ready. Formation 7.

S: "WING RIPPER!"

BLOODY ROSE!

The two mechs dive towards the plant monster, slashing repeatedly at high speed. As Jaybee pulls back, Shara arcs high overhead, transforms to GERWALK mode, and dives down on the plant monster, gougin g a chunk out with the beam talons.

"HAWK TALON!"

The plant monster explodes, then dissipates into nothingness.


That worked quite nicely.

"Indeed."

Excellen: "LOVE-LOVE ATTACK!"

*Visually a whirlwind of energy and monster parts*

That was my Dragon Dance. Anyone else want a piece of me?

*The V2 tries to cuts apart another skeleton monster when the Phoenix blows it up*

It's not nice to steal a kill from one of the people who helped test your machine.

"You should of marked it as your kill slow poke!"

"Please excuse Achmie she's actually a nice girl except that she's psychotic when piloting."

'Did I hear her correctly?'

'I think so....'

A::"Quiet Kaguya!"

K:"If it weren't for her half of our weapons wouldn't be operational!"

A:"I could have figured it out!"

K:"No you couldn't sister!"

A:"We're in the middle of a battle don't call me your sister!"

ENOUGH! Finish your argument after this is over. ALRIGHT?

A & K (fearfully):"Yes Ma'am!"

Hey, Excellen... why is it only MY combo attacks that get rebranded by you?

"Because you're the only one that reacts."

Ah, right...


The Durageiz comm officer interrupts.
"Hey, Jay... was THAT the big secret attack you guys've been planning? Because I'm feeling a little underwhelmed here."

No, it wasn't. But you can consider it a preview of coming attractions.  Now shut up before I Bloody Rose your FACE!

"Yes sir, shutting up sir!"

Good man.

*As Kyrios is attacked from all side*

Looks like more want to fight me. This is kind of sad.

*Extends beams saber and starts spinning.*

Dragon Dance!

*The spin starts to emit energy and looks like a small tornado, sending the energy crackling, shreading the oncoming enemies*

*Stakes another skeleton while gunning down one of the plants*

You know, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this thing.

*Looks and notices that two more skeletons are charging him*

For example, I now feel confident enough in my ability to do THIS.

*Waiting for the enemies to get close enough, Derek activates the shoulders. The ensuing claymore fire obliterates both with ease.*

SO satisfying.

Sure... but you can fly ANYTHING in space. I'd like to see what happens once you're back in a gravity field.

The Huckebein boosts up and rolls backwards as a skeleton lunges. The skeleton crashes into a plant monster instead. The Huckey fires a volley from the gravity rifle while "upside-down", obliterating both monsters.

In fact, I'll pay good money to watch you learning to walk all over again. I've got 250 credits here right now.

Alright, I'll take that. Next battle we get into earthside, I'll drive the Alt. And I won't even sim-cheat, either. Two hundred and fifty just to make a relative fool out of myself in a badass mecha is easy money for the likes of me.

*Spins around and drives the stake right through an approaching skeleton's face without firing, then heat horns it into oblivion*

That looks like just about all of them, I think.

"Which means we should be on guard, right Captain?"

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if more showed up. These things....There's something about them I REALLY don't like....

Yeah.... I think there's something bigger out here... watching...

And a voice cuts in from the Durageiz bridge

"Hey, I've got a quest-"
I thought I told you to shut up before I conducted arterial floral arrangement with your face!

"Right..."

Whispers can be heard across the comm channel.

"Hey, will you ask him for me?"
"He's not SERIOUS. Be a man!"
"Are you sure? I think he's crazy enough to really do it!"
"FINE!"

And the second voice comes on the line.
"So... we were all kinda wondering... you were shouting about space monsters earlier. How did you know this was coming?"

Honestly, I didn't. I thought the purple cone things were space monsters.

"Uh-huh... they didn't look very monstrous to me. "

Well, I was wrong. Besides, how many space monsters leave mechanical parts behind?

"There WAS 'Menace of the Mechannibals' a few years back, and before that we had-"

It was a rhetorical question. They clearly weren't monsters anyways. Just very large and expensive drones of some sort.

Jaybee wonders to himself just who sent those drones, and what their intent was. His thoughts are interrupted by another voice on the line.

Shara: "He was up all night watching horror movies again is all. You can't take him seriously when he does that."

Hey! Thou woundst mine pride, milady!

So... whoever's pulling the strings, it doesn't seem like they're willing to show their face just yet.

I'm goin' back home. Overdue for a shower, and I need a nap.
Maybe later you'll care to tell us what you're doing out here by yourself, Excellen? I doubt you came by for a social call, and you're a bit overdressed for seducing innocent young men.

"Not like there's any innocent ones around here, hmmm. I may have to settle for someone with some experience."

The Weissreitter turns towards the Hucekebein. Somehow, Excellen manages to make it suggestive.

Right. But point that libido somewhere else. Kyosuke is scary when he's jealous.

(Blame the production budget for the skip on this one. Besides, we're all well informed enough about SRW to know how Alfimi's entrance goes. Though, it really would have helped if I could have found a video of it in english...)

Well, hey. If you're not interested in her, Jay, that means I'm perfectly free to--

"Do absolutely nothing, Captain. You have your own relationship issues to deal with."

Ah, you're no fun sometimes. And it's not like you wouldn't be welcome to join--Whoa. Ugh....Anyone else just get suddenly get a feeling of impending doom?

"It's...not just you. Look!"

*In the middle of the stone circle, A big red mother****er appears out of nowhere. The pilot introduces herself as "Einst Alfimi", goes on for a minute in slow, cryptic half-sentences, and then proceeds to start fighting Excellen. For everyone else, though, another fifty or so skeletons and plants show up to play. Fortunately, at this point, the Hiryu catches up as well and launches everyone.*

Son of a--!!!

Do these guys have ANY intelligence? I would like some sort of challenge instead of hundreds of grunts

'Will you shut up! I can handle how you act most of the time but, don't give our enemies advice on better ways of killing us.'

Spoilsport.

'Shut up.'

OOC: Hope you don't mind if I join with a character I use on another forum, but he is a 15 year old pilot who gets drafted into UN SPACY's Galaxy Patrol unit protecting a ship containing an Aviation Museum from raiders and rogue Zentraedi.  He flies the VF-22 since it's the only one with enough lasers to satisfy his need for ranged combat.  He has little skill in hand-to-hand or melee, but he's an excellent shot.!  If I need to post a profile somewhere, just let me know.

Matt Archer was engaging an enemy in a VF-22 borrowed from the Museum Ship he was protecting when he got hit from behind by some debris, and knocked into a space-time anomaly.  Before he knew it, he was at the stone circle, watching various armed forces engage a decidedly alien enemy that looked like a cross between corpses and plants.  He radioed the forces he saw, "Excuse me.  I don't know where I am, but mind if I help you out?  I'm armed to the teeth and you're clearly outnumbered.  I'll help clear some of these corpse-plants outta here, you guys just focus on surviving!"  Matt flew in fighter mode, firing off 14 missiles, all of which hit their separate targets and seemingly doing little damage.  "WHAT?!  Guess they just won't die politely!"  He transformed quickly to battroid mode, all lasers firing at the enemy as fast as he could, causing heavy damage to 2 or 3 targets, followed by bombarding the enemy swarm with a swarm of 40 high-maneuverability missiles.  The explosions made him feel just a bit better about being completely lost.

The Huckebein stops about halfway back to the ship.

Oh, god... that crazy girl's givin' me a killer headache...

Shara: Really? I'm not feeling anything.

You're not jacked into a T-Link system, either. She's dumping a ton of psychic energy.


Welcome aboard, Archer. We're not gonna question another set of guns on our side.

(OoC: You're probably gonna wind up being called by your screen name. Can we claim that's your nickname or something?)


Jaybee brings up some music. A long slow buildup begins.
Masaki, Shara... ready to wow them?

M: Thought you'd never ask.
S: Ready. Though you weren't really asking, if you've already got the music up.

Darn right. Let's clear a path to the boss, then go to town.

And the buildup ends and breaks into Super Robot Spirits proper.

S: I'll start our tunnel.

Shara whips out her buster rifles, crosses them over her mech's chest, and swings them out in a large X as she fires, blasting several monsters out of the way. Then she drops to fighter mode and heads toward the hole. A second later the Huckebein passes by.


We're not through yet. TRACE MISSILES! FORWARD BURST!

The Huckey's missiles plow into the skeletons, blasting further through the wall. Then the Cybird flies by.

M: CYFLASH! There's your exit.


And all 3 mechs come out near Alfimi's... mech?

What the hell? Some sorta samurai armor plant monster?

M: Don't ask me. I just blow 'em up.

Right, well...

S: That's what we're here for.

Formation PR!

The Sturmvogel and Huckebein take positions next to the Cybuster. All 3 ready their swords, holding them out in front and crossed, like that cliche 3 Musketeers pose. There's a cheesy record-skipping sound effect, then Super Robot Spirits stops and Ace Attacker Ver. W begins.

Let's go!

The Cybuster boosts up and forward as the VF-22 and Huckey boost to the sides.

M: Feel the disco inferno! DANCING BLADE!

S: I should kill you for that pun. WING RIPPER!

You know it won't do any good, Shara. BLOODY ROSE!

The three mechs rapidly slash the crap out of the Personlicht, gradually turning up the speed, and occasionally passing within a few feet of each other. As they finish Masaki boosts off one way, Jaybee off another, and Shara boosts high overhead, then drops in GERWALK mode, clawing the samurai plant on the way out. In the end, all 3 mechs are standing at points on a triangle around their target.

T-link bind!

Several rings of energy flash out from the Huckebein's left hand and take position around the target, exerting a pressure that holds it immobile for the next step.

All right, let's finish this.

The Huckebein raises it's right hand. A ball of blue energy forms above the T-Link emitter, then begins shaping into a lance.  Shara brings the twin buster rifles together and starts charging. Masaki slashes a pentagram in the air.

NEBELUNG VALESTI!
S: BUSTER RIFLE!
M: AKASHIC BUSTEEER!

As the lance is hurled, it flares up like a dragon. The backwash from the twin buster rifle blows flakes off Shara's wing ripper, resulting in a shower of pink particles pouring off behind her. As the firebird leaves Masaki's pentagram, the Cybird boosts forward and rides inside it, boosting through the 'licht and coming out the other side, depositing him between Shara and Jaybee.

PHOENIX RISING!

And the blue energy rings collapse, focusing the explosion out to the sides in a pair of flaming wings. At the end, the 'licht is damaged, but not destroyed.

M: Aww, man! We didn't even finish her!

S: Did we miss something?

No.... I think she's just that powerful.



Meanwhile, back on the bridge. Someone whistles long and low.
Helmsman: Okay, THAT was impressive.
Comm officer: Hey, what was the power level on that last attack?
Gunner: It's OVER NINE THOUSAND!
Bright: DOUBLE BRIGHT PUNCH!

The comm officer and gunner both fall out of their chairs and crash to the ground. They sit up slowly. Bright remains in his chair.

Bright: You two aren't funny.
Comm: Did he just--- but he's still--- how in the---
Gunner: Don't ask. Just get back to work.