Purr
Kaerri's Man. =)
As you moved through the night-haunted, rained-out streets of Pensacola, you received another order from Lt. Mack. "Wild Cards, pop to battloid immediately. I can hear your hover thrusters over the rain. And if I can, so can the Malcontents."
Only after Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder transform was the call to Professor Stein made... but there was no answer. "Huh! Way to stand a girl up there, Prof. Guys, the Professor isn't picking up." But her tone carried the hint of worry. Men like Professor Arthur Stein took their duties very seriously. For that phone to go unanswered did not bode well. "Wild Cards, we're on our own."
History repeated itself for Toph. Just as when Toph had Traversed with Hitomi's little sidearm and knew everything about it, so now did Toph remember to slow her breathing and focus on learning about this new weapon. Her memory of that moment came with the words Hitomi had said at the time. "Good. You're letting go..."
In that moment, Toph understood everything there was to know about the weapon. It was more than a weapon, but a weapon system. Both a pistol and a rifle. It was the H-90 Gallant. Another voice, true and metallic if such traits could describe it, replied to Toph. "I am fully charged and prepared for operation." Moreso, Toph understood its every operation now - all without having gone into The Blue World.
Mario saw Toph carefully handle the new futuristic weapon. It was a weapon that, even at a glance, challenged everything he had learned in the Army of the Southern Cross. Then he saw Toph's eyes glaze over. Her blue eyes suddenly were not so blue. Mario watched her pupils vanish and her eyes were suddenly just two bright white spheres. Suddenly, the half-Meltrandi went limp in her chair and looked as helpless as a sleeping kitten. All this happened in a matter of seconds.
Then, just as quickly, Toph's body was animated and alive again. Her eyes were blue, not white. She seemed to shake off a momentary grogginess, but with that there seemed to be a great sense of enlightenment in the young woman's eyes - as if she were a little wiser than before.
Elinor knew about as much about the weapon as Toph did prior to the doctor's use of technopathy, except Elinor being an engineer in multiple categories was certain there was something different about the energy weapon's ammunition system. This was not an energy clip as she knew it. Whatever this was, it seemed to be something very, very efficient and far more long-lasting than the E-clips she was used to. But what was it?
The Wild Cards watched as the convoy exited the city proper and in a handful of hilly and forest-strewn miles (which were easy to keep hidden in), the squadron found themselves looking at a huge red barn dominating two smaller, older barns on top of an age-old farm dotted with wooden fences, wild growth, and acres and acres of uncared-for land. There is no sign of life, livestock, or lights anywhere near the place. Otherwise, the place seemed well-kept. The Ajax veritechs escorted the Janissary APC to the front door. This front door slid open like a giant garage door and accepted the APC without hesitation. Then the door smoothly sheathed itself back down into place with smooth precision.
The Wild Cards were about 1,000 feet from the barn, crouched down in their mecha with woods, hills, night, and rain for concealment. Over the wind came the "whup-whup-whup" of the Ajax helicopters as the hovered over and around the barn like predatory birds eager for prey.
By this time, Toph (with her keen senses) spotted something the other Wild Cards apparently had not. The discovery may have pricked the half-alien's pride a bit, too, for each of these Ajaxs were carrying, not one but two ion cannons; a request she had made prior to their first mission but was denied by General Steele. Now she found herself staring at four Ajaxs, each of which held the honor she was denied.
"Hey, what gives?" said Lt. Mack. As each of you looked out of your Mjolnirs via your sensors and monitors, Lt. Mack's Super Valkyrie head turned to the north. "Guys, my thermal imager is picking up... Bingo! We've got land-bound targets hiding about 1,100 feet north of the big barn. I see four Nousjadeul-Ger Zentraedi lying prone using the hills and trees as cover. Their cannons are aimed toward the big barn. They may have more with 'em." Elinor and Toph's tank-based thermal imagers reached out to about 800 feet but they knew a Valkyrie's reached out to 2.5 times that.
"Dammit... They have eyes on the Ajaxes..." Lt. Mack's voice became grave. The idea of allowing Malcontents to get the jump on human forces just threw a wrench in her guts. She hated the idea of anyone from ASC getting hurt or killed, even if they were following the orders of despicable General Steele. Every one of you including Cera understood that the Ajaxes had no idea there was a threat out there and they were about to get hit. Meanwhile, here you were in relative safety as the Nousjadeul-Ger had not picked up your scent yet.
Mack came over the polyphonic nexus. She was feeling grim and awkward and you could not help but know it. "Guys, this... feels so wrong to me. I don't want to put the Colonel into any more danger than he's in, but those Ajaxes... they're T.A.S.C.! Just like Toph and me! And they're about to get shot down! Is there a way... I mean... should we..."
In a moment of human weakness, Mack could not complete her statement.
Only after Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder transform was the call to Professor Stein made... but there was no answer. "Huh! Way to stand a girl up there, Prof. Guys, the Professor isn't picking up." But her tone carried the hint of worry. Men like Professor Arthur Stein took their duties very seriously. For that phone to go unanswered did not bode well. "Wild Cards, we're on our own."
* * *
History repeated itself for Toph. Just as when Toph had Traversed with Hitomi's little sidearm and knew everything about it, so now did Toph remember to slow her breathing and focus on learning about this new weapon. Her memory of that moment came with the words Hitomi had said at the time. "Good. You're letting go..."
In that moment, Toph understood everything there was to know about the weapon. It was more than a weapon, but a weapon system. Both a pistol and a rifle. It was the H-90 Gallant. Another voice, true and metallic if such traits could describe it, replied to Toph. "I am fully charged and prepared for operation." Moreso, Toph understood its every operation now - all without having gone into The Blue World.
Mario saw Toph carefully handle the new futuristic weapon. It was a weapon that, even at a glance, challenged everything he had learned in the Army of the Southern Cross. Then he saw Toph's eyes glaze over. Her blue eyes suddenly were not so blue. Mario watched her pupils vanish and her eyes were suddenly just two bright white spheres. Suddenly, the half-Meltrandi went limp in her chair and looked as helpless as a sleeping kitten. All this happened in a matter of seconds.
Then, just as quickly, Toph's body was animated and alive again. Her eyes were blue, not white. She seemed to shake off a momentary grogginess, but with that there seemed to be a great sense of enlightenment in the young woman's eyes - as if she were a little wiser than before.
The H-90 Gallant has been added to Technopolis. The weapon relays all of this information to Toph including the part about the Invid. Congrats! =)
* * *
Elinor knew about as much about the weapon as Toph did prior to the doctor's use of technopathy, except Elinor being an engineer in multiple categories was certain there was something different about the energy weapon's ammunition system. This was not an energy clip as she knew it. Whatever this was, it seemed to be something very, very efficient and far more long-lasting than the E-clips she was used to. But what was it?
* * *
The Wild Cards watched as the convoy exited the city proper and in a handful of hilly and forest-strewn miles (which were easy to keep hidden in), the squadron found themselves looking at a huge red barn dominating two smaller, older barns on top of an age-old farm dotted with wooden fences, wild growth, and acres and acres of uncared-for land. There is no sign of life, livestock, or lights anywhere near the place. Otherwise, the place seemed well-kept. The Ajax veritechs escorted the Janissary APC to the front door. This front door slid open like a giant garage door and accepted the APC without hesitation. Then the door smoothly sheathed itself back down into place with smooth precision.
The Wild Cards were about 1,000 feet from the barn, crouched down in their mecha with woods, hills, night, and rain for concealment. Over the wind came the "whup-whup-whup" of the Ajax helicopters as the hovered over and around the barn like predatory birds eager for prey.
By this time, Toph (with her keen senses) spotted something the other Wild Cards apparently had not. The discovery may have pricked the half-alien's pride a bit, too, for each of these Ajaxs were carrying, not one but two ion cannons; a request she had made prior to their first mission but was denied by General Steele. Now she found herself staring at four Ajaxs, each of which held the honor she was denied.
Elinor's farmer background comes into play here. Unlike everyone else in the group, Elinor sees a farm that was not hastily-abandoned but was taken care of all the way until the day the occupants left. Not one piece of tack or gear or machinery was left to rot out in the elements. It seemed that whomever left here did so with great care. Except there is one awfully-peculiar thing that stands out.
That big red barn is a great deal newer-looking than its smaller buddies. And Elinor has never seen a "garage-door" mechanism like that on any barn worthy of the name. In fact, Elinor (with her combined background of farmer and engineer education, can with certainty say that the big red barn may have been put here not long after the original owners left to live elsewhere. Also, unlike any loved land, Elinor sees no signs of ownership or family name anywhere despite the darkness and sputtering rain.
That big red barn is a great deal newer-looking than its smaller buddies. And Elinor has never seen a "garage-door" mechanism like that on any barn worthy of the name. In fact, Elinor (with her combined background of farmer and engineer education, can with certainty say that the big red barn may have been put here not long after the original owners left to live elsewhere. Also, unlike any loved land, Elinor sees no signs of ownership or family name anywhere despite the darkness and sputtering rain.
"Hey, what gives?" said Lt. Mack. As each of you looked out of your Mjolnirs via your sensors and monitors, Lt. Mack's Super Valkyrie head turned to the north. "Guys, my thermal imager is picking up... Bingo! We've got land-bound targets hiding about 1,100 feet north of the big barn. I see four Nousjadeul-Ger Zentraedi lying prone using the hills and trees as cover. Their cannons are aimed toward the big barn. They may have more with 'em." Elinor and Toph's tank-based thermal imagers reached out to about 800 feet but they knew a Valkyrie's reached out to 2.5 times that.
"Dammit... They have eyes on the Ajaxes..." Lt. Mack's voice became grave. The idea of allowing Malcontents to get the jump on human forces just threw a wrench in her guts. She hated the idea of anyone from ASC getting hurt or killed, even if they were following the orders of despicable General Steele. Every one of you including Cera understood that the Ajaxes had no idea there was a threat out there and they were about to get hit. Meanwhile, here you were in relative safety as the Nousjadeul-Ger had not picked up your scent yet.
Mack came over the polyphonic nexus. She was feeling grim and awkward and you could not help but know it. "Guys, this... feels so wrong to me. I don't want to put the Colonel into any more danger than he's in, but those Ajaxes... they're T.A.S.C.! Just like Toph and me! And they're about to get shot down! Is there a way... I mean... should we..."
In a moment of human weakness, Mack could not complete her statement.
