Chapter Three: All In

[Psychie]

Toph slowly turns her head and looks over at Mario with an expression that speaks volumes without saying a word. Are you fucking kidding me? Really? You're kidding, right? She lets out a sigh, then says, "You let a potential enemy masquerade as a member of the RDF military into your ranks? No Id, no talking? Did you at least look at his face to see if its a human or a micronized Zentraedi or Meltrandi on your hands? I am not happy with your decision making process here, corporal. I only hope that you have not let a viper into our midst."

 

[Sherwood]

Mario can't help the blush that crosses his face. "Ma'am, I understand your concerns, but I feel that 'Spaceman Sam' is not a threat to us. If he was, well, I don't know. Besides, Mechakitten seems to like him, too." He sounds hopeful, as if that would make everything all better.

 

[Psychie]

Toph lets out a glare at the red-faced Italian. "'Mechakitten seems to like him, too?' Good grief! Please tell me that we are not risking our lives on the opinion of a mechanical cat!" She looks over at Elinor and Mackenzie for back-up.

 

[Purr]

Mack leaned to one side and rested her head in her hand. She wanted to reply to Toph, but she had not heard the whole story yet.

"Herrrrrrrc?" Shirley asked in a motherly way. "You have something to add, fella? Are we really trusting our lives to a mechanical cat?"

Upon hearing this, Cera looked again to the Valkyrie's monitors. There she saw a darling little mechanical feline playing around with Hercules's helmet. MechaKitten bumped and pushed his head against Hercules's hand in a clear request for head scratchies.

Seeing the cat sent another shock through the Ura-Meltrandi. She gasped again and covered her mouth with both hands, unable to look away from the monitor.

"By the Black Binary..." she whispered, hoping she had not drawn attention to herself, but Elinor could tell Cera had retreated a bit back into her less-confident self. Cera looked out of the canopy in the direction Taniya had gone, but then she looked as if realizing Taniya was indeed gone.

A look of dread came over Cera's face. "Elly Nor," she cringed. "Has no one told you for your fellows of the Maelstrom?"

 

[Kaerri]

Mack grinned. "Mario, you silly twerp, you're more than just a passenger - you're a Wild Card like the rest of us! And yeah I'm ready to get this going - now let's do this! Cera, point Elinor the way, willya? Elinor, take point."

Cera replied. "Yes. We should make for your tanks immediately. Even in these..." Elinor saw Cera run her hand across the inside of her Valkyrie's canopy.

"These what?"

"...relics."

"'Relics'?"

"Yes. This is a standard 1st generation VF-1S Valkyrie veritech fighter. That your superior sends you to face the terrible Zeki-Zentraedi in these... Surely he wishes you death and disgrace instead of victory?"

Shirley watched as Spaceman Sam lifted MechaKitten into her cockpit. She pet the four-footed fellow on his head before handing him back to Hercules. "Listen, chick! Valkyries might not be the brand-new machines that the Ajax and Logan are, but don't treat these birds like they're ancient artifacts!

"Hey, now," Elinor said, even as she moved to the front of the group and prepared to follow Cera's directions. "These girls may not be new, but you can't beat 'em for flexibility, maneuverability, and just plain fun to fly! Way I see it, if you get it right the first time, you don't need a replacement. Valkyries may not be perfect," she patted her console as if apologizing to the mech for that bit of honesty, "but they still do the job just fine. You see them?" She pointed back at the Zeki-Zentraedi that she, Toph, and Shirley had taken out. "Two Valkyries and an Ajax did just fine on them, didn't they?"

Toph lets out a glare at the red-faced Italian. "'Mechakitten seems to like him, too?' Good grief! Please tell me that we are not risking our lives on the opinion of a mechanical cat!" She looks over at Elinor and Mackenzie for back-up.

Elinor shrugged. "A Traverser mechanical cat," she pointed out. "Maybe he has good instincts for that kind 'a thing. An' if he's helping out so far..."

A look of dread came over Cera's face. "Elly Nor," she cringed. "Has no one told you for your fellows of the Maelstrom?"

Elinor glanced in the monitor and shook her head. "Not that I've heard," she replied. "Way you look, it's pretty important. Is it something that can wait 'til we're outta here, something you can tell us on the way to the tanks, or something we need to stop right here and hear? If it's not the third, start by telling me which way to go first."

 

[Purr]

(Lots here, folks. Enjoy! =) )

Spoiler: Scene music

"Back on my Feet (live)" by Boom Boom Satellites Very exciting and well-delivered jam!

Hearing Elinor's response, Cera cradled her embattled brain in her hands and thought hard. Very hard. Her mind raced on and on through a chaotic nebula of recent facts provided by the Wild Cards and the Auxiliary Specialist's own desperate calculations and theories. Over the veritech monitors, anyone watching her could see Cera's agitation increasing again. Sitting in the back seat in Elinor's Valkyrie, her breathing came in deep gulps as if she had run a fast mile. Sweat broke out across her brow. She seemed nearly overwhelmed by conclusions that seemed to stagger her personal universe.

Yet she also seemed to be holding together. "'One does... not argue... with a War-queen,'" she paraphrased Elinor's statement. She began to calm. Elinor's words had provided her the strength.

"Wild Cards... for our survival... please listen to me..."

Mario yanks his attention away from the cut signal and looks up. "Quick question for the group at large. What mecha, either RDF/ASC or Meltrandi, utilize a plasma weapon? I overheard a radio transmission between the Zentraedi here, saying that three of their soldiers were killed with 'plasma weapons and blunt force trauma'. They also said that they found the remains of a Micronian vehicle, and closed the signal with a salute to Lord Dolza."

"There are none," the Ura-Meltrandi said with the utmost confidence. "The hand-held plasma cannon and the rocket hammer are staples of Zeki-Zentraedi. The Dolza-Zentraedi were thus slain by an officer of the Zeki."

Toph lets out a glare at the red-faced Italian. "'Mechakitten seems to like him, too?' Good grief! Please tell me that we are not risking our lives on the opinion of a mechanical cat!" She looks over at Elinor and Mackenzie for back-up.

Cera closed her eyes. Her head drooped as she spoke. "What you call 'Spaceman Sam' and the MechaKitten..." She shook her head slowly. "You have naught to fear from them. They are long friends of each other." Then she looked up as if making a realization. "Should we survive this night... they may become among of your greatest allies."

Cera looked to Iris. Iris looked back. "Unit One, include... MechaKitten in the Polyphonic Nexus."

Iris turned toward the Red Baroness. "Compliance!"

Inside the candy-apple red Valkyrie, MechaKitten ceased sniffing around for a moment. He looked up and out of the canopy to Iris. They gazed at each other for one long moment. Then MechaKitten sat back down and curled up as if he owned the veritech.

Shirley saw this and chuckled at him. "Just telling us who we can have in our team and taking over the aircraft, are you? Such a cat..."

"Hey, now," Elinor said, even as she moved to the front of the group and prepared to follow Cera's directions. "These girls may not be new, but you can't beat 'em for flexibility, maneuverability, and just plain fun to fly! Way I see it, if you get it right the first time, you don't need a replacement. Valkyries may not be perfect," she patted her console as if apologizing to the mech for that bit of honesty, "but they still do the job just fine. You see them?" She pointed back at the Zeki-Zentraedi that she, Toph, and Shirley had taken out. "Two Valkyries and an Ajax did just fine on them, didn't they?"

Cera nodded. "For a pilot to possess a soaring admiration for their chosen machine is not only commendable, it is right." Then she frowned. "But you have only fought Zeki-Zentraedi grunts here. Newly-released warriors, fresh from their tanks, and technical staff that we Ura-Meltrandi kill for pleasure, not for challenge. This... is the lowest of their low!" With a wave of her hand, she indicated the ugly corpses littered across the aerospace hangar.

"Wild Cards, you have not yet faced the true Zeki!"

Elinor glanced in the monitor and shook her head. "Not that I've heard," she replied. "Way you look, it's pretty important. Is it something that can wait 'til we're outta here, something you can tell us on the way to the tanks, or something we need to stop right here and hear? If it's not the third, start by telling me which way to go first."

"You must hear it, Elly Nor. Toph Kirin. Leader Mack. Even the male," she glanced at Mario but then turned away from him.

Shirley spoke defensively. "His name is Mario!"

Cera winced. "You must hear it all. But we have not the time. You are correct in that we must take advantage of this window of opportunity for when it closes and the Zeki recover..." Her mane of rich brown hair tossed side to side at the thought. Then she pleaded. "Please trust me! I am inherently broken and unworthy of life but you must do as I say for the next while or we will not survive this."

"All right," Shirley sighed. "Like Elly said, which way?"

Finally and feebly despite her beautiful and fit form, Cera pointed to Elinor's right. "That way... The junction with the damaged door. It must be Traversed, but this is a simple matter. The tank is behind the door opposite. Expect... opposition."

Spoiler: Important Game Master notes for all

First, remember that with Capn's Herc in TS, is there is now only one tank to recover (it's just plain not fair to have two when one of your tanker characters is not available, now is it?). =)

Secondly, I am not going to write this in-game, but instead just tell you - since Herc disappears into TS, Spaceman Sam will take his place in Shirley's Red Baroness along with MechaKitten. This leaves Sam protected, with you, and Iris able to fly freely without penalty or worry.

Lastly, remember the T-junction Mario and Herc came through when they dropped down from the ceiling shaft with Spaceman Sam and MechaKitten? There were two doors opposite one another at the end of the hallway. The door to the right blew open during your firefight with the Zeki-Zentraedi allowing Mario access to the aerospace hangar while the door to the left remained unharmed.

It is the undamaged door to the left that Mario, Herc, and Shirley passed earlier that Cera is indicating.

Shirley gave the command and made way for Elinor to take point. "Let's do it, Wild Cards! For Colonel Sharp! For everyone at Eglin!" Thrusters hot, the Red Baroness turned and aimed like a giant arrow at the blasted doorway across the hangar bay. "Cera, what can we expect for resistance?"

Cera continued, her red-brown eyes glaring at that door with a combination of fear and hatred. "Expect Abolishers, perhaps a Beast-master. If it is a Dreadnought, we must flee or die."

But none of the Wild Cards, even Toph, had ever heard of such foes before.

As the Wild Cards proceeded across the burning, smoky hangar bay, they reached the doorway Cera spoke of in moments.

"O.K...." Shirley hesitated. "Who wants to try to Traverse the alien door here?"

Cera held herself. "All machines are family; there are no aliens." Then she volunteered. "You are new to this? I can assist," she added meekly, "if you will have me?"

What do the Wild Cards do?

 

[Psychie]

Toph says, "If the tank we are looking for is on the other side of the door, and we should expect opposition, is it possible for us to Traverse the door while still in our mecha? I don't want to risk Cera or Mario on foot at the hatch if there is to be a firefight."

 

[Sherwood]

Mario feels excited at the thought of finally being this close to his (his!) tank. "Cera, up until recently, we only knew of two different groups; the Zentraedi and the Meltrandi. What are the differences between the various types of Zentraedi? What about these Zeki-Zentraedi makes them so much more serious of a threat than the Dolza forces we've fought before?" He then thinks for a moment, then says, "If needed, I have no problem trusting you ladies in the mecha while I go on foot to be able to saddle up in the VHT that much faster."

 

[Psychie]

Toph shakes her head. "No Mario. Unless it is absolutely needed, I don't want you out of this cockpit until that next room is clear of targets. Its just not safe with massive particle beams and missiles flying about the room. It wouldn't take much to have you reduced to a wet smear across the floor. Cera? Can Traversing be done from inside a mecha?"

 

[Sherwood]

As much as he'd like to argue the point with Toph, a couple things stop him cold. First, she is an officer and is due respect as such. Second, and much harder to admit, she has a point. If there are nasties out there that need to be hit hard, having him out of his mecha is just asking for trouble. Whatever lies beyond the door might see him as an easy kill and take him out. Or there might be another pack of those fucking Wargoths that . . . killed . . . Booty. When faced with a bunch of mecha, the rest of the Wild Cards might overlook them and let the damn things swarm him like they did the big man.

With a curt nod, he replies, "Yes, ma'am. As you say."

 

[Kaerri]

"There are none," the Ura-Meltrandi said with the utmost confidence. "The hand-held plasma cannon and the rocket hammer are staples of Zeki-Zentraedi. The Dolza-Zentraedi were thus slain by an officer of the Zeki."

Elinor thought about that. If the Dolza-Zentraedi were led by Dolza, did that mean the Zeki-Zentraedi were led by some guy named Zeki? She was about to ask, but filed it away for later questions when the conversation headed down a different path.

"O.K...." Shirley hesitated. "Who wants to try to Traverse the alien door here?"

Cera held herself. "All machines are family; there are no aliens." Then she volunteered. "You are new to this? I can assist," she added meekly, "if you will have me?"

Toph says, "If the tank we are looking for is on the other side of the door, and we should expect opposition, is it possible for us to Traverse the door while still in our mecha? I don't want to risk Cera or Mario on foot at the hatch if there is to be a firefight."

Elinor nodded. "Best if we all stay safe in the cockpits if we can. Cera, you said 'assist.' Does that mean you and I can work together on this one? With us at point anyway, it only makes sense that'd we'd be the ones to open the door."

 

[Purr]

Spoiler: Mood music

"Loaded" by Boom Boom Satellites. Such a kickin' group! I am glad they made as much music as they did while they were active. No one else has a sound quite like theirs. =)

"Cera, up until recently, we only knew of two different groups; the Zentraedi and the Meltrandi. What are the differences between the various types of Zentraedi? What about these Zeki-Zentraedi makes them so much more serious of a threat than the Dolza forces we've fought before?"

Cera heard Mario address her directly and did not immediately respond. Just moments ago, the male had spoken out of turn to the group, unrequested, but perhaps this was by order of Leader Mack? But now? Now the male spoke to Cera directly as if they were equals! Cera gritted her teeth. An unreasonable brief flare of hot rage lit in her red-brown eyes. Cera did not know where it had come from, but it was suddenly there! But her outrage was like a lit match in a breeze, dying quickly against the harsh winds of doubt that battered her confidence.

Instead of replying to Mario, she asked the squadron leader. "Leader Mack?"

"Go ahead?"

Cera now had the curious and confused tone of a teenager in a foreign school on her very first day. "The... the male speaks to me directly! Without your order! Is he not to be punished for his insolence?"

Shirley rolled her blue eyes skyward and fumed. This day was just one carpet bomb after another after another! "Just terrific... First War-bitch Taniya, now you!"

"L-Leader M-Mack?"

"Wild Cards?" Shirley steamed. "Fair warning! If I get just one more big surprise within the next few minutes, I swear to God I'm gonna scream!

Shirley's angry face appeared on Cera's viewscreen. "Ura-chick, listen good! I've had it up to here with Meltrandi treating my squad like they're less than people! We're human beings! We... work differently! So deal with it! You don't have to like Mario, but you darn better give him the same respect you give the rest of us! You're in my squad now and I deal the cards. Copy?"

Cera gulped and immediately saluted Shirley's viewscreen. "Yes, mistress!"

"Now answer him!"

The Ura-Meltrandi's reply to Mario was as meek as a kitten. "The... The differences are too great to list in their entirety given our need of haste, but... please allow me an attempt quick summaries?" For the sake of time, Cera tried to keep things as simple as possible while wracking her mind for the essential data the Wild Cards would need to see tomorrow.

"Both the Zeki-Zentraedi and the Ura-Meltrandi are smaller in number than Dolza's armada. Far smaller. Both factions hate Lord Dolza's weak and-- Ah, both our factions know well of them and their defeat at your hands, but most Dolza-Zentraedi are not aware of our existence.

"This is because both the Zeki and the Ura have entirely rejected the Robotech Masters rule. We have broken with our creators and seek our own fates in the universe. We are both at war with the Robotech Masters as Earth's people are.

"The Zeki specialize in bioengineering and biomechanical sciences while we Ura-Meltrandi focus on mastering computerized and electrical-based technology. As example, the stealth-suit I wear is of Ura-Meltrandi creation.

"As you have seen, both factions possess technological means that... surpass your own."

"The Zeki have allied with the wargoth, a reptile-canine race of unspeakable cruelness and brutishness. The Ura have allied with the scrath, that is, Unit One's gentle people, whom we rescued from Zeki-Zentraedi domination.

"Cera? Can Traversing be done from inside a mecha?"

"Do you mean to open the blast door, Toph Kirin? Of course not. Physical contact is required to use technopathy." Cera shook her head, baffled.

"Cera, you said 'assist.' Does that mean you and I can work together on this one?"

Cera appeared mildly surprised when Elly Nor suggested teamwork. "Yes! Land your Valkyrie with one wingtip close enough to allow me to wing-walk and touch the door? Or if you prefer, I can take over your Valkyrie while you perform the Traversing?" The Auxiliary Specialist put one hand to her temple. "Or... we can both Traverse the door... if you... can stand my... company?"

Shirley liked this idea. "Make it happen, Elinor!" The Californian lieutenant realized she had been hard on Cera. She thought it was probably time to start treating the Ura-Meltrandi with some of that human warmth and caring Shirley had been raised with. With a pang of guilt, Shirley made an offer. "Hey Cera?" Shirley added with as friendly a tone as she could manage despite her being under this Steele-built mountain of stress. "Maybe after we finish up, I'll buy you a drink at Eglin, and we can do some team-building. How's that sound? You are of age, right?"

"Age?"

"Drinking age! You're old enough, right?"

Cera replied. "I am 23..."

Shirley made the mistake of smiling and relaxing. "See? No problem. That's--"

"...hours old."

"YOU'RE ONLY 23 HOURS OLD!?" Shirley went silent... Her face went red. Then...

Spoiler: She made a sound like this

She said she'd do it! This delightful cry is courtesy of our dear Cap'n. =)

 

[Sherwood]

For the most part, Mario is used to being overlooked; by his older brother (God rest his soul), by officers, and even by the occasional lady at the bar he likes to go to. But to be automatically assumed to be second class by some goddamned alien just because he is a guy, that is enough to piss him off big time. "Listen here, lady! You got --" He cuts the angry tirade short. Instead, he sits there, fuming with his fists and teeth clenched. This is not your show. Mack has things well in hand. Let it go. If you ever want to be an officer, you got to learn diplomacy; the art of telling someone to go to hell and having them look forward to the trip. "Mack? I have some experience Traversing where Elinor does not. No offense, but I have discovered first hand what happens to you when you do it wrong, and we can't afford to have one of our Valks down and out of action. I say to either let me or . . . Cera perform the Traversing on the door. We have got to get me in that tank sooner rather than later."

 

[Purr]

"Listen here, lady! You got --"

Cera simply sat silently and listened to him. It was not his fault he was inferior or so the voices in her bio-tank and body banks had trained her. There were reasons, good reasons, why Ura-Meltrandi were superior to the Zeki-Zentraedi and certainly, Dolza-Zentraedi.

So, she wondered, why was she having trouble facing him?

Mack got over her shock, her surprise, and her scream. She sat in her Valkyrie chair glaring at the controls. Why, oh why, did we get picked for this crazy mess again?

"You know what?" Mack declared in the nexus. "In times like these in my dad's career, he had a way of going to the best-qualified. He still does. I'm going to give my dad's way a try. Hey, Cera?"

Cera quivered. "Yes, Mistress?"

"You seem to have the most experience Traversing. What do you recommend?"

Cera clasped her hands and gasped. Someone outside the Ura-Meltrandi and scrath was asking her opinion! Not just asking her for information, but Leader Mack really wanted to know what she thought!

"As Traversing is easier when more are working towards a single goal, I recommend..." her voice lowered, "...Elly Nor, myself, and the male..." she winced. Already, she had forgotten to try and respect him. She felt pitiful about that. "Mario. Together, we can Traverse the door while simultaneously expanding their Traversing experience."

"All three of you? Why not Mario or Elinor alone?"

Cera bunched up and cringed in her seat for fear of angering her leader and her new squadmates. She knew no way to say this without the chance of causing offense. "Ah..."

"Hit us with it, chick."

"Elly Nor apparently has no experience with technopathy and from what Unit One has explained, the ma--... er, Mario has harmed himself significantly in his attempts."

"Maybe, but he got our A.T.A.C. team down here at serious cost to himself. Of course, this occured before he met Iris, so she wouldn't know about that. So therefore?"

"Therefore, once the door is opened, I recommend I return to my position and Elly Nor to hers, but the male," she kept speaking without realizing she had made the mistake, "should take position in the left hand of Elly Nor's Valkyrie."

"Why?"

"Elly Nor may then deposit him most quickly and efficiently into the mecha you desire so greatly. Unless they have moved it within the past three minutes, the Veritech Hover Tank lies still just beyond this door."

Shirley sighed. It was a big order but it made sense to her. Still, it wasn't her butt on the line. So she asked. "Elinor? Mario? Sound off!"

 

[Kaerri]

"YOU'RE ONLY 23 HOURS OLD!?" Shirley went silent... Her face went red. Then...

Elinor couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. "Sorry, Mack, but you should see your face! How about we just tell 'em she's 23 and leave it at that?"

Shirley sighed. It was a big order but it made sense to her. Still, it wasn't her butt on the line. So she asked. "Elinor? Mario? Sound off!"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Elinor replied. "Like you said, she's the one with the experience here. Which we ain't gonna get if we let her do all the heavy lifting, so it'd be good to have Mario and me in on it too. Don't you forget, Mario, Iris can help with the headaches if we screw up. Not that I plan on it, but backup's always good."

 

[Psychie]

Before Mario has a chance to exit the Ajax, Toph tries to send a soothing thought to just him, not knowing if this mental nexus is able to single out people like she wants. "Easy there, Mario. We all have baggage to deal with, and these aliens are no exception. She doesn't mean to be insulting, so try and take that into consideration when dealing with her. Give Cera a chance to get to know you, and she'll be able to judge you on your own merits, and not as just 'another male'. Now, get out there and help us get through that door!" She gives him a grin and a thumbs up. Now, sending the thought to all the Wild Cards, she says, "As that great sage of wisdom once said, 'Get R done!' I'll be standing by to help keep everyone safe, and so will Mack."

 

[Sherwood]

Mario looks over at Toph with a surprised expression. This is the same lady that was busting my chops about Sam, right? Guess she's not so bad after all. He returns the thumbs-up she gives him and lets out a, "Thanks, Lieutenant. You are right, and I'm going to have to let my actions show her how well men can be if they are given a chance. I had just lost sight of that fact for a moment there. I still appreciate the words of support from all of you guys in the Wild Cards." He then unstraps and gets ready to climb out. "All set here, LT. I'm ready to do this. Lt. Hall, the secret that I discovered the hard way is to not force the connection. Just in the same way you don't have to force your own body to respond to your will, the harder you try, the more backlash you will get from it. Cera, you seem to know more about Traversing than we do; after all, I never knew more than one person could Traverse an item together. I'll follow you lead."

Hopping down, he stops at the cargo hatch long enough to look over at it. "Lt. Kirin, pop the hatch on this so I can get my SAW and jump pack, please." Once he's fully geared up once more, he checks the power cell to make sure its a full clip. "Ready to roll, ma'am."

Edited for accuracy

 

[Purr]

Spoiler: Mood music

"World is Yours" by Boom Boom Satellites

Elinor couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. "Sorry, Mack, but you should see your face! How about we just tell 'em she's 23 and leave it at that?"

Hearing this, Shirley Mackenzie could only lean back and grin. If there was one thing she could do, it was take a friendly laugh aimed at her. "Right! And if they argue, we'll ask Herc and Mario to 'make 'em understand.' I hear tankers make for some great battle buddies!"

Hopping down, he stops at the cargo hatch long enough to look over at it. "Lt. Kirin, pop the hatch on this so I can get my SAW and jump pack, please." Once he's fully geared up once more, he checks the power cell to make sure its a full clip. "Ready to roll, ma'am."

Hearing no objections to Cera's plan, Shirley sat up in her seat. She gripped the controls of her Valkyrie and her GU-11 swung into position, ready for action. With Spaceman Sam and MechaKitten silently watching from the rear seat, Shirley stared out of her canopy at Elinor's Valkyrie and the Wild Cards collected there. "Hey, you three! Toph and I have you covered, O.K.? Just... get that door open... safely."

Iris flew about until she found a good spot to stay in the shadows. From there, she assumed a comfortable pose and did not move. It was eerie how still like a statue the stealthy scrath had so easily become.

"Cera, you seem to know more about Traversing than we do; after all, I never knew more than one person could Traverse an item together. I'll follow you lead."

"Y-- You will?" Cera crossed her arms over her chest. The Micronian male had gone from being angry to the point of having to stop himself from shouting at her to accepting her wish. Cera had no idea why this could be. She grew more anxious by the moment.

It had appeared that Toph's private message to Mario had gone unheard by anyone else in the Polyphonic Nexus.

Elinor's expertise with her Valkyrie became quickly evident to all. Weapon-laden wings wide and thrusters barely burning, the Southern test pilot coaxed the Valkyrie in guardian mode toward the door until it appeared the entire machine were magically floating on some unseen cushion of air. Following Cera's idea with an ease that made Elinor seem like she and her veritech were one and the same, the white VF-1S slid closer and closer to the door. When Elinor touched down, it was gentle and easy like a mother laying her babe inside the cradle for sleep. Mario and Cera stepped atop the aircraft's body. They noticed Elinor's Valkyrie right wingtip was less than a foot away from the door.

Elinor exited her mecha and in moments, the three of them were standing atop her thrumming machine. Cera immediately made for the door.

"Re-- Remove your gloves, if you would?" she tried to instruct.

Cera glanced at Elinor and Mario with concern in her eyes and voice. "The... Mario is correct. Never force technopathy! That path leads only to inglorious failure and horrendous pain, permanent damage... even death!"

The Ura-Meltrandi's mind filled with revolting thoughts. With an angry stare, she blanched in disgust. "Wild Cards... What kind of leader have you that you trespass here... with outdated, unmodified mecha, no knowledge of the enemy you face, and not even the most elementary understanding of technopathy?" She had to ask. "Are... are you a decoy force? To be destroyed so a main force can accomplish your mission?"

"No," Shirley tried to explain. "We're... we're it. I think."

This did nothing for Cera's mood. In a wide-legged stance, she stood before the door that towered over you. Elinor felt like a mouse running around in some nightmarishly-large alien Fort Knox. A mouse with no holes to hide in.

But Cera felt smaller. Cera's voice shook. "Elly Nor, stand to-- to my left. Ma-- Mario... to my right, please." She closed her eyes. The Ura-Meltrandi relaxed, body and soul. Her head and shoulders slumped. Her hair fell in long trails down the front of her bodysuit. She took long breaths that seemed to travel so deep inside of her core that she seemed to be breathing from her belly.

"Technopathy is more than a gift. It is something you trust with... all that you are..."

Cera's voice stopped shaking. It slowed. Her every word became crystal clear. "Breathe deeply. Push your worries aside. Descend to half-sleep with me." Cloaked now with calmness, her outstretched palms faced upwards, fingers open.

"When you are ready. Take my hand and... then touch the door with your bare skin. The rest..." Her voice trailed off.

"...I shall explain along the journey."

Now Cera's voice in the nexus was strong. The Wild Cards had heard that kind of tone before. It was strong and purely confident like Taniya's. Suddenly, Cera's head jerked up. Mario and Elinor saw her eyes open wide - her white, empty eyes that shone like twin seas filled with purest moonlight.

Toph had indeed experienced this earlier, but there was much going on for the other Wild Cards at the time. Seeing this, Shirley gasped, startled. Spaceman Sam and MechaKitten watched on through the canopy with the utmost quiet. Iris, however, closed her luminous eyes and tilted her head in what could only have been an expression of great pride and happiness. This was no ordinary moment - for humans and Ura-Meltrandi were together - about to cooperate via technopathy.

It was now up to Elinor and Mario to take action. What do the Wild Cards do?

 

[Sherwood]

Mario slips off his gauntlets and slips them into his belt. He casually cracks his knuckles as he listens to Cera's instructions. With a deep breath, he tries to clear his mind, pushing aside all doubts and fears and balls them up into a single point in his mind, compressing them into a bright burning flame. All else is just the void of calm serenity.

When Mario finally opens his eyes once more, he feel confident that he is up for the task. Reaching out to Cera, he places his palm against hers, then rests his other hand on the door. "I am ready."

 

[Psychie]

As Mack positions herself on one side of the door, Toph takes up her own spot on the other side. Raising up her arm mounted pulse laser, she looks over at her CO. "I'm in position and all set here. Don't worry guys. We've got your backs. Just get that door open so we can get a move on."

 

[Kaerri]

"Technopathy is more than a gift. It is something you trust with... all that you are..."

Cera's statement echoed a memory deep in Elinor's mind -- her first flight lessons, in the old Cessna lovingly maintained by her trainer. He hadn't just taught her skill, he'd taught her what being a pilot meant. And his favorite credo was that your aircraft wasn't your vehicle, it was an extension of yourself, the "you" that lifted you up into the clouds, almost a person in its own right. Something you trusted as you trusted your copilot or wingman, if you had one.

Elinor nodded firmly. She pulled off her gloves and pressed them against one of her suit's magnetic attachment points for safekeeping, then reached out to take Cera's hand in a confident grip. "We got this," she told the Ura-Meltrandi quietly. Then she stretched out her other hand and set her palm against the door.

Thinking of Cera and Mario as her trainer and wingman, her newly-discovered technopathy her aircraft, Elinor was ready for this, her maiden flight. Closing her eyes, she told the others, "Ready here."

 

[Purr]

Spoiler: Mood music

"True Companion" by Donald (last name blocked). The word filters won't let me put his last name in so please see the video for it.

True Companion is a long-time favorite of mine. It's easy to daydream to. Or Traverse... =)

The moment Mario's palm touched Cera's, something happened. Cera, completely focused on the moment, became instantly distracted by his hand on hers. She gasped softly in surprise. "Your... your hand is... so warm..."

Perhaps it was, but Cera shook her head, tossing her hair from side to side in an attempt to refocus herself on the door that separated them between victory and defeat. Without another word, the Ura-Meltrandi dutifully redoubled her efforts to concentrate on the technopathic voyage into the beyond.

But Mario noticed as her feminine fingers gently, unconsciously, closed around his palm in what appeared to be a gesture of trust.

Elinor noticed as Cera's other hand interacted with the Southern woman's in the same manner. But if either Wild Card looked up to the Ura-Meltrandi's face, they could see that Cera's pure white eyes no longer seemed to acknowledge the door or anything else. Indeed, she acted as if blind. She let out another deep breath that both humans now heard as well as felt. A gentle whoosh of air left her body and then she took in another. This repeated.

With their bare hands, Mario and Elinor touched the enormous hypercarbon door. It may as well have been Fort Knox for all of its impervious mass, protection, and density. The steel felt unforgiving.

As Mario and Elinor calmed themselves, they felt a strange and utter blackness begin to envelop them entirely. Light dimmed and though their eyes were open, their eyesight began to fade. A sensation of being pulled somewhere else took them both over completely. Then all light was gone replaced by a feeling of strangeness and enormity. It was like standing on some alien shore separated from their goal by one incredible distance. Like a castaway lost at sea, it was a helpless feeling to stand on that shore.

Then came Cera's voice. Cera's confident voice.

"First, the Crossing. The machine is against us. It sees us as a threat. Therefore, our distance is vast. Come."

There was another pulling sensation as if Cera were guiding both Wild Cards across a tremendous span of lightless space. The three of you moved and not in ways apparently measurable by the human mind. But you were moving like people in a dream. Yet this movement took effort. Like swimming across a great body of water, there was only so far one could go before fatigue kicked in.

As you mentally traveled, there were options. One could travel hard and fast. One could travel slowly and easily. One could choose something in between. Yet something about the Crossing seemed to imply that, though the Wild Cards and Cera were together now, there was a danger of becoming separated if someone were to let go...

In which method do Mario and Elinor choose to travel?

 

[Sherwood]

As they say, slow and steady wins the race. Lets do this together. Making a concerted effort to keep his grip on Cera's 'hand' in this mental connection, he tries to communicate. "Make sure we all stay together. Lets keep a steady pace and not force this. Work as one."

 

[Kaerri]

For a moment, Elinor simply took in all the new sensations. This was her first time deliberately using this new ability, and she rather wished there was time to savor it. But there wasn't. Cera led them onwards, and Mario supported from the other side. "Together's best, whatever the speed," Elinor agreed. Whether Cera followed Mario's suggestion or not, Elinor resolved to match whatever pace the Ura-Meltrandi set. This was way too much nothing to get lost in.

 

[Psychie]

From her position in her Ajax, Toph is suddenly aware of just how quiet it is inside her head without everyone's voices popping in on her. "Mack? I've lost contact with Mario, Elinor and Cera. I hope that is a normal side effect of them trying to Traverse the door." She scans the instruments to see if there is any signs of approaching Zentraedi, her hands on the controls.