Mazer's House

((From NetVegas Net))

Mach, Aera, and Vector all materialized inside the PET, still in costume from their mission. Both Mach and Aera were all smiles, as Vector adjusted his tie and sleeves. Aera walked over and hugged Mach, pressing her chest against his, and giving him a pretty good shot of her cleavage.
[[i]That was fun, but I'm really glad we're done![/i]]

[[i]I agree, m'lady.[/i]]

Mach wrapped his arms around Aera as he looked into her eyes and smiled.
[[i]Yep, I'm just happy we completed the mission successfully, and all of us left without a scratch.[/i]]

Mazer leaned back in his chair and stretched his back as he spoke.
"Here here, I was getting pretty worried a couple times, especially when PantheonMan just showed up right next to you all. Great impromptu acting, Mach!"

Mach took a hand from Aera's waist and adjusted his tie confidently.
[[i]All too easy, haha![/i]]

Mazer looked at the zenny total gathered from the mission, all from Aera's performance up on stage.
"Well, it looks like we have enough for some more upgrades. You all take a breather while I make some purchases, alright?"

Mazer made a couple keystrokes on his computer, which was connected to the PET, and a trio of chairs and a couch materialized in front of them. They were dark blue in color, with some dark orange/brown wooden legs. Vector was first to sit down in one of the chairs, as Aera let go of Mach and sat down on the couch before she crossed her legs and pat the cushion next to her. Mach chuckled and sat next to her before he put his arm over her shoulder, holding her close.

Mazer got up and left the room to grab some food before heading out, and the three started to converse about the mission, mostly with Vector catching up, due to him missing most of the action from being with Muse. Vector was rather surprised when Aera told him she and Sylk started pole dancing, and Sylk took her dress off. When he heard that, his entire body flinched, inciting laughter from Mach and Aera.

As they continued to converse, Mazer returned and unplugged the PET from his computer before he took it with him out of the house, and headed out to the bus stop towards SciLabs.

((To SciLabs))

((From SciLabs))

Mazer opened up the door to his house and walked in before kicking off his shoes in the foyer. He was a bit parched, and grabbed a drink of water from the kitchen on his way up the stairs to his room. He checked back down to his PET, and saw Mach had already replied to the email, and were going over what happened during the mission, and expressed interest in what sorts of events may come while being in the NeoShogunate.

After getting back to his room, he sat down in his computer chair, and plugged the PET into his computer. Mach looked up at the viewing window to the outside world, and saw Mazer busily typing away.
[[i]What are you working on Mazer?[/i]]

Mazer glanced down to the PET, his glasses flashing from the reflection of the computer screen.
"I'm going to try and make some upgrades to your vulcan and the enhanced perception program. I have some more memory and computing power, so I'm going to alter the 30mm vulcan rounds' shape to have a lot more stopping power, hopefully to push the enemy back. I'm also planning on lengthening the effectiveness of the enhanced perception program. It takes a lot of computing power, and unfortunately I can't make it work continuously just yet."

Mach nodded as Mazer explained the changes he was in the process of making, thinking it over and agreeing to them.
[[i]Sounds great, Mazer! If you need any help, let me know. I'll deactivate and unlink the two programs right now, to allow you to isolate them and without fear of altering other programs accidentally.[/i]]
"Thanks, I'll probably be done with them in about a half-hour"

Mach nodded as he started to open up a code console as well. As noted before, he deactivated and isolated the two programs, but he started to build something else with some left over code. Mazer was alerted of this, and raised an eyebrow.
"What's up? Side project?"
[[i]Yes sir, just making something to store our outfits from the mission.[/i]]

Mazer shrugged and went back to work, and in just a few moments a simple closet materialized inside the net space of the PET. Mach closed the console and opened one of the double doors, revealing a set of four hangars. Vector simply deactivated his GMO, still sitting in his chair, facing away from Mach and the closet. Mach looked back to Aera as he started to undo his bow tie and jacket.
[[i]Want to change, Aera? We'll ask Escort if she wants them back once we meet her again, but for now we'll store them here.[/i]]

Aera looked down at her dress, playing with the fabric a bit. She really liked the dress, especially since it was so different than her standard armor. However, it didn't seem to be something she would wear all the time, and she didn't want to accidentally damage the dress or shoes later on. She looked back up at Mach and smiled. Mach smiled back just as he removed his jacket, showing the orange collared shirt beneath, which was somewhat form fitting, but very light and breathes well.
[[i]Good idea, Mach. I wouldn't want to mess up this dress, I actually like it enough that I wouldn't mind keeping it, heehee.[/i]]

Mach handed her a hangar, and she lifted one foot at a time to remove the cyan heels on her feet. She placed them on the single shelf in the closet while Mach hung up his coat and bowtie, before removing his shiny black shoes and white gloves and placed them on the shelf too. Mach turned to the side and unbuttoned his collared shirt before taking it off, revealing a skin-tight white undershirt over his chest. He unbuckled his belt and placed the shirt on a hangar before he turned back to the closet. He glanced to his right, and his eyes went wide in an instant.
[[i]...[/i]]

Aera was standing with her back towards him, but her dress was now hanging on the hangar in her hand, leaving her entire upper body completely bare. Mach's eyes traced down her bare back, to the only piece of clothing she was still wearing: teal "tanga" panties. The lace rear straps curved around her waist and and covered only the top half of her rear, giving Mach a very good view of her toned, somewhat small butt. He noticed Aera's other hand moved to her hip as she shifted her weight on one foot, sliding her hips to one side. Mach's eyes immediately darted up to see Aera looking over her shoulder towards Mach, her face slightly red.
[[i]Heehee, I thought you'd react like that. Um...[/i]]

Aera's eyes looked towards the ground, and her head started to turn away from him, her expression taking a more worried look.
[[i]I know this is a weird question... but... am I pretty? I mean...[/i]]

Aera had a lingering feeling inside her ever since they started the mission, something she hadn't felt before, but it was now so uncomfortable, she felt as if she absolutely had to act upon it.
[[i]Sylk was so beautiful and I saw how you were looking at her. Do I even hold a candle to her? I'm sorry for aski- [/i]]

Aera stopped mid sentence as she felt Mach's hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him, meeting his gaze. Mach was just a few inches from her back, and his facial expression was calm as he gazed into her eyes.
[[i]You are the most beautiful person I've ever met, inside and out. Sylk is certainly beautiful as well, but to me, you shine brighter than a diamond.[/i]]

Aera smiled as her facial expression looked more calm, more normal for her. Inside, she felt the pressure and aching in her chest melt away. She quickly turned around, her eyes never moving from his, and then closed them as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself close with a very tight hug. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and she felt Mach's warm arms wrap around her back.
[[i]Thank you, Mach...[/i]]

Mach felt Aera rest her head against his neck and the side of his head, and rubbed her back reassuringly. As he did so, he felt her skin change texture as her bodysuit started to reform. She let go of him as her armor materialized over her body, and she smiled at him.
[[i]No worries, Aera.[/i]]

Mach smiled back at her, and she started to hang up the dress. As she was adjusting it on the hangar, Mach took off the slacks as his under armor started to materialize as well. By the time he put the slacks on the hangar, his armor had completely materialized, and his wings floated silently behind him. Mach started to close the door, and turned his head towards Aera.
[[i]Hopefully we'll use these outfits again soon.[/i]]

Aera nodded happily, and Mach closed the closet doors. Mach took Aera's hand and they walked back to the couch and sat down. Aera leaned up against Mach's side, and started to take a quick cat nap, just as Mach started to drift off into sleep as well. A few minutes passed before Mazer made the final edits to the code, and alerted his team.
"Alright, that'll do it."

Machman opened his eyes, and looked up at Mazer, Aera being roused from sleep as well. Aera sat up, and rubbed her eyes gently before she looked up at Mazer and smiled.
[[i]Did everything go well?[/i]]

Mazer nodded and smiled back.
"Yep, it was a simple modification, so no worries. Want to test them out on the net?"

Mach stood up and tilted his head side to side before rolling his shoulders, loosening up.
[[i]Sure! How about we head to SciLabs again? We haven't been there in a while, and I remember the terrain was pretty useful.[/i]]

Mazer's eyes moved up and to the right, remembering what they did before in SciLabs. It was a pretty long time ago, and didn't remember much of it, but he did remember the terrain was very conducive to electric type attacks, which were great for both Mach and Aera's attack power. He nodded in approval as he activated the portal to the NetSquare. The trio walked into the portal, and beamed away into the network. From there, they made a very short walk to the SciLabNet portal, but this time Mach noted a new set of coordinates were available; an area much deeper in the network than he'd seen before. He chose it and entered the portal, both SPs in tow.

((To SciLab ChaosNet))

((From Scilab Chaos Net))

With Mach and his SPs safely back in the PET, Mazer unplugged the device from his desktop. The trio reappeared inside the PET's netscape. Machman seemed to have a disappointed look on his face, it wasn't really like him to surrender during a battle. Was Mach going through a slump or something?

Mazer tried to lighten up the mood as he started grabbing his stuff. He started clearing his throat as he spoke to his programs.
"Hey, we got a good amount of money from that run, how about *cough* I go get some upgrades?"

Machman looked up at Mazer through the viewing "window" floating near him, and gave him a thumbs up as he tried to cheer up. However, his expression changed as Mazer started to cough repeatedly.
[[i]You alright, Mazer?[/i]]

Mazer looked back after his brief coughing fit, groaning slightly as he readjusted his glasses.
"Wow, that was unexpected. That was not too kind to my throat... ow."
Mazer shook it off as he gathered up his things, and picked up the PET as he left the room. He quickly slipped on his shoes and stepped outside, which unfortunately prompted some more coughing. He managed to cough into the crook in his elbow, then shook his head as he was trying to understand what was going on. He then made his way to the bus stop, and luckily only had to wait a couple minutes for one to arrive.

((To SciLabs))

Mazer made his way back to his house, and kicked off his shoes in the foyer as he closed the door behind him. He started coughing again as he walked to the bathroom and filled up a glass of water from the sink. He took a swig of the refreshingly cold, clear water and sat down in his black rolling computer chair. He pulled his PET from the pocket of his light jacket, and propped it up on his desk as he plugged the device into his desktop computer.

When he did so, his normal desktop background changed to a larger, more advanced PET interface. Mazer also withdrew his recently purchased upgrade and sent it through the battlechip slot, causing a status bar to appear which quickly confirmed the successful download of the upgrade.
"Alright, I'm going to make a few changes, but this will occur slightly deeper in your code. *clears throat* I'm going to take you offline while I implement the upgrade, alright?"

MachMan gave a thumbs up.
[[i]Sure thing. Going offline.[/i]]

Machman's body started to fragment and disappear, starting from his feet. Within seconds, he had disappeared and appeared only as a series of programs and code in front of Mazer.
*Cough* "Alright, this should only take a few minutes."

Both Aera and Vector nodded as they sat down in the comfortable chairs near the center of the netscape, and waited quietly. As the minutes rolled by, Mazer started to feel more and more fatigued, and even though he was regularly drinking water, the headache wasn't going away. Because of this, what he hoped to only take 10 minutes stretched out to almost an hour. His eyes felt as if they were slowly burning when he made the final adjustments and started to bring MachMan back online. His nose was starting to become really congested as well, slightly changing his voice.
"nngh.. Finally done. Let's see how it works."

Mazer reactivated Mach's program, and he beamed into the netscape as if he were logging into a network. As the light faded, it revealed Machman, standing straight up with his eyes closed. Both Aera and Vector stood up from their chairs and walked over to greet him. Mach's eyes opened as they approached, and they could both see his bright sapphire eyes, but now they had a single orange ring around the edge of his irises. Mach first saw Aera's smiling face, but blinked as several data windows opened next to her, listing her physical dimensions, location relative to himself, and even weapon statuses.

Aera raised an eyebrow as MachMan brushed his fingers near his eyebrows, expecting to feel the visor he would use in battle, but it wasn't there.
"Yeah, I internalized the enhanced perception program. It's much more compact and uses less *sniff* computing power, so you can use it whenever you want for as long as you want."
[[i]Ah, that should definitely help with my battlefield awareness. I assume if I deactivate the process, it will shut down safely?[/i]]
"*cough* Yeah, I tested it a few times, and it remains stable after being cycled several times."

Aera regained her smile as she stepped closer to Mach, gazing into his eyes in an almost uncomfortable proximity.
[[i]I thought Mach's eyes were pretty as they were, but this is a nice touch![/i]]
"Glad you like it, Aera."

Vector stood further back from Aera, his single glowing red eye looking directly at Mach.
[[i]Sire, do you wish to do some field tests?[/i]]
[[i]I would, but you don't sound too hot, Mazer. I would get some rest. We can just stand by here.[/i]]

Mazer smilled and made a judgement call from how he felt. He could still somewhat concentrate, but it was probably going to get worse.
"Yeah, but I don't want to bog you guys down just because I got a case of the- *coughs* ugh... sniffles."

Mazer took another drink of water before making a realization. He tilted his head to the side slightly, his eyes staring at some point in the room, pondering.
"Hm... should work. How about we try something out? How would you like taking the 'commander' position, Aera?"

Aera looked up at Mazer through the viewing window as she pointed a finger towards her chest.
[[i]Me? What do you mean?[/i]]
"You would essentially be taking my place, uploading battlechips and watching over Mach and Vector as they battle."
[[i]Okay... but how would I do that?[/i]]
"*clears throat* I'll download the chip folder into the PET, and then you'd be able to 'send' the battlechips to Mach from there. You'd essentially be using the same interface I use, and you'd have both eyes and ears *cough* in the battle space. *sniff*"

Aera nodded, understanding what she'd be doing. Though she would rather be at Mach's side, she would still be involved.
[[i]... Alright. It actually sounds kind of fun![/i]]
"Cool, I'll give you some operator permissions, so you can utilize whatever programs you need."

Aera looked over at Mach and smiled as Mazer edited some of the utilization privileges for Aera.SP, allowing her to access and control some of the PET's functions, such as .bat downloading and view screens. After doing that, he started to slip his chips out of the small clip he had, and passed them through the PET one-by-one. Aera pulled up a status window and watched as the symbols for each battlechip slotted in appeared in front of her. After doing so, he leaned back in his chair, clearing his throat.
"Alright, that should do it. *cough* Ngh... I'm gonna pop some medication and hit the sack, I'm starting to feel like crap..."
[[i]We'll take it from here, you focus on getting better.[/i]]

Mazer made a somewhat pained sigh as he stood up and walked into the bathroom. One could hear the chattering of pills in their plastic containers for a few moments, before Mazer returned. He started taking off his shirt, and climbed into bed.
"Alright, you three have fun, just don't get in too mu-*cough*ch trouble."
[[i]No worries. G'night, Mazer.[/i]]
[[i]Sweet dreams, Mazer! I hope you feel better tomorrow![/i]]
[[i]We'll see you in the morning, sir.[/i]]
"Thanks guys... G'night."

Mazer got under the covers and tried to get to sleep as Machman muted the PET's speakers as not to disturb him. He turned towards Aera and nodded his head.
[[i]Alright, where would you like us to go, Aera?[/i]]
[[i]Hm?[/i]]
[[i]Well, you're in charge now; it's your pick.[/i]]

MachMan appeared to be smiling under his mask, teasing the female SP. Aera giggled and started to think of a good place to have them go.
[[i]Hm... want to try that NetVegas place again? It was pretty fun the last time, and there seemed to be a wide array of viruses in the area.[/i]]
[[i]Good idea![/i]]
[[i]If it is your wish.[/i]]
[[i]NetVegas it is, then.[/i]]

Aera smiled as she started to float in the air, supported by her wing thrusters. Following her commands, data started to form around her, creating an elevated chair of sorts beneath her. Several panels splayed out in front of her as she cut her engines to comfortably sit in the chair. She waved her hands over the panels, causing holographic displays to come online, showing everything from his HP to his current velocity and weapon statuses.
[[i]Ready?[/i]]
[[i]Of course.[/i]]

MachMan, with Vector in tow, walked over to the circular portal. They then disappeared in a flash of cyan light and logged into the network.
((to NetVegas Rogue))

((From NetVegas))

MachMan and Vector beamed down onto the PET floor, prompting Aera to deactivate her command functions. The glowing cables detatched from her body as the rings that looped around her fragmented and disappeared. She gracefully hopped off the chair while it started to sink into the floor then walked over to the pair of programs. MachMan gave her a thumbs up and smiled.
Thanks for the support, Aera!
Glad to have helped, Mach! I kinda wish I could've met Rhea and Harley in person though... Maybe next time?

Mach nodded as he stretched his shoulders and legs while his energy was being restored by the PET's internal restoration system.
Of course, we'll likely be running into Rhea again; she's hard to miss and she may seek us out about the NeoShogunate thing.

This gave Aera pause, she was excited to see their new friends again, but the information Rhea provided was a bit disconcerting. They knew so little about the organization, and from Rhea's testimony the NS has attempted netspace conquest.
Yeah... we should find out more about the NeoShogunate before we meet again, I just hope this doesn't hurt our friendship...
Getting info on the NS is my first priority. I don't think our group affiliations would, or should foul our friendship. I think we could use this opportunity to kindle friendly relations between the NetPolice and the NeoShogunate.

Vector stepped closer to the pair, speaking up in agreement.
Indeed, having a liaison in the NetPolice may help ease tensions and prevent needless conflict due to lack of communication and understanding.
Good idea!

Mach opened up a screen next to him, and started to navigate through the browser to the NS BBS.
Since it sounds like Mazer is still sleeping, I'll try to get in contact with a NS representitive to see if we can get some information about their previous actions. You two feel free to take a break or hibernate, I'll join you once I'm done.

Aera and Vector nodded in agreement, they were pretty tired from their adventure in the network, and could use some R&R. Vector's glowing eye went dark as he went into sleep mode, his body stood perfectly still (well, like normal) like a statue while Aera summoned a plain little bed and hopped in to rest.




------- The Next Morning --------




With a muffled groan, Mazer's hand slid out from under the covers, lifting them enough for him to look over at his alarm clock. It was somewhat early in the morning, but considering how early he fell asleep the previous afternoon, he had been asleep for nearly 12 hours. He coughed a couple times as he stretched under the covers, then tossed the blankets up as he slid out of bed and walked clumsily towards the bathroom.

Several minutes later, one could hear the sound of a showerhead turning on. At least it didn't sound like Mazer was coughing up a storm or throwing up, that's a good sign. The three programs since woke up from the noise, and their night seemed to be much more restful than their NetOp's. Mach and Aera were sitting on a simple blue couch as Vector sat on a small footstool, scraping his body plates together quietly, sharpening them.
Were you able to find out anything last night?
Yes, it seems the NeoShogunate was attempting to secure netspace to get a good foothold in the network, and accomidate for their growing strength. However, since being soundly defeated, they've learned military conquest isn't always the best way of obtaining more territory. Our mission is a testament to their willingness to obtain and defend netspace through diplomacy.

Aera felt a bit relieved and hopeful, it sounded like the attack Rhea described wasn't a common occurance.
Was that the only time they've attacked a network area?
So it would seem. However, the information I obtained came from a fellow soldier who happened to be involved in that operation. He did give some encouraging news though; apparently the Shogun isn't too difficult to meet with, so we could get some answers from the boss himself.
Ooh, the Shogun... I wonder what he's like.
According to that soldier, he's very social and enjoys meeting with others. I too am interested to find out what he's like. It also can't hurt to get some facetime with leadership. I'll see if we can get an audience with the Shogun.

Mazer walked back into the room, wrapped in a towel and rubbing his eyes.
[[i]Good morning, Mazer. How are you feeling?[/i]]
"G'morning, got a headache, but it's not as bad as yesterday."
[[i]Glad you're feeling better![/i]]

Mazer waved as he walked past the PET to his closet to get changed.
"Thanks, so am I... What were yall up to while I was out?"
[[i]We did some virus busting, and ended up meeting up with a new Navi and SP.[/i]]
"Oh good, some new friends I hope?"
[[i]Yes sir, Lady Rhea and her SP, Sir Harley.[/i]]

Mazer's response was muffled, as he was pulling a shirt on over his head.
"They sound interesting, I assume you had a good time?"
[[i]Indeed they were. Rhea specializes in swordplay, and her SP is modelled after what seems to be a horse/motorcycle hybrid. We actually tested Harley's capabilities, and believe it or not he went supersonic![/i]]
"Wait... was he running?"
[[i]Remarkably, yes.[/i]]

Mazer walked back into the room, looking at the PET screen with an awestruck look on his face.
"No way. Tell me you have video."

Mach looked over at Mazer's face as he held a small datafile in with two fingers and smiled.
[[i]Of course.[/i]]
"Sweet! I'll have to check it out somet- *COUGH* ugh..."
[[i]Ooh, that sounded painful...[/i]]
"Yeah... that hurt, back in a moment."

Mazer went off to whip up something for his aching throat, and returned a couple minutes later with a gently steaming cup of sweet-smelling tea. He took a sip as he sat down in the chair in front of the PET.
"They certainly seem to be an interesting pair."
[[i]They were, and they raised an interesting issue. Apparently she and several others were tasked by the GNA to counter a large military action by the NeoShogunate. She joined the NetPolice as a result, and upon hearing my affiliation she became... concerned. She wasn't hostile, but she warned me of being involved in the NS, due to the "terrorizing" acts she witnessed by them.[/i]]

Mazer put down his cup and started to worry, he knew even less about the NS than Mach, and he may have allowed his team to inadvertently join a terrorist organization.
"Man, this is serious..."
[[i]I agree. I did some research last night; the NS indeed attempted to conquer an area of netspace in the Yoka network, but were defeated by a small group of GNA-hired Navis, Rhea included. They learned conquest wasn't the answer to gaining territory, which they desired to get a foothold in the network and support their then large member base, and now use different tactics. My mission is an example of their current strategy for territory acquisition and defense. I also found out organizing a meeting with the Shogun is fairly easy, due to our success in the mission, and his rather social attitude. With your permission, I would like to try and meet with him as soon as possible.[/i]]
"Hm... I'm not opposed to the idea, maybe this was just a one-time deal. Regardless, talking with the boss would be a good route to take. I'd exercise serious caution though, and be careful with what information you give."
[[i]I understand entirely, sir.[/i]]

Mazer pulled the jack from the PET, and started to slot it into the computer.
"I'll plug you guys in now, head out whenever you're ready."
[[i]Yes sir![/i]]

After some quick deliberations, the three made their way to the portal and beamed into the network.
((To Neo-Shogun Associate Headquarters))

((From NS HQ))

The trio beamed back into the PET, and reappeared in their default forms. As they continued their discussion about what to do next, Mazer disconnected the PET from his PC, then placed it in his pocket as he headed to his bathroom to try and tame his wicked "bed head" hairstyle. He emerged minutes later, hair in check, and grabbed his hat before heading out, locking the front door behind him.

He made it to the bus stop without coughing, which was a good sign, and the pain meds were fully kicked in and suppressing his headache. The bus arrived a few minutes later, and he was off to SciLabs.


((To Navi Shop))

((From Navi Shop))

Mazer managed to keep from coughing nearly the entire trip back, he unlocked his front door and went inside without incident. He had a fresh batch of upgrades, and wanted to get them installed quickly, as not to hold up his Navi for too long. He took a seat in front of his computer, then connected the PET to give him a better medium to manipulate Mach's code to accomodate for the new upgrades.
"Alright Mach, I'm going to take you offline for a moment tweak your processing speed and code stability."

Mach looked up at Mach and flashed a thumbs up.
[[i]Understood, going offline.[/i]]

Mach closed his eyes and lowered his head, almost as if he was falling asleep while standing. His program rapidly started to fragment, collapsing down on itself before finally disappearing. Just as the Navi disappeared from the PET, a diagnostics screen opened on Mazer's desktop monitor, showing all of Mach's stats and subroutines. Aera and Vector sat patiently as Mazer slotted in the upgrades, using them to alter and add to Mach's code. This time the tweaks were fairly straight-forward; he added the new NC program to increase the stability and durability of Mach's surface code, and used the process upgrades to significantly increase the Navi's computation speed.

The entire process took less than a half hour, and the SPs found ways to keep themselves busy while Mazer worked. Vector silently practiced his swordplay skills, slashing and stabbing invisible foes, while Aera pulled up a basic search engine and started browsing through the variety of available networks.
"Alright, that should do it."

Aera looked up from her screen, and Vector paused mid-strike as Mach started to reappear in the PET. He didn't look any different, there weren't any cosmetic changes with the upgrade. Mach opened his eyes, revealing his deep blue irises. An orange glow appeared on the edge of his iris, then swept around the circumference of each iris, spinning faster and faster until they blended together into a pair of glowing rings. Mach blinked and looked up at Mazer.
[[i]All processes are running smoothly, no errors or glitches.[/i]]
"Ah good. There weren't very many complex changes with these upgrades. They should be plenty stable to use on the net without extensive testing."
[[i]Cool, any ideas where I should try them out?[/i]]

Aera walked up to Mach, smiling as he held up a small display window.
[[i]I think I found just the right place! They just re-opened this network, it looks really cool, don't you think?[/i]

Mach looked at the screen as Aera started the small video file. It showed the NAXA logo before showing off the network, revealing a series of floating platforms and other spacy objects hovering around the area. There were even a couple Navis floating around as if they were in a zero-G environment.
[[i]Hm, NAXANet, huh? It does look pretty interesting, I'm down for it![/i]]

Aera smiled happily as she bounced slightly in excitement. Mazer had pulled up the video as well and quickly browsed through it, scratching his chin.
"That actually looks pretty fun! I bet you three would fit right in. If you want to head out now, I'll log you all in."
[[i]Sure, you two ready?[/i]]
[[i]As always, sire.[/i]]
[[i]Absolutely! I can't wait![/i]]

The trio turned towards the exit portal in the PET, and made their way towards it before stepping onto the portal pad and disappeared one-by-one.
((To NAXA RogueNet))

((From NAXA RogueNet

The trio warped in with a series of cyan flashes, depositing them on the PET floor. The three programs collectively felt the weight come off their shoulders and started to shed the stress of the mission. Mazer removed the jack from the port, and pressed the button to retract the spring-loaded cable. "You three alright? I'd take it easy for a bit, you all deserve a break," he advised as he got out of his seat. He stretched his shoulders and back, which responded in a series of pops and snaps; it felt like he'd been in that seat for a couple years... "Ah... needed that," he said before his shoulders slumped down as he stretched his neck.

[[i]"Yeah, we'll get some R&R for a bit. It'll give us a good chance to regen as well as scrub CrypticMan's... gifts."[/i]] Mach responded as he stretched in a similar fashion. Mazer went back to the PET and pulled up the folder he prepared, and dropped it in the area nearby. "This should be pretty secure, drop them in here and I'll have the PET weed through it for bugs," he said as a small box materialized on the ground near the trio. Mach and Aera both deposited their respective data packets into the box, while Mach sealed it back up. Once Mazer saw the box was sealed, it disappeared as it began to get scanned. "Alright, should only take a few minutes. Go ahead and rest up while I make a quick errand run." Mazer nodded, the fatigue of the battle started to finally become apparent on his face. He seemed almost groggy as he tilted his head towards the recovery chambers and shepherded his SPs to their respective chambers. Aera and Vector didn't bother complaining, the idea of a nice rejuvenating "nap" sounded like a fascinating idea at that moment.

They walked to their respective areas on the floor of the PET, and stepped into the middle of the each of the three metal rings. As they did so and turned, the rings lifted from the floor and drew up tube-like covers over each of the programs. They closed themselves off several feet above their respective heads, and they closed their eyes as the tubes' system restore programs kicked in. Data flooded into the tubes to repair and regenerate the programs, as well as scrub their subroutines for any leftover errors and glitches. Mazer checked a status screen to confirm they were all being restored, then started to gather up his things. He picked the PET up and placed it in his jacket pocket, then made his way out the door.

After exiting the room, he took a few moments to put on his shoes and made his way out. After locking the door and making his way down a few steps, he was on the sidewalk. He made a beeline to the bus stop, pondering whether or not these zenny troves would be better spent on a car as opposed to Navi upgrades. Well, considering the general lack of work he personally had to exercise to earn said zenny, it only made sense to spend it on the programs which earned said cash. The bus arrived about 10 minutes later, and he boarded before it headed off to the SciLabs.

((To SciLabs))

((From SciLabs))

Mazer got back to his room, and sat down at his chair before he placed the PET on his desk. He jacked the PET directly into his computer, to duplicate the PET's screen on his much larger desktop monitor and utilize mouse and keyboard controls. He double checked his team to make sure their recoveries were going smoothly, then started to unpackage and install the upgrades he purchased. The upgrades significantly increased MachMan's NaviCust capacity, as well as enabled more signature attacks. The former was easily implemented without issue, but the others needed a bit more tweaking. He continued to keep the trio in standby, and installed the bugfrag upgrades as well. Thankfully the data scrub removed a pair of keylogger-type malware, so he could mostly assume the bugfrags and the chip were now "clean."

About an hour later, he had fully implemented the upgrades, and the trio's programming reinitialized without issue. He deactivated the recovery chambers, which caused them to collapse down into the floor. Mach and Aera stretched as if waking up from a nap, while Vector simply rearranged his body plates to maintain his default form. [[i]"Man I needed that. ... Looks like you added quite a few upgrades,"[/i]] he said as he referenced a few internal notifications detailing a brief list of changes to his subroutines. "Yep, I made a few chances to your signature attacks, and added a significant amount of space in your NaviCust... I couldn't afford a NaviCust Program though," Mazer replied, his voice trailed off with a bit of disappointment at the mention he couldn't get a program to utilize the new NC space. "Nothing a busting run or a mission can't fix. I also added a few upgrades for Aera and Vector. Both of you should be able to execute unrestricted flight, just like Mach."

The trio looked at each other, all three were happy with the news, though only one was capable of expressing it with a smile. Mach tilted his head slightly and raised an eyebrow a second or two after looking at Aera. [[i]"Aera, your wings are gone...[/i]] he said before shifting his focus to NetOp. [[i]"That check with you, Mazer?][/i] he asked. "Yes, I changed her propulsion system to a more streamlined and thematic design. Aera, go ahead and activate your propulsion routine, same for you, Vector," he replied, encouraging the SPs to try out their new upgrades. Almost in unison, both SPs started to float upwards. Aera looked around excitedly, and spun slowly around as she continued to gain altitude. As she turned, Mach could see a series of 5 cylindrical structures on her back; each of them had a pulsing cyan glow around their rims and midsections, and gave off a soft hum.

Vector's change was much less conspicuous, but equally impressive. Several of his body plates lining the backs of his legs angled outwards, and emitted a similar cyan glow, but they seemed to ooze a bit of milky cyan mist, like dry ice. They too were relatively silent, similar to Mach's own anti-grav engines. Mach walked between the SPs, watching them float softly in the air. They looked as if they were "swimming" effortlessly through the air, and having an enjoyable time doing so. They made their way back to the ground, and Aera activated a pop up window to get a look at her new upgrade. [[i]"Cooool..."[/i]] she purred as she looked over them in detail, as well as referring to the specs from her internal status prompts.

"I'm glad you like em, now give me a moment to spin up an email to the NP to alert them of CrypticMan's activities." Mazer started to pull up his email, which indirectly reminded Mach of his intent to report this to the NS as well. [[i]"Good idea, I'll attach the audio recording to the email as well. I'm thinking about alerting the Neo Shogunate as well, they might already know about FORFEIT, but it wouldn't hurt to let them know, sound good to you?"[/i]] the Navi asked, directing his question to the window showing Mazer's face. The NetOp nodded, and briefly furrowed his brow in thought as he mulled it over. "Good idea, might as well spread the word. Maybe you'll get lucky and they'll reward you with something, maybe a NaviCust program. Or wait, we'd probably have to do a mission to get one." Mach crossed his arms and pulled up a window to access the NS mission BBS as he spoke. [[i]"Good point, I can always put in a request, to kill two birds with one stone. You all game for that?"[/i]]

MachMan glanced to his two SPs, requesting their input. Aera smiled as she deactivated her EM Lev program, which caused the cylinders to retract into her back, leaving their outer "caps" flush to her back. [[i]"Sure, it'll give us a chance to catch up on what's going on in the NS as well."[/i]] [[i]"I agree, it would mutually benefit all involved,[/i]"] Vector added. With a nod from Mazer, the vote was unanimous. Without delay, Mach typed up and posted a thread in the NeoShogunate Mission BBS.

A while later after agreeing to the mission, they warped out of sight and into the net.

((From NS HQ))

The trio warped in to the PET without issue, depositing them on the floor near the data recovery tubes. Mazer got up from his chair, and rocked his neck a bit before stretching his arms skyward, in an attempt to relieve some of the stiffness in his back. "Whew, that was quite the marathon of missions. I'm freakin' starving, so if you need me, I'll be in the kitchen to rustle up some grub." [[i]"Alright, no worries. Thanks for the good work as always!"[/i]] Mach replied as he looked back from the computer monitor. Mazer flashed a thumbs-up before he turned the corner from the doorway and walked out of sight.

Once Mach could no longer see his NetOp, he turned back to a very excited-looking Aera. [[i]"A cruise! Can't wait!"[/i]] she exclaimed with a smile and brought her arms up to her chest, and nearly started bouncing like a hyperactive child. Mach was also excited, but didn't externalize it quite to the same degree as his female counterpart. "I'm looking forward to it too, it'll be a nice change of pace."] [[b]"Indeed,"[/b]] Vector chimed in. Mach looked over to Vector, his eyebrows raised as he took the opportunity to tease the SP. [[i]"Tired already, Vector?"[/i]]

Vector didn't expect the reply, and obviously didn't get the joke. [[b]"N-no sir, I was just... agreeing with you,"[/b]] he sputtered, showing he was still easily flustered. Mach pat the angular SP on the shoulder, careful not to stab and/or cut his own hand while doing so, as he laughed. [[i]"Joking, Vector. Joking. Maybe we can use this cruise to get you to unwind a bit."][/i] Vector's eye glanced down at the floor as he gave a slightly embarrassed reply. [[b]"If you say so, sir."[/b]]

This would've elicited a laugh from Aera, but she appeared to be deep in thought, her eyes occasionally looking up and to the left or right. Her lips twisted as she seemed to have a mental debate with herself. Mach, noticing the lack of Aera running to Vector's rescue from the playful ribbing, turned to her and saw her introspective expression. [[i]"Something on your mind?"[/i]] he asked. Aera's eyes darted to Mach, as if she was broken out of a trance. [[i]"Oh! Was just thinking; what should we wear? I mean, it's obvious we'd use our swimwear .GMOs at the pool, and we could also use the clothes from the casino mission for formal occasions, but what about something kind of 'semi-casual' during the interim?"[/i]] [[i]"Uh..."[/i]] Mach stammered, not at all anticipating the question. [[i]"Wouldn't we just stay in our default appearance?"[/i]] he suggested.

Aera looked at him, her brow furrowed in apparent annoyance with Mach's unacceptable suggestion. [[i]"We're going on a cruise, not a busting run! We should dress up!"[/i]] she huffed. This surprised Mach; he knew she cared for her appearance and didn't protest to donning different clothing, but they were almost always some sort of uniform or disguise needed for a mission. This seemed uncharacteristically superficial of her. Mach started to form a theory, and decided to test it with a grin as his eyes narrowed. [[i]"You want an excuse to wear a sun dress like the one at the NP HQ, don't you?"[/i]] Aera's expression quickly shifted from frustration, to brief surprise, then a bit flushed with embarrassment, like she was caught in a lie. [[i]"N-no! ...maybe..."[/i]] She rubbed her hands as she eventually confessed. [i]["But it is a cruise, after all...[/i]]

Mach chuckled and pat her head like he would a child, [[i]"Alright, we'll look for a dress for ya,"[/i]] he said in a teasingly patronizing tone. Noting the somewhat muted sizzling sound of cooking coming from outside the room, he continued by saying, [[i]"Seems like we have some time to kill anyway,"[/i]] before opened browser window a few feet in front of them. [[i]"Tha~anks,"[/i]] Aera replied with a mode of sarcasm. Though she was ultimately getting her way, the teasing partially soured the "taste of victory."

Some time later, Mazer returned with a beer in-hand. He took a swig before placing it down on his desk and took a seat at the computer. He saw the program trio huddled around a pop-up window, occasionally scrolling and having some sort of discussion. "What's up, folks?" Mazer inquired.

Mach turned around faced the window showing Mazer's face. [[i]"We're taking a look at clothing; Aera insists on dolling herself up for the crui-"[/i]] his reply was cut short as Aera shot a quick elbow into his ribs. He played up the truly light tap, clutching his side and groaned [[i]"See? Insistent,"[/i]] he croaked, causing Aera to shoot him an un-amused glare. It was obvious Mach was teasing the SP, so Mazer was all-too-happy to level the playing field. "Well, it makes sense to look presentable, especially when invited to a luxury event like a cruise, don't you think?" he retorted as he leaned back in his chair, raising an eyebrow questioningly with a grin.

Aera adopted a similar grin and also turned to Mazer, turning up her palms. [[i]"Right?"[/i]] she replied, looking smug before turning back to the display. Realizing he'd been outnumbered, Mach looked hurt as he addressed his NetOp. [[i]"And I thought we were friends,"[/i]] he play-complained. "Friends don't let friends go out without being properly accessorized," Mazer parried, trying to keep a straight face. [[i]"Thaaat wasn't forced at all,"[/i]] Mach replied sarcastically, accompanied with an exaggerated eye-roll.

Mazer couldn't help but chuckle as he grabbed the beer off his desk. "Best I could come up with in such short notice," he defended before taking a swig of his beer. After placing it back down on his desk, he scooted his chair closer to the desk. "I can help y'all out if you'd like," he offered, dropping the somewhat silly banter they had going. [[i]"Oh no, we're good. We'll take care of it; you deserve as much of a break as we do, and I can't help but feel this cruise is really just a break for us programs,"[/i]] Mach responded, also dropping the banter. Vector chimed in as well, he was mostly scanning the screen in silence until then. [[b]"Indeed, the least we can do is leave be, to relax in the mean time."[/b]]

"Alright, sounds good to me. In that case I'm going to watch a movie or something while having some more liquid bread. Let me know if you all need anything." Mazer didn't at all protest to the idea of kicking his feet up for the evening, and his programs did make a valid point: it didn't seem fair in their point of view for him to put in extra work for a break he can't *really* enjoy. [[i]"Wilco."[/i]] Mazer rose from his seat, grabbed his beer, then again left the room to pull up a movie or a TV show and relax on the couch in his living room. The group continued to look over clothing, making a few selections, and making their own edits to best suit them. They also checked up on the clothing programs given to them from the NetVegas mission; Aera left her dress unchanged, but Mach decided to edit the colors to make them less "flashy." They continued to do so for an hour or so after Mazer returned and went to bed.

--------------

The next day, the trio were understandably excited about the cruise, and elected to depart mid-morning, so they could make a full day on the ship. Mazer held the PET in one hand, and a hot cup of coffee in the other, as he used his hips to open the sliding glass door out to the relatively small porch extending from the back of the house. The weather was decent, and the morning chill was tapering off, so he took a seat in one of the two metal-lattice chairs and placed the PET and mug on the similarly designed table. Like almost everything else nowadays, the table had a jack-in port to connect to the net through the house router. "Alright folks, jacking in. Have fun!" he exclaimed before plugging in the PET. With that, the three warped out of the PET into the network, starting what would hopefully be a relaxing getaway.

((To BeachNet))

((From Meetup with Yasu))

The trio warped in to the PET, causing a notification chime to ring from the PET. Mazer put down his book and craned his neck over to see all three programs standing in the PET's netspace, each with fully green statuses. "Welcome back, how did everything go?" He asked, before he zoomed in on the trio. Though Mach's expression was halfway masked, and Vector was nearly incapable of showing emotion, he could read Aera's expression like his book. "Everything alright?" Though his question was mostly directed towards Aera, Mach was first to speak. "Not sure yet... It's a long story, but I'll give you the bottom line up front: Yasu's organizing a coup. I thought she was being manipulated, but I think I'm wrong, but I've already burned the bridge."

Mazer's brow furrowed, and his head rocked back with an incredulous look on his face. "Really? I thought Yasu was the loyal nearly to the point of zealotry... Now she wants the "throne" herself?" The trio looked over to the window that popped up with Mazer's face, and Mach answered with a slightly tired tone in his voice. "We thought so too, but she's convinced the Shogun's hesitance to strike first against "obvious threats" puts his subordinates in unnecessary risk. She didn't claim to want it herself, she actually named DragonierMan and even me as potential replacements. It was too sudden; I was convinced she was being manipulated, but I pushed too hard." Mazer's expression shifted from surprise to focused curiosity as Mach explained/summarized what happened. He was about to ask for more information, but Mach continued. "I can explain more, but I think we should warn the Terror Girls; they're one of the groups that last attacked the NS, and I fear the "new" shogunate won't hold back if they're attacked again, and might just hunt them down while they're still weak." "Hm..." Mazer contemplatively remarked into the side of his fist. "You think they'll move that quickly?" he asked.

Mach rocked his head from side to side as he tried to establish potential timelines, mustering forces, getting their location from Skywriter, Pest, or Roc, etc. "Not sure, but the earlier we warn them, the better," he advised. Mazer dropped his hand and nodded. "You're probably right, better safe than sorry... If you can drum up their location from your position history, I can send you in." "Way ahead of you. Y'all ready?" Mach responded before he looked back to his SPs. Vector stood more or less at attention to indicate his readiness, but Aera still had an unsure look on her face. "I agree we should warn them, but what then? I think we still need to talk about this," Aera pleaded, almost parroting Skywriter's concerns they heard minutes ago. Mach turned to Aera, and leveled with her before speaking. "We'll talk, but let's get this done first." Aera's gaze briefly met Mach's eyes, but then sank to the floor. "...alright." Mach looked up to Mazer and nodded quietly, giving him the cue to send them in.

Mazer got the picture and logged them in, causing the trio to warp up and out of the PET to the Terror Girls' "Lair."

((To Hades Rogue Net))

((From Hades RogueNet))

The three warped in without issue and without damage, but their silence and slow movements gave off a somber mood. Mazer was quiet as well; he wondered what could've been done better in their hunt for Scavenger. Any revelations wouldn't bring back Stalker's existence or Scavenger's limbs, but he felt it would provide two important things: First, possible weaknesses/shortfalls that could be addressed, and secondly a new goal for his crew to work towards as opposed to stewing in their own doubts. He saw the three stand in silence, Mach had his arms crossed and brow furrowed in what he interpreted as frustrated contemplation. Aera had turned away from his point of view, but he could tell her head was hung low and he could see her fingers wrapped around the sides of her upper arms, suggesting she was hugging herself. Vector had a familiar statuesque stance, but looked to be peering out at nothing.

He figured his attempts to find an answer had to wait at least a bit, he had to switch from problem-solver to mentor. "I know this wasn't the news we expected, but don't take it personally. There's no guarantee there's something we could've done to prevent this, so please, don't beat yourselves up over it," Mazer advised, in an attempt to break the pregnant silence and "center" the group, instead of letting their own thoughts get out of hand. Mach responded with a sigh as he shook his head slightly. "I can't help it, Mazer... It was our job to find Stalker, and I let ridiculous, trivial things waste valuable time. If I didn't hesitate or let things play out, we might've saved Stalker," Mach replied with a low voice.

"I understand, but there's no way to be certain we'd been able to prevent this even if you got there hours earlier," Mazer softly countered, hoping to restore some clarity in his Navi's thought processes. Mach didn't look entirely convinced, even as Aera turned around and spoke up, tagging along with Mazer's sentiments. "I think he's right, I really wish we were able to save her, but she's... gone. We should really talk about what we can do something about, like this coup..." The look on Mach's face didn't seem to change, but he did audibly exhale before responding. "Not in the mood to talk about it, just not now," he grumbled as his eyes looked slightly off to the side.

One of Aera's eyebrows raised as she let go of her own arms. "If not now, then when? We might still have time to stop this!" Aera urged, the rise in her voice snapped Vector out of his stoic immobility, so his cycloptic eye panned over to the pair and began to watch intently. "You were there, I told her I wouldn't stand in her way," Mach defended with his arms still crossed. Aera shook her head with a look of disbelief on her face as she protested. "So what? You and I both know something about this whole thing isn't right! Skywriter felt the same, and now she doesn't have us to help. Why are you running away?" Mach shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand with eyes closed before grumbling "It's not-" "Then why?!?" Aera interrupted as she stepped into Mach's personal space. Vector's eye widened curiously.

Mach's eyes opened to glare at Aera as he snapped back with a rapidly increasing volume "I'm not RUNNING AWAY, DAMMIT! THAT'S-" he paused after making the awful realization he'd just yelled at Aera. She'd nearly fallen back in surprise, and stared at him with a look of shock on her face. "Woah, woah! Knock it off! What the hell's wrong with you two?!" Mazer cut in, who was taken aback by the sudden tempers that flared between the two programs. Aera's eyes started to look misty, while Vector's eye seemed to pinball between her and Mach in confusion. She turned away, and Mach started to follow until Mazer's pop-up window opened in front of him like a wall. "Hang on, both of you need to cool off." Mach looked at Mazer, then tried to look through him to see Aera. He couldn't get a good view and craned his neck to the side, prompting a questioning look from Mazer. He saw Aera walking away, leaving Vector standing where he was, his eye still dashing between the two. It paused on Mach briefly, wordlessly clawing for some guidance. Mach felt he understood at least a bit, and nodded towards Aera.

Vector got all the response he needed, and clanked after Aera. Mach finally looked back to Mazer, and was met with the man looking over the tops of his glasses with an eyebrow raised. "Alright..." he relinquished and turned away before summoning a simple chair up from the floor and sitting down. He had his forearms over the arms of the chair for a moment, until he leaned forward and cupped his hands over the sides of his head. Meanwhile, Aera moved behind one of the data recovery tubes, and pressed her back against it before Vector came to her side. "L-Lady Aera..." he murmured, sounding like he needed as much reassuring as Aera did. She turned her head away for a moment before she seemed to wipe something from her face with her hand, then looked back to the SP. "It's alright, Vector. We... We let our emotions get a little out of hand," she tried to explain, picking her words carefully.

Mach remained slumped forward in his chair, his eyebrows twitched as his gaze skipped to different areas on the floor in front of him, suggesting he was having a mental debate with himself or... something. Aera put her head against the back of the data recovery tube and looked upwards before exhaling. She was still upset with what just occurred, but redirecting or venting on Vector wouldn't help, the fractal SP looked just as shaken up as her, possibly worse. Several minutes went by without a word being passed amongst three programs and single operator.

Mazer was thankful the flared tempers had been sufficiently quelled, but the unease in the room was still uncomfortable. Mach stood up, and looked towards Mazer. The NetOp saw a calm look on his Navi's face, one that seemed to ask permission. Mazer gave a slight nod and closed his pop up window, allowing Mach to walk towards the data recovery tubes where Aera and Vector "hid." Some of Vector's angled armor could be seen poking out from behind the tubes, so it wasn't at all difficult to figure where they went. "Aera..." Mach called out in a conversational volume. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped like that, you didn't deserve that."

Aera gave a slight, but reassuring smile to Vector before she walked past him to face Mach. She put her hands together in front of her waist, in a self-comforting stance as she responded. "I kinda did, I'm sorry for getting in your face..." Mazer was happy to see his Navis were so quick to apologize to each other, but he could see the conversation going back to the still raw subject of the coup. A pop-up window opened between the two, projecting Mazer's face on both sides of the window. "That's better, I know all of you are on edge with what's happened. While it'll be good to talk it out, how about y'all blow off some steam with an easy mission beforehand? I think it'll help clear your minds a bit; it's been quite a while since you three have gotten a decent workout in."

While it initially seemed like an odd suggestion, Mach admittedly felt he was still wound up from the recent events, and a mission sounded like a much more constructive alternative to burning holes in the limited airspace of the PET's netspace. "Alright... if you're game for it as well," Mach responded and looked to both Aera and Vector. Aera looked contemplative for a moment, but it seemed she came to a similar conclusion. "If you think it'll help, I'm okay with it." Vector seemed to have centered on the straight-forward concept of a mission. "I will go where you lead me."

Mazer sighed with relief before adjusting his glasses. "Alright, I got a hit from a mission request in ACDC; it's to help a "PsycheMan.EXE" with any information about a SP he's looking for, possibly to help him search for a bit. If anything, it'll be a simple run through ACDC even if we don't turn up any valuable clues. If you're ready, I'll send you three in."

The trio didn't protest, though they weren't quite enthusiastic either, but Mazer didn't hesitate to send them in. He felt a change of scenery would help engage their minds on something constructive, and hopefully get them to eventually resume their conversation after burning off the excess stress and energy they've built up thus far.

((To ACDC Net))

Mazer, who had moved from the porch to his room during the mission, was slumped forward with his eyes glued to the PET's display coming through his computer screen. He saw his Navi pass through the network of lasers and crash into the monster's head, causing several warning messages to pop up on the UI. He couldn't really see much of his Navi as he crashed to the floor moments later, and his view was temporarily obscured by an "EJO INITIATED" message that opened in the middle of his screen. His eyes darted over the screen in a futile attempt to find something he could do, then in realization of his own uselessness he put a hand to his forehead and looked down at his keyboard.

A moment later, his jaw clenched and in an uncharacteristic fit of anger, he lashed out with one hand and caused the simple lamp on his desk to careen into the wall a few feet away. He bolted upright out of his chair angrily, with his fist clenched as the stinging pain from bashing his hand against his lamp finally started to register. He then placed his hands on the top of his head and looked around the room, as if there was something there he could use to somehow make the problem go away. "Damn it. ...DAMN it," he cursed to himself. He felt sick to his stomach, and his mind was racing so fast he nearly felt on the verge of dizziness. Thankfully he still had the lucidity to realize what he was currently doing wouldn't do anything to resolve the issue, so he decided to refocus himself on something simple: tend to Mach.

Mach had materialized in his data recovery tube, and it finally gave Mazer a chance to look over his Navi. He looked even worse now, due to the added damage from the beams and crashing into the spectre. Plasma burn marks traced over his body like knife cuts, with a few areas where it appeared the beams managed to burn completely through his body, notably the top of his right shoulder and his left lower leg. The right side of his face was severely burned; his right ear pylon was gone, his mask had deep cuts and heat distortions, and it looked like his right eye was destroyed, with only a dark craterous wound in its place. "God, Mach... what a mess..." Mazer muttered to himself before opening some of the more detailed settings and deactivated some of his armor. Thankfully his cuirass appeared to spare him from any significant damage to his core.

And thus began his attempts to repair his Navi. However, as he worked to remove and replace some of the damaged armor and graphic model files, he started to find that many of his attempted patches didn't seem to take hold. He could apply patches to "healthy" areas of code, but they somehow weren't compatible with the damaged code, it was like he was trying to apply a bandage, but it would just slide off like water on teflon. Mazer scratched his head and furrowed his brow as he tried to find some other alternatives, but each of his attempts yielded the same result. The only thing he could think of now was more material, more robust code. His Navi was fragile, but he felt he could make a quick run to the shops to get upgrades to reinforce Mach's body, maybe then he'd have more success?

He kept Mach in "sleep mode" and flooded the tube with debug programs in an attempt to sanitize and "clean out" Mach's wounds before he got up and gathered his things. In his rushed and distracted state, he almost left the PET behind, but thankfully he realized this before he got to the front door.

((To SciLabs Navi Shop))

((From SciLabs))

Mazer tossed his jacket on to his bed as he bee-lined to his desk and plugged the PET in. As soon as everything came online, he started to install and utilize the upgrades in the hopes of fully restoring Mach's programming. The debugging process he started before he left seemed to do a good job at removing some of the corrupted data, but it also revealed just how deep and extensive his wounds were. "Yikes..." Mazer unintentionally said out loud. Mach's left eye opened suddenly, and looked directly towards the view screen much to Mazer's surprise. Did he override the sleep command? Or did it time out?

"Aera... Vector... are they alright?" Mach strained, his voice sounded like it was coming through a radio speaker due to him being in the data recovery tube. Mazer's stomach turned, causing a sour expression to appear on his face. "They're... they're gone, Mach... I tried to log them out, but the command didn't go through... I'm so sorry..." Mach's eye closed, and tears started to ooze down his face and mask, and his body started to shudder and double over. A raspy sobbing noise sputtered from the tube, that eventually turned to groans before twisted into a roar of anguish. It was followed by dull thuds as Mach bashed his forehead against the glass-like cylinder of the recovery tube. Mazer was about to force his Navi into a hibernation state for his own good, but Mach quickly stopped his thrashing, and just rested his head against the front of his container, sobbing quietly.

Mazer wiped tears from his own eyes, and wished he could be physically there to comfort his Navi, but even now he didn't really know what to say. He felt it best to get back to work and let Mach cry it out, while he could focus on troubleshooting and fixing the Navi's condition. Thanks to the upgrades he now had a good amount of material to work with, but even after the debugging the surfaces of Mach's wounds still didn't seem compatible with the patches. At the time, he could only think of two options. 1: create "casts" to keep regen data in place in the hope of slowly repairing the damage, or 2: remove even more of Mach's structure until he can find good data to work with, but that would be akin to amputation. "Mazer..." Mach croaked from inside the tube, now "standing" more or less upright.

Mazer stopped what he was doing and focused back on his Navi. "I'm still here, buddy. Just figuring out how to patch you up." "Don't blame yourself... I know you did everything you could. I... underestimated that... that THING." Mach said, and punctuated his last sentence with a notable bitterness in his voice and a shudder in what parts of his body he could still move. He then looked to Mazer with a piercing glare before he asked, "Is it still alive?" Mazer shook his head, but didn't look entirely sure. "I don't think so, that last hit bashed in its face and must've broken its neck; you damn near took its head off." The shuddering intensified. "I... want... its head... on a platter!" he growled.

"You and me both, but your wounds are... odd. It's like they're infected or corrupted... It's not spreading, but standard patches don't seem to hold, so it leaves us with only a couple options. I can try to make something like casts over your wounds and flood the cavity with regen data. I'm not sure if it'll work, but the other option would be to remove even partially "healthy" code until I can get to material that'll actually accept new data. I don't know how much would have to be removed, but with how deep your wounds are, I might have to remove limbs... I still don't fully understand how your body was constructed, so whatever I replace won't be exactly the same, I'm afraid. It's not ideal, but it's the best I have. I sort of wish Peace gave us her info, I could use her advice..."

"Then... send me," Mach urged in response to Mazer's mention of Peace's advice. Mazer mulled it over in his head for a few moments, but couldn't really find any other options that would be as quick or effective to get Peace's ear. "Hm, alright. It'll take me a while to get you to a point where I'd be comfortable sending you out, and it's getting late. We'll shoot for a tomorrow morning push, sound good?" Mach wanted to get out quickly, to confirm his enemy was indeed destroyed, but he also trusted Mazer. He closed his eye, and winced from the pain coming from the right side of his head before saying, "Understood... Thank you, Mazer."

"It's the least I could do, buddy," Mazer replied and got to work.


---------------------------------

The next day, Mach was awoken by Mazer waking up the PET and starting to make some last-minute touches. Mach peered through the viewscreen to Mazer, and saw his NetOp looked exhausted. He had a dreary, tired look on his face as he worked. "Did you stay up all night?" Mach asked while still inside the data recovery tube. "Just stayed up a little late, that's all. I'll grab a coffee once I finish up," Mazer replied with a white lie. In reality, he woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, terrified, and couldn't get back to sleep. The sight of Aera and Vector being drained of life in front of his eyes and Aera's screams of pain still echoed in his mind. His nightmare had him standing where Mach stood, so close that he could see her tears, and the panic in her eyes until she slumped forward in the Spectre's claws. Mach didn't need to know.

"Alright, let's get you suited up," Mazer exclaimed to switch the subject and get back on task. Mach responded with a nod before his wounded body started to become encased in dark bluish-grey armor. Starting from his feet, the boots had two additional "toes" sticking out of the sides of his feet for additional stability, which lead up to armored greaves and heavily segmented smaller plates over his knees. The armor remained light and segmented all the way up to his lower chest. Above that was a significantly blockier hull-like cuirass. The armor didn't look very aerodynamic, even with the inclusion of two small intakes near where his collarbones would be, but the back-mounted thrusters were merely installed as a safety measure.

The armor over his shoulders was also significantly large, which made his arms appear spindly and thin in comparison, though his lower arms and hands were encased in a rectangular block of armor. The pauldrons connected to an ellipse-shaped collar that was quite a bit larger than Mach's head, which had a seamless, all-glass dome helmet secured on top. The helmet's glass-like sheen and smooth design looked like an aircraft "bubble" canopy, and its opaque dark-cyan glass completely obscured Mach's head. The majority of the armor was relatively form fitting, but there was still enough room for regen and debug code to be flooded inside the now airtight armor. Mach's raw wounds felt relief thanks to the soothing properties of energies that flooded the suit. The data recovery tube started to shut down with a hiss of depressurization and the cylindrical glass recessed into the floor, leaving Mach standing firmly on his feet.

As Mach moved his limbs gingerly, he found his vision to be somewhat restricted by the clunky, large upper torso armor. Though the chest area didn't protrude outwards very far, the suit's oversized collar prevented him from looking down to see his toes, but he could at least see his arms when raised. "Let me give you a quick *yawn* rundown..." Mazer began to explain groggily. "This isn't battle armor, it's more like a full-body cast mixed with a spacesuit, so take it easy and slow. There are a couple manipulators on the ends of your arms, just open your hands and they'll mimic basic movements," Mazer continued. MachMan listened intently, and decided to test the manipulators as his NetOp mentioned them. He raised his arms into view, then opened both of his hands. Three flat segmented fingers folded away from the blunted ends of his arms and splayed outwards like his actual fingers. He wagged his pointer and index fingers, then his thumb, to figure out which of his five fingers translated to the three "claws."

"You have a couple thrusters, but that's only to help with locomotion and to get you to a safe location to log out. They're not especially powerful, so don't expect much performance. Other than that, I wasn't able to finish the speaker system, so unless you yell really loudly, folks won't be able to hear you. However, you can always do program-to-program comms like normal. If you're fine with that, you're all set to go." Mach shifted in place to get used to his new "suit," and could hear the faint whir of exhaust vent actuators as he mentally did a control-check of his propulsion systems. To bypass the audio issues, he opened a voice-only channel with his NetOp. "Copy all, I'll take it slow. And thanks... I appreciate you doubling-down to make this happen."

A faint smile grew on Mazer's face as he nodded slightly. He was relieved Mach wasn't quite as "doom and gloom" as he feared, but he could only imagine what was going through his Navi's mind right now. Maybe his insistence on moving forward was his way of coping? "No problem, Mach. I'm opening the link, jump at your leisure." Mach clunked forward with slightly heavy footfalls to clear himself from the data recovery tubes, then stopped a few feet away and raised one of his lower arms. A single manipulator claw pointed straight up, like a thumb. A moment later, his body flashed cyan and beamed out of the PET.

((To HadesNet))

((From HadesNet))

Mach, equipped with his new limbs, materialized back in the PET. As soon as the cyan light from his log-in process subsided, the Navi accessed some command prompts within the PET and started to make inputs. "Alright, what's the plan?" Mazer asked after confirming his Navi, and his 'changes' transferred successfully and didn't trip any malware/antiviral alarms. MachMan continued to access different prompts and pulled up additional windows as information began to scrawl across each of the screens. Though concealed by his cockpit-like helmet, Mach's good eye darted over the myriad of screens with an unnervingly mechanical speed. [[i]"While this armor did well to keep my wounds from getting worse, as you said before, it's not designed for combat. I plan to fix that, using the MachFighter,"[/i]] Mach explained over the direct comm link. Mazer's looked up from the screen, and his focus seemed to look "through" the back wall as he started to put 2 and 2 together. "You're... going to turn the MachFighter into armor or something?" he guessed before looking back down to his computer screen.

[[i]"Sort of, more like merging. It's a big file, so I have plenty of data to work with, and all of the tech is already compatible. What I need now is full authority, so I can see to the program edits myself. I know you'd make something of higher quality, but I'm simply faster, and our window is closing fast."[/i]] MachMan explained as he tried walking forward towards the data recovery tubes in front of him, the data displays were still open in front of him. His first few steps were apprehensive and wobbly at first, but he did manage a couple "normal" strides by the time he made it to the tube. ["Can do, but I can't just sit on my hands, is there anything I can do in the meantime?"] MachMan made an awkward "about face" before the tube rose up and encased his body, then replied with his suggestions. [[i]"Hmm... mind synching up the antigrav drives to my shoulder areas, and making sure my NaviCust are integrated?"[/i]] Mazer didn't smile, he was in game-on mode, but he could at least assist with the impromptu retrofits. He opened up the windows he needed to make the adjustments, then typed in his password to give MachMan full authority over the entirety of the PET's systems. Additionally, since the PET was also hooked up to his desktop computer, Mach indirectly also gained the additional processing power. ["Alright, you have control. Just don't overdo it, alright?"] Mazer requested, with a concerned look on his face.

He'd barely ended his sentence when his PET's screen exploded with pop up windows, and he could see text being typed while other commands are being executed all simultaneously. Though his view was now entirely covered in status windows, MachMan's armor had disintegrated as he was suspended in the tube. His eye was open and flickering blue, while many streams of data sprouted from his back and neck, and branched out to seemingly insignificant areas within the tube and even to the netspace floor. Moments later, fractal pieces of programming started to bubble over his body in a fury of movement, to the point his entire body was covered like a shimmering swarm of ants over a food source. Mazer still had control over his mouse cursor, but as he tried to do his own tasks, he did see some periods where the system seemed to lag. He actually heard the PET's internal fan kick on, something he'd only heard once or twice, and that was when using the PET outside in the summer.

((Standing by for Registration Approvals))

The flurry of activity raged on for a handful of minutes, but the number of windows being utilized steadily decreased while Mazer continued to work on his own tasks. He'd accomplished the calibrations and was ready to synch, but the PET was still so task-saturated the synch had to be delayed until processing "room" was freed up. They too finally accomplished their processes and closed, leaving the screen clear for Mazer to get eyes on his Navi.

Mach was still in the tube as the glass smoothly retreated into the floor, but stood on his own two feet, which have changed for the second time today. His feet were now very mechanical-looking and flat like two-toed skids, as if they were designed to give the most stability while requiring the least amount of weight and material. His very thin ankles led to equally thin legs, which looked more like aircraft stabilizers with feet than "normal" legs. His shins were rounded like the leading edges of a wing, which tapered to a thinner trailing edge that made up his calves. Their side profiles looked roughly like normal legs, where the width of his legs were thicker up near where his calf muscles would be then angled down to a smaller width down to his ankles. His hips were bracketed by an angular bracket belt of sorts, which also had a single wedge sticking straight upwards over his abdomen, which was covered by a dark blue navisuit.

The navisuit went all the way up and over his unarmored chest and neck, and wrapped around two large circular "plugs" on either side of his collar bones. His shoulders and arms were missing in their entirety, which gave him a very... disturbing look and gait as he stepped out of the recovery tube area. "Uh, Mach... you're missing a few parts..." Mazer commented, briefly questioning his Navi's mental state. Mach paused and stood up straight before he replied [[i]"Needed some elbow room."[/i] He punctuated his statement with an explosion of fractal data that covered his upper body. The pieces began to take solid shapes then moved into place in a fashion reminiscent to his transformations to and from the MachFighter.GMO. The armor over his chest formed into a shape very similar to an aircraft fuselage, but the nosecone area looked like a very thin horizontal ellipse rather than a circular cone, which then flowed smoothly over his shoulders and tapered back down behind his back. The trailing edge of his back armor ended in a trio of diamond shapes, giving a zig-zag look when viewed from above. A low-profile "blister" was set on the underside of the fuselage near his chest, which was covered in several opaque glass panels.

In place of MachMan's shoulders, two cylindrical jet nacelles were affixed to the left and right sides of his fuselage-like upper torso. Each nacelle was about as long as his chest fuselage from tip to tail, and had a diameter slightly larger than the width of his canopy, giving him a bulkier, wide-shouldered and slightly top heavy profile. Both engines had large nosecones that extended just slightly past the tip of his chest armor, and were so wide that they nearly cover the entire front of the turbine engines. A trapezoid-shaped fin was affixed midway down the side of each nacelle and extended diagonally up and out at a 45 degree angle. The rear of the engines had three hinged paddles arranged in a triangular formation around the exhaust ring, suggesting both engines had thrust-vectoring tech. Mach's spindly arms were significantly longer than normal; his fingertips were reaching down to his knees. The arms looked very thinly armored, and had little difference in width from his upper arms to forearms, and his elbows were seamlessly in-line with the rest of his arms, as if his arms were designed to function also as aerodynamic fins or control surfaces. His fingers were also quite long and flattened width-wise, but seemed to function smoothly as they slowly opened and closed.

A large ellipse-shaped collar was around Mach's neck, with an open cockpit-like canopy hinged at the back of the collar. The canopy's dark teal color was mostly identical to the one from his CastArmor.GMO, though it looked like there was a slightly deeper polish and lower profile. Mach's damaged face was unchanged, it looked like he didn't spend any time making any repairs to it. He raised his forearms up, which were now long enough for his hands to reach up and over the lip of his fuselage-shaped chest armor. He twisted his wrists to inspect each of his mechanically segmented fingers, which concealed essentially the same parts as his original prosthetics, just with slightly adjusted dimensions. "Wow," Mazer remarked as he tried to take in the details of Mach's radically different form. "That design, it seems familiar..."

Mach continued to inspect his hands and shifted his weight from side to side to build a stability baseline as he spoke. [[i]"Looked up some old military designs on the net, found one particularly interesting set of declassified files, and ran with it. Thanks for the NCP and propulsion synchs, I'd get our chips ready, just in case."[/i]] Mazer stat back in his chair, and his expression changed from curious awe to concern. "Are you sure about this? I thought your priority was to confirm that thing was dead." Though half of his face was lacking expression due to the still gruesome damage, Mazer could see the good half of the Navi's face become more grim in expression while he continued to stare straight ahead. [[i]"As you said, this is a shakedown run. Aera and Vector wanted this resolved, and now I have one chance to make things right again. Right now I'm going to honor them. Soon I will avenge them."[/i]] he declared with an increasing grit to his voice. After his last sentence, the fingers of his right hand extended straight out and in a series of mechanical clicks they appeared to offset "up" from their main knuckles then slid back to lay flat against the back of his hand to reveal a rectangular buster barrel. After a very brief inspection, he pointed his arm diagonally down to the floor and test-fired a couple shots. The muffled noise and very slight muzzle flash was significantly different from his default buster, same for the bolt-like projectiles now imbedded in the floor.

Mazer nodded slowly after he thought it over. His Navi's logic made sense, and there was nothing more to be said in that regard. Meanwhile the canopy slowly closed over Mach's head, and a high-pitched whine filled the room as his twin turbines spooled up. The trapezoid-shaped fins on the engine nacelles rotated, while smaller fins on the backs of his upper arms and thighs flapped back and forth as he executed a "control check." His view inside of his cockpit-like helmet was initially limited due to the long nosecone extending from his chest and the engine nacelles, but the cameras housed in the glass-paneled blister came online. They projected their views into the cockpit, allowing Mach to see "through" his own chest and shoulders. Combined with the standard heads up display overlays, it looked nearly identical to the view he had in his MachFighter.GMO.

Mach's engines reached idle speeds quickly, causing the high-pitched whine of the starter to cease and leave a pleasantly quiet hiss in its place. An electronic crackling noise came from Mach's chest, then a voice. [[i]"Comm check,"[/i]] Mach's voice projected, with the subtle graininess of a voice through a higher-quality voice radio. Mazer heard his Navi's voice loud and clear, so he flashed a thumbs-up before replying "Got you 5-by-5." [[i]"Alright, so I have to: free the Shogun from her chains, remove Yasu's eyepatch, and escape. So, I'll need the RageClaw chip ready as soon as I log in."[/i]]

Mazer produced the clip containing their battlechips from the drawer in his desk, and popped the requested chip out to have it at the ready. "Alright, I'm ready when you are," he replied as he showed the RageClaw3 chip between his index and middle fingers. He wasn't excited to see his Navi jump into unknown territory to be outnumbered at least 4 to 1, all in an untested body. He was, however; glad Mach's plan wasn't to immediately pick a fight with them, so hopefully DragonierMan and his SPs won't immediately respond violently.

Meanwhile, with the the "Green Light" given, Mach's engines' quiet hissing quickly ramped up to a howling roar. The three thrust vectoring paddles splayed outwards slightly as twin trails of purple and blue flame erupted from the backs of the engines. As soon as the several foot-long cones of flame appeared, Mach's body rocketed forward and sent him sliding over the netscape floor, kicking up sparks from his skid-like feet as he bee-lined to the log in portal. It activated with the hyperlink Hime provided, and he instantly disappeared once he bolted through.

((To DragonierMan's homepage))

((From DragonierMan's homepage))

MachMan's angular frame materialized in the PET's netspace with a brief flash of cyan. He immediately started to walk from the portal towards the data recovery tubes, his footfalls making dull mechanical clunks as he went. His engine nacelles finally stopped glowing, but a few muffled pops and squeaks chirped from inside his engines, suggesting they were still in the process of cooling down.

Mazer watched silently as his Navi wordlessly marched across the floor of the PET's netscape. He wanted to protest Mach's abrupt departure from the homepage, but couldn't think of anything appropriate Mach could've said or done at that moment. Yasu was in mourning with Hime comforting her, and Dragonierman & SPs were attacking Mach mere minutes prior. As Mach said, he had another mission, and didn't appear happy with the results of the events that forced him to put said mission on hold.

Mach's arms and upper torso armor began to fragment and disappeared once he got within arms reach of the data recovery tube. Though his armor seemed to hold up well even after being pummeled with a hammer, what lay beneath seemed even worse for wear than before. A wave of digital "blood" spilled down Mach's chest and splattered at his feet, suggesting it had earlier pooled in his cockpit-inspired helmet. A closer inspection of his head would reveal his left eye was completely bloodshot. Mach managed to put one foot in the circle from where the data recovery tube would rise, but suddenly slouched forward. [[i]*Gnkt*[/i]] he choked as his upper body spasmed and caused a spritz of "blood" to spray out the melted side of his mask, back where it seemed to have fused to his jaw.

"Mach!" Mazer yelped in alarm and scrambled to access healing routines in the PET. Mach would've wiped the oozing data from his head with one of his forearms, but they disappeared along with his shoulders, leaving his torso plugs bare. However, he stood more upright and got his other leg into the tube, causing it to activate and rise up around him. [[i]"I'm... okay. Just a quick breather,"[/i]] he rasped just before the tube was flooded in a wave of refreshing healing programs. "You look like hell, man! You can't be serious about going right back out!" Mazer protested while he kept an eye on Mach's status display on one of the PET's toolbars.

The Navi's only functioning eye glared out to the window showing Mazer's face. [[i]"I've wasted enough time, I have to get back there."[/i]] Mach grumbled, his voice sounded much less strained thanks to the healing data at work. Mazer looked back at the Navi with more pleading gaze. "You fought for only a few seconds, but you look like you've been beaten to a pulp. If you immediately jump back in, I'm afraid what's left of your body will get torn apart by the strain!" [[i]"I've waited, hesitated; just look where that's gotten me."[/i]] MachMan snapped back before he continued with a softer tone. [[i]"Please, I must end this."[/i]] The quick regeneration/refresh process was nearly complete.

"I can't..." Mazer looked down at the PET with his elbows on the desk and his hands cupped near the top of his head. "I can't lose you too..." Mach's eye went wide in realization before he slowly looked away. His anger made him blind to the fact Mazer had lost just as much. He fell silent for a few moments, though the pause felt like minutes, before he finally spoke up. [[i]"You're right, and you won't."[/i]] The faintly green-glowing healing data faded from sight and the tube retreated back into the floor to reveal a still wounded, but significantly less blood-spattered, Mach. [[i]"Not while we still have a mission, and this won't be the last,"[/i]] he declared before he stepped out to the open floor and reactivated his upper torso armor. His healed left eye quickly was obscured from view by the dark cyan bubble canopy atop his fuselage-shaped armor.

He flexed his re-materialized prosthetic arms, and ran through a controls check before he spoke up again to Mazer. [[i]"I'm all green here, Mazer. Let's see this through."[/i]] Mazer audibly exhaled then sniffled before he lowered his hands from his head. "... Alright," he conceded; he still didn't like it, but he still trusted the Navi enough (and felt the Navi had calmed down enough) to believe Mach wasn't treating this like a suicide mission. "But I'm going to watch you like a hawk. At the first sign of significant issues, I'm pulling you out, got it?" [[i]"Absolutely,"[/i]] Mach quickly replied before he walked towards the portal. Using the link previously provided by PsycheMan, Mach activated the portal and warped directly in to the ACDC Network.

((To ACDC Net))