((From ElectownNet))
Mach returned in a beam of cyan light, which deposited him back to the area from which he departed. His arm and canopy appeared to have been re-attached during the transfer, though the canopy was still shattered from the impact from being jettisoned. Mach activated his Auto-Injectors which caused streams of flickering green data to appear over his body to re-energize and repair the damage he sustained from the NS Soldier's claw(s). Most notably, the opaque dark cyan glass of his canopy rapidly regenerated to seal back over his head, concealing his scowl and the 'necrotic' wounds covering over half his face.
He looked over his right arm as the flush of regenerative energy finished, moving his fingers and joints, and spun his wrist in a full circle to confirm it was still functioning correctly. If General Yasu was there along with some of his team members, he simply stood quietly until addressed. If she stood alone, he made a brief report. "The civilians were mostly evacuated when we arrived, we escorted 3 stragglers out, and forced the infected soldier to retreat. It appeared Agony fled as well, I wasn't able to get a location and was advised by General Vee to fall back." Though he indirectly referenced the alleged order for him to abort to avoid hurting himself, his tone remained monotonous, albeit a bit gravelly. He didn't need to know Yasu that well to assume she wouldn't react well to complaints about her orders.
Meanwhile, Mazer started to put his chips away. He was glad his Navi was back in a relative "safe haven," but couldn't help but develop a slight knot in his stomach at the inevitable questions to follow; whether he liked it or not, the proverbial cat was nearly out of the bag. He also looked at the additional data packet he transferred to the PET, still not sure if that was a good idea or not.
Public Neo-Shogun Camp.
last edited by
Yasu nodded at MachMan's return, then crossed her arms and listened quietly to his brief report. Vee showed up shortly after him, looking no worse than she had moments ago; a good sign that she hadn't stuck around for any remaining goo to attack her. "I'd add that the hostile entity seemed to be mostly contained, however, there is still some mopping up to be done. I would suggest we send in forces to quarantine the area, but let them know to avoid any direct physical contact with that substance. They'll need to be equipped with long ranged weaponry, and not something that requires pinpoint accuracy, unless they're a very good shot..." she explained; her kunai had been efficient enough for it, but perhaps she considered herself an exceptional marksman.
"I'd call that a success; an excellent job by both MachMan's Aerial Squadron and you, Vee. I see no reason not to reinstate you as the leader of the Aerial Squadron," Yasu responded, giving a rare smile, which faded back into a frown somewhat as she noticed Vee stepping to the front and removed her Pest mask. "What is it?"
"Well... The results were all we hoped for. But on your orders, I kept an eye on MachMan. I am somewhat concerned about his tendency to throw himself in harm's way," the little ninja pointed out, sounding slightly guilty as she made the report.
"Hmph. Perhaps we all do, in times such as these," Yasu murmured, seeming suddenly focused on cleaning her blade. "It's difficult to serve an organization that's as heavily targeted as ours has been, as of late, without knowingly putting oneself into harm. I'd even say that is to be commended," she continued, her eyes running along the green surface of the sword's metal. "However... Just make sure it's in the service of our cause or the general good. I believe we have some idea of what's happened to you now, MachMan... I won't go around gossiping about it, but it seems to have gotten around all the same. If it's something you're blaming yourself for, I am concerned that could cause you to make a rash decision during battle. We need to know that up front. I should have expressed my concerns beforehand, but I wanted to see how you'd behave when you didn't think you were being watched," the First General explained. "Perhaps not such a good decision considering the hidden dangers of this mission. Still, I believe you remain one of our most capable subordinates. It pleases me to confirm your fitness for your original position, along with your requested reward, if it pleases you to take it. The SP base is included for achieving your original goals, as well as a bonus for carrying out the citizen evacuation and freeing our soldier from the grip of Agony's creatures.
She stood and handed over a data packet to MachMan, which he was free to accept.
*MachMan gets SP Base, 6000 zenny, and 100 bugfrags, 20 FP))
"Sorry for looking over your shoulder like that. But it just proved to me why the First General trusts you so much. I must admit that the last time we worked together... I wasn't really in my right mind. So it was a pleasure to work together for what I would consider the first time," Vee murmured as Yasu sat back down and got back to cleaning her sword. One might wonder why Yasu had suddenly disengaged, but that became clear as MachMan's 2/3 of MachMan's squad rejoined them, first Skywriter, then Roc. "Oh, you two... Yasu should have rewards prepared for you as well," Vee addressed them.
"Hot dog!" Roc laughed, walking past the others and rubbing her talons together.
Skywriter, on the other hand, nodded absently, then turned to MachMan instead. She was still dressed as Aera and her face had gone red again. "U-Uh, so, you're probably wondering why I was dressed as Aera in a place like that. It was just... a joke! Yeah, ha ha, I thought it'd be funny to... to dress up as Aera and do that as a joke! B-but, oh gosh, I wasn't going to do uh, uh, that, I had something much more tasteful in mind that would have ended a lot quicker," she defended. "What am I saying... Something's happened to Aera, hasn't it? I feel like a total jerk now..." she sighed, pressing her hands to her face. She had stopped just short of asking what had happened to them, exactly.
Yasu looked past Roc for a moment, to MachMan, and raised an eyebrow, seeming to ask if he wanted to explain or if he'd rather she handle it once he left.
"I'd call that a success; an excellent job by both MachMan's Aerial Squadron and you, Vee. I see no reason not to reinstate you as the leader of the Aerial Squadron," Yasu responded, giving a rare smile, which faded back into a frown somewhat as she noticed Vee stepping to the front and removed her Pest mask. "What is it?"
"Well... The results were all we hoped for. But on your orders, I kept an eye on MachMan. I am somewhat concerned about his tendency to throw himself in harm's way," the little ninja pointed out, sounding slightly guilty as she made the report.
"Hmph. Perhaps we all do, in times such as these," Yasu murmured, seeming suddenly focused on cleaning her blade. "It's difficult to serve an organization that's as heavily targeted as ours has been, as of late, without knowingly putting oneself into harm. I'd even say that is to be commended," she continued, her eyes running along the green surface of the sword's metal. "However... Just make sure it's in the service of our cause or the general good. I believe we have some idea of what's happened to you now, MachMan... I won't go around gossiping about it, but it seems to have gotten around all the same. If it's something you're blaming yourself for, I am concerned that could cause you to make a rash decision during battle. We need to know that up front. I should have expressed my concerns beforehand, but I wanted to see how you'd behave when you didn't think you were being watched," the First General explained. "Perhaps not such a good decision considering the hidden dangers of this mission. Still, I believe you remain one of our most capable subordinates. It pleases me to confirm your fitness for your original position, along with your requested reward, if it pleases you to take it. The SP base is included for achieving your original goals, as well as a bonus for carrying out the citizen evacuation and freeing our soldier from the grip of Agony's creatures.
She stood and handed over a data packet to MachMan, which he was free to accept.
*MachMan gets SP Base, 6000 zenny, and 100 bugfrags, 20 FP))
"Sorry for looking over your shoulder like that. But it just proved to me why the First General trusts you so much. I must admit that the last time we worked together... I wasn't really in my right mind. So it was a pleasure to work together for what I would consider the first time," Vee murmured as Yasu sat back down and got back to cleaning her sword. One might wonder why Yasu had suddenly disengaged, but that became clear as MachMan's 2/3 of MachMan's squad rejoined them, first Skywriter, then Roc. "Oh, you two... Yasu should have rewards prepared for you as well," Vee addressed them.
"Hot dog!" Roc laughed, walking past the others and rubbing her talons together.
Skywriter, on the other hand, nodded absently, then turned to MachMan instead. She was still dressed as Aera and her face had gone red again. "U-Uh, so, you're probably wondering why I was dressed as Aera in a place like that. It was just... a joke! Yeah, ha ha, I thought it'd be funny to... to dress up as Aera and do that as a joke! B-but, oh gosh, I wasn't going to do uh, uh, that, I had something much more tasteful in mind that would have ended a lot quicker," she defended. "What am I saying... Something's happened to Aera, hasn't it? I feel like a total jerk now..." she sighed, pressing her hands to her face. She had stopped just short of asking what had happened to them, exactly.
Yasu looked past Roc for a moment, to MachMan, and raised an eyebrow, seeming to ask if he wanted to explain or if he'd rather she handle it once he left.
last edited by
Mach stood quietly as Vee explained the situation, suggesting a mop up crew. Mach almost immediately volunteered to be part of the mop-up crew; he was still restless and aggravated without something on which to vent, but those little claws were now little more than especially annoying pests. If only he could've wrapped his fingers around Agony's neck or put a few bullets in her... now he'd have to go on yet another search.
The unseen scowl on his face didn't change as Vee confirmed the fact Yasu had her keep eyes on him, but his eye squinted when the criticism of his "tendency" came up. He didn't grumble out a retort, and remained still during Yasu's initial defense. However, the more she spoke and hinted to the "elephant in the room," his expression slowly began to twist into a more bitter glare. He wordlessly and almost robotically extended his left arm and hand to take the various data packets, but his fingers didn't curl in an attempt to grasp them, seemingly balancing the valuable data precariously on his flat metal palm.
He closed his eye and exhaled as if calming himself, but the combination of Vee's statement and Skywriter's awkward question drove the Navi to speak. "...trusts me?" he croaked as he opened his eye to resume his glare towards Yasu. "Yet calls for a spying babysitter to order me back whenever things get hot? My decisions might be 'rash,' but I made a decision. I won't hold back, and I won't hesitate... not anymore," he declared, with a slightly raised, gravelly tone.
["Mach? What are you-"] Mazer's voice chimed in through their direct line, but Mach sharply continued, ignoring and cutting off his NetOp. "If I didn't hesitate back then, they'd... still be here with me, I'd still have my limbs, and we wouldn't be having this conversation," he growled with a noticeable ramp up in volume at the end of his statement. He then shifted his focus to Skywriter, without really looking for or caring how Yasu responded. His body shifted slightly as well, and nearly caused the data packets to fall out of his hand. "Yes, she's gone. Both of them were ripped from me because I hesitated and wasn't strong enough to make up for it. I wasn't 'rash' enough," the angular Navi explained, but not with sadness or grief in his voice, but bitterness and anger, with a noteworthy tinge of added venom as he tossed a bit back at Yasu.
He then extended his hand, with the SP base still bobbling on his palm, towards Skywriter. "Here," he urged as he nearly pushed the tips of his fingers to her chest. "Make yourself a boyfriend or something, just drop the act." Mach's collar made a click noise before his canopy began to rise slightly as he leaned forward and down towards Skywriter's eye level. His lone eye glared at her, and she likely would've gotten a good look at his mangled face, especially as he continued to speak. "Even if you still wanted a piece of this, I want nothing to do with you," he declared with a grave coldness in his voice before the canopy hissed closed and he stood back to full height. If Skywriter didn't take the SP base, he simply tilted his hand down to let them all roll and clatter to the floor.
["MACHMAN."] Mazer's voice barked in his head. ["What in the [u]hell[/u] has gotten into you?!?"] His Netop was now staring into the screen with a look of offended disbelief. Mach snapped back, but aloud instead of just sending it voice-only direct. "Oh, I dunno. Maybe walking into a cage surrounded by programs dressed up as one of my two dead SPs and having some ROT bitch poking around in my head had something to do with it? What do you think? Or maybe after fixing the mess after my team wouldn't do as I goddamn said and nearly screwed the mission, I had to go back in to clean up! THEN I get ordered to fall back!!" he roared, practically spitting against the inside of his opaque canopy. In the background, one would probably pick up the faint, shrill whine of his engines starting to spool up.
The unseen scowl on his face didn't change as Vee confirmed the fact Yasu had her keep eyes on him, but his eye squinted when the criticism of his "tendency" came up. He didn't grumble out a retort, and remained still during Yasu's initial defense. However, the more she spoke and hinted to the "elephant in the room," his expression slowly began to twist into a more bitter glare. He wordlessly and almost robotically extended his left arm and hand to take the various data packets, but his fingers didn't curl in an attempt to grasp them, seemingly balancing the valuable data precariously on his flat metal palm.
He closed his eye and exhaled as if calming himself, but the combination of Vee's statement and Skywriter's awkward question drove the Navi to speak. "...trusts me?" he croaked as he opened his eye to resume his glare towards Yasu. "Yet calls for a spying babysitter to order me back whenever things get hot? My decisions might be 'rash,' but I made a decision. I won't hold back, and I won't hesitate... not anymore," he declared, with a slightly raised, gravelly tone.
["Mach? What are you-"] Mazer's voice chimed in through their direct line, but Mach sharply continued, ignoring and cutting off his NetOp. "If I didn't hesitate back then, they'd... still be here with me, I'd still have my limbs, and we wouldn't be having this conversation," he growled with a noticeable ramp up in volume at the end of his statement. He then shifted his focus to Skywriter, without really looking for or caring how Yasu responded. His body shifted slightly as well, and nearly caused the data packets to fall out of his hand. "Yes, she's gone. Both of them were ripped from me because I hesitated and wasn't strong enough to make up for it. I wasn't 'rash' enough," the angular Navi explained, but not with sadness or grief in his voice, but bitterness and anger, with a noteworthy tinge of added venom as he tossed a bit back at Yasu.
He then extended his hand, with the SP base still bobbling on his palm, towards Skywriter. "Here," he urged as he nearly pushed the tips of his fingers to her chest. "Make yourself a boyfriend or something, just drop the act." Mach's collar made a click noise before his canopy began to rise slightly as he leaned forward and down towards Skywriter's eye level. His lone eye glared at her, and she likely would've gotten a good look at his mangled face, especially as he continued to speak. "Even if you still wanted a piece of this, I want nothing to do with you," he declared with a grave coldness in his voice before the canopy hissed closed and he stood back to full height. If Skywriter didn't take the SP base, he simply tilted his hand down to let them all roll and clatter to the floor.
["MACHMAN."] Mazer's voice barked in his head. ["What in the [u]hell[/u] has gotten into you?!?"] His Netop was now staring into the screen with a look of offended disbelief. Mach snapped back, but aloud instead of just sending it voice-only direct. "Oh, I dunno. Maybe walking into a cage surrounded by programs dressed up as one of my two dead SPs and having some ROT bitch poking around in my head had something to do with it? What do you think? Or maybe after fixing the mess after my team wouldn't do as I goddamn said and nearly screwed the mission, I had to go back in to clean up! THEN I get ordered to fall back!!" he roared, practically spitting against the inside of his opaque canopy. In the background, one would probably pick up the faint, shrill whine of his engines starting to spool up.
last edited by
Vee and Yasu dropped their pretenses of friendly banter (neither was especially well suited for such a thing) as MachMan made it clear he wasn't in a friendly mood himself, with the ninja growing simply quiet and the first general glowering with a more severe expression. Skywriter, unfortunately, was not quite so quick to pick up on the shift in attitude and was still pretty close by and opened up as he let loose. She looked lost as to what she ought to say next, but stood ridiculously cradling the SP core he had foisted upon her, as though she was going to take him up on the backhanded offer.
"MachMan, this kind of reaction is exactly why I sent Vee to watch you. Listen to yourself: this enemy you've described, who you believe the full force of the Neo-Shogun Empire would be insufficient to take down... you regret not attacking him then? If you had, you would be dead along with your SPs. What happened is a tragedy, but the only saving grace is that you yourself survived to grow stronger and fight it another day. When you say you wished you hadn't hesitated, you must know that you mean you wished you had died with them. We in the Empire treat our fellow soldiers as family and I will not stand idly by while you throw your life away. If that means assigning you a babysitter, so be it," she answered, sounding highly irritated herself. "And if you mean to challenge that being again with your current level of power, you're a damn fool. You have gained little but angst and lost the allies who were closest to you. The SP base you are throwing away- that you earned- is a route back to the strength you need."
Assuming he hadn't flown away yet, Skywriter would hold out her arms, offering him back the SP base he had just handed over. She'd unpinned and removed her wig to reveal purple hair somewhere around the point he had mentioned being surrounded by his dead SPs.
Roc spoke up next, placing one hand on her hip and walking back over. "You knew what you signed up for when you agreed to lead the aerial squadron, right? I'm not a strategist or even an order-follower, I'm a fighter! We need you as the leader so you can balance all the stupid crap I do," she shrugged, offering her uniquely simple viewpoint.
Yasu frowned, not seeming to appreciate the "I'm stupid, deal with it," train of logic, but she continued anyway. "It is unfortunate that you were forced into the position that you were, but the fact that you accomplished the mission regardless is proof of your continued value to all of us, as well as the people of the net who will depend on us for unity and guidance," she reiterated. "Take the SP," she spoke quietly, though it was hard to tell if she was offering or ordering.
Nodding, Skywriter held it out further towards him. "I don't care what you look like," she added, but didn't elaborate further than that. Despite her words, she did seem to be having a hard time looking at him in the face, though that could be because her eyes were glistening as she tried hard not to become the only one in the group who'd responded to MachMan by crying instead of adopting a position of strength.
"MachMan, this kind of reaction is exactly why I sent Vee to watch you. Listen to yourself: this enemy you've described, who you believe the full force of the Neo-Shogun Empire would be insufficient to take down... you regret not attacking him then? If you had, you would be dead along with your SPs. What happened is a tragedy, but the only saving grace is that you yourself survived to grow stronger and fight it another day. When you say you wished you hadn't hesitated, you must know that you mean you wished you had died with them. We in the Empire treat our fellow soldiers as family and I will not stand idly by while you throw your life away. If that means assigning you a babysitter, so be it," she answered, sounding highly irritated herself. "And if you mean to challenge that being again with your current level of power, you're a damn fool. You have gained little but angst and lost the allies who were closest to you. The SP base you are throwing away- that you earned- is a route back to the strength you need."
Assuming he hadn't flown away yet, Skywriter would hold out her arms, offering him back the SP base he had just handed over. She'd unpinned and removed her wig to reveal purple hair somewhere around the point he had mentioned being surrounded by his dead SPs.
Roc spoke up next, placing one hand on her hip and walking back over. "You knew what you signed up for when you agreed to lead the aerial squadron, right? I'm not a strategist or even an order-follower, I'm a fighter! We need you as the leader so you can balance all the stupid crap I do," she shrugged, offering her uniquely simple viewpoint.
Yasu frowned, not seeming to appreciate the "I'm stupid, deal with it," train of logic, but she continued anyway. "It is unfortunate that you were forced into the position that you were, but the fact that you accomplished the mission regardless is proof of your continued value to all of us, as well as the people of the net who will depend on us for unity and guidance," she reiterated. "Take the SP," she spoke quietly, though it was hard to tell if she was offering or ordering.
Nodding, Skywriter held it out further towards him. "I don't care what you look like," she added, but didn't elaborate further than that. Despite her words, she did seem to be having a hard time looking at him in the face, though that could be because her eyes were glistening as she tried hard not to become the only one in the group who'd responded to MachMan by crying instead of adopting a position of strength.
last edited by
"Don't even suggest you have a damn clue what I mean, Yasu," MachMan snarled back over the still-faint engine noise, making it the first time he'd ever addressed her without her rank. He was angry the tale somehow reached her and said tale was incomplete, but it's not like he ever told anyone in the NS the whole story. What truly fueled the flames of his rage was the suggestion that he wanted to die along with his SPs. [[color=blue]It would've been so easy, I could've just stopped,][/color] his mind barked amongst the memory flashes of the battle, while his hands started to subtly twitch and his engines became slightly louder. [[color=blue]...yet here I stand, clutching nothing but a hollow victory.[/color]]
"A victorious fool," Mach interjected and stared past the first general, his mind now obsessing over the unsatisfying fate of the menace that all but destroyed him. "The bastard stole my chance for vengeance too, it died after the battle," he continued to fume, and his fists began to clench to further indicate his mood continued to sour. While Roc spoke, Mach's mind continued to dwell on the lack of closure, causing his emotions to continue on their downward slide and his fists then trembling with rage. Said emotions boiled back up again, his unseen expression twisted into a furious scowl and his eye darted amongst the group like a predator seeking a target as drew his right arm back. In a sudden release of emotion and energy, he sent his fist rocketing into the palm of his left hand. The impact made a loud metal-on-metal crunch, punctuated by the Navi breathing out in an audible hiss.
The outburst seemed to restore some clarity to his mind, and he didn't follow up with another punch directed towards someone in the group. Instead, he slowly flexed his two hands, which creaked and clicked as they struggled to move due to the damage inflicted by the impact, and lowered his arms back down to his sides. His gaze, now slightly less intense, looked towards Yasu then glanced back to Skywriter and the SP base she now held out in her hands. After a few moments, he finally spoke up again. "I've made my decision," he growled in response to the general (and coincidentally to Skywriter at the same time) then turned away from the group before he started to walk away.
Suddenly, a pop-up window about the size of his upper torso appeared in front of Mach at eye level, and immediately showed Mazer's face. His brow was furrowed and his slightly watery eyes glared back at the Navi. ["Stop,"] he ordered in a tone that made it also sound vaguely like a threat. Mach responded by doing nothing, and simply walked through the pop-up window. The reverse side of the window flickered and projected Mazer's face again, who briefly shook his head and clenched his jaw. ["I can't let you run away from this, Mach,"] he declared before his eyes looked away from the camera lens and he started making a few mouse clicks and keystrokes. Suddenly, Mach's engines cut out and spooled down, and the Navi slowed to a stop.
((Body Pack Uninstalled))
"Really, Mazer?" the Navi protested prior to turning back to his NetOp, who had followed through on his threat. ["You're right, they don't understand what happened, it's because we didn't [u]tell them[/u]! They're working with limited information, but can plainly see something is wrong and want to help, can you fault them for that?"] Mazer exclaimed with a notably less authoritative tone in his voice, addressing Mach more as a confidant than a superior. His expression also started to soften, even as Mach responded with a huff and started to turn away.
Mazer's pop up window remained in place and didn't try to "chase" him, but he continued to speak. ["Listen to me, we were making so much progress... don't set yourself back by burning one of your biggest 'bridges.' Just... think about it; what do you gain by cutting them out of your life, by hurting them? Where's the advantage?"] he pleaded, trying to cut through his Navi's volatile feelings and appeal to what he felt was his Navi's 'core' mindset.
"A victorious fool," Mach interjected and stared past the first general, his mind now obsessing over the unsatisfying fate of the menace that all but destroyed him. "The bastard stole my chance for vengeance too, it died after the battle," he continued to fume, and his fists began to clench to further indicate his mood continued to sour. While Roc spoke, Mach's mind continued to dwell on the lack of closure, causing his emotions to continue on their downward slide and his fists then trembling with rage. Said emotions boiled back up again, his unseen expression twisted into a furious scowl and his eye darted amongst the group like a predator seeking a target as drew his right arm back. In a sudden release of emotion and energy, he sent his fist rocketing into the palm of his left hand. The impact made a loud metal-on-metal crunch, punctuated by the Navi breathing out in an audible hiss.
The outburst seemed to restore some clarity to his mind, and he didn't follow up with another punch directed towards someone in the group. Instead, he slowly flexed his two hands, which creaked and clicked as they struggled to move due to the damage inflicted by the impact, and lowered his arms back down to his sides. His gaze, now slightly less intense, looked towards Yasu then glanced back to Skywriter and the SP base she now held out in her hands. After a few moments, he finally spoke up again. "I've made my decision," he growled in response to the general (and coincidentally to Skywriter at the same time) then turned away from the group before he started to walk away.
Suddenly, a pop-up window about the size of his upper torso appeared in front of Mach at eye level, and immediately showed Mazer's face. His brow was furrowed and his slightly watery eyes glared back at the Navi. ["Stop,"] he ordered in a tone that made it also sound vaguely like a threat. Mach responded by doing nothing, and simply walked through the pop-up window. The reverse side of the window flickered and projected Mazer's face again, who briefly shook his head and clenched his jaw. ["I can't let you run away from this, Mach,"] he declared before his eyes looked away from the camera lens and he started making a few mouse clicks and keystrokes. Suddenly, Mach's engines cut out and spooled down, and the Navi slowed to a stop.
((Body Pack Uninstalled))
"Really, Mazer?" the Navi protested prior to turning back to his NetOp, who had followed through on his threat. ["You're right, they don't understand what happened, it's because we didn't [u]tell them[/u]! They're working with limited information, but can plainly see something is wrong and want to help, can you fault them for that?"] Mazer exclaimed with a notably less authoritative tone in his voice, addressing Mach more as a confidant than a superior. His expression also started to soften, even as Mach responded with a huff and started to turn away.
Mazer's pop up window remained in place and didn't try to "chase" him, but he continued to speak. ["Listen to me, we were making so much progress... don't set yourself back by burning one of your biggest 'bridges.' Just... think about it; what do you gain by cutting them out of your life, by hurting them? Where's the advantage?"] he pleaded, trying to cut through his Navi's volatile feelings and appeal to what he felt was his Navi's 'core' mindset.
last edited by
Yasu's tensed eyebrows twitched; it was clear that if she hadn't done some anger management in recent days, a fight might have already broken out between the two of them. "I have to admit, I'm relieved to hear that whatever it was, it's already dead," she commented... however, tellingly, she didn't admonish him for his focus on revenge, as she perhaps should have. It seemed as though it had triggered other thoughts for her, but she kept those to herself. Skywriter (and Vee, to some extent) jumped as he bashed his fist into his palm, but the other two just kept watching him warily. "And still a fool," she added, as he turned away to leave them.
MachMan ended up in a bitter standoff, as much as there could be a standoff between navi and operator, preventing him from simply leaving. "For what it's worth... if you don't want this now, I'll hold it for you to pick up when you decide you're ready," Skywriter pointed out, regarding the SP Base. "He's right, I really don't understand. All I know is, I joined the empire to try to be a part of something, and when I did, you and Aera and Vector were there for me. We wouldn't have made it through that first drill against the Terror Girls if you hadn't been there to command everyone. The empire needs you and I want you... t-to be our commander," she added again, clutching the data packet to her chest.
"As do I. We've all made mistakes... I ended up losing my eye and betraying the Shogun, the lady I serve, because I was so proud I thought I could take on BrainMan and Domm together. I know a thing or two about loss as well. My whole village was destroyed by Alex, before the Shogun reached out a hand to save me. I've survived all this time not by my own strength, but by combining what strength I have with that of others," she suggested, lowering her eyebrows. "I don't feel like you need to be told this, but beyond simply needing you for our army, we all want to help you. None of us want to see you hurt yourself and we wouldn't be your allies if we let your rage fester without intervening."
"That dragon guy's gonna get the air force if you leave, cause no way am I leading it again," Roc pitched in with a decidedly less heavy tone from the rest of the group. Vee's head tilted in Roc's direction for a moment, then back to MachMan, but she stayed silent.
"Ignore that," Yasu grumbled. "The empire won't fall to ruin if you need to do some soul searching. But nor will we promise to simply ignore you wallow in self-destructive self-loathing. We don't have... virtucuffs or any more magic rope that we're going to use to keep you here. But it will be a grave mistake if you let this get the better of you when you have so much more to offer the net, the empire, and even happiness to claim for yourself." Yasu seemed like an odd person to talk about happiness, but she did have a certain pride in the empire, at least; that could be her form of happiness, as it were.
MachMan ended up in a bitter standoff, as much as there could be a standoff between navi and operator, preventing him from simply leaving. "For what it's worth... if you don't want this now, I'll hold it for you to pick up when you decide you're ready," Skywriter pointed out, regarding the SP Base. "He's right, I really don't understand. All I know is, I joined the empire to try to be a part of something, and when I did, you and Aera and Vector were there for me. We wouldn't have made it through that first drill against the Terror Girls if you hadn't been there to command everyone. The empire needs you and I want you... t-to be our commander," she added again, clutching the data packet to her chest.
"As do I. We've all made mistakes... I ended up losing my eye and betraying the Shogun, the lady I serve, because I was so proud I thought I could take on BrainMan and Domm together. I know a thing or two about loss as well. My whole village was destroyed by Alex, before the Shogun reached out a hand to save me. I've survived all this time not by my own strength, but by combining what strength I have with that of others," she suggested, lowering her eyebrows. "I don't feel like you need to be told this, but beyond simply needing you for our army, we all want to help you. None of us want to see you hurt yourself and we wouldn't be your allies if we let your rage fester without intervening."
"That dragon guy's gonna get the air force if you leave, cause no way am I leading it again," Roc pitched in with a decidedly less heavy tone from the rest of the group. Vee's head tilted in Roc's direction for a moment, then back to MachMan, but she stayed silent.
"Ignore that," Yasu grumbled. "The empire won't fall to ruin if you need to do some soul searching. But nor will we promise to simply ignore you wallow in self-destructive self-loathing. We don't have... virtucuffs or any more magic rope that we're going to use to keep you here. But it will be a grave mistake if you let this get the better of you when you have so much more to offer the net, the empire, and even happiness to claim for yourself." Yasu seemed like an odd person to talk about happiness, but she did have a certain pride in the empire, at least; that could be her form of happiness, as it were.
last edited by
MachMan continued to stand with his back facing the rest of the programs and his NetOp's pop-up window. Unseen by the group, his head hung low and a bitter expression was still on his face while the group tried to reach out to him. They spoke of wanting him to remain in the NS and their desire to help. What cut through his mental fog most were his NetOp's attempt to appeal to his practicality, and the last few words spoken by Yasu. In reality it hadn't been that long, but to him it felt like an eternity since he'd been "happy," so much so he couldn't say with 100% certainty he knew what it felt like. The simple things like the feeling of speed and flight brought nary a flicker of enjoyment, and since then he'd won many tough battles and emerged victorious from several missions, but there was no sense of accomplishment.
[[color=blue]Claim happiness? How?[/color]] he asked himself, the bitterness turning more towards frustration as he tried to think of something that made him happy. His mind raced down several roads, but they all seemed lead to one point: her. It only caused his frustration to increase, but he started to think of it as an obstacle, instead of a "fact." He needed time to think, and the other's attempts to "help" would only muddy his thoughts.
"...Fine," Mach grumbled. "Just... give me a minute. Need to think," he then declared and resumed walking off, sounding frustrated and tired as he tried to put more distance between himself and the group. Mazer didn't say anything back, instead he simply nodded then looked to his PC. It wasn't quite an apology and even less of him opening himself up, but Mazer took what he could get, and didn't want to inadvertently "punish" Mach's more positive behavior by badgering him.
((Body Pack Reinstalled))
Mach's engines rapidly spooled up as soon as he got the notification of his NCP's restored status, which then drove him forward and up into the air. Someone looking for space to reflect would normally do something like take a long walk or sit somewhere quiet, but it seemed the Navi preferred "finding his center" by being in the air. Mazer honored Mach's request by leaving the Navi be, and instead flipped his pop-up window to face Skywriter. ["I sincerely apologize for what Mach said,"] Mazer stated with head slightly bowed. Though he was facing Skywriter, he also glanced over towards Yasu, indicating his apology wasn't just for Skywriter alone. ["I can only imagine what's going through his mind, but it's no excuse for his behavior; I'll keep working with him."]
He then lowered his voice slightly so it was a more conversational tone with Skywriter specifically. ["I'll trade ya. I 'picked up' something left behind on the convention floor, but in retrospect I think it would only worsen Mach's mood. If you can't return it to the vendor, let me know and I'll cover the cost,"] Mazer said before two smaller windows appeared beneath his pop-up; one appeared to be a "drop-box" of sorts for Skywriter to place the SP base into, while the other was a delivery notification. If Skywriter chose to place the SP on/against the window, it would've quickly fragmented as it was downloaded to the PET, and the reverse would happen if she tapped the delivery notification. She would then hold a mostly clear rectangular container in her hands.
((Accept SP Base, 6000z, 100 BugFrags, 20 FP))
Inside the container was a statuette, or more accurately a pair of statuettes in a single simple diorama, which looked like a dirt floor with some small bits of debris. She'd likely instantly recognize the pair as Aera and Vector from their mission in Netfrica. Both SPs were depicted with their NS_Uniform.GMOs active, but with slight modifications that had only appeared in that specific mission. The slat-like armor on Vector's left shoulder were significantly larger than his right, appearing more like a tower shield. He was also holding his heavily stylized polearm, with its L-shaped blade pointing skyward as he stood like a sentinel behind and facing diagonally away from Aera. The inner surfaces of his grimacing mask were painted a bright crimson, apparently in an attempt to imitate the SP's glowing eye(s) without literally using a small light program.
Aera appeared to be in a slight hovering pose, with only the tip of one of her feet touching the ground, connected by what looked like a painted electrical arc. Her uniform modifications were the ones after she'd treated the NS soldiers in the encampment; her slightly curled hair lay slightly over her shoulders, and the two triangle-shaped cutouts in the sides of her pants exposed enough skin to just barely get to the point of questionable modesty. Her vambraces were painted with a slightly wavering green hue with jagged, transparent green electrical arcs between the fingers of her outstretched hands, as if her recovery programs were active. She had a cheerful-but-determined expression on her face, like she was about to move in to treat another patient.
["If it's any consolation..."] the NetOp murmured, partially to get Skywriter's attention if she was examining the package, and partially due to being unsure what to say. ["...it was humbling to see complete strangers that idolized my friends enough to dress up like them. If they were there... I think they'd be really flattered,"] he said with a strained chuckle, and one would probably notice he was blinking more than normal. His eyes then started to look up, and a smirk grew on his face. ["Man, Vector would've been [i]so[/i] confused, and Aera, she'd be beet red!"] he said followed by a genuine laugh, though near the end it sounded like he was slightly choking up, and one would see he started to become misty-eyed. He caught himself, and looked away before clearing his throat and tried to recompose himself ["Sorry, rambling."]
[[color=blue]Claim happiness? How?[/color]] he asked himself, the bitterness turning more towards frustration as he tried to think of something that made him happy. His mind raced down several roads, but they all seemed lead to one point: her. It only caused his frustration to increase, but he started to think of it as an obstacle, instead of a "fact." He needed time to think, and the other's attempts to "help" would only muddy his thoughts.
"...Fine," Mach grumbled. "Just... give me a minute. Need to think," he then declared and resumed walking off, sounding frustrated and tired as he tried to put more distance between himself and the group. Mazer didn't say anything back, instead he simply nodded then looked to his PC. It wasn't quite an apology and even less of him opening himself up, but Mazer took what he could get, and didn't want to inadvertently "punish" Mach's more positive behavior by badgering him.
((Body Pack Reinstalled))
Mach's engines rapidly spooled up as soon as he got the notification of his NCP's restored status, which then drove him forward and up into the air. Someone looking for space to reflect would normally do something like take a long walk or sit somewhere quiet, but it seemed the Navi preferred "finding his center" by being in the air. Mazer honored Mach's request by leaving the Navi be, and instead flipped his pop-up window to face Skywriter. ["I sincerely apologize for what Mach said,"] Mazer stated with head slightly bowed. Though he was facing Skywriter, he also glanced over towards Yasu, indicating his apology wasn't just for Skywriter alone. ["I can only imagine what's going through his mind, but it's no excuse for his behavior; I'll keep working with him."]
He then lowered his voice slightly so it was a more conversational tone with Skywriter specifically. ["I'll trade ya. I 'picked up' something left behind on the convention floor, but in retrospect I think it would only worsen Mach's mood. If you can't return it to the vendor, let me know and I'll cover the cost,"] Mazer said before two smaller windows appeared beneath his pop-up; one appeared to be a "drop-box" of sorts for Skywriter to place the SP base into, while the other was a delivery notification. If Skywriter chose to place the SP on/against the window, it would've quickly fragmented as it was downloaded to the PET, and the reverse would happen if she tapped the delivery notification. She would then hold a mostly clear rectangular container in her hands.
((Accept SP Base, 6000
Inside the container was a statuette, or more accurately a pair of statuettes in a single simple diorama, which looked like a dirt floor with some small bits of debris. She'd likely instantly recognize the pair as Aera and Vector from their mission in Netfrica. Both SPs were depicted with their NS_Uniform.GMOs active, but with slight modifications that had only appeared in that specific mission. The slat-like armor on Vector's left shoulder were significantly larger than his right, appearing more like a tower shield. He was also holding his heavily stylized polearm, with its L-shaped blade pointing skyward as he stood like a sentinel behind and facing diagonally away from Aera. The inner surfaces of his grimacing mask were painted a bright crimson, apparently in an attempt to imitate the SP's glowing eye(s) without literally using a small light program.
Aera appeared to be in a slight hovering pose, with only the tip of one of her feet touching the ground, connected by what looked like a painted electrical arc. Her uniform modifications were the ones after she'd treated the NS soldiers in the encampment; her slightly curled hair lay slightly over her shoulders, and the two triangle-shaped cutouts in the sides of her pants exposed enough skin to just barely get to the point of questionable modesty. Her vambraces were painted with a slightly wavering green hue with jagged, transparent green electrical arcs between the fingers of her outstretched hands, as if her recovery programs were active. She had a cheerful-but-determined expression on her face, like she was about to move in to treat another patient.
["If it's any consolation..."] the NetOp murmured, partially to get Skywriter's attention if she was examining the package, and partially due to being unsure what to say. ["...it was humbling to see complete strangers that idolized my friends enough to dress up like them. If they were there... I think they'd be really flattered,"] he said with a strained chuckle, and one would probably notice he was blinking more than normal. His eyes then started to look up, and a smirk grew on his face. ["Man, Vector would've been [i]so[/i] confused, and Aera, she'd be beet red!"] he said followed by a genuine laugh, though near the end it sounded like he was slightly choking up, and one would see he started to become misty-eyed. He caught himself, and looked away before clearing his throat and tried to recompose himself ["Sorry, rambling."]
last edited by
"Take what time you need," Yasu granted MachMan, while Skywriter and even Vee breathed a sigh of relief. The First General then faced Mazer, leaning on one fist with an unreadable expression. It might occur to him this was the first time he had appeared to her. "Well, for his sake and all of ours, I hope he can figure out what he needs to. But let us know if the empire can assist."
Skywriter listened up, looking slightly surprised to be addressed. Unfortunately, she ended up teary again by the end of it, but tried to keep a smile on anyway. She exhaled, patted her cheeks, then handed over the data packet. "Thanks... I saw this earlier and it really was a nice piece. I think I'll keep it and pay them back later... but let me give you a finder's fee too," she answered, adding in a token of her own.
*MachMan gets 2000 additional zenny and FlashBomb3 as a present for a friend and definitely not just me making up what I skimped on the reward originally compared to other similar missions*
Something about what he said next caused a guilty expression to flash across her face. "I feel terrible... I wasn't dressed as Aera for a joke or because I admired her... I was imitating her as a way of acting out because I was aggravated... because... nevermind. But it was a rotten thing to do in the first place and it's even worse and more petty now that I know what happened to her," she sobbed, using the backs of her palms to wipe away tears that she was worse at holding back than Mazer was. "Tell MachMan I'm sorry I put him through that..."
"Thank you again... I'm sorry but... I've got to go for a while too," she finished, taking off by propelling herself with jetstreams from her hands, held out to either side beneath her. Vee respectfully took the time to suddenly strike up a new, private topic with Yasu.
Roc, on the other hand, was still staring at Mazer cluelessly. "Hey, make sure he comes back, okay?" she pestered Mazer, her sharp teeth showing behind painted lips.
Skywriter listened up, looking slightly surprised to be addressed. Unfortunately, she ended up teary again by the end of it, but tried to keep a smile on anyway. She exhaled, patted her cheeks, then handed over the data packet. "Thanks... I saw this earlier and it really was a nice piece. I think I'll keep it and pay them back later... but let me give you a finder's fee too," she answered, adding in a token of her own.
*MachMan gets 2000 additional zenny and FlashBomb3 as a present for a friend and definitely not just me making up what I skimped on the reward originally compared to other similar missions*
Something about what he said next caused a guilty expression to flash across her face. "I feel terrible... I wasn't dressed as Aera for a joke or because I admired her... I was imitating her as a way of acting out because I was aggravated... because... nevermind. But it was a rotten thing to do in the first place and it's even worse and more petty now that I know what happened to her," she sobbed, using the backs of her palms to wipe away tears that she was worse at holding back than Mazer was. "Tell MachMan I'm sorry I put him through that..."
"Thank you again... I'm sorry but... I've got to go for a while too," she finished, taking off by propelling herself with jetstreams from her hands, held out to either side beneath her. Vee respectfully took the time to suddenly strike up a new, private topic with Yasu.
Roc, on the other hand, was still staring at Mazer cluelessly. "Hey, make sure he comes back, okay?" she pestered Mazer, her sharp teeth showing behind painted lips.
last edited by
["Thanks, General Yasu; I hope so too,"] Mazer replied with a nod to Yasu's open offer to assist, then focused back to Skywriter. Thankfully the Navi wasn't feeling vindictive and transferred the items, along with some extras for good measure and exchange for the tandem figurine. He continued to attempt regaining his composure, which was made a bit more difficult by Skywriter's own lamentations, but thankfully for everyone he somehow kept it together enough to effectively listen to the Navi.
There was some initial confusion on Mazer's face in response to Skywriter's explanation for her cosplay choice, but things started to click a few moments later, just as Skywriter took to the sky as well. Though the story was incomplete, he felt he had enough pieces to assume it wasn't appropriate to ask Skywriter to elaborate, at least not now. He wanted to say it wasn't her fault, at least not the cosplaying part, but she'd already taken off and chasing her down was equally inappropriate. He instead just watched briefly as she took off, thankfully her method of flight in addition to the absent wig made her stand out enough for his mind to not subconsciously mistake her for Aera.
Roc's interjection also helped, her blunt yet well-meaning demand bump-steered his train of thought from "what happened" to "what's next." A tired smile creased his lips as he exhaled out his nose, slightly amused by Roc's characteristic straightforwardness. ["Will do. You all are pretty much the only friends he has left, I don't think the Terror Girls entirely count."] His eyes briefly looked away as he glanced at the PET display, and realized his Navi was putting more and more distance between them at a fairly rapid pace. ["See you soon, I hope,"] he said before his pop up window blinked out of sight.
A few moments later, Mazer's voice came in through Mach's direct line with the NetOp as he continued to gradually climb. ["Ready to log out?"] he asked. Mach took a moment before answering. "Thanks, but... let me cruise for a bit." MachMan wearily replied. Mazer paused and nodded in understanding, before finally saying ["Take all the time you need, buddy."]
Mach leveled out and settled in to a high-altitude cruise; his arms folded up and against the undersides of his engine nacelles while his lower legs angled almost straight back, but the twin intakes bracketing each knee continued to face forward. He kept his throttles near around 40% so he moving at a small fraction of his max speed, but he was flying several thousand feet above the ground, or at least as high as he could go before hitting any ceiling, visible or not. It was obvious he wanted to be alone up there, and theoretically high enough to not worry about any terrain or viral obstacles along the way. The inside of his helmet was quiet, save for the muffled hum of his engines, giving him a nearly zen-like atmosphere in which to go deep in thought. It didn't take long for him to reach the outer limits of the Neo-Shogunate netspace, and eventually disappeared from sight as he either was auto-transferred to the adjacent netspace or simply got too far away to see.
((To Internet City))
There was some initial confusion on Mazer's face in response to Skywriter's explanation for her cosplay choice, but things started to click a few moments later, just as Skywriter took to the sky as well. Though the story was incomplete, he felt he had enough pieces to assume it wasn't appropriate to ask Skywriter to elaborate, at least not now. He wanted to say it wasn't her fault, at least not the cosplaying part, but she'd already taken off and chasing her down was equally inappropriate. He instead just watched briefly as she took off, thankfully her method of flight in addition to the absent wig made her stand out enough for his mind to not subconsciously mistake her for Aera.
Roc's interjection also helped, her blunt yet well-meaning demand bump-steered his train of thought from "what happened" to "what's next." A tired smile creased his lips as he exhaled out his nose, slightly amused by Roc's characteristic straightforwardness. ["Will do. You all are pretty much the only friends he has left, I don't think the Terror Girls entirely count."] His eyes briefly looked away as he glanced at the PET display, and realized his Navi was putting more and more distance between them at a fairly rapid pace. ["See you soon, I hope,"] he said before his pop up window blinked out of sight.
A few moments later, Mazer's voice came in through Mach's direct line with the NetOp as he continued to gradually climb. ["Ready to log out?"] he asked. Mach took a moment before answering. "Thanks, but... let me cruise for a bit." MachMan wearily replied. Mazer paused and nodded in understanding, before finally saying ["Take all the time you need, buddy."]
Mach leveled out and settled in to a high-altitude cruise; his arms folded up and against the undersides of his engine nacelles while his lower legs angled almost straight back, but the twin intakes bracketing each knee continued to face forward. He kept his throttles near around 40% so he moving at a small fraction of his max speed, but he was flying several thousand feet above the ground, or at least as high as he could go before hitting any ceiling, visible or not. It was obvious he wanted to be alone up there, and theoretically high enough to not worry about any terrain or viral obstacles along the way. The inside of his helmet was quiet, save for the muffled hum of his engines, giving him a nearly zen-like atmosphere in which to go deep in thought. It didn't take long for him to reach the outer limits of the Neo-Shogunate netspace, and eventually disappeared from sight as he either was auto-transferred to the adjacent netspace or simply got too far away to see.
((To Internet City))