Ryan Apollos [vs.] Zlatan Jax

Subject: Ryan Apollos [vs.] Zlatan Jax Wed Aug 22, 2012 2:06 pm

Roleplay here.

Subject: Re: Ryan Apollos [vs.] Zlatan Jax Sun Aug 26, 2012 11:08 am

Dream State 00
Part 5

A few hours later, the crew, minus Lasse, was gathered in the briefing room. Sumeragi had announced that she wanted to go over their plan of attack before the ship arrived at the location that Wang Liu Mei had sent them. Also, now that they had the 0 Gundam ready for combat and the Duke was now powered by a true GN Drive, they needed to ensure that they utilised their resources effectively.

"Okay people, I'm going to go over the mission plan for retaking Veda from the Innovators, so listen up and listen good. Thanks to Wang Liu Mei's information, we now know that Veda is located inside a deep-space class mothership, codenamed Celestial Being, which also serves as the Innovators' base. The ship utilises optical camouflage and is hidden behind the moon. We know for certain that the AL-LAWS will be the first wave of resistance. Once we get past them, our objective is to infiltrate the ship and locate Veda. As Tieria is the only one who can access Veda, that task will fall to him." Sumeragi explained.

"Roger that." Tieria replied.

"Good. Now then, moving on. Once we get within visual range of the enemy, Cherudim , Arios-Archer, Stargazer, Seravee and 00 Raiser will launch to engage the enemy forces." Sumeragi continued.

"But Miss Noriega! What about me and Ryan?" Mileina asked.

"The Duke and 0 Gundam will remain aboard the Ptolemaios for several reasons. One is that because the ship no longer has its own GN Drive, we need you to be able to operate effectively during the battle. Also, the enemy has no idea of the changes we've made to the Duke or of the fact that we now have the 0 Gundam operational as well. This should give us an edge in the coming battle if and when you two have to launch." Sumeragi explained to the young girl. Mileina pouted the same way she usually did, before latching onto Ryan, who blushed lightly.

"Fine, roger that." She replied grudgingly. Ryan nodded in agreement.

"All right, people! We still have a couple of hours before we begin the operation, so take care of anything that you have to do in that time, dismissed!" Sumeragi announced. Everyone agreed, and then they all dispersed to do whatever they had to before the fighting started.

An hour later, Ryan and Mileina were busy running through some combat simulation in their mobile suits. This time they were practicing fighting together, learning to co-ordinate their attacks effectively and watching each other's backs. The two had decided that Ryan, given his experience and skill as an Innovator would lead, while Mileina supported him. The 0 Gundam's Particle Wings proved themselves to be valuable asset. Mileina could manipulate the wings so that, if 0 Gundam flew right behind the Duke, she could shield both suits from a head-on attack, then Ryan could close in and launch a close quarters strike. Just as they were finishing up, Divine stuck his head into the Duke's cockpit.

"Seriously, you're still at it? You should probably relax while you can, you know." He said jokingly.

"Yeah well, Mileina and I need practice fighting as a team. I guess we lost track of time." Ryan admitted, as he climbed out of the Duke. He was immediately greeted by Mileina latching onto his arm again, as she frequently did.

"Well then, I can see you two are still busy. I'll be on my way then." Divine replied, as he turned to leave.

"Actually Divine, there's something I've been meaning to ask you about." Ryan said, causing Divine to stop and turn back towards the two teens.

"Well then, ask away." He replied cheerfully.

"I'll understand if this comes off as a bit personal, but how did you end up with Celestial Being? I know how the other meisters joined, but I never got a chance to ask you before." Ryan explained.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd ask." Divine replied. "Well, I guess it can't hurt. I was originally a normal person like most people, before I wound up in the Super Human Research Institute, same as Allelujah. As luck would have it, we both escaped on the same ship, but then Hallelujah took over for the first time and started killing everyone onboard. I somehow managed to get a space suit on and escape the ship, but not before I got shot in the stomach, and lost consciousness from the blood loss. However, after a while I woke up to find that my wound had been treated somehow and that I was in some kind of ship. There was a person there who looked exactly like Tieria, only slightly more feminine, who introduced herself as Regene Regetta. She told me was an Innovade and promised me that everything would be alright, soon after which I passed out again. When I finally woke up again I found myself aboard the Ptolemaios II. Sumeragi explained that they'd found me drifting through space in a stasis pod, which meant I'd spent eleven years in space. She also told me that the pod had been designed to bathe me in GN Particles during hose eleven years, resulting in my becoming a Super Soldier/Innovator hybrid." Divine explained.

"That's...quite a story. So, what was it like between you and Allelujah then? I mean he, or rather his other half shot you, right?" Ryan asked. Divine chuckled slightly, his lips forming a slight smile.

"Well to be honest, I was a bit shocked at first when I saw him and Marie again. But I don't blame him one bit for what happened. For one, Hallelujah was simply trying to stay alive, which anyone can understand. Also, like it or not, we're practically brothers, so I couldn't bring myself to hate him for it." Divine replied.

"Yeah, I get what you mean. And look at it this way. If you hadn't escaped that ship, you probably wouldn't have ended up here." Ryan said.

"Hm, never thought of it that way. I guess you've got a point there. Well it's been fun, but I should probably get going. See ya later." Divine replied, before exiting the hangar, leaving Ryan and Mileina to themselves.

"Miss Sumeragi! Enemy forces spotted, twelve o'clock, range 10,000!" Feldt shouted. Sumeragi nodded.

"Alright, here we go! All Gundams launch immediately!" Sumeragi ordered.

"Opening hatches 1, 2 and 3! Increasing linear catapult voltage from 230 to 520. All linear catapults ready and standing by. Moving Cherudim, Seravee and Arios-Archer to catapult decks." Feldt replied. "Transferring timing controls to Gundams."

In their mobile suits, Allelujah, Marie, Lockon and Tieria put on their helmets, readying themselves for takeoff.

"Roger, I have control. Arios-Archer, Allelujah Haptism, Marie Parfacy, launching!" Allelujah shouted, as he engaged the catapult. The combined Arios-Archer shot forward, rocketing away from the Ptolemaios like a missile.

"Acknowledged. Seravee, Tieria Erde, launching!" Tieria replied, as Seravee was propelled forward as well. The heavily armoured mobile suit forming up with Arios-Archer.

"Roger that. Cherudim, Lockon Stratos, targeted and firing!" Lockon exclaimed, launching to join the other two Gundams, as Feldt prepared the catapults again.

"All catapults ready. Moving Stargazer, 00 Gundam and 0 Raiser to catapult decks. Transferring timing controls.

"Copy that, Feldt. Stargazer, Divine Divinity, I'm heading out!" Divine replied, as the Stargazer was flung from the catapult, its GN Ring igniting to catch up with the others.

"Roger. 00 Gundam, Setsuna F. Seiei, launching!" Setsuna shouted. The suit launched quickly, before Setsuna slowed down to wait for Saji to catch up with the 0 Raiser. A few moments later, the small fighter arrived and quickly proceeded to dock with the 00 Gundam, before the combined 00 Raiser accelerated to form up with the rest of the Gundams.

"Hey Setsuna, what about Louise? I mean, she's almost certainly waiting for us." Saji asked.

"Don't worry. Once we enter combat, see if you can spot her machine. Then we'll break off and capture her as best we can." Setsuna replied. Deep down he understood Saji's concern. He was desperate to be reunited with the only loved one he had left in this world.

"I know I'd be doing the same if it were Feldt out there." Setsuna thought. Lately he'd found himself being attracted to the pink-haired operator, but he'd avoided confronting her about it to allow both of them to focus on the missions. "After we end this fight...then I can tell her how I feel."

"Sumeragi to all meisters. Our scans are showing the A-LAWS force consists of twenty one ships and one hundred or so mobile suits. Stick to the plan and watch each other's backs." Sumeragi ordered over the comm.

"Roger that." They replied, as the A-LAWS fleet came into view. Seconds later, a large number of GN-XIIIs and Aheads charged towards the Gundams, as the fleet of Baikal-class carriers fired their main guns, the large particle beams narrowly missing the five Gundams, which immediately scattered, as the A-LAWS mobile suits began their attack.

Meanwhile back aboard the Ptolemaios II, Ryan entered the ship's sub-bridge and strapped into one of the seats. He then activated the bridge's controls, the monitors displaying the battlefield before the ship and the targeting reticule for the ship's four GN Cannon Turrets.

"Sumeragi, I'm ready when you are." Ryan said.

"Alright Ryan, you're clear to commence bombardment. Concentrate on sinking those ships first, the Gundams can deal with their mobile suits." Sumeragi replied.

"Roger that, commencing bombardment." Ryan acknowledged, as he zoomed in on the Baikal-class ships far in the distance. He adjusted his aim carefully, knowing that the slightest misalignment would have major repercussions, given the distance between him and his targets. He settled his sights over one ship's superstructure, targeting the bridge, his eyes glowing yellow. Ryan pulled the trigger, the cannons each firing a large particle beam straight towards the A-LAWS ship. All of the beams struck their target, with devastating results. The bridge was annihilated completely, as other sections of the vessel began exploding from the damage they had sustained from the blast. Without pause, Ryan turned his attention on another ship. But just before he could fire, the remaining twenty ships launched a barrage of GN Missiles towards the Ptolemaios.

"Wow, determined aren't you?" Ryan wondered, as he fired on the incoming missiles. Lasse joined in, firing the ship's fixed GN Cannons as well. With their combined firepower, the eight cannons made quick work of the missiles before they even got close.

"Lasse, thanks for the help." Ryan said.

"No problem, now get busy." Lasse replied.

"Roger, I'm on it." Ryan replied, as he continued to fire on the remaining A-LAWS ships ahead, knocking each one out by destroying either their bridge or engine pods.

A short while later, Sumeragi's plan was well on track. After breaking through the A-LAWS thanks to the arrival of Katharon and the regular ESF forces, the group had managed to close in on the Innovators' mothership Celestial Being. Despite being shot down, Tieria had somehow managed to infiltrate the massive ship to locate Veda. Meanwhile the Ptolemaios had been boarded by a large number of automatons, while the Innovators' massive mobile suit force launched kamikaze attacks on the ship. However, Tieria somehow managed to take control of Seraphim and activated its Trial Field, causing the automatons and the Innovators' mobile suits to shut down immediately. Moments later though, Seraphim was destroyed by a new mobile suit that wasn't connected to Veda; in fact the suit was revealed to a Gundam-type mobile suit, with Ribbons Almark piloting it. He was quickly joined by Hiling Care and Revive Revival, as they proceeded to attack the Gundams.

"Damn it! These guys just don't quit!" Divine shouted, as he was forced to dodge another large particle beam from the Gadessa. Divine retaliated, firing a blast from the Stargazer's GN Ring, which just barely missed the Innovade. Sensing an opening, Divine charged the Gadessa, both swords drawn. Suddenly, Ribbons fired a powerful shot from the Reborns Gundam's GN Buster Rifle, destroying the GN Ring, crippling the Stargazer. The shot carried on, burning its way through the suit, just grazing the cockpit.

"You...you bastard!" Divine shouted, as the Stargazer drifted slowly, unable to manoeuvre at all.

"Miss Sumeragi! The Stargazer's GN Ring has been destroyed! The suit's out of action!" Feldt shouted.

"What about Divine?" Sumeragi asked.

"He's okay, but the rest of that large mobile suit force is back online and they're heading straight for us!" Feldt replied. Sumeragi clenched her fists in frustration. Already they'd lost two Gundams and now the enemy outnumbered them once again.

"Feldt, call back the rest of the Gundams! Have Ryan and Mileina launch immediately!" Sumeragi ordered.

"Roger that." Feldt replied.

"All Gundams return immediately! The Ptolemaios is under attack by the large mobile suit force again!" Feldt ordered. As soon as Setsuna and the others heard her instruction, they broke off their engagement and turned back towards the ship, leaving the Innovators behind.

"Ribbons, they're retreating! Should we follow them?" Hiling asked.

"No need for that. The Gaga units should be more than enough, dear Hiling." Ribbons replied, before Revive Revival cut in.

"Ribbons, there's another mobile suit approaching us from twelve o'clock!" Revive shouted. Soon after, the Duke came into view, heading right towards them.

"Hmm, it appears this pilot is rather confident. No matter." Ribbons said, firing his rifle. However just before the beam hit, a GN Field appeared in front of the Duke, blocking the shot and leaving the Duke unscathed. Ribbons was stunned as the 0 Gundam emerged from behind the Duke and moved alongside it.

"You dare...to use MY Gundam! You shall pay for your insolence! Hiling, Revive, deal with these fools!" Ribbons shouted furiously.

"With pleasure." Revive replied, charging the Gadessa's GN Mega Launcher.

At the same moment, Ryan spotted the Gadessa charging its weapon and immediately formulated a strategy.

"Mileina when I say, we're going to duck underneath that weapon's beam, into its blind spot. Then we'll close in and take it out, understood?" Ryan asked.

"Roger that." Mileina replied. Just then, the Gadessa fired, sending a large particle beam towards the two suits.

"Now!" Ryan shouted. At the last second the two suits dived underneath the beam, accelerating to close the gap before the beam ceased.

"Aha ha ha ha! All too easy!" Revive laughed, certain that the Duke and 0 Gundam had been destroyed. Suddenly, as the beam ceased, the Duke appeared right in front of the Gadessa, its GN Particle Beam Sword drawn.

"What? But how...!" Revive exclaimed, before the Duke struck, its sword slicing off the Gadessa's right arm and head. Seconds later, the 0 Gundam's beam saber slashed through the chest, causing the unit to explode, taking Revive with it.

"Revive! You bastard, you'll pay for that!" Hiling shouted, charging forward recklessly. Ryan and Mileina switched to their guns, firing a barrage of particle beams at the Garazzo. Hiling managed to dodge much of the incoming fire, but Ryan scored hits to both arms, knocking them out. Hiling was forced to eject as the Garazzo exploded, but the Core Fighter was destroyed by a well-aimed shot from the 0 Gundam's GN Beam Rifle.

"Mileina, good shot." Ryan said.

"Thanks, but we're not finished yet." Mileina replied, as the two suits faced the Reborns Gundam. Then, Ribbons opened a link to the Duke and 0 Gundam, his face appearing on their screens.

"Well well, I must admit that was fairly impressive, Celestial Being. However, Do you honestly believe that I will fall as easily as those two?" Ribbons asked, his expression smug.

"Give it up, Ribbons Almark. You're outnumbered and alone. Just give up and make is easier on all of us." Ryan replied, refusing to be baited.

"Your courage is admirable but...it will not save you. I have surpassed all Innovators, and therefore all humans as well. I will not be defeated by you or anyone else. Now then, prepare to meet your ends!" Ribbons shouted, charging forward, as his suit's GN Fangs flew towards the Duke and 0 Gundam.

"If that's how you want to do it...Mileina, back to back! We've got to stop those fangs!" Ryan shouted.

"Got it!" Mileina replied. The two suits moved up against each other, the 0 Gundam firing its GN Beam Rifle while guarding with its shield, the Duke firing a barrage from its GN Beam Cannons and GN Vulcans. The GN Fangs darted all around the smaller fangs making slashing attack while the large ones fired large particle beams at the two suits. However, the 0 Gundam's Particle Wings proved strong enough to block the powerful beams, allowing Ryan to easily destroy the large fangs. Suddenly Ribbons attacked from above, forcing Ryan and Mileina to split up, firing at the Reborns Gundam from both sides. Ribbons abruptly changed direction, charging Mileina while firing his GN Buster Rifle.

"Nice try!" Mileina shouted, raising the 0 Gundam's shield. However, the Reborns Gundam's shots knocked tore the shield from the suit's arm, leaving it exposed. Mileina backed, firing her rifle to try and push Ribbons back.

"Foolish girl. This is what happens when you take on someone superior to you. Farewell." Ribbons said, preparing to end it. But before he could, Artemis attacked him from behind, aiming his sword at the Reborns Gundam's torso. Ribbons spun around quickly, meeting the Duke's sword with his beam saber. Ribbons forced the Duke back, before firing his rifle again. Ryan managed to evade most of them, but one of the beams hit the Duke's left leg, destroying the side thrusters on the leg.

"Damn it! This isn't good!" Ryan exclaimed, as he struggled to regain control. With that shot, the Duke's manoeuvrability had been seriously compromised.

"Now you die!" Ribbons shouted, charging forward to deliver the final blow.

"Not so fast! I'm not done yet! Activate Quadruple Burst Mode!" Ryan shouted. All four cores activated, but then the Duke's systems abruptly shut down.

'What the...?' Ryan wondered, completely at a loss for words. Then suddenly, everything came back online, as the Duke was engulfed in a cloud of golden articles. Ryan felt his mind expanding, sensing the thoughts of Ribbons, Mileina, and everyone aboard the Ptolemaios and the Gundams. "What...is this?"

"What in the world is that?" Ribbons gasped.

"Ryan..." Mileina whispered.

Onboard the Ptolemaios, the crew were amazed to see a golden light coming from the Duke's position, causing them to stare in astonishment.

"What on earth...?" Ian wondered.

"Miss Sumeragi! Something's happening to the Duke!" Anew shouted.

"What is it?" Sumeragi demanded.

"Its particle generation rate is increasing!" Anew replied.

"What's it at now?" Ian asked.

"Passing 150%...200...250...it's passed 300% and still climbing!" Anew replied.

"What? But that's impossible! It's exceeding the 00 Raiser's maximum output in Trans-Am!" Ian shouted in disbelief.

"Still rising...500...600...850...we're past 1000%!" Anew shouted.

"Unbelievable." Sumeragi gasped.

"Particle Generation rate holding steady at 2000%!" Anew exclaimed. Suddenly the crew were shocked to hear Sumeragi laughing.

"What's so funny?" Feldt asked.

"Well we may not know what's happening, but I can tell you one thing. Ribbons Almark just lost this fight." Sumeragi replied.

Eventually the golden particles cleared, revealing the Duke glowing a bright golden hue, particle streaming from every thruster on its body.

"I don't know what you've done, but it won't save you! Trans-Am!" Ribbons shouted, his suit glowing reddish-pink as he charged the Duke, slashing at it with his beam saber. However, as soon as the blade contacted the Duke's surface, the entire saber immediately exploded, causing Ribbons to back off.

"What...what just happened?" Ribbons demanded. Suddenly, he heard a voice in his head.

"Sorry, but you won't win this time, Ribbons Almark." Ryan said, his voice echoing inside Ribbon's head.

"How are you...inside my head!" Ribbons shouted. Ryan remained silent drawing his GN Particle Beam Sword.

"Even if you defeat us, you will not succeed. Oppression leads to resentment. Resent then gives birth to revolution. You will fall." Ryan replied, charging Ribbons head on.

"You are nothing but a mere human!" Ribbons shouted, drawing his other beam saber and lunging forward. He stabbed the Duke through the chest, but the Duke dissolved into more of the golden particles. Suddenly, the Duke appeared out of nowhere behind Ribbons, tearing off the Reborns Gundam's arms. Ribbons fell back, his suit sparking from the damage.

"How dare you!" he roared, as the Duke closed in for the kill.

"This ends now!" Ryan shouted, as the Duke's sword sliced through the Reborns Gundam's chest. The Duke stopped a short distance behind the Reborns Gundam, its sword held out to its side, as the suit behind exploded.

'Finally, it's all over.' Ryan thought, as the 0 Gundam approached him.

"Ryan! Are you alright?" Mileina asked.

"Don't worry, I'm..." Ryan replied, but suddenly the Duke's GN Drive exploded, the force of the explosion slamming Artemis into the Duke's console, knocking him out cold. As the smoke cleared, Mileina could see that most of the Duke's back was destroyed, with a gaping hole where the drive should have been. The arms were badly damaged, but the legs were mostly intact, apart from the damaged thrusters on the left leg.

"Mileina, what's the situation? We've lost readings from the Duke." Sumeragi asked.

"The Innovators are dead, but the Duke's drive exploded just now. Ryan got knocked out, I think." Mileina replied.

"I see. Bring the Duke back to the Ptolemaios. We've finished with the other mobile suits, so you should be okay." Sumeragi replied.

"Roger that. I'm on my way." Mileina replied. After retrieving the 0 Gundam's shield, she grabbed hold of the Duke and headed back towards the ship, keeping a close eye on Ryan the whole time.

When Ryan finally woke up, he found himself lying on one of the beds in the ship's medical bay. He slowly sat up, groaning as his muscles ached in protest to his actions. Looking around, he seemed to be alone.

"Uh...what happened?" Ryan groaned, rubbing his head, his mind still foggy. Suddenly the door slid open before Mileina barrelled through it, wrapping her arms around Ryan, squeezing him in a tight hug.

"Ryan...you're okay!" Mileina cried, her tears soaking Ryan's suit. Ryan wrapped his arms around Mileina's smaller body, rubbing her back gently.

"It's alright, I'm still here." Mileina eventually stopped crying, looking back up at him. Her expression soon turned to one of confusion.

"Ryan, what's with your eyes? They're glowing yellow for some reason." Mileina asked. Ryan was about to answer her, as the rest of the crew entered the medical bay as well.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake up. Have a good sleep?" Lockon joked, Anew hanging off his arm.

"Sorry about that. What happened by the way? I don't remember." Ryan inquired.

"We were busy dealing with that large group of mobile suits when we saw this golden light coming from your position. Then the Duke's particle generation rate somehow increased to 2000%, which we have no idea why it happened. After a few minutes, Mileina told us the Duke's GN Drive had for some reason exploded." Sumeragi explained.

"Well, I think I have an idea about what happened." Ian said. "When we were installing the GN Drive on the Duke, we must've forgotten that the Power Cores in its chest were still full of GN Tau particles. When Ryan activated the Duke's Burst Mode, the GN Tau and GN particles probably reacted with each other, causing these golden GN particles to be produced, which I'm calling GN Knight Particles. That was probably what caused the particle generation to increase by so much."

"And because the drive couldn't handle the stress, it exploded, right?" Ryan guessed. Ian nodded, confirming everyone's suspicions.

"But, I don't understand why Ryan's eyes are still glowing. Sure Setsuna's do the same thing, but his eyes only glow occasionally." Feldt asked.

"I have a theory on that." Tieria said, causing everyone but Setsuna to jump in astonishment.

"T-Tieria?" they gasped.

"Right, I forgot to tell everyone. Tieria's consciousness has been merged with Veda. In essence, they're one and the same now." Setsuna explained.

"Thank you for clearing that up, Setsuna. Tieria, what's this theory of yours?" Sumeragi asked.

"From what I was able to gather by analysing Ryan's condition, it seems that those GN Knight particles caused his body to very rapidly evolve beyond an Innovator and into something even more advanced." Tieria explained.

"Great, how many times does my body have to change?" Ryan sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Oh Ryan, you'll always be my knight." Mileina replied, nuzzling under his chin as Ryan sighed at the cheesy comment.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea. Why don't we call him a Knight from now on, seeing as he is the first one?" Lockon suggested. The others nodded in agreement, while Ryan blushed at the extra affection Mileina was displaying.