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RP: ISC Phoenix [Mission 5] - Right By Me

Bartley Town West Highway, Levitating Train, Cargo Containers

Calico marched directly forward, mindful of any metallic powder clogging up their joints should the mercenary stay in one place too long. The train seemed to be descending judging by the feeling of inertia, adding an extra little spring of haste to their step, occasionally reducing them to a lunging crawl as their heavy treads failed to find purchase on the smooth finish of the floor panels.

Still, the exact contents of the train did seem a little strange, given all that they had heard about the planet's infrastructure thus far...

"Luca, sir? Are these cars supposed to be full of heavy metals?" A rather dense airheaded tone of voice echoed down the communication link, but it was a valid question. It was open to the team channel, but that might have just been because they weren't working the IH-NoN correctly. "Seems like we only really talked about girly movies being from this planet, in the briefing..."

On to the second cargo carriage. Her rifle was wrangled back into her right hand significantly before reaching the passenger carriage, in expectation that it would be a great spot for an ambush.
 
"I said once it was back on the tracks, sheesh! Alright, maintaining height and speed!"

Seiren thought about this train. Who would benefit from making such a show-offy display like this? Launching a train like a bottle rocket and having it go all crazy. It seemed really pointless.

"That seems like it'd take even more effort to launch than just usin' a stealth shuttle to smuggle things back and forth from place to place, or something," he said on the channel to Calico.
 
Bartley Town West Highway, Levitating Train, Cargo Containers
Reeling up with the rope offered as the train begun to fall more and more, Luca was unable to wait any longer. Was Reeves afraid of heights? Maybe it was asking too much, given that the train would be coming down to land soon, making everyone's jobs a little less stressful. With things now evening out, Daniel had a clearer path to the caboose - he didn't have to worry about being blown away by the wind rushing through the surprisingly aerodynamic train.

When the line reeled back into Luca's forearm, he dialled in to see how his team was doing, a hologram appearing in the palm of his right hand, projected by the Grapple Stunner. Calico had left images of what was in the train: Ore for heavy metals? Nerimium grade? This was valuable stuff on its own ... but it couldn't just be processed willy nilly - to process the amount she was looking at, some heavy equipment and obvious would've been needed.

"Calico, let's ask the PSG when this train had any significant changes to the carriages while they were staying." Luca pondered. He couldn't expect them to be able to sniff out everything going on in New Remo, but a cargo of this size had enough value to turn heads here.

A PSG operative listening in was already looking things up, transmitting to Calico alone. When did the 'rolling adult film set' become a run of the mill cargo train? Was New Remo really on that hard a time? "A twenty two days ago ago, the train looked like this," a male voice speaking Trade with a Lorath accent told Calico. A picture was streamed to her IH-NoN of a train which was all passenger carriages, plus a different caboose.

"Then sixteen days ago," the picture changed, the caboose had its current look - with the aberration on the back of it. "That's when this caboose was swapped out. It doesn't show up in any previous records, it was for an action movie being shot by Shell Adult Pictures," the operator continued, "and the train operators were paid to keep it on to advertise the movie."

Maybe they didn't know better? But that wasn't for the intel to consider. "Six days ago, it looks like it does now, with more changes to the train for another scene."

"Any word from Daniel? Whatever's driving this could be in the caboose." As Luca was talking, he could feel weightlessness dragging him upwards in the cabin lethargically, forcing Luca to grab onto a rail on the ceiling while the train was in the midpoint of its fall. Calico could feel the sensation too, and was nearly taken off her feet as she clambered to the other carriage!

When the Nepleslian was between the next carriage and the one full of nerimium ores, she could hear something inside the cargo container rattling around, moving, clattering with alarming regularity, just over the sound of running wind. Metal scraping against metal as whatever was inside was being thrown around with reckless abandon. Perhaps opening it would've been a poor idea until gravity got hooks again.

The weightlessness begun to diminish as the train realigned itself with the tracks and change its angle of approach, becoming shallower and shallower until it levelled. Something crossed Calico's mind as the rattling inside the carriage in front of her went still, with the sounds of whatever was inside eventually settling, though little things could be heard rolling around inside: Who supplied all this? And where was it going to go after this 'movie' was done?

Luca had to rebut Seiren: "You must be thinking of a Yamataian scheme. They are subtle. Nepleslian schemes ..." He went to the back of the cabin to try and open the door into the passenger train, but the door was locked. He cursed as he fiddled with the lock. "Are not subtle."

Meanwhile, now that the train had levelled, Daniel would be able to climb across the container and into the caboose with ease now. The trucks following the train on the highway had a much easier time getting access to the train now, just a leap away so long as the traffic remained thin.
 
"Do you. . . not remember anything Enzo's done over his career? Okay, maybe skipping one or two years for Melissa, but still. Any two-bit criminal with a brain knows how to do a scheme that's subtle."

Seiren coasted down, matching speed to the gap between the caboose and the next car. He aimed one of his lasers at the joint between the two, setting to sever the connection.

"All I'm saying is, it seems really weird what's happening here. Also, I'm ready to cut the back off. Just say the word and I'll have this loose."
 
Bartley Town West Highway, Levitating Train, Cargo Containers

This was all quite perplexing. The train obviously couldn't just be forced into the air just by slapping some gravity manipulator on the back of it, there had to be more to this... The one thing Calico knew about trains is that they were supposed to be bendy. If she knew before what she knew now, those logs on the rear car definitely would have warranted a closer examination, at least...

Suddenly, the gravity within the carriage lurched back to normal values, not quite disturbing their wide stance, but still managing to yank her glasses clean off of her face. A metal hand reflexively shot outwards, succeeding only in swatting the pink frames against the deck plates so hard that they shattered into half a dozen pieces.

"Golly..." A single word. An unslightly vain brooding above her brow, despite that persistent smile still resonating. Suddenly, this little box was beginning to feel rather more claustrophobic. Damn train had a mind of its own.

"Careful up there, Mister Luca..." A quick call back over the same line. Hopefully a quick vid-recording would cover up the lack of any technical terms. "There is some pretty weird jangly stuff in here. I'm gonna pop one open, and see what's up..."

Letting the gun hang from it's sling was a necessity, if they were going to open up one of these crates in one fluid motion. Annoying. Maybe they were just something vaguely innocent like drill heads, and the like, through? The blonde giant just took a deep breath, closed their now-blurry real eye, and then rapidly pried one open...
 
As the bucking train reached the trough in its oddly timed movements, he jumped onto the side of the train. His symbiote sites burning with pain as the blades dug into the side of the train car. Once he stopped sliding and tearing through metal, he shouted at Reeves. That was the signal to swing on the rope attached to Kuzman's waist so they could both be on the train. He dearly hoped his arms could withstand the force of both of their weight on the blades, but he had assumed that Reeves was a rather light person and despite Nuk'Dukam's protests, had already committed to this slightly insane feat. All he needed was Reeves to make it over safely and find a handhold before the train leaped again.
 
Sheilding himself from the slight rain of glass from above, the technician held himself to the truck by bracing his short legs against the wheel wells in the bed. Reeves Caught the grapple stunner hook and stared up at the train his face a bit pale. A million things seemed to scream at him not to move. One of those things was a vivid image he had dreamed up of being crushed beneath the erratic train as it descended back onto its tracks. So, despite what he knew the rope was capable of he held it loosely in just the tips of his fingers. The small Nepleslian wasn't afraid of heights but he was afraid of excessive speeds and the threat of bodily harm. There was also the chance that he might not be able to scale the cable in his hands. He needed to turn his brain off and just do it.

The longer he waited the lower the train sank. Eventually the hook slithered out of his hands. He breathed in sharply a flush rising up in his cheeks. He had disappointed Luca and left him waiting. He hoped his legendary boss would understand he wasn't as exceptional as the rest of the crew.

Once the train was on the ground, he didn't have much time to regret his continually fraying nerves. His truck companion had leaped to the side of one of the train cars with an ease that frankly made him jealous. He held the rope that Kuzman had pushed into his hands before his jump. Finally swallowing his fear he backed up as far as he could and ran at the train. The Ground beneath him seemed to rush up more quickly than he had been hoping. he clung to the rope, letting it guide the remainder of his momentum toward the train. Reeves slammed against the side of the car near Kuzman. He nearly slipped off when he lost his footing. His magnetic gloves helped him cling to the rattling metal. Wanting to get further away from the wheels below them, he climbed up next to Kuzman. "Are you okay?!" He yelled, hoping he hadn't jarred the other male too badly.
 
Marcellus Retreat Eastern Highway, Levitating Train, Cargo Containers
In the train, Luca heard the sounds of Reeves and Kuzman getting up onto the train. He decided to abandon getting the door open for the moment, so he could have a couple of extras with him. "Hang on a tick," Luca said over the sound of rushing wind through the hole he'd made in the windscreen, reaching out with the line of the Grapple Stunner to give them a purchase. "Grab on!" He said, keeping himself anchored against the hull of the train.

While he was waiting, he used the opportunity to make a few decisions. The Caboose could've been part of the cause, and while the train was on the ground, now was as good a time as ever to cut it. "Daniel, stay off the Caboose - we're going to cut it!" he directed the wilderness expert away from the malformed backside of the train, "Seiren, cut the caboose off on my command. Daniel's going to watch for anything." With that done, he focussed on giving Reeves and Kuzman a hand.

Seiren had a good opportunity while the railway was going straight, and there was no bend in the line or major infrastructure other than the highway flanking the tracks below. All he had to do was match the speed of his Mecha with the train, and slice the couplers. The opportunity seemed like the perfect time to put the WINTER through some precision flight.

Meanwhile, large metal fingers pried a container open, doors pulled open from a steel-framed box. As she was getting a view into the shipping crate, a loud pop and a flash could be seen in the back of the trailer. When light shined into the rows of boxes against the wall, Calico could see brass shimmering and shaking on the floor, and the scent of burnt cordite lingered in the air. This carriage was full of loose bullets, lots of them.

As a cartridge rolled and danced towards her claw-like foot, she saw the end of a few of the bullets crimped into blanks. These must've been for the movie - and she still had an opportunity with some choices. Close the container and figure out how to get the potentially explosive container off the train, or throw them open and let them all out onto the tracks below, or get the team mecha's assistance - the hum of its thrusters was in the air far behind the cyborg.

And they had to be quick, the town of Marcellus Retreat was up ahead, a couple of minutes away from the train!
 
Kuzman nodded his thanks before retracting one of his blades and grabbed ahold of the line before retracting the other. He scaled the side of the train using the line as stability. This was faaaar easy their his original plan to simply stab the blades in the side of the train until he found a way in. Perhaps a bit more elegant too. He made his way to Luca, awaiting a mini-pow wow or orders about getting in. Despite the ache in his forearms, he was fully prepared to slice and dice his way through the outside of the train.
 
After reflexively slamming the crate's doors shut once more, Calico just stood silent for a few moments, with a perfect 'O' on her face. So much for the contents being vaguely innocent.

Attempting to lift the entire container off of the rail bed was one idea, but they only had one power armor. Attempting to contain the detonation in such a small enclosed space would only focus the explosive potential, too. Standing around and becoming burger meat was the rather less attractive third option.

"Erm... Mister Isbala?" A nervous voice chirped across the intercom. "You think you could cut a hole in the roof of this container? Or just cut off the whole roof panel, maybe?... It's sorta full of bullets. Throwing them out by hand would take a long-o-time..."

'-And would require me break dancing around on top of them, the next time it takes off.' Was the unspoken logical conclusion.
 
Seiren flared his CIWS and dove across the roof, using the molecular-edged plasma blade to delicately slice the top panel off the train, then diving across once more to slice through the coupling of caboose and train.

"That help?" he asked, fluttering back to hover above Calico.
 
Levitating Train, Cargo Containers

Balled up and covering their head as the sparks flew, the blonde thing just watched the metal plating peel away for a moment. Suddenly, wind rushed inside, and all thoughts of claustrophobia were banished. Looking up from their crouched position, Calico beamed Seiren's WINTER a quick smile before rapidly snapping onto her feet once more. It felt funny being part of a team. Perhaps she should have been terrified, but the entire situation was just so surreal.

"Thank you, hun." A brisk response, already in the process of arresting a crate so that they could lob it out into the wilderness. "Now it isn't like a hand closed around a firecracker anymore, you know?"
 
Marcellus Retreat Eastern Highway, Levitating Train, Caboose
With the plasma blade shearing through the couplings with a shower of electric sparks, the caboose begun to lose speed, slowly and steadily. Daniel was able to watch it drift further and further away from the train. He could confirm that it was a clean break, and Seiren could see it too. His next target proved to be a cleaner cut, with Calico keeping her head down. When she looked up, she saw a tidal wave of ammunition peppered with the occasional grenade or artillery shell cascading onto the tracks and around her.

Keeping her head down seemed reasonable as brass rained all over the tracks, flying over Calico's hair, some even scraping against the top of the crate full of heavy metals behind her. Occasionally, Seiren, Daniel, and Calico would hear a blast, and see a plume of gravel leap into the air behind the train and a lazily settling caboose left on the middle of the tracks, followed by a shower of bullets all over the track. They all saw the PSG GP-ORV's pull over to inspect.

It didn't take long. "Hey, team!" Andrea's voice called over the radio, as she and Tamamo stopped their GP-ORV about fifteen yards away. "Something strange is happening to the caboose!" She sat up and kept a hand on her rifle and shot a glance towards the 'Nepleslian' to look sharp. The diorama constructed around the caboose's movie setpiece was glowing again, and electric crackles were heard coming from the cut coupling, arcing light into the rails.

Something like a shuttle-grade antimatter engine could be heard whirring inside as the windows were aglow with rays of light. Warning klaxons could be heard as the caboose rocked side to side, eventually lifting itself off the track without the rest of the train. Some of the PSG drivers hit reverse on their gears and backed away warily, including Andrea, who kept her head down and the hazard lights on, as highway traffic diverted around them, some rubbernecked motorists stopped too.

The train lurched into the air, much like a brick shouldn't have, twirling and showing its undercarriage and roof, fittings falling loose as it flung itself into the air, still rotating violently. Without the rest of the train to take advantage of the powerful antigravitational properties of the caboose, it was flying away on its own. The glows inside became more and more intense as it sailed into the sky, leaving an increasing trail of smoke - the engines were cooking themselves with all that force and such a small place to put it.

"I think I'll put my head down for this." Andrea frowned, grabbing a riot shield strapped to the side of the vehicle and pulling it up, giving Tamamo ample cover too. They and everyone who'd accumulated on the highway stopped to express their disbelief. A few were taking photos and video with datatablets and communicators. A few shots from a pistol went up from more enthusiastic member of the highway's audience, and they struck it a few times - but what happened next wasn't the direct result of the bullets.

At the seams of the caboose, and blasting out of its windows were sharp shafts of light, more and more spiderwebbing throughout the structure of the carriage before tearing it all asunder - and exploding violently as a husk sailed towards the ground over a paddock just over the highway. Debris rained down from above while the smouldering remains of the caboose tumbled earthwards. Andrea hid under the shield, and something like a screw could be felt smacking into the ballistic shield, leaving an indentation.

Other bits could be heard whistling down around them, the occasional window smashing or someone screaming out behind them and getting their ass out of there, like they should've a minute ago. An enormous crash of twisted metal and discharging electricity could be felt through the highway, as the caboose smashed into a paddock parallel to the highway. A green field was turned into a smoking brown crater swifty, giving Marcellus Retreat a potential new tourist attraction.

"I think the caboose is stopped." Andrea reported pithily into her IH-NoN.


Marcellus Retreat Eastern Highway, Levitating Train, Front
Calico and Daniel were watching the lightshow up in the sky behind them as the train was now moving through the outer industrial suburbs of Marcellus Retreat. With the caboose presumably gone, the train could be stopped without worrying about it jumping again. Luca was watching what was going on too as Kuzman climbed in, blinking incredulously. "And that's a wrap." He quipped, before considering graver matters, such as all the ammunition Calcio had discovered, and Seiren had unleashed.

At least it was no longer on the train, but collecting it all sown across the traintracks would be a nightmare. "Remind me to keep an eye out for this 'Shell Entertainment'," he wondered he pointed the Iroma and the mechanic into the train, "all that ordnance couldn't have been a mistake. It must've been someone's cargo." He thought about that, but it made no sense.

"Could they be smuggling weapons by disguising them as props for a movie?" He said, mouthing his last words again before letting out an expletive and muttering. "Really?" He wasn't sure what was worse: That this was working for whoever the smugglers were, or the security being so lax out here.

If that was true, it begged the question: What were they smuggling through the caboose? It'd have to be identified by wreckage, and there was a sizeable husk to scrape clean and inspect. Seemed like an overclocked anti-gravity generator for a space shuttle attached to the mains power, or with an external engine hooked to it. Kuzman and Reeves heard bleeps coming from the train's console. It sounded as though it was becoming controllable again.

Luca didn't notice what was going on behind him since he had his head out the window still, but he pulled himself back inside and radioed in. "Seiren, Tamamo, Andrea, anyone hurt over there? I saw one hell of a bang." As he waited for a reply, he motioned Reeves towards the console, noticing that it had changed. The controls seemed to be working again, but Luca didn't know how it was connected to the caboose, or what Reeves spotted under the console earlier.

For the white-haired inventor, he had to guide the train to a station, which proved easy enough with instructions, a map in the dashboard, and the train slowing down to more reasonable speeds and with no threat of launching off the tracks. Even though the train was now back in the hands of New Remo, there were still questions hanging in the air as to its cargo Luca would have to investigate further.

"I'll search the passenger area with Kuzman, you worry about guiding us in," Luca said, walking over to the back of the cabin and fussing with the locked door again, breaking it open with the handle of his knife and opening it up. The iroma nodded, and Luca took point. The passenger cabins were all empty, but walking through what was intended to be a kitchenette proved messy - food and drinks were splattered everywhere.

Luca never said anything about returning the train clean, after all...
 
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"Wait. . . so that was it? No secret enemy hiding in disguise? No crazy gang hounding us? No surprise reinforcements at the last minute?" Seiren asked, clearly flabbergasted.

He spent the next while scouting the nearby area, both following Luca's instruction and just. . . making sure that no shenanigans were afoot. This was just too strange. Where's all the enemies?
 
Marcellus Retreat Eastern Highway, PSG GP-ORV

While the more glory hungry members of the Phoenix had set about crawling over the dragon themed leaping train, Tamamo had spent her time reclined in the passenger's side seat of the GP-ORV that tailed the strange bit of engineering that they had found needing their special brand of attention. Sealed in her Gust armor, and relaxed as she was an outside observer might have suggested that she had fallen asleep on the job. Despite her physical inattention, the small not-quite-a-Nekovalkyrja had kept up with the events aboard the train via the feed fed into her IH-NoN which was daisy chained through her communicator, Data Slate, and finally into her internal systems where she observed the myriad of data in a small phalanx of windows indicating the status and findings of each member active around the train.

With this flow of information Tamamo was hardly surprised by the sudden activity of the newly severed caboose section of the train that could, and she tollerated the zealous efforts of the PSG member who tried to shield her from the fallout, though admittedly suited in her modified Gust as she was, Tamamo was likely the safer of the two even if she hadn't been covered by the ballistic shield.

When queried by the Captain, Tamamo was quick to respond, "All clear, PSG units appear to be shaken however no injuries are apparent... Civilians are also without casualties; assuming that Nepleslians are as durable as they boast, a few cuts from broken glass should be all that the civilians suffered... Additionally, in the event that there had been anyone in that paddock they're beyond saving."

With her summary observation given, Tamamo paused allowing her report to be digested by the more natural among their group before inquiring, "Any new orders?"
 
Mr. Tortise, Nepleslian Space, Some Time Ago
"Ignored. We've been completely ignored. Not even a blip on SAINT's radar. Rumia, how would you describe it?" Decker said at the meeting table, his hands balled up into fists on the smooth, polished surface.

"Like a light through glass, sir." The black-bedecked Neko responded.

It was apparent that Decker was barely holding himself back from breaking the glasses of water that were so generously provided. "They just ignored us. My grand plan to goad them into doing something outrageously stupid, and they just ignored us. And Lor's gone quiet, and nepleslia keeps losing Sky Marshals. . . what the actual fuck is going on? Anybody? Ideas, people!"

Keisuke tapped his fingers against the table, making the rings and bling on his fingers jingle jangle. "If I were to take a stab in the dark, I'd say everyone's gone mad! Mad I say!" He kept his voice raised for comic effect. "Before you know it there'll be Yamataians and Nepleslians declaring ... undying love for each other ... in the street!" He tried to make it sound awful.

The gartagen in the back sighed through his breather. "It would look that way. I can see no longer any benefit our alliance." He then stared at his translator and banged it a few times. "The CORES wish to seek new land out in the far reaches, far away from any of this cluster's worries."

"Hell, weirder than the worries are the idiots still going out and trying to solve them," Keisuke took the floor once again, and tapped on a datapad to get a screen up. "You see, I can respect this guy for his convictions-" he glanced up to the image of Luca on screen, then over to Breaker, "-but I don't think he's got a grip of everything he's trying to solve, here!"

"The guy who brought down a NMX cruiser by himself?" Darla asked, bringing out her own datapad and projecting an expose article. "I did some diggin'. Man's loonier than a coyote on peyote."

The gartagen took his leave of the room and Decker didn't so much as give him more than a wave goodbye. Decker then said, "Well, we'll cook up something new to bring him down. Directly. If there's one thing people hate seeing... it's the death of a hero. That'll make them listen."

"So you're just gonna waltz up," Keisuke tried to outline Decker's plan, "and grab someone who spends all day beating up stronger-"

Decker moved before anybody could blink, and was behind Keisuke, standing over him imposingly.

"Stronger WHAT?"

"Stronger ... everything!" Keisuke blurted. "You saw the fucking cruiser!"

"You're saying he's stronger than me? In every way?" Decker's voice dripped with venom. Everybody could sense the animosity flowing from him, while Keisuke looked up, frowning. "A guy who sells energy drinks and romances several of the galaxy's most prominent ladies? A guy who disappeared off the map for a year for 'no reason'? Men like him... They have weak points. Big. Gaping. Weak points."

Keisuke appeared to be sliding under the table, to make himself scarce, and Decker pushed his chair forward until it pinned his chest to the table. "nnnAAAAHHH." Keisuke yelped as his crisp white shirt got creased.

"You look over the events and find the common links. That's why we're stronger than him. He only sees the bits right in front of him, and we see the entire goddamn map."

An exhale went through Decker's helmet, emitting vapour clouds as he went back to his chair.

"He - he don't need no map! Das' why!"

Decker stopped mid-stride and whirled about, his hand grasping the back of Keisuke's head and slamming it straight into the table in one fluid motion and a crunch that sounded like at least three bones breaking. And then continued back to his chair.

As Kesuke's nose bloodied the once pristine wood, Decker addressed the nervous room, "Rumia, start taking notes. We're gonna make a 'god' bleed."


New Remo, Marcellus Retreat, Train Station
Luca seemed just as surprised as the others as radioing in, as it became clear that there was little to do now that the train had come to a complete stop, and presumably back in control. Andrea and Tamamo meanwhile could see only minor injuries spread amongst the crowd who'd accumulated to watch the fireworks. Some were grabbing pieces of wreckage for mementos.

"I think that's mission complete, then." Luca said, evaluating the situation and coming up with a blank. He seemed a little disappointed in how things progressed so swimmingly for his team as he made his way across the street and towards the landing zone he had picked out in the intersection. "Call the Big Bird down here and pick us up, Ech. Everyone, fall in and get ready to be picked up."

"R0G3R TH4T." The Freespacer replied over the radio, "GU3SS TH1S W4SN'T S0 H4RD TH3N."

"Yep." As Luca proceeded ahead of the rest of the group, he felt a nip in the air as the breeze blew past him in the intersection. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt that something was nearby. It dawned on him that victory was handed to him. He could feel the wind moving in the wrong direction to his right - and he turned his head. "Hello..." He knew a cloaking shimmer when he felt one, and he knew he didn't have the time to react properly.

He could only mouth a word when he was suddenly tackled off his feet. PSG Soldiers saw him get lifted up and carried away by what appeared to be an invisible force. Guns were raised, shouts were issued, but shooting at the Captain was not a good idea. Luca was fighting back against someone he couldn't see, and they were strong - so they were probably Nekovalkyrja. Luca resisted, trying to grip at them, find a limb, something - but without anything to stand on, he couldn't break the hold.

He found himself tossed into the back of a shuttle which was already powered up, and its hatch closed behind him and presumably the invisible being, and the thing took off into space. This drew the ire of everyone related to the Phoenix immediately. Echelon began shouting orders to chase that shuttle. PSG mobilised.


Back of a Shuttle, Going Somewhere
Keeping Luca in place in the back of the dingy old shuttle was the staff of a large, rocket boosted hammer, the blade of a neko who had visibility issues, and the pistol being held by the showy guy in the coat who spoke with his hands too much. However, being trapped by three people (one of which was trounced before) was the least of Luca's worries.

"Okay, now that you've caught me, what happens now?" He glibly asked, looking between sword-carrying Nekovalkyrja, the hammer-wielding Fyunnen, and the Nepleslian. "No in flight movie? No snacks?" He looked behind them all, at the back of his new abode, and found it to be quite squalid at best. "I know Nepleslians who wouldn't be caught dead in conditions like this."

"What HAPPENS is that I'm going to talk...!" The man in the coat said, moving to make his coattails waft in the cabin dramatically, and speaking using his whole body. "And you'll listen." The black helmet vented vapour as he spoke, giving him the impression of a cooling machine. He was clearly very annoyed.

Luca blinked. "Who's talking?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. And for how long? He wondered too.

"The Galactic Armament Organisation! And I am DECKER! I shall make the stars MINE!"

Luca kept a grin suppressed. "Who~?" He asked again. The stave of the hammer against his neck pushed a little harder, but he kept his cool.

"GAO! Galactic. Armament. ORGANISATION! You know, the largest force of pirates the galaxy has ever seen?!"

"OH! You guys!" Luca sounded very cordial about it all, as though he was remembering an old friend who'd ambushed him in the street and asked for money. "I repeat myself: Who, though?"

"Can't we kill him already?" Rumia wondered aloud, pressing the edge of her blade against Luca's kneepad. The stave of the rocket hammer meanwhile was jabbing between the armour plating under his jacket. There wasn't enough room to swing it inside the shuttle, so prodding him with the pointy end was the next best thing.

"Not until he signs PSG into our fold," he turned around and adjusted his glasses with two of his fingers, even though nobody could see him do it, "and plays by OUR rules."

Luca tilted his head. "Wait, that's all? You just want me to play your patsy," he sussed, furrowing his brow, "while you guys keep doing ... whatever it is pirates do?"

Decker tried to reward Luca's ability to spot the bleeding obvious with an offer, clapping his hands together. "I can make you richer than you can imagine, if you work with me." He thought for a moment, looking for another angle as he leaned in.

"You know your boys? PSG? I can make them compete all across the Kikyo Sector and make you the hottest mercenary outfit." He swept his arm across the shuttle as he wrung an arm around Luca's neck. "You can be an even bigger ... hero? Yes? Is that all you're known for aside from the energy drink, disappearing acts, and that NMX cruiser business, yes?"

This only seemed to insult his audience. "...I'm already rich, I develop new things as I need them myself, and our business plan is slow and steady wins." Luca sighed. "Therefore, does you giving me more of something I have enough of give you ... power over me?"

He smirked as he realised how short sighted Decker's plan was. "Mate," he drawled, failing to stifle his laughter and breaking out into hearty, bellowing laughter, "you're so out of your depth - the fish have lights! You haven't got any leverage!"

♫ Ace Combat Zero - Hresvelgr ♫

"Depth? Oh no, you're mistaken. You're in my waters now, and there's going to be blood soon if you don't shape up."

"ATTRACTING THE HA'KAHN!" Breaker blurted, revving up her hammer once. It crackled with energy - an upgrade from last time, it looked electric, and menacing.

"Yes, Breaker, we get it. It's a fish analogy." Decker sighed. The shuttle shifted, coming out of FTL somewhere.

"Well, you've chosen some very obvious chum there ... and I'm glad some of me rubbed off on you, babycakes~" Luca tried to wind up the Fyunnen. "Say, did you ever have a chance to go down the slide at that place?"

Breaker thought back to a very specific moment in time, when nobody was around to see. . . and then guffawed. "I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO, ASSHOLE. BUT KEEP TRYING! WE GOT ONE OVER YOU THIS TIME!"

Luca sniffed the air, and looked at Decker. "Even if you do allege to have a leg up on me, you guys really need to invest in breath mints."

"One liners? I don't think you understand the situation you're in," Decker said. He held up his hand, holding a device in his palm.

"No, I sort of do." Luca said. "You just fell out of FTL, and I'm reckoning this is a specific place, not just the middle of nowhere."

The device projected the Crimson Kestrel, lifting off New Remo.

"No, we are definitely in the middle of nowhere. But a very specific middle of nowhere."

But that's the same thing you masked oaf! The captain felt a headache from listening to Decker. "So there's your leverage, coming right here. Okay, fair enough, use me against me." He picked it apart. "Mate, this isn't my first business deal at gunpoint."

"You're right. I've seen your business deals. I don't ... take chances." Decker cooed, pressing a button on the projector's side. It switched to outside the shuttle, where a fleet of large, clearly military grade vessels floated. Ex-UOC cruisers, carriers and gunboats, two carriers and complements of fighters and PA from the Elysians and Nepleslians, Decker's own flagship, and an entire assortment of motley, hodgepodge cruisers courtesy of Returner.

Luca had another question, pursing his lips at the sheer amount of resistance Decker had put up. He wasn't lying about having more resources. "What's with the pauses?"

"Dramatic effect. Surely you'd appreciate a little showmanship?"

Decker raised a hand to his helmet, brushing over the polished, perfect surface.

"Face it, Pavone. You lose. You can take on a cruiser, sure, but not even Eve herself could take on the forces I've got here." Decker summarised the events thus far, but Luca kept a straight face - for all of a few moments before the sides of his face turned up into a smile, then a grin - then low chuckles. Rumia and Breaker blinked - this wasn't the usual reaction someone had when Decker proposed a merger.

The pirate king crushed the projector in his gloved hand. His voice tense as Luca's laughter continued to rise, "What, nervous...?"

A crackling could be heard coming from Luca - more specifically, his right arm. Rumia could feel her hair standing up as static electricity flooded the area, followed by a dizzying blast of EMP. "You should be!"

Breaker felt her armor shut down and attempt to reboot multiple times over - but for the time being, she was blind. Luca slipped out of her grasp and redirected the stave of her hammer into Rumia with a quick repositioning, stabbing through them and against the wall of the shuttle.

"YOU FUCKER! YOU MADE ME GO DARK!"

"Breaker, don't you-" Decker ducked as Breaker slammed into Rumia, and the shuttle began to tilt - then jolted as something froze it in place. "SYNTHESIS! PULL HER UP!" Decker shouted while Luca approached Decker, cracking his knuckles as he walked with the rotation of the shuttle.

He seemed very at home with the changing situation. "So, was this part of your plan?" He asked, voice somewhat haggard from the burst of exertion as he stood just above a corner, feet planted against one of the walls and the floor.

"No. Either you'd resist at the start, or stop resisting until we got on ship. I never thought you'd be stupid enough to do it in a tiny shuttle in space." Decker spat, rolling his fingers into a fist.

Luca glanced downwards. "I honestly didn't think you would either," he said, looking at a window and rubbing his foot against it. The sound of a gun leaving a holster could be heard, followed by the hammer being pulled back.

"What, you're going to break a window? Without a helmet?" Decker said as Breaker and Rumia began to recover. The neko casually slipped on a hood in the back, clearly not trusting the situation.

Luca let silence hang in the air as he pointed his HHG down at the window in front of Decker. Even though they were having a stand-off for only six seconds, time felt like it was slowing down in front of them as the tension raised slowly. All the while, Luca was still smiling like a maniac, and Decker could see Luca's head shake, just a little. He wasn't?

Breaker broke the tension by raising her hammer. The rockets flared and she brought it down on Luca, intending to splatter him like a fly on a windshield. Hearing the rockets powering up was a very obvious signal though, and he avoided it by taking a step forward and pivoting on to watch the business end of the hammer go towards the window. Like poetry, the glass shattered into crystallized dust. And also like poetry, Breaker realized the hubris of her way of fighting in an enclosed, pressurised space.

Well, I can't take responsibility for -that- one... Luca considered as wind rushed through the cabin, he stayed rock still despite various items flying around, bouncing against the walls and through the hole Breaker had made. With Breaker and presumably Rumia occupied, he had one more person to deal with. "You should know better than backing a man with nothing to lose into a corner!" He pivoted and swung a fist wreathed with power at Decker, aiming to knock that smug head off his shoulders.

The pirate king's helmet switched palettes, turning red as the blazing sun. And, without skipping a beat, he raised a hand - catching the Grapple Stunner mid swing and dispersing its concussive force through Decker's body, ripping the fine-ass coat to shreds and revealing his steely body - a gift from Yamatai, wrought with Freespacer ingenuity and Nepleslian hardiness.

♫ Ace Combat Zero - Morgan ♫

With the last bit of air left in the cabin, Luca heard Decker's words. "So, you know the feeling, then?"

Luca couldn't reply. He had to act. The fate of the ISC Phoenix was on the line, and he didn't know if they were already here, getting torn to bits, or still on their way.

TO BE CONCLUDED
IN 'Last Action Hero'!
 
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