Scene Listing || Scene Schedule || Scene Schedule RSS
Owner Pose
Nagato Early afternoon around the expected location of the Phantom Fleet.  The waters are empty save for Nagato's combined fleet and the tall tip of a volcanic island formation fifteen miles north east.  Smoke billows out from the volcano's rim, filling the sky with a dusty grey view over the island around.  It's not particularly an out of place sight... but the location that Ooyodo gave to Nagato and the combined fleet... surely can't be wrong, can it?

"Here is the location." Nagato's calm voice echoes slightly through the rumbling of the ocean waves, she stares out at the island with a curious glint, guns all aimed over the horizon.  "My radar isn't detecting anything unusual on this island.  Ooyodo can't be wrong, can she?" she questions a bit to herself, looking out towards the island with a more studious gaze.  "Yamakawa and Wo"  oh yes... that's right... the Wo-Class Aircraft Carrier.

Nagato couldn't get that off her mind.  Here, she would normally put her guns to Wo... but here?  Wo has offered to help and there she is.  "Launch your scouts towards the island.  Keep a high altitude to avoid detection.  We're unsure of what we may be dealing with if Ooyodo's location is correct."  The doubt is still in her head about it.

"All ships in double line formation, Kagurazaka in front."  a pause, she turns to look towards Kirito and Evangeline, "Give the scout planes some backup, fly alongside them please and relay any information you two see to us.  This shall, hopefully, be an expedition mission, but prepare for any combat that may happen."

There is an almost visible unease from the Flagship.  "We'll be dealing with our own gear.  Do not think of this as a training mission, if you are shot at, sink the target.  We are not to give any quarter to those who would impersonate us for their own evil needs."  she starts sailing forward towards the island, hopefully behind the aircraft launched.  "Let's find victory on the dawn's horizon."

--------

Meanwhile, at the island itself.

The forges are hot and metal rings out.  The lava from the volcano doing a good job of heating the steel for forging, the clangs of hammers echoing through the factory on the other side of the island.  A voice speaks out over the clangs.  "Gentlemen and ladies, we've been doing well."  he starts.

"Keep this up, we'll be bound to put ourselves in better light with everyone.  We may have been the bottom barrel of pirates, but with this gear... these captive little girls helping.. and all of you.  We shall do our best to cause terror to the seas once more!" the hammers fall and there's cheering around.

"Sir, it's time for another surgery.  We'll have to go to the mainland this time.  We've prepared a chopper for you."  a feminine voice whispers to the man.  "I see, very well, it's about time.  God, these metal connectors itch like crazy, y'know..."

"No, sir... I don't."
Shigure     Shigure stands near the far taller battleship, arms folded low on her body, clasping elbows as she looks across the waves. "Ooyodo has not failed us yet, Admiral." she says in that soft, deep tone of hers. Blue eyes peer up at the taller woman. "Have some faith." At the orders into formation, the Destroyer shifts forwards, taking the number two spot at the lead beside the 'Cruiser'. "Ordered understood. Live fire situation, shoot to kill." Her tone, while remaining the same level, holds a steel-like edge to it as she says those final three words.

    She thinks back to her little sister, sat in the brig for disobeying orders and trying to go after these people by herself... "We'll get them Yuudachi. I promise." she murmurs to herself, before refocussing on the mission at hand.
Alexis Maaka     A week has passed, and Maaka's here and prepared for combat...as ridiculous as she feels in this getup. Standing in formation, she checks her cannon and nods to the Admiral. "Rog'." is her reply, as she maintains formation with the others, floating along and clutching her cannon as she sails with the fleet.

    This is a strange feeling, sailing across the ocean like a walking jet-ski with cannons.
Kirito "If I had a thouasnd Yrd for each time I've heard 'nothing is on the radar'..." Kirito grouses loud enough to be heard, though just barely. He's flying a good fifty feet above the water with his eyes locked on the island ring ahead...

    And at the request, he kicks his speed up a notch! Whoooosh, off the Spriggan goes, diving down a bit lower!

    "Got to fly in expecting trouble." The boy states firmly, sucking in a deep breath. It's been some time since he's had to fight with his life on the line... and his heart still rejects it.
Wo "Understood," comes the simple reply from the resident fleet carrier. Though short, it's not nearly as stilted or disjointed as it was not so long ago. Keeping just slightly separated from the main body of Nagato's fleet, mostly symbolically, but still holding in formation behind the effective air screen it produces, she is holding in a cruise position at the back. Still, something seems slightly off about this -- and it's something that she can quickly correct, as it turns out. "Excuse me for a moment." Lifting her arms up to her hat, she lifts it off of her head, with ease considering how much it must weigh. As she holds it in her arm, she momentarily vanishes into a shimmering light, though thankfully skips the bulk of a henshin sequence.

    What emerges from the shimmering is a young woman with a much healthier skin tone, though still, for the most part, identifiable as Wo. Her facial structure doesn't really change in the process. The hat has also transformed into a more standard flight deck, like a daughter of the fleet might use, and she loads a fresh cartridge of aircraft into it. "That's better...launching." It's not a long bow, or an onmyouji's scroll, or even a puppet show. Instead, with a pull of a rifle-like trigger mechanism, the aircraft are brought up one at a time from the deck's elevator, loaded onto the catapult, and then sent flying forward, taking wing just before stalling. It's a flight of monoplanes, with US markings, bombers that double as scouts, it turns out. They climb rapidly, taking up a high altitude flight plan as directed, the fairies inside relaying back all that they may see. Or not see.

    This does leave the carrier momentarily free to examine her own circumstances. Moving with a group like this is somewhat nostalgic, especially in this configuration. Not that she doesn't have dependable semi-Abyssal allies, but...she was trying to avoid letting them fight, unless it was necessary.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa hadbeen glad to come help Nagato out, even if she wabn't in the same faction? Kotone would have come to help. She was suited up for naval work with rigging and had a bow across heback she replied to Nagato over th comm. "Ma'me?" Kotone was willing to give Wo a chance if Nagato was, and that was enough for her.She wouldn't offer any toruble and she'll pull a pair of arrows out of the quiver and let off a pair of scout planes to head on ahead.

"Scouts alpha and bravo away, with Charlie and Delta on stand by."

She found traveling the water like she was oddly relaxing given she grew up by the Pacific could have something to do with what she enjoyed such things.

"So anyone have any ideas about just who these people are?"
Evangeline      "...there is never anything on the radar...just before a powerful attack..." comes the soft, simulated voice of the Neuroi Girl called Evangeline. As usual, her voice isn't really heard, it is broadcast over the radios. Her minimal use of inflection makes it difficult to know what she is feeling, and her lack of facial features doesn't help.

     She follows after Kirito, recognizing him as the senior flight officer even if they are not in the Union anymore. Skimming just above the water to avoid radar herself, her featureless face stays locked on the island that seems to be the focus of their investigation. Although it isn't obvious, Evangeline has a complete suite of sensors, from radar to acoustic scanners to good ol' fashion visible light vision. "...I will follow your lead, Commander Kirito..." she says as they fly along.
Nagato     With the pair of scout planes in the air, followed by the fighter 'alien/fairy' combo, all at least seems good so far. A helicopter is in the air, but where it came from is anyone's guess... it doesn't look armed at all, almost like a civilian aircraft. Though around the island, there's small dottings of buildings, houses most likely, some roads are leading towards the far side of the island but for all that's being seen up front, it all /looks/ normal.

    Except that one lone thing out on the water, the size of a human being with metal upon their backs. It looks unassuming right now, its back faced towards the incoming scouts and fighters. It's armed too, small guns upon the metal as well. It seems to be running across ther water towards the other side of the island.

    Back at the battlegroup, Nagato's eyes close as she listens to her radar. The air and ground contact are heard... "What do you all see?" she radioes to the fairies and the fighters in the air, though, with a couple of questions given to her, she opens her eyes, her look is towards the island. "We're assuming pirates, Yamakawa. Or former Confederates.
Wo The much maligned Brewster SB2A, was it really that bad? (Yes, it was.) Scouting is really all they're suited for, in any case. Though they're technically armed with 12.7 and 7.6 mm machine guns, if the enemy actually has gone so far as to be able to field fighters, or even a decent collection of anti-air, they're completely boned. Thankkfully, they're not tasked with actually fighting, at the moment. Instead, they glide along through the air, keeping in radio contact with the mothership as well as others in the air, maintaining altitude while the fairy pilots sometimes even lean out of their cockpits with binoculars to get a better look. Scouting technology for them isn't what it would eventually become. The island seems mostly benign from the sky, though unexpectedly, there seems to be a dose of civilization here.

    The perhaps aptly coined Buccaneers listen with dread with the discussion between the main fleet force. They have to get closer? But they have a *helicopter*. Which seems to be a civilian model, but those could be converted with rockets and guns! Still, despite the apprehension, the brave fairies complete the first high altitude sweep, and then bring their aircraft down lower, at least to a point where they should be able to pick out individual people and vehicle among the buildings, if there are any. The volcano itself is given a mostly wide berth, or at least as much as possible, as they bank gently to come around for another pass.

    Wo, or rather, Hornet, continues watching through both their eyes and hers, otherwise keeping pace with the main sea-bound force. "This is suspicious, but...if there's even a chance that they have civilians among them, that greatly complicates things for us." At least, in her mind. As much anger as she felt to read those news articles, she wouldn't cross that line for it.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa says "Sounds like some might not have given up on things, I can see that. I heard of Union remants too. Who honestly knows we'll find out soon enough." She keeps her planes earching over the 'figures' trying to get a feel for them as she listens to the comm as they speak on figuring out what's going on she'll also check for wireless signals, too. If it's some sort of tech based mimicry it could be outed by having ireless signals. Or so she thinks still eliming one thing is still useful.

"I see a figure out on the water about human size withmetal on their backs but it's back's to the scouts right now I don't want to risk setting it off and being seen as hostile"
Kirito "The island's definitely inhabited. These people don't care about an active volcano. Not a bit!" And what kind of people would do that? Certainly not ordinary civilians. Of that, Kirito's sure. Nobody would dance with death every day. One stroke of bad luck and the area'll be drenched in toxic, choking fumes! Who would screw with that?

    He dives down lower, trying to slip onto the islands themselves and land on one of the buildings to peek around, while staying out of sight of the patroling oddity on the shores.
Evangeline      Skimming over the water might make Evangeline quite obvious to the helicopter, but should keep her somewhat hidden from the land and whatever it is that is moving across the water. "...I will investigate the surface contact...then proceed after the helicopter...I thought I saw weapons on the surface contact...and it is heading for the back of the island..." she reports.

     She leaves the scout group to close in on the unknown humanoid, raising her arms in case she has to defend herself. They were expecting some sort of armed attack, and this thing did seem to be armed. She tries to close rapidly, leaving a slight trail in the water as she passes. With her nearly silenth flight and her coloration, Evangeline is hoping she can approach without being spotted and perhaps get a measure of just what it is patrolling the island perimeter.
Alexis Maaka     Maaka is... not accustomed to waiting. She's normally out handling recon, not waiting with the rest of the grunts like this. She looks antsy, as she tries to look out at the shoreline with her binocular vision, before she spies something out in the water. "What the hell is that supposed to be?" She wonders, furrowing her brow as she holds her gun close.
Yuna Kagurazaka "Remember, everyone," Kagurazaka gently reminds the others - 'native' fleet daughters and Multiversal Elites alike, and even Wo for good measure - "radar and sonar can both be tricked. Use your eyes, use your ears, use your *nose* if that helps. Those of you with scouts, listen for their reports; we have them because they can see things from up high that we might miss from the surface. Use everything. Trust your gut if nothing else."

Gods know her own guts are in a knot, and it's not only because of the mission at hand. She's trying to focus on this task: investigate the island, find out where the 'counterfeit' shipgirls are coming from, break up the operation, rescue anyone who needs rescuing. Fight through their defenses if necessary, of course; there might be no helping it. But try as she may to focus specifically on this mission, she can't help worrying in the back of her mind about other matters: Loci Iris, Ar Ciel, classes at Beacon, her idol work back home and elsewhere ...

One thing at a time, though. For now, she turns her attention - as much of it as she can wrangle - back to the here-and-now, and to the matter of scouting that volcanic island. Kagurazaka 'listens' to the reports from her fairies on radar and sonar duty, matching that information up with what her own eyes can see. One apparent shipgirl on the water ahead, one helicopter in the air ...

That knot in her guts just pulled a lot tighter. "Somebody check local maps, where's that helicopter going? And where's it going *from*?"
Nagato     Ooyodo comes over the radio, "I'm already contacting local governments about the heli. Keep an eye on it." her voice is calm and ready, "Yes, Ministry, there's..."

    Meanwhile, The thing on the ocean in what looks to be fleet gear spins around and takes a look at Evangeline as she approaches. "..." it says nothing, but it looks... male? It's dressed in military outfit and all those guns, four anti-air specific guns... one could almost match it to the Sendai-Class gear. The lips move but nothing seems to come out... the guns also trace Evangeline's line of flight...

    Meanwhile, Kirito's own scouting has him landed on one of the main buildings behind the volcano. There's a few roof vents and, if he peers in, he'll notice a bunch of people, both men and women.. stripped of their clothing and various metal bits sticking out from their back. There's other people wandering around in white and cranes that hold various bits of ship parts as well.

    Ooyodo comes back on the radio, "The heli is a charter flight, there isn't a name attached to it, though. It's originating from another Earth's Japan."
Shigure     Shigure maintains formation, skimming along behind the front pair, in the second 'layer' providing backup. She's listening to the radio, and awaiting orders to engage.
Evangeline      If this were early in her career as a Multiversal agent, Evangeline might have fired as soon as she was targeted. But now, she just matches the man's pace around the island. Since she has been spotted, she radios out to him, "...greetings...I am Evangeline...please identify yourself and what organization you serve..."

     Eva isn't sure the man can either respond or understand her, but she has worked hard on her diplomatic side and is hoping things can be resolved without a fight. She keeps her weapons unpowered and does not approach any closer. But, she also doesn't allow him to get any farther away. "...please stand down and disarm...I do not wish to harm you...and if you are in some sort of trouble...we can help..."
Wo The carrier Hornet listens attentatively to the radio broadcasts and cross-chatter. Her own fairies are basically confirming what they can from the sky, though that isn't much. The helicopter, by orders, isn't given too much concern at the moment, though the scout-bombers fly a closer look over the island, now well below where the volcano's exhaust could affect them, for better or worse. Well, assuming too much ash doesn't get sucked into their engines. The Brewsters stay airborne, thankfully, their bombs still at the ready and likely ineffective, though with the word that is coming back from Kirito and Evangeline, their mothership is only growing increasingly uneasy about ordering the attack.

    "People...that were modified to use the equipment?" Even when she had seized some of the early special ship prototypes for the Confederates to research, it was never to this end. This is just, absurd. "I pray we find that this was their idea. If they were forced into it, I'm not sure I can hold back." Despite the edge in her voice, she otherwise retains her calm. There's not much else she can do from the air, especially with others that have eyes closer to things, now. "I'd like to call the scouts back," she suggests by way of question to Nagato, via radio link even though she's within earshot. It's more formal that way. "So that I can be ready to go on the offensive."
Alexis Maaka     Maaka levels her weapons, as she spies men approaching...and they have bits of Fleet rigs built into them.

    Maaka's eyes go wide, and her stomach churns as she stares at the hostile pirates on approach. "Boss, orders?" She asks Nagato, looking disgusted and more than a little antsy to open fire, taking aim.
Kirito Kirito leans over towards an open vent... and cringes at something he sees. After once again reporting his findings over the radio, the Spriggan's brow furrows. What is GOING on here?

    "Yui," he whispers. "You're tiny. Nobody'll see you if you float down there and get behind something, eavesdrop a little. But fly right back out if anyone sees you."

    The littlest pixie snaps an enthusiastic salute, then adopts a stern expression of her own (as close as she can get to it, with her childish face) and flutters down the vents to listen in....
Kotone Yamakawa Could it be an alternate world? It's hard to tell to be perfectly honestbut she doesn't attack yet she doeshowever for amoment as shemakes ready launchemore planes andher planes keep trying to map the island she lets two moreup into the air to aid with that but Kirito's got a good head start onher ith that. She meanwhile wonders how this is going to end up going. A fight? What were they up to? Who were they? What did they want?
Yuna Kagurazaka Kagurazaka tenses up a little more as information is gathered. Cyborgs? That must be how the pirates, or whatever, are attaching the ship equipment to their 'sailors' ... but if they were working off of the gear that Yari captured from Yuna, they should have been able to tell - if nothing else - that the gear didn't NEED to be physically mounted beyond straps, handles, and attaching to the kanmusu uniforms. Why would they ...

"Elner," the blonde girl whispers, focusing her thoughts elsewhere for a brief moment - and in that moment, a little robotic faerie, white and blue with occasional gold, blips into existence near Kirito.

"Yuna requested that I scan the captives in more detail," Elner says quietly to Kirito ... and then sets about doing so, moving to one of those vents Kirito found, the better to scan the individuals within the enclosure. It's a 'nosy' scan: vital signs, rough anatomy, just how those attachments are integrated into the people and what they're *doing* to the people.

As Yuna waits for Elner's analysis, her fingers tighten on the grip of her rifle, the fifth of her loadout's 'turrets'. Her finger is still staying outside the trigger guard as a matter of course, and she's careful not to point the muzzle in anyone else's direction, but there's no real hiding her unease at this point.
Nagato     "Permission granted." she responds to Hornet, the Battleship running through various situations in her head as she listens to all the cross chatter... it's a hard decision to make, there's possibily civilians on that island... not to mention the Phantom Fleet as well... hopefully their only base of operations too. "All units, prepare to open fire. Position yourselves to target the far side of the island. All carriers, load dive bombers. Surface ships, load standard high explosives. Evangeline, Kirito, when the firefight starts, try to cover the planes." Nagato starts sailing off towards the far side of the island

    The person locked into vision with Evangeline closes its eyes, his head following her every move, the guns tracing every motion. His mouth opens, but what comes out... "Pain..." he says. "Bring... pain..."

    With both Yui and Elner gathering information from the people in those beds... they don't seem to be noticed at all. They do, however, see a normal person being carted off, strapped down with marks upon its back... towards another room. The two also hear things. "There's only so much of the conversion process we can do here." "I know, but the boss wants it done, besides, this place is great for the forges." "Yea, we know, you keep reminding us. Oh well, get the earplugs, there's going to be some screams soon." "Oh, yeah, poor guy. Glad we don't have to do that, but our boss? He's crazy. I mean, what the hell is he trying to do to himself... did you see the holes?" "It's not for you to question..."
Nagato     It's not but a few more minutes in that the alarm goes off, a loud, peircing klaxon alarm and a hidden hangar starts opening, spewing more and more of the altered sailors. The one facing Evangeline opens fire, bullets filling the air while the others come out with guns aimed. The gear looks innately familiar. There's destroyer-class and light cruiser class gear being fielded, but what's more disturbing is a six man fleet of /heavy cruisers/ fielding bigger guns than normal.

    The water suddenly is littered with torpedoes haphazardly fired as well...
Shigure     Shigure was waiting for that. She shifts out of formation, moving ahead and pinging her sonar... Her eyes go wide at the return. "Alert, sonar pings. Torpedoes in the water. Evade!" She moves back into formation, and deploys her AA battery to fire into the paths of any torpedoes that come too close, 25mm autocannon slugs ripping into the water to try and detonate the warheads.

    She reciprocates in kind, the thigh launchers swiveling into position, before they loose their eight torpedoes in a fairly wide spread. "Admiral, spotter confirming, 20.3cm guns on some of the hostile units... They're fielding Heavy Cruisers!"
Wo The Brewsters' engine sounds can eventually be heard to approach, once the clear had been given for them to return. The fairies probably sigh with relief, as one by one, they make a landing on the Hornet's flight deck, their aircraft being retrieved into its mechanisms. "Good work, everyone," she praises them; even though their aircraft aren't the best, they still work hard. Maybe they'll get assigned something better, eventually. "Affirmative," she responds, just short of sounding eager, to Nagato, unpacking the scout cartridge and loading in a fresh one labelled 'SBD'. "I'll get right on it!" She'd normally worry about air superiority, but the island so far hadn't shown seemingly any capacity for it, and that helicopter was confirmed civilian in disposition, and seems to be headed away.

    The words coming over the radio give her just a moment's pause. Her face is cold, before her features contort slightly in anger. That's precisely the thing she didn't want to hear. Assuming everything is true, and she has no reason to doubt Yuna, Kirito and Evangeline's reports closer to the action, "There's no way I can forgive this." The fairies of the wing of SBD Dauntless that begins launching seem to feel the same way, climbing quickly away and moving full throttle into attack formation, headed straight for the island, as well as those that are beginning to emerge from it. She's not so blinded by rage that she doesn't shift with the rest of the fleet; maintaining her position while keeping a close eye on the water and sonar. She's not a fan of being torpedoed!

    She also holds her flight deck at the ready. Though relatively small and limited in their scope, she still has guns of her own if she's forced to defend herself.
Evangeline      Evangeline listens to all the chatter, but it is the man's broken and tortured reply that really gets her. Bring pain? She is certain that he is in pain or at least very disoriented, but...bring pain? Is he merely dilusional, is he saying that something is bringing him pain, or...is he saying he is going to bring pain to someone?

     The order for weapons free brings her back though. Evangeline doesn't charge her weapons yet, but with the others preparing to fire she suspects she will need them shortly. In moments, the waiting is over. The man opens fire, and Evangeline is knocked around by hits to her shield, a sphere of translucent hexagonal energy plates surrounding her and deflecting the shots. "...I am sorry..." Evangeline says before the red panels on her legs and the ends of her arms start glowing a sinister red.

     Then, more 'sailors' emerge from secret docks and Evangeline suddenly finds herself taking heavy fire from a few different class of ship. She starts dodging and rolling about as she fires on the one she had been following, aiming for the gear itself rather than the man wielding it. With the timing of the alarms she feels he must have alerted the base, and she mentally kicks herself for not striking when she had the chance.

     Once she fires that first volley, Evangeline banks away quickly and heads back to meet up with the bulk of the Hikari fleet. She powers up and fires a full strength beam across the water, hoping she can catch many of the torpedoes in it.
Yuna Kagurazaka Elner's report is decidedly dry and clinical ... and Yuna's worked with the robo-faerie long enough to realize that Elner is leaving SOMEthing out of that report, it's arguably *too* 'dry and clinical'. But the parts which *are* said - the clear implication that the modifications are unwilling, the fact that the captives are so quiet, and most especially Elner's recommendation to expedite the assault - are enough for Yuna to realize the shape around which they fit.

And the knot in her gut suddenly resolves from unease into understanding. For the barest of moments, Yuna remembers the mission when the Union rescued Eve from that crimelord; up until they went loud, Yuna had to fight her own instinctive desire to jump the gun and break through walls and doors alike. And that was when she *KNEW* there was an innocent little girl whose will was being trampled on.

Was it the Savior of Light's intuition that something similarly horrible was going on here? Or is that hindsight, perfect as always, that Yuna thinks would have justified arriving in her Light Suit and putting the fear of the heavens into these monsters born of humanity - not the captives turned into weapons, but the criminals running the operation?

Yuna's *not* in her Light Suit, though. She's far from unarmed: she has cannons and guns, torpedoes and depth charges: she can make things explode. She can make a LOT of things explode if she puts her mind to it. But she's not equipped the way she wants to be for saving lives. Elner's probably already calling the rest of the Matrix of Light to rendezvous, but it'll take time to get here - and the battle's already starting. Kagurazaka can't wait; with the pirate forces scrambling, the light cruiser accelerates, shifting with Nagato into line-ahead formation. There are torpedoes in the water, headed for the Hikari forces; Kagurazaka gets some depth charges ready to fling ahead of her and her allies, to try and detonate those torpedoes before they can sink any of her friends. Her turrets are loaded fresh - a mix of anti-aircraft and high-explosive shells; she'll have to be REALLY judicious with the latter, and even the former will harm people, but if the proximity fuses are set with a high enough distance, they'll hit hard without doing TOO much injury.

For now, she focuses on countering the torpedo assault and launching her first volley, trying to make the pirate forces keep their heads down ...
Kirito When Yui returns to him looking dreadfully creeped out - and that's something, given she's an AI - Kirito's own expression pales. Bile rises in his throat after details are exchanged... and a queasy feeling roils in his gut. Will he have to kill?!

    No, not going to think about that. Focus on rescuing the imprisoned and altered. Anyone who gets in his way... will meet the flat of his blade. Hopefully he won't need to use more than that. "This is sickening... what are these people trying to accomplish?!"

    He's seen a lot of screwed up things in the Multiverse. But this is definitely one of the worst. Right up there with the zombie plague...

    Kirito wastes little time KICKING IN THE VENT to widen it and then crashing through into the holding area. He SLAMS down into the ground behind the men wheeling the person off... and slowly rises whilst drawing his sword.

    "Your hands." He begins, brandishing the blade testingly. "Take them off that person... before I take them off of your arms."

    The boy's glaring DAGGERS at them, no longer holding back his pure and refined warrior's spirit. Did the room just turn chilly despite the VOLCANO over yonder....?!
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa is angry, she's very angry at this point she's now drawing arrows and firing off launching dive bombers and fighters for themoment, she may even chose to get up close and mix things up the hard way. She hears the addtional information and there's abject horror. It's like what happened to Miho in a way, hell her own conversion was the end result of someone on a power kick. Kotone converse for a moment and agrees to help WO with any they are able to save, who'd ever ... have thought it would come to that. She is however intending to get up close and personal she has some ideas to disable some of the converted. She's trying to keep her own anger under control but ... that's likely a losing task.
Alexis Maaka     Maaka sees and hears torpedoes coming their way, clutching her weapons as she takes position and begins to head towards the signs of battle. Disgusted by the cybernetic modifications on these pirates, Maaka begins to take aim at the nearest in sight, using her targeting sensors to try and lock onto the weapons carried by each enemy.

    "Opening fire, engaging targets!" She reports, before she fires to disarm, not kill. That said, the thought occurs to her that maybe it's not such a good idea to destroy the enemy's equipment on open water when they still need them to float...

    Shit.
Nagato     It was a hard decision, it's hard to order people to end lives but with her order of weapon's free... she's just done that.

    Back at the factory/medical area, the nurses and medics in the room yell out in surprise with Kirito busting in and threatening with that blade of his. "What are you going to do? End our lives if we don't comply with you?" one of the nurses points to some of the people, a small caliber pistol in hand, "Most of these are going to die anyways. And there's plenty more where we came from." the gourney is, however, let go... and the former holder is promptly shot in the arm, "I didn't order you to let go..." the nurse grins then levels the pistol at Kirito. "It's your choice, elf-like thing. Either you comply with /us/ and get the hell out of here with your people... or I'll kill you."

    Back at the fleet, the lasers from Evangeline's body shoot out and manage to slice the metal for one of the turrets, a loud, pained scream comes from the equipped man and the focus fire upon the Neuroi is even denser, as if he's trying to 'overclock' the still open turret to pull the work of two." Though the next beam slices through the water, steam hisses and then there's a bundle of explosions, most likely from torpedo destruction!

    Shigure's shots join in with Evangeline's beam causing more torpedoes to explode, coupled with Yuna's own depth charge grenades free up the water, with the unexploded torpedoes sailing wide of even Hornet and Maaka. Maaka's own shots against the incoming fleet cause a few of the thirty 'ships' to duck while some tank the shots directly either with their body or with their rigging and still chug along.

    The enemy fleet, however, isn't going to stand idle. With their own opening torpedo failing, they start opening fire with small 10cm guns while the lone 'anti air' cruiser is dealing with Evangeline. The 'destroyers' start filling the seas with steel and ammunition, trying to take out their foes while the heavy cruisers look up... and fire sanshiki to little effect!
Kirito There's a GUN pointed at him. There's a man shot in the arm too. Kirito can see the blood beginning to pool around the man's wound... and the sight sends ice through his spine.

    That thing can kill. A bullet, right through his heart or brain. Some might panic. Some might plead. Kirito's spirit crashes head-on into a situation he's been in time after time, in lands he'd thought long in the past...

    Yeah. It's about time to get serious. He sucks in a breath... and acts on instinct.

    One moment he's there... the next he's a black wind whipping through the room too quickly to see. His obsidian blade flashes through the air, carving a neat line... straight for the gun. Which will probably encompass the hand holding it. Kirito's strength and weapon is more than enough to cut through ordinary metal... so, what will happen?

    Well, it really depends on if she manages to get a shot off.. and how much oomph that gun has!

    "You people are sick. It's the end to just doing as you please!"
Wo There's a radioed suggestion to Kotone, "Don't get too far out of formation. Carriers that get isolated don't fare well." Though it probably falls on deaf ears with that much rage coursing through her system, which the Hornet definitely understands. She is...not pleased at all about this, either, but she's trying to contain that and will reserve it for directing at the people responsible for this tragic abuse. The incoming, surviving torpedoes were thankfully deployed far enough away that she grazes past them like a bullet hell shooter, using the gaps afforded by allies; though there are enough that if it'd been a closer fan, with less time for them to separate into different speeds and headings, it could have been trouble.

    Just because they are victims, regardless, doesn't mean that the threat they pose can be ignored, either. She won't question anyone that fires upon the prisoners that have been modified to use the fleet equipment -- despite the stomach-grating circumstances, there's still a right to exist in this world. The dive bombers stay on course, avoiding that conundrum by beginning to circle the island. They hold their bombs for the time being, though, instead seeming to be watchful of targets of opportunity that might arise, as well as providing some semblance of air cover for Evangeline's and Kirito's works. Hornet, herself, follows slowly and detachedly, returning fire over the advancing force of Yuna and Shigure with her own 5 inch guns, though slowing to a stop with the shelling once they're fully engaged, to avoid friendly fire.

    "My aircraft are in position," she radioes to Nagato, and also more broadly. "You can call in strikes at any time." She just hopes they'll be against inert targets of strategic importance.
Yuna Kagurazaka To Nagato's credit, even though she said 'weapons free,' technically she didn't restrict people to shooting to kill. And Kagurazaka is taking full advantage of that.

The torpedoes are cleared out of the way, leaving the pirate ship-soldiers and their own guns as the only obstacle. Kagurazaka mulls her options briefly as she breaks out of formation, slaloming back and forth a bit to make herself a less-convenient target ... and then she pours on the speed, hunkering down as close to the water as she can crouch without overbalancing or capsizing or otherwise dunking herself. That mostly takes her turrets out of the equation - only mostly; the 'rifle' is still usable.

So are the machine guns, normally used for anti-aircraft fire. With Yuna's torso closer to horizontal than vertical, her fairy crew are probably REALLY unhappy with her, but she can open up with the machine guns to try and force the pirates' 'ship people' to go on the defensive. One more shell from her rifle, high explosive but aimed to go off UNDERwater near the pirates' defensive line ...

And then she pushes her engines as high as they'll go, trying to break through while the pirate line is, hopefully, in MASSIVE disarray.
Evangeline      Evangeline does have a few advantages to help her as she turns and charges directly at the enemy lines, likely alongside Yuna and Shigure. With her jet-like speed she charges in ahead of the others, attempting to draw fire and unleashing a powerful full Neuroi beam across the front line in the process. The sinister red light would cause metal to explode upon impact and cause a blinding sea spray if it hits the water.

     Bullets and Sanshiki bounce off her blue energy shield as she dashes past the fake Fleet ships, though she is tossed about by a particularly close burst of one of those large shells and almost crashes into the water.

     She bursts through a high wave, then continues on toward the island and the airstrip. She moves like a rocket toward the large military transport plane there, then stops at the door. She reaches out a hand and touches the metal of the aircraft...and in a burst of red light and darkness, an area just bigger around than herself turns black, forming hexagonal armor patches. Then, she simply phases through it as the bursts of light continue, steadily covering the entire form of the plane.

     "...aircraft secured..." comes Evangeline's voice, sounding a bit echoed. The aircraft finishes its transformation, becoming a pitch black copy of itself with several glowing red hexagonal panels where its windows used to be, as well as on its tail and wings. "...Kirito...do you need support...if so, provide a location..."

     The dark C130 starts moving, making gentle but quite loud sounds much like fingers moving across the strings of an instrument. It starts taxiing down the airstrip toward Kirito's position while several more, much smaller red panels form on the nose of the aircraft. Evangeline is expecting trouble on the ground as soon as they realize what is happening.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone has some ideas she's got fighters in the air with a few bombers to hopefully it will give them some air cover she sees that Kirito is already moving on the people who are captured. She's anry she's very angry and it might have her end up making a mistake. She has no idea what Kirito is facing and Kotone's got an idea it's going to break with the doctrin of how she should be frighting like this. If she can /get/ up close and personal she can deploy eel ware and it might be enough to shock the cyborg ships out cold. So something can be done about this her planes are in the skies to do what they can but Kotone is picking up speed to close on in she's got a plan and she's damn well do it. Wo's words come over the comm asshe's attemping to break formation.

<<Wo, I have hardware that if i can get up close I might be able to knock some of them out.>>

She notes but it's clear she's still moving. Her own planes are looking for targets as well. She's slowed abitbut she is slightly out of formation. Wo may have just stopped something very bad from happening, or simply delayed it. Kotone is however out of formation at this point....
Shigure     Shigure's face is a grim, steel mask as she relays what she can see to the others. Combat is a chaotic affair, and a level head that looks for anything important is always a boon to the side it's on. The Sanshiki detonations don't go unnoticed. She relays the danger posed by the shells to their air support at the very forefront, then breaks formation to join Yuna in attempting a breakthrough.

    The Destroyer, although largely siding on the pacifistic side, has a grim steel in her face as she pours on the speed to keep pace with Yuna. The rifle fires, the machineguns spray their low caliber bullets... and Shigure's main guns open up, firing a full broadside amongst the formation. She's not shooting to kill, despite her earlier remark. Her torpedoes reload, and she fires off another wide spread of the explosive tubes, aiming to break the formation more by forcing evasive maneuvers to avoid taking one of those Long Lances directly. <Fish in the water. Check. My vector.> she radios in.
Alexis Maaka     Maaka remains aggressive as she charges enemy positions. In this load out, she nimbly, though not gracefully, glides across the waves as she fires in short bursts before she gets in closer, producing a depth charge as she begins to judge the distance and velocity she needs to throw the charges at. "Frag out!" She calls as she flings the depth charges, before she switches to her torpedoes, aiming at a cluster of pirates as she lets off a shot, switching back to cannon swiftly after.
Nagato     Nagato's been oddly silent on the gunfire part...her guns aimed towards the island but in a non specific area... likely aiming for the facilities that Kirito is in so far. She couldn't shoot at it... not yet anyways, so she spins around, taking her aim from the mini city to the hangar... the loud bangs of 41 centimeter guns send shells launching towards the bay doors, a large explosion resulting in the entire launch bay destructing. Unfortunately, that explosion rocks the island... and displaces something else in the volcano...

    Hornet's own request... and notifications gives the battleship some pause for thought as she's reloading. "Destroy the support structures. Avoid any major buildings. Power... radar... heating and cooling... etcetera." she replies back towards Hornet. "Yamakawa, have your bombers join in formation with Hornet's. I want precise strikes." Fortunately, the priate line from the current disarray with the shots delivered through the firing line, but that single shot, coupled with Evangeline's laser, makes a high enough wave to distort and break the formation to allow Yuna to break through the line. It's this closeness that Yuna can physically see the damage done to the people... gear and flesh almost unmistakably as one, where the metal stops and flesh starts is almost distorted...

    Shigure's warning is heard, the battleship slows down to not get torped by her own ally and the broadside strikes home, shooting turrets off quite a few of the Phantom Fleet's own gear... Yuna can hear the pained cries from the explosions of shrapnel from that close while Maaka's depth charge is thrown like an offensive grenade that disperses the group even more, with shots kneecapping some of them, slowing them to a halt.

    Back on the island, Evangeline's unmolested by aircraft fire on the island heading to the C-130, with the plane completely under her control now, there's a variety of people from nurses to what looks like command personnel moving to fire small arms fire at the now Neuroi-ified plane!

    Inside the building, Kirito's movement is quick, very quick... the nurse gets another shot off, but it misses the Spriggian by a wide margin, ending up hitting the nurse who was moving that gourney, the shot being fatal. Much like the now sword dismembering that hand and pistol. A loud scream erupts and the other nurses immediately burst off running, they wern't ready for someone to actually come on land and assault them!
Shigure     Shigure, now that Yuna has broken through to the island and the Phantom Fleet have had their battle line completely shattered, turns away and moves engage the remaining active 'ships'. She's pouring on the power, kicking up a small 'wash' behind her as she closes in to literally punch the first encounter with a recoil assisted 'punch' from her cannon-tonfa, slamming the broad, flat turret cap into their center of mass, as the cannon fires a blank to add more power to the strike. Whether she takes that one out or not doesn't cross her mind, as she moves on to the next, 'dancing' between targets with more punch-gun antics... though at this range, she's starting to take some directed fire from the remaining active guns of the formation.

    Her eyes glow blue, little flares of energy rising from the corners. And eerie sight from the Loyal Hound.
Kirito "..." Kirito at first FLINCHES at the feeling of his blade cutting through flesh... but then rage returns to him fresh as he considers the things these nurses were doing so callously. Hardly becoming of medical professionals, girls, or any combination thereof he's linclined to say...

    But he clamps down on it all. Even his disgust and concern for the person he just slashed. Who could die from that wound.

    "Hurts, doesn't it? But it's nothing compared to what you folk have been putting these unfortunates through." With a second SLASH he dices the gun into further pieces beyond uselessness... then he walks away from the nurse.. pausing only to dig through his inventory... and yoink free...

    He tosses a first aid kit towards the nurse. There's plenty enough medical supplies in the surroundings to try and treat that kind of wound, though she has precious little time to do it before bloodloss knocks her out.

    Although he shakes where he stands briefly, the Spriggan ultimately clenches his teeth and SWINGS his sword hard at the air. The specks of blood are flung clean off the obsidian blade.

    There's a lot to do from here. Get the victims ready for evacuation, namely.
Kotone Yamakawa This is flatout monsterous to her she's losing it for the most part. She hears the order to send her bombers to join up with Wo's she does obye that the bombers soon are in formation andthey will be moving in time. But Kotone has other ideas with the other ships that are comming in. She can hear the cries she can only think? She was a no one once really in a way she still really is. She's already starting to move.

THe bombers will strike but Kotone is looking at the formation of remaining cyborgs who are being forced to fight. Was it implants? Was it the need for something they would die without? She doesn't know.

Kotone now is now calling out to the ships.

"DAMN IT WE'RE here to help you damn it! We want to naul the ones who did all of this to you and try to ... help you. DAMN IT STOP FIGHTING FIGHTINg and LISTEN!"
Evangeline      With the large plane fully transformed, it moves off the runway if necessary and starts toward the prisoners and Kirito. The forward Neuroi panels fire to clear buildings, vehicles, and anything else that might be in the way. With so few buildings about it shouldn't be all that destructive, but if there are people in those buildings they will get little warning other than the gunfire from the soldiers and the loud metallic sounds of Evangeline's mysterious motor as she moves toward the building.

     Her shield flares over the entire aircraft as the staff of the pirate facility fire on her, and it is starting to stutter and crackle after all the beating it has taken at the guns of the Phantom Fleet. But, Evangeline is undeterred. The panels along the side of the assimilated aircraft start glowing, and shotgun-like bursts of the deadly red energy are fired at the pursuing soldiers. Like an armored vehicle, the Neuroi plane plows a trail to the prison and operating building, then turns so that the side with the door is facing the facility and the other is blocking the gunfire and continuing to fire those shotgun blasts as needed.
Yuna Kagurazaka Fortunately for Kagurazaka, most of her attention isn't on taking in the appearance of her opponents. She's too focused on simply breaking through the enemy lines, and most of her spare observational mindpower is distracted by the screams of pain that she's hastening past ... but she still sees JUST enough to simultaneously regret that she saw anything, and for a deep, dark fury to be kindled in her heart against the perpetrators.

And then she's inside the pirates' bay. Kagurazaka does a quick survey of the 'harbor,' looking for additional people (whether conspirators or victims) and for stuff she can go ahead and destroy pre-emptively. There likely isn't a whole lot - she'll keep a few things in mind to make SURE get thoroughly wrecked - but she needs to make sure the rest of the resistance is cleared out. And to that end, once she's able to step out of the water and onto relatively dry land?

She transforms.

She doesn't like going from her Hikari loadout straight to her Light Suit, mostly out of consideration for how much it complicates offloading her ship gear at the other end, but the Savior of Light has had ENOUGH of seeing the fruits of evil in harm inflicted on the innocent. Even before she got that up-close look, she wanted to bring the Matrix Divider to bear; afterwards, it was just a matter of wanting that opportunity.

And with the way the mission has developed ... she HAS that opportunity.

A flare of light envelopes Kagurazaka, the light cruiser loadout and even the sailor-style uniform vanishing; in the place of her Hikari garb and gear, the sleek armor of the Light Suit itself encases her torso, lower legs, and forearms. Then she takes off at a run, getting Elner to do more scans and create a map to guide her and Kirito as needed. If there are any more of the 'pirates' - the ones who organized and planned this monstrosity, the minds behind the malice - then Yuna brings out the Matrix Divider, blasting them into unconsciousness. As for the captive victims, Yuna tries to chivvy them to their feet and into motion; her first priority, with Evangeline in position for evac, is to get the rescuees aboard. She can make a second pass afterwards to make sure everyone's been cleared out.
Wo She wasn't telling Kotone not to go. Merely to be aware of the risks if she does. It was a fair warning, from one carrier to another. At this point, it seems, it's mostly Nagato and Hornet holding the fort, as it were. The lighter ships had moved to confront the other surface force, as they're expected to. It really is like old times, and if it were in better circumstances, there'd be time to think back. The report of 41 cm gun fire breaks any lingering notion of doing so, however, as well as keying her in to fresh orders. "Understood," she says simply, though there are two parts to the instructions. While the bombers are present over the island, she gives them the signal to attack their targets. It's mainly facilities that aren't vital to recovering the prisoners alive, but could provide support to their further detriment: Radio towers, radar installations, and other unmanned command infrastructure being the focus of this first wave.

    The whistling of bombs being released at the targets, as well as the groan of airframes and engines pushed to performance limits, fills the air over the island. Though no 'civilian' facilities are targeted, and it seems Hornet's avoided anything that even looks like it could be occupied by those cyborgs. After their bomb is dropped, though, it leaves their airframe a lot lighter for grouping back up, rendezvousing with the air group from Kotone, and starting their return trip. However, on the way...they did have one other task at hand.

    Simultaneous to Shigure engaging in close quarters, the droning of aircraft engines can be heard from above. Thankfully, they're friendly, the noses edging over into steep dives that greatly increase their speed, but also set their heading like arrows, greatly increasing their accuracy, at the cost of the fairy pilots' innards feeling pinned to their back. Assuming they have such things. They head in briefly to add to the distraction and chaos by opening up with their light machine guns, aiming for the cyborg fleet's non-vital extremeties. Due to the peculiar physics of the Multiverse, it probably feels like a painful sting at best, but they took the opportunity before they suddenly pull up.

    Back at Hornet, she's already slotting in a fresh wave of dive bombers. There could well be losses, after all, and she'll have to be ready for a follow-up once business on the island is finished.
Nagato     The aircraft bombs strike the surface... buildings destroyed with the runs and the base support has been eliminated, while Elner updates the map of destroyed targets in this now warzone on land. It's a crazy time and fortunately none of the bombs strike the Neuroi-130 ready for the loading of passengers, both prisoner and patients. Yuna and Maaka able to disable the ones who's are firing upon the Neuroi-130 and the path from the 'hospital' to the airstrip is clear. It's a perfect time to load things up.

    Back at the water battle, the Loyal Hound's look gets a notice from the Battleship. She knew that look and she knows that her destroyer in the enemy formation won't get hurt from those aircraft bombs... but the shots from the ground crew starts to get less and less as they're knocked unconcious or destroyed. There's a call to Akitsumaru... to recover Yuna's rigging... and Nagato herself, lets out another blast from her cannons this time to take out the heavy cruisers...
Yuna Kagurazaka The initial bombing runs send a rumble through the island that Yuna can feel as well as hear - but the mission is progressing, more or less as planned now.

With the route to Evangeline's plane secured, Yuna doubles back towards the area where the captives were being held; it's while she's on her way that the rest of the Matrix of Light arrives, and Yuna quickly puts Jiina, Marina, and Erina to work at helping get people out of the base and into the plane. Yuna's helping push gurneys too, of course, although she stays alert in case any of the masterminds try to get in her way.

They'd really better not get in her way. Each soon-to-be-former captive whom Yuna personally accounts for makes her angrier, even though she's solidly in 'rescue' mode if unimpeded; she's not going to go hunting or anything.
Wo Obviously, one day, Hornet will need to consider some kind of light cargo craft for this kind of situation. Maybe VTOL.

    With the battle, such as it was, practically decided at this point, as the surface fleet under heavy engagement or already disabled, the ability of the island complex assumed hampered by air strikes, and even their docks shut down by precise cannon fire, there's seemingly not much to be done except evacuating the prisoners and cleaning up this stomach-vicing mess. The first wave of dive bombers' engines can be heard by Hornet and Nagato as they make their return, staying in a holding pattern until the next, fresh aircraft can be launched by the gun gripped flight deck. The process doesn't take long, and another set of dive bombers, with another stock of bombs, is already in the air as the operations continue, and are simply waiting for the all clear to begin.

    "What do you think," she radioes in question to Nagato, though still keeps it wide band? "Is it worth looking for clues or trying to interview, or do we just burn it down so that it can never be used again?" It's not like they had no leads at all, and she's not sure she could control herself if she got a closer look at what was going on there, anyway. With the edge in her tone, it's quite obvious which she would prefer.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone is upon the waves but the feeling of joy she felt eariler today is gone, ebbed away she feels as hallow as her shell really is upon the waves. The battle contiunes, she does not like this she is angry, she is god damn angry. Kotone is shaking still she's directing her planes bue she should be getting in there, she will aid those they manage to disable. She fully expects the Paladins to start hunting the group behind this, oh they will be hunted but the victems are more imporant than blood raid. She will pull her pople back at this point well her self she thinks.

"First allow them to recover somewhat but questions will need to be asked..."
Kirito It didn't take Kirito long to make his way to the holding area's prison. It took even less time for his blade to cleave through bars and locks and shackles and anything else that keeps people from freedom. Enchanted obsidian powered by Sword Skills will never be stopped by ordinary steel! ... Even though it takes a toll on Elucidator's Durability.

    He hardly can even look at the people he's rescuing fo r more than a few seconds, the boy's filled with such seething emotions. "It's jailbreak time. We've got a plane waiting, but it's mayhem out there. Everyone keep your heads down! Everyone who can walk, help those who can't. We're not leaving ANYONE behind. NOBODY."
Evangeline      It takes a few minutes to get everyone onboard, but it seems as though rather than simply jailbreaking the facility they may have secured it. But, there is no telling for sure without a thorough investigation, and Evangeline-130 isn't about to stick around and see if they bring out some heavy weapon or something to try and get her and the evacuees.

     Any soldiers or staff that emerged and fire on Evangeline will find themselves targeted by beams and shotgun blasts, and once all the evacuees are on board, along with Kirito and Yuna if they want, Evangeline fires up her engines. The plane finally sounds like a plane as Evangeline turns her nose back toward the path of destruction she left, then starts sliding forward. It takes a fraction of the time it should for the plane to take to the air, and it rises high before slowly banking toward the Hikari base.

     "...Everyone take it easy...you are safe now..." comes Evangeline's voice, echoing through the inside of the plane. Even if it doesn't really show, Evangeline is supremely happy to have been able to evacuate these people.
Nagato     Shigure's guarding the disabled and downed enemy fleet... the people have been evacuated with the assistance of Kirito, Yuna, Alexis, the Matrix of Light and Evangeline... and there were no losses on the allied side. The mission was a complete success, though something bothers the battleship. Nagato shakes her head slightly, turning her guns to the island... and with the precision strikes of the dive bombers from the Fleet and Light Carriers and the Battleship's own guns... more and more auxiliary buildings and military buildings, have been destroyed.

    The island finally falls silent... no planes in the air, Evangeline-130 is en route to Hikari coupled with the escorts. Nagato takes a single look towards Hornet, Nagato's face says it all too...

    'I'm Sorry.'