Captain Bordeaux lead them through the hangar to a large set of doors. Flanked by some very banks of weapon ports. "Access Dimesional Catapult, Code Bordeaux Alpha." The Guns ceased training on the three Mecha and the mammoth door opened. They all filed in in silence. The room looked like a secondary hangar but they could see a series of platforms on a set of Guiderails running down a long blue-lit corridor.

"this is the dimensional Catapult, Our method of deploying small forces anywhere in an instant. It works sort of like a Dimensional Railgun. Basically stand on the gravity panel and it wil hold you in places as the accelerators hurl you through a small tear in space time to the pre-programmed coordinates."

She smiles. "now that I've probably scared the utter hell out of you allow me to explain. The power required to open a gateway isn't much, but generating its unique signature through artificial means requires tremendous power. To launch something like a group of six Combat Mecha requires enough power to light Tokyo for a month. That's why there's so much security here. Destroying the reactor complex powering the catapult would easily destroy the base itself. Only Captains and Lieutenants can even open the door. If anyone else were to try the defense system would shred them like confetti."

"Computer input coordinates Grid Theta, 117 by 41.25 Spatial axis 21 Space exit points for scanned mecha at 100 meter intervals with the first at precise coordinates as specified. Initiate tripple launch protocol."

She stepped her Blu Duel onto the grav platform and smiled over the comlink. "I'll show you how it's done. Then Saito then Amane. Keep in mind once I launch I won't be able to communicate to you until you emerge at the exit point. "

The drive thrusters on The Blu Duel flare up as she laughs and Yells "Jean-Marie Bordeaux, Blu Duel Let's do it!" They watch the blinding flash as she's accellerated down the dunel and then vanishes as she enters the tear.

Amane smiles at Saito as the next Grav platform rolls up. "Your next, and remember to keep your passenger safe."


((OOC post your launch sequence Saito and We'll go on. To each of you, Going through the Dimensional rift doesn't hurt, just feels weird. for an instant it's like you're being everywhere at once, and your sense seem to be in overdrive. Colors invert, you get the sensation you can taste colors and emotions, that sort of thing. It's kinda like a drug trip. It shouldn't make anyone puke, though it is likely to spawn some intersting comments afterwards.)))

"Where did you get this kind of technology?" Lily asks, more than a little surprised. The question is at least somewhat rhetorical since the Captain has already vanished by the time she asks.

Saito runs some last minute diagnostics on his systems and verifies that all safety protocols are in place.

"Final diagnostics check complete. Moving into position."

Saito led the Meteor over to the catapult, made sure that his passenger was ready for the trip and had the mecha kneel down and power up it's engines.

"Saito, Meteor Gundam LAUNCHING!!!!"

To Saito, everything looked like a negative version of itself for a split second before it felt like he spent a few seconds in the spin cycle of a washing machine and then everything was back to normal and Saito was in space. It took him a second or two to regain his composure.

"Ongoing Mission acknowledged: Never do that again."

Saito looks behind him to check the status of his passenger.

"Are you alright Miss Lily"?

The G forces of launch, pressed his body against the seat behind him, and Amane's body against him. He gave an imperceptive smile as he caught the odor of cherries in her hair.

An instant later, he stepped out of his body. He was no longer in the Ziv with Amane, but instead in a snow covered landscape. He watched himself as he ran over to a small log farmhouse and hugged an older gentleman. Running out to greet him were 2 women around his age, each of them was trailed by several small children.

The vision dissappeard as quickly as it had come. He was back in his body. The infinite abyss of space surrounded them.

"Well...that was different." He muttered to Amane. "Does that always happen...the odd sensations?"

Lily shuts her eyes reflexively, but groans nonetheless...the sensations aren't really visual, and having one's eyes shut doesn't help much.

"That," she says thickly, "is why I never really got the hang of teleporting."

"Lieutenant Amane Kaunac, Zinv Like a Shooting star!" Amane endured the launch easily enough, to tell the truth she'd grown used to the effects and her ungainly launch command given to her by Captain Nagare in an effort to make her loosen up.

She smiled and nodded to Georgi. "Sometimes We all see the same thing, sometimes it's negligible. It all depends on the distance. That time I got a vision of a snowy field and a wolfpack on the prowl, And the sensation that the Air tasted white."

She nods to the forward viewscreen. "I never get tired of this view you know." Earth was below them, spinning onward, Life continuing despite all the things that threaten to disrupt and destroy it. "It reminds me why we all have fought so hard for so long." She snaps from her reverie and seems to grow more serious as she engageds the direct link laser com system. "Captain Bordeaux Enemy Flagship one thousand Kilometers and closing. Looks like they haven't seen us yet."

Jean Marie smiled "Ok I'll make ready the flag as we continue on towards them. Stay together and don't wander, if this goes sour I have to get you all back to safety. From the rear of her machine she removes a metal rod that telescopes out. At the end is a simple white flag tied to the end. "Here goes Everything."

She leads them towards the Ascendant Victory, The Flagship of the Dalaraan Empire and it's fifty ship escort fleet.

((OOC the Ascendant Victory is an eight kilometer long sartship bristling with almost organic gunports and barrels. It vaguely resembles a shark in that it has a devined pointed prow, three wing like fins spaced equidistantly around a large body that tapers down to a much smaller drive section. It dwarfs any of the other ships including the 3 kilometer long cigar-shaped Dalaraan Battlecruisers. It is a Brilliant ivory color with Red accents and blue light marking each of it's hundreds of weapon ports. It is a fearsome ship to be sure.))

"Let me talk to them," Lily urges.

"Just in case they're suspicious. With the flagship there, the whole fleet'll be a bit edgy..."

Saito nods at his passenger's suggestion.

"Roger that."

Saito presses a button on the console infront of him.

"There Miss Lily, you are now able to communicate with the flagship".

Lily takes a deep breath and speaks in Dalaraan for the first time in what seems like half a lifetime. A quick, fluid language to speak, that uses many more vowel sounds than most human tongues, making a sentence sound a little like a long drawn out word to those that don't understand it.

"Ascendent Victory, this is Princess Aksaniolily...I'm in the white flag formation approaching you, along with several ranking officers of Satoshi who are interested in opening ceasefire negotiations. They're coming under flag of truce." She pauses, and can't help adding, "Is Dad there?"

"Oh Hell." Jean Marie's comment was drowned out by the blaring of enemy signatures. Satoshi and Sergei were moving to intercept already.

Then things went from frying pan to the heart of the volcano. "Amane, Saito get to the Flagship now! I'm reading multiple Titan Class warpgates opening in the vicinity. The Federation is sending in a battle fleet!" Therod was dropped and The Blu Duel's weapon ports all opened as it prepared to engage. "Dalaraan Flagship, this Is Captain Jean-Marie Bordeaux of Satoshi Heavy Industries, Take the children on board now and get out of here. I know you're seeing what I'm seeing. If there's ever to be peace then they have to survive! I'll buy you all the time I can..."

At that point the first of over a hundred sleek metallic ships came throught the massive warpgates. "Amane Get them there, keep them safe, we're all counting on you." With that she sped towards the enemy battlecruiser. Circinus ships had a five second delay before they can fire after emergence. Dozens of ships were coming through at once.

1... Three railgun shots and a bolt of coherent light from her laser cannon speared the battlecruiser's engine section leaving it without power. By the time the shots connected she'd moved on, putting a swarm of missiles into the bridge of a secind ship.

2... A full salvo went into the bridge of a destroyer, while the final bolt from her laser rifle pierced the ship's reactor.

3... She appeared underneath one of the mobile cannonships, built around railguns that fired one hundred ton nickel-ferrous slugs at hypersonic velocities. It's capacitors were already charged and she put a full spread of missiles into it. causing catastrpohick explosions to run the length of the ship culminating in a gigantic explosion as the ship was destroyed.

4... Another ship died in a silent fireball as She flew through the bridge itself. She sped on to the largest of the now emerging ships, a true ship of the line, The Battleship Hagane.

5... Just as her shots would have hit, the Hagane seemed to glow in erie blue light as its energy field blocked most of the attacks.

"Hell." The hatches on the Hagane opened and half a dozen machines flew out from it. Three of them combined into a much larger machine. "Christ it's Ryusei and the SRX."

"Halt yor attacks and surrender, You can't hope to defeat the Circinus Federation!"

"No way Ryusei, I'll fight your invading federation with my last breath." She fired her weapons which all impacted on the SRX's energy field again doing little damage to the machine. Its chest cavity opened and it drew its Telekinetic sword.

"Then I'm affraid I have to finish this." Before he got the chance the space around the Blu Duel lit ablaze with missile explosions, autocannon rounds, plasma cannon fire, and laser blasts as someone else began firing. She was buffeted by the explosion and the Blu Duel's arms and legs were all severed.

Amidst it all a black shadow fell over the Blu Duel. "You've broken Faith with us Jean-Marie. I hate to do this, you have such lovely hair, such a lovely presence, but My Company cannot abide traitors."

Takashi Satoshi drew back the E-Shadow's arm and ignited the kilometer long Beam Saber in its hand. In a single deft motion the sword slashed through the Blu-Duel's waist and actually severed both of the SRX's legs at the knees followed by Jean-Marie's death scream and explosion. "Amaneeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!"

The scream went out across the broadcast channel to all the ships. The Federation ships stopped which was all the opening Sergei needed. The Verde Buster started to spin and for a full fifteen seconds began to fire every weapon at its disposal as fast as they recycled. Dozens of ships vanished in explosions like the ones that had de-limbed the Blu Duel. "Dammit Takashi I was hoping she'd have screamed my name one more time, instead she calls for her best friend. Let's Waste them all and be done with it."

"I hear ya Sergei let's bag this little princess and Her Flagship." The E-Shadow turned towards the gargantuan Ascendant Justice, but stopped.

"All Satoshi Captains Report To the Castle now, A Major Circinus federation force has emerged from warpgates and Is currently bombarding the area. All Force is authorized, We must stop this attack upon our Home nation now!"

"Dammit Takashi, they've got four hundred ships over there, as opposed to about the sixty left here. We can let the traitors go, If we don't there won't be any Kage left to Kill later."

"You bring up a good point Sergei, killing humans is a much more interesting thing than these aliens. This was obviously a Feint by The Federation they knew we'd follow the Hagane and the traitors. It was all part of their scheme to lure us away from the battle."

With that the Two Captains vanished in twin flares of light hurtling back towards Earth and the war raging there.

Saito, Lily, Amane, and Georgi were left there, caught between the safety of the Flagship, and the remaining Circinus Machines and warships, Many of which were already starting to train their weapons on the Ascendant Victory.

"They killed her...They killed her..." Something was going on with Amane and Georgi being right there was getting a full view.

Lily presses her hands up against the glass of the cockpit as if she was thinking seriously about trying to open it and leave the mecha... The words she utters are in Dalaraan, but the tone leaves no question about what the profanity is.

"Saito! We have to help!"

Saito sighed with a heavy heart very much wanting to grant Lily's request but he knew what had to be done.

"I am sorry Miss Lily but I cannot obey that command. I am under orders to protect you and deliver you safely to the flagship and that is what I will do."

Saito pressed to comm-link and opened a channel to the Ascendant Victory.

"This is Saito Murazaki I do not know if you can understand me but I have the Princess and I am requesting landing coordinates for her return".

Saito throws a lever forward causing the Meteor to shift into the much faster and more maneuverable fighter mode and begins to fly toward the Dalaraan flagship.

"What?!" Lily raps on the dividing wall of glass between her and Saito. "This is a fighter! We can help fight! You can't just run away!"

She pounds her fists in frustration. "Damnit Saito! The Ascendent isn't invulnerable! There's a whole FLEET here! It won't matter if I survive if the flagship is destroyed!"

What's happening to her? Georgi's mind raced as her body began to physically change in front of his eyes. He could hear popping noises as her joints shifted; her hair changed and her body began to shake violently. Georgi remembered seeing it in some of his fellow supersoldiers...she was going beserk. He had to calm her down and get her to focus on the mission.

Cmon Georgi..think! What did you used to do in these situations? He watched with alarm as Amane grew in size, her hair turned spikey. Jesus Christ! She's turning super-bitch on me! His mind went blank.

Think, Georgi, think.... What did you used to do?

{OOC: Mind Check: (1+1+6=8) critical failure on Mind check}

Amane's grip tightened on the controls which began to emit a highpitched whine and a maniacl smile contorted her face. "This will teach you Takashi.. Nobody hurts my Friends!!"

Her voice doesn;t even sound the same and both of Zinv's hands are held aout before it. Green energy corruscates between them and soone at the center everyone nearby can gread the formation of a microblackhole. She was actually creating a tear in the fabric of spacetime to use as a weapon, and there was next to nothing anyone could do to stop her.

Georgi could here the deep disturbed laughter coming from her as the Mecha's ultimate weapon build its charge. "I'll kill them all... I'll kill them all...I'll kill them all...."

Saito nods at Lily.

"Yes Miss Lily the Meteor was designed for combat but I trust that Miss Amane will be able to get out of this".

As if on cue an emergency alert accompanied by an alarm came over the console infront of Saito.

"What the? If she does that then there will be no hope".

Saito gives a quick sigh.

"Mission paramaters have changed, returning to battle. Miss Lily, hold on."

With an almost uncanny speed, Saito flung the controls of his machine to the left causing the Meteor to swing into an almost immediate U-Turn.

"Alright, Miss Lily as soon as I give you the word I want you to go over the communications network and try and talk some sense into Miss Amane. It seems that she is trying to unleash a large amount of power from her machine and that will take out half the Circinus ships here. If she does that then there will be all out war between the factions with no chance of peace Earth will be the battleground and that is something that I cannot allow to happen."

The Meteor blazed through space with as much speed as Saito could get out of it. Saito flew the Meteor over Zinv and proceeded to switch his fighter back into its robot mode. The Meteor Gundam was now face to face with Zinv. Saito then hit a button on the console.

"OK Miss Lily, it is all up to you now. If you cannot persuade Miss Amane to regain her composure then everyone is lost. I will communicate with the Circinus and try and get them to leave this sector so there might be some possibility for peace between us."

Saito turned to face his console and hit another button in front of him.

"Attention Battleship Hagane, I am sure that you are detecting the same gravity disturbance as we are and I am sure that you can see the danger involved with staying here. We are attempting to stop the sequence but if we cannot then your entire fleet is in grave danger. Please evacuate this sector because we do not want to spill anymore blood today."

Saito hoped that his gamble would pay off and he could finally get Lily to the Ascendent Victory, because if he couldnt then he was all out of options at this point.

Head reeling from how fast things were happening, Lily hesitates for a moment just to catch up, then tries to see Amane's cockpit through the window.

"Amane," she comms, "This is Lily! Please stop! If you keep going, you're going to kill me, and Georgi and Saito...we all wanted to help you! And I'm afraid you might kill my father...you'd like him, Amane...please stop. I know you lost a friend, and it hurts, but she did what she did for you! For us! For what we're here to do! If you finish that attack, you'll throw all that away and for what? They're gone, Amane! They flew away! You're trying to avenge your friend, but you'll only be killing her dream along with her!"

She takes a deep breath.

"We're so close, but I can't do it without you. You're the only one from Satoshi who wants peace who's left up here. If you really care about the Captain, you'll honor her memory by helping us make peace. There will be time for revenge later. I promise."

"Amane...turn it off. Please?"

The hell with it! Georgi was not going to die while Amane went on some righteous vengeance kick. If the tear she was opening in space didn't kill both of them, the enemy fleet would. They needed to get to the Emperor's flagship.

"Leutenant! You will cease your attack and follow your orders!" He yelled, hoping to distract her. "You will obey the commands of your superior! Cease Fire! Cease Fire! There are non-combatants in the field of fire!" It was all he could think of, and he hoped it would be enough.

Meanwhile, Georgi looked around for some sort of kill, or ejection switch. With luck, he could halt Amane before she finished. Even as he barked orders to her, his hand went to the firearm at his side. I don't want to kill her, but I will to protect the mission. With luck, the rounds would not penetrate the cockpit.

The Hagane and it's Mecha remained there only a moment and then in a blinding flash the entire fleet warped out, Leaving the two mecha and the Flagship and its escorts alone.

Lily's words touched something deep within Amane's mind. the phrases and thoughts all ran together, in her own voice, In Lily's in Captain Nagare's. You reperesent Satoshi here, now. If you don't stop, you'll kill her,and destroy the one true path to peace left... If you don't stop more Dalaraan Blood will be on your hands, blood you'll never wash away. You'll have succeeded in taking away an empire's future, Someone's daughter, someone's son... How many more must die? How many more must be sacrificed to a war no one wants?

"AuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Amane's Cry of Anguish died as the blackhole began to disipate, and with grim finality Zinv's arms fell to its sides.

Inside, Amane's body slowly returned to normal and she slumped a bit and then fell backwards onto Georgi, unconscious, with tears slowly flowing down her face.

When the distortion fades, Lily slumps forward in relief and releases the console she'd been gripping in her nerve-wracking tension. She has to pry her fingers out of the deep divots they leave in the metal console housing, but it's worth it...it's all worth it.

"She looks like she's drifting, Saito...d'ya think we can pull her in?"

She then radios the other mecha.

"Amane? Are you okay? Georgi...what's going on over there?"

Georgi moves around in front of the unconscious Amane, and pushes her to the back of the seat. He takes her place at the controls and speaks to lily. "It's Coach Illiyev. I'm fine. Amane has passed out. I'm glad you were able to calm her down. I didn't want to find myself floating in space...or worse".

He looks over the controls of the Ziv to see if he can pilot it to the Dalaaran flagship. "Before you hook up with me, I'm going to try and fly her in myself."

(OOC: Piloting Skill Check- 15. http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1424073

Saito breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Roger that Coach. I will fly escort alongside you just in case you cannot fly Zinv."

Saito then turned to face his companion.

"Miss Lily, I am sorry but I must apologize for my actions. It was my mission to see you safely to the ship. I know that everything worked out well but if I was not fast enough then the consequences would have been dire. I take full responsibility for those actions and will accept any punishment that might be coming."

Lily buries her face in her hands for a moment, then looks up with a smile.

"First of all, whatever authority I have is only in the Dalaraan Empire, which as far as I know you're not part of. So you're off the hook."

"But even if you were, I'd never punish anyone for doing the right thing...even if I was a little out of line and telling them to do the wrong thing at the time."

She sighs and sits back to rub her temples.

"What a mess. Dad's gonna kill me."

The Second Georgi touches the controls for Zinv the entire cockpit goes dark. Even the com system winks off Zinv seems to go adrift, dead in space as though it were a puppet who's strings had been cut.

Saito and Lily quickly notice that Zinv goes from an active contact to a normal object on the scanners. Upon closer inspection, They can see that Zinv's gravit drive is no longer functioning, The machine was dead in space.

"Ugh...there must be some kind of security shutoff. I guess Amane didn't give him control access," Lily says...as much to herself as to Saito.

"I guess we're taking them in with us after all."

An unpleasant thought occurs to her.

"I hope they have enough air in there. Let's make it fast, Saito."

Saito nods to Lily.

"Roger that"

Saito maneuvers the Meteor to be in the best position to grab Zinv and proceeds to carry the machine toward the Ascendent Victory.

Their trip there was somewhat uneventful. One of the large docking hangars opened and the energy shield reappeared after they passed through. The bay was pressurized and the two mecha were quickly surrounded by a host of armed Guards. The meteor knelt next to Zinv, which was laid out on its back. Thus far none of the hatches had opened.

A Warrior in a Blue Tunic spoke out in near perfect English.

"Debark from your craft. You will not be harmed, this is merely a safety precaution."

From one of the hangar observation windows The Dalaraan Emperor watched, hoping against hope that it was true, and his daughter and heir had returned from the grave.

Lily fiddles with the controls until she finds the cockpit release lever. With a hiss of equalizing pressure, the armored plate glass slides upward a little, then gullwings up and out.

Not even waiting for the ladder to finish extending, Lily releases the safety harness and simply flies directly out into the air in front of Meteor, hands spread wide.

"It's all right!" she says in Dalaraan. "They're with me."

As an afterthought, she removes the helmet of her flight suit as she touches down on the deck, to make sure her identity is known.

I should have known the Ziv would be keyed to its authorized user. He was angry with himself. He had a complete mental blank when people's lives were threatened. Now, he lie helplesss with Amane. He gritted his teeth in frustration. It will not happen again, he swore to himself, a slight growl coming from his mouth.

They were being ordered out of their Crafts. Coach Illiyev searched for the cockpit release handle. He hoped it would open with the machine powered down. If not, he would have to wait until they were freed in some other manner. Once open, Georgi will gently cradle the unconscious Amane in his arms and carry her out of the Ziv.

"She needs a place where she can rest." He says to the assembled personnel. After finding quarters for her, Georgi pulls up a chair and sits at her bedside. "I insist that I be able to watch over her until she regains consciousness." No amount of persuasion will deter him from doing so. I almost killed you Amane...I'm sorry.

The sight of the Satoshi colors flying out brought the weapons up, but upon seeing the face of their crown princess, Everyone on Deck came to Attention.

In the observaton room The Emperor smiled. "Yua, come and meet your new charge. He left the room and made his way down to the main deck, allowing the Fox Hiroga to follow him.

Through some small miracle Georgi managed to find the control that would work for him, and Zinv's cockpit opened.

Upon getting out He is flanked by two Madara in White tunics who without a word lead him to one of the infirmiry rooms. While he sits the two of them run diagnostics on her to ascertain how best they can help her.

Saito is the last to leave his machine and is met with no fanfare, but no malice as well. It seems that all the guards are waiting. Lily finally lands next to him, and at that moment the doors open and The Dalaraan Emperor walks in. All the Guards snap to attention and behind him walks a pair of Dalaraan pureblood guards, in addition to a very obviously fox breed Hiroga.

"Welcome home, Aksaniolily, it is good to see you again my daughter. Who have you brought with you, and what of this offer of Peace, Tell me all about it."

Lily dashes across the deck and slams into him to deliver a hug that would snap the ribs of human man. She stays like that for a long moment, then releases him and turns angry.

"What are you DOING here?" she demands hotly. "You could have been killed! The Federation had a whole fleet waiting, and a pair of Earth's biggest psychopaths with its best weapons came after you! You're not immortal, you know!"