[1]

[It comes up out of the blue.  Or rather-]

-Uah!

[Elma, banged up as he is, comes back online in Sakihama's hangar.  Although clearly in need for some maintenance, the little Subot instead has other concerns, like-]

-Yes!  It worked!


It was a really huge gamble, but there's been some precedent in intentionally crashing computer systems to clear the way to encrypted data, and I was able to pull it off!  I was able to access the encoded data involving Operation Doll and what Major Ingram had been trying to have us do.

It'd been about Armana... it'd always been about her from the beginning!  Ingram had known she had been interested in Earth and decided to come here, but also that she was, was like a target for someone in the Balmarian Empire.  I don't know if it was for assassination... o-or maybe just bring her back early like what the Golar Golem were talking about... but it was something Ingram had wanted to prevent.

We were supposed to pick her up at the colony, but... we must have missed her.  Like we were too late, or she spent far shorter there than we'd expected.  And instead we were attacked by the Golar Golem, trying to pursue after her... where everyone but Selena-


[-Wait.  Selena.  A glance at the Soleares, and Elma's tiny frame tilts forward in worry.]

Miss Selena... please be alright.

Everyone we... when the Soelares was damaged and buried under the rubble, Selena and I made a really quick plan just in case we weren't able to protect Armana from Spectra and the other Balmarians.  She let me keep piloting the Soleares, while she...

Well I don't entirely know because she just said she'd follow her women's intuition but I know she wouldn't have given up on saving Armana!


[2]



Miss Selena...

[With his own repairs taken care of, Elma's attention shifts once more to the dismembered Soleares.  Repairs for such a frankenstein of a machine are possible, but Albhard had weeks, and fewer mounting threats when he built the machines out of the remains of Team Jelba's mechs and the Gesterben.


[For even more thorough repairs?  In less time?  Well...]

... Don't give up.  Just worry about saving Armana... so I can worry about saving both of you!

[... He'd just have to do it.  Somehow.]

[3] (locked to NPCs)

[Hopes may have been placed on Selena, but to somehow find and save Armana would be a tall order.  She'd been spirited back to the Balmarian fleets in the system, protected by countless ships and machines should an attack come.  And if one were to somehow breach the Huleh carrying her, they would be met by the faceless, unrelenting soldiers of the Golar Golem.]



[Silent, ever-watchful and always on patrol for intruders, and with a helmet that masked all of their emotionless faces.  Or in one case, masked a clever little smile.]



Armana's quarters should be the next one over.

[They'd been dogged and dutiful, that was for sure. But in the chaos of the battle, between Loni's arrival and then the SSR's on top of that, to say nothing of Armana nearly dying... it hadn't been all that easy for Spectra's flunkies to keep track of the Princess at every possible moment.  She'd had only minutes to disguise herself as the princess, and outright swapping places of her had been impossible... but pretending to be Armana and tricking a distracted Golar Golem pilot into letting her into the cockpit?  And after that, killing them, wearing their clothes, and passing off as them when nobody onboard knew anything about Team Jelba's skill in the field of disguises?  Compared to some of hoops she'd jumped through in the past, this was nothing.

[And Armana's quarters were unlocked too, good.  Things were finally looking up...]
majestic_keiki: (Frown)

From: [personal profile] majestic_keiki

1


So she's the agent meant to free the princess? How did she even manage to sneak off in the middle of battle?
majestic_keiki: (So tired)

From: [personal profile] majestic_keiki


I know they are.

And that's still pretty impressive, even for a ninja.
majestic_keiki: (Shy smile)

From: [personal profile] majestic_keiki


Yeah. Now we just hope it all works out. We need some way to easily pick her up when we go out there.
majestic_keiki: (Thinking)

From: [personal profile] majestic_keiki


And getting it close enough that she can get into it with the princess. We'll still be in space, she can't just run.
majestic_keiki: (Frown)

From: [personal profile] majestic_keiki


Let's try to defend you so you don't have quite so much to worry about anyway.
srwu_npc3: ([SRW Alpha 3] Armana Tikvah)

From: [personal profile] srwu_npc3

3


Armana looks surprised and backs off a little as the door to her room is being opened... and even more surprised when the true identity of the one entering is revealed.

"S... Selena?! What are you doing here?"
srwu_npc3: ([SRW Alpha 3] Armana Tikvah)

From: [personal profile] srwu_npc3


"No, you wouldn't, of course not. But following me like this... it is very dangerous."

Armana looks down, pensive.

"And... it is not that I oppose my fate. It is true that I have to sacrifice my own life, but I do so gladly, knowing that this is the only way to save my Empire's people."

"I only wish my decision to stay on Earth to be honored. There is still so much more I want to see. I heard such things from Ingram..."
srwu_npc3: ([SRW Alpha 3] Armana Tikvah)

From: [personal profile] srwu_npc3


"It's true." Armana looks serious. "This is the Apocalypsis."

"The Apocalypsis is..." She adds, feeling that an explanation is needed but sounding more than a little uneasy.
"It is how we Balmarians call the end of times. Huge extinction events that threaten all sentient life in the galaxy. The Wulgaru genetics failing, the Lady returning - and for Balmar, it is a destructive meteor shower."

"Even if these catastrophes are averted, new ones will come. Apocalypsis is the one that causes them. And only the Spirit Emperor can avert its coming, with the Priestess of Zehirut sacrificing herself to strengthen him... for a time."
srwu_npc3: ([SRW Alpha 3] Armana Tikvah)

From: [personal profile] srwu_npc3


"The Spirit Emperor." Armana stresses out that part.
"I'm sorry Selena. He is very important, even as much as saying his name without appropriate reverence can be blasphemy. Without him, Balmar would've been destroyed a long time ago."

"And now he has entered communion with Zehirut. That means the Spirit Emperor's mind isn't in this physical reality at all. He cannot rule Balmar or make any kind of decisions. That's why he left the empire in Shiva Gozzo's rule. And..."

"If he's forced to do that, that means the situation back home is even worse than I imagined."
srwu_npc3: ([SRW Alpha 3] Armana Tikvah)

From: [personal profile] srwu_npc3


"I don't know what could Prime Minister Gozzo be thinking..."

"If I didn't come to Earth, would Balmar have left your planet alone? It feels like it is all my fault."

From: [personal profile] srwu_npc3


"Princess? I heard noises. Is something wrong?" Suddenly, a voice from the outside - and it's drawing closer!


"It's Luria! You need to leave, Selena."

"..."

"I'll leave with you. Yes, yes I want to go back!"
srwu_npc4: ([SRW Alpha 3] Luria Qayits)

From: [personal profile] srwu_npc4


"Very well... argh!"


"I won't!" Armana takes your hand. "Let's go. Lead, and I will be with you!"

You flee, the stunned guard left behind you. But she won't remain stunned for long.

"The princess is being abducted! We have an intruder, sound the alarms!"
a_linear_mind: (: D)

From: [personal profile] a_linear_mind

2


I don't think you'll be able to repair it.

[Suddenly a smug looking thing.]

From: [personal profile] a_linear_mind


Hey hey calm down, no need to flip your lid.

I know that...that's why she's still trying to rescue the princess now...but as it is we don't have the parts to put the Soleares back together.

Given what just happened to it doing that probably isn't enough.
a_linear_mind: (: D)

From: [personal profile] a_linear_mind


And in your opinion do you think that'll be enough?

Selena is an amazing pilot but...sometimes you need more tools available to you.

From: [personal profile] a_linear_mind


When he left our favourite Professor left me the location of one of his extra bases in case anything ever went wrong or if I ever needed to hide out somewhere.

So technically anything that we found there would belong to me as long as he's off doing...who knows what.
a_linear_mind: (Don't worry about it man)

From: [personal profile] a_linear_mind


I can't make any promises.

Now come on, we don't have a lot of time to waste so we better get scavengin-I mean searching...
abugslife: (great enthusiasm)

From: [personal profile] abugslife

2


You have a lot of guts, tiny Elma. I cannot deny you that.

However, I am worried this project might be too massive for just you alone.
.

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