The AAAAANGST

[srwu_mods]

"Fuck!"

Loni kicks the wall of the hangar angrily.

"That Constans guy is one thing, but against Ingram, FightSaber was absolutely useless. If he hurt Ilinka... damn, I knew we couldn't trust that guy! There was something really shady about him all the time."

"At this rate, FightSaber's going to need an upgrade. It just won't cut it anymore."

Comments

[mistaken_for_monster]

I'm sure the wall feels terrible that all that happened to you and is perfectly happy to take that abuse...

[Volya mutters the words softly as Interitus lays on its back - pawing lazily at the ceiling.]

I wouldn't say you did that bad though. He flattened everybody out there...

[srwu_mods]

"All the more reason for an upgrade. What I have - what we all have, is not good enough anymore."

[mistaken_for_monster]

...

[Volya looks at Interitus, who has decided to roll over onto its side and let out a soft snort followed by its usual vocalization.]

Tbbtttthhhhht....

I dunno... maybe its not just your robot...

[srwu_mods]

"What else could it be then?"

[mistaken_for_monster]

...You. No offense, you probably could fight a lot better than I can but... that's exactly kind of my point...

[The russian kid walks over to his partner and places his hand on it. Running his hand across the surface.]

Interitus is pretty strong. I'm not. And almost all the time I've got to fight against people who've been fighting more than I have. Fighting alone against someone who knows what they're doing more than you do...

[Volya trails off with a slight wince.]

[empress_without_a_throne]

You're like a broken record, Apollionus.

[So speaks the Savior Team's leader. She's not happy about what Ken and Dido had to go through, plus another traitor, but Loni's not helping any.]

Raw strength wasn't what drove Ingram off out there. Stop acting like it's the solution to all your problems.

[srwu_mods]

"If it's not the solution, then what is? A giant beam of green energy counts as raw strength if you ask me."

[empress_without_a_throne]

It counts as cooperation. And synergy for that matter. People reacting to a threat and coming up with a tactic that made the most of their machines.

Volya didn't create that attack alone. And if any of the machines out there could've, Ingram would've known and prioritized shooting them down.

[srwu_mods]

"You think I can't cooperate with others?"

[empress_without_a_throne]

I've seen nothing that shows you can. Even with Ilinka and Desta it half feels like you all just charge at an enemy and hope for the best.

[tiger_ken]

We'd all need an upgrade. Because expecting - or expecting to be - one unit to carry the weight and rest all our hopes on is... stupid.

[Ken hobbles in. He probably shouldn't be anywhere but a medical ward, but its kind of hard to keep a ninja (in training) from sneaking out.]

Unless you're planning to go after him by yourself. In which case, that's even worse.

[srwu_mods]

"What's so stupid about wanting to be powerful? I want strength for a good cause, to protect my friends. Ingram's cause is much worse but somehow he has this strength and I don't!"

[tiger_ken]

And you're sounding exactly like I did a while back. So no, wanting to be powerful to protect people is not stupid. Its trying to be without consideration for everyone else that is.

I mean, look at us two. We've got advanced, prototype weaponry that a lot of people probably dream they could have. Simply demanding that we need to get stronger, rather than the whole getting stronger, is an insult to those we fight alongside.

[srwu_mods]

"I'm not preventing others from getting stronger too. They can do it if they want to. But that R-Gun Rivale thing was really powerful. Even if we get a whole army of strong units, they'll just get all wiped out! It's better to have a single really powerful one to stand a chance in one on one."

[tiger_ken]

And if that fails, then everybody is doomed. Even children playing monster rpgs learn that lesson.

[Omitting his own past issues...]

And unlike them, if we go down for real, there's no reset button.

[actuallyselfish]

"I'd disagree with you on one point." Dido says, holding a cold compress her her bruised forehead.

"It's not that you need an upgrade...it's that you need to figure out how to take away Ingram's upgrade! Savvy?"

[srwu_mods]

"And how do we do that? That's easier said than done."

[actuallyselfish]

Dido jams a finger right into her temple and wiggles it around back and forth

"With Science, my dear boy!" Dido declares in an accent with a bit of british stuffiness. "Science!"

[actuallyselfish]

She coughs.

"I should probably be more specific. " She mutters. "Tell me this, Loni: when Ingram unleashed that giant overpowered Axiom Buster on Ken and Ilinka...what did you notice about it?"

[srwu_mods]

"You mean how its chest opened and it had to charge up?"

[abugslife]

No matter how much you upgrade your machine, it will not be as powerful as that Balmarian mech. Major Ingram is not an opponent to take on alone.

[srwu_mods]

"You sure about that? Ingram didn't snap his fingers and wish for an unbeatable machine, it was made. If his can be so strong, why not mine?"

[abugslife]

Do you have access to Balmarian technology?

[srwu_mods]

"No but it's not that only Aerogators can make good things!"

[abugslife]

If you have a way to quickly construct a mech that will match the Major's machine in capabilities, then by all means, let me know.

Development takes time. Time we do not have.