12: Allies become Foes, while Soldiers learn Mercy and Stabbings are Faked

[gurrenbrigbonded]

[1] (Locked to everyone who tried to rescue Matthew during "Different Faces of Warfare". And Ryou.)

You get a video message from Matthew soon after returning to the White Chalice. He's still wearing his armored cooling vest, stained at the front with green fluid, the hilt of the knife he used to fake stab himself still poking out of it. He looks cross.


"That was extremely reckless of you all." He scolds. "This time the enemy was bluffing and toying with us: next time we may not be so lucky! Trying to save both civilians and fellow soldiers in imminent danger divides your efforts, and can get them both killed!"

He folds his arms stubbornly. "As soldiers, you must always place the lives of innocents above yours, and even the lives of your comrades! That is what fighting to protect the earth means! Remember that!"

Suddenly, his serious face gives way to a smile, and he nods briefly. "And...thank you for saving me."


[2]

You see Matthew lounging in one of the White Chalice's portside lodges, gazing up at the sky. Very soon, the Jade Falcon invasion fleet will be braking into orbit, and the Chalice will go to war to protect the Earth against his former Clan.

He sighs. "Simon...where are you now? And what would you do in my shoes?"

He pauses. "Actually, I can guess exactly what you would do."

[3]

You stumble upon Matthew, in the simulator room, training his butt off! He's putting his modified Nova through a set of scenarios in space, inside a ship's hanger bay, and on land, fighting against a variety of Clanner Mechs. It looks like he's...trying to disable them? He's concentrating laser fire at their arms and legs, blowing them off at their joints.

Join in? Interject? Comment? Observe?

Comments

Re: 3

[whitedevilbot]

...Sounds rather like the Gundam Hammer actually.

Just give me a sec, and I'll send you the specs... you could try practicing with it in the simulation.

Re: 3

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"Ah, that would be most helpful! My thanks!" Matthew declares. He loads up the data and looks at it in his cockpit, backing away from the simulated enemy as he does so.

"...a flail with rockets motors attached?" He blurts out. "You have used this weapon before?"

Re: 3

[whitedevilbot]

In the One Year War, yeah. Though the rockets only came later when we realised I couldn't toss it like normal in space.

Re: 3

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"How did that work?" Matthew asks. "Did you simply throw it manually, or were you able to steer the rocket flail with electronic guidance? Actually, hold on, let me try something in the simulation."

He steers the Nova out from cover, facing a heavily armed Hellbringer-class mech that begins charging weapons. Raising an arm pod, he deploys a Heat Falcon, strung out on it's guidance wire. Instead of flying towards the enemy, it begins spinning with it's plasma rockets, swinging around on it's guidance cable like a lasso over the Nova's cockpit

"Is this how you employed your Gundam Hammer?"

Re: 3

[whitedevilbot]

Manually when within Earth's atmosphere, remote control on the rockets for fighting in space. So what you've actually done is more combine the two.

Still, looks like it could work. Maybe show Loran that one sometime, a trick from one Gundam pilot to another?

Re: 3

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"He uses a mech-sized flail as well, quiaff?" Matthew asks, whipping the Heat Falcon forward. It carves a righteous slice out of the Hellbringer's chest...but then the momentum, cause the Nova to stumble forward.

"Molting feathers!" Matthew curses, working at the controls frantically. "How should I brace myself?"