((If you wish to join this RP feel free to do so on the Sign Up thread: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/61942-echoes-and-ash-an-original-sci-fi-rp-sign-ups/ Sign ups will be open until the end of the RP, but the sooner you can get involved, the better))

 

((As a side note to all RPers, the enviornments in this RP are mostly designed by me to make sure the flow of the story works well. When entering a new area or opening a door to an unknown area, please end the post with a "..." and I will quote the post and describe the new area your character finds.))

 

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TrinityNet servers active...

[REDACTED] joined...

[REDACTED] joined...

[REDACTED]: ?

[REDACTED]: Whatya mean "?"

[REDACTED]: Why did you call this?

[REDACTED]:To see if you started...

[REDACTED]: Why would I tell you?

[REDACTED]: Please, as if that kinda info's gonna give any of us a leg up.

[REDACTED]: Of course I did. The fact that you wanted to find out means that you started too.

[REDACTED]: Which just leaves...

[REDACTED]: She's not here. Which means she's busy and doesn't want to talk. Which means...

[REDACTED]: Her too...

[REDACTED]: So the clock's ticking.

[REDACTED]: Guess so...

[REDACTED]: Well I'm going to get back to it, they're waking up, thanks for wasting my time.

[REDACTED]: Hey! That's not nice!

[REDACTED] left...

[REDACTED]: Jerk...

[REDACTED] left...

 

The wind blew softly over the island. Besides the soft swaying of the trees there was little to disturb the idyllic serenity here. The island stretched out for miles, but at the coasts there was nothing to see but water. The island, like the universe in which it existed, was nearly empty, the remnants of life clung, decaying, to its shores and its trees and its fields, but the yells of excitement, of fear, of courage that has once complimented the sound of the wind ha since faded to echoes. Today, however, that changed. Today life returned to the universe. The only question is; what kind of universe would it return to?

 

"C'mon, get up!"

"All of you, wake up."

"Rise and shine, it's a new day."

 

Far away voices entered the hazy minds of those sleeping on the island.

 

Lying on the shore of a short beach was Seraphim Valentine, Derik Absolon, and Samantha Allison, and Rodin Seefull. The wind blew over them as they lay sprawled over the sand in close proximity to each other. Just as they had been placed. Next to the beach was a mix of jungle and swamp that went deeper into the mainland. Besides that the beach was mostly barren. A wrecked fishing boat was rusted and decaying within walking distance, but nothing more. The waves lapped up on the shore softly...

 

Lying in the middle of an airstrip surrounded by jungle was a different group. Rusted machine parts lay strewn about, and any sign of activity at the airstrip had long since faded. On the ground in the middle of the airstrip lay Alex Dimanche, Ferro al'Vere, and Hazimie Azhar.  Two desolate bunkers flanked the airstrip they were on, with a control tower at the end of the strip. Forest flanked the airstrip on all sides, with a single winding road leading out. The wind cut through the trees and sliced past the bunkers onto the airstrip. Only the wind and the trees provided any sound to the desolate military installation...

 

Deep in the jungle was a pair of rusted jeeps parked next to a crumbling house. The jeeps were long past functioning, and their engines were removed recently as well. The house sat surrounded by the trees with a single road leading somewhere further into the jungle. Inside the house were the four people; Rija Mors, Terry Frost, Henko Tenioenai, Koizumi Onnea, and Rin Nozomi Part of the roof of the house had caved in, and most of the belongings and furniture were gone. Remaining in the house were a few pots and pans, and single picture in an immaculate frame on a table in the room where the four people were laying. Silence pervaded the house...

 

The far away voices slowly awakened all of these people. The clouds in the blue skies above moved slowly; the morning was upon them. It was time to wake up and find the future...

Edited September 5, 201312 yr by MDSVeritas

Ferro saw Rodin's initiative and followed behind him, ready to shield him from oncoming fire. "Derik! Other girl who was called "dear"! We're moving now!"

"H-How did you-" Derik was a little disgusted with Ferro. "L-Listening in on my private conversation, Ferro? I would have expected better character of you......" He muttered, flying E.V.A to Rija's Mech and grabbing it, pulling it in-tow and catching up behind the others. "Sera, come back now, ya here?" he told her via private Comm, although it's not too private anymore...

"I know Derik. And guys? Remember."

Sera smiled to herself. "The enemy's gate is down."

She powered forward, unleashing the full arsenal upon the Rex now, leaving Bebop to fall apart on it's own and the Odin to recover from the last assault.

"This is for Alex, and Lorana. Nick and Petra. Bernard. Isabel."

Choking at the last name, she started dumping every ounce of power into the main gun, jockeying for the shot to hit hoth Rex and Odin. Just one opening. Just one.

"Ferro. The only ones who should kill, are those prepared to be killed...ain't that right?" She began to cry silently, tears streaming. She was sonfriggin tempted right now. Damn her anime and giant robot obsession.

And damn her suppression of emotion.

 

As she felt Wing jolt and shake badly from hits, she saw her tears float by her face.

"Elly. You have to have a heart to cry." As the charge cycle reach critical, she smiled once again. "That's why you lose."

 

Seraphim fired.

Ferro didn't really understand what Seraphim was talking about, but he would remember it just in case he figured it out. He felt he had some explaining to do with Derik anyway. "Derik, time is so slow. I need things to occupy my attention. Because I can't let myself go insane."

Ferro didn't really understand what Seraphim was talking about, but he would remember it just in case he figured it out. He felt he had some explaining to do with Derik anyway. "Derik, time is so slow. I need things to occupy my attention. Because I can't let myself go insane."

"Then play a mental game or dream about the future or something! Even in this we have small personal lives..." Derik was starting to get furious quickly. "I never felt like of all the people, you, wouldn't be the one to be sitting outside the door with your ear up to it." Derik was quite disgusted with Ferro's actions.

He doesn't understand, Ferro thought. No one will understand me ever again, except for Vergyl. Ferro felt a strange partnership with the SAs, even the ones they were fighting. He contented himself with knowing that he wouldn't have to spend eternity alone.

We'll, there went any chance of talking to the others SA's, or of keeping up her charade. "I'm fine, Derik." Rija said softly into her comm, detaching her mech from Derik's. She activated her own boosters, charging her AP forward. "Just some minor mechanical difficulties." Rija said again, lying through her teeth, but she hoped her voice wouldn't betray that. She listened back in on Ferro and Derik's argument. "Honey, appreciate your concern for personal lives and such, but we can't get at each others throats now. There isn't many of us humans anymore, and we shouldn't try to make things anymore difficult. Now, come on, we really need to go! We don't know how long Sera can hold them off." Rija said into her own intercom, continuing to move her mech forward.

We'll, there went any chance of talking to the others SA's, or of keeping up her charade. "I'm fine, Derik." Rija said softly into her comm, detaching her mech from Derik's. She activated her own boosters, charging her AP forward. "Just some minor mechanical difficulties." Rija said again, lying through her teeth, but she hoped her voice wouldn't betray that. She listened back in on Ferro and Derik's argument. "Honey, appreciate your concern for personal lives and such, but we can't get at each others throats now. There isn't many of us humans anymore, and we shouldn't try to make things anymore difficult. Now, come on, we really need to go! We don't know how long Sera can hold them off." Rija said into her own intercom, continuing to move her mech forward.

"Al-alright.... Just make sure you stay close..." Derik muttered, keeping his pace as it was before, but making sure to keep an eye out on Rija's mech.

Ferro detected a slight change in Rija's voice when she spoke about her mech. He ran a quick scan through the mech's systems, and found everything in perfect working order. He didn't comment on it for a couple seconds, then sent a message to Rija's display inside her mech, making it as secure as possible. No one besides Rija's would be able to read it. It said:

 

Rija, I recommend not keeping lying to me. It doesn't help you. Being honest and straightforward is the best policy. I want to know when you are really having difficulties so I don't have to unnecessarily pay extra attention to you. Don't cry wolf, is basically what I'm saying.

 

Ferro felt like the note explained his position quite well. He felt like a chaperone. No! Ferro vigorously shook his nonexistent head. I am not superior to any of these people! I must remember that. I must retain my humanity. He sent another note to Rija:

 

I'm sorry. That was an arrogent thing of me to say.

 

What am I turning in to?

The Beacon was right in front of all the APs besides Seraphim's. "Accelerate!" Vergyl's voice broke in. "Accelerate as fast as you can past the beacon and it it's coordinates should be set so that it accelerates you to Earth. You must move now, time is of the essence."

 

The wave of missiles from Seraphim bombarded the Odin, but Elaryse was prepared for them this time. The Odin maneuvered to the side and activated a frontal sheild which detonated the missiles on impact. Veridyan's Rex was slightly less lucky, taking a few of the Wing's laser shots over various parts of the hull, although the ship seemed nonetheless intact. Rytt's Bebop was still undergoing repairs.

 

Seraphim's final follow up shot was then fired. Veridyan's ship took extensive right-side damage, but when the beam made it to Elaryse's ship, a huge reflector shield had been put up. It had taken time, but it seemed like the hit that the Rex took had given her enough time. The energy stood motionless for a moment as Elaryse transmitted over the open channel.

 

"You think your sentimental  approach makes you right? You think your tears validate your decision and your hardship. You are incorrect. I am sorry it came to this."

 

The energy was suddenly redirected towards Seraphim's Wing, and a barrage of missiles fired out to follow them towards the Wing. Veridyan turned the Rex slowly towards the other APs. "Hey! Sorry bout this, but you can't go to Earth with Vergyl's voice in your ear, I know what he's planning!" Several bolts of energy snaked across the blackness of space towards the APs rushing for the Beacon.

 

It was Rytt who said nothing during this time. He simply pondered Ferro's message and sent a simple reply.

 

It was data that suggested to Ferro that he consider what he knew, and that when it came time to use Genesys, he think very hard about bringing back humanity on the scale that had caused it to implode on itself. Even if the group made it to Genesys there was still a choice to be made. Recreate humanity on it's full scale again, create a different race to possibly do better with the galaxy, or even Rytt's idea- to destroy Genesys and stop the creation of any sort of godhood and allow for the remaining humans to built a better world. These were their choices. And it would be tough.

Ferro received Rytt's message and had just enough time to change his shield's frequency and move into the path of the lasers. They impacted his shield, and Ferro knew that his extra reactor was close to full. Ferro made a quick maneuver, grabbing the other three robots, one in his big hand and the other two under each arm. "Hold tight!" he yelled, and sent a portion of his extra power to his thrusters. The group shot forward, passing the beacon. They suddenly began to rotate faster and faster around the large metal structure. They would soon be blasted to Earth.

Seraphim merely smirked as Wing took numerous hits. Trailing smoke, she saw the beam approach.

"Sentimental approach?" She laughed. "It's the only way to make sure I'm alive."

The beam struck Seraphim, and the AP known as Wing was flung away, towards the planet. It began to enter the atmosphere, but the what Sera decided to call her Buster gun swung to aim.

"Genesys this you cold heartless computerized knockoff bitch."

 

She smirked, and gave her plenty of time to put up her deflector shield.

Of course, in that time, she had tweaked the frequency of her gun. Just a smidgen.

 

She fired, letting Elly sit there thinking she was an idiot, as what could be her final strike raced towards the red battleship known as Odin.

Seraphim merely smirked as Wing took numerous hits. Trailing smoke, she saw the beam approach."Sentimental approach?" She laughed. "It's the only way to make sure I'm alive."The beam struck Seraphim, and the AP known as Wing was flung away, towards the planet. It began to enter the atmosphere, but the what Sera decided to call her Buster gun swung to aim."Genesys this you cold heartless computerized knockoff bitch." She smirked, and gave her plenty of time to put up her deflector shield.Of course, in that time, she had tweaked the frequency of her gun. Just a smidgen. She fired, letting Elly sit there thinking she was an idiot, as what could be her final strike raced towards the red battleship known as Odin.

"Seraphim!" Derik yelled as Ferro grabbed him. He struggled a little, a little sound escaped his throat: it almost sounded like a crack of glass. "Seraphim..." He muttered into his Comm. "I'm sorry about being a jerk back then... I just needed to say that... But still... You have to make it back... Rodin, I don't know about him. He has a great affinity for you, and you being gone is just one less good person being here..." He shut off his Comm mike for a moment, a tear hit the floor of the mech. "Why do all the ones with a good heart and a strong mind die so easy...?" He muttered to himself. "I hope you make it back..." He mutters, feeling the warp gate start to accelerate us."

Rodin was a bit surprised for his AP mech to be grabbed by Ferro.  He said:  "What about Sera!?"  in a worried tone.  Rodin turned Lagann's head right to seee where Wing was at.  He watched as the Wing took all those blows.  He cringed with each hit it took and struggled to break out of Knightmares' grip.  But he stopped as he remembered what Seraphim said a few moments ago.  Rodin kept watching and said to himself:  "Sera.  You can make it.  You HAVE to make it out alright.  Please!"

Edited November 10, 201311 yr by Ultimus Grid

Ferro heard Derik's lament. "The ones with good hearts and strong minds are the ones who have the will sacrifice themselves." he said simply. He knew it wasn't much, but it was all the consolation he could give.

As the Wing fell, Seraphim listened to all the messages.

"I'm like a bad penny - I just keep showing up." She joked. "Rodin? Do you just have a puppy crush...or do you really like me?"

As Rodin answered, her comm sheared away. She was left in silence as her cockpit began to heat up.

"Got it memorized?" She asked no one in particular as she closed her eyes to accept the inevitable.

Ferro heard Derik's lament. "The ones with good hearts and strong minds are the ones who have the will sacrifice themselves." he said simply. He knew it wasn't much, but it was all the consolation he could give.

"Damn it, Ferro! I don't care if they can sacrifice themselves: it should never come to their need to save all the ones who can't! Even if you yourself would never stand up normally, if you see that one person stand for you, you have to stand for them!" Derik tried to break free, applying every ounce of force E.V.A had to trying to push out of Ferro's grip. "I won't stand by! I won't let someone sacrifice themselves for others. It's just not my way!" He pushed free, and applied all the energy he could to thruster's. "This suit can maybe feel my will... I am it's soul now..." he had said to himself, comm and other systems of communication shut off from the rest. "I won't die, for Rija's sake... but I won't let any more who don't deserve to die perish, so long as I have the will and the power under me! And even if I do die... I need to say my good-bye's."

 

He switched the comm's back on, addressing everyone but Sera. "Look. i know... I know i should stay and let her sacrifice be her's... But I can't do that. I don't have ths strength left in me. Rija, I promise I will make it back...: he addressed his love. "I won't go down, even if I have to float an eternity through space... i won't die till I see you again. Let this be my decree; I will return, even if it's the last thing I do. I lo-" The comm to the other's cut off, the speed at which Derik was moving now was too fast for the Comm Signals to travel, at least not immediately. The word came in multiple times, but fuzzed, almost unreadable until one lucky time it went through. "I love you. I never will. You're the first human I've known... to have a heart... And for the first time, I can say that I can love as well. It's a fire within me that will never go out. Even... Even if I were to die today, or if I were to die at the ends of this universe, that fire shall never stop burning. Never forget that..."

 

He was going so fast, that at this point, he was barely a  blob. E.V.A's booster's were almost blown out, but Derik focred them to go even more than they could. "I will not let this end on such a sour note..." He thought, nearly reaching the atmosphere of the planet. The legs and hands of E.V.A were starting to melt down...

 

(I'm so emotional right now T~T. I should never write emotional... But I can't hold up the RP...)

Rija turned around in time to see Sera start falling back towards the planet. A single tear fell from the corner of her eye. She held silent out of respect for a girl who had made the ultimate sacrifice for a bunch of people she barely knew. It was then that Derik started toward the planet. "No!" She screeched, but her comm wasn't turned on, so it merely echoed in her ears. She tried to pursue, but Gypsy had too many armaments, and not enough boosters. Derik was already a comet. Rija pounded on the control panel in side the giant mech. It was now she wept, not bothering to transmit any messages. It was then that another message from Derik came in, sounding almost like he was dead, or at least given up. After the transmission ended, Rija sobbed harder. "No..." she whispered inbetween sobs of sorrow, "why..." she breathed out. She could see Derik inside his armored phantom, still falling, still trying, not quite surrendering. Rija couldn't help but feel empty. Heartless. There was nothing left to give. Her tear ducts dried up. Rija swallowed, still sniffling. She turned her comm back on, trying to get one more message to him. "Me too." Was all she could muster, before trailing off, starting to cry again. Why was she so useless? She hadn't done much this whole time, since waking up in the cryopod. But here she was, still soldiering on. She had done squat, hadn't helped fight Daerius, hadn't helped her friends through the research facility, nothing. Now, when she tried to love, and support Derik, he sacrificed himself anyway. The soldier wasn't sure she could go on much longer. Rija glanced down at her body, in tip-top shape, months of work to get it like that. Not enough. Her weapons, the pistol and saber. Not enough. Even the giant armored phantom, Gypsy... hadn't been enough. Rija pushed a button inside the mech suit. Everything went dark inside. A message flashed onto the screen.

"Self-destruct in five seconds."

4

3

2

"I loved you too Derik." came one last whisper.

1

Edited November 10, 201311 yr by Yuffie Kisaragi

"I don't just like you Sera!  I....I love you."  Rodin was just speechless after what happened.  It was all too much for him.  After some minutes, he finally says:  "No.  No!  This.  This can't be happening! Sera!  You have to say something!  Sera!"  Rodin couldn't believe any of it.  He turned off all his comm systems .  He yells and slams both fists on clear space of the controls.  He then thinks:  Why did you have to go off and be the sacrificing hero?  That should've been my job!  Rodin took a while to get himself and turned his systems back on.  He wondered about the others, so he says:  "Hello?  Guys, you there?"  No answer.  "Hello?  Derik, Rija, you there?" 

Edited November 10, 201311 yr by Ultimus Grid

Ferro acted with the speed of a computer. He moved into Rija's AP and shut down the self-destruct with a second to spare. He continued to occupy both mechs so Rija wouldn't try anything. "Chasing after him would be a waste of your life. Would he want that?" Ferro could do nothing to save the rest of them; he was stretched thin as it was. All he could do was wait for launch. . .

Edited November 10, 201311 yr by NatronSpore

So much is happening at once. Ferro's own reaction time is making this difficult to fire, but at this point, I'd rather sit and not die. So carry on Ferro. Alex thought, smirking a little as the almost-joke passed through his head. He was a dork, and he knew it.

He sighed. "We're losing so many people...no one should be playing hero here. At this point....all is left is survival. There's nothing else." Alex muttered, not even sure if his words reached the comm, "I barely know any of you. So how about we try and make it out alive, so I can properly get to know everyone?" Alex then asked, keeping his hands on the consoles, waiting for any moment to return to action.

Seraphim's beam flew towards Odin. "You fool..." Elaryse said. The deflector shield came up easily... and the beam hit it directly...

 

((Seraphim, I'm giving you complete control of what happens to that attack shot next))

 

Vergyl seemed oddly emotional in the moment. "Move! Right now! Stop sticking around, you're just going to lose more and more people! Move! You have seconds to move to the beacon before their ships recharge. Do it! Please!"

 

It was time to finish the mission. Whatever sacrifices that had been made had to worth something...

Elaryse would at first find it held...then the beam broke her deflector shield, striking the port side of the Odin. The point wasn't for a direct hit; Seraphim knew she wouldn't have time to switch it enough for that, Elaryse would catch on. So she did enough that it would at least hit.

The beam ripped a hole in the side, carving out a tunnel of destruction. Seraphim smiled.

"Love...still looking out for me, Alex?"

 

The Wing exited the atmosphere and fell into the sea, far below.

 

((I'm assuming there is an ocean))

"Come on guys!  Respond!"  Rodin yelled with intensity.  He was quickly getting angry for not receiving a callback.  He then says:  "Ferro, Alex, I'm heading out to Earth.  I'll see  you guys there.  Rodin out."  Rodin directs Lagann to the beacon and flies forward.  Rodin felt like he was flung from a sling-shot as was going through light speed (Is that right or is it greater than light speed, sub-light speed or something else?)  He makes out and sees Earth.  Feeling nostalgic, he thinks:  Heh.  I never thought I'd see our home planet in space.  Rodin starts drifting towards Earth and prepares for atmospheric entry.

Derik started feeling the force of the gate transfer begining to take effect. "No... It's too early! Damn it! I must hurry!" He rushed the mech even more, the burners, though, couldn't take anymore. The force of the launch gate began to truly effect him. He reached his slowly melting hand out to Wing, tried to grab it, but was catapulted out only inches away. "Damn it all... At least... At least I'm coming back to Rija..." He muttered, his systems starting to return, he got the message from Rodin. "Derik checking in. I was hoping the jump wouldn't happen for a few more seconds so I could grab Sera for you, but the boosters let out too soon and the jump happened before I could reach. Rija... I'm sorry... Sorry if I was worrying you. I never meant no harm. I wasn't going to die that easy, though... I just had to say what I did just in case something went wrong and I couldn't see ya for a while." Derik's voice stayed steady, despite lying through his teeth on the "for a while" part. He knew very well he likely wouldn't survive reentry for long, so if he had been wrong about the timing in the ahead stages of the rescue, he would likely had died. Still, Derik knew that he had to lie, for her sake. No voice fluctuation should be possible by Ferro, because he did believe that he could have survived anyway. It was like a half-lie. But still, Derik was standing there, calm and cool as he was before he had let out that he didn't have the temperament the acted through before for real. His artistic tallent was in acting. He turned the videofeed device on to Rija's mech, the self-destruct switch active, but it seemed the process was stopped."R-Rija..." He muttered. He felt almost a defeat within himself. He fell to his knees and hands, then began to cry. "You almost... I... I'm so sorry for making you feel like... Feel like that..."

As the broken and shattered Wing fell into the stormy blue of the planet's ocean, the other remaining APs were suddenly forcibly shot away at ridiculous speed.

 

"Sorry," Vergyl said " but there was no more time to be wasted, I had to expand the Beacon warp range so you would all come along to Earth. Unfortunately this means that the other three ships will probably be along much sooner to Earth than I expected. You'll have to work fast.

 

As the jump ended the group floated slowly over a familiar looking green and blue sphere below them, a shining hope in the darkness that surrounded it. They floated near a fairly small space station, which had several docking stations on it that could interface with the APs. "This is the space elevator to the Genesys location and the central control station for the Y-class SAs. You'll have to dock and go down the elevator, then insert the virus I've given for you all to use, and then activate Genesys. Note that Gensys is voice activated, so it should be fairly easy to use, simply explain what you want. And th-"

 

The three ships really weren't far behind. The Rex warped in first, then the Odin, and quite a bit later the Bebop. The Rex began immediately firing, the Odin, with it's huge gash, had to take time to repair, and the Bebop was still.

 

"Damn!" Vergyl was noticeable emotional for the first time. "They are heavily damaged at least. Seraphim's sacrifice has left Elaryse out of the fight for now and Rytt doesn't seem to be engaging. Only one or two of you at most will need to stay here to engage. The others need to hurry to the space elevator space station and take the elavator to the Earth's surface. Ferro, the Knightmare has a small chip that can be removed with your consciousness in it and inserted into Alex's suit, so you can move and help him. At any case, choose who is staying and who is going, and we need to move, this is almost over...."

 

The Rex's missiles reached towards the APs quickly...