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Haguro	- LOCATION: GULF OF MEXICO - Ships bearing the markings of the United States navy have amassed on one side of the ocean, their native shores to the north barely even a speck in the horizon. Ships bearing the markings of multiple South American navies approach from the south and southeast, gun batteries raised towards their North American counterparts. A northeastern wind blows quietly, offering little relief in the dead silence between the opposing warships as their crews size each other up and wait for the signal to open fire on the other side. That signal never comes. Spotters from each side radio in to their commanders, but their attention is torn from their presumed opponents as multiple blips start appearing on their radars all at once. The source of the blips is hard to miss, as a third navy bearing the crest of a black hawk over ocean waves arrives to complete the triangle between the opposing navies. The Japanese ship leading the Luthan navy shimmers brightly before disappearing, a woman clad in purple clothes and white gloves standing in the water with a look of grim determination in her eyes. Practically feeling the confused stares from the North and South American naval commanders, the woman takes a deep breath as she holds her hand up to her head in a short salute, then speaks loudly. "I am Haguro, Vice Admiral of the Luthan Fleet, Fourth of the Myoukou-class Heavy Cruisers, also known as Ne-class of the Abyssal Navy. I am here to ask that you withdraw peacefully and put an end to your senseless war before it can start. I've come unarmed." She drifts forward slowly, barely flinching even as the eyes on deck turn her way while her turrets remain pointed downwards. Several of the seamen staring seem unsure of what to make of her as she keeps her palms visible and open while drifting steadily forward, coming to a stop directly between the throngs of ships. "The only way to prevent blood from being spilled today is to return to your homes. Forget your hatred of each other, your fear of the Abyssals, scrap your weapons, and coexist with each other. Humans, Abyssals, everything else in between. Your deaths would only create more anger, more spirits to haunt these waters, and more chaos around the world." Haguro clears her throat, cracks her knuckles, then glances to her left and right at the ships and those arriving to intervene in this powder keg of a situation. "What is your decision?"
Guzma	As soon as Haguro left the mansion this morning from Lillie's training, Guzma got ready. He and the Trio headed out, and they weren't all smiling faces. This wasn't an ocean adventure. This might be the last time they ever saw their new friend. They're directly behind Haguro. Guzma's on the back of Golisopod, in a wetsuit and diving gear. The Trio is dressed similarly, clutched onto the back of a large Lapras with a SPECIAL GUEST. Guzma just watches the ships. Golisopod's fast. If they fire, it'll be time to fight. He radios, as he does. <"Let's do this, guys. No matter what they do, I'm here for ya.">
Majima Goro	Majima Goro, Mad Dog of Shimano, has arrived on the battlefield. He's standing astride the Lapras, one hand on its neck as if he's standing atop a ship. He's got a bandana on, covering his head and flapping backwards in the breeze. He's found some sort of low-hanging linen shirt, and slops. If he's going to fight on the ocean, given that he's got an eyepatch, the only reasonable recourse is to lean into it as hard as possible. "Neeehahahaha!" He declares, waving his free arm. "Come on, Lappy! Get us closer, eh?! I wanna hit 'em with my knife!" He rears his head back, cackling madly. "Arright. Why don'tcha head inta one of those ships, close enough we can board. I got a fuckin' *plan*, and it's gonna be great." He looks to the rest of Team Skull. "Then ya can do whatever ya want, eh?"
Hesinca	Hesinca's floating along on a lumpy purple raft. Oh, wait, it's a bunch of prinnies tied together into a raft shape. Apparently they float. And also apparently the ones on the bottom don't need air. ... Oh, wait, apparently they *do* need air. Oh well. She waits silently in formation, letting Haguro do the talking, but she stands ready to act...
Arcadia	In that throng of large incoming pings of battle ships, one small and exceptionally fast blip might be easy to miss. It's harder to miss when it flash past overhead, doing a loop-de-loop for no other reason than to be seen because she's a showoff, and then spiral back towards the Luthan Fleet and Co while finally slowing down enough to be less of a blurr and more distinguishable as a winged catgirl. Arcadia pulls up to a stop above the Luthans and makes a flashy whish and wave of her arms to use her wind magic and conjure up a few clouds. Which she plops down in like it was a beanbag and not a random collection of moisture and dust particles, on her stomach in the classical sphinx pose, hands dangling over the edge of said cloud. Her magitek armor glistened after having been freshly polished by her personal servitor. "One ship, two ship, red ship and blue ship~" she singsongs, tail flicking back and forth idly. "But large or small, all can fall~" She scrunchs her nose a little. Fall sounds stupid talking about battleships, but considering her company she's avoiding using 'sink'.
Staren	A speck of light has been flickering in the sky, as one might expect a sattelite or plane to if it catches the sun just right. Shortly after Haguro's arrival, the speck suddenly grows into a shining metal fighter plane as it get closer, and then arms and legs unfold from it as it slows down and a sonic boom washes over the battlefield. Once it's hovering, it transforms again, into a 40-foot-tall humanoid which folds its arms.     <"She's definitely right about one thing,"> Staren transmits, <"That it's the only way to prevent blood from being spilled today. Your grievances need to be addressed, but there's no chance of that happening in this battle. Come to the negotiating table instead. The Concord can act as a mediator if need be. To make sure that this time, everyone keeps their word.">     He doesn't think Haguro's way will solve this, but he can still hope, right? Even if she's wrong about killing both sides helping, a peaceful solution would still be better than any fighting at all.
Midway	A section of the sea foams, then erupts in a geyser for just a moment. When the water crashes back down, it settles around the gaunt, ghastly pale figure of a white-haired woman in a white dress. Water sluices through the thorns surrounding her neck, obscuring her chin. Behind her, the water parts around a great white orb, splotched with black metal and stone and sporting many large mismatched teeth.     The maw opens, and the Princess of Progress leans back...until she seats herself in the mouth. One leg folds over the other, arms folding together. Eyes, glowing a bright crimson, survey the proceedings.     At least she's keeping her distance, but with paranoia regarding Abyssals the way it is, even that might still be an issue.
Sumiko	Sumiko's entry is upon a flying horse thing, completely clear as if made of glass.  She gets closer to the water and hovers over it.  Haguro sets down her terms, and for a moment, Sumiko considers simply staying out of things.  After all, what does this matter to her?  She's just checking things out.   Though a nagging memory gets into her, and she sighs.  Stupid spirits of the dead.  Instead, she taps on her chin for a moment and looks at Haguro for a bit longer than might be socially acceptable.  There is a glow to her eyes, as she flips off the horse and lands on the water as the ship girl might.   "Well, I'll consider this payment for services rendered.  I'm also going to scrap whatever I blow up if it comes to that," Sumiko says, completely unable to do anything for free.  Still, sometimes there is something you want to do, versus what your nature will allow you to do.   "I'd listen to them," she says, with a yawn, trying out her new sea legs.  "Otherwise things will go badly for you."
Seifer Almasy	Back then...                                                  I wish I'd had the courage to ask you out.                      There's a certain calm before a battle. Most soldiers, they get anxious. They start imagining what's going to happen to them. Who they might lose. Who they might never say good-bye to again. Who might lose them. How they might die. A myriad of thoughts roll around in the moments before the battle, before the animal instinct takes over, before time to settle in and make madness normal has draped across the shoulders like a security blanket.      After a while, a siege becomes the norm. A protracted assault becomes the usual. The certainty of death is normalized away until something breaks that fragile little moment. That tiny little stone that splashes through the surface.      Memento Mori.      Seifer Almasy is not impatient. He is not anxious. He already knows what's going to happen. He's not resolved, readied, or resolute. That's uncertainty - it's willpower pushing through fear and anxiety, a bulwark against terror. Seifer Almasy does not need a bulwark against terror.      He already knows what's going to happen.      The certainty of it is a sort of distant zen. He'd already said everything he needed to say. Everything he'd wanted to say. Everything he'd care to say. Everything she needed to hear.      'I'm behind you. No matter what happens.'      'If this is your choice, then I'll support you.'      'I'll miss you.'      Seifer closes his eyes.                Yeah. It would've been nice, huh? For a while.               But you wouldn't've been happy in my dream. And I'm not a man who can compromise there.      Seifer walks forward to the bow to watch her. One foot settles on the railing. Hyperion settles across his shoulders.      "But..."      "At least I could help you forget your future. Forget that this was going to happen."      "At least I could let you smile one more time with all your heart."      It's time.      Whatever happens...he's said everything he needs to say.
Rean Schwarzer	Rean is here, again, this time on one of Nagato's transport boats. He looks over at Haguro, and sighs. That feeling that it wouldn't work still lingered in his head, but he still felt like it was worth a shot. Better than her opening fire on everyone, at least. There was also the suspicion that she'd do it anyway, regardless of their answer. But that was why he was here. He was just one military student, he couldn't stop something like this on his own.  But maybe, at least, he could get Haguro to not make this worse than it needed to be.
Haguro	<<"Thank you, everyone. It's... This will probably be messy, more likely than not. I've already accounted for that.">> Haguro warns her allies, nodding towards Guzma and the trio. She had left them the instruction manual to that gym set, but neglected to tell them about doing so.     They'll probably find it under the extra weights sooner or later.     <<"Do you have any protection against bullets? If you're going to be... Stabbing them, I mean.">> She can't help chuckling lightly at Majima's energy even in this situation.     Her gaze next shifts to Hesinca and her raft. <<"... You should probably board one of the other ships if you plan to throw those. Unless you can swim, that is.">>     She can't assume too much, anyway. Arcadia's cloud calling draws some initial apprehension from the Luthan fleet, but Haguro's signaling through her personal comms with them has them welcoming her aboard almost immediately.     <<"Believe me. I.. Really do wish they do listen to reason. It wouldn't be what I'd expect of humans, but it'd be a pleasant surprise this late in the... This.">> She shrugs lightly at Staren, not looking all that convinced.     She has to maintain that determination, with Midway arriving. Haguro gives her the briefest of glances and knowing nods. <<"I will. You can tell them what happened.">>     <<"Destroy and take what what you like, but try not to kill the soldiers needlessly. That will be my job if... When it comes to it.">> She clarifies to Sumiko.     She says nothing to Seifer. They've already said what needed to be said, and it'll be easier for Haguro if she doesn't try to say any more than that.     She needs to stay committed to this course of action.     Recognizing one of the transport boats, Haguro keeps her expression mostly neutral even as she sees Rean on board. "... Good. I was getting worried."     Turning back to the opposing navies, Haguro holds back a frown when the captains and crews of the North and South American ships start bickering over their radios. Not with each other, but largely amounting to "Is this your idea of a joke," "These must be mercenaries hired by the other side," and the occasionally sensible "This is not your fight. Leave" coming from the more reserved captains.     Haguro sighs, and she reaches up to her forehead briefly before just holding her hand up straight. "I shouldn't have expected better." She brings her hand down, and multiple shots ring out from Haguro and the Luthan fleet as they open fire. Several ships catch aflame, and they return fire on Haguro and the Luthan navy moments later as orders are shouted all around.     The battle of the Elites, the American navies, and the Luthan fleet begins.          Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdD2LWMQvhI
Hesinca	"They're useful as things other than throwing," says Hesinca into her radio headset. "MAGICHANGE! ARCHERY MODE!" And now she has a prinny-colored bow and arrow set. "Alright... take what we want? Great!" The demon casts her gaze out at the American navy. "I'm gonna get me an aircraft carrier!" Hesinca has no idea what an aircraft carrier looks like, exactly, so she's not sure if there's one here or not. She only knows that she wants one. "Forward!" The self-propelled prinny raft starts waving its many flippers around, propelling Hesinca vaguely in the direction of the fleet as she returns fire with explosive prinny arrows!
Majima Goro	Captain Majima, as it were, clicks his radio on to respond. "...Eh? Ya think I ain't ready for some chumps with firearms? Haggy-chan, ya gotta have some faith in me! Eeeeehaahahahaaaaa!" Click. He looks to the Lapras, then talks on his radio for a moment longer. "Guzzy. Ya Lapras know..."     "... gonna need it at a forty-five degree..." Once he has permission, he swings himself upwards, taking this time to climb atop the Lapras's head. "One." He cracks his neck, rubbing his hands together. "...Two..." He's got some kind of a trash can lid in his hands now, eye widening as a terrifying grin passes on his face. "THREE!" And suddenly, he leaps up off the Lapras, holding up the trash can lid just in time for Lapras to fire its Hydro Pump attack as ordered. The column of water strikes the lid, and Majima holds on tightly. He's aimed this carefully at one of the South American ships, the man flying across the battlefield at terrifying speeds. Luckily for him, he lands with a flying knee on one of the deckhands. Better than awkwardly smashing into the side of the ship, you know? "...Ehhh....why can't ya fucks just listen ta Haggy-chan, eh? Hope ya brought a hospital boat, cause ya all boardin' that shit when I'm done with you!" Purple fire flares all around him. He's been unleashed on one poor ship that he's going to down to the last. And that's part one of his plan.
Guzma	At Majima's cue, the Lapras starts to move, and then spits out a massive blast of water. It hits the trashcan lid, propelling him to Team Skull's cheers. They approach the same ship at high speeds on the Lapras, climbing up its head to reach the nearest deck. Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp grab their Pokeballs, and throw them out, sending out Salandit, Zubat, and Garbodor. They begin... Trying to recover people to lifeboats. "Boss said we can do whatever we want, and that's going to be stopping drowning, yo!" Guzma moves fast. As a cannonball comes at Haguro, Golisopod dives down, and then launches into the air, cleaving through it with a claw. "Haguro! You're a cool person, y'know? You're training that kid, even though she's just a captive. Nobody does that unless they care." He's going to start telling her things he'd tell her in the future. If only he thought he had more time.
Sumiko	Sumiko looks over her shoulder towards Haguro.  There is a pause at those words, thinking she was slowly putting together what might be happening.  "So that's what it's coming to, huh?" She says as things come to a head, and their terms are outright rejected.   "So hey, sorry about being a shitty friend as Mikoto, and that I couldn't make it up as who I really am," she comments as she stares out as the shots start to fire.  The roar of combat drowns her out for a moment, the ringing in her ears doesn't go easily away.   "Be thankful I am here now.  I really hate depressing setups like this.  I have enough of that where I am from...so at least make sure you're doing what you want because you /want/ it.  If you die with regrets, I'm going to be very mad at you." The Diamond sword is drawn, as she stares at the two fleets in front of her.  "Alright assholes.." she shouts, "I'm in a poor mood now...because you can't see the bigger picture because you're bad representatives of greed.  If you think your desires outshine ours...then you'll die here, alone and forgotten!" With that, she bursts towards the first ship, skating along the water much like Haguro does.  Her hand slaps the ground as she gets close to a ship, aiming to flip onto the deck and land in a three-point stance.  "I suggest getting your life vests on, boys and girls.  I'm not killing you, but I will drop you into the water!"
Arcadia	There was always that slight sliver of hope that things could go a different way.... But by the flat expression Arcadia makes at the hubris from both Amercias' navies makes it pretty clear she wasn't putting much on that hope. She stands on her cloudy perch, lacing her fingers together and stretching her arms out in front of herself, her wings spreading in a similar stretching action as pricks of aetheral energy start glimmering around the nacelles. "Time to make the overconfident regret their choices." She releases the stretch and flicks two fingers across her face to activate her visor. As shots ring into the air she leaps off the cloud, leaving it to poof in the crossfire between three naval forces. The sphinx speeds high into the air to find an apex over the fight. Thrusters flare to hold a hover as she stretchs out both arms to her sides, ruinic rings of arcane energy rippling around them as her magitek systems charge up. "This was a terrible decision. Your little spat shall be no more than a footnote in the pages of history for it." The hover disengages and she twirls over into a dive, swooping down into the fray. The runic rings around her arms solidify, only to start spinning rapidly. To the point that as they start to fire off bolts of magic it's like someone made gatling guns out of a bundle of wands, as Arcadia uses her speed and aerial agility to dive right in the middle of both fleets and blasting away... Though at the moment it's not directly at the ships, it's shooting down as many of their projectiles as possible with her own danmaku to give the Luthan Fleet some support.
Staren	<"Who knows if they'd have listened to reason? I already told you, you're not being reasonable."> Staren replies as the fighting starts.     The rest of the Concord begins charging into the fray. <"'Hospital ships'? You heard her, she's going to kill them all."> Anger slips into his voice then. <"Because she's never heard of 'we have reserves'. Or proxy wars. Or black ops. To stop them with killing, she'll have to kill until their governments can't find anyone left to fight. Who knows what the ripple effects of that will be, on the economy, on billions of people's lives?">     The mecha points at Haguro. <"What are you going to do, destroy the world as these people know it, in order to build something better from the ashes?"> The mecha's head shakes again. <"You're the one that needs to listen to reason. Abort this operation. It's not too late. We'll find a better way, together!">     The mecha transforms back to hybrid mode and starts flying above the battlefield erattically, shooting its laser rifle one-handed down at Haguro herself. Forcing her to retreat seems like the fastest way to end this... but can he hope to do that?
Midway	Scarlet eyes narrow. Midway leans forward, then rises from her makeshift seat. Crimson light sparks down her arms as she raises them. One slashes down, shedding light and producing an airstrip. The other follows suit, creating a second. When she recovers from the motion, a third is generated and the airstrips shift-- forming a triangular shape.     Midway closes her fingers into a fist, the metal reinforcements along the back of her fingers creaking. The floating airstrips react by swinging to cross one-another, then flip outward, now covered in Abyssal aircraft.     Her hand extends, fingers spreading. The ghost-like toothy planes launch, trailing red mist as they ascend. A wing of fighters, leading two wings of bombers with ordinance dangling from underneath stubby wings.
Seifer Almasy	As few words as possible.      He knew that. A break of distraction. A moment of uncertainty. A single hesitation. All of it could send Haguro's plan spiralling out of control because of that little thing called feelings. That friendship, that mutual attraction that never could go anywhere, that shared affection. Laughing on the fishing boat. Haguro easily reeling in a marlin. Seifer falling into the water, trying. The shadow of Greg laughing at him alongside her. Seifer laughing at himself. Haguro jumping in the water to pull him out.      Laying there on the deck, staring up at the sky.      Little moments. Any one of which could break ironclad determination. Any one of which could pierce through armor. He wasn't so arrogant as to think she'd turn back. But hesitation at a critical moment, even a second, could cost her everything she wanted to accomplish.      As few words as possible. Nothing had been left unspoken.      Hands held on the deck of the ship. A last laugh at the dying sky. A hug, and then, a return to shore. They were always going to be two ships passing in the night. There was no world in which they would have had a happy ending.      But that was alright, wasn't it? They still had all those moments. They would always have all those moments. Even if Seifer's memories started to fade, even if they started to burn away her smile, her eyes, her laugh, her words, the moments would still exist.      If no record of those moments at all remained - if no book, no memento, no reminder at all was anything but dust in the wind, if Seifer never managed to record himself into the Throne or find a path to eternity, if in the end that last determination faded before the throes of mortality - the moments themselves would still have happened. The moments themselves would still be there.      So he doesn't say anything. He doesn't invoke those moments.      The lifeboat is craned to the front of the ship. Seifer hops up into it. He gives the captain a silent thumbs-up; the Captain salutes.      The boat hits the water.      Seifer snaps his fingers. The water explodes behind him, and the boat goes shooting forward.      From above, beams come soaring down. Staren's firing from on high. Staren's opposing her. Staren's trying to shoot her.      Seifer's foot stamps down on the front of the lifeboat. A snap of the fingers and the bow tries to shoot upwards at the same time. The hurtling liveboat comes to a stop.      His eyes sink shut. Staren says he understands.      Hyperion comes unslung.      Seifer snaps his fingers.      The explosion under the boat sends it flying upwards. Again, and again, and again, and again, Seifer keeps snapping his fingers, bursts of air sending the boat up and up and up and up in tiny little jump-starts, in tiny little bursts, in tiny little hops.      The laser fires come soaring down. It tears apart the boat piece by piece. Seifer's maneuvers are fast, but not nimble. Hyperion snaps up to cut through some of the beams but he can't do both that and keep jumping upwards.      In short order, Seifer is down to nothing but himself and a single plank, and that's not going well.      He can't both defend and gain ground.      So the choice is obvious.      Staren opens fire. Seifer flings himself forward, an explosion pushing him by the edge of his boots. The shot cleaves straight through him, right through his stomach. It burns a hole through the back of the jacket. Through his shirt.      No time.      No protection from the wood. Just Seifer, blasting his own boots as he charges through the laser fire. Just Seifer, sending himself hurtling upwards. Just Seifer, flinging himself up against all reason, against all possibility.      And then he passes by Staren, and reaches the zenith.      One more snap of the fingers.      This one isn't to deliver the explosion.      This one is to underline the slash.
Staren	Staren told them. He would not stand by the Concord no matter what. If they were clearly in the wrong, helping them would defeat the entire purpose of joining them in the first place.     He just had no idea that THIS would be the breaking point. A bullheaded plan to make peace by killing everyone in reach, when it seems so plainly clear that it won't work.     Ironically, it sounds like something HE would have tried, were he frustrated enough.     Just like that, the future he thought he had was shattered. Just like when the corpses of his friends showed up after their suicide mission against the emperor. Whatever happens after today will be different.     He could run away. See what good he can still do, if he has to stop whenever other people tell him. But will he ever make a change in the Multiverse like that?     What is he going to do?     No time to think about that. Seifer's making sure he'd better focus on what he's going to do RIGHT NOW. And RIGHT NOW what he's going to do is... DODGE. The Star Hawk shifts to humanoid and twists in midair using some unseen movement system -- Seifer's slash doesn't strike as true as it would have, instead of slicing through internals it shaves off a large section of armor on the chest, to one side of the cockpit.     Staren takes this all in in a split-second. Thrusters push the spin further and one arm raises, then falls, bringing tons of laser rifle down towards Seifer and trying to smack him out of the air and back to the water below.
Haguro	The Prinny raft is going to have a tough time staying in the water with torpedoes speeding towards it, although the explosive arrows do help her carve into ships with the power of explosions. It's probably going to be hard to tell where the explosions are coming from sooner rather than later.          Although the soldiers of each navy are trained for physical combat, they're not specialists in it. They're trained to deal with other people with guns, ships, even a guerilla with a molotov or other throwable explosives. Someone like Majima getting launched by a blue loch ness monster into the side of their ship? Not so much. It draws a chuckle from Haguro, who simply shakes her head at his antics. "I would have asked you to stay behind if I didn't. Just... Don't get hospitalized too long."          "She... Reminds me too much of myself. Watch over her, won't you?" Haguro asks of Guzma, sounding oddly calm even as he and his crew find that the soldiers aren't quite as life-preserving focused as they are. They're soldiers, after all, and they don't know the difference between someone trying to kill them with these battle beasts or someone that isn't. They're going to have their work cut out for them, although they will find that Haguro's shooting ships closer to them to disperse at least some of the fire they're getting.          Mikoto... No, Sumiko gets a slow nod from the cruiser. "It is. And.. It's fine. I'd be lying if I said I was a good person, but... If a good person can't teach them, then someone worse has to." Haguro actually chuckles a bit after that. The ship Sumiko targets, not so much. The soldiers are already shooting, anyway, so it doesn't take much more effort for them to open fire on her as well.          When Arcadia creates that curtain of magic, the ships she intercepts aren't quite sure what to make of it. Their own shots don't register anywhere, and it's not until they put two and two together that they realize she's got something to do with why their enemies in the distance aren't dying. Thus, they start shooting at her, aiming to overwhelm her anti-bullet bulles with yet more bullets.          <<"I said I'd give them a chance. They squandered it with their bickering and their...">> Haguro imitates the sounds of incoherent radio chatter. She's actually gotten pretty good at it after hearing it so much. <<"I've been meaning to tell you this for a while, Mister Staren, but... I used to have such high hopes for you.">> Haguro doesn't explain further, instead just sighing once.          That's probably all that needs to be said about that.          Haguro doesn't seem all that surprised when Seifer intercepts with that lifeboat. There's a brief chuckle and a moment where it looks like she's about to smile, but she stops it. She can't afford to do thatnow. She can't afford to remember that trip. Perhaps later, but...
Haguro	She knows there probably won't be a later. At least, not the same way she's used to. Looking towards Midway, a small part of Haguro does have to wonder how different that would be. For now, though...          No more unnecessary thoughts. Midway's mere presence is stifling, but none of the fleets are keen on shooting her way just yet. They've heard the stories, and they know what she can do. Without her picking out a clear target, her presence is the one almost-safe spot in this storm of violence.          <<"How strange... But maybe they are learning. Maybe... This can show them another path.">> Haguro suggests to the Princess of Progress even as shots come hurtling out of her cannons once again, her expression once again stiff as she leads the Luthan fleet onwards. Her fire is indiscriminate, not holding back for the American ships, not holding back for the ship that Rean is on board.          If anything, it seems like she's even focusing her fire a bit harder on his ship. <<"Mister Rean. You need to trust yourself more. You showed it to me before... You can do it again.">> It might be a little hard to hear in the bombardment, but she sounds firm about that.          The bombardment continues in earnest from both sides, and the battlefield soon becomes thick with explosions, oil, and fire as they overwhelm almost all the senses. With the sheer number of ships around, it's no wonder. The United States did not send a squad, but their literal navy. The combined South American navies, numerous as they are, could easily have turned the battle in their favor without all this intervention. They were already prepared to battle against a common foe.          Put together, the two sides' firepower and broader range of attack angles make it less like plowing through an army of punching bags and more like trying to find a space in the water, in the air, or aboard a boat that doesn't have bullets and shells occupying it.
Hesinca	EXPLOSIONS HAPPEN. "Doood!" The prinny raft gets blown apart. At the last moment, though, Hesinca crouches, planting all four hooves firmly on the ground (prinny raft) and then *leaps*!... She *just* manages to land on the closest ship, having to cling awkward to the side for a moment as she gathers herself together to pull herself up. Doubtlessly there's people on the ship that are going to be firing at her now. That's fine. Hesinca has a plan, though. It's a good plan. She stole it herself. "FIRE ON THE OTHER SHIPS!" she orders the people on this ship, enforcing her DEMONIC AUTHORITY. Presumably, they do so. Or not. Or they just keep firing on Hesinca. That's fine, if things go wrong she can just blame everything on the person she stole this plan from. It's foolproof!
Majima Goro	Majima is not a one-man artillery machine. He cannot hope to sink a ship by himself, let alone a fleet. He'll leave that for the rest of the Concord to handle. He's got to be a little more strategic for his part. The first problem, of course, is that he's on board a military ship, with a bunch of heavily armed sailors who are going to very much want him off that ship. As they start to surround and swarm, as per military doctrine, he reaches one hand to his pirate shirt, the white shirt flapping into the breeze. "Eh....looks like I just threw away my surrender flag. Ain't that a fuckin' shame." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=336lntt2FHY The first bullet fires. Majima's already moving. It misses a few inches past his ear. The knife and bat are both out as he leaps into the air, the man performing a pirouette of deflection. He lands in a roll, diving behind cover for just a moment. The first man to flank him finds nothing. The second man behind him sees nothing, either, up until Majima's hands are around his neck. There is a loud, angry cracking noise. He's absolutely not dead. Just go with it. He steps forward, driving his knife into the back of another soldier. The bat is brought about in the opposite direction, to knock the knife clean once more. "NYEHAHAHAHAHA!" It's not that Majima doesn't want to personally beat every one of these soldiers to the ground. It's not that he's not enjoying pushing another man back to the railing of the ship, driving a fist under his chin, lifting him up just in time to twist around and kick him off the boat. He has an aim. A goal. He's heading towards the bridge. Men attempt to chase him with bullets, but he's weaving around the deck back and forth. There's probably more friendly fire than anything useful. Once he's in Navigation, he's got one goal. He's going to lock the course of this ship into direct collision with one of the others in front, and then speed it up as fast as it will go. That takes out two ships, and just leaves him needing to find a route onto another craft. Whatever. Minor, right?
Sumiko	"Neither of us is, but that's alright.  Two monsters can be friends!" Sumiko says back towards Haguro, but that is the last she says for the moment.  She is sure she has figured out what Haguro's doing.  It depresses her, it really really does.  It's incredibly sad, for many reasons but more because it hurts her personally.   On the deck, arms are drawn as she flicks the 'Diamond Sword' out.  The glass-like blade looks fragile, but with nothing but flashing moves, she manages to deflect all of the bullets aimed at her away.  She walks with purpose, continuing to remove bullets from her path before she dives at the front of the group. "I warned you.  Enjoy your swim," She says, tearing her blade upwards in such a fashion that it cuts through the guns of each and every man shooting her on the deck.  Finishing with cutting one of the men's armor in such a way it comes apart seconds after she steps by him.   Latching onto that same man, her arm grows as she draws in strength from him.  Her attached arm grows, turning into a demonic version of it.  She looks up at his eyes, grinning like a beast as she lets go.  "Mmm...such tasty life.  Time to eat all of you up too!  Your power is mine!  GIVE IT TO ME!" So she hams this all up to try and cause fear and chaos.  She needs control of the ship's gun for her plan.
Arcadia	A lot of people are saying a lot of things. People that know Haguro better are saying important and insightful things, so Arcadia doesn't fuss over doing similar. That does not mean she doesn't realize what the likely surmount of this conflict is going to be. It was her job as an enforcer to ensure it was not in vain. To which she just raises one hand to snap a sharp salute of respect towards Haguro. Then balled her hands back into fists and grinned the sort of sly, slightly sadistic little grin many felines are known for. "Lets make her battle a glorious one!" Regardless of that, Arcadia has succeeded in her intents. The first as guardian was giving the Luthan Fleet cover so they can move into position and start returning fire. The second was getting more attention on her, apparent when some of the enemy ships turn their artillery on her. The sphinx lingers a moment for dramatic effect, only for the shots to blast through an afterimage as she blasts back into mid-air motion. To the men on board it'd be mere seconds between the sphinx disappearing from their targetting sights, and being visible over their ships. "Time for a little history lesson~" she catcalls. She switchs elements, this time producing flames crackling around her hands. The thing is the fires are an ethereal green in color, in swirling masses that she flings at the decks of several ships. The eerie flames explode on impact and quickly spread over any available surface, the rising conflageration supernaturally hot enough to burn into metal wood or flesh alike with an intensity that will shear through machinery and force men to flee for cover.
Rean Schwarzer	...Of course it didn't work. Rean sighs, as all sides open fire. "...Get us as close to her as you can." Rean says to the deckhands. Artillery lands in the water near them, shaking the small boat as they zoom forward. Rean's hands grip the railing tightly, as some of the artillery makes purchase, and deckhands scramble behind him to put out fires. He's scared. There's a lot of judgement in the air, especially about himself putting himself in a situation he might not actually understand again. He saw Haguro's memories and felt her guilt, but did he really understand her? Was he just here to make himself feel better or something? <<"Mister Rean. You need to trust yourself more. You showed it to me before... You can do it again.">> Haguro says over comms. Why was she encouraging him to stop her? ...What, exactly, did Haguro want from him? Was she...? Rean clambers onto the railing, resting one hand on his sword's hilt. "...Is there really nothing else for you to live for?" Rean says to Haguro, a sad smile on his face. He really didn't have anything left to say. "You have all these people willing to help you with this. That must mean something!" "If it doesn't, well...All I can do is put everything I have into stopping you." And with that, he leaps off, igniting his sword and swinging down on Haguo in a leaping slash.
Guzma	Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp are shot at. They start spewing toxins at people's feet to trip them, and then try to throw them into lifeboats, even as they have to duck to avoid bullets, and their Pokemon get hit. "Come on! We're not trying to kill you, yo, we're trying to make sure you don't all drown! Don't forget about your husbands, wives, daughters, and sons! Do you wanna die, or you wanna come with us?" It's Tupp who says this, even as he's panicking about the bullets. They're all panicked. But they gotta be strong. Guzma laughs to Haguro, even as Rean comes in to fight her. He pulls bac, watching the fight, talking. He's waiting to see if he's needed, and he wants to see it when it goes down. "You know, I wish we could have sparred. My Pokemon versus you. I think it really would have taught me something."
Seifer Almasy	There is no anger in Seifer's eyes.      There is no resolve. No resolution. No stubborn will. No righteous fury. No desire to oppose Staren. Not even a desire to kill him. No, in those eyes, reflecting the falling laser rifle, reflecting the Star Hawk, there's nothing but serenity.      "You don't know what's happening here, do you?"      The multi-ton laser comes down.      Hyperion bats it away.      It is a moment of pure, physical impossibility. Nothing in the world works like that. The weapon comes down, Seifer tosses Hyperion to his left hand, the blade comes up to meet Staren's cannon, and the cannon is pushed away like a feather. Hyperion digs a notch into the blade, and Seifer swaps hands again, dragging himself up over Staren once more.      The fact that that deflection shatters Seifer's left arm, leaving it hanging like a tube full of crushed bone, is absolutely unrelated to the physics-shattering swordsmanship that just happened there.      "Tell me something."      Seifer's eyes stare down at Staren as he rises. Behind him, the spectre of Greg emerges, reaching downwards. Blue light comes pouring out of Haguro's body. It coalesces into a ball in Greg's hands. The grey giant passes it over. Seifer holds it in his broken hand.      Hyperion comes dwon onto the Star Hawk's blade, a single point against the wide gun. Seifer perches there on it, one-handed, upside-down, staring at Staren's cockpit. The dangling arm swings down. The blue light bumps into the gunblade.      The memories he will not spend. The memories he will not betray.      It's their first real operation together, under Gi...Ki....Kaspar. Something, Kaspar. Not important. It's Seifer running off to rescue...someone...and Haguro right on his heels.                Glad to see I've got backup. Cute backup, too!                                           Stay behind me, OK?                                     A real knight doesn't let a cute girl get hurt on his watch.         Eh? O-oh! Well... A mission like this needs to be completed quickly, right?      My aim's good enough that you should be safe from the explosions!            It's the two of them opening fire on the enemy machines, of Seifer parrying incoming gunshots as Haguro fires her turrets hither and thither. It's Seifer balancing Hyperion on her shoulder so he can line up a Para-Magic shot on a flying drone. It's the grin on his face as they're under fire, as he introduces himself, stammering through the determination of parrying machine-gun cannons. It's Seifer asking her out to lunch in the middle of a firefight.      She accepted.      They had lunch.      It was nice.      In the here and now, Seifer's spins off the blade, dragging Hyperion with him as he moves to land on the shoulder of the Star Hawk. He comes down in a crouch. "I want you to tell me what you're really fighting for here. What you're willing to lay your life on the line for. What it is that you really care about."      "Is it them?"      "Or is it you?"      "Because if you were to kill Haguro over half-hearted nonsense - if you were to come into this not understanding that she's putting her life on the line, if you were to treat this like any other battle with any old monster - I would never forgive you afterwards."      The gunblade rises.      It's Seifer and Haguro at Nie Lie's lecture. It's Seifer leaning over and grinning at her. I can almost use a rapier, 'cause I got told it's what dashing heroes are s'posed to use once.      It's her laughing afterwards at how ridiculous that is. It's Haguro being there, supporting him, as he tries to figure out how to use sword beams. Her being there, smiling at him. Encouraging him. Coming up with ideas.      In the here and now, the gunblade peaks.
Seifer Almasy	"TELL ME RIGHT NOW, STAREN!"      Seifer's voice reaches a crescendo. "IS WHAT YOU'RE FIGHTING FOR WORTH EVEN A FRACTION OF THE FEELINGS I'M PROTECTING?!"      "OR ARE YOU STILL UNWILLING TO STAKE YOUR LIFE ON WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN!?"                                 LIMIT BREAK                                                              CRISIS LEVEL THREE                                                           SO LONG MY LOVE                                    There are so many ways to love someone.      They would never be an item. Haguro and Seifer could never have had that. It was never in the cards, never their future. But he loved her all the same. He loved her the way you can only love a friend, the way you can hold someone's hand and tell them it'll be okay, the way you can hug someone and let them know that you're there through the warmth of your body and the warmth of your heart. He did not love her with a desperate passion, with an aching desire.      He could never have given her that.      But, in this moment, here and now, Seifer Almasy could do this for her. He could fight for her with all his heart. He could defend her feelings. No matter how much he disagreed with them, he could do that much.      They would never be lovers.      But in this instant, he could be her knight. Just for a little while.      The gunblade comes swinging down. With it come the drums of gunfire.      Seifer moves through a void in the air. There is no air for him and Staren, not now. There is a distant shoreline, unreachable. There is a fading sunset. There is a sense of deep sadness, of the shoreline getting further and further away. Soon it will fade from sight.      And there are the boats.      A fleet below him. A fleet, firing on Staren from below as Seifer's blade hammers against him on high. It's in perfect time, in perfect tune. Each swing is a new barrage. Each hit is a new blast. Each slash is a new plane launching. Bombs bursting in the dying light. Fighter jets firing missiles at the Star Hawk. Helicopters launching from carriers down below, naval copters with heavy armaments firing machine-gun rounds around the SeeD and straight at the Star Hawk.      Over, and over, and over, and over, Seifer keeps cutting, and cutting, and slashing, and slashing, and the guns keep firing and firing and firing and firing, until, finally, it's over, and they're back in free-fall, and the fleet is gone and the shoreline is vanished and Staren and Seifer are back where they were.
Midway	It would seem that the Princess of Progress is not actively participating in this battle. True to Haguro's request, Midway's deployment of aircraft seems less interested in engaging in combat, and more interested in observation. The squadron ascends in formation, banking to the right and beginning to circle in a wide ring above her.     While this occurs, Midway produces another set-- Another fighter wing launches, escorting two additional wings of bombers. None of these aircraft carry the obvious torpedo; they're all equipped with bombs, even the fighters sport a pair. An air wing that the Princess continues to add to while the battle unfolds before her.     Even as this second squadron ascends, she's already preparing a third, deployed on the rotating airstrips arranged around her body.
Haguro	When Hesinca issues that order, it draws confused looks from the few people that actively hear her. It draws even more confused looks from those that don't when they inexplicably start firing upon their own allies. The confusing mutiny is put down relatively quickly, but not before the damage has already been done. Now Hesinca just has to do that for... Just about every other ship in the water! So many other ships, and judging from the bickering earlier?     There's probably loudspeakers somewhere, too, if she can handle the soldiers trying to stab and shoot her and her own explosive crew.     The quantity of ships doesn't seem to stop Majima, though, as the soldiers on board simply aren't mentally prepared for someone to charge them with a knife and kicking them into the water, into objects, into each other. The ships themselves aren't safe, either, and to make matters even worse for soldiers on the rest of these ships?     These ships are stocked with all manner of food and drink. Just what a growing dog needs, especially as soldiers leap from other boats to try overwhelming him with sheer numbers and even a few grenades when it looks like they're in a bad position.     "'Can be'? I thought we already were." Haguro feigns a hurt expression, but that's followed by an actual hurt expression when a shell hits her right across the arm. Sumiko gets that ship back for her, though, as that blade tears through the offending turret and several guns in one motion, and her terror tactics don't necessarily scare the soldiers into running so much as their aim gets worse while they start firing wildly at the apparent monster before them.     Arcadia's disappearance is another source of confusion for the ships that had been firing at her. They don't have much time to wonder where she went, though, as she opts for many a ship's favorite status ailment: suddenly on fire. The odd coloration of the flames, combined with the explosive nature of the flames combining yet more the explosive nature of their ammunition, leads to many a ship trying to careen into her and their Luthan opposition as a last ditch effort to not die in vain.     Rean approaches Haguro, and for a moment, there's an opportunity to speak. "There... Is. Many things. That's why I'm doing all this. For my friends, for everyone that's important to me... Even you, believe it or not." She smiles in return, shifting her footing just a bit as she readies herself for his approach. Rean's blade comes down, and the shipgirl counters by slamming her armored forearm right into it. It's not her wisest decision, but it does stop the blade just enough from actually cutting too deeply into her, although the fire on the outside does stop her from actually punching through it right away.     "I know you've seen it, too. There's too many 'heroes' around. Not true heroes, but fake ones calling themselves that while giving up when things get too hard. When things stop being straightforward and easy with a clear 'evil' to rage against. They say they're doing what feels 'right' to them so they can feel better about themselves with no... Consistency." She starts to sound angry, but not at Rean. At someone else. Several others, most likely. "No code. No heart to anything they do. They just do what's convenient at the moment so they can feel better about their failures and the corpses they leave behind. They just... Get into fights they don't understand because they love feeling superior to others and to... To stroke their own dicks!"
Haguro	That's the type of fire Haguro needs in her gut as she finally throws her fist back out at Rean, aiming to drag him into a bear hug. "So please... Don't let me down. Not like the other one." Another volley of shots follow after that, but they're not aimed at him. They're aimed at the ships in the distance, as she and the Luthan fleet still have a job to do. Guzma and crew help to mitigate the potential losses of doing that job, and strangely enough?     Haguro doesn't mind one bit. She purposely avoids aiming at the ships that Team Skull is near, and even the ships around them are noticing this fact. That doesn't stop their general strategy of trying to carpet bomb the people assisting Haguro, but at least the people tripping up on that substance can look back on this and laugh.     Probably. Those soldiers don't look like the laughing sort, though, and their bullets aren't very happy at all.     "That would have been an interesting battle. I don't know if my techniques would really work as well on creatures with bones that bend differently from a human's or... Er. No bones at all, but.. Maybe we'll have a chance after all this." Guzma's wish gets a chuckle from the cruiser, but he may recognize the reality of the situation as well as she does.     Midway's continued presence on the battlefield is still an enigma to all but Haguro and perhaps the other Elites. The signs aren't compleely ignored, of course, but the Cruiser seems strangely at peace with her presence there. "Tell me, Midway... Since you were born, did you ever... Did you ever see humans improve? Not just technologically, but as.. People? Did your battles with them ever make them change their ways?"     The battle continues to rage on as the respective navies and their allies fire upon each other with reckles abandon. Ships careen to avoid their allies, to maneuver around their opponents, to take advantage of cloud cover and the rampant explosions making it hard to see anything. There's an odd moment, then, when the explosions all stop as none of the Luthan ships and none of the North and South American ships hit their targets at all, not unlike those long, awkward silences in a cafeteria.     And just as quickly, enough shots firing off to deafen anyone without hearing protection. Those deafening volleys, however, do nothing to stop Haguro from hearing something else.     She hears Seifer. She sees him Drawing. She gives her power willingly, and she doesn't even flinch when he declares everything about his purpose in this fight. Even as Haguro clenches her jaw, things start coming back to her, and it takes everything in her power not to watch his battle directly, not to let those memories come flooding back to her. Could she? She certainly could, and the temptation to do so is strong.     If she did, though... It'd be too hard to continue. Haguro doesn't let herself look.  All she allows herself to do is shed a tear and keep on shooting.
Sumiko	"Ha, so we are," Sumiko says, as she spins the blade in her hand.  So they were shaken, but not panicked.  Bullets fire, and now they were probably slightly more dangerous because now they were not conserving ammo.  Her blade flashes again, as she defends again.   Bullets fly away from her, though this time due to sheer volume some get through.  Parts of her body are shot, blood splatters behind her, but despite this, the wounds only look to be flesh wounds.  She gives the crew a smile and leaps up onto one of the onboard deck cannons.  With a sigh, her demonic hand slaps onto the canon itself. Infusing it with her demonic hand, the cannon seems to have a mind of its own, as it turns towards the ship itself.  "Should have left while you could," she says, and fires the shot right across the bow of the ship, aiming straight at the tower of the ship, and anyone still stupid to be on the deck.   She then uses this newly acquired gun to turn on the closest ship that was an ally to this one... And she fires several shells to try and cause the other ships near it to start firing on it.
Staren	Haguro is dissapointed. Another small little piece of Staren's heart is cut out. It hurts to hear, even when he's fighting her and disappointed in what she's doing. His voice is flat and quiet, but transmitted clearly: <"Same to you.">     Seifer parries tons of metal. Staren really, really should have seen that coming. Seifer TOLD him about how he killed Odin.     But Staren's never had formal fighting training. Not at this level. A class on the basics of boxing and CQC, on positioning your body and delivering blows without breaking your bones, sure. Pilot training, sure, but to be part of a defense force. Controlling a giant metal war machine, how it handles, based around putting incredible damage into things until they stop fighting. He wasn't trained for DUELS.     Reading your opponent, predicting their moves, avoiding putting yourself in a bad position, he's been learning by the seat of his pants for 14 years, and it's... something, but it's not the same as Seifer. He's moved towards shooting people from far away for a reason. It showed when he fought Kirito, it showed when he tried to train Amakasu, and it's showing now.     He didn't anticipate this either. His mind is still drawn to Seifer's words. At least he has the answer to THOSE. The ship support fire rains in, and he SHOULD be able to dodge it, but trying to avoid it AND Seifer's gunblade is too much... and one mistake makes it easier for the next attack, and the next, and the next.     The Star Hawk is torn apart, armor cut and blown away, wires and little mechanical bits severed and torn out. Tubes ooze oil and hydraulic fluid, some of it touches hot parts and ignites or smokes. The war machine is only still operating because there's so MUCH of it, designed with redundancies in case of damage. But that won't keep it going much longer, at this rate.     The Star Hawk flies backwards, trying to put some distance between it and Seifer. Staren's voice is distorted over the speaker, but comes loud and clear over the radio:     <"IT'S THE SAME, don't you get it?! Those people down there, and the ones back home whose lives will be torn apart if this continues... some of them are somebody's Sora and Riku! Somebody's Guzma, someone's Mikoto, someone else's Haguro, someone else's Tamamo!">     <"Some of them are somebody's Seifer! All that talk of friendship... it's not just about YOUR friendship, or MY friendship! We're not SPECIAL!"> Staren stumbles a bit, <"Well, we are..."> then rallies, <"...but not morally! All those feelings you're fighting for... she's DESTROYING so many more! The hopes and dreams and friendships of thousands, of millions, of billions if she keeps going! And it's not even going to achieve what she's fighting for! It's not going to change people!">     The mecha's shoulder packs are notably absent, so it seems no missile barrage is forthcoming. However... the packs on the legs fire a series of glowing blue lines that curve through the air, seeking Seifer. At the same time, Staren fires a missile from the beam shield's emitter, so it looks like there are at least some stored in there.     He's still thinking more about his words than the fight. Keep up steady attacks to wear them down is a play he's used countless times before. But can a man like Seifer really be worn down?     <"...I still do, Haguro! There's still hope! Stop all this, and we'll find another way! We can't take back what's been done, but... I don't know! We'll work something out!">
Majima Goro	Majima has smashed one ship into the next. That's going to make a bigger target. ...Honestly, he rather assumed they'd sink each other, and he'd be in more dire straits. Turns out he just knows jack shit about boats. You know what? He'll take it. That leaves him on the bridge of the ship, just in time for a few more soldiers. Alright. That's fine. "Ahh...heh. Ya fucks don't know when ta quit," He flares up again with a purple light. "DO YA, FUCKERS?!" His face is almost distended with a wide mouthed grin, his eye practically lighting up. The first grenade is thrown, and as it arcs, Majima slowly kneels down. It's caught in his hand, and he leaves it gently just underneath the navigational controls before diving forward. There. This ship isn't going anywhere. As the explosion rocks beneath him, a gun is levied at his head, a few inches away. He raises suddenly, one hand on the gun. Elbow hits jaw. Then he yanks the gun out of the soldier's hands, cackling wildly. And then it begins. HEAT ACTION - ESSENCE OF MUTINY The butt of the gun is slammed in the first soldier's face. As he stumbles, Majima spins around, landing a kick upwards just underneath his jaw. "Uweeheeeheehaaaa!" As another soldier fires, Majima brings his legs down, pushing the flying soldier in the way of the bullets. He's fine. He just needs a good hospitalization. Then he's up and running, the gun's bullets wildly fired into the ceiling--hell was he gonna do with those? Before it's swung like a bat into the face of a man who has just shot his friend. Before he can recover, the knife's already in his gut, and he shakes his head. "Eheheh. Pathetic." It's ripped right out, and he headbutts the man to the ground. This leaves him the last man, who is backing up to the door hoping his backup will arrive. Majima's about to touch him, before... The breach charge on the door goes off. Majima strikes his fist forward, just as the man flies forward. Action equals reaction. A man falls to the ground, and Majima's on the loose again. With each ship Majima can clear, another one is sent barreling into the next one. He can disable some of this fleet. Maybe enough to give Haggy-chan a chance to end this. At the very least, there's convenient food and drink to keep him going. He's got *all day*. "Come on, fuckers! Ain'tcha trained to deal with this shit? If ya gonna get up in a pointless fight, at least put your hearts into it!"
Hesinca	The demon braves the incoming fire. "That the best you can do!" she calls, from within a g(l/r)owing puddle of her own blood. It's bravado, mostly. She needs to get control of the situation, because... ow. Ow a dozen times over. Getting a one-hit kill in on Hesinca is pretty much impossible, but a couple-dozen-hit one is entirely doable. She takes half a second to think - oh! Yes, there probably is a loudspeaker! Yes! Thank you, helpful narrator, for putting the idea in Hesinca's head. Let's go see to that. Hesinca gets her feet firmly on the deck and charges forward, barreling through whatever comes her way (be it bullets or walls or people), trying to find the loudspeaker for the ship before she gets worn down by its crew.
Arcadia	Arcadia is honestly a bit impressed when the naval men steel themselves to turn their now aflame ships into giant moving weapons instead of trying to put the fires out. Which would of gone arguably worse for them considering one of the other wonders of the magical and scientifically combined fire was being difficult to extinguish with just water. Impressed doesn't mean she's going to sit still though (not that Arcadia ever really does). As the ships turn to make themselves a hazard to the fleet the sphinx turns and speeds away, much smaller and faster than great naval craft. Aetheral trails flare from her magitek thrusters and low roostertails surge up from the water as she speeds back towards the Luthan Fleet. But it's not running way. It's very much a tactical withdrawl to a new vantage point between the fleet and the now inbound flaming ships. <<Don't worry, I've got this. Keep shooting,>> she snaps off over the comms. A gap in space briefly appears to allow Arcadia to reach into her sub-dimensional pocket space, pulling out a glimmering rod from her inventory. She gives it a few fanciful twirls not unlike a baton major before gripping it in both hands and pointing it towards the inbound crafts ablaze. Ruinic channels along the length light up as energy is channeled into it, and the end pointed away from her splits in quarters that open to reveal an already charging apeture. It doesn't take long for the glow to expand past the size of the apeture itself. And then fires. The beam of energy speeds across the seas, aimed at the foremost of the blazing ships. And does nothing. At least, at first. Despite the grandeous display of the magitek device firing, it takes a few moments before the sailors start to notice that their craft is losing it charging speed. More accurately, it's losing it's momentum, due to the weapon's inertia disrupting effect bleeding away the capability to keep itself in motion. Which will force the other ships to break off their own charge to avoid it. Or preferably not be able to and crash into it, compounding the damages already done by being ablazing in roaring magical fire.
Guzma	Ships are rocked with explosives and carpet bombing, as the Team Skull Trio barely gets hit by back blast, scuffing them, bruising them, burning them, and knocking them almost overboard - caught by the Lapras. They keep moving, though, spewing more and more of that toxic spray at their attackers. As the bullets come at them, they fire a big glob of acid, to melt any guns. "YO! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE SHOOTING!" Guzma dives in and out of shots with Golisopod, resurfacing to speak more with Haguro. He'll never have this chance again, based on what the tides are telling him. "Yeah. You know, Lillie would like to see you again. She's excited about training tomorrow - that kid, she's a real handful. Stuck in my hands, what can I do?" He chuckles, and then looks up. "You know. The grunts would like to arm wrestle with you. When this is all done, why don't you come have dinner at the mansion? We'll make a whole bunch of Spaghetti-Os together. They're not great...but they're nostalgic." He's trying not to get sad. What does he have to get sad for? He barely knows her. He wishes he knew her better.
Seifer Almasy	"It's not the same, Staren, because they know why they're here."      Staren tries to get away. Nope, that's not happening. The hook of Hyperion, near the grip itself, digs in. Staren goes flying and Seifer comes flying with him, hanging with one arm.      "You don't know why you're here. You don't understand what's going to happen. She's not going to stop until she dies, do you understand that?" Seifer's voice is as sharp as the gunblade itself as he winds his way back onto the Star Hawk's arm. The laser beams come shooting upwards.      He twists to the left, forcing the wound in his stomach and the broken arm to eat the worst of them. They punch through. More cauterized holes. Blood in the mouth. He spits some of it out onto the Star Hawk. Nothing vital, not yet, but close. He's breathing heavy. He can feel one of his lungs punctured and burning. But his eyes are still empty and clear. "She's not going to stop until she dies because this is the choice she made."      "Respect her choice and fight for what you believe in. Stop acting like she's lost her mind, like she's not making sense, like she's doing something wrong because you don't agree with it. Just admit that you don't agree, and stop trying to talk her down."      He digs Hyperion into the arm a little more so Staren can really see those eyes. Those sharp eyes. That strong jaw. Even with multiple holes in him and a busted arm there is a sense of passion to Seifer Almasy that most people simply can't grasp. Even with serenity in his eyes he's a man who just *never* turns off all the way, who just *never* stops burning. That serenity is the crackle of a fire at night. It's still a flame. It still hurts.      "Have the willpower to die for what you believe in, and have the willpower to kill someone else for what they believe in."      Gilgamesh emerges over Seifer's shoulder again, arms crossed. The big grey giant's white eyes glow behind Seifer's.      For a brief instant, Staren can hear, across the radio, Greg say something.      Right now Seifer is saving your life. Because if you fought with that attitude and landed the killing blow on Haguro, even by accident, he would not let you live to the morrow.      Seifer clucks his tongue and his teeth together. "You talk too much."      Greg shrugs.      "This isn't about you, Staren. There isn't a way to win this. There is death no matter what. No matter what happens, people are going to die. There isn't a way to be happy - these people decided they would fight until they died, and Haguro decided she would fight until they stopped, and since she knows they won't be stopped by anything else, she's going to fight until she dies."      "She wants to prove she's not a monster. She wants to prove that she's not just a weapon."      Greg grabs Seifer's broken, hole-punched arm. Four grey hands reach out along it, holding it upright. Four other arms plug the hole in his stomach, reaching straight through. Seifer winces. But he steadies himself. It won't last long. But long enough.      "She wants to die on her own terms."      "Respect her enough to try and fight with her life on the line. Respect her enough to be ready to die for her. Or go back to playing shoot-shoot scientist in your post-apocayptic hellhole."
Seifer Almasy	He stands. He balances himself on the moving Star Hawk, enormous pain held off only by the power of his Guardian Force, his partner, his best friend, his comrade. Greg has been there, too, from the beginning. Greg has been there since that first introduction.        That's the first time you've ever got anything worth grabbing                       Hah! So you do think she's worth grabbing, huh?                 The heck does that mean? You're lucky I can't beat the crap out of you!        Greg's been there with him. Greg's seen the same smiles. Seen the same moments.           She's gonna beat you if you don't fight a little dirty.                Seifer, on the back foot at the MECC. Haguro's hitting him hard. She's strong. And she's more confident than ever. Greg peeking up from the shadow behind her, grinning at him behind that red mask. Go on, do it.      Seifer grabbing her. Knocking her down under him. Leaning into her ear.                            Hey there, cute boat.                             The snap of the explosion. Gilgamesh's laughter.      Haguro punches him in the stomach. Seifer laughs it off. He tells her he's happy with Caster.                 H-how do you guard your emotions so easily?                 'cause I've hit that point. I know who I am. I don't get embarassed doing stuff like that.    I don't know if I could ever do that...but maybe that's just who I am?        Greg was there with them.      In the here and now, Seifer's smile is distant. "Yeah," he says to the air.      "She was worth grabbing. And holding onto."      "And letting go."      A surge of motion. Despite all the injuries he's still going. He's still going strong, too. He slides down the Star Hawk's arm, using the momentum of the Hawk and gravity against it. He's not looking for a weak point.      He's going to make one.      Hyperion stabs in for the face. It stabs, and it stabs a second time - almost simultaneously. It's *almost* simultaneous. It's like watching the world glitch out, like watching reality have a stroke. The blade hits and then hits again and there's no backswing or recovery, just the blade, twice, almost at once. The trigger is pulled both times. The blade vibrates both times as it tries to tear straight into the Star Hawk's head.
Midway	As the third squadron takes wing, Midway closes her eyes with a pensive expression. A fourth squadron readies, the flight strips rotating into one another as the aircraft manifest. "On an individual level, I have witnessed men give up on war. Fear is a powerful thing. Fear of loss. Fear of leaving others behind. Fear of death, pain, disfigurement."     Her eyes open once more, "Selfish, shallow reasoning such as this will not achieve my desired endgame. Mankind will not give up on war through fear so deeply rooted in the individual." That fourth wing of fighters and bombers ascends, joining the multitude circling above her. The airstrips she'd created twirl, then dip low around her, no longer filled with those ghastly Abyssal planes. Her face tilts forward, casting those glowing eyes in shadow. They widen, going from the narrow slits of scarlet most are accustomed to, into broad, perfect and intense crimson circles.     "All of Humanity must suffer a conflict so horrifying; a tragedy so great; a loss so painful that War will never be considered again." Raising one hand, she tightens her fingers into a fist, the metal bracework creaking, "Let us scar the cultural psyche as our kind was always meant to."
Nagato	It's been slow going. Two major battleships, a light cruiser and a light carrier escort slowly makes its way across the horizon, the familiar flag of the IJN flapping in the breeze slowly. "Attention Northern Force, we'll be going up against a major opposing force. One of them is Haguro." there's a sigh coming over the intercoms between the four ships. "All ships, send out the Type Zero recons and the Zero fighters."     There's a resounding 'Copy' from the three ships over comms and the sky is filled with fighters and a few scout planes heading towards the battlefield, all visible by the battlefield quickly... "Northern Force, full speed ahead!" Nagato commands, smoke filling the air around the four ships as they chug along as fast as they can.     The putter of rotary aircraft engines slowly get louder and louder as they approach the battlefield... and soon the four ships of the Northern Force are visible, but no shots have been fired from them.
Rean Schwarzer	Rean nods. "...Yeah." It was easy to lose your way out here with everything. Haguro grabs him and pulls him close, tightening her grip around him. But wasn't this the same thing, but in reverse? He hears the others talking about going out to eat after Haguro's victory. And it's...sad. But she'd already been let down by a lack of resolve once. "...Ok." Rean strains to say, and closes his eyes. A burst of darkness engulfs him, turning his black hair white. He flings his arms outward, pushing Haguro off of him with as much force as possible - and in this form, it's a lot. He came to stop her. That was the plan. He could deal with what came after it later. Right?
Staren	Seifer absolutely brutalizes the head of the mecha. Staren can switch to other cameras, although the mecha's-eye view of Seifer striking what would be a killing blow on a person isn't exactly a pleasant experience for Staren.     Futures stretch out before him.     In one, he defeats Seifer. He might have to kill Seifer to proceed, and... despite everything. Despite that at times Seifer's been a bully who can never see when he's doing something wrong... Staren can't do it. He's not sure why.     Seifer finally talks him down on the radio.     Staren's a failure, but he'll live. There will be time for introspection later.     <"Hold on near that bit where you first cut me. I'll take us down.">     Once Seifer's in position, the machine transforms back to hybrid mode -- the fuselage mostly doesn't transform, making it safe. The jet-with-arms-and-chicken-walker-legs flies down to Guzma to let Seifer climb down.     After the transformation, usually the cockpit armor retracts so the pilot can see out. Seifer would be right next to the canopy. It doesn't retract this time. Staren doesn't want to be seen, or perhaps he just can't look Seifer in the eye right now.
Seifer Almasy	Seifer does not bother waiting for Staren.      Once Staren has said that he's backing off, Seifer just drops off the side. He falls, straight past the Star Hawk.      "Oh, shut up," Seifer says to Greg's shadow as he plummets, "You'd do the same thing."      A pause.      "Yeah, well. We're both showoffs. No wonder we get along so well."      Another pause.      "Fine, *I'm* the stupid one for now. *For now*."      As they fall, Seifer swings Hyperion idly back and forth every so often. Someone especially perceptive could tell that Seifer's slowing himself every so often, using the gun part of the gunblade with rapid shots and some of his usual nonsense blade cheating to slow himself. It's not *flight*, not by a landslide, but it's certainly a show of how hard Seifer has pushed himself into that blade.      By the time he's over the water, he's slowed his descent almost totally. A snap of his fingers and he lands in the water near Guzma. Greg looks up at Guzma, shrugs, and disappears.      Blood in the water. But it's fine. Guzma will get him.      He is fucking exhausted though.
Staren	...Or Seifer could do that. Staren's not worried as Seifer drops off. He was half-considering just dropping him but didn't want to be a dick, Seifer would surely survive.     The battered and broken machine hangs in the air, though. Staren's not sure if he should watch or not. It's not that he can't bear to watch Haguro die; it'd totally suck but it wouldn't be the first time. But he's not sure what's socially acceptable here.     Guzma says to go, Seifer says otherwise. He stays.
Haguro	The soldiers rally briefly when Sumiko appears to be taking damage, but that more monstrous form of hers doesn't let them feel great about their accomplishment for very long. Some of the soldiers turn tail and run, some of them oppose her with yet more shots and attempts to stab her with bayonets and harpoons...          And others are firing on the ship directly. The navies are still technically enemies, after all, and it's not like these ships haven't shot each other already. They may not realize it's Sumiko's doing, but who's going to keep track of that when it's necessary to stop a monster?          "... And see? That's exactly what I mean." Haguro rubs her temples briefly, only glancing at Staren for a moment. "Do you really think that after all of this, after all of..? No plan. No logic. Changing and stopping on whim like that... That's an insult to the sacrifices made on this path. To the people that might actually see something better at the end of all this. Have you never heard of seeing things through to the end?"          "Will you put a bullet in my head to stop this, Mister Staren? Will you drag me to the bottom to ensure that I can't harm these soldiers again?"          His answer makes her sigh. It steels her resolve, but it doesn't feel good to have more resolve than she started out with.          Finding the loudspeakers in the control room is the easy part for Hesinca. Getting through the swarms of people in her way? Still probably easy, but not a walk in the park. Humans are a hardy lot, after all, and ones trained to literally murder each other on a daily basis even moreso. Still, their training is more in dealing with other humans rather than demonic penguins led by an unholy horse abomination, so there's that. The captain, though, is armed with a straight up shotgun which he uses with glee!          Or just not wanting to get his head stomped in.          The Luthan fleet isn't quite sure what it is Arcadia has in store, but the ships are committed to this plan if nothing else. Their shots keep firing to cover her as she goes through with that strange gambit, and there's more confusion when it seems to do nothing. A lot of nothing seems to be happening, especially their engines, and that leads to a quite a pileup as some ships careen to avoid it, others bash into it, and yet more crash into the others trying to avoid that mess at all.          It's the perfect cover for the Team Skull Trio to really start putting a dent in the ships' operations. Without their guns in working order thanks to those globs of acid being spewed around, the soldiers are... Well, they're still soldiers with physical training.          They'll just have to resort to fistfighting these weird punks.
Haguro	"Is she? I... To be honest, I didn't think she'd take to it so quickly. She's so..." Haguro grunts thoughtfully in between shots and grabs, staggering back a bit as another shell caves in one of the turrets on her shoulder. "Tch... Mm. She needs work, but she's determined. If she keeps it up, she'll be... A great help to you, perhaps. She just needs to learn more from the right people."          "You know.. They could use that set as well." She suggests, sounding oddly calm despite the literal life or death situation surrounding them. "I think... I'd have to bring something better to make, though. Real cheese, at least. And... Fudgesicles do sound rather good, too."          It's a moment of peace in the battle. It's a moment that Haguro gets to think, and a moment that has her listening a little too intently to what's going on.          Again, she tries to stop herself from hearing Seifer, but it's not as easy this time. She can hear him through the radio. Greg. Majima. Guzma. Sumiko. THey've already come to terms with things, and she's feeling those doubts starting to creep back in. Could she have...?          No. Not at all. Perhaps in another time, perhaps in another lifetime, but this one? She's been pretty unlucky in matters of the heart. "Should've been easier the second time..."          The answer from Midway is what snaps Haguro back to the present. She doesn't respond for a while, instead taking the Princess of Progress' words to heart while her shots continue ringing out at targets in the distance. Near distance, but still distant enough that they're not exploding right on top of them as they speak.          "I... Agree. Sort of. Fear for their own lives really isn't enough to stop war. To prevent things like this from needing to happen just to protect the people that haven't chosen to kill and die." She looks up at those circling planes, watching their ominous hovering, then looks back down at Midway herself.          "... But I don't believe that this is all we're good for. Even if we were made to kill, even if our existences were for War... Their future without war doesn't have to be rooted in horror and pain. They need to believe in something more. Something beyond what you or I can ever achieve." She clenches her own fist, but and there's a look of only slightly clarity in her eyes.          "You can stop War through the terror in their hearts. I'll stop it my own way."
Haguro	Haguro hears warnings from the Luthan fleet. They detect something in the distance, and it would probably be a drop in the bucket of all the other ships present if she hadn't heard the identification of one of those ships. There's a brief moment of excitement in her eyes, even, but she tempers it after another moment.          "... I guess this /would/ be the best time to come clean about that." She murmurs to herself, chuckling bitterly before turning her attention back to Rean once more. His shift in demeanor, his appearance, his very physical state...          She can tell that something's changed again. This isn't the same person she met all those months ago, and this isn't even the same man she fought last time. That burst of raw power coming out of him send the cruiser skidding back several yards, and for a moment, she simply stares at him.          "Midway. This is what the world needs more of. People with resolve, people that can fight even when everything's ready to destroy them.. Haev you seen it yet?"     Haguro charges right back in, her remaining turrets blasting behind her to fire on ships she can't even see in her approach. She fades out for a moment before reappearing even closer to Rean, thrusting her fist up at his chin. She could try and shoot him, but she needs to see how willing he is to seal the deal.          Around everyone, the battle grows more intense by the second. Ships are burning, soldiers continue to fire at soldiers and elites alike, and the sea burns as the stench of metal and oil continues to wash over the battlefield. The Luthan fleet, lesser in number, still holds its own against the combined American fleets. Although the American fleets have suffered heavier losses, their sheer numbers makes it difficult to predict when the fighting will even end at this rate.
Guzma	Golisopod swerves as Seifer goes down. Directly to the position Seifer calls at, double-time, Guzma scooting up on the very short and awkward positioning to allow Seifer on. "We might touch, but it's alright, we're bros. Now, come on. You love her in your own special way, don'tcha? You gotta see her off." Skilled punches come at the trio, knocking them back, bruising them, but not getting solid hits in. The trio has the advantage - their Pokemon. But they don't use it for overwhelming firepower. They spill more toxins. But these are larger pools, and...the trio move to punch the soldiers in the face before knocking them into the lifeboats. Sure, there's no real strength, but it's enough to stagger them and send them off. And it's courage. Real courage.
Majima Goro	Majima isn't part of the big show. That's fine. That's not what he's here for. This man's jaw crashing into a ship's railing? Yeah. He's here for that. A bat going in that soldier's mouth, before he kicks the bat upwards, shattering the man's teeth? Absolutely. He's here for that. The moment where he stalks forward with a mandarin orange, sweeping another soldier's legs out from beneath him, slamming the orange into his mouth, and stomping the fruit--and the man's head--until the juice explodes everywhere? Yes. That's what he's here for. It just so happens that it's solidarity with Haggy-chan, and that doesn't hurt. "Listen up, ya fucks!" There's some bruising. Mild. There's some light trickles of blood. He's no god. But he has a bottle of the finest medicinal drinks known to mid-two-thousands Japan, and he's swigging it back with reckless abandon. "Haguro's over there tryin' ta keep there from bein' an even bigger fleet of these fuckers. Ya all fightin' over the dumbest shit I ever heard! If ya can overcome gettin' your shit this riled over a blimp, then ya can show me ya got a fucking pair 'tween the hundreds of ya!" A spray bullets is Majima's response, and he's ready. The bat and knife are out, crossed in front of his body, and...well. This bat's metal. The bullets reflect off both weapons, as he crosses his body defensively. Somehow, this results in zero fatalities. Just go with it. "...Do ya not get it? I'm gettin' tired o' this shit! Ya get one last chance to show me any of ya deserve those shitty uniforms you're wearin' before I get mad!" He's just glowing, now, and somehow, despite all of that, when a soldier attempts to flank him from behind with the butt of his rifle, he misses. Only to find Majima behind him, with a manic grin. ...One concussion and kidney laceration later, Majima starts cackling. "TIME'S RUNNIN' OUT, SHITHEADS!"
Sumiko	There is just a moment of realization in the words that Haguro said.  Her eyes turn down for a moment...they're still friends, and even after all of this.  She steadies her breathing, while the friendship is something she cherishes as one of her possessions she can't just stop now.  She said she would be here for her greatest moment.   More shots are lined at her, and once more her sword deflects the deadliest of the attacks, a few more grazing her across her body.  Now it was getting a little dangerous as little by little she's being bled out.  This moment is just another reminder that she's potentially cursed.  Right now those feelings are pushed down and away.  She needs to focus on why she is here. Flipping back into the water, she skates around aiming to try and come up in front of some of the ship's firing lines.  She waits for the shot and brings the Diamond Blade back.  Using the built-up speed she's stolen, she slices through the shot and keeps going.  The Diamond Sword swinging in a very wide arch, and now infused with a glass-like extension. The shockwave from the arc goes out in a one-eighty degree cone in front of her, as the strike aims to cut through as many of the hulls as the blade's extended reach could gain her.  It would also force a shockwave in the same area, hopefully aiming to make a chunk of the fleet in very turbulent water.   "Hmm, maybe I'll splurge on those orange-cream pops too?" she asks Haguro.  "Not everything can be chocolate," A pause, "Unfortunately."  She continues as if nothing was wrong.
Arcadia	The tactic works spectacularly, smashing ships into ships and sending others careening away to avoid the same fate. In the end it's a very elaborate means of accomplishing a very basic yet effective combat tactic -- disrupt the enemy formation. But Arcadia does pay for it. It is one of the few weapons she can't go back to speeding around like a maniac after using because of the precision it takes to aim. Several rounds of counter-fire rain on her position from ships that didn't get caught up in the cascading collision. The shield wards of her armor flare briefly at impact to dull some of the severity, but the sheer force produced by hits from shells meant to be blasted at other naval ships is enough in its own right to rock her backwards in the air. The sphinx tumbles a bit, bounces off the water maybe two times, before finally flaring her wings and firing maneuvering thrusters constructed into her warskirt and back armor to restablize herself. Frothy water splays behind her as thrust contrails kick up rapidly evaporating water and catapult her back into the air. She's moving towards the two American fleets again at an upward angle. As she does so Arcadia deploys her magitek options, several of the remote units spreading out around her to increase the range she can cover even farther. At the apex over the two fleets she stops, the bits pointing in various directions. Visor flickers as Arcadia takes a moment to note where her allies are so they don't get swept up in a crossfire inadvertently. Then even her wings spread out, baring the glowing ends of their primary nacelles as additional magitek weapon ports rather than boosters, emitters opening in her palms to deploy additional projectiles. Eyes flash behind the visor. "They say War is Hell." Pause. A grin from that more malicious side of a sphinx showing. "Let me show you." Everything fires. -Everything-. Arcane bullets rain down in volleys and sweeping arcs, intermitten with laser bolts firing from the wing protrusions and magic missiles whizzing through the air. Arcadia lobs multiple larger orbs from her palm blasters like shells, which burst halfway down to create even more showering clusters. Glorious danmaku rains down upon the forces of both Amercias.
Seifer Almasy	"You would be so lucky," Seifer says as Guzma hauls him up, "Have you seen me? I'm *gorgeous*."      He laughs.      It's a going-away present. A good-bye to someone he loved so much. He couldn't make her watch Staren die. Couldn't make her watch her friends kill each other. And he couldn't let the last thoughts of him in her mind be that, either. Be him, covered in his own blood. Be him, close to killing Staren. They had to be Seifer thoughts. The last thoughts she had of Seifer had to be of the swagger, of the self-assuredness. They had to be of him laughing, of him smiling. He had to send her off with a smile. And there was one more thing he had to do.      "See you later, cute boat."      He grins.      "Next time around, you should take it up with my wife."      "She might've been into it."      He had to send her off with one last private little joke. One last thing that was just for them. Just for the two of them. Just a laugh they shared, knowing it would never have gone anywhere at all.      Cutting the last mooring.      Two ships, drifting past each other in the night.
Rean Schwarzer	Haguro swings a punch at Rean and it lands square, sending him skidding across the transport ship's deck. "...Not sure how to feel about you using /me/ as an example for humanity..." Rean says, rubbing his jaw. His voice echoes with power, but he's otherwise lucid, if a bit more aggressive sounding. "You're right about the world needing more people willing to stand for what they believe in, though." He ignites his sword again, this time engulfing it in blue flame. He holds it over his head, the fire growing brighter and hotter as he does so. He hadn't really gotten the chance to know her, having only seen one another around on missions. They'd both changed over the last few months, hadn't they? It was sad. But... "...Goodbye, Haguro." Rean roars, vaulting off the front of the ship to slam his blade onto Haguro's head.
Nagato	The American fleets are getting wrecked... there's Abyssal planes in the sky. Rean is staring down Haguro... the entire battlefield is a mess. They say War is Hell but... this .. this wasn't war, this was a vendetta by someone.. by a family member she had. Inside the hull of the Nagato, the Admiral's curled up somewhere... small tears hitting the inside of that hull. "Haguro." she whispers over the comms between her fleet mates... "All fleet, target Haguro's position." she states.     "Admiral, is this..."     "Musashi, I've thought long and hard, but, choices have been made, they have to be followed through. Ryuujou, launch the Ryuusei. This... this won't end like the last command I gave that sank Kuma."     "Auuu, you're still torn up about that Nagato? Reeelaaaax." the light carrier joshes. "We understand your trepidation but it's your job, you have to make the hard decisions. Nee, though I'm not really happy about this..."     Nagato mms, "All ships." Ryuusei torpedo bombers start flying off of Ryuujou's flight deck, accompanied by the wing of Zeroes as turrets from the battleships and the light cruiser take aim. She puts out on the radios, "Haguro, you've always been family. I'm sorry."     Nagato's tear hits the cold steel of her room, the sound echoing through the comms. "Fire." Turrets ring out in thunderous noise, creating a wake of water while fire plumes out of Nagato's triple and double turrets, Musashi's own triples and Atago's own doubles. Torpedo bombers make their descent and loose their charges before doubling back while the fighters cover the retreat. It's only one broadside, the guns slow to reload and planes have to travel back, but the shot has been made. "Haguro, I hope this brought you the peace or the happiness that you deserve."
Guzma	As the strikes come down on Haguro. Guzma sighs, closes his eyes, and leans against Golisopod. He speaks, not caring if Haguro can hear it or not.. "Goodbye, Haguro. I wish I could have gotten to know you better."
Midway	The Princess of Progress keeps her arms held out, lifting them slightly, her eyes still wide and glaring. However, as Haguro speaks her piece, Midway's arms lower to her sides. Her eyes close, and when they open again they've resumed their more human-like half lidded expression of stoic disinterest.     "I have not," is her answer, at last. "Not to a degree that such a resolute individual is anything more than an abberation. A statistical anomaly. Noise." Her fingers tighten at her sides, the metal bracing creaking once more, "Perhaps if men were more prone to such, I would have some sense of satisfaction. Alas, men as a whole are far too weak. The hero is a rarity. Resolve and determination are little more than artifacts."     One hand lifts, fingers spreading in a dismissive gesture. In response, the Abyssal fighters she'd deployed break off from their bomber squadrons, discarding their payloads and ascending to meet the planes launched by Ryuujou. The bombers themselves split off into pairs, making indescriminate diving attacks on warships from all sides. The maneuvers are disorganized, undirected, random.     Because Midway has turned her back on the engagement, departing with a slow walk.
Haguro	The soldiers don't know what to make of Majima's... Everything. One minute, he's fighting them shirtless. Another minute, he's hurling grenades at their ship's controls while kicking soldiers into the way of bullets that just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.     They'll live. They're still writhing in pain, after all, even after some of them get slammed in the face by baseball bats and stabbed in places that should cause all sorts of terrible internal reactions to being stabbed. Even though ship after ship ets hit by his rampage, none of them seem to wise up.     They just keep charging, and they just keep going down. Their resolve wavers, though, when he brings up that fateful blimp incident that brought their ships to bear against the other sides'. Which ship is he even on? Does it matter?     Not really. They can understand him just fine. They're also forced to understand just how deadly serious he is with that knife and bat combination, and it doesn't look like there's going to be a whole lot of upright people left at the rate this is all going.     It's probably for the best that the first few aren't conscious to see what Majima does to the rest of them when he does get mad.     The fistfight against Team Skull goes... Surprisingly worse for the soldiers than expected. They're physically stronger, but they're also not used to having to deal with acid and poison being vomited in their way at the same time. Although they come away from it with relatively few bruises, their constantly shrinking ship and maneuvering options eventually comes to bite them in the ass.     That's all it really takes to get them out of harm's way. There's shouts coming from some of the soldiers still on board the ship proper, but the ones on the lifeboats can already see the writing on the walls. The bloody, burning, shorn steel walls are starting to crumble and the waves grow steadily wilder with the ongoing battle.     Sumiko's shift to a water-based strategy almost makes it easier for the soldiers. Almost. Torpedoes can be fired, but hitting with them is another story, especially with a target that can just stop being in the water. The sword shockwave puts several holes into the hulls, and yet more of the soldiers are forced to escape on the lifeboats if they don't want to die.     Some of them do decide to go down with the ship, but others? Others may live to fight another day.
Haguro	Those that are being targeted by the rain of lasers and colorful bullets? Maybe not so much. The only saving grace for the navies of this world is that there's simply so many ships around that when one goes down, there's another to take its place. It's not so great for the soldiers on those boats that don't have anywhere to dodge, but... Well.     They know what they're getting into. Haguro, too, as she continues to fire whenever there's a break in the action, another shell clearing clean through her arm rather than detonating like it should. In one way, it makes it worse, but in another...     It's a little bit closer. She's almost there. She sees some familiar cannons in the distance, those bombers, those fighters... There's no mistaking it.     Nagato's here. The Fleet is here, and they've made their decision. She smiles, strangely enough, firing back into the sky to try and disperse at least some of those shells before they start touching down on her position. More of that armor gets blasted off, and she's looking about as bloody of a wreck as would be expected, but she still keeps firing back.     At who, it's not so easy to tell any more. She still keeps pushing forward, though, and she has to make sure that it's seen. That the navies are still locked onto her, firing at her the whole time.     "It's not just about beliefs, but... Committing to a path." She clarifies to Rean, shaking her arm off to try and regain enough feeling to try and stop his blade. "Even if it's hard or if it's a losing battle... Someone has to be willing to fight to the end. To prove to the world that they..." She catches the blade on her forearm for just a moment, but the armor's already on its last legs. The blade melts right through the armor on her forearm and digs right into the cruiser's shoulder, leaving a scorched gash in its wake.     She turns to Midway, somehow managing a confident smile despite nearly getting cut in half and spitting out dark blood into the blackening sea below her. "... That true heroes do exist. They just need... A push." Slumping steadily, Haguro lets out a heavy breath as she puts two fingers to the side of her head.     <<"Mission... Accomplished. Fall back.">>
Haguro	She hears his laugh, those moments of brevity from her friends, her allies, and laughs herself. "S... See you later, my knight. I guess I missed my chance, didn't I? Maybe... Later."     Of course she could never ask. It's Haguro. Still, it's not such a bad thing, remembering so much this late in the night, to see things. She sees the first time she was sent into battle. The first ship she ever sunk. The first time she saw one of her allies sink. The time she sunk. The time she returned as a Fleet Daughter. The time the universe itself tore apart. The decision to join the Concord. The heartache from bringing it up. Finding new comrades in arms. Facing old comrades. Long forgotten emotions. Late realizations.     His decree. Their hat. His persistence. Her encouragement. Her naivete. His fist. Her strength. Her callousness. Her rage. Her shot. Their loyalty. Their advice. Their friendship. Their training their meals their work their fun their laughter their almost their acceptance their song their trip     Their love.     Everything comes back to Haguro an in an instant, and she smiles as her back touches down in the water, fires continuing to rage around her among the wreckage of endless ships. "Just my luck that my... First two had to see me like this. But... You're wrong about one thing, Midway. I..."     Despite the pain and growing numbness, despite the darkness engulfing her, the air around her growing colder, the water dragging her into the depths, Haguro smiles more calmly than she has during this entire battle. "I didn't reject... Anything. I'm... Taking my own path. I'll be back... S-soon."
Haguro	The battlefield finally grows quiet. With the order to retreat, the Luthan fleet starts to back away. They've done their job as requested by the late vice admiral, and further deaths would only be in vain. The United States navy and the combined South American navies, too, have no reason to linger in this hellhole any further. They tend to their dead, their wounded, pulling whoever they can out of the churning waters below.     That coldness in the air. That murky water, churning and crashing against the ships and their rescuers.  That howling noise like some unearthly thing crying in the distance, trying to get inside and going silent just before anyone can see what it is.     The sea churns, and it breaks. There's a strange white circle at first, frayed all along the edges save for the grayish blue flower topping it. It's a large hat, and below it comes a starkly white woman, hair draping over one side of her face while a spotted black and gray scarf floats in the water beside her. Her dress is covered in numerous.. Buckles? Anchors? Anchor-shaped buckles and black orbs that drop off of her into the water as she rises. She's sitting on a massive gray and black thing that looks like it could as easily be her tail as it could be a different creature entirely, the thing's massive teeth-filled mouth looking only slightly less dangerous than the long cannons sticking right out of where its eyes should be.     The Gulf Princess has been born.
Guzma	Haguro is gone. A Princess rises. Guzma is scared. But then...he feels he doesn't need to be. Even if Haguro, herself, is dead, he can ask a final question. A final goodbye. 'How do Battlefield Princesses work?' ''They're... Hm. I've only really spoken to Midway, so this is largely guessing, but... I think she was created through the combined anger and mass destruction caused during the Battle of Midway. Like an Abyssal, but... Bigger. Angrier. More distraught. More... Raw emotion.'' 'Can they be happy? Or is it all negative?' ''I haven't heard of it happening, but... Theoretically? Maybe? Mm...'' 'I think you'd be a pretty happy princess, if you became one. Or at least, better than the rest.' Guzma pushes against the waves. Golispod struggles, as the air becomes cold and bites against its carapace. As the waters struggle to take it down. "Princess!" The thug shouts out. "I don't know if you're Haguro or not, but tell me something! Do you still dream?" "Do you still believe?" "Are you happy? Tell me, Princess!"
Majima Goro	Majima's..getting winded. This is a lot of guys. Even if they're all just poor suckers. "..Aiyah. ...well. ..Heh." He looks at his radio, then at whoever's left. "...well? Looks like ya got some leniency, eh? Haggy-chan wants us outta here." It's then he finally has time to walk over to the deck. That... That is Haguro sinking into the ocean. ...He puts a hand to the back of his head, tilting it a little. "...no shit, eh? ...Heh. You crazy fuck, Haggy-chan. Betcha knew it had ta end like this all 'long. Hope it does whatcha were hopin' for." He closes his eye, facing down into the ocean for a moment. There's a breath. "...any of you idiots wanna join her in the ocean, or am I lettin' ya live another day." His voice is different, now. It's not screechy. It's low. It's serious. Something just fell away from Majima, in that moment. The Mad Dog persona is gone, for now. And just like that, Haguro is...back? Sort of. He thinks? He's just scratching his head, at this point, mouth contorting a bit as he tries to make out what's even going on. "...aiyaaaah. Was that the point o' this? Shit. ...Guess I'd better get goin'."
Arcadia	The barrage finally comes to a stop, a hissing filling the air around the sphinx from how ionized it has become from the amount of energy she was putting out... And maybe part of the reason she doesn't use any lightning magic as part of that technique. The wrong polarities would electrocute herself. But that's neither here or there. What remains of the enemy fleets has been routed, realizing they're better off living to possibly fight another day. Good. Maybe they'll learn something from this. Wings return to their normal flight positions as Arcadia lowers herself to hover just above the water near Haguro's position. "The battle is over. Weigh anchor and take your course." Her attempt at 'speaking ship talk' is kind of dorky, but it's the thought that counts, right? Seeing an ally off on the last leg of their long journey? What else to say? Only one thing is really suitable. "Bon voyage." Of course that's when the waters start to churn up again, and Arcadia quickly boosts herself higher to not get snag by one of them and dragged under. "Whoa!" The new entity arrises from the waters turned cold and bitter by such tremendous fighting. "... Wow. I guess it really was the end of one course for another..."
Sumiko	Sumiko is sweating, that last attack was a lot of effort to pull out, and it was moderately successful.  However, of course, now THEY can easily attack her in the water.  She skates around attacks, aiming to put distance on the battle as the call to retreat came through.  She looks back and turns around as Haguro sinks. Taking a breath, she lets her head down.  She bites back the natural desire to try and slit Rean's throat, or cause shards to fall on Nagato.  That isn't what her friend would want, even though every bit of the Greed that burns in her demands satisfaction for what was taken.  Today, she suppresses that... Only for the waters to churn, the seas to darken, and something...something that chills her heart to the core rises.  Just as the Abyssals might sense that she's an avatar or container for the worst of humanity's desires, she can too sense that this is...dangerous in some instinctual way.   Sumiko takes a breath, and she skates towards the Princess, in defiance of orders.  "So...power up?  You know there might have been an easier way to gain more power than this..?  Anyway, I think it's time to get our treat and get out of here."
Midway	'You're wrong about one thing, Midway. I...'     The Princess of Progress comes to a stop, standing atop the rolling waves.     'I didn't reject... anything.'     Slowly, Midway turns where she stands, her eyes wide, circular, menacing. That intense, killer stare that only arises when her temper is dangerously close to the surface. It is with this wide-eyed stare that she bears witness to the apotheosis, the birth of a Princess.     "Hm hm hm hm..." It starts quietly, as her expression returns to normal, a soft chortle that steadily grows louder. A hand raises, intertwining with the spines about her throat as the laughter grows louder. Eventually her eyes close fully, the laughter rising to an uncharacteristic cackle.     It doesn't sound very nice. In fact, from the humorless Princess of Progress, the sound is downright eerie.
Haguro	The newly born Princess stares long and hard at those assembled, not speaking for several moments as the waters around her continue to churn while she adjusts to the surface. She rests the parasol-like thing in her hand on her shoulder, glancing up at the night sky before noticing that Guzma's speaking to her. Yelling, even. That Majima's mouth is still open while he's staring. That Sumiko's just coming right up to her like she doesn't have a care in the world.     Like they all know her already. She wrinkles her nose in distaste, and she snaps that Abyssal parasol shut. "Idiots! I was happier before you all started... Talking." She scoffs, tapping the parasol against her shoulder before sighing dramatically. "... Maybe? you woke me up with all your prattle. I don't know how I put up with all of you before."          The Gulf Princess lets out another disgusted noise before looking towards Midway. There's a long pause before she does anything again, but when she speaks up again finally...     She smiles. It's genuine, and it's painfully bright. "Good night, sister!"
Nagato	The water didn't feel right.     With both North and South American ships tending and leaving, the entire Northern Force keeps their guns trained on that spot. "Something's not right, not right at all." she whispers. The entire Northern Force could feel it, but admitting it they did not wish... "We need to leave." comes Atago's soft voice, a worry deep within it, "Like yeah, this.. we're not prepared to fight that. No one is right now..." comes Ryuujou.     All four ships seem to shimmer and drop into their 'normal' forms... "Ryuujou, fighters up, now." a tense moment from the light carrier but fighters go back up in a holding pattern around the four.     Midway is laughing and all Nagato and Musashi could do is frown, their face fit of betrayal and loss, as they look upon the new Abyssal.     "I hope the Concord are happy with what they did..." she whispers to the other three, "Nagato, calm down. There's no need. Haguro has been lost."     But when Guzma and Seifer speak up, Nagato shakes her head, "Musashi, Atago, Ryuujou. Retreat. Report back that Haguro has fallen and report a new Abyssal has been born."     "Nagato? What.."     "Just go."     The three look.. Ryuujou recalls her fighters and nods, "This is ill advised, Nagato."     Ignoring her Second, Nagato starts heading towards the new Princess... "Retreat, that's an order."
Staren	Haguro falls. Staren thought she would just sink, but apparently this time is different. She's dying for real and he can only watch.     He has only lack of understanding. What was she hoping to achieve here? She says people have to see heroes... but what was heroic about this?     Of course, she's dying, so the time to argue with her is past. He struggles to find words, but eventually all that comes out is... <"...Bye...">     He just doesn't understand.     And then she comes back. "Was THAT the reason for all this?! You were TRYING to die to come back as a Princess?! Why couldn't you TELL us, does it only work if your friends don't KNOW?!" Fortunately, after Guzma's question, he hits mute for that so that he's only ranting to the inside of his helmet. He can chew her out later if things are as they look.     Well. From her response it seems like... whatever Haguro intended, she's not the same person now, even if she has some of Haguro's memories. Or she's playing the long game and infiltrating the Abyssals or something.     Staren just takes a deep breath as Guzma and Seifer pledge to back her up. Who knows how this is going to work out..
Arcadia	Arcadia actually recoils a bit when the new Princess snaps. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the ocean." But this was what Haguro wanted, wasn't it? The way she could move forward. Become something more than she was before. Some old wisdom about being born in the fires of conflict or such. Oh, wait, Nagato only ordered her fleet to withdraw, she's still here. Cattiness aside the sphinx is quick to move into formation with the others. "Yeah, what they said."
Sumiko	"Well...Excuuuuuuuuse me, princess," Sumiko says, with a shrug of her shoulders.  She isn't exactly sure what exactly is going on, she thought this was like becoming a witch, but this Princess seems...well coherent.  It's...maybe it's like being a Cardinal Vice?  Huh.   "Oh hey, here she comes," Sumiko says, but she doesn't immediately go to defense.  People remind her that the Princess is likely able to defend herself well enough on her own.  That's...true...she hates to admit and starts drifting back, but not too far from Guzma and Seifer.   She listens as people speak, but right now she tries to come to grips with what is happening.
Rean Schwarzer	Having the courage to choose a path and continue down it no matter what? Yeah, that was something he could get behind. Nagato warns him over Paladins comms of her attack, and he signals to the deckhands or whoever to back away from Haguro once his strike is done. Perhaps it would mean more to Haguro if They make it out of range but are still close enough that when she fires, the boat rocks in the waves, water splashing up onto the deck. He looks around, his appearance returning to normal. He then sighs, kneeling on the deck exhausted. "...Rest well, Haguro." he says, looking out at the bubbling ocean. Haguro falls, and...The Gulf Princess rises. "What...?" Rean mumbles. Haguro apparently died and came back once before, but this was different than the form she took after that. Maybe Kanmusu had forms similar to Witches, and this was just what was left of Haguro? Then she speaks, and Seifer and Guzma seem adamant about protecting her. Rean shrugs, sheathing his sword. "She's your friend." He's got 0 idea what the hell is going on, but...She seemed happy. ["Their future without war doesn't have to be rooted in horror and pain. They need to believe in something more. Something beyond what you or I can ever achieve."] Haguro'd said. "Is this how you'll give humanity something greater to believe in?" Rean asks. "What do you want to do now?" It's tenative, because she could easily respond in the same was she did as Haguro, just using her power to indiscriminately destroy humanity to stop them from creating war. It doesn't look like he'll be getting an answer anytime soon because she slips away under the waves. Oh well.
Haguro	They want to defend her. Why?     That's right. They know her. Knew her.     Haguro was not the Gulf Princess, but the Gulf Princess is Haguro. She can feel that familiarity, that memory, those memories. Everything used to be Haguro is in there.     Somewhere.     "What?" She sounds incredulous, addressing Staren even as she watches Nagato approaching. "Y... Yes? Why are you asking me all this like I should care what you think? And what do you want, First?" The Gulf Princess scowls briefly, but takes a moment to breathe.     Deep breaths. She's just woken up, and she needs to get her head back together. Once she cleared out a little bit of that built up stress, she turns to Rean. There's a pause, and then another sigh.     It's a tired one rather than annoyed. "She did want them to shape up, didn't she? Hm... Why not. What I want..."     She turns back to Nagato. Then she looks at Seifer. There's a pause, and then her eyebrow raises slowly as an odd grin crosses her face. "Oh. Oh. The Second. They're /both/ here. Awkward~"     She sounds a little too amused by that, but she doesn't elaborate. Instead, she starts drifting away backwards, but she just keeps staring at Seifer and Nagato, almost as if she's expecting something to happen.     Eventually, though, she submerges.
Midway	When witness to that winning, shining smile, the Princess of Progress' laughter at last abates. Her eyes slit back open, beholding the other Princess up until the woman submerges. Midway herself raises a hand, gesturing. In an instant, her disparate aircraft break off their attacks and scatter in all directions.     The water about Midway's feet roils, and she murmurs in an ominous tone, "The temperament and power of this Princess have yet to be evaluated. I have much work to do."     Without another word, Midway sinks beneath the waves whence she came.
Haguro	- ELSEWHERE - "It looks like... They've finished, sir." "Took them long enough. Hmph. Let me see... Yes." "... Sir?" "I can work with this. Get Outer Heaven on the line."             STAGE PROLOGUE CLEAR!
Staren	<X-Concord-Chatter> 3 Seifer Almasy says, "I'm missing an actual fourth of my body and somebody I loved very, very much just went and committed suicide to make that thing so she could stop a war by giving them something to fight together."     Ah. Understanding at last. Also, Seifer was possibly bluffing about planning to kill him. <"At least now I can understand what she thought she was achieving here... And it may even work."> And he has to admit... is anything else they could have done as powerful as creating a new Battlefield Princess? He doesn't know, but Haguro must have looked for options.     Seifer calls the retreat. The beaten-up Star Hawk takes flight towards the nearest warpgate, then retracts its arms and legs and speeds off.