garde723: (helmet: tense)
(Warnings for combat injury and the lose of limbs.)

Today was supposed to be nothing more than drills to familiarize Tsumugi with the clasp formations and to get the garde pilots more used to her. The gauna had other plans, but such is the life of a combat pilot. Tsumugi had spotted the gauna cluster, a larger one but not massive, and had flown off on her own.

Now, Izana flew after her with the rest of the pilots who'd been doing the drills. Izana's usual fear of combat kept them company as they engaged with the nearest garde units to form the clasp that would increase their trust to have a chance of catching Tsumugi in time. Over the comm, the command technicians recited information as it came. The ship was in fact the one the colonists had set out on now claimed by the gauna. The idea and what may have happened to the colonists left a cold lump in Izana's heart.

As Tsumugi approached, the ship launched dozens of smaller gauna, which the chimera ignored. This turned out to have been a mistake as the gauna circled her and then rapidly began growing their ena, trapping Tsumugi and cutting her off from Sidonia communications!

Finally, the squads neared her position, Tanikaze of course getting there first with his newer booster rocket. Just as he was within firing range however, Tsumugi burst forth from the trap, tearing through the ena with her claws. Over the screens Izana could see that she'd been hurt and the scream of rage her friend let loose through the comms only confirmed it. As she flew at the gauna, tearing into them in blind rage, the ship released hundreds more.

The gardes began firing at will, trying their best not to hit Tsumugi, which worked well but spoiled many shots. Nagate and Command tried to calm Tsumugi but to no avail and finally the inevitable happened. Tsumugi was struck once, twice, and then several times by gauna tentacles, sending her spinning out of control and into a group of gauna who closed in.

Nagate couldn't find a clear shot.

No one else could either and no other pilot moved to help.

Not even considering the risks, Izana charged forth, full throttle to her booster. Piloting as if they were a solar wind, they seemed to know where everything was; gardes, gauna, debris, everything. Izana didn't dodge attacks so much as simply not be there when it would've hit. As they flew, they called out to Tsumugi to calm down, to pull back, but was ignored. They they were at the cluster and engaging their garde's arm blades, they slashed at the tentacles, freeing Tsumugi just as another gauna struck the garde.

Shocked at the attack and calling out in fear, Izana's cry proved to be what Tsumugi needed to hear to break out of her rage. She grabbed Izana's damaged garde and began the retreat that she'd been ignoring. As they withdraw, Izana kept an ear and eye out on the battle. The gardes were doing a good job of keeping the smaller gauna off Nagate but after a few moments, the larger cluster shifts. Confused chatter called out different opinions and warnings as to what is going on, but Nagate's voice cuts through it all.

"It looks like a Heigus canon. A large one!"

"Look out!" Someone yells and then Tsumugi is saying, "Izana, brace yourself!" and then the universe goes crimson and there is thunder in space.
garde723: (i didnt sign up for this!)
The possible friendly gauna, Tsumugi Shiraui, turned out to be a chimera; a gauna-human hybrid, or at least that is how Kunato explained it when he introduced her to all acting pilots and pilot cadets after the battle. It seemed that after failing as a combat pilot, he'd taken over his family's company and had somehow developed the chimera as well as a new form of the artificial kabi Sidonia needed so badly to have a fighting chance against the gauna.

The meeting to introduce her had gone as well as one might expect, fear was a hard thing to overcome, and just as Nagate and Izana had entered, someone had thrown a pipe at the garde-sized* humanoid and chants of "Get ride of the gauna!" had begun, as well as shouts of the infamous mad scientist Ochiai's corrupt experiments and the great disaster they caused a century before.

Amidst the growing unease of the crowd, the chimera--Izana had a hard time thinking of it by a name--had spotted Nagate and had addressed him directly, which had mollified the mob somewhat. The peace, such as it was, didn't last very long as the chimera grew agitated when she saw Nagate's wounds, worried he'd gained them when he had protected her during the combat.

The meeting had ended quickly after, which was likely for the best. A creature so large being so agitated in an enclosed space with small and fragile humans could not have ended well.

Now, a day later, Nagate had decided to visit the chimera because he was worried she was lonely. Izana, being a good friend had come along, though they had their doubts. First, that Kunato would allow them entry to Kunato Industries' labs, presumably where the chimera now lived, and whether the chimera had such things to worry about as being lonely.

Izana was wrong all both accounts. Kunato, in an unusual show of benevolence, had allowed them entry...which Izana quickly regretted. The lab was odd. Not the sterile environments of her grandmother's domain, but more like field labs that had been overgrown with simple organisms, like molds or lichens. The air felt humid and musky, and was clogged with enough motes, Izana wished they'd thought to bring face masks.

Seeing beyond a few meters was proving a challenge as well and both Nagate and Izana were startled when the chimera suddenly appeared and enthusiastically greeted them. The walkway they'd entered on proved to be above a cavity of some kind and they were at chest level with the hybrid, which was way too close for Izana's comfort. Both Nagate and Izana fell back, Izana instinctively pushing themself back away from the giant creature. It continued talking but Izana couldn't focus on the words, fighting their fear as they were.

Then the strangest thing happened. A shape appeared and Izana almost burst into giggles for it was nearly penis shaped. 

"Please, call me Tsumugi," the shape said. The shape it turned out was a sort of probe the chimera could form, though Izana couldn't fathom why it would wish to do such a thing. Perhaps so that it may speak to humans on a level more to their scale? "I am over-joyed you came to visit me, Tanikaze-san! I was just thinking how I'd like to learn more about humans."

Nagate smiled and replied, "Please, call me Nagate. And this is Izana." 

The probe turned to face Izana and they bowed quickly before the giggles could escape them. Tsumigi's enthusiasm reminded Izana so much of the Honoko sisters when they'd first come to the academy. It was almost child-like.

"It is a pleasure to met you, Izana-san." Tsumugi turned back to Nagate, and tapped its two feelers together. "Umm...umm...May I touch you?"

"Touch me? I don't really mind, but..." was as far as Nagate got before a dozen more feelers sprouted along Tsumugi's probe and picked him up into the air and running along his body.

Izana could feel a hysteria bubbling within them, which burst as Tsumugi then picked them up into the air for the same treatment she was still giving Nagate.

"Put me down!" Izana yelled and was promptly let go, though only after Tsumugi had lowered them closer to the walkway. "It was good you asked Nagate, but you didn't ask my permission." Tsumugi bowed the head of her probe, clearly shamed. "I am not angry at you. I understand your enthusiasm got the better of you, but you must strive to be better!"

"I will Izana-san, and please forgive me. May I touch you?"

Izana didn't see that they had a choice. How else was Tsumugi to learn of humans of they didn't offer to help?

*About 16-18 meters

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Shinatose Izana

January 2018

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