Code Rebuild: Kallen of the "What the Fuck Kind of Knightmare is Tharsis?"

[acequeen]

[Kallen had known the ways of war at a young age, and as a result had grown far too acclimated to the countless deaths and bloodshed around her, directly or otherwise. She never thought she'd finally be able to receive well-needed respite from that, much less obtain the dream that her brother had fought and died for — a free Japan. Just that notion was enough to cause her heart to beat rapidly in joy. Finally. No more "Elevens", no more threats of genocide looming over her people's heads, no more slavery.

She will actually get to rebuild her beloved country in peace after so long.

It's why she — and her Guren SEITEN Eight Elements — is currently outside near the outskirts of Tokyo Settlement where the red and orange hues of the sky overlook the half-finished buildings, bulldozers, various kinds of machinery, and other Knightmare units. Kallen gazes upon all this from the inside of her mech's cockpit through the monitor, her hand on the joystick as she maneuvers the Guren into drilling holes on the ground with its massive claw. The sounds of metal clanging and buzzing against the dirt are familiar to her, and yet they are a welcoming change to seeing machine guns and tanks on a daily basis.

How ironic, she muses, that she's using one of the most powerful Knightmares, the kind that once literally dissolved bullets and disfigured countless enemy units, as a glorified construction tool. Crinkling her brows, she lets out a soft huff as her blue eyes linger on the Guren's claw that's grasping the debris. There's no need for the Radiant Wave Surger, Guren's most infamous weapon, when the war ended months ago. Why would she need to fry enemies into oblivion? She can only hope that this moment of peace lasts for a little while longer.

'I wonder what my brother will think of all this. Will he be happy?' she thinks, a faint smile slowly appearing on her face. 'What about Lelouch? Bet he's laughing at me right now from above, that contrary idiot'.

The brief moments of pondering fondly over the dead men in her life soon come to an abrupt stop at the sounds of high-pitched beeping. Kallen quickly lifts her head up once the sensors detect an unidentified object, represented on the screen by a large blue dot. Wait a minute—]

— What the hell is that?! Could it be another Knightmare?

[Alarmed, Kallen immediately drops the debris and swerves around the corner with the wheels attached to the bright red machine's ankles, then takes a sharp and speedy turn towards the unidentified object, bright pink energy wings sprouting forth as she takes off in flight. The golden claw is outstretched, just in case if she has to fight. There will always be people threatening to destroy the peace that Lelouch had created, and Kallen will be damned if she lets... whatever this is stop her.]

Comments

[ex_adept179]

[Slaine recognizes the coordinates that the Tharsis provides him with, even recognizes the topography from his brief time in Japan. Despite knowing which country this has to be, it doesn't look quite right. This thought is further reinforced by the readings on his monitors - or rather, the lack thereof. He's not picking up any Terran Kats - even though by his reckoning this place should be swarming with them.

The observation doesn't make him relax, far from it. Blue-green eyes narrow at the monitor in front of him, hands settled uneasily over the controls.

Slaine finds himself uncertain just how he ended up back on Earth, and searching his memory, there's simply a blank. One moment, he'd been fighting Count Marylcian, and now... Now he's here, on Terran soil.

Or rather flying over it.

He taps at the controls and attempts to get in contact with the Moon Base. All that answers him is static. The same voiceless electronic crackle is his reward when he attempts to contact any nearby Landing Castles, and to his dismay there's no reading on their locations at all]

But that can't be...

[Slaine can only stare owlishly at his monitors for a time, pale brows knit together as he tries to make sense of this. Were his systems damaged? There's no obvious indication of this, and yet he can think of no other way to account for the lack of any communications on any of the usual channels.

Testing an open frequency is tempting, but at the same time, it runs the risk of alerting UFE forces to his presence. He can't do that, not right now, especially not if there's something wrong with the Tharsis that he hasn't picked up on.

And so it's with reluctance that he grounds his Kataphrakt in a small clearing, trees doing little to conceal it, but it's better than nothing]

[acequeen]

[Following the trail of the mysterious presence that's showing up on the sensors, Kallen grabs on to the joystick and presses on the controls from the top to boost the Guren's speed up to maximum. The wings from her machine's back extend and glow intensely as it zooms right towards the clearing, far away from the developed areas and into the greenery. She can feel the powerful jolt in her body from the abnormal speed that her Knightmare possesses, and she makes sure to hang in tight, her legs clutching the motorcycle-style seating.

As she reaches her destination, she finally glances up at the screen to figure out what the hell is showing up in the monitors to earn the warning signs from earlier, brows knitting tightly as confusion mars her features. Suddenly, a sharp gasp escapes from her mouth and her eyes open as wide as saucers.]

... The hell is that thing?!

[It's a mech, that much Kallen is certain, but it's huge! Or it looks that way from up above. Either way, she slowly forces the Guren to descend and slowly land just a few feet away, pink wings now fading away from view. Once she finally lands, her face tenses up at the massive height, so large that the trees look pathetic in comparison. They barely even cover the damn thing. Kallen had seen and fought large Knightmares before, but this is the first time she'd seen something of its caliber. The color scheme prompts her to furrow her brows in thought, blue eyes narrowing into slits.

It reminds her of the dreaded Lancelot, if it ate twenty units and grew obese.

Did Britannia build that Knightmare? Or perhaps it comes from the European Union? The United States of China? A thought quickly occurs to her: what if the mysterious robot is sent by Empress Nunnally to help out with the goodwill rebuilding process? Except... why here? It should've been at the Tokyo Settlement, or even at Shinjuku Ghetto for massive renovation. Heck, massive is one word she'd describe.

Suspicion sets forth to cast aside the initial awe and shock at this brand new Knightmare, and Kallen immediately opens up the audio-only communications channel from the control panel. She's a curious woman, after all; she needs to know what (and naturally, who) she's dealing with.]

Did Britannia send you here? Answer my question. [A brief pause, her voice takes on a stern tone.] Are you part of the renovation team?

[ex_adept179]

[Slaine has bent his focus to determining what exactly is wrong with the Tharsis when he hears something. At first he's not sure what it is, just a blip disrupting the crackle of static coming in from the audio channel.

He turns his focus to one of the panels arrayed in front of him, adjusting frequencies. At first he doesn't even notice the tiny Kataphrakt that's approached his position, focus split between the inspection of one system and the broken jumble coming in through the white noise.

But the color is unavoidable, and as he makes adjustments his gaze lands on this other machine. It's so small, but it's structured and outfitted in a way Slaine hasn't seen before. Was the UFE developing some new kind of Kat? What purpose would it serve, having such a compact size? It didn't seem to lack for weaponry, but...

Slaine finds the right audio frequency just in time to hear Are you part of the renovation team? and his eyebrows knit together. He mouths the words to himself, as though they're terribly foreign, before he makes an attempt at replying.

Reconstruction in Japan was no doubt underway after recent conflicts, but why would anyone with the UFE assume that a Versian Kataphrakt was part of any such effort?]

What do you mean by 'renovation team'?

[acequeen]

[While Kallen is in the middle of zooming in the camera's view to get a closer look at the Knightmare in front of her — wait, are those red eyes on it? Such a ridiculous design — she cups one of her ears to listen closely. There's usually not a whole lot of static coming from her end, but it's peculiar this time around. Not only is the design different, but the frequency seems to be that way as well. Nevertheless, the answer immediately surprises her because who doesn't know that Japan is still undergoing reconstruction? It's not the only country that once suffered under Britannia's rule, but naturally Kallen places her home as top priority.

She blows a random strand of her red hair away from her face, then crinkles her nose incredulously at the response. All she can gather so far is A) the pilot is a man, and B) said pilot is young, probably around her age... or he could just be an adult man who happens to sound young. Without a face Kallen can only guess, but one thing is certain: she does not like the answer coming from that person.]

Didn't you get the memo? Knightmare units are being transported to specific areas to help out with rebuilding. Because, you know, relief efforts? Some are assigned to stay here, while others are going to— [A brief, brief pause.] Wait a sec.

[It has occurred to Kallen that the pilot hasn't answered her previous question, so in a suspicious tone:]

Britannia sent you here, didn't they?

[ex_adept179]

[Slaine watches the red Kat through his monitors, puzzling over just how anything so small would be considered effective. He can't get past thinking that it's disadvantageous even now, though the reply he gets is no less puzzling.

Britannia? He's heard that name attributed to England, but it's rather antiquated to his knowledge. Why would a Japanese pilot be making use of an outdated name for another country? As with many things it's something he's left to puzzle over, as he leans back in his seat.

None of what this woman's voice is telling him makes much sense at all]

I'm sure it must be clear to you that I'm not with the UFE.

[And he's not sure why anyone would mistake that, under any conditions]

Are you saying that little machine is a 'night-mare'?

[Slaine supposes that's how the name would be said, if only because the UFE has an inclination to name their Kats after breeds of horses. It seems to deviate from the norm but he doesn't begin to think he understands the approach the UFE has to naming their weaponry]

[acequeen]

[The more this man speaks, the little sense he makes in Kallen's mind. Really, what is with these random terms that he's spouting? UFE? She furrows her brows even further, just around the same time she purses her lips in annoyance. Surely he must mean the UFN -- as in the United Federation of Nations, yes? Did he misspeak? And even if he's from Britannia, his homeland is eventually part of that group, courtesy of Lelouch's actions of uniting the entire world against him. Just as she's about to ask for his clarification...

'Little? ... Little?!']

Excuse me, you're not one to talk about my Knightmare Frame's size when yours is a— [An abrupt pause.] A monstrosity in height. [Kallen, please.] Guren SEITEN Eight Elements might not look that way to you, but it's one of— no, it's the most powerful war machine. I'm proud to be its pilot!

[She lets out an indignant huff, gripping the joystick tightly. As irritated as Kallen is with the stranger, she'd rather not fight him at all if she can help it. Even without the Radiant Wave Surger, she supposes that she can think of a creative way to apprehend this person, but with that Knightmare's colossal height it'll take at least a few more units. A heavy sigh escapes from her lips right when she rubs the back of her neck. Okay Kallen, relax.]

So, what's your Knightmare's name, anyway? I don't recall either Britannia or the European Union making new models like yours.

[Kallen thinks about the class system that once reigned supreme, that once stripped the rights and dignity of her people, rendering them worthless as third-class citizens. That is, until Lelouch abolished it during his reign as Demon Emperor, and Nunnally made sure to protect the rights and freedom for everyone, thus is the way that peace can be achieved. But Kallen isn't naive; she knows the nobles won't be happy. No doubt there are already several attempts at a coup, only to fail each time. So as she continues to speak, her tone is less irritable and more quiet, but the sharpness remains ever present.]

For your sake, you'd better not be one of those stupid wandering nobles trying to reassert their authority.

[ex_adept179]

[The most powerful war machine...

Slaine quirks a brow at that, finding that once again, this woman is tossing around terms he doesn't understand. And while he could grant that Terran forces might find some reason to make their Kats more compact, it makes no sense that any UFE soldier would have no earthly notion of how big Versian Kataphrakts are.

How is it that she can find this unusual? Or presume that any weapon developed on Earth was going to outclass something from Vers, for that matter?

Ultimately, he can only come up with one conclusion, and he puffs out a quiet sigh]

There's no need for posturing - I'm not here to pick a fight with you.

[Having someone in a weapon so tiny talking a big game might've been cute in the way a small animal holding ground against something larger would, if this wasn't so confusing. If potential enemies could ever be seen in such terms.

At the least, Slaine can grant that she's brave]

I wouldn't have bothered finding your frequency if it were otherwise. [To be frank] You honestly don't recognize my Tharsis?

[Sure, not everyone in the military would recognize every Count's Kataphrakt, but he was sure the UFE kept records on him among others. Surely then, this pilot had access to such information]

[acequeen]

How considerate of you.

[A short remark coming from Kallen, but she says it so flatly nonetheless. Really, just because he possesses a brand new Knightmare model with an incredible height advantage. Right. She can at least attest that he won't abuse his mech's attribute -- not that she trusts his words so easily, oh no. For all she knows, that person's machine may have radioactive Slash Harkens or radiant wave technology that's already reverse engineered by Britannian technicians. Or worse, another FLEIJA-style warhead.

Who designed it, anyway? That crazy earl seems attached to his Lancelot, and this obviously isn't Rakshata's doing either. As for the name, well... Tharsis. Quite the interesting name. Usually Britannian Knightmare models are named after famous people from Arthurian lore. Perhaps it's not a Britannian one, after all. At any rate, Kallen mulls over for a moment before responding with a crinkle of her nose.]

Hell no. Why do you think I asked? This is the first time I've seen your Knightmare!

[So blunt, so to the point. Though she finds it odd that he hasn't recognized the Guren, if he's truly the enemy of the Black Knights. While not everyone has seen her mech's dangerous prowess, those who did at least knew of her former status as the ace.

But right now, she has to learn about this intruder and his mech. The fact that he specifically mentions finding her frequency means he's not trying to wreck the peace she fought for, is he? No, it's something else, definitely not to fight her. What is his intent?

The sharpness and sarcasm from earlier subsides, and she sounds somber this time around.]

So, does this mean you're not trying to take over this land, then? Or to fight the people here?

[ex_adept179]

[There it is again: night-mare. This woman isn't using it to refer to a specific model in the case of either her machine or his, which means Slaine can safely conclude it's not a particular build. Is that some kind of colloquial term of Kataphrakts? He's never heard of any Terran culture assigning an alternative name to the machines, and yet he's coming up short of explanations.

His brow furrows as he ponders this, becoming so invested in trying to make sense of it that he nearly misses her question.

Trying to take over her land or fight the people here... Did she truly have no idea that there was a war going on? Japan was not a country so large that anyone would fail to be aware of Versian attack, and despite a technological gap, Earth had plenty of means to communicate and spread information.

How does this woman not know...?

Still, it hardly benefits Slaine to pick a fight right now. He needs to determine what is wrong with the Tharsis, and find his way back to the Moon Base. Neither cause is served by provoking an attack from a soldier who is somehow ignorant to the realities of the world.

Not to mention, he's already ended one foe's life today in single combat. He'd sooner not add another were it unnecessary...as hypocritical as he knows that to be when he's coordinating the Counts' assault on Terran military forces]

Machines like this are referred to as Kataphrakts. And I'm not here intentionally - in fact, I was looking into finding my way back to where I ought to be.

[acequeen]

[This man's explanation evokes a sense of confusion within Kallen, brows tightening up at the strange terminology that just came out of his mouth. Is that a Greek word? While she's no intellectual, she has read about different cultures and languages in her spare time, whenever she's not busy rebuilding or taking care of her bedridden mother.

But he makes no sense.]

Kata... what? Um, okay, it may be called that at wherever country you're from, but I'm pretty sure everyone else calls these Knightmare Frames. It's been that way ever since the Second Pacific War that happened eight years ago.

[Which is nothing compared to a different and bloodier war that transpired afterwards, but she digresses. The more Kallen speaks, the longer she thinks about the intruder's apparent ignorance of this world's history. Surely he would know about Knightmare Frames in history books, or even mentioned constantly in the news, right? But what he says next catches her attention immediately, and she lets out a quiet gasp. So he's not trying to instigate another war in her home? Because she's had it with constant deaths.]

Wait a minute, did you get lost on your way here?

[Is that all? Kallen squints her eyes as she makes the Guren's camera zoom in on the Tharsis's face, which is now taking up the whole screen because it's huge. Yikes. Curiosity seeps within her voice, and she sounds totally baffled, too.]

So you're trying to find your way back home? Where are you from, anyway? [As in "what nation", though this can be interpreted as something else.] You could always just fly out of here with that white giant.