Fight the power!!!(Razgriz and I)

[Star Pupil]

As soon as the sun began to rise on the horizon, Lily opened her eyes and looked up at the sun, feeling it's warmth almost immediately. She looked around slowly and realized she had fallen asleep on Zanagi; her gunman. That was a super bad idea. She had fallen once after falling asleep high in the air. She couldn't help it though. She didn't want to join any of her fellow beastman down below. They were all followers, incapable of freely thinking for themselves. They just followed orders blindly, aiming for the extinction of any human that dared set foot on the surface. The worst part though was that they liked it. They enjoyed policing the surface, keeping it barren and barely filled with any signs of life. Well, there were plenty of animals to hunt. Speaking of which, she was pretty hungry.

She got up and stretched, her red eyes surveying all beneath her. It looked as if the others were slowly waking up. Though she didn't see her General anywhere. Perhaps he also felt like hunting? Who knew...he liked to do a lot of things on his own. Even though she was the only one who was brave enough to approach him, he still remained distant from her. Sometimes he would even tell her to leave him be, but..she just felt like he was different from everyone else, who blindly followed orders. He knew something that no one else knew, and she wanted to know what it was. She climbed down Zanagi and once her feet touched the ground she took off, going to a nearby river. Fish was good, she wanted that to eat. Oh, and she needed to wash her face. Being cramped up in Zanagi all day while they traveled to find Dai-Gunzan. After seven long years, they had finally gotten a lead on where it was, and Viral wanted it back.

She didn't know what the big deal was. Perhaps maybe he wanted to crush the last thing that could give them a fighting chance? Though their spirits were already broken after losing the majority of there comrades when they dared to go against Lord Genome. For some reason this felt really, really wrong to her. No doubt they wouldn't be expecting an attack after so long, but...what could she do? If she tried to speak against them, it wouldn't take long for her to be branded a traitor and delivered straight to the very being that was responsible for her creation. She was skating a thin line of ice as it was, because unlike anyone else she would actually ask for a reason to carry out an order instead of just doing it. It made others talk. She was an outcast, that was for sure. The others sensed that she didn't have the same blind dedication as they did.

Finally, she made it to the river. She sat on the bank and allowed her bare feet to submerge in the water as she splashed her face a bit so she could clean up. Though her thoughts did not stop there. During the great battle between the human resistance and the beastman, she had to kill many people, and she hated it. She hated that there wasn't a reason other than the fact that they were human. It took her a long time to sleep after that day, because she felt like she had snuffed out innocent lives just because they wanted to live freely on the surface. She wondered exactly how long she could continue living this way. She felt blind, helpless, and guilty.

 

[Razgriz]

Seven years.

It had been seven years since those filthy apes dared set foot in Teppelin. The leader of the human resistance, Simon, had tried to kill Genome in his own throne room. However, he'd missed his chance when the Spiral King managed to overpower Lagann - that pesky little red Gunman that could fuse to another and hijack it for its own purposes. Genome had nearly killed the digger, and it was only with Rossiu's timely intervention that they'd managed to escape. The large Teppelin Gunman too was far too powerful to destroy on their own; Team Gurren had suffered heavy casualties, as did the Beastmen. But their superior firepower and tactics overwhelmed the apes, and had them go into hiding.

But now that the humans were on the run, Genome ordered them found and executed on sight. Given that his four Supreme Generals had perished during various encounters - Thymilph, Adiane, Guame and Cytomander, in that exact order - the King was pressed to rise a new leader. The obvious choice was Viral; having served under two Generals and survived several encounters, as well as saving Adiane, he'd proven himself more than capable of leading the remainder of Beastman forces.

Which he was doing as of right now: Viral had given the order to find and seize the Dai-Gunzan, as well as kill every last human onboard. For too long those naked apes had desecrated his former commander's flagship. Even if Thymilph was a cruel bastard, he respected the General almost as much as he worshiped the Spiral King. He'd sworn revenge on Kamina, but after learning he had died in their first encounter aboard the Dai-Gunzan, all he had was his desire to take the battleship for himself.

But a certain someone had conveniently decided to go missing; more than likely out hunting for food, but still, his senses told him something else was bothering her. Of course, with what he'd been shown, she had some sense in feelign that way. But he wasn't going to say anything; if he did, it might just push everything apart. And it was all hands on deck for this operation. He'd gone after her on his own, after several skilled subordinates had no idea where was she was. Thankfully, his sharp sense of smell and bioelectric detection capability proved to lead him right to her; plus, with the barren and stony flat environment, there weren't many places to hide effectively in this area.

He eventually found her cleaning herself at a stream; likely she was fishing too. That woman loved her fish whenever she could get her hands on it. But the way she held herself, she seemed to be moping. Again. Scratching at his long blond hair with one of his clawed hands, his narrow golden hues focused on the soldier before him as he approached her; just what exactly was her problem, he wondered. "Lily!" General Viral shouted, a slight breeze kicking and rustling his clothes. "You're lucky I found you. The others were talking of leaving you behind. We should get going before the trail goes cold, and we both know they don't like to stay in the same location for too long."

 

[Star Pupil]

Lily had finished washing up and was now on shin deep in the river, her back turned towards the direction she came. She was so focused on catching fish that she didn't even notice her general come from behind her. She had caught one tiny fish but it wasn't enough, she was still hungry. Then she saw it...one of the biggest fish she had seen in a long time headed down stream towards her. She did not move her feet, but she was in a crouch, preparing herself to grab at it with her claw like nails. Though as soon as she was about to pounce, she heard her general shout her name and lost her concentration, losing balance and landing face first into the water. Oh great. That was embarrassing. She quickly rose to her feet and got out of the river, her hair and clothes dripping wet. "General Viral...I'm sorry. I must have been gone longer than I thought." She started to shake her head back and forth wildly along with her body, trying to get the majority of the water off her and her dress. Though once she was finished, she noticed that she had gotten him wet.

"Ahhh! Oh god, I'm so sorry! The wind must be strong! I'm uhhh...I'm just gonna go back now, okay?" She gave him a sheepish smile, and then broke out into a light jog. Crap. What was wrong with her? She never really liked water so it was almost like a reflex for her to shake like that. Her tail twitched in agitation as she slowed to a walk and then sighed. "Umm...actually..." She began quietly, her expression once again distraught. Since they were away from the others it was as good as time as any for her to talk to him about what had been bothering her. She wasn't really sure that he cared...after all, the only thing he was concerned about was continuing to follow the trail. Still, she wouldn't be able to let this go.

She waited for him to catch up with her, and she turned to him. He really did have a scary expression, but then again he always did. Many were afraid of him, and for a good reason. There were lots of legends about him and the way he held himself just reinforced them. He was only one person and yet he took the place of four generals, doing all of their jobs single-handedly. There were rumors that eventually there would be four generals again, but right now Viral was doing fine by himself and no one else had proved themselves worthy. Taking a deep breath, Lily finally spoke. "When we take back Dai-Gunzan...can't we just let the humans go? I mean, they haven't really done anything these past seven years...it's obvious they don't want to fight us anymore. They're just trying to survive is all."

 

[Razgriz]

Viral raised an arm in tim to shield himself from getting splased in the face; the water from the stream wasn't that cold, especially since the sun almost always shined out here. But still, the weight from the unwelcome moisture addition aggravted him; just as he lowered the limb to see where Lily had been, she decided to shake herself dry. And get him even more wet. She would receive quite the glare, his lips closed tight but his narrow-slitted pupils even narrower.

"Good. We need to stay on course." was his only reply to her statement; it didn't matter than she'd gotten ahead of him. He only walked slow because he was trying to squeeze some of the water out of his clothing. But when he did catch up to her, it was because she seemed to have stopped. Was she waiting for him? And if so, for what reason? It wasn't like he didn't know the way back to the campsite. "What is it?" he asked her, his tone conveying a sense of urgency.

His answer came in the form of an unexpected question, his eyes widening in surprise; Lily, aside from being one of his best trackers, was vital to the defense of Teppelin. She'd killed so many; was this what was really bothering her? "Lily. You should know better than to ask that question. Be lucky you're not in camp alone right now." he then replied to her question. "But the short answer is no. The humans want us dead just as badly as we want them dead. If we stopped for any reason, they'd hit us hard. As long as they have the will and ability to fight, they are a threat and must be dealt with."

And with that, he just walked past her and added, "Come on. And for your own safety, don't talk about this while we're among the others. Last thing I need is a bloodbath among my own ranks because of your sentimentality."

 

[Star Pupil]

Lily knew that she would be scolded for asking such a question, but she didn't care. When she got her answer, she wasn't satisfied at all. How did he know what the humans wanted? Granted, she didn't either, but she wouldn't mind talking them and asking. Besides, even after learning that Nia was the Spiral King's daughter, they accepted her. If both races gave each other a chance, they surely could co exist. At least that's what she believed. When he walked passed her, she followed closely at his heels."But General!" She cried out, though deep down she knew there was absolutely nothing she could say to convince him. So she stopped herself. "Fine..." With defeat in her voice, she walked back wit him towards camp.

"It's about time you came back, Lily!" One of the more stuck up of her comrades growled just as she was sighted. "You're lucky you have vital skills to our cause, otherwise we would have just left you behind!" He taunted. Lily just glared at him and then went back to Zanagi. Now that the sun was fully up, it's silver plating shined brightly. She just gazed at it for a moment before sucking her teeth and jumping into the cockpit. Pressing a button, Zanagi came to life, and the hatch closed with her inside of it. If no one will hear me out, then I guess I'll just have to find answers myself. She thought to herself. What she was considering was punishable by death. She didn't want to continue living like this though. Kept in the dark, not being able to think freely. She might as well be dead already.

As their group started to move out, Lily trailed behind sluggishly as she started to think about how to best go about this. She would let Viral have Dai-Gunzan back, but she wanted to save these humans. She had killed many of their brethren and she felt like she had to make up for it. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them to look on her radar. It hurt that she was about to betray the her people, but...she couldn't do it. She couldn't kill one more human without knowing why.

 

[Razgriz]

Viral finally arrived back at the temporary base of operations; if only they had their ship back, he thought. It had everything they needed: Refrigeration, running water, and most important of all - armor and weapons. He looked around the camp; many were either snoozing in the heat of the sun or working on their blocky stout mechs. Some seemed to have just gotten back from hunts themselves. He felt too exposed out here; granted, he was no slouch in hand-to-hand or Gunman-to-Gunman combat, but having his unit separated like this was a bit unnerving.

At least on the Dai-Gunzan, the central radar could be linked to each individual mech and their progress tracked. But now he had to trust everyone kept their eyes on their sectors; while many in his unit were capable, the truth is a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. And there were a significant number of weak links here. Unfortunately, unlike his former commander, he did not have the luxury of terminating slouchers. He needed every body he could get.

After a few hours of letting his troops cook their meals and get themselves ready, he climbed to the top of his personal Gunman - the Enkidudu - and shouted, "Alright! Enough sitting around! It's going to get dark soon! We should head towards the mountain range to the east and make as much progress as we can! Get your gear and load up! We're moving out in five minutes!" A collective "Yes, General!" rang out from the crowd, and soon the campsite was abuzz with activity.

Right on cue, the group moved out five minutes later; hoots and hollers shouted over the intercoms about what they would do to the humans once they found them. Several times, Viral had to shout at them to shut it and watch their sectors; it was something they always did and something he tolerated usually. The humans hadn't been seen in years, so in their minds, what were the chances of them being attacked? They were on the run, an enemy on their trail with their King's blessing and the drive to exterminate not just out of duty, but out of pleasure and wanting.

Two of the rowdier Beastmen, piloting what appeared to be giant green blocks with faces, stout legs and long arms, noticed that Lily's Gunman was trailing behind and gave each other a knowing grin. Time to have some fun with her. "Oi, aren't you supposed to be closer to the front? You are one of the trackers, right?" commented one, the communication coming in on a private channel. "Bet you she's trying to think of some way to charm General Viral, aren't you, Lily? We see you trying to cozy up to him. Too bad those fat lumps on your chest don't help, hahahaha." said the other. "Tell you what, why not let us have some fun with them? We like 'em big just as much as anyone else." both then said, one right after the other in a rather perverted tone.

 

[Star Pupil]

Lily was hearing everything her pack was saying about what they would do to the humans. It was rather annoying, though technically it was the only thing to do other than watch their individual radars. Zanagi had an especially superior radar that had a much longer range than most beastmen's gunmen. When she was closer to a cub, she had a different one. One that she couldn't even remember the name of. It was pretty crappy, but after proving herself at being the best hunter of her ranks, she got Zanagi and had been with it ever since. Even when it was badly damaged in the last uprising, she managed to get it fixed up and working even better than before.

She growled and then turned the public channel off. She didn't want to hear them anymore. It was probably a bad idea, but if General Viral needed to speak to her he could always hop on a private channel directly to her. He probably wouldn't be all too happy with that. After all, if someone spotted something she needed to hear about it. Though she was positive this would be another day of just trailing behind those humans. Ugh, this was a pain. She leaned her head back and sighed. Her recent decision to betray all the people she considered family...more or less...was weighing on her heart. Lily was loyal through and through, and this was the first time she had thoughts about leaving. She wouldn't raise a hand to her own people, at least not yet. She just wanted to help the humans.

Suddenly a private channel opened up and she opened her eyes. At first she thought Viral had already found out she turned off the public channel, but then she heard two obnoxious voices over the channel. Damn it, these two just messaged her to cause trouble. At first, she was about terminate the channel, reaching towards the button to end communications. Then she heard them talk about how she wanted to charm Viral and her hand stopped. She started to blush, and no doubt they would see her face thanks to the camera that would come on when a channel was small enough. She could also see their ugly faces as they made fun of her. Her? Trying to charm Viral? For a moment she was silent as her heart began to race when she thought about him. It was true that she did enjoy being around Viral more than she should have despite him being wary of her. Though trying to charm him? No.

Then that remark about her "lumps". It made her wrap her arms around her body and glare into the camera so both of them could see. "Shut up! You shitheads don't know anything! Mind your own business or else! Don't forget I'm superior to you both in every way. Or do we need a demonstration?" She gave them a challenging glare, though a grin was on her face. An evil looking one. Lily was pretty damn level headed...unless you pushed the wrong button. Her boobs were definitely the wrong subject to talk about, especially so lewdly. Though she also wasn't too happy about them mentioning General Viral. Rumors didn't need to spread about that within their ranks. Or maybe it already had? Who cares, if they poked at her too much she'd show them some fun...just not the kind they requested.

 

[Razgriz]

The two beastmen grinned as Lily so formally challenged them; having been previously under Thymilph's command, fear of something wasn't exactly in their playbook. "Ohoho, she's even feistier than usual! We haven't found the humans yet, so count me in for a fight!" one of them said, smiling at Lily, whilst the other stated, "Let's just hope you can keep, Lily! Hopefully you'll be more useful as a punching bag than a soldier!"

Viral, meanwhile, was up ahead of the pack; while he didn't have quite the radar abilities of a Gunman like Zanagi, it was something to be said about his machine's mobility and array of weaponry, from the single cannon aboard his head to the missile launchers. Combined with its multi-jointed design, it was truly a devastating Gunman. Even still, the particle cannon was something he wanted to try and utilize to its fullest; however, now the humans had his damn helmet. And when he took back the Dai-Gunzan, one of the first orders of business would be reclaim that lost piece of the Enkidudu.

"Sector 4, report in" he commanded; all that was said was, "Nothing on visual or radar fields, General". A short statement, but that's what he needed. Viral ran through the other units, asking for status updates and coming up short on every single one. An aggravating prospect, but he couldn't afford to lose his head. Little did he realize what was going on toward the back of his platoon.

"Sector 27, report." Viral stated, only to be met with silence. Damn it, was Lily still moping? "Lily! Report!" he shouted; he then punched a few keys and accessed the override channel, only to find her being harassed by two of his own and in turn threatening them. "Great..." he mumbled; he then called out, "Company, halt!" forcing the unit to stop in its tracks. Turning his mech towards the back, Enkidudu removed the scythe from his forehead before a cannon shot fired, landing right in front of the three troublemakers, sending a shockwave that blasted all of them onto their backs.

"Andri! Etoc!" his voice carried out over the barren lands, his Gunman's 'mouth' moving to form the words. The two beastmen that had been giving Lily a hard time were quite slow to get up in their mechs, but when they did, Viral was standing before them. "General! It's not what you think!" Etoc started to say, but Viral cut him off "Shut it! If I catch either of you slacking again or bothering anyone on duty, I'll gut you and leave you for the carrion-feeders! Plain and simple. Understand!?" Both were silent for a minute, but then said with fear saturating every syllable, "Yes, General!"

He then turned his attention to Lily, "And you, I want you up front with me. I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm not about to lose the human's trail and I certainly don't need you compromising us because you can't keep your temper in check." Lily was a great fighter, but at the same time, she could be unstable. And given what she asked of him before, it was obvious now he needed to keep a very close eye on her. He then gave the command, "Alright! Forward! Extend spread to fifteen hundred meters! And don't leave a single stone unturned until we reach the mountains!"

 

[Star Pupil]

Lily was about to pounce, the blades on Zanagi's "fingers" extending from the tips. Though before she could do anything, suddenly a blast of energy exploded in between her and the dickheads that egged her on. She was immediately thrown back, though she used the jets on Zanagi's back that was meant for forward lunges to completely stop her fall. With a burst of energy Zanagi was back on it's feet. "Momma would never let you fall, Zanagi." Lily cooed to her machine, caressing the wall next to her. She really did love her gunman. "Who did that?! I'll take you all on!" She screamed out loud instead of over the intercom..

...Only to realize that the one responsible was her General. She quickly placed her hand over her mouth and hoped to Teppelin that he didn't hear her at all. Perhaps his own screaming at the idiots who started it would drown out hers. When Andri and Etoc were yelled at she grinned. "Ha! Serves you both right, you bottom feeding plebeians." Lily assumed that their private channel was just that..still private. Though Viral probably heard her as well. Though her supposed victory was short lived when Viral turned towards her and ordered her to stay up front with him. Ugh... "Yes sir..." Lily said hesitantly as Zanagi's blades retracted and she followed Viral to the front. This wasn't even her fault, but whatever. Just because she was up front didn't mean she'd have to work any harder.

....

Lily was half asleep when suddenly Zanagi detected something on the far end of her radar. She jumped quickly and then looked around, wondering where the noise was coming from. The pinging was...oh crap. It was another gunman, way off into the distance. No doubt it was Dai-Gunzan from the energy readings she was getting off of it. So they were close...looks like the humans weren't moving. She wished she could warn them, but...she knew that if she tried anything and was found out, she'd be cut down almost immediately afterwards. Lily bit her lip as she debated what to do. The only way she'd truly be able to save them is if she fought alongside them.

Opening a private channel so she would not have to hear the others talk, she took a deep breath and spoke the words she really, truly did not want to say. "General Viral, I found our targets." Lily started, though she didn't sound too happy about it. More than likely they hadn't detected them yet. "They are due north west of us. They don't seem to be moving." Lily sent Viral their exact coordinates and waited for his orders. No doubt with the information that she just sent, he'd come up with an attack plan to ambush and surround the humans. She would just have to figure out a plan to intercept his and at least evacuate the humans from the Dai-Gunzan. Maybe if Viral got his ship back, he'd stop looking for them...

 

[Razgriz]

Viral just moved with the company, putting the incident behind him; he was a General, and he had a unit to lead after all. Breaking up fights like this was actually one of the more constant things about this job: Most Beastmen were grunts who loved trying to prove who the 'alpha' was. It was one reason why Genome created the hierarchy, as well as the Divine Generals: He needed to ensure that some form of cohesion existed so that they could keep the surface free of apes. And now that he was one, it was like having a hundred or so disposable fodder at his beck and call. Except he wouldn't play as fast and loose with their lives like his former superiors did.

But then, to shake him from his own mental dwellings, Lily's voice came from the onboard comm array followed by the transmission of the location of a very large signature. Well, at least she was still focused on finding the humans. Still...Something about it seemed too good to be true. However, he ordered his troop forward until they reached the side of the mountain; a giant hole seemed to be drilled into the side of it. And it was roughly the size of the flagship; seems they went in and likely down. Those apes loved playing in the dirt.

"Damn it" Viral muttered as he stared at the gaping entrance, biting on his thumb in contempation and impatience. What to do, he thought. No way he was risking sending everyone in, but he couldn't take too few either. Though he couldn't wait forever as night was encroaching, and unfortunately, he had to make a decision: Send everyone in and risk them running out of power partway through the fight, send in a small group to scout out the area, or wait and let the sun come up so that they would have more time to engage the humans. After all, it was a relative handful of smaller Gunman versus an - admittedly - experienced yet likely shorthanded crew in command of a Dai-Gun.

Plus, there were a few notable enemies onboard: The leader Simon, a redheaded crackshot, the Spiral King's daughter Nia, and one of Adiane's little 'creations' that she herself had failed to exterminate. He still winced from the last time they met; granted he was weaker then, but it was one of the few times he actually almost died. Still, he was weakened like the rest of them and perhaps that would play to his advantage.

To avoid giving away their position from potentially intercepted communications, he used visual signals to force everyone to spread out. Once that was done, he then pointed to four random Gunman - two of which were Andri and Etoc - and ordered them into the cave. They hesitated at first, but Viral reaching for the scythe blade on his Gunman's forehead again was more than enough motivation to carry out their duty. The signal he gave Lily was one of 'Stay right here, and don't move." Before long, the blackness of the entrance seemed to swallow them whole as they disappeared into the mammoth cavern. Minute by minute ticked by, and nothing was heard. Suddenly, however, a bright light flashed from the dark depths, proceeded by a massive column of fire and ash and shaking from the force of the explosion.

"What the hell?! Form a perimeter! Nothing gets out! Lily, Bo, Zanr, on me!" Viral then shouted, his mech charging into the now well-lit cavern entrance; small pockets of flame pocked the inside, providing a set of lantern-like glows for the small squad to follow their comrade's path. What came next was a big surprise: A massive crater formed at the very center of the cave itself, charred debris from the wrecked Gunmen he'd sent in. Unseen by the others, Viral's hands clenched in rage; what the hell had they done?! "Those damned apes..." he growled; suddenly Bo spoke up, "General...It appears they removed the IFF module and rigged it to transmit automatically." Viral then snapped, "That's obvious, you moron! Otherwise the flagship would be here! Go outside and tell everyone we're setting up camp for the night!" Zanr and Bo just kind of looked at each other, intimidated by the General's aggression, before going off. Viral then shouted, "And make sure you yell out the safeword! I don't want to see any fratricide!"

 

[Star Pupil]

The closer they got to the energy reading, the more Lily became suspicious as well. The humans should have had their own way to detect them even if they were being as stealthy as the could. Though she said nothing, even when they approached the entrance of the cave. Mhhm...totally screamed trapped. Though Viral decided to send in those two idiots before and not her, so she just stood their and watched from the safety of outside and not in that death trap..the humans weren't stupid, they would just crawl into the side of a mountain and trap themselves when they had to know they still had enemies out thee.

Though despite knowing this, she still nearly jumped out of the cockpit of her gunman when she heard shots fired. Were they really in there?! Though a deafening silence followed...it was over too quick.

She heard her generals order and immediately followed it. She was definitely curious and wanted to know exactly what had happened. Though it didn't take long for her to get her answer when she approached the cave entrance with Bo, Zanr and her general. The closer she got the more obvious it became as to what had happened. She almost wanted to laugh at the humans and their cleverness, though to be honest she was sad to see her brothers slayed by such a simple trap. Even those two that had bothered her before didn't deserve such a sudden, awful death. Though, this was how life was. It could be given just as quickly as it could be taken away. They were all living on borrowed time...

At least though, it was rest time again. Even though the sun was still up, it wouldn't be for long. Lily didn't really have much reason to stick around, though Viral hadn't given her the order to leave with the other two. She wondered if he might try to inspect the cave for more clues or something. When the other two were gone, Lily decided to speak to her general. "Suppose the good news is that they don't have their IFF module anymore?" It wasn't really meant to be a joke but it really did come off as sarcastic. Lily didn't mean to draw more attention to herself by acting so indifferent that the humans had killed four of their own. However, how many of the humans had they killed? Innocent ones, sometimes even the ones that stayed underground?

All it took was a few stomps with their gunman to crush and entire village of humans underground. Perhaps they just thought the entire world was better if only the beastman existed, even though they were imperfect with their unquestioning obedience. They rarely ever did anything they weren't ordered to do, which was absolutely boring to Lily. She wanted to do something other than aimlessly wander around looking for a reason to use her gunman against defenseless, harmless creatures. Like maybe actually create something once that wasn't a weapon. Maybe using Zanagi to build a little village or something. She didn't know..she didn't know how life was supposed to be like but she knew that what she was living wasn't how it should be.

"I am sure we will catch up to the humans soon, General." Those last words of hers were..extremely unenthusiastic and almost robotic. Like she was only saying what she was expected to say. Oh, that was what she was doing...

 

[Razgriz]

*Elsewhere*

Deep within a large cavernous complex sat a Gunman of massive proportions; holes in its armor the size of the fists on its 'arms' surrounding the control bridge still remained, and dents covered just as much area. One of the legs that allowed it motion was heavily damaged, and the blade which tipped the bow of the deck was completely broken off, leaving only a jagged stub. Humans and Beastmen worked on fixing as much damage as they could, having found spare metal and parts from scavenging missions of old battlefields.

Needless to say, the Battle of Teppelin left much more than just physical damage to their home; many lives were lost that day. On both sides. And despite their valiant efforts, they were defeated and forced to run. Live to fight another day, as a wise man once said. Something that Simon, leader of Team Gurren, kept in mind as he stood on the bridge of the ship. Thanks to some advice from a friend, they'd spent the better part of seven years digging a massive labyrinth of tunnels and caves; they decided to stick underground, and use the thick rock to block as much of a radar signal as possible.

Simon just seemed to watch the tunnels; it certainly wasn't an ideal setup, but it was the best they could do. Their current location had only two points of entry: One mainly was to be able to funnel any enemy forces through a single line, and the other would serve as an emergency exit point should things get too out of control. Soon enough though, a large man - his body covered in simplistic armor, and his arms wrapped in thick bandages - approached and stood next to the leader, auto rifle in hand. "I'm guessing they fell for the trap. Just like you said they would." Simon commented to him, to which the man replied dryly "Seems that way; though they could have easily avoided it." Giving a sigh, he then added, "It might not be much and I know it was not an easy decision to make, but we needed to throw them off our trail. I want to thank you for trusting me."

Simon grinned, "Hey, that's what friends do, right? Besides, nice to see that you mellowed out for a change, Exodus." Exodus glared at Simon, his golden hues narrowing as he stated "I asked you not to call me that anymore. You know what that name means to me." Simon's face softened; it was true, that name did carry more scars than most might ever want to admit. "Sorry. You were called that for so long it's still kind of a habit." the digger replied, to which the man added with a smirk, "True. Still, Irula is the name I was given. Even if it was by that bastard." Like Nia, he too was 'thrown away' as the journey had revealed to him; apparently the King didn't like it when his children asked too many questions. However, there seemed to be no 'mass grave' for the princes; even now Irula wondered what happened to his sons.

Regardless, Genome liked him even less when Simon and Nia broke the mental conditioning Adiane forced on him as part of her twisted experiments to weaponize the humans against their own brethren; last he'd heard, the remaining enemy forces were to kill him on sight instead of trying to capture him alive like they had before. Finally, Simon broke the silence and asked, "Wonder how Yoko and Kittan are doing; they should be back soon right?" Irula shrugged, "Don't know. I just hope he's not being too much of a handful, though I can understand his pain all too well." Simon nodded; just as Irula's story had been gruesome, Kittan suffered a terrible loss of his own: His three sisters, the only real family he had left on this world, were taken from him just like that. The blond-haired man pretended that he'd accepted what had happened, but everyone could see he was still shaken by it even after all this time. Even still, he had yet to do anything rash, and so far he seemed to be alright.

 

[Star Pupil]

Very shortly after the two men began conversing, Nia and Yoko joined Simon and Irula on the bridge of the ship. Nia was her normal, cheerful self..she had to be sometimes in order to keep the group motivated. Especially her lover, Simon. Sometimes the loss of Kamina and the others on Team Gurren would shake him up. Though Nia knew that all of those that they lost would want them to keep living, so they could one day try to defeat her father one more time. Even though it had been seven years since they had lost so much, Nia still held onto hope that one day they would have the strength to fight again. Humans shouldn't have to be forced to live under the surface like this...and after their defeat, she wasn't so sure if anyone else would rise up to the task as they did so long ago. Not to mention, their actions had led to beastmen becoming even more hostile towards the human race. If they didn't defeat the Spiral King, it would just be a matter of time before they went extinct...

"Greetings Simon! Greetings brother!" Nia ran over to them as Yoko sluggishly trailed behind her. She first gave Irula a hug and then Simon. Though Simon also got a kiss on the cheek from her. "I have heard the wonderful news...Brothers trap seemed to have work? So are the beastmen off our trail now?" She asked as she looked toward Irula. Nia had no trouble accepting him even though she had never really spoken to or seen him before. Though she did know that they indeed came from the same man. He just had that feeling about him...and she was happy that he had decided to come join their cause instead of doing what Adiane had trained him to do.

"Yeah...great job, Irula. I was a bit skeptical that they would fall for that, but they seem as stupid as ever. They're so desperate to get Dai-Gurren back from us...guess they'll follow any energy reading they pick up. Still..we should really keep our guard up. I don't think we should stay here for too much longer." Yoko told the two men as she adjusted the strap of her rifle. She had never stopped carrying it around with her..not even once. She was always on the defensive just in case. Even though they always were one step ahead of the beastmen by always traveling at night, Yoko just felt more comfortable having it on hand.

 

[Razgriz]

Simon and Irula turned to see the two women coming onto the deck of the Dai-Gurren; the former ruffled the gradient hair of the young woman whilst the latter sweeped his lover into a hug as she kissed him. Honestly, she was the largest part of why Simon was able to snap out of his funk after Kamina died; it was like she said, he didn't have to be his 'Bro'. He just had to be himself. "Seems that way for now, Nia. They're probably scratching their head at the moment, trying to figure out how we pulled that off."

"Yeah, well...Simon had to give his approval, and Ron and Kittan had to help me wire the damn thing." He then gave a slight snicker, "Never was any good with electronics." "That was more your thing, Harbinger. God rest your soul." Irula commented mentally, his thoughts wondering back to the first woman he'd ever loved. And how she'd sacrificed herself so that he wouldn't fall to Adiane that fateful day. He was, in some small scale, hoping to make things work with Yoko. She was like his former beloved in so many ways. But it seemed like things never really clicked. Just as well though...He'd been far too unstable in the past. Put her and her comrades in danger more times than was acceptable for the sake of his bloodlust. Nearly got himself killed just as many too. Besides, he knew of her attraction to Kamina, and didn't want to insult the man's memory by trying to 'get with her'. Even seven years later, it didn't feel right trying to do anything that might jeopardize the platonic relationship he developed with her.

But that was then; Simon, Nia, and many others of Team Gurren finally helped him see that there was more to the future than dwelling on what was. Shaking those bothersome thoughts from his mind, he focused on what was at this moment. He was glad the trap worked nonetheless, as it had bought them some precious time to widen the gap. They had some trouble getting it to relay the proper signal at first, and now that they had to use the only means to identify friendly targets as bait, it was going to be extremely difficult to avoid friendly fire in case of future engagement. A problem that could be remedied marginally in the meantime, but would require a full replacement if they wished the same level of IDing capability.

"But more to the point...We're still a fair ways from Littner. But once we arrive, we can restock on ammunition." Simon then added; so far, moving at night had been in their best interest. With most of their larger Gunmen destroyed, it was unlikely they would have a repeat of the hot springs incident. Irula nodded, "Like Yoko mentioned, we should ready ourselves to leave soon. The first shift is about to come in. Yoko, Kittan and the rest can take their sleep if they need or want it. I'll take Gimmi, Darri and some of the other Supers, have the three of us sweep the area." And as if answering the call, a particularly burly bull humanoid emerged from the bowels of the ship, his massive form dressed in simple cloth to cover his broad chest and hide his shame. On his shoulder sat a red-furred rodent, munching on what appeared to be some kind of desert fruit from the storage areas below. His dewy yet menacing green hues peered at each of them, before giving a nod and addressing Irula, "Sir, the first group has been accounted for. No signs of Beastmen activity in the immediate vicinty. We are clear to move on your command."

Irula smirked and replied, "Mota, you don't answer to me anymore." He then gave a nod towards Simon, "He's the man in charge now. But good work on the headcount." Funny thing about time: It could make things that happened a long period before appear to have happened sooner, and vice versa. Not too long, these 'Supers' - other products of Adiane's twisted mind - would have joined him among the ranks of the Beastmen had he and his now-deceased squadmates not destroyed the labs where they were churned out like clockwork and liberated the majority of them. While ultimately incapable of using Spiral Energy to its fullest, they were some of the only forces that could run their Gunmen at night, as well as operate longer without going needing to enter stasis. Thus, they were very valuable soldiers. Something the former Spiral Prince had learned after his own 'creation' or 'rebirth', depending on one's perspective.

Even after the Battle of Teppelin, Irula knew some remained: The question was, how many? And were they still loyal to their King? If his conditioning was anything to speak of, then it would be safe to surmise they were still under Genome's thumb.

Mota nodded and replied, "Of course. But there was one more thing: The one named Kittan. I apologize if it seems misplaced, but I worry for him. The loss of loved ones is never easy, but if I may be so bold...I fear he might become how you used to be, Irula, if he feels too isolated." Irula let out a sigh, "Kittan's tough, but I agree with you to an extent." It wasn't much of an extent, but it was fairly obvious Kittan was hurting more than he let on. Besides, the last thing anyone needed was having someone be as volatile as he used to be again. It was understandable to be that pissed off, hell Irula knew that feeling better than anyone. So full of rage and hatred one might burst from the overload.

Simon seemed agreeable and added, "Yoko, could I ask you to check in on Kittan in a little while? I'll stop by as well after I see Ron." Irula then slung his rifle over his back and stated, "Well, I'mma round up the second shift. See if we can't sniff out any interlopers. Mota, let's go." And with that, the man and Super disappeared to travel to the Gunman deployment bay for their turn at reconnaisance.

 

[Star Pupil]

Nia watched her brother and Mota leave, gazing after them as if lost in thought over something. She was always worried whenever anyone left to make rounds, but that wasn't what was bothering her. Lately she had a bad feeling, especially when she heard somehow the Beastmen had found their trail and had been following it for weeks. Even though they were safe at night, she just felt...bad. She held onto Simon's arm, intent on following him to see Ron. Looking at Yoko, who was glaring at the floor as her fingers tightened on the strap of her rifle, she spoke up. "I am also worried for Kittan. I have tried cheering him up, but he is not receptive to my words." Not the way Simon was, but Simon had lost one big bro and not three little sisters like Kittan did. He was also older than Simon was, if that made a difference. Yoko nodded and turned her back.

"I'll talk to him. There's not much I can say that I haven't already said over the past seven years though. Oh, and Simon? Don't forget...you've got a big day tomorrow with Nia. Don't you dare forget." The day Yoko was talking about was his and Nia's anniversary. Nia wouldn't stop talking about it, but men were sometimes very forgetful. He had forgotten at least twice in the last six years of their relationship...and even though Nia seemed to forgive him for it, Yoko would know when she was disappointed. Especially because every year she always planned something special for him. Even when they were on the run, with their lives constantly in danger...Nia always made sure that they remembered how to have fun. Or at least she tried to. Kittan didn't seem very responsive to it.

Yoko left the two alone so she could talk to Kittan. It was always a little awkward sometimes, because they were very close. Lamenting in the loss of their loved ones, even though her love for Kamina was obviously different. She walked over to the port side of Dai-Gurren and found Kittan in his usual spot. He seemed completely out of it, probably thinking about the loss of his sisters once more. She knew that Kittan probably wanted revenge, and running away from those responsible for his sisters deaths was probably demoralizing to do every day, but..there was now way they could fight back with their forces as they were. "Kittan..." Yoko began as she walked forward to greet him. "What are you doing alone out here?" She knew what he was doing, but...well there were only so many ways to start the same conversation.

Nia walked with Simon to see Ron, holding his arm tightly to him. She really appreciated Yoko for reminding him, but she knew that he wouldn't forget. Well, maybe she didn't know, but...the times that he forgot, they were under a lot of stress. "Simon...Do you ever think about challenging my father again?" It was probably a question out of the blue, but...she was tired of running away. She couldn't really pilot a gunman or shoot a rifle like Yoko and her brother. So she really couldn't suggest this to them. Though she did wonder how Simon had felt about it, and it had been quite some time since she asked that question. Years in fact.

 

[Razgriz]

Simon just grinned and rubbed the back of his head; he'd been good about most of his anniversaries, but he did forgot a couple of times. This year though, he had prepared something in advance for Nia. Something special, and nothing would make him forget it. But nonetheless, he started to walk off to meet the eccentric engineer onboard their mobile headquarters. The external repairs were going well enough, but the Spiral amplification system was starting to fritz out; thankfully, Ron had kept it going well enough so far, but they would need to either scrap some of their own Gunmen or somehow find spare parts through abandoned battlegrounds or surprising hostile patrols.

When Nia asked her question about if they might face her father again, Simon seemed quite taken aback; it had been some time since she asked that. But he never did really give her a clear answer, did he? "I think about it a lot, Nia. And someday we will. But we've had to move slowly and try to visit other villages to see if people might want to join up. We also need to make sure we have everything we need; that's why Littner is one of our stops."

A futile effort really; ever since news of their defeat at the hands of Genome spread, it was near impossible to convince those that heard of it - which was mostly everyone - to want to willingly come along. Simon couldn't blame them for not wanting to risk their family's well being as well as their own, but the fact was they needed more people and supplies before they might even have a shot at the Spiral King...And the non-cooperative attitudes kind of aggravated him. But there was nothing he could do about it, so they just let it go.

Eventually, the pair would find Ron tinkering away in the engine room; seemed he added a long white coat to his attire today, the surface already streaked with grime. Just as they approached, the flamboyant mechanic exited from a service hatch, wiping his hands on his sleeves. He then noticed the two and smiled, "Simon! Nia! How are my little lovebirds today? Don't tell me this handsome boy forgot again...Naughty naughty." Simon flushed and tried to retort, "Ron, come on...It's not till tomorrow." But Ron then laughed, replying "Oh, Simon...I was just testing you." before patting him on the head and adding, "Good boy for remembering though." He then crossed his arms and asked, "So, the engine's good to go. We just need to cycle it for a few minutes and we'll be ready to start this train rolling again."

Now it was Simon's turn to smile, "That's great, Ron. Can't tell how glad I am to have you around, because we'd be up the creek." Ron just giggled and replied, placing a delicate hand to his cheek, "Oh, Simon, flattery will get you everywhere."

---

Kittan was at the port-side stern of the ship, silently working on his star-shaped Gunman. Everyone else was busy getting themselves ready for departure, but Kittan had already finished and opted to spend his time in here. The patrol he had with Yoko and the others was relatively uneventful; not even a damn mouse stirred in the barren rocks.

Even though he worked with dogged determination, those bright blue hues of his seemed...empty. Hollow, even. Like the life was just gone, leaving this husk in its absence. He pulled the goggles off his eyes, having just finished a weld on one of the retractable 'spines' of his machine before climbing down. Dark circles were heavily apparent, evidence of many a sleepless night.

Just as he was ready to call it in, he turned as he heard a familiar voice. "Yoko..." he muttered, then adding in a very neutral tone "Well, I finished almost everything else, so I thought I'd fix up some needed patchwork." He then put a hand to his eye and rubbed it, trying to get the sleep out of it. "Anyway, was there something you needed? I was about to head to the mess hall and get some food. Wanna come with?" he then asked her; truth be told, he was feeling a little hungry and some of Old Man Coco's cooking might give him some more energy in case they came across anything.

 

[Star Pupil]

It was a fair answer. Without anyone who'd support their cause, they couldn't even hope to win. They're numbers were thinned out so heavily that they could barely keep themselves out of range of the enemy. Constantly moving ahead of them during the nights. It made them start going nocturnal themselves. Nia just wished for peace, but she knew that would be next to impossible with her father still around. Maybe one day they could find others brave enough to fight with them. They had the experience and the knowledge, they just needed willing pilots, and from there more gunman. Nia sighed softly before taking his arm and leaning her head against it. One day they'd find more people..one day something would motivate someone enough to want to join their cause.

When they saw Ron, Nia smiled at him and waved hello. The news that he brought was great. They could start traveling again. Lately they had a few issues, and honestly it was a little tense not being able to move around when they needed to. Especially because of how close the enemy was getting trying to find them. Every day was a bit of a gamble, but...at least they wouldn't have any problems for a little bit longer. Hopefully they'd make it to Litner soon. Nia couldn't help but laugh at the exchange to two men had carried. A caress of the cheek from Ron usually made Simon nervous, so Nia just squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Ron. It's not flattery but the truth. You are definitely the reason why we have lasted this long. This Gunman is not easy to take care of." She told him.

******
It was always hard seeing Kittan when he was like this. He once was just about as energetic as Kamina. He used to greet her so loudly, and he always had this gigantic smile on his face.

Not anymore.

Yoko grimaced a little, her eyes narrowing just a fraction as she tried to bring herself to not be irritated. It was an awful feeling towards a man who was already so defeated. She didn't need to make it worse, but sulking really wasn't going to bring back his sisters. Or anyone who had died. Honestly she had tried to be careful around him but maybe she should tell him how she truly felt about the matter. Or maybe she should just keep her mouth shut and skirt around it just like everyone else. She really didn't have time for this, she could barely keep herself together...

"I'll go with you. I didn't need anything, I just wanted to talk to you. It's been a while since you really talked...to anyone." She told him as she started to walk with him.

 

[Razgriz]

"Especially since we're running low on spare parts, dear; but don't you worry about that! I'll keep this ol' baby running smoothly till we get to Littner." Simon just snickered; leave it to Ron to keep spirits up even when things were looking grim. And he had a special surprise for Nia the next day. One he was hoping she would enjoy.

Just then though, there was a knock. "Oh good, Simon, you're here too". then said the voice of Irula, Simon and Ron looking to see the bandage-covered warrior. It was no secret why he had to be covered like that, given his 'condition', but he was putting on too much of a brave face for someone's liking. "Irula, you really need to take your medicine; I know the doses are running low but it's been long enough. We have more than enough to make it back to the village." Ron chastised, a more serious tone in his voice. The man replied, "Actually, I was coming down to see you for just that...Give me the syringe and I'll head out. Is there anything we should look for?"

Ron then handed the tiny needle, filled fully with a fluorescent green liquid, over to Irula who just shoved it in his arm, face squinching as the burning sensation overtook him. "Damn...Heh, stings a bit." Irula tried to joke, Simon then adding "Just don't push yourself too much, alright? Last thing we need is something to happen to you out there." Ron seemed satisfied by Simon's simple statement, answering the previous question while retrieving the needle, ""Hmm, I have yet to go through the salvage brought back from the first party. Granted, it wasn't really scavenging they were supposed to be doing, but any material is welcomed. If you happen to find any conduits from decrepit Gunman, that would be appreciated. Some of the contacts from the reactor are suffering corrosion, so it would be best to replace those soon."

Irula just nodded, but then Simon stepped forward with a small folded piece of paper, "I know this is a lot to ask, but if you happen to find this...Could you bring it back?" The man took the slip and opened it, eyes widening a little at the item in question. But Irula just smiled and put it into his cargo pocket and replied, "Sure, no problem. And sis, keep an eye on him, yeah? Don't let him get into too much trouble while I'm gone". And with that, he patted Nia's head and went off, starting the next shift of patrols.

---

Kittan just walked on, marching all too resolutely toward the chow hall. He was just trying to live on for his sisters, and if people thought he was sulking then they could go fall in a chasm. His sisters were the reason he was able to smile, to be so full of life. He lived to make them happy, to keep them safe; it was like their deaths just sucked all the purpose out of him.

"Yeah, well...Been busy. Trying to keep the Gunmen in shape ain't easily, 'specially since some of the Supers haven't seen the inside of one. Irula's been trying to help train them in case we need the bodies, but that means more work for everyone." he then replied a little more heatedly than he wanted to; hell, it was partly in thanks to former Prince's allies that they'd been able to make it this far. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. All this running around's had me on edge, you know?"

The duo would then arrive at the mess hall, Old Man Coco and several smaller Supers working the kitchen to craft recipes from the plants and game meats brought back to the ship by the hunting parties. Meat was considerably scarcer due to the fact that the scent of even the best-cleaned kill could lead the enemy back to the Dai-Gurren. After getting his food, Kittan and Yoko were then seated at a table, the former asking "So what's new? I know I haven't been out and about...But I don't really want to talk about me. How are you holding up with everything?"

 

[Star Pupil]

Nia held Simon's hand, watching her brother walk off. She was so worried about him all the time, but she had to believe he could hold his own. He had survived with her, after all this. He was strong, despite his sickness. "What did you ask him to get, Simon?" Nia asked with curiosity, her eyes turning to him.

***

"Oh...as well as I always have." Yoko muttered as she leaned back in her chair. She didn't have much of an appetite, but it had been that way for as long as she could remember. It disappeared when she lost Kamina, and the only reason why she ever ate was to keep her strength up so she could go on to live another day. To fight another day. She wasn't sure how, but she'd get her revenge on the Spiral King. It didn't satisfy her that Kamina's killer was dead..no. She would finish it...someday.

"You know, you'd think we'd get used to this kind of running around. We could never really stay in one place, even before all this." She began as she stared at her food. She paused for a moment as she debated on what she wanted to say. She didn't want to seem to insensitive, but she was just..numb to it all. "I'm tired of running, Kittan. I know it seems hopeless right now, but...one day we'll defeat him and get revenge for your sisters, and for Kamina...and everyone else who isn't here with us right now."

 

[Razgriz]

Simon just rubbed the back of his head as Nia asked him, "Just...A little extra something for tomorrow" Ron just smiled happily; to see two people in love always brought light to his day, and made these moments of crushing despair much easier to bear. "Alright, lovebirds, I think it's time you two be somewhere else, don't you agree? We're probably going to be starting her up soon...HEY!" The genius then called down the hatch, a voice over the intercom stating "We're just coming out! No problems on our end!"

Ron just crossed his arms and nodded, "Good, now we just need to wait for the all-clear from the night team. Then we can start making headway again." It really had been too long since they stopped moving, but their external sensors were still heavily damaged and the armor integrity was less than optimal.

---

Yoko had a point: They never did stay in one place, even if they went the wrong way more times than anyone would probably admit. And honestly? He wasn't hungry either, but he knew he hadn't eaten much so he was going to force himself to even if it made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Yeah...I know, I just wish that day would come sooner rather than later. If I had just taken care of Viral..." Kittan had the opportunity during the Battle of Teppelin, but once Rossiu intervened to save Simon they knew it was over. The Spiral King was just too strong, but at the very least he would have been more encumbered trying to rise a new leader. None of the other Beastmen were as intelligent as Viral or the four former Generals, at least not to anyone's knowledge. And with Adiane's super-soldiers still a relative unknown, however few there might be...Everything was just so difficult.

Like always though, the conversation didn't last long; eventually Kittan just pushed his tray away. This time he did manage to eat almost all of it, but the others he usually asked if anyone else wanted to finish his plate. And in doing so would get a generous second serving. "Alright...Going to try and get some rest. I suggest you do the same, Yoko." the blonde man stated tiredly, standing up and walking to his quarters.

---

Irula and the others finally made it to the surface, his own Gunman - one that had no name - emerging first. The blued hue of the metal was worn and chipped all over; add that to the dents on its surface and the image of a battered, worn-down machine was quite disheartening. More of a custom build from his time before meeting Team Gurren, it was actually a bit easier to find replacement parts for since it had no energy weapons on its being. The plating on the fists was still not in great shape, but they were designed to allow him to fight like Viral's Enkidudu.

The others soon followed behind him, spreading out and searching for anything that might have snuck up close. The lands were so barren, still, lifeless; it was like the Battle of Teppelin robbed this world of the will to live on. Granted, everyone was thankful there were no enemy Beastmen yet, but they would have liked to see more wildlife than just the prey species they hunted for food.

After an about an hour of searching the immediate vicinity, no one in the team picked up anything nearby. Simon and Nia were both up in the main control tower, waiting by the radio for the all-clear. Just then, Irula's voice came through:

"Irula to Dai-Gurren, area is clear and free of hostiles. I repeat, area is clear and free of hostiles."

Simon just nodded and pressed a button for the intercom, "All hands, prepare for start-up. I repeat, prepare for start-up." There was a bit of a lurch less than a minute after Simon spoke those words, the massive legs of the Dai-Gun starting to move through the tunnels. And it wasn't long before the gigantic mech finally broke the surface through one of the exits. The plan was to try and use the twilight hours to maximize land travel; digging through the rock with Lagann was safer, sure but considerably slower. And besides: The eve before their anniversary was a perfect night to see the evening sky.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Simon just grinned, "Man, I'd almost forgotten what this looked like." He knew they would have to go back under again, but at least the endless view of rock, rock and more rock - all too reminiscent of his time in Jeeha - would be put on hold for now. The stars twinkled and the oranges of the eve were tracing through the event horizon of the last light.

But what waited for them ahead one could only guess.

 

[Star Pupil]

Nia was so happy to see see the sky, and be able to breathe fresh air. She still wasn't used to being underground even after seven long years, and she was horrified that there were people who had lived their entire years underground. She wished she could change that, but how could she? Even she couldn't bring herself to try to convince more people to fight alongside them when they had lost so badly against her father. Sure, they had picked up a couple of people along the way, people who didn't have a place in their villages or were survivors of a horrible earthquake that the beastmen had caused to destroy their village. But almost always, they simply found those people new homes.

Almost always, anyway. There were a couple of people, mostly younger kids that wanted to get their revenge on the beastmen some day. One of the most spirited, yet quiet of them was a girl who couldn't speak, or at least Nia had assumed it to be so since she had never spoke since coming aboard. Every time they surfaced, that same girl would rush to the deck of Dai Gurren just to see the sky. Nia could see her even now from the tower. Her name was Reina, even though she couldn't speak she at least told them that through writing.

"It's beautiful," Nia responded to Simon as she looped her arm around his, resting her head against his shoulder. "I wish all humans got to see this view without fearing for their lives." Her tone was sadder than it should have been, at least on this night. She was supposed to be happy today, so she just took in a deep breath and gave Simon a smile. "I'm thankful that we at least get to see it, though. At the very least."

 

[Razgriz]

Simon just stared into the night sky, a confident smile on his face; he was truly lucky to had landed a girl like Nia. With her by his side, he felt like he could take on the world. "Bro...If you were here, I know you wouldn't like me running. But I'm doing it to keep everyone safe.". It was true, Kamina was always on to go for it all...But with how badly they were beaten, they needed to regroup. Once they were back in Littner, the former digger knew he would have better chances organizing a resistance. At the very least, they could get the Dai-Gurren repairs almost fully if not fully completed.

Placing his arm over and holding her a little more tightly, he just said "Don't worry, Nia; one day people will see this. They won't live with a ceiling over their heads any more, and they won't have to be afraid. But it is nice out right?" If they were still above ground by tomorrow night, then he could make his surprise plan come into effect. And if Irula brought what he was hoping could be fond in this area - a request he'd made before in the past - then it would make this anniversary even more unforgettable.

The big question though, was how far were they to Littner? Supplies were lowering, and Irula's condition was worsening by the day. If they couldn't formulate more of the medicine, there was a very real chance he could die in the next few months. There was another thing he needed as well, but they just didn't have the resources to make it operational; if they could find more scrapped Gunmen, they might have a shot though.

The time came, however, as the sun began to rise. And after quick work and really stretching the clock, they were back underground once more. Per protocol, the main entryway was forcibly collapsed to block enemy movement. "Aww, man; morning can't come later? I was really hoping to actually see the sunrise this time." Simon muttered after yawning sleepily; at the very least, he would sleep a few hours while Nia's elder brother would take over watch duty so Lagann would be able to do the majority of the tunnels. They actually went deeper this time, since a test run by the first crew showed lowered rock density in the general area. They had to dig so that they could use the higher load-bearing granite to keep the cave from collapsing on them, which meant extra work.

But eventually it was done and Simon returned to the ship, seeing the others that used Jeeha's hand drills coming back absolutely covered in dust and rock. A typical day here on the Dai-Gurren; but how long could they really hold out?

 

[Star Pupil]

The sun had barely come up, and Lily was already wide awake. She had to move, and she had to do it fast. She hadn't gotten far when she separated from her pack, after all she had left just before sunset after they had triggered the human trap. She had told Viral she was going to scout the area really quickly to make sure the humans weren't near, and just never went back. He would probably think she got stuck somewhere after running out of solar power, but if she didn't rejoin them soon he would get suspicious.

Especially when she disabled her communication channel indefinitely. Yeah, she was doing this. She was going to find those humans herself and talk to them. If she could convince them to give back the ship the stole, she could drop them off somewhere and tell General Viral she killed them. It was the perfect plan...hopefully.

Lily was extremely happy when she finally found their trail again. It might have been pure luck, or maybe she just had a feeling on what direction they were traveling after their clever little trap. They traveled above ground during the night and then they seemed to disappear underground during the day. How far could they really get digging underground like that? She would have to move fast, otherwise she would lose them.

Without her pack slowing her down, she was able to fully take advantage of Zanagi's speed. It was a lightweight gunman, meaning while it wasn't as durable as others, it was faster. Especially when she installed numerous, or perhaps a ridiculous amount of jets in it's legs, feet, and back. She would catch up them today, and then figure out their course of travel underground.

Eventually, the trail started to go cold, but Lily knew better.

***

As usual, there was a warm meal awaiting everyone who came back from digging, including Simon. It was the only real way Nia knew how to help, even if they didn't have much to eat. She was thankfully a good enough cook to make limited ingredients into amazing dishes, and it kept their crew happy, mostly. Of course, not even the most delicious meal could bring Kittan out of his depression, and Nia didn't feel like he wanted to be around her. She could understand why, perhaps he was reminded too much of the sisters he lost when he looked at her.

"Looks like everything went well out there." Nia told Simon when he joined them all in the mess hall. Digging was unfortunately a dangerous job, and even though Simon did most of it with Lagann, accidents did happen every now and then. "Is my brother still on watch duty? He needs to eat breakfast too." He did better when he was properly nourished. If not, the sickness only got worse and the medicine seemed to wear off faster. She really hoped they were close to Littner.

 

[Razgriz]

No one aboard the Dai-Gurren knew of their sole tracker, as she still a fairways behind from where they were now. Of course, the giant 'footprints' left by the colossal mech would make it a bit easier to follow them, hence why they traveled underground more often than not. The scouting party had not returned quite yet, performing one final sweep above ground before they would return inside.

Simon still chuckled at the memory of Nia's first attempt at cooking; he personally thought it was fantastic, but for whatever reason it wasn't a huge hit with the others. Now, however, she and Old Man Coco were the finest chefs on the surface world - or at least that's what Simon would say. "No, he said he was going to do an extended search alone; everyone else is back though. Said he would be back in a little bit" Probably not something she wanted to hear, but Irula sometimes did that. Still...With his experience, there were few Simon knew could handle themselves on the outside.

Irula meanwhile, was looking around in his Gunman near a cliff wall about ten miles from where the Dai-Gurren was 'buried', trying to find the very thing Simon had wanted him to look for. Finding it at night would have been easier, but hopefully the residual dawn would still make it somewhat simple to spot. After a few more minutes, his eyes rested on what he was looking for. "Simon, I'll give you credit: Nia's going to love this". It was a rare luminescent flower, one that produced a vibrant pink glow. The petals were long and evenly-spaced, seeming to hold their weight with only the tips drooping in a rough bell-shape. He didn't know what it was called exactly, but it was something he'd seen before.

However, right as he was getting ready to dig it up, he heard something. Smelled something that sent a cold shiver down his spine.

A threat.

A low rumbling growl left his throat, his eyes flashing dangerously as he muttered, "Beastman". It had to be; nothing else that had this scent would have followed them out here. Seemed the flower would have to wait; and he was too far away to go back and warn them. And he couldn't risk radio communication, since he knew that bastard Viral was smart enough to equip a unit or with a radio analyzer. That meant he was alone...He would have to deal with this threat by himself, something he knew about as he ducked behind and had his Gunman start to make his way up the back. If he had the high ground, he might be able to surprise these assholes.

 

[Star Pupil]

"Hmm," Lily pondered as she stared intently at the ground, her eyes narrowing slightly before she saw the tiniest clue on where the trail picked up. "Aha! Can't fool these eyes, hehe!" She wasn't paying attention to her tracker, since she was doing things the old fashioned way. Of course she had slowed down quite a bit trying to pick up the remainder of the trail. She hoped she could make up for lost time, but it didn't help that whatever was obscuring the trail had done so that she couldn't just follow a straight path. Seems like she had to walk from now.

Though something made the hairs on her tail stand on end. She felt like she was being watched. It was impossible that her pack had caught up to her, so what was that? She moved her hand to her turn on her tracker, and while it was faint, she saw an energy reading, and it was close. Very close. It wasn't Dai Gunzan, it was something else...

She couldn't open up her communication channel, so what could she do? If it was a human, they would probably see her as an enemy. She had to plan this out carefully, otherwise she might end up fighting them, which she wanted to avoid. She had to get close, but how?