Team Palatinus IC Hangar

[Elise]

It was a rainy day inside the barrier shield of Markov. Too rainy for Dr. Null and his compatriot, Mister Winner. Both Jay and Quatre preferred the air-conditioned sanctity of their fully equipped bunker, courtesy of House Dulmare and the Kingdom of Palatinus. Alas, appearances needed to be kept up, and with the Hyper Robo Grand Prix upon them once more, it was time to dust off the shroud that had been covering the competition's most legendary fighting machine.

Wing Zero loomed behind them as sheets of rippling rain sloughed across the tarmac. The HRGP TV crew was finalizing their setup, and this season's spry, young newscaster was putting the finishing touches on her makeup.

"Hmph. All this facade, while The Fade still runs amok outside the walls." Dr. Null grumbled. Quatre nodded silently, but fumed internally. For all of his bluster over the Unmaking, Dr. Null had been, apparently, completely negligent to send his prized Gundam into the fight against the mech terrorizing their planet. At first, the blonde, lithe ex-pilot had assumed it was pure vanity -- that the doctor didn't want his prized machine pulverized by the power of the Fade. As time went on, however, and Dr. Null became more elusive on the subject, Quatre began to suspect that there was something about the Fade that Jay wasn't telling him...or perhaps, for that matter, there was something about Wing Zero that was hidden.

Regardless, he had no more time to ruminate on the irony as the white-haired young lady bounced up to them. She was pretty, with a round face and eager purple eyes that seemed glued to the blue, white and red mobile suit under the hangar canopy.

"Are we good to go? Great, you two just stay there..." Vienne said, adjusting the collar of her shirt. The cameraman gave her a count on his fingers, and she took a deep breath before half-shouting. "This is Vienne Quigley, coming at you live from inside the Dulmare estate in Markov! I have here with me Dr. Jay Null and three time HRGP Champion Pilot, Quatre Winner. I have to say, I'm awfully excited to even be standing in the shadow of such a legendary machine as Wing Zero. I couldn't help but notice, though, that its technical loadout is identical to last season's competition; do you expect other teams' knowledge of it specs to be a weakness, Dr. Null?"

Dr. Null gathered himself up, and adjusted his bionic spectacles with his plastic, prosthetic claw hand.

"Of course not. Wing Zero has the most wins, and overall highest score, of any HRGP machine for the simple reason that it has no weakness! How would you expect me to increase its perfection?" he asked with a note of amusement.

Vienne pantomimed a stifled laugh.

"Of course, of course! But there's also the fact that Wing Zero still seems to be equipped with the controversial ZERO combat heuristic system. Not only have the judges been hesitant to allow it on the basis of AI piloting in the past, but it has also been responsible for the most reported casualties in HRGP history...including to its own pilots! Do you still plan to proceed with its activation?" Vienne blubbered. Her rate of speech was dizzying, and it grated on the aged Doctor's sensibilities.

"Bah! The ZERO system is only a threat in the event that a pilot's mental resilience isn't up to the task of integrating with the Wing Gundam's systems. It is for that reason that Quatre here has three consecutive tournament wins under his belt!"

Vienne nodded patiently, and turned to the blonde haired youth to the right. He was a beautiful young man; slim and in his prime. Yet, there was a strangely haunting weariness that hung on his features.

"That brings us, of course, to Quatre Raberba Winner, the legend himself. Quatre, the HRGP community was heartbroken and happy all at once last season when you announced your retirement. Does this early sunset on your career have anything to do with the ZERO system?" Vienne chirped.

"Of course. But the ZERO system is also why I chose to remain an affiliate. Whoever gets in that machine next..." Quatre said in a dire tone, "...will have to pass my standards. The Wing Gundam may be famous in the HRGP circuit, but it is still a dangerous war machine. We should never forget what it is capable of in the wrong hands." he finished softly.

Vienne nodded gravely before turning back to the hovering cameras.

"Grave warnings and a sober reminder here from Markov and the heads of Team Palatinus. Still, I for one can't wait to see Wing Zero back in action. Dr. Null, Mr. Winner, best of luck on your hunt for a new pilot. That's all for now from Cevanti; Vienne Quigley signing off!"

 

[Jade Callisto]

Truth be told Hiroto had not cared for anything related too much with what these Crossroads were. However given his situation he was just a waste of talent without any mech to pilot. He was looking into this Hyper Robo Grand Prix, some teams were recruiting pilots and other positions. He is going to sign up for the team with the only gundam in existence here known as The Wing Gundam. Hiroto paced into the hangar of Team Palatinus, fixing his gaze on the Wing Gundam. "So this is a real gundam huh? I wonder what Eve would think if she were here right now?" Hiroto sighed before moving toward the team, presumably the one in charge. Still a wing gundam was nothing in comparison to his Core Gundam, still was impressive nonetheless. Pretty old school but it definitely could be improved upon, just from what he could see regarding the armaments. "So far everything looks impressive enough. Does it have the standards such as Vulcan Cannons and Beam Sabers?" Hiroto never meant to sound rude with his tone of voice, was really just how he talked.

Still Hiroto was used to Gundams being more than a single one, he almost failed to remember that these people probably thought this was the only one. "Uh sorry, where I am from Gundam Mobile Suits are actually quite common." He couldn't possibly tell these people they were from an anime or that the Wing Gundam was from one of many series related to Gundam. Especially not the fact he played virtual versions of gundam all the time in an online game. Then again Virtual Fighters were a thing in G Gundam, there was a possibility they could be here too. Still better not say too much about where he's from. "My name is Hiroto Kuga, I'm here for the pilot position."

 

[Elise]

Quatre stared at the young man who had, so stridently, waltzed right into the House Dulmare hangars as if he already had the position in the bag. The sandy-haired ex-pilot stood up from his chair next to a diagnostics computer and looked the youth up and down a few times. Whether or not this kid was worth his time, he wouldn't be found lacking in manners.

"...A pleasure to meet you Kuga-san. I am Quatre Winner. I hear that you have experience in piloting mobile suits...that's good..." Quatre said beginning to circle the poncho'd young man. He stopped to stare up at the Wing Gundam, towering and silent.

"Gundams are indeed rare, in the Crossroads. Especially one of this caliber. But you need more than skills to handle this machine. Tell me...how skilled are you at handling your emotions? Controlling your anger? That sort of thing?"

 

[Jade Callisto]

He must be talking about the Zero System which was one of those critical systems of the Wing Gundam which had the flaw of possibly making anyone without proper emotional control could make the pilot lose their sanity. Safe to say Hiroto was not a very emotional person, almost always remaining calm and collected. So the likelihood of him losing his sanity because of the Zero system was very very unlikely. How would he respond? Guess he could be honest about his some of his experiences, leaving the parts out where he was in a game at least since Eldora is in fact real compared to GBN.

"I do well enough, honestly I don't remember the last time I have been seriously angry. There have been very few moments where I had intense emotions like that, why do you ask?" Hiroto had been feigning ignorance, he knew all too well that the Zero system was dangerous in the wrong hands. He is likely one of the few people who could actually handle it in practice.

 

[Elise]

"Hm..." Quatre said. He returned to his flickering work station and took a sip of his soup broth, exhaling a steamy breath into the cool hangar air.

"...and what if I said we didn't want street-rabble trash like you touching the Wing Gundam? Maybe you should crawl back to whatever wall-slum puked you out before you embarass yourself." Quatre said. His voice was suddenly sharp and serious as he examined Hiroto's face carefully.

 

[Jade Callisto]

Yeah he was testing him to see if he could get a reaction out of him. Hiroto honestly did not care too much about what he said, but he wasn't going to make a scene either. "I wouldn't say much. Actions speak louder than words." Hiroto said in honesty. That said Hiroto could understand where this guy was coming from, he did look the part of a commoner who couldn't handle himself to most people.

"That said, the gundam I had before has very similar armaments to that of the Wing Gundam. If there is a way to test me aside from what you are doing now I would suggest you do so." Hiroto still had a very stoic look on his face, almost uncaring, but there was meaning in his words and actions. "I do understand your caution though, not just anyone can handle a gundam of this caliber."

 

[Elise]

Quatre continued to observe the youth for a moment longer, sipping his broth, before chuckling lightly.

"Okay then, pardon my ruse. You must understand that even I have trouble fighting the urges of the ZERO system." the lanky noble smiled. He tapped a few buttons on the computer console, and the lights of the hangar flickered for a moment, before a loud clunk-whir issued from the depths of the Gundam's machinery. An electronic whir issued as its green optics illuminated brightly. Sharp. Awake.

Quatre reached into his overall pockets and withdrew a small comm unit.

"Doctor Null? Good morning. I'm taking the Wing out for a diagnostic sortie. I'll be in touch."

A moment passed before a tired, haggard voice scratched back at the demurely smiling Quatre.

"...now? It's barely seven in the morning...oh fine." the doctor whined before cutting off the line. Quatre smiled apologetically at Hiroto as he tucked the comm away.

"Don't mind him. Null-sama isn't really much of a morning person. Now then, this way." Quatre said, motioning for the youth to follow. He lead Hiroto to a gantry platform, which began to lift them into the receded upper loft of the hangar. The Wing Gundam continued to loom over them, until the platform reached the middle back. There, at a command from Quatre's wrist interface, the rear hatch of the gundam slid open with a smart hiss-clunk.

"Well, here you are. I'm sure a lot of this is familiar..." Quatre hummed. He gestured at the interior of the cockpit, which was still blinking to life as the Wing Gundam ran through its diagnostics and startup routines. Turbines deep within the chassis began to whine to life, causing the entire gantry to vibrate softly.

"Even so, take some time to look through this."

The senior pilot produced a small holo-drive that was projecting an operating manual for the Wing Gundam. At a glance, it appeared to be about two-thousand pages long...

"You'll mostly want to familiarize yourself with the ZERO system, the flight-mode change controls, and the buster cannon capacitor transference. The rest of it is, you know, the usual." Quatre smiled.

"When you're ready to head out, there's a small target of opportunity that was broadcast by the Pilot's Union about three hours ago. We'll see what you can do, mkay?"

 

[Jade Callisto]

Hiroto had to admit as he followed the man known as Quatre he definitely had experience given his field of expertise. Still while he had saved a literal planet with his team there was always room to improve himself. He was not the boasting type, like he said before actions speak louder than words. Stepping into the cockpit as Quatre explained the process to him Hiroto did in fact notice the controls were almost exactly the same as his Core Gundam.

"Hmm. Running diagnostics..." Hiroto pressed a few buttons on the interface. "Lets see. All the weapons are loaded, thrusters are set, and the activation for the flight mode is seamless. Should be all set for a test run." Hiroto mused out loud as he then got out of the cockpit to follow Quatre again. "Thank you." he said simply in response. That holo drive was not even read once yet Hiroto definitely knew what he was doing already. "I missed the broadcast on the way here, could you explain what you mean?" he inquired to Quatre.

 

[Elise]

"The Pilots union and Palatinus Guard can't always hit military targets they identify, due to being spread so thin by the Unmaking, so, they broadcast the coordinates and mission profiles out to private pilots or mercenaries to handle." Quatre said idly. He scrolled through his comm device for a minute before flicking the flight path and mission parameters to the Wing Gundam's primary avionics monitor.

"...so in this case, it looks like a Guild convoy got ambushed by a couple of Rev Raptors on their way to make a delivery. We have the known location of the attack, and there were about four zoids involved in the ambush."

The ex-pilot slapped the blue hull of the Wing Gundam a few times and gave Hiroto a coy smile.

"So. Why don't you take Wing out and show us what you can do? Hunt down the feral Rev Raptors, destroy them, return to base. Easy stuff, right?"

 

[Jade Callisto]

Wait what is a Zoid? Must be another type of gunpla of sorts and from the sounds of it they were dinosaur like machines and the word 'feral' meant that they were automonous. Hiroto jumped back into the cockpit of Wing Gundam.

"So what is the status on the convoy currently? Is the crew safe for now?" Hiroto inquired after putting Quatre on comlink as he closed the roof of the cockpit.
Prepping the Wing Gundam for launch he would test its range of motion of the mobile suit. 'Okay all set' Hiroto thought to himself before starting it up, the Wing Gundam was prepped for take off via the launch pad. "Hiroto Kuga in Wing Gundam, ready to launch." Hiroto said as he awaited them to launch him outside into the sky which would fly to the mission area.

 

[Elise]

"Uhm, well. From what I understand, only two trucks from the convoy made it to their destination. The rest got preyed on. Civilian traffic has since been redirected from the area, so you should be weapons free...buuuuut just in case, double check your fire." Quatre said, offering a pleasant smile.

The gantry system pulled away from the Wing Gundam with a low, mechanical rumble as the internal noises rose in pitch and ferocity. A hatch in the hangar's ceiling opened as the primary platform raised to taxi the mobile suit to the launch position on the roof. Quatre's voice crackled over Hiroto's head set in the cockpit as traffic control radio blared in the background.

"Wing Gundam departing Dulmare Royal, straight out. Flight plan set to Union Sortie ID three-three-seven-oh-five-niner."

"Copy that Wing Gundam, standby for launch authorization. Outbound climb to three-thousand feet bearing oh-three-seven for ten miles."

The day was overcast and a bit drizzly, causing the Wing Gundam's chassis to quickly grow sleek with rain. Other people working in the Dulmare Royal Spaceport stopped to stare up at the gleaming, brightly colored machine as Hiroto took it through the mobility checks.

"Hiroto-san! Remember! Keep calm and focus on the objective. I don't want to see you show off, show me how you can be quick and efficient!" Quatre said. With that, the control tower chimed in.

"Wing Gundam you are cleared for launch. Good luck!"

 

[Jade Callisto]

As the gundam moved as well as he originally thought, Hiroto definitely noticed that Wing Gundam had indeed been the real deal. "Roger that, moving to the mission area now." Hiroto said as he took off into the sky using the Wing Gundam's thrusters. As the gundam took off the sleek gundanium made mobile suit started to gleam from any light that might reflect off of its surface. Pressing a few buttons he would speed up the Wing Gundam's thruster output but converting it to the Flight mode with ease. The sensors alerted Hiroto of the remaining convoy trucks, four in total with two toppled onto their sides. The soldiers of the convoy guns blazing with their bullets having very little effect on what seemed to be metal dinosaurs.

"So these are the Rev Raptors, their appear to be 3 of them surrounding the perimeter of the crash site." Hiroto was then told what may be the best course of action from the Zero System. Which suggested to him to open fire with the Twin Buster Rifle for a surprise attack on them, however that did not seem the best approach since their were soldiers down there as well. 'I have a better idea, just follow my lead.' Hiroto thought back to the Zero System in response. Hiroto activated the sensors of the Wing Gundam and sure enough this rain would act as a perfect cover for his plan as the sensors detected two more Rev Raptors outside of the perimeter for a total of 5.

'First i'm going to draw their attention away from the convoy, to do that I'll fire a few shots of the machine cannons away from the site.' Hiroto thought to the Zero System as he flew in quite fast with the Flight Mode then shot near the Rev Raptors, just between them and away from the soldiers as he flew by them to draw the foes in toward his direction. The raptors would, then and as expected, they would chase after the Wing Gundam while shooting at it with their own weapons. Evading their fire was easy enough, right now though he was making sure he was at a good distance away from the convoy so they could escape. Hiroto flew around just above the treeline and avoided enemy fire with ease. 'Okay that should be a good enough distance. Now!' Hiroto thought before firing his machine cannons at some nearby trees to make them collapse around the Rev Raptors which would prevent them from moving very well with all the trees on their sides.

Hiroto switched from Flight mode to Gundam mode slowly as he led them down a small hill also while trees fell next to the sides of the Rev Raptors. They were all chasing after him in a straight line, just as planned. Landing at the bottom of the hill as the Rev Raptors were catching up to him Hiroto then made a mental nod to the Zero System which had figured out what Hiroto was trying to do then quickly adjusted to his plan. Drawing out the Twin Buster Rifle the interface for firing came up as the target locked on the Rev Raptor in the front which due to the watery hill with trees aligned on the sides meant that the Rev Raptors were basically unable to move away as they slid down the hill akin to a waterslide. "Fire." Hiroto said before pressing the trigger of the rifle which unleashed a huge beam of energy that not only pierced the one in front but the others behind it. Since the incline of the hill was heading upward, the beam would not travel along the ground but instead flew into the sky as it eliminated all the Rev Raptors in a single shot.
Which was good because Hiroto knew this twin buster rifle worked a lot like his Earthree's beam cannon. Meaning that it could do a lot with one shot but takes a long time to charge back up.

This was why Hiroto did what he did in the first place. "That should be all of the Rev Raptors, have someone pick up the rest of the convoy nearby. I'll send the coordinates of the location to you now." Hiroto said before pressing a few buttons to do just that. "I'll be heading back to base now, am I clear to do so?" Hiroto inquired as he made sure that was everything he had to do for the mission.

 

[Elise]

A moment passed before Quatre's voice buzzed in over the cockpit radio.

"Yes, Hiroto-san, you are cleared for Markov approach and landing."

Twenty or so minutes later, as the Wing Gundam was spinning down and the gantry platform was docking with the chassis, Quatre was waiting outside the entry door with a few bowl of miso broth and smile for the young pilot. As the poncho'd youth emerged, the ex-pilot greeted him and flipped the descent switch on the docking platform.

"Well done, Hiroto-san. I was monitoring your sortie from here, and I must say, you executed the mission quite cleverly."

As they reached the hangar floor, Quatre patted Hiroto on the back and handed him a small comm badge emblazoned with the Palatinus sigil.

"You have my approval. Welcome to Team Palatinus."