The decision has been made. LILITH Japan orders the Outsiders to mobilize to pursue the Imugi.
Given that they are in a foreign country, they are largely dependent on LILITH Koreaโs resources. In response to the decision, the Korean branch provides some assistance: the Outsiders are given just enough vehicles to help transport them, essential supplies, and only a few operatives to help guide them. This is the most the Korean branch is able to give, as they must focus on relocating people and restoring peace following the attack.
LILITH announces that the Imugi is currently resting near Gangneung on the east coast and they must move quickly. The effects of Rift poisoning will grow stronger as they approach the source; a sign that they are close to a kaiju. Upon reaching the mountains just outside the city, LILITH informs them that they are right on top of its location.
However, there is no Imugi to be found. After searching the area, Outsiders will discover the source of the trace and the poisoning: eggs. They will find about twelve eggs. When they report their findings, Seokdang will curse. In their rush, they had followed the wrong trace. They didnโt track down an injured and resting Imugi—they tracked down the Imugiโs nest. So where is the Imugi?
Not long after, Outsiders will receive an update on their implants: the Imugi reappeared in Seoul. After seeing the corpse of its mate, it went berserk and attacked the city again. While many of the citizens were evacuated to nearby Incheon and remaining shelters, just as many perished, with the death toll at 168,000 and rising. LILITHโs Korean base is destroyed.
The Imugi was last seen flying north, but the Korean government prohibits the Outsiders from pursuing it again through their territory. By choosing to pursue the kaiju, the Outsiders have abandoned humanity and thus will receive no further support. They are ordered to leave the country immediately.
LILITH Japan will order them to collect as many eggs as possible and continue to the abandoned city of Gangneung, where they will arrange pick up and return to base in Tokyo.
โถ AFTERWORD.
Thanks everyone for participating in our first major Event Decision! We hope you had fun discussing what to do both ICly and OOCly.
After failing to capture the second Imugi and also failing to save a large portion of Seoul's population, characters will be shipped back to Japan. The events of the TDM will springboard from there. Feel free to use this post to thread out any aftermath threads if you would like.
All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards August AC.
[Dearka blinks and stares for a moment... Not quite taken aback by the observation, but at least low-key surprised that Elan jumped to the heart of the matter that quickly.
He slouches back in his chair a little and snickers.]
You're real sure of that, huh. You don't think maybe I was just being pragmatic? Letting my soldier's instincts do the thinking for me? He is my commander, after all. That's like, military hierarchy 101; someone tosses a grenade at your superior's feet? You throw yourself on it for them.
[God forbid he be sincere about the depths of his feelings. He'd rather get crunched by the dragon again, thanks.]
[ There's a brief, disbelieving pause and then Elan breaks out a laugh. Congrats. That's the most ridiculous thing he's heard in a while! ]
Yeah right. You don't strike me as someone all that concerned about military protocol! I bet most soldiers wouldn't be able to follow through on their instincts when it comes down to it. It's one thing to swear an oath, it's another thing to rush to their deaths!
[ If that's protocol, being in the military sucks ass. Elan's long been bewildered why a laid-back guy like Dearka signed himself up to take orders from anyone. He's also surprised Dearka is digging his heels in about this particular subject because it's not like it's a big deal? 'Yeah, Yzak is my partner, I couldn't let anything happen to him' would have been the normal person response. Something's off, and he's going to poke and prod until he gets a reaction. ]
What's wrong with admitting you let your emotions cloud your judgment? Are soldiers not allowed to experience attachments? Are you worried he'll think less of you? You can be honest with me. I'm not a military guy, I really don't care whether you behave like a soldier or not.
[Honestly, he was kind of hoping that Elan would just let him snark and leave it at that... But of course he has to keep poking at the subject, god dammit.
Even Dearka isn't really sure why he's really dodging the truth here. It's not like him and Yzak being close is a secret or anything... Maybe it's just that by putting words to that closeness and speaking them aloud, he risks brushing up against the deeper feelings that he really can't afford to admit to.
His smirk turns to a small frown. He glances off, focusing elsewhere in the room and exhaling harshly, his expression almost sulky.]
Gimme a break... I was just trying to spare you from having to listen to a bunch of sentimental drivel. But yeah, fine: you got me. I couldn't stand the thought of watching him go out like that, so I just... Acted.
[There. Happy? He isn't just going to let that admission hang there, though. He looks back at Elan, the storm cloud of his expression lightening somewhat, though he's still frowning slightly. It's funny that Elan would wonder about the apparent mismatch between Dearka's temperament and the military lifestyle, because what he says next is:]
Have I ever told you that I actually left ZAFT once?
[ That's more like it. Elan really doesn't get why that was so hard to say. It's not like Dearka has ever been closed off about his emotions. He sits back on the bed, props up a pillow to lean against, and makes himself comfortable. This promises to be interesting. ]
[Dearka arches his eyebrow slightly at the way Elan just, makes himself right at home over there??? But whatever, he's not actually too fussed.]
It's a long one. I'll try to give you the short version though, cut to the chase. This was back during the first Alliance-PLANT war, our first tour of duty out of the Academy. [...] Details of the mission we were on at the time are irrelevant, the important point is that I got my ass captured by the enemy. I'll just say that up front, 'cuz there's not really any delicate way of putting it. I got myself into a situation where the Buster was nonoperational and grounded like a sitting duck, so my options were to either surrender, or get blown to bits by an Earth Alliance warship's cannons.
[That's not the end of the story, of course, but you can probably guess which one he picked!]
We've already established you're still in one piece, so you must have surrendered yourself. Sure is one way to 'leave' ZAFT! Who would've thought you'd gotten kicked out.
[ Makes sense, and it's the choice Elan would have made, but he thinks there's more to it. Dearka wouldn't have been making that expression if he wasn't conflicted about something or other to do with being a soldier. ]
[He knows you know that wasn't the end of the story, pal.]
Yeah, I surrendered, but no, I didn't get kicked out. [He smiles wryly. Deviously, almost.] I did way worse than that: I defected. Not to the Earth Forces, that'd just be insane. I sided up with a new third faction that was more focused on ending the war before one side annihilated the other... Which did wind up being the ultimate goal of both the Earth Forces and ZAFT: the complete eradication of every coordinator and every natural, respectively.
[So terrible, so sad. He's not dropping that info for shock value, though. Seems to him like there's very little point in trying those cheap theatrics when half the Outsiders here have something similarly fucked up or tragic going on back in their own worlds.]
And before you say anything, let me cut you off and tell you I didn't join up because I had some grand heroic vision about stopping the fighting and restoring peace to the world. I joined up to help out, cuz I just... Couldn't bring myself to go back to ZAFT. Not the way it was under it's current leadership at the time. I didn't want to go back to killing indiscriminately, just because I was ordered to.
[He sighs. He knows he's talking a whole hell of a lot. Gotta try and wrap this sob story up.]
...Not even where I was originally trying to go with this story, but worth noting: that's also how Yzak and I wound up on opposite sides of the battlefield for a time. Him still with ZAFT, me with the Clyne faction... And yet he still risked his life to save mine. Took on one of the Earth Force's Extendeds and shielded me when my suit was fucking dead in space and burning up, head and arm both blasted off, phase shift armor gone, hydraulics kaput. I would've been toast.
[ With all of Dearka's kidding around, it can be easy to forget that he's a mobile suit pilot who's seen the hell of war, fighting battles on a whole other scale that make Asticassia's school duels and corporate conspiracies feel laughably like child's play. Elan's expression doesn't change as Dearka recounts the story and it might look like he's bemused by the whole thing. ]
Sounds to me like your commander's not all that rational when it comes to you, either. Which is saying something! That guy takes his soldierly duties too seriously.
[ He rather likes this side of Yzak willing to throw away duty and act independently, and you can bet he'll file away the knowledge for later to use in probably the most annoying way possible. ]
Did you rejoin out of a sense of debt? Gratitude? You're even now. [ Mmm, that's not right. He doesn't think they acted with any expectation to be paid back, but taking this angle is another way to press Dearka. ] You don't have a reason to stay on. Do you?
[Whether Yzak is rational when it comes to him or not... He's not going to speculate or comment on. War isn't rational, frankly. Yzak going out of his way to help a "traitor" at the time just kind of fit the theme, really.
As for his own reasons...]
Ha! C'mon, you know that's not why.
[He knows you're a smarter guy than that, Elan. Also, Dearka has a pretty uncanny sense for when he's being egged on. It's a good thing he doesn't mind.]
I'll stop dicking around and get to the point: I didn't go back. Not at first. I meant what I said, I wasn't going to take orders and start killing without question again.
But... There was a lot of chaos in PLANT's leadership after the war. Shakeups and whatnot. We got a new council leader who was willing to grant clemency to all the new recruits who'd fought in the conflict. And once I was pardoned and no longer up for execution, Yzak actually approached me again. Said he was keeping his new role as a Commander and he wanted me on his team.
[...]
Been his right hand ever since. Not out of obligation, or debt... We just... Work damn well together. And we'd both been given a second chance. We wanted to use it to keep protecting our people. For the right reasons, this time. And as long as he was in a position of command, I knew I had someone to follow who wasn't going to just, bend to the orders of some despot leadership and needlessly slaughter all our enemies without question.
[Shrug!]
So yeah. There you have it. Does that all make sense? If it comes down to only one of the two of us making it out, he's the guy who needs to survive, far as I'm concerned. That's not my opinion based on military obligation or anything, and I'm not trying to undersell my own value or anything stupid like that. It's just a simple fact: he's the guy who's gonna step up and make a damn difference. I'll take the brunt if it means he keeps doing what he's doing.
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synflux2024-08-22 04:03 am
no subject
He slouches back in his chair a little and snickers.]
You're real sure of that, huh. You don't think maybe I was just being pragmatic? Letting my soldier's instincts do the thinking for me? He is my commander, after all. That's like, military hierarchy 101; someone tosses a grenade at your superior's feet? You throw yourself on it for them.
[God forbid he be sincere about the depths of his feelings. He'd rather get crunched by the dragon again, thanks.]
no subject
Yeah right. You don't strike me as someone all that concerned about military protocol! I bet most soldiers wouldn't be able to follow through on their instincts when it comes down to it. It's one thing to swear an oath, it's another thing to rush to their deaths!
[ If that's protocol, being in the military sucks ass. Elan's long been bewildered why a laid-back guy like Dearka signed himself up to take orders from anyone. He's also surprised Dearka is digging his heels in about this particular subject because it's not like it's a big deal? 'Yeah, Yzak is my partner, I couldn't let anything happen to him' would have been the normal person response. Something's off, and he's going to poke and prod until he gets a reaction. ]
What's wrong with admitting you let your emotions cloud your judgment? Are soldiers not allowed to experience attachments? Are you worried he'll think less of you? You can be honest with me. I'm not a military guy, I really don't care whether you behave like a soldier or not.
no subject
Even Dearka isn't really sure why he's really dodging the truth here. It's not like him and Yzak being close is a secret or anything... Maybe it's just that by putting words to that closeness and speaking them aloud, he risks brushing up against the deeper feelings that he really can't afford to admit to.
His smirk turns to a small frown. He glances off, focusing elsewhere in the room and exhaling harshly, his expression almost sulky.]
Gimme a break... I was just trying to spare you from having to listen to a bunch of sentimental drivel. But yeah, fine: you got me. I couldn't stand the thought of watching him go out like that, so I just... Acted.
[There. Happy? He isn't just going to let that admission hang there, though. He looks back at Elan, the storm cloud of his expression lightening somewhat, though he's still frowning slightly. It's funny that Elan would wonder about the apparent mismatch between Dearka's temperament and the military lifestyle, because what he says next is:]
Have I ever told you that I actually left ZAFT once?
no subject
So what's the story?
no subject
It's a long one. I'll try to give you the short version though, cut to the chase. This was back during the first Alliance-PLANT war, our first tour of duty out of the Academy. [...] Details of the mission we were on at the time are irrelevant, the important point is that I got my ass captured by the enemy. I'll just say that up front, 'cuz there's not really any delicate way of putting it. I got myself into a situation where the Buster was nonoperational and grounded like a sitting duck, so my options were to either surrender, or get blown to bits by an Earth Alliance warship's cannons.
[That's not the end of the story, of course, but you can probably guess which one he picked!]
no subject
[ Makes sense, and it's the choice Elan would have made, but he thinks there's more to it. Dearka wouldn't have been making that expression if he wasn't conflicted about something or other to do with being a soldier. ]
no subject
Hilarious.
[He knows you know that wasn't the end of the story, pal.]
Yeah, I surrendered, but no, I didn't get kicked out. [He smiles wryly. Deviously, almost.] I did way worse than that: I defected. Not to the Earth Forces, that'd just be insane. I sided up with a new third faction that was more focused on ending the war before one side annihilated the other... Which did wind up being the ultimate goal of both the Earth Forces and ZAFT: the complete eradication of every coordinator and every natural, respectively.
[So terrible, so sad. He's not dropping that info for shock value, though. Seems to him like there's very little point in trying those cheap theatrics when half the Outsiders here have something similarly fucked up or tragic going on back in their own worlds.]
And before you say anything, let me cut you off and tell you I didn't join up because I had some grand heroic vision about stopping the fighting and restoring peace to the world. I joined up to help out, cuz I just... Couldn't bring myself to go back to ZAFT. Not the way it was under it's current leadership at the time. I didn't want to go back to killing indiscriminately, just because I was ordered to.
[He sighs. He knows he's talking a whole hell of a lot. Gotta try and wrap this sob story up.]
...Not even where I was originally trying to go with this story, but worth noting: that's also how Yzak and I wound up on opposite sides of the battlefield for a time. Him still with ZAFT, me with the Clyne faction... And yet he still risked his life to save mine. Took on one of the Earth Force's Extendeds and shielded me when my suit was fucking dead in space and burning up, head and arm both blasted off, phase shift armor gone, hydraulics kaput. I would've been toast.
no subject
Sounds to me like your commander's not all that rational when it comes to you, either. Which is saying something! That guy takes his soldierly duties too seriously.
[ He rather likes this side of Yzak willing to throw away duty and act independently, and you can bet he'll file away the knowledge for later to use in probably the most annoying way possible. ]
Did you rejoin out of a sense of debt? Gratitude? You're even now. [ Mmm, that's not right. He doesn't think they acted with any expectation to be paid back, but taking this angle is another way to press Dearka. ] You don't have a reason to stay on. Do you?
no subject
As for his own reasons...]
Ha! C'mon, you know that's not why.
[He knows you're a smarter guy than that, Elan. Also, Dearka has a pretty uncanny sense for when he's being egged on. It's a good thing he doesn't mind.]
I'll stop dicking around and get to the point: I didn't go back. Not at first. I meant what I said, I wasn't going to take orders and start killing without question again.
But... There was a lot of chaos in PLANT's leadership after the war. Shakeups and whatnot. We got a new council leader who was willing to grant clemency to all the new recruits who'd fought in the conflict. And once I was pardoned and no longer up for execution, Yzak actually approached me again. Said he was keeping his new role as a Commander and he wanted me on his team.
[...]
Been his right hand ever since. Not out of obligation, or debt... We just... Work damn well together. And we'd both been given a second chance. We wanted to use it to keep protecting our people. For the right reasons, this time. And as long as he was in a position of command, I knew I had someone to follow who wasn't going to just, bend to the orders of some despot leadership and needlessly slaughter all our enemies without question.
[Shrug!]
So yeah. There you have it. Does that all make sense? If it comes down to only one of the two of us making it out, he's the guy who needs to survive, far as I'm concerned. That's not my opinion based on military obligation or anything, and I'm not trying to undersell my own value or anything stupid like that. It's just a simple fact: he's the guy who's gonna step up and make a damn difference. I'll take the brunt if it means he keeps doing what he's doing.