Themis-Skoll Cockpit
Viewscreens and heads-up displays provide the pilot of this titan with a full 360-degree view, which can be confusing if you aren't sure which screen is forward, back, up and down. Most of the flight controls are built into the pilot's chair, including a helmet that picks up commands for the fighting machine's limbs directly from the pilot's brain. Dual joysticks are covered in controls and triggers, and multi-axis pedals give even more control. Non-critical controls are on a subconsole that swings down into the pilot's lap. A second chair is behind the first, with its own set of monitors and controls for auxiliary weapons and countermeasures, along with flight engineering control.

Most of the screens are flashing red and filled with alien titans already, and the various alarms and warnings are merging into a single cacophony. Every touch on the control levers seems to jerk the Themis-Skoll to one side or the other, and several instruments spin about wildly as the titan spirals through the air. It probably doesn't help Tasha much that Aaron is clinging desperately to her flight harness to keep from being battered around, or that the Lapi is trying to burrow into her shirt to escape the noise either.

Tasha's hackles have practically left her neck and taken off on their own, much like the titan itself. She clutches the control sticks for dear life, unable to release them to pry the Lapi away from her. "Oi, whut – where?!" She tries to grasp some memory that will help her, but Lt. Argentine didn't say anything about a titan, and the only thing in cmmon with the airships she's flown seems to be the fact that both the Themis-Skoll and an airship happen to be in the air. "Wha' did you do?! Wha' are those?! Are those … They're other titans! Xander!"

"Aaaaugh!" the Lapi yells. "Fly straight fly straight! You're a Dagh-blasted VARTAN! Fly!" he wails.

"I'm only 'alf Vartan," Tasha yells back, as if that made any difference. She desperately tries to make sense of controls that are literally light years ahead of her education. Sticks, floating screens, a helmet that picks up thought – Tasha used a whip to guide animals! "I think they 'ave cannons," she adds, pointing a finger from a hand that seems to have permantely attached itself to the control stick. "I don' even know 'ow this thing flies! Where's the rudder control? There's no animals to whip!" She thinks and thinks: how did the ancients ever fly this thing?

"It has wings!" is all the increasingly green looking Lapi can says. And he's right – the titan looks a lot like Tasha in build, after all. There's also a green icon flashing on the right side of her faceplate, labeled 'PNI' and shaped like a spread-eagled human stick figure.

"Should I flap my wings? Will tha' actually work?" Not having any better ideas, Tasha tries to flap, but the seat makes it largely impossible. "An' what's a PNI? I'm seein' a 'PNI' on this machine-'elmet. Xander, did you see anythin' that explains 'ow any of this works?" Tasha really wishes she could have downloaded Lt. Argentine's technological knowledge!

"Maybe it turns this off!" Aaron shouts. "I'm going to be sick in a minute, try it!"

"It's in me 'elmet!" Tasha tries to poke at it anyway, prying her hand off a control to reach for it. "An' you better no' barf on me or this vessel, this is sacred groun'!"

Moving her hand through where the icon seems to be 'floating' in front of her causes it to stop flashing, and glow a steady green. An woman's voice whispers into Tasha's head, "Engaging Parametric Neural Interface. Beginning scan." The voice is altogether too calm and sensual for the experience that follows, as it feels like vermites are suddenly tap-dancing along all of Tasha's nerves, and her vision begins to blur.

"Ahhh," Tasha wails, her face twisting in a look of extreme discomfort. "No' off, no' off!" Her hand, which had touched the floating icon, beans her in the nose as she loses focus. "I'm goin' to ge' you for- … rgh!"

And then the cockpit is gone, and Tasha is tumbling through the air herself. The other titans are still there – and she can somehow tell exactly where they are and what direction they're moving in relative to herself. Perhaps that's what keeps her from getting dizzy.

Although Tasha may not know how to fly a titan, she certainly knows how to fly herself! She snaps her wings out and tries to dive, using the time to attempt to get a grasp on the situation. Needless to say, having giant robots firing at her doesn't help her concentration! aaron's gone, an' I'm in the air after the Themis-Skoll tol' me a para-somethin' neutral interforce. I' did somethin'. Somethin' like … Then it hits her, she realize she can't have suddenly teleported outside the Themis-Skoll, surrounded by the same machines as inside! This is an illusion, the same sort of illusion in which she met Nora! Then if I'm 'ere, an' those things are there, then I'm … She reaches up to try and look at her hand.

It's quickly apparent from looking at her hand that Tasha is now wearing the Themis-Skoll as a suit of armor – or at least, that's how it feels. And speaking of feeling, she can feel areas where she's 'exposed' – places where the armor has been damaged from the beating she took before this point. Her wings don't feel right either. They don't match the movements she thinks they should, but little control surfaces and thrusters compensate to carry out the actual intention.

So I'm wearin' the Themis-Skoll? No … Tasha tries to dive and twirl, using the evasive moves Captain Eyeshine taught her, but she never had to actually use. I AM the Themis-Skoll! It effect of touching the green icon becomes clear, if not how it works: it muct have drawn her in to another world, one like the one she met Lt. Argentine in, and somehow its replaced her body with the Themis-Skoll itself. This mus' be 'ow they pilot it! The ingeniousness of the ancients awe Tasha, but the firepower chasing ehr quickly brings back her focus. It's a fight, so I 'ave to win. I don' know 'ow the weapons work, so … She looks at her fist again, then 'shrugs.' When all else fails … The Vartan feels for the surrounding mecha, attempting to locate one lower than herself, so that she might dive on it!

There does seem to be one below her, rising fast from the ruddy, desolate landscape. It looks vaguely Eeee-shaped, or at least the oversized 'ears' give that impression.

"Hey, can you hear me now?" Aaron's voice echoes in Tasha's head. "Tasha? I'm in the chair behind you, thanks for stopping the spinning."

I 'ope tha' thing is as fragile as an' eeee, inwardly wishes Themis-Skoll pilot Tasha. She pulls back her fist, aiming to slug it with the full force of her dive. As she descends towards it at breakneck speed, she realizes that the mecha below her may belong to one of the other factions Lt. Argentine mentioned. Looks like an' eeee, maybe the ship tha' landed in Babel 'ad these?

At the voice, Tasha feels a surge of relief. She had only guessed at what happened, after all – she wasn't sure she didn't just make Xander vanish from the material world! "Can you 'ere me," she asks the air, "I 'ere you Xander!"

"I can hear you!" the Lapi says happily. "I thought I'd gone deaf when those klaxons finally stopped. This helmet thing is hurting my ears but… this is very weird. Have you found a way out yet?"

"No," Tasha answers as the machine below her grows ever large, "bu' I think we're in a figh'. I'm the Themis-Skoll itself, an' we're bein' shot at by wha' looks like some sort o' cannon fire, from other 'mecha.' Looks li' I can control it wit' me 'ead, bu' I don' know 'ow to use any o' its weapons, an' we're outnumbered!"

"Oh, weapons. weapons… ACK!" Aaron says, and something rattles in the small of Tasha's back. "Oh… that's what that does. Okay, just… uh… shot down some rockets that the one below us launched with some sort of gun on your butt."

"Wha's a rocket? An' don' be shootin' things from me butt withou' some warnin'!" The idea of Xander's voice being stuck in her head is a distinctly odd one, now that Tasha has a moment to consider it. "Can you shoot forward now? 'Cause if no, I'm goin' to 'it this thing tha' looks like a bat!"

"I'm looking! You've got the butt cannon, er… boob missiles… and something in your nose that is called a 'plasma cannon'," the Lapi reports. "Maybe you just aim and… snort at the enemy or something. Spit on them?"

At the list of weapons, Tasha begins to wonder about the creators of the mecha. She suspects the pilot may have been that Jake fellow. "I'll try," she agrees, focusing back on the task at hand. She tries to 'aim' her muzzle at the machine below, then snort!

The Lapi must have activated something, because a red targeting circle surrounds the Eeee-mecha. This turns to green when it gets closer, and snorting does fire something like a flaming spear of light. The other machine dodges out of the way, having had time to react due to the extreme range.

"Well i' worked," reports Tasha in a surprised voice, "bu' it missed. S'like shootin' a bow at someone a mile away, an' they know it's comin'!" Turning her thoughts to other weaponry, Tasha considers the missiles. She isn't exactly sure what a missile is, but according to Xander, it must be like the cylinders that were spinning through the air earlier. She deduces her mecha must also have these 'missiles,' and to fire them, she must have to make a motion that is as snorting is to firing a nose-based plasma cannon. Aaron'd be enjoyin' this if it didn' scare 'is knickers off, she decides, then tries to thrust her chest out and see if that works!

Nothing happens, other than a bit of wobbling. "Are you trying to flirt with the other titan?" Aaron asks incredulously. "I think I control the rockets, you just have to… pick the targets. Does this mean I have permission to play with your 'chest' now?"

"Remember tha' fear you 'ave of me 'oldin' you in one 'and an' maybe crushin' you? I think I can do tha' now," answers indignantly, waving a fist in front of her face where she suspects he can see it inside the cockpit. "Jus' fire some missile at tha' thing down there before we run in to it!"

The targeting reticle changes from a circle to a square, and flashes red several times around the other mecha as Tasha focuses on it. Four panels slide open on the titan's chest as the pointy nubs of the missiles extend, ready to fire. "Okay… here goes!" Aaron announces, and the little missiles launch one after the other, twisting and snaking through the air. The Eeee-mecha veers off and moves incredibly fast to try and avoid them… and then launches a salvo of its own missiles back at the Themis-Skoll!

"Oi, it 'as missiles too! I'm gettin' out o' the way," Tasha reports, banking to the side and then barrel-rolling before dropping to a dive, having noted their ability to follow things and attempting to overfly them. She assumes that, like herself, if she passes by them fast enough, they won't be able to turn fast enough to keep up with her!

The missiles do have a limited turning radius, but they're still pretty dogged. The ones that Aaron launched dance around the enemy, and one finally hits it on the leg. The butt-gun takes out one of the enemy rockets, but soon they're too close and making their own evasive maneuvers… "I don't think we can shoot them down!" Aaron warns.

"Who builds these things?!" The Themis-Skoll is miracle enough for Tasha, but ammunition that not only tracks its target, but also tries to evade fire against it opens up a disturbing realm of possibilities to the Vartan. For a moment, she wonders what their battles must be like, and worse, their wars. Did the ancients really do combat in these massive metal machine, firing bolts of light and missiles that think for themselves? "'Old on, I'm goin' to try an' fly faster – keep tryin' to shoot 'em!"

"Okay, but the butt-gun doesn't seem to like close-range," Aaron reports. "Maybe you can hide us on the ground?"

Deciding Aaron is probably right – he is the expedition's advisor on matters of fleeing danger – Tasha scans the ruddy landscape below for something to hide behind. "I'll try an' land behind somethin' to block the missiles," Tasha replies. Down dives the Themis-Skoll, while its pilots hope the bat-like mecha is fairing worse.

The most likely hidey-hole is a long, overgrown canyon-canal full of alien foliage. There'd be no room for the missiles to maneuver, assuming the Themis-Skoll could land safely.

"This is goin' to be rough," Tasha warns her co-pilot. "I'm landin' us in that canyon." So far, she's navigated the Themis-Skoll by using it like her body. Now, she hopes landing is a lot like flying – just an extension of what she'd normally do as a person. The alien foliage is daunting for being unknown, for the Vartan has no idea of its properties, or or the Themis-Skoll's ability to land on it. She can only hope. "I 'ope you buckled yourself in."

"Damn straight I did!" Aaron replies. The butt-gun ratchets away, causing the missiles to pull off for a moment. Trying to flap the wings causes more of the thrusters to fire instead, braking the titan hard at the lowest point of trajectory. Trees and other vegetation shatter and fly into the air as the feet dig in and dig a furrow. It's shaky, but goes surprisingly well… until the left foot hits a boulder and Themis-Skoll falls forward, threatening to plow nose-first into the ground!

Tasha throws up the arms of the Themis-Skoll, preparing to try and catch it from falling forward. She also flaps her wings, which she now feels will use whatever force blasts from the thrusters to help slow her fall. It's a lot like trying to prevent herself from falling on her face, after landing roughly. If all else fails, she readies herself to get back up, or try and roll the machine clear if nothing else works!

The effort pays off, as the titan falls to it's knees and the arms absorb the shock of impact. There's a lot of damage, though, as Tasha 'feels' the arms refusing to move afterwards. The knees are also in bad shape. And the butt-gun is out of ammo.

There's an ominous pause, and then Tasha reports, "I don' think we can move again." She tries anyway, attempting to stand up and walk the Themis-Skoll to cover. All the while, she's fraught with emotions she hadn't expected to feel. The woman feels like she's failed the Themis-Skoll, that it, like the crew of The Fenris, is a precious thing she should take care of. An ancient legacy, dropped in her lap. A responsibility and a legacy. "I'm no' dyin' on me knees," she tells Aaron, sounding determined, " … an' neither is the Themis-Skoll!"

"Try the wings?" Aaron suggests. "The last two missiles are getting ready to drop straight down I think!"

"Wings it is," Tasha agrees. She burns the thrusters, trying to push the Themis-Skoll to its feet as she strains to stand up. "Tell me 'ow close they are, an' I'll try an' get away at the las' secon'!"

An explosion to the left nearly knocks Tasha over. "Uh… " Aaron says. "Really close!"

"This is i' then," Tasha warns, and with what strength she can muster, she wills the Themis-Skoll to get up and dash for cover!

The engines wail and cause the crippled titan to hop like a frog. The last missile hits just behind it, giving it a slight boost. But once it lands again, the engines give out.

"I don' think landin' was a great idea," Tasha admits, trying to will the engines to start up despite their refusal. She turns her head to try and locate the enemy unit, hoping to at least be able to destroy it before it destroys her. "Keep an' eye out for tha' eeee-mecha, we're no' goin' anywhere."

"I don't see anything in the air," Aaron reports. It doesn't do much good though, since Tasha can see a tree topple over in front of them and the ugly snout of the Eeee's plasma cannon poking out at them.

Tasha's eyes narrow, and she finds herself resolved. We go down fightin'. She targets the barrel, and fires her own plasma gun! "Lock the missiles, an' fire them too! E's infornt o' us!"

"What?" Aaron says. There's a burst of flame beneath the Themis-Skoll as the hastily fired missiles just plow into the ground before they can arm. Before the nose-cannon can fire, however, the enemy shoots first! Tasha's vision goes all white as the 'head' of the titan is hit. The female voice announces, "Critical Failure. End of Simulation." The white fades back to the cockpit, with all sorts of information appearing on the screens now: nonsense sounding words followed by numbers. Probably Tasha's 'score' for the simulation.

Tasha blinks dazedly, now back in the cockpit. She reaches up to touch her chest, making sure she's really where she seems to be, then sighs. "I think we lost," she admits, grudgingly. "Tha' was some sort o' 'virtual' world, the world of the Themis-Skoll." Watching the virtual Themis-Skoll, not to mention herself and Aaron, die in a moment of sheer ineptitude frustrates and disturbs the Vartan more than she can say. She glares down at her hands, thinking hard.

"Yay, it's over!" Aaron cheers from the back seat, as he struggles to get out of the harness. "And we didn't get our brains fried or anything. I thought my heart was gonna burst. Are you okay?"

"I jus' … " Tasha frowns, trying to articulate how she feels in halting words, "I jus' … I feel like I failed. I failed the Themis-Skoll. Tha's no way for somethin' this beautiful to be used, or to die." A pause, and she adds, "You can go an' leave. I'm goin' to stay in 'ere for a while. Coul' you show me wha' you did to star' this goin'?"

Looking around the side of the pilot's chair now, Aaron gives Tasha a stunned look. "You want to do that again?" he asks. "Tasha… I'm sure you're a good fighter and flyer, but this thing is more complicated than… anything. You shouldn't feel bad for not immediately being an expert pilot."

"I know!" Tasha says, a bit more loudly than she wanted to. Laying her ears back, she glances over her shoulder and reaches back tp pat Aaron's hand, apologetically. "I know. I'm jus' a little … stressed, I s'pose. Oi, it's really somethin' though, isn't it." The Vartan turns her gaze to sweep it across the cockpit with a wide-eyed look that resembles a mix of affection and awe. "I jus' … I don' wan' to fail it. I'm goin' to keep tryin', while we wait 'ere." She then glances back, and forces a little smile. "So, 'ow's it go?"

Ears down, Aaron looks over the console again. "It was… uh… these three buttons," he points out, then looks to Tasha again and says, "If you keep this up, you could hurt yourself. I mean, look at how stressed you are already?" The Lapi's own heart is still pounding loud enough for Tasha to hear… plus he's giving off stress pheromones that tickle some ancient part of her wolf-brain too.

"People are countin' on me," Tasha tells Aaron, sounding quite serious. "'Ow can I no' try?" She turns back to stare out the cockpit window, dropping herself back in to the seat. "Who know wha' we'll fin' on Abaddon, or Sheol. Nora said tha' the mission data should be destroyed before it falls in to 'their' 'ands, an' those … Those were their 'mecha.' I think tha' one was one of the eeee-ship's. The … The Confederacy." She reaches up to rub her head, pushing the helmet back a bit. "I 'avn't suffered any," she admits after a moment. "It's the Lapi 'ere 'o 'ave suffered. It's this crew, aye? They jus' think I'm divine. An' I'm … " She shrugs, the gesture seeming uncomfortably forced, as if she wanted to seem like she was okay but couldn't quite conceal it.

"If you aren't going to rest first, then… take this," Aaron says, handing Tasha his leather flask. "A good swig should keep you level-headed."

Tasha takes the flask, popping the lid and sniffing at it. "Wha's this? An' I promise if I get tired, I'll jus' sleep 'ere. It's more comfortable than me bed on The Rake, an' it makes me think."

"Tears of Morpheus, the good stuff from Hydron," Aaron says. "I was going to drink it all myself to calm down, but… I can go run I think. I really want to run right now."

"When that stuff wears off, I guess Layth can calm you down," Aaron suggests.

Tasha tosses the bottle back, then turns and smiles more genuinely at Aaron. "'Ere, you need it more than I do. I'm jus' goin' to sit 'ere a while, I think, an' res'. Once I feel ready, I'll try again. I'm goin' to figure this out." She pulls off the helmet, letting it fall back, then turns back to lounge. "Tell Layth an' the others I'm in 'ere learnin'. Come get me if I'm needed – the Karnors an' the mission 'ere is more importan' than this."

"I'm sure the captain can teach you this stuff when he wakes up," Aaron says, taking back the flask. His left ear droops, and he asks, "So, strapped in tight, are you?"

"I am," Tasha answers, glancing back curiously. "You may no' know this abou' me, bu' I used to work 'arder when I was frus'erated. An', I like sittin' 'ere." She pats the chair top, smiling a bit more. "Can' you feel it? It feels like a dream, it does."

"Yeah," Aaron says, then gets a mischievous grin. Maybe it's the adrenalin pumping through him, but he can't resist tickling Tasha's midriff while she's strapped in, and then trying to escape out of the hatch before she can grab him.

"Wha-" Tasha sputters, blinking and squirming! "Oi, 'ey! You, I'll!" She tries to grab him, but can't due to the restraints, only flailing at the Lapi as he runs off. "You better no' come back! I'm goin' to grab you with one giant hand! You 'ere me Xavier! XAVIER!"