Revamp!
INTRO
Earth's tensions never died down ever since the end of the Second Bloody Valentine War between Naturals and Coordinators. Although Blue Cosmos became leader-less, the organization has yet to disband and it continues to spout nonsense of its "pure and blue world." For now, however, their actions have remained verbal and not physical.
The many soldiers that fought in the war have tried to go back to peace, though they know that a true peace has not been reached as of yet. A final war will commence that will shake the very foundations of the Earth itself.
But until then, peace and the hope for no more wars continue in the hearts of many, even 3 years after the end of the second.
Gundam Seed Resolution
Earth Alliance Personnel Records
CE 77
Wesley "Wes" Baxter
Rank: Commander
Current Age: 25
Physical Description: Dark skin, blonde hair, gold eyes
Accepted into the Military: CE 69
Classification: Pilot
Former Assignments:
21st Training Fighter Squadron "Fletcher" – Earth Training Completed
13th Training Space Fighter Squadron "Asteroid" – Space Training Completed
72nd Space Fighter Patrol Squadron "Comet" – 6 month Completed
CE 70 Bloody Valentine War Begins
5th Fleet Cruiser "Altair"
10th Mobile Armor Squadron "Dusters" – HQ Transfer Issued
3rd Lead Frontline Mobile Armor Squadron "Derelicts"
"Derelicts" reassigned as a Mobile Suit Squadron
CE 71 Bloody Valentine War Ends
Assigned Leave
8th Mobile Suit Experimental Squadron
Transfer Recommended by Commander Richard K. Baxter
2nd Fast Response Windam Squadron "Dragon"
CE 73 Second Bloody Valentine War Begins
ALL ASSIGNMENTS CLASSIFIED
CE 74 Second Bloody Valentine War Ends
Current Assignment: Lead 121st Special Mobile Suit Squadron "Last Hope" – Earth Top Secret
Notable Achievements:
Excellence in Space Flight Training
Commendation from Late Grand Admiral Lewis Halberton
Commendation from Captain Mwu La Fllaga "Hawk of Endemyon"
12 Listed Medals and Awards
Miscellaneous Facts:
Wes Baxter supported the Late Grand Admiral Lewis Halberton's plan for the development of the X-Series Mobile Suit program, agreeing with the need to move Earth Alliance technology forward to fight on equal terms with ZAFT.
At the end of the Second Bloody Valentine War, Wes' father, Richard K. Baxter, was killed in action. On a related note, Rear Admiral Richard K. Baxter's Wife, Pilot Rena Imelia, retired after this news.
Commander Wes Baxter is currently in a relationship with a scientist within Mobile Suit R&D named Nina Jersi. The relationship has been moving forward for two years.
The "Last Hope" Squadron, consisting of a handful of members, are considered highly skilled and consists of several customized Windams. Wes Baxter creates a sense of friendship between the entirety of the group.
Status: Active
Zak Rayce
Rank: Captain
Age: 46
Physical Description: Grey hair, blue eyes, fair skin.
Classification: Pilot
Current Assignment: Commanding Officer for the 121st Special Mobile Suit Squadron "Last Hope."
Miscellaneous Facts:
Participant in both Bloody Valentine Wars.
Nearing the age of forceful retirement as a combat pilot.
Position within "Last Hope" squadron is mainly as a supervisor position.
Nina Jersi
Rank: Civilian
Position: Head of Research and Development for Mobile Suits
Current Age: 24
Physical Description: Fair skin, light blue hair, brown eyes.
Current Assignments:
Overkill – Classified
Mercenary – Classified
Squire – Classified
James Badgirel
Rank: Lieutenant
Current Age: 25
Physical Description: Black hair, brown eyes, pale skin.
Classification: Pilot
Current Assignment: Second-in-Command of the 121st Special Mobile Suit Squadron "Last Hope."
Miscellaneous Facts:
Younger brother of the late Natarle Badgirel, who died at the end of the First Bloody Valentine War. Her death caused his decision to join the Earth Alliance.
Close friend of Wes Baxter and thus trusted enough to be named second-in-command.
Learned current combat skills through Zak and fought alongside Wes Baxter in the second war as a mobile suit pilot.
Reallia Mays
Rank: Ensign
Age: 23
Physical Description: Dark orange hair, light blue eyes, tanned skin.
Current Assignment: Windam Sniper for the 121st Special Mobile Suit Squadron "Last Hope"
Miscellaneous Facts:
Formerly a member of a Guerilla faction fighting ZAFT forces in Northern Africa in the first war, before she could legally fight for the Earth Alliance.
Learned how to pilot a mobile suit quickly after she joined, and Commander Baxter realized her potential after the second war, requesting her to be transferred to his squadron immediately.
Orb Union Personnel Records
CE 77
Trent Sethens
Rank: 2nd Lieutenant
Current Age: 21
Physical Description: White hair, pale skin, red eyes.
Graduated from Academy: CE 76
Classification: Pilot
Former Assignments:
Graduated from the Orb Military Academy – Completed
7th Training Flight under Cpt. Mwu La Fllaga – Completed
12th Intercept Flight "Albatross" – Transferred by CO before assignment began
Current Assignment: 42nd Orb Island Squadron "Seagull" under Cpt. Mwu La Fllaga
Notable Achievements:
Trent Sethens entered the Orb Air and Sea academy under a recommendation from both the Royal Representative Cagalli Yula Zala-Athna and Grand Admiral Athrun Zala-Athna. He received several high marks for quickly assessing the situation in and outside of combat, as well as determining appropriate and innovative solutions with the least number of casualties possible.
He graduated at the top of his class after acclimating himself quickly to the Orb Union's regular Mobile Suit Fighter Jet (MSFJ) the Murasame. He received an immediate promotion to 2nd Lieutenant because of his achievement, and was recommended to a special squadron led by his older brother. Captain Mwu La Fllaga, having trained and witnessed Trent's potential personally, overrode the prior recommendation and had Trent transferred over to the Seagull squadron where he is currently beginning his duties.
Reko Sethens
Rank: Captain
Current Age: 25
Physical Description: Red hair, blue eyes, pale skin.
Classification: Pilot
Former Assignments:
CE 73 Second Bloody Valentine War Begins
3rd Naval Combat Squadron "Delta" – Squadron destroyed in combat, transferred
7th Naval Combat Squadron "Omega" – Transferred
1st Space Combat Squadron under Archangel "Firefly"
CE 74 Second Bloody Valentine War Ends
Current Assignment: Leads the 12th Intercept Flight "Albatross"
Notable Achievements:
First of a few to volunteer as a combat squadron for the Archangel, Captain Reko showed tenacity and bravery in a situation where trusting the commanding officer was paramount to success.
His skills flying the Murasame was never questioned, though it was confirmed strongly after he and his flight destroyed the last of the three stolen Zaft Mobile GUNDAMs.
He is the older brother of Trent Sethens.
ZAFT/Plant Personnel Records
Ikros Yucker
Rank: Currently Under Deliberation
Current Age: 24
Physical Description: Tan skin, blue hair, and green eyes.
Classification: Mobile Suit Test Pilot
Accepted into the Military: CE 75
Current Assignment: Test Group for Z-175 Mobile Prototype "Zaku Mk III"
Notable Background Facts:
Hand-eye coordination and reflexes have been great since he was a young boy, even for a coordinator. However, he never actively sought to join the military and rejected any offer made by the ZAFT forces. Just under a year after the end of the Second Bloody Valentine War, his elder sister requested he join as a non-combat member of the military, to which he agreed.
Since then, he has been becoming used to the military life, and agreed to begin an active military career after the Zaku IIIs testing phase is completed soon. For this, he has requested to be placed under the command of either Yzak Jule or Dearka Elsman, reasoning a sincere trust in the leadership of these two Officers.
As a mobile suit pilot, he has been known to favor using the high-beam particle cannon.
Menla Yuker
Rank: Captain
Current Age: 30
Physical Description: Blue hair, green eyes, tan skin.
Current Assignment: Captain of the Nazca-Class Destroyer, "Shogun"
Notable Achievements:
Graduated as a Red uniform pilot at the age of 19, a few years before the first Bloody Valentine War began. As a mobile suit pilot, she witnessed and participated only in excercises and simulated combat maneuvers until the beginning of the war. She led a squadron of Ginns and fought alongside Dearka and Yzak during the final major battles of both wars. Her exploits have granted her command of her own ship.
Jaker Greyson
Rank: Commander
Current Age: 29
Physical Description: Blak hair, green eyes, olive skin.
Current Assignment: Mobile Suit Squadron Commanding Officer aboard the Shogun
Current Mobile Suit: High-mobility Gouf
Background Facts:
Self-proclaimed, and confirmed by many, expert in close-combat using the sword, electric whip and short range guns. Though experienced in combat and highly decorated as an Officer and a soldier, he made the effort to request to be placed under Menla Yuker's command. It is rumored that his request was encouraged by more personal reasons, instead of professional.
Private Personnel Records
Blue Cosmos
Harold Sutherland
Position: Believed to be the current Leader
Current Age: Late 60s – Unconfirmed
Background:
Once an Admiral within the Earth Alliance military, he was dishonorably discharged after being placed on trial at the end of the second Bloody Valentine War. Though the charges against him (Genocide, Disregard of Human Rights, etc.) were never proven true, his reputation was destroyed and thus the military refused to keep him active. He has last been seen speaking with and in the company of other known Blue Cosmos people.
Warec Genro
Classification: Pilot – High Extended
Basic Personality: Arrogant
Block Word: Defeat
Age: 18
Current Assignment: Top Secret – Customized "Onyx" Zaku
Noted Achievements:
Top pilot of the new experimental High Extended Naturals, though he is also the most recent of the High Extended creations. Capable of surviving without a constant supply of drugs and equipment between battles. Their reflexes have been permanently upgraded, and their mental fortitude is capable of handling the stress of battle and some parts of everyday life. In many respects they are equal to coordinators in combat, and the Block word system allows for complete control.
Beka Trenesin
Classification: Pilot – High Extended
Personality: Stubborn and Rash
Block Word: Alone
Age: 20
Current Assignment: Top Secret – Customized "Crimson" Windam
Profile:
The second of the High Extended to have survived the experiment and become a full-fledged soldier and pilot. Her personality was a worry for many of the military officers, but the Block word has turned out to be an effective punishment, and keeps her inline whenever it is needed.
Rena Roilden
Classification: Pilot – High Extended
Personality: Withdrawn and Tactical
Block Word: Stupid
Age: 26
Current Assignment: Top Secret – Customized "Azure" Strike
Profile:
Because of her age, many of Blue Cosmos see her as a strange case. She was too old to have been a part of the High Extended experiments, yet the tests cannot prove she is anything but a High Extended Natural. Because of her age and light combat experience, also covered in black marks and shadows, she is the leader of the, currently, three pilot High Extended Squadron.
Louis Menr
Classification: Scientist – Natural
Age: 44
Current Assignment: Lead scientist in the Extended and High Extended experiments
Profile:
Current information on Dr. Menr has been successfully erased.
Information commonly remembered includes some of his books on human evolution, and a specific theory of his involving the term "Extended Natural." Since then, he has disappeared from the public eye and there have been no new publications under his name. This information is unlikely to cause any serious investigation into the organization or the Extended Natural.
Personal Note:
Dr. Menr's current progress as lead scientist of the experiments is acceptable. Keeping a close eye on his family has benefited the organization greatly; there is no reason for this current "partnership" to end at any point in the future.
However, he has been incessant in his attempts and successes to act as a father figure for the three High Extended pilots. This interaction may cause distractions for the pilots and for his progress on the experiments. It is recommended that this interaction cease and all further contact between the he and the pilots be cut off completely.
Should he make things difficult in this regard, remind him of our deal.
Aifis Qure
Rank: Captain
Current Age: 32
Current Assignment: Commanding Officer of the High Extended Squadron
Profile:
Skilled as a pilot and a combat leader, he prefers the Mobile Armor in space, but "stoops" to using the mobile suit while he is on the ground, if he is forced to leave the comfort of his ship, the Beowulf.
Personal Notes:
Captain Qure has made several notations against the usage of mobile suits and Extended, stating that they are simply no use and only serve to get in his way. Such opinions should be ignored and a response should be sent regularly teaching him the meaning of the chain of command.
Bloody Valentines Personnel Records
Thanks given to all participating nations.
(Most are currently 22)
Cagalli Yula Athna-Zala
Rank: Royal Representative of Orb
Condition: Six Months Pregnant, extremely aggressive. Cannot pilot a mobile suit and should share some responsibilities until after the birth.
Profile:
She continues to lead her country towards a state of total neutrality even in the current and trying times. She and Athrun have been married for over a year, and her current belief in the pregnancy is that it will be a boy.
Athrun Athna Zala
Rank: Grand Admiral of Orb
Current Assignment: Upgrading and maintaining the Infinite Justice, as well as taking over many of Cagalli's duties during her pregnancy.
Profile:
Though better as a warrior, Athrun has made several attempts to be more diplomatic in his current position. Though appreciated, Cagalli has been known to berate him more than praise him in his actions. In his opinion, however, the fact that he has yet to need the Infinite Justice for another reason is enough for now. He believes that his child will be a girl, though he has no name for her as of yet.
Lacus Clyne
Rank: Lead Chairman in the ZAFT Council
Profile:
Following in her father's footsteps in searching for a permanent and peaceful relationship between Earth and the Plants. Her skills in diplomacy, and singing, have not dulled through her age and she is currently happily engaged to Kira Yamato several years by his side.
Kira Yamato
Rank: Lieutenant for Zaft
Assignment: Continues to pilot the Strike Freedom
Profile:
Continues to upgrade and maintain his mobile suit, though it has yet to see very much use since the end of the second war. His hope is that there will be no need to fight against his friend should, or rather when, the next war breaks. His caution and slight insecurity were his reasons for prolonging his asking Lacus to marry him, however his decision is now final. Cagalli has publicly expressed her relief in this.
Yzak Joule
Rank: Captain in ZAFT
Assignment: Captain of the new Grummel-Class Destroyer "Markez"
Mobile Suit: Space Combat Gouf
Profile:
Because of his mother's influence, and his past experience as a combat pilot, he was promoted to one of the White-Suited Commanders within the ZAFT fleet. He has been decorated several times and there have been many important considerations on where to assign him and his new ship. The friendship between Athrun and he has been rekindled while he has begun a new one with Kira Yamato.
Dearka Elsman
Rank: Captain in ZAFT
Assignment: Captain of the Nazca-Class Destroyer "Voltaire"
Mobile Suit: Heavy Space Combat Zaku II
Profile:
Though noted as an expert pilot and commander, he is still only a green-suited Captain because of his former betrayal during the first Bloody Valentine Wars. Though he expected to be executed then, Yzak pulled some strings to keep him alive and working within ZAFT again. Dearka has had very little interest in giving orders, compared to flying a mobile suit. His failed relationship with Miriallia Hawe has been noted and he tended to avoid the subject during numerous psychological profile sessions.
Miriallia Hawe
Rank: Civilian
Position: Freelance Photographer
Profile:
Continues a free lifestyle and has won several awards for some of her photographs, most of which tend to focus on the pain and suffering found in the world, caused by the many battles within the two wars. It's been noted that her prior relationship with Dearka is usually waved off with a simple "I dumped him." Generally speaking, no one has heard an explanation yet.
Mwu La Fllaga
Rank: Captain in Orb
Assignment: Leads the 42nd Orb Island Squadron "Seagull"
Age: 34
Mobile Suit: Murasame
Profile:
Married and happy at his wife's side. His memories have been completely regained after the end of the second war. He accepted a position as an official member of the Orb military and has a baby boy barely a year old now.
Murrue Ramius-La Fllaga
Rank: Former Captain – Civilian
Age: 32
Profile: Retired after she married Mwu, and now stays at home as the mother of her child. She also tends to keep a close connection with the former crewmembers of the Archangel. The ship itself is still held in secret below Orb's mountains, and she hopes it remains there.
Shinn Asuka
Currently: MIA
Profile:
After the end of the second war, Shinn Asuka became a ZAFT military representative for Kira Yamato, bringing him back into the Plants. Over the course of the next few months, his resolved to continue fighting for the sake of humanity. He suddenly disappeared one day, along with the floating remains of the Destiny and the Impulse. There are rumored sightings of the Destiny, although none have been confirmed.
Lunamaria Hawke
Currently: MIA
Profile:
She disappeared just when Shinn did, and is likely with him right now.
Meyrin Hawke
Rank: Staff Sergeant for ZAFT
Current Assignment: CIC for the Eternal
Profile:
She generally returns to Orb to upgrade the Archangel's computers whenever she can, and trains others in Orb to act as a decent CIC should the situation ever arise.
Andrew Waldfeld
Rank: Captain in ZAFT
Current Assignment: Captain of the Eternal
Profile:
Da Costa is his second in command, though in general there is very little that needs to be done and most times the Eternal is docked at the Plants. Captain Waldfeld continues to make different brands of coffee for people.
End Update of Personnel Records
The Indian Ocean churned peacefully, cold below the surface but still full of life. Above it, the skies were clear and the sun shined down brightly, showing the crystal blue of the sky and the deep blue of the ocean perfectly.
In the distance, a sound came like a roar of jet engines humming. Three sky blue and white colored Windams flew quickly over the water, pushing up vapors and droplets of water behind them.
"LH Leader, this is HQ. Come in, over?"
Wes pressed a button on his console immediately, speaking right after in a deep and casual tone, "This is Last Hope Leader, what's up control?" He looked over his position along the digital map, figuring that they had not moved off course from their patrol route.
"Nothing LH Leader, that's the problem."
Wes shook his head with a smirk on his face. It had been quiet for several people over the years, peace had made things dull for many soldiers who had experienced the thrill, fear and adrenaline of battle. But before he could try to reprimand the bored girl sitting at a control tower, an elder voice came through, "We're lucky to be at peace at this moment, be more grateful!"
The elder's voice came with a face not long after in the corner of Wesley's screen. The old man, with short grey hair and a bushy mustache looked comfortable in his seat, looking up towards the com-camera from under his military cap from time to time. A cigar was between his lips, lit and with a thin and transparent smoking wisp rising up from the end.
"Come on Captain Rayce," A female voice said as Reallia's helmeted head appeared just above Zak's, "this peace is pretty tense. It's boring to just keep waiting for something to happen when you know it's only a matter of time."
"I'm with you there Reallia," a younger man's voice said and, much to Wes' displeasure, also appeared as a talking head on his screen, "these patrols don't seem to be of much use anyways. Not at this moment." Said James.
"All right, that's enough," Wes said finally and had the many cameras minimize towards the corner of the screen before speaking again, "enough chit-chat from the both of you. Control are we clear to RTB (return to base)? My men aren't as motivated as I'd hoped they'd be."
"You're clear Commander, head back and take a break. Over and out."
Not more than 15 minutes later, the three Windams slowed and hovered over a platform hanging over the coast. Next to it, the Carpenteria base moved busily, with mechanics, engineers and soldiers moving from place to place. The occasional mobile suit stepped between buildings, one of which, a Ginn, gave a light wave towards the three Windams before taking off into the sky.
Before, the base belonged to ZAFT after the first war and they continued to run the base as a type of outpost on Earth. Though, now both Earth Alliance forces and ZAFT forces mingled within the base, sharing it. Wes nodded his head after landing, watching as both ZAFT and EA mechanics came along to secure his mobile suit. It was a good way to keep the peace, and allow both sides to get to know each other better. Perhaps even think twice before pulling the trigger on another man just because of a difference in genetics.
Wes stepped away from the mobile suit as it was rolled into a hangar, waving at some of the offduty ZAFT pilots nearby, one of which waved back and another simply saluted. Baxter had made several friends of the former enemy pilots, some of which he believed he had fought against a few times before, though the conversation never really came up. Wesley did not believe it was necessary either.
Wes stepped through a door and sat down in one of the few recreational rooms placed between hangars for off duty pilots and mechanics. James walked over to him, his pilot's suit open from the neck as he patted Wes on the shoulder, "Shouldn't you be going to see Nina right about now?"
"What, you mean she's here?" Wes reacted quickly with wide eyes, to which James nodded quickly.
"She's over at the hangars. Go on man, I'll take care of the report." Wes nodded his thanks before he turned about and jogged out through the door and around the corner of the building towards the closest hangar. He jogged by, peeking in to look for a familiar hue of blue hair and a white labcoat, but seeing nothing continued on towards the next hangar at the same pace.
At the third hangar he stopped and slowly edged inside towards a figure who stood still in the darkness of the hangars. Long blue hair, tied in a loose and messy ponytail, yet still reaching down to the small of her back. She pushed her glasses up, closer to the bridge of her nose as she read a document with a small flashlight between her lips. Wes grinned as he silently stepped across the floor, planting his toes slowly against the ground and edging towards her quickly.
She never moved, continuing to read her document in the privacy of the dark, until suddenly she felt arms encircle her waist and lift her up into the air. She nearly yelled, almost screaming, as she dropped the clipboard she had been holding and the flashlight that had been between her lips.
Wes laughed a bit and she relaxed nearly immediately and waited until he set her down again. She turned around, a glare in her eyes from behind her glasses, but a smile on her face. Nina then leaned up a bit and pressed her lips gently against his.
Wes smiled as he returned her kiss and then looked at her a bit confused, "I didn't know you were coming to Carpenteria."
"It was a sudden decision. We agreed to transport some mobile suits here on behalf of ZAFT." Nina answered as she pulled away for a bit, and stooped to pick up her flashlight and clipboard. She then pointed towards the two mobile suits lying flat on their backs, their tarmacs lying on the floor.
Wes walked over to their faces, looking at the grey colored armor of an inactive Phase-shift armor. "Have I seen these suits before? They seem familiar…"
"I'd think so." Nina answered quickly by his side, "You've fought against them before."
Wes then turned over at her and shrugged his shoulders, holding his hands up and with a clueless look in his eyes. Nina could only sight, smiling still as she pointed, "This one turned red, it's the Savior. Athrun was its pilot for a while." She then looked down at her clipboard before continuing, in a matter-of-fact tone that Wesley usually heard her speak when spouting numbers or technical specs, "It can transform into a fighter jet at the will of its pilot and it obviously has PHASE-shift armor. They let us have it, so I brought it here thinking they would let you pilot it from now on. I figured it would be the best of both worlds for you."
Wes grinned as he looked back at it, looking closely at the V-shaped emblem on its face. He never thought he would get the chance to pilot a true GUNDAM mobile suit. He then turned back to her, "And the other?"
"Oh. The Impulse. I don't actually know who the Commanders would allow to pilot it, but I was coming this way with one mobile suit already, bringing the other was worth the trouble."
In Wes' mind, he was already remembering something from the Second Bloody Valentine War, an image of destruction and death. "I remember this one, interchangeable parts, and like the Strike but upgraded. More powerful…"
"Yes, that's right Wes. The Sword, Aile and Launcher Modules." Nina answered.
Names of comrades came into his mind, coffins that he saluted and watched as they eventually dropped lowered them into the ground. Many of his friends had died by the hands of that mobile suit. He shook his head suddenly as a hand gripped his shoulder, he tried to fortify his smile as he turned to greet Nina's worried look.
"Well…I wonder who they'll give this one to."
Nina paused as she noticed a secret look in his eyes, and scoffed as she turned away for a moment to look at the nearly shut door. "No you don't," She said as she dropped the clipboard and the flashlight, and leaned up again to kiss him, arms wrapping around his neck.
"Yeah, I don't"
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Several hundred miles North, on the coast of one of the Orb islands, a control tower looked over the view of the Indian Ocean to the West and the Pacific Ocean to the East. Deep blue waters and clear blue skies once more, along with a green forest farther away from the edge of the coast and the runway right next to it.
"Seagull Leader, this is the tower. You are cleared for take off."
"Roger tower." The voice of an adult, confident and well-trained soldier came through the comlink, "Mwu La Flagga, taking off!"
The runway seemed to spark suddenly as flames appeared behind the red and white colored Murasame fighter jet, pushing it forward and accelerating. It lifted near the end of the runway on its own, though the pilot smiled as he gave the throttle a light pull and lifted the mobile suit farther into the air at a high speed, ignoring the push and pull of extra gravity against his body.
After reaching a certain altitude, he flicked a switch and felt the machine rumble a bit as the gears pulled up into its belly. He pulled on the stick, rolling the plane to the side and beginning to circle around the airbase slowly. Watching as a line of three more Murasames reached their starting spot for take off and then pushed forward and into the air, circling around to follow after their leader.
Finally, the last and newest member of the four-man flight prepared to take off. "All right Trent," Mwu spoke into his radio, looking down at the Murasame on the ground through the glass on his canopy and the moving lines of his HUD screened a transparent image of Trent's face on the glass for him to look at. A single green line connected the moving image to the Murasame on the ground, the letters SETHENS written in bold. "just like training. Take a deep breath, move the throttle forward and then pull back on the stick."
"Y-yes sir." The pilot answered as he went through a checklist in his mind. 'Speed up,' he thought as he pushed the throttle forward 'and pull on the stick…' His view of the runway began to change and speed into a blur as the engines pushed the ship forward. He strained against the gravity for a bit, though he was by now used to it thanks to several years of training. The Murasame lifted off smoothly, just as the other three had done earlier.
"Tower here, take off looks good for Seagull Four. Captain La Fllaga, please take care of our boys while on patrol."
"Copy control. Seagull flight, finger-four formation and match my speed." With that, the lead Murasame pushed forward and sped off in the distance, heading South. The other three planes moved to catch up, following through the formation ordered. One plane flew on the left side of Mwu's plane, acting as his wingman, his support. On the right side, the third plane followed as the leader for the second pair of the fighters, while Trent followed on the right of the third plane.
All of the planes matched their speeds as they flew in, what looked like, an incomplete V-shape, gaining some altitude and letting the world pass sluggishly below them.
"Now that wasn't so bad, right Trent?"
"Yes sir! Captain!" Trent responded quickly, both hands choking the stick and causing his fighter to waver slightly in the air.
"Easy kid!" Another pilot, Mack, said, cocking a half-grin that Trent could see on his HUD, "you've graduated from flight school with high marks. There are other things to worry about besides flying a simple patrol."
"Keep choking the stick like that," the other pilot, Bitson, remarked with a light laugh, "you're going to rip it out!"
"All right that's enough, leave the nugget to get used to it on his own. I'll have you remember that you were no different when you first started active duty." Mwu said without any mirth in his voice.
The two camera views on Trent's HUD disappeared with a resounding, "Yes sir…" echoing through the coms before becoming completely silent. And for the most part, it remained like this for the patrol. The Seagull wing moved from their Southward direction and followed a slightly more Westward path through the sky.
"May day! May day!" a voice suddenly called in through the com, weak and full of static because of a distant and thus weak signal, "We've come under fi…" the signal fell into a whine for a second or two, "…eed assistance. Distress beaco…"
The signal continued to fade, in and out repeatedly with little more to go on, though Mwu reacted quickly. "Seagull wing, keep a tight formation. Unidentified craft, this is Seagull leader, Orb flight. Switch our frequency and give us a sitrep, we are on our way."
The com static burst for a moment before the voice came through again, though this time a bit clearer, "This is Greyhound One of the ZAFT forces. We've come under fire from a group of unknown mobile suits. They will not cease firing, we need immediate assistance! Follow the distress beacon to our location, please!"
"Roger, Greyhound One. Sit tight, we'll be there soon. All right everyone, it's time to push these things to the max. Full afterburner!" Mwu ordered. His Murasame seemed to explode ahead with speed as his afterburners burned through the air brightly. The other three fighters followed behind, eventually forming a straight line formation, cutting through the air and blazing high over the water.
Bright flashes and smoke appeared in the distance not long after, with several fast moving mobile suits orbited around a defending VTOL transport, firing bullets, missiles and the occasional chaff and countermeasure. Already, one of its four engines smoked black but it had yet to burst into flames.
"Seagull flight, split into paired wings and bring the fight to the enemy. Keep that transport protected!"
"Captain La Fllaga! S-shouldn't we remain neutral in this situation?" Trent asked suddenly as he tried to follow closely behind his lead plane.
"Oh you know me Seagull seven, I used to fly for the Earth Alliance. I'm always looking for a good fight, first and foremost!" Mwu said with a wide grin and a laugh, "Now just take the fight to them, we'll discuss the details later!"
Trent nodded as the screen become completely clear again, his HUD picking out and zooming into some of the enemy mobile suits. Elements of aged Daggers took several hits from the defending VTOL, and the two escort Ginns that Trent could now see a little clearer, but two other suits flew and fired at a faster rate, and looked to have no battle damage prevalent on their armors. A black colored Zaku with a surface that shined and reflected the sunlight brightly, which would have bothered Trent had the tinted glass on his helmet not already accounted for that type of sun glare. The other mobile suit, a blood red Windam, had an armor with less shine to it, but instead Trent could see minor intricacies in its creation that differentiated it from other Windams.
Mwu dove into the fight from above, smoothly steadying his aim and locking onto an enemy target. He pressed to trigger, firing a blast of energy from the cannon below his suit, followed by a barrage of missile fire. The red blast burned air around it, melting through the suit of the Strike dagger, and dissipated within the waters of the ocean. The Strike Dagger made no move, its pilot turned into dust and atoms before a static burst the rest of the suit into a show of orange flames and shrapnel raining within the battle.
Combat stopped for a short moment as the Strike Daggers and the two other suits stopped and looked up to see the rain of missiles hailing down from the sky. The Zaku and the Windam flew back, spacing themselves away as the missiles exploded between them and the VTOL transport.
"You're clear Greyhound One! Get out of there!" Bill yelled through the coms.
"T-thanks Seagull. I thought we were dead for sure…" The VTOL pilot remarked, the fear of death more than set in his mind.
Trent watched the VTOL begin to move further Eastward, while the explosions from the missiles began to clear, and the remaining mobile suits regained sight of their target. "All right boys," Mwu said on his screen, "transform. We're gonna be the wall that keeps that VTOL safe!"
"Yes Captain!" the three yelled in unison as they each flicked their respective switches and the Murasame shifted from its fast-moving fighter jet form, into the mobile suit formation that could fight toe-to-toe with any other current mobile suit. The wings narrowed as part of the afterburners moved and began the legs for the mobile suit. The cockpit moved and was then covered by a thicker sheet of armor. The screen lit up on the glass as several cameras switched on through the eyes of the mobile suit and other smaller locations around the body.
Trent raised his shield in the left hand, and the beam rifle in the right, and waited for the enemy to make their move. He did not wait long, as the dissipating cloud suddenly burst with Strike Daggers beginning to push through. Trent held his breath, already beginning to sweat as he easily pressed the trigger commanding the mobile suit to fire the beam rifle straight at the incoming Daggers. He let out the breath as he repeated, the Murasame firing several more shots. A stray beam struck the shoulder of one of the Daggers, and Mack finished it off with a well placed shot to the chest.
"Time your shots better nugget," Mack yelled as he fired while hovering next to Trent's Murasame, "don't just fire randomly or you'll run out of power, and don't stand still either!" Mack quickly hovered back after noting this, firing still as another Dagger came closer. Trent pushed away in the air, but continued to fire at an almost rapid pace, breathing heavily as he tried to focus on everything around him, and on the enclosing enemy.
Suddenly, his radar screamed a warning as dot began to get dangerously close fast. He turned the Murasame in the direction of the incoming enemy, watching as the red Windam had another burst of speed from its wings and charged towards him. Trent pulled on the stick, a burst of his own afterburners pushing him out of the way and letting the Windam miss its tackle just barely. Before Trent could sigh in relief, the Windam spun around and aimed its beam rifle at him.
He gave a short yell and raised his shield just as the red Windam fired, the energy beam impacting and then absorbed into the special alloy of the shield. The Murasame flew back from the impact from the shot, but beyond that Trent breathed a sigh of relief as he came out of the attack unscathed.
"That red one's got wicket aim!" Mack yelled through the coms, "Be careful." Trent nodded silently as he struggled to catch his breath, keeping the shield up and covering the cockpit of his mobile suit as well as he could. He took another deep breath and focused on the hovering red Windam. It whirled around and aimed its beam rifle towards him once more, and Trent narrowed his eyes as he began to analyze the few moments before. He nodded his head as Windam began to fire.
He controlled the Murasame calmly, or somewhat calmly, spinning around and boosting a bit higher and away from the accurate fire of the enemy mobile suit. He slowed suddenly as a beam of hot red shot just above the head of his Murasame, greating the top of the armored skull slightly. Trent hissed in dissatisfaction, but then pushed his mobile suit forward at a maximum burst of speed, pushed by the burners on his back.
He boosted towards the right, dodging another blazing line of fire, and then flew in an arch the rest of the distance towards the red Windam. "All right," he whispered as he came closer, "let's see how things go when we aren't fighting your way." He grit his teeth as he holstered the beam rifle in a slot at the small of the Murasame's back, and then reached towards the shield and pulled out a small cylindrical object. Once away from the shield, a striking dark pink blaze of energy materialized. Trent focused his eyes on the enemy and harshly yelled as he raised the beam sword up and over his head, before swiftly trying to bring it down over the red Windam.
His attack halted as the Windam brought its red and black shield up to block the sudden attack. Still, the Murasame followed through and pushed the Windam through the air and away from it, then Trent backed his Murasame away again, prepared to go into another charge at whatever moment it required. A quick look to the side of his screen told him that the VTOL was making good time and had already moved far enough from the battlefield to avoid any friendlyfire and enemies who might chase after it.
"Trent here!" he said suddenly as he readied the Murasame for another strike, "I'm directly engaging the red Windam!"
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
A bit of distance from the atmosphere of Earth, within the darkness and specks of light far in the distance, a red light weaved and moved erratically. It moved with speed and purpose, halting from time to time, before turning round and going back the way it came.
Up close, the machine looked nothing like a light but was in fact, a mobile suit. A flame-red Zaku carving through space with a night colored long beam cannon held within both of its hands. One solitary camera eye swiveled from side to side in the strangely shaped head of the mobile suit. On its left shoulder, a simple shield of special metals was attached, and on the right shoulder had three sharp and dangerous-looking spikes. Similar spikes, though smaller, were found along the knees and the elbows. On the small of its back, a collapsible head axe was stowed snugly within a holster.
It came to a stop suddenly, its pilot looking over the status of the mobile suit and its piloting software with rapid eyes.
"How is it Ikros?" a window opened on his screen, transparent enough for the pilot to see through it and out into deep space. He could still easily see the words, "voice only" plastered in green over a snowy window.
"Geez Yua, I told you that there weren't any defects. She's ready to go!"
"Ikros, everything needs to be working perfectly for the upcoming tests. And we had to make some small changes in order to at least look better than the competition."
"Will you quit worrying?" Ikros said with a shake of his head, "Tallbern's Electronics isn't going to overshadow this baby, not after all the time we spent building it up. They're just a company based on Earth anyway, what would they know about space mobility?"
"That's not what Lieutenant Mathis said. That's why we made the last-minute upgrade." The female voice replied.
Ikros placed a gloved hand against his helmeted head with a sigh, "That's what you get for listening to Zeke. We haven't even made any major changes; we only installed a variable thruster. We didn't even need to test it out that much."
"Maybe, but while my job is on the line with this program, everything better work and look better than it shows on paper and better than the competition. Come on, just finish the tests on heading 337-12."
"Yeah, yeah. 337-12. Moving at full burst." The Zaku turned, the large sphere of Earth coming into its view, the thrusters on its back moving a bit before a hot white charge began to form within the cylinders.
"What? Oh, wait!"
At its peak, the thrusters exploded with a full burst of thrust, sending Ikros deep into the cushioned seat of the cockpit and straining the bones in his body. A warning light flashed red nearly immediately after pushing forward. "Damnit!"
"Ikros! I didn't mean for you to head in there at full speed!" Yua shouted over the radio, "You're heading straight for a cluster of asteroids and space junk, turn and-"
"No time!" Ikros shouted as tried to slow the Zaku down, but finding miniscule progress from the existing retro thrusters, "I'm just gonna have to push through!" He pushed the throttle forward for another sudden burst of speed. Teeth tightly grit against each other, he kept his eyes wide and focused as he came suddenly closer to the space junk, some of it moving at high and random speeds with nothing in empty space to slow it down.
He breathed in deeply and shifted the stick lightly, ducking under an incoming piece of ripped plating. The Zaku then stood straight again and rolled its right shoulder to the left, spinning between two blocks of ripped cannons and indiscernible ship pieces, sparking once in a while. Regaining his stance, Ikros hissed as he ducked down again, but made sure to keep his shield shoulder above him. A spinning piece of metal, probably a part of a larger shuttle, came close, coming just above the head of the Zaku.
Ikros began to relax and then felt a sudden severe shaking that sent him wobbling within the straps holding him to the chair. He then cringed as a long and high-pitched scraping sound echoed through the metal of the entire mobile suit. The floating wing outside had continued to spin, dragging a farther reaching piece of itself into the red shield of the Zaku. The tip dragged over it, burrowing a trench and ripping off paint and pieces of the armor plating, before sending the Zaku toppling through the void at a wild pace.
Ikros held onto the controls as warning lights flashed and sounds beeped in his face as he tried to regain control. The Zaku continued to spin, kicking in a disoriented fashion but at least slowing the spin down to the point where Ikros no longer felt dizzy looking at the screen as things spun around him. Another thump slammed Ikros back and to the side as the Zaku its back against another piece of space junk, sending it spinning in a different direction, though slower. The rest of the hazardous obstacles passed by him at a slow and fortunate pace, missing Ikros completely as he finally stopped the Zaku from spinning and instead began to sluggishly control the direction in which he went.
Ikros looked down at his radar, only to sigh at the sight of more junk and a great deal of static and interference, likely from the space junk surrounding him. The Zaku looked back over its shoulder, and Ikros tried to decide in what direction to go in. "Control, can you hear me? This is Ikros Yucker, Z-175 pilot."
The com responded with little more than static and incoherent and random chatter. Still, Ikros reacted as quickly as he could, trying to find the source of the signal, "Is anybody out there? Please respond! This is ZAFT pilot, Ikros Yucker." He held back a cringe as he thought about his answer again, he still was not an official ZAFT pilot yet, just a civilian experimental pilot.
The radio crackled yet again, static and noise bursting through, and the occasional voice. "…out..th…field…under…you assist?...Repe…need…help…"
Ikros checked the hands of the Zaku, relaxing a bit as he found it still holding onto an undamaged beam cannon. He nodded his head, "If you can hear me," he shouted into the radio, "I'll try to be on my way!"
He pushed forward, thrusters bursting the Zaku through debris and junk at a faster than reasonable pace, though not at full power. Ikros weaved between walls of metal, pipes and ice before finally reaching the edge and pushing forward into an empty expanse, letting the view of the Earth sink into his mind as he pressed the radio. "This is Ikros, can anybody hear me?"
"You won't get anyone else to respond but us sonny!" A voice called through, followed by a window full of static and the vague appearance of a graying man with a captain's had over his head looking serious and grim. "Can you assist us? I don't think we're far from your current position!"
A flash in the distance brought his attention as the com was suddenly filled with a distance noise much like an explosion, bouncing against the steel hull of whatever it was that communicated with the Zaku.
Ikros punched a few buttons as he boosted in that direction, the conversation over as the comlink suddenly ceased. The camera zoomed onto a subsequent flash that followed the first, and Ikros gained a good view of an EA transport ship firing countermeasures and whatever guns were operational against a flight of Ginns orbiting around it and firing volleys of bullets and beams.
"Shit," Ikros swore as he forced the mobile suit to boost forward as quick as it could manage, nothing dangerous in the way now to stop him from reaching the end point. He brought his beam cannon around, aiming and beginning to set up the firing solutions, taking into account his speed and the motion of the enemy and the transport, when an explosion suddenly pushed the Zaku off its path from the left.
He turned the Zaku's head to the left, using its shield for some cover as it searched for the source of the attack. A fast moving blur of blue and white passed by him, trying to ark around the shielded shoulder of the Zaku, and firing bright red beams at Ikros in rapid fashion. Ikros pushed back on the throttle, forcing the Zaku to use what retro-thrusters it had and boosting backwards in an ark to the opposite direction. He aimed and locked onto his target, now beginning to take shape and form.
He pressed the trigger, and the Zaku fired its beam cannon at full power towards the enemy. The enemy disappeared behind it, and as the danger cleared, the enemy's remnants were nowhere to be seen. Ikros had no time to ponder on it, as warning lights brightened in his cockpit and he swore again, as he spun the Zaku around to aim above it, firing the cannon blindly.
The mobile suit, now close enough for Ikros to see, was identical to the past Strike, covered in blue and white markings and attached to the Aile module to give it speed and quick mid-range attacks with its beam rifle. The shot Ikros had done had been way off target, but had shaken the Strike into avoiding the main attack on the Zaku. Instead of being cut in two pieces, the Strike managed to bring its beam sword down and through the neck of the Zaku itself. Ikros cursed as he boosted away, gritting his teeth in anger.
Now unable to use the main camera, several smaller screens appeared on the main one. The Strike forced itself forward again, swinging a wide arc with its beam sword. Ikros shifted himself as the Zaku ducked under the beam sword, he then engaged the thrusters on the legs to spin the Zaku forward and give a swift upside kick to the Strike.
The Strike began to spin around, booster remaining silent likely from shock from the pilot. Ikros then aimed his beam cannon forward and pressed the trigger again, sending another wave of beam energy. At the last minute, the Strike boosted away from the path of the incoming beam. The heat from the beam waved and melted through the black armor of the Aile thrusters, suddenly exploding a bit and sending the Strike spinning away.
Ikros gave a victory shout as he turned away and immediately sped towards the continuing battle, as the ZAFT transport continued to try and defend itself.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Back on Earth, the battle continued between the unknown attackers and the Orb Murasames. Trent had remained in combat with the red Windam. Even at close-combat, with Trent chasing after the Windam with his beam sword, the Windam had managed to dodge the wild slashes and fire off a few rounds at Trent. Neither of the pilots were having an easy time with this, though Trent could constantly feel the pressure in the back of his mind, being a rookie and already being thrown into combat. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, though his only responsibility at that moment was his life.
The VTOL transport had moved on, escorted by two of the Murasames from the Seagull Squadron. The Captain and Trent remained behind, continuing their fight with the black Zaku and the red Windam. Trent grit his teeth as he blocked another blast of light and heat using the shield, beginning to seem beat up and warped after taking so much abuse from the single enemy.
His eyes widened as the Windam charged, dropping the rifle and reaching back to pull out a beam saber. Trent nearly swore as he blocked a strike from above using his beam saber and then threw away his shield on the other arm. With a free hand, he reached up and gripped the Windam's sword arm only to find that the Windam had done that same against his own arm.
They struggled against each other's grip, though unable to break away from the stalemate they had placed themselves in.
"Say," a voice said over his radio, "you're actually pretty good!" Suddenly, an image appeared on the corner of his screen, where a red haired girl sat in a flight suit and with a helmet, smiling and looking a bit younger than Trent himself.
"A girl?" Trent reacted at the sight. Though he had not been unfamiliar with female pilots within Orb, those so much younger than him were an unusual sight. Especially any who could fight so well, and then break through Orb's military encryption codes to communicate.
"Weren't expecting that, now were ya?" The girl replied, to which Trent remained speechless but focused on keeping his Murasame's grip firm on the Windam's sword-arm. "It's too bad that our target got away, but hey if you keep protecting it then I'll see you again. Good luck there, cutie!"
Before Trent could respond, the Windam raised its knee and then extended its leg, kicking the Murasame straight on the chest, and sending it flying away before it flew off in the other direction. Trent regained control quickly, but remained unable to move as the Windam fired several wild shots, forcing Trent to fly lower and avoid being hit. It was not until Trent reached the surface of the ocean that the shots stopped coming.
Hovering just above the water, he noticed that the Zaku had escaped as well. The distance was great, and though he knew that the Murasame had the better speed, he was not certain he had the better skill in combat. He rather felt like releasing a sigh of relief at that point. The girl had been pretty, he admitted, just her simple smile would have garnered his attention in a different, and more peaceful, setting.
"Let's catch up with the transport," Trent heard Mwu say over the com, "I just received the order to escort it the rest of the way to Carpenteria."
Trent, however, was busy focusing on something else, "She…she called me cutie…"
"What was that?"
Trent stuttered as he realized he had somehow forgotten to keep his thoughts to himself, "Uh n-nothing sirt! R-right, transforming!" He half shouted as he shifted his Murasame to its fighter mode and sped off in the direction of the transport. Half-praying that his Captain had a weak attention span.
"Hey wait up," Mwu shouted as he gave chase.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"Fire!"
The Captain's order was put into effect immediately, as the transports ship single remaining beam cannon glowed and fired in front of it, cutting through a single surprised Ginn. The rest of the squadron cleared away from the beam as it continued past them. It was likely trying to swat an entire cloud of flies or mosquitoes with a single sword. The Ginns flew back into position as the cannon on the ship tried to recharge, but it would not go fast enough as the Ginns all prepared to fire on the limping ship.
A red beam suddenly cut through the black void, ripping through one of the Ginns and warping the rest through waves of heat coming from being near the beam itself. One unfortunate Ginn attempted to retreat, only to have its thrusters melt and explode as pressure suddenly built inside of itself. The Ginn then lost integrity within space, beat up and affected by the heat, and exploded in a fast show of orange and white before dissipating completely.
Ikros side-glanced one of the many screens now open and looking straight in one particular direction. He found the view of the limping ship and hovered closer to its side, positioning himself to protect the part where the other gun had been totaled. "Z-175 to EA ship, what's your status?"
"We're fine Z-175. Maybe a little beaten, but we can still make it to our original objective." The graying man said, a clearer picture now appearing on the corner of Ikros' view. He had a wild beard covering his hard face, and several aged and scarred lines along with it.
"Which objective is that?"
"Earth, need a ride sonny?"
Ikros swore under his breath as he looked at a radar and a digital star map to give him a layout for his location. He had gone farther off course than he had expected, especially after he had left the space junkyard and gone farther away to help the ship. "Earth wasn't really what I had in mind. But since the Minovsky particles were placed during the battle, I can't get in contact with control. And I don't think I can make it all the way back with the power I have left…"
Beyond the fact that he had fired the beam cannon enough times to drain his overall power supply, Ikros looked over the status of his mobile suit to see that it had been damaged after fighting the Strike, and surviving the ordeal that had gotten him this far in the first place.
"We'd appreciate the support," the old man suddenly said sincerely, "our mobile suits are all gone. And we can give you the supplies and manpower to help repair yours."
"Roger that, I'm good with that." Ikros said and looked to one of the cameras as there was some sudden movement, a cargo bay door opened and revealed an empty spot, big enough for a mobile suit. Ikros nodded as he pushed the Zaku over using small bursts from the aimed thrusters on the feet and the back.
The Zaku landed and several engineers in spacesuits floated up to help secure it to the walls as the cargo bay door shut and sealed the cargo hold. The air vents began to pressurize the hold as Ikros finally opened the cockpit door on the waist of the mobile suit, standing up and floating up towards the door. His pilot suit was colored green with blue markings along his shoulders and the seams in order to further point out his civilian status. He kicked himself away, heading towards the wall closest to him where he grabbed hold of the railing to a walkway.
"This is the Captain to all personnel, especially those in the engine room," the intercom blared out above Ikros' head, "We're gonna start moving now, and I'll want full throttle within ten minutes. I don't want to deal with any more battles. So do what you can, out."
Ikros thought he could feel the gravity on the ship shift as it moved forward, pulling a few things back. He could not see very much damage done to the inner hull, at least from his perspective and he already knew that the air was breathable where he was standing at least. He walked over to a screen and keyboard attached to the wall next to his mobile suit, and pulled off his helmet. He breathed a sigh of relief as the air cooled his head a bit, and he shook a few sweat droplets off and into the floating air from his damp blue hair.
He typed a few commands before the screen opened with a young lady's face, slightly surprised to see Ikros staring back. He gave a light smile and a wave, "Hi, I need to make a call? You're communications can get past the jamming I'm guessing."
The girl looked over her shoulder for a moment before nodding and smiling at Ikros, "Ok, go ahead and input the communication frequency, and we'll set up the connection."
After a few moments of silence and typing in the background Ikros raised the microphone up to his mouth, "Control Tower, this is Z-175. Yua do you read me?"
The screen continued to show static and snow for a few moments before the vague image came through behind the static. "Hey! Ikros! What the hell man! You nearly gave me a heart attack with that stunt you pulled!"
Ikros chuckled and nodded, "Yeah uh, sorry about that."
Yua shook his head, the image clearing up to reveal his face, "It's fine. Where are you? When will you get back here?"
Ikros grit his teeth a bit as he scratched his cheek, a little nervous, "Well actually…there's a problem with that."
"Yeah?" Yua began, already not amused.
"Uh yeah…wouldn't you know it, after I made it through the junkyard I came into contact with a ship under attack. So I uh…took part in the battle."
"What!"
Ikros shrank a bit shaking his hands, "D-don't worry. The ship made it out ok and I'm here, so I'm fine too."
"Screw you!" She shouted suddenly and grabbed onto the camera to which Ikros felt a slight pang of hurt, "What about the Zaku!"
"Oh yeah, of course the Zaku's fine." Ikros responded, making sure to keep his eyes focused on Yua and not on the mobile suit, and the actual state it was in. He would not be able to hide his actual expression if he got a close look at it, headless and damaged.
"Oh good…" Yua responded with relief, before she perked up immediately. She gave a wide grin as she leaned closer to the camera again, "You saved an Earth Alliance ship then huh?"
"Uh yeah…"
"And you have all the data recorded from the battle I'm guessing right? Can you send it over to us? How'd it do?"
Ikros paused and stammered, not sure where to start or which question to answer first, "Yes. Yeah I can send you the data. It handled great in combat, no problems really."
Yua's smile widened, if that was possible, "That's wonderful! Ok, send us the data and then you and I will look it over when you get back here."
Again, Ikros froze for a few seconds, "Uh actually, the ship is Earth Alliance."
"Oh I know, just ask them to drop you off before they head to where they're going. Or after, if you want." Yua said nonchalantly, looking over a few pieces of paper along her desk.
"No, Yua…the ship's destination is Earth. I'm going to Earth." Ikros said cringing, waiting for an explosion of vocal noise and severe screaming, but receiving nothing more than a few tapping keyboards on the screen.
"Place your hand on the keyboard for a second."
"What?"
"Place. Your hand. On the keyboard." Yua stressed.
Ikros noticed a dangerous look in her eyes, "I don't really want to."
"Hand. Keyboard. Now!"
Ikros reached forward slowly, suddenly feeling an electric jolt shock his fingertips. He yelled as he grabbed hold of his hand and pulled away immediately. "How the hell did you-"
"You're going to Earth! We don't even know how the Zaku will handle Earth's gravity! And need I remind you that the Zaku is a secret prototype? Secret! How can we keep the project secret if you bring it to Earth, on an Earth Alliance ship I might add!"
Ikros opened his lips to begin to speak, only to shut up at the sight of her angry eyes, "never mind, please continue."
"You said so yourself that Tallberns Electronics is based on Earth. What if they come just to find out our secrets! Explain to me how this is a good idea."
Ikros sighed as he shrugged, "Look it's kinda out of my hands. I can't make it back to the station with the power levels I have. I was lucky to find these guys, and to help them out. Now they're helping me! I can then get this thing moved to a ZAFT base on Earth somewhere, ok? Hell, they might even let us test the mobile suit on the ground, that would be good for numbers too right?"
Yua remained silent, and Ikros began to notice a light pout appear on from her lips, or at least what he could see. The image was still nowhere near perfect. "I guess…that makes sense…"
Ikros sighed in relief as he nodded. Yua then looked straight at Ikros, "You'd better take care of yourself, and that mobile suit! Got it?"
"No problem Yua, I'll get it repaired the minute we land." He froze for a moment as he watched her reaction to his words. He placed his hand over his face as he watched her surprised glare before she started to type several commands onto her keyboard. "Now hang on Yua, you don't really want to-"
She screamed, crackling the speakers next to the computers sharply and causing Ikros to try and clear his popping his ears with his pinky. "What did you do to it!" Yua yelled as she grabbed the camera again, "What did you do to my Zaku! What did you do to the shield? Where the hell is its head! What the fu-"
Ikros sighed as he typed in the disconnect command as quickly as he was able. The screen turned off and he leaned against the wall for a few moments to regain his composure, and his sanity. A sudden beep appeared from the console he was in front of, and he nearly jumped away in shock. All he saw there, however, was the girl who he had spoken to earlier in order to make the call in the first place.
"Hello," She said with a light smile, "You seem a little tired."
Ikros nodded silently as he wiped a bit of sweat from his brow.
"Well, I'm getting the call back from the person you called, a Dr. Yua? She'd like to speak with you immediately. Should I connect you?"
"Please don't." Ikros answered immediately, watching the girl's face become confused. He placed himself in front of the console and then lowered his head and half-bowed to the screen. "Please just…say anything. That the mission is too secret. Just…don't make me talk to her again, please. I'm begging you. Just tell her where we're going, disconnect and ignore all of her attempts to contact us."
"U-um…sure," she said still surprised and confused further, "well then, the Captain says you can take a rest in some of our quarters. We'll begin the re-entry process pretty soon. I'll let you know when we reach Carpenteria."
"Ah yes…thank you."
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"Admiral Rabka!"
The admiral looked up from where he was sitting, relaxed with a folder in his hand and a cup of coffee next to him. He had seen many battles, and had earned his rank by surviving the grit and pain of every wound, lost soul under his command, and even lost son. Admiral Patton Rabka had seen a great deal of things at the age of 74, but he was still strong and he still knew how to command a ship in the heat of command. Still, at his age, he felt that a comfortable position as a base commander was a decent form of reward for his many victories and defeats. Though, every now and then, something exciting would come his way and serve to disturb the peace, but he rarely frowned at it. He gave a light smile as he dropped the file and looked up towards the sergeant who had run in, "Sergeant Walters, good to see you. How is your wife, Dana?"
"S-she's fine…sir!" The sergeant responded as he entered and saluted, still a bit surprised by the accurate memory of the old man. The last position Walters had, the Base Commander usually forgot he existed, much less remembered that he was married. "She's 6 months pregnant, sir!"
"Oh that's good!" The admiral remarked, "First child I imagine?"
"Yes sir!"
"Well then, we'll have to set you up with some time to be home and take care of her during the last month and the month after." The admiral said as he made a note in a notebook at his side, "Those two months are important for keeping a healthy marriage and for getting to know your child much better. I should know, you know."
The sergeant remained silent, shocked at first, "T-thank you Admiral. I'm…I'm sure Dana will be quite pleased to hear the news sir!"
"Good. Now, what was it you came in to tell me, sergeant?"
The sergeant stood at attention once more, "Yes sir! We've received word that both the VTOL transport and the space cargo ship have come under attack by unknown assailants, but that they've been able to separate from the battle and are on their way here now. They'll be arriving with escorts, sir!"
"Right then," the admiral said as he nodded, "Make sure to prepare our medical facilities and personnel. Try to contact the ships again and see if they need anything in specific. Also prepare rescue teams and repair crews just in case. Who's escorting them?"
The sergeant nearly paused in shock and awe, the Admiral had barely taken any time to think of what needed to be done, or prepared. Instead, Sergeant Walters continued the report, "The ZAFT VTOL transport is being escorted by a flight of four Orb Murasames. The Earth Alliance ship going through re-entry is currently being escorted by a ZAFT prototype."
The admiral barked a laugh, sitting back in his chair relaxed and smiling still, "Good. Make sure to have quarters and hangars prepared for each group. It's fine if the ZAFT pilot needs his own hangar, we've got plenty to go around anyways. Be sure to have people ready to repair each mobile suit as quick as they are able."
"Yes sir!" The sergeant said turning about and marching towards the door.
"Oh and Sergeant Walters?" The admiral called and the sergeant froze, hand almost at the doorknob before he looked over his shoulder.
"Yes sir?"
"Send Dana my congratulations when tell her you're going home."
"T-thank you sir, I will!
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Wes walked out from the hangar, stretching his arms and placing them on his hips. Dressed up to his waist in his pilot jumpsuit, with the top-half unzipped and tied around his waist, and a simple black shirt over his chest, he drew no strange stares from anyone. No one knew any better even when Nina came up beside him, hooking her arm around his and hanging against him for a few moments.
Why would they? They were preoccupied with something else. "Look! Up there!" someone yelled and pointed towards a shining object falling across the sky leaving a trail of smoke behind it as it neared the ocean.
"Re-entry?" Wes whispered to himself as he placed his hand over his head to shield his eyes from the sun's glare.
"They finally made it." Nina stated calmly.
"Were we expecting some company?"
"Hmm…something like that." She smiled as she stepped away, picking up her labcoat inside before walking back out. "We'll have our work cut out for us pretty soon, you'd better suit back up."
In the next few minutes, both transports reached the Carpenteria base, one along the water and one through the air. Though there were several engineers prepared to begin repairs and start searching and rescuing any injured who might have been trapped under collapsed hulls or mountains of rubble, the sight was still unexpected when the space transport arrived through the water. Most wondered how it could remain afloat still.
Tears and torn bits of hull still attached to the main ship were lined with scorch marks caused by the beam and heat weapons used to tear through it. Other parts of the ship looked as if it had burst out from within, likely from weakened integrity of the hull being unable to withhold the inner pressure. Still, the engineers and the medics ran in from whatever entrance they could find.
Mobile suits and cargo were also brought out quickly, with most of the technicians still unsure as to whether the ship could continue to float over the water for much longer.
The VTOL landed roughly on the helicopter pad just beside the port, overlooking the transport ship. Though also lined with scorch marks and a few tears, the VTOL had made it out with lesser damages and only a smoking engine. The escorting Orb fighters flew over it in a loud roar, checking to ensure its safe landing and crew, before turning into the air traffic pattern and beginning to land on the runway.
"This things pretty beat up, pal!" someone yelled within the hangar, looking over the damaged mobile suit of the Zaku prototype, though it took him a bit to realize it was another version of a Zaku, what with its head being completely missing.
"Well I have faith that you can get this thing repaired," Ikros said as travelled down from the cockpit, hanging onto the wire attacked to the inside of the open cockpit. As he landed on the floor, he continued, "Just do me a favor and don't mess with the programming. It's not even finished yet."
"Right, right…" The technician said, "Oh wait." He called calmly and held up a plastic wrapped parcel he pulled from under his arm, "We got a request from ZAFT to set you up with one of these."
Ikros grabbed the parcel and looked over it, his eyes widening a bit as he saw the green and white of a regular ZAFT soldier and pilot. He looked up at the technician, who gave him a light salute, "Welcome to the ZAFT military, sir."
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Trent let out a breath as he pulled his head out from under the damp helmet he had been wearing for a few hours. He rubbed his head as he looked back up at the Murasame, and then stepped away to allow the Earth Alliance technicians to begin the maintenance and repair work that Carpenteria had promised them.
He felt tired and worn out, and only just began to realize that what he had just survived had been his first combat experience. A slap on the back regained his attention and composure as Mack walked past him, "Good flying out there, Trent. You can have my back any day."
"Uh…thanks." Trent answered, scratching the back of his head lightly.
"He's serious kid," Trent heard behind him and turned to face the second speaker, his Captain, "You held your own against a strong enemy. Keep up the good work and you'll bring that enemy down next time."
Trent gave a light smile to Mwu before shaking his head, "I doubt that. I get the feeling she was more skilled than she let on."
"She?" Mwu asked with a raised eyebrow as they followed the other pilots out of the hangar.
"Oh," Trent paused for a moment but shook his head, he had already said too much to hide it anymore, "She opened a communication link with my suit. Just to compliment me."
Mwu nodded his head silently, "Well that just happens to be a lesson you've learned a little early then."
"Sir?" Trent asked as he followed after Mwu's footsteps.
"There are no faceless pilots. No unknown enemies. Everyone has a name, a history and a friend."
Trent had no answer, and he hoped that the Captain had not expected one. "It's fine Trent," Mwu said turning around and grinning wide, "Answers don't come instantly. Just…stay alive for now."
"Yes Captain!" Trent shouted as they walked out and under the sun. "I sure hope we can take a decent break before we need to head out."
"Hey!" A technician yelled from the distance, "More mobile suits are on their way. Get the next repair crews ready to receive them!" The reaction was instant as many of the off-duty men and women started to run towards the shore, different colored uniforms mixing together as they shared jeeps and carried supplies. For Trent, it was a heartwarming sight.
He turned to see if Captain Mwu felt the same way, instead the Captain looked pensive, "I don't remember there being a third group coming this way…"
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Several stories below the ground at Carpenteria, Nina stood in her labcoat, calmly looking up at one of the newly acquired mobile suits from the transports. A pure white suit, shadowed only by the weak lighting inside the hangar. "Who will you bring Ragnarok to…?" She asked it, but only received silence in return.
Then, the base rumbled and shook as a groaning noise impacted up above…
REVAMPED!