THIS IS A WARNING: I don't own a single damn thing being used in this story. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans and Highschool DxD belong to their owners/creators!
EPISODE ONE: FATEFUL REUNION
MARS, CHRYSE REGION
MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON
"I still can't believe how nothing has changed since the last time I visited Mars..."
Rias Gremory frowned at the sight of protestors who have gathered in the city square of the Chryse Region. Her eyes could see thousands of protestors for as far as the eye could see, and all of them appeared to be carrying signs with various messages written on them. Some even went as far as writing the message on their own bodies, a clear sign of defiance towards those in the government.
On the other hand, her eyes found themselves looking at the numerous soldiers wearing black armor and carrying assault rifles in their hands and being supported by the large, crimson-colored armored vehicles known as Mobile Workers. The beautiful redhead recognized these men as members of Gjallarhorn, an organization who had become synonymous with peace, truth, and justice as they were responsible for ending the destructive conflict known as the Calamity War.
Turning her head away from the window, Rias found herself questioning Gjallarhorn even more than before. She sighs, "Kudelia may have a valid point when she spoke at the Nachois July Assembly."
"Well, Kudelia has never been one to hold back her opinion," someone sitting across from the daughter of the Gremory family said, reminding the redhead of their friend's stubborn nature. Rias was well-known for many things in life from her intelligence, being well-mannered, and her fierce nature of getting whatever she desires. However, the biggest thing was her unparalleled beauty.
Her long, gorgeous crimson hair was a common trait on her father's side of the family with the most distinctive feature being a single hair strand that appears to stand on its own. Besides her hair, Rias also possessed a pair of lovely teal eyes which would cause anyone to get lost in by just staring into them. Most prominent of all was her curvaceous figure that appeared to be an hourglass-like shape, a body no man could resist or cause even the most beautiful women to become green with envy.
The redhead shook her head and gave her thoughts on this situation, "Akeno, there's a difference between being stubborn and not being able to see reality."
Sitting on the seat opposite of Rias was another young woman of similar beauty, who had long, dark hair that seemed to be tied using an orange ribbon while having a pair of violet eyes filled with playfulness. There was also her figure being of a similar shape to the young woman across from her. Akeno Himejima seemed to giggle at her friend's response before giving a reply, "It's amazing how far Kudelia is willing to go to help the people of Mars, don't you think, Rias?"
"Yes, it's quite admirable for her to do something like this," agreed Rias, who saw the potential problems that Kudelia could cause by going through with her plan. Though, Rias found herself disgusted with the treatment of the people of Mars.
These two young women were sent to Mars with one goal in mind; convince Kudelia to change her mind about going to Earth to speak with the Prime Minister of Arbrau, one of the four massive economic blocks which dominated the planet. After the Nachois July Assembly, where their friend since childhood named Kudelia Aina Bernstein, gave a speech about the poverty levels on Mars and how children were being mistreated as well as being taken advantage by employers on a daily basis. Her speech led to a surge in riots and demonstrations across the planet.
Everyone from Mars to Earth could tell a revolution was on the horizon.
This was the reasoning behind Rias and Akeno's visit to Mars as they were asked by the former's older brother to speak with Kudelia. All of this was because of her family's past, Rias comes from the powerful and wealthy Gremory family, who have made their stamp on history by giving birth to legendary commanders ever since the creation of Gjallarhorn over three hundred years ago. However, the Gremory family isn't a part of the Seven Stars, the group of families who controls the actions of Gjallarhorn with an iron fist.
No, Gjallarhorn made the Gremory, Phenex, and a few other well-established names follow the orders of the Seven Stars as they feared the potential strength of those below them.
On the other side of things, Akeno is the only daughter to a legendary Mobile Suit pilot by the name of Baraqiel Inada, who is a distinguished member of the Grigori, a faction who works closely with Gjallarhorn and helps produce new technology in the form of experimental Mobile Suit designs and provide excellent pilots. In short, these two young women were coming from prestigious families or organizations who expect them to hold up the legacy associated with their name.
Something the two of them intend on fulfilling when the day comes for them to carry these names.
As the armored car past by another city block, Rias continued to ponder on what her older brother was asking of them, but was it wrong of Kudelia to fight for the Martian people?
It was a question Rias found herself asking more and more each day. Although, this would be the first time that she or Akeno have seen Kudelia in the last few years. Rias certainly felt guilty since the only reason she was going to see her friend since childhood was to convince her of the danger she would face by continuing to walk down this path.
Even if it means giving up on the people of Mars, Rias didn't want to see her friend killed by those in power.
Sure, it was selfish for Rias to think like this, but the redhead always knew this about herself. Ever since being given this task, her nightmares have been filled with watching Kudelia being killed by a sniper, blown up in an explosion, or attacked by an angry mob of people, the result was always the same; Kudelia dying while trying to fulfill her dreams.
"Rias, are you alright?"
Looking up, Rias saw Akeno looking at her with concern in the eyes of the raven-haired girl. The redhead smiled back at her best friend and shook her head, "I'm okay, Akeno. You don't need to worry about me."
"You were thinking about Kudelia, weren't you?" Akeno asked, who wasn't going to accept any of her best friend's attempts to change the subject.
A frown took its place on the redhead's face, "I wasn't thinking about her," Rias replied, wanting to move on from this conversation. "All I was thinking about was what we were going to say to her. We haven't seen her since the last time we visited Mars a few years ago. Now, we're coming back with the intentions of telling her to move on from this dream."
"But, I doubt she'll listen to us," Akeno said, bringing up the painful reality for them.
Ever since becoming friends, the two young women understood one thing about Kudelia and that was her stubbornness to push on even if things got tough. Once getting herself wrapped up in the independence movement, things have only gotten worse as Gjallarhorn has been keeping a close eye on Mars while pressing their control on other parts of space such as the many colonies surrounding Earth.
Things were happening all across the solar system, and Rias knew Kudelia was responsible for all these changes.
Rias crossed her legs and sat back against the seat. Silently, the redhead acknowledged what Akeno was trying to say. Honestly, Rias finally understood what it felt like to be against someone like Kudelia, especially given the circumstances surrounding her.
"It's like dealing with Sona all over again," Rias quietly muttered to herself, remembering her friend/rival from years ago.
Despite Kudelia's stubborn nature, her parents were quite odd to the daughter of the Gremory family. Her father's name was Norman, and he was the very definition of a coward as he couldn't seem to be able to handle the situation with his daughter. The man even went as far as traveling all the way to Earth and started begging Zeoticus and Venelana, Rias's parents, to help him. Rias was sure now that all Norman cared about was maintaining the Bernstein family name.
Rias was disgusted that Norman seems to hardly care for his daughter. The same thing could be applied to Akeno as the raven-haired woman saw him nothing more than a maggot to be stepped on.
As for Kudelia's mother, she seems to hardly care about anything in general. Frankly, the two young women came to the conclusion about Kudelia's mother as it looked like she only married Norman for the money and fame associated with being a member of the Bernstein family. It was sad to see Kudelia have parents who hardly cared for her existence, which would lead to her becoming a symbol of the independence movement.
Seeing the rather serious expression on Rias's face, Akeno made a comment to help lighten the mood in the car, "Kudelia is sure taking this rebellious teenager act to an entirely new level. Most kids would try to be independent or do things against their parent's wishes like us..." Akeno said, who was relieved to see the rather small smile growing on her best friend's face. "...I'm actually jealous of her now."
"Akeno," Rias chided, shaking her head at the poor joke. "Don't make light of this."
The raven-haired girl nodded, "Of course, Rias. I just didn't want to see such a serious expression on your face. It might scare off all the boys who might like you," Akeno explained with a sly grin on her face, provoking a response from Rias as a flush of embarrassment rose to her cheeks.
"A-A-Akeno! Do-Don't say s-such things!" exclaimed Rias, trying to remain serious while scolding her friend.
It was only made worse when she saw Akeno grinning like a Cheshire cat. Soon, the raven-haired women continued to mercilessly tease the redhead about not being able to find a boyfriend until Rias decided to flat-out ignore her friend's remarks. This ended shortly afterward as Akeno decided she had her fun with Rias and things returned to normal as silence filled the car again.
Rias looked out the window, seeing how the landscape went from being large buildings primarily owned by big businesses to gigantic estates which seem to have acres of well-maintained land surrounding them. They drove past a few of them before arriving at the front gates of a massive home, which appeared to resemble a castle from a time long forgotten. It didn't take long for the iron gates to creak open, allowing for the armored car to enter the premise.
Immediately, the car drove along the driveway made from cobblestone until reaching the home of the Bernstein family. As the car came to a stop in front of the home, the driver turned the engine off and stepped outside. He walked over and opened the door for the two young women. Rias and Akeno remembered seeing the girl's home when they first came to visit, but they hadn't realized that it was this big.
Soon, their attention was focused on someone coming down the stairs.
It was a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties with neatly kept, dark hair and a pair of blue eyes which were filled with nothing but boredom and seriousness. She was also wearing what appeared to be a maid outfit of some kind. Rias was the first to recognize the older woman, remembering her name from long ago.
"F-Fumitan?" Rias said, letting the name slip from her mouth. "Is that you?" she asked.
The woman known as Fumitan nodded before giving a slight bow to the two young women, "Yes, it's always a joy to see the two of you again after so many years have passed. If you're looking for Ms. Kudelia, she's currently speaking with her mother in the indoor garden at the moment. Stay close behind and I will take you there, Ms. Gremory and Ms. Inada."
Rias winced at hearing Fumitan addressing Akeno by her middle name. When she looked over at her best friend, Rias saw the smile on Akeno's face faltering from hearing that name. The raven-haired woman then spoke up, a smile still present on her face but one of the warmth, "Fumitan, please address me by my last name?"
Meanwhile, the older woman didn't seem to care all that much and nodded, "My apologies, Ms. Himejima."
"Thank you, Fumitan."
Once that matter was quickly resolved, Fumitan told them to follow her as she would take them to where Kudelia was. Rias always remembered hearing about the wealth of the Bernstein family from her parents and was taught about their deep ties to the birthplace of humanity ever since space travel became a reality, even being one of the main supporters of colonizing the other worlds in the solar system.
From trade to construction, the Bernstein family had basically built Mars into being a pivotal part of the economy of the Earth Sphere. A feat which impressed officials in governments across the world and Gjallarhorn of all factions.
As they walked through the hallways, the two of them were utterly amazed by the architecture, ranging from the vaulted ceiling to the intricately designed marble columns holding up the second floor of the home, and various other details around the estate. There were even numerous paintings of the previous members of the Bernstein family, from the earliest members to the latest ones in Kudelia, her father, and her mother.
After what seemed like a few minutes, three of them reached a pair of wooden doors. Fumitan stopped and faced Rias and Akeno, "If you would be so kind as to wait here for Ms. Kudelia."
The two of them nodded, respecting the privacy of their friend as she was most likely having a conversation with her mother.
Rias walked over to the window and looked down into the courtyard, seeing a few gardeners working out in the searing heat of the sun and looked as if they're on their last legs. 'Doesn't matter where you go,' thought Rias, realizing how wrong this scene looked to her. 'These people are suffering...'
Seeing the crestfallen expression on her best friend's face, Akeno walked up to her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Maybe...your brother and everyone else doesn't see the full picture here. We've been on Mars for a few days, but have seen so much that's wrong on this world."
"They don't see it," Rias muttered in anger, her emotions starting to get the best of her. "How can my brother and everyone else expect people to live like this? I genuinely want to believe my family cares about those who are being treated as if they're slaves. Yet, there are others who appear enjoy how things are going on this world."
Hearing her words, Akeno knew how Rias felt about all this. They've known each other for nearly ten years, and Akeno has been grateful to Rias for being her friend, and, more importantly, being someone she could rely on for when things got tough. Now, Akeno wanted to do the same for Rias, who appeared to be in that frame of mind at the moment.
"Ri-"
Suddenly, they heard the large, oak doors creak open and revealed another young woman. She was around the same age as Rias and Akeno, but her appearance was completely different from either of them. The girl had long, blonde hair that went down to the middle of her back and a pair of bright violet eyes filled with innocence and hope. It was also paired up with a simple red dress with a few accents of white on it.
Her name was Kudelia Aina Bernstein, the only child of the Bernstein family.
Just as Kudelia closed the door behind her, the blonde turned around and was about to call out to Fumitan until her eyes found themselves looking at two people she hadn't expected to see. The frown that was on her face, suddenly, became a giant smile, "Rias! Akeno! I didn't know you guys were coming."
The two girls smiled back at their friend. Out of nowhere, Kudelia rushed forward and enveloped the two of them in a bearhug.
"You guys should have told me ahead of time," Kudelia said, who was jovial to see her oldest friends. She then released them from the hug and looked at them, "I would have tried to prepare something beforehand."
While Kudelia was excited at the prospect of seeing Rias and Akeno, it was quite strange of them to come all this way to Mars without saying anything in advance.
Rias was the first to speak up, "I-It's nice to see you again too, Kudelia. How have you been?" the redhead asked, hoping to delay the inevitable conversation about what Kudelia has been doing these last few months.
"I've been doing well," Kudelia beamed, who didn't seem to notice how nervous Rias and Akeno looked. She turned to her maid/older sister figure, "Um, Fumitan, could you please prepare some tea for us."
Without saying a word, the maid merely nodded and left the three girls on their own. Just as Fumitan left, the young blonde woman looked back at her friends and motioned towards the hallway, "Follow me. We can head to the courtyard."
Deciding it would be best to sit down and talk about this news, Akeno and Rias followed Kudelia through her home, listening to her questions and answering them as they go alone, hoping to avoid this discussion altogether. Continuing to walk past numerous rooms and servants, who Kudelia knew by their names as she greeted them.
Walking down into the courtyard, they could feel the sun beating down on them. They walked over to a nearby glass table until they heard something shatter nearby. It looked like one of the gardeners had dropped one of the ceramic vases containing flowers. At first, Rias and Akeno were taken back by the appearance of the gardener as he looked to be no older than fourteen.
Rias and Akeno frowned as they saw the boy starting to panic as he began picking up the pieces of ceramic until he seems to reel back in pain and looked at his hand.
The three young women saw the blood dripping from his hand. Before anyone could say a word, Kudelia walked over to the boy, who looked quite fearful of what might happen until she kneeled down next to him and asked him, "Are you alright?"
"U-Uh?"
He was expecting to be punished since he was known around here. Kudelia reached for the hand with the cut before the boy pulled it back. The blonde woman spoke in a gentle tone, "It's okay, I'm gonna hurt you. I just wanna see how bad it is."
Swallowing the saliva in his throat, the boy reluctantly let Kudelia see his hand. She frowned at the sight of the cut, "You could get an infection if it isn't treated properly."
Out of the corner of her eye, Kudelia noticed Fumitan placing a tray with a tea kettle and a few ivory teacups on the table. She looked back at the boy and smiled, "Let's go, I'll ask Fumitan if she could get this cleaned up for you. Don't worry about the pot either, I don't think my mother or father would notice too much."
Unable to say another word, the boy was pulled up by Kudelia, who dragged the boy over to Fumitan.
"Fumitan," Kudelia said in a nervous tone. "Could you treat Gasper's cut, please?"
The older woman glanced over at the boy with an uncaring look in her eyes before looking back at Kudelia and sighing, "Very well then. Gasper, if you could follow me, we'll see what can be done about that cut of yours."
Once that matter was settled, the three of them sat at the glass table and Kudelia began to pour the tea while Rias and Akeno were still thinking about what they just saw from their friend. The boy was nothing more than a worker and, yet, Kudelia showed concern for him and even had him treated for a wound. How someone like Kudelia could be so kind and sympathetic?
Her parents seem to be the worst kind of people imaginable, yet their daughter has dedicated her life to freeing Mars from the shackle Earth has placed on the planet.
"Rias, Akeno, I was wondering what brought you guys to Mars?" Kudelia inquired as she was pouring tea for her two closest friends.
Akeno smiled and waved her off, "Dear, we don't need a reason to see our friend, do we?"
"Don't get me wrong! I'm happy to see the both of you! I truly am..." Kudelia quickly replied as she handed a cup of tea to Rias before finishing what she was gonna say to Akeno. "...I-It's just, I haven't seen either of you in years. Makes me curious as to why you guys suddenly visited me."
As Rias took a sip of tea, the redhead was still trying to find the proper words. Much to her annoyance, Rias knew Kudelia was an intelligent person and would be able to figure out if she was lying to her. Certainly made things more difficult for her and Akeno.
Putting the ivory teacup down on the table, Rias spoke up, "Kudelia."
"Yes, what is it, Rias?"
Taking a moment to gather herself, Rias had a serious expression on her face as she started speaking, "Look, Kudelia, we've been friends since childhood and I've wanted to come back to Mars with the intention of seeing you. Unfortunately, your father traveled to Earth a few months ago and spoke to my father."
Kudelia lost her smile and soon turned into a frown, the girl didn't say anything for what seemed like hours.
Worried about their friend, Akeno reached over and placed a hand on Kudelia's shoulder, "Are you alright?"
At first, the girl didn't respond to the question until she raised her head up and looked at Akeno with a solemn expression. Kudelia shook her head, "What did my father say?" she asked in a quiet tone.
Right now, the guilt was eating away at Rias, especially when seeing the expression on her friend's face. Pushing her guilt down, Rias needed to finish explaining, "Your father was concerned about your...recent activity with the independence movement. He asked my father if I and Akeno could travel to Mars and to speak with you about this situation. And listen, Kudelia, I-I know how important this is t-"
"No, you don't. Neither of you knows what I've dealt with."
Out of nowhere, Kudelia caught of Rias and looked at the two of them with a mixture of different emotions from anger to disappointment to betrayal. Rias and Akeno were supposed to be her friends, people who would support her. Now, they were trying to get in the way of her dreams of freeing the Martian people from the stranglehold Earth has on them.
'I worked my entire life to reach this point...' Kudelia thought, reminding herself of all the countless nights she spent reading textbooks, files, and anything else she could use to help find a solution. She even had the fortune of going to college and excelling for someone her age. Everything was building up to this meeting with the Prime Minister of Arbrau, and nothing was going to stop her.
Kudelia gently removed Akeno's hand from her shoulder, "Do either of you even know how bad it is on Mars right now? There are children even younger than Gasper, who are working for next to nothing and the number of child soldiers has soared in recent years. I don't know what's happened in the last few years, but if you two have become people are willing to stand by and do nothing while an entire planet of people suffers... then you truly aren't my friends."
Just as she finished going on her tangent, the young woman stood up from the chair and was about to walk away until Rias called out to her.
"Wait, Kudelia!"
However, the girl ignored her words and left them alone in the courtyard, leaving Akeno and Rias in shock of what they just heard. Less than a moment later, Rias sighed in frustration, "Let's call my brother...let him know what happened."
'Things went from bad to worse...' the redhead thought, realizing how disastrous this meeting went with Kudelia.
X-X-X
A FEW MINUTES LATER
As Kudelia walked away from the courtyard, she was closely followed by her personal maid/caretaker and someone who she's come to trust more than her own parents. Even being more trustworthy than her two friends since childhood. It was disheartening for Kudelia to admit something as painful as that.
While they were walking through the hallway, Kudelia began letting her true feelings run wild.
"Rias, Akeno, and my mother are simply ignoring the truth," Kudelia said, growing frustrated with her mother's lackadaisical attitude towards anything outside of this house. Meanwhile, it's become worse as her friends are listening to their orders and don't seem to be questioning them at all. It was reaching a point where the girl wondered if any of them were aware of what was going on around Mars. "The worst part is that my mother nor my friends don't even try to understand what is going on out there."
Kudelia shook her head, "I never want to be like that."
"I want to see and feel the truth," she stated to Fumitan, who remained quiet and allowed the daughter of the Bernstein to continue letting her feelings out. Even after hearing that, it made Fumitan wonder about the choice of people she decided on to take her to Earth. What better way to show the people of Earth the kind of influence they've had then having a group of child soldiers escorts her to Earth?
Fumitan voiced her question, "Is that why you choose them as your escorts, young miss?" she asked.
Kudelia stopped and faced Fumitan, "Yes. These irregular child soldiers were born out of the Earth Sphere's long rule. They embody the problems that currently burden Mars. By interacting with them, I hope to at least share some of their pain."
However, Fumitan couldn't help but remind her about yesterday's incident, "Young miss, I do hope you understand that these child soldiers aren't the only ones who embody the problem facing the Martian people."
Upon hearing those words, the young woman's face grew solemn as she knew what incident that Fumitan pointed out to her.
An incident where Kudelia realized how harsh Mars could be...
Mobile Suit Gundam: Tekkadan's Iron-Blooded Dragon
EARTH, OCEANIAN FEDERATION
A FEW HOURS LATER
Traveling through downtown Bejing was a column of black, armored SUVs carrying a few important individuals who were attending a meeting on this chilly winter night. Sitting inside one of them was a man who appeared to be around his late-twenties with shoulder length, crimson hair and was wearing an intricately designed military uniform with the Gremory symbol on it. He rubbed his teal eyes as he continued looking a file filled with information that was to be addressed at this meeting tonight.
"Sirzechs," a voice called out to the man with crimson hair. "My love, looking at that file isn't going to help anyone."
Facing the man known as Sirzechs was a beautiful woman who appeared to be around the same age as him. Her long, silver hair was tied into a few small braids as her silver eyes looked at her husband with concern. The woman's outfit was quite strange as she was wearing what appeared to be a blue and white French maid outfit with long sleeves and a white maid headband over her head, with red lipstick as a cosmetic accessory.
She reached over and placed a hand on his knee, forcing him to look away from the file and into the gorgeous eyes of his loving wife. That's all it took for the man before putting the file to the side and rubbing his eyes with his hand.
"One look... that's all it takes," Sirzechs muttered before smiling at his wife. "You always seem to remind the reason why I married you that day, Grayfia."
Usually, such words would be met with a kiss or affection from his wife, however, this isn't the case as the silver-haired woman reached over and pinched his cheeks quite hard. It didn't take long for Sirzechs to swat away her hand and rubbed the spot where his wife pinched him. To those who knew the married couple personally, it sufficed to say they were a strange pair of husband and wife. However, no one could deny how much the two loved each other.
Enough to the point where they had a child named Milicas shortly after getting married.
As the column of vehicles drove past numerous buildings, Sirzechs had always wanted to visit the Oceanian Federation, especially nations like China and Japan. Unfortunately, he's been busy with the recent issues happening in the Earth Sphere as numerous members of Gjallarhorn have been getting nervous ever since the appearance of Kudelia Aina Bernstein.
The young woman was able to spark a fuse which seems to be ticking toward a revolution. Now, Gjallarhorn was scrambling to prepare themselves for a possible rebellion on a planetary scale.
With the tension rising in the solar system, Sirzechs has been hard at work, trying his best to activate any Mobile Suits he could find for the private contractors who work for their family. He knew that conflict was coming and for the Gremory family to be safe throughout this delicate situation, he was also looking into possible alliances with other factions and families spread across the Earth and in space.
Hence the reason behind this meeting in downtown Bejing.
"I really did hope Kudelia would listen to Rias and Akeno," Sirzechs said as he looked outside the window, seeing the buildings flying past them. "Looks like it only backfired for us, especially for my little sister and her best friend."
Grayfia sighed, "What did you expect to happen, dear?" she inquired, wanting to understand her husband's reasoning for sending her younger sister-in-law as well as her best friend to Mars.
"Something good for once," admitted Sirzechs with little enthusiasm in his voice, who was feeling the pressure from his parents to resolve this issue with Kudelia and even getting more attention than usual from the Seven Stars to help calm down the economic blocks. He was being tugged in several different directions on a daily basis. Honestly, he was getting sick and tired of dealing with so much, but he refused to accept defeat and kept pushing onward.
Taking a good look at her husband from where she was sitting, Grayfia understood that Sirzech's job was quite strenuous with how often he's been needing to travel between Gjallarhorn's Earth Headquarters to meet with the Seven Stars and heading off to meet with officials from the various economic blocks to settle issues as the Gremory family has quite a few business and military ties spread across the entire globe.
So whenever he did have the chance to come home and be with his family, Grayfia always did her best to make her husband's life a bit easier.
'Still... I wish he could go a bit easier on me,' an annoyed Grayfia thought, who was still sore after her most recent nights with Sirzechs. Deciding to put those thoughts away, for the time being, Grayfia got up from her seat and sat down right next to her husband, who wondered what his wife was doing right now. While he wasn't against what Grayfia had just done, Sirzechs decided to put his arm around his wife and pulled her closer to him. He looked at her with an expression akin to curiosity.
The silver-haired woman raised her hand up and placed over her husband's chest, right over his heart, "I know you've been dealing with quite a lot of work, dear. And I know I sometimes may get a bit... strict with you, but I do want you to know how much I appreciate what you're doing, Sirzechs."
A smile found its way onto Sirzechs as he placed his hand on top of Grayfia's. Without needing to say a word to each other, the two leaned closer together until their lips met. It lasted for less than a few moments, but it was enough for the two of them.
Sirzechs raised his hand and placed it on her cheek, "If I had the choice of choosing between you or the world..." he stared into the same silver-eyes he fell in love with all those years ago, "...You're all I would ever need in my life, Grayfia. The woman I've loved since before I even knew what love was."
Even in the low light, the crimson-haired man could see the light shade of pink on his wife's cheeks. It didn't take long for Grayfia to clear her throat and try to put on a stoic expression. However, it was enough for Sirzechs to find amusing and let out a soft laugh. Meanwhile, Grayfia saw her husband's mood change from earlier.
Seeing her husband happy was more than enough for Grayfia, who smiled as well.
As the two eventually fell into a comfortable silence, the silver-haired wife eventually found herself leaning against her husband again as the temptation of sleep was too much for her to resist. On the other hand, Sirzechs looked at his watch and realized they still had another hour before they reached the hotel where he was scheduled to meet with the leaders of the Grigori, Serafall, and a few other important individuals who have similar interest like Sirzechs.
'If you can't beat 'em,' Sirzechs remembered an old saying from long ago, '...Join them.'
X-X-X
THE WHITE LOTUS HOTEL
AN HOUR LATER
"I suggest you wake up, Sirzechs," a voice said, calling out to the passengers in back seat.
Upon hearing the voice of his long-time bodyguard, Sirzechs woke up from his short nap as he felt the car come to a complete stop. Sitting up, the crimson-haired man felt the familiar weight of his wife leaning against him, who had her arms wrapped around him. He smiled for a brief moment before looking out the car window and seeing they parked inside an underground garage, one that most likely belonged to the hotel.
"Sir," the driver said, catching Sirzechs's attention. "We've arrived at the site."
The man let out a yawn before replying, "Thank you, Happy. Just have the others secure the perimeter while I wake Grayfia up."
"Yes, Sirzechs," Happy nodded and got out of the armored SUV. It didn't take long for the man to start giving out orders to the rest of the bodyguards assigned to one of the important individuals on the planet. He knew what was at stake with this meeting as a revolution was on the horizon and he wanted nothing more than to take advantage of this opportunity to rid this world of the shackle known as Gjallarhorn.
For as long as they're in power, the entire solar system won't be able to make progress.
He turned around, only to see the face of his sleeping wife. There were times when he wanted nothing more than to return home to his family and remain with them. As usual, life doesn't work like that, and because of his recent activity when it came to searching for Mobile Suit models and hiring more contractors to protect his family's interest across the world, and, much to his dismay, he's had to move Grayfia and his son; Milicas, on a number of occasions.
Fortunately, he recently made a deal with Togonosuke Makanai, the Prime Minister of Arbrau, to keep his family safe in the Oceanian Federation until his plan comes to fruition. While the man was someone Sirzechs couldn't trust even if his life depended upon it, let alone the lives of his wife and child, he swallowed his pride and managed to make a deal that would benefit the both of them when the time comes.
'I told my parents I would take care of this situation with Kudelia...' Sirzechs told himself for what seemed like the millionth time in the last few days, '...But I have more important things to worry about than my parents' wishes.'
Deciding those thoughts were for another day, Sirzechs gently nudged Grayfia and whispered in her ear, "Darling, we're here."
It wasn't too long before Grayfia let a groan as she started to wake up.
Sirzechs couldn't help but find it amusing and adorable at the same time, 'All I ever wanted was to find some time to spend with my family. Is that too much to ask for these days?'
After a few moments, Grayfia's silver eyes fluttered open, looking drowsy as one could be when waking up. The silver-haired woman sat up and let out a yawn until she noticed the amused expression on her husband's face, prompting her to look away with a bit of pink on her cheeks until they heard Happy tap on the glass. Sirzechs pressed a button on, causing the bulletproof glass to lower, and allowing him to hear Happy.
"The area is clear," informed Happy, but he looked a bit nervous, making Sirzechs raise an eyebrow. When asking the man what was wrong, Happy gestured to people walking towards them as he opened the car door for the married couple, "Looks like the leader of Grigori couldn't wait to see you."
"Is that so?" Sirzechs asked, getting his answer in the form of Happy moving out of the way and gestured to someone being escorted by a pair of heavily armed guards.
Stepping out of the armored SUV, Sirzechs appeared to stand a few inches taller than his friend/bodyguard Happy. Turning around, the crimson-haired man stretched his arm out and helped his wife out of the car as the two of them looked at the man approaching them.
"Azazel Koyama, leader of the Grigori, or better known as the Watchers, how kind of you to make an appearance," Sirzechs said, already aware of who was standing in front of him.
The man stood around the same height as Sirzechs with short, spiky black hair with his front bangs being gold-like color. His violet eyes gleaming with curiosity and an eagerness that Sirzechs rarely sees in people these days. He was also wearing a black dress shirt and black slacks with a purple tie to tie it all in. However, the final part of his appearance was his black trench coat.
Flanking him were two other men, both of them wearing heavy, black armor with a symbol of black, crow-like wings on their left breast.
In the time since the Calamity War, the solar system had become a very different place ever since the formation of the Grigori. They were originally a faction of Gjallarhorn who broke off due to disagreements in how they were going to operate and leadership. However, it resulted in a conflict between the two sides, ending with an overwhelming victory for Gjallarhorn, who proved their immense military strength could defeat any opponent.
Contrary to popular belief, Gjallarhorn actually allowed for the Grigori to continue existing but became close partners with each other. Resulting in massive funding and new scientific minds to help create new and experimental Mobile Suit designs which Gjallarhorn could choose from when the time came to replace the Graze.
"The famous Sirzechs, it's quite the honor to meet the man whose skills with a Mobile Suit are unmatched and a vicious politician by even Gjallarhorn's own standards," the man known as Azazel stated before looking at Grayfia, who stood next to her husband, and bowing, "And his lovely wife. It's a pleasure to meet the both of you."
Sirzechs walked forward, standing less than a foot away from Azazel, and stretched his arm forward, "No, the pleasure is all mine. I'm grateful you accepted my request to come to Bejing tonight."
The two men shook hands while the bodyguards of both sides watched over in silence.
When he pulled his hand back, Sirzechs saw another familiar face standing behind the leader of Grigori, "Baraqiel, it's been a while since we last saw each other. How have you been, old friend?"
Among all the well-known pilots in the Grigori, Baraqiel Inada was considered to be one of the strongest pilots as he piloted a machine called Blitz. He was also the father to Akeno Himejima as he had the same violet eyes and dark hair like his daughter. Hearing Sirzechs's question, Baraqiel maintained his solemn expression and replied, "I have been doing well, Lord Sirzechs."
"That's good, Baraqiel," the crimson-haired man said to him.
Once they finished exchanging pleasantries, the two groups began heading for the nearby elevator. While walking to it, Azazel was the first to speak up, "Now, I do believe we have a few more guest who is waiting for us to arrive."
"Indeed," replied Sirzechs, agreeing with the leader of the Grigori. "This meeting is quite important to all our futures."
Azazel let out a chuckle, "If any of those reports I've read are true and the ideas you have in mind, then your nickname certainly is befitting of someone of your stature."
"My nickname?" Sirzechs questioned, curious as to what other people knew him by.
Stopping in front of the elevator, the guards stepped in first and followed by Grayfia, Sirzechs, and Azazel. When the door closed and felt the elevator moving, Azazel raised an eyebrow at the crimson-haired man. "Seriously, you're considered one of the strongest Mobile Suit pilots in the entire solar system. While you're known as Sirzechs Gremory on Earth, if you were to travel anywhere else... they know you by another name."
"What would that be?"
Just as the elevator came to a stop and the door opened, revealing a hallway where the entire right wall was made of entirely from glass, allowing for the skyline to be seen for miles. Stepping out of the elevator, Azazel looked at Sirzechs with a serious expression on his face, "The Spawn of Satan."
The man seems to have no reply until Grayfia and Azazel noticed the small grin on his face, "I do have to say..." he said as they stepped out of the elevator, "...Whoever came up with that name, must have certainly seen my work during the Battle of Installation 04. Wasn't exactly the fairest fight in the world for the terrorist group who was occupying the facility."
"Haha!" Azazel didn't hold back his reaction to those words. "When Baraqiel told me about your reputation, I knew you were the kind of man to get this job done."
"Well, considering how your organization has some of the fiercest fighters I've ever seen, I'm quite surprised when Gjallarhorn doesn't ever ask your troops to participate all that often," Sirzechs pointed out as they headed for the conference room down the hall.
Azazel snorted, "If you think Iznario Fareed would let anyone other than Gjallarhorn take the glory, you're sorely mistaken, Sirzechs."
"I fear Iznario wants more than glory for Gjallarhorn," admitted Sirzechs as they approached the door to the conference room. Those words caught the attention of Azazel, making him wonder what Sirzechs knew about the man. Nonetheless, he wanted everyone to hear whatever it was that Sirzechs knew.
Soon a pair of bodyguards rushed forward and opened the pair of metallic doors. At first glance, the conference room was filled with a few other individuals. People who are essential to Sirzech's vision and with the recent news from his younger sister, he already had an idea as to what can be done to resolve that situation.
'Rias...I hope you stay far away from this ticking time bomb.'
Mobile Suit Gundam: Tekkadan's Iron-Blooded Dragon
MARS, CHRYSE SECURITY GUARD (CGS) FACILITY
THE FOLLOWING DAY
'Issei, whatever happens...don't move, okay, honey?'
'M-Mom! Wh-What's going o-on?'
'There's not enough time, Issei. Just listen to mommy, okay?'
'Ar-Are you gonna be okay?'
'I promise everything is gonna be fine, swee-'
BANG! BANG!
'MOM!'
"This is a pain in the ass," a young man muttered to himself, his bitterness was quite present in his tone. His dark brown eyes were focused on the task above them, which happen to be repairing a damaged Mobile Worker used by Eugene earlier today in training. The young man's appearance was quite ordinary as his short, spiky brown hair and dark brown eyes were the only thing that stands out. Using a creeper, the young man moved around, looking for any more damage to the belly of the machine.
Once he finished inspecting the Mobile Worker, he rolled out from underneath the vehicle and sat up. He then proceeded to grab the collar of the shirt and wipe away the sweat on his face.
"God, Orga is really busting my balls to get this done," the young man groaned, realizing he was far from done today. Taking a look around, the hangar was filled with numerous kids who didn't look any older than thirteen as they worked on the same machines as him. Sounds of power tools and yelling were heard throughout.
"Rough day, Issei?" someone asked the young man who was on the creeper.
Hearing his name, the young man turned his head and rolled his eyes when he saw who it that called out to him, "That's a hell of an understatement, old man."
Stand in front of Issei was a much older man who has much darker skin compared to Issei and light brown eyes. Another thing was that he looked to be in his forties. However, the most noticeable trait was his legs, which appeared to be made from metal. Someone could guess he lost his legs in an accident or was caught in some kind of battle and was wounded. Truthfully, no one knew the story behind the legs.
As for Issei, he was like any child on Mars; desperate to find another meal and a chance to survive till tomorrow. It was quite simple for Issei, deciding to become a child soldier for any hope of a future and ended up working for the Chryse Security Guard since the age of ten years old.
"Must be tough for you," Mr. Yukinojo said as he helped Issei off the ground by grabbing his hand and pulling him up.
Issei let out a yawn as he was helped off the ground, "I know, I've been working since this morning on all the Mobile Workers that needed repairs. Thankfully, Yamagi and Takaki were able to stick around a little longer and help me out."
Mr. Yukinojo saw Issei scowl less than a moment later, who began ranting right afterward, "...Then Mika and the rest of them went out to use the Mobile Workers, forcing the rest of us to stay longer and fix any of the damage on them. Fuck, I know you guys are the top dogs when it comes to using a Mobile Worker, but could they make life a bit easier for the rest of us."
"Oh, Issei, I know you've wanted to get in one for so long..." Mr. Yukinojo said as the two of them watched the other children work, "...You'll get your shot, I promise."
The young man raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "What makes you think I want to pilot one?"
"Well, I see you wander into the hangar at night," the older man smirked when he saw Issei's eyes widen for a brief moment, "Did you really think I wouldn't notice you using the simulator on them. I actually checked your progress from time to time. Your original scores were pretty bad, weren't they?"
Issei walked over to the nearby table and put the wrench down on it. Leaning against it, Issei faced the only adult who respected Third Corp, "If we're being honest, I was utter garbage at it. You have no idea how many times I was killed, blown up, and disabled while using the simulator. But I couldn't give up..."
"...Which led to months of practice until you managed to get the second highest score, only trailing Mika by a few points..." Mr. Yukinojo paused as he was smoking a cigarette. "...Gotta say, it's pretty damn impressive how far you've come since the first time you started working here," the older man praised.
Looking at the many faces throughout the underground hangar, Issei smiled sadly before speaking up, "Life has a funny way of bringing the best of us."
"It certainly does."
Time flew for Issei as he tried comparing today and the first time he started working at the CGS. He hardly knew anybody and had a tough time adjusting to this new life, especially after the death of his mother. It wasn't an easy thing to watch the only family he had left in the world, being shot as if she was nothing more than a sack of flesh and blood. Though, he's glad to have met the guys in Third Corp and, in all honesty, wouldn't trade them in for anything else.
Unfortunately, he and the others who worked with Mr. Yukinojo were being told by Orga and some of the others that they need to hurry up with the repairs and maintenance checks. Considering how Issei was one of the oldest members who helped maintained their Mobile Workers.
This meant he was always needing to be in the underground hangar for just about anything, from teaching the younger kids about how to repair certain parts or help them with tasks that proved to be too difficult for them.
"Orga seriously needs to calm down," Issei grumbled, taking a clean towel and wiping the oil, grime, and dirt off his hands and arms.
Suddenly, a new voice could be heard throughout the hangar, "Issei! Where are you?"
Hearing the familiar voice of his best friend, Issei waved his hand as there was no chance for him to hear his words from across the room. Out of the corner of his eye, Issei started shaking his head at the sight of his friend, Kiba Yuuto, since they were little kids.
When Kiba reached them, he greeted the older man, "Hey, Mr. Yukinojo."
"Kiba, it's nice to see you again," the older man nodded before speaking to Issei. "Anyway, I'll take over for you. I think you're needed elsewhere," he said before walking away from the two young men. Wondering what the old man meant by that, Issei looked at his best friend.
Issei rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face, "Geez, Kiba, leave me to do all the work while you go off and play, pretty boy."
Kiba Yuuto. Or, better known as pretty boy to Issei and a few others like Mika and Eugene.
Someone Issei has known since he was just a little kid, and who was his best friend since after joining the Chryse Security Guard all those years ago. His best friend looked like the complete opposite of him as Kiba had short, well-maintained blonde hair and a pair of light blue eyes. Like everyone else in Third Corp, he was also wearing a basic get-up of a shirt, pants, and a green jacket with the company logo on the back.
"Come on," Kiba said, shaking his head when he heard his nickname. "You know, Orga called for me. What was I supposed to do?"
Issei rolled his eyes, "I'm just screwing with you, man. No need to get your panties in a twist."
"You're so mean, Issei," Kiba replied, acting as if he was upset.
"Whatever, you damn pretty boy."
Once the little banter between the two friends concluded, Kiba watched as Issei threw the towel back on the table and organized some of the tools lying around. The young man with brown hair finished within a few minutes and then walked around the metal table and grabbed his green jacket hanging on the edge of it.
As he was putting it on, Issei looked at his friend, "So, what brings you down here?" he asked, curious as to why Kiba came down into the underground hangars.
"Long story short, Orga sent me to find you. We're supposed to meet the new clients today," revealed Kiba, making Issei stare at him like he grew a second head. Seeing the strange expression on his best friend's face, Kiba asked, "What? Did I say something funny?"
Shaking his head, "This is the first time I've heard about a new job for us," the young man said, curious as to when Third Corp got a new assignment from Maruba.
Hearing that information made Kiba stop walking and looked at his friend like he was insane, "What do you mean by that? Didn't Mika tell you about the job to escort a girl named Kudelia Aina Bernstein to Earth?"
"Kiba."
"Y-Yeah, what's wrong?" Kiba wondered.
Issei rubbed his eyes before letting out a sigh, "Look, we've all known each other for years, Kiba. Mika is like that one uncle who always seems to forget everyone's names or get them mixed up somehow. You guys trusted Mika, of all people, to come down here and tell me about this job."
"When you put it like that...it does sound a little dumb," the young man with blonde hair conceded, realizing the error on their part.
Seeing as how Kiba is most likely beating himself up mentally, Issei walked over to him and threw his arm around Kiba's shoulder, "Though, I'm more concerned with how she stacks up to my standards. Really hoping she's cute cause this job isn't gonna be fun till I find a girl with a nice, big rack," he said with a grin on his face.
Kiba sighed in exasperation, "Why are you so obsessed with boobs?"
"Because they are the only good thing in this entire shitty solar system," answered Issei with a crude response, wanting to teach his friend the joys and wonders of large breast. Until he shrugged afterward, "Although, we'll probably get killed long before that happens for any of us."
"You sure know how to make a guy feel better, Issei."
Issei couldn't help but chuckle at those words, "What can I say, Kiba? I'm one of a kind."
"You're one of a kind alright," muttered Kiba, but was heard by his best friend.
"Oh, fuck you too, man," the young man replied in a half-joking, half-serious manner.
X-X-X
A FEW MINUTES LATER
Realizing he couldn't wear a shirt covered in oil, dirt, and grime to the meeting, Issei made the decision to run back to the barracks and grab the only other clean shirt he owns. After putting on the new shirt, Issei made sure to make himself look presentable as these were clients who requested for Third Corp to escort them to Earth.
It was Third Corp's first real job in months as they've been kept on base with little freedom and were relegated to training with Mobile Workers every once in a while. Outside of those things, Third Corp didn't have anything going for them as the Chryse Region seems to be suffering from the series of riots and strikes happening. Though Issei hardly cared about the politics of the solar system, he was a simple man who left people like Orga and Biscuit to deal with matters as complicated as these.
He began jogging through the hallways, trying his hardest to meet up with the others.
'Shit! I knew I took too long!' Issei scolded himself as he saw Kiba talking with a few other guys their age. Issei noticed the annoyed expression on the tallest one's face. His name was Orga Itsuka, the leader of Third Corp and someone who Issei respected since meeting the guy. As for the others, there was a teen who looked to be on the heavier side with short, brown hair hidden underneath his hat and trying to keep his nerves together.
The last one was a young who looked shorter than the others by a decent margin. He had short, spiky black hair as his bored, blue eyes seemed to be observing everyone else. On the other hand, he was simply eating what appeared to be Martian plums, a fruit that was grown on Mars all-year round. While he may seem harmless, Issei and everyone knew how dangerous Mikazuki was in combat.
Even the adults in First Corp were spooked by Mika, making him the reason why they didn't tend to treat them too badly most days.
"I'm here guys!" Issei said, catching the attention of everyone. "Sorry about taking so long."
Orga frowned while shaking his head, "Issei, try not taking so long next time."
Without saying another word, Issei merely nodded and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Once Orga saw that everyone was accounted for the meeting, he took a deep breath before knocking on the door and announcing their presence to those in the room.
"Come in!"
After hearing the name of their boss, Maruba Arkay, Orga reached for the console on the wall and tapped in a few numbers. It didn't take long for the door to slide open, revealing the neatly kept office as well as the people currently talking in the room. When they entered, it remained quiet as the five of them entered the office.
Being the last one to enter the room, Issei looked around and saw the people who requested for them. He honestly didn't expect a group of women to be asking for Third Corp, however, his eyes found themselves attracted to one of them in the room. His mind suddenly remembered a day from years ago from when he rescued a girl with crimson hair.
'S-She's here...'
The same could be said for Rias as she looked at the soldiers entering the room with curiosity until her eyes saw the last one entering the room. It had been years since she last saw him, but for her to see him in a place where child soldiers were being used.
'Issei w-works at the CGS?'
Fate can be a funny thing; something Rias and Issei would quickly learn as this day would forever change their lives and the lives of those around them. However, none of them could ever imagine how much things would change from this day onward...
Mobile Suit Gundam: Tekkadan's Iron-Blooded Dragon
OUTER SPHERE
THAT SAME DAY
"But Mars, huh."
Traveling through the vast emptiness of space was a starship belonging to Gjallarhorn and a ship which specifically is under the command of those from the Seven Stars. These were the seven most powerful families in the solar system as they were the ones who ruled the organization. On this particular warship, a Biscoe-Class cruiser, there were two young men from the highly respected Fareed and Bauduin families.
Unfortunately, said member of the Bauduin family wasn't exactly happy to be going to Mars.
"As a colony, it's a planet whose resources are all used up. Must a Gjallarhorn inspector be needed for such an assignment?"
Inside the bridge were two young men, one of them was currently leaning against the commander chair. Galieo Bauduin was the only son of the Bauduin family, he was a young man in his mid-twenties with neatly kept hair and a pair of violet eyes. He was also wearing an intricately designed uniform with his family insignia on his left breast. Besides being a member of such a prestigious family, he was also well-known for his strong views as well as a laid-back manner.
"Major, the transmission from the Ariadne."
"I've confirmed it," said the commander sitting in the chair, the same on Galieo was leaning on with a bored expression present on his face. McGillis Fareed was also a young man around the same age as Galieo. Though he had short, well-maintained, blonde hair with a pair of dark blue eyes. Just like his friend, he was also wearing a uniform of similar design, but with the Fareed family insignia on his left breast as well. However, he was known for being a man with charisma and talent, even for someone who was an illegitimate child.
McGillis looked at his friend with a smirk on his face, "Galieo, are frontier operations boring you now?"
Hearing his question, Galieo looked at his friend with a small smile, "As if. I will work hard as an officer of the inspection division, Specialist Major McGillis."
Standing up from the chair, McGillis wanted to remind the crew aboard the ship about the purpose of this mission. "The current economy of the Earth Sphere depends upon that used up colony. For them to continue contributing to the Earth Sphere as they are now, the Mars branch must straighten themselves out to be a part of Gjallarhorn, keepers of world order."
Even after hearing all that, Galieo reminded his friend about the on-going issue as the people of Mars are beginning to demand independence from those of Earth and Gjallarhorn too. It has become quite the topic of debate for many of the economic blocks on Earth. Some have argued that maintaining such control over their holdings on another world like Mars has become too difficult in recent years. Saying it could be beneficial to create more space stations like Dort and transfer them to those facilities.
On the other hand, some argued doing such a thing wasn't possible as they couldn't have access to the rather large supply of half-metal buried deep under the Martian ground. Even proposing the idea of asking Gjallarhorn to send more units to Mars and help put down the rebellion should it happen in the near future.
However, one thing still remains very clear to either side of this argument; change was bound to happen. The question remains is if the people of Earth are willing to accept the outcome. That, from the view of many such as McGillis and Galieo, has yet to be seen. However, both of them have been noticing movement from others like the Gremory and Phenex family, who seem to be preparing themselves for what could happen.
Even an organization like Grigori seem to be stretching their wings out and preparing themselves for something big. McGillis couldn't help but smirk at the prospect of these various groups, wondering what they could accomplish in the future.
On the other hand, Galieo rubbed the back of his neck, "I do sympathize with those at the Mars branch."
"Yes, the push for Mars's independence has been steadily increasing in the past few years, especially these last few months," replied McGillis, who was performing his usual habit of twisting a strand of his blonde hair. Galieo always suspected that his friend did this whenever he was thinking about something. "Perhaps... we don't have the time to worry about others," he said as the ship continued traveling through space.
While Galieo would carry out his duty for Gjallarhorn with no issues, there was still something he absolutely hated about long-distance operations like this one. It happened to be the need to remain close to one of the thousands of transponder in an orbit around Earth or Mars if they wanted to communicate with headquarters back on Earth. It truly made him wonder what the benefits of such a thing.
"I'm aware of all this. But, honestly, it's quite annoying to need the transponder at all," Galieo said to McGillis.
Out in the distance, they could all see an object that appeared to look like a small space station in comparison to their ship. The biggest feature was the glowing sphere in the middle with a ring surrounding it. Along with the red and blue lights, it was quite the interesting design for the equivalent of a communications satellite.
McGillis could see where his friend was coming from on this topic. He looked Galieo, "The Ahab reactor creates energy that not only powers our ships but makes it possible for humans to live in space. The benefits of such technology force us to look past these downsides."
The heir to the Bauduin family sighed, "But that's why* Earth has trouble seeing this far out and makes more work for us inspectors. If I remember correctly this was the reason behind the war from over three hundred years ago, right?"
"It's difficult for humans to let go of such power, Galieo... even if that power has a chance to destroy us."
Both members of the Seven Stars understood how much trouble technology like the Ahab reactor has brought humanity, however, they couldn't deny the benefits of being able to travel through space. The idea of being able to reach new worlds and give humanity room to spread and grow was more than enough to outweigh the potential problems it could bring down the road. And as they made their way to Mars, the two men had more than enough to think about before they needed to perform their job.
'Colonel Coral...' McGillis remembered the name of the commander of all Gjallarhorn forces on Mars.
After reading the reports, it said the man was a valiant member of the organization and performed his job with honor. It was more than enough to make McGillis suspect the colonel and caused him to dig deeper into the man's past. From what he could gather about the man, Coral most likely lied, bribed, and blackmailed his way to his current position. Honestly, it impressed the young man by how far Coral was willing to do whatever was needed.
In a sick and twisted manner, such a thing could be seen as an inspiration for someone like McGillis, who wasn't too happy with the status of Gjallarhorn.
'Let's hope the colonel can put on a good show for us.'
Remember how I said there was an idea I had for another story, which involved crossing over with Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans?
Yeah, this is the story I was talking about at the time. It's certainly an interesting mixture of ideas and elements, especially since no one has ever made a Highschool DxD/MSG: Iron-Blooded crossover before...until this day. Before this story can move forward, I need you guys to understand something here.
I already have the characters and storylines planned out for the equivalent of the first season of the show. When it comes to season 2, I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete. Outside of that, you guys could throw in your own ideas and hope they interest me enough to use them.
Other than that, I've said all I needed to.
See ya next time guys!