Disclaimer – Don't ask cause I don't own it.
A/N Ok now with the re-mastering of this fic things may make a bit more sense and hopefully easier to read. Well here we go on to the Re-mastered edition.
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed
Starlight
Chapter 1
Greatest Journey
I was stolen by the Eurasian Federation as a baby.
I thank god every day for my rescuers.
A group of Orb special operatives, I never knew their names.
They delivered me from my captors and secretly gave me to the man who became my Father.
Never once was I deceived about my past, regardless of how painful it was.
My father told me I had siblings, a brother and a sister to be sure, triplets he had said.
People like me, Coordinators, are generally hated on earth. My saving grace was that Orb was very tolerant towards us, even welcoming.
But war brewed in the offing and I found myself on PLANT and on the battlefield.
I returned home to Orb's Heliopolis colony after my unit was disbanded. Home to where my father was working on a new project.
We both knew however that the war would come even to that haven due to what was being built here.
I had made a few close friends in my year and a half there; close enough to trust them with my closest guarded secrets.
Father in the meantime, had not been idle. He had designed us weapons to defend this place with plans he had stolen from his company. But even we were part of a larger group, Peacemaker it was called.
My 2 friends and I trained on our new machines for almost a month until we were comfortable with them while others trained with our new ship.
Her crew were all people we knew well and trusted. We were ready for what may come.
CE 69 February 4th
Junius PLANT Cluster
ZAFT Laurasia-class frigate
Constantine
Richard Arin, known as Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty team commander James Conrad, stood in the pilot briefing room looking at his assembled pilots. His Mobile Suit team, the Black Knights, were newly formed from the ZAFT Military Academy's most promising students. Of course only 2 of them were actually from the Coordinator homeland in the PLANTs. The rest, Richard included, were part of an exchange program with the independent island nation of Orb located in the mid-pacific. His flight suit, like that of his Knights, was in the ZAFT top gun cut but a pail gray with gold cuffs and seems instead of the standard black and red.
Only 5 of his knights stood with him looking out at their Mobile Suits, as the ships only had room for 6 machines. He knew each well, Kisho Harona, Jonas Renard, Kale Aran, Matt Ajax, and Nicolas Crestborn.
All of the teams Mobile Suits were ZAFT ZGMF-1001 GINNs and all were painted a deep black where the standard GINNs were gray. They also had gold markings along the trim of the shoulder armor, around the wrists, on the knees, at the trim of the feet, and along the seams of the chest.
Richards's unit however was not standard unit. It was a new model, a prototype GINN High Maneuver Type. Where the other four High Maneuver Type units built were mostly green Richard's unit was a deep gray with gold outlining on the black chest plate. Richard turned from the window into the launch bay.
"Get geared up and into your units I'll give the briefing outside"
There wasn't much else that needed to be said as the young Coordinator pilots, none of whom were over 18 or under 15, fastened the helmets to their standard space suits, or "Normal Suits" as they were called, and moved for their machines.
Outside at the front all 14 Mobile Suit units of the Black Knights had formed up in a standard battle line. As the top pilots in their class they would lead the charge. Once they had reached position Richard pulled his GINN to a halt and called for the others to stop. Behind them the ZAFT forces were forming into battle formation and other GINNs were pulling up to meet them. Richard switched on his Trans-COM system and contacted each and every member of his team.
"Knights"
A general acknowledgement went up among them as he continued.
"3 weeks from now, if all goes well, I will be home with my family. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so. We will punch through to their ships and destroy whatever necessary to drive them off. Hold the line and stay with me. If you find yourself alone, standing in green fields with the sun on your face. Do not be troubled, for you are in Elysium. And you are already dead"
A general round of light laughter rose from the Knights; it was a common fact that their commander loved mythology. He had, in fact, formed the team around the myth of Arthur and his Knights. After a moment Richard commanded his GINN to reach to its waist armor with its left hand and removed the Heavy Sword that hung there. Its 75mm Assault Rifle still gripped in its right hand.
"Knights, brothers"
His GINN then turned to face the oncoming Earth Alliance Mobius Mobile Armors and held its sword high.
"What we do in life, echoes in eternity"
His GINN then turned its head to face his team and he brought his GINN's sword back level to his GINN's waist, into a ready position.
"Knights, follow me!"
His GINN High Maneuver shot forward toward the enemy with his Knights immediately behind him. Unbeknownst to Richard his Trans-COM was still set to fleet wide chatter; the whole of the ZAFT fleet had heard him. No sooner had his teem begun their charge that the rest of the ZAFT lead force, some 78 Mobile Suits, surged forward without orders from the Fleet command. As they shot off to battle the ZAFT fleet opened up on the enemy Armors and ships as was part of the original plan. Nothing had really deviated from the pre-laid battle plan; the charge had merely accelerated things. Many pilots and personnel would later say the sight of a commander that would lead from the front and not from a ships bridge, inspired them to follow.
The lead force slammed into a wall of Armors, their swords and 75mm rifles leading the way. With the ammo reserves on the GINN's limited to 2 spare clips for the 75mm's the battle quickly degenerated to most GINN's with their swords, slashing their way through the Alliance Mobile Armor's, trying to force their way to the Alliance capital ships.
The battle lasted over an hour, but in the end the Knights and the other ZAFT teams smashed through the Alliance Mobile Armors and hit their ships with every thing available. Most of the GINN's equipped with their leg mounted missile system had saved them for the ships. The Earth Alliance forces were soon after driven back from Junius leaving some 65 percent of their forces dead on the field of battle. ZAFT losses were light, only 15 percent. It was a bloody nose and shock that the Alliance would take time to recover from. For his actions the Knights were all awarded the Gold Cluster for Heroism and Richard himself earned the moniker "Angle of Junius" after putting his GINN in the lie of fire of Alliance armors to protect several civilian transports that had strayed too close to the battle.
Jan 25 CE 71
Orb colony Heliopolis
Asteroid End
Dr Trithila Arin, a prominent researcher for Morgenroete Inc, was ushering his adopted Coordinator son Richard Arin into the Heliopolis asteroid launch facility followed by 2 others, Kale Aran a Coordinator and Sara Trath a Natural.
Kale was 19 years old with short brown/black hair and brown eyes with a slender but muscular build. Sara was 17, with shoulder length blond hair and stark green eyes with a figure was on par with most. Richard himself was 15 almost 16 with dark brown hair that hung just past his ears and light purplish eyes.
The group ran through the halls of the facility until they reached a large set of automatic doors. The battle inside the colony had started again; it was only a matter of time till it was destroyed completely. Dr Arin stopped and looked at the three.
"The crew is already here and your machines are ready, all you have to do is go"
Before Richard could speak up his adoptive father cut him off.
"Son, I've always known you were destined for something, by doing this I hope to keep you alive to realize that destiny"
He clutched at the gaping gash in his side.
"I haven't much time left…now listen. My wounds are too bad…I won't make it for very long…now go…you've already made me proud…now just live on…find your brother and sister…and make a family of your own with that young woman"
They all knew this day would come, with out a word Kale and Sara entered the double doors. Richard exchanged a brief hug with the man that had become his father before following the other two towards the newly built independent battleship Olympus. As he ran to catch up with the other two tears streamed from Richard's eyes, he knew good and well that his father was right, he wouldn't have survived long. He had just said his final goodbye to his father, but he would keep the oath he had made to him.
No matter what he would put an end to this madness, reunite with her, and find his missing brother and sister.
Dr Arin put his back against the wall of the corridor and let himself slide to the floor, watching the doorway his son had exited through.
"Go on son, it's your time now…"
He let his head rest against the wall. Though he had never met his son's fiancé in person he had talked to her over long distance communication. As his eyes fell closed he imagined Richard with her and whatever children they may have. He held onto that image as he drew his final breath and the colony collapsed around him.
Olympus, a one of a kind ship designed to act as the mobile suit carrier to 4 prototypes Richards's father and a group of associates had constructed in secret. These men had grown tired of all the bigotry and racism on earth. They believed that the time for calls of peace and unity were long past, and while they held sympathy to PLANT, its leadership at times was no better than Blue Cosmos.
The organization called Peacemaker to which Olympus and her crew belonged held the stated goal of the destruction of Blue Cosmos and like groups. However her crew knew eventually war would come to their homeland of Orb and they would fight to defend it.
On the Olympus's bridge the three pilots meet up with the ships chosen captain, Laura Reeve.
She was a Natural and only 24 years old, but a tactical genius. She had long brown hair and baby blue eyes. She held an unassuming average appearance and also sported a few freckles as well as golden wire frame glasses. She sat back in the captain's chair which sat immediately next to the executive officers seat at rear of the small bridge. At the front wall of the bridge sat several view screens arranged in an arc to allow for a better view by the crew.
Arranged in front of them were the ships Navigations and Helm officers, Lucilla Phoenix and Hikari Saran respectively, both Coordinators. Sitting at their stations to either side of the captain and XO's seats were the Combat Coordinator, Soran Zarath a Coordinator, and Sensor Operations officer Max "Maximus" Clark, a Coordinator. They, along with the engineering crew and Mobile Suit maintenance crew headed by Juna Seth, a Natural, composed the rest of the crew. A skeleton crew for a ship this size, but it was all they needed. They had room onboard for 10 Mobile Suits, though there were only 4. Richard looked to Olympus's captain.
"How are we doing Laura"
Laura looked back to the teen Coordinator, silently noting how red his eyes were, though she knew the likely reason. There would be time to morn once they were out of this mess.
"Heliopolis is coming apart, if we don't go now we won't make it. Get to the MS bay and mount up; we don't know what may be waiting on us out there"
She turned to the crew.
"Hikari bring the engines to full, get us out of here. Once we are put some distance between us and the colony. Soran, prepare Mirage Colloid to engage as soon as we're clear"
Each station acknowledged her commands. Mirage Colloid was a system that rendered its user undetectable by almost any means. Richards's father had poached it from the plans of the Earth forces and adapted it for use on this ship and by one of their onboard Mobile Suits, Kale's machine Hermes.
The entire launch bay that housed the Olympus began to shake and equipment fall from the ceiling as the colony shook itself apart. The engines on the Olympus flared to life and the ship began to move forward, snapping off its mooring lines as it went, steadily gained speed as she surged forward.
The three pilots on the bridge made their way to the locker room and changed into their normal suits. All three were Zaft design but were different color, Richards and Kale's were black with gold trim while Sara's was an off dark gray/green.
Once the group changed they headed towards the Mobile Suit launch bay. Each of their Mobile suits, called Gundams by Kale because of their OS acronym, were designed from plans stolen from the Earth Alliance's G-Weapon project.
Kale's Mobile Suit the RGX-X080 Hermes, named for Greek myths messenger of the gods, was designed along similar lines to the earth forces stolen GAT-X207 Blitz. It carried similar equipment, 2 "Igelstellung" vulcan guns in its head. On its right arm was the "Telorse" offense system. It consisted of a short range beam gun mounted to the arm's side and a folding blade mounted to the underside. Its backpack mounted two racks which carried a pair of beam boomerangs and its shoulders mounted backup camera and targeting systems. The Mobile Suit itself was also much more slender than the Blitz. All and all the Hermes's appearance showed a grace the Blitz lacked. It was dark blue except for the sensors on the shoulders, a strip on the knees and the vents on the chest which were red. Its upper arms and upper legs were white with a green visor where the other G-Weapon style suits had eyes.
Richard's machine the RGX-X078 Nemesis, was named for the Greek Goddess of vengeance and revenge, something he considered a bitter irony at the moment. It was designed from the incomplete plans of the GAT-X105 Strike. It mounted a pair of 75mm "Igelstellung" vulcan guns in its head, a 57mm high-energy beam rifle with an attached beam blade emitter below the barrel. It had 2 beam sabers, mounted to the suits main backpack. Sitting on the torso between each shoulder and the head sat 60mm Machine Cannons. It also carried a shield which mounted a large beam blade emitter at its tip and a grappler claw which could be electrically charged by a battery mounted inside of the shield. Its colors resembled the Strike except that the shoulders were all white and the vents in the chest were gold.
Sara's Gundam the RGX-X077 Ares, named for the Greek god of savage war, followed a similar role to that of the GAT-X103 Buster. It had a pair of "Kusi" 100mm hyper impulse cannons mounted to the backpack which dropped over the shoulders to fire, each no longer than the Ares' full arm length. This increased their portability and reduced energy use, but also reduced full effective range. It carried a 57mm Beam rifle, a pair of "Igelstellung" vulcan guns in its head. A 76mm Vulcan Cannon/shield combo attached to its left arm, and had a "Sukai" Beam Blade mounted to the right forearm for emergencies. It was also capable of attaching 2 droppable missile pods to the top of its shoulders which could be jettisoned from the magnetic locks there. The Ares' shoulders, knees and part of the body were green while the remainder of the body, feet and front skirt armor were red, the rest was gray. And like all of the others it also had Phase Shift Armor.
There was also another Mobile Suit onboard, this one with out a pilot. The RGX-X079 Astraea, named got the Greek goddess of justice. It stood with its phase shift powered down. It mounted similar weaponry to the Nemesis except that it was much more suited to space combat. Extended side skirt armor carried additional maneuvering thrusters. Unlike the Nemesis however it mounted 4 "Igelstellung" vulcans, 2 in the head and 2 on the body. Like the Ares when its phase shift powered up it was all gray except the lower legs, feet, body, and the extensions on the top of its square shaped shoulders which were all blue.
The 3 pilots boarded their Mobile Suits; they knew they would need to be ready as there was a chance that ZAFT had stationed GINNs to guard the colony's rear for any escaping ships.
The bridge crew braced as the Olympus scraped past the last bits of debris and slipped free of the remains of Heliopolis. The sight was almost nightmare like outside. The colony had gone literally to pieces scattering debris everywhere. There were also hundreds of life pods floating amongst the remains.
As the crew looked on there was a terrible smash against the side of the bridge. One of the pods had come too close the still moving ship had collided with it. The pod began to spin wildly and vent its oxygen into the void of space. Laura hit a control stud on her chairs arm and contacted Richard.
"Richard do you read"
It took no more than a second for the pilot to respond.
"I'm here"
"We just collided with a life pod, it's venting O2 pretty quickly, can you go out and get it"
"Yeah not a problem, but try and steer cleat of the rest of them, we don't have a lot of room onboard"
Laura chuckled a bit.
"Thank you captain obvious"
She cut the connection and turned to the bridge crew.
"Activate Mirage Colloid and get us away from this debris once Richard returns. And watch about hitting any other life pods"
A chorus of acknowledgements rang out through the bridge. Laura sat back in her seat as Richard launch out on Linear Catapult number 1. They had no way of knowing what was to come.
A/N I didn't need to do much to this chapter except add that first bit; it was already more a less how I wanted it. I just needed to extend some parts and edit some things. Now on to 2