Disclaimer: Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans is the property of Sunrise. Lunateresia von Witzleben is the property of age
Iron Blood and Will of Fire
By Storm Wolf77415 and Centurious the Azure
The Harbingers of Calamity
In the latter part of the 21st Century, a brilliant scientist by the name of Hamon Ahab managed to crack the secret of cold fusion, ending the energy crisis plaguing mankind. With one of their largest problems finally solved. The nations of the world came together, looking for a new challenge, which led their gaze outward to the stars. A new wave of space exploration had begun, powered by the new reactors bearing Ahab's name.
Orbital space colonies shaped like massive cylinders were built at the Earth's Lagrange points and the shining lights of the first human settlement on the moon, Tranquility City, could be seen from Earth on a clear night. Soon man settled onto Mars itself, setting up cities inside pressurized domes. It wasn't long before migrant fleets were departing for the outer parts of the solar system and even beyond, looking to find a place to call their own.
(Ashford Private Academy, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Earth, 2161)
Eric McGarrett lounged at one of the outdoor picnic tables. A young man of seventeen, the wind blew through his messy brown hair. He wore the standard male uniform, a dark blue blazer, white button-up shirt untucked with a red necktie, and dark slacks. He had his laptop out, typing out a report for one of his classes.
He looked up to see Alina Issue, one of his oldest friends, walk up. Her long white hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing the female school uniform. A dark blue blazer with a gray skirt, complete with thigh-high length white stockings. Alina moved with a graceful, measured stride, a product of her time on the gymnastics team. "Good afternoon to you, Eric. I see you're getting some homework done?" she asked, sitting across from him.
"Yeah, I got a history paper due in two weeks and I'm trying to get it done as soon as possible. My parents made it clear, I don't get a good grade, then I won't get that new car I've had my eye on." Eric said, knocking back a can of Cherry Coke. Alina pulled out her own lunch. She had a talent for making everything look so elegant.
"I'm glad to see you take your studies so seriously, Eric. Unlike some of our other peers." The two looked across the way to where two of their classmates, Greg Elion and Matthew Baklazan, were head butting each other repeatedly. "Do you think it's possible evolution passed those two by?" Eric did his best to stifle his laugh at her subtle joke.
"That, or they actually de-evolved into brutes because of all the blows to the head they've taken during football practice, Alina. You can only lose so many brain cells before you start grunting incoherently." A suave voice spoke. Their third friend, Miles Kujan, joined the two at the picnic table. Miles was tall and dark skinned, his long dark hair tied in a ponytail. The resident ladies' man of the school, all it took was a few choice words and girls were throwing themselves at him.
"If that's case, you better put your helmet on, Miles. It would be a travesty if you smashed your pretty face on the headboard. So how many of our female classmates will you have fucked this month? If I recall your record was eight." Alina groaned as she looked to the adjacent picnic table, a young man with dark black hair and brilliant blood red eyes was hunched over a half-assembled computer, the table top littered with other components. He gave a slightly, contemptuous sneer. "Then again, I know some girls who really go for the bashed up pug look. I'll be more than willing to introduce you if you're willing to put in the work."
Masayuki Ikaruga was considered by many to be the most intelligent kid in the entire school. Of course, that carried its downsides as well. Despite his genius level IQ, Masayuki was a crude, antisocial person, some even said he was borderline sociopathic, given how little empathy he had for others. As such it boggled people's minds of how Eric could consider Masayuki a friend. It certainly didn't endear him to Alina.
"Why don't you just piss off Ikaruga? Why do you have to be so fucking insufferable?" Alina snapped. Eric and Miles just smirked in bemusement. There was no love lost between the Issue heiress and the first son of the Ikaruga clan, the two of them arguing was a common sight. Masayuki called it a duel of the minds, but it looked more like a verbal slap fight. That being said, an argument between the two of them was always guaranteed to produce a few cheap laughs.
"It's the entire point, sweetie. I would leave if I could. However, I'm forced to endure you morons until we graduate from this place. It's more mind numbing than my last family reunion. Having to listen to all these vapid twits talk is about as entertaining as listening to my senile grandma prattle on about her billions of cats and her views on minorities. You'd love her, Miles."
Alina's pale face grew red from anger, but she kept herself under control. Masayuki may have been a genius, but she had made snarking into a fine art, and so was able to throw it right back at him. "Oh, is that a fact? Funny, I recall you saying not long ago that your grandmother died from stupidity-induced dementia." She clapped her hands to her face in mock concern. "I certainly hope it's not genetic!"
Masayuki just snorted. "That's not bad, but I highly doubt it. Asians are known to have sharper minds than anyone else. Since I'm irrefutably of Asian descent, your brain will wither and turn to a useless bowl of goo long before mine is. I'll be soldering shit, and unlocking the great mysteries of the universe when you're sitting on the front porch of the old folks home, drooling and forgetting your own name."
The smile on Alina's face was totally false, and thus more than a little unsettling to Eric and Miles. "Then perhaps I'll have my grandchildren bring me to see you at your lab. I'll be sure slobber on everything, and then I'll pull up my nightgown and shove my pussy square in your ugly face!" Eric and Miles burst out laughing and Alina smirked as Masayuki dropped the soldering iron, his face turning green.
"Ugh, there's no way I'm letting your black hole of a vagina anywhere near me! Who knows what lurks in that place?" His imagination painted a dark image of a swirling, never ending void, lightning bolts lancing out in all directions as tentacles whipped about as if it pull any unsuspecting soul in that got too close. "Excuse me…I think I'm going to puke!" He vaulted off the bench, running to the nearby trash can, before long the glorious sound of retching filled the air.
Alina covered her mouth as she let out a dainty little giggle, as both Eric and Miles laughed. She could chalk this up as a victory for her. It was always nice to see him taken down a couple pegs, even if it didn't stick for long.
"Guten Tag, Jedermann!" A feminine voice called out. Eric's lips stretched into a wide grin at the sight of a slender young woman wearing the same uniform as Alina trotted toward them, Her chin length, mint green hair swaying back and forth. The girl smiled as she waved to them.
Lunateresia von Witzleben was an exchange student from Germany, and the daughter of true nobility. She even had her own title of Countess. But she was anything but snobbish. Lunatersia, or just Luna to her friends, was the kindest, sweetest person around. She and Eric had been dating for almost a year now, and everyone could see just how well the two complimented each other.
Her most distinctive characteristic made itself known with step she took. Despite her petite frame, Luna's breasts were sufficed to say…enormous. She had earned the nickname "Jupiter Jugs" Because Miles had joked her chest was the size of the mighty gas giant. Alina huffed a little, hands coming to her breasts. Eric stood up, walking over to his girlfriend, giving him the deepest kiss he could manage.
"Hello there, my stunning Moon Goddess." Eric said, brushing his fingers through her feathery green locks as he took in the sight of those lovely golden brown eyes. "You're looking just as sexy and beautiful now as you when I saw you this morning." Luna blushed at his words. She never considered herself the overly seductive type "I'm guessing you have practice after school?"
She cocked her head to the side in a cute manner. "But of course, I am the captain of the swim team, I have to be there by necessity. Not to mention it's a great way to cool off after a long day of studying. I'm certain you'll be stopping way to see me?" Luna winked. She knew all too well that Eric had a thing for seeing her in her swimsuit, since it showed off her ample assets.
The putrid smell of expensive cologne and even more expensive French perfume suddenly filled the air, causing Alina to gag. She knew those odors could only mean one thing, and that . "Oh great…it's King Asshole and Queen Skank!" She groaned averting her eyes at the sight of the couple that had come around the corner.
Georgio Fareed was the self-proclaimed king of Ashford. He could certainly lay claim to the title being captains of both the football and debate teams, and looked the part with his perfectly styled blonde hair and ice blue eyes, not to mention always looking impeccably dressed. Personality wise, he was a king few would follow. Arrogant at the best of times and an outright bully at the worst, he reveled in throwing his family's status around whenever he could.
No asshole king would be complete without his queen of the bitches. That particular honor belonged to Asia Baudin. The young woman hanging on Georgio's arm would have been considered hot if she didn't carry herself with such a haughty air. Her violet hair was tied up in a ponytail but not before painstakingly brushing every single lock of hair. Her blue eyes held no warmth or compassion for anyone that didn't met up to her standards.
"Look Georgie dear, it's the brigade of the damned!" Asia drawled. Everyone did their best to avoid eye contact with them, but Asia wouldn't be deterred. She moved over to Eric and his friends with the same, fluid grace Alina had demonstrated earlier, unsurprising she was the captain of the gymnastics team. "Hey losers, when I draw attention to you, then you will give me the respect that is deserved of it! You will look me in the eye and you will all like it!"
"Oh hi Asia, glad to see you're still being as skanky as ever." Alina just rested her chin in her hand, delighting at seeing one of her least favorite people in the world silently fume, but she was just getting warmed up. "Tell me, how many thousands of dollars did you throw away on that processed deer piss you call perfume? Because I could smell you coming from a mile away, it might be a good idea to get your money back."
Asia was about to give a retort only for Georgio to put a hand on her shoulder. "Now now, dear. There isn't any need to stir up any discontent." He spoke with a decidedly fake air of pleasantry. "Everyone knows their place here, and will be certain to keep their place, isn't that right?"
"Oh we'll keep our place, just as long as you don't tread on me, Georgie." Masayuki grinned as he used Asia's pet name and it didn't sound half as cute coming from home. "If you don't tread on me, then I won't have to tread on you. I'm certain you remember what happened to the last guy who didn't respect my space, because I sure haven't."
Georgio took a step back. He did indeed remember what happened the last time someone got on Masayuki's case. Max Conrad had been one of his lesser acquaintances, hoping to get in good with his clique. He had began making trouble for Masayuki, only for the Ikaruga heir to strike back in a truly chilling way by hacking his social media accounts and posting some incriminating photos of Max doing some questionable things. His reputation still hadn't recovered since.
Eric stood up, standing eye to eye with him. Everyone was half expecting a fight to break out only for the shrill bleating of the bell signaling that activity period was over. "Oh well, I guess it's back to class for us." He said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Look Fareed, I know we don't like each other, but remember that just because your father is one of this school's biggest donors doesn't mean the rest of us are poor country bumpkins. You stay out of our way…we'll stay out of yours."
"The Fareed heir cleared his throat, twisting a single lock of ash-blonde hair in front of his face, a habit many men in his family did. He thought it made him look cool; Masayuki and his friends just thought it made him look dumb. "I'm glad we could clear that up." He looked to his girlfriend. "Come along, Asia. We don't want to keep anyone waiting."
Asia threw a glance at Masayuki. A playful little gleam in her eyes, it almost seemed inviting. "You know I have to admit, the way you made him cower was kind of hot. Perhaps you may meet my standards after all."
Masayuki just shrugged, giving a light smirk to her. "I'm flattered, any time you wanna be cowed by my greatness, just hit me up, baby. I'll make it worth your while."
Asia let out a delicate little titter, it just made Alina want to grind her teeth. "Oh, you're so self-assured. I like that in a man." She trotted off waving at Masayuki. "See you later!" He had to admit for whatever he thought of Asia, she knew how to make an exit.
"I can't believe you're buying into that shit!" Alina seethed. "You always tout that incredible intellect of yours, and how much more advanced you're over all of the other students here, but I guess even the greatest genius eventually starts thinking with the brain dangling between his legs instead of the one in his head!"
"Please, Alina there's no need to be so crude." Lunateresia said, falling into a role she was all too familiar with. The German swimmer often was the one who played peacemaker, dispelling hostility between Masayuki and Alina.
"She does have a point, Yuki. Asia and Georgio may be the power couple of the school, but it's well known they cheat on each other on a regular basis." Eric said, holding Luna's hand a little bit tighter. He had thought the Baduin heiress had been quite attractive until finding out how cruel and manipulative she really was, and thus quite glad he had met Luna. "I can't imagine any relationship with Asia Baduin ending well."
"Yeah, bro. Besides, for a chick that trades mainly on her looks, I can only imagine she'll end up burned out by the time she hits college." Miles said. "Believe me, I know these things." Everyone just decided to leave things at that, heading off to their first afternoon class.
(Ares Orbital Transit Station, Mars Orbit)
Life may not have been glamorous for Jesse Groff, but his job as a freight inspector was still an important one that he performed with all due diligence. Especially considering he had a wife and two small children to feed down on the Martian surface. His role was to certify every piece of cargo that came through the station was safe and able to pass down to the planet below. It could be tedious at the best of times, and the paycheck wasn't huge, but it was enough to support his family.
Jesse checked his watch, noting that it was finally time for his fifteen-minute break. While he didn't mind the work he did, his boss could be a fascist slave driver. "Hey Marcia!" He called out to one of his co-workers. "I'm going to take my break, cover for me, okay?" He then stopped at the nearest ending machine to get a bag of chips to munch on. On his way to the break room he heard clamoring at the window. His mouth dropped open at the massive object now hanging in space not far from the station.
He still couldn't quite believe what he was seeing, but one of his co-workers vocalized what Jesse and everyone else was thinking. "Is that a golden, mechanical space whale?" The description was indeed quite apt. The machine resembled a giant robotic humpback whale, plated in gold of all colors, there even seemed to be a series of bumps along its structure that resembled barnacles. It almost seemed laughable to everyone, but for some reason Jesse felt a sense of dread upon laying eyes on this unknown craft.
A trio of small, patrol craft approached the strange looking ship while everyone watched with nervous eyes and bated breath. "Attention unidentified vessel, you have entered secure space, state your intentions or we will use lethal force." A few seconds came up and there was no response from the space whale. "If you do no respond in the next ten seconds we will have no option but to open fire."
There was finally some activity from the gilded humpback. The barnacles began to fly off, and began floating about in an ominous matter, and then several small light red beams lanced out from the round spheres, blasting the patrol ships into metal splinters. Everyone on the transit station began panicking. The small pods then turned its attention to the multitude of civilian ships surrounding the station.
One cargo ship was wracked with explosions, before literally collapsing in on itself, finally being consumed by the destruction of its Ahab Reactor. Ships began rapidly trying to detach from the station to avoid destruction, however the barnacle pods were just faster, eviscerating every ship that in sight. The mother ship just hung in space, looking on with an almost cold indifference.
Jesse had seen enough for his tastes, and bolted for the elevator. His goal was to get off the station as fast as humanly possible. He madly punched the button. "Come on! Come on!" He said, cursing the fact that the station's elevators moved so slowly. Finally, the doors rolled open, and he hopped in the car. Hitting the button to take him to the floor with the closest shuttlebay.
It seemed like an eternity before reaching the floor he needed to. Jesse found himself once looking out a window at the giant space whale. The weapon pods finally turned its attention to the station itself, opening fire with thin angry red beams, tearing into the station's hull. Giant cannons unfolded out from the sides of the whale machine, beginning to open fire itself, massive columns of crimson energy lancing into the vulnerable superstructure, so hot that the metal bubbled and flew off in molten blobs before hardening into near perfect metal spheres.
The entire station shaked angrily; everyone was thrown around with each impact. People were running all over the place to try and escape, reaching a shuttle, one of the escape pods or even finding a spacesuit and taking their chances of going EVA in the hope of being picked up by one of the remaining ships, but it was quite evident that any chance of escape was nil. A few just resigned themselves to the inevitable.
Jesse could only watch with a morbid fascination as the massive cannon emerging from the mouth of the mechanical behemoth began glowing, the red light brighter and more intense than anything else before, and it was evident this was going to be the knockout blow. "Death by giant, gilded space whale…not exactly how I intended to end my life," Was Jesse Groff's last words before the Ares Orbital Transit Station was blasted apart in a single hit.
The station's destruction resulted in the loss of taking the lives of nearly four thousand people. It would become forever known in history as the "Ares Calamity," Giving rise to one of the most destructive conflicts in history.
(Immediately following attack)
The Academy's student commons were a wide-open space with benches where students could sit and hang out. It contained the school book store where textbooks were purchased for the year, and a store containing T-shirts and other items. There was access to the school's athletic facilities, including the gym and the swimming pool. There were also a series of TV monitors that showed the news.
Eric and his friends were just lounging about, when some students began running in, panicked looks on their faces. "Someone turn on the TV!" One of the students cried out, "Mars was just attacked!" The multitude of screens started flashing to life and painted a grim picture. "Ares Transit Station Destroyed!" The headline screamed in angry red letters on a white background. While minor headlines such as 'Relief being sent to Mars', and 'UN to meet to address threat." Ran along the ticker just below it.
"The devastation we're seeing here is unparalleled. The attack was sudden and unprovoked. Initial reports are still unclear but it's apparent that the Ares Transit Station has been attacked by an unknown force." The reporter's expression was grim, showing the smoking, scorched remains of the space station. "The United Nations is taking this unprovoked attack as a declaration of war. We will keep you appraised of any further developments."
"Oh my God." Alina's mouth was agape in horror, fervently wanting to look anywhere but the screen; however, she couldn't tear her eyes away. The newscaster continued his report. "I have a cousin who lives on Mars. Could he have been on station at the time it was attacked?" The fear inside was growing fast. Miles put a comforting arm around her waist.
"I'm certain he's just fine, Allie. We're just now hearing of this, so don't let your imagination run away with you. If something did happen to him, you would have found by now." Miles assured her with a gentle pat on the back. Alina may not have been a fan of his womanizing tendencies, but he was a good and dependable friend, always cool and decisive in difficult times.
Masayuki's reaction was not as sympathetic. "Oh, this is just terrific! My dad just got ruined. Now everyone's going to be focused on the crap happening 54.6 million kilometers away instead of on my grand accomplishments." Everyone looked to him with unveiled hostility. Possibly the greatest tragedy of their generation was unfolding before them and he was focused on himself. "Everyone should think about my future greatness. I'm working on something that could cure cancer or solve world hunger. You'll see just wait!"
"Shut up right now Masayuki or I'll gut you like a fucking pig!" It wasn't everyday that Eric raised his voice to his supposed friend, and the absolutely livid glare in his eyes was enough to make even Masayuki take a step back. The scion of the McGarretts was a fairly laid-back type, but when he got mad, everyone paid attention. It was that very defiant streak that had brought Masayuki into their circle to begin with, and barely tolerated by the others.
Masayuki just settled for folding his arms and sulking as he continued watching the news. However, his mind was already working. He figured that if war was upon them, then it would mean new weapons would be required. Certainly, someone of his talents could provide the military with what they would need to fight whatever it was that had destroyed the station. A wicked smirk crossed his face.
Lunateresia came through the crowd. She must have been at swim practice since she was still in her bathing suit, a light blue with white stripes going up the front. Her face was stained with tears as she went straight into Eric's arms, clinging onto him as if her life depended on it. "I just heard from my mother." She barely managed through her sobs. "My Aunt Janessa…she was on the station when the attack happened! What kind of monsters would do this?" She said through her tears.
Eric's fury grew even more with those words. It was bad enough that four thousand lives had just been exterminated without any explanation, but that one of them was a relative of his girlfriend, and thus made her cry. He looked to Miles, Alina, and Masayuki in turn. They were all looking equally angered at this turn of events. Their comfortable world burned away to show just how cold and unforgiving real life could be at times.
"Hey Eric, you know there's a recruiting station just down the road from here?" Miles asked.
"I just might." Eric replied, already knowing what his best friend was thinking. "You want some company?" The smirk on both Miles and Alina's faces was all the confirmation he needed. Even Masayuki looked eager to join up, no doubt going to go on how his genius would single-handedly win the entire conflict. While Eric highly doubted that, it could very well be the future heroes of the war to come were standing in this room.
"We go straight there after school?" Alina asked, already itching for a fight.
"And then we show these people the error of their ways in the most painful possible!" Masayuki sneered.
