AN: And lo a new tale begins.
Honestly I'm on a massive writer's block for my other stories so eh.
Also depression keeps sapping my motivation to even post things sometimes (read: all the time), that and my inconsistent level of wanting to actually post.
So why not an entirely new Gundam story? What could go wrong?
Heavily inspired by Wing Zero Alpha's Mobile Suit Gundam Alpha, the Star Carrier series and the Gundam Stellaris mod among other things.
EDIT: I have been sitting on this one for months so yeah...
Also reviews to help me find grammatical errors are indeed helpful.
"We believed ourselves infallible, that we could take on any opponent sent against us. Then the universe informed us of one thing and reminded us of two others. We were not alone, that complacency drained the effectiveness of even the greatest governments and militaries, and our greatest enemy was ultimately ourselves."-Fleet Admiral Johann Ibraham Revil in his memoirs published ten years after the First Interstellar War.
The year is Stellar Era Zero-Two-Seven-Nine.
Nearly three hundred years ago mankind declared a new calendar in response to the ending of what is now known simply as the Realization War at the end of the Anno Domini period, where the former sectors of the Earth Dominion were carved out into new star nations.
With a grand total of nearly eight hundred total inhabited worlds, varying from several dozen terraformed or human habitable garden planets to worlds boasting a only few dozen biodome or geofront cities as they underwent terraforming processes, in addition to many future colonies and hundreds of space colonies, stations and inhabited asteroids and moons under their control, peace seemed set to reign despite underlying tensions between two opposing factions.
The outermost nations forming the Quintipartite Pact, consisting of the Republic of Munzo, later to become the Principality of Zeon, the Cloud Nine Confederacy, Gjallarhorn League, the White Fang Concordat, and the Zodiac Alliance.
And their traditional opponents, the 'inner' nations of the United Worlds: The Earth Federation, Orb Union, Republic of Riah, Human Reform League, Southern Sector Alliance, Europa United, the Solaron Union, the Eternia Alliance, Sanc Kingdom, Kingdom of Northernbell, Satelicon United Nations, the Chryse Union, and the Allied Colonies, which was comprised of numerous minor nations pooling together to maintain parity with larger states.
The tensions between the United Worlds and the Quintipartite Pact remained high throughout the centuries, with only Orb, the Republic of Krugis, the Sanc Kingdom, Kingdom of Northernbell and the Republic of Riah serving as diplomatic links between the two sides at the worst points.
However, the first full scale interstellar war in nearly two centuries since the was not instigated by man, or so it seemed.
Seemingly out of nowhere alien warships began striking systems belonging to the United Worlds in SE 0276.
Among the numerous weapons deployed by these aliens were several highly modular war mechs utilizing vaguely humanoid torsos placed placed on quadrupedal mobility bases (based vaguely on the aliens themselves), with several variants being optimized for land, aquatic, aerospace, and exoatmospheric warfare respectively, their analogs to numerous forms of human equipment such as tanks, boasting versatility, durability, firepower and reliability previously believed impossible for mechanized weapons of their type they proved intractable to conventional forces, and their close combat abilities proved to be the doom of many armored units unused to fighting enemies that maneuvered in manners they were ill-trained or equipped to deal with, with the handful of victories coming at unacceptably high human costs as even power armor equipped units found themselves either under-armed or not maneuverable enough.
In response, development and fielding of Mobile Suits, previously only seriously considered by the Quintipartite Pact, HRL, Sanc and the Allied Colonies was restarted in earnest, with the Earth Federation's Guncannon and the Romefeller Corporation's Leo series entering service with numerous nations as a stopgap until newer designs could supplement both them and the earlier Guntank and Tragos lines.
After two years of attrition warfare with the Aliens, since identified as the Argotha, the aggressors simply left human space without explanation, leaving behind seemingly everyone who'd been captured by them on the worlds taken in their brief advance, along with a disturbingly well translated message indicating that their law enforcement expedition had been the result of a misunderstanding involving what they believed now to be pirates. Human officials, curious as to why the entire conflict happened, and leery about the Argothans' true military strength in face of the potential revelation that they had faced what amounted to a stellar highway patrol instead of an invasion force, prepared an expedition to locate Argothan space and engage in diplomacy or if necessary launch hit and run attacks on their worlds.
On January first SE 0279 however, the Quintipartite Pact, having initially been believed to have been wiped out in the opening weeks of the Human-Argotha War due to a total communications blackout with them, began operation Serpent of Eden, with pact fleets and invasion armies overrunning dozens of systems, it had soon become apparent that they had baited the Argotha into attacking to weaken their adversaries before launching a full-scale attack while the United Worlds licked their wounds in the wake of the withdrawal.
In the first week of the Great War, tens of millions were killed by Nuclear Bombardment and attacks using Zeon's deadly G3 gas and other non-conventional weapons, with each member of the pact focusing their attention on their traditional enemies to avoid overlap and to simplify logistics chains. In spite of such overwhelming force, the vast bulk of the UW's units did not break, many trapped but enraged naval squadrons and planetary garrisons fighting to the death in the face of an enemy that was so flippantly willing to violate longstanding rules of war. A far cry from the relatively bloodless Argothan incursion.
In an act of desperation in the face of seemingly unbreakable Federation resistance on their front, Zeon performed Operation British, driving a gassed space colony from the Hatte sector into the surface of New Sydney at near relativistic speeds after missing their initial target, the Federation theater HQ on the moon New Torrington due to a simple mathematical error, the resulting destruction devastated the fragile terraforming ecosphere of the planet and shattered the biodome cities, the newly 'christened' tomb world was now totally inhospitable to human life, and organic life in general, and would be impossible to re-terraform with known technology as the colony impact had shattered significant chunks of the planet down to the mantle.
Horrified by the actions their military had taken, several Zeon staff officers, many of whom still held Deikumist or Ralist loyalties, risked their lives to transmit the identity of the target for the next attack to the United Worlds, desperate to prevent equivalent retaliatory escalation by the United Worlds.
And so, the stage was set for the Battle of Loum.
January 15, SE 0279. Loum System, Jump point 4.
Ensign Samuel Ajax clutched the control sticks of his RX-77-2A High Mobility Guncannon before flicking through the armaments check screens.
"Anti-missile laser blister capacitor charge, check. 60 mike-mike linear Vulcans, check. 90 mike-mike bullpup machine gun, check. 75 mike-mike shoulder gatlings, check. Anti-fighter missile pods, check. Countermeasure pods, check. EW systems, check. All weapons systems read as functional and loaded." He reported as he looked around, the feed from his suit's head sensors projecting directly into his HMD.
["Roger that, Lancers Four and Five, you are clear for taxi."] The Star Boss stated over comms as the bow elevator doors to the Carrier Battleship Ise's hangar opened to allow the two Guncannons access to the forward 'runway'. The Trafalgar-class carrier battleship and her sister Hyuuga sat at the core of one of the numerous EFSF battlegroups lining up, waiting to entrap the arriving Zeon forces.
["If this ship were a woman, I'd fuck her"] Lancer Five, Willie Kemp stated their Guncannons marched out to the waiting catapults, the basic neural reading devices common to mobile suit pilot helmets enabling them to walk simply by inputting minor control variances and thinking simultaneously.
"You and me both buddy." He chuckled as they stepped out onto the dark grey 'flight deck' of the gleaming Haze Grey colored Carrier Battleship. "It's like they took a Magellan and made it fifty times sexier."
["Cut the chatter."] Someone ordered.
"Roger." Ajax reliped with a sigh.
Bristling with Megaparticle Guns, Missile cells, torpedo tubes, CIWS mounts, sensors, and laser blisters, the Ise and her sisters did look very much like their Magellan-class half-siblings, though to a lesser degree than the older Sluys-class carrier battleships, which were honestly just stripped down flight one Magellans with a new bow section and two modified cargo pods attached to the sides, upon the arrival of the dedicated Trafalgars and Jutlands they were quickly placed in reserve in favor of them and additional Antietam and Chitose-class escort carriers.
As Lancers Three and Six locked into the catapults as well, Ajax sighed as he regulated his breathing to limit oxygen usage and double checked the seals on his normal suit as he waited.
He didn't have to wait long.
["All forces, we have incoming FTL signatures."] The sensor picket Pueblo reported. Indeed, the faint shimmer of Schenberg drives tearing open holes in the fabric of space time could be seen in the distance. The phenomena could be visually seen across a system in real time, provided one had a powerful enough telescope or other vision system, for reasons that remained poorly understood by conventional science, with entire research labs having been devoted to studying the subsequently named Vashti effect, named after doctor Samuel Vashti, whom first observed it, in earlier decades.
Right now, all Samuel cared about was that they signaled the arrival of Zeon forces. And at the center of the massive field of ripples, signified by the largest individual shimmer, was the colony they were bringing through.
Then a transmission came in across the priority fleetwide channels. From the Flagship Ananke.
["This is Admiral Revil to all forces, as you all know, the people of the Zahn system are depending on us, if we fail here, they will die, as will many of the citizens of the Loum system. We must not allow the Pact to make another heinous attack like that which they slaughtered the people of New Sydney with, to say nothing of the hundreds of millions of others who died to poison, chemical, nuclear, and conventional attacks across the United Worlds. This is our duty as soldiers, to protect those who cannot protect themselves from murderous forces hellbent on slaughter in the name of whatever goal their nation sets them out to perform. If you are to fall in the line of duty, know that you died as true heroes, ones worthy of seats in the dining halls of Valhalla, your sacrifices will never be forgotten and you will be held up as some of the finest examples of human soldiery in history. Good luck, and Godspeed."] At that, the transmission ended and the combined fleet continued onwards.
["YOU HEARD THE OLD MAN, LET'S KICK SOME ZEEK ASS PEOPLE!"] Someone shouted into a fleet-wide channel, and was met not by calls to cut the chatter, but with a chorus of cheers and agreeing war cries.
["All units, begin launching strike craft."] Ajax prepped himself as his catapult shot him forward, followed by Willie's own RX-77-2A. The magnetic impulse catapults on the Ise ostensibly used next to no moving parts, relying solely on sequenced electromagnetic impulses to both launch and recover strike craft without the need for either wires, barriers, lateral linear catapult inductors, or launch platforms, and were naturally a highly classified technology unique to large Federation Warships, the exact workings of which were highly debated on internet forums and imageboards.
Glancing around his immediate camera field of view, Samuel smiled as he saw dozens of Saberfish fighters, Hammerfish strike bombers, torpedo boats, Ball series mobile pods, and other Guncannons. In addition, other UW member nations had provided for New Texas's defense even if they were unable to supply capital ships, Daughtaps and F-34 Dragoons from Satelicon, MA2 Mobius space fighter-bombers from the Eternia Alliance, Hayabusa space fighters from the Orb foreign volunteer group, HRL Space Tierens and Chkalov ChA-41 Space fighters, and even Leos and a massed variety of spacefighters and bombers from the Allied Colonies and the Sanc Kingdom's foreign volunteer force.
The Zeon fleet suddenly resolved into realspace, and began wildly maneuvering and firing off countermeasures in a panic as the EFSF forces opened fire at long range with kinetic torpedo, beam cannon and missile salvos before someone in the enemy chain of command apparently managed to reign in order as salvos of return fire and waves of Pact MS, mobile pods, and fighters roared out from missile tubes, cannons and hangars respectively to attack, even as many of their side's ships broke apart and burned out around them.
["Here they come people, keep on your toes and watch for any oddly colored Zakus."] Lancer One, Commander Lila M. Rila ordered as her Guncannon peeled off to engage a group of Zeon Debake fighters.
"Roger that lead." Ajax threw his MS into a turn, the red tracer beams of his suit's anti-laser blisters stabbing out into the void as he weaved through missiles, tracers from AA guns, CIWS and laser-blisters, and the opposing yellows and magentas of Zeon and EF beam fire, catching a Zaku I off guard and riddling it with holes with his machine gun as it tried to destroy the Magellan-class battleship Scharnhorst, which was withdrawing from the combat engagement after colliding with the frigate Acasta. "Got one!" he shouted before tearing fire from his shoulder gatlings through the unprotected hull Jicco-class torpedo boat that was either bravely or suicidally charging for the Jutland-class carrier battleship Furious after performing a relativistic 'leap' into Federation ranks, the crippled vessel leaking oxygen and some flames from exotic reactants and ammo as he flashed past it.
His sensors registered a pair of cannon shell detonations behind him moments later and the synthesized noise of an explosion echoed into his helmet's speakers, odd.
["I got a Graze that was gunning for your ass Four."] Lieutenant Reiko Hollinger, Lancer 6 reported as she blew past him and swatted a pair of Gattles with her shoulder cannons, a Debake fighter following soon after.
"Thanks for that Six. How the hell did that guy sneak up on me?"
["He didn't, I caught the bastard trying to snipe you on a high-speed pass."]
Samuel chuckled as he spiraled around a Lepanto and tore a Dopp to shreds with his head mounted vulcan guns after intercepting its missile salvo. "That makes three I owe you."
["Make up it to me in the bar, or bed if you prefer, I'm not picky really."]
"Heh." He wasn't sure if the second half was a joke or not.
["Cut the chatter you two, we're still in the middle of a battle."] Lila interjected as they proceeded to cover the ditching of the crippled Pola, which had been disabled by the EM wake of a plasma-sheathed kinetic driver shell from a gun behind the Zeon lines, the Salamis-class ship's engines flickering as it began to drift, and a pair of opportunistic Zeon Gagauls began focusing the cruiser down with beam cannon fire now that its barriers were down even as escape capsules and the ship's shuttle launches began to rocket away from the doomed cruiser.
["This is too easy, why are all their MS Zaku Is and IIAs with some GINNs, Leos, Jenices, Gerails, and Grazes mixed in…"] Samantha Carmichael, the pilot of Lancer Eight questioned.
As if on cue Wertz heard the chirp of an alarm tone, indicating a high-speed object diving down from above him. "EVADE, EVADE, DIRECT FIRE UP!" He shouted and began firing at a red-salmon streak bearing down from above, barely making out the general shape of a command model Zaku IIC loaded to the brim with Bazookas, Sturm Fausts, an MG and an anti-ship rifle as it blazed past him into the fleet below, a set of brilliant red streaks emitting from its thrusters.
["THE HELL IS THAT CRAZY ZEEK BASTARD DOING, FUCKER MUST HAVE HIS LIMITERS OFF!"] Reiko yelled as she dodged the ballistic Zaku, which began tearing through the ships scattered below them, effortlessly dodging AA fire in a manner not unlike a fish darting around at random, its first victim, the Anake-class battleship Manticore brewing up from a sturm faust hit as exploding missile cells and venting energy feed lines tore the ship in twain before the suit darted off to its next target whilst taking a parting shot at the Manticore's bridge with a bazooka shot, utterly destroying it and all aboard, all the while ignoring the strike craft and escorts for the moment as a volley of AA missiles fired by the Lepanto-class Frigates Fubuki, Pringle, and Vampire chased after it.
["THAT GUY'S SOME KIND OF RED COMET!"] A Saberfish pilot shrieked into an open channel, his damaged fighter trailing fuel as he screamed up through the fight.
"Idiot! Turn back to the EFF encryption set!" Ajax snarled as he watched an Allied Colony Leo and a White Fang Leo mutually destroy each-other with an exchanged volley of beam rifle fire while a Sanc Kingdom machine impaled a Graze with one of its beam sabers, all the while dozens of Zeon C model Zakus dove down from 'above' and began tearing into the Federation fleet.
Before the fighter could acknowledge its cockpit was smashed by a black and violet Zaku's foot and sent spiraling off into the side of a Keramaia-class destroyer, this particular machine was backed by two identically painted, even if not marked or equipped, Zakus.
"Shit, more Zeek aces." Samuel grumbled as he sprayed fire at the lead unit while they lined up one behind the other and rocketed at him, noting that they seemed to have improved thrust and maneuverability compared to a normal Zaku IIC, probably the high mobility types intel reports mentioned.
"Oh hell no." he kicked his thrusters and sped down on the Z-Axis at the last possible second, watching all three overshoot above and try to reorient on him before a pair of 180mm shells broke up their formation. The one with the giant fucking bardiche seemed to take Lancer 8's intervention personally, and charged down the RX-77-2A.
"LANCER EIGHT! GET OUT OF THERE!" Ajax shouted as their Guncannon fired it's 60mm quad barreled arm gun into the enemy mobile suit while backing away. He himself was busy dodging fire from the other two Zakus, using the abandoned hulk of the Pola as a shield to force them to waste their ammo.
["WE'RE TRYING, GYAA-"] The link broke as the Zaku's poleaxe cleaved down through the heavy weapons suit's head and into the cockpit in the torso, killing both pilot and gunner.
With a dismissive flare of the monoeye as it kicked the wreck off its polearm, the machine ignored Ajax's enraged MG fire and dodged a salvo fired by Lancer Three, piloted by Chance Furlough and his gunner, Jake Lawson, as it sped off to rejoin its squad, whom apparently had better things to do than fuck around with a pair of Guncannons.
Lancer Three in turn dodged a pair of bazooka shots before gunning down a CGUE belonging to a ZAFT unit attached to the Zeon attack force and falling back, Wertz himself shattering a Jenice with a volley of missiles from his leg pods before using a hapless Oggo drone pod as a weapon to bludgeon a Zaku II's cockpit in with.
The cycle of death continued seemingly endlessly, dozens of warships tore each other apart with beam weapons and missiles or were ripped into by strike craft and mobile suits that got past their defensive screens of flak, dual-purpose beam turrets, point lasers, and anti-air missiles. With most of the victims being Lepantos, Salamis, Keramaias, Musais, and Gagauls. Simultaneously, intense dogfights developed where Zeon's Zakus and Bugus, ZAFT's GINNs and CGUEs, the SRA's Jenices and Gjallarhorn's Gerails and Grazes, and the White Fang's Leos held the advantage via experience and greater close-quarters performance (in most cases) compared to the UW's Guncannons, Tierens and Leos, to say nothing of how Mobile pods and fighters fared against them. Initially the tide had been in the Federation's favor with the superior numbers of their machines and ships, yet now they were being forced to give metaphorical ground to the enemy as more and more ships were turned into space hulks by Zeon's special assault regiment.
Ajax sighed in frustration as he turned and flew back to the Ise for refuelling and a new ammo load as the frigate Ayanami rammed into an Endra-class cruiser in the distance, turning both ships into a short lived fireball while an engine chunk crushed the bridge of a damaged Musaka.
Samuel lost track of when the retreat signal was ordered, it could have been anywhere from ten minutes in to an hour, but when it was issued he'd already returned to the damaged Ise with the remainder of his unit by then for a final bout of refueling and rearming after expending most of his latest load of ammo and vernier fuel.
"So what's the status of the fleet." He asked hesitantly as he touched down, having lost track as he began racking up kills on enemy units.
["Vice Admiral Harrington was killed when that red Zaku blew up the Manticore, Admiral Revil is MIA after the Ananke was sunk by the Zaku team that killed Sam and Mike, which leaves Tiannem, Kowen, Cunningham and Watkein who are regrouping the rest of us for a last stand in the Zahn System."] Lila reported.
"And our unit…?"
["Lancers Two, Seven, and Eight are KIA, Lancers Nine, Six, and One are heavily damaged, while you, Five, and me and Jake are the only pilots whose suits are still in working order."] Chance stated as his Guncannon set down on the Ise's rear flight deck.
"Damn…" Samuel looked around, watching other craft limp back to any ship that could take them as the fleet broke off, heading down on the system's Z-axis at best speed to avoid the colony as it prepared to FTL Jump to the next system, glancing to the side he watched the Aetos-class light carrier Saipan sail close alongside, a pair of Leos flanking the ship's island as it recovered another fighter.
["Holy shit I think we might have actually pulled it off though!"] Willie exclaimed as numerous MS heads tracked over to watch the damaged colony break apart as its drive powered up before it finally launched forward at near relativistic speeds and fragmented totally, no longer able to withstand the sheer force of the transition to near light speed.
Like some vast frag grenade of the gods, the shrapnel promptly tore apart much of the Zeon fleet that was unfortunate enough to be in the spread zone as the fragments began impacting celestial objects and space colonies light-minutes away, the Federation units that didn't have access to real time visual data watching minutes later in horror as they witnessed millions of people die for a second time as orbital platforms, space colonies and lunar cities were ruptured by the streaks of near FTL speed debris, massive craters blossoming on the surface of several moons, New Texas itself being spared only by virtue of its positioning behind another planet in the system. ["Oh… Oh god…"] He whispered.
["And to think… This war is only just getting started…"] Reiko whispered as Ajax dragged her suit into the rear elevator doors of the Ise.
"Yeah… It is…" He agreed, watching the blue glow of Loum itself flicker in the far distance as the doors closed and the faint reddish glow of human emergency lighting illuminated them as the lift lowered them to the hangar deck, opening to reveal the chaos of dozens of crewmen, mobile workers, mobile suits, mobile pods, fighters, bombers, and lifeboats strewn across the hangar.
"And it's only gonna get worse…" He muttered as his MS took a step into the bay.
In the week following the Battle of Loum delegates from the two factions gathered in Antarctica on Earth to sign a ceasefire, during the negotiations however, Admiral Revil arrived, having escaped from Zeon captivity with the aid of UW agents and gave his since famous 'The Pact is Exhausted' speech, reinvigorated by his words, the United Worlds delegates renegotiated the Antarctic Treaty to ban the usage of weapons of mass destruction in all forms, recognize neutral zones and entities, and to force both sides' member states to reaffirm their commitments to the Geneva Conventions, backed by ominus threats of revitalizing old WMD's such as the
Bulge-class battle platforms that dated back to the tensions surrounding the rather small-scaled continuance war between ZAFT and the EA.
Almost six months later, the war is still in a stalemate, with neither side able to gain the advantage.
June 6 SE 0279. Side 7, Colony 1, Gryps IV L3, Gryps System, Neutral Space.
The normally soundless chuffs of his Zaku's thrusters echoed into the headset of Master Sergeant Arnold Denim's helmet as he and the rest of A Platoon semi-drifted towards a maintenance hatch on the side of the colony, obscured from passive sensors by solar radiation coming from behind them and their own jamming devices.
Setting down on the surface, Sergeant James Ash's Zaku turned the release valve intended for use by mobile workers, the airlock doors opening silently despite the rumble felt by the footpad sensors of the mobile suits.
After taking a moment to sweep over the interior of the airlock with their 120mm Linear MGs the Zaku IIs dove in one at a time, the outer hatch closing behind them before the inner one opened and allowed entry into the construction block.
The faint whoop of a Siren blared on the other side of the construction barrier once they had entered a pressurized area.
["Master Sergeant!"] Lance Corporal Thomas Gene, the troublesome newbie of the team, chattered into the platoon comms. Denim still thought the use of junior enlisted men as pilots was a stupid idea, but Zeon needed every MS it could field so who was he to complain.
["Calm down Gene, it's on the other side of the barrier, it's only a docking alert alarm, not a military tone."]
["Do you think it's that Trojan Horse we stalked here sir?"] His second, Kurz Slender asked.
["That is… Likely…"] Denim admitted as they continued onwards.
In the colony's dock control center, the colonial authorities and watched as an immense Haze Grey colored and Green keeled ship docked. With the name White Base plated on its both of its twin bows.
"Docking complete, closing main gate and re-engaging atmosphere screens." A tech stated as docking clamps came in to lock the new arrival into place.
"Hard to believe that this is the new line of superheavy supply ships." Someone muttered.
"I still can't believe they built and launched this all the way back on Earth, doesn't look like it should have been able to break Orbit." The dockmaster muttered.
"She's a beauty alright." One of his subordinates stated.
CVB-02, EFS Franklin D Roosevelt. Side 7 Colony Dock.
Captain Paulo Cassius sighed as EFS Franklin D Roosevelt, CVB-02 settled into the dock, the ship was named after an a somewhat forgotten Aircraft Carrier of the old US Navy, CVB-42 USS Franklin D Roosevelt, itself the younger sister of USS Midway, and had been the first US Carrier to launch and recover a jet, marking a new epoch in Naval Aviation. Not unlike how Rosie was the first of the new Battle Carriers purpose designed for mobile suit operations to enter fleet service. Unlike the prior classes of Federation carriers, the new Midways boasted significant command and control abilities, not just for their mobile suits, but to serve as flagships for entire battle fleets, which was a role previously limited to Anake-class vessels due to the Jutland's more limited CIC abilities, as such they boasted numerous luxuries previously only found on command vessels, one of these luxuries was the extensive holotank setups in both the bridge, the briefing rooms, and the CIC.
"Docking complete sir." The helmsman stated as 'Rosie' settled into her berth, the massive carrier was currently falsely ID'd for her maiden voyage as the bulk super freighter White Base. A ship that didn't actually exist. While Cassius wasn't exactly fond of violating a rule of naval combat, so long as they didn't initiate combat against an otherwise unsuspecting enemy force while wearing the false ID there was nothing blatantly illegal about it.
"Excellent work Juane." Cassius stated. "Marker, Oscar, let me know if our sensors detect any changes in the behavior of those Musais."
"On it sir." Oscar said.
"You got it Captain." Marker gave the Captain a thumbs up before returning to his console.
"Lieutenant Bright."
"Sir!" The young officer saluted and stood at attention from his place overseeing the port control pit.
"At ease son, I'm hardly for extensive formalities outside important occasions. We're here to drop off the supplies and load up the Mobile suits that are being tested on Side 7."
"I've read up on the test pilots that are assigned to units 1 and 2, they were part of Lancer Team during the final days of the Human-Argotha war and fought with distinction at Loum and New California, the pilot of unit 1 even survived a brief encounter with the Black Tri-Stars, a rarity for a Guncannon pilot." Bright stated, having double checked the dossier just to be safe.
"Indeed, and these new units they're bringing with them might be the start of the turning point we need for this damn war. Keep on your toes even if we're sending people 'ashore' for liberty. I don't trust those Musais that followed us here to not try anything, it's a neutral zone after all, but given that they seem to be a special missions force, we'll probably end up in conflict with them anyways."
"I'll alert Captain Law and his subordinates to put the Wing on high alert." Bright responded.
"Make sure you do." Paulo said as he looked out the bridge windows once again. "Of course, we're only a 'supply ship' so they'd have to have no sense of shame to attack us." He chuckled.
Side 7.
Fraw Bow jogged up to Amuro's door and rang the bell. "Amuroooo! The supply ship is here, come on you said you'd help me get groceries today!"
["That's today…?"] His response droned out from the bell's speaker.
"Yes, that's today, have you lost track of time or something!?"
["Alright, Alright, I'll be down in a second… Just let me get dressed…"]
"It's almost noon and you're still not dressed!?" Fraw screeched as an electric motorbike rolled up.
"What'd you expect. It's Amuro." Hayato stated with mild disdain, glancing towards the door briefly.
"Oh! Hayato!" Fraw waved at him as Haro popped out of the carrying pouch on it and hopped into the Girl's arms. "I see you've found Haro."
"Hello Fraw! How are you?" It chirped happily in its usual feminine tone, the long-lived Bandai-Mattel company had released the Haro line eight years ago, backed by the line's mascot, the AI Haroro, and the toy-like machines had spread throughout human space in a variety of sizes and colors, popular with children for their adorable nature, and with older, more technically inclined, individuals for their modularity, eclipsing rival Hasbro-Takara-Tomy's Tori line of mechanical birds in popularity. It was oft rumored that Lacus Clyne, the Zodiac Songstress, had a veritable fleet of the smaller model Haros provided to her by her fiance.
"I'm doing fine Haro." She responded, smiling at the lime green sphere as its eyes flashed and arm covers flapped happily.
"Amuro really needs to put this thing on a leash, I found it near the construction barrier again, and I took it since I was afraid the Federation security troops would use it for target practice." Hayato muttered, glaring paranoidly at the barrier. Fraw knew he had hang-ups with the Federation soldiers ever since Kai talked him into heading down to the construction barrier one day and they'd come into class with severe bruising the next. Although to be fair, she was sure he also blamed Kai for getting them into whatever happened in the first place.
"Why'd they be near the construction barrier? Sure the colony is taking a long time to complete but that's just because of the resource and manpower shortages due to the war right?"
Hayato shook his head as Amuro walked out the door before glaring again, this time at the other teen, whom was dressed in rather casual garb but still had his blue EFF cadet's jacket on. "Maybe you should ask his dad about it next time he calls from Earth or wherever." And then he drove off without another word.
"What was that about…" She murmured.
Amuro remembered the squad of Earth Federation soldiers that had fired upon Kai and his friends, and then after realizing it was just a bunch of idiot kids, started beating on them before the squad's Staff Sergeant arrived, hopping mad mind you given that he'd been sleeping, and screaming in their faces that they'd be NJP'd out an airlock if they didn't straighten up before promptly yelling at the civilians to get lost or they'd be thrown in jail for trespassing in a secure zone.
Amuro had been on sentry duty nearby with the rest of his training group and heard the entire thing.
Something honestly didn't add up with all the hidden security around the barrier, an infantry platoon was one thing, but there were anti-infantry mines, heavily armed patrol robots, and sentry guns as well, and he knew it had something to do with the fragments of data and schematics his father had left behind in his study, and Amuro was smart enough to know that asking questions about this would send him to the brig until Tem got back.
"I don't exactly know but I have some suspicions… I'll go bring the car around." He walked off to the garage and started up the buggy before driving it out, Fraw getting into the passenger seat and buckling in, Haro chirping away in her lap.
'Construction block my ass' Denim thought as he swept his Zaku's monoeyes around, ricochet-proof and blast resistant walls, observation towers, drone hangars, hidden bays for remote controlled armored vehicles , minefields, box and VLS type field launchers, modified rotary CIWS cannons, and heavy cannon emplacements, this was a live-fire testing ground if he'd ever seen one.
["More wreckage over here Master Sergeant, older model Leos and Tragos this time. Part of an Aries as well."] Ash reported as the Zakus continued to pick around the test site. ["They're sliced to bits by the same weapon that did a number on that Guntank back there..."]
["Roger, keep searching."]
["Master Sergeant, there's an early-type Guncannon here, this hole pattern looks like a ranged weapon this time."] Gene radioed as Denim's Zaku made its way over and knelt next to it.
["Do we or any of our allies have any in service MS use beam weapons with this level of firepower?"] Denim asked, hiding his nervousness.
["Negative, the closest I've seen is the ion cannon ZAFT uses as part of their D-Type equipment."] Gene answered.
["So some kind of beam rifle then."] Denim mused, previously such technology had been limited to the Leo, which boasted a very primitive beam rifle that was more or less a machine gun capable of moderately improved armor penetration but with much lower rate of fire, which wasn't saying much, Zeon and Gjallarhorn had preferred ballistic weapons over beam weaponry for the most part due to the lower maintenance and power requirements, which were more suitable for immediate production.
Although he'd heard mention of Guncannons starting to be seen carrying beam rifles with battleship grade firepower, which meant the Federation had solved the issue of thermal friction on the barrel.
"Disturbing..."
["MASTER SERGEANT!"] Ash exclaimed, his radio squawking.
["What is it Ash!"]
["ENEMY SIGHTED!"] The faint tings of linear shell impacts on armor were audible in the chatter. ["THEY'RE FIRING VULCANS AND POINT LASERS AT US! WE'RE ENGAGING!"]
["Negative Ash, fall back and re-group! We don't want to tangle with whatever this thing is in close quarters!"]
["TOO LATE SIR, WE'RE ALREADY ENGAGED!"]
["DAMNIT ASH, FALL BACK! SERGEANT ASH, RESPOND!"] Denim yelled into the comms, slamming his fist against his console as he messed with the settings to try and clear up the static on his outgoing frequency.
Ash and his subordinates opened fire on the incoming outline, emptying their weapons into it, only for their target to march right through the barrage, seemingly without a scratch.
["M-MASTER SERGEANT, OUR MACHINE GUNS DIDN'T EVEN PHASE IT, I-I FIRED THE ENTIRE DRUM MAG INTO IT! IT'S STILL COMING THIS WAY!"] Ash sounded increasingly terrified as the seconds passed.
["I DIDN'T CATCH THAT ASH, WHAT'S COMING YOUR WAY!"]
["THE FEDERATION'S NEW MOBILE SUIT!"] Sergeant Ash screamed as the Grey, gold, black, and brown MS marched towards him, golden targeting sensor 'eyes' gleaming in the darkness, however the thing that truly terrified Sergeant Jacob Ash was not the suit itself, but the emblem inscribed on the right shoulder and the shield, a Fox's jaws gnashing down on the buckling head of a Zaku.
["AND IT'S BEING PILOTED BY THE GREY FOX OF NEW CALIFORNIA!"] He screamed as he resumed shooting.
["ASH REPEAT THAT, WHO'S PILOTING THE ENEMY UNIT!?"] Denim shouted before swearing under his breath, knowing that their enemy was jamming them. 'Damn Feddies...' He fumed internally as he sat there, helpless to reinforce his men.
Samuel Ajax chuckled as the linear MG shells bounced harmlessly off his armor plate and shield. He'd already reported the Zakus in to command, and they were trying to sortie unit 2 with Willie behind the controls.
Additionally, he was already jamming their comms, no sense in letting them co-ordinate outside visual range if he could help it.
"Get a load of this." He muttered before his suit's shoulder cannon swung up and over before firing a 240mm shell into one of the Zakus and then boosting back and away from them.
'Can't get too hasty, I blow them up and they'll wreck the barrier.' He mused bluntly as he tracked the Zakus with the suit's sensors.
The Feddie pilot smirked and fired his thrusters again as the Zakus closed the range, he wasn't stupid, if he got close to those Zakus they'd dogpile him and use their heathawks to cut him to bits, aiming on point he fired his beam rifle at the Zaku he'd previously shot and sent a particle beam racing into the Zeon suit, the sudden friction of super high velocity particles burning a hole straight through its cockpit, vaporizing the pilot.
Turning, he fired a salvo from the shoulder cannon that bracketed the second Zaku and followed up with a final shell into the chest, shattering the cockpit and sending the machine into the dirt.
Wheeling around on his suit's heel, he tracked the last Zaku before firing his second beam rifle shot, only to realize in horror that it would hit lower than intended as the Zaku jumped at the last second, on instinct he fired his own thrusters to pull the Gundam back as the Zaku's reactor detonated from the sudden thermal energy transfer and blew through both the colony wall and the construction barrier.
"Oh fuck..." He breathed as his suit dodged debris that was being sucked into space, before managing to distance himself enough from the initial outrush of air and debris being drawn in by the vacuum left by the explosion that there was no immediate threat to himself being flung into space.
"What was that!?" Fraw shouted as she and Amuro stood in the parking lot next to the port facilities. All around them people were chattering in confusion and horror as they watched air slowly begin to exit the colony in the distance. Evacuation alarms were blaring nonstop now.
"Fraw, get in…" He mumbled. The girl jumped into the car as he started it up and drove off, Amuro rushing to get them back to the residential area.
"Amuro what's wrong!"
"That explosion, the construction barrier can't withstand something that powerful" He shouted, glancing for only a split second at the barrier. Indeed, the weakened bulkhead was already showing signs of further collapse under the stresses of the colony's rotation.
["MASTER SERGE-!"] Ash's line broke into static as Denim and Gene watched an explosion flare up in the distance, followed by another and then a third, much larger explosion. Both wanted to do something, but neither wanted to tangle with a possible Feddie ace in an as of yet unknown Mobile Suit armed with a damn battleship-grade beam rifle.
["Sergeant Ash!" DAMN THEM!"] Gene started to move before Denim's Zaku could seize him, firing on what look like a series of observation and command structures. ["I'LL CRUSH THEM ALL!"] He screamed, before smashing his suit's left fist through a building's windows and opening fire on the control staff inside before raking additional machine gun fire over the exterior of what he assumed was a transit corridor or lift.
Samuel thought he heard Willie scream briefly as a series of flashes tore up the side of one of the test bay structures. It didn't take a psychic to realize what had just happened to his friend.
"No… Damn them…" As much as revenge was on his mind, new orders came in to transfer units 01 and 02 to Franklin D Roosevelt alongside the rest of the Project V Mobile suits already in the port's transfer bays.
"Roger that…" He sighed and leapt his Gundam through the now open heavy access barrier gate doors, following the cargo train carrying the white, blue, red, and gold painted RX-78-2.
EFS Franklin D Roosevelt.
Captain Cassius narrowed his eyes. "So, the attack has come from inside the colony… Deploy the Marine complement and the Guncannons, recall everyone on liberty immediately." He ordered.
"What about the civilians sir?" Bright asked as he glanced up from a tactical screen showing an IFF tag moving through the colony.
"Anyone who cannot get to a shelter pod is to be allowed aboard, prioritize women, children, and the elderly and infirm." He responded, never taking his eyes off of the colony damage reports the ship's computers were going through
"Yes sir!" Bright saluted and rushed to his station.
"Sir it'll take twenty minutes to reconfigure the Guncannons for colony based operations, we were expecting a space engagement!" Marker stated without glancing up from his console.
"And the Guntanks?" Paulo asked, already anticipating the answer as being bad news.
"Hangar Chief Fang reports they Marines have them disarmed and partially disassembled for extensive maintenance, it'll take at least an hour for them!" Oscar reported.
The Captain swore. "We'll have to leave it to the prototype and the main battle tanks then…" He groused.
"Sir, the amount of tactical level traffic between the Musais has increased, we should expect them to engage in combat operations at any moment!" Oscar shouted after double checking his console feeds from the CIC again.
"Damn… We'll have to fight them too… Marker, Oscar, keep the tac feeds running, cancel the colony setup order for the Guncannons, and prepare a torpedo boat for me…."
"Understood sir." Marker acknowledged as he and Oscar triple checked the command codes to make sure Bright was fully entered into the system as Captain Cassius stood up and walked to the bridge's express elevator. "Lieutenant, come here for a moment."
"Sir!" Bright shouted as he rushed over.
"I want you to take command of Rosie while I head out in one of the torpedo boats to draw off enemy fire."
"I don't think I'm qualified for this though sir…" Bright stated hesitantly.
"Bright, you have the best command scores out of anyone aboard, and served dutifully aboard the escort carrier Chitose, it's no substitute for combat experience but you'll have enough veteran officers with you to make it work, in addition to the 'Gorgon of Hatte' piloting unit 00. In any case I doubt you'll be leaving port without me in command. You have the bridge now Bright." He smiled and walked into the express elevator and the doors slammed shut.
"What are your orders Lieutenant? The primary Helmsman and a chunk of the crew are on the colony, which leaves us understaffed."
Bright turned to face them. "Either load the mobile suits in the transfer bays or prep them for combat as needed, make sure all spare parts and support materials are loaded ad well! Scrounge up everything you can from any nearby residences, spaceport sections and businesses for supplies, and prep the medbays and surgical suites on the double! And I want Commander Mass to get unit 0 sortied ASAP, an independent cruiser squadron will undoubtedly have elite pilots aboard." He ordered.
"Sir, the GM units in the dock hangar are reporting they're preparing for action, should we have them outfit with space equipment?" Petty Officer Shute Butler asked.
"Do it, but maintain enough leeway for maneuvering inside the colony." Bright commanded, cursing the timing internally.
The Petty Officer nodded and chattered away into his headset.
"The rest of you man your stations and ready the light AA guns for action, we can't fire anything heavier than the 30 milimeter gatling units within the dock so use them and the point lasers to intercept missiles and bazooka rockets!"
The remaining bridge crew members saluted and rushed to carry out his commands.
Down in the Franklin D Roosevelt's ready room, Sayla Mass sipped her coffee as the alert came in, sitting there calmly as the rest of the pilots sprang up to get changed into their normal suits. Sayla only sighed as she finally stood up and calmly walked to go put on her own normal suit. 'So, there's a fight coming…' She mused as she zipped up the blue suit, knowing full well that they wouldn't have requested her and Unit 0 so suddenly unless they were expecting to face an enemy ace. 'But why is there this familiar pressure...' She thought as something tingled at the back of her mind.
Shoving it aside she continued her preparations.
Side 7.
Amuro swerved to avoid chunks of rubble caused by a transfer car's sudden derailment.
"Tch… The road's out because someone was in a hurry and got stupid." He snarled. Both he and Fraw jumped out of the car, the latter rushing off to her family while Amuro ran over to the wreckage. Already a tracked carrier had moved over to try and tow it clear.
"C'mon Haro!" He shouted to the spherical robot, which flapped its arm covers as it hopped after him.
One of the Federation Personnel whom was directing civilians to detour looked over at him, something flashing on his normal suit's visor as his suit scanned Amuro's ID. "Cadet Ray? What are you doing out here?! This is a combat zone!"
"Shouldn't you be trying to get the civilians clear!?" He shouted.
"Negative, if we try to move them past the prototype they'll just be seen as acceptable collateral to those Zakus!" The soldier shouted back before gesturing off to the side and yelling at one of his subordinates to hurry up.
"Zakus…" Amuro whispered, wondering why the tech would mention Zakus specifically before being briefly distracted as a sleek, humanoid MS landed nearby, the dark grey, black, brown and gold machine glancing around, before looking at the suit on the transfer railcar. "A new model…? The same one from Dad's schematics…" He murmured.
At that moment Gene's Zaku used its missile pods to blast its way through the side of the construction barrier, Monoeye glowing menacingly, in response the civilians started screaming and those at the head of the crowd began running for the shelters or port in spite of attempts to calm then down.
'The war… It's... It's come here…' Amuro thought as he instinctively backed away.
[MASTER SERGEANT, I SEE THE BASTARD THAT TOOK OUT SERGEANT ASH'S SQUAD, AND THERE'S ANOTHER FEDERATION MS BEING TRANSPORTED!"] Gene shouted as he kicked his Zaku's thrusters and launched forward firing a volley from everything he had. ["I'LL DO IT! OH YES, THESE FUCKERS ARE ALL MINE!"]
["GENE! AAARG, YOU STUPID BASTARD, YOU'LL BE LUCKY TO GET A DISHONORABLE DISCHARGE WITHOUT IT BEING AT THE MUZZLE END OF A FIRING SQUAD AT THIS RATE!"] Denim roared as his Zaku was caught in the backwash of Gene's thrusters.
PZS Falmel CLC-219. June 6 SE 0279.
"Sergeant Denim's men charged in?" Char asked as Slender reported in the basics of the incident via comms.
["Affirmative sir! Sergeant Ash's squad encountered at least one hostile, Master Sergeant Denim and Lance Corporal Gene went in to back them up, I counted at least three explosions, one of which looked like a reactor detonation. In light of this situation I obeyed my earlier orders and withdrew to report in to you."] Slender stated.
"Well done." 'So, the Federation at the very least has a new mobile suit design in the prototype phase phase. Combined with Le Creuset's special forces team reportedly investigating an Eternia Alliance project in Orb Space, whatever projects Satelicon and Chryse have in the works and the fact the Allied Colonies and Sanc have deployed two Tallgeese units against the White Fang... Plus rumors of the men who created the Tallgeese being active again… We may need to take drastic action.' Char mused. "That will do, now return to the Falmel, you'll be fully debriefed later." The Red Comet ordered as Slender saluted and cut his comms channel.
"Color me surprised, I thought Denim had more control over his men." Lieutenant Brien Dren muttered.
"Dren, alert the squadron, then have us detach and approach the colony in a loose containment formation." Char ordered.
"To arms sir?" His second asked.
"The Federation has violated the treaty by committing military operations in a neutral zone, under its provisions nobody can complain if we engage in conventional engagements in what is now a combat zone." He stated as the Falmel, Dresden, Darmstadt and Adzam undocked and maneuvered to face the colony, Zaku and Dopp squads readying in their hangers. "We will make them pay dearly for this mistake."
Side 7.
'So this… Is Zeon's MS-06 Zaku II...' Amuro thought as he stood among the ruins of the tractor trailer, dead, unconcious or dying Federation personnel laying around him.
He ducked under a burst of shrapnel, the two Zakus that had torn through the barrier were fighting the grey, brown, black, and gold suit that had entered before them which was using the shield to protect a group of civilians from weapons fire and shrapnel as the Federation Marines began shelling the more aggressive Zaku with missiles and cannon-fire from tanks, a group of micro drones sniping the ATGMs down with point laser fire while the Zaku simply raised handheld a knuckler shield that absorbed the worst of the HEAT shells and shattered the Sabot darts due to the extreme angle.
"Must be special forces if they bothered to fit micro-drones to them..." Amuro mused as a wheeled ATGM carrier burnt out violently as jets of flame spewed from its ammo stowage compartments.
Getting back up he rushed over to the transfer carriage, which had been partially towed onto the tracked carrier before the more aggressive Zaku shot that up. Off to the side he saw a blast send Haro flying, the robot intact as far as he could tell.
"AMUROOO!" He turned to see Fraw running over to him as her mother and grandfather shouted for her to come back, before a burst of machine gun fire from one of the Zakus tore into the hillside, the pilot clearly lost in a fit of blood-lust given the lack of targets there beyond civilians rushing to get to the shelters and a few colonial guardsmen and police directing them.
Amuro's eyes widened in horrific realization before the plasma conduit under the street exploded, temporarily blinding and deafening him. and flinging Fraw through the air like a ragdoll.
"FRAW!" He rushed over to her, ignoring the ringing in his ears, whilst clambering over charred corpses and debris, and helped her up.
The girl looked around in shock seeing corpses, wreckage and body parts lying around her. "Mom… G-Grandpa… Everyone..." Amuro grimaced as she broke down into a sobbing wreck and glared up at the Zaku, as he stared at the Zeon emblem stenciled onto its 'forehead' a deep-seated rage boiled up as something at the back of his mind told Amuro that the pilot didn't even care about all the innocent lives he'd just ended.
"Fraw… Get to the ship that's in port."
"Whaa…" That seemed to get the girl out of her shock briefly, how she didn't have hearing damage was beyond Amuro at this point.
"Just go, run Fraw, hurry, it's not safe anywhere near this place. If you don't start running, they'll get you too." Amuro
"No… NOOOOOO! NO NO NO NO NO!" She began breaking down into hysteria.
Out of options now as part of a tank's sideskirt embedded itself into the ground nearby, whether it was from an existing wreck or a freshly destroyed vehicle was irrelevant, Amuro drew his arm back and promptly slapped her, knocking Fraw out of her stupor. "FRAW, STOP IT, I KNOW YOU'RE A STRONG GIRL!" Amuro shouted before speaking again, softer this time. "Run to the docking bay! I'll meet you there. C'mon just run!"
She nodded drowsily and began to stumble off.
"Yes, good, Fraw. That's it! Go! From there you'll be fine! RUN FRAW, HURRY!" He shouted at her as she made her way back to the road, the automatic damage control systems having shut off the damaged gas lines and smiled as a pair of Side 7's colonial guard troopers in their typical light-armored khaki battle-gear and old late AD-style ballistic helmets and goggled facemasks rushed over and helped her to safety as the more heavily armed and armored marines continued drawing fire from the Zeon MS. "That's good Fraw." He said, smiling as she was rushed off somewhere, only stopping to pick up a greenish sphere he immediately recognized as Haro.
Glancing back over at the flatbed car, Amuro briefly checked to see if the Zakus were looking, which they thankfully weren't and rushed over to it, clambering up onto the flatbed. "So, you're what they're after… So many people just died because of you… I want you to make up for that… Let's see there should be an access panel on the foot… Yes! Here it is!" He flipped a hatch on the 'toe' of the machine open and entered the OS code he'd seen in his father's notes, noting the brief flicker of a word as it was accepted. "King of Knights… Why is that the access code… I swear dad likes his AD era Japanese crap too much." A faint hiss around the torso section announced the opening of the primary cockpit hatch. Amuro glanced up at the Zaku, morbidly relived to see it was still pre-occupied with the other MS and the marines after having wiped out the existing defense units that had been securing the perimeter around the transport car, the active federation machine still peeking in and out from behind buildings as the Zakus exchanged fire with it and the tanks, jeeps, and MLRS units.
Slipping down into the cockpit he realized how similar it was in basic layout to the Guncannon simulators he'd been in during his Cadet course. "Huh, who knew my dad's attempts to keep me from getting drafted into the main forces would help save my life…" He muttered before flicking on the main power button. "Woah… Even the output on this is at least twice that in the old notes… Plus the five-fold power increase just from standby." He noticed the same designation number and codeword that was marked on the carrier flatbed car appearing as the machine booted up and its reactor began to reach running temperature.
RX-78-2 Gundam Field Use Developmental Type, Unit 2, System Startup, Activating integrated AI support system.
An actual honest to god unschackled AI? Weren't those highly regulated even for military purposes?
"Advanced Recording and Targeting Operations Reflex Intelligent Assistance system. Version, RX-78-2/02 'Gundam'. Online." A stern female voice stated from the suit's speakers. "Warning, no normal suit or federation military ID chip detected on pilot, requesting backup ID, failure to authorize will result in OS deletion and/or suit self-destruction to avoid capture."
Amuro felt around for his card, realizing it had flown out of his pocket when the plasma line exploded.
"Shit… Uh Ensign Amuro Ray, I'm in the Side 7 Reserves. Service number 11-5194179-7." He rattled out, and the AI processed it for mere nanoseconds.
"ID confirmed with Side 7 EFF registry, you are not the assigned pilot of this machine, nor are you a certified pilot with the requisite clearance level. How did you acquire control of this mobile suit?"
Amuro's face burned, questioning the intelligence part of Artificial Intelligence. "Side 7 is under attack by Zakus. Everyone who was trying to transfer this suit is either unconscious or dead due to enemy fire, along with a lot of civilians, so I decided that taking control of this machine was preferable to doing nothing."
"That is… Acceptable for now... Sensor readouts detect one friendly RX-78 unit, multiple EFMC and EFCDF IFFs and telemetry for two MS-06F Zaku IIs. No HMD telemetry feed detected, activating backup vision screens and switching to AI assist control." Amuro could have sworn the AI sounded… Embarrassed that something so obvious could have eluded it.
The cockpit displays flicked on to a terrifying sight, the Zaku that had just killed Fraw's mother and grandfather was now pointing its machine gun at him.
"FUCK! MOVE DAMNIT! MOVE!" He jinked the control sticks and pedals in the exact same manner as he was instructed in the emergency standup scenario back from the Guncannon sims.
["Where do you think that guy bugged off to with the tanks?"] Gene asked, his smugness palpable.
Denim on the other hand was sickened by Gene's wanton slaughter, he'd killed significantly more civilians than actual Feddies in less than ten minutes. ["Probably off to defend the port, Slender's likely reported in to Commander Char by now, and he'll probably want your ass on a platinum platter for this."]
["What for!? The Feddies had it coming!"]
Denim's Zaku prodded Gene's in the chest roughly. ["What about all those civilians you murdered taking out literally three tanks and a random missile truck!"]
["They're just Unnies! They can go straight to hell with the Federation and all the other inner nations! I say we… Huh?"] His machine machine shoved Denim's aside and marched around the other Zaku before aiming its machine gun at the Gundam.
["Leave it alone Gene, it's just an empty mobile suit, we'll drag it back to the commander, and then you can explain to him why you decided to shoot up a space colony for no good reason."]
["But! I swore I saw it move sir!"]
The Gundam's chest vents hissed and vented vaporized coolant from the cold startup as it began to push itself up and off the trailer. Gene immediately fired his Zaku's Machine Gun at it, scoring numerous hits but doing no visible damage aside from scoring the paint.
["I KNEW IT MASTER SERGEANT, THERE'S SOMEONE INSIDE!"]
["Well I'll be damned…"]
"Weapons! Where are the weapons!" Amuro shouted as rounds impacted the Gundam, the latest version of luna titanium composite refusing to yield under the stress.
"The 60-millimeter head Vulcans are loaded with live ammo, as are the 30mm GAU-23/B rotary cannons integrated into the right shoulder and left forearm and the 12.7mm M5 rotary machine guns in the left shoulder mount. Laser-blister capacitors are currently charging. Countermeasures dispensers and multi-purpose grenade launchers are unloaded for transfer purposes. Missile pods and handheld or optional fixed weapons are not mounted" The AI responded in its usual monotone.
"Right, only the ballistic point defense weapons, anything less than 60mm is ineffective against Zaku armor... Firing switch should be just like on the Guncannon Sim…" He pressed the firing stub for the Vulcans, sending two streams of rounds at Gene's Zaku. A plan working itself out in his head, one just stupid enough to work.
["We've got a live one here sir, but it's only got Vulcans! Why would these idiots try transferring a suit with just the integrated ballistics loaded?!"]
["Careful Gene!"] Denim warned as his Zaku kept a lookout for the other MS.
["I don't need to be careful! This guy has to be a total nug-"] Gene was cut off by the now upright Gundam's right arm seizing his Zaku by the 'snout' and dragging it down into a prepped knee to the cockpit hatch, the whiplash smacking Gene, who'd turned off his inertial dampers, around in the cockpit even with his restraints, the other manipulator grabbed his MG and crushed the barrel in its grip. Sending chills down Denim's spine.
["Idiot!"] Denim snarled as their new opponent tossed Gene backwards, his suit now missing the vent and coolant pipes on the Zaku's 'face' and with a totally worthless weapon to boot.
["MASTER SERGEANT HELP, HEEEEELP MEEEEEEE!"] He shrieked as his Zaku got up and tried to scramble away, leaking coolant from its head like the suit was frothing saliva in sheer terror as it tried to escape. Denim leveling his machine gun at the Gundam and opening fire to cover his idiot teammate.
"Damnit, are there any more weapons!?" Amuro growled as he stared at the fleeing Zaku, wincing as impacts dinged off the Gundam's armor again.
"There are two THI BSjG01 beam sabers located in charging racks on the backpack unit."
"Thanks… Artoria?" Amuro said hesitantly as he quickly flicked the handheld armaments selector to unlock the left saber from its rack, mumbling about how the stupid AI didn't notify him of these earlier.
"That is my designation yes."
He rolled his eyes and had the Gundam draw its saber, the glowing magenta-white plasma blade flaring to life inside its containment field as he leapt forwards. 'Gotta aim this right so it doesn't damage the reactor…'
Denim watched in shock and horror as the White Mobile suit leapt through the air without firing its thrusters and cleaved Gene in half as he tried to boost away with his thrusters, the two halves of his Zaku tumbling down to the valley floor below, only some propellant and explosive ammo detonating.
'Damnit, this guy isn't a simple test pilot, he's actually half-competent in battle!' He charged forward and drew his heat hawk after dropping his machine gun to the ground and detaching the ammo box from the suit's backpack, if ranged weapons didn't work, then he'd have to carve his enemy apart.
The Gundam whirled around and slammed its saber into the glowing superheated blade of the heat hawk, the axe slowly giving way to the beam blade as the physical materials of the heat hawk melted under the combined thermal energy of its own coils and the plasma of the beam saber.
"RAAAGH, THIS IS FOR GENE, EVEN IF HE DID DESERVE THAT!" Denim roared as he slammed his machine's left fist into the Gundam's abdomen, firing the Vulcan guns mounted on the arm's weapons pack at what looked like the hatch at what popular culture had long deemed point blank range, seemingly stunning the Federation suit. "Did that actually penetrate…?"
The Gundam's eyes flashed as it promptly drew the other beam saber with its free hand and stabbed its blade through the side of Denim's cockpit.
Denim's life flashed before his eyes as the left-hand side of his cockpit glowed. 'Commander Char, this thing is a monster, a White Devil...' And then his last thought ended as he evaporated in a flash of light and heat.
PZS Falmel.
Aboard the Falmel Char frowned as he waited for a status update before he felt a sense of sheer terror.
"What in the galaxy could Denim be doing...? No..." The Red Comet pursed his lips pensively, his senses telling him something his technicians would likely report rather soon.
Side 7.
Amuro panted as the Zaku's monoeye flickered and died, deactivating both sabers and backing away to let it slump down to the ground, if the Zaku had loaded better armor piercing ammo or even just fired its machine gun, it might have penetrated at that range.
"Well, I guess that's that… He turned the machine's head to see the other Gundam from Earlier now marked as RX-78-2/01, backed by six simpler yet still Gundam-like mobile suits, marked as RGM-79A GM Initial Production Types on his suit's display screens, and all of them were aiming their weapons at him with their shields at ready.
["ATTENTION WHOEVER YOU ARE, POP YOUR HATCH AND STEP OUT WITH YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!"] The other Gundam announced over both radio and loudspeakers.
"Warning, combat protocols do not cover friendly fire defenses." Artoria chimed unhelpfully
"Fuck…" Amuro whispered as sweat dripped down his forehead and pressed the cockpit hatch release button. Stepping out onto the cockpit's boarding platform with his hands visible, not like he could do much anyways.
"Oh for fuck's sake, a goddamn cadet!?" Someone grumbled over their suit's speakers as a squad of marines walked up to the RX-78-2/02 and directed Amuro to use its field boarding line to head down to them.
PZS Falmel.
"We've lost contact with Denim?!" Dren exclaimed as tactical reported the loss of his transponder signal. "What about Slender?"
"He's escaped and is heading back to us sir!" The comms officer reported.
Dren exchanged a glance with Char.
"To think I lost nearly an entire platoon of Zaku IIs on one recon mission, I'll be in hot water with Grand Admiral Dozle for sure..." He gave a gesture to the fire control officer who nodded and inputted targeting coordinates, the Red Comet frowned as he continued. "It's not easy to admit... To the folly of one's youth... Dren, order Nanai's Z25s to continue waiting and then join us when the opportunity presents itself or I call for them."
"Yes sir."
Outside the Falmel, two anti-fortress torpedoes launched out of the ship's main firing tubes and raced towards the colony, the rest of the 15th independent cruiser squadron's main force following up with additional salvos.
AN: And to think I got the initial writeup done in a single night. Anyways, the Argothans will be important later on, but I need time to think them out, and I fully intend to make them and their way of thinking as different from humanity as I can manage.
Also here's some info about of all Warship classes that have been directly mentioned barring the Midway-class, and the Sluys, the latter of which isn't really worth describing at this time.
Magellan-class Battleship: The Primary Battleship of the Earth Federation Space Force, the 610-meter-long Magellan class boasts Ten 406mm twin megaparticle Beam Cannon Turrets, fourteen 127mm twin beam turrets, several VLS cells and Torpedo Tubes, and a sizeable AA and point defense suite. Aside from a shuttle bay capable of receiving most forms of space launch and maybe a single team of MS, the Magellans lack any form of carrying capacity, which often proved to be a fatal drawback in light of combat experience against Argothan Warframes and Pact Mobile Suits being able to slip past the minimum effective coverage range of their barrier screen projectors and attack the ship directly. Many in the Federation Space Forces thus argue for replacing the entire class with the more versatile Trafalgars in lieu of a newer design or modification in order to maintain numerical superiority over other nations.
Ananke-class Command Battleship: Nearly identical externally to their Magellan-class half-siblings, the Anankes boast much improved C3I capability, sensors, reinforced point defense armament, countermeasures and barrier shielding, as well as an additional pair of main battery turrets, one each on the Dorsal and Ventral sides of the ship's center section, replacing the VLS cells normally positioned there on the Magellans. These ships typically serve as the Flagships of Battle Lines, and are an increasingly rare sight as space combat switches to a greater focus on Mobile Weapons and more versatile warships capable of troop transport.
Salamis-class Light Cruiser: The primary cruiser and the backbone of the Federation Space Force, the 400-meter-long Salamis-class is a symbol of the Federation's reach and influence being seen in virtually every role the Federation could ask of it, from long range resupply duties in support of frontier outposts to frontline combat, armed with twelve twin mounted 152mm Megaparticle Beam turrets and eight 127mm twin Beam turrets, a sizeable AA suite that varies in layout and design from flight to flight of production ships, and a notable VLS and Torpedo Complement, the only major drawback of the class is a complete lack of carrying capacity for anything more complicated than a typical shuttle launch, a single flight of Saberfish fighters or a pair of Ball Mobile Pod teams without complicated add-on equipment, an upgraded sub-class flight boasting hangar pods for mobile suits is said to be entering production to rectify this problem, in addition to plans for a totally redesigned flight and a new ship class, both to be more suited for mobile suit combat.
Aetos-class Light Carrier: The primary CVL of the EFSF, the 400 meter long Aetos-class is designed to carry conventional fighter and bomber craft into battle, a variant of the Salamis, the Aetos was designed prior to modern mobile suit development and was intended to be usable in atmopsheric conditions by virtue of a Schenberg craft system, full length flight deck and its complement of over ninety air and space craft. Boasting a substantial AA complement, eight 127mm twin beam cannon turrets, numerous launchers for interceptor missiles, and two 152mm single barreled beam cannons at the rear of the ship, the Aetos-class lacks direct firepower. Once considered the most versatile class in the EFSF, the Aetos has been reduced in standing by the introduction of the Midway and Kasagi-class ships and its own inability to effectively utilize mobile suits.
Lepanto-class Frigate: The standard frigate class of the EFSF, the 278-meter-long Lepanto is notable for its low production costs, low crew requirements, heavy missile armament, and almost unmatched defensive capabilities, this combined with an impressive sensor and targeting suite means the Lepanto is the EFF's go to escort ship, and is often among the ships in heaviest demand for any given mission. Armed with 3 single mounted 127mm megaparticle beam turrets, and a sizable missile/torpedo armament and the most impressive AA/PD suite for any ship in its size class, the Lepanto is set to be a mainstay of the Space Force for decades to come, even in the age of Mobile Warfare.
Keramaia-class Destroyer: The standard destroyer class of the EFSF, the Keramaia is infact a modified version of the Salamis line, optimized for the destroyer role. at 340 meters long, the Keramaia boasts an substantial AA/PD and sensor array, and is armed with sixteen twin 127mm megaparticle beam turrets and a sizeable missile and torpedo armament, combined with its AEGIS systems the Keramaia's only real faults are those common to pre-war federation light and medium vessels, their inability to carry a strike unit complement, as such they are limited to patrolling spacelanes and escort duties in fleets and convoys, but remain a valuable class of warship nonetheless due to their other capabilities.
Trafalgar-class Carrier Battleship: One of the two Primary pre-war fleet carrier classes of the EFSF the Trafalgars boast numerous improvements over the older Sluys-class, armed with four 406mm twin megaparticle beam cannons, two 203mm twin beam cannons, a dozen 127mm twin beam cannon turrets, and numerous VLS cells, AA guns, CIWS mounts, and dozens of laser blisters. The ship boasted a maximum carrying capacity of 60 mobile suits or over a hundred fighters and other strike craft, with the actual load depending on hangar configuration. At 690-meters-long, the class is only moderately longer than their Magellan and Ananke-class cousins but is substantially bulkier due to its modified role, ships of this class typically function as command vessels in lieu of dedicated types owing to their extensive C3I facilities.
Antietam-class Escort Carrier: The primary escort carrier of the EFSF, the 460-meter long Antietam is a modification of the ubiquitous 440-meter Columbus-class fast support ship, boasting modular hangar sections in place of the Columbus's modular bays. And is capable of carrying either 24 Mobile Suits in single deck hangars, or a wider variety of non-mecha craft in twin deck hangars. Armed only with a pair of single 127mm beam cannons in addition to point defenses, AA guns and Anti-Strike/MS missiles, the Antietam-class is entirely reliant on escorts and strike craft for defense against anything more than a handful of torpedo boats or fighters.
Chitose-class Heavy Escort Carrier: The other primary escort carrier of the EFSF, based on the larger Beehive-class heavy fast support ship, the 475-meter long Chitose is essentially a double decker Antietam, and literally carries twice the complement at 48 mobile suits or nearly a hundred-strike craft. The major downside of the class is that only point and AA defense has been improved regarding the ship's inbuilt defenses, leaving it even more vulnerable due to its larger size, slow speed, and lack of decent armor and shielding.
Jutland-class Fleet Carrier Battleship: The other primary pre-war fleet carrier class of the EFSF, armed with over twenty 127mm twin beam cannon turrets, and ten 406mm twin megaparticle beam cannons, plus missile, AA, and point defense CIWS and lasers, the 860-meter-long Jutland is often viewed as the actual carrier battleship of the Federation Space Forces with a carrying capacity of 80 mobile suits or over two hundred fighters and other strike craft, with the actual load, like any other Federation Carrier, depending on configuration. Extensive C3I and combat abilities typically mean ships of this class serve as flagships for carrier divisions, with at least eight divisions anchoring every one of the thirty major Federation fleet groups. The class is in the process of being supplanted by the dedicated Midway-class Battle Carriers and Kasagi-class Attack Carriers, which are designed from the ground up to be carriers first and battleships second, unlike the Magellan based Jutlands and Trafalgars.
Gagaul-class Destroyer: Zeon's mainline 'Destroyer', the 220-meter-long Gagaul is considered by many Space Attack Force Officers to be a total disappointment for a frontline combat vessel as it was originally designed as a colonial patrol frigate, armed with only a single twin 130mm short barreled megaparticle beam turret in addition to a pair of single casemated 100mm beam guns and a rather mediocre torpedo, AA/PD and missile armament in comparison to their contemporaries, the Gagaul's primary saving grace is its ability to carry a single Mobile Suit team and its relatively powerful sensor array in addition to the low cost of the ship, as such they are typically used as either patrol ships in the Zeon Home Guard and near rear-line bases or as convoy escorts, and are only rarely attached to the main fleet as screening vessels during high stakes engagements, and even then mostly to provide their mobile suit complements and absorb fire meant for more important vessels. As a result of high numbers of ships extant and low demand for replacements, the Zeonic shipbuilding corporation has long since switched most of their destroyer production to the lightweight Z25 Musai-class destroyer to supplant the existing vessels, and the heavier Musaka-class which is to replace the Gagaul entirely, with remaining yards belonging to minor companies producing it in limited numbers only for patrol and escort duties.
Z50 Musai-class Light Cruiser: Zeon's primary light cruiser, based on the Arcona-class freighter/liner, the 460-meter-long middle-weight Z-50 Musai is the mainstay of the principality's fleets, and a symbol of their military might alongside the equally ubiquitous MS-06 Zaku II, DFA-03 Dopp Fighter, and the Magella series of armored combat vehicles. With three twin 155mm megaparticle beam cannon turrets, like most beam guns these are capable of firing conventional linear accelerated shells for heavy orbital bombardment or long range flak duties, eight single mounted 127mm beam cannon turrets, torpedo tubes, a decent AA and point defense suite for its size class, and a complement of up to a Dozen Zakus plus six Dopp Fighters and a Komusai attack landing shuttle, the Z50 is set to remain the backbone of the Principality's Space Force for the foreseeable future, even if the newer Endra-class ships outperform it in most of the same roles.
Z50B Musai-class Light Command Cruiser: A relatively rare sight in the Zeon Space Forces, the Z50B (Befehl) Musai serves as a command ship for independent cruiser forces, and as such, is typically found leading special detachments operating far from friendly battle fleets or theater command centers. Aside from improved C3I capabilities, engines, sensors, countermeasures, barrier shielding, more robust AA and Point Defense Suites, a modified bridge design and more luxurious Officer's quarters, the Z50B is otherwise identical to the standard Z50. A variant with more robust equipment suited for fleet command duties is known the exist, being given the designation Z50B-2.
Endra-class Assault Cruiser: A new sight in the Zeon Space Forces, the Endra-class is armed with five 180mm single barreled Megaparticle guns, and a single twin 155mm megaparticle gun covering the lower rear arc, the Endra-class seems underarmed for such a toted new ship class, even with its substantial AA/PD suite and a decent number of missile tubes. Hidden in the rear section of the hull are a pair of single mounted high bore hyper megaparticle beam cannons, giving the Light Cruiser tonnage vessel the punch of a battleship. Combined with the ability to carry 30 mobile suits and two fighter squadrons, plus a flight system for in atmosphere use, the 570-meter Endra-class is thus expected to replace or at least supplant the venerable Z75 Musai in the assault cruiser role.
Musaka-class Destroyer: Another new sight in the Zeon Space Forces, the 360-meter-long Musaka-class Light Cruiser is officially labeled a destroyer to justify funding for the new class in light of the shortcomings with both the Z25 Musai and the Gagaul, particularly when it comes to the endurance of both vessels when far from friendly ports. Boasting a single platoon of 6 mobile suits and a full fighter squadron, while simultaneously being armed with four twin 140mm beam cannon turrets, multiple forward torpedo tubes and an impressive AA/PD complement for its size class, the Musaka-class is expected to make up the vast bulk of Zeon's destroyer force in the coming years.
For the Trafalgar and Jutland-classes, they're based on Zensava's Plan 4011 and 4013 versions of the Irish-class respectively, which were intended by him to show the link between it and the Magellan. While the Chitose-class is based on the Beehive from thunderbolt. Most Federation ships are somewhat similar to their UC appearances but more advanced internally (particularly when it comes to consoles and other bridge-related things) and with an angular, Arleigh Burke-style aesthetic for their superstructures and parts of the hull like the Lepanto which is mostly unchanged here.
The Aetos-class is based on Jyai's custom Salamis CVL model.
The Z50 Musai is the standard Musai, with the Z25 being the simplified Final Production type from 0080, the Z75 being the Musai Kai from 0083. And the Z50B is just the Falmel with the Z50B-2 being Origin's Valkyrie.
The Pegasus analogs, the Midway-class, are a reference to the usage of that class name in Alpha (or at least until Wing Zero Alpha decided to retcon them as a different class name), but are different than in that fic, not only for their planned larger numbers but also the not ridiculously absurd number of suits they can effectively control. Being sort of a hybrid in appearance between the Nahel Argama Kai from the Meaningless War 0091 Doujin, and the Flight III Pegasus, with notable elements taken from the Spartan such as the retractable single mounted beam guns and the landing craft.
The RX-77-2A and RX-77-2B are just the Mobility and Firepower test type Guncannons from Origin except somewhat combat worthy and more in the RX-77-2 style, although all the MS are more hard science-y real robot (but it's still gundam so eh) like in Thunderbolt, 0083, 0080 or Origin, although I tend to use varying aesthetics for suits, so while you should expect me to point that out where it matters, use those as a baseline for general appearances I guess.
Also it's still Gundam so expect newtype space bullshittery later on.