Well, this is my attempt at a Gundam Seed Astray fanfic. This one more or less takes place during Gundam Seed Destiny (around Episode 18 of the series you could say it begins). Lowe and friends will play important parts in the story, but my main character . . . will be revealed soon enough. No real knowledge of Gundam Seed Destiny is really required since anything necessary is provided, but some knowledge of Gundam Seed Astray is necessary – the most important being that in the first volume of Gundam Seed Destiny Astray, Lowe goes to Mars and is still there by the time the series Gundam Seed Destiny begins.
Without further ado, here is the beginning of my story . . .
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Mobile Suit Gundam Seed V Astray
Chapter 1: Here Comes Ai
There was a time when space was completely cold, when one could stare from the mother Earth and engage in a starring contest with the glistening stars above them. Compared to the size of the star, one was a peon. Compared to the galaxy which surrounded them, one was barely a fraction of the infinity that ran from one place to another that continued on as far as not even a god could see.
One could even blame the failure of the ever-so cliché goal of "universal domination" because in the end the galaxy was so huge that at the end of a war, it was too late for one to realize how small one was compared to the entirety of what they had wanted to conquer.
In the year Cosmic Era 73, the gorgeous view from the Earth looking into space was somewhat dulled by the artificial light surrounding them. The strongest "artificial light" however, was one projected by that of supremacist Naturals who decided that the Earth was where superior men and women dwelled and the Coordinators (humans enhanced from birth) were the greatest evil that had existed.
The serene view from the hourglass-shaped space colonies known as PLANT gazing upon the Earth was one of equal beauty. But like the artificial lights on the Earth, there was one in space known as Coordinator pride.
It was truly amazing how humanity was completely divided into two sects, yet, both can possibly have the same dazed outlook towards the universe. A popular question since the dubbed "Middle Ages" when one's eyes searched the wide black ocean that was our galaxy was "Are we alone?". An expedition by George Glenn, the man who had called for more Coordinators, revealed that we are in fact, not alone in the universe. In an epoch such as the Cosmic Era, however, one had to question the definition of "alone". What was out there? Or rather, what was out there that does not gaze towards the ends of the universe as we within the Earth Sphere do, but instead, stare at the Earth Sphere with the same shining, ambitious eyes . . . ?
A new conflict between PLANT and the Earth Alliance has ensued with Chairman Gilbert Dulandil of PLANT using his power to protect their territories with their ZAFT military force. However, the problems within the universe stretch far beyond PLANT against Earth . . .
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PLANT was made up of over hundreds of hour-glass shaped colonies that sustained human life and habitable conditions for such life. They were actually a rather appealing site, especially to those who had never seen one before. It was amazing how powerful technology was.
"It's almost like life in a jar," ZAKU Warrior pilot Ferris Owen joked.
His green ZAKU which traveled alone completed its journey towards the PLANT military colony hailed as Astral Seven. Passing on a few IF codes here and there towards allies not too far away eventually gave him clearance into the massive structure. Within the control center for the gate of Astral Seven, a pair of ZAFT operatives had computer desk roles next to each other. If you had the correct clearance codes and identification, they were the opens that slid open the gates for soldiers' entering and exiting pleasure.
"You are clear for entry, Ferris Owen," said the first.
"Thanks," spoke his voice over radio communication with a dry voice. "Been a rough day."
"I hear ya'," the gate inspector replied.
The second man, however, felt that something was terribly wrong, as if they had all been suddenly tricked into believing something that was most definitely not true. "Hey, Dale, doesn't that Zaku we just gave entry to look a little weird?"
"Shut your mouth, Phil," Dale swiftly replied. "I get enough of your superstition when you start babbling about what's in McDaniel's secret sauce, I don't need any of it here."
"Sorry," he apologized wholesomely. "The Zaku really did look weird to me, though."
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The funny, and quite possibly, the most hilarious fact about that Zaku pilot, Ferris Owen, was that he in fact, did not exist to begin with. The tan skinned, green haired father of four with a deceased wife and a record of taking part in the battle of Jachin Due was the birth child of some well executed hacking skills that created this being within ZAFT's universal terminals.
The only thing that was possibly funnier than the above was the fact that the Zaku was not a Zaku at all.
The "Zaku" belonging to "Owen" slowly and quietly made its way into an empty corridor of the surrounding dark grey walls made almost a bluish color by the lack of proper lightning in the aged colony. There, the image of the Zaku dissipated, and from it appeared a Mobile Suit that resembled the Murasame and M1 Astray suits used by Orb. Owen himself had put it as "an M1 Astray on steroids".
After the dispersion of Mirage Colloid particles, the Mobile Suit did look like a heavily modified Murasame, but had its various differences from the series, which instead of any sort of red or black on it, instead had a light shade of blue decoration running across its body accompanied by a dark blue painted chest plate and various black shades among various parts of the body which had included the outskirts of the feet and hands..
Owen, as usual, was very excited at his own success, not that he was a narcissist or anything of that sort, but success always made him very proud. His ZAFT-issue space suit hid his medium build. Underneath the suit was lightly tanned skin with a deep black shade of hair.
"You make things so damn easy for me, Gundam," he stated to his beloved machine. "And still this job keeps its perks. What would I do without you . . . Astray Reverse Frame."
The Gundam Astray Reverse Frame was an interesting Mobile Suit in that carried only two actual armaments. It did not even carry the standard CIWS Vulcan guns for close range use. Instead, however, was a pair of "Army Silver" folding anti-armor knives stored in the hips. All over the Mobile Suit's body, however, were special storage "pockets" for storing special items and gadgets.
One of the most unique abilities of the Reverse Frame was its Variable Phase Armor. This used a combination of the armor's ability to change colors and mirage colloid particles that allowed the Mobile Suit to take on the appearance of any Mobile Suit the computer had encountered and recorded beforehand. In this case, the Reverse Frame had taken on the appearance of the Zaku Warrior, which was ZAFT's latest Mobile Suit developed for mass production.
Owen wished to use as minimal amounts of energy as possible, hence the reason he shut down use of the Mirage Colloid system. The Gunda quietly creep down the halls of the gigantic hourglass. Precision and pacing were key here. But with Owen's skill and experience, this mission was quite simple.
Or as he would put it, "This isn't much more than a deal finished before it was made."
The advance finally led to an empty hanger with metal giants rusting together They had stood side by side in doing so. These green, single eyed machines were known as the "GuAIZ", one of ZAFT's masterpieces that fought during the last war. Now, however, it was merely a glorious memory replaced by the much more formidable Millennium Series Zaku. These weapons now do not do much more than collect dust while they await their inevitable decimation into parts.
"Poor babies," Owen commented, pondering about the GuAIZ's eventual fate. "I think I'll give you guys one last hurrah."
The doors of the empty compartments on the forearms of Owen's suit labeled "Gadget Tool" storage compartments slid open. The Reverse Frame gathered any necessary tools, equipment, or otherwise, junk that could come in handy. Owen's eyes observed the darkened surroundings and took note of anything that could be useful. Stacks of beam rifles, GuAIZ-use shields, extra parts, and a stash of pornography magazines most likely left behind by a horny mechanic on a table in the corner. Owen made a mental note to himself to steal the magazines if he had time.
Simple commands released the cockpit hatch of Owen's machine. It was time to get on with the mission.
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Owen always thought the ZAFT uniform was ridiculous with its heavy style, oddly shaped hat, and long skirt. "Not very sexy," was this in his words. It most likely hampered movement in hand-to-hand combat as well. Owen knew this because a swift judo chop to an unsuspecting soldier on duty promptly stopped one in his tracks before he could counterattack.
Donning the green uniform, Owen continued his mission.
'First objective' he began to remind himself as he continued down the silver halls that were actually lit up by a better working lighting system, 'Release the hostage'.
Owen was a good actor, but the way he saluted other ZAFT guards had its quality in question. It was not enough to give away that he was an intruder, however. The excellent part about the old Astral colonies is that the members of their security were not exactly the brightest of people, or if anything, were not the most hardworking. In any event, the ZAFT scientific superiors thought that these colonies would make perfect areas for research for the fact that no one would ever suspect such state of the art technology to be developed under such seemingly primitive conditions.
Owen found himself finally entering the cellblock areas. The soldier that monitored the security cameras through a wall of television screens quietly slept next to his half-filled box of donuts. The absolute worst part of this mission was that Owen would now have to "make some noise". The ZAFT imprisonment cells in the Astral colonies were old, fortified metal walls that could only open through voice and retinal identification as well as a card key.
As it turned out, this mission would not be as easy as Owen anticipated. Even if he were to release the hostage via makeshift explosives, there were various soldiers joking about how drunk they were the weekend prior. Even if the guard duty present was dissatisfying, the soldiers were not so dumb as to not shoot at an escaping prisoner and his accomplice.
The only option left was to ignite the military colony into that of an unsuspected frenzy.
The opening door behind Owen brought him back to reality. In came a careful guard with a cart that docked trays of food for the prisoners. Seeing this as an opportunity to further the mission, he kicked over the cart and practically threw himself onto the soldier and thus, made it look like an accident.
"What the hell are you doing!" the soldier lashed out.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Owen acted as if he were truly guilty with his hands waving and convincingly nervous eyes. "I'll take this back to the kitchen and get some more food."
"Damn right you will!" His anger went without saying.
"I kind of forgot my key card to the kitchen, though. Mind letting me borrow yours?"
"Damn rookies." The soldier searched his pockets while he mumbled something most likely very inappropriate under his breath. After he found his card, he flung it at the impostor. "The name's Davis, return it to my mailbox, got that?"
He had left while Owen grinned. "Sure thing, buddy."
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Owen sat himself down in a computer room with a new food cart that sat next to him which he retrieved from the kitchen. The computer rooms similar walls were the same as that as the halls of the base. Behind the cart were two ZAFT computer maintenance hands that laid unconscious. While he typed with his left hand, Owen's right hand scooped a spoon of what seemed to be mashed potatoes and shoved it into his mouth. It was disgusting, but Owen was hungry.
He was not a Coordinator, but if one were to judge him simply by the way his fingers made sweet love with a keyboard, he could easily be mistaken for one.
"Mission two complete," he muttered. A disk plopped out of the panel for his taking. He did not really care what the information his client wanted, but something going by the name of "Solidus Fulgor" or whatever the information was labeled did sound somewhat interesting.
The next stop was a return to the cellblock.
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Owen disrupted the security camera guard's slumber to open to cells. After the guard slipped his key card into his own personal slot and then speaking a password Owen could barely make out, following by resting his eyes into a visor that just barely fit his fat, self-serving face, the cells could now be opened with a key card Owen slipped from the pockets of Davis, the delivery food guard from earlier, when Owen created the "accident."
It was only a matter of minutes before the security camera guard had his head buried into his desk once again, making this job easier. Stopping at his destination, cell eighteen, Owen entered to find a skinny man in raggedy, torn brown clothing. He looked spaced out and had his hands locked down by handcuffs. Owen snapped his fingers, gaining the prisoner's attention.
"Gene Mojica, right? Today's you're lucky day. I'm getting you out of this place."
The prisoner blinked. He looked somewhat confused. "Who are you?"
"The name's Nova. Nova Ailen," said the man we knew as Owen. "But you can just call me Ai."
Gene blinked once more. It became apparent that he was easily distracted by the smallest of comments. "Isn't the name Ai the kind of nickname you'd give to a girl?" he asked innocently.
Nova frowned. He hated to play what he called "21 Questions". "It's great to see that you're so grateful," Ai said sarcastically. He passed on a plate of food to the prisoner. "There's a present under the steak."
The captive pulled a red item from under the greasy excuse for beef. With a flick of a switch, a blade flipped out. Gene was bewildered once more.
"You expect me to free myself with a knife?" he asked, being completely straight and honest in his interrogation as he was when he questioned Ai's name.
"That's no ordinary knife, mister. Hit the switch on the bottom to make it vibrate. It should prove useful." Ai prepared to leave, but spoke in quick succession while he did so as well as showing off a bucket he stole from a janitor's office filled with an odd mixture of substances. "Try to stay away from the door since you'll be putting yourself in danger. My bucket of soup here is going to set you free. You remember where the entrance to this place is, right? I'll meet you there. I've set up a few distractions here and there, so don't worry about being caught. Be careful, I don't get paid as well unless you make it out of here alive." Ai started out.
"But wait! What's in the bucket and how is it going to get me out!"
Ai lifted the bucket. He placed it gently on top of the cart which the agent parked right in front of where the cell would shut. "It's just got some ingredients I threw together. Some salt. A dash of sugar. Weed killer."
"Hey!" the inmate yelled, but it was too late.
The cell shut closed in an instant.
Gene stuffed himself in the corner of his room while he used the vibrating switch blade to slice through his cuffs. Suddenly, the barricade which encased him in the cell opened once more. Ai was once again present at the entrance.
"Oh," he began. "Don't lose my knife. I kind of need it back."
The cell shut once more.
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The arms of the Reverse Frame shoved the blockade of GuAIZ shields into a blue wall. A wall that Ai calculated that on the other side was an entrance to the sea of space. He was once again playing in the wide, but deserted room of abandoned Mobile Suits not seen since the end of the last war, still dark with shadows reaching upon every corner. The only difference now was that the pornography magazines were no longer resting on a table below, but were in the custody of the intruding prowler.
The "Gadget Tool" hatch on the right arm opened. Fastenings unlocked upon command. Barrel clearly labeled "GUNPOWDER" danced among the shields within the lack of gravity.
"That soup of mine will be boiling hot pretty soon."
He now eyed the GuAIZ-use beam rifles stacked across from the Mobile Suits themselves.
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The final preparations were almost complete. From the shoulder compartment of the Reverse From was from what appeared from afar, a thread. That was, if you could see it. This black line was carefully lead down from a higher passage leading into a darkened corridor that also led to a road fork towards the GuAIZ storage room.
Detaching the wire and planting it against a part of the wall, he launched some birdlime from the finger launchers. Birdlime was a strong, adhesive substance that was capable of solidifying into a soft, solid state while retaining its stickiness.
Satisfied with his flawless plan, or at least a plan flawless to himself, he left to retrieve the prisoner he was sent to free.
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The overweight ZAFT security camera guard was now wide awake and surprisingly full of energy. Lifting his sweaty buttocks off from the seat, offsetting jiggling throughout the loose skin on his body, he continued out the sliding door to do a quick check on the cellblocks.
While he whistled Lacus Clyne's popular single "Quiet Night CE" to himself, he came to notice an oddly placed cart most likely from the kitchen. Quickly after he examined it, he found bucket's contents to be quite perplexing. Evidence of the combinations within were found around the bucket. Salt. Sugar. Weed killer.
In a sudden, unforeseen flash, the guard's entire body was incinerated, leaving not much more than a human structure disfigured by ash and flame. This was the result of the chemical reaction from the "soup" cooked up by Ai.
Staggering from the rubble, smoke, and whatever was left of ground zero was the freed prisoner, Gene Mojica. He halted to bend over and cough. However, he had no time to waste, for he was being waited upon.
"He really did get me out of there," he remarked as he exited the cellblock facility. "But where are the other guards?" he thought.
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A small group of Zakus maneuvered through corridors with a mission in mind. The unexpected had happened – multiple intruders within the heart of the base. Their destination was section 18E – the storage area for old weapons.
The group contained five or six signature Zaku Warriors with a green colored Zaku Phantom leading the battalion. The team leader signaled his men through the shadowy passageways ahead of them. He stopped the force every now and then, and gave indications on when to move and when to stop.
"This is Reginald Barkley leading the investigation crew coming in from the left wing, do you read me?"
"This is home base, Captain Barkley," was the swift reply. "Our sensors aren't picking up anything. Be careful, it could be mirage colloid."
"Mirage Colloid!" Barkley said, astounded. "Why would the Alliance attack a place like this, anyway!"
Of course, none of this was the doing of any Earth Alliance battalion. The Blue Cosmos, an anti-Coordinator organization, who would probably have much joy in taking part in a mission such as this, did not have anything to do with it, either. The assailant, however, was a one Nova Ailen, or in his preference, just Ai.
The uproar created exactly five minutes prior to the explosion in the cellblock was the work of Ai's expertise ability to hack into the GuAIZ shields, which mounted beam saber-esque armaments. In doing so, Ai shifted the power output to dangerous levels, which could in effect, set them to explode. And such explosions would happen to set off the barrels of gunpowder the spy dispersed.
It was just what he had counted on. Of course, that was not all he had counted on.
The Zaku Phantom swung its hand before hovering into the next session. His comrades followed his lead.
Reginald activated the radio on his panel. "This is Captain Reginald once again. We are about 250 meters from the target. We're - "
The hapless commander abruptly found himself forcing his Zaku to shift in any direction that was not about to have an even more hapless union with what seemed to be beam rifle fire raining from a dark corridor where Captain Reginald thought a regiment of enemy Mobile Suits were hiding. His Zaku Warrior had surrendered its right arm and left leg before he finally escaped the deadly attack and had also lost about four Zakus in the process as well.
"This is Captain Reginald!" Fear could be heard in his voice. He did not want to die here. "Please send reinforcements! Please! The enemy Mobile Suit team took out at least three or four Zakus!"
His wrecked robot accompanied by other survivors backed away bit by bit.
"They weren't even on the scanners!" he cried. "Is this the power of Mirage Colloid?"
Of course, while Mirage Colloid was quite an interesting trick, it was not the aggressor in this situation. The true aggressor was in fact, triggered by the poor Captain Reginald himself. He tripped the carefully placed line planted by Ai. Doing so produced a chain reaction that allowed a group of well-placed GuAIZ beam rifles discovered by Ai that he hid to unleash a wave of attacks that could easily be mistaken for a small assembly of enemy Mobile Suits.
As Ai expected, this was more than a formidable enough distraction to send the entire base into complete disarray.
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Gene sped through the winding halls without a second's thought. For moment, he thought he was lost after he spotted an unfamiliar set of doors that he thought he never saw prior, even when he was being escorted to another chamber. A shrill of fear pierced his impulsive movements for a split second when a voice of what was more likely than not a ZAFT soldier echoed from what could be any location.
The passage he entered which he thought would hopefully bring him to an exit was a straightaway. He took the time to peek over his shoulder to see if he was being followed, but his moment of unwariness created a collision between him and an even more spaced out ZAFT guard.
The collision was rough, forcing the escapee to the ground. He stared up at the seemingly tall soldier.
"Hey you! Who are you!"
Gene knew he was dead now. He thought about how maybe everything would have been so much better if he had just stayed in his cell and never met the man who had enigmatically appeared in a ZAFT uniform to supposedly free him from confinement.
In the midst of his fear as well as the astray location of his thoughts, the guard was no longer standing tall. Instead, he was bent over with a shriveled up face that signified he was in much pain as there was a knee buried in his stomach. The attacker, Ai, rammed his victim into the wall and threw the trooper into unconsciousness.
Ai stared down at Gene. "So, do you have my knife?"
"I . . ." Gene began startled, "I almost died!"
"I know." Ai spotted his knife falling out of Gene's pocket. He bent over to retrieve it. "That would've been really bad for me, you know. I don't get paid as well unless I bring you back in one piece." After he repossessed his knife, he extended his arm to help Gene to his feet. "Come on, let's get out of here."
Standing once more, Gene looked around to make sure no one was going to suddenly approach him from another direction. Still skeptical about Ai's abilities, he had to ask, "How exactly are we going to get out of here?"
Ai was disappointed to see that this lowly man was not yet impressed by him. "Don't worry about a thing. We're as good as gone."
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The Orb battleship Izumo was a vast battleship carrier. Most other ships paled in comparison, including the Archangel ship used in the last war and the Minerva wielded by ZAFT in this new war. It stretched an overall 290 meters decorated in a dark purple scheme with yellow lining on the wings and the Mobile Suit launching catapult located on the front of the craft.
The owner of this massive weapon was Rondo Mina Shakau, the last heir of the Sahaku family. The Sahaku family was one of the five head clans of the Orb nation. It has been known to many through word of mouth or actual experience that Rondo Mina has proven to be quite cruel in her undertakings. Basically, she was the type of woman you could glance it and feel that she would gain utmost pleasure from viewing you suffer. And for the most part, they were correct. However, Mina has a single soft spot for a small group of people she was very familiar with.
Mina sat herself on a comfortable, leather couch situated in front of a fine wood table. The table sat between that piece of furniture and another leather couch that was identical. Her raven hair was as dark as the couch while her face was a fair color, almost the complete opposite. She wore a light colored outfit accompanied by a black pair of pants and a dark cape/coat fitting. Standing behind the couch were Four Socius and Thirteen Socius. These identical clones were all young looking fellows that were members of the Earth Alliance's Comabt Coordinator project. Being Alliance derivatives, they were dressed in the standard blue Alliance uniform.
The door behind the couch opposite Mina slid open. This exposed a party of two. The first was Six Socius – another clone. Behind him was Nova Ailen, who wore a baby blue button up shirt with the entire thing tucked into black jeans with the exception of the front piece of the right side. The sleeves were rolled up to the elbows and the top button remained open.
Six marched a few steps forward. "Lady Sahaku, may I present Nova Ailen."
While Six joined his brothers, Ai paced in without a word and threw himself on the couch. Most people could be trapped by Rondo's looks or eyes and be lured into a World of intimidation. And if not, the person opposite her would at least be on guard. And if it were a business associate of the fierce woman, the person opposite would at least be respectful.
Ai decided long ago he was none of the above and with a daring smile greeted her with the same enthusiasm he always greeted her with. "It's been awhile, Mina! How the hell have you been?"
He never ceased to amuse her. "I've been better. I must thank you for completing this mission for me."
"No prob, Mina. It's always a pleasure." He reached deep into his pocket and pulled out the disk with the "Solidus Fulgor" data on it. He flung it onto the table while he trusted Mina not to pull any tricks in the process that she might pull on anyone else.
The Sahaku heir raised her right hand with two fingers extended and swung them to her right. Four Socius descended behind the couch, vanishing from Ai's sight. His ascension revealed that he was armed with a large machinegun capable of killing Ai from that range. The devilish smile on Mina's face showed her satisfaction for the situation she had now placed Ai in.
Ai became serious. "That's not what I think it is, is it Mina?"
"That depends." Four handed Mina the large caliber weapon. "What do you think it is?"
The dark haired agent for hire became tense. He sat in upright position in which he prepared to leap from his seat and behind the bar counter not too far from him on his right if he had to. This was most definitely an unfortunate situation. The weapon rested in Mina's arms as if it were a baby in her mother's care.
Ai let out a sigh. "Is this because of my brother, Mina?"
"Could be," she replied. "Or, there could be something much bigger at stake."
He shrugged. "I swear I gave back those panties of yours I stole during the panty raid back in my younger days, Mina. I swear."
"Oh, it even goes beyond that, my friend." She lifted the rifle. "To a great friendship, Ai."
Ai transferred pressure into his legs in the event he would have to make a gigantic leap. "I gotta' let you know, Mina." He was fully prepared. "This is a huge mistake."
A moment of silence passed with not a single movement in the room from anyone. It was in question whether breathing or heartbeats occurred. Then suddenly, it happened.
"BANG!" Mina shouted at the top of her lungs.
She dropped the fake machinegun on the table and flicked a switch, popping it open to reveal Nova's payment for the mission. She dipped into laughter. Even the Socius who seemed to lack any sort of emotion cracked a smile at this cruel joke. Soon, Ai was lost in laughter as well.
"Mina!" he yelled. "This is so unlike you. Since when did you grow a sense of humor?"
She shut the pseudo-machinegun. "Just wanted to show you that you're around me, I'm the same woman you met years ago and not some political beast. I'd hate to think that one of my best friends and my favorite agent for hire looks at me the same way my enemies do."
"Mina, you silly bitch," he replied with only good, happy intentions.
"If you were anyone else, Ai, I would cut your tongue off for calling me that and feed it to the dogs."
The rogue relaxed once more. He honestly thought that he was going to have to take part in a battle between himself and Rondo with her phallic toy of doom along with the stiff triplets behind her. "Ya' know, I honestly thought you were gonna' shoot me for that old grudge with my brother."
"I've forgotten about him, to be honest. How is he, anyway?"
"You're gonna' love this." He lifted his right leg and rested it on his left. "He's dating Ella Ran of the Seiran household."
Mina found herself laughing hysterically once more. When Mina was a teenager, she had engaged in a relationship with Ai's brother which lasted some time over a year. He had cheated on her a total of three times, one of them being the daughter of a high ranking ZAFT commander who died in the last war on her father's battleship in a battle with the Izumo. (Mina has assured everyone that this was a complete coincidence.) The fact that Ai's brother was now dating a member of the Seiran household - one of other lead clans of Orb that Mina considered an enemy in her way of dominating the nation – was a very satisfying prospect.
'Maybe they can both catch sexually transmitted diseases,' was Mina's delicious thought. "Anyway, I must thank you again for this data and freeing one of my men."
Ai leaped up and down in order to absorb the idea of just how soft the furniture was. "This is a great sofa!" He turned his attention back to Mina. "It was nothing, really. Just my usual stunts."
"How did you escape the base?"
His once again wore that proud grin that took shape whenever talk of his abilities arose. "That handy Reverse Frame you gave me can look like a Zaku from far away with that screwy system it has. I snuck onto a Vesalius cruiser that was searching the outside perimeter for a mothership because I made them think an entire force was attacking the base. After it left the base, I slipped away."
"Impressive," she concluded.
"You sure you don't want the Reverse Frame back? It's not like you to give up such a handy tool."
She shook her head. "I gave you the ORB-Y2 for coming to our defense even while you were not even on a mission. Think of it as a present."
"Find with me," he responded.
The ORB-Y2 Gundam Astray Reverse Frame was created as a new prototype that used many storage compartments located all over the body as well as "hardpoints" (external storage areas for holding weapons) for mounting and storing many different types of weapons and equipment for all sorts of combat weapons. In Ai's hands, however, it was armed with nothing but a pair of anti-armor knives, using only mixtures of equipment he discovered at the sights of his mission and a few gadgets he had sometimes brought with him. It was a true example of how a machine can reflect the prowess of the pilot. Ai himself said the name "Reverse" was fitting since it has became a reverse appearance of Ai himself and how he had conducted his missions.
This weapon was completed as a prototype with stolen data on a Mobile Suit known as the ORB-01 Akatsuki developed by Uzumi Yula Attha's (Attha was another lead clan of Orb) development crew in secret in order to make a newer, better set of prototypes for Mina's fleet which would hopefully amount to the creation of a new mass production unit that would surpass the current mass production model of Orb – the Murasame. The Y2 was handed to Ai personally by Rondo Mina for his services.
"I have a new mission for you," said Mina. "Two, actually."
"Sounds like my lucky day!" he exclaimed somewhat sarcastically. "I hope they don't have to do anything with your conquest of Orb."
"No," she replied in a low tone. The memory of her deceased brother always seemed to come to mind when Orb's leadership's status was discussed. "The Seirans seem to have the power now, but I'll allow them to screw things up to make everything easier for myself later. Those incompetent idiots." She stopped, and took a moment to halt from escaping anything that was not a calm, collected mood. "The details of your first mission are in the machinegun case. The second mission . . . is much too complicated. We'll discuss it at a later date."
"Fine by me," he said. "I gotta' get out of here now, Mina. My favorite TV show comes on soon."
She stood up, prompting him to stand as well and take his fake machinegun. "It was nice seeing you again, Ai."
He winked while giving a salute with his right hand's index and middle finger. Four left his spot to escort him out.
'Ai,' she thought. 'I'm not a righteous woman . . . but there is a danger that I'm sensing won't be good for anyone . . . not for Orb especially . . .'
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"LOWE!" was the shriek originating from a horrified female voice.
The mere sight of tinkles of blood staining the white-tiled ground immediately made her want to withdraw, but the overpowering arms of soldiers in dark green uniforms and brown helmets grappled her more feeble arms.
Kisato was a young redhead with quite the figure and gentle eyes that would calm the most vicious of animals. The room was packed with soldiers who merely cackled at the sight of her and her companion. Her companion was Lowe Gear – a member of the Junk Guild who had a romantic view of the universe. The junk tech was hung by his arms that were maintained by the hands of large guards. Across from the young tech was another soldier with torn sleeves and a whip in his hands. There were about eight to ten guards in the room outfitted in the same uniform, but each had their own style to it whether it had been a torn sleeve or special mark.
Lowe spat blood which halted the laughter in the room.
"He's got balls!" one shouted, which brought about more laughter.
When his heavy breathing came to a halt, Lowe spoke, "So, when's lunch?" he asked. "I'm starving."
He knew what he was about to receive, and it most definitely was not going to be pleasant. The next few whacks against his body from the whip were possibly the toughest beating he had received yet with long red scars slowly being replaced by lines of blood. The whipping stopped once again.
"Are you having fun yet, Earth scum?"
"A little," Lowe replied. "This would probably feel good if you didn't slam that thing down so damn hard."
"Lowe, just stop!" Kisato shouted with tears that now flooded her face. She wanted to run to him so bad. Even take blows for him. She could almost feel his pain running down her back. "Stop it!"
"I'm fine, Kisato," was his reply. "I'm actually feeling real good!" he exaggerated in the midst of his pain.
The buff soldier looked to unleash another set of consecutive swipes, but as the whip rose, it was gripped by someone from behind. The torturer noticed everyone in the room saluting towards the assailant who ended his fun, and once he realized who it was, he saluted as well.
It was a woman. She was fairly tall, about five feet seven inches were her measurements. Her voluptuous figure was a persuasive weapon if she decided to use it on a man and her long, blonde hair which reached down to her back hung perfectly. Her bodily form was apparent to anyone due to her tight, purple space suit with green coating down the middle and on the arm areas. She greeted Lowe with a daring smack across his face, leaving a red mark.
"That's the most painful hit I've taken all day," said Lowe.
She smiled. "My name is Hana. Hana Zel Loretta. Yours?"
He was silent for a moment, but slowly built up the energy to raise his head and crack a smile. "When's lunch?"
This awoke a similar smile from Hana. "Alright, "When's lunch", let's talk. And we're gonna' talk about the condition of the Earth and PLANT. It's not very easy to keep tabs on it all the way from Mars. Know what I mean?"
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
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Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my story. Please leave behind any comments and such.
Oh, and yes, I'm a HUGE Macgyver fan.
Copyright Notice: I don't own Gundam Seed Astray (or any of its side stories or sequels) nor do I own Gundam Seed/Seed Destiny.