"This is MS Ginn 46, all is clear here," the report came in to the ship.
"Roger that, area is clear," said the ship's captain as the two Ginns, which were out on patrol, flew alongside it.
"We'll inspect one last area then head to the nearest resource satellite for supplies before heading back to PLANT. Sooner we get home the better," said the Captain.
"I know how you feel, though its weird, in six more days this Ginn of mine will be melted down, shame, been with this suit for 4 years now" sighed one of the pilots over the comm-line.
"Come on, at least the war will be over. We can then live normal lives again free from war. The uniting of Coordinators and Naturals is a great thing," said the other MS pilot.
"Yeah, I hear there will be free drinks at the big celebration" laughed one of the bridge crew.
"Count me in," said both pilots as they laughed. As one of the bridge crew chuckled the radar she was monitoring let off a faint bleep. She looked closer…BEEP…it was moving…BEEP…still moving…BEEP…an MA maybe? No it was too big to be an MA. And too fast to be a MS…BEEP…no it had to be a ship…BEEP…a big ship…. BEEP…. her eyes widened and her body trembled. This was not in any known data they possessed.
"Unidentified object moving North-East of us, its fast…and growing" she stuttered.
"I don't see anything?" said one of the pilots.
"Wait I'm picking up the same readings, should be coming into view," said the other.
The Ginns circled the shuttle, guns pointed at the ready. Ship weapons at the ready, everyone kept looking while the radar noise kept going and the readings were off the chart. MS pilot 46 looked around even more. Why could they not see it, then he noticed something, shadows. They were nowhere near a planet so how could they…unless? He looked up and his mouth dropped and he shook with fear.
"ABOVE US!" he shouted and began opening fire on the unknown target. Bullets jetted towards it but no explosion or damage could be heard. Everyone could see it now.
"PULL BACK," yelled 45 giving cover fire as the two MS followed the ship.
"Its huge, we can't escape it" yelled 46.
"We can and will" shouted the captain as the ships engines were turned up to maximum. However the unknown item was still moving and from inside the shuttle was being watched.
"Obliterate it"
A beam shot rang out and with one hit the ship exploded and was torn to pieces.
"NO, DIE YOU SON OF A…" began 45 as another shot rang out and destroyed the Ginn.
46 shook with fear as it then turned into anger. The flight pack up was boosted to full power, discarded the Ginns gun and drew the sword and aimed it at the thing.
"GLORY TO ZAFT!"
And with that, he was gone.
"A suicide run, even a sword wielding maniac cannot harm us"
"But does this not prove it has been far too long oh mighty leader?"
"Indeed, so the humans have perfected their own mechanical technology, perfect for us"
"So is it Earth then?"
"Where else, set our course for Earth. Its been such a long time I think its time we pay a visit don't you agree?"
"Of course…Megatron"
Kira almost leapt out of his bed as he sat up, sweat pouring from his face as he breathed several times before claming down. Looking around the room he realised what he had seen was just a dream…or was it? Placing his gown on he looked behind him at the bed. Lacus lay there still asleep, peaceful, quiet and beautiful. Smiling he looked at the time as he stepped out onto the balcony, it was only 12.30 at night, he had only been asleep for 70 minutes.
Out on the balcony of the Clyne Manor Kira looked as the lights of the PLANT's city could be seen in the distance. Five minutes later Lacus joined him on the balcony and held his hand.
"Another dream?" she asked softly.
"5th one this week" sighed Kira, Lacus rested her head on his shoulder.
"Do they always involve that unknown shuttle?" she asked.
"Sometimes they are more like visions Lacus, I sense something sinister, yet vaguely familiar" said Kira. Chairwoman Lacus Clyne, currently on leave, looked at him, Kira Yamato, White Coat Commander in the ZAFT army, her bodyguard and the man she loved was never wrong and always truthful. With the peace signing only a few more days away she feared arms might have to be taken up again. She had taken time off to be with him and Yzak Joule was doing a good job running things for now. But it seemed her work may get harder.
"Come on, let's go get something to drink" she said. As they left to go downstairs Kira turned and looked up at the stars and as he did he swore he heard a voice.
"Chaos must be stopped"
Lacus took out two glasses and made some warm milk. Kira was sat outside looking around PLANT with Tori on his shoulder. These dreams he kept having, were they a message? What was going on?
The next day back on Earth on a small island a few miles from a ZAFT base a band of Junk Techs were digging away at a mountain. A BuCUE, a Worker Ginn and the Gundam suit Red Frame. Lowe Gear used the suit to move and throw away the rocks while Liam drilled through and Kisato pulled rubble away using a special metal container on her suits back. A report had come in several days ago of metallic objects located underneath the mountain. They had been reported to have descended into Earth's Atmosphere and were lodged in the mountain, the impact had also caused a landslide to bury the landing spot. ZAFT feared it to be left over weapons and hired Lowe and his crew to find them and destroy them.
"I can't believe you managed to permit them to keep our mobile suits Lowe. Your that attached to Red Frame aren't you?" asked Kisato as she controlled her BuCue to dump more of the rubble onto the nearby sand.
"No way would I give this thing up, we've been through a lot together" smirked Lowe as it continued its duties.
"Lowe, I'm picking up something, it might be the weapons" said 8, Lowe's personal A.I computer after another half an hour.
"The walls giving away as well" said Liam.
"Okay guys stand back, only one way to find out," said Lowe signalling with Red Frame for Liam and Kisato to get back.
"Oh no Lowe don't" said Liam but he couldn't stop Lowe as Red Frame launched a full on kick into the wall, shattering the rocks apart to uncover a cave big enough for their suits to enter.
"You know he does it every time," said 8.
About fifteen minutes later all three Mobile Suits were walking through the cave which seemed to sink downwards with Kisato in front since her BuCUE had lights on either side of its head.
"This place is deep," said Kisato as she looked around in wonder.
"And look at the sides of this cave, their so smooth, whatever crashed into it must have been moving at amazing speed" said Liam.
"That" said Lowe with a serious face, "or they were being directed to do so"
"You mean like programmed too?" Kisato was shook up by this.
"What makes you say that?" asked 8.
"Look at the walls carefully, they have small lines on them that point straight down in the same direction, if it was debris it would have just scattered everywhere, these things crashed in unison " said Lowe. Kisato listened then looked at her screen and near froze in fear.
"Uhhh guys…was that it perchance?"
Lowe and Liam looked and their eyes widened.
"Get the lights and tell the Professor to prepare the crane" said Lowe in shock.
Half an hour later the Lesseps class ship used by the techs was now at the cave with its back turned so to use the crane. The chain and hook was being slowly lowered down, While Liam and his Ginn assisted Lowe and Kisato got out of their suits to examine their find. They had found five pods, each of which were made of a golden metal with a secured door on each with dark purple windows to hide what was inside them.
"Looks like a Mobile Suit pod, but this is beyond anything I have seen. There's one for each cargo" said Lowe.
"None of the Guild's data from any military tech matches something like these" said Kisato as she attempted to go all around the huge objects.
"Do you think its alien?" asked 8.
"Alien? That's a turn out for the books" chuckled Lowe using his wrist torch to try and get a better-detailed look. "8, anything about this metal in your databanks?" he asked.
"Nope, scanned it 7 times, no records on a metal like this" said 8.
"Its so amazing, not a single scratch or dent or sign of flaws" said Kisato as she tapped one of them. As she did the metal gave off a low hum as it shook. Lowe watched then looked up and gasped. Blinking he looked again, nothing.
"Lowe, Liam is almost here we'd better get ready to move" said Kisato and looked at her friend. "Lowe what's wrong?"
"When you tapped the metal for a second I saw a light, it was at the very top, looked like the eyes of a Mobile Suit, when I blinked they were gone" said Lowe confused.
A few hors later the pods were pulled up from the ground and placed on the ship where they glistened as the sunlight caught it.
"What now?" asked Liam as all three Mobile Suits were lowered into the MS hold. Lowe looked at the pods for another minute till he spoke.
"ORB"
Six hours later under secret conditions a squad of Murasame Mobile Suits of ORB helped carry the pods into the hangars of Ongoro the main MS factory in ORB where chief Engineer Erika met the team.
"Fascinating indeed, so you say they may have crashed?" she asked them as she examined one of them letting her fingers slide on the metal.
"When we were first told about it we believed they were from an old weapons factory, but hey presto turns out to be these," said Lowe as he joined her.
"Are they carriers of some sort?" asked Kisato.
"Yes and No, their definitely something to do with shuttle technology. But this metal, it can't be damaged, when they were brought in they were partly dragged, yet not a scratch on them when they were raised up right" said Erika.
"Erika, check out the TV" one of the technicians, at the main control room Lowe and the others joined Erika.
"As the investigations continue the ZAFT council have still yet to produce a answer for the disappearance of the ZAFT ship known as D-28 which did not return to PLANT when it should have 8 hours ago. Acting Chairman Yzak Joule had this to say today at a press conference," said the news lady as the scene changed to Yzak standing in front of the famous Winged Whale.
"All I can say is this, we will continue to search for this squad or evidence of their whereabouts. Something like this happening a week before the Mobile Suit decommissioning law is bad we but we like all other nations will continue to make sure peace is achieved".
"How long will that keep them occupied?" asked Dearka as they watched the news report in Lacus' living room.
"Three days at least, the families will be asking questions," said Yzak as Athrun handed him a cup of tea.
"So what actually happened?" asked Kira, it had only been an hour ago that Yzak, Dearka and Athrun had appeared at the door with concerned faces. Lacus sat next to him more worried then he was.
"When the shuttle was destroyed one of the crew, we don't know which escaped the ship in only their space suit. They took with them a camera, which they used to send video feedback to PLANT" explained Athrun as placed into the TV a disc. It showed the void of outer space but also debris and remains.
"Also the last transmission the shuttle sent was this" said Dearka handing Kira a sheet of paper. Kira read it out loud.
"Ship… huge ship….purple face?"
"And this was the part that scared us the most" said Yzak, Kira and Lacus watched carefully. At first nothing then it went black, not a single star anyway. Then from the darkness two bright lights which seemed to stare at them. Lacus gasped and held Kira's hand, Tori screeched and Haro jumped to hide behind the sofa. All that was left on the screen was static.
"A Mobile Suit?" asked Kira after getting over the shock.
"Its possible, we have no leads, we've asked about it to ORB, the Junk Guild and Merc Guild, no one knows anything about a ship or a purple face" said Yzak.
"Purple face, what did they mean by that? A symbol maybe?" asked Dearka.
"That's what I think too" said Athrun.
"Do you think it could be remnants of the E.A?" asked Lacus with a terrified expression.
"That shuttle was posted in the area near Jupiter, E.A kept their bases in the areas round the moon, Earth and PLANT" said Dearka.
"We're planning to inform Lady Cagali in ORB by tomorrow of this. Under strict secrecy of course" said Yzak. Kira nodded in agreement.
As Yzak left first Dearka followed when his phone range and answered.
"Yes…what? Where? Okay I'll tell him" he said and hung up with a more concerned look.
"What is it?" asked Yzak, like the others he was curious.
"Something's heading for Earth" said Dearka.
Back on Earth the country of ORB was already trying to discover what the unknown target was. Cagali arrived wearing her ORB uniform with a look of seriousness and wonder.
"Do we have idea what it is?" she asked.
"Negative, last we checked it was passing the area of PLANT, now its half way to Earth" said a ORB soldier.
"It took you that long to find it?" asked Cagali, even if PLANT was close to Earth it would still take at least a few hours for a regular ship to be half way to Earth from PLANT.
"Prime minister, the target reached the half way point five minutes ago"
Cagali and two of the Generals looked at each, they all were confused and some what scared that something could be that fast.
"Do we know where it's landing?" asked one of the ORB Generals.
"From what we have gathered sir, its target landing area, is JOSHUA"
"The Old E.A Base, but wasn't that destroyed by the Cyclops System?"
"It was, its now nothing more then a graveyard, with a Vast area that's perfect for crash landings" said Cagali as she watched the screen, the radar map showed a small target moving closer and closer to Earth.
"Prepare a fleet to leave for JOSHUA, I'll be captain of the flagship, take at least sixty Mobile Suits, have Strike Rouge equip with the Aile Strike pack. If its hostile we destroy it" she ordered and left at once for the docking bays.
It took ten minutes for the fleet of ORB ships to leave consisting of ten ships, twenty M1s and forty Murasames. Later they arrived, stopping at least and a mile and a half from JOSHUA. Since the events more then three years ago the whole area effected by the Cyclops system was barren, a few parts of the base remained but no one dared go near it. It was rumoured sometimes that you could still hear the ghosts of the dead.
"We've just received word that the target is about to hit the atmosphere, estimated time till impact, 5 minutes". Cagali sighed as she sat in her chair.
"I got a bad feeling about this," she thought to herself.
"Lady Cagali the target, its…its increasing speed, its gonna hit in thirty seconds"
"What?" shouted Cagali raising in shock.
"Look!" yelled one of the crew, everyone looked to the right. Above them the clouds were slowly turning a fiery orange and then yellow. Two seconds later a raging fireball could be seen as it hurtled past the ORB Fleet and with a thunderous thud crashed into JOSHUA causing the ground and ocean to tremor nearly knocking the fleet off course. After two minutes Cagali was back on her feet.
"Send ten of our Murasames to investigate, extreme caution" she ordered. At once in the ten Murasames left for the island. Arriving at the area they transformed into their Mobile Suit Modes and looked at the area. Just in front of them was the edge of a crater. The Unit commander ordered two suits to follow him while the others scattered to guard the area. As they approached they looked over to see the crater was big and as wide as ¼ of Joshua base. At the bottom in the middle lay sticking upwards was a Black Pod big enough to carry a Mobile Suit.
"What is that? Is it ZAFT made?"
"We'll find out, alright with me". The Murasames began to slide down into the crater till they stopped at the pod and began looking at it.
Onboard the flagship Cagali listened on radio.
"Its made of some sort of unknown metal, the temperature has gone rapidly, it's as if it was not effected by the heat. No Scratches, no dents, nothing, untouched"
"Is it carrying anything?" asked Cagali.
"Not sure. Wait, hold on, it's opening"
"Please repeat that," said Cagali.
"It's opening Lady Cagali", The Murasames watched as on part of the Pod opened slowly, it opened sideways like a door or a coffin lid, it made no noise and inside was black as night. The Commander looked in.
"All seems quiet, for the life of me and I can't see a thing, wait, what the hell is...AGHHH…" the line went dead, Cagali gasped by the sudden scream.
"Commander! Lady Cagali something's coming out the…"
What followed next were cries and shouts and the sound of Beam Rifle fire. From the island they could see occasion flashes of light and explosions. But on the Radio there was eerie sound while the battle began, it sound like a high pitch screech like the sound of a mouse amplified.
"What's going on, how many soldiers are left?" shouted Cagali in a state of panic.
"Lady Cagali" a weak voice on the radio could be heard. Outside they could just see a beaten up Murasame walking down the beach ready to explode.
"Mobile Suit…new model….but different…..its alive…purple….one eye…"
To Be Continued.