THIS IS A WARNING: I don't own a single damn thing being used in this story. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans and Highschool DxD belong to their owners/creators!


EPISODE TWO: EYE OF THE STORM


CHRYSE SECURITY GUARD (CGS) FACILITY

LATER THAT NIGHT

'...But that means we're not on equal terms, right?'

Kudelia felt as if someone punched her in the stomach, forcing all the air out of her body. The words of Mikazuki Augus remained lodged in her mind from when he was showing her around the facility. She tried to understand the words he told her and was now thinking back on them, trying to find the connection between her and the rest of Third Corp. Sure, some of them didn't look any older than her, but they experienced things no one their age should ever have to go through.

'I only want to help them,' Kudelia thought, frustration getting to her as the entire conversation with Rias and Akeno coming back to her. Did they have a point? Was her entire dream just that? A dream?

Her eyes looked towards the night sky, watching the millions of stars high above Mars. Deciding to think about something else, Kudelia did remember how strange Rias was acting when they met the older members of Third Corp. Once the meeting was over, Kudelia, Akeno, and Fumitan were to be escorted by a young man named Biscuit to their temporary room until the day of the trip to Earth.

Meanwhile, Rias had told them she needed to speak with someone right after the meeting with the leader of First Corp and the CGS president; Maruba Arkay came to an end.

For a moment, Kudelia was confused prior to Akeno informing her about Rias's strange behavior when one of the members of Third Corp came into the room. Much like the rest of them, he looked to be about average height with spiky, brown hair and dark brown eyes. The only difference was his tanned skin being a bit darker than some of the others, except for their leader Orga Itsuka. Although, Akeno told her that Rias must have known him from somewhere, considering how Rias has a habit of giving most men little to no attention.

'For as long as I've known Rias...' Kudelia remembered the various scenes of the redhead rejecting men left and right, '...Men mean very little to her. I guess we know the reason why now.'

As she felt the cold breeze hit her, the young woman wrapped her arms around herself, doing her best to remain warm. With all these thoughts in mind, Kudelia thought it was best to go outside and hope it would help ease her mind as it's always helped her in the past.

"Cold, isn't it?"

When she heard the voice, Kudelia turned towards the person who asked her. It was a young man with short blonde hair and a pair of blue eyes, she remembered he was one of the members of Third Corp who was there during the meeting. If she recalled, the young man's name is Kiba Yuuto.

Realizing she hadn't responded, the young woman nodded, "Y-Yes, it is."

"You'll get used it," Kiba said as he walked towards the blonde. "Though I have a feeling you're out here for a different reason other than to look at the night sky."

Taking a second to look over the young man's appearance, she didn't notice any real differences between those in Third Corp except for the different colored shirts or little accessories like Biscuit's hat. Out of the corner of her eye, Kudelia saw something shining on his chest. It made the blonde woman quite curious as to what it was until realizing how much she was staring at him.

Kudelia looked up and saw Kiba with an amused expression on his face, "See something you like, Ms. Bernstein."

Immediately, her face became flush with embarrassment as her cheeks became dark red. The girl tried to speak up and clarify what she was doing, "N-No! I, uh, was o-only curious as to..." she pointed at the item on his chest, "...W-What's hanging from yo-your chest."

"Oh, you noticed my cross," the young man said as if the last minute never happened. He reached down and held it up for the girl to see.

When the blush finally receded, Kudelia was hesitant to get closer to him. However, curiosity got the better of her and when she got close enough, Kudelia saw the item was a gold, necklace with a small object hanging off the end of it. From what she could tell, it looked like a man who appeared to be laying against a cross while his arms and legs were nailed down.

Looking up, Kudelia asked him what was on her mind, "A cross, but it's unlike anything I've ever seen before. What is it?"

Picking the cross up, Kiba held it up for her to see, "Actually, you should be asking 'who is it?' not 'what is it?'"

"So...who is he?"

"Jesus Christ," Kiba said while looking at the necklace himself. "He's known as the son of God."

During her education, Kudelia could never remember any names like those being mentioned in her time at school. With her attention primarily focused on politics and economics, there were hardly any other classes that mattered to her goals when she went to the college in the Chryse Region. Everything she took had its purpose and was necessary for her to find the solutions needed to help Mars.

So when Kiba mentioned those names, the girl was able to figure that they were associated with a religion of some kind.

In this day and age, religion was a forgotten idea as many people started giving up on someone looking over them, especially the people who lived on a world like Mars. Soon, hope was abandoned by the vast majority of the planet until Kudelia made her speech at the Nachois July Assembly as well as making her pledge to help turn around the fortune of this planet.

Without even realizing it, Kudelia remained silent for about a few minutes, causing Kiba to raise an eyebrow and wave a hand in front of her face.

"Uh, Ms. Bernstein? Are you okay?" he asked, wondering if something was wrong with her.

"W-What?"

Kiba chuckled, seeing her confused expression, "I was asking if you were alright, miss."

"Y-Yes, I'm alright," she replied, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks again. "It's just that I, uh, never heard about any of this."

"Not surprised to hear those words from you," his response caught Kudelia off-guard as she didn't expect it. "Apparently being a Christian is a rare thing on this planet. As far as I know, I'm the only member of Third Corp who still believes in it. Though I know Issei and a few other friends of mine are aware of it but don't care enough to believe in it."

Kudelia was curious as to what he meant by that, "So, why do you believe in it?" she inquired, genuinely wanting to know his response.

"Sometimes I like to believe we're put in this universe for a reason..." he looked up at the starts while he started explaining his reasoning to Kudelia, hoping it would be enough for her to understand him, "...That all the good and bad things in life shape us into who we're supposed to be in the end. I certainly believe its the reason why I managed to meet Issei, who's been the closest thing to a brother I've ever had in my life. Even working at the CGS might lead to something better down the road, but who knows?"

The young man turned and looked at the daughter of Bernstein family with a smile on his face, "Or, that's what I think anyway."

If she was being completely honest, Kudelia was inspired by his words about looking at everything as if its part of life. When applying such a way of thinking to her own life, it certainly made things much easier to think about now. Instead of trying to find rationalize everything from the words of Mikazuki to the events unfolding in the solar system, Kudelia knew she could accomplish her goals.

Deciding to give her thanks, the young woman faced Kiba and smiled at him, "Thank you, you have no idea how much I needed to hear something like that."

"Why? What Mika say to you?" Kiba asked, realizing the source of the girl's melancholy state.

His question made her smile turn into a frown, "U-Uh? H-How did yo-you know it was Mikazuki?"

"Well..." Kiba rubbed the back of his head, "...It's not hard to figure that he must have said something to you, especially since the last person from our side to talk you, was him. And look, Mika has never been one to mince his words. He wasn't trying to upset you or anything by his words. However, I will apologize on his behalf since he's not the most...understanding person in the world."

Kudelia shook her head, "No, it's alright. Those words certainly did make me wonder if I could ever make the people of Mars happy."

"Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing about some speech you made a few months ago," he said, remembering how Maruba and some of First Corp were discussing it in his office. "When it comes to us, we all want a better life. If you think being used as meatshields and replaceable inventory is fun? It's not I can tell you that much, Ms. Bernstein."

Noticing how late it was getting, Kiba spoke up, catching the attention of Kudelia, "Ms. Bernstein, if it's not too much trouble I believe I will turn in for the night. I'm gonna have to help out Issei in the hangar early in the morning."

"It's fine," the blonde woman actually felt bad for taking so much of his time. "I should be the one apologizing to you. And... please call me Kudelia."

Kiba smiled at the young woman before walking away, "Alright, Kudelia, have a good night."

As Kiba walked away, the blonde actually felt something in her chest when Kiba smiled at her in that manner. She never felt anything like this before, but she certainly enjoyed the conversation with the young man known as Kiba Yuuto.

'I-I guess, Third Corp has some interesting people...'

X-X-X

AROUND THE SAME TIME

'Has it really been that long since then?'

Rias found herself walking the hallways of the CGS facility as she looked back on everything that has happened today. First, she received the message from her older brother; Sirzechs, who asked her and Akeno to accompany Kudelia on her journey to Earth. From how her brother sounded on the message, he seemed certain something was about to happen and it seemingly involved her childhood friend.

On the other hand, the beautiful redhead hardly expected to see the young man known as Issei Hyoudou again. It had been over five years since the last time Rias saw him and had found it difficult to concentrate on the meeting as she constantly glanced over at Issei, who seemed to be in a similar state as her.

If she was being honest here, Rias wanted nothing more than to walk over to Issei during the middle of the meeting and drag him to a place where they could speak in private. Though, it does beg the question; how does a young lady like Rias Gremory, the only daughter of the famous Gremory family, meet a young orphan like Issei Hyoudou?

A lovely smile appeared on her face when remembering her meeting with Issei Hyoudou, an event she'd never forget for as long as she lives.

'You idiot! Why did you protect me?!'

'I couldn't let some guy attack an innocent girl.'

'B-But, you got hurt because of me now!'

'This? It's nothing compared to what would have happened to you...and that I couldn't let happen.'

Before she had a chance to reminiscence about the past, Rias bumped into someone by mistake. Seeing as how she was at fault, Rias quickly apologized to the person, "I'm terribly sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

When she looked at the person in front of her, Rias saw it was another member of Third Corp and, if she remembered correctly, his name was Eugene. He appeared to be around her age and height with short blonde hair and with a pair of dark green eyes looking at her in annoyance. There was even a scowl on his face for a split second until the young man realized who was standing in front of him.

"N-No, it's fine," Eugene muttered in an embarrassed tone. "You're, uh, one of the people going to Earth, right?"

"Yes, I am," she nodded, answering his question. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in her head, "By the way, I was wondering if you could help me with something?"

Eugene's eyes widened before he managed calmed down, trying to act as confident as possible, "Definitely, what is it you need, miss?"

"Do you happen to know where Issei is right now?"

In a flash, Eugene's cocky look faded into disappointment as his shoulders sagged and a frown appeared on his face. The one time he manages to meet a girl around his age, it looked like she was already taken by Issei by the look of things. Did beg the question as to why does Issei knew someone like Rias Gremory? Although, if the young man did remember correctly, there was a time when Issei used to sneak off the base at night to see some girl...

'W-Wait a second!' his eyes widened as the realization smacked in the face, '...He was sneaking out to see this girl?!'

All Eugene could think about was how lucky Issei was to have a girl like Rias Gremory looking for him. Not only was she a beautiful redhead who more than likely put any other woman to shame, but the girl appeared to be kind and caring if her tone was anything to go by. Add in the famous family to her background, this girl was literally as close as someone could get to being perfect.

Once coming to terms with his rather shitty luck, Eugene sighed and pointed to the hallway behind him, "Just keep walking down this hallway and then make a left. Keep going all the way down till you see the last door on your right. He's probably sleeping or something. The guy's been up since around four in the morning since he's in charge of Mobile Worker repair and maintenance for us."

Hearing that last bit of news made Rias furrow her eyebrows, "But, it's nearly nine though? And the meeting was less than an hour ago? You're telling me's been working for over twelve hours today?"

"It's pretty normal for Issei, but he does have to manage the younger kids who work in the underground hangars with him," Eugene added, causing Rias to become even more concerned about Issei.

She knew children were taken advantage of by their employers, but to make someone work over twelve hours on a consistent basis, can't be healthy in the slightest bit. Now, she was more determined than ever to speak with the young man who's been on her mind in the last hour. On that note, Rias thanked Eugene for the directions and allowed him to continue on with his day. As for her, Rias followed his directions and soon found herself standing in front of a closed door.

This was going to be her first conversation with Issei in over five years. Honestly, Rias was feeling a little nervous at the prospect of speaking with him.

Mustering all the courage she could, Rias hand went up to the door and, as softly as possible, knocked on the door. At first, nothing seems to happen until she heard the sounds of someone walking towards the door. Stepping back from the door, Rias quickly tried to figure out what she was gonna say to Issei.

As the door slid open, revealing Issei who looked as if he was just sleeping. Rias was about to speak up until her voice died in her throat. Her eyes found themselves looking at Issei, who was only wearing a white tank top, which allowed her to take notice of his rather muscular physique. When realizing she was basically staring at him, her face appeared to be the same color as her hair. Looking away from him, Rias tried to get the image out of her head until she heard him call out to her.

"Rias..." when she heard him say her name, the redhead looked back at Issei, who looked beyond happy at seeing her.

Without another word being said, Issei stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around the girl. His arms were firmly wrapped around her waist as he laid his head on her shoulder, holding onto to her as if she might disappear if he doesn't hold on, "...God, it's been so long," he muttered loud enough for her to hear.

Getting over the initial shock, Rias melted into the hug and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yes," she replied, catching Issei's attention. "It has been a long time since we last saw each other."

Issei lifted his head off her shoulder and, unexpectedly, kissed the redhead gently on the cheek. His action made Rias look at him with wide eyes and appeared to be blushing even harder than when staring at him earlier. The girl didn't know how to respond until Issei, who appeared to look just as flustered from his action, voiced his thoughts, "I was pretty surprised to see you at the meeting with Kudelia Aina Bernstein. What was that all about?"

"Do you know a place where we can talk?" she asked, who wanted nothing more than to talk with Issei again.

For a moment, the young rubbed the back of his head before remembering a place that was pretty much empty at this time of night. He nodded, "Yeah, no one ever stays up in the tower at night. We can head there and talk. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course," Rias beamed a beautiful smile, "As long as you're with me, it doesn't really matter."

He still couldn't believe how her smile was more than enough to make him forget about his shitty life in favor of paying attention to the beautiful redhead standing in front of him. Some might say he was lucky to have anyone, let alone Rias of all people, to care about them. Telling her to give him a second, Issei went back inside the barracks and grabbed his green jacket hanging off the side of his sleeping rack.

When Issei returned to Rias, the young man didn't hesitate to grab her hand and drag her along. "Come on," he said to the redhead, "I know the best way to the tower."

Putting her faith in Issei, she watched as he was able to navigate the hallways with absolute ease, and they eventually found themselves standing outside one of the few exits to the outside. Gently opening the door, he checked to see if there were any guards from First Corp around. Once he saw the coast was clear, Issei opened the door a bit more and allowed for Rias to get out. Just as they stepped outside, Rias could see the tower he was talking about earlier.

If she had to guess, it was roughly a dozen or so meters away from them.

She felt Issei pull her along, causing the redhead to keep up as they used the Mobile Workers to prevent anyone from seeing them. Continuing to use them as cover, the two of them reached the tower without being spotted. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Issei pull something out of his pocket.

"A lockpick?" questioned Rias.

"Oh, this?" Issei said while holding it up for her to see. "It's something I use whenever I want to come up here. Being up there helps me clear my mind of trouble."

As he began fiddling with the lock, Rias could see some of the Mobile Workers were covered in green paint from where she was standing. It looks like they were training recently, given how a good majority of them were lined up in a neat row, most likely to be cleaned later on. Although, Rias remembered what Eugene told her about Issei being the member of Third Corp who is in charge of maintenance and repairs.

"Issei, could I ask you something?"

"Sure," Issei replied, curious as to what she wanted to know.

Rias bit her lower lip, "How did you end up here?"

CLACK!

When he managed to pick the lock, Issei didn't respond to her question. Back when they first met as kids, Issei remembered her asking this same question...

'The CGS? What's that?'

'Well, they hire kids like me to be soldiers, more or less.'

'Huh?! They make you guys fight?'

'Pretty much, but its better than dying on the streets.'

'B-But...why go work at a place like that?'

Ever since that day, Issei has questioned why did he work for the Chryse Security Guard, a paramilitary group who treated him and the rest of Third Corp like utter garbage. Though, if he dug deep enough, he would find his answer in the form of trying to find a place he could call home. Something he hasn't had in the ten years since coming here. Other than that, what other purpose was there in life?

He became an orphan at the age of eight years old, a common sight for the world of Mars. As the years went by, Issei met various people, including his best friend Kiba and Asia Argento, one of his closest friends ever since he met the sweet girl a few years ago. For Issei, Kiba was the closest thing to a brother, and the young man was beyond grateful to have someone like Kiba with him.

Most of all, he met Rias Gremory during his younger years.

Without saying another word, Issei gently grabbed her hand and gestured for her to follow him. As the two of them began making the ascent towards the top of the tower, they settled for silence as Rias thought she must have upset him somehow. Meanwhile, Issei was trying his hardest to figure out how to answer her question. The more he thought it over, the more he realized there was only one thing for him to do.

'Guess it's no use,' he thought in frustration, 'I can't ever escape my past, can I?'


Mobile Suit Gundam: Tekkadan's Iron-Blooded Dragon


A FEW MINUTES LATER

Out in the distance, there was a pair of guards from Third Corp who was in the middle of patrolling the area around the facility. Their mission was quite simple; prevent anyone from getting onto the base and warn the others should an attack be aimed the CGS facility. It was a simple task, right? Actually, these two young soldiers had other things in mind as they were walking around in the middle of the night.

"Dude, you have no idea how badly I wanna grope the tits on those girls we saw today," one of them said, expressing his frustration over the lack of opportunity to get some action. This young man's name is Motohama, mostly known for his glasses which can supposedly measure the three measurements of a girl. Something almost no one in Third Corp believed.

The only other person who believed his outrageous claims was another young man by the name of Matsuda, who shared his friend's sentiments regarding his statement. The two were known as Third Corp's resident perverts.

Both of them were hot-blooded males who just wanted to create their own respective harems. It was their lifelong dream ever since learning such wonders from some man they met when they were kids, even if they understood their pretty crappy reality. Unfortunately, no one in Third Corp was even remotely interested in the idea as they had bigger concerns over gathering a group of women to hang around them. Survival was the main concern for just about everyone on the base.

Matsuda sighed as they walked past another patrol, "I get it, Motohama. The hotass redhead had a pretty nice rack from where we were standing."

"I was mostly interested in the girl who was walking next to the redhead," Motohama replied, a lecherous grin was seen on his face as he remembered the raven-haired girl. If he was being honest, that girl had an even bigger rack than the redhead, which seemed almost impossible. Though he wasn't complaining one bit about it.

As they continued patrolling the area, neither of them took notice of a pair of bodies lying motionless behind a rock.

The two of them kept walking around for a few minutes until they heard the sound of footsteps behind them. Using their experience, the two of them gripped their assault rifles and quickly turned to see who it was trying to sneak up on them.

For a moment, the two made eye contact before nodding. While they certainly cared about girls more than their own lives, the two of them didn't slack off in training.

However, when they shined their lights on whatever it was behind them, they were surprised to find a small animal which looked like a black cat. Motohama sighed in relief as he wiped some sweat off his eyebrow before walking up to the animal.

Just as he was about to pet it, Motohama was about to tell Matsuda to come over as the animal was harmless. Suddenly, he heard a sharp crack in the distance followed by the sound of something hitting the ground. Hard.

Quickly, Motohama grabbed his rifle and turned around to see what happened. His face went from surprise to utter despair as he saw the body of Matsuda on the ground, who had his brains blown out by a rifle of some kind. Realizing what might be happening, Motohama grabbed his radio and shouted, "We're under attack! Send h-"

The message was cut short when, for a brief moment, he could feel something hit the side of his helmet and penetrate his skull, sending blood and brain matter everywhere.

Lying on a nearby ridge overlooking the facility is a two-man sniper team. These men were dressed in the uniform associated with the militaristic organization known as Gjallarhorn. A group famous for ending a destructive conflict known as the Calamity War over three centuries ago.

Now, they maintain their iron-grip on Mars and keep a close eye on the nations of Earth. Yet like any organization, the further it grows, the higher the chance of corruption to take place.

"Alright, let's move to the next area," the spotter said to his teammate.

Despite killing the guard who looked like he was trying to get a message out, the two-man team saw a white, signal flare being launched into the night sky. Soon, the entire CGS facility was awake as alarms went off and people started running around, either getting defenses prepared or arming themselves with weapons. Either way, the facility was now aware of an attack being made on their position.

As they attempted to organize themselves, no one at the CGS facility was even aware of the enemy right now. Except no one was able to get a glimpse at three terrifying sights in the distance.

Mobile Suits of Gjallarhorn.

In today's era, these massive humanoid weapons were the dominant force on the battlefield, usually working with either other Mobile Suits or Mobile Workers - high-speed, lightly-armored vehicles armed with heavy weapons. Throughout the entire solar system, these two weapons were the primary forces deployed by any faction who could afford such weapons and who needed to have them such as the Chryse Security Guard.

Sitting in the lead unit was the overall commander of the attack on the CGS and standing on both his flanks were the other officers assigned to this attack. The lead unit, being piloted by the commander, scowled at the sight of the flare, "They failed?! Lousy snipers! When we get back to base, I'm going to throw those simpletons into the brig!"

Hearing the anger in the commander's voice, one of the officers spoke up, hoping the man heard him.

"Wait, Orlis! Be calm," one of the others pilots said, trying his best to calm the commander down and prevent him doing anything stupid.

"Alright then, all forces commence attack!"

Once the order was given, the nearby Mobile Workers armed with rocket artillery, began bombarding the nearby facility, wanting to neutralize the facility's defenses. In just moments, the night sky of Mars was lit up with the bright lights of explosions. To a man like Crank, it looked like Hell itself opened up on the CGS facility.

While the Mobile Workers of Gjallarhorn prepared themselves for the attack, the older man frowned at the sight of the facility being attacked.

'Crank, I know what Major Coral has asked of you and the others...but, please make sure my sister and her friend live through this attack.'

The man gripped the controls of his Mobile Suit tighter than before as he remembered the conversation he had while onboard the Gjallarhorn's Martian space station and muttered, "You're asking an awful lot out of me, dear grandson. Putting the lives my granddaughter and her friend in danger like this...


Mobile Suit Gundam: Tekkadan's Iron-Blooded Dragon


A COUPLE MINUTES PRIOR

"Issei? Are you alright?" Rias inquired, pulling him by the sleeve of his shirt. As she stood on the same step as him, Rias put her hand on his cheek, a look of worry on her face when seeing Issei's annoyed expression. Although putting her hand on his face was enough to force Issei to look at her.

Realizing what he had just done, Issei apologized, "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you, Rias."

She shook her head, "It's fine..." the redhead rubbed his cheek gently and smiled at him, "...I'm just really worried about you, that's all."

"You don't need to worry about me."

With those final words, Issei grabbed her hand and continued climbing the stairs with her. As they neared the top of the tower, Issei saw the familiar scene of the Martian night sky. Even after working for nearly twelve hours straight, dealing with the younger kids who work in the hangar, and having to interact with members of First Corp, he always managed to find time to come up here. It was only natural for him to find amusement in Rias's reaction to seeing a sight she hadn't seen in over five years.

For Issei, however, it reminded him of the last night he ever saw Rias. A night that forever changed how he lived his life...

'A-Are you ever coming back?'

'I-I don't know, but I do know one thing, Issei.'

'What's that?'

'You're someone very important to me. So...please, wait for me?'

That single line had driven him to be better and gave him more than enough reason to live, especially considering how he lost his own mother at a very young age. Just by miraculously meeting this beautiful redhead, a woman who brought out this pleasant feeling from him. Hell, seeing the woman before him smile was more than enough to put him at ease.

"...I'd wait the rest of my life, if I have to," Issei muttered to himself, remembering their promise.

"Did you say something?"

Hearing her voice, Issei seem to snap out of his thoughts and replied back, "No, I was, uh, just remembering something."

"Oh? What's that?" Rias asked.

Instead of getting a response from him, Rias saw Issei turn away from her in embarrassment as she noticed his cheeks becoming dark red. She became quite curious about what Issei was thinking right now, "What's wrong? What were you thinking?"

His attempt to speak failed as his eyes met the alluring teal eyes of the young woman standing before him. Over fives years have passed, and he couldn't seem to respond to the girl who's kept him going this entire time. As he tried to speak, his words were cut-off by the sudden white, light in the night sky.

While Rias looked quite confused as to what was going on, Issei understood the meaning of that light; it meant an attack was about to happen.

Everything around him seems to slow down as his mind began kicking in, trying to figure out what the hell to do in this situation. The first thing was getting Rias to safety and making sure Kudelia and Akeno were alright as well. Once they're out of danger, he needs to find Orga and the others and figure out what was going on.

Seeing as how those were his best options, Issei grabbed her hand and told her that they needed to get somewhere safe. After quickly making their way down the tower, Issei and Rias stepped outside to see Mobile Workers being scrambled and LCS drones being launched into the air by the younger members who weren't fighting. It looked as if a war was coming to their doorstep.

"Issei!"

Hearing the familiar voice, he turned around and saw Kiba making his way over to him. Wondering what was going on, Issei yelled back, "Kiba! What's going on?"

"We're under attack by someone! Apparently, Orga needs pilots for the Mobile Workers!"

This information caught him by surprise, "W-Wait! Really?!"

"Yeah, now make sure that Ms. Gremory and the others are safe before coming to the underground hangar!"

"Got it!," Issei shouted, feeling a bit excited at the opportunity to prove himself. "I'll make sure she and the others are safe. And Kiba?"

"What is it?"

Issei grinned at his best friend, "Whoever picked a fight with us, they'll regret it!"

As a response, Kiba nodded and headed down to the hangar himself while Issei and Rias went towards the main facility. Just as they got to the door, Rias looked utterly terrified at the prospect of Issei leaving her, "W-Wait, don't tell me you're going out there?"

"Shit," he muttered to himself before sighing, "Yeah, I am."

Rias grabbed him by his coat, "Don't go, Issei."

"I have to, Rias. Third Corp is going out there to fight. All of them are like family to me and I can't just leave them," Issei wanted her to understand that while he was beyond happy to see her, there were others who depended on him.

Once she realized that nothing was going to change his mind, Rias sighed in defeat, "Please..." she begged him, "...don't die out there. Just come back to me, Issei."

'Ah! Fuck it!' Issei thought before doing something that might backfire on him. He leaned in closer and kissed Rias, catching the redhead off guard. Before she even had a chance to react, he pulled back and had a nervous look on his face, "S-Sorry...I just couldn't find the words. So, I decided using another way to promise you that I'll come back."

He placed both his hands on her cheeks, "And I intend on coming back. Alive. You got that, Rias."

X-X-X

Getting over their initial shock, members of Third Corp began organizing their units and getting into their respective Mobile Workers to hold back the enemy attack.

In one of the underground hangars, the maintenance crews were in an absolute frenzy to repair or rearm any Mobile Workers that were just returning from battle. When Orga entered the hanger, he could smell motor oil, blood, and the stench of sweat, all signs of how stressful this battle was getting for them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Orga saw one of his trusted comrades; a young man with blonde hair named Eugene, who was sitting on top of a Mobile Worker. In his mind, there only words that could be used to describe is over-confident, reliable, and most of all, who has your back. Besides Eugene, Orga saw someone else getting ready for combat.

"Kiba! Where's Issei?!" Orga called out to him, right as he was in the middle of taking off his CGS jacket and tying it around his waist.

He yelled back, "Don't worry, boss! He'll be here!"

Those would be his final words before getting inside the machine and closing the hatch. Just moments later, the familiar sound of the engine turning on was heard. Numerous other Mobile Workers were ready to move out. A scowl appeared on Orga's face as he turned towards Eugene, "What's the situation?!"

Eugene saw Orga approaching him and scoffed, "You're late! Mikazuki and Shino's team have just gone out."

Meanwhile, a teen who looked to be on the heavier side was currently running with a metal tear-shaped object in his hand when he noticed the familiar sight of Issei entering the hangar. He called out to him, "Issei, over here!"

"Biscuit!"

With the sounds of engines, power tools, and all the yelling, it was quite difficult to hear each other. Walking over towards his friend, Issei asked him, "Where the fuck is Orga?!"

"He's talking with Eugene! Just follow me!" Biscuit said, receiving a nod from Issei.

When they caught sight of their leader, the first thing that happened was Biscuit placing the tear-shaped object on Orga's back. Issei approached Orga, he was a bit anxious because of what Kiba told him. And sure, he may have been jumping the gun when he told Kiba about making whoever attacked Third Corp regret it.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke up, "Orga, I heard you needed me."

The leader of Third looked at Issei with a serious expression on his face, "Look, we're running a bit short on pilots. I wasn't planning on asking you to go out there, Issei. Then, Kiba and the old man told me about your little training sessions with the Mobile Workers. So, I'm letting you pilot one, and it's about time to put those two Alaya Vijnana Systems to use."

Issei grimaced, remembering the painful procedure for having organic devices into a person's spinal cord. People needed to get one if they wanted to work for the CGS, however, Issei was given the procedure a second time as a punishment a few years back. Suddenly, his thoughts were broken up when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Huh?"

Standing behind Issei was Biscuit, who was holding the same tear-shaped object he had placed on Orga. It didn't take a genius for Issei to realize what Biscuit was asking for and nodded, "Yeah, give me a second."

Quickly taking off his tank top and CGS jacket, Issei felt the object connect with the Alaya Vijnana Systems. He gave a quick thumbs up to Biscuit before asking Orga something that's been on his mind, "Hey, uh, boss?"

"What is it?" Orga asked him, surprised to hear the rather quiet tone from Issei.

Issei only wanted to know one thing right now, "D-Do we know who's attacking us?"

Before he could give his comrade an answer, everyone heard the familiar voice of the commander of First Corp, "What are you doing?!"

The older members of Third Corp turned their heads and saw two members of First Corp, approaching them, and even having the audacity of barking out orders to them. "You all have to attack the enemy head-on, Third Corp!"

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Orga glared at the commanding officer, "Do you know who the enemy is?"

He got his answer when the man began sweating bullets, looking quite nervous to say who's attacking them.

"They're..."

X-X-X

Numerous Mobile Workers of the CGS began rolling out into the battlefield, attempting to hold back the enemy force. Most CGS members were using the metal barriers set up as cover against the enemy's overwhelming firepower in the form of rocket artillery and long-range fire.

"Gosh. Are they rich or something? They're firing so much!"

Somewhere on the battlefield, two Mobile Workers stood out beyond the rest. While many of them were yellow-ish color, these two machines were pink and white. The pilot of the pink Mobile Worker was another member of Third Corp, a young man by the name of Shino.

Next to him was Mikazuki's machine. Both were firing at the enemy force in the distance, trying to figure out who was attacking them.

"I don't who they are, but they want us dead, don't they?" Shino asked, letting loose another burst of fire from the twin canons their Mobile Workers were armed with.

"No," replied Mikazuki, noticing movement in front of them. "They're coming."

Rushing past the thick, black smoke were numerous Mobile Workers painted in a dark red color. These ones looked far more advanced than the crude versions that the CGS were currently deploying onto the battlefield. Everything about them screamed the kind of wealth and technology this enemy was using. It was also here that most Third Corps members saw the symbol painted onto the side.

It resembled a lion blowing into a massive horn, which had a flag attached to it. On the flag were seven stars. There was only one organization with that symbol.

Shino couldn't hold back his shock of who they were shooting at.

"No way. Those Mobile Workers are..."

X-X-X

"Why Gjallarhorn?!" questioned Eugene and Issei at the same time, the former not bothering to hide his fear of the situation they were facing. On the other hand, Issei actually felt something akin to surprise and joy mixed together. Though he was more concerned with getting out into the battlefield and helping out the others.

It was one thing to face another security company who were tired of the CGS, but facing the dominant military power that ruled the space between Jupiter and Earth with an iron fist? That was another thing entirely. So Eugene's response wasn't entirely unwarranted.

The commander of First Corp didn't hold back his own frustrations, "How would I know?!"

"Never mind that! Just deploy," a man by the name of Todo exclaimed, another member of First Corps.

Everyone knew the situation was deteriorating fast, however, Orga wanted to make sure of something. The young leader of Third Corps looked at the commander, "What will First Corps, our main forces be doing in this attack? How do we coordinate?"

By just their reaction alone, Orga had a feeling of what was about to happen. He saw how quickly the two men became surprised by the question, and came up with a response that angered Orga, "We will attack from their rear. A pincer attack. So until then, you hold off the enemy."

"You got that!" added Todo. Both members of First Corps started walking out of the hanger,

Orga glared at the commander but didn't say anything. Now wasn't the time to rip the man for his incompetence at a time like this. Orga knew his comrades needed him right now, and fighting idiots wasn't something he should be doing.

Eugene shook his head, "Darn. I guess we have to go," he said, getting into the cockpit of the machine and pulled down the hatchet. As the hangar roared back to life with noise, Biscuit adjusted his hat as he mentioned a bit of news that made Issei and Orga a bit nervous, "I'm detecting an Ahab Wave besides our own reactor."

This caught Orga's attention.

"What?"

"If the enemy is Gjallarhorn, then there's a chance for that to be here..."

With this information, Orga knew he needed something to change the game. If there's a chance for Mobile Suits to enter the fight, there's was no way for them to beat back such machines. Then an idea came to Orga, he remembered about the old Mobile Suit unit in the engine room.

Suddenly, he heard Eugene call out to him, "Orga, hurry up."

Looking at his friend, Orga knew they had one shot at this. "Biscuit, I need to ask you for a favor. And Issei?"

"Y-Yeah, Orga?"

The leader of Third Corp pointed at a nearby Mobile Worker unit, "I suggest you get yourself ready, we don't wanna keep everyone waiting, do we?"

Issei responded immediately, "No, we don't!"

"Then let's go and show Gjallarhorn what happens when they dare attack Third Corp!"

X-X-X

Sounds of the dead and dying filled the radio waves as the fighting grew worse between the two sides. Gjallarhorn was relentless in their assault against them. Wave after wave of Mobile Workers was thrown against the defense of Third Corps. However, the body count for the Third Corps was piling, and they knew that it was only a matter of time before Gjallarhorn could breakthrough and end this battle.

Shino quickly fired off another burst of rounds as he moved his machine further back, wanting to avoid being exposed to enemy fire. He took down another enemy Mobile Worker rushing towards him. Covering both his sides were a pair of Mobile Workers, one of them being white and the other gray.

"Man, you guys saved our asses back there," Shino thanked over the comms, grateful for the help of Mikazuki and Kiba.

Inside the white Mobile Worker, Mika shook his head, "It's okay. But there are so many..." the young man muttered as he pulled the trigger, unleashing more rounds down range.

On the other side of Shino, the gray machine was being piloted by Kiba, who just took down a pair of Gjallarhorn Mobile Workers.

"You know, I thought Gjallarhorn wasn't the type to throw away lives," Kiba said over the comms, his eyes showed nothing but contempt for them as he destroyed a third Mobile Worker. When seeing the familiar scene of smoke rising from the wreck, he shrugged his shoulders, "Oh well, it's their loss."

As they heard Shino talking about them being low on ammunition until his voice was cut-off by someone else, but it was one person everyone was grateful to finally hear from ever since this battle started.

"Shino's team, fall back!"

After Issei got prepped and ready, he and Eugene drove their machines out of the underground hangar and onto the surface. Issei was already hearing the constant radio chatter between everyone as they seem to be trying to coordinate some kind of counter-attack but weren't getting very far with the numerical superiority that Gjallarhorn possesses along with better machines.

Besides the sounds of people yelling, talking, and giving out orders, there were also the voices of those who were dying and others who screamed right before their life was extinguished.

He continued to take deep breaths and remind himself of why he's out here.

It's because of Kiba and Mr. Yukinojo's faith in his improvement and determination. However, there was a much simpler reason than ever that one. The image of Rias entered his mind, causing him to tighten his grip on the controls and telling himself what might happen to her, should they fail to hold the enemy back.

Soon, Orga's voice was heard all across the net as he stood on top of Eugene's Mobile Worker and began coordinating their defense, "Dante will relieve you. Go resupply."

"Orga!" shouted Shino over the comms, "You're late!"

The young leader apologized, "Sorry. Mika and Akihiro fall back as well."

Looking over his shoulder to Issei, he called out to one more person, "Kiba, I need you for something."

"What is it, Orga?"

"You ready to show Issei the ropes of combat?" Orga could only smirk when he heard Kiba chuckle at his question. While he didn't always show it, Orga did certainly appreciate what Issei did as he took on the grueling task of not only keeping all their machines at tip-top shape, he also dealt with the younger kids on a daily basis. Beyond that, the leader of Third Corp always wanted to see how capable was Issei in combat.

His gut feeling that was Issei was destined for more than his job in the hangar, and Orga was prepared to bet on his potential in this fight.

"I'll make sure he keeps up, boss," Kiba replied as he then called out to his best friend, "Yo, Issei! I sent you the coordinates of my position, follow them and you'll find me."

Orga heard Issei respond to Kiba and saw his Mobile Worker drive past them and onto the battlefield. As he began organizing the defense, Orga heard someone on the ground, calling out to him. The young man looked and saw one of the younger members, a kid by the name of Danji, speaking to him, "Orga. If you're shorthanded, put me out there. There's a Mobile Worker that's free."

One of the other kids, one named Takaki, tried to scold him, "Danji, you can't..."

"When Shino's team returns, report to him," Orga said, granting Danji's request. "Don't be reckless."


Mobile Suit Gundam: Tekkadan's Iron-Blooded Dragon


It was like Kudelia was living in some kind of twisted nightmare. She was frightened by the sounds of explosions and alarms going off throughout the facility. Originally, she thought it was a supply depot going up in flames or a series of mines accidentally going off. However, those ideas were shattered when one of the young soldiers of Third Corp came to their room and told her and Akeno to change.

As for Fumitan, the young blonde woman recalled her maid saying something about going to see what was going on. Unfortunately, that happened nearly ten minutes ago and neither she or Akeno had seen the dark-haired main. While Kudelia was quite concerned for Fumitan, Akeno wanted nothing more than to search the facility for Rias.

Luckily, as the young man named Biscuit was guiding them to somewhere inside the base, they had come across Rias.

The redhead was relieved to find her friends were fine before asking why they were walking around the facility during an attack. Biscuit interrupted and told her that Orga gave him orders to make sure the clients were safe during the battle between them and the enemy forces.

Continuing to travel the hallways, the three girls heard the sounds of battle from an occasional explosion to the facility itself shaking from time to time. For Kudelia, she despised war and everything it stood for as it caused nothing but misery for everyone else in the solar system.

Though, Rias and Akeno hated it for different reasons. Ever since being groomed by her family to become a part of Gjallarhorn, Rias saw how they used their power and abused it in ways she that horrified her. Her family always prided itself on treating servants and guest as if they're part of the Gremory family.

It was a well-known trait that goes back to her grandfather.

While Rias hated it because organizations like Gjallarhorn went against the very idea her family instilled in their members, Akeno knew her future ended with her becoming a member of the Grigori like her father. She knew the death of her mother was the result of her father being forced to leave...

Not only did war help kill her mother, but her father was another culprit as well.

As all three of them pondered on these thoughts, Biscuit stopped in front of a door and began typing in a code on the keypad.

Kudelia spoke up, "Where are we going?" she asked, still concerned as to where Fumitan had gone off. "She told me to wait in the room fo-"

Biscuit gave the girl a hard look, "If you stay there, then you will die."

His words caused the young woman to freeze. The idea of dying never occurred to Kudelia throughout most of her life, but that was the reality facing her right now. With this battle raging between this security company and whatever mysterious was attacking them. Not only was she in danger, but the lives of Akeno, Rias, and Fumitan as well.

"D-Die?" muttered Kudelia. She gripped her wrist even tighter, "W-We could die..."

These two didn't need to see these horrors. Rias had a family waiting for her on Earth and Akeno had a father who was most likely worried sick about her. Both of them have people who care about them.

Instead, they're with her in the middle of a war zone and the chances of seeing their family again are slim at best.

Biscuit finished entering the code and the door slid open. He looked at Kudelia and reassured her and the others, "I'm working hard right now so that you won't."

When he entered the room, Kudelia hesitated to follow until Rias and Akeno helped their friend.

"It's alright," Rias said to her, "If Biscuit and the others are working hard to keep us safe, then we have to believe in them. They're the only thing that stands between us and getting to Earth, so please put your faith in them, Kudelia."

Akeno smiled as she heard the words spoken from her best friend, "She's right, you know? What's wrong with putting a little faith in them?"

Taking their words into mind, it definitely eased her mind as the subject of dying isn't necessarily one that all people think about until it happens to them. As she regained a bit of confidence, Kudelia appreciated what their words, "Thank you, Rias and Akeno."

Once they made their way to the threshold of the door, none of them were ready to see a sight like this. They saw numerous members of Third Corp working on what appeared to be a Mobile Suit, and a very old one by the look of it.

It towered over everything in the room. The machine was a combination of white, blue, and gold. Most intriguing of all was the golden horns on the top of its head. Kudelia, however, noticed the numerous cables attached it as well as the numerous parts that seemed out of place on the machine. She realized that they were planning on using this weapon in battle.

Another thought entered her mind, Kudelia realized that the enemy attacking them must be powerful if the CGS is forced to use such an old machine.

'Who could be attacking this facility?' she thought.

X-X-X

Chaos was the only word capable of describing the scene unfolding in front of Orga. He saw numerous Mobile Workers of their own forces being destroyed by Gjallarhorn. Even hearing the cries of terror from the pilots of those machines right before they died.

"Team 3, reinforcements are coming," he said. "Just hold on!"

Looking over to the right flank, he placed a hand on his headset, "Team 5, attack harder, or you'll get it!"

Orga tapped the top of the Mobile Worker, "Eugene, move it!"

Inside the machine, Eugene started moving it forward and firing off a few shots at the Gjallarhorn forces. "I can move, but this is getting worse."

As Third Corps continued to meet the advance of Gjallarhorn, Shino and his team had returned to the battlefield after being resupplied. Shino spoke up over the comms, "Concentrate fire."

Out of the corner of his screen, Shino noticed one of the Mobile Workers break off from his group. He suddenly remembered it to be the machine that Danji was piloting. This made the young man call out to his teammate, "Hey, what are you doing, Danji?"

"Their armor is to thick. I have to close in and be a hero..." replied Danji. The young boy didn't hesitate in battle, even if there was that fear of dying. The canons came alive as they spewed out round after round at the enemy machine approaching the facility. However, along the way, the machine hit an uneven part of the hill and slid forward, causing it to get stuck in the ground.

Danji heard Shino's voice over the comms, "Move! If you stop, you'll die!"

Raising his head, Danji saw a Gjallarhorn Mobile Worker take aim at his machine. Tears formed in his eyes as the thought of death crept into his mind. His thoughts were all over the place, except one stood out beyond the rest; Is this it?

Fortunately, death wouldn't claim him as he saw the machine getting hit by something. The machine slumped forward, letting Danji know that either it was too damaged or the pilot was dead. Instead, he felt joy at who it was that saved him.

"Sorry to make you wait."

It was Mikazuki.

This was when the tide began to change as the young man began engaging the Gjallarhorn forces. Many in Third Corp knew that Mikazuki was their most skilled pilot, and that was on full display as Mikazuki began tearing the enemy Mobile Workers apart. He stayed on the move and unleashed hell on the enemy.

"I won't allow you to hog all the glory!"

Right behind Mikazuki was another of Third Corp's best pilots; Akihiro. He was easily one of the biggest guys in the unit and everyone knew how much he competed with Mikazuki when it came to anything. Nonetheless, when it came to battle, these two are a fearsome duo, unlike anything First Corps could bring to the table. It was certainly an advantage that Orga wanted to press as much as he could against Gjallarhorn's forces.

"Yes, Mika and Akihiro have engaged," Orga said, seeing the impact provided by them. "Not many can beat them in melee. It's time to show the space rats' power."

Seeing the limited breathing room they have, Orga gave out the next set of orders, "We will regroup now. Get the wounded out of here!"

"But this is just buying time. It's still getting worse," pointed out Eugene. "And where are the main forces, First Corps? When are they going to turn up?!" he asked, continuing to fire at the enemy forces.

Then out of nowhere, Biscuit's voice was heard on the comms, "Orga."

"Is that you, Biscuit? How is it?" Orga questioned.

To his misfortune, the answer he got received from Biscuit was the one he expected. "It's as bad as we thought it was, Orga. First Corps and the president are fleeing the battlefield through the rear."

Hearing this new information, Eugene voiced his opinion immediately, "What are we going to do? I don't wanna die in vain here!"

"No, you're wrong..." Orga said, getting a confused response from Eugene. "That doesn't make things right. Does it, Biscuit?"

"Sure," replied Biscuit. From where he was standing, Biscuit saw the fleeing forces and pressed a detonator of some kind. What came next was a surprise as signal flares were launched into the air.

And what made the confusion even worse was when some of the enemy Mobile Workers headed in the direction of First Corps. Shino's team noticed this, "Hey! Their units are starting to move away from us!"

Orga smirked when heard Shino, "I figured they would."

"What?"

Looking at Eugene, Orga explained it, "If I'm reading the situation correctly, they're not allowing one to escape this place."

Now that First Corps was acting as a decoy for Third Corps, Orga knew they needed to take this opportunity by the throat and use it. With the majority of Gjallarhorn's forces heading off to fight First Corps, this meant that they can possibly breakthrough their lines and try to end this battle.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Immediately, the ground began to shake as massive explosions kicked up dirt everywhere. Orga and the rest of Third Corps saw this and thought it was artillery, but the young leader of Third Corp knew better.

"This is..." muttered Orga, seeing the one thing that no one wanted to see; Mobile Suits.

Gjallarhorn was well-known for being the only producers of newer Mobile Suits models ever since the end of the Calamity War. This meant that anyone taking them on was at a disadvantage from the very start of a battle. These units were a dark green color with a single golden eye on its head. As the Mobile Suit landed a few hundred meters away from the facility, the pilot of the machine didn't hide bother to hide their displeasure with the battle.

"Why is it taking so long to neutralize such a facility?" the commander demanded. "All Mobile Workers will get a pay cut!"

X-X-X

A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER

Kiba had to admit that Issei certainly did better than he expected as his best friend managed to kill about half a dozen enemy Mobile Workers in the last hour or so. However, he did notice that Issei was breathing a bit heavier than usual and seemed a little slow to respond sometimes. It was strange to Kiba, he knew this wasn't the first time that Issei had killed someone, but this is definitely the first time he's had to kill this many people.

There's a difference between killing someone who was nothing more than a desperate criminal who was looking for some form of sick satisfaction over a person who Issei has never met before and has people who loved them and waiting for their return home. Now, Issei robbed those families of a son, a nephew, a brother, or even a father.

"Issei, you okay?" Kiba was starting to get a bit worried for his friend.

It took him a minute to respond over the comms, "Yup, I-I'm okay, Kiba. Just a little tired."

Hearing his friend's response made Kiba sigh in irritation, "Issei, you're not okay. I've known you long enough to know that you're in bad shape right now. There's nothing wrong with saying you're having a hard time with this. It's okay, we all go through this kind of thing. Look, if you were anything like Mika and able to mow down enemy forces without an issue, then I'd think we have a problem."

Inside his Mobile Worker, Issei was trying to calm down as he could feel his heart beating against his rib cage. His hands were shaking anytime he tried to move the controls. It was like his entire body was struggling to function properly.

"...Then about think about it like this, Issei. What would happen to Rias if you don't kill the enemy forces trying to get inside?"

He furrowed his eyebrows and a confused expression formed on his face, "W-What do you mean?"

"Answer the damn question," Kiba demanded, trying another route to help his friend rationalize this entire battle for him.

Taking a moment to think about it, Issei knew Gjallarhorn had better things to do than worry about what the CGS was doing. It was only after Kudelia arriving with Rias and Akeno that they attacked their base. If he had to guess? Gjallarhorn is probably after the three of them as he knew each girl was important to some degree as Kudelia wanted to travel to Earth, Rias came from a wealthy and influential family, and Akeno was most likely something similar to her best friend.

"Gjallarhorn wants to capture the girls," answered Issei.

Kiba's chuckle was heard on the comms, "Well, I don't think that is the case here."

"But, that makes sense, doesn't it?" Issei fired back, wondering what his friend was getting at.

"You're not wrong to think that way," he replied to Issei before revealing his thoughts. "Given how much ordinance they used in the initial attack and how hard they've been attacking our forces, I think they're here to make sure no one makes it out alive from here. I'm pretty sure the same goes for the girls too."

Issei didn't believe him, "You're lying! What the hell is the point of all this then?"

Kiba shrugged inside his Mobile Worker as he let off a few rounds at an enemy unit, "Beats me, but I do know one thing."

"What's that?"

"That if we die...the others will die too. So, what will you do, brother? Fight to protect Rias, who I know you care about more than anything else. Or, let her die in this hell hole that we've been damned to for years by everyone on this rotten world, including God himself."

Silence filled the comms as Kiba waited for Issei's response. Then, an enemy unit rushed towards them as Kiba was about to squeeze the trigger once more until Issei beat him to the punch. Canons came to life as they fired off round after round into the enemy unit until it blew up.

"You know what? For a pretty boy, you certainly do make a good motivational speaker," Issei said with a snort, making Kiba laugh at his friend's words.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ground began to shake as nearby explosions rocked the area. As Issei and Kiba wondered what was happening, they heard the others over the comms link. Both of them heard Eugene a phrase that none of them wanted to hear, "Mobile Suits? We can't win against those things!"

He wasn't the only one as others starting adding in their own opinions. Shino spoke up from inside his Mobile Worker, "What are we going to do?"

Someone else spoke up, "We have to run!"

"Where to?" questioned Akihiro.

"That's right," Orga announced. "There's no place to run. There never was, right, Mika?"

On Orga's left was Mika, who currently sits on the top of his Mobile Worker. He nodded at his friend's question, "Yes."

Mika then looked up at his friend, "So, what should I do next, Orga?" he asked.

Looking at his long-time friend, Orga couldn't help but remember when they were kids. When they decided that they were going to a place where they belong, no matter what obstacles stands in their way. Now, this was just another obstacle in their path. And it was one that Orga intended on defeating.

Orga couldn't help but grin at the memory of a younger Mika with blood splattered on his face. He looked at his friend since all those years ago, "I have a job for you, Mika. A job only you can do."

X-X-X

The plan was quite simple; keep the enemy Mobile Suits busy.

As the remaining forces of Third Corps continued to hammer away at the Mobile Suit, they continued to suffer loss after loss against it. However, Orga wasn't about to give up, even in the face of such odds, "We just need to buy time until Mika gets back. Then we can strike a blow in our rotten situation."

Those still alive, did their best to survive against the Mobile Suit and keep it busy. During the skirmish, the Mobile Suit started firing at the facility, causing some damage in the process. Danji noticed this, letting his emotions get the best of him.

"The base! Stop it, my comrades are there!"

Danji fired off a flurry of rounds at the enemy, attempting to save those at the facility. However, the rounds didn't do any real damage to the machine. Instead, it turned around and, before anyone could do anything, kicked the Mobile Worker, crushing it as if it was just an annoying pest. It was silent until Shino cried out Danji's name on the comms.

Hearing Shino on the comms, Orga grimaced at the sight of someone else dying. "Keep moving. Just a little longer... just a little..."

"Orga!" cried out Eugene, "It's looking right at us!"

Turning around, the young leader saw the Mobile Suit turn its head in their direction. It opened up, revealing a massive, black eye that lit up yellow, "Are you the one in charge?" the pilot mockingly asked.

In response, Eugene pushed the Mobile Worker to its limit to get out of range of the enemy. "I'm gonna die!" he said over and over again.

While in comparison, Orga remained calm as ever.

"I will not die. I will never die!" he yelled in defiance over the comms. "Not like this."

Eugene continued to evade the enemy's fire. "Not here!" yelled Orga. Suddenly, Eugene stops and made his machine face the enemy. Orga looked right at the Mobile Suit, "It can't end here! Right, Mika?!"

Out of nowhere, the ground in front of them exploded. Amongst the dirt, there was the sight of a Mobile Suit that was kept in the engine room. It was wielding a massive, black spear armed with a giant spiked end. As it was coming down, the Gjallarhorn Mobile Suit was met with the massive spear smashing against the cockpit area, causing immense damage to the machine and killing the pilot in the process.

As Orga watched the scene unfold, it brought him back a memory of when he and Mika decided to take this path.

'Hey, what should I do next, Orga?'

'It's obvious. We are going.'

'To where?'

'To somewhere not here. To the place where we truly belong.'

Mika couldn't help but remember that day himself, realizing that this was the first step to obtaining their dream. "Yes, let's go. All of us... together."


Uh, yeah! I really like this idea of crossing over these two franchises since they're quite the opposite of each other. Anyway, I'm curious what you guys think about the thing going on between Issei and Rias? From what I can tell you guys is this much; their relationship will evolve over the course of the story, especially when we get closer to Earth...

And outside of that, the NBA is pretty much back and I will be watching basketball, so there's that.

Other than that, I'll see ya guys later!