Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam or Code Geass, and this work is merely a creative and absolutely non-commercial exercise on my part.
Codes of Liberation
Chapter 1
"What the hell were those flyboys in the advance force thinking?" one of the transport pilots raged. "They've spilled burning fuel – that Sakura something – over the naval yard. We can't land here."
"Well that's what parachutes are for aren't they?" the copilot replied. "Panzer-grenadiers, be advised: standby for drop and prepare to engage in a chemical battlefield."
"Roger."
"This is Tango Alpha…" the pilot said over the encoded line. "…standby for G3 missile bombardment. Missiles are armed…three…two…one…missiles away."
The heavy transports fired, each of the five bulky craft assigned to the harbor region of Tokyo firing twelve missiles each. Each missile carried a lethal chemical payload of G3 nerve gas, a lethal nerve-blister agent originally developed for and used during the One Year War. Extremely lethal, the gas provided to the landing forces were 'watered-down' formulations meant to reduce the effective range of the gas and to increase the decomposition rate the less dangerous (for both Imperial forces and to the liberated population) to use it in an urban environment.
As clouds of toxic gas erupted and spread out over the ruins below and causing the sporadic anti-aircraft fire to die down with terrifying alacrity, armored doors to the rear and sides of the transports opened, IFVs and panzer-grenadiers moving out and descending to the ground on white parachutes. With the former designed to operate in vacuum environments and the latter equipped with environmentally-sealed armored suits, the slowly-dispersing clouds of G3 on the ground were of no concern.
As the beachhead was secured, the panzer-grenadiers and field engineers would run across dead Britannian marines and sailors, their flesh sloughing off and their bodies contorted in their final convulsions. More than a few soldiers would find themselves inconvenienced by stomach troubles at the sight, but the engineers were more focused on detoxifying the area and clearing a space for the heavy transports to land and deploy the rest of their troops. One group of IFVs though, accompanied by a large force of panzer-grenadiers proceeded towards the Military HQ in the harbor.
It was only a few minutes away from the naval yard, but it was far enough to avoid the worst of the G3 bombardment. As the IFVs approached a hail of automatic fire greeted the Imperials, bullets bouncing off the heavy armor of the vehicles and sending the panzer-grenadiers diving for cover. Armored suits or not, it was wise not to take chances.
"Suppress them…!" the Kapitan zur See in the lead IFV ordered, and vehicle-mounted autocannons roared, ripping through the windows and killing the Britannian soldiers taking cover beside the windows and pinning the survivors down. Rocket-armed panzer-grenadiers took aim under the IFVs suppression fire, and literally blew the front of the ground floor open. "Advance…! Prepare for close-quarters combat…!"
Panzer-grenadiers slipped bayonets onto their assault rifles and after checking the gas grenades they'd been issued for the operation charged into the Military HQ. Gunfire greeted them as the charged into the atrium's ruins, but most of the Britannian bullets bounced harmlessly off their armor.
Mostly…a sniper round with an armor-piercing tip smashed through a panzer-grenadier's eyepiece and killed the man in one hit. The Imperials returned fire while spreading out, and forcing the Britannians to duck for cover. With the enemy suppressed, a squad of panzer-grenadiers charged up the stairs and brutally-assaulted the Britannians with bayonets and battle axes. More panzer-grenadiers advanced into the heart of the building through the atrium past the wreckage of the front desk.
Japanese resistance fighters didn't know where the giant Knightmares and airships flying overhead had come from, but they weren't about to miss taking advantage of the situation. Police stations, power distribution and radio broadcast centers came under heavy assault, even as Imperial troops seized and secured any open ground that they could find in the ghettoes around the Tokyo Settlement to allow their heavy transports to deploy their troops and IFVs. The mobile suits of the advance force were soaring across the city taking advantage of any enemy they could find, simultaneously staying mobile to respond to any request for assistance by the ground forces.
Thus far however, no move was being made against the Tokyo Settlement.
Kallen Kozuki had been forced to abandon her Glasgow after she'd run out of energy, and armed with only an assault rifle she'd taken from dead Brit she found herself pinned down against a makeshift barricade by a squad of Britannians. The barricade was originally manned by a pair of other resistance fighters, but they'd been killed by the Brits shortly after she'd arrived.
The gunfire stopped, and she heard the sound of boots approaching. As fast as she could she darted out and fired several bursts, dropping two Brits dead and leaving one screaming on the ground as their 'comrades' opened fire on her heedless of the risk of friendly fire.
"Eleven trash…!" she heard one of them shout, and she ground her teeth.
I'm not an 'Eleven' I'm Japanese!
Heavy fire erupted behind the barricade, and the Britannian gunfire stopped. Instead she heard men screaming and shouting, and then silence. "Resistance fighter…" she heard someone say after a moment. "…are you alright?"
Cautiously, she peeked out from around the barricade. Down the street passed the mangled corpses of the Brits – she had to consciously keep her stomach from revolting – she spotted an armored vehicle and a group of soldiers in urban camo-pattern fatigues armed with assault rifles. The vehicle's weapon was smoking slightly.
That explains why their corpses…are…ugh…
"I…I'm fine." She shouted, but refusing to come out from behind the barricade. "Who the hell are you guys?"
"We're here to help." One of the men shouted. "I understand if you don't trust us completely, but I assure you we're not Britannians. We wouldn't help a Japanese girl and kill all these Brits if we were, were we now?"
"I…I suppose not." Kallen said, cautiously stepping out from behind the barricade but tensed to jump back behind cover if she needed to. Not that it would do much good against vehicle-mounted heavy weapons, but it was better than nothing. Her appearance caused a small flurry of conversation among the soldiers.
"She's just a kid." One of them said, and she bristled at that.
"Be quiet…considering how long Japan's been under occupation, I'd wager a few hundred marks that she's seen more combat than anyone outside of One Year War veterans."
"Since when did Japanese have red hair?"
"Cautious girl…not bad at all…"
The commanding officer threw a glare at his subordinates, and he strode forward as they shut up, hands held out to the sides to show his peaceful intentions. "Ms. Kallen Kozuki, I presume?" he asked, and Kallen's eyes widened before she raised her weapon in surprise.
The other soldiers levelled their weapons at her, only to lower them at a gesture from their commander. "I presume correctly then." He said. "I am Leutnant zur See Daniel Horst from the 12th Battalion. As for how we know who you are one of your friends Ohgi – he didn't give a last name – described you and asked us to look for you in this area."
"Ohgi…?" Kallen said in surprise, lowering her rifle. "The others…where are they?"
"They're busy evacuating the civilians out of this district." Horst answered. Before he could say anymore he paused and grimaced as he received a message over his com-link. "Shit…"
"What's wrong?" Kallen asked.
"Hurry up the evacuation procedures!" Horst ordered before turning back to Kallen. "Ms. Kozuki please I ask you to trust us and accompany us. The Britannians are launching a push from the Settlement, and given the nature of the infrastructure in the outer city…"
Kallen's eyes widened as the man trailed off, and nodded. "What do you need me to do?" she asked.
Vizeadmiral Iman Avari nodded as he stared at the tactical display. "Enemy disposition…?" he asked.
"Due to Minovsky interference…" an operator began. "…we are unable to give an exact fix as to how many troops and vehicles there are. However based on the laser battlefield buoys we estimate around two thousand troops and two hundred vehicles, a mix of tanks, IFV, APCs, and…mobile suits…?"
The operator ended questioningly and with an apologetic tone of voice. There was muffled laughter, and her superior officer nodded reassuringly at her. Considering how big mobile suits were, calling the stunted machines the enemy used by that term was somewhat…charitable.
"Still…" Avari said with a nod. "…I'd rather not deprive our troops in the city of mobile support. Have the advance force remain as they are."
"Should we deploy our reserves?" his second asked, referring to the ship-carried mobile suits.
"No…" Avari disagreed. "…we'll keep them for when we storm the Settlement. As for this Britannian counterattack, well if the objective is to rout them…"
He trailed off and gave a short laugh. "Deploy the Imperial Court Guards!"
"Attention…attention…Imperial Court Guard Squads Angel, Storm, and Panther…standby for launch…attention…attention…"
As a heavily-armored and customized Valkyrie Imperial Court Guards Type was moved into the launch catapult, the redheaded pilot went about with final launch preparations, bathed in the green glow of her psycho-frame. "System connections all green…" the young woman said. "…psycommu system is functional…psycho-frame is synchronized…"
"Roger Angel Leader, you are cleared for launch."
"Roger…" she said with a smile. "…Korvettenkapitan Elpeo Ple, let's go Angels!"
A/N
G3 nerve gas...what did you expect? Even if they now call themselves 'the Solar Empire' it's still Zeon.
Should I go for a colony drop eventually? What do you guys think?
Kapitan zur See = Captain
Leutnant zur See = Lieutenant, junior grade
Vizeadmiral = Vice Admiral
Korvettenkapitan = Lieutenant-Commander
