Disclaimer: I officially own Gundam SEED Destiny. At least I did. Last night. In a dream.
Phase Three: Pursuit
Despite spending the night on a ZAFT ship, Mwu had a fairly relaxing sleep, only disturbed by Athrun coming in about an hour after him. The poor kid looked even more weary than usual, which said a lot given how aggrieved he typically was over the Princess. And since he hadn't heard any funny noises, he figured all they really had done was talk.
Fortunately, the previous day's tour had included the pilot briefing room, where he found about thirty or so pilots in various states of consciousness; ranging from alert, to zombie-eyed, to drooling on neighbors. The Dreka kid was manning the projector with a self-satisfied grin that was generously described as manic. Next to him, an older Coordinator appeared to be sleep-walking, with the vaguest gestures indicating that he was awake, if only just. At last, the commander appeared to be done and he strode to the front with a device for indicating images on a projection. He also held a metal can with an odd conical attachment whose purpose Mwu figured out almost too late.
"TOOOOOOOOOOOOT!" the air horn blared.
The effect was instantaneous. Those pilots that were already awake flinched and rubbed their ears. The drowsing pilots were jolted into full consciousness and the majority scooted back away from their commander. Those that had been fully asleep had a variety of reactions. A pair of orange-haired twins clunked heads as they were roused and seemed torn from attacking the man who had woke them and tackling each other. A nervous-looking man ended up throwing a knife at the ceiling. And the kid who had yelled at Cagalli yesterday dove out of his chair in fright, but ended up smushing his face into a young woman's chest. The green-uniformed girl drove her fist into his face and he tumbled to the floor with a black eye.
"Now that everyone has rejoined the land of the living we can get down to the business of making sure everyone knows how best to survive the battle and their roles, and Aurora… Please don't leave any permanent damage we'll probably need Shinn alive and functioning."
The red-head looked ready to continue her onslaught, but acquiesced to her commander's request, putting several seats between the two of them and sitting down next to another woman, this one in the red coat of an elite pilot and with magenta hair.
"Anyways," the young man continued as though a similar event happened every day. "As the vice-captain announced last night, we'll be joining forces with Vice Admiral Haddock's forces and conducting a joint operation. Our objective is to recover or, failing that, destroy the captured Gundam units. This is our target."
He flicked the screen on and revealed a sight that was unnervingly familiar to Mwu.
"Artemis," he announced firmly. "Formerly, the main orbital installation of the Eurasian Confederacy. However, it was abandoned in the aftermath of the Le Creuset Team's assault on it. Intelligence has reported no activity since then, save for the occasional salvage team. The main issue that always plagued it was its isolated nature, making it unlikely to be the main base or similar installation for our friends. However, we can't discount the idea that they may have reinforcements, which is why Haddock's group is here. Scanners from an advanced team have indicated radiation trails leading into the main hanger, so that's likely where Bogey One is."
"So what exactly are we going to be doing?" a green-suited pilot asked.
"We'll be securing the main hanger and the secondary hanger that is connected to it," Alfrid replied. "It could be that the Gundams have been moved deeper into the facility to try to draw us in to an ambush, so the Minerva and several other ships will be deploying marine contingents in shuttles to search the facility. Our role is to keep the door open for them and to blast anyone who tries to get out."
The majority of reactions to that bit of news consisted of sighs and grumbles that sounded vaguely like "babysitting." Mwu felt a little better already. Escort missions were some of the best embodiments of war. Long periods of constant vigilance and moments of sheer terror followed immediately by trying to shake off the aftereffects of the action.
"Anyways," the temporary mobile suit commander brought his pilots attention back to the screen. "We're going to take a peek at what our friends are using as they seem to have some new toys. Then we'll look at our Gundams and make sure you guys know every trick they can pull before we have to try and bring them home."
He shifted the image on the screen to what looked like combat footage of the new ship.
"This image was salvaged from a destroyed ZAKU and sent to us because it is the clearest image we have of the ship that the captain has designated Bogey One. If anyone thinks it looks like the Archangel from the last war, you aren't alone. Like the Archangel, it is a double-hulled vessel, though the 'legs' are much closer together. Its main armament is composed of six Gottfried turrets arrayed at the front of the ship, with two dorsal, one on each outer side of the hulls, and two ventral. Valiant cannons on the sides to the rear provide additional firepower. We're not completely clear on its mobile suit capacity, but an analysis of the battle gives a figure of about fifty. There's also this…"
The image changed to one showing the ship from below, including a peculiar box-shape.
"Currently, it's unknown whether this is a standard feature or a modification, but what is known is that this secondary hanger contained around twenty of these ugly bastards."
Another image showed one of the purple mobile armors, just as it was detaching its pods.
"For now, we're calling it the Moebius Zero-Two, if anyone has a better name, please share it. Like the Moebius Zero, it has detachable gunbarrel weapon pods, meaning it can attack from multiple angles simultaneously. However, it likely requires a high-level of special awareness, which is was what restricted the original Moebius Zero to only a limited number, including the gentleman that Orb's Lioness has been generous enough to loan to us. Captain La Flaga, considering you piloted a Moebius Zero during the last war and nailed one of these buggers at Armory One, do you have any insight?"
Mwu shifted himself upright and saw that the majority of the room was paying close attention. Realizing that the next few moments could mean life or death out on the battlefield, he adopted as serious an attitude as he could. "The first rule of engaging anything with gunbarrel pods is to never do it alone. Doing so allows the pilot to focus exclusively on you and they can pin you down from all directions until you make a mistake. From what I saw, they aren't wire-guided like the old Moebius Zero's gunbarrels were so no chance of them accidently getting entangled or severing the chords to eliminate them. The good news is that they'll probably need to recharge and return to the main fighter every so often. And that is when they'll be at their most vulnerable, when they slow to allow the pods to dock and force them to present the largest target. That'll be your best shot to take them out."
"Thank you Captain." Alfrid nodded from up front, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Alright, did everyone hear and acknowledge that. Work together and blast them whenever the gunbarrels run out of juice. Since we'll be spending most of the operation inside the asteroid base, I don't expect we'll see a lot of them, but I'm not losing a pilot to unlikely circumstance if I can help it. During the battle these will be your targets…"
A host of images detailing the six Gundams that had been stolen from Armory One.
"As you all know, these six Gundam-grade mobile suits were stolen by the group we are now pursuing. I've gotten my hands on every bit of info available that isn't classified above my level. And for the next few minutes, we're going to go over each suit in detail so that no one is surprised by the tricks these things pull out there. First off…"
A series of images detailing the green mobile suit appeared on the screen, Mwu was surprised to see that it had a mobile armor form that bore a vague similarity to the Raider from the last war.
"ZGMF-X24S Chaos. The first of three mobile suits that were designed to serve as forerunners to our next generation of mass-produced mobile suit. Apparently, its ability to utilize a mobile armor form was inspired by Orb's Murasame, though Chaos is more optimized for space combat. It has a lot of standard features, beam sabers, beam rifle, shield, you get the idea. It does however have a few nasty surprises."
He zoomed in to images detailing one of the pod-like engines, the mobile armor mode's back, and the lower legs.
"The Gundam utilizes a limited version of the gunbarrel system, with only two pods, and a new targeting software enabling someone without specialized spatial awareness to use it effectively. The pods, when attached to the Gundam, also offer it enhanced speed. Each one is armed with a powerful beam cannon and a multitude of missiles, so keep your heads on a swivel when fighting it. When in it mobile armor mode, the Chaos gains access to a multi-phase plasma cannon capable of destroying a Nazca-class with a well-aimed hit. Fortunately, it is fixed and therefore unsuited for mobile weapon combat so you probably won't have to worry about too much, just be aware. The final unique feature is the claws installed in the legs. They generate a beam saber field both on the claw itself and between the tips. While mainly a feature of the mobile armor, it can still be utilized for short lengths of time as a mobile suit so don't get cocky."
"Damn this thing sounds like a one-man wrecking machine," one of the two carrot-topped men commented to the other, virtually identical man sitting next to him. 'His twin,' Mwu assumed, remembering how they were introduced with the same last name during the dinner two nights ago.
The second twin turned to his brother, rolling his eyes slightly. "That kind of applies to all Gundams genius." He then turned back to the front. "I'm guessing fighting this guy single-handedly would be a bad idea?"
"Yes," Alfrid responded flatly before continuing, "and as Dale said, that goes for all the Gundams. Unless you're at the Commander's level and have just been hiding your skill for the sake of our self-esteems, you shouldn't even think of fighting any of these machines by yourself. That goes double for you Shinn."
"Huh?" the red-eyed pilot wondered with equal parts frustration and genuine curiosity. "I've got the Impulse and I handled them well enough yesterday. Just because you guys are-"
"It's because you're piloting the Impulse that you need to be careful," the young man interrupted. "We're going after six Gundams and we're doing it with only yours and the Strike, which is only being loaned to us. If they managed to destroy, disable, or, gods forbid, capture you, then we are going to be in a whole lot of trouble and I'm going to have to explain how I lost this ship's only remaining Gundam unit. I'll reiterate, don't fight these guys alone. I tried doing that with the Gaia and pretty much just pissed its pilot off. Speaking of which…"
He clicked the remote and the images shifted to show the black mobile suit in both its upright and four-legged positions. "ZGMF-X88S Gaia. It's no coincidence that it looks like a Gundam-version of a BuCUE since it's supposed to be a prototype for a mobile suit line capable of acting as such and replacing those old hounds."
"I thought that's what the Kerebos was for. And whatever happened to the LaGOWE?" a dark-skinned Red Coat pilot spoke up.
"Should've asked all questions to be held till the end," Alfrid grumbled. "Well, I hear that the Kerebos is a bit like the DOM, too much effort to spend on a mass-production model. And since a LaGOWE got totaled by the Strike, it was never deemed fit to make a whole lot of them. And the need for separate pilot and gunner positions meant that there needed to be very effective cooperation between the two. But back to the Gaia; it's only got one real special feature, beam sabers mounted in the wing-like structures in has in mobile armor mode. And it as a few little things to maximize its movement and flexibility as a mobile armor, even a zero-g environment. Overall though, no nasty surprises that can catch you off guard, just don't get in a turning fight with it."
"Our next customer don't have much in the way of surprises either, but as my dad said about the Red Army of the twentieth century A.D. Soviet Union, 'quantity can be its own quality', and in this case, there is a lot of quantity in firepower. Introducing the ZGMF-X31S Abyss." He changed the screen again to reveal a mobile suit in multiple shades of blue as both a normal mobile suit and as a mobile armor that bore a close resemblance to a submarine. "Abyss is an amphibious, artillery mobile suit and carries enough firepower to obliterate pretty much any ship, even the Minerva if it caught us off-guard."
The images changed to focus in on the various weapon systems, and Mwu had a hard time keeping his jaw from dropping. In a comparison of firepower, he'd say it was to a normal suit what the Archangel was to a Nelson-class.
"This mobile suit has numerous weapon systems that can allow it to essentially lay waste to anything in the vicinity. Its primary weapons are high-powered cannons. One mounted in the chest is a multi-phase plasma, easily able to one-shot a variety of vessels. The four beam cannons are able to rotate and provide near three-hundred-and-sixty degree coverage. The latter can therefore be used even in its aquatic mobile armor form if cruising near the surface. For projectiles, it has paired shell-firing cannons and torpedo tubes mounted on opposite sides of the streamlined shoulder binders that form the suit's outer shell as a mobile armor. The inner side of each binder also mounts a row of three more beam cannons, while the outer shells can be used as shields thanks to an anti-beam coating."
Pretty much every pilot in the room looked slightly freaked at the idea of fighting the heavily-armed and well-defended machine. Even Mwu wiped away a thread of sweat unconsciously.
"Your best bet when engaging it is to close as fast as possible. The only melee weapon the Abyss possesses is a 'beam lance' polearm. It lost the majority of the shaft at Armory One, but it may have been repaired. I'll warn you though, the beam edging doesn't need to be active to cut through armor, and that includes your shields, so be careful."
"Ha, ha, ha, 'be careful' he says," one pilot chuckled nervously in the front. "How are we supposed to be careful around a suit that could slag an entire team?"
Alfrid rubbed the back of his head with a nervous bashful air. "Well, I was mainly hoping that the Impulse would be able to take it down. It's got the speed and melee potential to catch it off guard and destroy or disable the Abyss, hopefully before it brings all that firepower to bear."
Shinn nodded. "No problem. I took all three of them on last time and nearly won."
Alfrid adopted a rather flat expression. "Rey please try to keep him alive."
Shinn scowled at that and half-rose but was pulled down by the blonde guy who had been giving him, the Princess, and Athrun death glares the entirety of yesterday.
"Sir, I have full faith in Shinn and his ability to defeat the Abyss."
"That's great Rey," Alfrid said rolling his eyes. "With that vote of confidence, let's look at the next couple impending disasters. ZAFT has recently commissioned five Gundams that are updated versions of the G-series weapons from the last war that were built at Heleopolis. All were targeted, but by a miracle of the gods, the commander, Lieutenant Joule, and Dearka received permission to take their three out for field testing while on their last deployment before we officially join the fleet. Unfortunately, that meant two were captured: Diamond Strike and Onyx Blitz."
The first mobile suit that appeared on the screen the main suit was superficially resembling the original Strike, save for a much darker color scheme, but with rather prominent additions in the form of a multi-system Striker pack. It also displayed a mobile armor form, reminiscent of the A.D. Stealth Bomber, that he supposed it was able to turn into.
"First, off, she's essentially meant to be used as a multi-role attack suit, meaning she can fight at any range with a variety of weapons. At close range, she can either use her double-bladed beam sword, a beam saber, or her "Shorty" beam rifles. At mid-range she has waist-mounted plasma cannons with a rapid-fire setting and she also has shoulder-mounted short-barreled railguns for distant bombardment of large targets."
"Sounds a lot like the Ootori pack," Mwu spoke up, referring to the powerful weapons pack that was equipped to the Strike, the Strike Rouge and the Astrays of elite pilots. "Except with more weapons."
"Can't confirm or deny the influence of the Ootori. And she has even more than that. She also has two additional weapon systems. The shield has a gatling laser which can retract into the shield to allow for the deployment of a beam saber. And the wings are also storage for paired beam swords and beam rifles. Please keep in mind that the majority of these weapons can be utilized in its mobile armor form. She's a tough nut to crack, but the tests showed she had a large learning curve so we're not going to just get mowed down by it. And she can still only use so many weapons at once. Since, unlike the Abyss, most of her weapons require the mobile suit to have free limbs."
The screen changed again and focused on what had to be the remodeled Blitz.
"The other remodel that was stolen was the Onyx Blitz. Like the original Blitz, it is meant for infiltration, but is comparatively light on weapons. However, it uses chameleonized phase shift rather than mirage colloid. With the constant need for adjustments, there is a prominent blur effect when in motion. As for its weapons," he clicked the screen's remote again and focused on the shields and the back attachment. "The weapons pack is a launchable claw appendage with a laser, meaning it can act as a gunbarrel pod. The primary focus of the suit though is on the 'Trikeros II' shields; these have the projectile lancer dart missiles and beam rifles integrated into them for ranged combat. The shields' rims can produce a beam saber-like field that can slice through mobile suits."
"And now we come to ZAFT's greatest fucking up since GENESIS," Alfrid announced with a notable scowl. He pulled up several images of a machine that seemed very similar to a bulked-up Strike with various embellishments. "While the rest of the information during this briefing is cleared for conversation, what I'm telling you guys on this thing is still technically classified at a level none of you apply for. But the captain gave her approval and since they already have it, no real point in trying to keep it a secret. Meet the ZGMF-X42S Legend; a.k.a. the mobile suit most likely to kill us all."
The images shifted once again to reveal the mobile suit that reminded him of the Perfect Strike module they had cobbled together from the Sword, Aile, and Launcher systems in the days leading up to the Atlantic attack on Orb.
"For those of you who paid attention in class, you should have an idea of its weapon systems given that they are similar to the three main Striker packs. It does have a few integrated ideas of its own though. First off are the 'Palma Fiocina' beam cannons mounted in the hands. These are basically meant to be utilized in conjunction with whatever weapons the Legend is holding and can be used as an emergency system if all other weapons are destroyed. Defensively, it has 'Solidus Fulgor' energy shield mountings that can block most weapons. They even tested a low-powered positron cannon against them, and that was about the only thing that broke through. What is really going to give us trouble though is the unique system that generates 'Voiture Lumiere' and Mirage Colloid. Unlike the planetary travel 'Voiture Lumiere' sail, this system only generates a field a fraction of that size which is not used for propulsion. Instead, when combined with Mirage Colloid particles, it creates afterimages of the Legend that can be used to deceive and disorient opponents. Fortunately, the prototype it uses exerts too much of a strain on the reactor to be used in anything other than short bursts."
He played a clip of the Legend demonstrating the dual-action system and, even in the video, Mwu had a small difficulty keeping an eye on the real one. In combat, he imagined it would be much worse.
"And that's everything," the young man turned to them with a grim expression. "We're going in with minimal information. We don't know who these guys are, we don't know what kind of tricks they could pull. And we only have a guess as to where they are. Admiral Haddock's people are good. He was my father's CO and he was an excellent officer. They'll be providing support with us leading the search into Artemis. Good luck to all of you. Also, if anyone has a chicken, I'd really appreciate being able to use it as a sacrifice."
On that odd statement, he marched to the back of the room and refilled the cup of coffee that he had drained. Chugging it down, he practically skipped out of the room.
Mwu felt mildly stunned at the relatively unmilitary manner the mobile suit commander had displayed. "That was quite possibly the oddest way of ending a briefing that I've ever heard."
A magenta-haired red-coat just shrugged her shoulders, "that's Alfrid for you. He's as blunt as they come. Good guy though. Of course, being his friend might make me a little biased."
The pilots began trumping out of the room, some likely heading for the ready room or the hanger to prep for the attack, other heading to the mess hall to grab some early morning grub. Mwu decided to head back to check on Cagalli and Athrun before heading down to the hanger to look at the Strike. He had a feeling that he would need it in perfect working order.
A slightly battered Shinn made his way from the mess hall to the pilot's room, psyching himself up internally for the looming fight. While he wasn't completely well-rested, he hadn't gotten such a sleep in over four years so it didn't matter that much. Shaking off the grim memory, his mind turned to the extra pilot in the briefing room.
Mwu La Flaga was a name that few coordinators didn't know. His exploits at Endymion had initially been thought to be propaganda. But, when it was discovered that he was the sole remaining pilot capable of utilizing the Moebius Zero, his fame had grown considerably as he bested numerous ZAFT aces. His presence on the Archangel had been a major factor in the ship's survival and his skill in the Strike had revealed him to be every bit as skilled and deadly in a mobile suit as he was in a mobile armor. He was a man that was often as admired in ZAFT as he was reviled.
Despite the man serving Athha, Shinn was ready to overlook that since he was going to be helping them recover the stolen models. It helped that he was a fellow pilot whose machine's existence had likely been a contributing factor in the building of the Impulse.
And there the man was, staring intently out the window of the ready room into the hanger, his gaze obviously fixed on his mobile suit. Several of the Minerva's pilots held similar postures, while others made small talk, trying to calm their nerves as the ship continued at full speed towards their objective.
The door popped open and revealed a petite redhead who darted in and made for Aurora and Luna. The three girls held a hushed discussion before the newcomer hugged them tight. She then turned towards him.
Shinn was more than glad to be dating Meyrin Hawke. While her sister could be a bit nasty on occasions and her cousin was far too fond of physical violence, Meyrin was bubbly and cheerful most of the time and her perky attitude always made him smile a little.
"Hey Shinn," she darted up to him, cheeks as red as his probably were. "The captain let me come down here to say good-bye and good luck real quick. So… Um.. Good-bye. And good luck." He stood on tiptoe and pecked him on the corner of his mouth.
A rather giddy grin spread across his face as she ran back out the door and he was strangely immune to the wolf-whistles from the twins. It wasn't the first time she had kissed him, not even the first time like that or in front of his fellow pilots, but it definitely made him feel a little carried away. A rare but still familiar laugh brought him back to the present.
Rey was leaning against a corner and smirked at him before shifting his stare away and directing it intently at La Flaga's back. While Shinn was used to his friend's somewhat unnerving gaze, he seemed unusually focused and tense, though he relaxed slightly when Shinn walked up to him.
"Meyrin seems to make you happy."
"Yeah, she's great. Can't say much about her sister and cousin, but…" he paused finishing with a shrug. You wondering how he's going to fit in?" he asked, pointing his thumb at their temporary addition.
"Yes," Rey responded.
Shinn waited for him to elaborate, as he usually did, but nothing was forthcoming.
Shinn was just about to ask if he thought his fellow blonde would be any help when alarms began ringing through the ship, followed by Meyrin's voice calmly announcing a combat status change.
"Going to Condition Red. Going to Condition Red. All crew man your battle stations. All pilots board your machines and stand by. Be careful Shinn."
Before anyone could take the mickey out of him for that, Shinn felt his first ever rush of gratitude towards his commanding officer. "Alright, let's go," Alfrid ordered. "But no extra equipment, we'll likely be in close quarters and there's too much risk to bring the heavy stuff. Also, check your fire, I have no desire the be writing letters home explaining that someone's kid bit it because one of you guys or girls got trigger-happy."
With groans, mild protests, and a chorus of grim laughter, there was an organized rush to board the three elevators leading down to the hanger floor. Shinn managed to find himself in one with Rey, Samuel, Chris, Elard, one of the regular pilots whose name escaped him, Sherman Grant and Lee Johnston; the perpetual losers of card night; Joe Churchill, and La Flaga.
"Everyone here ready?" the mobile suit pilot/bodyguard asked them.
Nods of affirmation were his answer.
"It'll be good to pay them back for Jack's death, those bastards cost me eighty bucks," Joe said eagerly.
"Well, I owed him twenty and Sherry owes him sixty so you can collect from us if we make it out of this," Lee cracked, earning him a stink-eye from his fellow debtor (and usual partner in the paired games).
"It's going to be nice to finally do some damn fighting," Elard spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. He wasn't exactly known for speaking or smiling, but now he was doing both; though the latter was mildly unnerving even to him. It might have also had to do with how he was rubbing a hand over the hilt of one of his combat knives.
Shinn knew his story almost as well as his own. Mother died at Junius Seven. Sister dead piloting a CGUE at Panama. Father died avenging his daughter at Jachin Due, mutually killing the Sword Dagger pilot who claimed to have done the deed. And both of them held a deep hatred for the Alliance, though his own was also directed towards Athha and Orb.
"Just don't get carried away," the veteran pilot warned unexpectedly scrutinizing them all. "I knew a guy during the last war who was determined to fight to defend others, but the strain nearly killed him. Took a while and the efforts of his friends to pull him back together after the war."
"Maybe he was weak," Elard sneered.
The blonde man turned towards him with a scowl. "He was far from weak and was probably one of the greatest pilots I ever knew. He just didn't like fighting even though he was good at."
Elard let out a huff as the elevator doors opened. Their fellow pilots were already streaming from the elevators, Alfrid rattling off orders as they quickly boarded their machines. He'd never like the other war orphan, but he could at least admit he was good at getting things organized. Probably why Commander Joule had made him Quartermaster.
Running over towards the lift in the center of the hanger, he boarded the small elevator and made his way up to the Core Splendor. Below and around him, engines roared to life as the mobile suits powered on. A second later, the familiar snap-hiss meant he had reached the cockpit module of the Impulse. Quick as a whip, he charged across the pad and practically leapt into his cockpit. Before the canopy had even closed, the various buttons and displays were lighting up, and the even drone assured him that the power system was ready.
The platform then rose even higher than it was already positioned until he was brought to rest along the central catapult. The doors several hundred feet away slid open and he caught a glimpse of the Artemis base in the distance.
"Course clear. Core Splendor, launch," Meyrin's voice ordered over the comm system, wavering just a little.
"Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor. Launching," Shinn confirmed as the jet-like mobile armor sped down the launch catapult and in to space. Behind him, the three other components of the Impulse followed; the Chest and Leg Flyers and the Force Silhouette. All three soon linked up around him and the completed Impulse blasted forward. The Minerva continued to launch the rest of its complement, until all thirty-three suits had assumed a loose formation. The Impulse itself, seven ZAKU Phantoms (some with more specialized modifications then others), Sam's GuAIZ Perfect, twenty-three ZAKU Warriors, and now the Strike. Together with Minerva they represented what was probably the most powerful single military units since the Battle of Jachin Due. And there was more besides.
Arrayed to the Minerva's port were the seven Nazca-class and one very heavily-modified Laurasia-class. While the Nazcas were painted the usual turquoise blue, the Aesir was painted a golden yellow. Owing to Admiral Haddock's well-known Junk Guild contacts, the ship had a better armament than most of its type and was said to be a match for one of Orb's few, but powerful, Izumo-class, though not quite on the level of an Archangel or the Minerva. And in front of the eight ships was a cloud of mobile suits, a prototype GOUF leading it. And behind it came both types of ZAKU, GuAIZ Rs, GINNs HMIIs, and even a CGUE DEEP Arms.
"All Minerva mobile suits listen up," Alfrid spoke up over the comm line. "Admiral Haddock just contacted me; we'll be occupying the hangers and nearby corridors large enough for us. We've got the most modern suits and our training covered this. Try to take the captured Gundams as intact as possible. And for Odin's sake, if you hit the Legend's power plant, let the rest of us know so we can get some distance between us and the fucking mushroom cloud. We'll be going in by two hangers; Shinn you're with my group, Mr. La Flaga, please go with the other."
Slowly their formation drifted forward, splitting into the designated groups to board the asteroid fortress. Shinn landed in his group's hanger first, followed almost immediately by Alfrid.
"Magnetize feet," Alfrid commanded.
A series of subtle thumps and bangs rang throughout the hanger as the mobile suits attached themselves to the metal floor. Internally, each mobile suit's o.s. would be making constant adjustments to the magnetic forces in the space of milliseconds so that they would maintain full range of movement.
"Alright, fan out and blow those doors."
Their half of the mobile suit wing proceeded to do just that, blasting the designated entrances that appeared on their HUDs. With their sensor packages dialed up to their most sensitive setting, they swept every nook and cranny of their LZ, but nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. At last, Alfrid was satisfied and contacted the Minerva.
"Alright Minerva, Hanger One is secure, feel free to start dispatching shuttles."
Within minutes, the small ships were settling into place beside the mobile suits and dozens of marines in full gear were tromping down the ramps. The officers gathered into a separate group with Alfrid descending from his mobile suit to join in. Shinn idly checked his scanner readouts, finding nothing out of the ordinary. He let out a sigh, allowing boredom to begin sinking in and recalling the (thankfully very few) simulations that had portrayed similar situations. He readied himself for several dull hours and remembered what one of their commando instructors had said always said about success on a mission.
'The sign of a perfect mission is that it's boring. When it's not boring, you know that you've failed. No matter how bad things get, don't be tempted to relieve boredom.'
Like most things that they had been told, it made a certain amount of sense, but that still didn't stop the pilots from grumbling. Sure they all knew that some tasks would necessitate a higher tolerance against dull conditions than others, but that still didn't stop them from wishing they were outside with the majority of the mobile suits. At least then they'd be flying around (and more than likely practicing a few maneuvers) and not just standing around.
He didn't even realize Alfrid had returned to his mobile suit and rejoined them until his voice came over the comm systems.
"Alright everyone, you know what's up. They're heading in now," a dull thump emphasized those words, "and Commander Milgram says they'll keep in contact with us. Only left for us to do is sit tight. We'll at least be patched into their communication broadcasts to act as relays. Me, I'm hoping for a relaxing time, but I'd better not catch anyone sleeping."
The next couple hours passed with only a fair amount of background noise as the commandos conducted their searches. Alfrid occasionally hailed someone to make sure they were paying attention, but that was the only thing that there really was to occupy them. It began to get so bad that Shinn was wishing for something, anything really to happen, even if it was just a crate falling over. And that was exactly what happened.
The loud bang caused several of the suits to jerk around and begin scanning all over while the twins reduced the metal container to free-floating atoms.
"Cease fire," Alfrid roared. Immediately, everyone froze, the twins' ZAKUs took on an almost human stance of embarrassment and contriteness. Alfrid didn't lecture either of them though, instead snarling out what they were probably all thinking.
"I don't understand it. How can we not have encountered them by now?"
And that was when a new, undamaged, set of bay doors slammed shut behind them, rocking the hanger with the force of their collision.
"TRAP!" half-a-dozen voices screamed out, immediately opening fire on the barrier blocking their escape. And that's when a loud rumble seemed to shake the entire asteroid.
"Damnit," Alfrid swore. "Minerva. Minerva, come in. Aesir, Galileo, respond."
All he received in response was static.
"Fuck this; Shinn, I need you to open a comm line to the other hanger."
"On it," Shinn replied, his fingers already blurring across the keyboard. "Alright it's good."
"Captain La Flaga come in. What is your status?"
A burst of static nearly blew Shinn's eardrums and he quickly typed out command lines to minimize and clarify the interference. But they weren't left with much.
"Hanger… moving… fire."
But that confusing series of words was punctuated by the unmistakable rumble of a mobile suit exploding.
"INCOMING HOSTILES!" Alfrid bellowed. "We're about to get hit, scanners to maximum."
With that, he fired a series of blasts at a section of wall causing it to fold down and reveal several mobile suits coming down a tunnel. They were immediately forced to duck to the sides to avoid being melted by a literal wave of beam fire. A series of smaller explosions saw several more panels be blow off the walls and disgorge a wave of mobile suits. Close-quarters combat was immediately joined.
Shinn activated his beam saber and charged into the melee, noting there opponents were Slaughter Daggers, meaning it was much more likely that their enemy was Earth Alliance, or at least Natural-affiliated. Though it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that a rogue Coordinator faction had elected to use the rather common machine to create a false impression. But it soon became apparent that the pilots at least were probably Naturals. Then again his Gundam's more powerful systems gave him a decisive advantage at this range against pretty much any opponent except another Gundam. He effortlessly avoided blows and sent other mobile suits crashing to the floor through sheer power. But the suddenness of the attack had caught many off-guard and Shinn was forced to spend more time helping his fellows than finishing downed opponents.
Despite the overwhelming nature of the assault, the ZAFT pilots were able to gain the upper hand and began scrapping their foes, allowing some of them to begin planting grenades on the massive obstruction preventing them. A massive whoomp gave a good indication of the success as the door crumpled. Several concentrated beam blasts blew it away entirely.
"Captain Milgrim, what is your status?"
"We've been ambushed and are cut off from you. We've linked up with the other team and are heading out that way. You're clear to bail from guard duty because I get the feeling there was some important about that big boom right after we were surprised.
"Roger. Alright kiddies, no more babysitting we're heading back out."
A chorus of whoops and minor cheers greeted that news as Alfrid lead them back into space. A space that was alive with a raging conflict.
"Form up and take 'em down," Alfrid ordered as the mass of mobile suits split into pairs and trios and plunged into the whirling dogfights.
Meyrin was fidgeting in her seat again. While somewhat unprofessional, Talia Gladys was going to overlook it. Everyone was pretty jittery and the presence of both their own head of state and that of Orb's Chief Representative was not helping matters. The only thing they could do was sit and wait as their assault teams made their way into the base. And as each hour passed, their nerves only grew more stretched.
The hiss of the lift let her know that Arthur had returned. He had gone on a patrol around the ship to ensure all stations were ready for combat, even though they didn't even have a single indication that the enemy was here outside of fading radiation trails. A calm nudge from her second-in-command also proceeded a cup of coffee being placed at her station. That was one of the reasons she appreciated having the capable man as her subordinate. He was always going out of his way to ensure the comforts of others and rarely needed to raise his voice.
Arthur went about distributing drinks to both their guests and the rest of the bridge crew as all continued their focused vigil. A vigil that was now extending into its fifth hour. The mobile suits, even running under stand-by conditions, would soon need to return to recharge, a process that fortunately would take only a couple minutes for the entire wing thanks to a suggestion from Lunamaria to convert all on-board mobile suits to being able to utilize the Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System, originally meant for the Gundams. While this would require the batteries to be replaced a bit more frequently, it offered an unparalleled ability to recharge their mobile suits.
"Ma'am, the Aesir is sending a communications request." Abby reported from her station next to Meyrin.
"Accept it," she ordered. Richard Haddock had only contacted them upon their arrival and she would be glad for any ideas that the man could suggest to explain why there had been no contact with enemy. The viewing screen flared to life revealing a man with gray hair swiftly fading to white. He gave a grizzled smirk and acknowledged his fellow officer.
"Afternoon Captain Gladys. I'm assuming you're growing as concerned about this lack of activity as I am?"
"Indeed," she replied back. "It would seem that our enemy has evaded us. I believe that, given the stealth capability they displayed when encroaching upon Armoury One, it is almost certain that they have managed to sneak away."
The older coordinator stroked his course stubble. "Aye, it's a possibility, but not one I'd indulge. Some instinct of mine is telling me they're still here. They could be hoping for a demonstration of just how powerful those Gundams are in space combat. Or they could be angling to take out your ship."
"The Minerva sir?" she questioned the admiral. Despite having three ships destroyed beneath his feet and collecting dozens of injuries that should have forced him into retirement, it was reputed that the admiral's mind was as sharp as ever. And considering the number of times he had predicted the exact nature of an upcoming engagement from merely perusing his opponent's dossier and then examining their fleet composition, that was an asset of incomparable value.
"Quite. We built the Minerva to basically replicate what the Archangel did during the previous war. No one knows where it's gotten too since Jachin Due," he reminded her, though not condescendingly. "Some say it's at Heleopolis II ready to emerge as the flag of Orb's orbital forces. Some say the Junk Guild scavenged her. And each rumor is as valid as the last. Save perhaps the one where Blue Cosmos grabbed her somehow. But the point is that the Minerva was built with similar weapons capacity and even greater capability for operating as an independent unit."
"And we assumed that the Earth Alliance wasn't trying something similar," she remarked bitterly, recalling how their latest intelligence report had included a great deal of information on how they were focusing on a new series of mobile armors, but there had been no hint of a new class of warship.
"Yeah, unless this isn't the EA," he pointed out with a speculative expression. "Though realistically, they are the only ones with sufficient resources. The Zalaites have lost most of their influence and Blue Cosmos could be subverting funds from the Earth governments, though I'd like to think someone would've uncovered something like that."
Talia nodded, softly dribbling her fingers on her armrests.
"I agree with Admiral Haddock," Gilbert's voice announced. She turned her head in just the slightest to see him leading Representative Athha and one of her bodyguards onto the ship's bridge. Haddock's posture went from relaxed commander to discipline subordinate as he snapped to attention.
"Chairman," he saluted, only easing when he received a nod.
"More to the point, there are few other bodies with the capability or will to commit such acts. The Junk Guild is widespread and potentially does have the capability; however, I doubt any of their members would want a war, much less ne brought down on their heads. The Martian colonies are currently embroiled in internal difficulties. And…" Gilbert paused and seemed to contain a wince, though part of her, the part that had known him for so long, viewed it as some sort of subterfuge. A thought that was confirmed when Representative Athha nodded.
"Undoubtedly there are some elements of Orb that would want such as ship," she spoke, cautiously. "But they lack the resources to pull off such an escapade."
Her bodyguard seemed rather tense over the subject, likely thinking his charge was too free with speaking about the internal politics of Orb. Of course, given that his job was to protect her, he could have also just been agitated by the entire situation they had found themselves in.
"Well, there's not much to go but supposition at this point. Hopefully we'll take some prisoners and be…" he stopped mid-speech.
And it was then that Talia noticed light on the viewing screens that allowed the Minerva visual awareness while the bridge was lowered. And then proximity alarms began blaring throughout the ship. And a familiar silhouette emerged from where part of Artemis's crust had blasted away.
"Captain," Arthur yelped, "it's Bogey One!"
"Yeah this is definitely a trap to catch the Minerva," Admiral concluded as the comm line cut out abruptly. He was likely communicating with his other ships. Which would need it against their foe.
"Meyrin, get in contact with our mobile suit contingent. We need them out here now!"
The rest of her crew had already begun typing in command sequences as the ship oriented itself from a watch status to full combat awareness. She turned her attention to the battle as the Minerva came about.
The six beam turrets of their enemy fired off, each side directed at a different target. One Nazca escaped unharmed, barring some minor scoring that blackened the aqua hull. But the second was not as lucky, with two beams lancing through its starboard prong and three more striking it dead-center. A wave of missiles streaked towards a third ZAFT warship and its position near another gave it the protection of two CIWS systems. Just when it seemed like the strike would be warded off, one slipped through and the resulting explosion covered the final descent of several more. The ship emerged from the debris cloud relatively intact, but it began withdrawing. In the opening moments of battle, they had effectively lost two ships.
Fortunately, the mobile suits of both were still ready for action and eager to avenge their shipmates as they lead the charge of mobile suits towards those that were accompanying Bogey One. Soon they were mixing it up and the superior quality of the ZAFT mobile suits slowly began to tell. And then all six beam turrets fired at the Aesir. Even as horror grew in her mind, all twelve streaks of green light fizzled out and she breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared that the Aesir's modifications lived up to her rumored potential.
"Arthur, do we have a firing solution?"
"Yes ma'am," he nodded, focused on his instruments as he coordinated the Minerva's various systems.
A dozen scenarios flashed through her mind as she resolved the battle in her mind.
"Disabling strikes to their engines," she ordered. "No more than thirty percent power. Our main objective is to reacquire our stolen mobile suits and taking that ship would be key to figuring out who was responsible for this."
"Tristans One and Two target Bogey One's engines. Restrict power output to twenty-five percent," Arthur relayed.
Four beams dash across space. But one pair was halted only a few kilometers short by a flare of light violet light. The other appeared to merely be diffused by what she was prepared to wager her rank on being the same laminated armor that had protected the Archangel-class and now her own command.
"What was that?" she demanded.
"Unknown ma'am," her second-in-command reported. "There was a flare of energy that seemed to block our attack, but there doesn't appear to be anything now."
"Make sure we have every available scanning system analyzed after this is over. Increase the next strikes power to forty percent. Meyrin, what's the status of the mobile suit engagement?"
"Enemy losses are at approximately thirty percent ma'am, our own have suffered about ten and-"
Suddenly a series of explosions suddenly ripped across the mobile suit engagement zone and several purple streaks closed in on a Nazca and opened fire.
"Ma'am, the enemy mobile armor unit deployed at Armoury One has just entered the combat. Our losses have just doubled and the Inca has just sustained heavy damage to its weapon systems."
"Meyrin, have you established contact with our mobile suits?"
"Yes ma'am, just now. They were ambushed and their comm systems were under jamming, but they are aware of the situation and Alfrid's portion should be engaging- NOW!"
With the Impulse in the lead, the fresh score of mobile suits roared into the fray.
Luna watched anxiously as the last infantryman scrambled aboard the shuttle.
The ambush had been a rather nasty surprise for both mobile suits and the ZAFT marines combing the supposedly abandoned base. And while they had easily defeated their attackers, with the Strike playing an integral part in the brief firefight, they had suffered losses. Amy Swiss had been caught out of position and triple-teamed by a coordinated strike of Daggers. She had taken one down and badly damaged a second before the third drove its beam saber into her cockpit. Sherman and Lee had lost their mobile suits but both escaped relatively intact.
'A metaphor for their typical card performance,' she supposed to herself. Both were now safe on one of the shuttles they were to escort back to the ships.
"Alright, move out," Sam ordered as the shuttles fired their engines.
The convoy immediately swooped downwards, at least relative to the Earth's orbital plane given that there was no true direction in space. And that was when they caught sight of the battle raging amongst the ships. Concern for her sister overrode the procedures the academy had ingrained into her as she opened a link to the Minerva.
"Meyrin! What'sgoingon? Areyouokay? Where'stheotherteam? Haveyoubeenhit? Is it the Gun-"
"Luna I'm fine," she responded sounding far to calm to Luna for the current situation. "The rest of the Minerva's mobile are engaging our attackers. We were ambushed though the Minerva hasn't been hit. Just try to keep it that way."
"And please Lieutenant Hawke, refrain from personal communications during a battle," a strict female voice said with a hint of irritation.
'Damn,' she mentally swore. 'The captain.' "Sorry ma'am, it won't happen again." 'At least I hope not.'
"See that it doesn't," was the curt response as the line went dead.
Mentally berating herself, Luna flew with the formation towards the raging battle. A group of Slaughter Daggers broke out and came zooming towards them. Her shots as the two groups of mobile suits closed managed to blast one apart and she grinned in triumph at her first kill. And then the battle was joined in earnest. The next few moments were a rush of adrenaline, confidence, and terror as they fought against the superior numbers of Slaughter Daggers, the sheer technological difference making up for the numbers disadvantage. It also seemed like their opponents were unusually cautious as she had yet to gain another kill despite damaging several. But she had gotten so used to their behavior that she didn't notice one diving on her from above, beam saber blazing.
"Luna, look up," a voice crackled over the radio. She almost froze as her new opponent came bearing down on her, but a series of, somewhat poorly aimed, shots slowed him. And she raised her own beam rifle and blew off its right arm. The mobile suit streaked away and was replaced by a black mobile suit that was almost invisible in the dark of space, only recognizable by the two beam sabers it had.
"Hey Luna, having a nice afternoon?" Alfrid asked with a shaky laugh as he took a wingman position.
"Better than I almost was. Thanks for the save," she answered. Both mobile suits began flying the standard evasion path, searching for new targets. "Still need to work on your aim a little?"
"One of my sensors was knocked askew," he protested, firing off another spread of beam rifle blasts and even scoring some minor damage. "And besides, these guys are pretty good. I've yet to pick up a kill."
"Well, I have one kill marker to place on my suit," she mentioned somewhat smugly.
"Good work," he complimented her. There was some force behind it, but it seemed more his frustration with his own inability.
Suddenly, they were separated by a powerful volley of green energy beams. She glanced up in time to see a diving purple dagger-like shape. It was one of those new mobile armors, and the thing was just as vicious as the others had said. Taking a breath, Luna poured energy into her thrusters as the attacker separated into its various components and began shooting at her from every angle. Desperately, she scanned for friendly mobile suits, remembering Captain La Flaga's advice in the briefing about engaging these things on their own. She increasingly realized why that was the case as the network of beams came closer and closer to turning her into dust.
And that was when a shot blew her left shield off and sent her into a short tumble. Just as she righted herself, two of the pods stopped their constant maneuvering and came into perfect alignment for killing shots. She raised her beam rifle and squeezed off three shots, the first two managed to deflect the weaker blasts aimed at her and the third drilled through both gunbarrels, exploding them. And then for a millisecond, she saw the larger form of the mobile armor's main body closing in, she blasted forward, squeezing off a shot guided more by instinct than design. Several hits slammed into her, though they didn't appear to have caused any major damage, though an alarm indicated her phase shift was gone. And then it was on her flank, but the under slung cannon was melted and useless. Both remaining gunbarrels reattached themselves and it seemed to almost acknowledge her as it flew away. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and made a beeline for the Minerva, her phase shift was gone, she had suffered damage, and the mobile suits power levels were in the red. She took a passing shot at a Slaughter Dagger and continued on.
"Minerva, this is Hawke, I've sustained damage and am coming in to land."
"Copy that," her sister's voice responded, a nervous hitch coloring it. "The recall order for our mobile suits was sent out. Bogey One is rapidly departing the battlefield and we are setting out in pursuit. The majority of our shuttles will have to be taken aboard Admiral Haddock's ships."
Luna finished her landing preparations and came to a rest inside the starboard hanger. She took off her helmet and wiped away the layer of sweat that coated her brow. Fighting in space was even more chaotic than the simulations had made it out to be. Privately, she hoped that she wouldn't be doing much of it. She was pulled into the main hanger by the machinery and stayed inside refocusing herself as the rest of the mobile suits came in. While a number had their once-pristine conditions ruined, it seemed that each one was still combat capable.
'We were lucky,' she thought to herself as she recalled Amy's mobile suit being destroyed.
Alfrid walked into the Minerva's command meeting, inclining his head towards the captain to apologize for his delay. The nurse who attended to him after the doctor patched him up had been a little heavy with the sedatives and he only woke up about an hour prior. And she had neglected to inform him about the meeting his presence had been requested for.
Vice-Captain Trine continued going over the ship's status report with input from the various staff officers. The Minerva hadn't suffered any damage from the battle around Artemis, outside some scoring damage from strafing runs that hadn't even taken out any of the CIWS weapons. The minor structural damage from Bogey One's little trap had been completely repaired.
He absentmindedly scratched at the bandage that covered the gash in his armor, as the various members of the Minerva's command staff debated the battles results and discussed the next expected battle. His injury had been caused when a series of particle beams had hammered his mobile suit and caught him unawares and unbraced. His arm had caught on a corner of his console and had torn through fabric and flesh. Still he had managed to bring his beam saber into the perfect position to slice right through the enemy as he had closed in for the kill. It had been his third and final victory in the battle around Artemis.
After he and Luna had been separated by the attack of Moebius Zero-Two, he had been attacked by a foursome of Slaughter Daggers, all with their beam sabers drawn. And he proceeded to show them just why he was the top-ranked melee combatant in his class. The first had withdrawn when he skillfully parried a pair of strikes from it and then sliced the mobile suit's shield in half from the back. At the same time, he had caught blows from the other two with the beam saber in his offhand and on one of his shields. The next few minutes had been a blur of swordplay as he danced around his remaining opponents, seeking and pressing every hole in their defense. He had then gained his first kill as he disarmed and sliced apart one of the Slaughter Daggers after its fellows had been driven back by a combination of beam saber techniques and using the mobile suit itself as a weapon. The second kill had come as he had pretended to be damaged, luring one of the remaining attackers in and driving a beam saber right into its power core, triggering a chain reaction that consumed the mobile suit. The last Dagger had fired its thrusters at full power and rushed away from the dogfight. And that had been when the fifth Dagger had struck.
"ALFRID!" a voice cut into his ponderings and he shook himself back into the present, where everyone else was gazing at him in expectation, with one or two scowling at his inattention.
"Sorry captain," he apologized, a red blush creeping up his neck in shame. "My head still a little foggy from…"
He gestured with his injured arm and the gazes directed at him softened slightly. "Won't happen again. What were you asking?"
The captain let out a brief sigh at his question, "I was asking about the condition of your pilots."
"I didn't see most of them before I was put under," he began. "Though Sean and Dale came to visit me and it sounds like everyone is a little shaken, but they have their nerves intact. Amy did very little to make herself popular and my own injuries were the most severe and they won't preclude me from fighting."
"Very well. We should be making contact with Bogey One in approximately three hours. The Minerva is operating at approximately 98% combat efficiency, we are the most powerful ship in the fleet and our enemy was damaged by attacks on it as it withdrew from the combat around Artemis. It is likely that most of its mobile weapon contingent was part of the attacking force. The most dangerous opposition is expected to be the Gundams and all of them suffered minor damage during the incident at Armory One. This is probably our best chance at catching our enemies and retaking our Gundams. I want all stations to be ready for battle half an hour before contact. You're all dismissed."
The massive hulk loomed ahead of them. It spoke of tragedy. Of a war that had come and passed it by. Stripped of everything that could be salvaged, it now floated in the debris belt. To many, evoked a mournful air acknowledging the loss of life. Ian Lee was not most men.
Captain Lee did not much care. Like all who wore the black and grey uniform of Phantom Pain, he was beyond being emotionally stirred by such things. Not much remained of the hopeful, idealistic young man who had joined the Atlantic Federation space forces decades earlier. That part had been wrung dry long ago.
How much had changed since then? From the time when Earth was at peace and the Earth Alliance was meant to defend the entirety of the Earth Sphere, and even extend aid to their brethren on Mars.
And then the tension between Naturals and Coordinators had arose. Lee had even felt some compassion towards those oppressed because of their parents desire to make them "perfect". But whatever he might have felt for the Coordinators had died long ago. Even the bright, burning hate had fizzled out after some nameless battle where his ship had been the only one from either side still active in the desolation. All that remained was Phantom Pain. An appropriate name.
He glanced sideways at the younger man seated in the chair next to his. Neo Roanoke sat straight, his blond hair cascading from underneath the helmet that concealed the upper half of his head, his face expressionless.
He knew who that man was. For that matter, he knew what that man was. He was one of very few people privy to that information. What was more, he had a pretty good idea of what that man intended to do.
It did not matter.
"Distance to asteroid?" he asked aloud.
"Distance fourteen hundred and closing!" replied the helmsman.
"Combat Ops, order all mobile suits to launch. Helm, lay in a course below the asteroid. Prepare to put Colonel Roanoke's plan into effect."
"Deck reports starboard catapult online! Port catapult online! Systems show green…launching!" Through the bridge's forward viewport, Lee could see the tiny shapes of their new weapons foat away into the debris as they sowed the seeds for the destruction of their pursuer.
"Mobile suits away! Datalinks are green! Closing hangar doors!"
"I just hope your pilots are up to it," Lee said in a low voice that only Neo was close enough to hear.
"Wasn't their performance yesterday ago proof enough?" Neo sounded almost disappointed.
"There's a lot riding on them doing their jobs right," Lee retorted, in no mood to be palmed off. "I've seen too many Extendeds screw up to have any confidence in them."
"None of them fifth-generation Extended," Neo reminded him, not rising to the bait. "You have to admit, those out there are far superior performers. And if anything goes wrong, I'll go out there myself. Happy now?"
"Very well." Lee decided he was getting nowhere. Neo's skill was not to be sneezed at, but he didn't feel any better for it. If only because even he doubted that the Gundams would be capable of tying down all of the ZAFT mobile suits.
Lee knew, both from his training and from experience, what happened when an unsupported warship faced a warship with mobile suits in support. If those Extended screwed up and got themselves killed, or allowed themselves to be lured away, the Girty Lue would be at an extreme disadvantage. Especially since they had been forced to leave much of their mobile weapon contingent at Artemis. Though fortunately, not the pilots of the mobile armors, who had been substituted for volunteers. Machines could be replaced easily, but not so the skilled pilots with unique natural abilities.
"Passing Contact H!" called the helmsman. "Entering range for anchor target!"
"Cast anchor as you bear!" Neo called. It was his plan after all. "Launch the decoy after firing." He smirked. "Get the timing right on this."
"T-minus eight seconds!" counted the helmsman. "T-minus seven… six… five… four… three… two… one… firing!"
Lee could see the anchor fly, the tiny light of its rocket engine racing away towards the vast bulk of the colony wall, looming menacingly in the forward viewport.
"Anchor has impacted! Anchor is holding!"
It was like something out of a very old movie, or an acrobatics act. Having cut engines several minutes earlier, the Girty Lue had drifted towards the asteroid on momentum, aiming itself with vernier thrusters. Neo's idea was to use the anchor as one might swing on a rope or trapeze, maintaining momentum while sling-shotting around the asteroid. It all depended on making sure that not too much strain was put on the high-tension anchor cable.
Lee felt the ship begin to swing. He winced at the sound of metal straining, wondering what the yard crew would say when they got back to base.
If they got back to base.
Cagalli strode back onto the Minerva's bridge with Athrun at her heels. She was nervous about Mwu going into battle again, especially since this time he would undoubtedly face those Gundams. Still, his skill and experience as a pilot would likely keep him safe. But still, as any soldier could testify to, luck played a huge part in deciding who lived and who died on the battlefield. She could only hope that Haumea was watching over them.
And that was when she realized where they were. She had heard they were in the debris belt; but here?
Looming before was the ruin of Heleopolis, Orb's orbital colony lost during the war and birthplace of the Gundams. She felt the overpowering urge to sit down and slid into a seat near Chairman Durandal. Part of her wondered if he had deliberately kept their likely confrontation zone a secret from her, to shake her and gain some foothold, though for what purpose she could not say; yet another reason to hate these damnable games that some politicians played. Another part of her bowed her head and thought of the tragedy that had unfolded there; thankfully casualties had been relatively light thanks to a combination of the colony's safety systems and much of the population having left it for Earth as the war in space intensified. And a small part of her also was occupied with noting Athrun's reaction. He held himself partially responsible for the event, even though his actual role in the destruction had been minimal. In fact, the alarms signaling the ZAFT attacked had resulted in a pre-emptive evacuation. And he wasn't the only person who blamed himself, as Heleopolis's destruction still featured prominently in her brother's infrequent nightmares.
The Strike was the last mobile suit to launch as it joined up with the mass preceding their mothership as a vanguard. Some were also being kept in the hanger to either serve as a reserve or to protect the Minerva if one or more enemy mobile suits broke through.
"Lower the bridge," the captain ordered. "Prepare for anti-ship"
Cagalli felt a strange sensation and realized why they had taken a different path to the bridge this time. It apparently could withdraw into an armored compartment. Ingenious. Several times during the previous war, the Archangel had nearly been destroyed by attacks aimed at the bridge and keeping it defended would help improve their combat capabilities. Their descent came to a halt into the larger room from last time that also accommodated the combat information center. The Vice-Captain floated over to an empty chair and took command of the CIC.
"Target maintaining course; distance: 4700 kilometers," one of the bridge officers reported.
"Ma'am we are ready to engage Bogey One," the second-in-command reported as his handed blurred over his console, issuing orders for the entire ship from a single station.
"Open fire as soon as we come into effective range."
"Bogey One," a voice said contemplatively. "We call it that, but I wonder what its name is, its true name. A name reflects its owner's nature. Aggression, compassion, mournful. So much can be determined by a name."
Cagalli was wondering what on Earth he was going on about. She had heard that Durandal was considered something of a philosopher, but there seemed to be no point to his monologue.
"But what if the name was merely a fake. If something goes by a false name, would it mean that thing is fake, false by nature?"
Suddenly, Cagalli felt a growing pit of dread that her stomach dropped down into. 'Could he… But how?'
"Is that what it would mean, Alex?"
By now, most of the crew seemed to be paying partial attention to their head of state's almost whimsical tone.
"Or, is it Athrun Zala?"
And then everything went silent, not a finger clicked on a keyboard. It was though all attention in the room and the tension from the impending fight were drawn into the three individuals at the back of the bridge. At least until the Vice-Captain reacted.
"WHAT?"
Author's Note: Okay, time for an apology. Namely for this chapter being a week late. This was because this chapter had been completed prior to me beginning my posting pattern. I was going over it a couple days before posting when I realized that I was allocating far too much screen time to my OC Alfrid. The parts that are currently in Shinn's and Luna's PoVs were originally told by Alfrid so there was a little too much focus on him; not good for an OC. So I basically had to rewrite about half the fanfic and my family was visiting, further limiting my writing time. So my apologies for this being so late. The next chapter should be up on time though. Probably also didn't help that I had spent a fair amount of time earlier in the month working on preliminary work for a possible pair of Naruto stories.
As always, please leave a review telling me what you liked and what you disliked. If my story isn't working for you, I can't improve without knowing what I'm doing wrong. And don't be shy about sending a PM my way, I'm always glad to talk about what I'm doing in my stories.