SUPER ROBOT WARS S REVAMPED
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Just a little note before we continue on with the story, I decided that I will indeed use Tolle/Mir and Andy/Aisha (believe it or not, Tolle does have the potential to make a pretty good pilot with the right amount of experience). I know that the Dearka/Mir fans will be disappointed at this decision but trust me, Super Robot Taisen G Redux will use the Dearka/Mir pairing so no need to worry. I also have another SRW story in the works, so I will probably use that pairing even then.
Oh… and yes, I am aware that the Kusanagi, the Tsukyomi, the Susanoo and even the Izumo were not in any Super Robot Wars game. But hey, it doesn't hurt to mix things up a little to make the story more interesting. As for why I am using both Raul and Fiona instead of just Fiona… well, I would have to thank Dragoon Swordsman's Super Robot Taisen story Knights of the Moon for incorporating both Toya and Calvina into the saga. It inspired me to use both protagonists of SRW R
With that said, here comes the new chapter!
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Chapter 4 – Towards Amaterasu
Lacus Clyne had a concerned expression on her face as she bore witnesses to the legless, armless and packless MBF-02 Strike Rouge being brought onboard the Eternal, praying with every fiber of her being that Kira wasn't banged up from having to come all the way from Earth just to save her and the Eternal's crew from the attacking ZAFT Nazca-class ships and their MS forces which are still pursuing them as they speak. "Kira!" she called out to him, waiting to greet the now former pilot of the ZGMF-X10A Freedom as she wanted to see the boy she fell in love with again.
Opening the cockpit of the trashed Strike Rouge, Kira floated out and made his way towards Lacus not even bothering to deactivate the PS Armor or imagining how his twin sister Cagalli would react if she was to learn of what happened to her mobile suit as he saw the pinkette was waiting for him. "Lacus!" he spoke, not wanting to keep her waiting any longer because he needed to be certain that she's alright even if there was still a battle being fought that had to be won. After all, even an ace such as Andy wasn't going to last much long the ZAFT forces by himself.
"Kira!" Lacus said, greeting the young ace pilot. "I am glad to see you. At the moment, we are in a difficult position with ZAFT and the Neo Zeon forces."
"I know, that is why I tried to join you as soon as I could." Kira answered with a nod. "I heard that the new machine has been completed, too."
The pink-haired songstress nodded with a small smile. "Yes… The Strike Freedom Gundam is ready. If you want, you can take a look at it, as well."
The young man nodded, and Lacus led Kira to the hangars the newly constructed Mobile Suit was awaiting him. He was quite simply stunned with the appearance of one of the new Terminal Mobile Suits: it looked like the ill-fated Mobile Suit it was an improved version of, and yet, the differences were quite plain: it looked noticeably more agile, more polished and much more powerful than its destroyed counterpart, and it sported what looked like a group of blue DRAGOON pods on its back, sprouting out of the mighty Mobile Suit's back like wings, and also had a pair of railguns mounted on its hips. It looked powerful and majestic, almost giving out a palpable aura of power.
"About the Mobile Suit..." Kira began; taking a more attentive look at what would later become his most powerful Mobile Suit. "I see that you have incorporated the DRAGOON system into it..." Although Lacus was now his secret fiancé, she managed to feel a pang of pain in the brown-haired boy's voice. The tragic memories of two years ago, when the girl whom Kira loved was killed by a shot from a DRAGOON pod, was still fresh in Kira's mind...
"Still… Thanks, Lacus…" he spoke again, smiling as now it seemed like he will be able to make a proper difference and it seemed fitting to receive his new Gundam from the woman he had fallen in love with, after all she did give him the Freedom two years ago after he healed from the injuries he acquired when Athrun self-destructed the GAT-X303 Aegis in a last ditch effort to destroy the GAT-X105+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike at the Marshall Islands. "With this new machine, I can fight properly, the way I know how…"
"Kira…"
Kira didn't give her a chance to finish as he placed his hands into hers in a very loving gesture and could tell she was becoming really worried for him but she didn't need to continue doing so now that he's here. "Wait here, I'll be right back…" he reassured her with the smile on his face not fading. "And then we'll return… back to our friends."
Remaining silent, Lacus knew that he was right as if he was able to survive three life-threatening events that would have killed any other pilot in battle; he should be fine since he now had the machine she wanted to give him. "Okay…" she responded in a soft voice, slowly nodding her head in understanding as it was for the best. "Now, I know you need to rendez-vous with the Eternal as they arrive here. You and the new pilot, Raul Grayden, are our best chances to win against ZAFT and Neo Zeon right now. The Strike Freedom is basically ready…"
"I know. Losing an Excellence model is not an option either." Kira answered. "We need to begin preparations right now, and head out as soon as the Strike Freedom is operative. This is a battle we cannot afford to lose."
Lacus nodded silently, understanding Kira's point. The moment of the final showdown with ZAFT was getting closer.
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"Alright, ol' pal… let's show these ZAFT goons what we're about!" Raul smiled to himself as his combat robot, the Excellence Cosmodriver frame, as he dodged in and out of the barrage of beams shot towards him by the ZAFT Mobile Suits they were facing. The team, led by Andrew Waltfeldt and his Gaia Gundam, was on its way to rendez-vous with the Strike Freedom, and the Eternal… but on its way there, it was attacked by a rather large ZAFT battalion, trying to intercept them before they could make contact with their allies. And now, Raul was doing the best he could to hold out until their allies arrived – the Excellence-C, a speedy machine specialized for space combat that looked very much like Fiona's own Cosmodriver Frame, wielding two large Hi-Coat Magnum guns in its hands, and with a pair of glowing High Frequency Swords erupting from its elbows, was the best machine he could use in a space battle, and it was still holding its own pretty well against the main ZAFT force. But still, Raul was hoping some ally reinforcements would intervene soon and take some heat off their shoulders.
Raul skillfully dodged most attacks, but a couple of beams nicked the Excellence-C's armor, and another one damaged the wing-like extentions on the back of the combat robot's back. The red-headed young man grit his teeth and took aim, firing a series of large bullets from his Hi-Magnum guns, and a few of them struck a ZAKU Warrior dead-on, destroying it, while close by, the Gaia Gundam sliced through a GOUF Ignited with its beam saber, but more enemies seemed to take their place by the moment.
"Well, this is quite a problem we're facing." Andy commented, noticing a squadron of enemies approaching. "Unless we shoot down these guys, we will not be able to rejoin with Lady Lacus."
"I know, Commander Waltfeldt." Raul answered, his High Frequency Swords blocking a ZAKU Warrior's axe. "We must at least hold out until we get reinforcements." He managed to take a quick look at his onboard instruments, and noticed a strange blip appearing on the radar. "Wait! I think someone else is arriving! It's a pretty huge thing… could that be the Eternal, Commander Waltfeldt?"
"Heh… I'm willing to bet my shoelaces it is, kid!" the Desert Tiger answered, smiling confidently as he saw the large shape of the Eternal on his own radar. He quickly dodged an attack from a ZAKU Warrior and turned to the direction from which the blip was coming – and sure enough, the telltale pink battleship that had been a symbol of freedom and resistance during the previous war was there, looming gloriously upon the battlefield! "And here they are! Lady Lacus has arrived at the right moment… we are glad to see you, Lady Lacus! We trust the new Mobile Suit is ready to take to the battlefield too!"
"It is, Commander Waltfeldt." Lacus answered, appearing on the Gaia's comm screen dressed in her battle kimono, the same one she wore when she led the Three Ships Alliance in the previous war. "And I see you have done a great job yourselves, facing such superior numbers. Now, allow us to lend a hand. The Strike Freedom Gundam will arrive momentarily to support you."
"Impeccable timing!" Raul answered with a trusting nod, as he maneuvered his Excellence-C out of the range of the incoming enemies. A blast from his Hi-Coat Magnum dissuaded a couple of Blaze ZAKU Phantoms from following, and the young pilot turned to the Eternal with a relieved expression, just in time to see the Strike Freedom Gundam launching from it, looking like a streaking of white, red and blue energy that cut a swathe through space. "Wow, so that's the new Strike Freedom, huh? Looks pretty impressive!"
The ZAFT forces were shocked the moment they saw a new mobile suit launching from the Eternal and tried to shoot it down. The ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom easily blocked the beam rifle shots with the MX2200 Beam Shield generated on the left forearm' beam shield generator then used the two MA-M2 1KF High Energy Beam Rifles to destroy the missiles from a Blaze ZAKU Warrior that were aimed right at the Eternal itself.
One GOUF Ignited and Blaze ZAKU Warrior evaded a beam rifle shot from the Gaia as even the Desert Tiger and Raul, who was in the cockpit of his Excellence Flier, were in awe at seeing what the newly constructed Strike Freedom was capable of by far, smiling as he watched it draw one of the two MA-M02G "Super Lancerta" Beam Sabers from its hip while evading beam rifle fire before beheading the two Blaze ZAKU Warriors that tried to at take it down. "What the?" wondered one of two GOUF Ignited pilots, both of which were male ZAFT pilots donning red pilot suits normally worn by redcoats within the military. "Where did that come from?"
"Is that a new model? It's fast!"
The two ZAFT mass-produced machines headed to intercept it and one fired its M181SE "Draupnir" 4-barrel Beam Cannon and upon further examination, they were shocked as it bore a striking resemblance to the ill-fated ZGMF-X10A Freedom that was destroyed by the Minerva's mobile suit the ZGMF-X56S/a Force Impulse during Operation Angel Down. "The Freedom!"
Still armed with its beam saber, the Strike Freedom evaded the hell-fire of beam shots due to its superior mobility and sliced off the arm before the redcoat could react. Then, once again armed with its beam sabers, fired to disable three more mobile suits, one GOUF Ignited and two ZAKU Warriors before another GOUF Ignited used its MA-M757 "Slayer Whip" Heat Rod, wrapping itself around the Strike Freedom's right leg and a third GOUF Ignited had its own "Slayer Whip" wrapped onto the left arm.
Just as they were about to electrify the Strike Freedom into submission, Kira acted quickly and activated one of his new machine's hidden surprises as, unleashing the eight EQFU-3X Super DRAGOON Mobile Weapon Wing & MA-80V Beam Assault Cannons from the wings with a light effect suddenly took effect, similar to the one used by the Destiny in ZAFT and Neo Zeon's attack on Heaven's Base. The DRAGOON Pods fired their beams at the enemy mobile suits that tried to gang up on the Strike Freedom much to the shock of the two redcoat pilots. "Huh?" muttered one redcoat in complete dismay.
"W…what's happening?!" asked the other moments before the damage done to their mobile suits not only took them out of the fight but also freed the Strike Freedom in the process.
Immediately activating the Multi Lock-On System, Kira began targeting multiple enemy mobile suits and attacked them using the sheer power of the Strike Freedom's Full Burst Mode, using the MMI-GAU27D 31nn CIWS, both beam rifles, all eight DRAGOONs, both MMI-M15E "Xiphias 3" Railguns and the MGX-2235 "Calidus" Multi-Phase Beam Cannon all at once. The remaining ZAFT forces were in complete dismay as their ZAKU Warriors and GOUF Igniteds were all disabled with one Full Burst blast from the newest enemy machine, while onboard the Eternal, DaCosta and Lacus were all impressed by how well Kira was handling using the Strike Freedom.
The crews of the Holst, the Caernarfon and the nameless Nazca-class ship were completely shocked as they thought they've had the Eternal cornered and yet this new unknown mobile suit that resembled the Freedom easily defeated all their mobile suits with little to no effort. "Two minutes?!" exclaimed the commander of the nameless Nazca-class ship in shock. "He defeated twenty-five ZAKUs and GOUFs… and he did it in two minutes?!"
The Strike Freedom soon jetted towards the three Nazca-class ships, the alarms on the nameless vessel alerted him of what was approaching. "Incoming mobile suit! he heard one of the crew members warning him and he wanted them to take action before it's too late.
"All guns, open fire! Shoot it down!""
All three Nazca-class vessels fired their 177cm High Energy Bean Cannons at the approaching Strike Freedom in order to try and defend themselves without their mobile suits to back them up but to no avail as it quickly evaded all their beam fire and countered with its "Xiphias 3" Railguns to destroy the engines of one Nazca-class ship. Activating the eight DRAGOON Pods again, a Newtype flash appeared right before Kira eyes as he was about to put an end to this chase once and for all. "HIT THEM!" he ordered, the DRAGOON Pods fired from many different directions and damaged all three Nazca-classes which left the Commander of the nameless one in deep shock.
"Thrusters destroyed! We can't control the ship!" he heard one of the crew members declare, horrified that one mobile suit was able to do this kind of damage to them by itself and with the way things went… there's no way they'll be able to continue its pursuit of the Eternal now. "The Holst and the Caernarfon have lost navigational control."
"This is… crazy…"
With the ZAFT forces defeated, the Strike Freedom began to head back to meet with the Eternal and the Gaia… leaving the defeated enemy wondering what kind of mobile suit they were facing off against earlier as well as why the pilot didn't finish them at all.
Waltfeld and Raul were impressed with the fact the Strike Freedom managed to disable twenty-five mobile suits in a matter of two minutes as well as the three Nazca-class ships that came after them. "Eternal, I'm on my way back!" Andy hailed the pink ship before returning while Kira was relieved that he managed to successfully save the Eternal as his new Gundam met with the former ZAFT ship and the Excellence Flier.
In the bridge, Lacus held the notes that DaCosta had brought to her and Waltfeld earlier, keeping them close to her before she glanced at the Strike Freedom which was floating next to both the Excellence Flier and the flagship of the TSA and she smiled brightly at one of their saviors. Glad to have been able to give the man she fell in love with his new machine to replace the Freedom. Inside the Strike Freedom's cockpit, Kira smiled for a brief moment then turned his attention towards Earth as it's only a matter of time before he has to fight Shinn, the pilot who defeated him last time but in order to put an end to the war, he has no choice as the Strike Freedom then headed back to the Eternal accompanied by the Excellence… and all the allies they could muster.
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The sliding doors opened silently, allowing Fiona, Lahge, Mitsuko and Lt. Saburouta to access the main bridge of the Nadesico B, where Captain Ruri Hoshino, already at her command seat, and her second-in-command Hari Makibi were already waiting for them. The red-haired pilot's first impression was that the new battleship was state-of-the-art, for having been built by the New Earth Federation: sleek, clean, with no components out of place, well-illuminated… although, it had to be said, somewhat unsettling in its apparent perfection. She wouldn't have been surprised if someone told her that the ship was completely controlled by an automated system…
But such consideration could be postponed for later. As the small party walked into the large room, the doors sliding closed behind them, Ruri and Hari stood up and climbed down from their seats to introduce themselves to the refugees… who, in turn, straightened themselves and saluted, which the silver-haired teenage girl quickly reciprocated.
"I ought to introduce myself once more. Major Ruri Hoshino, Captain of the high mobile battleship Nadesico B, of the New Earth Federation's Fourth Fleet." she said. "As for what concerns you… through quick research, I could ascertain that you are part of the Robotic Weapon Research branch of the same Armed Forces."
"That is correct, Captain Hoshino… although it was never our intention to join that branch of the army, we never had much of a choice in the matter, in order to continue our research" Mitsuko answered. "My name is Mitsuko Saiki. My duty is to supervise the Excellence Frames' mechanical problems and assembling."
"My name is Lahge Montoya." Lahge continued. "I've been charged with verifying the Excellence's actual potential in battle."
"As for me… I'm one of the Excellence pilots. Fiona Grayden. My brother and fellow Excellence pilot Raul is currently on Earth testing out his Excellence at Morgenroete." Fiona concluded, hoping her brother was doing well despite their time being apart. "Captain Hoshino, if I may ask a question… Don't you know if there are any more survivors?"
"Both the Nadesico B and the Ral Kairam have had the area scouted, yet no survivors have been located. Unless we count a New Earth Federation shuttle getting away from the fighting." Hari explained, after receiving a nod from Ruri. Fiona noticed that the black-haired boy seemed to be looking for the captain's approval… "We still managed to salvage a red frame… If I'm not mistaken, it's one of your machine's components, is it not?"
"Yeah… obviously the Striker Frame…" Mitsuko sighed dejectedly. So, all the other frames had been lost which included the ones for Raul's Excellence Frame. "Guess it's the only one that escaped destruction… and it won't do us much good in space…"
"Don't be so negative, Mitsuko… I'm sorry, but those can always be rebuilt, right?" Fiona tried to encourage her friend, although she noticed, much to her chagrin, that she probably wasn't doing much of a good job at that…
Luckily, Mitsuko seemed to at least appreciate her attempt to cheer her up, and managed a small smile. "Yeah, I know… we're still alive, and that's what really matters…"
"Very well then… allow me to introduce you to my crew." Ruri went on, now pointing at Hari with her eyes. "This is Lt. Hari Makibi, Vice-Captain of this ship."
"And as for me… I'm Vice-Commander Tarasugi Saburouta… but you already knew that much, I'd say!" the blonde former Jovian soldier boasted. "Anyway, if you're looking for an ace pilot, you found him!"
Once again, Hari was irritated by the taller man's haughty attitude, and shot him a glare. "Truth be told, you're just a Lieutenant…" he blurted out, earning himself a reaction that could best be described as fake cluelessness.
"So what? Is there a problem if I'm just a Lieutenant? You say that like it's a bad thing…" Saburouta answered.
Hari sighed in exasperation. Once again, he was starting it… and in front of their guests, no less! "No, I have nothing to say about your merits or your rank!" the young boy replied. "It's the attitude that's a problem!"
Ruri closed her eyes. "If his skills are good enough, then the personality is inconsequential." she said in an almost deadpan voice, putting an end to the argument. Hari gritted his teeth and turned his head elsewhere, murmuring that even the attitude should have counted for something… but in the end, he was the underling and the youngest member of the crew… all the decisions were the captain's to make.
"Captain Hoshino, if I may…" Mitsuko said, lightly raising her hand. Ruri looked at her and signaled her to speak, and the girl cleared her throat before asking her question. "So, what about us? What are we supposed to do now?"
Ruri seemed to hesitate for a second before answering. "At the moment, the Nadesico B is travelling to the colony of Amaterasu." she answered, looking at an orbital map visible on a screen a few metres above their heads. "As soon as we get these, you'll be handed over to agents of the New Earth Federation, who will later bring you back to Earth. However, before that happens, I have something to ask of you."
"Tell us, Captain Hoshino. How can we be of some use?" Fiona asked back, already imagining what the young silver-haired captain was trying to say.
"At the moment, the New Earth Federation is facing a lot of problems from various sides." Ruri explained, trying to resume the situation. "Terrorists attacking the colonies adhering to the Hisago Plan, and the attacks of the combined forces of the second Neo Zeon insurrections and ZAFT are just the latest in a long string of misfortunes. It is highly likely that the Nadesico B will be attacked during its journey or during its stay on the colony. Therefore, I wanted to ask you to lend us your machine's aid and fight for us, at least until we can hand you back to the competent authorities…"
Fiona narrowed her eyes and looked at her companions, already imagining that they wouldn't be too pleased with that. However, they were also aware that there wasn't much of a choice…. considering the situation, the most they could do was try to make themselves useful to their rescuers and fight on their behalf. At least, this way they could gather more data on the Excellence's combat abilities, which would earn it some brownie points with the New Federation agents…
"That's… not exactly how I imagined we could use the Excellence frames…" Lahge affirmed. "But right now, I guess it really can't be helped… alright, Fiona, that means we'll fight by these guys' side."
"I agree with that as well." Mitsuko put her two cents in. "Fiona, you feel free to take your own decision."
The red-headed female pilot smiled to herself and put her hands on her hips. "Alright then… guess there isn't much choice at the moment, huh?" she asked rhetorically. "Okay, Captain Hoshino, we're ready to fight on your behalf. We'll wash your hands and you wash ours, so to speak!"
Once again, Ruri's pale, delicate face barely changed expression. "We are thankful to you for that. We believe your support will be invaluable to complete our mission." she answered. "It is our hope that our task will proceed smoothly, in any event."
"Same goes for us." was Lahge's answer. "But, if I'm not too nosey about it, may I ask what's happening in the Amaterasu colonies? We've been enclosing ourselves in that research center for much of our lives and we're not… how to put it… not really up to date with the most recent happenings."
"I see." Ruri answered. "If that is the case, allow me to resume: recently some very serious incidents have happened in the colonies adhering to the Hisago Plan, a project whose aim is to create a new, faster and safer way for space travel through some breakthrough technologies…"
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The Ral Kairam, after a brief encounter near the lunar base, had proceeded on its way, pushing its engines almost to their limits to catch up on their time schedule. It seemed quite clear that their mission was of the utmost importance, and therefore no more distractions were needed. At the moment, Amuro, Judau and Roux were on the command bridge nearby Captain Bright Noah, and were all keeping an eye on the instruments, as if expecting some anomaly at a moment's notice…
"The situation is still under control, Captain Noah." a member of the crew reported, still keeping his eyes on the navigation instruments, and turning an occasional glance to the commander and the three ace pilots. "As of now, no abnormal activity has been detected on Luna-5. The object is continuing its journey towards the point of stoppage limit at usual speed. Some Neo Zeon and ZAFT units have been reported in the vicinities, but they do not seem to be undertaking offensive or defensive actions as of now."
"This isn't going to last long, that much is clear." Bright affirmed thoughtfully. "This may pose a problem. The Mobile Suits we have at the moment fall short of the capabilities of the Neo Zeon/ZAFT alliance's mobile weapons, especially those used by their aces."
"Unfortunately, that much is true… given how the Freedom Gundam was destroyed at the hands of the Force Impulse Gundam, using one of the Sword Silhouette's "Excalibur" Anti-Ship Swords to boot…" Judau answered, anxiously looking at his girlfriend standing nearby. His black hair swayed slightly as he used a hand to comb back a bang falling on his green eyes. "The Double Zeta Gundam is no competition with the new Destiny Gundam and Legend Gundam, and I'm afraid the Gundam Mk- 3 will fare no better…"
Unfortunately, that was a given. Even Terminal's most advanced and powerful Gundams had their limits… and they were rapidly being left in the dust by ZAFT's powerful new Gundams, piloted by aces Shinn Asuka and Rey Za Burrel. "From what I heard, Anaheim is developing a new Gundam model, with an attack system similar to the DRAGOONs or Funnels… and Terminal had just completed a new pair of nuclear-powered Gundams…" Amuro said, trying to lighten the atmosphere at least a little. After all, since the war between the New Earth Federation and the Neo Zeon/ZAFT alliance had begun, the Federation had been in dire straits, and the fact that no faction on Earth had managed to come up with matching weapons meant that Earth itself was nearing disaster… especially considering what Neo Zeon's objective was!
"New Gundam models?" asked a curious Roux. If that was true, it would mean a bit of a break for Terminal, and a slightly higher chance of victory.
Amuro nodded. "Yes… from what I could gather, they're known as RX-93 Nu Gundam, ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam and ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice Gundam plus there are three additional Mobile Suits being developed, however that's about all I know for those three." the Newtype ace answered. "But while Kira already acquired his new machine onboard the Eternal, Athrun is still banged up onboard the Archangel which is back on Earth undergoing repairs and the testing on my machine is not yet completed, and I will be present myself for the final calibration of the Nu Gundam. Which means that, up until the Archangel, the Eternal and the Kusanagi join with us, we'll have to make do with what we have."
"I see… provided we do last long enough to meet with the three ships and see those new Gundams first-hand…" Roux whispered to herself, her lovely purple hair swaying gently on her face. Having heard how Athrun Zala and Meyrin Hawke were nearly killed in their attempt to escape from Gibraltar after being manipulated and betrayed by their home nation… and she prayed the two former crew members of the Minerva would be alright since Shinn was the one who destroyed the ZGMF-2000 GOUF Ignited they've stolen…
With a good hunch about what his girlfriend's thoughts might have been, Judau placed a hand on Roux's shoulder for support, which managed to at least assuage some of the former AEUG ace's concerns. "Don't worry, Roux… they'll be fine! I mean… Athrun survived blowing up the Aegis and the Justice respectively during the previous war against ZAFT. Hell, he also managed to survive nearly being burned to death during re-entry in a Blaze ZAKU Warrior and eventually having the Saviour Gundam scrapped beyond repair by the Freedom at Crete… so this shouldn't be anything too different!" Judau told her, knowing Athrun wasn't a former ZAFT ace for nothing especially as he has the care of his former girlfriend and current Chief Representative of the fallen kingdom of Orb.
Roux nodded and managed a small, gentle smile, grateful for the support. "I know… thanks, Judau, if hadn't been for you and the others… I don't know what I'd be doing right now!"
"Hehee… well that makes us even, I'd say… I wouldn't be here myself if I hadn't met them and you…" Judau answered, with a brief chuckle that managed to life everyone's spirits a little, even managing a smile out of the serious veterans, Amuro and Bright. And yet, Judau's voice had a melancholic edge to it… he was obviously remembering all the people who had died in past struggles, and whose sacrifice was threatened by the new war brewing.
"Captain Noah! Luna-5 has begun accelerating!" The voice of a pretty blue-haired teenage girl came from one of the consoles: she was quite pretty, with dark blue hair flowing down her, wearing a white long-sleeved blouse attached with a greenish-blue sailor-style collar and a pleated skirt. A red ribbon was tied in the front and laced through a loop attached to the blouse. She also wore white socks and brown penny loafers. She was Chidori Kaname, a high-school student that had joined Mithril after new student Sergeant Sousuke Sagara rescued her from a mercenary and his forces who had hijacked a plane in an attempt to hold everyone onboard hostage. Chidori's situation was quite complicated as well, in fact, considering she was a Whispered, which meant that several factions would be after the secrets hidden in her subconscious mind. Which resulted in her becoming a target and being brought to Mithril for her safety.
Another young girl, a few years younger than Chidori, was sitting close to the blue-haired Whispered: this one had bright red hair flowing behind her back, bright blue eyes, and a green and white uniform similar to the ones worn by Earth Union bridge personnel during the previous war – with white highlights on the shoulders and wrists. This one was Meyrin Hawke, the younger sister of ZAFT ace pilot Lunamaria Hawke, and another deserter from ZAFT like Athrun, who had defected at the same time as him, and just like him had almost gotten killed for her trouble. After that, she had decided to help her rescuers as much as she could, while at the same time try to talk to her older sister and convince her to defect from ZAFT as well.
"Alright, Ms. Kaname, excellent job" Bright said, turning to the young bridge bunny. "Ms. Hawke, an you tell us more about the enemy's position?"
"Mobile Suits assuming combat positions around Luna-5… I think they're preparing for defense." Meyrin answered, giving a quick look to her radar. "Confirmed! I can see that there are a pair of Nazca-class vessels guarding the asteroid's sides… and two other battleships, quite possibly the Mussaka and one unknown, are slowly approaching the site!"
"I see… they really don't want us to blast that rock apart before the stoppage limit…" Amuro murmured. "Alright, we'd probably be better off sending some Dummies to confound their radars, and move to flank them."
"We'll try to concentrate our forces on one side, and attack as soon as they're sufficiently distracted by the Dummies." Bright continued. "All pilots, prepare for launch. To all operators, keep monitoring Luna-5 and warn us of every variation in its movement. Helmsman, try to get some distance for now. We want to advance undetected as much as possible."
"Acknowledge!" everyone answered almost in unison, as Amuro, Judau and Roux rushed to the hangers, ready to climb onboard their Mobile Suits…
Another hard battle was afoot, with the Earth's fate hanging in the balance…
oooooooooo
But while preparations for a terrible battle were being made on Terminal's side, and the tension was reaching critical levels… on the other side, onboard the ZAFT battleship named the Minerva, which was currently docked at ZAFT's Gibraltar base following the success of Operation Ragnarok, a peculiar debate was going on between two of the greatest minds behind the war.
Standing on the screen was a man about in his early thirties at the very most: tall, with a well-developed physique, wearing a red uniform with golden trimmings, knee-high black military boots, and some sort of chest armor with a golden eagle drawn on a black field, his blonde hair was orderly combed, enhancing his already impressive appearance, and his bright green eyes were almost shining with the force of his personality. His handsomeness was only slightly perturbed by a small scar between his eyes, on the bridge of his nose… and even that was somehow enhancing his charm and magnetism.
"What I am trying to say," he explained from within the bridge of his battleship. "…is, our operations with Luna-5 are just the beginning of Neo Zeon's final project. The forced migration of the whole population of Earth in space, which will favor the awakening of the latent Newtype potential in all human beings. Luna-5, on its own, is insufficient to do so… but it's an important starting piece."
The second man slowly nodded. "I see…" he said, in a soft voice oddly reminiscent of the first speaker. He looked like the smart, diplomatic kind of man as well, but his appearance was very, very different… he was elegantly dressed in white and light violet, the typical colors of a high-ranking ZAFT politician. More exactly, a member of ZAFT's Supreme Council… and his long, slightly curly black hair with blue highlights framed a pale face with serene, almost seraphic demeanor. However, a more attentive look would have shown that a sharp, ruthlessly brilliant mind was behind his affability… and that he was secretly enjoying the intellectual confrontation. "Therefore, Colonel Char Aznable, this is your personal conviction. The cause of the current problems is planet Earth herself. You maintain that human beings are still bound by her gravitational pull, and cannot take the necessary steps to reach their new evolutionary phase. To compound matters, the humans remaining on Earth are indifferent to the space colonies' problems, when not outright hostile like Blue Cosmos. They remain enclosed in their own little world, and act as if the Earth was their private property. Thus, you are trying to drive them away from Earth. Have I understood your theory correctly?"
"For the most part, yes." the blonde man called Char Aznable answered – a man whose fame was always ahead of him wherever he went, for both good and ill. Depending on whom one was speaking to, Char Aznable (or Quattro Bajina, or Casval Zeon Daikum, whatever was the name he was going by at that moment) could be a freedom fighter, a traitor of his homeland, a misunderstood bringer of justice, a tragic hero or a bloodthirsty terrorist… but what everyone agreed on was that he was an extraordinary man, one who would not have been out of place next to figures like Napoleon or Alexander The Great… one of the rare people whose wills shape the destinies of entire nations and worlds!
"Earth is, indeed, the mother of all living beings." Char continued, as he closed his eyes in deep thought before speaking again. "However, her children are gradually shortening her life span. Those who live on that planet only think of themselves… and the era we live in has no need for people who can't look beyond their own petty ego. I'd say this, too, is in your accordance to your beliefs… Chairman Gilbert Durandal."
"Yes, this is something on which we both agree on." Durandal answered. "Truth be told, I myself think that many people of our times are too selfish to make the right choices… however, not to criticize your viewpoint, but rather to add to it as much as I can, I'd surmise that Earth is only a problem up to a certain extent. The real problem of humanity is that, since the beginning of documented history… humans have always been blinded by their own ego, and by their lack of satisfaction in regard of their position and their abilities. To actually solve the problem of war… what would really be needed is that everyone could know himself as much as possible, as to be able to take the most advantageous decision for both himself and the community. This way, there would be no more dissatisfaction… and therefore, there would be no more reason to envy others, which is the root of all human greed… and eventually, of war itself. By knowing their own position in the scheme of society, men wouldn't try to change it, resulting in a peaceful society where well-being and satisfaction are maximized."
"With all due respect, your speech is somewhat ambiguous." Char answered. "However, as you might imagine, this brings up other issues. First and foremost, how is one supposed to know oneself so much? There are doubts in all of us. We don't have a complete knowledge of our own souls, and we often don't have a clear understanding of our own motivations. How would you propose to solve this dilemma?"
"The answer, Colonel, resides in our own genetic heritage." Durandal answered with a somewhat melanchonic edge to his voice. In some ways, the Neo Zeon leader reminded him of a certain masked commander from the ZAFT military, one who had long since perished in the final battle of the previous war, and whose descent into madness Durandal had always seen as his greatest failure. "Our genes know all of us, even what we don't know ourselves. Imagine what the advantages might be if only we could all have access to such an invaluable source of information, and come to know all of our own secrets. That would be a very significant step in the realization of a better society."
Char seemed to give the matter some thought. "Hmmm…. admittedly, that makes sense, Chairman Durandal. I'll have to reflect on your theory." he commented curtly. However, before anything else could be said, a mature female voice interrupted as it seemed the Mussaka picked up something on the sensors. "Colonel, we have located suspicious heat sources approaching Luna-5, and we're almost 100% positive it is a Terminal fleet. We have already given orders to pilots Gyunei Guss and Shiho Hahnenfuss to stand ready. The Blaze ZAKU Warrior and Gyunei's Jagd Doga are already on the launch catapaults."
"I see. Excellent job, Nanai." the blonde colonel answered. "Inform Commander Yzak Joule and pilot Dearka Elsman that their assistance is greatly appreciated, though knowing Commander Joule, he and his fellow ace would already be preparing to launch as backup. Also, have my Sazabi ready. I'll quite probably have to sortie myself. "
"Acknowledge. It will be done, Colonel." Captain Nanai Miguel answered, before Char politely excused himself from Durandal.
"Chairman, my apologies. I cannot continue our conversation any longer." he said, which Durandal acknowledged with a slight nod.
"Understandable. Therefore… you will sortie yourself to end your dispute with pilot Amuro Ray, I'd guess…" ZAFT's chairman answered. "All I can say is, that I wish you the best of luck."
"Much appreciated." Char answered. "I trust Terminal's defeat and that of LOGOS will mark the fall of the two greatest obstacles to our alliance." Then, he bowed before cutting off communications in order to make his way to the hangers. Durandal, on the other hand, began walking from the Minerva's bridge, reflecting on what he had just discussed with Char… and on the similarities in their respective situations.
Amuro Ray… yet again, someone who could have lived without complication, had he accepted his role… he thought to himself. Just like Kira Yamato… and the White Queen, Lacus Clyne. It really is unfortunate…
oooooooooo
Seen from the Nadesico B, outer space seemed even sadder and hollower than when Fiona looked at it from the research center's observation rooms… at least that was the place she could more easily call home, and even in its solitude, being there gave her some form of comfort. Now all because of that unknown entity showing up and taking control of their computer system, the research center was no more…
Fiona sighed, her back leaning on the cold steel wall as she wondered how she's going to explain this to Raul. Lahge and Mitsuko already had their share of problems; with Mitsuko feeling despondent for the loss of the Excellences' frames… they didn't need to get even more upset by hearing her own problems. They wouldn't have been able to help her, anyway, and the only result would have been to dampen their spirits even more… And yet, she just couldn't chase the thoughts that, as the colonies of Amaterasu came closer and closer, kept tormenting her and keeping her from relaxing.
So, this is how it all ended… a journey to the most faraway colonies to solve a mystery I never thought we would get involved in… she reflected, rubbing her forehead. I wonder what Dad would think of all this… he was the one who started the research on Time Particles… the elementary particles that control the flow of time itself. Dad… your Time Shift Engines, the engine used by the Excellence, is powered by those particles, after all… but what was your aim when you created it? Is it possible that if my Excellence has it then Raul's might too?
You wanted… to create a Time Machine?
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED…
The conflict escalates in the next chapter, where the battle between Terminal and the Neo Zeon/ZAFT alliance begins in earnest, and the Nadesico B finally reaches Amaterasu, to find some unwelcome surprises…
And along with Meyrin, Kaname is onboard the Ral Kairam in this newest version of my saga! As with ZZ, I always liked Full Metal Panic! along with the Sosuke/Kaname pairing. Plus I'd like to give my thanks to EmperorDraco7 for helping me in making that series fit into the story! As for the Minerva and the two Nazca-class ships from the original version, I decided to have the Gondwana, the Voltaire and the Rousseau become involved for the upcoming battle with Terminal having Yzak, Dearka and Shiho to face off against along with Shinn, Rey and Lunamaria!
See you next time!
