Disclaimer: Gundam Seed and Freelancer do not belong to me – they are the properties of Sunrise and Microsoft respectively.
Gundam Seed: Freelancer's Fate
Chapter 01: Sidewinder Fang
--Liberty News Flash--
President Jacobi has asked the LSF to investigate the sudden destruction of Freeport 7. No word on whether it was accidental or a deliberate attack. The first handful of survivors arrived on Manhattan this morning.
Officially, the Liberty Security Force maintains there is no proof Freeport 7's destruction was deliberate. But sources inside the LSF say they suspect the dangerous criminal organization, the Order. We will keep you up to date as the story develops.
Planet Manhattan, New York System, Liberty
"Planet Manhattan…" Tolle mumbled to himself as he stepped out of the rescue vessel, with Kira not far behind.
"I could have sworn that Kusari is nearer to the Sigma Systems. What are we doing in Liberty?" Kira said as he caught up with Tolle.
"How would I know?" Tolle was more interested in observing the new surroundings than answering Kira's question, "All I know is that we're still alive. That's the most important fact."
Extremely lucky to have survived the destruction of Freeport 7, Kira and Tolle spent the next few minutes studying the new environment. After all, neither of them had ever set foot on Manhattan, the capital planet of House Liberty. Expecting to land somewhere in Kusari, which was nearer to Sigma 17, the two friends were thoroughly surprised that they were in Liberty.
Kira shook his head dejectedly as he looked back at the rescue vessel that brought them out of the totaled Freeport 7. The hanger their Rhino Freighter was sitting in was destroyed before either of them had a chance to get on it. Having no choice, the duo had to escape using the rescue ship instead, with an unconscious Yuna as extra baggage. Still, Kira was relieved that both he and Tolle were unhurt. A few medical personnel approached as they were observing the unfamiliar metropolitan surroundings, entombed by huge, faceless buildings that seemed to be the norm in most major planets.
Recognizing Kira as one of the Freeport 7 survivors, one of the medical personnel ran up to Kira, "We're here from medical. Is there anyone injured?" the medic asked.
Kira nodded his head and pointed to the still unconscious Yuna, "One… over there."
"Will he be okay?" Tolle wasn't really concerned about Yuna, but he asked anyway.
"His head is busted pretty badly. It may take a while," the medic answered as he lifted Yuna onto the stretcher with the help of his colleague.
"Make sure he lives; he owes us some credits," Kira added.
"Your concern is touching. We'll do everything we can," the medic replied as Yuna was taken to a nearby ambulance.
Kira and Tolle looked on quietly as the ambulance carrying Yuna sped off and headed towards the hospital. Having lost their ship on Freeport 7, the both of them had no where to go. To top it off, most of their possessions were inside the now gone freighter. All they had with them was 500 credits. It wasn't even enough to buy a ticket back to Leeds.
"What should we do now, Kira?" Tolle asked, though he already had something in mind. He just wanted to confirm with Kira.
"We'll wait until Yuna recovers or something. He was the one who suggested meeting on Freeport 7. We have to make sure he pays us the million credits," Kira said as he held up something familiar, "I still have the papers with me. That guy has to pay no matter what."
"You still have the papers? That's great! I thought we lost everything there!" Tolle's eyes widened with excitement before his previously downcast spirit returned again, "But, isn't our shipment is gone as well? Doesn't that mean that Yuna guy is under no obligation to pay us?"
Kira grinned when he heard what Tolle had said, "That's the catch, Tolle. I've read the entire contract. It just says Yuna has to pay us one million credits. There's absolutely nothing about us having to deliver the shipment of boron. I believe Yuna's carelessness has turned into a blessing for us."
"Oh my goodness, are we lucky or what?" Tolle was jumping with excitement as Yuna had practically gifted them one million credits in exchange for nothing, "Looks like it's not all gloom for us. C'mon, let's celebrate somewhere!"
"All I want now is my sidewinder fang," Kira was known to be extremely fussy when it came to alcohol, and "Sidewinder Fang" was just about the only drink he would order. Anything else was garbage to Kira, and he was quick to remind Tolle of his preference.
(Note: Sidewinder Fang is a type of alcohol in the Freelancer game.)
"Seriously, Kira. You've got to learn how to drink other stuff. You are only three months from your twentieth birthday, and all you ever drink is that Sidewinder Fang of yours. You should really try something else, you know," as soon as he said that, Tolle dragged his friend to a bar just opposite the landing pad, totally ignoring Kira's lecture on how "Sidewinder Fang" is the best drink around and stuff like that.
(Note: Kira is 19 yrs old in this story. Basically, I will make everyone who's a sixteen or seventeen year old in the original anime older. This is so that my story will make sense later; and because it's sort of unrealistic for 16 year olds to be running around the "galaxy". Tolle is around the same age as Kira, just in case you are wondering.)
Manhattan Bar, Planet Manhattan
"Sidewinder Fang, please," the moment he entered the bar, Kira ordered his favorite drink predictably. He took a few seconds to survey modern interiors of the bar; square tables with plush seats at one side, smaller round table tops in the middle, and the bar top table at the other end. He immediately took a spot on one of the empty seats at the bar top table.
Sporting a bald patch, the portly bartender took a quick glance at the two new customers and then continued wiping the beer mugs, "All we have here is the Liberty Ale."
Kira was absolutely disgusted that his favorite drink was not available. Tolle was ready to drink just about anything, "Two mugs of Liberty Ale, then!"
"What?" Kira nearly fainted when Tolle made the decision for him, "I told you! Sidewinder Fang or nothing! I'll rather have plain water!"
Tolle replied with an elbow to Kira's ribs, "Just take it."
Kira looked at the mug of Liberty Ale placed in front of him. No matter how he looked at it, the unimpressive mug of Liberty Ale looked more like cooking oil that had been reused for countless times. There was no way he was going to let something as gross as that slip down his throat. But one thing was for sure though; after a long trip from the Sigma 17 System to the New York System in a rescue ship having half the comfort level of a waste disposal ship, Kira was beyond thirsty. Despite his reservations for the rather questionable mug of Liberty Ale, Kira was itching to have some fluid. After psyching himself up, Kira took up the courage and took a big gulp.
"Urgh!" almost simultaneously, the two friends grimaced when they emptied their mugs. How they even managed to finish their share was a complete mystery.
"Tried something else, huh?" Kira hissed at his equally disgusted friend as the Liberty Ale was just about the yuckiest stuff he had ever tasted.
(Note: Liberty Ale is an alcoholic drink made from recycled byproducts of burnt h-fuel. It is as inexpensive as it is disgusting.)
"Eww… you call this a drink?" Tolle made clear his opinion to the bartender, who was trying very hard to suppress his laughter.
The bartender retrieved the empty mugs and continued with what he was doing earlier, "I call this Liberty, kid."
Tolle made sure he gave the bartender his most frightening glare, but it did not seem to have any effect on him, "Come on, Kira. Say something," Tolle nudged at his friend as he wanted to get back at the bartender for making fun of them.
Kira, however, had his attention focused on someone else. Seated across the bar was a lady with black hair that reached above her shoulders. She seemed to be in her early twenties and her oriental looks were rather attractive from Tolle's point of view. Of course, no one of the opposite sex could be as fabulous as Miriallia, his girlfriend back home.
"You know her?" Tolle asked Kira.
"Nope," Kira replied, "Just happened to glance back when I saw her. She seemed to be from the military, judging from her clothing."
"So what about that?" Tolle was a little puzzled at Kira's interest in that lady, "She's a little too old for you, by the looks of it."
"That's Jun'ko Zane," before Kira could reply, the bartender made his presence felt as he poked into their conversation, "She's a tough one."
Tolle was a little irritated with the bartender, but he decided to carry on with the conversation, "And why is she a tough one?"
"She works for the LSF. All business, if it's a job you want."
Tolle took a closer look and realized that the bartender wasn't lying. The lady was wearing a blue uniform, almost similar to what the military personnel had. However, he could see that her uniform was slightly different from what military personnel would normally wear. It seemed that she belonged to another organization.
"So that's an officer from the LSF," even when he was in Leeds, Kira had already heard of the LSF. Being rather curious as he was, Kira always wanted to know what an LSF officer looked like, especially since they were seldom seen.
It was then that the bartender noticed something, "I think I know the two of you."
"No you don't," Tolle waved his hands in denial, "I don't believe we had ever met before."
"The news," the bartender directed Tolle's attention to a huge screen behind, "I saw the two of you in the news. You're one of the Freeport 7 survivors, aren't you?"
This old man is pretty sharp. Tolle thought to himself, "Well… bingo."
Bending down, the bartender took out a bottle from beneath the shelf and offered a drink to Kira and Tolle, "This one's on me. It's the good stuff."
"Why?" Kira asked even though he was secretly happy that someone was going to give him a treat. Secretly, he was praying that the bottle actually contained his one and only Sidewinder Fang.
"Because it's not everyday a man gets the chance to start again," the bartender handed the duo a new glass of booze each, "To your good fortune in Liberty."
"It can't get any worst," Kira and Tolle chorused in unison as they downed their drink.
"Urgh… Sidewinder Fang's still better…"
"Shut up, Kira…"
One hour later
"Let's find some place to sleep, Kira," after having one drink too many, not to mention 100 credits deducted from their pockets, Tolle was struggling to keep his eyes opened.
Kira, however, ignored Tolle. Unlike his intoxicated friend, Kira stopped after the free treat by the bartender, especially since his favorite drink wasn't available. Still feeling sober, Kira was only concerned about one thing. After Tolle's drinking binge, the two friends were left with only 400 credits, which would probably allow them to stay in an average hotel for about one night. There was no way Yuna would recover within one night. This meant that Kira and Tolle had to wait for at least a week or so before they could get their hands on their million credits. With only 400 credits in hand, Kira knew that they were in financial trouble.
"Wait for me here, Tolle," Kira stood up and walked towards Jun'ko Zane, who was talking to another man.
"Juni, the environment has changed," having a discussion with Jun'ko Zane was a diplomat from Liberty's government, "With the growing threat from groups like the Order, some in the government feel that we need to increase our patrols in these areas."
(Note: "Juni" is another way of calling Jun'ko Zane. Juni equals Jun'ko Zane equals Juni.)
"I understand what you're saying, but I don't have enough people," Juni was certainly having a tough time negotiating with the diplomat.
Kira approached the pair, "Ahem!" he purposely cleared his throat as he tried to grab Juni's attention.
Seeing Kira approaching, the diplomat got up, "I believe you have some business to discuss. I will leave this matter in your capable hands."
"Wait!" Juni tried to stop the diplomat from leaving, but she was too late.
Kira felt awkward as Juni seemed to be pissed off at him. She had good reasons to be mad at him. With the recent spike in criminal activities in Liberty, the LSF had been having much trouble in maintaining order in Liberty Space. Facing a severe shortage in manpower, Juni had initially hoped to strike a deal with the diplomat on the manpower distribution of those under her. With the diplomat now gone, any negotiation was impossible.
"Are you Jun'ko Zane?" after amassing a great amount of courage, Kira spoke. Juni nodded her head looking a little edgy.
Kira was wondering if he was doing the correct thing, but he went on anyway. There was no turning back now, "Sorry, the bartender said you work for the Liberty Security Force."
"And who do you work for, Mr.?" Juni practically snapped at Kira.
"I'm Kira Yamato. I work for myself," Kira answered calmly in front of a visibly upset Juni, which surprised him a lot. All this time in the Border Worlds must have toughened me somewhat.
A freelancer? Maybe this could work out. Juni took an interest and decided to continue, "What can of ship do you have, Mr. Yamato?"
Now that was a question that stumped Kira, "I… lost mine… on Freeport 7."
"Oh, I see," Juni's anger seemed to subside when she heard of Kira's misfortune, "Are you staying in Liberty long?"
"Yeah… I got a friend…" Kira paused for a while. Calling that gay Yuna my friend. What am I thinking? Kira could not believe what he just blurted from his mouth.
"Sorry?" Juni did not catch what Kira was trying to say.
"I mean… I got a friend who was injured during the attack; he's in medical. I will be staying at least until he's released," Kira was hoping that he sounded convincing enough.
Juni thought for a while and decided that Kira could be of some use to her, "I think I could use a good freelancer, Mr. Yamato."
Kira's face lit up, "Really?"
"Mmm…" Juni nodded and handed Kira a piece of paper, "Meet me in this equipment dealer later. Oh… and if we are to work together, call me Juni."
"Great! I'll see you later!" Kira waved goodbye and headed back to Tolle, who looked totally out of sort. All that was left for Kira was to dump Tolle in one of Manhattan's numerous hotels before meeting up with Juni. If Kira was able to complete any assignment Juni might give him, the credits earned would be able to cover their expenses for at least a few days.
Equipment Dealer, Planet Manhattan
The entire place was dark when Kira arrived at the equipment dealer, "Hello?" Kira was beginning to doubt if he was at the correct place.
The lights suddenly came on, blinding Kira for a short while, "I'm pleased to see you. Are you ready to work for the LSF, Mr. Yamato?"
"Just call me Kira," stunned for a moment, the youngster replied after recovering from the sudden change in brightness, "And yes… I'm here to see what you have to offer."
Juni signaled for Kira to follow her. The LSF officer walked towards one of the large hangers located in the equipment dealer and walked towards a small ship. It looked pretty basic, with three small weapon slots which did not look capable of mounting anything other than the most basic of guns or missiles. The only other equipment that ship was capable of holding was the countermeasure dropper, equipment used to attract the attention of any incoming missiles and draw them away from the ship. From afar, Kira could see that the ship was the Starflier, a light fighter commonly used by civilians. It was probably the cheapest and most basic ship credits could buy.
"That's the best I can get for you," Juni said as she introduced Kira to the piece of junk she managed to find for him, "The Starflier is the most basic of ships, but it should be more than sufficient for the assignment I'm planning to give you."
Kira walked up to the ship and inspected it for a while, "Well… at least it's better than nothing. What assignment do you have for me?"
"This assignment is easy. All you have to do is to baby-sit a convoy of food and medical supplies to Pittsburg. LSF intelligence states that this mission is a low risk type; attacks are highly unlikely. You'll be paid 2000 credits if the mission is successful. Interested?" Juni explained.
Kira thought about the offer for a minute and estimated that he could probably finish the assignment before Tolle recovered from his hangover, "Sounds good. I'll do it."
Juni was relieved that Kira accepted the mission; especially with the severe manpower shortage she was having right now, "Excellent. You'll meet up with the mission CO, Mu La Flaga, outside of Manhattan. I'll tell him to expect you. I'll have the ship moved and ready. You just need to go to the landing pad and launch. Happy flying."
"Thanks," Kira replied as he headed out. Inside his mind, Kira was praying that the escort mission would go on without a hitch. He had seen enough with the destruction of Freeport 7. The last thing Kira needed was more explosions.
Space outside Planet Manhattan
"You must be Kira Yamato, aren't you?" Mu said as he spotted the Starflier emerging from the docking ring.
A mobile armor? Isn't that state of the art military equipment from the Liberty Navy? This guy must be something to be assigned a mobile armor. Kira thought to himself as he saw an orange colored mobile armor with four strange looking pods attached to it, "Yes, that's me."
"Nice to see you. I'm Lieutenant Mu La Flaga," Mu said in a welcoming voice, secretly happy that he had someone accompanying him on the mission, "By the way, judging by your name, are you from Kusari?"
"I'm from Bretonia," Kira seemed a little embarrassed as his name sounded far from what a typical Bretonian would have, "Sorry if my name confused you or something."
"It's alright, kid," Mu was impressed by how polite Kira sounded, "Juni has a Kusari sounding name too, and she works for the LSF."
"Guess you're right," Kira was relieved that Mu sounded friendly. He was actually quite afraid of Juni's serious and business like attitude.
"I've contacted the lead transport. They're waiting at Fort Bush. We will link up with them and then make a short run from Fort Bush to Pittsburg. You're ready?" Mu proceeded to brief Kira on the mission.
"I'm ready," Kira was about to head for the Trade Lane when he spotted something, "Is that a Rheinland battleship?"
"That's the Donau," Mu replied as the Nazca-class battleship passed by them, "That ship is carrying Admiral Schultzky, one of Rheinland's highest ranking officers. He's in Liberty to attend a high level meeting with the president. Keep your distance."
"No problem, I've never been particularly fond of Rheinlanders," Kira sure agreed with Mu's instructions. He did not have a particularly good impression of Rheinland, despite the fact that he had never entered Rheinland before. Kira somehow had a dislike for Rheinland for a reason even he was unaware of.
"You're cleared to dock at Newark Station, Donau. Liberty welcomes you and Admiral Schultzky," the Newark Command greeted the Rheinland battleship as it approached Newark Station, a space station orbiting planet Manhattan.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly when the Newark Command picked up something unusual, "Donau, be advised. Long range sensors are picking up unknown contacts approaching your location."
Without delay, two GINNs which were escorting the Donau immediately set off to intercept the unknown contacts. While the Rheinland military is currently in a weakened state, it had managed to develop a new kind of weapon that clearly surpassed even the best fighter ships in the Sirius Sector. In fact, these weapons were even capable of taking on battleships on their own. Known as mobile suits, these weapons were the newest creation of the Rheinland Military, and were regarded to be the best invention ever created by many in Rheinland. Given the code name ZGMF-1017 GINN, or GINN in short, Rheinland's newest humanoid fighting machines had proven to be superior in combat ever since they were launched one year ago. The two GINNs escorting the Donau headed straight for the unknown contacts, fully confident of their abilities to take out any foe that ventured too close.
The two Rheinland pilots, however, were about to receive the shock of their lives. The four blips they saw on the long range sensors did not belong to four fighter ships, as they had originally anticipated. What were approaching them were four of their very own weapons – the GINN. To make matters worst, two of the enemy units were equipped with D-equipment, a configuration designed specifically for taking out large targets and battleships. Apart from the standard 76mm machine gun and swords, GINNs equipped with D-equipment were also equipped with additional missile launchers. One of the enemy's GINN even had a heavy ion cannon. One good shot from the cannon was more than enough to take out the Donau.
The Rheinland GINNs were the first to open fire, but were surprised at the skill displayed by the enemy units. All four of the enemy GINNs evaded the initial attack, including the two GINNs which were equipped with the heavier D-equipment configuration. The Rheinland mobile suits were easily taken down by the two standard GINNs, while the two heavily armed GINNs headed straight for the Donau. Taking aim, it took just one shot from the enemy's heavy ion cannon for the Donau to be blown apart. The Nazca-class battleship did not even have time to launch additional mobile suits before it was blown up. The captain of the Donau felt that the two GINNs were more than enough. It turned out to be a fatal mistake.
"Damn it! They took out the Donau!" Mu cursed as the Donau was reduced into a smothering pile of metal and flame. Having a Rheinland battleship destroyed in what was supposed to be the safest place in Liberty was far from pretty.
"Kira! Stay back! I'm taking out those scums!" Mu wasted no time as he powered his Moebius Zero towards the four GINNs, "I'll show you why I'm called the Hawk of Endymion!"
Joining Mu were dozens of Defenders and Patriots, the main fighter ships used by Liberty. From the onset, it was clear that the fighter ships were no match for the GINNs. The mobile suits were clearly superior to whatever the Liberty ships could throw at them. Even the standard GINNs, which were just equipped with a 76mm machine gun and sword, had no problems against the Defenders and Patriots which ironically, had more guns and missiles. What set the GINNs apart weren't their weapons. Instead, it was their superior speed and maneuverability that gave them a vast advantage over their slower opponents. That and the fact that the GINNs were piloted by outstanding individuals widened the gap between them and their pursuers. Unfortunately for them, they did not factor in the presence of Mu La Flaga and his Moebius Zero.
The four wired guided barrels were immediately released and Mu had them circle around one of the GINNs. The erratic movement of the barrels proved to be too much for his opponent to handle, and Mu easily took down his hapless opponent. The remaining three GINNs were no fools, however. They were quick to spot the danger Mu posed to them and attacked him together. The battle quickly turned into a three on one fight.
"Cowards! Why don't you guys take me one on one?" Mu shouted in exasperation as he had a difficult time dodging the hail of bullets aiming for his mobile armor.
One of the GINNs slammed onto the top of Mu's Moebius Zero and drew its sword, but his gun barrels managed to destroy the GINN before it had the chance to cut his machine in half. It was now two on one.
"Bulls eye!" Mu shouted victoriously as a shot from the Moebius Zero's linear gun went straight through another GINN's cockpit.
The remaining GINN tried to escape, but even the best fighting machine in all of Sirius would succumb when fired upon by more than twenty fighter ships. Unable to escape, the GINN pilot ejected as the mobile suit was swiftly taken apart. With the last remaining GINN taken care off, there was nothing more Mu could do. The LSF ace retreated from the battlefield and returned to where Kira was.
Meanwhile, while the fierce battle was going on, Kira was busy scanning the numerous loots that were floating around. Whenever a ship is destroyed in a battle, there was always the possibility that the destroyed ship would leave behind some salvageable parts, like weapons, valuable goods or even ejected life pods. In the few months spent in the Border Worlds, Kira had learnt to take full advantage of such circumstances. Almost instinctively, Kira started to scan the surrounding areas for any salvage that he could profit on. Like most ships in the Sirius Sector, the Starflier was equipped with a tractor beam, a device that allows a pilot to tractor in any loot he might fancy.
In a hurry to bring in some of the loot he set his eye on, Kira accidentally tractored in a life pod. Kira moaned loudly as he had brought in something he had never intended to get. It was probably one of the Liberty pilots who had ejected during the fight against the GINNs, and Kira did not like the idea of having a stranger lying around his ship's cargo hold.
"Hey! Kira! Time to move!" Mu hurried Kira as they were running late for the mission.
"Arh… okay!" Kira stopped checking the contents in his cargo hold and followed Mu. It looked like Kira had to wait till the end of the mission before he could see just what he had tractored into his ship, "Well, I'll just take it that I saved Liberty pilot's life. Maybe I can get him to give me a treat later."
"Alright, we'll take the trade lane to Fort Bush," Mu ordered, "You go first, Kira."
It did not take long for Kira to forget about the life pod, though, for within a few seconds, Kira's Starflier docked with the Trade Lane and was propelled forward at an insane speed, as was Mu's Moebius Zero. Kira spent the next twenty seconds or so listening to Mu's ramblings about the earlier attack on the Donau before he caught sight of Fort Bush, a base maintained by Liberty Police Inc, some distance ahead. The Starflier soon slowed down and was out of the trade lane soon after. Kira looked ahead and spotted three transports waiting for him.
"There they are," Mu spoke as he came out of the trade lane, "Enter formation with them, Kira. We will head straight for Pittsburg from here."
"Got it," Kira entered formation and watched as the ship's auto-pilot took over. From here on, his ship would just stay beside the transport and follow them to Pittsburg.
Taking his hands off the controls, Kira watched as the formation entered another trade lane and was propelled forward. Honestly, am I a magnet for catastrophes or what? First Freeport 7. Next, a Rheinland battleship was destroyed right in front of me in what is supposed to be the safest place in Liberty. This mission better be smooth sailing, or I'm going to go crazy.
"Alert! Trade lane disrupted! Long range sensors are picking up multiple contacts. It's the Liberty Rogues!"
Kira rolled his eyes in frustration as he took his ship off the auto-pilot, "That's it! I've had enough! They better have some Sidewinder Fang in Pittsburg!"
End of Chapter 01
Kira's luck is not going any better as he witnessed the destruction of the Donau right in front of his own eyes. The convoy he was escorting was then attacked by the Liberty Rogues. How will everything turn out? And who was in the life pod that Kira tractored into his ship?
Hope I wrote this chapter well. Please tell me if you like my "crazier" depiction of Tolle. I always had the impression that Tolle was the playful sort when I watched the first episode of Gundam Seed, especially when he playfully "strangled" Kira from behind in the lab. Kira will also be the "pre-Freedom" version (hope you get what I mean) for most, or even all, of the story.
Feel free to clarify with me if you have any questions regarding some of the terms or locations in this chapter, especially since most of you will be unfamiliar with the Freelancer Universe.
Thanks for reading!
