05:00, June, U.C. 0097, the office of General Bright Noa at the Ministry of Defense, Revil Base, Side 7…
General Noa has summoned Lt. Col. Christina Mackenzie, (ret.) Captain Ryusuke Kenta, and 1Lt. Eric Gardner of the Intelligence Corps to his office. The subject of their discussion: Cadet Athena Ibaz, presently undergoing basic training at the Officer's Academy.
Stepping to his desk, Bright begins before even taking his seat, "I've summoned you all here this morning to discuss the new recruit, Athena Ibaz. I've ordered 1Lt. Gardner of the Intelligence Corps to run a background check on Cadet Ibaz. He will presently share his findings with us, and I'd like Lt. Col. Mackenzie and Captain Kenta to corroborate what Lt. Gardner tells us. Lieutenant, you may begin."
"Thank you, General," the dapper 1Lt. Gardner replies. Gardner clears his throat before beginning, "I've accessed and cross-referenced multiple civilian and military registries. What I found is that until three years ago, 'Athena Ibaz' simply did not exist, at least in not any substantial, verifiable way. I kept digging and connected her to a minor named 'Tina Mass,' who is the adopted daughter of Senator Teabolo Mass…"
Kenta interrupts Gardner, "Hold on...adopted daughter of Senator Mass?"
"Yes, sir," Gardner confirms.
General Noah interjects, "Ryusuke, what is it?"
"I was wondering why she seemed so wary of me," Kenta answers, "she's seen my demons."
Christina had only ever once seen that side of her lover… she can only imagine how that would affect a child. "That was a long time ago...continue with your report, Lt. Gardner."
"It gets more interesting the farther you go back in this girl's history," Gardner tells them, "the trail goes completely cold before the spring of UC 0089. Until she was enrolled as a 5th Grader at the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz in St. Moritz, Switzerland in the spring of that year, she was pretty much a nonexistent phantom. No 'Athena Ibaz.' No 'Tina Mass.' No birth record. No medical record. No citizenship record...NOTHING."
"Mystery girl," Captain Mackenzie remarks, "many records were lost due to the chaos created by the wars."
"Ibaz's history doesn't add up," Kenta concurs.
"Cipher or not," Bright says, leaning back in his chair, "she's in our hands now, and that works to our advantage. It's better that she's here, under our aegis, than a wildcard out there. Someone of her capabilities could prove a serious threat if our enemies were to recruit her."
"What do you have in mind, General?" Captain Mackenzie asks.
Bright answers, "As soon as she completes basic training, fast-track her into the Special Forces program as a mobile suit pilot."
"In the meantime, I'll dive into the historical records and run some facial recognition into who Athena really is." Gardner says, "Who knows? We might get lucky."
In other offices at the same ministry tower, other voices discuss the same topic.
"This...child wiped out several ZTF units across three continents," Col. Peter Cairlay reports to his superior officer, General Manron Blackhead of the Earth Federation Space Corps, "equipped only with an unarmed Gunperry and a commandeered Hizack Custom."
Blackhead nods, "Quite impressive. You say that Mackenzie recruited her into the Federation Forces?"
"Yes, sir," Cairlay affirms, "Ibaz is presently undergoing training at the Officer's Academy."
"She could be very useful to us," Blackhead muses, steepling his fingers, a dark smile crossing his florid face, "at the very least, we don't want her to fall into Bright Noa's hands."
"She's likely to get a Special Forces assignment," Col. Cairlay remarks, "and that would put her under my supervision."
"See to it," Blackhead orders, "and arrange for her to be placed under Captain Tinne's direct command in the Centurion Team."
At one of the many cadet gymnasiums on the base, new recruit Cadet Athena Ibaz undergoes a routine of sit-ups.
"...96, 97, 98, 99, 100!" the training officer counts off.
Athena sits upright as the officer nods with approval, "You're more fit than expected."
"Yes, sir," Athena answers, panting and wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.
Living on the run for months was one hell of a workout, Athena thinks to herself, without verbalizing.
"Yeah," the training officer says somewhat offhandedly, "read about your adventures down on Earth. No matter what you did down there, it doesn't meant anybody will cut you any slack here."
"No, sir," Athena responds.
Like I would want your "slack," you loud-mouthed peon, she thinks to herself.
"Push ups, Ibaz," the training officer demands, "at least 100 of them, NOW!"
"Yes, sir!" Athena answers, and complies with alacrity.
If I were still the Duchess of Zeon, you'd have been shot by now, comes the unbidden thought.
The drill instructor writes into his tablet, "Cadet Ibaz demonstrates accelerated abilities in various aspects. Compliant. Definitely officer material. Seems to be holding something back. Probably refraining from speaking out of turn to her superior."
Much, much later that day, at 21:56, Cadet Athena Ibaz leans back on her bunk the the cadet barracks and reads off her data pad. She scans back and forth between General Abraham Revil's treatise on space warfare strategies and Mafty's latest column...her brain sorting out the two conflicting streams of information.
Mafty's latest article details the daily atrocities committed by the Earth Federation at Side 3 - sometimes through active malice, but just as often simply through malicious neglect. Stark figures of death by disease, accident, and active military aggression, supported by leaked footage that the Federation has, thus far, failed to fully censor or suppress, are juxtaposed against General Revil's trenchant strategic analysis.
Athena's roommate, Cadet Anna Horowitz, turns over in her bunk, bleary-eyed, and complains, "Give it a fucking rest, Ibaz. We already trained for 14 hours today. Isn't that enough for you? I can't believe you're blowing what little energy you have left on whatever shit you're reading."
"Lights out is just three minutes from now," Athena answers dryly, "Bear with it just three more minutes."
Anna curses under her breath and pulls the covers over her head.
Over 1,000 children die every week at Side 3, Athena reads in silent horror from Mafty's blog entry, even as her other eye processes General Revil's assessment of the Earth Federation Forces' inefficiency.
Are things really as bad back at Side 3 as Mafty is reporting, Athena wonders, or is he just blowing smoke? I need to see for myself...
Athena continues reading until the lights in the barracks are switched off at precisely 22:00.
"Lights out, Cadet Ibaz," the voice of the training officer booms, "You can fill your head with that nonsense tomorrow."
Athena switches off her tablet and sets it aside. She lies down on her bunk, but is unable to sleep...an increasingly frequent problem of late.
At that same moment, a half kilometer away in his office, General Bright Noa reviews a report from Side 3 and sighs with disgust. Another folder, classified folder containing information on a new Gundam prototype lies unopened in a corner of the screen.
Lt. Col. Mackenzie, Captain Kenta, and 1Lt. Gardner left the office some hours ago. Bright stayed behind to catch up on the work he set aside to discuss matters with them.
Bright's secretary, Sfc. Rachel McGillicuddy, brings the general a fresh a cup of coffee, his favorite Colombian espresso.
"Thank you, Rachel," Bright says, sipping from the cup thoughtfully as he continues reading the report on Side 3.
Rachel is about to leave the general's office when she hears him moan in disgust.
"General?" Rachel probes.
"This report," Bright says, a look of horror evident on his face, "one of our Hizack patrols at Side 3 opened fire on a transport that had been identified as smuggling weapons into the colony. The transport...carried relief workers, including nuns from the Order of St. Monica, and desperately needed medical supplies."
"Side 3 has been volatile since the end of the Second Neo Zeon conflict," Rachel offers, noting Bright's reactions carefully.
"There's no excuse for this kind of brutality," Bright rumbles, "our Earth Federation Forces must do better than this."
"Why haven't we, sir?" Rachel ventures.
"Politics," Bright replies, his disgust evident, "a deadly cocktail of malice and incompetence from the top down."
Rachel has heard enough of Bright's tirades to know that her boss has never been a supporter of the current Earth Federation President, Terrence Torrance, a career bureaucrat who ran and won office on an Earthist security platform in the election of UC 0090 after the First Neo Zeon War and cruised to a second term after the election of UC 0096 after the Second Neo Zeon War. Torrance's administration has long been associated with an anti-Spacenoid streak, invoking the name of "Zeon" (or more commonly, the slur "Zeke") to stoke the fires of fear and resentment among his constituents living on Earth and in Federation-friendly space colonies.
"Do you blame President Torrance, sir?" Rachel asks.
"The President is only the symptom of a much deeper problem," Bright answers, "but his administration reflects the kind of thinking that resulted in the wars of the past two decades. Changes are imperative..."
One year later, June UC 0098...
Side 3, originally designated "Munzo" in the UC 0030s, has taken a variety of names in its relatively brief existence - Republic of Zeon, Archduchy (or Principality) of Zeon, Archduchy of Axis Zeon. Presently, in UC 0097 it is designated the Protectorate of Side 3, under the rule of the Earth Federation Occupation Forces.
Considered the crown jewel of the space colonies, the most prosperous and opulent, as recently as twenty years ago, the present-day Protectorate of Side 3 is, in many ways, reminiscent of the many historical occupied war zones that have preceded it: a paradox of authoritarianism existing alongside anarchy. Colossal Earth Federation Forces GM-III mobile suits patrol the streets of Zum City, while unattended children play in their gargantuan footpaths. Thousands line up for their daily or weekly consignment of basic supplies - food, potable water, medicines - all of which are of in limited availability and have been since the collapse of the most recent Zeon regime. At one intersection, a gang of youths chucks Molotov cocktails into the midst of an Earth Federation Occupation Forces' foot patrol squad. At another intersection, occupation forces troops beat down several teens suspected of possessing unauthorized items. Across the once-glittering cityscape of Zum City, not a single building stands in pristine condition. Every structure among the hundreds of thousands that dot the colony's internal surface bears the scar of two decades of war and military occupation. Vermin brought into the colony by cargo ships, indifferently processed by uncaring customs authorities, bring infectious disease into an environment that once scarcely knew it.
A tall, thin, trenchcoated man with greasy grey hair plies down the streets of Zum City as quickly as his legs can bear him. His face partly obscured by the fedora on his head, the man makes a beeline for a partly dilapidated building that houses an emergency medical clinic operated by Sayla Mass, M.D.
Dr. Mass...Sayla...is now 37 years old, though the years have been kind to her and she looks scarcely different from how she did during her time as a member of the White Base crew under Captain Bright Noa during the One Year War. Having earned her medical degree in UC 0084, Sayla served as a humanitarian physician in many war-torn parts of the world, including near the previous Earth Federation Government capital in Dakar, Senegal during the late UC 0080s.
After the death of her brother, Casval Daikun - known variously as "Edward Mass," "Char Aznable," and "Quattro Bajeena," Sayla resolved to take up her late brother and their father, Zeon Daikun's cause of spacenoid independence, organizing the Independent Spacenoid Republic movement at Side 3.
At the moment her visitor arrives, Dr. Mass is occupied with a mother and child, both suffering from dysentery.
"Ideally, we'd put both of you on an IV drip for rehydration," Sayla tells her patients, "but all IV apparatus is currently already in use by more urgent cases. Rehydrate as much as you can orally, using sterilized water, and take these antibiotics. Come see me again in two days if the problem persists."
The mother and child thank Dr. Mass and head home...one of many mass shelters scattered throughout Zum City. Sayla knows that the sterilized water she recommended might be difficult to come by.
"If the problem persists," Sayla's visitor repeats sarcastically, "I'm pretty sure our problems are going to persist."
"If there's one thing I've always been able to absolutely count on, Kai," Sayla responds, "it's your snark and cynicism."
Despite the acid exchange, Sayla Mass and Kai Shiden embrace as the old friends and colleagues they are, a bond they have shared for nearly twenty years since their days as crewmates on the White Base, where Sayla initially served on the bridge of the Federation mobile suit carrier as a communications tech before being reassigned as a Core Booster pilot, and Kai served as the pilot of the first RX-77 Guncannon (C-108).
"'Fraid I don't have much good news to report," Kai tells Sayla, as they disengage their platonic embrace, "the pilot of that Hizack that attacked the supply convoy has been taken off active duty, but it's unlikely that he'll be court-martialed. At most, he might be demoted and reassigned far away from here."
"Cold comfort for the dead," Sayla remarks.
"No comfort for anyone with a shred of decency," Kai amends, his teeth bared, "If this were the old days…"
"But it's not the old days," Sayla points out, "and even if it were, we didn't move out unless we got the direct order from Bright...at least if we didn't want to spend a few days locked up in the brig."
Kai chuckles at some not-so-fond memories, "You know...it's pretty ironic that we're pitted against Bright and Mirai these days. Who would have thought…?"
"They're not really our enemies," Sayla takes her turn to amend, "I admit we're in an awkward position with our old comrades and friends, but that's purely circumstantial."
"Maybe," Kai concedes noncommittally, "You know if Amuro were still with us…"
"Kai, please," Sayla cuts him off, almost pleadingly.
"All right, all right, sorry," Kai answers, more defensively than necessary, "I'm not trying to push your buttons. I just wanted to say…"
At that moment, a handsome youth, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, steps into the clinic, "Mom? Oh. Hi, Mr. Shiden."
Kai smiles, "Good seeing you, kid! We were just talking about your…"
Sayla silences Kai with a glare.
Kai changes the subject, "...some old times. Anyway. I've got to go. You'll be hearing from me soon."
As Kai steps towards the door, a grey-haired, bearded gentleman steps into the clinic. The two men exchange unfriendly glances.
"Spencer," Kai mutters.
"Shiden," Col. Jack Spencer acknowledges the other man, almost like he would acknowledge a dog.
Not wishing to linger a moment longer in Spencer's presence, Kai doubles his pace and makes his way out of the clinic and back into the streets.
"Lady Artasia," Jack begins, with a grace he usually keeps concealed.
Sayla smiles pleasantly, "No need for formalities, Jack...we're old friends."
Turning to her son, Sayla says, "Christian, could you go help some of the patients in the waiting room? I need to talk to Col. Spencer privately for a few minutes."
"Sure thing, Mom," the boy named Christian answers, complying with Sayla's instructions.
"What did Shiden want?" Jack asks after the boy leaves.
Sayla answers somewhat evasively, "Just to rehash some old times. Everybody is feeling...a bit demoralized by the recent incident concerning the downing of that cargo transport."
"You should have seen how Mother Superior reacted," Jack grunts, "I ain't ever seen that old bat more ready for war… and I've known Sister Yolanda for several years now… She was even planning to mobilize the Rick Dias mobile suits I got for her…thank God I managed to talk her down."
"What'd you get her in return?" Sayla asks cautiously.
"The trigger happy bastard who blew up the freighter, " Jack answers gruffly with a smile.
Sayla gulps silently.
"You can't be soft-hearted, Artasia," Jack says matter of factly, "You saw combat during the One Year War, so you know that. If you want this revolution to matter, you can't be hesitant to dirty your hands when necessary."
"I'm a doctor by training," Sayla says, "and a revolutionary only by necessity."
"You keep thinking that way," Jack remarks, "and your revolution will never get off the ground. That's not what I came here to discuss with you today, though."
"That sounds serious," Sayla answers, taking a seat on her physician's chair, "serious enough that you had to come here and visit in person rather than just tell me through our other channels. Tell me, Jack: what is it?"
"I found her again," he replies with a smirk.
"Her?" Sayla's eyebrows rise, "do you mean…?"
"Yes, I mean Mineva,"Jack affirms.
"Teabolo and Amelia told me a few years ago that they had adopted Mineva and she had become my 'younger sister,' Tina," Sayla says, "but I lost track of her after a while. Teabolo and Amelia didn't say much, other than that Tina had been...traveling."
Jack rubs one eye with the back of his fist, "Well, she's picked up one of your brother's bad habits, because now, she's calling herself 'Athena Ibaz.'"
"Athena Ibaz," Sayla smiles, picking up on the reference, "Unforgettable name: seems a little obvious, though."
"Not as obvious as you might think," the Colonel replies, "she joined the Federation Military."
"The Earth Federation Forces?" Sayla's eyes widen incredulously, "What…?"
"My guess is that she plans to fix the Federation from the inside," he answers her, "which probably won't work, but it does give us an ally on the inside."
"She sure has guts for someone her age," Sayla remarks, "and brains too."
Jack nods, "She doesn't lack for bravery or resourcefulness, but her Achilles' heel is her overconfidence...same as your brother, though I'd say Mineva has better sense than he did."
"Jack," Sayla says pleadingly, "Don't let her end up like Casval did. Please."
"I'll do what I can," he replies as he runs his prosthetic hand through his greying hair, "but I'm not making any promises."
A knock comes at the door.
"Who is it?" Sayla asks.
"Dr. Mass, it's me...Dory."
"Dory…" Sayla exhales, opening the door.
"Dr. Mass," Dory Ischinda, a string reporter for the Cislunar Free Media enters, "We need to...oh...didn't realize we had company."
"Come on in here, Ichinda," Jack says, "It's important that you're aware of what I need to tell Artasia next: Anaheim Enterprises is nearing completion of a new Gundam prototype at their plant at Anman City and will be delivering it to the Earth Federation Forces' Revil Base at Side 7 within a few weeks."
Both women gasp, but only Sayla whispers half hopefully, half fearfully, "Gundam…"
"Gundam," Jack affirms, "and only time will tell if that's good or bad news for us."
At Anaheim Enterprises' primary production plant at Anman City, a crew of workers puts the finishing touches on a prototype war machine over which they have labored for the better part of the past four years. At long last, the latest in the line of the Earth Federation Forces' feared Gundam-class mobile suits is nearly ready to roll out: the RX-780 Gundam-100, the first product of the Earth Federation Forces' Project: Centurion second universal century mobile weapons development initiative.
Observing the work is the project leader and chief designer of the RX-780, Dr. Kamille Bidan. AEUG hero of the Gryps Conflict and pilot of the first MSZ-0006 Zeta Gundam, Kamille completed his doctorate degree in mobile suit engineering and design at Cal Tech on Earth following the Second Neo Zeon War and has been employed by Anaheim Research and Development as a chief engineer for the past four years.
Kamille looks up at his latest brainchild and sighs - a sigh that encompasses so many conflicted thoughts and feelings. Though only 27 years old, Kamille has had experiences that make him feel twice that age.
The gentle touch of the hand of Fa Yuri-Bidan, Kamille's personal assistant and wife of three years, brings him out of his brooding reverie.
"Hey," Fa says, encouraging smile on her face, "What's wrong?"
Kamille indicates the Gundam-100, "Pretty soon, I'll be turning over my latest baby there to the Earth Federation Forces. Goodness knows how they'll use it."
"You had four years to think that over," Fa remarks fairly, "It's too late to have second thoughts about it now."
"You're right," Kamille answers his wife, taking off his glasses and wiping the lenses clean, "but I feel like Dr. Robert Oppenheimer after he helped to develop the first atomic weapon: 'I become Death - Destroyer of Worlds.'"
"Now you're talking morbidly," Fa says, "Don't worry so much. Bright is now in charge of the Earth Federation Forces at Side 7."
"Not just him," Kamille reminds her, "There are others too, not nearly as trustworthy."
"It's not out of your hands yet if you want to do something about it," Fa tells him.
"No," Kamille says, "my days as a mobile suit combat pilot are over. This will play out...the way it's meant to play out, and that's without me in the cockpit."
An irrepressible ten-year-old girl with feline features and dirty blonde hair runs into the room, squealing, "Oh my God! Uncle Kamille! Auntie Fa! Is that it?!"
Kamille puts a finger to his lip for silence, "This is a secure facility, Sarah. Even so, no need to advertise to the whole world."
The girl lowers her voice to a discreet whisper, "Is that the new Gundam?"
"Yes," Kamille replies, "RX-780 Gundam-100. The new century's successor to the original Gundam."
"Wow," the girl named Sarah exhales and gazes at the armored form dreamily.
Fa grins and whispers to Kamille, "She's not at all like her mother."
"Or her father," Kamille replies more grimly, "and we should make sure it stays that way."
Far across the Solar System in the Asteroid Belt, the Phobos Principality of Neo Zeon is abuzz with activity as its ruler, General Alexander Miguel, conducts war games among his own forces - training for confrontation against Phobos' many enemies, particularly the rival Zeon regimes, each ruled by a warlord who claims for himself/herself legitimacy as ruler of Zeon and have divided control of the Outer Solar System among themselves during the past eight years since the death of Regent Haman Karn and the disappearance of Duchess Mineva Zabi.
Aboard his MSN-04II Nightingale, a mobile suit designed by his sister Nanai and originally slated for Supreme Leader Char Aznable, 27-year-old Alexander leads his elite Phobos shock troops, equipped with MS-14P Gelgoog Phobos Marine types, through deadly combat maneuvers. With deadly, well-trained expertise, the Phobos Zeon mobile suit pilots encircle and savage the target drones deployed against them, bringing into play an assortment of projectile and beam weapons.
"Pick it up, ladies and gentlemen," the devilishly handsome Alexander entones, "laggards inevitably become casualties on the field of battle."
"General Miguel," the voice of Col. Roth Davenport, Alexander's loyal adjutant, sounds through the tactical net, "Forgive the interruption, sir. Important communique for you from our Friends Out West."
"I'll take it in private, Colonel," Alexander responds, and then to the Gelgoog Marine squad, "Bring it in. We will continue our training at 04:00 in the morning."
Within an hour, General Miguel is in his spacious, luxurious office within Phobos Colony, built into the natural Martian satellite of that name. The hollowed asteroid, measuring 17 x 22 x 18 km, serves not only as a permanent garrison/fortress for the Phobos Zeon Forces, but is also seat of government for the Principality of Phobos Neo Zeon. Within the asteroid colony are facilities for life support, manufacturing, and agriculture - a fully self-sustaining space colony that includes Phobos City, a metropolis housing a population of 1.5 million people, both military and civilian.
General Miguel turns to the mammoth widescreen monitor in his office, looking at a figure seated in the shadows of a dimmed office.
"Lord Miguel," the individual on screen says, "the delivery date for the Gundam-100 prototype to Side 7's Revil Base has been set. We will make our move during the unit's testing operations."
"Good," Miguel replies calmly, "the funds have been disbursed to your Swiss bank account. I expect prompt delivery."
"You have my personal guarantee, Lord Miguel," the figure answers, stepping into the light to reveal him as General Manron Blackhead of the Earth Federation Space Forces.
"I have complete faith in you, General Blackhead," Miguel says, a sly smile barely perceptible on his diabolically charismatic countenance.
Inside his studio/bedroom at Miguel Manor elsewhere in Phobos City, 16-year-old Jonah Miguel's fresh, handsome young face is smeared in assorted colors of paint as he puts the finishing touches on his latest creation.
"Perfect!" Jonah enthuses as he steps back to admire his workmanship on a portrait over which he has labored for weeks.
On his easel stands a stately portrait of his elder brother Alexander, appearing heroic and regal in his military attire.
A knock comes at the door of Jonah's studio/bedroom. Jonah opens the door and finds the subject of his latest painting standing before him. Both brothers are tall, Alexander towering at 193 cm while Jonah stands an impressive (for his age) 178 cm himself.
"Alex," Jonah tells his brother, the youth's eyes flashing with excitement, "Come check this out, Bro. I made this for you!"
Alexander looks upon the impressive portrait of himself and smiles, "Excellent work, Jonah. Your talent as an artist is extraordinary. You've captured a true-to-life representation of me. I will treasure this."
Jonah beams with pride at his brother's praise.
"However," Alexander begins, turning to a second portrait, not yet complete, of an angelically beautiful young girl of Asian descent around Jonah's own age, with long, black hair and wide, soulful eyes, "as an heir to Phobos Zeon, you must, by law and custom, apply a different kind of talent for a much more important purpose."
Jonah sighs, knowing precisely the meaning behind Alexander's words. They have had this discussion before, more than once, never pleasantly.
"Alex," Jonah says imploringly, "I've already told you before: I don't want to be a soldier. I'm not made out for life as a combatant. In terms of temperament, skill, and interest, being a military man doesn't suit me at all."
"I knew you would say that," Alexander responds, looking in a troubled manner at the unfinished portrait of the pretty Asian girl, experiencing an uneasy sense of recognition, "but make no mistake, Jonah: I am not offering you a choice. I am enrolling you in the junior officers' academy after this summer."
"What?!" Jonah reacts with shock and appall, "Alex, you can't…!"
"I already have," Alexander cuts him off, "and you will comply."
"I'm not one of your soldiers, Alex," Jonah retorts, "you can't give me orders!"
Alexander responds with a backhanded slap of his right hand that sends Jonah reeling, crashing into the portrait of the girl, shattering it
Alexander points menacingly at his younger brother, "I raised you after our father's death. He expects the same of you as he did of me, and I swear to you: you will pay a heavy penalty if you fail to live up to your obligations as a man of Zeon and a member of the Miguel family."
So saying, Alexander leaves the room. Jonah knows that his older brother is not one to make idle threats.
Jonah wipes blood from the corner of his mouth and gazes despondently at the shattered portrait of the girl...a vision he has seen in his dreams, both waking and asleep, for years...since the onset of adolescence.
He senses her reaching out to him across the cosmos, her name coming to him fleetingly…
Jolie…
The following morning, Jonah picks up the pieces of the portrait of the wide-eyed Asian girl with long, black hair...pondering his future with great apprehension. Since he was a very young boy, his goal has been to study art at L'École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France on Earth...not become a soldier at war. His delicate hands are meant for handling paint brushes, not automatic weapons. His heart, moreover, is meant for treasuring and capturing the beauty of life, not destroying it in war.
But Alex also spoke the truth when he said that he had raised Jonah since the death of their father, and had brought him up attentively, if not indulgently. A part of Jonah regrets having to defy his brother...whom, despite his very different outlooks on life and war, Jonah has always held in personal high regard.
The grand bell of the gate of Miguel Manor sounds, indicating the arrival of a visitor. While it is not at all unusual for Alex to receive visitors early in the morning, something inexplicable...a powerful presence draws Jonah's curiosities, and he opens a crack in the door of his bedroom to see his brother's visitor this morning.
Jonah catches a glimpse of the visitor and his heart seems to stop as he barely contains a scream.
It's her!
A young Asian girl, appearing to be Jonah's own age, with long, black silky hair styled in a modified Hime cut with long, uneven side swept bangs steps into the room. Her face is a delicate oval, with equally delicate features defined by a pair of wide, expressive eyes.
The girl is diminutive in size...standing about 154 cm tall and weighing perhaps 43 kg, but has the slender, athletic build of a model or film star, with long, shapely legs. She is clad in the Phobos Zeon Forces' female officers' uniform.
The girl salutes, "1Lt. Kyoko Yamaguchi reporting for duty, Lord Miguel."
Alexander steps forth to greet his guest, reaching out to caress the smooth cheeks of her face tenderly, "At ease. Good to see you as always, Kyoko."
"I have come with a field report on our combat exercises…" Kyoko begins.
"That can wait, Lieutenant Yamaguchi," Alexander says, his lips approaching hers, "a routine field report is not the reason I summoned you here this morning."
Their lips lock passionately.
Observing this through the crack of his bedroom door, Jonah struggles to suppress the powerful emotions coursing through him...jealousy, betrayal, confusion, hurt...but through it all, a sudden clarity, as he realizes…
Wait...that isn't her! She looks similar, and also has a powerful aura around her, but this "Kyoko" isn't the girl I've been seeing in my dreams...she isn't Jolie. Her aura is different...just as powerful, but different.
The Miguels' butler, Roland, waits for Alexander and Kyoko to disengage from the kiss before informing Alexander that Captain Suberoa Zinnerman, the master of the space freighter Garancieres, registered to Side 3 and having been docked at Phobos for the past two days while taking on a cargo of valuable silicates, has come to pay his respects to the Lord of Phobos before the ship is scheduled to leave port that evening at 20:00 local time.
"Lord Miguel," Captain Zinnerman, a swarthy, bearded bear of a man, bows deeply to the ruler of Phobos, "on behalf of all of my crew, I thank you for the hospitality you have shown to us.
"The honor is mine," Miguel replies elegantly, extending his hand to the other man as he continues, "as an officer of the Zeon forces, I am gratified to be able to assist a fellow Zeon officer."
Zinnerman chuckles modestly, "That was a long time ago, Lord Miguel. My time as an officer of the forces of great Zeon has passed. I am unable to keep up with young stalwarts such as you, my lord."
"Neither of us will be able to keep up with this young lady," Alexander amends, "Captain Zinnerman, please meet one of the key members of my forces, 1Lt. Kyoko Yamaguchi of the Phobos Mobile Suit Corps."
Captain Zinnerman takes Kyoko's delicate hand and kisses it in accordance with the etiquette of a long ago era that has taken on new life among the upper echelon of Zeon society.
"It is an honor, sir," Kyoko smiles demurely, "to meet a Zeon hero of the One Year War."
Zinnerman visually drinks in the beauty of the youthful, fresh-faced Kyoko before replying, "Lieutenant Yamaguchi is most impressive, Lord Miguel, as is your entire Phobos Zeon war machine. Undoubtedly, they will enable you to secure the entire Mars Sphere and beyond."
"You flatter me," Alexander replies graciously, "Captain, would you do me the honor of joining Lieutenant Yamaguchi and me for breakfast here at the manor this morning?"
Zinnerman bows again, "The honor is mine, Lord Miguel."
Alex turns to his domestic, "Roland, ask Jonah to join us for breakfast."
Roland replies, "My lord, I just returned from young Master Jonah's bedroom. He appears to have left the manor early this morning."
Alex nods, "No matter, then. I have a younger brother, Captain Zinnerman. He is of age to soon join the Phobos Zeon Forces."
Zinnerman smiles courteously, "Then along with Lieutenant Yamaguchi, he will be a further asset to your forces."
"So I hope," Alexander replies.
Outside the manor, Jonah lifts a tarp covering the backseat of the Sauropelta jeep that Captain Zinnerman drove from the spaceport to Miguel Manor.
Jonah lies flat on the floor of the jeep and covers himself with the tarp, hoping the oxygen will hold out.
"What's the situation like back at Munzo?" Alexander asks as he sips from a cup of coffee, using the old, pre-Zeon designation of Side 3.
"Everything you've read and heard is true," Captain Zinnerman confirms, around a forkful of eggs benedict, "the Earth Federation has turned Side 3 into an occupied war zone, with all that entails."
"It's heartbreaking and humiliating," Alexander concurs.
"Lord Miguel," Zinnerman probes, "if you can speak your mind openly: is it your intent to lead your troops into the Earth Sphere and retake Side 3 for Zeon?"
Alexander shakes head, "As much as I wish I could do more for our brethren in our ancestral homeland, I must first and foremost ensure the safety and wellbeing of my people here at Phobos. I see no benefit to provoking the Earth Federation."
"No benefit at all," Zinnerman agrees, wiping his mouth with a corner of his napkin, "if Zeon has a future, it would be out in the Outer Solar System, not back in the Earth Sphere."
"And yet, you are heading back to the Earth Sphere," Alexander observes, the irony bringing a killer smile to his countenance.
"It's my lot in life," Zinnerman answers with a sigh, "just as yours has cast you here in the cosmic hinterland."
Kyoko seems to take greater offense at this cutting remark than does its target. She rises, unwilling to tolerate such insolence towards her lord, not even from a One Year War hero.
Alexander restrains her with a simple, gentle gesture, unfazed by Zinnerman's sarcasm.
The Lord of Phobos offers the master of the Garancieres his hand, "I wish you a safe journey back to the Earth Sphere, Captain Zinnerman."
Zinnerman takes Miguel's iron grip and replies, "May your dominion prosper."
Minutes later, Zinnerman boards his Sauropelta jeep and begins making his way from Miguel Manor to the Phobos Spaceport, where his freighter Garancieres awaits.
As he pulls out from the Miguel estate, Zinnerman radios his crew, "Marida, Loni. I'm on my way back. Is the silicate ore properly loaded into the cargo bay?"
"Yes, and it's about time," the Arabian woman replies, "There are a good number of powerful Newtypes here and it's putting Marida on edge."
Suberoa chuckled at this, "You can let her know we'll be leaving soon, Loni."
"Will do, sir."
Zinnerman chuckles as he put the radio down and focused on driving.
Zinnerman's Sauropelta pulls into the hold of the Garancieres just as the crew secures the final crates of Phobos silicate ore. After being transported to the Earth Sphere, the ore will undergo processing to convert it into fuel for myriad vehicles and devices.
Captain Zinnerman parks the vehicle and quickly makes his way to the bridge to oversee departure operations.
Ten minutes after he leaves, Jonah Miguel sneaks out from under the tarp. Having grown up at Phobos under his brother's watchful eye, Jonah has never been aboard a spacecraft such as the Garancieres, and the cargo bay of the ship appears huge to his perspective.
More places I can hide, Jonah reasons, as he seeks a cubbyhole in which he can take shelter.
Captain Zinnerman takes his place in the captain's seat aboard the bridge of the Garancieres as the ship's clock indicates precisely 20:00:00.
"Flaste," Zinnerman orders the helmsman, "bring the ship out of dock and set course for Frontier 8."
"Aye-aye, Skipper," comes the helmsman Flaste Schole's reply as he brings the ship out of the Phobos spaceport on a heading for the Frontier 8 colonies.
The Garancieres departs from the Port of Phobos without incident, en rout to the Frontier 8 colonies.
From the viewport, Captain Zinnerman cannot help but notice the deployment of a strike-force sized contingent of the Phobos Armada...not quite escorting the Garancieres, but oriented towards the same general heading, making double speed.
At the Earth Federation Forces' Officers' Academy at Side 7's Revil Base across the expanse between Mars orbit and the Earth Sphere, the cadets who have been earmarked for mobile suit combat pilot assignment are in a classroom session with instructor Captain Charles Kissingham, a veteran of the One Year War.
Kissingham, nicknamed "Uncle Charlie" by his Earth Federation Forces comrades-at-arms, is known to be a mobile suit ace pilot with the fourth highest kill count among the Federal Forces during the One Year War - behind only Tenneth A. Jung, Amuro Ray, and Lydo Wolf. With fifty-two Zeon mobile suit and two Zeon warship kills to his credit, "Uncle Charlie" has long felt that the Federation has never given him his due...still only a captain and assigned to cadet pilot instructor and test pilot roles despite nearly twenty years of dedicated service. Jung, Ray, and the late Wolf (who perished during the Battle of A Baoa Qu) went on to glory and, in the case of Jung and Ray, various degrees of financial reward. Charlie, on the other hand, continues to draw a standard, paltry bi-weekly paycheck for his rank and pay grade, and is deeply resentful of it. The pilot cadets to a man and woman know that Charlie thinks nothing of taking that resentment out on the trainees - concluding (and not incorrectly) that tormenting the new recruits is one of the few transient joys of Charlie's life.
"If you ask me, and even if you don't, I'm absolutely positive that you worthless snots are going to get yourselves killed out there," Captain Kissingham rails bitterly, in a standard rant that the pilot cadets have come to expect, "but mobile suits are expensive hardware, and if nothing else, I want to make sure that the Federation isn't throwing away more money than it already is training you turkeys."
In her seat, Athena ignores Uncle Charlie's acrid remarks as she takes notes on his salient points on the subtleties of mobile suit piloting. Athena agrees with the general assessment that in spite of his superficially impressive kill count during the One Year War, Charlie's talents as a mobile suit pilot are mediocre at best. Nevertheless, Charlie, if never quite as spectacularly talented as his record would suggest, is at least competent and experienced.
After a long-winded, but also crucially informative two-hour lecture, Charlie gives the cadets a shit-eating grin and finally says to them, "Test time, kiddies. Tomorrow, you're going to prove your mettle to show us if you've got what it takes to be special forces or whether I've always been right that not a single one of you is worth a dime of taxpayers' money. Ibaz!"
"Sir," Athena answers crisply.
"You're taking point on this training exercise," Charlie informs them all.
"The pressure's on…" Cadet Geoff Sutcliffe teases, drawing a kick in the shin from Cadet Karen Luna.
"What's your problem, island girl?" the Englishman Cadet Sutcliffe demands, rubbing his shin.
"Shut the fuck up and listen, Limey boy," Cadet Luna, a native of Earth's Hawaiian Islands retorts, eyes flashing.
"Here's your mission objective," Uncle Charlie tells the trainees, "Somewhere inside Limbo will be one of our comrades-at-arms, and he, she, it, whatever is POW...prisoner of war. Needless to say, the enemy isn't going to be so accommodating as to just let us walk in and get our guy or gal out. There are going to be multiple layers of defenses...multiple layers of traps that you'll need to penetrate going in and going out. Mission success will be determined by your ability to achieve the objective of getting the POW out safely and returning, with all personnel and combat mecha intact. Because this is a training exercise, the weapons on your mobile suits will not be using live ammunition or beam generators. Your ordnance will be SCG (that is Short Circuit Gel) or "Goop" cartridges. As I hope you all remember, if any part of your mobile suit comes into contact with the Goop, an electrified gel, that part will short circuit and shut down until the Goop is scrubbed off. Beam sabers have been replaced with electronic paralysis rods that work similarly to the Goop. Is all that understood?"
"Yes, sir," comes the collective reply.
Captain Kissingham drawls, "All right: we begin at 03:00, at Limbo."
With the early hour of the operation, "lights out" at the cadet barracks comes at the unusual hour of 19:00. At 21:08, however, Cadet Athena Ibaz is under the covers of her bedspace, poring over the screen of her tablet device.
Through some discreet and diligent searching through old government construction archives, Athena is able to locate the blueprints to "Limbo," originally named "Leucadia" and intended to be a luxurious "beachfront" colony of Side 7. Constructed during the mid to late UC 0070s and completed in UC 0077, two years before the outbreak of the One Year War, Leucadia Colony was never occupied due to a gross construction error that rendered the colony uninhabitable...its artificial "oceanside" and beach becoming a fetid swamp. Too costly to repair or dismantle, Leucadia became a dilemma for the Earth Federation Government until it was repurposed by the Earth Federation Forces as a state-of-the-art training facility for its troops, renamed "Limbo" as an appropriate descriptor for its perpetually semi-completed state.
Having scoured the archives, Athena finds a postmortem report on the failure of Leucadia Colony that yields useful, little-known information…
An abandoned accessway, Athena realizes, originally intended to be one of dozens of access ports for loading and unloading cargo on the end of the colony opposite the primary spaceport, but rendered inoperative after a gross construction error. Consequently, passageway to main colony hold submerged under salt water and inaccessible.
Athena checks out the stats on the access hatch and passage way's dimensions, and notes that it can accommodate an Asshimar mobile suit...just barely.
Having acquired this information, Athena commits it to memory, switches off her tablet, and tries to catch a few hours of sleep.
At 02:00, Athena and her fellow cadets are aboard the EFFS Penthesilea, an Irish-class battle carrier under the command of Lt. Col. Christina MacKenzie. The team is in the ready room, as Athena discusses her plan with the other cadets.
"What I need you all to do is raise as much hell as you can at the spaceport entrance," Athena tells them, "and try to keep the action in the spaceport area."
"But the POW isn't likely to be anywhere near the spaceport," Cadet Tomo Higashi pipes up.
"That's right," Athena answers, "and for that reason, I want you guys to keep the colony defenses occupied there."
"Yeah, and what is Cadet Ibaz going to be doing while we do that?" Cadet Sutcliffe asks archly, "Doing her nails in some nice, safe corner far from the action?"
Ignoring Sutcliffe's sarcasm, Athena responds cryptically, "Taking the path of least resistance, though it promises to be salty and wet."
"Meaning what, exactly?" Cadet Horowitz wants to know.
"Essentially," Athena answers, "crawling into the house...in this case, Limbo, through the toilet. There's an abandoned access hatch on the other side of the colony that leads into the submerged sections of the hold. Nobody has used it because it's submerged below several million cubic liters of salt water and sludge."
The cadets murmur among themselves, some doubtful about the plan...others enthusiastic.
"I say you're going to drown," Sutcliffe sighs.
"I say she makes it," Cadet Hakeem Al-Said interjects resolutely, "and we're going to make sure of it."
"If I don't drown, you buy the drinks," Athena says challengingly to Sutcliffe.
"And if you do drown…?" Sutcliffe asks.
"Then have a drink in my memory," Athena replies.
So it is resolved.
Athena boards the cockpit of the NRX-044 Asshimar, in its saucer-shaped mobile armor configuration, on the MS deck of the Penthesilea, dropping a midsized storage trunk behind the pilot's seat, where it will not obstruct cockpit functions or otherwise create any distraction or hazard.
Strapping herself in, Athena dons her MS pilot's combat helmet, seals her normal suit collar, and runs a diagnostic on the Asshimar's systems. She then performs a review of her teammates' mobile suits: Cadets Al-Said and Higashi in RGM-89 GM-IIIs, Cadets Luna and Sutcliffe in MSA-003 Nemos, and Cadet Horowitz in a MSA-003E EWAC Nemo.
Captain Charles Kissingham's voice comes through Athena's helmet receivers, "All units check in."
One by one, the units check in.
The electromagnetic catapult lifts Athena's Asshimar to the launch deck. Limbo looms large ahead in Athena's field of vision, its cylindrical mass filling her screen.
To her left, Captain Kissingham's Asshimar sits ready to launch on its parallel launcher. "Uncle Charlie" will be supervising the training operation, and intervening if necessary in the event of an unanticipated crisis.
"Captain Charles Kissingham. Asshimar-1 launching!"
The catapult pushes Uncle Charlie's Asshimar to the front of the launch deck, and the saucer-like transformable mobile armor launches into the cosmos.
"Cadet Athena Ibaz. Asshimar-2 launching!"
Athena's Asshimar similarly tears across the launch deck and into space. Behind her, the GM-IIIs and Nemos of her fellow cadets follow over the course of the next forty seconds. Per Athena's instructions, however, the EWAC Nemo piloted by Cadet Anna Horowitz does not follow the rest of the squad, but floats to the top of the command tower and perches itself in location above the bridge with the magnetized soles of its armored feet.
"Ma'am," reports one of the Pentheselia's bridge techs, "Cadet Horowitz's mobile suit…"
"Undoubtedly part of Cadet Ibaz's plan," Lt. Col. Christina Mackenzie responds from the captain's seat on the bridge, "It's all right. I need to see how Ibaz and the others play this out."
Twenty kilometers out from the Limbo spaceport, Athena raises Cadet Anna Horowitz - specially trained in reconnaissance and communications, pilot of the EWAC Nemo, and Athena's barracks roommate - on the tactical net.
"Ibaz to Horowitz."
"Copy, Ibaz," comes Anna's terse reply from her mobile suit perched on top of the command tower of the Pentheselia.
"Run target ID scan," Athena says with calm authority.
Ten seconds later, Anna returns with the data, "Three Hizack Customs, twenty standard Hizacks...and a Marasai…and that's not all….you're looking down the gun barrels of a Chivay-class heavy cruiser and four Musai-class light cruisers. They're welcoming us like rock stars."
"Those cruisers can hit us from this range," Athena notes, "Take them out first, Anna."
"You're kidding, right?" comes Anna's reply.
"REPEAT THAT ORDER!" Athena replies in deadly earnest.
"'Take them out,' as ordered, Ibaz," Anna answers.
The EWAC Nemo goes down on one knee and levels its modified GM sniper rifle, usually armed with high velocity armor-piercing shells that, for training purposes, have been replaced with Goop cartridges, in the direction of the lead Chivay - targeting the suite of sensors and communications gear atop its command tower.
"Good night, Gracie," Anna whispers as she lines up the target in her gunsite.
Anna lets fly with three rounds from the sniper rifle, which covers the distance between the Pentheselia in seconds and renders the lead Chivay blind, deaf, and dumb.
"Hakeem, Tomo," Athena orders, "follow up strike."
"Copy that," comes their simultaneous response, and their GM-IIIs each fire three Goop missiles at the Chivay, targeting the heavy cruiser's gunports and other weapons hardpoints.
The Chivay lists, its bridge lights flickering out, and its weapons systems cold and silent.
The demise of their flagship draws counterfire from the rest of the enemy fleet, as the Musais open fire to counterstrike.
In its mobile armor configuration, Athena's Asshimar fires its heavy rifle, the Minovsky generator swapped for Goop cartridges, in three rapid succession strikes that take out the gun decks of the first Musai.
"Here come their mobile suits!" Cadet Geoff Sutcliffe yells.
A green Hizack bears down on Sutcliffe's Nemo; the young Englishman levels his white-and-blue Nemo's rifle at the enemy mobile suit and fires a Goop cartridge into the Hizack's chest, disabling it.
A full on firefight soon swirls around as the cadets engage the enemy sentries.
"Going to extract the POW now," Athena informs the squad, "Keep the enemy tied up here. If I'm not back in thirty minutes, retreat and return to the command ship."
"Copy that," comes the collective reply.
Athena's Asshimar breaks away from the firefight and heads discreetly for the opposite terminus of the colony.
Hanging back in his own Asshimar, supervising the action, but not taking part, Captain Kissingham observes the action with almost a sense of ennui.
"Those punks are going to get themselves wrecked," he all but yawns.
Athena's Asshimar glides along the surface of Limbo, coming to a halt as it reaches the abandoned access hatch that Athena identified from her research as Auxiliary Port NH577.
The Asshimar transforms from saucer-shaped mobile armor into anthropomorphic mobile suit configuration. A set of large tools emerges from the forearm casing of the Asshimar, unscrewing and prying open the long inactive access hatch.
Liquid water comes gushing out of the hatch, only to immediately freeze in the vacuum of space.
The Asshimar forces its way through the rapidly gushing water and enters the colony, reconfiguring itself to mobile armor saucer as it enters the access way.
Visibility is horrible through the muck and darkness. Athena's eyes can see very little except murky water, but other senses guide her path.
The Asshimar continues its forward journey through the water...not designed specifically as an amphibious unit, it is nevertheless able to negotiate the water without trouble using its Minovsky particle-powered engine thrusters.
Finally, after several long minutes that feel like hours to Athena, the Asshimar surfaces. Positive visibility returns to the cockpit view screens, and Athena finds herself looking at the dim interior of the unoccupied space colony...a structure resembling an oil derrick looming about two clicks ahead of her.
Her target in sight, she immediately gets to work stripping off her pilot's normal suit to reveal a form fitting one piece, high-cut bathing suit that flatters her long, elegant legs and svelte hips.
Once free of the normal suit, Athena opens the trunk behind the seat of her Asshimar and pulls out a large, bulky civilian EVA normal suit that, though designed for use in space, is designed in a manner that it can reasonably mimic the function of a 19th century dive suit.
Before climbing into the EVA suit, Athena straps on a gun harness so she can carry her sidearm with her. Everything in place, Athena dons the EVA suit just before opening the hatch and jumping into the water.
Visibility is nonexistent below the surface, so Athena tries to keep her head above water as she swims through the stagnant, salty waters of Limbo to her destination.
One long, strenuous swim later, Athena climbs halfway out of the water using the ladder on one of the four support beams of the platform farthest from the command tower where the VIP is being kept. The EVA suit, having served its purpose, is carefully discarded and left to sink into the depths of the murky waters.
Athena's bare feet step silently onto the deck of one of the lower sections of the first platform. Spotting anthropomorphic robotic sentries nearby, she slips into a crouch behind a stack of crates and extracts her Marakov, silently ascending a flight of stairs to see that the first platform is extremely open with little cover available.
Six sentry bots stand on the Platform: three on vantage points, three patrolling the platform, so Athena knows that she must distract them. The AI of these sentries is fairly simplistic and easy to distract, so all she needs is...
Athena notices a crane on the far end of the platform - quite dilapidated. Athena figures the cable holding the crane hook up can snap at any second… or be encouraged to snap with just a little bit of effort.
The duchess-turned-cadet attaches a suppressor to the barrel of her handgun and takes expert aim at the cable swaying gently back and forth in the colony's artificial wind.
Athena's elegant, refined fingers squeeze off a remarkably well-placed round that snaps the cable, causing the 200 pound iron hook to crash onto the deck with a resounding "GONNNGG!" sound that draws the attention of the sentry robots.
Seeing that her mechanical adversaries are occupied with the fallen iron hook, Athena rises from her crouching position and steals past them, unnoticed.
Moving to the second platform, Athena again takes cover. Grabbing an iron pipe that conveniently lies nearby, she hurls the pipe in the direction opposite to the larger platform where she believes the POW is housed.
The loud "KLANG" of the pipe landing on the opposite side of the platform draws the attention of the second patrol squad or sentry bots as it did the first, and again Athena takes advantage of their distraction to slip past them.
These robots are seriously stupid, Athena muses, human guards would be more difficult to deal with.
On the third platform, Athena finds a water boiler unit, set to keep water heated to 80 degrees Celsius. Athena finds the temperature control switch, and sets it for the maximum temperature of 100 degrees celsius.
Having thus manipulated the boiler, Athena quietly slips away and crouches down nearby to wait for the water to boil.
Ninety seconds later, the boiler begins whistle...loudly.
"Coffee and tea are served, gentlemen," Athena whispers to herself.
The bots converge around the boiler, evidently confused and momentarily paralyzed. Athena suppresses an urge to laugh at them before she turns to proceed to the next platform...and finds a robotic sentry looming directly over her!
With speed, precision, and not a hint of panic, Athena places the suppressor-covered muzzle of her Marakov sidearm against the sentry's head unit and pulls the trigger once, scattering electronic sensors and microchips as the sentry collapses backwards.
Athena catches the collapsing sentry and sets it gently upon the deck, stripping the robot of its weapon and strapping it over her shoulder as a backup.
Athena turns towards the fourth and final platform...where the POW is housed. This platform more heavily fortified than the first three, with twice the number of sentry robots.
Athena ascends the staircase leading to the upper levels of the final platform, its iron surface cold underneath her bare feet.
She spots four sentry robots… each maintaining an equal distance from the others as they patrol the first floor of the final platform. Noticing the counterclockwise pattern of their circular patrol path, Athena estimates that she will have a five-second window of opportunity where all four bots will have their backs turned to her as they change position to return towards the staircase, and that window will open in….about seventeen seconds.
Seventeen seconds pass with agonizing tension, and then, Athena slips catlike across the platform with hardly a microsecond to spare. She glides up the stairs as the four sentry robots turn.
The next level is guarded by only three robots, but their triangular patrol pattern is tighter than that of four robots Athena left on the level below. This time, her window of opportunity to cross undetected is four seconds...barely. Athena figures it's closer to 3.8 seconds.
Just like playing hide-and-seek with the palace ladies back in the day, Athena smirks quietly.
Seeing her opportunity, Athena slips past the robots in the barely four seconds she has to make the crossing, foregoing the final step and diving forward, landing gently to hide behind the staircase where the sentries are unable to see her.
Athena stealthily ascends the two remaining flights of stairs. From her vantage point, she looks up and spots one more sentry...this one planted directly in front of the door to a cubicle constructed into the platform's original design and where the POW is undoubtedly housed. This sentry cannot be distracted away; she will need to eliminate it.
Drawing her weapon, Athena charges the final robot sentry, her finely trained and Newtype-attuned movements much faster and more agile than the ponderous security robot; she neutralizes it with a single shot to its central processor.
As it collapses in Athena's arms, the dying sentry robot drops an object...a key card embedded into a thin horizontal slot approximating where a mouth would be on a human face.
Athena picks up the key card and uses it to open the door to the cubicle
Athena enters stealthily, and spots a man dressed a familiar-looking man dressed in a long black leather duster, blue jeans, a black tank top, and combat boots. The man is consuming a meal of steak and lobster, a glass of iced sweet tea at his fingertips… She immediately recognizes him as Captain Ryusuke Kenta.
Kenta looks up from his meal momentarily, giving Athena an appraising glare, and then smiling as he returns to his steak, "Why is it that every time I run into you, Ibaz, you're half naked?"
Athena holds her weapon skyward as she replies, "Maybe I'm an exhibitionist. Hate to interrupt your meal, Captain, but it's time to go. We have fewer than twenty minutes to make it back to the rendezvous point."
"That means they haven't taught you to finish everything on your plate in a minute flat."
So saying, Kenta rapidly devours the remains of his meal; what, under less urgent circumstances, would be consumed over the course of ten or twenty minutes disappears within forty seconds.
"Disgusting," Athena remarks as she tosses to Kenta the weapon she acquired from the sentry on the lower deck.
Kenta catches the weapon, "It's not like you don't know we occasionally do that when we need to leave the scene pronto."
"Still," Athena remarks as she peers out the window and spots the sentries, which have finally discovered that two of their number have stopped operating and are coming to investigate, "those blockhead bots have finally figured it out. We're going to shoot our way out."
"Ladies first," Kenta bows and indicates the way gallantly.
Athena and Kenta take defensive positions and discreetly shoot out from the doorway. Athena blasts away a pair of sentries with two well-placed shots while Kenta downs two more with his weapon. Even so, that leaves more than a dozen opposing bots in their path.
"We can down these machines easily," Kenta says.
"But not quickly enough," Athena answers, pulling out a tiny device, "we've got a rendezvous to meet in fifteen minutes."
Athena uses the handheld device to summon her Asshimar, which emerges from the water, quickly covers the distance to their location, transforms from mobile armor to mobile suit configuration, and sweeps the sentry bots off the platform and into the water with its massive hands.
Athena and Kenta quickly board the Asshimar. Once aboard the cockpit, they don mobile suit pilot normal suits and helmets.
Athena takes the pilot seat, "Cadet Ibaz to Captain Kissingham. Our man is secure."
"Then get your pretty ass back here, Ibaz," Uncle Charlie replies, "You don't make it back in ten minutes, you fail this test."
"Roger, sir," Athena replies, preparing to hit the afterburners on the Asshimar. Before she can, however, a red mobile suit...RMS-108 Marasai, streaks into her path.
It's him...but...it can't be!
The Marasai kicks out at the Asshimar with its powerful left leg, a signature Red Comet move.
Athena blocks the incoming kick with the Asshimar's forearm.
"Relax, Ibaz," Kenta drawls calmly, "This is an AI simulation of the Red Comet based on what we know of his fighting style and tactics, which is a lot, to be honest."
"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence," Athena answers bitterly as she narrowly dodges another attack.
"My point is that there's a pattern," the retired Captain tells the cadet reassuringly, "Find it and you can win."
Colonel Char always favored blitz tactics, Athena remembers, to keep the opponent disoriented and unable to mount a counterattack. He wasn't a particularly accomplished grappler and brawler, though…
Once again, the "Char" Marasai approaches like a red comet, its leg extended to punish the Asshimar once again.
Then, at the precise moment, Athena attempts something that not Amuro Ray nor any of Char's other opponents ever attempted.
The Asshimar reaches out and grabs the Marasai's extended leg, holding it in a death grip.
Kenta watches the struggle unfold, arms folded across his chest, completely unconcerned by the potential threat to both his and Cadet Ibaz's safety.
"You...aren't him," Athena snarls, more to herself than anyone else, "You're just a damn machine!"
You hate me, don't you…? Words and images from nine years past come unbidden into Athena's mind.
Shaking, with tears streaming that she hopes that Kenta doesn't see, Athena lets out a feral scream as she pulls the lever that causes the Asshimar to pull out its electron rod (in place of its usual beam saber) and bring it crashing down on the Marasai's leg, immobilizing it.
The Marasai responds by pulling out its own electron rod and slashing it at Athena's Asshimar. Athena parries...the two rods' magnetic polarities causing them to repel each other upon contact.
The Marasai presses the attack, forcing Athena on the defensive.
In the cockpit of the Asshimar, Athena feels uncertainty creeping up her spine as the Marasai relentlessly continues its aggressive assault.
Taking a page out of her opponent's own playbook, Athena maneuvers the Asshimar close in to the Marasai, rendering it unable to use its electron rod effectively. She then uses the surprise maneuver of bringing the Asshimar's knee forward to crush the Marasai's head/camera unit.
Dissatisfied, Athena lifts the electron rod up high and swings it down on the crown of the Marasai's head, smashing it.
"That's enough, Ibaz," Kenta says, "I'm sure you'd enjoy beating Reddy here like a pinata all day, but you have a rendezvous to make."
Without bothering to acknowledge Kenta's remark, Athena transforms the Asshimar into mobile armor mode and blasts off in the direction of her group.
At the same moment, Athena's squadmates are making gains against the opposing units, having taken down the bulk of the standard Hizacks. The three Hizack Customs, however, prove a greater challenge, coordinating themselves into…
"Jet Stream Attack!" Cadet Horowitz identifies.
The young mobile suit pilots brace themselves against the notorious attack formation first used by the Black Tristars of the Archduchy of Zeon Forces during the One Year War. The formation created havoc and terrified Earth Federation Forces' mobile suit pilots until it was broken by 2Lt. Amuro Ray and his RX-78 Gundam in the forests near Odessa.
"Bloody hell, they're fast!" Cadet Sutcliffe complains as three of his shots miss the mark.
Sutcliffe is nearly blasted by Goop as the first, second, and third Hizack Customs attack him in turn. Only a timely nudge by his teammate Cadet Karyn Luna pushes his Nemo out of the way to avoid mechanized paralysis.
But the trio of Hizack Customs comes at them again before the Nemos can regroup. The quick and confusing movements of the Jet Stream Attack leaves the novices flat-footed and flustered.
An unexpected blast of Goop from up high drops the lead Hizack Custom; the cadets let out a cheer as Cadet Athena Ibaz's Asshimar streaks past them in mobile armor mode.
"Al-Said! Higashi! Finish them!" Athena orders.
Reacting instantaneously, the GM-IIIs piloted by Cadets Al-Said and Higashi disgorge a half dozen Goop missiles that converge upon the Hizack Customs and send them tumbling backwards.
The cadets exult as their mission is accomplished.
"All right," Captain Kissingham announces as he transmits the signal for the remaining test mobile suits to shut down, "It's over, but it isn't. You still need to retur….ARRGH!"
A sudden explosion that seems to originate from Captain Kissingham's Asshimar sends the veteran mobile suit pilot's unit careening dangerously out of control, on a collision course with the Limbo Colony!
For an instant, everyone is dumbfounded, and then Athena issues the command, "All of you...back to the Pentheselia, NOW!"
"But Athena…" one of the cadets begins to protest.
"NOW!" Athena repeats as her mobile armor takes off after its stricken companion.
"Will Lt. Col. Mackenzie mind your being home late?" Athena asks Kenta.
"If she does," Kenta answers, "I'll blame it on you."
"Fair enough," Athena answers as she shadows Uncle Charlie's adrift Asshimar.
Damn it, Captain Kissingham thinks as he struggles to regain control of his mobile suit, that blast took out all my stabilizers and flight control systems. Can't get control back!
And precisely what had happened? Kissingham detected no incoming bogies or shots...nor did the explosion deliver impact consistent with taking a hit. He had just given the signal to shut down the remaining test mobile suits. It almost seemed as if the Asshimar's shell exploded of its own accord...except that's impossible.
The mass of Limbo Colony looms before Uncle Charlie's out-of-control Asshimar.
Well, Charlie ol' boy, this is it…this is how it ends…
A second Asshimar appears in Kissingham's viewscreens, approaching fast.
"Cadet Ibaz," Charlie orders, "Rejoin your squad and get your mobile suit back to Revil Base!"
"No, sir," Athena replies commonly.
Kissingham's eyes are filled with rage as he sputters, "Are you refusing my order, Cadet?!"
"Yes, sir," Athena replies, "My apologies, sir."
"Ibaz, get the HELL out of here, do you copy?!" Kissingham shouts.
Without acknowledging, Athena aligns her Asshimar with Kissingham's matching direction and speed...the two mobile armors practically glide upon each other, the mass of Limbo Colony growing larger by the second.
"Ibaz…!" comes Charlie's anger-choked voice.
Athena ignores it, gauging distance and speed, attempting to align the two mobile armors.
Athena magnetizes the hull of her Asshimar to that of Charlie's. The two mobile armors, thus mated, appear to the eye as a massive, armored, meatless hamburger.
"Thruster capacity at 140%," announces the combat computer of Athena's AI, "Unit will reach critical levels in two minutes, thirty-six seconds if thruster continues to operate at this capacity."
The paired Asshimars begin to lift away from Limbo Colony, but not quickly…
Athena directs the two units in the direction of the Pentheselia.
"Cadet Ibaz to Pentheselia deck crew! We've got a damaged unit here. Open the hatch and stand by for an emergency crash landing!"
Emergency crews rush to the MS launch deck of the Pentheselia, foaming down the deck. The airlock hatch opens.
The twinned Asshimars make a controlled crash landing on the MS deck...slipping, sliding, and spinning before mercifully coming to a halt before crashing through the bulkhead.
The emergency crews cover both Asshimars in fire-retardant foam, a trenchant precaution that ultimately proves unnecessary as the landing, rough as it is, kindles no fire on the deck.
As the shock of impact passes and a silence falls, Athena turns to Kenta, who looks as unimpressed as if he had just finished the slowest, dullest ride in the countryside and asks, "You think Captain Kissingham will be upset that I disobeyed his orders?"
"Don't much know, don't much care," Kenta replies casually.
Shortly afterwards, Ryusuke and Christina meet in the captain's office with General Bright Noa, who pays a rare and unannounced personal visit to the Pentheselia. The two senior officers give the general their report on the cadets' performances, particularly that of Athena Ibaz.
"By the sounds of it, Cadet Ibaz is a natural born leader," General Noa surmises, "Though I am curious about the malfunction in Captain Kissingham's Asshimar."
"That was my doing," the retired captain replies, "I was testing her."
Mackenzie's brow raises in curiosity as she asks, "For what exactly?"
"The majority of the war crimes committed during the One Year War were done under someone's orders," Kenta reflects soberly, "I wanted to see what kind of person she is… where her head and heart are."
"I'm assuming she passed the test," Bright affirms more than asks.
"With flying colors," Kenta replies through tight lips.
Captain Charles Kissingham and Cadet Athena Ibaz emerge from their NRX-044 Asshimars on the MS launch deck of Revil Base at Side 7. Medical Corps personnel rush towards them as MS Engineering and Maintenance Corps crews begin to assess the damage to the Asshimars, but Uncle Charlie waves away the medics as he tears angrily into Athena.
"Goddamn it, Ibaz!" Charlie rails, "I gave you a direct order to leave me and return to the rendezvous point with the rest of the team!"
"Yes, sir," Athena responds contritely, but firmly.
"A soldier who is insubordinate is worse than useless, do you understand that, Ibaz?!" Charlie continues.
"Yes, sir," Athena replies, her expression unreadable.
"THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU DISOBEY ORDERS, IBAZ?!" Charlie finally explodes, throwing his helmet to the deck with a loud CLANG!
Athena's answer comes in a calm, measured tone, "Sir, because we don't leave our comrades-at-arms in peril. Ever."
Captain Kissingham's eyes flash angrily as he brings his open right hand down across Athena's left cheek. The young woman hardly flinches, even though the force of the strike is sufficient to draw blood from the corner of her lip.
Uncle Charlie raises his hand for more punishment, but finds his wrist caught in the stronger grip of Captain Ryusuke Kenta, Lt. Col. Christina MacKenzie at his side.
"That's enough, Captain," Lt. Col. MacKenzie says to Kissingham authoritatively.
"You…!" Charlie sputters at Athena.
"Should there ever be a next time, Captain Kissingham, I will let Kenta have some alone time with you," Christina warns Charlie.
"Lt. Col. MacKenzie," Kissingham retorts as Kenta releases his hand, "this punk ass little bitch…!"
"...saved your ass," Lt. Col. MacKenzie finishes for him, "...and First Lieutenant Ibaz was right. We all took an oath to never abandon our comrades under any circumstance, Captain. You know that."
Athena turns to glance at Christina, who smiles at her, "Yes, you heard correctly, First Lieutenant Ibaz."
"You have to be kidding me," Uncle Charlie mutters disgustedly.
Kenta answers, "Nobody is kidding you. Your Asshimar's malfunction was no coincidence. I rigged a small bomb to detonate inside the suit at a location that would damage the flight controls without compromising structural integrity of the suit. This was my test: I wanted to see how Lieutenant Ibaz would react in that situation, and she fucking aced my test."
"You sonofabitch!" Charlie snarls, about to charge at Kenta until the other man's icy stare freezes him in place.
Charlie throws a dirty glare back at all of them as he stalks away to the pilots' locker room, cursing under his breath.
"First Lieutenant Ibaz," Christina says.
Athena snaps smartly to attention, "Yes, ma'am."
"Report at 05:00 tomorrow morning to your new commanding officer, Captain Rick Tinne of the Centurion Special Operations Team."
"In the meantime, why don't you come stay the night with us," Ryusuke offers, "It'll give us a chance to become more acquainted since you'll be serving on my girlfriend's ship, and I'll bet you would enjoy a home cooked meal for once."
"If it's all right with Lt. Col. Mackenzie," Athena replies after some thought.
Christina smiles and answers, "I see no problems… I'm actually surprised he invited you over since he's kind of antisocial."
Upon arrival at the apartment shared by the two Gundam pilots, Athena notes it to be a small, if not quaint living space. Two bedrooms, one full bathroom and a half bath. The kitchen and dining room is practically the same room due to their proximity. This allows for a sizable living room, with plenty of space and a couch…where someone is already seated.
The man stands to face them - a handsome young man in his late twenties or maybe early thirties, wearing an expensive Italian suit that bespeaks importance and elevated social status. His black hair is neatly cropped, and his frame wiry visible beneath his suit.
"Sorry to drop in unannounced Chris," he says as he nervously rubs the back of his head, suddenly more boyish than his years, "but I got in earlier today and you guys did give me a key."
Christina immediately approaches and hugs the man with sisterly affection while saying, "You're always welcome here, Al, although you might be sleeping on the couch tonight since you're an uninvited guest."
"I can live with that," he replies before extending his hand to the invited guest and introducing himself, "I'm Alfred Izuruha. Chris and I were neighbors at Libot Colony when we were kids."
"1st Lieutenant Athena Ibaz," she replies pleasantly as she takes his hand and shakes it, "You're the Ambassador from the Riah Republic, correct?"
"Yeah, that's me," Alfred replies somewhat absently as he turns to his surrogate sister's boyfriend and says, "Up for a round of Mobile Suit Fighters?"
"Only if you're ready to lose," the retired captain replies with a smirk.
Athena whispers confidentially to Christina as the red-haired lieutenant colonel pours her a drink, "This Alfred is like a big kid, isn't he?"
Christina smiles, "You don't know the half of it."
Al picks Christina as his game avatar, as he enjoys playing as his surrogate sister, and soon discovers she has a new mech. "Whoa, since when did you have a Zeta Plus, Chris?"
"Same time as me," Ryusuke interjects as he picks himself as his own avatar, "We did a mission recently and were given a couple of Zeta Plus' and I decided to cash in on it and get it put into the latest update."
Athena sips from her flute of champagne, a good brut natural from California grapes, and remarks, "I'd heard that the video game industry had started using the wars as source material, but hadn't seen any such games until now."
"It's been going on for centuries," Christina answers, sipping from her own flute of champagne, "since the 20th Century, when video games were new. Even war is a commodity that can be sold for profit."
Athena nods in agreement, "And every good business person knows the advantage of attracting clientele while they're young."
"It also helps that we're utterly and hopelessly fascinated by it all," Al adds as he struggles to keep pace with his opponent.
Christina rises from her seat at the wet bar, saying, "Well, I should get started on dinner."
"Why don't I buy us some take out," Al offers instead, "It's the least I can do for showing up uninvited like this."
"OK," the Red Head replies as she grabs the phone, "What do you want?"
"General Tso's Chicken," Kenta replies as he finishes the match, "No broccoli."
"Sweet and sour pork for me," Alfred decides before turning to Ryusuke and asking, "Wanna go again?"
"Sure," he answers with a shrug.
Mackenzie then brings out a menu from the Dragon and Phoenix Restaurant and says, "They have a location here in Green Oasis, so it helps to have the complete menu."
Athena studies the menu for a minute before coming across a dish called "laab," a Thai salad that sounds pretty good.
"I'll have…" Athena trails off as she realizes she's not entirely sure how to pronounce it, so she points at it. The poor girl fails to notice the sly smirk that appears on Christina's face for a brief moment.
Everyone's orders decided, Chris dials the number. "Hey, I'm ordering take out. I want General Tso's Chicken, no broccoli. Sweet and sour pork. Sushi with a side of egg rolls. And last I want an order of laab…the 'Skoo Special'… 1372, Revil St. All right, thank you."
"What's the 'Skoo Special,'" Athena asks now that Christina is off the phone.
"Oh, nothing to worry about."
Somehow, the cheerful response fails to alleviate Athena's feeling of disquiet.
A knock at the door about 20 minutes later prompts Al to rise and answer the door while Christina gets to work setting the table. The ambassador pays the tab, leaving the delivery boy a generous tip, and brings the food to the table. He then proceeds to put everyone's meal at their places at the table.
Kenta takes one of the sets of chopsticks provided and breaks them apart before getting them set in place with a flourish.
"Showing off your Japanese heritage again," Mackenzie gently and playfully chides her lover.
Ryusuke shrugs his shoulders and says, "It's not even intentional… just muscle memory kicking in at this point."
Everyone begins eating his or her meal… though Athena hesitates for, poking at the laab salad for a moment. After the first, tentative bite, her concerns fade…until the fourth bite that she realizes that her mouth is on fire.
Keeping her calm, dignified demeanor only through the application of superhuman willpower, Athena immediately chugs the glass of water in front of her and a second that Christina pours her.
"Is napalm one of the ingredients in laab?" Athena manages to choke out.
"Laab is a Thai dish," Kenta explains, "and Thai food is notorious for being spicy."
"It's the specialty of our friend, Faith Koo," Christina further explains, "you know: the commanding officer of the Raptor Team? Friends call her 'Skoo.'"
"Skoo loves spicy Thai food," Kenta adds, "but the way she likes it is spicier than how the average person eats it, so the Dragon and Phoenix Restaurant here has made it so you can order the amount of peppers she'd have by saying, 'Skoo Special' and they'll know how much to use….which is a motherlode!"
Athena is indeed acquainted with Captain Faith "Skoo" Koo, one of the most decorated and respected veteran Federation combat pilots from the One Year War. Athena is familiar with Skoo's combat record, but less so with her proclivity to torture colleagues with her spicy cuisine.
"It's actually a rite of passage for all new members of the Londo Bell Special Forces," Kenzie states, "The day after graduation, we take the new recruits to the Dragon and Phoenix Restaurant and have them eat a meal that has the Skoo Special as an option."
"Laab is just one of the dishes that are easier to handle," Kenta says, finishing the explanation, "You lucked out, Ibaz."
Athena silently nods as she determines in her heart and mind that she'd finish the meal without drinking a single drop of anything.
After dinner, the boys continue their game of Mobile Suit Fighter, and even Athena and Chris go a couple of rounds. Before too long, the clock in the living room strikes 10:00 pm.
"Time we got to bed," Ryusuke said as he rises and heads to the bedroom he shared with Christina.
"I'll help you get situated in the guest room Lt. Ibaz," Mackenzie offers.
Athena follows along, carrying a small valise that contains her few belongings.
"I trust you can take things from here," the redhead says more than asks before leaving.
Once alone inside the guest bedroom, Athena pulls from her valise a silk nightgown she received as a gift from her adopted sister Artasia some years ago. It was too big for her at the time, but Dr. Deikun didn't know her measurements. It worked out in the end because Athena has come to love this gown…dyed a color called Pale Blue Moon.
Athena tucks herself in and soon drifts off into the realm of dreams… and nightmares.
Little Duchess Mineva is crouched over a small bunch of flowers growing inside Axis when she turns and sees Colonel Char Aznable approaching.
"Colonel Char," she cries out joyfully as she runs up to embrace him, only to find a Marakov handgun pointed at her.
"Colonel Char?" she asks fearfully.
"Don't take it personally Mineva. Were things different, we could have been friends. If anyone, blame your grandfather."
BANG!
"COLONEL CHAR, NO!" Athena screams as she suddenly bolts awake.
She buries her face in her hands, hyperventilating, trying to shake the fear from her heart.
"How did you know Char?"
Athena freezes when she hears Ryusuke's voice. She slowly turns her gaze towards the door, where she spies both Lt. Col. Mackenzie and Kenta standing.
Kenzie is visibly concerned for the young Lieutenant, but her boyfriend's cold gaze is enough to turn Athena's blood to ice in her veins.
"Come into the dining room," he orders, "And don't worry about Al…kid could sleep through an atomic bomb going off."
They step into the dining room as Kenta instructed. Kenta opens the cupboard and pulls out a bottle of Devil's Brandy and three goblets. Devil's Brandy...Kenta's custom brand, on the expensive side of affordable.
"This is from the first successful batch I made back in 0080," Ryusuke says as he pours them each a glass, "I got into making all kinds of alcoholic beverages… I brew the famous Demon Lager, Beelzebub Stout, and Abbadon Whiskey… but the Devil's Brandy was where it all started… I got four other bottles from the same batch as this one. Occasionally, I put one of them up for auction. It's good for what ails you. Great tonic for nightmares."
Athena quietly sips at the drink, saying nothing… the less she says, the better.
"I thought it strange when Jack asked me to keep an eye on you on back '93… I knew right away that you were connected to Char… but looking at you now… I think I finally figured out who you are… Duchess Mineva."
The fear that Christina is picking up through her empathy tells her that Ryusuke had hit the nail dead on.
"What are your intentions?" Kenta demands.
"To atone for my heritage," Athena replies frankly.
"Mind explaining that, Your Majesty?" Kenta asks.
"My family is responsible for the worst episode of bloodshed in human history," Athena answers, "do you know what living with that burden of guilt is like?"
"I have a better idea than you might think," Kenta responds.
"I feel a moral obligation to undo the damage that my family did," Athena continues, "if that's even possible, but the greatest threat to humanity now isn't the Zabi Family. I'm the last of them, and I have no intention of following in their footsteps. The threat now lies in the other pockets of Zeon power in the Outer Solar System, and right here in the Earth Federation."
"I won't deny that," Kenta replies calmly, "just as long as you don't start another Zeon Crusade, as Jack would put it."
"The most important reason that I decided to join the Earth Federation Special Forces was to help eliminate the threat posed by the remaining militant Zeon movements," Athena says.
"Just make sure you don't get trigger happy about it."
"But there's something I want to know," Athena says, rising, her boldness returning.
"Say it, Ibaz," Kenta answers directly.
Athena asks, "That night in St. Moritz, in the jail cell…"
"What about it?"
"That was you that night, wasn't it, Kenta?" Athena presses, "Though you weren't quite...I don't know how to put it."
"You know… in ancient times, it was believed that a man consumed by grief could end up becoming a demon should that grief turn to rage. Operation British caused me a great deal of pain…that grief ended up becoming rage, and that rage is what made me a demon… what you saw that night… that's the Demon I usually keep locked away. If guilt is your trip, Ibaz, then grief is mine."
"I think I understand," Athena whispers, "I'm….sorry."
"Why? You didn't cause any of it… you were a newborn baby in your mother's arms when this started."
"It was still people from my heri..." Athena begins.
"Stop right there," Christina interjects, speaking for the first time, "The sins of the Father should not fall upon the son."
"Or in this case, the uncle upon the niece," Ryusuke jokingly adds.
Despite Kenta and Kenzie's reassurances, Athena unconsciously pulls a few sheets of tissue paper from a nearby box and begins wiping her fingers with them intensely...as if they were stained with blood: a habit that she has not been able to shake since childhood and one that besets her in moments of great stress.
Out, damned spot, Athena remembers wryly from her middle school reading of Macbeth.
"Kid," Kenta says wearily, pouring her another glass of Devil's Brandy, "we all have demons...except maybe for her," as he indicates Mackenzie with a nod of his head.
"You just don't see mine," Christina smiles.
"Try to go back to sleep," Kenta finishes, "We all have a big day tomorrow, what with cadet graduations in the morning and the testing of the RX-780 prototype in the afternoon. Your secret is safe with us."
Late in the evening of that same day, the same Captain Rick Tinne, commanding officer of the Centurion Team, meets with General Manron Blackhead and Colonel Peter Cairlay. Their meeting, taking place in Blackhead's office on the top floor of Wakkein Tower at Revil Base, many hours after the staff has departed for the day, is conducted off the record, a necessity considering the subject of their discussion.
"So I've been assigned to command this crew of kids," Captain Tinne clicks through the electronic dossier, reviewing the files of the young academy graduates who have been assigned to his command, "I admit that they've got talent, but still...they're just kids. Not a single one of them over the age of 18."
Colonel Cairlay interjects, "Nevertheless, they are valuable personnel assets, particularly that First Lieutenant Athena Ibaz."
"She's going to be my junior officer?" Tinne says, admiring Athena's photo, "Hot piece of ass, I must say. Really pretty girl, though young enough to be my daughter."
General Blackhead, blowing dark smoke from his expensive cigar, says, "Tinne, the reason we're here tonight is not just to discuss your new recruits."
"I know, sir," Tinne replies, "There's also the matter of that new mobile suit prototype...the RX-780. I understand it's going to be assigned to a pilot on my team."
Blackhead and Cairlay exchange a meaningful glance before the general clears his throat and responds, "Not exactly, Tinne."
Tinne stiffens in surprise as Blackhead continues, "Tinne, tell me honestly: are you happy with what the Federation Forces pay you?"
Tinne answers, "If I may speak frankly, sir, no...not considering the challenges of the job."
Blackhead nods, "What if I were to tell you that there's an opportunity for you to retire a wealthy man?"
"Sir?" Tinne asks probingly.
"A certain friendly, deep-pocketed party is offering a substantial sum for the Gundam-100 prototype," General Blackhead says between puffs of cigar smoke, "and likely would make better use of it than we would at this point. Most members of the Defense Committee would likely disagree, but who cares what those bureaucrats think? They don't have enough brain material among them to fill a lemur's skull."
"I'm prepared to carry out any orders you see fit, General," Tinne replies measuredly.
"And you'll be rewarded handsomely for it," the general says, "Does one million Federation credits sound good to you, Tinne?"
"It sounds very good, sir," Tinne answers, "It's more than I would make in ten careers as a Special Forces officer."
"Excellent," Blackhead smiles, "The Gundam-100 will be undergoing combat tests three days from now. The designated test pilot is Captain Charles Kissingham. I believe you know him."
"Captain Kissingham and I go back a long way," Tinne nods, "We're not exactly the closest of friends, but we have a working acquaintance going all the way back to the One Year War."
"What else do you know about Kissingham?" Blackhead asks.
"I know that even more than I, he isn't too happy with his job," Tinne replies.
"Tell him there's an offer for him," Blackhead says, steepling his hands, "One that will pay him two million Federation credits if he agrees to it. Be discreet, Captain: if anyone were to discover what we're planning, we'll all be facing a firing squad."
"Understood, sir," Tinne salutes.
An hour later, Captain Charles Kissingham sits alone at the bar at the Andromeda Nightclub in Green Noa City, nursing a shot of whisky and a cigarette, attempting to drink and smoke away the bitterness.
"That cocky Ibaz bitch," Kissingham mutters under his breath, "and that damned MacKenzie and Kenta...I'll show them all what happens when you mess with Uncle Charlie."
Charlie throws back another whisky as Captain Rick Tinne enters the nightclub and takes a seat next to him.
"Yo, Charlie," Tinne greets the other veteran, "Tough day?"
"Yeah, you can say that," Charlie answers, ordering a drink for Tinne, "'Sup with you, Tinne?"
"Meeting my new junior officer in the morning," Tinne replies, lighting Charlie's cigarette and then his own, "1Lt. Athena Ibaz."
"That BITCH!" Charlie rails, throwing his shot glass across the bar.
"You seem to have a problem with the girl," Tinne says.
"She's a pain in the ass," Charlie replies as the bartender brings him another drink, "but she's your pain the ass now, Tinne. Wish you luck."
Tinne says, "You know, there is a way out...for you and me."
"What do you mean?" Charlie slurs, sipping his drink.
"Out of this dead-end, underpaying job where we risk our hides for the devil knows what," Tinne answers, sipping his own shot of whisky.
"I'm listening," Charlie says.
Tinne leans forward to whisper cryptic words into Charlie's ear. Kissingham listens with intense interest.
June 20, UC 0098 would one day prove to historians to be a historic day in the history of the Earth Sphere, though none involved would have had an inkling of its significance on the day itself. All that anyone in the Earth Federation Forces stationed at Revil Base at Side 7 knew was that the day promised to be a busy one...with a new class of officers (including Special Forces) graduating in the morning and a new mobile weapon being tested to an audience of high-level Federation military and civilian officials in the afternoon.
At 09:00, Colonel Peter Cairlay, Director of Special Forces, congratulates the newly commissioned young officers. The loudest applaud is heard for "1Lt. Athena Ibaz," assigned as the junior officer of the newly organized Centurion Special Operations Team, commanded by veteran officer Captain Rick Tinne.
By 10:30, the graduation ceremonies are completed, and the newly commissioned officers report for duty.
"1Lt. Athena Ibaz reporting for duty," Athena salutes Captain Rick Tinne, her new commanding officer.
Athena looks resplendent in her new Earth Federation Forces officers' uniform - khaki uniform jacket and matching knee length skirt and boots, her strawberry blonde hair covered by a Federation officer's peaked cap.
Captain Tinne returns the salute with a charming, roguish grin, "Welcome aboard, 1Lt. Ibaz. You come highly commended by Col. Cairlay and Lt. Col. Mackenzie, so I'm going to have high expectations of you."
"Yes, sir," Athena replies.
"And your first official duty is to accompany me as an observer in the combat simulation demonstration of the RX-780 prototype this afternoon at 13:00," Tinne continues.
"The Gundam-100, sir?" Athena asks.
Tinne nods, "That's what it's provisionally called, though after today, they'll be designating it the 'Centurion Gundam.'"
"Will you be test piloting it, sir?" Athena ventures.
Tinne chuckles, "No...the test pilot is Captain Charles Kissingham."
The mention of the name causes Athena to stiffen.
Tinne chuckles again, "Yeah...I heard you and 'Uncle Charlie' got on like a house on fire during training, Ibaz."
"Captain Kissingham and I had our share of professional disputes," Athena allows.
"Undoubtedly," Tinne says, "There will be quite a number of dignitaries at the testing: General Noa, General Blackhead, Col. Cairlay, Lt. Col. Mackenzie, Dr. Kamille Bidan - director of the Gundam-100 Project, Won Li from Anaheim Enterprises, and Senators Martin Ellingham and Olivia Cortes."
Athena recognizes the names of the senators as being ranking members of the Earth Federation Armed Services Committee, closely associated with and known to be sympathetic to the policies of General Noa.
"As I understand it," Athena remarks, "the Gundam-100 incorporates technology from the RX-78NT1 Gundam Alex and the RX-93 Nu Gundam."
"You understand correctly," Captain Tinne answers with a nod, "with upgrades to make it suitable for the Federation's combat needs in the Second Universal Century. Our team gets the privilege of putting the prototype through its paces. If it's successful, the Federation will likely order a second unit."
A reunion takes place in the command tower of Revil Base's MS Test Center as, for the first time in more than a decade, (the now) Dr. Kamille Bidan meets with General Bright Noa, his former commanding officer on the Ahrgama when the two served together in the AEUG (Anti-Earth Union Government) against the Titans during the Gryps Conflict.
The two men shake hands amicably, a far cry from the days more than a decade ago when Kamille frequently felt the disciplinary blow of Bright's fists upon his face. Now, there is a mutual respect that can only be earned through multiple shared life-and-death experiences.
"It's been a long time, General Noa," Kamille says pleasantly, the years and cocommittant experiences having cooled the fires of youth.
"Kamille," General Noa replies with a smile, "you're looking much better than you did when I last saw you in Ireland...ten years ago?"
Kamille nods and gives a short, bitter laugh, "It has been ten years, but to me, it feels like twenty or thirty."
Bright puts a hand on Kamille's shoulder and pats it, "The wars have been hard on all of us, but perhaps harder on you than any other."
"My days as a combat MS pilot are over," Kamille says as he looks out the window at his latest creation, the Gundam-100, being transported to the test site via a large crane mechanism, "but I know that there are still threats to our security. That's why I agreed to design the RX-780."
Bright gazes down upon the mighty mobile suit as it is lowered onto the testing ground, "And it appears you did excellent work. That machine looks like it could be the best Gundam yet."
Kamille grins modestly, "Even the best machine won't help you if you don't have the right pilot at the controls. Whom do you have in mind to pilot it?"
Bright answers, "We're considering several different candidates, but for today's test simulation, we'll have a veteran in the cockpit: Captain Charles Kissingham."
"Kissingham," Kamille vaguely recalls, "he's a One Year War veteran, I seem to remember…"
"Fourth highest scoring ace among the Federation Forces," Bright affirms, "and career officer."
General Manron Blackhead and Colonel. Peter Cairlay enter the command tower, escorting two Earth Federation Government senators….Senator Martin Ellingham and Senator Gloria Cortes, members of the Armed Services Committee and longtime friends of General Noa. Relations between the two senators and General Blackhead have been comparatively icier, but Blackhead and the senators are cordial as they exchange pleasantries.
"Senator Ellingham….Senator Cortes, welcome to Revil Base," General Noa receives his guests.
"Good to see you, Bright," Senator Cortes says, extending her hand, "How are Mirai and the kids?"
"Mirai and Chieming are doing well, Senator, I thank you," Bright answers, as his expression ashens, conspicuously making no reference to his son, Hathaway.
Changing the subject, the other senator, Martin Ellingham says, "We're looking forward to seeing what this new Gundam can do, Bright."
"Of course," Bright answers, "this young gentleman here is Dr. Kamille Bidan, the director of the Gundam-100 Project."
The two Earth Federation senators regard Kamille with a suppressed fascination. They have both read and heard about the Newtype Kamille Bidan, whose exploits in the RX-178 Gundam MK-II and MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam, the latter of which Kamille had personally designed, were instrumental in saving the Earth Federation from itself during the Gryps Conflict.
"So you're Kamille Bidan," Senator Ellingham says, shaking the younger man's hand, "a pleasure to finally meet you, Doctor."
For his part, Kamille, never much an admirer of bureaucrats and politicians, nevertheless knows the reputations of Senator Ellingham and Senator Cortes. Both have long been champions of fair, sensible, and humane policies towards Spacenoids and opposed the Titans initiative during the UC 0080s. Both senators were instrumental in establishing reform policies that resulted in the political disestablishment of the Titans.
"It's an honor, Senators," Kamille says politely.
"We're eager to see the performance capabilities of the new Gundam-class mobile suit that Anaheim Enterprises has developed, Dr. Bidan," Senator Cortes says.
Kamille nods, "Momentarily, Senator."
As if on cue, Colonel Cairlay radios down to the testing field, "This is Cairlay. Is Captain Kissingham ready?"
"Captain Kissingham, ready and waiting for your orders in the control cockpit of the RX-780 Gundam-100, sir," comes the reply from Uncle Charlie.
"Copy, Captain Kisssingham," Cairlay responds, "Stand by."
The Gundam-100 is lowered onto the testing field by a massive crane mechanism. Kamille can hear Senators Ellingham and Cortes drawing in their breaths with anticipation as the powerful war machine comes into view.
"Senators," Kamille narrates, the slightest hint of pride in his voice, "I present to you the RX-780 Gundam-100: prototype of the first Gundam-class mobile suit of the Second Universal Century. This newest iteration of the Gundam mobile weapons platform is powered by a sixth-generation miniaturized fusion reactor, with an output of 2270 kW yielding the thrust output of 85,350 kg."
As Kamille narrates, Senators Ellingham and Cortes watch the Gundam-100 tear across the testing field as if it were the world's fastest sprinter. The speed and general fluidity of the Gundam-100's movements surpass that of any other mobile suit the two senators have seen.
"That's one nimble machine," remarks Senator Cortes, who has a background in mechanical engineering and had worked in the defense industry for years before entering politics.
"Designed to be so," Kamille remarks, "the Gundam-100's Gundarium armor shell is designed around a redesigned and upgraded mobile frame system that offers 30% greater mobility than the most advanced Gryps War era mobile suits."
As Kamille so says, the Gundam-100 launches itself two-hundred meters into the air, bending and twisting its frame as if it were a medal-winning Olympic medalist.
"The Gundam-100 features the standard suite of Gundam-class mobile suit weapons," Kamille continues, as inflatable dummy mobile suits in the shapes of Zakus and Doms are deployed and quickly cut down by the Gundam-100's vulcan cannon and beam sabers, "It is a high-performance mobile suit for the first order, but nothing we can demonstrate for you here today reflects its greatest strength."
"What do you mean, Dr. Bidan?" Senator Cortes asks, intrigued.
Kamille smiles, "The Gundam-100 was designed, above all, with adaptability in mind. It can be altered and upgraded to match the requirements and capabilities of its pilot, to an extent that no previous mobile suit could."
"Speaking of the pilot," Senator Ellingham says, "Is the test pilot today going to be assigned as the prototype's permanent pilot?"
General Noa fields that question, "No. The permanent pilot of the unit is yet to be determined, but our test pilot today is Captain Charles Kissingham."
The Gundam-100, having dispatched with the last of the test drones, turns to face the command tower.
"May I?" Senator Ellingham requests the radio transmitter from General Noa.
Bright hands the transmitter to the senator.
"Captain Kissingham," Senator Ellingham says, "This is Senator Martin Ellingham. I'd like to thank you for that excellent demonstration, and for the hard work you put in every day."
Uncle Charlie answers, "You know, Senator...it's funny. Funny that after twenty damn years of service, today is the first day that one of you fat cats in the government bothered to say 'thanks' for anything I've done for the blessed Earth Federation."
Bright and Kamille exchange worried glances as Senator Ellingham, taken aback, answers nervously, "Captain Kissingham, we've always…"
"Save it, Senator," Charlie replies, "It's too little, too late now."
Kissingham pulls the trigger, and the command tower is raked with hundreds of rounds of gunfire from the Gundam-100's vulcan cannon!
"HIT THE DECK!" General Noa yells.
The rounds strike the control room, pulverizing nearly a dozen techs seated at their control consoles and fatally wounding both senators. Panic and screams fill the control room as everyone scrambles for cover.
Bright coughs out some black smoke as the control tower goes dark, "Kamille! Kamille, are you all right?! Answer me!"
Bright hears Kamille's anguished reply, "I'm here...I'm not hit, but...I think my leg is busted."
Indeed, as the smoke clears, Bright sees the former pilot of the Zeta Gundam prone upon the glass and metal-strewn floor, bleeding from a cut to his head, a heavy piece of machinery crushing the younger man's right leg.
The smoke begins to clear slightly, and Bright sees that both General Blackhead and Colonel Cairlay have also survived the attack, appearing no worse for the wear.
"Manron! Peter! Help me move this piece of fallen machinery!" Bright yells.
The two other Earth Federation officers, loath to follow commands from Bright Noa, nevertheless join his efforts to lift the piece of fallen machinery off of Kamille's leg. They do, but Bright notes that Kamille is in tremendous pain...his leg likely suffering from a severe compound fracture.
"M-my leg," Kamille complains through painfully gritted teeth, "it's shattered."
"Try not to move," Bright tells Kamille, "we'll summon medics, ASAP!"
Bright then asks no one in particular, "Do we have any mobile units out there?"
"Lt. Col. Christina Mackenzie here," the beautiful red head announces over the comms channel, "I'm moving to intercept in the Alex, General."
Bright says, "Lt. Col. Mackenzie, keep the Gundam-100 prototype away from civilians!"
"Roger that, sir," Christina replies without any hesitation.
A few hundred meters away, Captain Rick Tinne and his new junior officer, 1Lt. Athena Ibaz, pick themselves up and watch the chaos unfold at the testing site.
"Should we deploy the team, Captain?" Athena suggests.
"Negative, Lt. Ibaz," Captain Tinne replies, "Under the circumstances, that would just result in more chaos. Let's take cover and observe for the moment."
"Yes, sir," Athena replies dutifully, though privately noting that Tinne appears unnaturally blase about the unfolding bedlam.
Aboard the Gundam-100's cockpit, Uncle Charlie's face is twisted in delighted rage as he rips through utility vehicles and storage warehouses with malicious glee, drunk with power, indulging in a moment of wanton destruction with no objective other than to vent years of imaginary grievances and helpless frustration.
Charlie laughs, "Well, as much as I'd love to torch this whole place, I've got a fortune to make selling this armored baby."
Charlie is about to hit the thrusters and launch the Gundam-100 out of the Green Oasis space colony that houses Revil Base, but finds his path impeded by Lt. Col. Mackenzie's Gundam Alex.
Christina's voice comes through the comms, "Captain Kissingham! Stand down, now!"
Uncle Charlie's reply comes in the form of a storm of vulcan cannon fire, which Christina blocks with the Alex's arm-mounted shield.
"Right," Christina mutters to herself, "We'll do it your way, Charlie!"
Christina immediately takes advantage of the fact that the Alex is the superior machine in terms of general performance and closes the gap between them in an instant before redlining her mobile suit's thrusters towards the nearest airlock.
"Feh," Charlie says with disgust, "I don't fight women."
So saying, the Gundam-100 kicks the Gundam Alex, knocking the older mobile suit back.
Unfortunately for Kissingham, Christina isn't about to let up. Lt. Christina Mackenzie built her successful, nearly 20-year long military career on a foundation of extraordinary tenacity. That tenacity has enabled her to hold her own and more even against better-skilled, better-armed opponents.
Christina drops the Alex's shield and starts unloading with both 90mm Gatling guns mounted in the forearms.
The Gundam-100 absorbs the punishment, which would have immolated a lesser mobile suit.
That damn Gundarium armor is every bit as good as advertised and then some, Christina notes, he tanked those shots like they were nothing.
Two RGM-89 Jegans deployed by the Civil Defense Corps arrive on the scene.
"This is Lt. Col. Mackenzie," Christina contacts the Jegan pilots, "destroy the RX-780 if necessary, but above all, secure the colony."
"Roger, Lt. Colonel," comes the reply.
"Come and get me, boys," Uncle Charlie taunts the two Jegans.
The standard Federation MS units open fire with their beam rifles, and complying with Christina's instructions, avoid direct hits that would risk damage to the nearby space colony.
Utilizing the Gundam-100's greater power and speed, Uncle Charlie charges the lead Jegan, severing its beam rifle hand with the Gundam-100's powerful beam saber and taking the other mobile suit's beam rifle.
Charlie shoots the other Jegan squarely in the chest with the beam rifle, causing the Jegan to collapse in a burning wreck that crashes through the colony walls and lands on the grounds of Revil Base, nearly flattening Captain Rick Tinne and 1Lt. Athena Ibaz.
Athena scrambles to her feet quickly and helps her new commanding officer to his, noting the consternation evident on his countenance.
Damn it, Charlie, you're supposed to be more discreet, Tinne thinks to himself, at this rate, you'll wreck yourself before you make the rendezvous and our retirement payout will be up in smoke!
Seeing the chaos back at Revil Base, Christina reluctantly gives up pursuit of the Gundam-100 to lend a hand to emergency ground crews.
The Gundam-100 rockets into the darkness of space; its powerful engines leaving potential pursuers far behind.
Christina lands the Gundam Alex back onto the grounds of Revil Base. She assists with firefighting and rescue operations. Amidst the chaos, Christina spots 1Lt. Athena Ibaz among those helping to carry the wounded Dr. Kamille Bidan into a waiting ambulance.
After helping the ambulance crew, Athena looks up into the hole in the Side 7 colony created by the egress of the Gundam-100.
This isn't so simple, Athena reflects, there's more going on here than meets the eye.