Chapter 4
A/N:
Argh goddamit! You know what is worse than writer's block? School papers! I hate doing them not because I'm a bad writer but because it is time consuming. I would take tests rather than write papers any day. Your opinions may differ on the matter and I respect your views since everybody is entitled to their own opinions. I am just stating my own opinions about the matter.
Anyways, the awkward mini rant of papers aside, there are a few matters I need to address before heading straight into the story. The first is about the GINNs and their shield. He or she did make a point about the GINNs not having energy shields around their frames since the armor around the frame is a physical shield. So I made some corrections to it and hopefully would not throw many readers off as they read the third chapter.
However, I am making these mass-produced units a tiny bit more durable and stronger though by a small, margin. Just a tiny touch to make the fights a bit more interesting. The OP-ness are reserved for the prototype units because…well…they are prototypes.
Need I say anymore?
I also corrected the previous chapter about Cooper introducing himself to the Archangel crew. I probably should have used the mercenary cover-up for Cooper and let him explain his origins to the rest of the Archangel's crew at a later time. After all, they are focusing on escaping their ZAFT pursuers in space and are trying to head down to Earth so they are indeed curious as to who our resident Militia hero truly is.
As for adding characters from Titanfall 2, I am starting to think of possible characters that might end up here in the Gundam SEED universe. I do not know about you, but I have a feeling that the IMC will try and find another WMD similar to the Fold Weapon and use it to destroy Harmony.
With that little talk out of the way, let us dive straight into the fun parts.
Legend:
Hello – BT-7274 Speaking or Titan OS speaking.
Hello – Thoughts, computer logs, or flashback.
Hello – Radio communications, news media outlet.
Disclaimer:
Jack Cooper and BT-7274 and Titanfall 2 belongs to Respawn Entertainment while Gundam SEED mobile suits and characters belong to Sunrise and directed by Mitsudo Fukuda. I own my OC characters.
The Archangel's crew can only look at the debris field that was once Heliopolis in stunned silence. Nobody said a word for a moment, only staring at the image of sheer destruction of the colony from the viewing windows.
"Amazing how simple yet fragile it was..." said Mu as he floats by Murrue while shaking his head in dismay. She turned her chair around to face Natarle in the CIC section of the ship.
"Ensign Badgiruel, contact Pilots Yamato and Cooper. Hopefully, they made it out of Heliopolis alive and unharmed." ordered Murrue. The woman did not hesitate to follow the order, activating the radio channels of the Archangel to the CGUE and the Strike.
"Pilots Kira Yamato and Jack Cooper, this is Ensign Natarle Badgiruel. If you can hear me, please respond to this transmission. Again, to pilots Kira Yamato and Jack Cooper, this is Ensign Natarle Badgiruel. If you can hear me, please respond to this transmission."
Out in the debris field, Jack groaned in his seat as he gathers his bearings together from the intense gravitational pull. He felt a slight painful throb in his head but chose to ignore it since it will settle down in a minute or two.
"Argh man...that gravitational pull was intense. I'm never going to experience that ever again."
"Are you alright Pilot Cooper?" asked BT in concern for his pilot. The man gives him a tired nod to his AI partner.
"Yeah I'll be fine. Just give me at least a minute to stop the slight ringing in my head and I'll be good to go."
When the ringing stopped, Jack takes a good look around the debris field that was once Heliopolis. The man cannot do anything but frown in dismay, looking sadly at the destruction of the once peaceful homeland now reduced to a makeshift graveyard. Another symbol serving as a reminder for future generations about the brutality of the Bloody Valentine War.
The destroyed colony reminds him of his fateful tour in Typhon. If the two did not stop the IMC's Fold Weapon, then Harmony would end up like Heliopolis only in a planetary scale and the casualties reaching to the millions, possibly billions. The sheer loss of Harmony would definitely provide a major blow to the Militia's morale and destroy their increasing momentum in defeating the IMC.
"We tried our best but it wasn't enough. BT, you think they made it out in time?" asked Cooper as he continues to stare in the debris field of the once Heliopolis colony.
"Unknown but reasonable assumptions that perhaps the civilians did leave the colony before it collapsed. The colony has built civilian lifeboats in case the colony underwent a disaster. Other than speculations, I cannot reach a logical conclusion."
"It's fine, BT. I'm pretty sure their parents are fine and evacuated the colony. Anyways, I'm going to see if I can-" Before he can say anything, his radio channel picked up a communications line from the Archangel. Tapping in, he sees Natarle's face popping up on the upper right-hand side of the screen.
"To pilots Kira Yamato and Jack Cooper, this is Ensign Natarle Badgiruel. If you can hear me, please respond to this transmission." Tapping into the signal, the man immediately responds to the ensign.
"Ensign, this is Jack Cooper chiming in. Heard you loud and clear."
"Copy that Pilot Cooper. What's your status over?"
"Fine and dandy but damn that gravitational pull can really shake your body up more than a roller coaster ride." The woman can only sigh at his casual behavior before returning to important matters.
"Antics aside, have you located the Strike? I've been trying to contact Pilot Yamato but he isn't responding to my transmission calls."
"Hold up. Just give me one minute..." Jack begins to locate around the debris field, zooming around the massive clusters of debris from different angles before he spots the familiar colors of the Strike. Marking it in the cockpit's HUD, he reports back to Natarle. "Found him. The machine seems to be intact and unharmed."
"Good to hear. Go over to his position and when you do, head back to the ship. Do you have a fix on our location?" The man zeroes in on the Archangel's position, marking it in his cockpit's HUD.
"Sure thing. Don't worry I'll get the kid and bring us home. Jack out."
Closing the line, the duo went over to the Strike. Upon approaching the G-Unit, the Militia pilot connected his radio channel to the unit's. The screen showed Kira staring at the remnants of his homeland in a catatonic state. Taking a deep breath, he carefully breaks the teen's mourning stupor.
"Hey Kira. It's me, Jack." Kira blinks twice before turning his attention to Jack.
"Oh...hey there Jack. Sorry if I didn't answer you immediately. I was...reflecting on what just transpired a few moments ago..." The man shakes his hand, dismissing the apology since it is not easy to see your homeland reduced to rubble right before your very eyes.
"You got nothing to apologize for kid. I know it's hard to swallow seeing your home reduced down to rubble. I've seen it before so I know the feeling."
"Still…do you think my parents made it out alive? Do you think they were able to escape Heliopolis before it collapsed?" The man nods his head to the young teen.
"I'm not so sure Kira. I'm pretty sure they made it out just fine but all I can say is, pray to God and hope for the best."
The young teen breathes a forlorn sigh, already dreading the prospect of his parents dead within the debris field of their homeland. He will have to take Cooper's advice and hope to the heavens that they are okay and safe. For now, he has to focus on surviving and keeping his friends safe from harm. His mobile suit picks up a signal stranded around the debris field. Zeroing on the signal, he sees a lifeboat floating in the middle of the wreckage, barely missing the chunks of land from the destroyed colony. Surprised to see the lifeboat still intact, he informs Jack about getting it onboard the Archangel.
"Hey Jack. I spotted a lifeboat in the middle of the debris. I'm going over to get it and bring it onboard the ship."
Jack sees the Kira holster the large blade on its back before heading over to the lifeboat. The man did not say anything, just following him to the lifeboat to pick up stranded civilians trapped in the contraption.
Finding the pilots and mobile suits alive and still intact, the three officers are now discussing their next course of action.
"So what's the next plan aside from being stranded here in space making us big targets for Le Creuset?" asked Mu. Natarle looks over to Murrue.
"Captain Ramius, if I may suggest this, the best course of action is to head straight into the Artemis Base." She turned around to meet her straight in the eye.
"Artemis…you mean the Eurasian Federation's military base?"
"You mean the base in the middle of fucking nowhere wasting their umbrella shield that can easily be used in other strategic bases out in the front?" Mu is already hating the idea of heading straight to that particular allied installation. Natarle nods her head albeit ignoring the man's scathing remark before looking up at the Archangel's screen showcasing their current location and other Earth Forces bases located in space.
"From our present location, it's the easiest and nearest allied location we can take."
"You do realize that we're in a situation where neither the ship nor the Strike has a recognition code that will be acknowledged by allied forces. Not to mention, they'll get suspicious of us harboring Jack and BT aboard the Archangel. Are you sure they'd accept us with open arms?" The brunette captain has a frown on her face, already having a bad feeling about heading straight to the Eurasian base.
"Given our current situation, it's our only choice. The other bases are too far from our reach. Since we left without sufficient provisions, we need to stop over to the Artemis to resupply our inventory before heading straight to Alaska. I'm sure the Eurasians would understand about our current situation." Natarle confidently reassures her superior officer.
And that worried her. The Eurasians may be their allies born out of necessity but they far from chummy friends due to their…let us say heated rivalry against the Atlantic Federation. If anything, they will try to hold the ship and its crew members hostage which is not a far-fetched scenario.
Still, Natarle does bring up a valid point. The Artemis is nearest allied base they can go to and with their current supply situation, they will not last long against their ZAFT pursuers. She mulled over the decision before conceding to her point.
"As much as I don't like it, we have no other choice. Crew set our destination to Artemis." The crew set their course to Artemis, though reluctantly since they too share the same sentiments as their captain about heading to the Eurasian stronghold.
"Now that we have a destination in mind, what's our plan to head straight to Artemis?" asked Mu. Natarle and Murrue looked at the Hawk of Endymion in confusion prompting Mu to elaborate more on their situation.
"Well you already know that we have a two ZAFT vessels, namely the Vesalius and the Gamow right at our tails. Rau isn't going to just sit there and let us run over to Artemis since he'll do whatever he can to make sure we're dead. I don't know about you guys but I'm not going to raise the white flag. So I'll reiterate, what's the plan?"
Murrue looks down for a minute to think of a possible solution before addressing the pilot's question.
"Since the ship is installed with some decoys we can easily utilize those to make a distraction to cover our run. Perhaps Commander Le Creuset may chase after it but it's very unlikely." The Hawk of Endymion nods his head in agreement at her point. Rau is a very perceptive man so a decoy is highly unlikely to deceive a commander of his own caliber.
"True but at this point, I'm all up for grabs on whatever can distract that nutjob. Even if it's just a tiny bit, it's better than nothing."
The screen beeped, grabbing everybody's attention. Looking up, they see the Strike carrying the lifeboat while Jack and BT are escorting him through the debris, blasting some chunks of rubble with the MMI-M7S machine gun to make sure it did not hit either them or the lifeboat in the Strike's possession. Natarle looked over to Chandra, ordering him to connect the Strike and the CGUE.
"Get me connected to those two. I want to know why they're bringing refugees in the Archangel at such a bad time." Chandra did not say anything as he worked on connecting the vessel's radio comms to the two mobile suits. Once the connection is made, he gives Natarle the green signal.
"Pilots Cooper and Yamato, what are you two doing this instant!?" Cooper's face appeared on the screen.
"Well what else do you think we're doing? Bringing in a lifeboat to the Archangel. Why ask?"
"You just can't randomly bring in a civilian lifeboat in the Archangel without proper authorization! This is a warship used by military personnel, not some disaster relief station! The ship may be huge but it's not that huge to accommodate that many people." Kira's face immediately appeared next to Jack, a displeased expression plastered on him.
"What do you mean you can't accept it!? The propulsion unit is damaged making the lifeboat lose control! You can't expect me to just throw them out there in the middle of space and let them die! What you're saying is insane and preposterous!"
Natarle, however, stood fast in her stance.
"Look, I'm sure there'll be some reinforcements that will pick them up and bring them a nearby station. There's no way we can accept refugees at this time!" Jack snorts at her in a dismissive manner.
"Reinforcements you say? Let me ask you this Natarle, how long do you think it'll take for those said reinforcements you're so confident in to arrive and pick up stranded civies? Give me an accurate answer and if you're right, then we'll follow your orders."
"Er…um…I..." Jack did not even bother to let her answer since it is clear that the answer is no.
"That's what I thought. Kira, forget Natarle's orders and bring that lifeboat in the Archangel. Apparently, she doesn't care if helpless civies died or not. Murrue, get the catapult open and have Murdoch and his team open up the lifeboat. Even if you side with her on this one, neither Kira nor I will obey those orders. Close the hangar, we'll just blast the damn thing until you say yes. I'm sure you don't want to render the ship in a bad state since we've got a long ways to go before we reach Earth."
Natarle was utterly shocked at the blatant disregard to her order while Kira smiles at him for being humane in this time of conflict. Mu snickers again already liking the man more and more for blowing her away just like that. When she is about to yell at him, Murrue raises her hands up to silence her.
"Permission granted Jack. Just quickly come back to the Archangel okay? And what did I tell you about not antagonizing Ensign Badgiruel?"
"What did I tell you before? I'm not gonna make any promises if she keeps acting like a bitch. I'll see you back in the ship." Jack gave her a two-finger salute before the two closed the line. Natarle looks over to her commanding officer with a shocked look on her face.
"Are you sure this is a wise decision Captain Ramius? At a time like this…" The woman takes a sigh before regarding her ensign.
"We don't have time to argue over petty matters, Ensign Badgiruel. The sooner we can leave for the Artemis, the better. I don't want to have this discussion again and that's final." Natarle reluctantly concedes to her point, saluting to her officer before returning back to her post.
Back in the Archangel's hangar, Kira and Jack parked their respective units in their charging stations before hopping out of the cockpits. Jack cracked his neck and back to alleviate the stiffness before looking down to see Murdoch and a few mechanics surrounding the lifeboat.
"Hey Chief Murdoch! You need some help over there?" asked Jack.
"Sure thing son. Come down here and helps us out." said Murdoch.
Jack floated down from BT to the lifeboat just as Murdoch finished typing in the code to crack the device open. Hissing sounds erupted from the lifeboat, a few hatches in the metallic pod opened up. When the hatches opened up, worried yet relieved civilians began to climb out of the hatches of the lifeboat in a haphazard manner. Jack takes a deep breath before ordering the frightened and tired civilians to leave the boat in a calm manner.
"Alright settle down ladies and gentlemen. I know things have been crazy and scary but you're safe and sound. Let's leave the lifeboat in a calm and orderly fashion alright? If any of you have any belongings on your person, make sure to carry them with you before reuniting with your family members. Some of the Earth Forces personnel will guide you to the barracks section to get yourself settled. If you need to eat, tell them and they'll guide you to the cafeteria. Understand?"
The Heliopolis citizens did as they were told, leaving the lifeboat one at a time in an orderly manner. Right behind a middle-aged man is a young woman with cherry hair wearing a pink dress looking. She looks at Jack for a moment with a confused expression on her face, examining the strange getup the Militia pilot is wearing.
"Er can I help you with something ma'am?" asked Jack in confusion to the young lady. Before she can say anything, a mechanical bird chirped loudly before it flew down to meet the two. She looks up to see Kira floating down to meet up with her.
"Flay Allster! My goodness you're alright!" The now identified Flay smiles at Kira before hugging him making the young Coordinator blush at such a sudden action though he is not complaining at the slightest. Murdoch, Jack and the mechanics all looked at the interaction.
"Hey, Jack. Is that his girlfriend over there or something?" asked Murdoch. Jack raised an eyebrow behind his helmet before shrugging his shoulders at the gruff mechanic.
"Don't look at me because I don't have a damn clue about the kid's love life. If you want to know, go ask him. Come on, we have a few civilians to help out, mostly the elderly."
While they helped out the senior citizens, Kira and Flay are having their own conversation.
"Is it really you Flay? Where you on the lifeboat all this time?" The young lady nods her head on his chest before looking up to him with her blue eyes.
"Kira, what happened to Heliopolis? I got separated from Misha and Jessica in the store when the evacuation orders were being issued. What's going on here?"
Kira looked down on the ground, not wanting to give her the news of their homeland destroyed by invading ZAFT forces. Flay looked around the hangar of the Archangel before her eyes drifted to the deactivated Strike and CGUE with weird custom decals and paintjob around the frame.
"This is a ZAFT ship, right? What will happen to us, Kira? Are we now prisoners of war? Are they going to use us as hostages?" Flay gripped the teen's shirt hard, already fearing for her life at the prospect of being in a warring faction's ship. Before he can say anything, a familiar voice rang out to them.
"Not exactly correct ma'am." The two looked over to see Jack floating up to them. Flay saw that it was the same person she encountered when he is aiding the civilians from the lifeboat. Already, she is feeling nervous and scared at the same stranger from before. She clings to Kira's arm, clearly not trusting the man before her. Jack saw Flay holding on the kid's arm making him form a rather teasing grin behind his helmet.
"Oh, what's this I'm seeing? Already making the move's on the lady huh? Quite the lucky dog eh?" Flay and Kira blushed red before Jack chuckles behind his helmet making Kira pout at him. "Relax, I'm just messing with you two. Nothing you need to get worked up on."
"Kira…who's this man here? Is he part of ZAFT by any chance?" asked a weary Flay. The young Coordinator pats her on the arm, reassuring her that the Militia pilot is not a threat.
"Don't worry, he's not a bad person. Flay, let me introduce you to Jack Cooper. Jack, this is Flay Allster."
"Pleasure to meet you ma'am. As Kira said, I'm Jack Cooper and I don't work for ZAFT. Let's just say I'm a private contractor of sorts." The man pulled out his helmet before extending out his hand to the young woman. The cherry-haired girl hesitated to shake his hand for a second before grasping his hand. Despite the light contact, he still shook it gently.
"Pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Cooper."
"You can call me Jack, Miss Allster. I'm not one for such formalities. Makes me feel old." Retracting her hand from Jack's, she looked back at the two mobile suits that are in their recharging stations.
"Are you sure this isn't a ZAFT vessel? From the looks of it, it kinda seems to be one due to the mobile suits docked here." Cooper shakes his head at her.
"Rest assured Miss Allster, the Archangel is Earth Forces property so you don't have anything to worry about. To your other question, the Strike is an Earth Forces mobile suit, not a ZAFT-made one. The CGUE. on the other hand, is indeed a ZAFT unit but I stole it and customized the unit to suit my own personal needs."
Flay's eyes widened a bit in fear when she heard the machine Jack is piloting is a ZAFT unit but Kira reassured her that he is not fighting for ZAFT.
"Don't worry Flay, he's not with ZAFT. In fact, he's the one who fought them and prevented them from harming the Archangel and our friends. There's nothing for you to worry about. Not to mention, Sai and the others are here safe and sound."
The young woman breathes a sigh of relief when she heard that her fiancé is alright. She was worried about his safety when she and the other citizens evacuated Heliopolis but with the news of him safe and sound, she is eager to see him.
"That's a relief. Can you show me where he is?"
"Sure thing."
The two parted from Jack as they entered in the elevator shaft leading to the barracks section. The Militia pilot felt his stomach rumble so he decided to hit straight to the cafeteria to get something to eat before their next fight. The last time he fought with an empty stomach, he nearly lost a Titan duel against an IMC grunt pilot who is manning a Brute Titan. From that day on, he vows to never fight without having something in his stomach.
"Wonder what they have for lunch. Hopefully something better than those dreadful MREs. But first I need to take a shower…" Jack left the hangar before heading up to the barracks section to get his clothes before heading down to the shower area to get himself refreshed.
Meanwhile in the Vesalius's bridge, Ades is reprimanding Rau about the destruction of Heliopolis and the consequences that will ensue when they report to the Supreme Council. He can already imagine Rau and some of the Supreme Council members who are suspicious of him engage in a yelling match that'll probably last for at least an hour, possibly two.
"You know the Supreme Council will be upset if they hear neutral colonies are being destroyed. How will you be able to respond to them when you give your report?"
"How can you call a colony that's manufacturing new weapons for the Earth Forces 'neutral'?" Rau still looks at the destroyed Heliopolis while regarding Ades with his question.
"But sir…"
"Besides, most, if not all of the residents escaped from the initial onslaught so I don't see why you're fussing over this. Yes they lost their homes but compared to the Bloody Valentine Tragedy where people not only lost their lives but also their homes, this is nothing. The tragedy of Heliopolis, if anything, is quite mild."
Ades narrowed his eyes at him in a disapproving manner for comparing Heliopolis's destruction to the tragedy of Junius Seven. He did not like the way he brought up the destruction of the agricultural colony in light of the recent events that transpired a few hours ago.
"Heliopolis's destruction is nothing compared to the J7 tragedy, Commander Le Creuset! How dare you compare those two when they're nothing alike!"
"Crewman, can you get the position of the enemy's warship?" asked Rau, floating over to one of the crewmembers who is still tracking down the Archangel. The green coat soldier shakes his head at him, composing a couple codes around the program to track the enemy's ship only for it to come up with multiple heat signatures around the debris field.
"Negative but I'm still trying sir. The debris field contains many heat signatures around the area making our scanners useless."
"Keep trying crewman. With luck, we should be able to pin their exact location before they make their move. Notify me when you do."
"Still, do you plan to go after them, Commander Le Creuset? We already lost three mobile suits already and with the current state of things, I highly doubt we can pursue the EA's warship any further. They're probably heading straight to the nearest EA post as we speak." comments Ades. Rau looks up from the crewman's computer right at his second in command.
"True, we lost our pilots during the last mission but you're forgetting that we have four of the five stolen mobile suits in our inventory. So I don't see why you're fretting over something rather trivial."
"Y-you're suggesting t-that we use them against the EA warship?" asked Ades. The masked commander floats over to the digital table containing a holographic map of the debris field.
"With the data extraction now completed, we can now use them to maximize their full combat potential, otherwise the hassle to get them from the start would've been useless. Crewman, send a message to Commander Zelman. Tell him to continue on with the search and expand their radius. We have to stop the new warship and the units at all costs before it'll cost us the war for good."
Back in the Archangel, Cooper is back in his barracks after eating his lunch and indulging himself in a nice hot shower. Thankfully, the man was able to get an entire room for himself and a solid meal instead of those vile Militia-issued ones called MREs. Call him a whiner but he does not like the disgusting, plastic taste of those meals. He would rather starve himself to death than eat shit. Hell, he would even eat an alien snake or a bug than eat MREs. An exaggeration I know but you get the point.
Dressed in a simple plain white T-shirt and baggy sweatpants, the man grabbed his TAC pad, beginning to place his usual logs into the device. Unlocking the device via a passcode, he begins to jot down in the log book.
Jack Davidson Cooper's Log Book 1.2
BT and I are now hitching a ride in the EA ship known as the Archangel after the destruction of Heliopolis. The place tore itself apart thanks to a ZAFT team led by the infamous White Lightning himself, Commander Rau Le Creuset. Those bastards had anti-fortress weaponry known as D-equipment armed on their units as if the place was an Earth Forces base.
I don't know what drove him to blow a civie colony to pieces but then again, I probably don't want to know what goes on through that bastard's mind. Crazy guy if I have to say so myself.
Thankfully the civies left the place via lifeboats before it collapsed resulting in no casualties. Although there weren't a ton of civie deaths as I expected, I can't help but sympathize with the kids who witnessed the destruction of their home. When I looked at the now destroyed colony, I can't help but imagine what would happen to Harmony if we failed to take out the IMC's Fold Weapon and the millions of deaths that will ensue from the blast.
Morbid thoughts aside, when the two of us hitched a ride, the crew seems to be okay. For the most part. Mu La Flaga is one I can see getting along with since he's chill and friendly. His personality kinda reminds me of certain 6-4 member I briefly met back in Typhon. Although Murrue showed a tiny bit of hostility from the start since I knew the "secret" G-Project, which I don't blame her by the way, she's an overall nice person. Motherly if I have to say so for myself from the interactions I witnessed between her and Kira.
Natarle, on the other hand…boy am I gonna have a hard time getting along with her. I do hope we do end up becoming friends in the long run but kinda hard to figure out at the moment since first impressions of her weren't so great. I get it, she cares about the welfare of the ship and its crew members. Totally respect it but seriously, I wish she can relax and take a damn chill pill.
But that wasn't the highlight of the day. Before I met the Archangel's crew and after meeting Murrue, I encountered Kira Yamato. To be honest, the kid doesn't look that much when I first saw him. Wimpy, frail, never even worked out a single day of his life. He basically looks like the kid bullies would go after in school and pick on him 24/7. Aside from the weak look he sports, the boy has a good head on his shoulders.
Though, that wasn't what amazed me. The kid can actually pilot a mobile suit unit and actually win a fight against a ZAFT pilot. Quite an amazing feat for a civie if I have to be quite honest. Just like late Captain Lastimosa saw potential in me, I see the same spark in the boy. Even promised him to show a few tricks of the trade but I'm not going to force him if he doesn't need it. He's still hung up on the "I'm not gonna fight your war since I'm an Orb citizen" type of deal but he has to wake up and realize he's involved in this conflict. Whether he wants to admit it or not, this is the reality he has to accept.
Anyways, I don't have a ton of things to say other than we'll be back in the front soon enough.
Jack Cooper, Pilot of BT-7274, 41st Militia Rifle Battalion.
Saving the log, Jack closed the TAC pad before taking a light snooze. A little bit of a nap would not hurt much and getting some rest would help him concentrate in the upcoming fights ahead of them. Leaning his head on the makeshift pillow, he closed his eyes, letting sleep take over him.
While the militia pilot is snoozing, Mu walked off the lift before heading over to the teens. He weaved through a couple civilians as they frantically try to gain a room for either themselves or their families. He even had to weave through a few soldiers who are guiding families and other people to some available rooms within the warship. After weaving through some congested traffic, he finally sees Kira and his friends back all huddled up in one of the barracks. The Hawk of Endymion stops over making them look up at the blonde pilot.
"Hey there youngsters. Boy that was a nightmare trying to get passed through traffic. That aside, you feeling okay and everything?" They just nod their heads at him.
"A bit shaken up after we witnessed Heliopolis break but I think we're fine. Though we're a bit worried about our parents and wondering if they're fine."
"I'm sure your parents are fine and are probably heading to a nearby Earth Alliance installation as we speak." This lessened their worries a bit but they are still hoping they are alive and well. The Hawk of Endymion looks over to Kira.
"You know that Chief Murdoch's already pissed that we don't have enough crew members on board. So he told me to let you know that you're responsible for your machine."
"Wait, what do you mean 'my machine'?! Since when did it become my responsibility?!" Kira did not look pleased at that sort of news.
"I'm with Kira on this one, Lieutenant La Flaga. Isn't the Strike Morgenroete or Earth Forces property?" said Tolle. Mu nods his head in agreement to his point.
"True to the kid's point, the Strike is Earth Forces property but for the moment, Kira will be the one to pilot it. Mr. Murdoch and Captain Ramius reached an agreement so you're the new pilot for the Strike. Congratulations."
Kira frowned at him, angry that he is now the assigned pilot for the Strike. Sure, he manned it twice but there is no way he will get back in there just because the Archangel personnel decided he is the fit candidate for the machine. Seeing the upset expression on his face, Mu placed a hand on the teen's shoulders.
"Hey look, I know how you feel but right now there are three of us that can protect this ship. Even if it's for a little while, we won't make it through without your help. Everybody on this ship is depending on us. Your friends are depending on us, and even you to protect them."
"Depending on us…If we don't step up and do whatever we can to the best of our abilities, all would be pointless..."
"That's the idea. All we can do is contribute with whatever we can in our own way. Whether civilian, soldier, Coordinator, or Natural, it doesn't matter. It's gonna be a tough journey considering the circumstances we are currently facing but we'll make it. I know we will."
"But still…"
"If I were to run away from this mess I would but that's no longer an option for me. I'm not going to force you to pilot the Strike if you don't want to but if you don't give us your help, then you'll only carry a regret to your grave. Remember what Jack said to you before Heliopolis collapsed?" Kira did not say anything else, as Jack's words echoed in his mind.
"If nobody is going to fight then who will? Just because you're a soldier doesn't mean you fight for serving one's nation! Others fight to protect their friends and loved ones back home and that's by far a more noble cause."
"You have the ability to make a difference so why not use it? It'll only go to waste if you don't. We have very little time before our next engagement with ZAFT so think this carefully, okay?" Before Mu can leave, Sai wanted to know where the ship is heading.
"Excuse me, Lieutenant La Flaga but I want to know where the ship is heading?"
"Oh that. The Archangel will be going to the Artemis which is a Eurasian military base. Of course, we'll likely encounter some problems upon entering in…not to mention the journey to reach the Artemis is gonna be an issue in and of itself…"
With that, the man walked out of the barracks leaving the teens alone. Kira looked down on the ground for a moment before turning his attention to his friends.
"I need some alone time. If you need me, I'll be at the hangar…" He ran off to the hangar to reflect on Lieutenant La Flaga's words. Flay, who was able to pick up on a few details from the conversation, looked over to Sai wanting to know if that was actually him in the Strike.
"So you're telling me that it was actually Kira in the mobile suit?" The bespectacled teen nods his head in a tired manner.
"That's right. Kira was the one who actually grabbed your lifeboat and took it in the Archangel."
"Then what about Jack Cooper? What was his role in all of this?"
"He's the one escorting Kira through the debris field to make sure none of the rubble nailed your lifeboat. One hit and boom, you're already a goner." Tolle chimed in the conversation.
"But why? Why would they be in those mobile suits, most especially Kira? They told me this wasn't a ZAFT ship but an Earth Forces one." Flay pointed it out to Tolle.
"That's because Kira's a Coordinator." remarked Kuzzey in a careless manner making Tolle and Sai frowned at him for throwing Kira under the bus like that while Miriallia shook her head in disappointment.
"Kuzzey what the hell were you thinking?! What you just did was uncalled for man!" yelled Tolle. The young man raised his hands in a defensive manner.
"What? Flay wanted to know so I gave her the answer. I don't see the problem with that and I don't know why you're getting mad at me in the first place."
"Still, Kuzzey, you threw Kira under the bus for blurting out about him being a Coordinator. The ship's crew members are part of the Earth Forces and aren't really friends with Coordinators. They nearly gunned him down on the spot if it weren't for Lieutenant Ramius ordering them to stand down." said Miriallia in a disappointed manner. Flay looks like she is about to have a heart attack from the mere mention of him being a Coordinator.
"K-Kira is a Coordinator?!" The bespectacled teen placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
"Yes but he's not with ZAFT. He's one of us, a treasured friend so you don't need to fear him, okay? He's never done anything to warrant such hostility."
"Then what about Jack? Is he a Coordinator by any chance? He did pilot a ZAFT unit." said Flay making Sai shake his head at his fiance.
"I don't think he is. Judging from listening in the conversation with Lieutenant La Flaga, he said the Coordinator OS installed in the ZAFT unit gave him a bit of trouble. He, with the help of BT, revamped the entire OS to suit his needs allowing him to move the machine around as if it was an extension of his body."
"BT? I don't think I understand…" Flay looked at her fiance in a confused manner at who the hell is this BT person.
"BT-7274 is Jack's AI partner. He's quite the interesting character once you meet him. Trust me, you'll be blown away when you interact with him." said Sai, still fascinated at Jack's mechanized partner. The cherry-haired lady had to hunker down for a moment to process the information she was given in such a short amount of time. While she is doing that she did not notice Jack stopping by their room.
"Yo. Anybody saw Kira by any chance?" asked Jack.
"He's in the hangar. Why?" said Tolle. The man shrugs his shoulders at the young lad.
"Just wondering. I'll be at the Archangel's locker room if you need me. I have a couple things I need to check before I head off into battle which might be soon. Ciao!" With that, he left the room heading straight to the locker area of the ship. Now that Jack is gone, silence filled the air around them. They did not say anything until Miriallia breaks the ice.
"You know, I feel kinda bad for not doing anything."
"What'd you mean by that, Mir?" Tolle looked at her, raising an eyebrow at his girlfriend.
"What I'm saying is, everybody is risking their lives to make sure everybody on board this ship is safe. Kira especially since he's protected us twice from danger." Sai, Tolle, and Kuzzey nod their heads in agreement while Flay looked a bit uncertain.
"I know what you mean, Mir but you know what? I think we should do our part like they are…contributing what we can…" Tolle looked at right at the bespectacled teen.
"Sai…you thinking what I'm thinking?" The bespectacled teen looks at everybody with a determined look on his face.
"Let's go talk with Captain Ramius and see if we can volunteer. I know that we're not supposed to join the armed forces since we live in a neutral nation but I don't think we should sit back and let Kira, Lieutenant La Flaga, and Jack do all the work. So what do you say? You in or out?"
Tolle, Miriallia, and even Kuzzey nod their heads in agreement while Flay decided to stay out, still uncertain whether or not she should join her friends. She looked down on her hands which are placed on her lap.
"What should I do? Just what should I do?"
Down in the Archangel's pilot room, Jack checked to make sure his gear is still intact and ready to go. Taking off his shirt and sweatpants leaving him in his black-tight fitting boxers, he hears the doors part. The man turns around to see Kira looking at him with a surprised and rathe embarrassed look on his face.
"Hey there Kira. You need something?" Jack greets Kira with a small wave, disregarding his state of undress. The young teen shakes his head at him, eyeing at his red and black tattoos around his upper and lower body.
"N-n-not really. Just surprised to see you getting ready for combat." Jack shrugs his shoulders before noticing Kira staring at him. Smirking, he decides to tease the poor boy.
"So kid, be honest with me. You like what you see?" Just as he expected, Kira's cheeks went red at the teasing.
"I-I don't know what you mean by that Jack." Kira already became a spluttering mess as he tries to deny what Jack is implying. This only made the man grin even more, pressing on the teasing to the young lad.
"Really? Because you're face tells me a different story."
"Er…I…um…." Kira's face continued to flush red in embarrassment, leaving the poor boy in a stuttering mess. The Militia pilot could not contain himself anymore as he begins to laugh at the poor boy's expense. It was not long before the man begins to laugh at him making the poor lad look at him in a confused manner.
"W-wha?" This made the man laugh at him even more.
"Ahahaha! Oh the look on your face is priceless! Sorry but I couldn't help but tease you." Kira could only gape at him, not knowing that he was teased all the while.
"You were teasing me all along?!" yelled a displeased Kira. Jack laughed at him for a few seconds before he begins to calm himself down.
"Relax buddy, it was just all in good fun. Besides, I'm not into you whatsoever because you're half my age and I don't want to be arrested by the MPs for being a creep. No need to be so worked up over it."
The brown-haired Coordinator sighs in defeat before heading over to one of the lockers containing a light blue Earth Forces flight suit. He took off his clothes sans his underwear before placing it on before checking the suit to make sure it is not too loose around his frame. As the two finished gearing up, the two heard the door open. They looked over to see Mu entering in with a surprise expression on his face when his eyes laid on Kira now in his pilot suit.
"Well from the looks of things, I guess you already made up your mind and ready to lend us a hand, right?" Kira nods his head as he takes the helmet that matches his pilot suit.
"I thought about what you and Jack said to me and I realized that I should contribute in any way I can. I may not be a soldier but that doesn't mean I should back down from protecting my friends. Whether I have a choice or not, I along with my friends are already involved in this war."
The two men smiled at the teen before Mu went over to them to let them in on the plan.
"Nice! Now that you two are ready, let me fill you guys about our plan…"
In the Vesalius, Athrun stopped by Rau's office. The door parted to the side revealing Rau facing his laptop, typing in a report for the Supreme Council. Entering in, the blue-haired elite soldier stood before his desk, saluting in front of his commander.
"Athrun Zala reporting in sir!"
"I was hoping to speak with you earlier but things went out of hand due to unforeseen circumstances within the mission and I don't need to tell you what just happened." Rau did not look up from his laptop, nodding his head in reply to the soldier making the man stand at ease. He stops making his report to turn his full attention to the young man.
"Sir, I apologize for what happened during the previous mission and for disobeying orders from a superior officer. I accept whatever responsibility that entails for my unprofessional behavior." Rau shakes his hand at him, dismissing the
"I have no intention of punishing you Athrun since I countered Captain Ades's orders. However, I do want to know your side of the story back in Heliopolis. It's not like you to perform in such a hesitant manner for a man of your station. From what I understand, you were near the machine when it was activated, yes?"
Athrun only frowned, remembering his second fateful encounter with Kira but nonetheless begins to explain himself to his superior officer.
"Sorry about that sir. I was stunned by what happened back in the colony and I failed to report about the incident."
"Go on." urged Rau. "Whatever is said in this room, stays in the room. You have my word for it."
Athrun gathers his thoughts for a minute before he begins to explain to him about his relationship with Kira.
"You see, Commander Le Creuset, the final machine, the Strike, is piloted by my childhood friend, Kira Yamato. He's a Coordinator friend of mine from the military prep school I attended on the Moon."
"My oh my, is that so?" This tidbit of information interested the masked commander and may very well serve as a piece of useful information for his upcoming plans in the future. Deciding to stow away the information in the back of his mind, he urges the young teen to continue on with his story.
"Go on. I want to know more about Kira Yamato."
"Yes sir. Well...I never dreamed we'd meet again in such a chaotic situation so I needed to be sure that my eyes aren't playing tricks on me and sure enough, he is piloting the G-Unit." Rau nods his head in acceptance before hopping off his chair.
"War definitely has a way of destroying built friendships. One minute he or she is your friend and the next, the individual becomes your enemy, fighting for the other side of the conflict. I imagine you were quite close to this Kira person am I correct?"
"Yes sir." Athrun can only look down on the floor in sadness.
"If that's the case, I'll let you launch for this next sortie."
"Uh sir?" This made the young officer look up to his superior in shock.
"You won't be able to pull a gun at such a friend. Of course, I don't want you to undergo such an experience of killing somebody that is close to you despite serving for a different side in this conflict."
"No sir! I-" Rau looks over to him evenly rendering the elite soldier to silence.
"Even if he was your friend when you two were children, you can't fraternize with the enemy. It's a serious military offense that cannot be tolerated within ZAFT and I'm sure you understand the price of such an action, Athrun."
The young man frowns a bit at such a thought of him pulling the trigger and killing Kira. The image repulsed him to no end as he would rather commit suicide or face a firing squad than commit such a crime that is killing his friend. Still, there is no harm in making an effort to persuade his superior officer so he decides to take a shot at it.
"I know sir, but Kira…he's being used by the Naturals! He's being used by the enemy. A brilliant man but fails to read between the lines to see that he's being taken advantage of. He's a Coordinator so I know what he'll say which is why I propose that instead of shooting him, let's persuade him to come to our side!"
"So you say, but what if he isn't, Athrun? There is a limit as to how many times you'll beg your friend to join our side. What would happen if he refuses to fight for ZAFT? What will you do?"
Athrun stops for a moment from the proverbial bomb being thrown at him. The man looks down on the ground, already fearing, no dreading, what would happen if he fails to persuade Kira to fight for ZAFT. After all, there is a high chance he will refuse to join due to his pacifistic nature and wanting to live a quiet, peaceful life. The teen mulls it over his head before giving his answer to the masked commander.
"If I can't persuade Kira to join our side…then I'll shoot him down myself."
The alarms immediately blared throughout the Archangel, signifying all personnel to their posts. Kira, Mu and Jack went to their respective units, hopping in to their cockpits, readying themselves for the fight. Strapping in, Jack connected his channel to Kira's.
"Hey kid, remember Mu's game plan?" The teen nods his head to the Militia pilot.
"He'll sneak in undetected and take care of the enemy ship in front of us while we take care of the enemy trying to sink the ship. Got it."
"Alright. Remember what I taught you back a couple hours ago. Relax, make your choice quickly, and be sure to never give your opponents any openings." The young man nods before Miriallia's video feed appeared in all three units. They all looked up at her in surprise. They also notice her wearing a pink Earth Forces uniform.
"Oh? What's this all about, Mir?" The teenager smiles at him before placing her headset on.
"Glad you asked Jack because I'm now your acting combat operator for the mobile suits and mobile armor of the Archangel. Good luck out there you three. We're all counting on you!" The young lady gave him a peace sign making him shake his head in amusement.
"Let me guess, you and the others decided to volunteer to aid the ship, am I right?"
"Got that right Jack."
"But why are you…" Before Kira can say anything, Sai cuts him off.
"Look, you, Jack and Lieutenant La Flaga are already risking a lot to make sure this ship is in one piece. We felt that it's not fair for us to sit at the sidelines and let you guys do the heavy work so we took it on ourselves to do our fair share."
The three pilots smiled in appreciation before Natarle handed out her orders for the day.
"The enemy will pull the trigger right when the Archangel makes her first move. Expect ZAFT to deploy the stolen G-Units within this sortie so be on your feet when they begin to fight. Understand?"
"Don't worry, we'll handle them before things go down south. Trust us ma'am." Jack reassures the raven-haired ensign.
"Very well. As Crewman Haww told you before, Godspeed to you three." Cutting off the connection, Mu decides to take first dibs on launching.
"Jack, I'll go first since my Moebius Zero is ready to go. Gives me some ample time to get my sneak attack going before those guys can get a lock on us."
"Alright Mu. I'm gonna ask Murdoch to get BT equipped with some nice firepower against these G-Units because I'm sure as hell know we'll be needing some if we're gonna face all four of them."
"Right. Remember the plan and make sure the ship takes as less damage as possible. See you on the field you two." With that, Mu's mobile armor went up to the catapult launching bay. The man pulls down his visor before looking up to see the green signal for launch."
"Mu La Flaga, Moebius Zero, launching!" The orange mobile armor unit ignites its jet thrusters before launching from the Archangel. With the Moebius Zero out of the way, Jack and BT went up next. Chief Murdoch's face appeared on the screen.
"Need anything equipped son?" The man begins to list off the armaments he wants for this mission. "Yeah Chief. I need the anti-aircraft shotgun, and the machine gun. Natarle said we're going to be expecting some G-Units in this fight so I need all the firepower I can get to keep this ship alive."
"Comin right up son. Arming process shouldn't take a full minute."
The weapon storage racks opened up, cranes taking out said armaments to attach to BT. Once armed, the duo saw the Lohengrin cannons fire anti-matter beams at the rubble to make a clear path for the pilots to launch safely from the vessel.
"Let's do this partner. Jack Cooper, CGUE, launching!"
Jack and BT launched from the catapult before straying right beside the Archangel. Kira soon followed five seconds later with the Strike equipped with the Alie Striker pack. The pack consists of a flight unit, a beam rifle, shield and a beam saber. With all three pilots now out in space, BT detected four incoming signatures, one from the front while the other three coming from the rear.
"Pilot, I've detected hostile mobile suits coming in from both directions. Four G-Units which consisting of the Blitz, Duel, Buster, and Aegis. The first three are heading from the rear while the last one is heading up to the front." Jack cracks his knuckles and neck before connecting his comms to Kira's.
"Kira!" The teenager turns around to look up at Jack.
"Yes Jack?"
"We got some bogeys coming in from both our six and twelve o'clock! I'll take care of the ones coming in from behind while you take care of the unit gunning at the front. Get me?"
"Got it." The young teen complies to his orders. Cutting the line, the two split up with Kira taking care of the Aegis while Jack went over to the Blitz, Duel, and Buster.
"It's time to see how I fare against a G-Unit pilot. Let's see if they can handle these Arc Rounds..." Jack steps on the ignition pedal, propelling him and BT forward to meet up with the three units. While that is going on, Yzak looked at the screen in his mobile suit to see the same custom CGUE from before.
"This is the same unit we encountered in Heliopolis and it's now aiding the Earth Alliance's legged warship?" Dearka's face appeared right on Yzak's screen.
"Well the pilot wasn't really nice to us so it's no surprise he or she is helping out the EA. Rumor has it this pilot placed Commander Le Creuset in a stalemate."
This grabbed the attention of the two elite pilots. Rau is one of the well-known legendary ace pilots in ZAFT yet for him to be placed in a stalemate against a complete stranger is unheard of. Even unbelievable for that matter. Silence filled the three before Nicol broke the ice.
"Are you sure about that Dearka? You sure this isn't some sort of rumor you picked up from the Gamow personnel?" asked Nicol in a skeptical manner which Yzak immediately agrees with him.
"I'm with Nicol on this one. You sure this isn't some sort of rumor you heard from one of the crew members?"
"Completely honest here Yzak. In fact, when I was eating lunch, a lot of the crew members were talking about it. Quite the hotline really. Seriously, where's the confidence in me?" complained Dearka at the lack of confidence his teammates are giving him.
"You have a habit of jumping to conclusions, Dearka so don't blame us for doubting you." Nicol deadpans at the blonde elite soldier. The only noise that came out of Dearka is a groan.
"Whatever the case may be, I highly doubt the pilot is that much of a hotshot than what the crew makes him or her out to be. We have a mission to take so let's focus on it."
The trio split up around the debris field, ready to take on the incoming pilot. Once they are somewhat within closing distance, shots begin to fly around space between the two parties. Jack fired the modified MMI-M7S machine gun releasing a torrent of Arc Rounds right at the three machines.
Just like the others who witnessed such a marvel, Dearka, Yzak, and Nicol can only look and gape in awe at the sheer abilities the machine displayed in front of them. The three snapped out of their stupor, barely dodging the incoming lead storm though a few Arc Rounds did hit the mobile suit's phase shift armor. If these were regular bullets, then it is not a problem since they would barely make a dent in the armor but you have to remember, these are Arc Rounds. These are electrified bullets are meant to take down Titan shields in a rapid rate than normal bullets. These few rounds drained the electrical shielding a bit, losing their protect by a small fraction.
"What the hell is with this guy's mobile suit!? I've never seen a CGUE unit fire electric-powered rounds! Not even ZAFT's top military scientists and engineers are capable of making such weapons. How the hell is that even possible?"
"Beats me Yzak, but that pilot drained a bit of the Buster's shielding thanks to those electric bullets. I thought these machines were made to withstand anything." Dearka shrugs his shoulders at his best friend. He is just as clueless as he is after looking at the damage report of his mobile suit.
The Blitz and the Duel circled around the custom CGUE while the Buster stood back, providing focused fire right at both the Archangel and the custom unit. The Duel fired a few rounds from the beam rifle causing the CGUE to fly back a bit which gave the Blitz an opportunity to strike the custom machine from behind. The stealth unit fired its Gleipnir grappling claw to grab the enemy unit closer only for it to be swatted away by the back of its servo.
The CGUE flew back a bit before utilizing the DINN's modified anti-aircraft shotgun. Taking aim at the Duel, the unit released a three 40mm tracking rounds at the mobile suit. The rockets nailed their target, creating a full lock. BT then unleashed another salvo right at the Blitz. The black machine swerved around the field causing Jack to lead his shots a bit more. He got two partial locks painted before dodging a few beams in a zig-zag pattern. From an upside down position, he fired the last tracker round, creating the final lock-on.
With two lock-on targets painted, BT opened up the multi-target missiles before unleashing a barrage of missiles right at the two units. The Blitz and the Duel flew around the debris field, hoping the rockets would lose their path but Nicol and Yzak are in for another treat. The missiles stayed on their course before hitting their target prompting Dearka to divert his attention from the Archangel to to the custom CGUE unit. He fired the 350mm gun launcher prompting Jack and BT to evade the shot, resulting in more chunks of rubble destroyed to pieces.
Seeing the pilot back off for a mere moment, he looked over to his two teammates to see their mobile suits fine and functioning.
"You guys okay?" asked Dearka. Nicol groans for a bit until he gives Dearka the A-Ok signal.
"Y-yeah I'll manage. Just a little shaken up by the action though…"
"The Duel's fine but dammit, we're not even landing a scratch on the pilot's unit." remarks Yzak, quite mad at the enemy for damaging his unit while they cannot land a single hit on the unknown pilot's machine.
"I can see why he's been able to place Commander Le Creuset in a stalemate. Not to mention, the Archangel isn't sustaining a ton of damage when I took a shot at it with the Buster's beam rifle. That thing's built to withstand serious beatings." remarked Dearka.
Yzak was about to retort until he looked over to see the Strike and the Aegis flying around space with their beam sabers out, not exchanging a single shot at each other. Frowning in irritation, he decides to head over and assist Athrun in destroying the Strike.
"Where you going Yzak?" asked Dearka in confusion.
"Nicol, Dearka, you two take on the pilot and the legged ship while I'm heading over to assist Athrun in destroying the Strike. Damn golden boy…what the hell is going through that shitty head of his…" Watching Yzak leave the battlefield, the two decided to split up with Nicol engaging with the custom CGUE while Dearka went to work in dealing with the Archangel.
Nicol fired the Blitz's beam rifle, which is installed in the Trikeros offensive shield. Jack maneuvered around the emerald streaks of energy before firing the machine gun at the stealth unit. The machine blocked the incoming bullets before firing all three of its hypervelocity lancer darts at the custom unit.
"Pilot, incoming darts! Advise usage of Vortex Shield to prevent them from hitting us." warned BT.
"On it, BT."
Jack activated the Vortex Shield, capturing all three darts within the blue magnetic field, stopping them in their tracks. The ability stunned Nicol, stopping him in his tracks. The young boy cannot help but wonder what other tricks the pilot and the machine are hiding in their sleeves.
The boy's musings were caught off as the machine threw the lancer darts back at him. In the nick of time, he swerved to the side dodging the lancer darts. His heart continued to beat erratically, already scared shitless from the attack. If he did not react soon enough, he might end up becoming a human shish kebab.
"Keep your head in the fight idiot! That's unsportsmanlike conduct in a fight so stay focused!" Jack reprimanded him before aiming his machine gun right at the Blitz. He fired a couple more arc rounds before needing to reload. Nicol dodged almost all of them except for two stray bullets hitting the Blitz's frame. Dearka flies in the fight, aiding Nicol by firing a few shots from the Buster's 90mm energy rifle to drive him away from the youngest member of the Le Creuset Team. Jack and BT evade the shots before switching over to his machine gun, firing a torrent of electric lead to divert them away from the Archangel.
"Alright hotshot, let's see if you can handle this!" Combining two of the rifles into a one anti-armor shotgun, the Buster unleashed a massive blast right at the custom unit. Jack and BT dodged the incoming salvo, resulting in more rubble being destroyed. Using the 40mm anti-aircraft shotgun, he fired three shots at the unit, with all three painting a full lock-on, before unleashing a cluster of missiles right at the Buster. The missiles nailed their target with relative ease since the Buster is not the fastest out of all the other prototypes due to the heavy armaments installed on the unit.
After releasing the barrage, he shifted his attention to the Blitz. He fired his machine gun right at the unit trying its best to dodge the onslaught of electrified lead. Nicol raised the Blitz's shield to block some of the incoming Arc Rounds, flying around the battlefield while doing so.
Much to Nicol's luck, Jack ran out of bullets in the machine gun prompting him to reload the weapon. Taking this opportunity, he quickly fired some beams to push him back before firing the grappling claw to snare the unit and bring it closer. Jack evaded the beams while placing a fresh new magazine in the weapon before smacking the incoming anchor to the side. He unleashed a hailstorm of Arc Rounds, tearing through the mobile suit's defenses like a hot knife through butter. The majority of the Arc Rounds nailed the arm unit holding the Gleipnir grappling claw, tearing through said unit before exploding. Reloading a new round, he fired another hailstorm, this time hitting and destroying the leg unit.
Nicol is now panic mode. The Blitz's armor cannot withstand the onslaught as the electric bullets proved to be powerful against the unit's phase shift armor, draining the shield in a rapid rate than normal. Not to mention, the Blitz's left arm unit is already destroyed within a few seconds. At the rate he is going, he might not last long against the unknown pilot.
"Dearka! I could use some help over here right about now!"
"Help's on the way Nick!" The Buster immediately disengaged the Archangel, flying next to the Blitz. He aimed the Buster's gun launcher right, getting the aiming reticle right on the machine. Once the lock is made, Dearka pulled the trigger.
"Stay clear, I'm gonna take this bastard down!"
Nicol did not need to be told twice. The young man flew the Blitz up as high as he can, preventing himself from getting smoked by friendly fire. Alarms blared throughout Jack's cockpit with BT warning him of the incoming projectile.
"Pilot Cooper! Incoming projectile at six o'clock!"
"I read ya loud and clear BT!" Jack maneuvered BT in an upwards direction before he can be nailed by the Buster's gun launcher. Seeing the Burst Core ready, he activated it, spitting out a hailstorm of lead right at the Buster. Dearka tried to maneuver his machine around the incoming barrage of arc rounds but it was pointless since the bullets begin to hammer the phase shift armor relentlessly and mercilessly.
When the core deactivated, Dearka's machine is riddled with holes, smoke billowing from them with sparks of electricity coursing through the frame. The Buster already lost an arm unit holding the 90mm rifle and a right leg unit. Nicol flew the Blitz over to the Buster before connecting his channel to Dearka's.
"Dearka! Are you okay in there?" asked a concerned green-haired pilot.
"Y-yeah man…I-I'm good. Argh I'm so gonna feel this one later but damn. I don't think we even landed a scratch on the pilot. Damn, just who the hell is that person!?"
Hearing the comment from the Buster pilot, Jack connected his comms to the enemy unit's just to mess around with them for a bit. "You asked so here's your answer: I'm just your next-door mercenary who just happens to kick a lot of ass!"
Nicol and Dearka both sweatdropped at the goofy answer. Who the hell answers somebody in such a manner?! Before the two elite pilots can think of a plan to fight this so-called mercenary, they saw an emergency message displayed on the screen. Their eyes widened at what they read.
"The Vesalius got damaged by an ambush?" said the green-haired soldier in a stunned voice.
"They're also ordering a retreat. Even Captain Zelman is asking us to head back to the Gamow immediately." commented Dearka. Before he do anything, the Archangel opened up both of its Lohengrin cannons. Gathering enough energy, the two cannons unleashed its deadly red anti-matter energy, nailing the Vesalius's engine ports.
Seeing the Nazca-class ship take on more damage is definitely a sure signal to retreat. Especially with their mobile suits busted up from the CGUE's attack.
"Time to head back. If we keep this up, we'll be toast."
"Living sounds a lot more appealing than dying. I'm with you Nick though Yzak wouldn't listen to us since he's not going to admit defeat against the EA."
"Convince him. You're his best friend after all since he'd listen to you than anybody else in the team." With that, the blonde pilot connects his radio comms to the silver-haired elite soldier's.
"Hey Yzak! Our units are damaged and are heading back to the Gamow. Best if you just hightail from the fight and return back to the ship." Nicol can see Yzak's irritated look on the screen, knowing full well that he will not retreat from the battle.
"Then be my guest but I'm not going to let the Strike get away this time!" Yzak closed the connection making Nicol and Dearka shake their heads at their stubborn and hotheaded teammate. The two turned around, heading back to the Gamow.
As Jack saw the two pilots retreat from the battlefield, heading straight to the Laurasia-class vessel. While they were retreating, he got an incoming message from Murrue. "What's up?"
"The Strike lost all of its power and is captured by the Aegis. They are retreating back to the Laurasia-class vessel known as the Gamow." Jack is already alarmed by the sudden news of Kira's immediate capture by the ZAFT pilot.
"What?! Show me a visual!" Murrue sent him a footage of the Aegis in its mobile armor form with the powered-out Strike in its clutches. "Alright, I'm heading over there to get him back. I'm not letting the kid be a POW under my watch."
"Good luck Pilot Cooper. Please stay safe and come back to us in one piece. Okay?" Jack raised an eyebrow at her soft behavior but nonetheless gave her his signature thumbs-up. Closing the line, he triangulated the Aegis's energy signature before dashing over to grab the kid from the enemy.
"BT, you still good in operation time?"
"Affirmative Pilot Cooper. My battery levels are at 82%."
"Good. We're getting our star pilot back home."
"Protocol 2: Uphold the Mission. New objective primary: Prevent Pilot Kira Yamato from being a ZAFT POW before it is too late. Got it." Jack stepped on the ignition pedal all the way down to pursue the four mobile suits. Just as he is nearing the four ZAFT pilots, Mu's video feed went live in his cockpit's screen.
"Jack, I had the Archangel prep the Launcher Strike just in case those hotshots decided to pursue the kid." Jack, however, objected at such a decision.
"Call it off, it'll only make him a bigger target. You and I are adequate enough to cover his retreat. Mu, since you're near to the Aegis than I am, you take the honors in rescuing the kid while I give you some covering fire." Mu did a mock bow at Jack, not minding in the slightest in taking on a stolen G-Unit.
"Well who am I to deny such a request?" The Hawk of Endymion released the Moebius Zero's gunbarrel pods from the main body, circling around the Aegis from different angles. The autocannons begin to unleash some hell on the red unit. The mobile suit evaded some shots before getting hit on the rear in its mobile armor form. This prompted the Aegis to transform out of its mobile armor form before engaging the Moebius Zero.
While Mu had the Aegis's pilot distracted, Jack and BT turned around to look at the deactivated Strike.
"Looks like you got yourself in a sticky situation huh? Well no need to fear, Jack Cooper is here to save the day."
"J-Jack?" Kira was relieved to see Jack and Mu rescue him at the nick of time.
"One and only. Listen, Mu and I will cover your retreat so you ass better be in the Archangel when that happens. Don't ask, just do it. Get me?" Without a word, Kira stepped on the ignition pedal of the Strike, not looking back at the battlefield. As Kira retreated from the field, he sees from the corner of his eye the Duel trying to pursue the Strike while the Moebius Zero is occupying the Aegis with some annoying fire.
"Ready for one more round, BT?"
"We must uphold Protocol Two Pilot Cooper, even if my battery operation is down to twenty percent. Yes I'm in."
"Glad you feel the same way I do BT. Alright, let's get this guy to bug off the kid." The duo pursued the Duel who is firing at the retreating Strike. Using the modified MMI-M7S machine gun, he fired arc rounds right behind the Duel making Yzak and the Duel lurch forward.
"What the hell just hit me?" The young pilot looked over to see the custom CGUE from before engaging him in a fight. Before he can react, Jack peppered the machine with arc rounds before switching over to the modified anti-aircraft shotgun destroying the right leg unit and the left arm unit carrying the shield.
The G-Unit faltered a bit before raising its beam rifle. The machine pulled a few energy rounds but the duo flew around the shots before stepping in front of the Duel. Jack opened up his comms to contact the rather stubborn pilot.
"Hey pilot. Your teammates already retreated yet you and the Aegis pilot continue to pursue the Strike. Give it up, you already lost the fight."
"Like hell I will! I, a ZAFT elite pilot, will not lose this fight to a fucking stranger such as yourself! Now move to the side or I'll kill you myself!" Yzak grits his teeth in anger, refusing to lose in a fight like this. He is an elite pilot for God's sake! Who the hell does this piece of shit think he is, huh?
"If you want a beating then by all means I'll give you one. Just don't complain about me kicking your ass six ways till Sunday." The man shakes his head in disappointment before cracking his neck to loosen the stiffness around it. Jack threw a punch right at the machine, throwing the machine back a couple feet before being slamming the Duel's helm unit with the arc rounds. The electric rounds penetrated through the helm unit before exploding, rendering the unit headless.
"You, an elite pilot? Man, ZAFT must've lowered their standards if they considered you elite material. Hell, I've seen grunts kick way more ass than you do and that's saying something. You're way too young to beat me with that overgrown toy of yours."
Athrun saw Yzak's machine being rammed by the custom CGUE. Disengaging his fight with the Moebius Zero, the blue-haired elite pilot drove the enemy unit back with its beam rifle before turning over to the Duel. Seeing the damaged state of the machine, Athrun had his unit transform in its mobile armor form, clamping the unit in its claws before heading back to the Gamow. Mu flew his Moebius Zero next to Jack before connecting his comms to his.
"Yo Jack!"
"Hey there Mu. Glad to see you in one piece though I would've expected the Aegis pilot to tear your unit to pieces."
"Are you saying you have zero faith in my abilities as a mobile armor pilot?" The man gave him a mock-hurt look. Jack just playfully shrugs his shoulders at the Hawk of Endymion.
"Mobile suits seem to be equipped with better armor and weapons than mobile armors. Then again, those guys haven't faced you so they just got unlucky." The man made an "I see you" gesture at the Militia pilot.
"Uh huh whatever you say Jack. I'll be keeping my eyes on you. That aside, man you definitely tossed those G-Unit pilots like rookies. None of them even made a single scratch on you. You sure you're not a Coordinator?" The man chuckles at him for the ridiculous notion.
"Hehehe, I ain't no Coordinator, Mu. I already told Kira and the others, practice makes perfect. I don't need some gene altering BS to be a badass. Either born with it or placed in the work to be a talented pilot. I sure as hell know you weren't kicking ass starting day one in the war."
"Point taken. Let's head back and recharge since we drove those pilots away. I don't think they'll be in any condition to fight anytime soon considering the amount of damage you inflicted on them."
The two pilots went back to the Archangel as the Artemis installation is in their sights.
A/N:
And that's a wrap ladies and gentlemen! Next chapter is Jack and BT along with the Archangel's crew heading straight to the Artemis base. Dun dun dun. Haha, just kidding. I'm still trying to come up with a plausible excuse that can easily fool the Eurasians and General Garcia so that they will not pry into BT or try and replicate the Titan OS.
That aside, let us talk a couple things about this chapter.
1. The Titan Core. I introduced Burst Core already in this segment of the chapter. I think you viewers are probably clamoring for me to at least have Jack utilize BT's default Burst Core ability since the Vanguard's chassis is mashed with the CGUE's chassis. Well folks, here it is. I am still debating whether or not to have only one core or have Jack use two core abilities. Again, let me know in the comments section what you guys have in mind.
2. Arc Rounds. From what I read about these type of rounds, according to Titanfall lore, these are electric-powered bullets capable of draining Titan shields at a faster rate than normal rounds. Makes sense if you think about it since Phase Shift Armor is powered by electricity so fight fire with fire. Or in this case, electricity with electricity. Bad joke but you get what I mean. So once Jack fires the modified MMI-M7S machine gun, and the bullets rip through those shields like knife through butter, then the G-Units become easy targets.
3. As you may have noticed, I did not add the part where the Strike was getting the Launcher Strike Pack just like it was portrayed in the cannon series. I felt that Jack, BT, and Mu are capable enough to handle our resident Le Creuset team and provide some cover for Kira.
4. I decided to add a secondary barrel underneath the DINN's Anti-Armor Shotgun which will store the Sonar Lock so when Jack needs to complete a lock-on, he can easily fire it from the second barrel.
I think I hit just about everything. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter and do notify me if I have to correct anything within this chapter. I am always open for constructive criticism but never flames.
Thanks for reading and I will see you in the next chapter. Ciao!