Gundam-fall: Changing Fates
Episode 6: Fast and Furious Rescue
A/N: before we get into this I want to reply to a review.
[pt1oef: Thanks for the suggestions. You'll see…]
A Gundam MK.2 had just launched from one of the federation ships as an envoy to negotiate with the titans. The Gundam type mobile suit approached the AEUG warship at a modest pace, a Hizack followed closely behind it. the warship came into view and the Gundam set down on the launch deck. The cockpit opened and Emma sheen stepped out of it. she warned the AEUG forces that if anyone got to close to the Gundam the nearby Hizack would open fire.
Emma saw an extra Gundam on the mobile suit deck, this one looked oddly familiar. She'd never seen it before but something about it called out to her. Then she caught a glimpse of the symbols on its shoulders. Now those were even more familiar, but she still couldn't place them for some reason. A moment later she was walking down the hallway to the bridge, with lieutenant Quattro as her escort.
As she walked down the hall she locked eyes with Kamille for a brief moment. When they reached the conference room Emma delivered the message. The commodore read and was instantly appalled by the terms. He then told Emma and everyone in the room what they were. The titans were holding Kamille's parents as hostages. Emma gasped and read the message herself. She couldn't believe it at all, no one could stoop that low. Word about the situation began to spread through the ship like wildfire. Eventually the news reached Kamille who wanted confirmation, and then to Cooper would not let this atrocity stand, BT agreed with his pilot.
BT then patched in to the bridge who was redirected to the conference room. "Captain Henken, this is BT-7274. I am the AI of pilot Cooper's mobile suit. I recommend that you allow us to launch. Cooper and I have had a prototype stealth module built into my chassis. We will launch without using the catapult, and use the stealth module to avoid being detected by the enemy forces scanners. The enemy mobile suit is currently fixated in maintaining its attention to the other catapult deck."
"This is no time for jokes Cooper." Henken said unamused. Emma then raised an eyebrow, it couldn't her Cooper, as far as she knew he was still back on GREEN NOA 1.
"Sir, my mobile suit actually does have a working AI. He is right, please just trust us." Cooper explained truthfully
"I have done the math; the odds of a successful hostage rescue are at 19.3%. Our strategy will increase our odds of success by 75.7%, to a total of 95%" BT gave them the odds.
"Is this guy for real? He says something about an AI in his mobile suit, Blex?" Henken asked the commodore.
"He's telling the truth Henken." The Commodore replied. He remembered receiving the documents from the research team who worked on the machine. They were overjoyed at the prospect of having a successful AI in their midst. Though Cooper had staunchly refused to let them anywhere near it.
"Alright then fine, you are cleared to launch Cooper." Henken conceded.
"Thank you, sir! This is Cooper and BT-7274 launching now!" Cooper declared as he engaged the stealth module and stealthily left the ship unseen by the enemy.
"That pilot's name wouldn't happen to be 'Jack' Cooper, is it?" Emma asked the officers with a look of worry on her face.
"Why do you want to know?" Henken replied in a serious tone.
"Just tell me please." Emma pleaded.
"Yes, it is." Quattro seeing the look of desperation on her face answered her.
"He's my… significant other." Emma replied, confirming Quattro's suspicions.
-In space-
"It's a good thing we built that stealth module. Now their radar can't track us." Cooper said to his partner.
"Yes, as long as the enemy does not physically see us, our chances of success remain high. But once we are spotted, the module will be unable to conceal our signal on enemy scanners." BT replied as they got into position at a safe distance. They spotted the capsule and began their planning of the rescue.
"Alright BT, break it down for me." Cooper asked his partner to analyze the tactical situation of the hostage rescue.
"We have several tactical options. I am currently calculating the odds of success for each maneuver." BT then finishes his analysis after a moment. "These are the options that present the highest chance of success."
"Noted. I choose tactical option three." Cooper chose the what believed to be the best choice.
"The odds of this maneuver ending in success is at 45%. Compared to options 1,2, and 4, this is our best option." BT agreed.
"Let's do it BT." Cooper shouted with a fierce look of determination under his helmet.
"Copy that pilot. Initiating option 3: High speed assault." BT announced as they were about to strike. Suddenly, Kamille launched in the MK.2 and distracted the enemy. It didn't take a genius to know what would come next. Cooper and BT sped towards the capsule at max thruster output. The Hizack's pilot, Jerid the jackass, took the shot as it was just barely intercepted by Cooper and BT.
An explosion occurred as the beam connected with cooper's mobile suit. Emma saw this and ran back to her gundam in tears. Since she thought she had just watched both the young Kamille, and her beloved Jack die in a deadly ball of fire and destruction. Jerid smirked as he saw the smoke billowing around the area where the two mobile suits had been. She ran to her gundam and quickly left the deck, Quattro was the only one to see her leave.
Instead of seeing a set of smoldering wrecks when the smoke cleared, everyone's jaw dropped at the sight of both Gundams still perfectly intact. Cooper had both of his mobile suit's arms crossed in a defensive position to shield himself and the others behind him. BT scanned the mobile suit and determined who its pilot was, which infuriated Cooper beyond measure. His opinion of Jerid was already low, but now this was a new level for him.
The eyes of cooper's 'Blue Star' Gundam, glowed bright green appeared to narrow almost as if in defiance towards 'titans'. Cooper drew his 40mm tracker cannon and saw that his salvo core was ready. Jerid's face turned to one of anger and disbelief as he saw that not only were all of his targets still standing, there was not even a scratch on any of them at all. He then received a call from a very unexpected source at that particular moment.
"You are going to pay for that! Do you hear me?! You just tried to not only kill me and my friend, you tried to kill his mother!" Cooper screamed in rage.
"C-cooper?!" Jerid stuttered in surprise.
"The one and only! Now I hope you enjoy fire, because you're going straight to burning in hell!" Cooper shouted angrily as he slammed his fist down on the big red button. "Salvo core engaged." Two hidden shoulder mounted missile tube sets were revealed. Within the span of two seconds, a large horde of high-explosive laser guided rockets flooded the open space in front of Cooper. Jerid froze for a moment before realizing how royally screwed he was if he didn't move. Jerid desperately tried to dodge the incoming flak with his Hizack, but it was all following him like a pack of angry wolves.
One of the other Hizacks who charged in to help Jerid, got in the way of the swarm of the angry missiles and paid the price. The pilot screamed as he was consumed in the explosion, like he was being devoured by a demon of pure hellfire. Jerid felt time stop for a brief moment as he realized that could've been him. The thought brought the arrogant ace to shivering in fear of his fierce and deadly rival. Cooper raised his 40mm tracker cannon and pursued Jerid relentlessly with it.
Kamille was using the diversion Cooper created to spirit his mother away, back to the safety of the waiting argama. Cooper scored a direct hit on Jerid and the arrogant ace was starting to feel a strange sensation as another high-explosive shell collided with his Hizack. Jerid knew at the back of his mind, he'd just awakened a vengeful demon. Jerid fired back on his opponent trying his hardest to hit the pursuing Gundam. Just as a third shell was about to hit, one of the galbaldys started firing at Cooper to draw him off. Jerid breathed a sigh of relief as his reinforcements arrived to help kill the savage beast.
The vengeful Gundam pilot then sent one more message to Jerid. "This isn't over Jerid! Remember that! I, Will, Kill you for this!" Jerid on the other hand though had started to regain his confidence, and simply grunted arrogantly in ignorance.
"Pilot, it is ill advised for you to continue this pursuit! We are being harassed by several other enemy mobile suits! Calm down!" BT attempted to calm down his out of control operator. Cooper snapped out of it, took a deep breath, and listened to BT's words of wisdom.
"You're right BT. I'll kill that bastard later. Right now, we've got a war to fight. Now let's rock it!" Cooper smiled as he returned to his old self.
"Copy that pilot." BT agreed and his eyes flashed again, almost as if he was smiling. Just then AEUG reinforcements appeared, Quattro contacted Cooper.
"Cooper, are you alright?" Quattro asked his friend.
"BT and I are ready to rock LT!" Cooper proudly replied.
"Glad to hear it." The lieutenant chuckled in a display of camaraderie. The two heroes continued to battle on courageously. Cooper put away his tracker cannon and slashed through two more Hizacks with his beam saber. One of the galbaldys went head to head with the LT. As they squared off trading shots, Apolly and Roberto showed up to join the battle.
"Hey fellas, welcome to the party! Timing could be a little better though." Cooper grinned as the LT's wingmen arrived to back them up.
"We got your backs guys!" Roberto shouted as he scored a killshot on a Hizack.
"Same here!" Apolly replied while taking on another Hizack one on one.
"I hate to rain on the fun, but Kamille's father is still in titan custody. We'll have to return to the argama. Even though they broke the ceasefire." Quattro ordered to the team.
"You're right LT. As much as I dislike the man, he's still a hostage. Apolly, Roberto, disengage. We have to retreat. Quattro's orders." Cooper reluctantly passed the message over the radio.
"Roger, falling back." Apolly sighed as he broke off.
"I copy retreating." Roberto did the same as his fellow wingman. The titans also disengaged from combat. They seemed to have received their orders to retreat as well.
-Back on the argama-
Kamille had just returned with his mother in tow and gently set down her capsule on the deck. She was shaken up a first as the mechanics carefully cut glass. After that the medical personnel saw to her to treat any injuries she may have. Kamille parked the Gundam and hopped out of the cockpit receiving praise from the crew. Then he made his way to his mother.
"Kamille I was so scared. That man in the other gundam saved the both of us. I'm so happy the both of us are alive." The mother cried as she hugged her son.
"Stop it mom you're embarrassing me!" Kamille tried in vain to get his mother to stop hugging him in front of the crew. Then the rest of the mobile suits returned and parked. Cooper jumped out of BT's cockpit and pulled superhero landing. The crew then welcomed him as if he were one.
"You did great out there, Coop!" Astonaige shouted from one of the upper levels.
"Yeah nice job!" One of the maintenance deck crew members shouted.
"Cooper! Cooper! Cooper!" Several of the mechanics and other crew members began chant his name.
It continued like that until Cooper reached the bridge with Kamille, the LT, and Kamille's mother in tow. Both the captain and Commodore took the opportunity to talk to her and give their praise to the heroes.
"Mrs. Bidan, I am commodore Blex Forer of the AEUG and this is captain Henken Bekkner. I'd like to officially welcome you aboard the Argama."
"Thank you, commodore, I'm just happy for both my son and I to still be alive." Mrs. Bidan said in a tired voice.
"Ma'am I'll be happy to show you to some temporary quarters so you can have some rest after all you've been through." Captain Henken led her to the residential block.
"Alright, now I am afraid we must cut the celebration short. We still have another hostage to negotiate for. Understood?" The commodore commanded to the crew.
"Yes sir!" Everyone on the bridge saluted and got back to work.
"I don't know how to thank you Jack. You save both my and my mother's life." Kamille had a tear running down his cheek and a small smile on his face.
"I'm just doing my job kid." Cooper said with a smile and a thumb's up. "Of course, now we still have to go get your dad."
"Right." Kamille said as he lowered his head remembering his father was still a supposed hostage.
-On the Federation Ship-
Emma had just returned and had not seen her boyfriend or Kamille survive the explosion so she was left unaware of the successful rescue. Now she had a plan for revenge, she couldn't save her love, but she could still defy her masters and rescue Kamille's father. The titans had gone too far for her to sit by and watch anymore. They killed Jack, her Jack, who she believed to have died in the explosion. Now she was going to feign her loyalty until she located Mr. Bidan and would transport him back to the argama if everything went as she planned.
"Lieutenant why have you come back empty handed?!" Her commander shouted angrily.
"Sir, I was aboard the enemy ship alone, and since my support had been cut off. It was either lose one gundam or both. So, no I haven't come back empty handed, sir." Emma replied in a cold, almost robotic voice.
"I suppose you're right, losing one gundam mobile suit is acceptable. They only have one and we still have two more. Besides we still have other means of forcing the enemy to hand over the other gundam. It's a shame we couldn't have gotten our hands on that custom model as well." her commander so callously and calmly spoke about her beloved and now believed to be deceased Jack.
Inside Emma's mind, she was a mere strand of hair away from drawing her pistol, and executing the man for his despicable attitude toward Jack's memory. Her lover had bravely died a hero's death. In her eyes, the titans had just killed not only a man of the people, but they had destroyed someone who not just her, but many people respected and loved. But no one would know, no one would ever find his remains, and she would never hear his voice again.
"Nothing matters to me any more than my orders." A small tear, unnoticeable to the untrained eye, ran down her cheek as she spoke. Her time for vengeance was upon her.
-END CHAPTER-
