Tale Ten: David Goodman – MBF-M1 M1 Astray – The Battle of Orb
Things were looking grim for the Orb Union. The storm clouds of war were gathering above the island nation and it didn't look as if there was anything anyone could do to prevent the coming battle. David Goodman was sat uneasily in the cockpit of his M1 Astray mobile suit. David was not a violent man by nature he favoured finding peaceful solutions to conflicts, that was one of the reasons he came to Orb in the first place, but right now he couldn't stand by and allow his home to be invaded. The Earth Alliance had gone too far this time, the people of Orb weren't going to roll over and play dead.
David fiddled with the collar of his blue and white pilot suit, it seemed strange to him to be wearing such an item but since the rest of the M1 pilots had them he followed suit. He could understand wearing the helmet in order to protect his head but was the rest of it really necessary; he was starting to get uncomfortable. The south Pacific was warm enough without the pilot suit adding to it. His nerves weren't helping either; he started tapping his right foot on his foot rest.
Then the order came to launch. The Earth Alliance fleet was sending a hailstorm of missiles to pound Onogoro Island into dust. The cage that surrounded David's M1 retracted and so David nudged his machine forward slowly, he joined the queue of M1s marching towards the hanger exit. As the red and white Astrays stomped their way out onto the surface they took up positions along the coastline. David brought his M1 to a stop on a hillock overlooking the main harbour. Orb's fleet of Aegis cruisers and the shore based linear gun carriers were already firing on the incoming missiles but the Aegis' were getting dragged into battle with the Earth Alliance cruisers so a lot of the missiles were getting through. The M1s of the 'Astray girls' test pilots had begun firing on the missiles, following their lead David pulled his targeting scope from the side of his chair and tried a few experimental shots that unfortunately missed. Suddenly a quartet of green beams burned a great hole through the missile swarm. Taken aback by the power of the attack David looked around to find its origin then to his left he spotted the space battleship Archangel emerging from its hiding place. The sight of the mighty warship was greatly reassuring to David.
Unfortunately they were unable to stop a great deal of the missiles and they hammered the harbour. Then the Earth Alliance Tarawa assault landing ships cruised in close to the shoreline to drop off their load of mobile suits. The Strike Daggers couldn't easily get to David but from the hillock David had a great field of fire down the coastline to where the Strike Daggers were making their landing. He aimed his Type 71 beam rifle and then pressed the trigger. His first green beam blasted off the right arm of a Strike Dagger that was still stood on the boarding ram of its assault ship. His next two beams hit the ship itself, burning right through the hull seemingly not causing any serious damaged.
Unexpectedly his Astray's warning lights started flashing indicating a possible threat from above and behind his mobile suit. David heavily swung the M1 about to see a few large aircraft above the island and they were dropping mobile suits.
'Paratroops? No way!' he yelled. He watched in disbelief as one of the parachuting Strike Daggers landed on a gun turret destroying it. Moments later a second Strike Dagger landed. 'It's not going to be that easy!'
David pushed his M1 to the limit as the machine jetting along just above the ground. He caught the first Strike Dagger by surprise and was able to blow its head off with a well place beam. David half saw a second beam burning through the headless Strike Dagger, this beam came from a fellow M1 Astray that'd been sent to push back the paratroops. The death of its comrade alerted the second Strike Dagger to the danger it faced. It brought its shield up as protecting and fired wildly towards David's M1, the shots missed but as they ploughed into the ground they through up a shower of dirt that obscured David's vision.
By the time the dust had cleared David could see that the M1 that had come to help him had been cut down by a beam through the torso. He swore loudly and charged ahead, he used his shield to block two of the Strike Dagger's counterattacking beams. The anti-beam coating on the shield held but David didn't think it would hold out much more punishment. As he neared the Strike Dagger he flung the M1 sideways to the right, as the Strike Dagger tried to follow the movement David burned two beams through its torso causing the Earth Alliance mobile suit to explode.
David paused for a brief rest. This fighting was vicious, a lot worse than he expected. The amount of firepower the Earth Alliance was ranging against Orb's indefatigable defenders was staggering. David knew what he had to do, the Earth Alliance could not have one inch of Orb territory he would fight them with every facet of his spirit.
David pushed his feet down on the M1's thrusters foot peddles sending the Astray into an assisted jump. He sped the Astray up as he made his way towards the harbour, where the greatest concentration of Strike Daggers were. He arrived just in time to see the Freedom disable a whole swath Strike Daggers before zooming off. 'That guy's amazing!' exclaimed David. 'But we can't rely on him. I have to fight as well!'
David roared as he charged down one of the surviving Strike Daggers. The enemy pilot swung his beam rifle around the fired. David brought up his shield but as the beam hit the anti-beam coating failed and it was broke in two. David swore but wasn't distracted from his goal; he decoupled what was left of his shield and threw it at the Strike Dagger. The broken shield hit with enough force to smash the Strike Dagger's head off, David finished the stricken mobile suit off with a beam to the cockpit.
Suddenly the mood of the battle changed as an enormous blue mobile suit landed not far from David's position. 'What a monster!' The huge cannons that were loomed over the blue mobile suits shoulders spew massive beams that obliterated three Astrays with ease. 'You bastard!' yelled David as he charged the mammoth mobile suit. David's vision was filled by the monstrous mobile suit and he could see the ends of the cannons glowing.
At the same moment that the blue mobile suit fired its cannons a beam rifle shot from the Strike Gundam cross in front of it, causing the pilot to falter slightly. Due to this David's M1 wasn't hit dead on. The Astray's left arm was vaporised and the whole suit was battered to the ground; the force of the impact caused David to black out.
When David regained consciousness the M1's cockpit was dark, all the mobile suits systems had died. He tried to undo the restraints that held him in the seat but the pain in his whole body was too much. Suddenly the hatch was forced open and someone appeared shining a torch into the cockpit. 'You okay in there?' It was a quite a cute and reassuring female voice.
All David could do was groan in pain and vaguely wave his right arm. He saw his female savour pull out of the cockpit and say 'Get a medic quickly; we've got a live on here!' She leant back into the cockpit. 'Don't worry we'll get you out in no time.' With that David let himself droop forward as relief spread throughout his body, at last is was over.
End of the Tale