"Ma'am, radar has picked up three signatures. All of them are identified as Earth Alliance ships," an officer announced.
Talia frowned. "All the way out here? That's strange…"
Shifting in her seat, the captain pondered possible reasons for OMNI presence in the middle of nowhere. Three ships was one too many to be considered without direction. Although going around them was the preferred course of action, it was too suspicious to be ignored.
"What should we do?" another soldier asked.
"Contact the Vesalius," Gladys ordered. "See what's happening on their side."
No sooner did Rau Le Creuset's face appear on the screen.
"Ah, Talia, you have excellent timing," he greeted. "I was just about to contact the Andoryan."
"Any ideas for Earth Alliance presence all the way out here?" she questioned.
Rau smirked. "Relief ships. I fully believe they may be meeting with the legged ship. If my hunch is correct then we should take this chance to eliminate a major threat to the PLANTs."
"What of Miss Clyne? I understand taking advantage of the situation, but if I remember correctly her rescue is our top priority."
"We'll rescue her, but this detour is an absolute necessity. We may not have another chance like this. Prepare your pilots. We're attacking."
-0-
"What's going on?" Murrue asked as she walked onto the deck and took her place in the captain's seat.
Romero turned towards her with a smile. "Ma'am, we're receiving a transmission. It's from the Eighth Fleet!"
Murrue nearly jumped from her chair. "Patch it through!"
Static filled the bridge speakers. "Arch… gel… Come… Archangel… This is… gomery…" said a voice, growing clearer and clearer. "Come in Archangel… This is the Montgomery. We've been dispatched to rendezvous with you and escort you to the rest of the Eighth Fleet."
Relief flooded Murrue as she leaned back in her seat. "Oh, thank God."
"It seems that our luck is finally turning around," Mu said as he watched the excitement spread.
-0-
Everyone was excited. Shinn wasn't.
"What? My father's coming?" Shinn tilted his head towards Flay's excited voice, half-heartedly listening in on the conversation.
"Yes," answered Sai. "He's with the advance force coming to meet us."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I bet he had no idea that you're on board. We just forwarded our crew and passenger lists."
The ruby-eyed teen sighed as his fork danced in his potatoes.
He should be excited alongside everyone else. Mayu and he would go home, tell an exciting story of how they got roped into piloting an experimental machine and besting ZAFT with it. Mom and Dad would ask how he did it. He'd then brag about how awesome he was, followed by Mayu slapping him over the head while saying she had her own role too. Everything would be normal afterward.
Shinn's frown deepened.
Normal… Such a stupid, boring word…
Giving up on his food, the Asuka set his plate with the dirty dishes and exited into the hallway. Distracted, he let his legs guide him to a destination. Not surprisingly, he found himself in the hangar, looking up at the Raid.
A sigh escaped as he leaned against the railing. "I'm… going to miss this."
Being a soldier didn't appeal to Shinn, not after all that stress. He could do without the war, dying screams, or destruction. No… what he fell for was piloting itself. The Raid had become an extension of himself. The G-forces pounding his blood, the excitement of outmaneuvering an opponent… He practically lived for it now.
The thought of some ill-trained fool sullying his cockpit burned Shinn. He just hoped the bast-
"Why are you here?" Stella asked, causing Shinn to jump into the air.
"Don't do that!" Asuka said, becoming sheepish as he realized his lack of footing. "Uh, could you get me down?"
The child solder obliged, setting her squad member on the platform. With a sigh, Shinn retook his place against the railing. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Stella copy his movement, her attention shifting to the Estoc.
It was strange to see Stella not shadowing Kira. Possibly, the older teen might be nearby, but there was also a chance he was preoccupied with Lacus. Or it could have something to do with the relief fleet.
"Hear about the relief flight?" Shinn began in attempt to break the ice, turning to Stella.
She nodded.
Unsatisfied with the lack of a spoken answer, he went on. "It kinda' sucks. We're not going to be pilots anymore after this. Kira and the others will probably go home too. What about you?"
Loussier saddened. "I'm a soldier. I have to continue piloting, even when you and Kira are gone."
"Oh yeah," Shinn almost smacked himself for forgetting such a significant detail. "I forgot about that. Are you… going to miss us after we leave?"
"…I'm not sure."
An awkward silence befell the pair.
She wondered if the answer was the right one. It may've been the truth, but she knew regular people liked to hear expressive, hopeful words concerning separation such as 'I'll miss you' or 'I hope we meet again someday'. Stella, however, was nothing but realistic. In all likelihood, they'd never meet again. And she really didn't know if she'd miss them. However, it'd certainly be outside habit to wake up and see faces that she associated beyond 'soldier' or 'trainer' now.
Being with them did enlighten her. The longer she stayed with them the more her world shattered, replaced with a horizon of self-discovery and emotional exploration. Nothing the base trained for had prepared her for the chaotic whirlwinds of war.
Still, some questions remained unanswered…
"Why do you fight?" Stella suddenly asked, her eyes leveling on the Raid.
Asuka blinked at the odd question.
"Why do I fight?" He mulled it over in his head like a food-taster carefully picking apart a dish, choosing words to describe the flavor. "Well, I want to protect Mayu. And maybe… everyone else too. I don't want to see anybody die."
"So, you fight so that nobody has to die?" An unsure tone peaked through her words.
"Yeah. I… it's hard to watch anyone die," Shinn's voice was almost a whisper. "Especially if it was someone close to you."
"…I see."
-0-
Lacus looked towards the doorway as lunch was brought in. To her delight, it was Kira, also holding his own plate.
"How has your day been?" Lacus pleasantly asked as she was handed her food.
Kira sighed with a contented smile. "It's been okay. With us meeting up with the Earth Alliance, everyone's pretty excited. I'll be glad once I'm out of that cockpit."
"Where's Stella?" the pinkette asked, surprised at the young teen's absence.
Yamato frowned as he took his seat. "I don't know. Ever since we got news about the relief fleet, I haven't seen her once."
Lacus took some bites, hesitating, though, as she remembered her encounter with Kira's friends yesterday. The hesitance didn't go unnoticed. Kira was quick to note the change in demeanor of the normally cheerful pop star.
"What's wrong?" Kira asked.
The pinkette smiled warmly. "There's just been a lot on my mind."
"I know the feeling," Kira agreed.
Silence fell over the pair like a silken cloak as a frown reappeared on Lacus' face. She watched in amusement as Haro bounced around Birdie, the robotic bird cocking its head at the strange automaton. Even as she stared at them, though, she aimlessly pondered.
"Kira," she said, garnering his attention. "What do you think of this war?"
Putting down his fork, he frowned as he contemplated the question. Looking up, he could see Lacus still distracted by Haro and Birdie, but no doubt she was listening intently.
Even Kira wasn't sure of what he thought of the war. It seemed like yesterday he was a simple college student. Suddenly, he was unwillingly thrown headfirst into the conflict between OMNI and ZAFT. He wouldn't have touched the Strike after his first romp with it, but necessity had trumped desire. If his friends weren't in the equation, he wouldn't be in this situation.
"I never imagined… I'd become a part of it," he whispered, staring down at his food.
Lacus turned her eyes to Kira. There was an expression on her face he couldn't identify. Pity? Sorrow? Maybe empathy?
"I… honestly don't understand why everyone is fighting," continued Kira. "Do you know why?"
Lacus shook her head, frowning softly. "I don't know either."
"If I knew, maybe I could tell you."
"I can understand that," Lacus said. Her frown saddened as she looked out the window at the stars shining brightly on a canvas of black. "But what I don't understand is why neither side is willing to throw down their weapons. It feels like everybody has lost their true reasons for fighting."
"Lacus…" Whatever words he chose to speak got lodged in his throat.
"But for those that are fighting to listen to you, you almost need an unsheathed sword in your own hand. It's so sad, really. If you had a way to change this war, would you take it?"
Kira looked taken aback the question. Not once did he ever think of involving himself in the conflict. He was always content with his laid back life in Heliopolis. But, if given the chance, would he –could he- change the tides of war?
"Maybe…" he slowly began, searching for the right words. "Maybe... if I knew what I was fighting for."
Lacus nodded, seemingly pleased with his answer.
The rest of their time was spent in silence.
-0-
Heine began the start-up procedures as he strapped himself in. Outside, the strip of cameras that made up the 'eye' of the RAVU lit up, blue unlike other ZAFT machines. The engines within the wings flared, like a young bird opening its wings for the first time.
It wasn't much different than a GINN or a CGUE, but the RAVU had a certain ease in its controls that the older suits lacked, not to mention a variety of advanced (if hastily made) beam weaponry. Radar was improved to be cleaner and crisper, targeting devices were more advanced, etc. For a soldier fresh out of the academy, the RAVU was the epitome of ZAFT avionics.
That being said, Heine could only wonder what piloting the Earth Alliance prototypes was like. If this was state of the art, then what were the OMNI suits?
Le Creuset's voice echoed through the comm. "I will be launching with you. Follow my orders and the legged ship will fall."
"What's the plan?" Rusty questioned.
Mackenzie's dislike for Rau wasn't a secret. However, the belligerent teen was certainly a professional during combat, setting aside all ill emotions and concentrating only on what stood before his path. Rusty measured his use as a soldier with his skills on the field. Heine could respect such qualities.
"Zala, Mackenzie, both of you will take out the ships," Le Creuset ordered, easily sliding into his position as a commander. "The GINNs will eliminate the rift-raft, but do expect enemy mobile suits to join the fray. After we've lured it out of hiding, Westenfluss and I will assault the legged ship and its mobile suits. After the relief ships are destroyed, everyone will converge on our target. Am I clear?"
"Yes sir!" Athrun immediately said.
"Got it!" Heine added.
"As if I had a choice…" Rusty muttered. Although seemingly a professional, that said nothing about his tongue.
"Oh, and Athrun…" Rau added before Heine could flip off the comm. unit.
"Sir?" Zala carefully addressed.
"Don't hesitate, not for a second," Rau warned. "If you do not perform as expected, I will take care of Kira myself."
Silence. Then a tone laced with hesitation. "…I understand, sir."
Heine could only wonder what that was about.
-0-
"Three silhouettes detected at long range. Identifying now. They're the Montgomery, the Bernard, and the Law," Romero announced, the excitement in his voice barely contained.
"Looks like we've made it," said Murrue as relief flooded her.
Seconds later, a mere sentence shattered all hopes of safety. "Ma'am! We're detecting high levels of N-jammer interference!"
Murrue's eyes widened. "What?"
"I'm detecting heat signatures from the advanced fleet. It looks like a battle is breaking out," Jackie explained.
"Ma'am, a message from the Montgomery. Reads: Cancel rendezvous. Continue to the 8th Fleet on your own," Romero added.
"Damn it…" Murrue growled. "How many enemies are there?"
"Two Nazca-class warships are positioned near the fleet. It's… It's the Aegis, Maul, and two unidentified mobile suits! The second Nazca-class is launching eight GINNs!"
"Shit," Ramius breathed.
"Your orders Captain?" Badgiruel asked.
Murrue remained silent for a minute. "Our luck has run out again. There's no guarantee that we would be able to escape safely if we fled now. The Le Creuset Team, alongside an additional squad… We have our work cut out for us." She took a deep breath. "All hands, level one battle stations! The Archangel will provide reinforcement for the advanced fleet."
-0-
"In this corner: eight GINNs and four experimental mobile suits alongside two Nazca-class carriers," Rusty broadcasted, adopting a ring announcer's voice. "On the other side of the ring: three Alliance ships with outdated Mobius units." His voice shifted to serious. "…God, they've got to be shitting themselves."
"I agree," Heine said, "What we're doing is almost overkill. If the legged ship chooses to retreat, there will simply be no hope for our enemies."
Athrun couldn't help but agree. "Yeah…"
Coordinators fought in small numbers, simply because of lacking resources and manpower. It wasn't uncommon to see a single Nazca-class and its mobile suit contingent fighting against two to three OMNI ships and their numerous Mobiuses. However, that was considered an even battle. With superior weaponry and piloting skills, a single ZAFT squadron could lay waste to an enemy unit.
Zala heard rustling from Rusty's link. Probably a shrug. "As much as I hate to be the resident sandbox bully, I'm paid to do this. Oh well. Tally-ho!"
Like a raptor in the sky descending on its prey, the Maul broke off from formation. Breathing deeply, Athrun transformed the Aegis and followed suit.
-0-
He'd hoped to be rid of this machine by the afternoon, but that's must've been too steep a wish for any deity to fulfill.
The Strike dropped onto the catapult, jarring Kira from his mental complaining. The side panels opened revealing two assault rifles being handed off to the Strike; behind, a backpack descended, a grenade launcher on the shoulder and two missile containers at the sides. It was the Supplice Striker.
On the other catapult, the Estoc readied to launch alongside its steel brother. Unlike normal, though, it was already in mobile armor form to quickly meet the enemy. Its powerful thrusters were already alit in anticipation.
"Kira," Mir said over the screen, "there are a lot of enemies out there alongside the Maul and the Aegis. Be careful."
"I will," Yamato comforted.
"Remember kid," Mu interjected, "you're fighting alongside Stella and Shinn. You're acting as the heavy hitter. While you guys are out there, I'll be staying here to cover the Archangel and prevent any suits from getting near while providing cover fire. Do your best to cover the ships. And try not to get locked into single combat with the Aegis or the Maul."
"Got it." Kira turned towards the catapult.
Just before he could launch, Flay's voice came on the radio. "Kira, my dad's out there. Please… promise me he'll be alright."
Yamato smiled. "Don't worry about. I promise everything will be alright."
"Thank you."
With no more interruption, he willed the catapult to launch him into the fray.
-0-
The battle was turning like clockwork, much to Rau Le Creuset's satisfaction. Although the legged ship hadn't revealed itself yet, he was sure it wouldn't escape and leave its allies in distress.
Numerous Mobius units met them head on, but the GINNs quickly cut through them like a sickle through wheat, Heine and him joining in the reaping until the prize revealed itself.
Rau watched as Athrun sped ahead and fired the Scylla three consecutive times at the first ship. Five seconds later, it exploded. For not the last time, Le Creuset marveled at the power of the Earth Alliance prototypes.
Rusty moved to the closest ship, trailing along it while damaging its hull with the Maul's numerous weapons and stripping the ship of its defenses. Satisfied, he pulled back and fired two tarantella missiles. The missiles flowered, unleashing numerous little bomblets that quickly met their target at the weakened armor and destroyed it. Although not as clean as Athrun's kill it was spectacular nonetheless.
"All that we've got left to peg is the flagship," Rusty announced.
"Excellent," Rau praised "continue the-"
The klaxons screamed. On sheer instinct, Rau dodged a missile that screamed past the RAVU and clipped a nearby GINN, destroying its left side but leaving it functional. Not a minute later did the Estoc appear skirting the edge of the battlefield to eye its opponents.
"The legged ship has joined the battle. Stick to the plan," Le Creuset ordered.
Heine and he broke off just as the Strike and Raid moved to defend the flagship, dodging through a sword swing and several beam shots from the oncoming mobile suits. The Strike turned to give chase, but the Aegis caught it mid turn. Free of interference, Rau and Heine rushed to the magnificent white and red ship.
His awareness flashed just as the ship came into view.
"Evasive maneuvers!" Rau screamed, already in the middle of a roll.
Le Creuset expected a familiar flash of orange to barrel down on them in typical Mu La Flaga fashion. That didn't happen. Instead, in the blink of an eye a single beam reached into the abyss like a spear of light, piercing the white RAVU's leg and flash melting it.
Heine's voice echoed into the communicator for all to hear. "Uh, I think we've got a problem, sir… They recovered the Reach somehow. Using its range-"
Another shot screamed towards their direction. Both RAVUs flew apart, but the beam still clipped Heine's right wing.
"Holy shit!" Heine almost screamed. "It's accurate! I've never seen any suit with those kinds of capabilities!"
Following the trail of the attack, Rau spotted the bane of his existence. In place of the signature Mobius Zero was a black and green cloaked mobile suit perched atop the legged ship, a rifle aimed towards their general direction.
"I see you've got a new toy, Mu La Flaga," Rau noted, sweat rolling down his face.
As if to answer his questions, the crest fell over the Reach's eyes, revealing a camera that reflected the white RAVU. With the enhancement to his sight, La Flaga took aim and fired.
-0-
"You've gotta be shitting me!" Rusty moaned. "They recovered the Reach!"
"It is official: I hate incomplete intelligence," Athrun said.
"I second that notion!"
Mackenzie then rolled out of the way as something dark-blue and white rushed him.
"Oh, great," Rusty groaned, "this guy again…"
The Maul jumped to the side as the Raid swiped downwards and then to the left. Mackenzie blocked with his shield, getting shoved back. To counter, Rusty raised up his shield-mounted Gatling cannon. However, when he pulled the trigger nothing happened.
"What the fu-" he almost broke the button in an attempt to activate his weapon.
Only then did he notice the deep scar that cut halfway into his weapon, disabling it.
-0-
The Aegis and Strike danced in a deft display of acrobatics and maneuvers as beams framed their waltz, both suits working tirelessly to sneak past the other.
Athrun switched on a private link. "Kira, why do you fight for the Earth Alliance? They're only using you!"
"No!" retaliated Kira's stressed voice. "My friends are on that ship! I'll protect them, no matter what!"
Zala maneuvered around several missiles, firing the Igellstellungs to destroy them, but the smoke parted as several beams speared towards him; one managed to clip the skirt armor.
"Give up!" Athrun retaliated by firing at the Strike.
The Strike jumped backwards, countering with its Ogoto grenade launcher. The glowing projectile whistled before colliding with the Aegis's shield and exploding, rocking the Gundam into an uncontrolled spin. Athrun barely got the Aegis under enough control to transform it and dodge the numerous beams screaming towards his direction. Barely getting a lock-on, Zala fired the Scylla at Kira, but the Strike rolled past the blue/red beam.
-0-
As Kira and Shinn distracted the Gundams, Stella was left to swat the GINNs, a task far more difficult than she expected. Half of the annoying suits swarmed around her like a death of crows, looking for an opening to exploit while distracting her from the others that were picking apart the flagship.
However, the Estoc was an eagle among the pestilent blackbirds.
In its transformed state, the Estoc escaped the fur ball and turned to retaliate. Just as the GINNs turned to give chase, Stella transformed back into suit form and armed the Ruda cannons, both weapon barrels appearing as the wings folded into place. Skipping the reticule, she fired several beams into the group, scattering them. One shot severely crippled a GINN, forcing it to retreat.
However, once they regrouped they converged on Stella, swarming her like angry bees. With a growl, she switched tactics and began performing hit-and-run tactics with varying success.
-0-
The Reach's precision was astonishing as its range. Even while maintaining a safe distance away from the Archangel, ZAFT's latest and greatest models couldn't escape the long-reaching hand of Mu's Gundam. They strafed, rolled, and dived through yellow/orange spears of condensed light, but almost every attack seemed to nip the RAVUs. Nothing detrimental, but each gouge of slag and melted steel seemed inches closer to the 'sweet-spot' –Mobius pilot slang term for the cockpit, the major weak point of any mobile suit.
For the first time since Endymion birthed their bitter rivalry, Mu felt the tempo of battle falling within his hands. Rau Le Creuset was no longer the top predator.
"A little closer…" Mu whispered as he watched the reticule quiver while chasing the white RAVU.
Another spear lit the abyss. Another roll saved the white suit.
Piloting the Reach was a different ballgame entirely compared to the Mobius Zero. With the Zero, how many bullets did it take to down an enemy? Too many for Mu's taste. The Reach only required one well placed bullet.
One more beam of light, this one arcing towards the orange suit. It dived, but a foot flash melted nonetheless.
He never remembered concentrating so much on firing a single bullet. The Zero was 'shoot em' up and see what hit later,' but the Reach only had single, powerful shots with incredible range. Going from gung-ho shooter to sniper was an almost extreme shift in roles, but it wouldn't be a lie to say that he was quickly getting comfortable with it.
"Come on," Mu muttered as the reticule followed Le Crueset's movements. "Just a little closer and I'll shove this rifle up your ass and pull the trigger.
-0-
"Okaaaaay…" Rusty took a deep breath. "Evidently, we didn't know everything about the Raid's swords."
He needed more time to analyze the Raid's orange-glowing weapons, a difficult feat considering that the Raid wasn't giving him any leeway.
"Overeager bastard…" Rusty groaned, dodging another attack and countering with the chest-mounted Gatling.
Within seconds, he broke down the capabilities of the swords with his gifted mind, all the while continuing to dodge attacks. They used heat to flash-melt metals, giving the illusion of cutting. Because they were solid, anti-beam coatings were rendered useless. All the major defenses they had against close-range weapons were effectively useless against this one suit. The others weren't going to like this…
"A new suit and weapons that screw us over…" Rusty griped. "Knowing my luck, the pilots are also some kind of experiments."
The Raid readied to perform a scissor attack, leaving its chest opened to an attack. Just as the swords swung, Rusty pulled out the shotgun, but the Raid activated the micro-thrusters on the right leg, spinning and gouging the Maul's legs while dodging the load of shot.
"Okay, no more Mr. Nice-Guy!" Mackenzie said.
In his typical fashion, Rusty opened up all guns and fired at the Raid, causing the suit to retreat and put the Maul on the offense. Before he could give chase, the Raid pulled out a pistol from the small of its back and opened several rounds to end Rusty's assault.
"A pistol too?" Rusty deadpanned. "Shiho's gonna have a hay-day with this info."
"How ya' holding up, kiddo?" an older GINN pilot questioned, watching from his end as the Maul and the Raid traded beam fire.
"Halfway expecting a kitchen sink to come flying at me at this point," Mackenzie answered, not sounding as amused as his statement might've suggested. "Seriously, all advantages we've had are screwed over now."
"Keep going," the older pilot urged. "We just sent the attacking coordinates to the Andoryan to fry that last ship."
-0-
The Andoryan squeezed its way into the fray as several of its GINNs circled the Nelson-class like a hive of angry hornets, biting off the defenses and leaving the prey vulnerable.
"Ma'am, we've got the targeting coordinates for the enemy flagship," an officer in the CIC announced.
"Alert our forces," Talia ordered. "Once they acknowledge, punch the hull of the enemy ship."
The GINNs quickly made themselves scarce as the Andoryan approached with its cannons lining up for the shot.
Once all was in place, Talia made the order. "FIRE!"
Twin beams of light arced into space, reaching the enemy almost instantaneously and exiting out on the other side. Unable to remain stable, the enemy ship blew up.
-0-
Kira felt his blood run cold as Flay's scream tore through the communication channels.
Despite tears staining the edges of his eyes, he fought on. The controls, once so easy to manipulate, moved like lead attached to iron bars. Battle noise was drowned out by the sound of his failed promise to Flay, each echo stringing him deeper into despair.
Athrun wasn't making it easier. His hits were coming harder and faster. The destruction of the flagship only spurred Athrun as Kira's capture came ever closer.
-0-
Stella needed to maintain her composure. If the dying screams remained in her head, her thanatophobia might reappear from some godforsaken corner of her mind and distract her. Shaking her head, Loussier blocked out the memory of hearing the soldiers sing their death songs over the radio.
She wasn't going to die like them. Neither were Kira, Shinn, or Mu. They were too strong for that. But there was a small voice that whispered otherwise.
Sweat beaded down her face as she gripped the controls harder, steeling herself for the bitter fight ahead.
It was a mess. There was no way they could regain control of the situation now. With no targets to keep them occupied, the GINNs turned their attention on the Gundams. With the Raid and Strike being distracted, they could get picked off by the vultures that circled them waiting for the moment an opportunity presented itself to step in. Another set of GINNs moved past the warring Gundams in favor of joining the assault against the Archangel.
Her alarms then declared the situation to be going even worse. The Estoc was running low on power. And if her suit was, no doubt the Raid and the Strike were fairing little better.
I don't want to die! Stella mentally declared, her shots becoming more frantic.
-0-
Victory was within his grasp. The legged ship would sink, Mu La Flaga would drown with it, and his plans could continue without road bumps. However, there was one issue that still plagued him…
"Heine," Rau ordered, "take over the fight. The GINNs will join you shortly. I've got something to take care of since Athrun isn't willing to."
"Yessir!"
Le Creuset rolled the RAVU and sped past several GINNs joining the fight against the last ship. Mu didn't like his actions, displaying his dissatisfaction by firing several sloppy shots in quick succession. Rau slipped around them, which only spurned several more to trail after.
"Sorry, La Flaga," Rau said in a condescending tone. "But I have some other matters to take care of."
Returning his eyes to the front screen, he watched as the Raid waltzed around the laser fire of the Maul and the Estoc futilely firing its cannons at the GINNs floating around. Nearby, the Aegis and the Strike danced around each, every beam fired and saber swing carrying a note of hesitation.
As if sensing his approach, the Strike spun to face him, but it was too late as Rau swung out a beam saber and pulled back to stab the cockpit through.
"KIRA/WATCH OUT!" cried a cacophony of voices. It was music to Rau's ears.
"Attention ZAFT Forces," said a female officer over the comm. "This is the Earth Alliance warship, Archangel. We have on board Lacus Clyne, daughter of PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne."
His beam saber stopped just several feet away from the cockpit.
-0-
The hectic battle suddenly went silent, as if somebody had flipped an 'off' switch. The GINN's lowered their guns as they halted. All Gundams stopped, though still looked tense as they eyed their enemies.
The scene was so surreal that La Flaga almost wondered if someone had miraculously stopped time.
Simultaneously, the weight of the situation smacked his brain back into reality.
"Oh, boy," Mu groaned as the Reach's stance relaxed. "This isn't going to go over well…"
"YOU BITCH!" Shinn screamed, confirming Mu's fears.
-0-
The pause was enough for the Strike to recover and immediately peg Le Creuset with several rounds and top it with a grenade that Rau barely dodged, though the explosion rocked the RAVU off balance.
"Dammit!" Rau cursed as he righted the suit and flew towards safety.
"What?" Rusty almost screamed. "You friggin' cowards!"
"A most dishonorable move," Heine agreed.
Several of the GINN pilots also voiced their distaste for the sudden move, some shouting curses and others mocking the Naturals for having to rely on such a tactic.
"Withdraw for the time being," Rau ordered, already approaching the Vesalius while mentally cursing several divine entities. "Any hostile movements are likely to put Miss Clyne in jeopardy."
Once his comm. unit shut off, Rau slammed the nearest screen with a fist.
He'd been so close…
-0-
The Aegis and Strike stared at one another, weapons at the side.
"Using a rescued civilian as a hostage…" Athrun said over the comm., his voice barely a whisper. "So, do you still feel justified in fighting by their side with these cowards?"
"Athrun… I…" Kira tried to defend, feeling stricken and numb.
"I'm gonna rescue her," said Athrun. "That's a promise."
The Aegis retreated.
Author's Note: You know, when summer rolled around, I expected to put in some serious hours writing and reading. Didn't exactly happen. I ended up taking that break sooner than I wanted. However, I'm here now with several chapters in the works and that's what matters. I'm not here to talk about my personal life.
Anyways, chapter analysis time! Mostly battle with some character development. Shinn acknowledges his love for piloting; Stella is still searching for answers; Kira is unsure about the war. Oh, and Shinn's dislike for Natarle is about to come to a head.
This raises a new question: how is Flay going to be affected in this story? I'm sure Shinn and maybe the others won't approve of her manipulations. It'll definitely be something to watch.
Archangel Database:
ZGMF- Y2047 RAVU
Model Number: ZGMF-Y2047
Code Name: RAVU
Manufacturer: Integrated Design Bureau
Operator: ZAFT
Current Pilot: Rau Le Creuset [Coordinator, ZAFT Identification Number: Unknown]
Head Height: 17.18 meters
Approx. Standard Weight: 64.8 MT
Accommodations: Pilot only, standard torso cockpit
Powerplant: Ultracompact Energy Battery
Armor: Phase-Shift Armor
Role: Multi-role
Standard Armament: X2 Beam Saber, Shield, 57mm High-Energy Beam Rifle
Special Equipment and Features:
Notes: As the Bloody Valentine War progressed, the GINN and CGUE steadily became outdated. To achieve a machine capable of surpassing the major workhorses of the military, ZAFT offered a contract to any company that might build a newer, stronger machine. The competition was narrowed down between the GuAIZ and the RAVU; despite being the arguably superior machine, the RAVU lost out to the GuAIZ due to radar issues during its testing phase.
Unlike the GuAIZ, the RAVU is a multirole machine, able to fight in multiple areas without the aid of support machines, including atmospheric sorties. This is due in part to the unique stabilizer wings and extra boosters.
Like the GINN, the RAVU can use a large assortment of weaponry ranging from the absolute basics to D-equipment. However, upon the capture of the Earth Alliance prototypes, the equipment for all known models was upgraded for combat with the escaped suits. Rau Le Creuset's personal model, as of this moment, maintains the basic, balanced armament of a beam rifle, shield, and twin beam sabers, derived from the GAT-X102 Duel.
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The RAVU is a hybrid of sorts between the ZGMF-515AS CGUE Assault and the AMF-101 DINN. The armament is fairly basic at the moment due to ZAFT trying to hurry and get the machines out there, but eventually they'll be further upgraded for the pilots' personal taste.
The back story of the RAVU is actually similar to the case of the YF-22 Raptor and the YF-23 Black Widow II. Although the YF-23 was considered superior in speed and stealth, the F-22 won out in the end anyways due to being more agile.