Hey guys, here's the disclaimer: I do not own any part of Gundam Seed, Wing, X, or 00, all credit goes to their respective creators.
It took a while, but chapter 10 is finally complete, and even though I announced it on my profile a bit early, as promised if some haven't seen it, the title of the next fic in the series will be: The Tears of an Unforgiving Era
Besides that announcement I have a quick heads up, recently FFN has been messing with the formatting that is assigned to letters, namely italics, which has been primarily used to show thoughts in these fics. If something seems odd it could be that it actually is a thought and the sight decided to remove the italics… This goes doubly for this chapter, because for the first time in this one we get to Singing which is italic and underlined. However it may appear only underlined...
So I present to you the musical selection for this chapter, calling on a classical folk tune and a brilliant rendition by an amazing French singer, Mireille Mathieu singing the tune in its native German – www . youtube watch ?v = P-F3prcPC78 Remove the spaces from the address above, if it isn't all there, just add in the missing bits or go to youtube and add the / watch onwards with no spaces. As always please read and review, and enjoy…
"Hey Ald, what's with the extra cases of beer?" Dearka pointed over to where the fridge was "Did Sumeragi go on a binge again?"
No… I don't think so… and I prefer mixed drinks or shots anyway…
"Well its all Heineken… not my brand…" Sumeragi shrugged as she took another drink of her can.
"Its mine." A blond man in a black vest and pants entered the room with another hand truck.
"Who's that guy?" Jamil looked over at him.
"Oh you didn't get the memo, we're hired on for the next one…" The man looked at him "The names Henken Bekkener, Captain of the Argama."
Oh right, I remember now, you're that captain beer I talked with on the phone…
*CRACK*
"Its Henken! Not Heineken!" Henken yelled as he threw a case at Ald's head.
"That's not very nice…" A girl with short brown hair in a dark blue uniform blinked from behind him.
"Uhhh…" Henken blinked "Hi… I'm Henken…"
Lyle leaned over and blinked "Nice view, eh…"
"Yeah…" A blond man in all red with wraparound sunglasses nodded.
"Oh hey Lieutenant Quattro…" Henken nodded to him. "I'm not a Lieutenant…" Quatre blinked "I'm a major in the fic…"
Oh boy… this is gonna get confusing… and that girl hasn't shown up yet, what's her name Camille or something…
*CRASH!*
"KAMILLE IS A MANS NAME!" The boy with bluish black hair kicked Ald clear across the room.
"Kamille!" a black haired girl ran into the room after him. "We're sooooooo sorry…"
"And how many are there this time?" Sumeragi glanced down the hall "Oh its gonna get cramped in here… we need a bigger place, we'll figure it out by the end of all this, I think…"
xxxxxx
Ch. 10
Operation L
(June 21st A.W. 0015)
Athrun sat in his quarters as he continued to do research on the war and the years prior of the After War era. "Near the end of the last war the Federation was working on an operation in this region. According to the data it suggests that it was related to scientists researching Newtypes." He pulled up another bit of data they'd recovered from the old decrepit networks they'd located. "This operation was top secret. Codenamed Operation L. I wonder…" He paused momentarily. "If Operation L had been executed, would the last war here, have ended differently?"
"Using "if" when describing history doesn't make sense." Kira entered the room. "What're you looking up?"
"Something called Operation L, I've only found bits and pieces here and there though… like it was purposely erased." Athrun looked over at him.
"It wouldn't be the first military operation to be given a "deep six" treatment." Kira looked at the data. "They're really only getting little bits, aren't they… this one only has one sentence, and it isn't even complete."
"Its like trying to put together a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle with only ten pieces." Athrun nodded. "The DSSD hasn't been having much luck either, so I offered to help out, this is what they gave me."
Xxx
"Catch the ball alright?" One crewman yelled over as they relaxed on the deck of their ship.
"Don't let it go overboar…" Another man was drowned out by the massive explosion that sent them sprawling to the deck as the ship lurched from below.
Xxx
"Alright! We hit it!" The fire controller looked back at his captain, Marcus Guy.
"Good! Surface the ship!" Marcus ordered. As the helmsman initiated the ballast blow.
The Polypeimos-Class submarine breeched the surface just before its Daughseat IIIs latched onto the Sea Castle-Class they'd attacked.
Marcus climbed out of the sail hatch of the Polypeimos and stood on its top watching as his mobile suits did the work, as the ship's crew frantically fired sub machine guns at them only to be chased away unable to do anything as they ransacked the ship. He smiled. "Not bad…"
A bulge erupted from the surface of the ocean before he found himself face to face with the Gundam Ashtaron. Sooner than he could run, its right claw shot out and caught him holding him there and he looked up into its face where its crimson red eyes flashed.
"Captain!" One of the Orc pilots yelled as his Daughseat III moved to help.
"D… Don't shoot!" Marcus yelled.
"A wise decision, Mr. Marcus." Olba's voice echoed over the Gundam's speakers.
"H…how do you know my name!?" Marcus looked at the Ashtaron.
"I'm here to make you a job offer." Olba replied.
Marcus blinked with his hands up. "J…Job?"
"My name is Olba Frost…" Olba smiled. "…a freelance mobile suit pilot, and I usually do business on land."
"What kind of job is it?" Marcus asked in return.
"In short, I want to do a little salvage operation in the Sea of Lorelei." Olba's voice came again.
Xxx
"They're taking on more supplies?" Billy stopped next to Graham on the bow of the Artorious.
"We've been at sea almost a week and a half now… look at the size of their ship compared to ours… on top of that, they aren't as automated as either of our ships Katagiri, they have more crew on their ship than either of ours…" Graham looked over at it.
Xxx
"Can you raise it more?" Garrod called to the crane operator of the Vulture ship they were resupplying from. "A little more! Stop!" He called as the Freeden's gantry crane swung the cargo container over to its deck.
Xxx
"It'll take an hour to take on supplies." Sala looked over at Jamil.
"Okay." Jamil nodded.
"This sea voyage is going better than we thought, isn't it?" Shingo looked over at Sala.
"The next thing we need to do is calculate the exact spot Garrod saw the laser hit." Sala looked back over at him, before punching in the code to bring up the map of the South Pacific.
"We're having a rough time estimating the coordinates, but…" Shingo looked up at the map.
"If we get close, Tiffa will be able to give us more information." Jamil looked at the map.
"Oh, speaking of Tiffa…" Toniya piped up as she smiled, causing the others to look at her.
"What is it?" Jamil asked.
"Have you noticed how she's changed?" Toniya asked.
Xxx
Tiffa stopped a short distance from the others on the deck of the Freeden, and shifted a little uncomfortably. "Umm… Excuse me…" She asked a little sheepishly.
Sam and Garrod looked over at her as she walked towards them, where they were picking up small crates of parts and components. "I'd like to help." Tiffa looked at them.
"Help…?" Garrod blinked.
"But this is physical labor." Sam sat the crate he was holding back down.
"Please, let me help you." Tiffa looked at them, before the two seemed a little unsure if they should.
"Can you take this to the medical room?" Dr. Tex asked as he held out a white box of medicine for her. Tiffa looked at him as he continued. "You said you wanted to help, right?"
"Yes." Tiffa took the box from him balancing it on her arms prior to heading back off into the ship with it.
"Don't drop it, okay?" Dr. Tex called after her. "That's expensive stuff."
Garrod watched a little worried as she continued off into the ship before Dr. Tex walked past him. "We have more work to do." He yelled after her. "Come back soon."
Garrod watched as Tiffa turned and nodded to the Doctor prior to disappearing inside.
"Is she alright? Tiffa looks pale." Sam mumbled as he looked over at the door.
"Then, I'd better…" Garrod started to get up to go after her.
"Leave her be. Garrod, don't you see?" Dr. Tex looked at him. "She's starting to open up to everyone. Instead of staying in her room, she's started to enjoy being with people."
"Well, she's started becoming a familiar site in the cafeteria lately." Sam looked over at Dr. Tex.
Dr. Tex looked at Garrod. "Cherishing and treasuring look similar, but they aren't. Especially to a woman." He turned and began walking back towards the interior of the ship, leaving Garrod to ponder what he'd meant.
"Hey, is that all you'll need?" A vulture from the other ship called to them.
"Yep!" Sam yelled back to him.
"By the way, is she on your crew?" The vulture yelled back. "She's pretty cute."
Garrod looked at him before laughing a little as he continued. "If rumors are true, I guess the Sea of Lorelei's ghost is as pretty as she is."
"Sea of Lorelei?" Garrod blinked as he asked.
Xxx
"Quatre…" Triton looked up as he entered reading a book.
"I can't get this weird feeling out of my head…" Quatre shook his head before he closed the book. "I've tried everything, but something keeps bugging me and I can't put my finger on it."
"Cabin fever?" James suggested as he moved a checker forward on the board.
"No, more like… getting a song stuck in your head and not being able to get it out…" Quatre mused before he smiled as Triton took five of James's pieces in a row.
"HEY!" James gaped.
"You left yourself open…" Triton shrugged as he smiled.
"I've got it…" Quatre smiled. "I'll play some music that might work!" He hurried over to his bunk and pulled the violin case from underneath it.
"Play something besides what Nicol has been playing in the recreation room… please, I can't get those damn Mozart pieces out of my head…" James grimaced.
"Well, how about I play some pieces from here then…" Quatre looked at him. "I picked up some pieces in a town I've been meaning to try… But I don't have anyone to sing the song."
"And why is that a big deal?" James asked.
"It's actually the melody, the music is the accompaniment…" Quatre sighed.
"Ask some of the girls, maybe they'll sing it?" James suggested.
Quatre blinked. "It's in German… at least I think it is…"
"I don't think any of the girls know German… at least the ones here anyway…" Triton shrugged.
"Dorothy does…" Quatre nodded. "Maybe the computer can translate it…"
"So, here's where you've been hiding James…" Hilde stuck her head in the room. "It's almost lunch and… are you going to play Quatre?" She pointed at the sheet music.
"If I can find someone who can understand and sing in German…" Quatre shrugged before he had the music tugged from his hand.
"The Lorelei, I don't know what it should mean that I'm so sad. A fairy tale from ancient times… that I can't get out of my head." Hilde read the page fairly easily. "It's not all that hard... it sounds like a children song…" She blinked as the three boys gawked at her. "What?"
"You've just volunteered." James smiled.
"For what?" Hilde asked.
"To sing it while I play, because you're the only one onboard to our knowledge who can read German…" Quatre pointed at the sheet music.
"Oh no… no, no, no, no, NO!" Hilde shook her head repeatedly.
"Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes…" James grinned.
"You're not helping!" Hilde bonked him on the head.
"Come on, anything to break up the classical monotony Nicol has been playing in the recreation room…" James gave her a sad face.
"Don't you give me those fake puppy dog eyes…!" Hilde bopped him on the head again. "Fine… but, you let me read over it a few times first. And only because I know I'll never hear the end of it if I don't."
Xxx
"We should be arriving at the coordinates soon." The navigator relayed to Marcus and Olba, who looked at the sonar map on the monitor.
"Good. Tell the mobile suit pilots to get ready." Marcus nodded.
"Roger!" The communications officer replied.
Xxx
"What's the Sea of Lorelei?" Toniya looked over at Garrod who'd brought it up.
"It's an area of the Ocean where a woman's ghost appears." Garrod looked over at her and Sala, before turning to Tiffa. "I heard that even the Orcs don't go near it."
Toniya smiled. "That's quite the story."
The loud crack of billiard balls striking each other echoed in the room as Witz and Roybea continued their game. "That's a load of bull." Witz chimed into the conversation.
"It is. Besides, since it's after the last war if ghosts exist, their numbers are more than the living now." Roybea looked over at the girls.
"Damn right, and I ain't interested." Witz chalked the end of his pool cue again.
Garrod looked at them. "But you know, there are a lot of sailors who hear her voice. It sounds like a woman singing."
"That's why it's called Lorelei." Sala looked over at him causing him to blink. "Do you know the legend of Lorelei?" And he shook his head. "The story goes… A beautiful girl named Lorelei sat by the Rhine river, and confused the sailors with her beautiful song, sinking their ships. Is that correct, Doctor?" She looked at the one who'd she'd heard it from before.
Dr. Tex blinked looking up from his book. "Oh, yes. Well, Hine, a poet from the middle ages, wrote a poem about her. I used to be able to recite it from memory, but I can't anymore." The others looked at him for a moment. "Well, I'll try to remember… The beginning is why it's so sad. The wind is cold and the Rhine River flows slowly. The mountain far away is aglow with the setting sun. There is an elegant girl sitting on the mountainside… with a bewitching smile. She wears golden clothes and has a golden comb. She combs her hair. She combs her golden hair…"
Suddenly the room went black and seemingly everyone in the room screamed as frantic movements came from around the room while Dr. Tex stood there a little confused, before the lights came back on and they were all huddled together in small groups. The door clicked open behind him and Sam grinned. "Surprise ya?"
Sam looked around, Sala and Toniya were hugging each other a little confused, a short distance away Garrod was holding Tiffa, and over by the pool table Witz was half way up Roybea. "Don't scare us like that!" Witz shouted at Sam.
"Oh, you're a scaredy-cat!" Toniya took the little jab at Witz.
Witz grimaced. "Shut up!" He walked back over to the wall to get the pool cue he'd tossed.
Roybea sighed. "Darn… I shoulda been next to the girls!"
Sala smiled lightly. "Really… such a disappointment."
Sam blinked a little confused before Dr. Tex clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks for the help." Dr. Tex smiled. "I forgot the rest of the poem."
Garrod was looking over at the door when Tiffa spoke up. "Ummm…" He looked back and realized he still had his arms around her.
"Well… I…uh… this is…" Garrod released her and tried to figure out what to say. "Sorry…"
"No problem." Tiffa replied calmly.
Toniya smiled before turning back to her drink. "It's because they're young, isn't it?" Sala glanced at her before looking at Tiffa.
Xxx
"Some entertainment tonight…" Amia blinked as Kathy pulled her along into the recreation room. "No more classical piano…"
"Nope, we have someone to sing tonight." Kathy smiled as most of the others had taken up spots in the room aboard the Astarte.
The small group consisting of Nicol at the piano, Quatre with his violin and Athrun with a cello took their seats before Hilde walked forward to the microphone. Athrun and Nicol began the song by a plucking melody on the cello's string and the piano accompaniment before Quatre and Hilde began. "I cannot determine the meaning of the sorrow that fills my breast: A fairytale of old through its streaming allows my mind no rest…" Hilde's voice was clear and ringing as she sang. "The air is cool in the twilight and the Rhine is gently flowing. The crest of the mountain is gleaming in the fading rays of sunshine."
The old German song rang liltingly through them as the second verse began. "The loveliest maiden is sitting up there, so beautifully fair; her golden jewelry is glistening; She combs her golden hair. She combs with a gilded comb, preening, and sings a song, passing time." The tune got brighter as Hilde sang. "It has a wondrous, appealing and powerful melodic rhyme."
The third verse dropped back a little. "The boatman aboard his small skiff, enraptured with heartache, has no eye for the jagged cliffs. His thoughts on the heights fear forsake. I think that the waves will devour both boat and man, by and by, and that, with the power of her sweet voice was done by the Lorelei."
The short song finished and the crews of the Astarte and Artorious applauded, as the small entertainment of the evening concluded.
Xxx
"This is the list of what we bought today." Sala handed Jamil the tablet computer for his review. "By the way, Tiffa is getting cheerful."
Jamil walked over to the window in his quarters. "It's thanks to everyone."
Sala smiled at his reflection. "When I see them I'm embarrassed for some reason."
Jamil chuckled a little. "Everyone goes through a time like that."
Sala smiled. "Did you have a time like that?" Before blinking as he remained silent looking out the window. "Captain?"
"I'll tell you later." Jamil replied calmly.
Xxx
Olba watched as a Daughseat III pulled another mobile suit from the thick silt and sand mix at the bottom of the ocean, as it cleared it appeared on the monitor. With a body similar to a Daughtress type, but with a head unit that was one giant camera system. And the data they had on it appeared on the monitor.
"I'm very surprised that there's a treasure like this in the Sea of Lorelei." Marcus blinked as the data on the FX-9900 GX-Bit scrolled up the screen. "How did you get this information?" He asked looking at Olba.
"It's a secret." Olba smiled as Marcus laughed a little. "It goes well, Brother."
Xxx
Shagia smelled the salt from the ocean as it kicked up along the rocky cliffs around the island he was on. "We must use the Flash System to get the G-Bits to correspond to our bodies. Director Aimzat said it was important."
"I understand. How's everything?" Olba asked in return.
"Very good. I heard the second test will begin soon." Shagia replied.
Xxx
"That's good to know." Olba stood there with his eyes closed as he conversed with his brother.
"Mr. Olba! What's that?" Marcus's voice caused him to open his eyes.
Olba looked at the monitor where the main camera image from one of the Daughseat IIIs was shown, a large yellow L with UNE NTL under it was on the lid of a container.
Xxx
Olba and Marcus stood on the catwalk overlooking the hangar where the container was. "I think it's from the federation, but we don't have any data." Marcus looked at it.
"It looks like all we can do is open it." Olba nodded, and they watched as the magnetic arms clamped onto the top while the robotic plasma torches cut it free, before the top was lifted away.
Xxx
Tiffa's eyes shot wide as she sensed it, a voice coming from far away.
Xxx
"What in the… what was that?" Setsuna sat a little dumbstruck.
"What?" Feldt looked at him.
"Did you just say something?" Setsuna asked and she shook her head. "Then who was that?"
"You heard it too?" Amia asked as she and Soma looked over.
"I didn't hear anything…" Feldt blinked at them from her spot across from Setsuna in the mess hall.
Xxx
"Th… this is…" Olba looked down at it. A young woman with long hair inside a golden yellow capsule connected to a machine.
"What the hell is it!?" Marcus seemed a little spooked.
Xxx
Jamil looked at the GX before reaching into his coat's pocket, and pulling out the photograph a friend had taken years ago of him and his commanding officer when he was with the UNE, a beautiful young woman a few years older than him with long golden blonde hair. Footsteps snapped him out of his memories and he looked to see who was there. "What's wrong at this time of night?" He asked seeing Tiffa, as he returned the photograph to his jacket.
"Please change course." Tiffa looked at him.
"Tiffa…" Jamil looked at her, and saw that she meant it "Where should we head?"
"The Sea of Lorelei." Tiffa looked at him calmly.
Xxx
Garrod, Witz, and Roybea hurried into the bridge as they heard the news. "We're heading to the Sea of Lorelei?" Garrod asked. "Did Tiffa tell you to?"
"We're almost there." Jamil noted calmly as they looked at the main navigation monitor.
Witz smirked. "To kill a ghost?"
Roybea smiled. "That can't be. The ghost is a pretty girl. We're going there to become friends, right?"
"This is no time to be joking around." Jamil replied calmly.
"Is the ghost really gonna show up?" Garrod asked a little concerned.
"There's an even worse ghost waiting." Jamil nodded as the main monitor shifted, showing the radar reading.
"What's that?" Garrod asked a little confused.
"It's a pretty big hurricane." Sala looked at it.
"At this rate, we'll end up entering the hurricane in the Sea of Lorelei." Toniya noted.
"Ar…are we gonna charge into that big thing?" Garrod asked, now seriously concerned as the ship shuddered from a whitecap hitting its bow.
Xxx
"Why the hell am I being waked at…" Yzak grumbled as he entered the bridge before looking at his watch. "Two thirty in the fucking morning, and we're not under attack, or sinking…"
"We've changed course, and are following the Freeden." Wufei looked over at him as the night watch shift glanced at their rather irritated commanding officer.
"Why is this important?" Yzak grumbled.
"Newtype." Dearka handed him a mug of lukewarm coffee.
"Not good enough…" Yzak grumbled as he took a look at the liquid.
"In the area known to them as the Sea of Lorelei… where according to reports an offshore storm is currently gathering strength." Kathy put the data on screen.
"So we're heading into the middle of a storm… it shouldn't be a problem for the Astarte or Artorious." Yzak shrugged.
"Storm is an understatement, it's a tropical depression." Miriallia looked at him. "In short…"
"A hurricane." Wufei looked at him.
"And we're heading straight at it…" Yzak sleepily stared into the mug of coffee for a bit while he let the pieces slide into place in his mind.
"Yzak…" Dearka looked over at him, just in time to see him down the whole mug full. "Damn…"
"I'm gonna need another, get me one Dearka." Yzak shoved the mug into his hands before finding a seat.
Xxx
Tiffa sat in her room in the dark, concentrating on the voice. "Please wait."
Xxx
"Are we sure, we won't sink…?" Sherilyn looked at Graham, who was sitting in the captain's chair on the bridge of the Artorious as rain began to fall on its long bow.
"Calm down, if we start to take on water, we'll get airborne." Graham looked at her.
"Then what, get flung away from the others by high winds?" Sherilyn asked.
"I can keep the ship in position or within visual contact range of the others using course corrections." Hanayo looked over at her.
The bow of the Artorious slammed headlong into a wave pushing through it, sending the water slamming into the bridge before passing around it and causing the whole ship to shudder.
"Relax… he says…" Sherilyn pulled herself up again as she looked at Graham, who had wound up on the floor from the sudden impact. "We're only heading directly headlong into one of the most powerful forces of nature on Earth."
Xxx
Olba stood alone in the hangar looking at the mechanical device with the woman in the capsule surrounded by the G-Bits. He closed his eyes "Can you see it, Brother?"
"I do. I'll begin to investigate." Shagia's voice replied in his head.
"Then I'll continue my mission of recovering the G-Bits." Olba responded.
"I leave it to you." Shagia finished before leaving Olba to look at the strange capsule.
Footsteps caught his attention before Marcus' voice came. "Mr. Olba… Are you there? Can you come with me?"
It didn't take long for them to reach the bridge before he saw what it was; on the main monitor was the Freeden, with the Astarte and Artorious to either side of it.
"That's…" Olba started.
"They're the land Vulture that's rumored to have three Gundams." Marcus looked at it. "To us, they're just loot to make a big fortune in one stroke." He looked back at Olba. "We're in the middle of the recovery, but can we attack them?"
Olba looked at him and smiled. "There's no other choice."
Marcus smiled in return. "Everyone, to battle stations! Let's get moving!" The ship shuddered a little as it rose from the bottom, heading to a depth it could fight at.
Xxx
The Freeden rocked as waves continued to strike it. "I feel terrible." Toniya groaned.
Shingo braced himself against the helm. "The ship doesn't answer to the helm!"
"What's going on in the Sea of Lorelei?" Sala looked over at Jamil, before the ship rocked again causing her to brace herself against her station.
Xxx
Garrod stumbled a little before he steadied himself against Tiffa's bed. "What did you want to tell me, Tiffa?"
"I need to ask a favor." Tiffa looked at him as she sat there.
Garrod blinked "A favor?"
"From now on, don't be surprised." Tiffa stated calmly as she looked at him and he blinked a little confused. "Please trust me. Because I'm me."
"Tiffa… AHH!" Garrod tried to steady himself again as the ship rocked more violently from something. "What the!?"
Xxx
"We've been hit near the starboard engine!" Shingo yelled.
"We've detected a ship underwater! It's a submarine!" Toniya relayed as alerts began to sound.
Sala looked over at Jamil. "Captain!"
Jamil glared. "Launch the Gundams!"
Xxx
"You've got a special hyper bazooka for use underwater." Sam smiled at Garrod on the monitor. "It should be more use than the beam rifle."
Garrod looked at him a little irritated. "If you had such a weapon, why didn't you give it to me sooner!? GX Launching!" He punched the thrusters once, leaping out over the ocean before dropping down into the water.
The Leopard dropped in right behind him. "Sorry, Witz. We're already in the water." Roybea smiled as the shadow of the Airmaster flew out over him.
Xxx
The Airmaster touched down on the main deck of the Freeden. "At least I can intercept any torpedoes from up here. Eh… What's with the equipment?"
"Don't worry about it. It gives us another weapon against underwater targets." Lyle's voice came over the channel as he steadied the SG014 equipment.
"A fat Gundam…?" Witz blinked as the Virtue Physical launched.
"It's external equipment!" Tieria snapped back at him as the Virtue dropped into the water.
"Whatever…" Witz shrugged. "Still looks like a fat Gundam to me."
"Focus, keep your eyes on the targets, not each other's suits." Yzak flew past and dropped into the ocean.
"Look there!" Witz yelled just as Yzak dropped in, right in front of a wave of three torpedoes. He opened fire, causing them to explode before they could reach Yzak.
"Returning fire!" Lyle relayed as he opened fire sending shots towards the underwater targets.
Xxx
"Mobile suits are approaching underwater!" The sonar operator yelled to Marcus and Olba.
"Gundams underwater?! Get our mobile suits out there!" Marcus snapped the order, as the entire compliment of the Polypeimos's mobile suits was deployed.
Xxx
Tiffa stood and then was looking out one of the windows of her room as lightning flashed from the storm. She reached up to the back of her head and undid the ribbon holding her hair back.
Xxx
"Here they come!" Garrod glared as he saw the Daughseat IIIs as the first one fired two torpedoes at him from below, he banked left slightly avoiding them before firing back with the Hyper Bazooka, scoring a direct hit on it. The other two that had been trailing it, burst through the cavity of bubbles left by the destroyed suit before opening fire on Garrod. A third came up from below and began chasing him back.
Two more fired their torpedoes towards the ships again. "Damn! The Torpedoes are…"
"I'm not so easy to beat." Roybea glared as he fired at them with the Leopard's S-1 modified inner arm torpedo launcher. The single torpedo from the Leopard caught one from the Daughseat IIIs' torpedoes barrage, blowing up and destroying the torpedoes' wave from them.
Xxx
Marcus shot out of his seat as he saw the Gundams taking out the torpedoes, wave after wave on the monitor "What the hell, are you doing!? Shoot, shoot!" The sub shuddered a little as it fired a volley of four torpedoes towards the ships above.
Xxx
Witz flew forward as the torpedoes were detected and fired down into them hitting two with the Airmaster's buster rifles, as the third was hit by the Sadalsuud F.
"But we can't hold out forever!" Witz glared.
"We just have to hold out long enough!" Stella glared as she landed on the deck of the Freeden and began firing at more torpedoes. "Why the heck, do these ships have so little deck space?!"
Xxx
The ship shuddered again as Tiffa opened the door to her room and steadied herself against the wall as she made her way towards the bridge.
Xxx
"Check the spread of the fire!" Jamil ordered.
"Roger!" Shingo yelled back as he took a look at the ship's internal sensors.
Jamil looked over at Sala. "If we get hit by the next attack, we'll sink. In case of an emergency, have everyone be ready to abandon ship."
Sala looked back at him. "Roger!" Before blinking as the bridge door opened, and Tiffa walked in.
Toniya looked over. "It's dangerous, you should stay in your room." She blinked as Tiffa stopped next to Jamil and put her hand on his.
Jamil was a little surprised. "Tiffa." He pressed a button getting in contact with the medical bay.
Xxx
Dr. Tex blinked as he took notice of the beep signaling a message from the monitor but didn't hear anything. "Malfunction?" He turned around and looked up at it. "Eh…" He stopped as he saw Tiffa on the monitor with her hair down. "That's…" He recognized the look from somewhere before.
Xxx
"Damn it, get back here!" Auel yelled as the Volans chased a Daughseat III.
A short distance away Garrod fired another shot from the Hyper Bazooka into another Daughseat III destroying it before changing direction and firing at another who was engaging Setsuna.
Another of the Orc's Daughseat IIIs launched its arm up from below and swatted the Hyper Bazooka from the GX's hands. Before grabbing hold of the shield and pulling itself up to point blank range. "Damn! This is nothing!" A second closed in from above to help before he drew the beam saber and put it point blank with the Daughseat III's cockpit prior to activating it at point blank range. He pulled the shield closer before spinning and doing the same to the one that was up close with him.
"Not a bad idea!" Setsuna pulled the other arm back from the GN Sword Kai, and grabbed one of the beam sabers before ramming it point blank into the Daughseat III's cockpit and activating it.
Garrod dropped low to the bottom and retrieving the Hyper Bazooka as a shadow kicked up some silt from the black behind him.
Olba smirked as he saw the GX underwater and the formation of nine Daughseat IIIs flew over him, heading for the ships to finish them off.
Xxx
"Mobile Suits are approaching this time!" Toniya yelled over.
"What!?" Jamil looked back at her alarmed.
Xxx
In front of the ships the Leopard was forced out of the water by an arm grasping it before Roybea fired back into it with the arm mounted grenade launcher, destroying it and submerging again to rejoin the fight.
"Why did Garrod allow those mobile suits to get through?!" Witz snapped.
"Because there's too many of them!" The Virtue Physical shot out of the water being chased by an arm extending after its leg, before it fired a GN Panzer Faust into it destroying the arm.
"Wha…" Witz looked at him before he felt his suit lurch as an arm seized his Gundam. "AHHH!" He yelled as it pulled the Airmaster into the water.
Xxx
"Can't we do anything!?" Kathy yelled over to the fire control stations.
"If we fire any torpedoes we'll risk hitting our own suits, they're all too close!" Chen yelled back at her.
Xxx
Garrod glared as he saw it, the yellow and black Polypeimos "THERE IT IS!" He roared as he charged at it, readying to sink it with the Hyper Bazooka.
A cloud of silt erupted from the ocean floor directly in front of him as an arm shot out of it and grabbed the divider shield before two large claws grappled torso and both of the legs. And a laugh filled his ears. "Long time no see!" Olba smiled as he said it, and the Ashtaron loomed out of the darkness.
Garrod gaped. "You're… Olba Frost!"
Olba glared at the GX. "I'm so honored that you remember my name… Garrod Ran." He tightened his suit's grip on the GX almost wanting to crush it then and there. "Today is the day I'll allow you to die. Because I have a grudge against you." He smiled. "But before that, I'll sink the Freeden… without my brother's permission."
Garrod's eyes shot wide. "WHAT!?" He watched as the Polypeimos' torpedo tubes opened directly behind the Ashtaron. "Don't!" He yelled at Olba.
Olba smiled "It's too late. Because your friends are fighting the mobile suits… they can't intercept the torpedoes. The Freeden doesn't have enough power to avoid them on its own. You're completely caught in our trap." He smiled as he saw the GX struggle to get free. "It's no use! FIRE!"
"DON'T!" Garrod screamed as the four torpedoes streaked past him and Olba.
Xxx
Roybea sprayed a Daughseat III with the chest Gatling guns, destroying it, before an alert popped up on his monitor and the image of the four torpedoes appeared. "Shit, I can't reach them in time!"
"I'll try to take care of them!" Witz relayed from above where he was almost pulling a Daughseat III out of the water before the Wing fired with its buster rifle, destroying it. Prior to being seized by another arm itself and dragged towards the water putting Heero in the position Witz had been in.
"Lyle get them!" Heero yelled.
"I'm reloading damn it!" Lyle snapped back as the GN torpedo launcher's magazine was being changed.
Xxx
"Four torpedoes are heading straight for us!" Toniya yelled.
"We can't avoid them!" Shingo looked back from the helm.
Jamil grimaced, as the inevitable was coming. "Don't worry." Tiffa spoke calmly as she squeezed his hand lightly, causing him to look at her. "I will save you… like long ago." She turned back to looking out the front of the bridge. "Wait and see, Jamil." She closed her eyes seemingly, her hair drifted upwards a little as she opened her arms.
Xxx
Inside the hangar of the Polypeimos the capsule began to glow lightly as a lilting tune seemed to chime.
Xxx
The bridge crew of the Freeden all seemed to be in shock, Tiffa was seemingly glowing as the door to the bridge opened and Dr. Tex froze where he stood with the medical chest, hearing the strange lilting tune. Tiffa opened her eyes and seemingly it happened, the whole bridge went dark, all of the other ship's bridges went dark at the same time.
Xxx
The mechanical device with the woman in it began to shine a brilliant golden glow as it activated.
Xxx
"Wha…What the hell!?" Garrod looked around frantically, his cockpit was dark, and all of the monitors went black. "This can't be! It's not working?"
Olba drifted away from the GX. "What's wrong? Move! Move, Ashtaron!" He commanded as he tried the controls of his suit.
Xxx
"Exia, what's wrong!?" Setsuna tried the controls again and again. "Why won't you move!? Is it something with this weird music!?"
Xxx
"What's causing this?" Marcus yelled in the black bridge of his sub. "We almost had them!"
Xxx
Amia braced herself against Kathy. "It's… that voice… I heard it earlier… it's got to be a ghost."
"There's no such thing as ghosts!" Kathy looked around "There has to be an explanation for this, did we get hit and not realize it!?"
Xxx
The Airmaster crashed onto the deck of the Freeden as the Virtue dropped back into the ocean with the Wing. "What's going on?" Witz yelled.
Xxx
Roybea blinked in shock as the lilting tune drifted around them. "This song… could it be… Lorelei's ghost?"
"No… this is… a Newtype's power… I feel it…" Wufei looked around. "Where from though!?"
Xxx
Everyone in the bridge of the Freeden was looking at Tiffa as Dr. Tex blinked. "Now I remember the rest of the poem I had forgotten. The girl sang a song... as she combed her golden hair. There's a mysterious power… that the song has."
Tiffa closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Jamil again. "Jamil, do you remember me?"
Jamil blinked. "Are you… Lucille?" He asked and Tiffa smiled.
"Yes. I am Lucille Liliant." Tiffa looked at him. "I was your friend and we spent time together."
The bridge's lights came back on as she closed her eyes and she seemingly stopped glowing, while the ships equipment began working again. Sala turned back to her station. "It's working."
Suddenly Tiffa collapsed and Jamil caught her. "Tiffa!"
Xxx
Olba looked around. "What the hell was that!?"
"NOW!" Garrod punched his thrusters and rocketed to one side of the Ashtaron before firing three shots from the Hyper Bazooka at the Polypeimos, hitting it in the rear.
"Damn it!" Olba glared.
Xxx
"Port engine damaged! We'll sink at this rate!" One of the men yelled up, reporting the damage shown on his monitor.
Marcus glared. "There's no other choice. Surface!"
Xxx
The sub began rising at a high rate of speed, heading to the surface before Garrod began to chase after him. "You won't get away!"
The Ashtaron cut him off. "I'm your opponent!"
Xxx
The Leopard fired a volley of torpedoes at a Daughseat III, forcing it to surface to avoid the explosions.
The Airmaster fired into the marine mobile suit while it rejoined the fight just as the Leopard surfaced momentarily. "Nice combination don't ya think?" Roybea smiled.
"Really nice, keep it up!" Heero replied as the Wing flew out of the ocean and back up into the raging storm they were in.
Xxx
Garrod dodged left and right as he avoided the claws of the Ashtaron before firing back at Olba with the Hyper Bazooka, and thus keeping him at range. "My Ashtaron is superior in an underwater battle."
"Olba…" Shagia's voice echoed in Olba's head.
"Brother…" Olba looked back.
Xxx
"I know how you feel…" Shagia stood next to a porthole, looking out onto the flight deck of the Doritea-Class Carrier as the NUNE fleet headed out to the sea. "…but our purpose isn't to sink the Freeden, or those ships. General Aimzat wants the system you found." He smiled. "Come back and join us, Olba."
Xxx
Olba hesitated for a moment before glaring at the GX in front of him. "I understand, Brother." He transformed the Ashtaron and rocketed towards the surface after the Polypeimos.
"Wait!" Garrod snapped as he chased after the Ashtaron.
Xxx
The Gundams and Braves kept firing at the remaining Daughseats that had begun to surface and head at high speed away from them towards the Polypeimos, which had just broken the surface, before the black and red Ashtaron erupted from the water in front of them in its mobile armor mode, and fired the scissor beam cannons, as a result forcing them to stop momentarily to avoid the shots.
Olba looked over at the sub. "I'm going to join my companions. Please follow me." He relayed the message to Marcus Guy.
"Very well!" Marcus replied as his ship's mobile suits returned to the sub and it began leaving the battlefield.
The X Divider erupted out of the water and took aim at the retreating sub and Ashtaron. "You won't get away!"
"Wait, Garrod!" Witz snapped as the other mobile suits began heading back to their ships. "Help the Freeden first!"
"If you go now, your home is history!" Roybea added.
Garrod glanced at the submarine before turning back to the ships. "Alright."
Xxx
"We're heading east?" Marcus asked as Olba stood in front of him on the conning tower of the Polypeimos.
"Yes." Olba replied.
"Can I at least repair the ship before that?" Marcus asked.
"There doesn't appear to be serious enough damage to prevent the voyage." Olba glanced towards the rear of the ship, where men were working on the damage.
"Well, I want to remain at sea, otherwise I won't calm down." Marcus looked at him.
"If you don't have a good reason, let's go." Olba stated flatly to him. "Time is critical."
Xxx
Repair crews worked on the hulls of the ships while they continued their voyage across the Pacific, whilst a meeting was held aboard the Freeden.
"What's going on?" Garrod asked as he looked over at Tiffa who was sleeping in the bed of the medical bay. "Who is Lucille?"
"Lucille used to be my superior…" Jamil looked at him. "No, she was my friend."
"Then she was…" Roybea looked over at him.
"A Newtype." Jamil finished for him; he pulled out the photograph of himself and Lucille taken fifteen years prior to her heading off on an operation. "Lucille Liliant's Newtype senses awakened early. She became a Federation education officer and trained Newtype pilots." He looked over at the Preventers officers. "The Gundam type mobile suits developed for Newtypes… were equipped with the best weaponry, armor, and speed. And to enhance Newtype capabilities to one hundred and twenty percent, the Flash System was introduced. It allowed a Newtype to mentally control several Bit-Mobile Suits at the same time. My instructor in that control system was Lucille."
"Wait, you're saying one person controlling multiple mobile suits… as bit weapons?" Graham blinked.
"It's hard enough controlling small bits, but whole mobile suits…" Yzak looked over at Heero.
"Zechs used the ZERO system in a similar way, though he didn't directly control them, the Epyon did…" Heero looked back at him for a moment.
"So you're saying that she's been captured by that Orc ship?" Sala asked.
"I get it." Toniya looked over. "She possessed Tiffa to ask us for help."
"Then let's quit talking and rescue Lucille." Garrod looked over at Jamil.
"But…" Jamil started cutting them off. "I heard her mind was seriously damaged after her fight with the colonies' rebel army."
Garrod blinked as he heard this. "That's correct." Tiffa spoke, causing them all to look at her as she sat up in bed.
"Tiffa!" Garrod looked at her.
"No, that's not Tiffa at the moment." Dr. Tex looked at her. "She's showing symptoms of multiple personalities for some reason."
"As I told this girl, I'll only borrow her mind and body for now." Tiffa spoke while calmly looking at Dr. Tex and the visibly confused Preventers.
"So, you're Lucille right now?" Jamil looked at her.
"Yes, but I don't really exist anymore in one sense." Tiffa looked at them as Lucille used her to speak. "So there's only my hatred of fighting. But people tried to make use of my mind which hates fighting." She turned and looked up at Jamil. "Jamil, have you heard of the L-System?"
"L-System?" Athrun blinked remembering the little bits of the operation data they'd uncovered.
"Can it be… you were involved with the L-System?" Jamil asked.
Xxx
"L-System… is that its name, Brother?" Olba looked at the capsule with Lucille in it.
Xxx
"Yes. This machine is a Flash System designed to amplify Lucille Liliant's psychic energy." Shagia looked over the little data they had on the project. "It renders electronic weaponry unusable within a certain radius."
Xxx
"I see. That explains what happened in the last battle." Olba looked at the machine.
Xxx
"There was a rumor that some specialist on Newtypes was studying the L-System… However, I didn't realize there was a prototype. The General was very surprised." Shagia looked over the mechanical drawings.
Xxx
"So, what should I do next?" Olba asked.
"Can you bring the L-System to us as soon as possible?" Shagia's voice echoed in his head.
Xxx
"I don't want to be used any longer." Lucille sighed.
"If that system had been deployed… it would have changed the outcome of the war, they could have never initiated the mass colony drop." Athrun muttered absentmindedly.
"Lucille…" Jamil looked at her.
"Alright! Let's go, everyone!" Garrod looked around at them. "Let's rescue Lucille."
Witz and Roybea looked at Jamil who nodded.
"We're in on this too." Athrun looked at him. "I don't think it is right that they used her mind, even though she hated the war."
Xxx
"I knew it!" Shingo cheered. "If we use the ocean currents, we'll be able to catch up with them!"
"You're so smart." Toniya smiled at him.
"Report this to the Captain." Sala looked over her shoulder at Toniya.
"Okay. Captain, Captain?" Toniya asked as she tried to reach him. "Eh…"
"What's wrong?" Sala asked.
"I can't get through to him." Toniya looked at her.
Sala nodded. "Okay, I'll go tell him myself." She left the bridge and headed to his quarters.
Xxx
Alone at his desk, Jamil looked at the photograph of himself and Lucille, until a soft knock interrupted his thoughts he looked up to see Sala open the door. "Excuse me." Sala looked at him; she entered but didn't quite close the door all the way.
Xxx
Garrod walked down the hall towards the hangar and heard something coming from Jamil's room. "I understand. Have Shingo change course." Jamil's voice came from the crack in the door.
"I also have a personal question to ask you." Sala's voice came from inside, causing him to stop.
"What's the relationship between you and Lucille Liliant?" Sala asked directly.
"I think I already told you." Jamil looked at her.
Sala looked at him. "But I think there's more to it than that."
Jamil got up as Garrod glanced through the crack in the door and watched while he walked over to the window in his room. "You know, everyone has bad memories they don't like to talk about." Jamil spoke as he looked out the window. "She does as well… If I say it, I'm afraid I'll lose a precious memory. That's all I can say. That answers your question, doesn't it?" He asked.
"I…" Sala started. "…can understand."
Xxx
"Use a new C-ring, okay?" Sam yelled up from the floor where the crews worked on the repairs to the Gundams. "No! That's not the C-Drive!" He took off across the hangar. "Use new oil first on it instead of the old coating!"
Jamil watched as they worked on the Gundams in the hangar.
"Jamil." Garrod called to him and as a result causing him to turn to face him, where he held out the control stick for the X-Divider for him. "This time, you use it. I think she's probably waiting."
Xxx
"You want to take a closer look at the L-System?" Ian asked as Athrun looked over the data again that they had.
"So, let me get this straight Athrun, the reason all of the mobile suits stopped working, was because of a machine a Newtype was in control of… and it basically did the exact same thing my suit does to mobile dolls, but across all electronic systems?" Mayu asked.
"Yeah, it's interesting, it could be a good thing for us to look at for an offensive measure. Take the weapons away from them…" Athrun gestured with his hand a little.
"And they'll be forced to sit down and settle their differences in a peaceful manner." Heero entered the briefing room. "I don't exactly think that'll work. They'll just start going to older weaponry that doesn't rely on electronics."
"Okay then, how well does that work against a mobile suit?" Athrun looked at Heero who smiled in return.
"Garrod captured a mobile suit with only a pistol, homemade flash bang, and a grappling line. Also, how do you intend to make our mobile suits work, if theirs are disabled by the machine, ours also wouldn't work." Heero looked at Ian who nodded.
"That's why we need to get a closer look at it." Athrun looked at them. "It has to work on a similar principle to the Aquarius Mobile Doll jamming pods."
Xxx
The clatter of billiards caught Sala's attention as she passed the recreation room, she glared before turning and opening the door. "You're not allowed to use this room in the middle of an operation."
"This is my way of gathering my thoughts." Roybea replied as he lined up his next shot, playing the game by himself.
"A rule's a rule." Sala planted her hands on her hips. "Get out of here." She glared at him.
"SHUT UP!" Roybea snapped back at her and causing her to take a step back, actually surprised. He blinked before straitening up. "Sorry, please forgive me." He sighed. "Whenever I hear such a love story, it tears me apart." He leaned against the table a bit as he talked. "I visited my old girlfriend the other day. I got very depressed." He chalked up the pool cue again.
"Were you dumped?" Sala asked calmly.
"She passed away suddenly." Roybea glanced over at her for a moment before walking down the edge of the table to line up his next shot. "So, we should let Jamil see her this time… this Lucille person."
Sala blinked as he took aim at the white ball. "You understand Jamil's feelings, don't you?" He asked. "That's why we should help him, right?" He thrust the stick hitting the white ball sinking the nine ball in the pocket to his right. He looked at her "No matter what condition she's in."
Xxx
"What do you mean you're making me the Field Operations Officer?" Kathy blinked at Yzak.
"You aren't a pilot, and you have command experience at this point, so while myself and Wufei go out with the mobile suits, you're going to be in command of the ship officially." Yzak looked at her and smiled.
"You're crazy… I jumped in when we were lacking direction here and there but…" Kathy shook her head.
"It wasn't my decision alone." Yzak held out the folder for her. "Congratulations on the promotion, Captain Trine."
Kathy blinked as she read the file. "I was up for a medal for taking command of the ship while it was under fire at Fort Severn?"
Yzak nodded. "Even though I told you to take command, you made the right decisions while under fire. So for this operation, I'm sending out all of our suits to make sure we catch that submarine."
Kathy began to start to argue again before being drowned out by the klaxon. "Enemy ship sighted, level one battle stations!" Feldt's voice came over the intercom system.
"Get to the bridge." Yzak got up and left before she could continue the argument.
Xxx
"Enemy ship sighted!" Sala announced. "Everyone to battle stations!" They watched as the X-Divider and Airmaster roared pass before the shadow of the Leopard headed out ahead underwater.
"Everyone go out?" Garrod asked as he entered the bridge.
"Yeah…" Toniya nodded not really thinking before they all looked back at Garrod. "GARROD!" The bridge crew gaped at him.
"What're you doing here?" Toniya gaped at him.
"That means, the GX's pilot is…" Shingo looked at it.
Sala snapped her attention to it. "The Captain?"
Xxx
Jamil glared as he closed on the submarine's location. "Lucille, I'm on my way."
Roybea chuckled. "I wonder how Garrod could do such a cool thing."
Witz smiled at Roybea on the monitor to his left. "Even though he's a brat."
Xxx
Marcus glared at the swarm of mobile suits, most of them being Gundams. "Damn it! Dive immediately!"
"But the repairs aren't…" The helmsman started.
"It's alright." Olba cut him off, causing Marcus to look at him.
"But…" Marcus started.
"I told you, it's alright." Olba looked at him as the sub's mobile suits were deployed.
Xxx
"Here come the mobile suits." Jamil relayed to the others. "Back up my attack on the enemy ship!"
"Roger!" Witz and Roybea replied.
Four Daughseats opened fire on Roybea and Auel, by sending a volley of torpedoes at them, as Auel picked off the torpedoes Roybea returned fire with the S1's inner arm torpedo launcher. Three of the Daughseat IIIs pulled up avoiding the volley but the torpedoes slammed into the last Mobile Suit that they had been trailing, engulfing it in a massive explosion.
Witz fired down at a shadow that grew larger as it approached the surface, destroying one of them before it even had the chance to reach it. The two others opened fire with their beam guns on the X-Divider as it dodged back and forth while skimming just above the water. Jamil returned fire while on the move placing the shots with ease in the dead center of the two suits, before they could even explode he'd already passed them.
"Do we really need this many suits out here? I think they don't have enough mobile suits after the last battle." Andrei asked as he didn't notice any other mobile suits opposing the forces now rapidly closing on the sub.
"Just stay in formation, and keep that sub targeted, we're trying to capture it." Athrun relayed as the formation of Braves being led by the Vent Saviour with the DOM Trooper below them, continued to trail the Freeden's Gundams with the mobile suits from the Astarte.
Xxx
"The Captain's damn good, isn't he?" Shingo smiled as he saw the X-Divider taking out the suits in quick succession.
"Of course, he's a real GX pilot." Toniya smiled.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Garrod glared at her as she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Worst comes to worse, can Lucille save us with the L-System?" Sala asked.
"No." Tiffa had entered the bridge and they looked at her as she spoke for Lucille. "I can't."
"Why can't you?" Garrod asked.
"Because they'll notice my power." Tiffa looked down a little.
Xxx
Olba took the cover off of the panel and smiled as the circuits came out automatically. "That's it. I need to remove this, Brother?"
Xxx
"Yes. Even a Newtype can't use the L-System without the amplifier." Shagia smiled.
Xxx
Jamil took out another Daughseat III as he closed on the tail of the Polypeimos before noticing something, he looked up at one of the monitors and pulled back on the thrusters as eight massive shells slammed into the ocean in front of him, sending him flying backwards. "AHHHH!"
"Holy…" James gaped as he saw the plumes of water.
Xxx
"Wh… What the hell was that?" Garrod asked a little surprised.
"Ship detected to starboard!" Toniya yelled. "It's huge! I've never seen anything like it!"
"What'd you say?" Garrod turned and looked at her alarmed.
Xxx
"Is that one of the ESUN's mobile suit carriers?" Kathy looked over at Miriallia.
"We're the only ones deployed here!" Miriallia yelled back. "And they're shooting at us!"
Kathy bit her tongue for a moment. "Target the large enemy carrier, fire Parsifals and type eight shells!"
Romero nodded to Chen. "Opening fire!" They targeted the large carrier to their starboard and the ship shuddered as it opened up with everything it had in a massive volley of missiles and type eight fragmentation shells.
Xxx
"Launch mobile suits!" General Aimzat ordered.
"Roger!" The combat controller replied as the Doritea's mobile suits were rapidly launched one after another.
"Incoming missiles!" The radar operator yelled.
"Intercept them!" General Aimzat ordered as the defensive anti-air batteries opened fire wiping out the volley of thirty two missiles, as the tremendous blasts rocked the ship a glinting rain fell on the foredeck.
"Sir reporting casualties on deck!" The communications officer yelled.
"Fragmentation shells…" General Aimzat glared. "No matter, our objective is to secure the L-System, have the cruisers engage the enemy ships!"
Xxx
Witz gaped in awe as the formation of flight equipped Daughtresses closed on them "There… There's so many of them."
"I thought the Orcs were just gangs." Roybea gaped as well.
Jamil glared. "No, the Orcs aren't so well equipped!"
"A private military…" Yzak slowed seeing them. "They're all Daughtress types!"
The formation dove on them as they opened fire, sending a hail of beams and bullets down into their formations and forcing them to scatter.
"A coordinated attack run!?" Andrei yelled. "These guys aren't just some PMC, they're acting like regular troops!"
"Focus on individual targets, take them out one at a time!" Graham yelled as he transformed his Brave Commander Type and fired into the back of one of the Daughtresses.
Xxx
Marcus was in shock as he saw the formations flying over his ship. "I… I never knew such powerful allies were waiting…"
Olba smirked. "As I said, it's going to be alright."
"Who the hell are you?" Marcus looked back at him.
Olba didn't even bother to answer his question. "Before it's too late, please rendezvous with them." He turned and left the bridge.
Xxx
Shagia glanced next to him as the Ashtaron touched down. "Do you think it will succeed, brother?" Olba asked over the frequency.
"Yes." Shagia smiled. "We're going to use the L-System for experimental data in the future."
Xxx
"If we're slow, they're gonna escape!" Witz yelled a little frantically as the group of Gundams was now enveloped by the Daughtresses formation on all sides.
"Just focus on not getting hit!" Rudolf glared as he cut one of the Daughtress flight pack types in half before kicking it into the ocean.
Behind the main formation several Daughtresses fired their torpedo launchers sending a wave into the ocean after the mobile suits below.
"But as it stands!" Roybea rolled out of the way of several torpedoes.
The GX pulled low and fired up into the formation, taking out two of the suits before heading for the sub again. "Lucille!"
"You'll get yourself killed like that!" Tieria shouted as the Virtue Physical fired into another mobile suit with its GN Physical Bazooka.
"Just keep them off of the GX!" Heero transformed the Wing in mid-flight and fired directly up with the Buster Rifle, catching three Daughtresses with the shot and destroying them.
Xxx
"The enemy ships' are heading for them!" Toniya yelled.
"Full speed ahead!" Garrod ordered causing the others to look at him. "As Jamil would say in this situation…" He looked over at Sala.
"True…" Sala nodded. "Garrod is right." She looked at Shingo. "Freeden, all engines ahead full! Head for the enemy!"
Xxx
"What the…?" Witz saw the spray of water kicked up as the ships began to close on them.
"The ships are moving!?" Roybea looked back.
Xxx
"Commencing bombardment of enemy cruisers." Hanayo put her hand on the console of the fire control systems and the Artorious' Laser cannons began bombarding a cruiser in return as the ships continued to take fire.
"Hanayo, the ship will sink at this rate!" Sherilyn yelled as she braced herself against her station.
"We'll be fine." Hanayo stated calmly as she continued heading directly into the oncoming fire with the Freeden and Astarte.
Xxx
"Continue focusing fire on the carrier, it has to be their flagship they're formed up around it!" Kathy ordered as the two forward 40cm dual cannon turrets fired another volley at it.
Xxx
The Freeden shuddered as shells fell around and in front of the ship, making the surface choppy as they skimmed over it. "Not yet!" Shingo glared as the others held on to whatever they could to keep from winding up on the floor.
"All crew members wear life vests!" Sala relayed the order.
Xxx
Witz rolled low avoiding shots as Jamil covered him. "Leopard, protect the Freeden!"
"Auel, you and Hilda do the same, cover the Astarte and Artorious!" Yzak yelled the order over the frequency.
"Airmaster, follow me!" Jamil yelled as he charged again directly into the center of the formations.
"Right!" Witz relayed as he rolled and closed in with him.
"Roger!" Roybea yelled as he broke off.
The Leopard launched itself out of the water and onto the deck of the Freeden before detaching the S-1 booster and opening fire on the Daughtresses' formations above them.
"I hope the missiles work…" Auel opened fire with the Volans' launchers before watching as they dropped directly into the water. "WHA…"
"Switch to the missiles you idiot!" Stella yelled at him. "You fired torpedoes!" She fired with the Lupus beam rifle into the cockpit of another suit.
Xxx
"Olba, are you ready?" Shagia asked.
Olba smiled. "Okay, I'm eager to try my hand at it, brother." He transformed the Ashtaron as the Virsago latched onto it and they charged into the battle.
Jamil glared as he heard the alarm and spun while firing the beam machine gun to face them, forcing the two suits to break apart to avoid the shot.
"Today the GX isn't acting the same as usual…" Olba glared as he noticed its movements.
"I agree." Shagia glared.
Xxx
"We've been hit to starboard!" Sala yelled.
"Don't worry!" Shingo braced himself against the wheel as the ship shuddered again from more hits from the mobile suits above them. "We're not finished yet!"
"Enemy ship at two thousand meters!" Toniya yelled over to Sala.
"Alright, we're almost there!" Garrod almost cheered as Tiffa looked around at them.
Xxx
Roybea glared as he took a hit from one of the suits while he fired with everything the Leopard had. "I haven't given up yet!"
Witz took a hit to the back of the Airmaster's leg, causing him to spin a bit. "That didn't bother me a bit!" He returned fire on the Daughtress that had hit him.
"Don't think for a second we're out of this yet!" Kira grabbed one of the Strike's Armor Schneider combat knives and threw it through the cockpit of a Daughtress.
Jamil took fire from the Ashtaron and Virsago as they closed the gap with the GX Divider, he returned fire with the beam machine gun. He glared at them. "I won't let you take Lucille!"
"Athrun they're here!" Heero rolled and fired at the Virsago which rolled out from the shot before firing its claw beam cannon back at him.
"Wha…" Athrun stopped as he saw the Ashtaron transform. "Gundams…"
Xxx
"Jamil has good friends." Lucille spoke using Tiffa again, causing everyone in the bridge of the Freeden to look at her. "You're fighting so desperately for me. So I have to respond in the same way."
"But you said you couldn't use the L-System anymore, right?" Sala looked over at her.
"I'm going to use a different power." Lucille spoke calmly before closing her eyes.
Xxx
"Lucille?" Jamil blinked as he sensed her.
"Jamil, let's use the Flash System." Lucille spoke in his head.
"The Flash System…B…but… I can't use it anymore!" Jamil gaped.
"Don't worry, I'll help you." Lucille's voice echoed again.
Jamil paused for a moment. "Alright!"
Xxx
General Aimzat watched as the Polypeimos closed on the carrier. "Get ready to recover the G-Bits!" He ordered.
Xxx
"Are we gonna make it?!" Garrod now saw the carrier looming ahead of them with the sub closer to it than to them.
Xxx
"Hang in there, Jamil!" Lucille's voice echoed in his mind as he tried to concentrate to focus on using the flash system.
"I can't do it. I can't link with you!" Jamil gritted his teeth.
"Don't give up! Remember the old days!" Lucille called to him.
Jamil's eyes opened. "The old days…" He remembered her training him on how to use the Flash System, and pictured her standing there before him. He concentrated on her and before he realized it, she was looking back at him there.
"Jamil." Lucille's voice called to him.
"Lucille!" Jamil's eyes were wide as he sensed it almost like her hands were on the back of his, grasping the controls as well as they linked.
Xxx
A red flash flew down the lines of G-Bits as they started up for the first time in fifteen years. Their cameras beginning to glow a pinkish red as they activated.
Xxx
"Okay, we've made it." Marcus smiled as the submarine slowed to allow the carrier to pull alongside. "AHH!" He grabbed his chair as the sub shuddered.
Xxx
"W… What the!?" General Aimzat was horrified, as the G-Bits erupted out of the top of the sub, before forming up in a ring between the carrier and the battlefield.
Xxx
Garrod's eyes were wide as he saw the G-Bits. "Those are GXs!"
Xxx
"What the…" Athrun slowed as he saw the suits.
"Brother, the G-Bits are…" Olba looked horrified.
"Im…Impossible." Shagia blinked. "Jamil Neate supposedly lost his abilities!"
Tieria blinked. "Those suits, they're…"
"They don't have any life signatures coming from them!" Quatre yelled a little alarmed as they began turning towards the battle.
Jamil focused on the battle as the GX-Bits charged into the Daughtresses' formations, firing their Shield Buster Rifles.
The Gundam pilots looked on a little afraid as the GX-Bit suits ripped through the formations with ease and destroying mobile suit after mobile suit in quick succession, decimating them.
Xxx
"The engine's on fire!" The helmsman yelled over to Marcus. "It's impossible for us to navigate anymore!"
"There's nothing we can do." Marcus glared. "Have everyone abandon ship!" He ordered.
Xxx
The Daughtresses' formations forgot completely about the other mobile suits and now tried to frantically defend themselves against the Newtype controlled Bit mobile suits, as they were torn through with ease each shot placed perfectly in the dead center of the cockpit.
"Are those Bit-Mobile suits…?" Witz asked a little afraid of them himself even though they weren't attacking him.
"Is that the Flash System?" Roybea blinked.
"This is the power of a Newtype pilot…" Wufei slowed his Ursa and watched.
Xxx
"Incredible!" Toniya blinked as they watched the Bits tear through the Daughtresses.
"They're overwhelming the enemy!" Shingo blinked unable to stop watching them.
Xxx
Shagia watched the GX flying there behind the wall of GX-Bits, which were still destroying their forces. "General Aimzat, do you really think we should continue to fight?" He asked over the frequency.
Xxx
Aimzat glared. "We have no choice but to withdraw." He ordered as the Daughtress type Mobile Suits quickly turned and flew away while some were still picked off even on the run by the GX-Bits.
Xxx
Marcus looked up as the Daughtress Mobile Suits flew back to the carrier, which was now turning away from them in their life raft. "Hey, wait! Are you leaving us behind?!" He yelled before a loud roar came over head sooner than that he was vaporized by a beam as the Ashtaron passed at high speed.
Olba smirked as he glanced over his shoulder at the plume of water. "Sorry, but this must be kept secret."
Xxx
"Look! They're withdrawing!" Shingo cheered.
"Yeah we did it!" Toniya nearly jumped for joy as Garrod smiled.
Tiffa opened her eyes again as Lucille stopped. "Jamil, please finish it."
Xxx
Jamil was breathing heavily as he recovered from the ordeal with the throbbing pain in his head not going away. "Yes… I understand." He glared as he flew up into the middle of the GX-Bits and took dead aim at them. "We don't need these things anymore!" He yelled as he began firing into them and placing shot after shot dead center into the upper chest causing them to explode, going right down the line before the last one took a slightly off shot to the head, sending it spiraling down into the ocean where it finally exploded and sending up a massive plume of water and smoke.
Xxx
The officers and pilots of the ships found themselves inside the dank wrecked hold of the Polypeimos looking at the L-System, and specifically the golden yellow capsule that held Lucille Liliant. "Lucille." Jamil looked at her as Tiffa stood in front of him.
"It's good to see you again, Jamil." She spoke through Tiffa. "Now I can die without regret." Her words caught them by surprise. "I used the last of my power. Now everything will end."
"What're you saying?!" Jamil looked at Tiffa.
"After all, there was only a little piece of me left." Lucille continued to talk through her. "When I die, please sink me into the sea like before. I felt peaceful and calm at the bottom of the sea."
"Lucille…" Jamil looked down.
"I feel like I'm going to sleep soon." Lucille spoke as Tiffa closed her eyes. "I'm near death. I feel very comfortable. It feels like I'm dreaming."
"I'm so sorry." Jamil apologized. "I couldn't save you in the end."
"That's okay. I was happy…" Lucille continued speaking through Tiffa. "…because I was able to meet the adult version of you. Farewell, Jamil." Tiffa closed her eyes before she collapsed forward and Jamil caught her as Lucille passed away.
Xxx
The crews of the ships gathered on the decks of the Astarte and Freeden as the coffin was sealed with the plaque screwed to the lid with Lucille's name and dates of birth and death marked on it, as they paid their final respects to her while the Freeden's crane lowered the casket into the water and released it, allowing it to sink beneath the waves.
"I wonder if she was happy?" Garrod asked at large as they watched Jamil standing there.
"Who knows?" Witz replied with his arms crossed.
"She's the only one who does." Roybea added.
"But…" Tiffa spoke causing them to look at her. "While she possessed me… I felt warm and peaceful inside."
Garrod smiled a little before looking back over at Jamil, who was standing there with Sala a short distance behind him.
"Captain…" Sala started.
"I'm sorry." Jamil replied calmly. "I'd like to be alone for a while."
"Okay." Sala nodded before turning and heading back into the ship with the others.
Xxx
"I don't know how I feel about this…" Ian looked at the L-System.
"She hated war, this system if used in the correct way, may be able to end it, once and for all." Athrun looked at him.
"I think he means it in a different way Athrun." Quatre looked at him. "It would be different if she'd lived."
Athrun took a breath and sighed. "I know that… but this machine is something the UNE developed. And from what we saw where this was headed to, there is a chance they're still around in small factions."
"Small factions nothing… that was a well maintained and organized armed force. We ran up against a surface fleet. After fifteen years if they didn't have supply lines, a force that size wouldn't be able to be maintained in that quality." Sven looked over at Heero who nodded in turn.
"Then there has to be a base in this region, or at least within operational range of those ships." Wufei nodded.
"There is a good chance that those were all nuclear warships, so their range is virtually limitless on the basis of being able to get food, and basic supplies." Athrun looked at Sven who nodded. "All we really know is that they wanted this system, and they wanted those bit mobile suits." He pointed to the L-System. "It may make us feel a little odd, but we need to know what they wanted this system for. A power like this machine could cripple an individual country for an invading army."
"A machine with a Newtype at its core… it wouldn't be the first one we've run up against here." Yzak nodded to Wufei.
"You mean that mobile armor right?" Wufei looked at him before Athrun turned to Yzak.
"Both armies exploited Newtypes during the last war from the records, our countries aren't like that, but we can learn from this." Athrun looked at Yzak.
"Is science of any value?" Yzak asked. "Weather the result is a good thing or a bad thing depends on how it is used, but the power is a value." He walked over to the machine's control unit. "I'm going to tell you something that you will never forget…" He paused for a moment as he plugged one of the amplifier cards into the slot. "Every man is given a key to the gates of heaven, but the same key will also open the gates of hell. Science is this key. Mankind heralded in a great age with the splitting of the atom and a source of virtually limitless energy. At the same time they turned it into a weapon and wiped two cities from the face of the Earth." He looked at Athrun. "The question is, what we'll learn from this is of any value, will it end future wars, or only promote it like it did here?"
"You're paraphrasing a quote from a book by Richard Feynman, a theoretical physicist from the 20th Century of AD Earth." Kira walked over. "He worked on the Manhattan Project that developed the first nuclear bombs. We're looking at something that is capable of performing the same destruction as a nuclear warhead, slower but the same."
"We'll look it over and figure out this key, but we have to unlock the right gate with it." Ian walked past Athrun and over to the console where Yzak was inspecting the electronics.
"With that in mind…" Athrun spoke causing them to look at him. "Treat this machine as a class two weapon, the machine and its data aren't allowed to leave this ship until a full report is filed on it, and after that if necessary it'll be destroyed."
Xxxxxx
And sadly this marks our first RIP in a long time, RIP: Lucille Liliant
The next chapter will be coming down the pipe sooner rather than later hopefully, it all depends on how much time I have to write.
"Lemme go you big jerk!" Patrick yelled from the other side of the room.
"You started it!" Jerid yelled back as they wrestled with each other.
"GO kid GO! Kick his ass!" Henken yelled cheering on Patrick.
"Don't fail us Jerid!" Bask glared at him. "For the honor of the Titans!"
"I've got fifteen on the new guy!" Dearka called out as pilots began placing bets on the two having the brawl on the other side of the room.
"Should you really let them beat each other up like that?" Emma looked over at Ald.
Why not, its fun not being the one getting beaten to a pulp every chapter for once, and having two annoying punching bags around is fun…
"Sorry I'm late… what did I miss?" Kati entered the room "PATRICK!" she gaped as Jerid practically was doing a dance on his back.
"COLONEL!" Patrick shot up in an instant putting Jerid's head in the ceiling.
"THAT'S BRIGADIER GENERAL!" Kati yelled at him again.
Well, before things get out of hand… see you guys next time…
*WHACK!*
"YOU LET THEM GET THIS FAR DIDN'T YOU!" Kati slugged Ald over the head as she glared at him.
SAVE ME!