Chapter 11
RedRat8- He probably will. Unbalanced emotions can be quite a trouble in the battlefield. Leads to mistakes.
Awareness Bringer- Thank you. Yeah, I never agreed her reasons in canon. If the Zeon soldiers spotted Amuro's uniform, they'll either take him away or kill him on the spot, as well as dooming the camp as the Zeons will think its just a Federation cover up for military actions. So, even if he didn't attack, they'll all be screwed either way.
The Killer7- Yeah, eventually, I'll add more plot divergence to the story that'll hopefully stray from canon later on. And no, the pilots are just two grunts sent to test out the Gouf and Dom lines before the mass production versions arrive in the military's hands. Another thing is that the reason they didn't attack sooner is because the pilots were struggling to avoid the mobile suits and to get in their own.
Refugee camp
Chan was busy holding Hayato's hand while the doctor was tending to Scott. Though he would make it, the doctor said he'll be out of it for a couple of days as a result of the severe blow to the head he received. Chan considered it fortunate that Hayato wasn't as badly hurt because they couldn't afford to stay here very long on account of the refugees and their antics.
"Are you feeling better, Hayato?" Asked Chan as she gave him some water. He just nodded as he drank some. Once he finished, he spoke.
"Yeah. My head still hurts a bit, but I'm fine for the most part." He then held his bandaged head, hoping that he won't have a concussion after this. Chan smiled in relief.
"Thank god." She then put the water bottle away. "I was so worried when you got hit in the head." Hayato just smiled, ignoring the slight pain he felt when he did.
"Don't worry. It'll take a lot more than a simple hit to the head to bring me down. Just wish that I was out there with the others." Chan just shook her head at that.
"You wouldn't have been able to pilot a mobile suit with your head injury, Hayato. Trust me. Its best for everyone that you rest here until the White Base can pick us up." Hayato just nodded before looking at the various peoples around them and Stratton. Most have been minding their own business, tending to other wounded, but some had spared a dark glance at them. Hayato knew the reason for it. While he was recovering, Chan explained to him that some anti-spacenoids were the ones that attacked them. Kai and Amuro drove them off before they could do any serious damage to all of them. She also told him that, though the two pilots drove them off, Kai was sure they come back and finish what they started. Which was why Stratton was here. To protect them should they try anything.
"Alright, I guess you're right. Just hope that they're be coming soon. I don't think we can stay here for very long." Chan just nodded, hoping that the White Base will hurry and pick them up before someone tries anything stupid to them.
"Do you need anything else?" Hayato just shook his head. He didn't need anything right now. "Alright. I'll just get some water for myself. I'll be right back." With that, she left to go find some water. Upon a water fountain with some cups near it, she took a cup and began to fill it up with some water. As she did so, she looked to see Amuro's mother coming toward her. Narrowing her eyes upon seeing the woman, Chan left in a hurry, her cup only half full. Upon seeing this, Kamaria looked down on the ground in sadness.
"Its what you deserve, Kamaria, don't expect anything else." Thought the woman as she filled a water bottle up for a patient. As the bottle began to fill up, Kamaria thought back to when she last spoke to her son. The more she delved on the subject, the more she felt disgusted for herself and for what she said to her son. Her son, having been caught in this pointless war for independence, needed comfort from his last living parent. And, for a time, she gave it to him, believing him to be that little boy she helped raised during his infancy. But then she said some harmful words to him just because he was saving his friends, through the only way that he had at the time that could have saved them all. When she saw him use a gun at someone, she was shocked beyond belief that her little boy had hurt someone. When she saw him fire, it was if he was a completely different person to her, one that had seen so much during his time in the military as a teenage soldier. He was nothing like the sweet boy she helped raised, who wouldn't even hurt a fly back during his time on Earth.
"Maybe that's why he's changed. His mother wasn't around to help him be a gentler person." Kamaria then shook her head when she processed that thought. "No, that's not it. It's something completely different. Tem was a good man and he would have treated his son with respect. A bit distance than I would like, but he loved him nonetheless. No…it's the war. It's the war that caused him to become this way." It was then that she knew what truly happened to her son. He was thrust into a war when he was only fifteen years old. An age where he should only be concerned with school grades and finding a girl to hopefully settle down with. It wasn't a time when a person should worry about dying on the battlefield or if he'll be able to see his family again. Nor an age when a person should…kill another who had a family. But her son was in that life now. And, if her last conversation was any indication, he was about to embark on another battlefield where more people will die. Just imagining her son out there killing more people made her sick, but also sad as she knew that he had to choose between either letting a soldier die or let them go, thus risking his friends on whatever ship he was on to die just because he let one solder go. Seeing such a scenario play in her head made her understand her son's motives. She then replayed it with that young boy with black hair, one of his friends, her son, and a Zeon soldier.
The Zeon soldier had a gun aimed at his friend, who was too busy with something to notice, and Amuro had a clear shot at the soldier. He had a choice. Either he let the soldier go, thus letting his friend die and maybe him, or kill his, thus saving his friend and himself from retaliation. Knowing how much he lost at Side 7, Kamaria knew the answer that Amuro would take. He'll kill the soldier he didn't know to save his friend.
"And why wouldn't he? He lost his home in Side 7 and lost his father there. He witnessed so many neighbors lose their lives to the Zeons and his friends lost their homes to them as well. Why wouldn't he try and save his friend when he had the power to do so?" Kamaria thought, now beginning to feel more shame with her actions. As she was wallowing in her sorrows, Kamaria overheard two men whispering to each other about the spacenoids in the room. Knowing that only Amuro's friends were the only spacenoids in the shack, she began to listen in, knowing that wasn't anything good, especially with what happened some time ago.
"Those damn spacenoids. They shot Carl and Jenkins. Now Wallace has to work overtime to keep the generators up and running." Said one man to his associate, who nodded in agreement.
"Well, it can't be helped. They did attack them, after all." The 2nd man received a glare when he said that.
"They were trying to stop them from sabotaging the supplies. Didn't you hear that?" The 2nd man tried to defend himself.
"Well, yeah, but Scott was with them. And he's been here since this refugee camp started. I doubt he would have let them anywhere near the supplies if that was their intent. He's been a good judge of character."
"Yeah, but only to people from Earth. Not to spacenoids. They got all weird powers or what not." The 2nd man just rolled his eyes at that, knowing where he got that information from. "They could have brainwashed him or something. Carl must have seen this and so got a bunch of guys to teach them a lesson." Upon hearing that, the 2nd guy just looked at him in shock.
"I don't know man, we should just leave them alone. I hate them spacenoids too, but we need to think about the camp. I help with getting clean water from the lake nearby, man." The first man just sighed.
"Alright, just wanted to let you know. But I'm going to teach them a lesson, alright. Just don't tell anyone that's friendly with them, got it?" The 2nd man just nodded before the two got up and left the shack. Unbeknownst to them, Kamaria had listened to their conversation. Tightening her hold around the water bottle, she tried to calm herself down over what she heard to no avail.
"Why can't people just let go of their hatred for spacenoids?" Thought Kamaria. "Hasn't there been enough violence today?" Knowing that Amuro's friends are in danger again, Kamaria went over to where they were, knowing that they hated her. But she didn't care. She deserved their disgust and hatred. But that didn't mean she can let them get hurt or killed just because people don't understand what actually happened or rather couldn't let their hatred go. As she approached them, she was suddenly stopped by a man, who stood firmly before her path, preventing her from going anywhere near her son's friends. Given his protection of them, she guessed he was part of the ship Amuro was on, likely there to prevent anyone from trying and hurting the wounded boy.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but my associates would like to avoid any contact with you." Said Stratton as he stood in front of Kamaria. Much as he wanted to have a neutral tone, Stratton let a small amount of disproval he had for the woman slip into his tone. When he heard what happened while he was gone, Stratton had a low opinion of Kamaria. He couldn't believe she would say something so insensitive to her own son just because he was defending his friends. He used violence, sure, but it was the only way to save Chan and Hayato in time before they could receive any serious injuries. Not only that, she basically disowned him when she yelled out to him that she was ashamed to have him as a son. Kamaria just shook her head before looking over the man's shoulders, seeing the neutral looks she got from the two teenagers. They looked neutral, but their eyes showed distaste and rage. Moving past that, Kamaria spoke to them.
"I'm sorry for disturbing you. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, nor do I care about ever getting it, but you need to listen to me." Kamaria said. "I overheard a conversation between two men. They were talking about your incident and one of them was upset over it. He planned to do something to you in order to get revenge for what happened." Upon hearing that, Stratton just sighed.
"Is he planning to bring some of his friends or like-minded people?" Asked Stratton. They really didn't need something like this right now.
"I don't know, but it's likely he'll bring some help." Said Kamaria. "I don't know when, so I recommend you to contact your ship and tell them to pick you up immediately." Stratton just swore before he went away to contact the ship, but not too far away that he can't keep an eye on Chan and Hayato. As he contacted the ship, the two teens just looked at Kamaria with suspicion and mistrust. After a moment of silent staring, Chan spoke up.
"Why are you helping us, miss?" Asked Chan. "If you're trying to make amends with your son, then you should do it with him and not us." Kamaria just sighed.
"I know." Said Kamaria. "But that doesn't mean I'll allow his friends and innocent people be hurt just because others can't let their hatred go." She then adopted a sad expression. "Besides, my little boy doesn't want anything to do with me now. And its all my fault." The two teens just looked at each other, shocked to see that Kamaria was like this. Once a minute passed, Chan went over to Kamaria and spoke to her.
"Why did you say such cruel things to your son, ma'am?" Asked Chan, deciding to give her a 2nd chance as Kamaria seemed to genuinely regret her actions. "Ever since Side 7, he's been wanting to see you and reconnect with you again. To be like a family again. But when you two did meet, you just scolded him for protecting us and disowned him for doing his job. Why?" Kamaria just closed her eyes before taking a seat adjacent to them with Chan sitting down in front of her. Hayato just looked at Kamaria from his bed.
"To be honest, I still saw him as that little boy that I helped raised back on Earth. Back then, he was so full of life and innocents. So curious of the world and all its wonders. He wouldn't have hurt a fly even back then. He would have just looked at it with the innocents of a child and let it fly away." She adopted a small sad smile as she remembered her child from a time before the war, but that soon went away as she remembered the present. "And I guess I still saw him as that innocent boy when we reunited with each other. Just older. So, when he fired his weapon at those men, I didn't see the boy I raised. Just another soldier that kills." She then began to tear up. "And so, I treated him like a stranger. A stranger that kills people that have families and friends back in wherever their home is and has no qualms with leaving orphans or widowers." She let the tears fall. "And you saw the results of that. He hates me and he's probably hurt right now." As the tears fall, Chan and Hayato just looked at each other, not knowing what to say. After a few minutes, Kamaria got control of herself and looked at them. After some hesitance, Chan just took Kamaria's hand and began to squeeze it. She then spoke with a neutral expression.
"Miss Ray, I can't speak for my friend," She tilted her head toward Hayato. "Or Amuro, but I believe you. That doesn't mean I forgive you for what you did yet, but I'm willing to give you a chance to redeem yourself." Hayato nodded, agreeing with Chan. He believed that everyone deserved a shot at redemption, no matter how cruelly they treated others. Kamaria looked shocked at that but just nodded.
"Thank you. I don't know what to say, other then I'll help you both with getting out of here alive and safe." Chan just nodded at that.
"That's all that we require right now." She then let go. "You should go, there are people that need your help." Kamaria just nodded before leaving, feeling somewhat better. Once she was gone, Hayato spoke.
"You think we should ask Amuro to see her again? I mean, from what you told me, they didn't leave on good terms. But, shouldn't we encourage them to speak one last time?" Chan just bit her lip, recalling Amuro's stiff body when Kamaria told him she was ashamed to call him her son. She wasn't an expert on psychology, but she knew that what Kamaria said hurt Amuro more than whatever weapon Zeon can throw at him. She knew that Amuro wouldn't like to her again soon after that, if at all. The wound was just too new for any meaningful meeting to have a good impact on either son or mother.
"I don't know, Hayato. It seems too soon for them to meet each other again. She practically disowned him with what she said." Hayato just nodded.
"I know. But if this lingers on, this might affect Amuro's performance in battle. And we both know we need our pilots to be at their very best if we all want to get out of this alive." He then sighed. "I don't like it, but we should encourage Amuro to see her one last time. To try and resolve this." Chan just looked to the ground, worried if another meeting between them will end badly. Amuro deserved better and didn't need another meeting with his mother that could potentially end with him being even more upset. Sighing to herself, Chan wondered on what to do.
Meanwhile
Zeon base
"Wow!" Yelled Kai as the Guncannon dodged a slash from the Zaku lookalike. He retaliated with a shot from the shoulder guns of the Guncannon, only for the thing to dodge and try and attack Kai again with its sword. "Damnit. Amuro, this guy keeps coming after me! Can't you give me yours!" Instead of Amuro answering, Vega responded.
"Negative. This new mobile suit is far too fast for you deal with." Said Vega as both Amuro and him were trying to get a lock on the new mobile suit, which was moving too fast for them to do so. "I'm trying to compensate for his speed right now. We'll try and help after we deal with this one."
"Damnit." Yelled Kai before firing against at his opponent, careful to not destroy the base as they needed the supplies, which forced the mobile suit to back off and try a new tactic. Upon seeing a truck near it, the mobile suit grabbed it and threw it at the Guncannon. Surprised at this, the Guncannon received a truck to the face, disorienting the main cameras a bit. Upon recovering, Kai saw the mobile suit moving toward him at a much faster speed than a normal Zaku. He tried to fire back, but the mobile suit jumped out of the way and slashed at one of the Guncannon's shoulder cannons, making it useless. Gritting his teeth, Kai opened fire with the Vulcans directly at the main camera. Unfortunately, the mobile suit dodged and slammed his sword into the Guncannon's face as a result. Upon seeing this, Amuro yelled out.
"Kai!" He was about to go help when the other mobile suit, seeing the opportunity, fired a rocket from its bazooka. Vega, upon detecting the incoming rocket, raised the shield. Once the rocket impacted on the shield, however, it destroyed it, making it useless. Tossing the shield away, Amuro, realizing that the other mobile suit needed to be taken out, fired the beam rifle at it, but the mobile suit just moved out of the way and used the last of its ammo to force the Gundam to move out of the way. With the bazooka now out of ammo, the mobile tossed it toward the Gundam, which swatted the weapon away, and pulled out a saber-like weapon. The weapon then heated up, revealing it to be a heat sword. It then charged at the Gundam, using its speed to get close. Amuro tried to fight back with the beam rifle and Vulcans, but the mobile suit managed to dodge both forms of attacks thanks to its speed. Even with Vega helping, the mobile suit got close enough to slash the Gundam's free arm, damaging it. Seeing that they'll lose the arm if they don't do something, Amuro raised one of the Gundam's legs and managed to hit it in the waist. It didn't do much, but it did jar the pilot a bit for Vega to head but the mobile suit that was followed up with a Vulcan barrage, destroying the camera. Shocked that the enemy mobile suit recovered so quickly, the new mobile suit stepped back in shock. Seeing his chance, Amuro raised his beam rifle and aimed at the cockpit and was about to open fire when he remembered his mother's words.
"Just like with those men, you don't care about anyone that you label as an enemy to you or your friends. Don't you care about the families of the soldiers you'll kill soon? Don't you care about them?" His mother's words echoed in his mind. Even though he was trying to ignore his mother's words, he still felt sadness and shame upon hearing those words. It made him hesitant and prevented him from firing the beam rifle. Vega, who should have fired it if the pilot was unable to, was shocked to see that Amuro didn't fire. Before he could take command, the mobile pilot recovered and grabbed his sword again. Pulling it out, he then slashed at the damaged arm again, this time severing it. This caused Vega to use the Gundam's thruster to jump out of the way. Now out of harm's way, Vega spoke to Amuro.
"Amuro, we lost the Gundam's left arm! What do we do now!?" Upon hearing that, Amuro shook his head and focused on the mission.
"Damn. I got to forget about my mom and her words. Its all in the past and I need to fight in order to survive." Thought Amuro as he took command of the Gundam again. Now limited in his options, Amuro decided to just use the beam rifle. "Vega, we're going to fire a couple of shots as a diversion of the killing blow. I'll fire four at the mobile suit then you deal the killing blow."
"Understood. Ready to engage." Nodding his head, Amuro aimed the beam rifle at the enemy mobile suit. As he free fall into the ground, he fired three shots at the mobile suit, who dodged two with ease before being nearly hit by the third. When Amuro fired his fourth shot, the mobile suit had to jump into the air to avoid the shot, leaving him open for Vega, who fired the beam rifle again. The fifth shot managed pierce right the mobile suit's chest, causing it to blow up. Debris fell everywhere into the base, causing some damage. Sighing in relief that the plan worked, Amuro piloted the Gundam back into the ground.
"Alright, now we have to focus on saving Kai." As the Gundam was about to land, they were suddenly tackled from behind, causing them to crash-land onto the ground hard. Recovering quickly, Amuro saw that it was the other mobile suit that caused them to crash. Seeing it caused Amuro's heart to stop. Did it manage to kill Kai? Once that thought processed through Amuro's mind, at first, he felt nothing. He was too shocked to respond properly. Kai, the sarcastic, cynical member of the White Base, was dead. Shocked then turned to anger as Amuro yelled out in rage. Completely forgetting his mother's words, Amuro threw the beam rifle away, it was useless at this close range anyway, before punching the mobile suit in the face. Disoriented, but not letting up, the other mobile suit responded with a knee to the Gundam's stomach before grabbing its sword and thrusting it into the Gundam's head, taking out the main camera along with the Vulcan guns. Too enraged to care, Amuro grabbed a beam saber and slash the mobile suit's head off. Not deterred by this, the mobile suit aimed its sword at the Gundam's stomach and was about to impale it when suddenly it jerked. Confused, Amuro watched as the mobile suit suddenly went slack and fell on the Gundam.
"What the." Mumbled Amuro as the adrenaline left his systems. He soon got his answer when the Guncannon came into view, a long pole of metal in its hands, which was stuck on the mobile suit's back. Upon seeing the Guncannon, Amuro sighed in relief, happy that Kai was alright. "You okay Kai?"
"I guess you could say that." Kai said as he pushed the new mobile suit off of the Gundam. Once it was standing up, Amuro saw just how damaged the Guncannon was and grimaced. The Guncannon was missing its right arm, half of its face, and one of its shoulder cannons. What really concerned Amuro though, was the hole near the Guncannon's cockpit, obviously from the mobile suit's sword.
"How was your fight with that mobile suit?" Asked Amuro as Vega radioed White Base that the base is now secure.
"Like hell." Kai then scratched his head. "After that thing took my suit's head off, I tackled it to the ground. We struggled a bit until that thing slammed its sword into the chest. Must have thought I was dead after that because that thing just went after you next." He then sighed. "I was lucky. If that guy aimed his sword a bit lower, I'll be dead right now." Amuro just nodded in agreement as the two watched the White Base and Medea transport landing down.
"We better make this quick, Chan and the others need a pickup soon and I rather not have them stay in that camp any more than they have to." Kai just nodded as the crews of both ships began to scavenge the base for supplies.
"Hope they haven't run into any trouble." Kai whispered as the two piloted their mobile suits into the White Base's hangers.
Meanwhile
Refugee camp
Chan was patiently waiting for transport to arrive along with everyone else. Stratton was keeping an eye on every single one of the refugees, not trusting any of them. Hayato, meanwhile, was drinking a glass of water but also helping out Stratton with look out. As she waited, Chan looked at Amuro's mother, who was busy helping out with wounded refugees. She was still conflicted on what to think of the woman. On one hand, she was so cruel towards her son when he was so anxious to see her again as well needing her support. But on the other, she seemed to genuinely regret her actions and wanted to make amends. She was also conflicted on whether to tell Amuro to give his mother on another chance. There was a possibility that, should she do that, Amuro, due to being emotional from his mother's words, will snap at her, thus putting a strain on their friendship. They'll make up in time, they'll have to in order to survive this way, but she rather not has that in the first place. But then again…having them meet again may help resolve Amuro's family issues. It might also help him be at peace somewhat, knowing that his mother didn't hate him at all. Sighing to herself, she pondered on what to do. As she was, however, Stratton gently tapped her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Stratton eyeing a bunch of men. They had small hammers with them. Sighing in irritation, Chan got ready for another confrontation.
"Why can't these people stop with their hatred towards spacenoids?" Thought Chan as the men got closer to them. Seeing them get closer, Stratton confronted them. When there was only a couple of inches separating the men, Stratton spoke.
"I hope you folks aren't doing what I'm thinking you're doing." Said Stratton, eyeing their hammers. "Because, if you are, then you should be ashamed of yourselves. Attacking people at a field hospital while innocents are in it." The men just glared at him.
"They'll get over it." Said a man, most likely the ringleader. "We're doing this for them, after all." Stratton just shook his head at that.
"If you truly want to do something for these people, then do something more productive than hurt some teenagers." He waved to Chan and Hayato as he said this. Despite this, the men just glared at him.
"It's because of their kind that they're all in this state." The leader then pointed to a young boy. "He lost his parents to a Zeon missile attack." He then pointed to an old lady. "And she has a bum leg from shrapnel. And I lost my son when a Zaku fired at our house!" The other men grumbled in agreement. "None of that wouldn't have happen if the Zeons have just submitted to Federation authority. Or if the Federation had just surrendered back during the Antarctic negotiations."
"So, you blame both sides for your losses." He then sighed. "Look, you all have the right to be upset, even angry against the Federation and the Principality of Zeon for all the hardships that war was brought you. But that doesn't mean you can all take it out on these two teenagers. They both lost people in the war as well." He pointed to Hayato. "He lost his parents during a Zeon attack at Side 7," He then pointed at Chan. ", and she lost her home at Side 5 when the Zeons completely destroyed the Side. Point is, we all lost something. Both Earthnoids and Spacenoids alike." A few of the men looked at each other, agreeing with Stratton. "And both will continue to lose something until this war is over. So, let's not add more grief and hatred towards people that don't deserve it." Though it looked like a few agreed with the soldier and wanted to stand down, the others weren't so inclined. The leader just shook his head.
"You don't get it. Don't act so high and mighty when you never lost someone close to you or seen a child die right in front of you." The leader then started to shake in anger as he remembered the events that occurred while the Zeon and Federation forces fought in the region. As the man shook, Stratton took a step back and put a hand on his sidearm, seeing the possibility that this could get ugly. Before the man could do something rash, Kamaria stepped in.
"Enough, all of you!" Yelled Kamaria putting herself between the men. Seeing Kamaria before them, the men stood down. Once she was certain that she had their attention, she spoke. "This soldier is right. You're free to hate and dwell on the past actions of others. But you shouldn't take your rage on those that have suffered as much as you, if not more. So please, just leave these people alone. They'll be gone soon anyway." A few men looked hesitant, wondering what to do, when the leader stepped up.
"Listen, ma'am, you didn't suffer as we did, or these people did." He glared at Kamaria, but she stood her ground. "You don't understand their hatred toward Zeons or any other spacenoids for all the suffering they caused them. They're all waiting for a chance to place that hatred and anger away on something and what better way than on the people that caused them all this suffering in the first place." Kamaria just snorted in disgust.
"If that's the way you think, then you're no better than the Zeons, if not worse." Upon hearing that, the man glared in anger at her and was about to strike her when Stratton brought out his gun. It was aimed at anyone, but the message was clear. "You're all hurting, I can see that, but you're placing all that hurt and grief onto innocent people that don't deserve it. Would you be willing to place all that on children, elderly, or even newborns?" The men just looked at each other, suddenly feeling ill about this, but Kamaria didn't stop. "If you can look me into the eye and say that you will, then I won't let say anymore except for one thing. If you bring harm to these children, then you'll have to do the same to me." Upon hearing that, Chan, Hayato, Stratton, the men, and several onlookers looked at her in shock. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "That's right. You heard me. Hurt these children and I'll throw myself into the fray. I don't care if I get hurt or even killed by doing so. In my mind, it'll be recompense for what I did to my little boy." She then glared up at the leader. "So, what's it going to be? Will, you hurt a volunteer of this refugee camp to settle your grudge against spacenoids? Or will you do the responsible thing and leave these people alone?" The man just glared at Kamaria for a good long while, hatred in his eyes. He then took a look at Chan, Hayato, and the other refugees, before sighing in resignation.
"They better be long gone soon or else." With that, the leader backed off and left with his goons. With them gone, Kamaria let out a sigh of relief.
"That was a mighty brave thing you did, ma'am." Said Stratton as he looked at Kamaria. "What caused this, may I ask? From what I hear, you didn't treat your son or his friends with much respect." Kamaria simply chuckled sadly.
"Just trying to make amends. After all, they didn't deserve my earlier actions." With that, she left to go attend other refugees. As she left, Chan looked at her retreating form, now knowing her decision.
Later
White Base
"You want me to what?" Asked Amuro as he looked at Chan in disbelief. The girl sighed before speaking.
"I know she hurt you, Amuro, I really do, but you need to speak to her one last time. She genuinely feels regret for her actions and she wants to make amends for it. Give her a chance." Amuro just shook his head.
"No way. Not after what she said." Chan just sighed again.
"He truly is stubborn." She thought before speaking. "I know those words hurt you, more than anything the Zeons could do to you, but you may not know it, she's hurting too. She hates herself for what she said, and she knows she permanently put a strain on your relationship. Yet despite knowing that you'll probably not forgive her for what she said, she put herself in potential danger by sticking out for us." Amuro just looked at the ground. When he heard about what happened while he was gone, he was so shocked and angry that the refugees tried to attack them again. It made him want to go back and beat them all up, but he restrained himself. What shocked him, however, was that Chan and Hayato told him that his mother stood up for them, even saying that she won't care if she died to protect them. Despite that, Amuro still wasn't willing to go meet her again. "Don't you think she deserves a little talk with you for that?" Amuro just sighed.
"I…don't know if I can meet her again, Chan. Its just that, I don't feel like I'm ready to see her again." Chan looked at him in sympathy before taking his hand.
"Hey, it's okay. I get it. You're afraid it'll just be another bad meeting. But if you let that fear overcome your desire to meet your mom again, then you'll always have a bad last meeting with her and you'll never reconcile with her. If it'll make you feel better, I can come with you." Amuro just shook his head at that.
"No thanks. That won't be necessary." Amuro then looked beyond her, where his mother was waiting next to a car. Due to the refugee camp being surrounded by forest, they had to drive somewhere where there was enough flat surface for the White Base to land. Upon seeing his mother's figure, Amuro went into thought. He truly wanted to meet her again, he really did, but he couldn't get himself to do it. Why? Because he was afraid that it'll just end in another argument that'll end with her saying more cruel words to him and he rather not have another session like that. But on the other, he wanted a better last meeting with her, even if it'll end on a sour note, and he wanted to thank her for standing up to his friends. As he added more reasons to both sides, Chan squeezed his hand.
"If you want any advice, I'm here for you as well as Vega and the rest of the crew." Amuro nodded at that, knowing that she was right. The problem was that they needed to leave soon and Bright wouldn't like it if Amuro went around asking people what he should do with his mother. Deciding to make it quick, he looked at Chan.
"Tell me, what should I do? What's your opinion on the matter and what would you do if you're in my position?" She just sighed before putting some thought into it. After a few minutes, she gave him her answer.
"If my mother said such cruel things to me, I would probably bury myself in work and be as far away from her as possible. And if she wanted to make amends with me, I would give her the chance to do so. I mean, after all, she is my mother and it feels wrong to hate her for something that can be amended, right?" Amuro just nodded. "I wouldn't try and ignore her for long, anyway. No matter how much I refuse to admit it, those cruel words would come to haunt me. I mean, here this woman that gave birth to me and raised me for most of my life and she just said some cruel words that shatter my opinion of her. Yet, despite having the right to hate her, I feel awful and want to make her proud. Maybe its some human instinct, but if I saw a chance to reconcile with her, I'll take it. Because I know that those words will come to haunt me for the rest of my life. I feel like it's the same situation for you. If you don't attempt to make amends with her, it'll haunt you for the rest of your life." Amuro just stared at Chan as he processed these words. Once they did, he nodded his head.
"Thanks for the advice Chan, I appreciate it." With that, he hugged her and went off to go meet his mother. As she watched his retreating form, she didn't notice Bright coming up to her.
"Is everything alright with him?" Asked Bright, looking at Amuro going to his mother.
"He just needs some time with his mother, sir. He'll be fine, I assure you." Bright just nodded, hoping that she was right. As he approached his mother, Amuro felt a sense of dread building up inside him. He tried his best to ignore it, but it kept building as he approached her. It reached its peak when the two were face-to-face. The silence between the two was almost unbearable, but Amuro kept his cool and stoically looked at his mother. After a few moments passed, Kamaria sighed before bringing out his old wooden doll. Amuro, surprised to see it, grabbed it from Kamaria with care. As he inspected the doll, his mother spoke.
"You left this behind when you went into battle. I thought that you may want it back as it was yours, after all." Amuro nodded as he held the doll. After putting it in his pocket, he looked at his mother.
"I heard what you did for my friends, mom. I appreciate it." She just nodded at that.
"It's the least I can do for them. They didn't deserve any of the treatment those men gave them. They're suffering too much already." The two looked at each other in the eye for several moments before Kamaria spoke again. "Amuro, I know I hurt you so much when I said those awful words to you. I don't deserve your forgiveness, nor will I ask for it. All I can do now is to accept that you've moved on from your family and that you're a grown man now." Amuro just stayed silent as he watched his mother say these words, knowing what she was saying was genuine. As he realized that his mother truly regretted her words, the sense of dread left him and was replaced with relief…and a sense of calm that Amuro couldn't describe. Whatever it was, he felt at peace that his mother didn't truly hate him. Wanting to say something to his mother to end this on a positive note, Amuro spoke to her.
"Mom, while I'm still angry with what you said," Kamaria just nodded her head, understanding his pain. "I still want you in my life. But that won't be possible right now. I have a duty to this ship." He looked at the White Base. "And it's crew. They need me to help survive. But maybe after this war is over, I'll come visit." Kamaria, though shocked to hear that, just let out a small smile.
"That'll be nice Amuro. But don't come back from this war for me. Do it for your friends. They'll be devastated if you died in this war."
"We can agree on that." Amuro said. "Alright, I promise to come back from this war alive and to see you again. I want to…start over mom. To forget what happened a few hours ago." His mother just nodded her head at that, agreeing with him.
"I would too." She then saw a young man approaching them, likely his superior. When he stood side by side with Amuro, he addressed them both.
"You must be his mother, right?" Kamaria just nodded. "I'm lieutenant Bright Noa, I'm your son's superior officer. While I don't know the full story of what happened between you two, I would like to say that you should be proud of your son. He saved many lives with his actions. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. To repay him, I'll make sure that he'll come back from this war alive. I promise you that."
"See that you do, please." Bright just nodded before looking at Amuro.
"We need to leave soon. Say your goodbyes and make it memorable." Amuro just nodded. When Bright left, he addressed his mother.
"This is goodbye mother. I promise to come back alive and to see you again." Kamaria just nodded in acknowledgment. He then saluted her and left. As he walked away, Kamaria yelled out.
"Good luck, Amuro. Remember to give it your all when you're out there." Amuro turned around and nodded his head before taking off. A few minutes later, the White Base began to take off. As it did, Kamaria looked at the ship with tears. Despite being relieved that there may be a chance to reconcile with her son, she knew the chances of him surviving the war was slim. At least, surviving as the man he is now.
Later
The Bridge
"Alright, Mirai set a course for Odessa. That's where the Federation wants us to go." Mirai just nodded as she plotted a course for Odessa. As the ship made its trek to Odessa, Bright recalled what happened after the battle at the Zeon base.
Apparently, Matilda had came along with supplies meant for the White Base. Her original plan was to just meet up with the White Base for a resupply run, but after she learned about the Zeon base, she decided to do a raid, both to relieve local Federation forces and to get supplies for said forces. Now, though, she was transporting the surviving Zeon mobile suit to Jaburo and whatever supplies survived the battle to a local Federation base. The new mobile suits were a cause of alarm and she had to take the surviving unit for analyst. Once the resupply was done, she left, but not before telling them their new orders.
She told Bright, who was promoted to Lieutenant Junior as a result of his actions against the Zeon forces, that the White Base was to head to Odessa to meet up with Revil and his forces for a planned attack on the mining facilities there. She also told him about a theory surrounding newtype, something he already knew. The question he had, though, was why she told him.
"Is the theory actually true? Could spacenoids evolve to the point that they're physics?" Thought Bright as he pondered on the matter. "If that's the case, are the Zeons weaponizing these Newtypes?"
A few days later
The Moon
Granada Base
"Are you sure?" Asked Kycilia Zabi, commander of Zeon's mobile suit forces, as she read a report from the forces on Odessa. "The Federation is mobilizing against our mining operations on Odessa?"
"Yes, ma'am. Multiple divisions and battalions are moving towards Odessa. It more than likely they'll attempt to seize it." She just scoffed at that.
"Of course, they'll attempt it, you fool. Odessa is the only thing worth a damn in the region." She then looked at the man who delivered her the message. "Send additional forces to reinforce Odessa, we can't allow the mining operations there to fall." The man just nodded before saluting and leaving. Once he was gone, Kycilia activated her intercom. "Send him in." With that, she waited until the man she wanted to see was here. "Char, welcome to Granada. I hope your visit is comfortable." The Red Comet just looked at her.
"Its been tolerable." Said Char, wondering why he was here, though he had a guess to what it was. "I'm wondering, though, on why you contacted me. I've been suspended from military service by Dozle for my failure to protect Garma."
"I know." Said Kycilia. "And it's a shame too. You're one of our best pilots. Dozle was a fool to relieve you just because you failed to protect Garma. After all, you tried your best, didn't you?" Char just nodded. "Good, I'll cut to the chase, Char. I'm reinstating you back into the military, under my command." Char just looked at her in surprise.
"Dozle wouldn't mind this, ma'am? He'll be furious to hear that I'm back in the service." Kycilia just smirked at that.
"He'll get over it, especially when he figures out that we need as many pilots as we can get, especially with what the Federation is creating." She then brought out a file. "As you know, the Federation has already developed their mobile suits and have made strides in the research of artificial intelligence. And you know, first hand how deadly both were in the battlefield." Char just nodded, recalling his fights with the enemy mobile suits, especially the white one. He wouldn't deny that his pride was hurt because of that mobile suit and he would like another chance to fight it again and defeat it. 'But what you don't know, is that the Federation is already making strides in mass producing both." She then gave him the file. While he read it, she continued. "My informants within the Federation military has told me much about the Federation's plans. They're planning on mass production of both a new mobile suit line and a new AI combat system, similar to the drones of the twenty-first century, but more independent thinking." Char just grimaced as he thought of a fully mechanized force of automated mobile suits. The thought terrified him as, with the power of the Federation manufacturing capabilities, the Federation could just steamroll them with sheer numbers and not care about a PR nightmare.
"So, what's our plan for that?" Asked Char as he gave the file back to Kycilia. She just smirked when he asked that question.
"To defeat the Federation, we need our own ace in the hole. Something that the late Zeon Zum Deikun came up with." Char just looked at her, now understanding what she's saying.
"You want to weaponize Newtypes? To make some army of super soldiers."
"In a sense," Kycilia said. "I won't lie, Char, we can't win against the Federation in the stand-up brawl, especially if these plans of theirs comes to fruition. We need something that'll shift the tide to our favor and I believe that the Newtype is the key."
"But, ma'am, there hasn't been a confirmed Newtype since mankind went into the stars. I'm afraid that it was a simple myth." Kycilia just smirked again.
"That's where your wrong, Char. In fact," She then brought out another file. "Your one yourself." Shocked to hear that, he couldn't respond when Kycilia showed him a report from the Flanagan Institute. A report that showed that he had Newtype potential along with several others. "Not only have you've been monitored, but your protégé was as well." Upon hearing that, Char tensed up, knowing who she was referring too.
"So Lalah is a Newtype as well?" Kycilia just nodded.
"The most likely candidate to be a Newtype, yes." Kycilia then lowered her face mask. "The Flanagan Institute believes that her abilities can be used for a powerful new kind of weapon. One that can give us an edge over the Federation. So, I approved of them using her as a test subject for some experiments." Upon hearing that, Char tensed up and clenched his fists. Lalah being used as a test subject? If they're going to hurt her, he'll…
"Not to worry, Char, I've given strict orders that she isn't to be harmed." Said Kycilia upon seeing him tense up. "It wouldn't do if she got hurt or even killed from those experiments, I assure you." Upon hearing that, Char relaxed a bit but was still angry with the idea that Lalah was being used as a lab rat. "I see you care deeply for her, Char. Care to explain why?" Char just gave her a poker face and spoke.
"Quite simply, she's my protégé. And as her teacher, it's my duty to keep her safe." Kycilia just nodded in understanding.
"Admirable and understandable. Rest assured, Char, if she was hurt in any way shape or form, I'll personally order the deaths of whoever hurt her." She then sighed. "We're getting off track. The reason I called you here is simple. Char, I want you to go to the Flanagan Institute and go for Newtype testing. If your truly a Newtype, then its best for you to awaken your abilities as soon as possible. Before the Federation turns the tide of the war." Char just starred at Kycilia. Just as he hated to admit it, she was right. If the Federation won, he won't get a chance to kill the Zabi family and his father's dream of independent spacenoids will be gone. And a new age of Federation tyranny will be born, but this time with a mechanical army. Sighing to himself, he knew what he had to do.
"Will I see Lalah during this?" Kycilia just nodded.
"Of course. I think its best for you to see each other. After all, it may calm both of you down." Char just nodded in agreement, relieved and happy he gets to see Lalah again. Its been a while since he'd seen her and he'd like to get another chance to see her before the war ends.
"So, after these tests, will I be reinstated in the military?"
"Yes," Kycilia said with a nod. "You'll have your same rank and I'll assign you to somewhere your most needed."
"Alright, I understand. Is that all?" Kycilia nodded and told him to leave. As he was leaving, Char let out a smirk.
"Looks like I get another chance to get my vengeance against the Zabis." Thought Char. "Good thing too, I was starting to think I won't get another chance to do so." With that, he let Granada a relatively satisfied man. As his shuttle left the moon base, he thought about the white mobile suit and its pilot. "Looks like we'll be meeting again, whoever you are. I hope the next time we meet, your skills as a pilot have improved, otherwise, it won't be satisfying to finally beat you."
