TWENTY
WIND OF CHANGE
Author's Note: 1000 hits! Whoo-hoo!
Thank you for all the guys that have been reading and enjoying this tale so far. I really appreciate the support. I'd like to know what you think of this story this far. Too slow? Too fast? Too much talk, not enough action? Too much action, not enough plot? Leave me some reviews so I know where to improve.
Review Corner:
randomcat23: I guess Saskia's obsession had gotten the best of her. Foolish, I know, but every one of us had done something against our best judgment. We're just humans, and to be human is to err. She'll learn her lesson, though.
New Helic City,
Helic Republic, Delpoi Continent,
Planet Zi,
October 23, ZAC 2121
Getting granted of the use of the Gojulas Giga fleet initially boosted the morale of Helic Republic zoid teams. Who didn't want to pilot Gojulas Giga? Fast, agile, powerful, armed to the teeth, it was the pinnacle of Helic Republic zoid technology, and was destined to succeed the aging Gojulas as the backbone of Helic Military.
But it had been 2 months since the President and the Senate allowed the use of Gojulas Giga fleet, and not a single Gojulas Giga had been assigned to any units. Nobody had even seen the massive zoids. The anticipation slowly turned to aggravation, and some unit commanders started to question what was happening.
"Now tell me if I'm wrong," a colonel made an obscene gesture as he propped his feet on the table. "How many Gojulas Giga do we actually have? General Krauser was granted permission to use it, but we never see them. My unit still has to fight the Guardian Force with crappy zoids. I'm loosing men like leaves in autumn!"
"A lot of bureaucracy comes into play," Diavel replied in Krauser's defense. "You just can't get the Gojulas Giga days after the plan is agreed. A lot of paperworks have to be signed and filed. After all, the Gojulas Giga is not a toy. It's a weapon platform, a very dangerous and lethal weapon platform. Care must be taken so the units do not fall into wrong hands."
"It's been two months, ferrcrhissake! How hard is it to file paperworks?"
"And who determines who's getting Gojulas Giga and who's not?" another one spoke up. "We represent the bulk of Helic Army, but none of us has gotten any Gojulas Giga. Isn't that bothering you, Diavel, that you're not getting what you're promised?"
Now Major Diavel wasn't really interested in Gojulas Giga. He had his own squadron, equipped with the best and fastest aerial zoids available in Helic arsenal. His most elite warriors rode Storm Sworder FX, the fastest zoids in the whole world. And while his Salamander was a far cry from Gojulas Giga in terms of strength, durability, and firepower, it could go where the Gojulas Giga couldn't. It could fly. That was all Diavel ever cared.
Nevertheless, he wanted to see the Gojulas Giga in action. He wanted this conflict to end. Krauser promised him that if the Gojulas Giga fleet was in play, the conflict would end shortly. But where were the Gojulas Giga? No ground unit had ever received them. Diavel understood that Gojulas Giga would turn the tide of the conflict to Helic's way, but the zoids themselves wouldn't win the war. The harmony between the pilot and the zoid would be the key to success, and that would need time, adjustment, countless exercise, and understanding of each other. That would need growing pains.
"I have my own unit, thank you," Diavel scoffed. "I'm an aerial zoid pilot. I have no need for Gojulas Giga."
"We're not talking about the zoids," yet another officer sniggered. "We're talking about the promise. The promise Krauser gave us that this conflict would've ended if he had control of the Gojulas Giga. Well, he did have control of Gojulas Giga. The President and the Senate gave it to him. But does he have the Gojulas Giga? That is the question."
"Are you accusing the President and the Senate are having a foul play?" Diavel cringed.
"I'm not accusing anybody anything. I'm merely stating the obvious."
"That's probably a good point," the first colonel dropped his feet and sat straight. "The President and the Senate never agreed about Gojulas Giga. Only because Krauser pressured them that they agreed, and if Aspencade didn't fall, they still wouldn't have budged. But they wouldn't let us get the zoids easily. They hide behind idiotic bureaucracy to keep us from having what we should have long time ago."
"You know this for a fact?" Diavel said curtly.
"Nobody here knows anything for a fact," the colonel hissed. "If there is somebody that knows something for a fact, that's you, Diavel. You're like Krauser's treasured pet that would do anything for a treat. Or a promotion, for that matter."
That last comment was jabbed at his closeness to Krauser, and that was uncalled for.
"We're not here to discuss how I got my position or how I got close to the chain of command, but if you want to know, I worked hard for everything I earned," Diavel let out a beastly growl, letting the colonel know that he did not take his comment lightly. "If General Krauser fancies me more than you, then you need to start looking at your career potholes before all is too late!"
"Tone yourself down, Major!" another colonel stood up and barked. "Don't forget you're talking to a ranking officer!"
"With all due respect, Sirs," Diavel boldly turned around and faced the other colonel. "My rank, my position, and my loyalty to the Helic Republic are not to be questioned! General Krauser uses me and my unit a lot because we are a solid, dependable unit. It was a team effort, not what I do to please General Krauser. I never receive preferential treatment that I do not deserve, so do not put this Gojulas Giga problem on me!"
"Do you know where they are, Diavel?" somebody else spoke up. "Do you know who's taking them?"
"No, Sir, I don't!"
"Somebody should!"
"That's not me! I am a CO of Air Division! I do not need Gojulas Giga!"
"Gentlemen, I believe we are talking to the wrong person," somebody tried to bring sanity to the heated debate. "The only one that can answer these questions is General Krauser. So let's pipe down and have some drinks. We're not going to solve anything with hot heads. We'll talk again when we're cooled down."
"I'll drink to that!" the rude colonel sat back down and ordered more drinks, as if the conversation never happened.
Some went back to their regular chat, others left. Diavel was the only one who felt dejected. He was the one that would never get Gojulas Giga no matter what, but he felt like he was the one that bore the responsibility of the late delivery of the high-performanced zoids. Sometimes people could not tell the difference between two separate things if they had just one thing in common. And it made him feel mad.
But deep down he realized that the hostility evolved from the frustration. Whatever Krauser was planning, he was destroying the morale of his own troops. As a soldier of the Helic Republic, Diavel bore the responsibility to make it right, and unfortunately the only one way to do it was the way he hated the most.
One would believe that after granted full access to the Gojulas Giga fleet, General Krauser would spend more time in the field training his officers and most elite warriors to exploit the Gojulas Giga for best use in the battlefield. What happened was the exact opposite to everybody's expectation. Krauser buried himself in his office, and the only time he came out was to talk to his favorite aide, Major Diavel.
Diavel could have waited until Krauser summoned him, but this time he didn't. He felt an overwhelming urge to set things right with Krauser, not only to appease his own curiosity, but also to calm down the rest of the armed force who began to question Krauser's strategy.
As soon as he arrived at Krauser's office, he knocked on the door.
"I told you not to come here when I'm working, Diavel," Krauser's voice reverberated from the intercom. "I will summon you when I need you."
"Sir, there is a dire situation we need to discuss," Diavel replied.
"Can it wait?"
"I'm afraid we do not have that luxury, Sir. If you wait, the damage may be irrepairable."
A minute passed without much action, then the door slid open. Diavel entered the chamber and snapped a quick salute to his superior, and was amazed at the chaos inside Krauser's room. One corner was cluttered with blueprints of Aspencade Fortress – or the reconstructed version thereof – while another corner was piled up with maps of Delpoi Continent. The center of the room was lit by a holographic image of the Gojulas Giga with twin Republic Supercannons attached to its back, a variant highly resembled the fearsome Gojulas Mariner.
"So what is it that you want to discuss?" Krauser snorted as he turned off the hologram projector.
"There have been a lot of questions about the whereabouts of the Gojulas Giga," Diavel reported. "We were granted access to them, but no ground units have received any of them. Some units have become jittery about it."
"What do they think the Gojulas Giga is? A toy?" Krauser mumbled.
"No, but you don't understand. They're coming at me with swords and guns blazing, asking why they hadn't seen any of the Giga's. One more week and they will crucify me."
"We're not ready."
"Sir, the morale is breaking," Diavel said, half pleading. "If we keep them in this situation for too long, Helic fighting units will be fighting us. We have to control this situation before they lose faith in us."
"Isn't it your job, Diavel?" Krauser turned his back at him. "We're on the situation room together. You know as much as I know how we are going to win this war. Tell them what you know without telling them too much about what you know. You're a Major and the Commanding Officer of the Air Division, Diavel. You know how to lie to support soldier's morale."
"I can do it if I know all the facts, Sir."
"And what facts are those?"
"Where are the Gojulas Giga?"
Diavel knew this question would flare the general, but he didn't expect it to be extreme. Krauser turned around and lanced Diavel with his fiery stare. "Do you have a problem with me running my army, Major?" he roared, his breath hot on Diavel's face.
"No, Sir…"
"Do you want to see the Gojulas Giga? Then find me something to shoot at! Find me the location of Guardian Force main base, or its main army, and I will bring the Giga fleet straight to the heart of the Guardian Force fortress! Do your job, and I will do mine!"
And suddenly, everything became Diavel's responsibility.
"Now get out of my office!"
Diavel hated to think that Krauser had another agenda, but the general's behavior forced him to think that way. Why was he going this route? Why not just distribute the Gojulas Giga to Helic fighting units rather than keep them in the brink of mutiny? What secrets was Krauser holding? The questions lingered on his head long after he begrudgingly left Krauser's office.