Super Robot Taisen S

oooooooooo

Chapter 29 - Prisoner 216

While the Archangel and the Nadesico were on their way after having met and having repelled a Gulfer assault together, a lone transport ship, which seemed to have been customized in order to be battleworth as well, was travelling towards the same destination as the two Earth Union battleships - the Giganos spaceport where the Idaho had been taken. The HOME, a Marseille-III class transport ship that belonged to the Junk Guild, the famous group of junk dealers and techs, was trying to be as incospicuous as possible as they got closer to their target... and at the same time, in the hangars of the ship, a rather strange conversation was taking place between a trio of well-known pilots, and an equally familiar Junk Guild mechanic, who was looking in awe and curiosity at the three machines standing tall, if somewhat banged up, in the HOME's hangars.

"Well... I have to say, you Junk Guild techs were lifesavers here!" Light Newman, the dirty blond pilot of the Dragonar D-3, said evenly as he stared in admiration at the great job that had been done to repair his damaged unit and those of his friends. "I almost didn't dare to hope you guys had the right parts to repair three new Metal Armor models, and instead... here they are, almost as good as new!"

The young Junk Guild tech they were talking to, a jolly-looking young man with spiky brown hair wearing a blue headband and a yellow jacket over a black shirt, along with rather worn-out blue jeans and trainers, chuckled good-naturedly and rubbed the bridge of his nose, obviously proud of his doing. "Hehehee... remember, guys, there is nothing mechanical that your friend Lowe Guele, proud member of the Junk Guild, cannot fix! Just give me the right tools, and I can make your robot look as good as new! Though, I guess I can't hog all the credit, since Yoon did her share of the job too... and personally, I was surprised at the technology that was used to build these... Dragonars, however you call them. I've seen a few Metal Armors before, but these are quite different from any other of them. They all seem to be quite a bit stronger than your average Metal Armor too."

"Let's just say... we kinda ended up having to pilot these babies in order not to get us killed when Giganos and ZAFT had the bright idea to attack our home colony." the pilot of the Dragonar-1, the brown-haired Ken Wakaba, said coolly after rubbing the back of his head. A small pang of anxiety struck him as he remembered that his mom was still missing, but he tried to ignore that - there were things more urgent to do. "We got the keys for starting up these Metal Armors from a dying Giganos agent, and we needed to pilot them in order to escape with our lives when Heliopolis was targetted by Giganos' Mass Driver."

Tapp Oceano, the young boy of color piloting the bulky Dragonar-2, a darkly-colored unit with a air of huge cannons mounted on its shoulder, nodded grimly at that. "And we were doing quite a good job of it too... along with our friend Kira, who ended up piloting a new model of Gundam... until we got ambushed by Giganos and ZAFT while we were resupplying at Artemis. The Archangel, one of the ships we were escaping with, managed to escape... but the ship on which our friends were stationed, Idaho, was captured by the joint ZAFT and Giganos forces, and they were taken to the Giganos base we're heading to right now. I don't know what they are trying to do with them, but it's certainly nothing good. And in fact, we still need to thank you for saving us while we were drifting away after being defeated by those Giganos jerks. Without your help, we might not have lived to see another day."

"Well, well... that's quite a mess you're in, guys... and you've found the right kind of people when it comes to getting out of trouble!" Lowe stated. "I think we can help you, anyway. While we aren't really in great terms with Giganos, the Junk Guild does have a reputation for neutrality, and even though they might look down upon us, they certainly won't refuse to give our ship a brief period of refuge. That will be your clue for infiltrating the base and free your friends... and when you retreat, we will be glad to cover you!"

"You're taking quite a risk here, you know that?" Light stated, looking back at the hot blooded Junk Guild tech. "If word of the fact that you're aiding and abetting a group of infiltrators, the Junk Guild's reputation could suffer a heavy blow."

Lowe just shrugged his shoulders, leaning on the leg of one of the three Dragonar units standing in the HOME's hangar. "Ah, that will be no biggie. You do have to save your friends, don't you? And to be honest, I like the idea of teaching a nice lesson to those Giganos jerks. I've never liked those guys... they think we of the Junk Guild are a bunch of uneducated, ignorant animals just because we're mostly Earthlings. What was it that they called us, again? Oh, right... terrans! Meh... jackasses! The idea of giving them a nice wake-up call and show them what these silly Earthlings can do is just too good to pass up!"

"Y'know, Lowe, old chap... I think you and I are pretty much on the same wavelength when it comes to those Giganos assholes!" Kain stated with a mischievous grin. The Dragonar pilot and the Junk Guild tech fist-bumped each other in a sing of accordance, and both Tapp and Light had to concur that the two of them were so much alike, it was almost scary...

"I think we didn't just hit the jackpot when we met this ship after getting trashed by those imperials... we have even found someone who is an almost perfect carbon copy of our friend Kain here!" Tapp joked, prompting the trio and their new friend to share a chuckle, before a strong yet calm female voice broke them out of their reverie.

"A-hem... While I do appreciate showing of friendship and whatnot, I would like to remind you that we are nearing Giganos space. The space station the Idaho was brought to is a few minutes ahead of us." It was the voice of a tall, mature-looking woman with long, curly reddish-brown hair, polished looking-glasses on the bridge of her nose, and a small beauty mark on the corner of her left eye, wearing a long white coat over a red shirt with matching trousers and brown work shoes, as well as a pair of golden earrings. The captain of the HOME, only known as her nickname of 'The Professor', walked into the hangars, closely followed by a young teenage girl with light brown hair tied in a ponytail, yellow-and-orange work clothes befitting of a mechanic with matching shoes, and a somewhat sleepy expression on her face.

"Oh, Chief! Yoon! We were just waiting for you to tell us that!" Lowe stated, jauntily greeting the HOME's captain and the newest addition to the crew, a young and clumsy girl they had rescued from the wreckage of the Heliopolis colony, and who had quickly shown herself to be just as talented as Lowe when it came to fixing machinery. "And I can see that the repairs we've done on the Dragonars are top-notch!"

"Yep, we need to thank you for the good job you've done!" Kain stated, now talking to the brown-haired girl in yellow named Yoon. "If it wasn't for you, we'd still be sitting ducks in space!"

Yoon smiled timidly, rubbing the back of her head as if the praise she was receiving was somehow embarassing her. "Oh, you know... we really didn't do anything that extraordinary." she stated. "We just... well... took a good look at these Dragonars, and determined the best way to get them up to speed again. We were lucky we had all the materials we needed too."

"C'mon, now, Yoon, you should be proud of the work you've done!" Lowe said, grinning at her and giving her a thumbs-up. "Not everyone can boast about being able to work on a never-seen-before machine within just a few hours of examining it. And I kinda get the feeling that thanks to the job we've pulled off, those Giganos jerks will get one hell of a rude awakening."

"Speaking of which, Kisato just told me that the space station you three kids were looking for is just ahead. You might want to get ready. As soon as we reach the spaceport, you will need to sneak inside without drawing their attention." the Professor went on. "We will obviously try to help you as much as we can, and Lowe's Astray Red Frame is in standby just in case things turn sour, but once inside the main body of the station, you're going to be on your own. Take care not to get caught. I do not think the Giganos will take kindly to people trespassing on their territory."

"If worst comes to worst, I guess we'll be sent in front of a firing squad." Light commented in an incredibly nonchalant manner, causing both Kain and Tapp to widen their eyes in incredulity.

"Hey! You don't have to be so blunt about it, you know?" Tapp exclaimed.

"Relax, it's not like we can back out of it now." Light answered. "We were deep in this as soon as we were caught in the crossfire, so... all we can do for now is try and get out of this alive! Just keep your cool, and everything will be A-Okay. I will use my D-3 hacking equipment to make a nice scan of the place, and I will guide you two to our friends. All you have to do will be to follow my instructions and take care not to get spotted."

"Very well, then... in this case, I guess we'll just have to get ourselves ready!" Yoon exclaimed, getting a bit of confidence. She quickly turned away and began walking towards the main bridge of the HOME... only to hit her face against the wall, which she had absent-mindedly placed herself right next to! Lowe, the Professor and the Dragonar pilots sweatdropped as the clumsy mechanic girl ended up sitting on the floor, rubbing her sore nose in an embarassed manner!

"Owwww... that hurt!" she lamented. "I'm so soooooorry, guys, I always mess things up..."

"Er... no need to be so hard on yourself, Yoon..." Lowe commented, though privately he could understand why his friend would be so lacking in confidence...

oooooooooo

At the helm of the salvage ship, the young Junk Guild trainee Kisato Yamabuki, a cute-looking Natural girl with fiery red hair lightly sweeping upwards at both sides of her head, her face lightly sprayed with freckles, and wearing a black tank top, a purple short-sleeved jacket, and a pair of low-waist jeans with black work shoes, was busy fidgetting with the communications in order to receive the hail signal the Giganos were already sending at the HOME. "Ugh... just wait a second while I get this thing working? Geez, the haste of some people..." she muttered to herself, before finally connecting the right cable and stabilizing the signal. The hardened face of a Giganos officer, wearing the trademark grey uniform with a golden G emblazoned on the front of his hat, greeted the young Natural as she quickly saluted, and Kisato felt the haughty stare of the Giganos soldier as she tried to quickly straighten herself. "HOME to Giganos base, we can hear you now. We are on a retrieval mission for the Junk Guild, and we need to stop at your space station for repairs and resupply. We ask that you let us in for the amount of time necessary to do the job, then we will depart."

The Giganos officer arrogantly stroke his thin black mustache, keeping an arm behind his back and his chest (or better say, his rotund belly) stuck out in a display of superiority. "Hmph. Why should we allow a Junk Guild vessel to stop at our station, when we are in the middle of an important operation?" he stated, not even bothering to hide what most of his companions thought about the Junk Guild, and Earthlings in general. "Need we remind you that, no matter what privileges you might enjoy within the PLANT and the colonies, Giganos Empire has refused to adhere to the same conventions. Therefore, we are not obliged to give shelter to your carrier ship, under any circumstances. And now, if you please, scram. We have more important things to worry about."

Kisato frowned angrily to herself, wishing she could just reach through the screen and punch that fool in the kisser... but luckily for her, a more diplomatic approach came in the form of one of her fellow crewmembers: the crew's spokesperson Liam Garfield, a pleasant-looking Coordinator with long deep-blue hair, stepped up and placed himself beside Kisato, his white coat starkly contrasting with his dark bodysuit and black boots as he calmly levelled a glance of his own at the arrogant Giganos officer.

"Now, now, officer, let us try to discuss things in a civil manner." he stated evenly. "Now, I understand that Giganos has never been interested in exchanging anything with our guild, and we dare not presume to be as important as to be invaluable to your country. However, I would like to remind you that your allies, the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty, does value our services, and would most likely be displeased if one of their allies levelled threats at the Junk Guild or outright refused to give them a temporary haven. That would cause diplomatic tensions you have no use for, am I correct?"

"Wh... What?" the Giganos officer stammered, taken off guard by the sound reasoning. He had been expecting the HOME crew to insist on pretending shelter, but he had found himself completely at a loss as to how to retort to Liam's logic. In the end, after a scent few moments of tension and exchanged glances on both sides, the Giganos officer relented and sighed angrily. "Hmph. Alright then. Hurry up and do your thing, then leave as quickly as you came. You have three hours to do what you need to, so get to it right away."

"Thanks. Three hours will be more than enough." Kisato commented, before adding to herself. "Dumbass."

"However, we still insist on examining your cargo." the Giganos officer insisted. "We will sent some of our soldiers to conduct a thorough inspection of your ship, and report to us if they find anything suspicious. So, do not try to get smart with us, am I clear?"

Kisato shrugged. "Transparent. It would be foolish of you to just allow us on board without checking first." she said. The Giganos officer grunted in disapproval and turned away without even saying a word, and as soon as the conversation ended and the screens shut down, Kisato smirked and gave Liam a thumbs-up. "Thank you for the save, Liam! They feel for it... hook, line and sinker! Heh, and to think the Giganos regard themselves as the chosen people... I guess there was a mistake when the lottery was held, huh?"

"Overconfidence will do that to you." Liam explained with a shrug. "But the hard part comes now... we have to make sure our Dragonar friends are able to get inside the station, and make sure they get inside the station without being intercepted by the Giganos. It's going to be harder than those guys might think...

oooooooooo

As the HOME stopped in the station's spaceport and its hatches slowly opened, a couple of Giganos soldiers carrying the standard weapon, a couple of semi-automatic rifles, stepped on the main ridge, regarding the Professor, Kisato, Liam and a somewhat fearful Yoon with cold appraising gaze. "We have been ordered to check this cargo, in order to ascertain that nothing illegal is introduced to this station." one of them barked coldly. "Take us to the hangar. We need to check the presence of Metal Armors or other weapons on board."

In front of the no-nonsense tone of the Giganos soldiers, the Professor admirably kept her cool and adjusted her glasses, motioning for the two soldiers to follow her. "We have already had an inspection of our cargo earlier, but I guess a second go won't hurt anyone." she stated. "Please, follow me. I will show you to the hangars, and you will be able to see that we have nothing to declare."

Motioning for the other members of the crew to stay calm, and that she had things under control, the Professor guided the two Giganos soldiers towards the door to the hangars of the huge cargo ship and opened them with a remote, before giving thetwo inspectors permission to enter. Slowly and carefully, the two soldiers walked into the darkened hangar and began looking around... only to instantly get clobbered on the head by a pair of blunt objects that fell upon them out of nowhere, knocking them out cold! With barely a grunt of surprise, the two fell to the ground and blacked out... just as Lowe and Kain, each one of them holding an heavy-looking wrench in their hands, grinned and gave each other a thumbs-up!

"Way to go, man!" Lowe congratulated. "Now we've got two KO'd Giganos goons... and two uniforms for you to take!"

"That's right... and with this, it shouldn't be too hard to infiltrate the Giganos base and get to the prisoners!" Kain exclaimed, dragging one of the unconscious soldiers away, right behind the leg of the Dragonar-1, while Tapp did the same with the other. The two Dragonar pilots quickly swapped their uniforms with those of the Giganos soldiers, and after a while, which they spent trying to fit the uniforms to their bodes, they were able to walk away looking quite similar to an actual Giganos soldier. In a brief moment of vanity, Tapp couldn't help but glance proudly at how the uniform seemed to be perfectly fit for him.

"Boy, I sure wish the Earth Union military had uniforms this comfortable!" Tapp stated. "The suits we use are so stuffy..."

"I think you'd better enjoy it while you can, because you won't get the chance to wear it for long." Light advised him. "Now, everybody, I'll get into the cockpit of the Dragonar-3 and tell you how to get to the Idaho. It should be rather easy to find it, and the prisoners... Linda and Rose included... shouldn't be too far away from there! You two be careful, and try not to run into a patrol while you're out there."

"In any case, I and the rest of the crew will be on the lookout if things go wrong." Lowe stated. "My Astray Red Frame is already prepped and read to take off as soon as it's needed."

Both Kain and Tapp gave a mock salute... just as a small communication device on Tapp's belt went off, slightly vibrating and emitting a faint, yet high-pitched sound. After being startled for a short while, the young boy of color quickly understood that it was a call from the space station's higher-ups in order to check how the inspection was doing, and he quickly cleared his voice as he grabbed the device and answered.

"Patrol 7? Patrol 7 this is HQ, do you copy?" the gruff voice of a Giganos officer said on the other side of the call. Tapp took a small breath and tried to modulate his voice so that he would sound older than he actually was, all in order to throw off the caller.

"Patrol 7 here. We hear you loud and clear." he answered, hoping he was being convincing. "We have thoroughly checked the cargo, and we have found nothing worthy of note. The Junk Guild personnel have given their word that they will leave as soon as possible, so we need not worry about them."

"Fine. If that is the case, then go back to your duties. Just check that those terrans actually leave when they are supposed to." the officer concluded, before ending the conversation, not even allowing Tapp a chance to answer back. The young boy sighed in relief before turning to Kain, and winking in understanding.

"Well, Tapp... let it never be said that you aren't a born actor!" Kain stated with a grin. "Those Giganos idiots fell for it completely!"

"Yeah... but I guess it's time for us to split, before the Giganos begin suspecting something might be wrong." The taller boy answered. "Let's go for it and get to Rose and the others!"

"Hehehee... don't think I didn't catch on on how you said Rose's name in particular!" Kain ribbed him on. Tapp chuckled nervously, trying to hide the blush on his face as Light chuckled, thinking to himself that those two would never change after all... For his part, Lowe was a little confused on the matter, but decided he would wait until the whole deal was resolved before asking questions...

ooooooooooo

In the deeper parts of the Giganos base, a large group of soldiers was listening to the speech a commander was making... the same officer who had "greeted" the crew of the HOME as they had reached the station, a fat, overlarge, arrogant-looking man in a white uniform, with an hat covering his balding head, and a thin moustache giving his rough face some parvence of dignity, who was now standing at a low desk, in front of a large audience. The sound of clapping and cheering went on for a while, before the commander raised one hand, motioning for the rest of the soldiers to be quiet.

"Faithful Giganos soldiers!" he began emphatically. "It is with great pride and satisfaction that I stand before you right now! As representatives of the new order, it is our duty to spread peace and prosperity throughout the universe, and the enlightened hand of our beloved leader, Marshall Guiltorre, is about to seize Earth!"

He paused, as if to better allow the concept to sink in the minds of his underlings... and as if on cue, a red draping behind him fell, revealing a large picture of Giganos Empire's supreme leader, Marshall Iskandar Guiltorre, with his greying hair and elegant uniform, his hawkish eyes staring severely at the viewer. As if on cue, the Giganos soldiers all did a military salute, raising their right hands in front of themselves, and repeating the supreme leader's name.

"Guiltorre! Guiltorre! Guiltorre!" the soldiers chanted for a while, before their commander spoke up again.

"Just look at what has happened! Your brave companions have sacrificed their lives, like avenging angels out to spread the new order in this chaos-plagued world... and along with our allies, Neo Zeon and ZAFT, we are quickly and surely bringing down the old, corrupt regime of the Earth Union! The day of reckoning is getting closer and closer! Our knowledge has brought the light of salvation to the terrans, saving them from the darkness and guiding them to newest frontiers! And what did the terrans do to repay us for our kindness and generosity? In their ignorance, in their stupidity, those monkeys have mistaken our noble goals and our greatness for wickedness and lust for power! And what is this, if not an irrefutable proof of our superiority? Just look at what the terrans are doing right now! They have fallen prey to chaos, sinking into the quagmire of corruption and decadence, unable to seize the hand we are so generously extended towards them! But we will not have our fate denied by those inferior beings! As the next step in human evolution, it is both our right and our duty, along with those who have embraced the revolution we bring forth, to seize the Earth for ourselves, in order to guide the ignorant masses, and ensure that the future of mankind is a bright one, under one single banner... the banner of the Lunar Empire of Giganos!"

Again, the soldiers broke out into an enthusiastic applause, praising their leader's speech and feeling energized and ready to take on the Earth Union army once again. The commander stroked his moustache and smiled a smug, self-satisfied grin, knowing that victory was safely in the grasp of the Giganos / ZAFT / Neo Zeon triumvirate. The Idaho was in their hands, and soon, the Dragonar units would follow suit... there was nothing in the galaxy who could stop the rise of the Lunar Empire of Giganos, or at least, that's what every Giganos soldier around there was convinced of...

oooooooooo

"Ugh... you're telling me this is what he had to say? What bullshit..."

Someone was not quite as enthusiastic about the commander's speech, anyway... especially a certain arrogant white-haired redcoat of the Le Crueset team. Yzak Joule, along with his teammates, was listening to the speech from a private room in the space station, in which the five ZAFT cadets were staying as part of another strategy from their commander. All five of them had been given standing orders to disembark at the Giganos base, bringing their Gundams with them (in Shiho's case, her CGUE Deep Arms), and stand ready to intervene as soon as the Archangel showed up. It was quite obvious to everyone there that the legged ship, as the Archangel was commonly known among the ZAFT military forces, would soon show up to try and retake the Idaho, as well as to look for the Dragonar units... and this was obviously Giganos' and ZAFT's best chance to capture the Archangel as well as the Strike Gundam. With all G-Weapons safely on their side, the Giganos / ZAFT / Neo Zeon alliance could safely say that the mission would be accomplished in its entirety.

Unfortunately for the five redcoats, that also meant having to endure that pompous idiot's speeches from a live transmission in their quarters, and the reactions among the members of the Le Crueset team were quite varied. While Athrun remained calm and unfazed, possibly even apathetic, Shiho was just staring around in a bored way, Dearka had a mocking smile on his face, Yzak was visibly pissed and annoyed, while Nicol just sighed and rubbed his forehead. "It's just because we're expecting the legged ship to show up sooner or later that I'm staying here... if it was just for me, I certainly wouldn't stay here listening to this idiot flapping his gums!"

"I wouldn't put it so bluntly... but yeah, staying here to listen to this rhetoric isn't exactly high on my list of priorities." Dearka commented snarkily. "Still, I guess this is just a small price to pay for our chance to even the score with the legged ship. I'm sure you're itching for another chance to take on the Strike, aren't you, Yzak?"

The impulsive white-haired redcoat smirked cockily. "You can say that, yeah." he stated, causing Athrun to frown in anxiety. He was hoping to get another shot at the Strike Gundam himself, but in his case, his motives were as far as they could be from a matter of personal pride...

"You are still with the legged ship, aren't you, Kira?" Athrun thought to himself. He took a deep breath and steadied himself, trying to get ready for either convincing Kira... or fighting him to the bitter end. "Things weren't supposed to be this way... why can't you understand that those people are just using you, and will turn on you as soon as they won't need you anymore? We are Coordinators, we are supposed to stick together..."

"Speaking of which..." Athrun spoke up, trying to distract himself from such depressing thoughts. "Is Captain Meio Plato up to date with the recent movements of the legged ship? I dare presume he is to assist us in case we were attacked."

"That would be the case, in fact..." Shiho answered, taking a look at a small map of the space station which she kept with herself. "However, as of now, he's personally supervising the handling of the crew of the Idaho, the cargo ship we have captured. The Dragonars weren't on board, but it seems there is someone on that ship that Captain Plato wants to meet."

"I just hope Captain Plato is careful with what he's doing." Nicol commented. "We cannot afford to divide our attention now that we are closer than ever to our goal. Though I can understand it might be a matter of great importance to Captain Plato himself."

Athrun nodded, before sighing and looking at the steel-grey ceiling in a pensive way, as if staring at the cold, hard metal could give him an idea on how to solve the situation with Kira...

oooooooooo

For his part, the Giganos ace Meio Plato, aka the Blue Hawk of Giganos, had his own problems. The crew of the Idaho, under the harsh scrutiny of several soldiers, were being forced to march in a dimly lit corridor, each of them having a small plate pinned on their clothes, upon which a 3-digit number had been written as some sort of crude ID. Meio Plato was sitting in a cabin above the corridor, from which he was able to take a careful look at each prisoner as they walked by... and he seemed to be intent of finding someone or something, to the confusion of the grunt who was with him at the moment, sitting beside him.

"I do no mean to disrespect you, Captain Plato. But almost all members of the Idaho crew are civilians, as you can plainly see." the soldier stated as soon as another group had gone through the examination. "I do not think they might know anything about the Dragonars or their whereabouts."

"That will be for me to decide, soldier." Meio stated laconically. "Send in another group."

Not willing to discuss a superior's orders, the grunt shrugged and placed his mouth close to a microphone. "Of course, sir. My apologies. Send in the prisoners from number 211 to 220 for examination."

Meio nodded and looked carefully at the images on his screen, hoping that the person he was looking for was among this group...

oooooooooo

In the hangars of the Idaho, a large number of the ship's crew, each of them disarmed and signed with a numbered plate, were waiting for the time of their examination to arrive, several armed Giganos soldiers close to them. The atmosphere was heavy with fear and suspect, and the fact that the Giganos soldiers refused to even speak with them, limiting themselves to shoving them or barking orders when they wanted something done, was certainly not helping. Among this group of prisoners, there were the two girls who had befriended Kain, Tapp and Light during their time on the Idaho, the vivacious brunette Rose and the seemingly frosty blonde Linda, along with Sgt. Diana Lance, all three of whom were admirably keeping their cool in spite of the situation they were in.

"I don't understand..." Rose said, after having checked to be out of any soldier's earshot. "What is the point of having us go through this examination? What do they hope to gain by that?"

"It almost sounds like they are looking for someone." Linda stated. "Perhaps they are convinced that Kain and the others are still with us, and they want to find them. I don't know what they want to do with them, but it surely won't be anything good."

"The important thing is never to lose hope, girls..." Diana started to say, before a soldier relayed the orders given by his superiors.

"Enough of idle chit-chat!" he barked. "Numbers from 211 to 220 are to follow us, so get ready for examination!"

Linda took a look at the plates she, Rose and Diana were wearing, and saw that their numbers were, respectively, 216, 214 and 215, so they quickly stood up and placed themselves in line along with the other prisoners of their group. As soon as all were accounted for, the ten prisoners were sent to walk along the usual corridor, with Rose giving a dirty look at the cabin standing above them and sticking her tongue out at whoever was watching them...

oooooooooo

Meio's steely countenance did not waver as he regarded the newest batch of prisoners with a cold, appraising eye... at least, not until he set his eyes upon Linda, the prisoner bearing the 216 number. As soon as he saw her standing in the corridor under the bright lights, regarding her captors with dignity, the Blue Hawk's expression faltered for a short while. It was just for a couple seconds, but it was enough for the Giganos soldier who was with him to notice. It was very much unlike Captain Plato to look surprised...

"Er... is anything the matter, Captain Plato?" he asked.

Meio's stoic expression quickly returned. "I would like to personally interrogate prisoner number 216. Have her separated from the rest of the group and bring her to my personal quarters." he ordered.

The grunt took a good look at the prisoner in question. "Prisoner 216, you say?" he stated, before allowing himself a small, knowing smile. That girl was pretty cute, and the soldier was not surprised that his superior wanted some time alone with her... "Of course, sir. I will have her brought to you... right away."

Rightly suspecting what his underling was thinking, Meio quickly rebuked him. "You are not to draw conclusions." he stated matter-of-factly, causing his underling to grow flustered and quickly get his mind out of the gutter.

"Er... yes, sir! I apologize... separate prisoner 216 from the rest of the group!"

oooooooooo

"Prisoner 216, walk forward. All the rest of the prisoners, proceed forward!"

This order, given without a moment of hesitation by a Giganos soldier, took the group of Idaho crewmembers by surprise, and Linda herself widened her eyes in shock as one of the soldiers approached her and grabbed her by the elbow, prompting her to walk away from the line of hostages. "What?" Rose exclaimed, trying to come to Linda's defence, but being quickly stopped by another Giganos grunt. "What's the meaning of this? What do you want with Linda?"

"Haven't you heard? I said that prisoner 216 is to come with us! The rest must proceed as indicated!" the enemy soldier who had spoken first declared.

"We would like to remind you that there are international rules on how to handle POWs!" Diana exclaimed, though it did not look like the Giganos soldiers really cared about such things as international laws. The situation seemed to be about to escalate, when Linda regained her bearings and stepped forward, accepting to go along with what had been ordered.

"Fine. I'll come with you." she stated. Two Giganos soldiers, nodding in satisfaction, quickly placed themselves at her sides in order to escort her out, while Rose tried to intervene.

"Wait... wait a moment, Linda! Are you sure?" the brunette asked in worry.

Linda smiled gently at her. "It is better to go along with what they want for now. Don't worry about me, Rose... I'll handle myself. They won't try to hurt me, since they seemed to be specifically looking for me." she reassured, before taking on a more steely countenance and glare back at the Giganos soldiers. "I'm ready. Take me to your superior."

"Linda..." Diana murmured to herself, placing a hand on the distraught Rose's shoulder. "In that case, good luck. We'll pray for your safety."

"That will be enough. Thank you very much!" Linda concluded, turning to her two friends with a smile, before she was dragged away by the soldiers...

oooooooooo

"Okay guys... all you have to do now is take a right, and you'll get close to the hangars where the Idaho is being kept." Light said through the D-3's communicator, as Kain and Tapp skillfully made their way through the corridors and the passages of the space station. "You need to be careful, though. Surveillance is heavier around there. Find the prisoners and rescue them, then we will need to get our butts out of here."

"Alright, Light! What would we do without you and your guidance?" Kain said with a chuckle. "Wait for me, Linda, I'm coming! I'll get you out of this place!"

The two boys were about to proceed, when Tapp motoned for Kain to wait and duck behind what looked like a low wall, while at the same time pointing to a construction not too far away from them. Curious to know what was the big deal about that, Kain followed his friend's indication and turned his eyes towards a window on the building, through which a familiar figure could be seen: a tall man wearing the uniform of an high-ranking Giganos officer, with short and neatly combed beige hair who was staring out of the window, an icy expression on his face.

"Hey, what the..." Kain stated. "Hey, isn't that guy the Blue Hawk bastard we faced when we were escaping to Artemis? The same one who trashed our Dragonars back then?"

"That's him alright! We seem to have stumbled upon his personal quarters by pure chance!" Tapp answered. "We need to stay hidden, or we can kiss our chances of freeing our friends goodbye!"

The two Dragonar pilots ducked low behind the wall, peeking out just enough to see what Meio was doing, but not enough for the Giganos ace to be able to see them... and after a whole minute of waiting, during which Meio did not move an inch from his place, they managed to see someone else entering the room in which Meio was. From his position, Kain was able to see a Giganos soldier escorting a young blonde girl into the room... and as soon as the young man was able to mae out a light blue shirt with a long skirt and a ponytail, he widened his eyes in realization!

"Linda!" he said out loud, before impulsively trying to stand up and run to her... but luckily, Tapp grabbed him by the shoulder and motioned for him to stay hidden nd not give away their presence. "Ow! Hey, Tapp, what's the big deal?"

"The plan is not to get discovered now, wise guy!" the boy of color reminded Kain. "I know you are worried about her, but let's just wait and see for now! We don't want to have every Giganos in this place after our asses, do we?"

Kain grumbled something under his breath, but understood that Tapp was right, and went back to hiding. He could see the Giganos soldier walking away after saluting his superior, and that Linda and Meio had been left alone in the room...

oooooooooo

As son as she was left alone with the Giganos captain in the richly furnished room, complete with an exquisite painting of the Giganos supreme leader Iskandar Guiltorre hanging by a wall, Linda was seized by a strange feeling of dread, and took a step backwards, the heels of her shoes making no noise as they sunk into the precious red carpet covering the floor... and a split second later, the beige-haired man began turning to her, a hint of a warm smile on his otherwise cold face.

"It has been a long time, Linda." Meio started. "I can see you are doing well."

Linda grit her teeth as her fears were realized. "Brother..." she murmured, glaring angrily at Meio as he walked to her.

"I have been looking for you. Why have you run away from Giganos?" he asked in sincere concern. Linda turned her head away from him, not even dignifying him with a response, and Meio sighed in what Linda was not sure if it was anger or pity. "So... I can see that, even after all this time, your resentment towards me still burns strong."

"And I will keep it that way." Linda answered back in anger. "I cannot forgive you, and I cannot forget what you have done."

Meio's tone quickly grew sterner. "It will be better for everyone if you forgot instead!" he said unhesitatingly. "The remembrance of past negative events clouds judgement, and prevents people from moving forward. You are still a child at heart, sister... you think justice is on the side of those who suffer."

"Should I not care for those less fortunate than me?" Linda asked the man who was just now revealed to be her brother.

"Humans need high ideals in order to realize their true potential." Meio went on. "And it is an unfortunate truth that some must suffer from these ideals to be realized."

Linda turned away again. "Is it because of these so-called ideals that you are helping Giganos Empire and their allies? I don't want to listen to these excuses!" she exclaimed. "If you really care, do one thing for me instead. Free all those who were captured along with me."

Meio sighed and looked at the floor. "That will be imposible. At the very best, I will be able to obtain a secial permisson for you, but as for the others..." he stated, his voice growing a little softer.

"What do you mean?" Linda asked in alarm. "What will be of the others?"

The Giganos captain walked towards the window once again. "There will be a selection. Destiny pushes humanity to claim their rightful place among the stars, and Giganos Empire's duty is to help humanity realize their true potential." he coldly explained. "But unfortunately, not all terrans are worthy of joining us in this mission. We will separate the chosen ones from the unworthy, and those who will be chosen will be allowed to live in Giganos territory as citizens of the Empire."

"And what about those you deem... unworthy?" Linda demanded to know.

Meio narrowed his gaze as he stared back at his younger sister. "They will be sent to work as slaves in the lunar mines."

The girl felt a spike of anger at this uncaring answer. "Is that the righteous ideal you speak of? Last time I checked, it was called racism!" she fired back. "Our father did the right thing when he tried to escape to Earth with the Dragonars!"

"Our father was a foolish man!" Meio answered, growing angry at the mention.

"I will not allow yoy to speak this way about him!" Linda exclaimed, getting teary-eyed at the memory. "Should I remind you that you are the one who murdered him?"

Meio shook his head. "Now, why are you accusing me of something I did not do?" he demanded. "You know better than I do that our father poisoned himself when Giganos discovered his betrayal."

"I know that!" the blonde girl shot back. "And it was you who brought him to do that, by exposing him to your beloved Guiltorre!"

"Hmph..." the Giganos ace frowned. "Our father was opposing Giganos' righteous mission. As far as I'm concerned, he got what he deserved."

Shocked into silence, Linda could do nothing but glance towards the floor and clench her hands into fists... but Meio was not finished, and he calmly walked towards her, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder. "All I ask of you, Linda, is to stay here for a while." he started again, now more calm than before. "I am sure that, in time, you will be able to understand what Giganos is doing, and perhaps, even come to realize that we are doing this for the good of humanity as a whole."

Linda glanced up, and was about to give him another tongue lashing... when she caught a glimpse of two familiar figures on the other side of the window, barely peeking out of a wall... a messy-haired Japanese boy, and another guy his same age with short black hair and colored skin, both wearing the standard Giganos uniform, but still readily recognizable! A feeling of hope washed over her as she recognized Kain and Tapp...

oooooooooo

As for Kain, who was able to see what Meio and Linda were doing, but not to hear their words, he was about to march towards the Giganos captain and deck him in the face, if not for Tapp holding him!

"What is he trying to do with her? Perverted bastard..." Kain exclaimed. "If he tries to seduce her again, secrecy be damned, I'm going up there and punching him in the teeth so help me!"

"Hey, hey! Now, lover-boy, give it a rest, okay? We still need to find the Idaho, remember?" Tapp answered. "Though I'm sure Linda could help us with that..."

As soon as Linda glanced out of the window, both boys peeked out of their hiding place and gave her a thumbs-up, before slipping away just in time...

oooooooooo

Linda expertly hid her relief at seeing Kain and Tapp alive... and at the fact that, when Meio turned to the window to see what was going on, the two Dragonar pilos were already gone. In order to distract Meio from any possible suspects he might have had, the girl cleared her voice and answered to his earlier question. "I suppose... I will think about it." she stated, causing Meio to smile in relief.

"You do not knowhow much that means to me, sister..." he started to say, before his communication device rang, and he answered with a slightly annoyed expresson. "Yes, Captain Meio Plato speaking. I am in the middle of interrogating the prisoner, so I hope you are calling me for a good reason."

Linda heard a garbled, unintelligible voice speak from the other side of the communication, and saw her brother nod coldly for a while, before he sighed in resignation. "Alright then... looks like those Neo Zeon fools cannot do a decent job capturing a bunch of children. I will come now, just wait for me."

With that, Meio hung up and turned to his sister with an apologetic glance. "I am afraid we will need to discuss about this later, sister." he stated. "Other matters require my presence. Oyr Neo Zeon allies are having trouble with a new Gundam model that has been delivered to the Argama crew recently. Please, feel free to stay here in my room, and do not hesitate to ask for whatever you might require."

"Thank you, brother. I do not think I will require anything, though..." she answered, before Meio gave her a nod and walked out of the room, leaving her alone. Linda sighed in relief and sat down on a nearby couch, trying to think of a way to get through to Kain and Tapp...

oooooooooo

Unbeknowst to any of the impromptu rescue party, two battleships were getting closer to the Giganos base... the Archangel and the Nadesico were approaching their target, and the pilots were getting ready to depart, each one of them sitting in their cockpit and mentally preparing themselves for the battle to come...

"Alright, girls, get ready!" Ryoko advised her wingmates Hikaru and Izumi. "These Giganos clowns are asking for trouble, and we plan on obliging, right?"

"I'm ready and willing!" Hikaru exclaimed cheerfully. "Those Giganos goons are done!"

Izumi smiled mischievously. "Waiter, I'd like my Giganos well done, please." she muttered, before giggling to herself and drawing an exasperated sigh out of her green-haired team leader.

"Ugh... and here I was hoping we could get through this without having to hear your stupid jokes, Izumi..." Ryoko grumbled. "Meh. Hey, Tenkawa! Yamada! You two, don't go around charging head-on, am I clear? If you step out of the Nadesico's range and run your Aestivalis dry, I'm not taking any responsability!"

"Fine, fine... and it's Daigouji! Gai Daigouji!" Gai exclaimed. "Hey, Tenkawa! Are you fired up? Can you feel your blood running hot?"

Sitting in his pink Aestivalis' cockpit, Akito nodded grimly. "In order to protect what we care about, we have no choice but to fight... therefore, I will fight!"

"As soon as we are out, we'll follow Ryoko and Banjou's lead. First off, we need to get as close as possible to the Giganos base without getting discovered." Fiona stated from her Excellence-S' cockpit. "After that, we need to provide enough of a distraction for our guys to get inside, rescue the hostages and take the Idaho back. That's the plan, right?"

"Exactly." was Banjou's answer. "We will move out as soon as the enemy catches a glimpse of us. We need to maximize surprise, as we are about to assail a very well-defended place. Be careful, everyone."

As for the pilots of the Archangel, Kira, Mwu, Ginga and Hokuto were in their cockpits already, and listening to the directives given to them by Natarle and Murrue...

"Okay, that's the plan. As soon as we get in the proximities of the Giganos base, the Moebius Zero and the Strike Gundam will move out and attempt to reach the hangars in which the Idaho was taken." Natarle advised. "For this endeavor, the Strike will use the Aile Striker Pack, allowing for greater speed and maneuvrability. Dendoh will run interference with Unicorn Drill, and intercept as many enemy Metal Armors as possible."

"We can expect some of the other G-Weapons, or even all of them, to be around as well." Murrue added. "Therefore, be on your guard and try not to overdo it. And aboutthat, Kira... should you run into the Aegis, you are allowed to use nonlethal attacks, of course."

"Thank you, Ms. Murrue." Kira answered, thankful to the brunette acting captain for understanding his position. Mwu nodded with a small smile, tightly grabbing the controls of his Moebius Zero.

"Alright, kid, we'll need to be careful on this one." the blond lieutenant told his young friend. "We have no idea what the Giganos have in store for us. We'll have support from the Nadesico, of course, but we still need not to get cocky. Good luck out there!"

"Likewise!" Kira answered, getting ready for what was probably going to be another confrontation with Athrun and his Aegis Gundam. Ginga and Hokuto, both sitting in their cockpits in Dendoh, nodded in assent and got ready to sortie as well. Their allies were out there, imprisoned in that Giganos base... and they needed their help as soon as possible!

The new confrontation with Giganos Empire was at hand...

oooooooooo

TO BE CONTINUED...