Disclaimer: Check Chapter 1, Kazuma and Kumiko Sasaski belong to SPARTAN-251.
Song of the Storm Wolf
By Storm Wolf77415
Ghost of Junius
"We've almost assembled all the Kusanagi's modules, I thank everyone for their vigilance," Kisaka said to the tight circle of mobile suits acting as sentries while the ship pulled itself together.
"Captain, vessel approaching, It's the Izumo, Lady Sahaku has come to escort us to Ame No Mihashira."
"Lady Sahaku?" Sebastian asked.
"Yes." Kisaka began, "The head lady of the Sahaku family. After Lord Koto's death, both his son and daughter are now heads of the family, but Rondo Ghina is the true head." he stated.
"This is OSS Izumo, calling Kusanagi and Archangel, Lady Rondo Mina Sahaku speaking, do you read?" a smooth female voice spoke over the radio.
"Loud and clear, Lady Sahaku, this is Lord Sebastian Connor, but can you tell me quickly, did the Amatarasu and the rest of the convoy make it safely?" Sebastian asked, worried about Cecelia and the rest of his children.
"We have assured that they arrived, Lord Connor, including your daughter and the rest of the orphans. They will be staying at the station until we get Orb back, or the war ends," she informed him. "Your little one says, 'please come back soon, Daddy, we want another story'"
This caused everyone to laugh slightly, and relax.
"Thank you…I can rest easy now," Sebastian said.
"Understood, We will wait until the module assembly is complete, and move to the station," She stated, "Izumo out."
Cagalli's quarters
The Lioness of Orb lay on her bunk, crying her eyes out. Lacus and Flay sat next to her, trying to offer some comfort, both having experience in this area.
"Why?" Cagalli cried pounding her mattress, "Why did he have to be so damned noble!" Before she started bawling again. Lacus took the crying blonde's head into her lap.
"It was what your father believed to be right," Lacus said, stroking Cagalli's hair.
"Your father at least went out fighting. Unlike mine," Flay said, remembering Kyle Evans' CGUE destroying the Montgomery. "At least Sebby avenged him."
"Easy for you to say! You have your cousin! I don't have anyone left! First I lose Kazuma, and now my father!" Cagalli said through red, tear-stained eyes, "My mother died when I was only two. Kazuma was my best friend. We played together every day…until he was kidnapped at six. Father was all I had, and now…I'm adrift."
"That's not true, Cagalli!" Flay said and she took Cagalli's hand in hers, "You have me, and Lacus. All three of us are the same, and we'll get through this together…the three princesses."
"If it were any other times, I'd bean you," Cagalli smiled. The three girls joined hands, a unified front.
L2, Ame-no-Mihashara
The massive orbital station was a sight to behold. The size of three Empire State Buildings stacked end to end. "Amazing how such a small nation like Orb could have such a massive facility," Mu remarked.
"You can thank Rondo Koto Sahaku for it," Kisaka said, "He began construction on it nearly twenty years ago. Lord Uzumi objected, but he couldn't do anything about it."
"Ame-no-Mihashara control, this is OSS Archangel, requesting entry vector," Flay reported.
"This is Ame-no-Mihashara control, we read you Archangel, and Kusanagi," A voice over the radio replied. "Welcome back, Lady Sahaku. Lord Arashi and Lady Kumiko are waiting for you."
The three vessels parked in ANM's massive harbor, as Sebastian and the others were quite surprised to see rows of Astrays, but all in blue instead of the usual red.
"What's with the different color scheme?" Kira asked.
"M1A's, built specifically for use in space," was Erica's reply, "Not that the basic model can't work just as well."
Sebastian and Cagalli made their way down the hall to the administrator's office, where they found Arashi and Kumiko standing outside, where Cagalli was quickly embraced by the older woman, and a small "I'm sorry" was uttered between them.
"So, shall we meet with the good Lady Sahaku?" Arashi asked, and the four nobles all agreed.
"Just so I'm not totally clueless, what is her first name?" Sebastian asked.
"Lady Rondo Mina Sahaku, fourth in line of succession to the title of Chief Representative after myself and Ghina," Kumiko shuddered.
"Where is the good Lord Sahaku anyway?" Sebastian asked, hoping the answer to the question was far away where the Wolf wasn't tempted to slice his legs off. Sebastian had made it a point to keep his distance from the smug young nobleman. Despite being a more than capable pilot and having a semblance of a code of honor, The way Ghina looked down on those "of common blood" really rubbed him the wrong way.
"He stayed behind in Orb…the bastard, he's probably getting quite cozy with his new masters," Arashi snarled in anger. Cagalli put a calming hand on the Yellow Flash's shoulder.
"We'll deal with him when the time comes," Cagalli replied, "Let's just get this over with. The less time I have to breathe the same oxygen as her, the better."
The door opened, revealing a stately office that looked out to space, with a full panoramic view of Earth, the Moon, and even the PLANTs. Behind a desk made of expensive Mahogany, a woman sat, clad in the suit of an Orb Noble. She had long, dark brown hair, almost black, and gorgeous hazel eyes set in long, dark eyelashes. Sebastian was rooted to the place where he stood, and a single word slipped through his lips, "Jessica."
"Lord Kazama, Lady Kumiko, good to see you well," Mina spoke, and then her gaze hardened at Cagalli, but her tone remained pleasant "Lady Athha…my condolences on your father's death. I'm sorry."
"Your gratitude is quite welcome, Lady Sahaku" Cagalli said back, her politeness equally as forced.
Mina then locked eyes with the Storm Wolf, "So, you're the one who replaced that fat whale, Unato, and his brat of a son…my thanks for that," she extended her hand, and but quickly retracted it, as Sebastian's face was suddenly flushed, and his breathing grew heavy and labored, as he undid the collar of his uniform, "Lord Connor…are you well? Do you need a doctor?"
Sebastian couldn't take anymore, "Excuse me!" he said, and tore out of Mina's office, running as fast as his legs would allow. He didn't stop running when he saw Nicol leaving his quarters. "Nicol! Thank god!" He grabbed the green haired man's hand and dragged him into a bathroom. He found a trashcan and promptly vomited into it.
"Sebastian, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," Nicol said, very concerned for his best friend's wellbeing.
"I just met Lord Ghina's sister…Nicol, she looked just like…like her." Realization dawned on the pilot of the Blitz.
"Oh no, Sebastian, I'm so sorry. But you've got to realize…Jessica died on the Mandlebrot, three years ago. You remember right? That girl is not her. Jessica is at rest."
"I know, but if you saw her…I thought for a minute I was looking at a ghost," Sebastian said, wiping off the sweat from his face as he recalled a happier time.
Flashback
It was a hot, sticky day in Kansas City. A seven year old Sebastian, a green diving mask strapped to his face, jumped into the pool, feeling himself touch the hard, concrete bottom of the pool. He came up, and laughed.
"Haha! That entry was great! And I bet the plume was humongous!" The future Storm Wolf dove underwater, happy as a clam. As he was swimming along, he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and he was pulled from the water kicking and flailing his arms and legs. "PUT ME DOWN!" he cried, and a light, melodic voice laughed.
"Are you being funny, my little samurai?" A sixteen year old girl smiled, as she hugged Sebastian tightly to her chest. Her waist-length, raven black hair, hung limply behind her. The wet fabric of her violet and black one piece swimsuit caught the June sun, making it shine.
Sebastian pulled his mask up, his blue eyes gazed into her green ones. "Jessica, why'd you pick me up?! I was having a good time!" he pouted. Sebastian's cousin gave another delicate laugh, and put him down.
"So I guess you don't want to race then? Okay. I won't buy you any ice cream on the way home then!" Jessica held her nose and dove under. It took the future Storm Wolf a few seconds to register what he had nearly missed.
"You're on!" Sebastian said, pulling his mask over his face and diving in after her. Jessica moved with a gracefulness few had underwater. Slow and deliberate, Sebastian could only gaze on with awe. She's a mermaid. He thought, She's so beautiful…I want to protect her forever. Jessica won by an arm's length, but she promised to take him for ice cream anyway.
Jessica, now wearing a light blue hoody over her swimsuit, walked down the street holding Sebastian's hand. She looked down at him and smiled. "Mint chocolate chip in a dish, right?" She asked. Sebastian only nodded, hugging her around the waist. Whenever he was around her, he felt he could do anything. As they passed by a store, Sebastian found him being torn from his safety line's grip as a large, burly man stepped from the shadows. The man flung the seven year old boy to the side like a sack of wheat.
"Not a bad catch! And look at this!" he jeered, ripping her jacket off, leaving just her swimsuit, I can have some fun with you!"
"Leave her alone!" Sebastian cried, trying to attack one of them, but he was sent sprawling to the pavement with meaty backhand.
"So, you're some kind of hero are ya? Well here you go!" And he started stomping and kicking Sebastian brutally.
"NOOO! STOP PLEASE!" Jessica tearfully cried, her heart ripping in half as she watched her little brother get killed, and lay still on the ground, a pool of blood forming around him, "Sebastian? SEBASTIAN!"
"Forget it, bitch. He's done for," he smirked, and he grabbed Jessica by her chin hard, before copping a feel, squeezing it hard, Jessica began to cry, "How do you want to do this? Front or back? Oh well, I'll just do both."
"LET! HER! GOOOOOOOOO!" a small, but ferocious voice roared, and the would be rapist looked to see Sebastian standing up, his blue eyes filled with rage, tears filling his eyes, a low snarling rumbling from his lips, he spoke with the authority of someone far older, "I'll give you until five to leave my sis alone. Or I'll kill you dead where you stand."
The man just laughed, and Jessica dropped to her knees. "Your nuts, Kid, fine then. We'll finish it." And he flipped open a switchblade.
"Sebastian, run! He'll kill you!" Jessica cried.
"NO JESSICA! YOU'VE ALWAYS PROTECTED ME. IT'S MY TURN TO PROTECT YOU NOW!" he cried, a blue seed fell behind his eyes and spun twice. On the second spin, it turned gold and exploded in a brilliant maelstrom of light. The howl of the timber wolf resonated in the background, Sebastian's eyes dilated, and turned gold, "AURRRRRLLLLLOOOOOOO!!" Sebastian opened his mouth and howled like a wolf, crouching down, before he lunged forward, punched his sister's assailant hard in the chest.
"FUCK! How does a little brat like you pack such a hard punch!" he cursed, a hand to his chest. He tried to grab Sebastian, who flipped backward, kicking him in the chest again, and then went low with a sweeping kick, which knocked him off his feet.
"You don't hurt my family!" Sebastian snarled, and roundhouse kicked the thug in the throat, crushing his windpipe and killed him instantly. Sebastian breathed heavily, as his eyes reverted to normal, and he collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
"Oh, Sebby!" Jessica cried, crawling over to her cousin, and took him in her arms, hugging him tightly against her chest. Both started crying hysterically.
"I'm sorry, Jessica," Sebastian whimpered, clutching at her neck.
"Shh, shhh, it's okay, Sebby. You saved me. I'm just glad you're okay. You really are my little samurai. How about we get that ice cream now, okay?" Sebastian nodded weakly.
End Flashback.
"You okay now?" Nicol asked. Sebastian merely nodded, as Arashi entered, more than a little concerned.
"Are you alright, Storm? Lady Mina is more than a little concerned after that little episode in her office. She was afraid you might be ill in some way."
"Actually, Arashi, it's kind of because of her I got sick in the first place," Sebastian said, held his forehead, Arashi was about to question this when Sebastian held his hand up to silence him, "I'm alright now." Both the Storm Wolf and the Yellow Flash walked back to the office, Looks of concern on Kumiko, Mina, and Cagalli's faces. To Sebastian's dismay, Flay, Kira, and Mu had been called in as well.
"Sebby, are you okay? Lord Arashi said you got sick. I was worried about you," the redhead said. Sebastian took Flay in his arms and gave her a brotherly kiss on the forehead.
"Forgive me for worrying you, Flay," And he looked to Mina, "And forgive me for upsetting you, Lady Mina. You bear a striking similarity to my cousin…she died three years ago during the Mandlebrot Incident. If your hair was a few shades darker, and your eyes green, then you'd be a dead ringer for her. I guess the shock of seeing you was so overwhelming, it made me ill."
Mina nodded her head slightly, "I'm sorry. She must have been quite important to you."
"You have no idea. She was the first person I ever wanted to protect. I wouldn't be the man I am today without her influence."
"It must have hurt a lot…when she died," Kira said warily, not wanting to upset his friend anymore than he already was.
"Everyone has regrets in their life, I'm no different, but there are three more than most, Jessica's death, the destruction of Junius Seven, and the demise of the Storm Wolves. I may not have been able to prevent Jessica's death, but I could have saved the rest of my family and my comrades…some Supreme Ace I am, if I can't even save my own family."
"What happened to her?" Arashi asked.
"Jessica was an agricultural engineer by trade. When the PLANTs cut the food trade deal with the USSA, she was one of the people sent to oversee the transfer. She…didn't make it," Sebastian's shoulders heaved, "I couldn't have done anything about it anyway. I was at the academy when it happened."
"Supreme Ace, quite a grand title. Please sate my curiosity, but how did you get a title like that? I mean, the only men considered to be your equals are Rau Le Creuset and Andrew Waltfeld," Mina asked.
Sebastian merely gazed thoughtfully out the window on the starfield, "Don't read too much into it, Lady Mina. It's not as grand a title as most people make it out to be," Sebastian replied, turning to face her, "People hear it and they think I'm some kind of superfly. I'm perfect in all areas of combat, mobile suits, in ships, and just an all-around strategic and tactical genius. I'll tell you, I'm not. Rau and Andy have their own areas where they shine considerably over me. Supreme Ace means simply I'm ZAFT's best mobile suit pilot, no more, no less."
"So, the Supreme Ace status means you were ZAFT's best pilot?" Kumiko asked.
"Yes, mostly because I had the highest kill score and the most time in the cockpit. I rarely, if ever, commanded from the bridge of my flagship, the Calvin. It was more likely to find me in my GINN, or CGUE, or whatever I was piloting at the time. I liked to lead from the front. Don't get me wrong, Andy and Rau are superb pilots, but they were more inclined to let their subordinates do the heavy lifting. Rau was known for being a very cunning thinker, especially in ship-to-ship combat, it was said the only one the Earth Forces had who could match him was Admiral Halberton. I wasn't present at Nova, so all my info is from secondhand sources. From what I understand Rau and Lewis had quite the chess match, the Vesalius and the Menelaos pounded on each other pretty hard."
"I can vouch for that, I was there myself," Mu observed. Sebastian nodded.
"Rau was always a devious man, capable of some sneaky tricks, but when it came to huge, grandiose strategies. Andy was your man. His strategies were just so complex it seemed impossible. But Andy could make it work, look at Suez."
"So you weren't the strategist of your squad then?" Sebastian shook his head to the Hawk's question.
"No, I left that in the hands of my executive officer, Shawn Mason. HE was a brilliant strategist. Any major ops the Storm Wolves were involved in were planned by him. He did the same for us during our drilling sessions at the academy," Sebastian remembered his friend for awhile. "I just wanted to be a pilot and fly."
"Excuse me for interrupting, Lord Connor, but this little one wanted to see you, and nothing I did was going to stop her" A harried Orb lieutenant said as Cecelia ran into the room, followed by Lacus.
"Daddy!" Cecelia cried, hugging Sebastian's leg tightly. Everyone brightened at the father/daughter moment. Even Mina smiled.
"It's quite alright. How are you, Cece?"
"We missed you, Dadddy," the little girl pouted.
"Haro! Missed you! Missed you!" Mr. Pink chirped. Bouncing about as normal.
"If you'll excuse me, I have to put my daughter to bed," Sebastian said, picking up Cecelia, and taking Lacus and walking out the door. The others followed.
"Wait, Lady Athha, may I have a moment?" Mina said.
"Yes, Lady Sahaku?" Cagalli said.
"I heard about what Yuna was doing to you, and I wanted to kill him myself. I dislike you, but I hate the Seirans. Your father made the right choice to exile Unato, and I certainly won't any tears about Yuna's death. Good bye to bad rubbish. As for, Lord Connor, I was skeptical about someone like him taking over the Seirans' titles, but I see your father made the right choice. He is an honorable man, and a loving husband and father. He will do us proud as a noble of Orb."
"My father trusted him, and I do too," Cagalli said, a crack of a smile forming at her the girl who had been a long time rival of hers, a twinge of respect forming for her. And she walked out of the office with her head held high.
It had been three weeks since arriving at Ame-no-Mihashara, suffice to say, boredom kicked in. For Sebastian he had plenty to occupy his time, what with keeping his kids happy, and practicing with Fenrir. Everyone else wasn't having such luck. Kira found himself absorbed with just standing at the window, looking onto space. Often Flay would join him, holding him around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder.
"It's so peaceful," Flay whispered, her cool breath, dancing across Kira's ear. Kira nodded as she continued, "I'd love to see it from a better vantage point than this."
"What are you talking about?" Kira asked. Flay just smiled, and pulled Kira towards the hanger. "Flay, where are we going?"
"I want you to take me for a ride in Freedom. I thought of when we escaped from Artemis in the Strike. The feeling of being alone in the cockpit with you was…cozy. I want to experience that with you again," Flay was blushing like crazy the whole time she said it. And Kira was blushing right along with her.
Kira waited outside the girl's locker room, waiting for Flay to emerge on what was possibly the weirdest date he'd ever go on. His jaw dropped as Flay emerged, wearing a pink version of the Earth Forces flightsuit…one that was a size too small, and showed off every bit of her figure.
"How do I look?" the redhead asked, spinning once to give Kira a good view of everything before flashing him a dazzling smile.
"G-g-great," Kira said. She put her arms around his neck, loving the way Kira's face turned as red as her hair, as he mumbled incoherently. Flay giggled and kissed him lightly on the lips. She then blushed lightly before she pulled a white box from behind her.
"I had this specially made for you. I hope you'll wear it." Kira cocked an eye as his girlfriend pushed the box into his hand. He opened it to see a brand new flight suit, In the brilliant blue he preferred, "I also have this to go with it," Flay added, pulling a helmet from behind her back. Kira's eyes widened at the helmet. Like Sebastian's it was molded in the form of an animal, in this case, an eagle with its beak open.
Kira quickly ran into the locker room and put his new flightsuit on, helmet in hand as he walked out. For some reason, Kira felt a new strength within him. Perhaps it was hormones, or perhaps it was the fact it was a gift from the girl who loved him, no one could be sure.
Flay put her arms around him, "You look quite handsome…my Eagle Knight. That's who are from now on. My Eagle Knight of Freedom, my hero" Her voice cooed with sexiness, and pride in the man she loved.
"Thank you," He said.
"I'm glad, let's go!" Flay remembered her escape from Artemis with Kira in the Strike. This time they didn't have to worry about hostile mobile suits attacking them. It would be just the two of them, Freedom, and the wide expanse of deep space. Kira strapped into the cockpit as he had done so many times before, Flay settled into his lap, just as they had done at Artemis five months ago.
"Kira Yamato and Flay Allster, Freedom launching!" Kira hit the throttle and Freedom roared out of the hanger. Flay gave a short squeal as she felt herself get pressed into Kira's shoulder by the G-forces of take off. Freedom did a few laps around the station. The redhead found the speed exhilarating, even more so because she was with Kira.
The mighty machine then settled on the very top of Ame-No-Mihashara. Kira opened the cockpit, and they drifted out of Freedom's cockpit to a spectacular view of Earth, and its natural satellite.
"The oceans are so blue," Flay said in awe, "Kira, when we go back, can we go swimming in them?"
"Of course we can," Kira said, putting his arm around her waist.
"Is that a promise?" Flay asked, laying her head on his shoulder. Kira looked lovingly at the woman he loved.
"It's a guarantee. As soon as the war is over. I'll take you to the beach and you can swim as much as you please," Kira said, Flay's eyes grew misty. She would kissed Kira if not for the fact their helmets blocked their lips.
"Thank you, Kira," She said, Hugging him around his neck. The two returned to Freedom, and flew back into the station. Kira and Flay walked down the hanger to get changed. But Flay stopped in the corridor, holding her helmet shyly in front of her.
"Is something wrong, Flay?" Kira asked. Flay shook her head and brushed a few crimson locks from her face.
"No, Kira. I'm just really happy. I had a really great time today. Thank your for taking me out there. I think I understand what it's like for you out there. The feeling of flying free, It's exhilarating."
"And when I fly, it's for you, my Rose Swan." Kira said, Flay buried her face in his chest while lightly holding onto his shoulders. The Eagle and Swan's intimate moment was interrupted by Sebastian and Shiho, both in their flightsuits, and to Flay's amazement, in Shiho's hand was a katana, in a sheath the same color as her ZAFT red flightsuit. Sebastian's expression was truly livid.
"You'll have to excuse us, but Shiho and I have some business we have to attend to right away," the Storm Wolf said, barely keeping his anger in check.
"Do you need me to go with you?" Kira asked. But Sebastian shook his head.
"No, I need you here to guard the station. This is Storm Wolves business, in other words, Shiho and myself."
"Sebastian…" Flay said worried, grabbing his arm. Sebastian gave his cousin a brotherly hug, Before he separated.
"Keep her safe, Kira. We'll be back soon," Sebastian said. Shiho waved.
"Wait, Shiho, ask me a question. What is the name of your sword?" Flay asked. Shiho smiled.
"Benihime, the Red Princess," She replied, "Sebastian, we should get moving." The Storm Wolf nodded, and the two headed for the hanger, and Kira and Flay watched as Storm Wolf and Predator took off. Kira immediately set off for the bridge.
"Where are we going?" Flay asked.
"To get some answers, something has greatly upset those two, and I want to know what," Kira asked. He arrived on the bridge of the Archangel. Where a very subdued crew worked in silence. "Captain, where did Sebastian and Shiho go? Why were they both so upset?" It was Natarle who spoke.
"While you were out on your little joyride, we got a rather disturbing message. Someone contacted Sebastian and Shiho telling them to come to a specific location…alone."
"What's so bad about that?" Flay asked.
"It wasn't so much the message itself, it was the carrier frequency it was on…General Connor identified it as the communication signal the Storm Wolves used during the early part of the war. And the place we tracked the signal to was the Wolf's Den…the base the Storm Wolves fought out on the Grimaldi Front," Mirialla replied. "Sebastian and Shiho are the last of their squad. It's a sacred place to them, Flay. I think you can figure it out from there."
Flay nodded, "Sebby, be safe."
The Moon, The Dark Side of Grimaldi Crater
Storm Wolf and Predator circled about the place they had called home with Shawn, Duncan, and the rest of their pack.
"The place looks peaceful enough" Shiho mused.
"Looks are always deceiving, Shiho, you know that better than anyone. There's someone in there, desecrating the memories of our packmates. I cannot and will not allow this to stand! When I find the cockbite who dared squat in our den, I'll kill him with my bare hands!" Sebastian snarled, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the control yoke.
"Sebastian, don't let your anger blind you. I want to clean this infestation as well. But do you think Shawn and the others want to see you that way?" Shiho said in a clipped tone. A resigned sigh was her only reply, "Glad to see I made my point."
"Whatever" Sebastian scoffed as the two mobile suits landed in the hanger. The two Storm Wolves were amazed to see the lights on in the hanger, and an atmosphere. "Someone's definitely bee here awhile if they were able to fix the life support, I made it a point to destroy it after Endymion."
"Let's get to work," Shiho said, drawing Benihime. Sebastian gave a tacit nod of approval and Fenrir emerged from its den, fangs ready to strike.
"I was hoping you'd say that. Let's go to the crew quarters first. I want to see if anyone's broken into them since I sealed them." Sebastian and Shiho headed for the habitation module. To his great relief, all fourteen rooms of the Storm Wolves were still sealed. He put his hand on the door where Shawn's nameplate still remained.
"I see you're relieved?" Shiho asked.
"Yes, very much so," Sebastian said, reading off the names of the fallen Storm Wolves, "Shawn Mason, Duncan Cooper, Shelby Matthews, Jason Reynolds, Marie Jackson, Arthur Michaels, Paul Anderson, Jeffrey O'Donnell, Tom Barret, Vincent Hawke, Gabrielle Demarchais, and Nick Johnson. I hope you're all at peace my friends. I've tried to remember you as you asked me to, Shawn. I hope none of you are angry at me for what I've gained so far. I wouldn't have married Lacus and had children. Who knows? I may even name my next after one of you guys."
"They'd all be so proud of you, Sebastian. They'd all feel such pride at seeing your kids. Seeing you come back from the edge of beyond. If they were still alive, and you had learned of GENESIS then, We would have followed you into hell."
Sebastian nodded, and drew Fenrir, "The spirit of the Storm Wolves lives on through you and I, Shiho, and carried in the heart of our blades."
The two Storm Wolves entered the main cargo area, once filled with spare parts for GINNs and Sebastian's CGUE, ammunition, various other cargo, it was now almost bare except for a few abandoned steel packing crates, and a used out GINN battery as large as a four refrigerators put together.
"Eww, even after all this time, this place still smells bad!" Shiho said, sealing her helmet from the odor.
"What's going on? Who are you people?" a voice cut in on the deep moment, a voice neither of the two pilots recognized. Sebastian snarled, realizing one of the people who had desecrated the den was at hand.
"Where are you, you cockbite! Come out and face us! You will pay DEARLY for treading upon this place!"
"Hey, that's a little strong isn't it? This place was abandoned when we found it. You don't' have any claim on it," The voice shot back.
"WRONG! I am Sebastian Connor, and this was our home! You have desecrated the resting place of the Storm Wolves and I will have your blood for disturbing the sleep of our comrades!" Sebastian went into SEED mode. He lunged at the shadows, having an idea of where the intruder was, and was expecting the familiar sound of steel slicing through flesh but instead he heard the clang of metal on metal. Sebastian's eyes cocked in confusion before a large hand, made of steel, collided into his chest, and sent him flying across the room, crashing onto his back and sliding back several feet past Shiho.
"Not a real smart idea, attacking me with a sword like that? Especially with this monstrosity," the pilot said before making both Shiho and Sebastian's eyes widened as big as saucers as what could only be called a miniature mobile suit like mech stepped from the shadows.
It was easily over seven feet tall and very bulky, mostly from the waist up. The head was like a large rectangle with the square sides facing forwards. On the head was two 'antenna' like protrusions coming out of the sides of the head, in the middle of the said head were three glowing red camera lights in a sort of side-ways triangle formation. The chest looked closely like the shape of a African elephant's head, but with out the trunk, bulky, and box like. The waist down was not as bulky as the rest of the 'suit', the thighs had considerable armor on them, but below that was hardly any armor. The legs themselves were reversed jointed with a sort of chicken like feet. The Shoulders were also boxed shaped, but still allowed the suit to have some good maneuverability. The fore arms looked like they had a hand that would extend, but this was just based on Sebastian's quick observation. On the right arm is what looked like a launcher of sorts while the left arm had what looked like a 5 barreled chain-gun. These weapons however were pointed backwards for some reason and were easily longer than the arms them selves. The two Wolves could see the back very well, but they could tell it had some sort of large Thruster pack. The overall color of the suit was a midnight black with white and Navy blue trim, a brilliant gold color was what made of the joints and hands.
"Ah crap," Sebastian said, still in shock from the hit he had taken and the large behemoth as he stood back up. "I don't think our swords and sidearms are going to be enough."
If the two Storm Wolves could see the operator's face, it would have smirked. "Damn right, attacking with swords is one thing," the pilot called out over the suit's open speaker as a section of the forearm opened up revealing an emitter. Sebastian and Shiho's eye grew wider as two crimson beam saber like blades extended from the emitters. "But attacking a Thantos suit is a death sentence!" the pilot finished, charging straight towards the two wolves at a surprising pace.
"Oh crap!" Shiho cried, as both she and Sebastian barely leapt out of the way of the lumbering machine's attack. Even though he knew it was a fruitless gesture, Sebastian pulled out his USP and started firing at the Thanatos. The normally quite lethal .45 ACP rounds pinged off the armor.
"You're gonna have to do better than that!"
"Okay, we will!" Shiho replied, producing a hand grenade and throwing it.
The plasma sword mounted on the right arm deactivated, the hand ejected out and caught the grenade in its fist. The Grenade explodes in the hand with a muffled 'Pop'. The hands open back up as pieces of the Grenade fall off out of the hand, showing that there wasn't as much of a scratch.
"What was that supposed to be, a firecracker?" was the scathing taunt.
"I don't think we have the firepower to bring that thing down! We need a mobile suit for that!" Shiho said.
"I agree, but the speed that thing has could run us down before we ever got near the hanger!" Sebastian said.
"We've got to try. I'll cover you, and let you get to Predator, ready? GO!" Sebastian barked, and charged forward, letting loose with his USP. Sebastian emptied his clip into the mechanical behemoth, and reloaded.
"He knows against this thing, a pistol is a peashooter, guess he's going to have to learn the hard way then," the operator mused, Sebastian, out of sheer desperation, back kicked the Thanatos as hard as he could. "Idiot" and backhanded the Storm Wolf across the room, sending him flying into Shiho. The two pilots struggled to their feet, but it was clear it wouldn't matter. They were completely outclassed.
"How ironic we would meet our end here?" Sebastian mused. The exosuit loomed over them, cannons charged. Sebastian and Shiho gripped each others hands.
"That's enough, Kazuma! He's not our enemy!" A voice rang out, and the Storm Wolf gaped, as a man in the uniform of an Atlantic Federation Rear Admiral stepped out of the shadows. Even in the dim light, his brilliant blonde hair and beard gave off a glow. He smirked at Sebastian, "I told you our paths would cross eventually, Sebastian…and that time is now."
"Admiral Halberton?" Sebastian replied, not wanting to believe it.
"He's not the only one," a smooth voice said, the voice that belonged to someone the Storm Wolf was sure died in Africa. A tall, lanky man with a dark complexion, and a missing eye, clad in a yellow ZAFT uniform, emerged from the darkness.
"Wow, I bet this will be a story to tell," Shiho replied.
Author's Notes: Wow, the Tiger and Admiral Halberton in one place? And who is this Kazuma? Kira and Flay certainly had a bizarre date, but if you were stuck on an isolated outpost in the middle of space, what could you do?