SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S
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Chapter 18 - Welcome to the Nadesico-C!
"Traitors don't get to question their former side's higher ground." Rey answered with a steely edge to his voice. The Legend Gundam took off, its DRAGOON pods neatly placed on its back and ready to be deployed again in case any Terminal unit attempted to give chase. Raul and his companions, among which the newly added Lunamaria, stood where they were, deciding it wasn't in their best interest to give chase just when they had come out of a tough battle with the last remnants of LOGOS. The few surviving enemies, seeing the folly of fighting any longer, were surrendering and turning themselves over to Terminal, feeling it was their only chance to be afforded some leniency.
"Well... we took that thing down." Ichika commented with a weary sigh, as he watched the allied ZAFT and Neo Zeon fleets take off. "Too bad we couldn't get Shinn to see reason..."
"Let's content ourselves with what we managed to do, Ichika." Roux answered, and she bit back a curse as her Full Armor Gundam Mk-3 swayed a little. Even though her Mobile Suit was still spaceworthy, it had taken a rather nasty beating in the battle, and now she was having a bit of trouble with the controls. "Ugh. Looks like I'll have to give Astonage some more work before the next battle."
"But first of all, we need to escort the deserter to our base." Sousuke said, his Laevateinn landing near Lunamaria's Sword Impulse Gundam, weapons ready in case it was a trap. "That is, assuming she really is a deserter and is not just trying to get into our good graces."
"I did decide to join your side, Terminal forces." Lunamaria answered meekly as she placed her Gundam's weapons back in place. She then raised her Mobile Suit's hands in a gesture of surrender. "I have had my misgivings about ZAFT's actions for a while... but only now I have decided it was time to act upon them. I should have done this before, honestly."
Raul decided to intervene in Lunamaria's favor. "She's telling the truth, everyone! I can attest to that!" he answered, his Excellence-G raising a hand. "She did reliably assist me in destroying Requiem's command center and taking out that scumbag Garcia. And I'm sure she's being truthful even now as we speak."
Still a little paranoid about this, but deciding to trust their longtime ally's judgment, Sousuke lowered his weapon. "Roger that. Then, Ensign Lunamaria Hawke, I trust it will not be a problem for you to be escorted to our own battleships."
"No problem at all." the magenta-haired girl answered with a sigh. "I... I would just like for you to confirm one thing... is my sister Meyrin onboard one of your ships?"
"Yes, she is." came Amuro's immediate answer, his Nu Gundam gently landing on the surface. He took one last look at the destryed husk that, up until a few moments before, had been LOGOS' ultimate weapon, and nodded to himself, thinking that at least one threat had been removed forever. "As soon as we've brought you onboard the Archangel and made all the necessary check, you will be able to see her."
Lunamaria couldn't help but smile and nod, an immense feeling of relief washing over her. "Thank you, Amuro Ray... you guys really are nothing like the Chairman's propaganda says you are." she answered. Sousuke and Roux's Mobile Suits placed themselves at the Sword Impulse Gundam's sides and began escorting it and Lunamaria to the famous "legged ship", while Amuro contacted Murrue to let her know about the latest development.
"Archangel, pilot Amuro Ray here." he stated. "Sgt. Sagara and Lt. Rouka are currently escorting a defecting ZAFT ace pilot to you. Please treat her with all due courtesy."
"Very well, Captain Amuro." Murrue's voice answered readily. "The Archangel will readily accept her and her contributions. Please have everyone board the ships again."
"Of course, Captain Ramius." Kira answered, his Strike Freedom flying towards the Eternal along with the Infinite Justice, while Amuro checked if everyone was around. The IS pilots were still around, every one of them. And so were the Mithril pilots, and all Mobile Suits - the ZZ Gundam, the Full Armor Gundam Mk-3, and all the rest. This battle had been tough, but at least it hadn't caused casualties among their best, and Amuro was further relieved when he saw that Chan's Re-GZ was coming back as well, a little damaged but still going strong.
"Chan! This is Captain Amuro Ray!" the Newtype ace pilot greeted his wingwoman. "You all did an excellent job there. Now it's time to regroup and think of our next move." He said, before hesitating for a moment... and then, he swallowed his pride and asked the question that had been gnawing at him. "Are you alright, Chan? You're not injured, are you?"
"I'm unhurt, Captain Amuro." the Chinese woman answered with palpable relief and weariness. "I... think I just need to get some sleep and prepare myself for the next confrontation."
Amuro smiled at that. Chan had always been a bit of a sleepyhead... "See that you do, Chan. And... I'm glad you're okay. For now,we have struck a deciding blow against LOGOS, and I dare say that we all have earned our rest."
"We'd better regroup and retreat, before more ZAFT forces decide to pay us a visit." Andrew Waltfeld stated from the cockpit of the refitted Gaia Gundam. In a moment, all units were heading back towards their respective ships, their pilots looking forward to some downtime after this harrowing fight.
Closing the line was Laura with her Schwarzer Regen, and as her companions kept heading back, the silver-haired, eyepatch-wearing German girl turned around and cast a final glance at the remains of Requiem. A flash of grim satisfaction flashed through her unpatched eye, and she nodded in approval, satisfied that now, LOGOS was no more and could never hurt anyone else again.
"Laura?" Charlotte called to her, the Rafale Revive stopping for a moment as the French blonde turned to her friend. "Ees everytheeng okay?"
Laura closed her eyes - well, her eye - and smiled at that. Even though she had bad memories of Blue Cosmos and of the person she once was, now that anguish and anger were long gone. She'd never have thought that she'd find acceptance and even friendship among the people she had once fought against, and yet they had been the ones to save her from her self-imposed darkness. Okay, maybe she couldn't get Ichika to become her wife after all... sorry, husband... Laura still got the two somewhat mixed up, at times.
But considering the good they had done, this was just a disappointment she'd get over in time. She was happy that her remaining friends were safe, and that LOGOS wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else.
"Yah, efferyzing is okay." Laura answered. "I vas just... thinking, zat's all. Ve can take off now."
"Good to know, Laura! Now,we need to hurry. I think Lady Lacus will soon have another important mission for us." Ichika answered with a sympathetic smile. Just like him, Laura had her own demons when it came to LOGOS and her origins as an artificial human that was never meant to be anything but a weapon aimed at Coordinators...
Laura nodded one last time, saying goodbye to her past once and for all before heading back towards the Ra Cailum...
Kouji Kabuto gave a sigh as he approached the gates of the Osaka spaceport, his eyes going to the large battleship that was moored there, visible to those who got close enough. It really brought him back to a few years back, when he had fought alongside the Nadesico crew against the many enemies that were besieging Earth. He smiled bitterly, reasoning that the situation hadn't really improved that much since then, and in many ways, it had actually gotten worse. To be honest, he was not really sure that what Nagare Akatsuki had in mind was really going to change much... but these Martian Successors that had popped up recently seemed to be a very real and serious threat. If there was even a slight chance that piloting Mazinger Z again could help change things for the better and help rescue his old friends, Akito and Yurika... well, Kouji wasn't going to ignore that chance.
He snickered for a brief moment while he and Sayaka walked to the spaceport entrance, finding themselves face to face with a pair of Neo Earth Federation soldiers standing in front of the entrance gate. The young Photon Power Lab pilots stopped in their tracks, sustaining the soldiers' hard gaze.
"Halt. State your business here." one of the soldiers demanded.
Kouji and Sayaka took a couple of cards out of their respective bags and showed them to the guards. "Sayaka Yumi and Kouji Kabuto, from the Photon Power Labs, and former members of the crew of the Nadesico A." the brunette answered sternly. "We were called here by your boss, Chairman Nagare Akatsuki."
The soldiers took the ID cards from the two youths and carefully read them before handing them back. "Okay, you can pass. Chairman Akatsuki is probably waiting for you as we speak." one of them answered. "Good luck, I'm sure you're going to need it."
"Geez, and here I recall the Nergal employees being quirky and unconcerned. Since when did they start getting such huge sticks up their asses?" Kouji irritably thought to himself as he got his ID card back. One of the soldiers pressed a button on a remote control, and the entrance gates slowly opened, allowing them access to the spaceport.
"Thank you…" Kouji said half-jokingly, failing to elicit any reaction from the soldiers. He and Sayaka took the hint and walked into the spaceport, heading towards one of the largest buildings. Around them, the normally busy spaceport seemed to be immersed into an unnatural state of calm and stillness, almost as if everyone was trying to contribute to the tense atmosphere that reigned in the place… and in general, in the entire Earth Sphere. "You know, Sayaka? When we first came onboard the old Nadesico, some years back, this place was a lot more lively. Don't you think so?"
The brunette young woman sighed and brushed a fringe of hair away from her eyes. "I still remember that day, Kouji. I still can hardly believe Akito and Yurika just… disappeared like that. And then they turned out to be still alive, in the most dreadful of ways."
"Heh. I know, right? But staying here and lamenting this isn't going to help anyone." He answered. "We are here to lend a hand and try to stop these Martian Successors dudes, and we're not going to get anywhere by regretting the past."
"I know... I just wish we could turn things back to how they were." Sayaka answered melanchonically. "I still remember the times we spent together with Akito and the others, enjoying ourselves and just being... friends together, you know what I mean?"
Kouji nodded, but he didn't let that thought get him down for long. "Well, no reason why we can't help getting things back in place. At least, we can help the Nadesico crew and allow Akito and Yurika to get back together." he said, his confident streak having never waned despite the long time in which he hadn't been a pilot. "Man, it's going to be nostalgic, to be able to pilot Mazinger Z and Dianan A once again, don't you think?"
Sayaka couldn't help but laugh briefly in amusement. How did Kouji always have that never-give-up attitude about him? Even when he was afraid, depressed or uncertain, he was always able to draw from a reserve of hidden strength that allowed him to see a sliver of hope even in the darkest situations. Though they had butted heads more than often in the past, she had always admired this about him.
Almost without even realizing that, the two youngsters had reached the entrance to the spaceport's main block, where another couple of Nergal soldiers, joined by a familiar-looking woman with shoulder-long black hair seemed to be waiting for them. Kouji frowned a little – he had never really liked Erina Kinjyo Wong back when they were both part of the first Nadesico's crew, and even now that a few years had passed, he couldn't bring himself to feel much companionship towards her. She never seemed to care much for any member of the crew except herself and Nagare, and with what had later been discovered about them, Kouji's suspicions had turned out not to be unfounded at all.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Kabuto... and Ms. Yumi. I trust your journey here has been pleasant." Erina greeted them almost cheerfully. Well, at least she was making an honest effort to be polite.
"Good afternoon, Miss Kinjyo." Sayaka ventured. Believing there to be no point to being antagonistic, she gave a polite half-smile. "We were invited by Chairman Nagare Akatsuki to aid with the effort of staffing the new Nadesico-class battleship. We were promised that our personal fighting units, Mazinger Z and Dianan Ace, would be recovered and refitted for use in this particular occurrence."
"Hmm? Oh, yes, the Chairman did say that. Fine then, follow me. You'll be meeting him soon enough." Erina answered. The two soldiers stood back and to the side, in order to allow Erina, Kouji and Sayaka to enter the building, and the older woman placed a tag near a sensor, causing the door to slide open with a satisfying beeping sound. "Right now, we're making the final adjustments for the Nadesico C, the latest kind of battleship created by Nergal Heavy Industries." she explained. "We have managed to contact the old Nadesico crew, as many of them as we were capable of, and they have all agreed to aid us. Don't you think that's good news?"
Kouji couldn't deny that he was rather happy at the news. "Well, yes, I must say... I look forward to seeing them again real soon." he answered. "But what's your plan for dealing with these Martian Successor guys, the Gaizock and all those things? We don't exactly have a long time to act."
"Especially not when Neo-Zeon and ZAFT are threatening the Earth Sphere again." Sayaka went on. "Even with LOGOS destroyed, we aren't exactly in a good position right now."
Erina refused to be rankled by that. "We know, Ms. Yumi. We haven't forgotten that the Earth sphere is in quite the predicament right now. But I'm sure Chairman Akatsuki will be able to give you all the details you might want to know." she answered. "That, and we have some very qualified pilots that will be able to take the fight to the Martian Successors. I'm sure you will be satisfied."
"We'll see about that..." Kouji said, still not completely convinced.
The trio finally reached the door to the chairman's office, and Erina gently knocked to announce herself and her guests. "Come in!" came Nagare's clear, confident voice.
"Chairman Akatsuki?" the black-haired part-Chinese woman answered. "Mr. Kouji Kabuto and Ms. Sayaka Yumi have arrived, as per agreement. Shall I send them in?"
"Ah, our esteemed guests. By all means." the young CEO of Nergal Heavy Industries answered. With a nod, Erina opened the door and motioned for Kouji and Sayaka to make themselves at home.
"Welcome. The Chairman was just waiting for you." Erina answered with a sugarry smile. "I do wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you..." Kouji answered, as politely as he could bring himself to be as he and Sayaka entered the large, neatly ordered if somewhat ostentatious office. Nagare Akatsuki had never been one to be modest about his wealth.
"Ah, Mr. Kabuto and Ms. Yumi. So glad you could join us." Nagare greeted them with his typical affable attitude. He was sitting at a desk on the opposite side of the room,though he had the courtesy to stand up in order to properly greet his two guests. At the moment, he was wearing a business suit that was still somewhat open in front and managed to show off a bit of his surprisingly athletic figure. "I trust you've found our welcome committee to be satisfactory, did you not?"
"Yeah... well... can't say they were rude." Kouji answered with some palpable awkwardness. "Still... well, Akatsuki, as you can see, we've come, and we're willing to lend you a hand. Provided you don't bite it later on."
"I see you still aren't completely trusting." Nagare commented calmly, then shrugged as if that was no big deal. "It's okay, you would be foolish to just trust me on word alone. I already made a few calls, and I can ensure that Mazinger Z and Aphrodite A are in perfect conditions already. If you would follow me to the Nadesico-C's hangars, I will provide you with all the proof you need."
Sayaka sighed and rubbed her forehead, still not completely used to how Nagare seemed to be almost always a step ahead of most allies and enemies. "How did you manage to build a new Nadesico-class battleship is such a short time, anyway?" she asked. "One'd think you had it all planned from the beginning, Mr. Chairman..."
"Oh, you can't blame me for trying to be careful." Nagare justified himself with a good-natured chuckle. "While the New Earth Alliance would rather wallow in their own complacency, I had already set up something in advance should some antagonistic forces show up and cause trouble."
"That didn't exactly help Akito and Yurika, now did it?" Kouji couldn't resist getting in a quip of his own.
Sayaka lightly elbowed him in the side. "Kouji!"
"What?" he asked. "I'm just pointing that out."
Predictably, Nagare took even that in relative stride. "Hey, I said I'd be trying to predict problems. I'm not omniscient." he answered lightly. "But that's neither here nor there, is it? What we need to do now is put a stop to the Martian Successors' actions, and for that, you are most qualified. But let's not stand here for nothing... follow me, and I'll show you what I mean."
"Fine…" Kouji answered as he and Sayaka followed their host into the corridor and towards the spaceport's hangars…
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The Mazinger Z pilot had to admit, he really didn't expect such a reunion. As soon as Nagare had guided him and Sayaka to the hangars, the old Nadesico crew had come to greet them, looking like they were going to an high school trip rather than a mission to eradicate a dangerous terrorist organization.
"Hiya, Kouji! And Sayaka is here, too!" Hikaru was the first one to come and greet them, looking like she was practically beaming with joy. "It's been suuuuch a looooong time! How are you two doing?"
Sayaka sweatdropped as she tried to disentagle herself from the young manga artist's energetic double handshake. "Ah… that's… I mean, we're doing well enough, Hikaru! Glad to see you're still full of energy…"
"Yeah, I guess not much changed about her…" Ryoko answered, approaching the Photon Power Lab personnel as well. She smirked and made a jaunty thumbs-up sign. "It's good to see you again, Kabuto."
"Could say the same about you, Ryoko… still, what's with the hair?" Kouji asked, noticing how Ryoko's hair was a deep midnight blue rather than the light green he was used to seeing on her.
The former Nadesico ace pilot ran a hand through her short dark hair and smiled, though a hint of wistfulness could be felt in her answer. "Oh, that? Well, I just thought it wouldn't look too professional if I dyed my hair now that I'm the official leader of an elite Neo Earth Federation squad." she answered. "How does it look on me?"
"Well... not bad at all." Sayaka answered. "Though I was kinda used to your green hair. It looked cool, really."
"See? Told ya people liked the old color!" the bubbly Hikaru answered, as Izumi and Saburouta showed up from a nearby Aestivalis and walked to the rest of the team. Kouji turned to them and seemed to be a little surprised about the blond guy with the red fringe on his forehead – he must have been a new one, no doubt about it.
"Oh... great to see you too, Izumi!" Sayaka greeted as she and Kouji gave a pleasant smile to the taller girl, who returned the gesture with a rather creepy smile. "And who's the new guy? I don't think I've ever seen him before, at least not around here..."
"Well, yes, you could say that I'm a newcomer here!" the blond Jovian pilot answered affably. "But yes, we did meet before. My name is Takasugi Saburouta, former ace pilot of the Jovian Federation, and now an Aestivalis pilot for Nergal."
"Takasugi Saburouta?" Kouji wondered. He thought about the name for a moment, and then perked up when he remembered what that was about. "Oh, right! Of course! We did meet during the Jovian wars... you were the ace pilot of the Kannazuki, right? Fancy meeting you here!"
"Oh, and you're Kouji Kabuto and Sayaka Yumi, huh? You've gotten yourselves quite the rep among Jovian citizens!" the Jovian pilot answered, and he inched just a little towards Sayaka, holding her hand in a manner that Kouji really didn't care for. It honestly looked like he was trying to hit on her. "It will be an honor to be fighting along with you... especially you, Miss Yumi."
"Er... likewise... but would you please stop holding my hand like that?" the brunette murmured. Izumi began snickering in her own creepy way, a hand in front of her mouth, when Kouji seemed to be about to make Saburouta keep his hand off of Sayaka.
"Yeah, I wouldn't do that if I were you, Pilot Saburouta." Nagare answered, never losing that cocksure smile of his.
Luckily, the blond Jovian pilot immediately took the hint. "Oh, my bad. I honestly had no idea she was already spoken for. Nice taste by the way, pal!" he commented, and gave Kouji a wink that caused the Mazinger Z pilot to bristle in annoyance. "But still, glad that we can count on you!"
"Yeah, yeah... though, unless we can pilot our machines, there isn't a whole lot we can do." Kouji commented, running a hand through his spiky black hair. "Speaking of which, when will Mazinger Z and Aphrodite A be available?"
"Soon enough, my friend. I've done all I could to expedite the procedure as much as I could." Nagare continued. "I can pull quite a few strings, after all. But I can't exactly have everything done in a flash."
"It's okay. We appreciate your help, at least." Kouji answered, even as he couldn't shake off the unease he felt at going along with what Nagare wanted. The former Mazinger Z pilot didn't really like the idea of letting that guy get away with his manipulations and crimes, but the Martian Successors were the bigger evil by a wide margin. "Speaking of which... you told us about the new pilots that the Nadesico has picked up."
"Oh, them? I think they're around here somewhere." Ryoko answered, her eyes wondering for a moment before they managed to make out the figures of Fiona and her companions walking out of a side entrance. They seemed to be a little winded, as they had likely been working on the Excellence for quite a while. Fiona was wiping her forehead and trying to comb her hair back in place, even as she was chatting with Lahge and Mitsuho. "There they are. Fiona Grayden, the girl in the middle... she's actually the only pilot of the three of them. Lahge Montoya and Mitsuho Saiki, the two people who are with her, are basically the maintenance crew for her machine, the Excellence."
"Your Excellence shouldn't bother wasting time and effort." Izumi made one of her random jokes, causing Kouji to groan and shake his head in disbelief. Even in such a tense moment, with the future of the Earth Sphere riding on them, Izumi Maki simply couldn't resist throwing out one of her trademark puns.
"Ugh... remind me why I put up with you and your nonsense, Izumi!" Ryoko groaned.
"Well, that would be because you're so put-upon, Ryoko!" the taller girl quipped. This time, even Hikaru ended up stifling a chuckle. Sayaka shook her head, but managed to crack a smile herself, happy to see that several things hadn't changed after all.
"Well, I guess we shouldn't have expected anything else from Izumi." Nagare commented, taking the whole thing in stride. Seeing that Fiona and her companions were coming closer, the CEO of Nergal Heavy Industries called for their attention. "Miss Grayden, everyone. If you'll excuse me for taking some of your time, I would like to introduce you to a couple of pilots that will be part of our special force to suppress the Martian Successors."
"Oh? Well, we're glad to have someone else on our team..." Fiona stated as she approached and took a good look at Kouji and Sayaka. "Hmm? I think I have seen you two somewhere, honestly. I just can't put my finger upon it..."
Kouji and Sayaka looked a little surprised at Fiona's words, but the biggest surprise seemed to be from the Nadesico pilots - especially Hikaru, whose eyes got even bigger than Fiona thought possible behind the lenses of her glasses! "Whaaaaat? Seriously? You guys don't know about Kouji Kabuto and Sayaka Yumi? The pilots of Mazinger Z and Aphrodite A, from the Phoon Power Lab?" she exclaimed. "No offense, but... where have you been living since now?"
"Mostly in our research center..." Mitsuho admitted sheepishly. "We have been working on this project, the Excellence... for a really long time now. And I'm afraid we kinda missed out on a lot of things that happened in the outside world."
"We do know about Mazinger Z, actually... but only in broad terms, to be honest." Lahge answered. "Anyway... pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Lahge Montoya, and along with Mitsuho here," he made a polite gesture towards Mitsuho, who bowed respectfully. "I basically perform maintenance of Fiona's personal machine, the Excellence."
"My name is Mitsuho Saiki. Pleased to meet you." the smaller girl introduced herself. "And... I should add that we worked on the actual construction of the Excellence, Fiona's mobile weapon."
"Oh, that pretty cool to know." Kouji answered, his interest piqued. "I'm pretty fired up about watching your machine in action! But... erm... about the pilot, then..."
"That would be me!" Fiona spoke up. She couldn't help but notice how Kouji seemed to be a little bit uneasy at the thought that a woman was piloting a combat mecha, but decided to keep such thoughts for herself. "Fiona Greyden, 19 years old, and test pilot for the mobile weapon called Excellence! I... hope we will be able to work together well enough, Kabuto!"
"Just Kouji is fine." the Mazinger Z pilot answered cordially as the two bowed to each other. "I look forward to a good partnership as well. Speaking of which, I would like to ask about your mecha, the Excellence. What kind of special features does it have?"
"Well..." Fiona started to say. "Its main feature is the fact that it can change Frames on the fly. The Excellence comes with a series of Frames that allow it to adapt to several different combat situations, and the cockpit is itself a mobile weapon that can switch to a different Frame according to the necessities."
"Hmm, that's pretty interesting. Kinda reminds me of the Strike Gundam and its Packs, except that the Strike was a little more limited." Kouji explained, before hastily adding. "The Strike Gundam was the Mobile Suit piloted by a friend of mine, Kira Yamato, during the previous war. Heh, who knows how he's doing right now..."
"Oh... he's a pilot as well? I hope he's alright..." Fiona answered. Understanding all too well what her fellow pilots must be thinking, Ryoko nodded slowly and silently wished that the people she knew were safe and sound as well. "My twin brother Raul is working with the Orb government and testing another Excellence model, so I hope he's in a somewhat better situation than we are."
"Fiona is one hell of a pilot too!" Ryoko said, playfully punching the red-haired girl in the shoulder. Fiona winced a bit and smiled awkwardly - Ryoko packed quite a punch, despite not being that tall. "She helped us get rid of two of those infernal monk bastards that the Martian Successors send around the Earth Sphere to do their dirty work."
"They're tough bastards, I will warn you right now..." Fiona commented, still shuddering at the thought of facing the Six Shadows in a battle... even though they should have been renamed the Four Shadows by now. "Especially their leader, one crazy jerk named Hokushin piloting a red mecha. His skills are just... out of this world."
"Hokushin, huh? Okay, I'll be careful around that guy. But I'm sure my Mazinger Z can handle him no problem!" Kouji answered, feeling the old fires of his fighting spirit being stoked once again.
Sayaka sighed, now used to her lifelong companion's cockiness. "Yeah, yeah... just take care not to get cocky as usual, Kouji. If Fiona warned us against that Hokushin guy, he must be a really tough one." she advised.
"We've seen him in action! He's just unreal!" Hikaru answered. "We're just glad we can count on you, Kouji! I'm sure we will get the Martian Successors no problem!"
"At any rate, we're glad to be fighting at your side, Kouji Kabuto, Sayaka Yumi." Saburouta continued. "With the kind of enemy we're facing, we're going to need all the help we can get!"
Nagare nodded and was about to add something to it... when an odd-looking, corpulent mechanic pushing a cart filled with small crates absent-mindedly walked past the team, looking an incospicuous as possible with his Nergal coat and a large brimmed hat on his head. He seemed to stop for a moment, casting a glance at the pilots reunited there... and then went on his way, two more mechanics following suit.
"Hey, Boss... are you sure this is going to work?" one of the "mechanics" whispered to the larger one. "You know that we will have to reveal ourselves sooner or later... the Boss Borot ain't gonna remain hidden for long!"
"Oh, shut up, Mucha! If ya got time for complainin', ya got time for helping out here!" the rotund "mechanic" grumbled, turning to his companion and revealing himself for who he really was - a strange-looking young man with a huge protruding lower jaw, tanned skin and a mop of dark brown hair visible from under the large hat which he wore as part of his disguise. "Don't worry, the plan is flawless! By the time they see the Boss Borot onboard, it will be too late to kick us out! They'll have no choice but to accept us on the mission! Hah! It will be our greatest chance to prove the power of the Boss Borot to the entire Earth Sphere!"
"Er, Boss... you might want to tone down the volume! You know, they could hear us..." the other false mechanic whispered, fearfully looking around. Luckily, no one seemed to mind the group of mechanics hanging around and seemingly minding their own business, until...
"Hm? Hey, you three! Is anything the matter?" asked Ryoko, suspicious of the rather conspicuous trio. Boss and his two "minions", Nuke and Mucha, froze in place, and the rotund young man turned around with a fake-cheerful smile plastered on his face!
"Ah... er... no, no, nothing at all, missy! My followers... er, I mean, my friends and I were just taking a look around and delivering some stuff!" Boss answered, feeling threatened under the tomboyish pilot's suspicious gaze.
Kouji bristled noticeably, while Sayaka facepalmed and muttered something under her breath. Hikaru adjusted her glasses and took a closer look at the trio, convinced that she had seen them somewhere in the past...
"Ooooh, what do we have here?" Izumi murmured, and approached the three "mechanics" with a sinister smile and a look on her face that would have made Sadako proud! "Now, now, you know it's not nice to tell lies... why don't you confess... we have already recognized youuuu..."
Boss and his followers froze in their tracks and began looking around to see if any escape route was available... but all they could see was the Nadesico's old crew gathering around them along with Kouji, Sayaka and a few less familiar faces. The only ones who seemed to be a little confused were Fiona and her friends, whose look basically begged for an explanation of what the heck was going on!
"I told you this was going to be a bad idea, Boss..." Nuke practically whimpered, trying to make himself as incospicuous as he could...
"Sh-shut up, Nuke!" Boss tried to weasel his way out of that. "C'mon, we can still hack it if we keep our cool..."
"Yeah, right... I'm amazed you even got up here, with how conspicuous you've been!" Kouji answered. The Mazinger Z pilot sighed and walked up to Boss before snatching the cap right off his head and revealing Boss' oddly-shaped face with his trademark protruding jaw! "You know, Boss, you should really be a little less obvious!"
"Ooooh, I knew they looked pretty familiar!" Hikaru exclaimed, while Nagare chuckled and shook his head in a good-natured way. Then, the glasses-wearing girl turned to Fiona and her friends and explained what was going on. "Fiona, Lahge, Mitsuho... these three weirdos are Boss, the proud pilot of the Boss Borot... and his two sidekicks Nuke and Mucha! They were part of the defense force in the previous war too... despite how they might look!"
"Hey! Are you implying that we look stupid?" Boss roared in comical indignation. "I'll have you know, we are pilots in our own right! And this time, we will show all of you just how good our Boss Borot is!"
"Boss Borot?" Lahge asked, blinking in surprise.
Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. "A piece of junk that those dimwits cobbled together from scrap metal."
"Boss, didn't we talk about this?" Sayaka answered, rubbing her forehead as if she was nursing a huge headache. "We told you this is going to be a really dangerous mission... and Chairman Akatsuki here didn't really include the Boss Borot in the list of the units that were going to be fielded!"
"Actually, now that I think of it, it's not going to be such a bad idea." Nagare affirmed with his usual easygoing smile. "After all, as I already said once, we are going to need all the help we can get. And the presence of your Boss Robot could be the deciding factor between victory and defeat."
"It's called Boss Borot, pal! Learn to spell its name once and for all!" Boss fired back. "But... you for real, pal? You're gonna let us onboard?"
"I dunno about you, Mucha... but I think Boss is getting too excited, too early..." Nuke murmured, to which Mucha could only nod his head and agree.
"Of course. I would never let you guys miss this important mission." Nagare reassured him with a smug smile. "So... Boss, Nuke, Mucha... welcome onboard the Nadesico C!"
"You have GOT to be kidding me..." Kouji murmured. Looking around, he quickly had his suspicions realized - that Nagare was pulling a fast one on Boss, and didn't really have any illusion that the Boss Borot was going to be anything more than cannon fodder.
"ALRIIIIIGHT! This is going to be our big break!" Boss cheered, pumping both his fists in the air under the incredulous gaze of the Nadesico C's crew! Nuke and Mucha could do nothing but sweatdrop at Boss' misplaced excitement before their leader scooped them and held them in a double headlock! "Ya heard that, ya numbskulls? Our good pal Nagare here knows just how cool my Boss Borot is! He gave us permission to join! Ain't that just the best?"
"Uuuugh... B-Boss... need air... can't breathe..." Nuke mouthed.
Nagare clapped twice to recall everyone's attention. "Alright, alright! Now that this is settled, why don't we go take a look at the Nadesico C and meet someone that's been waiting for us for a while now?" he asked. "She will be vital for completing this mission, I can assure you."
"Ooookay..." Fiona murmured, still taking a disbelieving look at Boss and his two followers, with the former gloating at his success, and the other two trying and failing to keep him grounded. Sighing in resignation, the redhead followed the rest of the crew towards the new battleship, with Lahge and Mitsuho walking beside her, looking rather unconvinced.
"Fiona... aren't you going to say anything? For the looks of them... those three couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag!" the female mechanic whispered in Fiona's ear. "Are you sure it's a good idea to let them join?"
"And what exactly should I say?" Fiona whispered back. "I don't think that boneheaded guy there would listen to anything I have to say... besides, I'm just a pilot and I'm simply here for the ride. If Akatsuki decides he can come, then he can come."
"I just hope it goes well. I still don't exactly trust Akatsuki, you know..." Lahge answered, casting an aside glance at the chairman of Nergal. With a resigned sigh, the green-haired mechanic followed the rest of the team out of the place and towards the Nadesico-C.
The last ones to leave were the chairman himself, Kouji and Sayaka... and just as the young CEO was about to follow the rest of the team, he felt a firm grip on his shoulder, and he turned around to see Kouji holding him, with a serious and angry look in his eyes.
"What game are you playing, Nagare Akatsuki?" the Mazinger Z pilot demanded to know. "What are you trying to do, allowing Boss and his friends here when you know that his Boss Borot is unsuitable for such an important mission?"
Sayaka didn't say anything, but just by her angry stare, Nagare could see that she was thinking the same thing as her partner. However, once again, Nagare wasn't really intimidated and reacted with diplomacy. "I apologize. I have given your friend permission without taking your opinion in account." he answered. "However, if you would hear me out, I can explain. Your friend would not take no for an answer, and it would have been faster and more practical to pacify him and allow him to join our expedition. He could be helpful afterall, don't you agree?"
Kouji didn't exactly look convinced, even though he trusted Boss' ludicrously good luck to see him through any sort of mishap. "Let me make it one thing clear, Akatsuki..." he said in a dangerously low voice that truly expressed that he was not playing around. "You do what's convenient to you, and we just happen to have a mutual interest, and that's the reason why we're here to help you. But when you go too far, that's when we are going to put our foot down. You try to use Boss, Sayaka or any of my friends as an expendable pawn, and I'm going to have your head! Is that clear?"
"Transparent." the young CEO answered, his face briefly slipping into a serious frown as he sustained Kouji's steely gaze. The two remained that way for several seconds, making sure their counterpart had gotten the picture, before Nagare sighed and broke contact. "Anyway, now that this is out of the way, let's go take a look at the Nadesico-C. There is someone there who would very much like to speak to you all. Someone who will be vital for this mission."
Kouji glanced at Sayaka, who shrugged nonchalantly and motioned for her companion to drop the matter, at least for the moment. With a sigh that expressed reluctance, Kouji took Sayaka's advice and stepped away from Nagare, who nodded in approval and turned his most affable expression back on before motioning for the two of them to follow him to the Nergal's newest battleship. "Very well, what are we waiting for? We don't want to miss this surprise, do we?" he said, almost nonchalantly.
Nagare lead Kouji and Sayaka onwards, as the two Photon Power Lab pilots followed at a distance, still eyeing him with barely concealed suspicion...
oooooooooo
Meanwhile, in the depths of space, a reunion between sisters was taking place... consisting of Meyrin jumping at Lunamaria and glomping her for all she was worth!
"Luna!" the younger Hawke practically screeched, enveloping her older sister in a bear hug, with Lunamaria happily hugging back. "I was afraid I'd never see you again! I'm so happy that you're here!"
"Meyrin, you fool! I was afraid I'd lost you forever!" Lunamaria exclaimed, tears of joy streaming down her face. "I'm sorry I took so long towake up and smell the coffee!"
Meyrin held her sister a little longer before finally separating and giving her a bright smile. "It's okay, Luna. What really matters is that you're here and safe, now!" she answered. "So... well... that means you've decided to join us now?"
"Yeah... I'm really not liking where ZAFT is going... and where Shinn is going, either." she answered, putting on her best serious face. "Shinn... is losing himself to his thoughts of revenge. And neither Rey nor the Chairman are helping... they're actually trying to keep him in that dark place where he's lashing out at everyone. I don't want to be part of that, not anymore." She turned to the people who had accompanied her there, namely Raul Grayden, Amuro Ray and Judau Ashta. "Which is why... I've decided to give you all the informations you might need about the other Lacus. The person that the Chairman is using for propaganda reasons."
"I did think there was something off about that Lacus." Amuro answered. "I wasn't really surprised when she turned out to be an imposter."
"So... how about that other Lacus?" Raul asked, motioning for the magenta-haired former ZAFT pilot to go on.
Lunamaria took a deep breath and placed a hand on Meyrin's shoulder. "Well... right now, she's at Copernicus City... and her real name is Meer Campbell... but I guess you knew that already..."
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...