Even as victors are selected, there are many who chose not to submit to their greatest falls. Just as there are those who attempt to avoid being subject to the consequences of their actions, there are those who are more than eager to reap what they have sown. Where many see an ending, the strongest see their defeat as a reason to struggle for the cause that is most important to them. Such has been the nature of humans since the dawn of war. It is for those who live to witness history that such defiance is judged. The year is After Colony 225. This principle remains unshaken.
Episode 53: An Uncertain Accomplishment
Instructor W continued to work on his laptop. "Why did I make the legs large again?" He asked himself.
Donna was back from an improvised changing room to change. What Andrew gave her was an OZ uniform but a new design. She was annoyed with wearing it already and she still wore her keffiyeh with it for a touch of individuality that her father can ignore since the keffiyeh heirloom is his idea anyway.
The Instructor gave a glance at Donna. "Well I can say that your father definitely is a man of wealth and taste." He commented.
Donna found the folder given by Dafina on the desk also. "Did you have a look at the folder yet?" She asked her mentor.
"Not yet." He replied. "If there are names I know or a signature, then it may be genuine."
Donna opened the folder with files listed in years. The file at the front was the profile of the Falson family and information the labour strikes preceding the war. She continued further with now on the list of Preventers. "Wind, retired. Fire, retired. Water, Missing. Gold, Missing. Nataku, KIA." She briefly read out loud. From how the Instructor reacted to Nataku, he or she was a friend. The next file was on the Winner Corporation's planned projects on Mars that were cancelled with the war.
Dana looked over the city the Parliament had become hostage in. It was time to place their efforts into one final push for the good of the Earth Sphere. She prepared the Artemis in bird mode and made a survey over the area to see there were no enemy mobile suits waiting for them. Now was as good a time as any to be real heroes. "Let's bring everyone back home safely guys."
"Yes sir. We'll make sure Dafina doesn't waste her efforts." Zachariah agreed.
Mercurio had the Uriel prepared to move out and saw Heero preparing the others to make the final push. Mercurio had his duty to fulfil to the Earth Sphere, but he could tell his father had one particular member in mind he wanted to be safe more than any other. "Let's just make sure we're strong enough to focus on brining everyone back dad..." He hoped to himself when he moved out.
The Tallgeese Throne stayed behind and continued to take down as many Scutum units that dared to get in her way. More likely than not it would only be a matter of time before they were all cut down but long after the launches. "You can trust in me Mercurio. I only hope this is the last time we have to be on a battlefield together."
Heero saw the city of Amsterdam was soon within their range and the Coalition guards were waiting for such an intrusion. He announced to the mobile suits following him, "All units, we're moving in. Prepare to engage the enemy."
Some of the worst new Rayen could receive had arrived when he had his sight of the Earth Sphere mobile suits making their way towards his location confirmed by one of the soldiers. "General, we've got enemy mobile suits incoming."
Rayen was slightly startled to hear this but knew the situation was calling for him to act as efficiently as he could. He ordered one of the soldiers, "Bring me one of the leading representatives now! I will not let our forces be beaten further into defeat!"
On that order the soldiers continued to search for Malcolm Hunter and Relena Yuy as they made their stand against the capture. The resistance was challenged as soon as one of the soldiers hit Relena in the back of the head with his rifle. The chaos continued when several representatives saw her taken to the General but Rayen now had a bargaining chip against his captives. He announced to the Earth Sphere politicians, "Another wrong step and I will have one less passenger to remove."
The representatives saw Relena taken in Rayen's grip and the desire to rebel had distilled from the vigour it once had and the Coalition soldiers proceeded to direct the representatives into the nearby building.
Hyrum saw the gathering from afar and recognized how the representatives were being cornered further. "They have the House Minority Leader in their hold. We have to move in and save her."
Hyrum heard one of the soldiers point out the first problem with the decision. "Move in? Sir we don't have the numbers to take those forces and we don't have the strategy either."
"We have to do this more than before. If we don't move in now we'll lose them."
Before the men could groan about their desperate motivation, one of the soldiers looked towards the city edge reporting, "Lieutenant. It looks like we've got company arriving."
Another one of the soldiers saw several Ursa units making their way in when he "That's not the Coalition. That's our guys!"
"Reinforcements? Thank God. We might have a chance."
Hyrum didn't have any hindered resolve when he rallied, "Let's not disappoint them. We have to move in and do our part!"
"Right behind you sir!"
"Moving out! Let's make our leaders proud!" The soldiers agreed.
Relena did her best to struggle against the grip of Rayen when he dragged her towards the halls for the shuttle site. "Let me go! Stop this!"
"I'm afraid that you have made your final demands Madame Representative. I am only sorry that our escape has to be this desperate." Rayen answered. It was a few moments after the Earth Sphere forces began to make their way in he heard his situation becoming more impossible.
"Only if you have plans on answering to the Earth Sphere military. They will not permit you to escape now." Relena warned.
He didn't answer the warning when he ordered his nearest soldiers, "Bring the representatives in here! We must leave this place!"
One of the soldiers was hitting a representative with his gun when he warned, "Sir! We're still having trouble!"
"No excuses! We must leave now!"
Heero and the Earth Sphere soldiers found their way to the entrance of the spaceport when the conflict between the Coalition soldiers and representatives escalated. He prepared his rifle and knelt up to prepare for a leap out when they were nearby. "Move out!" He ordered. He saw Hyrum and the others making progress towards his location while firing on their enemies.
The crossfire had begun when the Coalition soldiers were forced back into the building while they saw the enemy mobile suits prepared to make their way into the city for assistance. "It looks like the only choice we have now is to make our way for the shuttle! They can't fire on us if we have the representatives as our hostages!"
"Assuming we can get out of here. Grab anyone you can and make way towards the General."
Hyrum and his men found their way to flank the Coalition soldiers after finding cover from a nearby building. The gunfire managed to thin out the Coalition soldiers while the representatives found their way towards their own forces for protection. "We're doing our job guys! Major Yuy and the others are here to secure this location!"
One of the soldiers was visibly relieved when he found Heero making his way in. "Not doing bad for ourselves. Looks like we'll stop them."
Hyrum fired a few shots before snapping back to cover when he reminded, "Assuming we've already finished the mission. We can't get distracted."
The Earth Sphere forces found themselves guiding the representatives to safety while the fighting continued and Heero kept an eye out for Relena. Heero managed to find Malcolm making his way towards the group when he asked, "Representative. Have all of the surviving politicians been accounted for?"
Malcolm collected himself before he looked behind to the crossfire still taking place when he answered, "I'm afraid not Major. Some of us have been killed in the struggle for our escape... And I saw the Minority Leader being taken by General Vasquez himself."
Heero gritted is teeth when he heard the news. "Relena..." He shook his head when he tried to prepare for action. Heero prepared his weapon when he ordered his men, "All forces remain here. I'm moving in to find any missing hostages."
Mercurio saw his father making his way further into the spaceport base when he knew there was only one thing that would force him to deviate from his fellow men. He knew because he saw it. He saw one of the soldiers making his way into the building with his mother at gunpoint. He announced to the other mobile suit pilots, "I have to move in. Prepare to help the Earth Sphere forces if they need it." Before he could hear any protest from his fellow pilots he opened the cockpit and made a quick descent down to the ground with a pistol in hand.
Mercurio fired on several Coalition soldiers when he got close enough but did his best to find a way towards his father. He met up with Heero when he requested, "Sir, requesting permission to move in."
Heero turned to find his son prepared to enter regardless of his answer. The determination showed in his face Heero saw his request. "Just try not to be a liability. I need results more than anything else."
"Yuy wait up!" Dana tried to stop him but found his determination was matching his action. The Uriel's comms were shut off before she had a chance to send the warning. "Damn. Kid should be glad we have the luxury for this." She gave another order to the remaining pilots, "All units get between the Coalition soldiers and make sure the representatives have a safe trip home."
Ermes's Ursa stood guard at the Uriel until Mercurio returns. "He better return soon." He sarcastically thought. Behind him came a Leo III and Ermes was able to react in time to bisect his enemy before he could strike. "He owes me big time."
Suchart took note of Captain Dana's orders. "Got it maam." He replied as he just replaced the cartridge for the beam rifle with a fresh one. He immediately took cover at a ruined building and aimed for a damaged and exposed Scutum. The shot was well-placed enough to tear through, causing a chain reaction to the engine and making an explosion that can temporarily blind in the process.
The sergeant oversaw the President's shuttle preparing to leave. "No sign of Coalition soldiers sir." He reported while the silo exit began opening. "All systems are go for your launch sir." The soldiers remained vigilant in case the Coalition finds them and is able to stop the launch.
Heero made his way into the building while Mercurio followed close behind. They both found Coalition soldiers waiting for them upon entering and gunfire erupted. Heero managed to roll to the side while Mercurio took cover behind a wall and fired in response. The action didn't last long before the soldiers fell over from the shots allowing the two Earth Sphere soldiers to safely reach the position. Heero found Hiram among the representatives on the ground and shook him awake. "Representative. Is the General still here?"
Hiram looked up and answered, "Major Yuy... From what I've seen the General is making his way to the shuttle grounds. You might have a chance at stopping him if you hurry."
"Thank you Representative. Private..." Heero had an initial order to see his son make way towards the group of soldiers outside but remembered that Mercurio had every bit of the ambition to save Relena. He wasn't about to be dissuaded from the goal now. Not when they were so close. "Stay up on me and prepare to take down the General if necessary."
Mercurio kept his sights on the way into the building when he agreed, "Yes sir."
Rayen heard the gunfire coming closer when some of the Coalition soldiers made their way to make a report. One of them panted from the realization, "General, we've heard gunfire from inside. The Earth Sphere is on to us." Relena found her hope for escape at this news while she continued to struggle from Rayen's grip. Unfortunately, he was still able to maintain his grip while he moved further from the entrance.
"Damn. They will not let us have a chance to escape indeed. How have they made their way in already?" Rayen demanded hoping to find better odds.
One of the soldiers announced, "There's only two soldiers sir. The rest are probably still outside."
Rayen was slightly relieved when he heard the numbers but wondered, "Only two? How can we expect to be victims of a mere two soldiers?" He didn't bother any further and only demanded, "Maintain the perimeter. I must make my way out of here soon."
"Understood sir." It was too late of an order when Mercurio and Heero had made their way into the building. "Sir! They're making their way in!"
"Take them down now!" The Coalition soldiers remained as the only barrier between Rayen and the two men who dared to make their way in.
Heero and Mercurio both made their shots while behind cover and saw their goal was not far now. Heero saw Relena just behind the next doorway when the General forced her in. In this moment he let his ambition take over and rushed forward with his pistol attempting to blaze a path through. Mercurio turned around warning, "Sir! They have you in their sights!" Before Heero could react he heard one of the guns fire towards him. The injured soldier on the ground wasn't able to get a direct hit in anything vital but the shots still found their way towards Heero's right arm. It forced him to drop the gun in pain and fell over on his back from the force while he continued to bleed. Before the soldier could send another shot he was finished when Mercurio fired and rushed over to make sure he was safe.
"Heero!" Relena gasped out of realization.
Rayen turned around to notice that the representative was rightfully worried about the fate of her guard. Heero had fallen to the ground but didn't see if the wound would be enough to classify him as dead. Right next to him he saw Mercurio making his way towards Rayen's position. He saw the young soldier rushing forward and knew there was only one last option he had to make his way out of here.
Rayen pressed his pistol to Relena's head and he saw Mercurio freeze in place with his pistol out of focus. Relena had become even more concerned when she saw her son before her and struggled to make sure Rayen didn't know this. Unfortunately the restraint wasn't enough when he pointed out, "You have nothing to offer now do you boy? I'm fortunate that the soldiers of this government are as loyal to their politicians as they are. Perhaps the next time we meet, you can convince the President to -" Before he could finish his taunt he heard something from the pile of bodies on the floor shifting up with an alarming speed.
Despite his arm bloodied and wounded, Heero managed to summon everything in his body to make sure he didn't go down without one final effort. In that moment Heero had enough adrenaline for just one final action when he lifted a pistol from the ground and used his still healthy arm to aim at Rayen's head despite his blurred vision. He let out his interruption, "I'll kill you."
It was less than a second before the gun fired and a bullet shot straight through Rayen's forehead above his right eye. Shocked and failing from life, Rayen fell back on his knees and desperately grasped for whatever semblance of life he had left. It was for nothing when he could only fall back and die. Another leader of the Coalition had been defeated, but most of all Heero was only happy to see Relena was safe again. He slumped to the ground on his knees when the adrenaline left him and at least had some time for rest.
Heero was given a chance to rest when he fell down but it caused Mercurio to recognize everything that had happened in the past few moments. The actions that passed him by were finally gone and it pressed him to discard what militaristic mannerisms he had for the situation. He checked to make sure Relena was still uninjured while he knelt next to Heero asking, "Mom! Are you okay?"
Relena pressed a hand to her still rapidly beating heart when she tried to calm herself but managed to answer, "I'm alright Mercurio. Please help your father."
"Dad, are you still there?"
Heero groaned from the pain when he tried to recover himself. "Not like what I remember..." He said to himself while grabbing one of the shots in his arm. He controlled what pain he had when he saw his son above him and ordered, "Get to the others. Tell them the House Minority leader is still alive." Despite the break in protocol his son made in that moment, he couldn't let it interrupt the need to know that the Coalition threat was effectively extinguished. Right now it seemed like Mercurio would have to be the one to fulfil that role.
Mercurio agreed to the order and acted like a soldier again. "Yes sir."
As Mercurio made his way to the entrance of the spaceport building Relena did everything to prevent the bleeding from Heero's wound. Of all moments it was this one that truly reminded her of the old days. A sense of connection that only few could imagine possible. "Heero. It seems like nothing changes between us doesn't it?"
Heero had the same feeling of security when he rested his head in Relena's arm. "About right."
Mercurio stepped out of the spaceport building when he announced to the Earth Sphere soldiers, "The House Minority Leader is safe. The Coalition General has been killed." Several of the nearby soldiers cheered out of victory at this news while he made his way to Ludwika telling her, "Ludwika. We need you inside. The Major has been injured."
"I'm on it." She agreed running into the building. Mercurio was relieved to see Heero would be in good hands while she tended to his wound. For all intents and purposes it seemed like the war would finally end with this act. It didn't seem as if there was anything the Coalition could do to avert their moment of triumph by now.
Franz saw the countdown continue to decrease before he heard his sergeant on the other line announce his clearance. He put on a final act for his position as President when he congratulated, "You have done admirably for your people sergeant. This will be remembered as the day that brings humanity out of this age of war and into a new era of progress. Continue to stand strong for our United Earth." He ended communications with his final declaration while he saw the countdown clock reaching ever closer to zero.
Strapped in and prepared for the inertia to come, the old man was prepared for the long journey towards his true destination. "Another three weeks is too long to let humanity continue its desperate attempt at seeking peace this way. But it cannot be helped now. These shall soon be the final days of the global scale the human race has become accustomed to." The countdown ended when the engines fired and prepared to launch the shuttle into orbit. "And If there must be one forced to bear this responsibility, I shall stand among humanity to raise it." Within moments the shuttle began to rise from the port landing and made its way out to the reaches of space. The body of Nathaniel Falson shook unresponsive from the blowback while the gathering of men and women below could only watch as one shuttle left Earth.
Dana checked from the cameras of the Artemis and managed to find the are clear of any enemy units for the moment. They weren't going to let a successful mission such as this one be ruined by sudden Coalition entry. She had to make sure the others were accounted for before the "We got a number on the Representatives down there?"
"We're counting 75 of the 120 Captain. Not sure where the others are." Dana knew there were several factors to take into consideration with how the Parliament had lost at least a few dozen members. It would be another matter to address once they returned to Brussels with something to report as a success. Hyrum and the others could make sure they wouldn't get lost on the way back.
Dana requested a report from the Wing pilots on the four sides as they surveyed areas of the city, "Any reports of enemy mobile suits out there people?" From each of the four Ursa units that moved out to patrol they could give an idea of where the enemy might be coming.
Roy was prepared for his report when he checked, "East side not finding anything."
Zachariah was next to answer, "West side not picking up anything."
Keijo's signal had a small explosion in the background but he answered clearly, "North side. Just took down one trying to get away. Probably a loner though."
Gawel gave his evaluation when he reported, "Nothing to report from behind us Captain. I think Dafina is scaring everything away from there."
Despite anything that might have made someone worried Dana felt pleased with herself on a mission after who could say how long. She might have to answer for crimes in the Sahara but it would all be worth it now. She didn't choose to let it worry her though when she let her optimism give a promise to her fellow pilots, "We didn't do half bad people. We got the best results we could ask for. Let's rally the prisoners to the city prison and make our way back to Brussels. if we're lucky we should have a hangar bay full of resources and some nice vintages waiting for us."
Amidst the cheers of accomplishment Roy couldn't be any more pleased when he added, "Man that'd be great. Need something to get away from all of this." It was a few seconds after this exchange took place that the first thing to worry the Earth Sphere victory brought itself into view. The shuttle Franz was occupying was making its way off the port at maximum speed and prepared to breach the atmosphere.
Dana was the first to reveal her surprise when she asked, "What? Maddox report on that shuttle!"
Zachariah's Ursa camera managed to snap the shuttle before it left the Earth and tried to determine its form. "It... I can't say what it is Captain. I don't think that one was meant to take off that's for sure."
Dana wouldn't allow things to go sour by now. She reminded this of her fellow pilots when she ordered, "Somebody get me some stats on that shuttle! I need to know who's in there!"
Nasir was the first to agree when he answered, "We're on it Captain." He left his mobile suit right after answering when he cursed to himself, "Damn it all to hell, it better not be the Coalition President. Not when we're this close."
Several Earth Sphere soldiers had placed Heero on a stretcher while Ludwika tended to his wounded arm. "Does it look like he's going to survive this?" One of the soldiers asked.
Ludwika managed to remove one of the bullets with her tweezers when she answered, "He's lucky nothing vital was hit. Mostly some bullets lodged in his arm." She took out several applications to stop the bleeding when the removal was complete. The most Heero gave were some audible groans from the wound being sealed.
The shuttle launch managed to catch her off guard when she continued to but quickly got back to the case. She saw Nasir and Mercurio rushing towards the entrance when Mercurio asked, "Did anyone pass through here recently?"
Ludwika shook her head answering, "I didn't see anyone. I saw the shuttle take off though. Can't think who would try to get out of here this quickly while the fighting is finished."
Mercurio gestured to a few of the men nearby when he announced, "We have to found out who's still here. Somebody should know who took off in that shuttle."
One of the soldiers agreed with the plan ordering to another group, "You three remain behind and make sure the Major is attended to. We're going to make a sweep of the area."
"We'll make sure the medic has everything she needs sir." One of the selected agreed.
The investigation had begun when the building was infiltrated while the bodies were gathered and brought outside. Dana had the chance to observe the damage that was done while she gathered confirmation on who was killed today.
"Any idea who this guy was?"
"General Rayen Vasquez Captain. So far we can confirm he was the highest ranking official out here."
She heard a buzz on her radio when she heard the squad from the higher ports report, "Captain. We've found something pretty significant."
"Alright, what's up there?"
"It's President Falson Captain. He's dead."
Dana tried to contain her surprise when she asked, "Seriously? You're not trying to make some stupid joke out of this?"
"DNA confirmation might be a good idea but it looks like him."
The squad that escorted the President left the launch bay to avoid being incinerated by the launch. They made their way to the fuel room to discuss what to do now. "Our mission is complete." The sergeant announced to them. "We will return to Berlin for debriefing. We will avoid all contacts with allies until further instructions." Once he made the order clear, they returned back to where they parked their APC.
Ermes got off his Ursa after the coast was clear. He saw Heero carried for emergency medical attention. Before he could go he witnessed the shuttle launching and wondered who is in the shuttle. He then got the update that President Falson is apparently killed also. When he was going to investigate the corpses, he found a group of soldiers getting on an APC quietly. "Hey!" He shouted at them. "Are you Earth Sphere reinforcements?"
Before he got his answer, the APC began its move with no intent to answer. Ermes began to run to catch up but it looked like he'll need help. He got his communicator out to inform everybody else. "I found a group of Earth Sphere soldiers that refused to answer me!" He reported as he ran. "I need someone to help me stop them!"
Dana agreed that Nathaniel's body would have to be inspected at another available time when she ordered, "Alright bring the body in. We'll have to see how it turns up." She wondered if they had DNA information on Nathaniel Falson but knew that it was the only way to make sure the Coalition leader was actually dead.
It was just a few moments after finding this discovery that she heard Ermes issue a warning on something happening outside. Dana rushed outside to see what was happening and noticed there an APC with Earth Sphere markings trying to make its way out of the area. She wondered briefly what the emergency was but noticed several key things about its route. APCs on patrol or escort wouldn't be moving at a speed as if an attack were present. While it tried to make the escape Dana adjusted her frequency to give a quick warning, "Everyone we've got a stray vehicle trying to make its way out of here!" She tried to determine the APC's route when she contacted, Gilliam do you have an APC en route to your position?"
Roy tried to find out what Dana was talking about when he answered, "A what now? I'm not seeing any of those headed this way. We looking for a Coalition vehicle trying to get out of here?" He waited for her to answer before he saw what his Captain was warning about. "Hold on a sec, this guy looks like he's in a bit of a hurry." When it made its way around the city streets he began to give it chase before it could make its escape. The Ursa unit made its way in front of the vehicle before it had a chance to move any further. "Looks like they shouldn't be headed anywhere soon Captain." He changed his speakers to warn the soldiers outside, "Alright guys, you shouldn't be in too much of a hurry. Our Captain does have a few questions before you find the way out."
Dana managed to find Roy's Ursa unit in front of the target Ermes had pointed out. She ordered several nearby soldiers, "Let's form up and see what they're up to. We can't let anyone leave the city without escorting the Parliament back to the capital."
"Yes sir." The soldiers responded. Before long the APC was surrounded by the personnel Dana had commanded.
Dana commanded to the men inside the vehicle for her audience, "Let's take this nice and easy folks. Just show us what the precious cargo is you gotta keep secret and we'll let you on your mission. This mission is that important right?"
The Tallgeese Throne made a mighty strike with its heat rod and managed to take down the final Scutum unit that stood in its way. It pulled back to avoid being engulfed in the explosion and had a chance to see the Coalition's final attempt at an escape foiled. Dafina looked from behind to notice that the city of Amsterdam had considerably calmed down from the action but one thing stood out as soon as she saw it. Like the others the shuttle launch had taken her by surprise but instilled a sense of fear that she hadn't hoped to relive. "This can't happen..." She prepared the Tallgeese to make its flight away from the scrapheaps it had just made. "If Franz is up there, this day will be a loss."
The Tallgeese Throne made its way towards the city with this thought at the foremost of her mind.
As soon as Malcolm found Relena he brought his key concerns to her. "Relena, I must see that you are prepared to act against what the Coalition has prepared for us next. I must discuss our next course of action with you."
Relena looked from Heero while she forced herself to meet with Malcolm. She agreed to his concern, "Even if Nathaniel Falson is truly dead we will still have the matter of the rest of the Coalition to work with. We won't know for a while if this will do anything to end the conflict or bring a renewed effort from the succeeding leader."
Malcolm nodded when she evaluated the situation, "They will have their Vice President to swear into oath. Regardless of the outcome we will have to return to the capital and prepare a discussion on what action must be taken. We will have to summon the Executive Branch to the Parliamentary Building in case the worst has happened to any of our leaders."
Relena took a few steps back to meet with Heero's resting area when she concluded, "This matter will be addressed once we have arrived Malcolm. For now we must prepare to make our way back to Brussels. We will have the House reassembled and I believe our fighting men and women have done far more than enough to serve their nation. The President must at least be able to agree to that much."
"That is true..." Malcolm agreed. He wondered the rest to himself, The matter of their loyalty will still be questioned. The Gundams and the others will still have to answer for what happened in Algeria.
The APC was forced to stop when all exits were surrounded. Ermes caught up and aimed his pistol at the passenger's door of the APC. A response came from the speaker. "We were assigned a high-profile mission." The sergeant responded. "However we are not authorised to reveal the nature under strict orders."
Ermes asked who the order was from. "Who gave you the order." He asked them.
The sergeant gave his answer bluntly. "We are not authorised to reveal who ordered us." Was the reply.
Ermes reported back to Captain Dana. "Captain, looks like they're uncooperative." He reported back. "We need to convince them somehow."
"That's unfortunate. We were hoping today's tensions were finished." Dana said to herself. If she and the others were going to convince these men to cooperate they would have to find some way to pressure them. Most importantly be confirmed as soldiers of the Earth Sphere if the mission was supposedly that important. Dana thought up the best way to get the information from them when she asked, "If it's not too much trouble we could just take you to the capital with us. The mission has to be important enough to report to the President right?" Before hearing the response she turned to several soldiers ordering, "Take these men to one of the transport vehicles and keep them under surveillance. We'll find out what they've been up to once we have an official hearing straight from their mouths."
Dana saw the men taken to one of the vehicles suggested and began to contact Gawel on her radio. Reaching his signal he asked, "Everything look like it's ready to head out Majewski?"
She heard his response click through, "Looks about right Captain. The Representatives should be ready to head back to the capital. Aren't we all though?"
Dana nodded lightly answering, "Yeah. We could do worse than head to home base to find out our next move. We'll have to see if the Earth Sphere is still going to accept our services though."
There was a slight delay before Gawel answered back, "Yeah... I don't know if today is going to cancel out anything but we should at least get a hearing of some kind. That being the optimistic view at least."
The sergeant recognized the situation he was in as he was now prepared to follow on the superior of one other who had authority above Dana. "I'm afraid under strict orders, we can't do that." He got his hand grenade and activated it inside the APC. Soon the whole vehicle exploded, killing everyone inside and causing a blast that shook those nearby.
Ermes got up after he lost his ground from the explosion. "Looks like the orders were strict." He remarked at the wreck. He gave an update to the captain. "Captain, the squad just killed themselves." He reported. "It looks like things are going on behind the scenes."
Suchart thought that they would lose their trail now. However he had a closer look at the APC. "Wait, we still have their regiment on the APC." He pointed out. "We can find out where they belong to."
Ermes walked to examine the markings. "I don't know Earth Sphere military stuff." He said after he had a close look at them. "Sis, Captain, are you aware of Earth Sphere insignias?"
The explosion managed to be enough that it could be heard by the convoy that was preparing to make its way back to the capital. Mercurio and many of the others out of reflex turned to the source of the sound and found the vehicle near the western side of the city had exploded. "Something just happen out there?"
"It looks like there was one force trying to make a desperate final attack. We should wait for Captain Houston's report on what happened."
Dana was thrown back by the explosion and went flying on her back to the pavement when the vehicle exploded. She forced herself up and tried to see what happened while she remembered the final words of the sergeant who made his final warning. She looked up to see the damage done. "Damn... What were these guys trying to pull?"
When Ermes pointed out to the insignia on the APC, Dana squinted to what he was referring to and answered, "These guys are from the Berlin Regiment alright. Can't say if they were supposed to be doing anything in particular though."
Dafina had a look at the damage and was able to answer the mystery, "I can vouch for this one. This was a suicide squad sent to follow the orders of the President Kecker regardless of what the outcome would be."
"For the President? What's his squad doing out here? Kind of late for them to be here isn't it? Wait..." Dana came to the realization of what Dafina was trying to warn her and the Rogue Wings about twice before. Franz's effort in using the Solaris for something the Earth Sphere did not have planned.
"It's circumstantial so far. But I believe that this will be the first step in realizing his plan." Dafina reminded.
She shook her head when she reminded, "We'll have to head back to the capital at some point."
Dafina agreed, "The evidence should still be present if we return. It will most likely explain everything."
As another 3 hours passed, the convoy of Earth Sphere soldiers had made its way towards the ruined city of Brussels where the civilian population had only begun to search for what was left standing. Mercurio looked out to see what had been saved today and knew that what happened today was the price he and his fellow soldiers had to give to save the Earth Sphere from dissolving. "At least it will continue to stand today. The only question now is how long we'll have after this." The Uriel and Artemis led the way towards the nearby mobile suit hangars reserved for the city's forces but by now had been depleted.
Heero was able to sit upright after his arm had been properly casted. The work that both he and the Earth Sphere were working on today was not finished but they had their freedom once again.
He looked out to the city and its ruins when he observed, "We'll have a chance to rebuild at some point. We haven't lost everything yet."
"Yes. It will require as much effort as we placed into this war, but it can be done again." Relena refocused on her first concern when she continued, I'll have to request General Ulbricht's presence. He is currently the highest ranking military official and likely the only one who would if the President is engaged in some activity we are unaware of."
When the vehicle began to park itself near the Parliamentary Building Heero agreed, "I should probably see if the mobile suits meet with minimum repairs."
"No you won't." Relena answered. "You're going to the nearest infirmary area and getting some well earned rest. And you're taking that as an order understood?"
Heero lightly smiled at her command when he agreed, "Just for tonight then Madame Representative. I still have to give my eyewitness account to the House." She gave a peck on his cheek before she left the vehicle and made her way to the Parliamentary Building. Heero knew that he was probably going to have another discussion about his role in the war tonight but it would at least be somewhat pleasant for a change. He exited the vehicle while following Relena up to the building with several other representatives.
Franz was making his distance from Earth while he waited for his arrival on the Sol Invictus he assigned to the autopilot. He wasn't about to let the trip go by without preparing the Earth for what was to come. He input a command program to reach the hangar bays on Luna where the Sol Thero units waited for their commands. "Now comes the most difficult task in forwarding this grand scale task. Of course the further away the easier it will become." He reminded himself before the final command was entered. The command began to make the prepared Sol Thero units launch to the surface of the earth. As the Earth and Luna would continue to turn, the drop capsules would descend to prepare for the next phase in his plan. "By tomorrow there will be no path open to Sol Invictus."
Mercurio and the other pilots made their way up to the Building steps while discussing the events of a few hours ago. When Ludwika spelt some of the details on Rayen's final moments there was some considerable eagerness among the pilots for a good war story. "So the old guy still had some juice he needed to get out of him? You think maybe he started this war for that purpose?" Roy asked out of the conversation.
"If he did I think most of us wouldn't have hit our teenage years." Gawel chuckled after answering.
Dana patted his shoulder reminding him, "You just keep in mind Yuy that this war isn't over yet. You'll get a chance to do something bigger."
He shrugged at first before he reminded, "I never really thought I'd have to honestly. This probably just proves that war doesn't leave everything alone. Of course there's still a question of whether or not we're going to be considered for being pilots much longer."
There was a collective sigh when the pilots remembered the trial they were likely going to have to endure. Keijo voiced for them, "Yeah, they want to hear from us on our actions don't they? Time to enjoy the presence and judgment of old people who can't lift a decent sized weapon themselves I guess."
"If the evidence Nathaniel brought to the House is still there it should be enough to show how misguided we all were." Dafina reminded.
Zachariah nodded when he tried to be hopeful for his group's upcoming trial. "Guess so. Might give us some extra credit then." The group of pilots entered the building and saw the politicians gathering for future meetings. Mercurio raised his hand in greeting when he saw Donna from a distance while a few other pilots did the same.
Malcolm and Relena had seen the representatives gather within the Parliamentary Building to confirm their numbers. She turned to "How many of us are left?"
Malcolm looked over the survey that had been taken when he answered, "Eight survivors were found among the ones General Vasquez's forces missed." He turned to Relena when he continued, "Counting the total of 34 who were executed in the past few weeks and the three who were killed today there are now 83 of us remaining. We were fortunate today to survive everything that happened today and with our freedom reclaimed in our current numbers."
"Any loss is regrettable, but in a realistic scenario we must be grateful for what we have achieved." "What is the current plan of succession should the worst come to arrive?"
Zlata was next to her when she gave her answer. "The Vice President was confirmed dead, that leaves the House Majority Leader as the next candidate should the worst around President Kecker come to pass."
Relena agreed to the "We will have to wait for the Executive Branch to return from Italy and Switzerland before we can hear their advice on where we must proceed."
Dafina had found her way to the podium when she asked, "Representatives, I must know. Has the President been found?"
There was an air of mistrust among the politicians for the newly converted agent but Malcolm answered back, "We are still searching for him miss. Our current disarray may hopefully call him out."
"Is the evidence on the podium at least still there?"
"Only a single document it seems. A list of the charges and some basic knowledge on the Solaris."
Edward made his way through the streets of the ruined city with a trench coat prepared with a few guards following behind him. They had discarded their weapons before making their trip to the city's key governmental building and saw their only chance at redemption in sight. "So it would seem that this siege did play out as expected. I'll only need to see how many of the former Coalition leaders are still alive."
One of the guards stepped forward when she asked, "They will likely be looking for us sir. Should we continue?"
"Of course." He answered. "Best we turn ourselves in now and attempt to win favor with the enemy. At the worst they will only imprison us for now. There will be those among their ranks who remember that were it not for me this upset in President Falson's execution would not have come to pass."
Another one of the guards pointed out a key concern, "How can we be certain they will let us live General? Right now the Earth Sphere would likely be more than excited to claim another Coalition death."
Edward grasped hold of the case of files from the trial days ago when he promised, "Oh they won't. Not with what I have to offer."
Donna continued to read through the dossiers from Dafina with more secrets read through. An Earth Sphere soldier entered the room with some news. "The Earth Sphere parliament would like your presence in the Parliamentary building." He informed before leaving. Donna wondered about what they want from her. She knew the files will have to be seen by everyone when they're becoming suspicious of President Franz's motives. She got the dossiers back together but unknowingly mixing them up with a file labelled "LINDEMANN ASSASSINATION" and left the room with her OZ uniform still on.
When Donna and Instructor arrived, she saw the rest of the Rogue Wings back with Mercurio and others waving his hand in greeting. She waved hers back in return. Her father and General Ulbricht were in the room also, with slight disgruntlement in seeing Relena. "What's this about?" The Gundam pilot asked her father.
The Lord looked at his daughter. "The parliament is demanding answers from us." He explained. "Especially from you, Captain Houston and Relena's son on wiping out the French Regiment."
Donna hid her head in her palm. "Can't they understand that it had to be done?" She questioned in a frustrated tone.
Lord Lindemann had a different reason to be frustrated from. "I'm also called here because I'm seen as a radical with questions asked." He told her. "They demand about my motives on reviving OZ and the Gundam Aquarius."
Donna could understand that. "You've always supported everything to do with arming the Earth Sphere forces." She pointed out.
Malcolm prepared to stand before the podium after finding the proper announcements to give. He turned to Relena instructing, "I must ask you Mrs. Yuy to stand down from this hearing. Please understand what we do not wish to invoke among the case."
Relena nodded while Zlata went to find her seat, "I understand Mr. Hunter. Please carry on."
As soon as the intended audience had made its way into the meeting hall Malcolm began to prepare the meeting, "The meeting now begins with a critical announcement in the organization of power. This first issue is concerning the absence of President Franz Kecker and the death of Vice President Severi Leminen. To fulfil the vacuum currently in place I, House Majority Leader Malcolm Hunter representing the First Priority Party, shall speak on behalf of the will of the people who form the Earth Sphere United Nations."
"We were beyond fortunate today to reclaim our capital even in the ruined state it is now, when the intention of several within the Coalition leadership would have been to see us levelled completely. However we now stand at a crossroad that will either answer where our position in this war places our nation. To begin, we should hear from the pilots of the Earth Sphere Gundams on their intentions."
"Captain Dana Houston, what your group has done was nothing short of the highest form of patriotism. Your actions as pilots have spoken to us many times over as motions that free us from what the Falson Coalition has threatened to undo. Understand however that in the public's eye this will not easily be undone. The deaths of General Alphonse de Lombard and Mauro Carmine were devastating to all of us. We must understand however, did you plan ahead to agree that the survival of the Gundams was necessary for protecting the wellbeing of the Earth Sphere?"
Dana explained to Malcolm, "Yes sir. Believe me, I thought the setup could be broken. I made every attempt to get them to stop the attack. But they were surrounded by Coalition forces who were making sure they'd keep it going."
Mercurio agreed when he remembered one of Mauro's last commands, "General Carmine said himself that the Coalition spare the lives of the Parliament if they destroyed us."
There was some growing muttering among the representatives while Malcolm nodded, "We were withheld this information private. It would explain a deal about the Coalition hoping to exploit the Gundam footage to discredit the image of the forces you made."
Hiram pointed out to the gathering, "I feel that Lord Lindemann should be one to answer for his intentions if it should be anyone. A decision to create something as risky as the Aquarius would be a foreseeable scenario as long as President Kecker offered his authorization. Clearly it was given with the President passing the project. His intention to revitalize OZ however may bring us back to the other end of the circle we sought to avoid."
One of the First Priority members spoke out against the claim, "As regrettable as it may seem Mr. Murrow, for all of his faults he is the one who is providing us with the means of making this capital our stronghold."
Hiram shook his head when he answered back, "If violence is the only response we have to offer, it is unfortunate that we cannot demonstrate ourselves as any better than reactionary forces against the waves of war." He was disappointed to see Relena, usually the voice of her party's ideals, was not doing anything to try and buffer his case.
Malcolm heard one of the soldiers report the status of General Blare arriving from the building steps earlier when the soldier stepped up to his left side. He took the case and announced, "Representatives, it appears we have an emergency addition to the meeting. Please pardon while I make confirmation." He turned to Heero hoping for some sort of sign that what they had was legitimate. Malcolm opened the case to find the first folder while checking the contents of the paper. "Were you able to see if the files within were in fact the ones Nathaniel Falson was prepared to use?"
Heero nodded when he offered, "From the angle I saw it appeared so. This one seems to trail off from the first page." He said holding up the second page from the file. Dafina continued to watch from the other side as they tried to determine the validity of the document, it had become clear that thanks to Edward selling himself out to the Earth Sphere was now the only hope of seeing them mobilize to action.
It was a few moments before Malcolm signalled for a projector to be activated while he announced, "It would seem that we do have the evidence from President Kecker's earlier trial. We shall now display this information for a review." He slid a sheet to the podium's desk and the information displayed the Solaris shuttle both Dana and her crew had been assigned to escort to Luna. "The Solaris shuttle has been the accumulation of many years of solar energy harvesting from its position on Mars to a maximum distance of 70 million miles from the sun. This project was built with the intention of optimizing solar energy input to both Mars and the colonies. Located within is President Kecker's authorization to assemble these solar reactors into a single space shuttle to prepare keeping it from falling into enemy hands." He brought up the order detailing the military order with Franz's signature at the bottom. When the audience had the chance to observe the document, Malcolm became uneasy with the next document being brought up when it showed a mirror device right behind the Solaris shuttle.
Ermes listened on as the event continued to unfold. The mention of the Aquarius seemed inevitable with Lord Lindemann remaining stern. He stood up for his own defence. "President Kecker is aware of and approved the development of the Aquarius." He replied. "I am also known for inciting the OZ rebellion in parts of Europe and Eastern North America and this move has benefited us by stalling a full Coalition victory." He sat down after speaking, allowing the next person to speak.
Donna walked to Ermes. "Hey Ermes, Dafina's files from before might help find something." She said to him as she passed the folder.
Ermes had a look, remembering the folder and nodded. "Thanks." He responded. "I'll pass it on." He passed it to Suchart who in turn gave it to Mercurio.
Donna continued hearing the Parliament. The arrival of new evidence also caught her off-guard. She remembered how the Solaris is supposedly the Earth Sphere's trump card but she hasn't heard of all of the specifications. she turned to Instructor W for clarification. "Instructor, what is that?" She asked.
The Instructor was also confused with what was presented. "I don't know." He replied honestly. "but it looks like something colossal..." As the trial continued on and no one was able to pay attention to his area, Klaus slipped away from the room as he made his way away from the committee.
There was growing concern among the representatives as the full realization of Franz's plan was brought forth. Hiram was the most vocal when he asked, "What sort of creation is this Mr. Hunter?"
Malcolm continued to explain, "According to the reports, it is the lens disbursement system utilized to lessen the intensity of the solar energy making its way towards Mars so that its receiving units are better equipped and capable of using this energy and in turn widening the beam of energy 20 times its original circumference."
Small discusions began among the meeting hall while Zlata asked, "It would be capable of widening the beam, but would the charge on Mars be capable of handling so much power within that time?"
"I believe it may tie into the charges for an attempted crime against humanity. One thing that must be recognized about the lens is the fact that it is the only one that has been built. Funds were used from both the budget of defense, labor, and energy to see them both completed within the time scale the President provided."
Zlata pressed with her original question, "But if Mars doesn't have the receiving unit necessary to harness the power of the solar beam, what will it achieve?"
Malcolm was finally able to present the answer when he explained to the hall, "I'm afraid my fellow representatives, that the effects would be devastating beyond human tolerability and possibly vaporization of its target. To put things into simple terms, it seems the Coalition has feared that this device would be used as a weapon."
Lord Lindemann was also surprised with what he heard. "You mean the President would approve of this?" He questioned in disbelief.
"Aye, we're now no better than the blue-bloods that joined the Coalition." Andrew said. "I thought we could do better."
The Instructor realised that nobody can be a saint in the conflict. "We need to do something about it." He agreed. "Where did the Solaris go?"
Donna whispered to him. "We parted ways with the shuttle when we arrived in Luna." she explained. "I don't know where it disappeared to."
Ermes realised the value of the shuttle was to the Earth Sphere, Martian Resistance, Federov and the Coalition to fight over it. "It now gives a deeper meaning in why everyone on Mars fought over the shuttle." He remarked from the harsh revelation. "And even trusted friends and superiors are capable of betrayal."
It took the effort of every representative in the room to keep from entering a storm of outrage at the sudden revelation. This issue still didn't stop from wondering aloud about how they had been used. One of the representatives voiced his concern, "A weapon… If this is true we have achieved the very character the Coalition has accused us of."
One of the representatives near him added, "If it were used in such a way then it would destroy us all if left in the wrong hands."
Malcolm announced to the meeting, "Representatives, please maintain order." When the speaking among the representatives calmed down he tried to assure them of the best possible situation, "If President Kecker's intentions are to use these two devices as a weapon, we have all been used as pawns in his game. He could only be using such a creation for the intention of protecting the Earth Sphere for the sake of the human race."
Breaking her silence from earlier Relena began her case, "But if a weapon of this scale is actually realized, we will achieve the greatest potential mass destruction in human history."
Malcolm nodded when he agreed to himself, "I suppose this is not in regards to the pilots."
Relena continued to make her case explaining, "We could be associated with OZ regardless of its intentions and the leading manufacturer of weapons in this war. But if we permit the Solaris to achieve the effects that it threatens to bring, we will never be able to bridge a peace with the colonies or with the men and women who wished to see this war end. We may now have the luxury of communicating with the Coalition in hopes of ending this conflict. But allowing this weapon to be used will overshadow whatever crime we can hope to claim responsibility for. If there is anything we should use the remainder of our forces for, we should regardless of the purpose see the Solaris disarmed."
Malcolm accepted the gaze upon him when he added, "The long-term implications are significant. As much as some fellow members may see potential in the Solaris, the stability of the human race is currently at stake. At least for now we are able to confirm this as the potential outcome." He turned to the military officials on his right side when he requested, "If we are to confirm anything further on this matter, we shall require confirmation from within the ranks. We now call for General Klaus Ulbricht for an interview." There was an awkward silence while several men searched for the General. Malcolm reiterated his request, "Is the General present?"
One of the soldiers reported back, "We have searched for him sir. It doesn't appear he is here despite the request for him to arrive."
Malcolm sent away several soldiers with the order, "Send a team to retrieve him and make it known that his presence is required at this time."
Saluting to the order the leading soldier agreed, "We shall return with him Mr. Hunter."
While the meeting continued, Mercurio received the files from Suchart and shifted his attention to what he had in hand. One of the key folders he noticed was titled "LINDEMANN ASSASSINATION". He was immediately concerned about what this was leading to. It turned out to be nothing set in the present time though when he saw a photo of a couple with the man looking quite familiar. Mercurio glanced back up and saw where the resemblance was. It seemed like this was a younger Till Lindemann with who Mercurio guessed was the lord's wife. Checking the back, it seemed more likely with the date being affirmed in AC 206. Right behind it he found a letter detailed to someone simply named "Garret" who was being contacted by "Sir Albert". He began to read the details to himself when he read, "Garret. The target has been determined… Do not permit contact with the enemy?" There were a few possibilities Mercurio came to when he read the message but there was one that he had available to solve right away. Before closing it, he noticed a small black square was attached to the folder's side. It seemed to be nothing but a random assortment of letters and numbers but for an agent's supplemental folder this had to be something important.
