April 3rd 70 CE. 1100 Colonial Standard A Bao Qu, Lagrange 3. Garma Zabi POV
It took about six hours to travel from Kudelia to A Bao Qu, a journey that had Garma on high alert with extreme nervousness through each passing minute. While he was technically doing nothing wrong as he had fulfilled his mission and as a Zabi could act independently (both Dozle and Kycillia had taken far more liberties with their royal status in the past), he still was not intended to join the battle. All it took was a single alert back home and Degwin would order him back to Zum City, leaving Garma in disgrace as a man who hid behind his father's shadow and could not be trusted to head into the field like the capable officer that he was.
Fortunately for Garma, the journey went smoothly and they arrived at the asteroid with no issue. As soon as the Great Degwin was given clearance, Garma took a Komusai to the base as fast as possible to integrate himself into the First Fleet's command and hopefully gain support to stay before his father was the wiser.
When Garma stepped out into the hangar, he was met with the descending figure of Lieutenant Colonel Eric Manthfield, Gihren's head of Guard and his protector for the upcoming battle. While Garma did not like being coddled, he was more than happy to fight alongside Manthfield as Eric was an extremely skilled pilot who had always treated Garma with respect and never looked down upon or babied like so many other of the Royal Guard. He was a good man who was a model soldier, much like Shin and Gato who served under Dozle.
Garma saluted Eric with the blonde Spacenoid returning. "Lord Garma, there is absolutely no need for you to salute me, you are my superior and it is my job to defend your life." Eric stated in his usual chivalrous tone.
"Nonsense, you are my direct superior even if only in one rank. It's bad enough Dozle is the head of the Space Force despite being a Vice Admiral, if our military is to function as a proper institution then it needs all of its members to follow regulations, including myself." Garma said, with Eric smiling lightly in response.
Eric lead Garma outside of the hangar with the two walking through the base to make way to the command center where the Admiralty was meeting. Along the way they passed by dozens of spacemen, all of whom went into wide eyed shock at the sight of Garma, bowing or saluting and giving Garma their greetings along with the occasional affirmation of patriotism. The entire time Eric stood as a protective shield to Garma, eyes watching the corridor like a hawk and keeping his hand inches from his sidearm to strike down all who would dare harm Garma.
"Tell me Eric, how have things been in A Bao Qu and the 1st Fleet?" Asked Garma.
"To say that everyone is on the edge is an understatement. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a heat hawk. When we woke up lots of us had visions, including myself, of some distant war with the Federation. We've been desperately waiting for orders from Zum City and until then we've drowned ourselves in speculation and mild hysteria, it was only thanks to Podarov's firm control that an incident didn't took place.
Then we heard about Solomon and Pezun and the situation is spiraling out of control. Frankly I'm rather glad that we are about to erase the Federation, if we didn't receive orders then I fear that some elements of the fleet may have taken the fight to the Cosmic Era Earthnoids personally."
"That would be rather bad, while I despise ZAFT and East Asia for what they did, from what I have heard from Gihren it appears that it was a horrific mistake that both sides thought we were the other. Those responsible for this catastrophe should be brought to justice, but the many men and women who serve both sides are innocent."
"Is that so? We had been told so just recently but there's been much belief that the news was false and we were being deceived yet again by both sides. In the end it's quite a relief, now we can focus all of our manpower and resources and wiping out the Federation and make sure they stay in the Universal Century." Eric said with hard determination.
Garma couldn't help but share in gleeful delight. Soon Zeon would liberate their Lunarian brothers and sisters and the Federation would cease to exist in this reality. While it was tragic that seven billion of their fellow Spacenoids were left behind to suffer under the Feddie boot, at least now Zeon was free and its people could live in peace.
"How has the homeland been Lord Garma? We've received reports of unrest but the Fleet was told that Lords Degwin and Gihren had the situation under control." Eric asked.
"Things could be better but we made it through mostly intact. Some vagrants took advantage of the chaos to commit various crimes, but Kycillia has mobilized State Security and together with the Army the colonies have been secure. As soon as this war ends then life will go on as normal."
"That is good to hear, and what of this Orb that you have met, hopefully these band of Earthnoids won't stab us in the back." Eric said, deeply skeptical of the trustworthiness of the Cosmic Era's Earth.
"For the most part their leaders were rather pleasant to deal with and the ship that we mistakenly detained was very cooperative. I have faith that they can be good friends to the Principality in the future, but even if they did have daggers behind their backs I doubt they would be a threat. If the information we have received is legitimate then they only have 20 ships and no nuclear weapons. A conflict against them would be more pest control than a proper war." Garma said.
The two continued to chat for a couple of minutes before they arrived at the command center. Standing before the entrance, Garma steeled himself mentally for his insertion into their meeting. He needed to show his superiors that he was a true officer of Zeon, a comrade who they could rely upon to fight in the coming battle, not some pampered prince who was playing soldier.
'I won't let you coddle me anymore Father. I am a soldier of Zeon and it is time that I earned the right to wear my uniform.' Garma declared inwardly.
Garma stepped forward and the door whooshed open. At the sound a couple dozen men and a few women turned their heads to view the purple prince make his entrance. Garma was slightly intimidated by the sight, however his training kicked in and he forced himself to remain calm. He had come this far, he would not cower like a child, not here, not never.
"Major Garma Zabi, reporting for duty!" Garma declared, raising his arm in a crisp salute with Eric similarly standing at attention behind him.
Garma's appearance caused a short round of murmurs, which was stopped by a simple raising of the hand by Admiral Podarov, bringing the room to complete silence.
Standing at 1.93 meters, Mikhail Podarov was a tall, thin, and deathly pale figure with coal black hair and scarlet eyes. He had a fearsome reputation within the Space Force as the "Russian Vampire", a man whose very presence caused the room temperature to drop down a few degrees. This fearsome demeanor had worked well for Podarov's command, forcing all of his subordinates into complete submission with rapt attention to duty. Despite his demeanor, Podarov was also an excellent leader who would reward those who displayed innovation, a man who many had faith to bring total victory against the Federation in their hypothetical war.
"Lord Garma, it is an unexpected pleasure for you to join us. Can I assume that you were sent by Lord Degwin or perhaps Lord Gihren?" Podarov asked coldly.
"I have come to partake in the upcoming battle to wipe out the Federation. The Great Degwin is at your disposal Admiral and you may use me in any way you see fit to obtain victory." Garma said.
Garma observed that Podarov noted how Garma chose to circumvent his question, however for now he seemed content with Garma's presence as seen with his nod of approval.
"That is good to hear my Lord. Would you like to participate in our planning for the liberation of the far side?"
"If that is what you wish Admiral."
"I insist."
Garma bowed his head in thanks and tried to find an open spot. Several of the flag officers looked eager to sit next to the Zabi, however unfortunately for them Garma decided to sit in an open spot to the right of Commodore Aguille Delaz, a man who was known to be within Gihren's inner circle. Since Garma didn't know most of the people in this room, he felt most comfortable sitting next to Delaz. After all if his brother Gihren trusted him then surely Garma could?
Garma sat next to the Spaniard who sported a rather pleased smirk while giving polite greetings to Garma. Eric seated himself on the left to Garma, with several men and women looking on in envy.
"Admiral Kogame, could you please give Lord Garma a quick summary of what we have discussed thus far." Podarov said to one of his main subordinates in the 1st.
"My apologies." Garma said.
"Not at all my Lord." Kogame, a portly man of African descent with a graying afro said in a smile. "We have only just started so you haven't missed too much. To summarize, here is the strategic situation." Kogame then directed Garma's attention to the viewing screen which displayed a model of the far side of the moon.
"Currently our satellites have picked up a total of 1600 vessels near the Lunar cities, though the numbers could change from 50-100 in either direction. Since the event most of the vessels have concentrated themselves in Granada with a current estimate of 900 total ships being stationed above the city. Of note was a small expedition of 50 ships from Eclipse with a destination across the lunar meridian."
"The Federation is trying to make contact with the Alliance?" Garma asked in shock.
"That is what we presume at the current moment. This is why we must move quickly to pacify the far side or else the Alliance, or at the very least East Asia will attempt to intervene and protect the Federal Remnant's illegal sovereignty. Considering current reports of the nuclear usage at Pezun, it is best to eliminate the Federation with haste."
"Hopefully those idiotic Earthnoids will fire on the Federation just as we were in L4 and L5." Eric joked with a light laugh being spread across the room, with even Podarov curling his lips just slightly upward at the thought.
Podarov motioned for Kogame to continue, "There has been zero civilian traffic since the event outside of a few stray ships escaping lunar orbit to Side 3. Thus we can presume that the lunar cities are under martial law. Our satellites picked up some reports of unrest, however each of the cities has seen a local increase in Minovsky density, most likely to mask their movements and put on a show of strength.
No major movements have been detected in the past four hours. Unless the Remnant receives trans-dimensional reinforcements through a second Event, right now they are reliant on ammunition supplies within the cities, with their Helium-3 stockpile dangerously low. The most important note is their nuclear stockpile which should be sitting at about 1000 warheads. Originally it was just 500, however according to intelligence the count was doubled with shipments from Luna-II after our moving of Pezun and Solomon to their respective locations. Just as you entered Lord Garma, we were going over the beginnings of Admiral Podarov's plan."
"Which I shall explain as such." Podarov said.
The Admiral then went into detail on the plan, which was titled "Operation Melies". Melies was a conquest of the moon where they would divide the 1st Fleet into two. One half would implement a siege around Granada and keep the majority of the Remnant Fleet at bay. The other half would pick off the Lunar cities one by one until Granada was all that was left. When the moment occurred then the Fleet would go all in to capture Granada if the Remnant hadn't surrendered by then, completely liberating the city.
The main reason for the island hopping strategy was to keep the fleet mostly intact and prepared for a sudden offensive by the Earth Alliance, at which point they could quickly regroup and meet the enemy head on or wait for reinforcements from Pezun and Solomon. The slow method of the operation would also allow for a armistice to be reached with the Alliance and ZAFT so that way resources could be shifted for a multi-pronged total attack on the lunar cities where the battles would be total victories.
What Podarov explained made sense, it was overall a good plan and there were strong tactics involved for how to limit collateral damage to the cities and capture them with the Marines so that they could be added to Zeon. However, throughout the whole meeting something was gnawing at Garma, a feeling that while Melies was good, that it was not the best plan, or that it was unnecessary.
By the time Podarov was done, Garma had a faint idea why he thought it was unnecessary. When Podarov asked for input and questions, Garma was gaining a clearer picture. Eventually he realized why he didn't like the current plan, but Garma's anxiety kicked in, preventing him from questioning Podarov openly despite it being in his right.
Garma knew that his argument had logic, but he couldn't find it in himself to so openly defy a superior. He may have scored top marks at the Academy, but who was to say that he was such a strategic genius in real life. Surely those who were his superiors knew what was best, they had earned the rank while to Garma it felt like he had just been given his uniform.
"Yes, Lord Garma." Garma's inner conflict was interrupted when he noticed Podarov addressing him, also noticing his hand raised high and shaking slightly. Realizing that he had subconsciously raised his hand, Garma felt embarrassed but knew that there was no turning back. Better to state his peace and be rebuked then to meekly deny any input at all.
Standing at attention, Garma spoke his thoughts. "First off I would like to state that the plan is excellently put together and it is one that is sure to bring us victory." Garma said, using the statement in the hope that his next words would not bring offense.
"But..." Podarov lead on, sensing correctly that Garma had some form of opposition.
"I do not believe that the plan is the best method to achieve victory against the Federation, sir." Garma said. His statement caused a flurry of whispers to spread among the officers. Most likely they believed that Garma thought of himself as some superior strategist to Podarov, that he had an undeniably superior plan and was above the Admiral. Garma didn't think this at all, it was a good plan, it just wasn't something he found to be necessary.
"Why do you say so Major Zabi?" Podarov questioned, with Garma noticing the drop in royal address to rank.
Feeling he had displeased the Admiral, Garma then attempted to explain himself to prevent any misunderstandings. "As I said before Admiral, the plan that has been presented is an excellent one that is sure to bring us victory. However I feel that it is unnecessary for victory due to the extensive casualties that would be involved."
"War is a dangerous affair Major, while unpleasant the loss of life is something that is to be expected, something your brother can attest to." Podarov responded coolly.
"I am well aware sir. I am not a man who finds the idea of blood drawn to be unpleasant, I look forward to taking down as much of the Federation as possible and if I should die in battle then I would be another casualty of war as expected." Garma said, with Podarov and the rest of the room showing surprise at Garma's seeming lack of care for his mortality. "It is not the loss of life per say that I am objecting to, but rather the frequency of it. Under the current plan we would lose as many as nine times of the necessary casualties when such a loss of manpower, ships, and mobile suits would be far less if we were to just strike at Granada."
Podarov narrowed his eyes, trying to see where Garma was going, "You would have us solely lead an attack at Granada and expect victory?"
"Yes sir, in a manner of speaking. While I could admittedly be more than wrong and resistance from the Federal Remnants could continue after a capitulation of Granada, I believe capturing the city would be more than enough. This is not due to Granada's economic strength as the rival, or should I say former rival to Von Braun, rather the magnitude of such a victory with the city being the location of a majority of its forces, with victory leading to a most likely surrender of the rest of the Federation.
While we fight to liberate our Lunar brothers and sisters who have suffered for far too long under the Federal boot, and for more pragmatic purposes of geopolitical security and the acquisition of the moon's resources, the men and women serving under the Federation are serving a dead government. Their Earth no longer exists and all that they have left to rule over are tens of millions of Lunarians who despise them and their Fleet. They are cut off from Helium-3 shipments from Jupiter, their supplies are limited to what was carried over in the event with minimal food consumables and most likely almost no luxuries. These soldiers have most likely been cut off from their families and will never see their loved ones again. Lastly there is the chaos and confusion that is most likely rampant thanks to the...psychological side effects of the event.
In short Admiral, the soldiers of the Federation are most definitely suffering under a near collapse of morale. Rather than fighting multiple battles that will more than likely restore their fighting spirit at the loss of their comrades and spend time that could lead to an alliance with the Earth Alliance, we should instead create one decisive blow that would cause any idea of continuing the war to be non-existent. If we take out Granada, then the rest shall capitulate and the moon shall be ours."
At Garma's explanation, Podarov's eyes widened then settled back into normal in what appeared to be understanding. Murmurs continued in the audience around Garma with many voicing support for the Zabi's plan.
"Your argument is sound with strong logic and deduction Lord Garma. However, while a single victory at Granada might lead to the surrender of the rest of the Fleet, the majority of their ships and nuclear weapons shall be stationed at the city. Thousands or tens of thousands of Zeon men and women may live, but it will still be a bloodbath." Podarov argued.
"Perhaps sir, but I believe there is a method to achieving victory over Granada with minimal casualties while still forcing the rest of the Federation to surrender. As I said before, their morale is incredibly weak and the only thing the Federation Fleet has left to fight for is the memory of a dead world. Since we have received no reports of mutiny or revolt, we can assume that they are being held together, most likely by the will and determination of their flag officers, who appear to be stubborn in their refusal to open up communications with us or even attempt to negotiate. Therefore, we must eliminate their chain of command and in doing so force a collapse in order which shall lead to surrender.
Unless the Fleet has changed protocol dramatically in the past few days, then they are most likely adhering to standard protocol of keeping their flag officers stationed on Magellan-class battleships. Therefore if we use our mobile suits to take out the Magellans, then their order will collapse." Garma explained.
Silence reigned for what seemed to Garma to be forever. He was fearful that his proposal would be instantly dismissed, that he would be seen as too risky or foolish, fortunately, such a situation was not the case.
"Very unorthodox Lord Garma. However, we are in an age of warfare never before practiced and from the reports I have read of Solomon and Pezun, it appears that unorthodox strategies can have their presence on the battlefield. Would anyone else like to comment on Lord Garma's proposal?" Podarov asked, with Garma sinking into his seat in relief that he had been accepted.
Fortunately, the first person to rise to his defense was Delaz, "While what Lord Garma has proposed sounds like a gambit, there is heavy merit into the idea of focusing our mobile suits on only their Magellans. Simulations and war games have shown the Zaku to fly circles around a Federation ship, with their AA fire being highly ineffective and incredibly so in spaces of high Minovsky density. Therefore an elite force of Zakus could easily infiltrate enemy lines and destroy their intended targets with ease.
The only craft that the Federation has to stand against the Zaku in single combat is the Saberfish, with tests showing the Zakus annihilating the opposition unless overwhelmed in high numbers. Pezun has shown the innate superiority of the mobile suit, a fact that has been reinforced with the history of the war between ZAFT and Earth. So long as the enemy is contained and we maintain superior numbers then no difficulty shall be present in executing such an operation." Delaz said.
"While the Zakus may be able to handle the job on their own, what about the safety of the Fleet itself. We can still be open to megaparticle fire along with their nuclear arsenal." Said a female admiral in objection.
"If we blanket our fleet in high concentrations of Minovsky particles then their visibility shall be poor and little damage shall be inflicted unless they venture into close proximity, at which point our Zaku squadrons can wipe them out in close combat. Besides, we have more than 5,000 nukes at disposal, which should be able to eliminate any dense Feddie formations with little issue." Said a male admiral in input.
For the next hour they debated the merits of Garma's plan, and slowly but surely they were drawn to his idea with Podarov being one of his first supporters. While the plan did need fleshing out and not all of Garma's suggestions were agreed with, overall Melies would be transitioned to Garma's plan.
Seeing his idea be so well received sent Garma into jubilation with the young Zabi being over the moon on the whole affair. While in the Academy his peers had almost always agreed with his ideas, Garma had a strong feeling that they only did so to seek his approval or out of fear of his displeasure, with only Char and a few other brave souls daring to question him, with Char tending to have numerous strong points as a devil's advocate.
Here Garma had just presented his plan to his superiors, and while there was resistance in the end they had discussed it constructively and agreed to its implementation. It was one of the best times Garma had ever felt as an officer.
Unfortunately his good mood would soon be ruined when within four hours he received a call from his father.
"GAAAARRRMAAAA!" Snarled Degwin Zabi, anger extremely visible on the face of the Sovereign with veins threatening to pop on his head and his trademark shades almost falling out of place."How could you act so immaturely and run off to play soldier?! I gave you a mission and that was to establish diplomatic relations with Orb, not gallivant off to A Bao Qu in some whimsical adventure where you'll get killed!"
"But father, I did complete my duty as you have asked. Diplomatic relations with Orb have been established and the Raifuku Maru shall soon be on its way to Heliopolis once its escort has arrived. There was nothing else left for me to do and since I am not a diplomat I was no longer required. As such I performed my duty as an officer and Prince of Zeon and ordered the Great Degwin to join the Lunar campaign. I know that I am about to risk my life in battle, and I did not come seeking prestige or pleasure. I came to serve the Principality and perform my duty." Garma meekly explained. The prince did his best to maintain a calm demeanor, but the shaking of his legs and refusal to make eye contact spoke of his insecurity in the situation.
"Why you came is beside the point. You went to A Bao Qu without permission or orders, such conduct is childish and absolutely unbecoming of you. Did Gihren put you up to this, did he order you to go into battle?!" Degwin fumed. It was a sad thing to say that this wasn't the first time Garma had seen his father get mad at Gihren on such a level.
"No father, Gihren did not order me, I came of my own volition." It was a partial truth as it was only thanks to Gihren's suggestion that Garma even came at all.
"Garma that is the biggest lie if I ever saw one. You would never do such a thing on your own, I know that this is your brother's scheme there is no need to protect him." Degwin stated. Inwardly, Garma was confused. Why did his father believe he could never commit such an act.
"You are not meant to be on the battlefield my son, you aren't a true soldier and you shouldn't be pointlessly throwing your life away when your presence is unnecessary."
"I'm not a true soldier." Garma said, repeating his father's words in utter shock. The statement drove a deep knife into his heart, a feeling of intense betrayal, the likes of which Garma had never experienced.
"I knew it was a mistake to send you to the Academy. For someone who graduated in the top of the class you can't even show proper discipline. You will not be fighting in this war and that's final. Come home to Zum City immediately."
"Why don't you trust me to fight father?" Garma asked, desperate for some strong reason to keep him from performing his duty.
"Because you don't belong on the battlefield Garma, it's not meant for you." Degwin's words caused a great amount of pain for Garma, a feeling that the past four years of his life had been wasted, to have his career mean so little to his father.
After a tense silence, Garma spoke, "Father, do you love Dozle?" Steel and resolve began to enter Garma, a newfound surge that conflicted with the swelling tears in his eyes.
Degwin appeared extremely appalled at the question, "Of course I love Dozle, how could you say something like that?"
"Father, if you love Dozle, then why, why are you so content with him leading men into battle? Why can I not serve my nation while Dozle could risk his life against the enemy, in a Zaku no less? Why were you fine with the aftermath of Solomon despite the fact that Dozle could have died to the Coordinators? Why do you allow Zenna to accompany him into battle when she could also lose her life and leave Dozle a widow or vice versa? Does Dozle's mortality not concern you while the thought of any hint of harm coming to myself sends you into hysterics?!"
Garma's harsh words had Degwin at a complete loss. The Sovereign appeared on Garma's screen in silent shock, visibly hurt by his son's words. "Garma, I-" Before Degwin could continue Garma continued in his onslaught, the first time in his life that he ever stood up to his father.
"It's not even Dozle who you give difference to. We all know how Kycillia liked to handle operations personally and takes plenty of risks as head of State Security, yet you don't blink an eye when she goes to work every day. Gihren has a list of enemies who would all like to see him be struck down like Sasro, yet you never hold Gihren back and prevent him from doing his job. Why do you let them do as they must yet keep me lock in a gilded cage? Although I think I already know the answer, it's because I'm your favorite isn't it?" Garma accused, both Zabi's already knowing the answer.
"I don't know why you love me more than the others. Gihren is so brilliant and an amazing leader, he leads Zeon to greater heights than I could ever imagine. Kycillia has protected us from dissidents and the Federation, making Zeon the safest of all of the Sides. Dozle is the greatest officer in the Space Force and he proved it by leading our forces to victory against the superhumans at Solomon. Even Sasro was a skilled politician and had he lived I know he would have done amazing things as Gihren's right hand. My brothers and sister are all powerful leaders who I could never hope to obtain even a fraction of their success and quality, and yet you put me on a pedestal above them for simply existing and at the same time never let me have a chance to prove myself, to be their equals."
Garma looked down away from the console, refusing to look at Degwin in the eye as tears streamed down his face. It hurt to lambaste and criticize the man who he had idolized for so many years, yet at the same time there was a sense of fulfillment for Garma, that he was now able to let go of his insecurities that he had kept hidden away from the public to put on a brave face.
"I know that war is a dangerous business, I made peace with the fact that I could die on the battlefield when I graduated. I don't want to go, I don't want to leave any of you, but if I do then I will have done so as a soldier of Zeon, defending the freedom of my people and striking down the Federation that you and Zeon dedicated your lives in conflict against. If I come back and you decide to court martial me for disobedience, then I will accept so and any other punishment that you may deem fit. Just please, allow me for once to prove my worth, to serve my country, to earn my right to be a Zabi.
Goodbye father, I hope to see you soon in victory against the Federation, to have truly earned the pride you give me for the first time in my life."
Before Degwin could speak, Garma cut off the connection. After he did so the young prince laid down on the floor of his quarters and let loose a heavy stream of turbulent emotions that had been damned up inside of him for several years. After several minutes of anguish, Garma got up and collected himself, putting on a new uniform and doing his best to keep himself calm and focused so that he would not appear weak before his superiors. If Degwin was turly insistent and ordered him to return to Zum City, then Garma would reluctantly oblige, lest he become an outlaw. Until such a demand by force came, he would serve his country and wipe out the Federation, making himself truly worthy of being a Prince of Zeon.
EFSF Brazzaville. Han Nikolaou POV.
Inside of the personal quarters of Admiral Han Nikolaou, a heavy stream of smoke was consuming the room. This smoke originated from the Sino-Greek Admiral smoking a Cuban cigar in slow melancholy. Such an act was a severe violation of protocol as the tobacco smoke could contaminate the ship's atmospheric system and lead to an overall decrease in the health of its crew, but Nikolaou didn't care. If he was to die soon in a last stand against the Federation, then at the very least his last memories would be the goodness of smoking a Cuban.
'If God is real then why the hell is he a fucking Zeek?' Nikolaou angrily thought, gnawing slightly on his cigar in frustration and anger.
Life was bad enough with Side 3 on the verge of entering into total independence. With the likelihood of war being high, his fleet would be the first on the frontlines and thus many of his closest friends and comrades would most likely be casualties in the first days. As awful as the scenario was, Nikolaou at least had faith that the war would be a swift victory for the Federation and the Fascist scum that was the Zabi's would be brought before a firing line and Side 3's autonomy abolished, a righteous ending to the legacy of the lunatic cultist Zeon Zum Deikun.
However, such a situation would never come to be. At the precise moment where Zeon declared independence and war was certain, a strange light infected the Lunar cities and most of the fleet. When Nikolaou and the Fleet woke up, they would soon discover that they had been transported to an alternate timeline where mankind was still divided into nation-states and some sub-species of augmented humans called Coordinators came into existence. Being separated from his family and the nation that he had loved and served for near half a century was already a tough ordeal. The fact that Nikolaou and his Fleet had been accompanied by Zeon, with the entirety of Side 3 and only Side 3 of the Sides going along for the space-time ride, it was hell on Earth.
Had literally any of the other Sides been transported to the Cosmic Era, then Nikolaou would have gladly surrendered his fleet to the civil authority of said Side and help to recreate the Earth Federation in this bizarre timeline. If they did not want to recreate the Federation and create a new entirely, Nikolaou was even willing to put up with it, even the traitors that were Side 6. The Federation might not have survived, but at the very least they would be able to preserve a sample of the Universal Century, and the Federation could live on in spirit with its enlightenment being passed down to future generations, perhaps serving as an example to unite the Cosmic Era's humanity.
Unfortunately it was not meant to be. Out of all the nations that could have been sent to the Cosmic Era, out of all of the Sides that Nikolaou found himself stuck with, it was the goddamned Fascist Principality of Zeon.
While Nikolaou loved his nation, he had to admit that there was a feeling of absolute disgust within him over Lhasa's incredibly apathy towards Side 3's Nationalism. They did absolutely nothing to silence Zeon Zum Deikun who riled up the Spacenoids and turned them against the Earth. While Deikun could be ignored as he was a delusional nutcase who focused more time over his new-age crap than mastering politics, the same could not be said of the Zabi's, machiavellian schemers who transformed Side 3 into their fiefdom with everyday of their rule spent plotting to undermine the Earth Federation.
Despite the fact that Degwin and his brood were all extremely competent and had transformed Zeon into a credible threat to peace in the Earth sphere, Lhasa still did nothing. Degwin openly spat on the democratic ideal practiced by the Earth Federation and yet Lhasa did little more than condemn and shake their heads in disapproval. The nutcases of Side 3 openly adopted the Nazi salute as their catchphrase and yet still Earth was unphased.
This despicable, twisted, immoral nation was now the majority of what remained of the Universal Century. Zeon was now truly independent to do as they pleased, to assert their toxic Nationalism unto the Cosmic Era and make this Earth sphere into Degwin's plaything.
The worst part of it all was that if Zeon was allowed continued existence, and/or if they managed to conquer the moon, they would write the history books. Without any true access back to the Universal Century, the people of the Cosmic Era would only rely on Zeon for the reliable account of the UC timeline. The Fascists would twist the narrative to make themselves poor victims who had been oppressed by the Federation and through some divine miracle were whisked away to freedom in the Cosmic Era.
No, Nikolaou could not allow them to control the narrative and indoctrinate this version of humanity in their utter blasphemy that was Contolism. He had to stand his ground and fight, to stop the Zabi's spreading their tyrannical reach over this new Earth sphere and to protect the memory of the Earth Federation. To do that he had to make his stand with his fleet, to protect the moon from their conquest. He may not be able to overthrow the Zabi's and integrate Side 3 under Federal rule, but if the Far Side was to be the last bastion of the Federation, then there was still some hope left, and they could continue the good fight against Zeon for years to come until the house of cards that was the Zabi dynasty collapsed on itself as authoritarianism regimes tended to.
His greatest hope was to hold off the Zeon Space Force while the majority of their fleet was either in L4 or L5. He would inflict as many casualties as possible to prevent Granada from falling, and in such a time span Renee Harper would hopefully arrive with an alliance from the superpowers of Earth. With their support they could force Zeon into recognizing the Earth Federation's independence (Nikolaou grew nauseous at how the tables turned), and isolate them from the Earth sphere diplomatically and economically. The Federation in such a scenario would unfortunately be open to influence from politicking from the superpowers, but better to be lead by Earth than the Fascist Spacenoids that defied the Federation.
Nikolaou's contemplation on the current state of affairs was interrupted by a loud beep on his desk. He picked up the phone and responded, "Nikolaou speaking."
"Admiral, long-range scans show the majority of the Zeon fleet departing from A Bao Qu. Unfortunately it appears they are headed to Granada in a single formation." The Brazzaville's communication officer informed his superior in an audibly nervous and frightened tone.
Nikolaou scowled, 'Damn it all to hell.' He had been basing his strategy for Zeon's arrogance and Jingoism to cause them to spread out their fleet across the moon in an effort to take as many cities as possible quickly, thus stretching their numbers thin and ripe for destruction with nuclear fire. The other best case scenario would be for them to keep at bay to protect Side 3 and keep watch on the rest of the Earth sphere, thus buying Renee enough time to complete her mission.
Having the majority of the enemy fleet come to Granada was one of the worst case scenarios. At best he could expect reinforcements from one or two of the nearby cities, but they would be arriving either right before, at the beginning, or in the middle of battle. While he could hold up the fleet on his own, heavy casualties would most likely be taken unless luck was on his side.
'At least if we win Side 3 will be open to nuclear assault. With every colony that dies it shall strengthen our hand and bring the Zabi's closer to overthrow.' Nikolaou thought.
"I'll be on my way, have the rest of the fleet notified in case Minovsky density has prevented awareness. For now we shall wait and see the enemy's approach, however have the fleet go into formation Tau-Two-Four."
"Yes sir!"
Nikolaou took one last huff of his cigar, savoring the rich flavor for as long as possible and breathing the smoke out slowly. He hoped that this wouldn't be his last smoke, there were so many different brands on this new Earth that he had yet to try out.
Before he exited the room, Nikolaou turned to face a flag of the Federation that he had propped up on the wall. He then stood at a brisk salute, eyes tearing as the flag stood for a nation that no longer existed.
"I will uphold the sovereignty of the Federation and vow that its state shall continue for countless generations. This I swear."
In tired melancholy, Nikolaou marched out of his room to enter into his final battle.
A/N: Hello everyone, Kaiser Chris here with another update to Cosmic Crusade. Originally I had planned for the update to be both this section and the battle proper, however I felt that it would be too long of a chapter and as such I decided to leave the buildup here with the next update being the battle itself, which should hopefully come out in the next few days.
To start off with we have Garma making his way to A Bao Qu and offering his own insight in how to take down the Federation which alter's Zeon's strategy. It's here that Garma's compassion and lack of ruthlesness should be noted as unlike the original plan he strived to make an operation with the least casualties to all sides, whereas Gihren would have been more fine with the original plan. There's also some benefits to be said for Garma making sure Zeon took the least losses so that they would be open to any potential escalation with ZAFT and East Asia. Thus we see Garma's skill as a commander and how his way of thinking is influenced by his character. We also get to see a couple of new players, Eric as Garma's wingman, the infamous Delaz who will have a far greater presence in the future, and Admiral Mikhail Podarov, an OC who makes up the third and final part of the Asteroid Admiralty, more to see from him in the future.
On Degwin and Garma's conversation, I know it may seem OOC for Degwin and a forced conflict, but there's good reason for this coming up and why Degwin acted the way he did. In canon Degwin allowed Garma to fight in the One Year War as it was a war for survival, even if Garma stayed at the homefront if Zeon lost then the Zabi's would all be imprisoned and tried for warcrimes with Garma most likely being involved. If Garma was to die in defeat then at least he could help lead Zeon to victory in battle. At this point Degwin also became pretty despondent and a near puppet for Gihren, and with Gihren as supreme commander Degwin was powerless to prevent Gihren from deploying Garma in battle, thus he had to just accept it and let Garma do his job with the best resources and manpower. Here however Zeon is not fighting wars of survival and they've already proved their strength at Solomon and Pezun. It's not a war of survival and as such Degwin sees no need for Garma to go on the battlefield and thus tries to shelter him such as sending him on the job with Orb. Much of Degwin's harsh words came from his fears for Garma's safety and anger at his insubordination, which unfortunately made a bad situation worse with Garma growing a spine and addressing the favoritism directed towards him. Their conflict will be addressed the next time the two physically meet, but for now I'd like to assure that Garma will be participating in the Battle of Granada, which will shape his character for the rest of the story.
Lastly we have Han Nikolaou, a Federation Admiral who does his best to protect the Remnant against the Zeon onslaught and preserve what he sees as the last vestiges of the true Universal Century in the Cosmic Era. Had Zeon not come and the Event had just involved the lunar cities, then Nikolaou would have likely stepped down and helped the Lunar cities to be their own nation with self-rule. However the appearance of Zeon and their ability to rewrite the Universal Century and portray the Federation as they saw fit triggered Nikolaou's sense of duty and lead to him and the other officers forcing the Fleet to fight an impossible war. At the moment I'm debating on having a couple of other Feddie canon characters join in on the story, but rest assured that Zeon will not be the only POV of the Universal Century and there will be plenty of Feddies to say their peace.
With this update posted I shall get to work on the next chapter as quickly as possible. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more!