Gundam Unicorn: Narrative of Truth
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Unicorn, Gundam Narrative, or the Gundam franchise. Chase Lee and Johann Revil are among my OCs. Seph Matthews, Tina Hendricks, Dr. Lombardi, and Dr. Ming belong to Titanic X.
September, UC 0097
Ra Cailum Mobile Suit Hangar Bay
Seph's vision began to refocus as he rebooted. 'Ugh... That... was not fun...' he thought as he shook his helmet. As his HUD came online, it was then that he found himself unable to move.
"W...What the heck?!" Seph blurted, trying to move his arms. "Why can't I move?!"
He cast his gaze left and right, seeing he was once again in a mobile suit cradle, and some people weren't looking too thrilled that he was awake and online.
The mere thought made his systems crawl and his reactor started to hum just the tiniest bit louder in his chest.
"Don't bother." Seph turned to see another Jesta standing next to the cradle. "We've put extra restaining bolts on the cradle, and an OS lock to neutralize your motor and weapons systems."
"Oh man..." Seph hung his head. He really hated this. 'What did I do to deserve this?' he thought to himself.
"You're not getting out of this one kid," the Jesta pilot taunted, "and Commander Lee is gonna be so pissed with you!"
"I'm sorry!" the Gundam squeaked, really wanting to bury his head in his hands.
"You'd better be," the guard spat, "your freaking mercenary friends caused a lot of damage to the hangar. You'd all be lucky not to be thrown in solitary for this."
"How was I supposed to know this would happen?!" Seph snapped.
Then suddenly, it all came back. "Wait..." He shot a glare at the Jesta. "Where are my friends?!" he snapped. "I swear if you did anything to harm them..." His optics glowed a threatening violet, but since he couldn't move, that was all he could do.
"Cool your gaskets," the Jesta pilot raised his beam rifle, "luckily for you, we did not kill any of them. The captain did throw them into the brig in cuffs just in case though."
Seph squeaked at the sight of the rifle aimed at his chest. He tried to cower away, but all he could do was turn his head away. "C-Can you please not point that thing at me?!" he whimpered.
"That is enough soldier," a commanding voice rang out as a Chinese-looking man emerged into the hangar, "I will have no itchy trigger fingers in here."
The Jesta pilot looked at the officer, before mumbling out, "apologies, Commander Lee, sir..."
Seph winced in his thoughts.
Chase looked up at the sentient Gundam. "So... you calmed down already?"
Seph nodded, but he felt very uncomfortable. "Yeah. But how can anyone stand this?" he asked, trying to move one of his arms.
"I know it is uncomfortable, but don't think too much about it," Chase advised, "besides, Captain Bright is already a bit ticked that you wrecked parts of the hangar."
"Yeah? Well, try having to deal with something pressing into your back..." Seph grumbled. He jerked his head at the objects on his back.
"There's a lot worse that could happen," Chase pointed out, "I for one wouldn't want to imagine having a hole burned through my chest with a beam rifle."
Seph twitched his head a bit, as if he winced. "Yeah. Especially since well..." He jerked his head again. "Given well, my... situation."
He tried to flex an arm. "Man... why'd you have to immobilize me?" he asked.
"What do you expect, after that last performance?" Chase shook his head. "HQ will be grilling our captain over this matter, and it's no good for any of us, especially you and your friends if you keep messing things up."
Seph looked down, his optics glowing a bit behind his visor. "Sorry..." he muttered. "I just... I just panicked..."
Chase pursed his lips. "You're a pilot, right," he asked, "if your employers were able to let you near an MS, you should know that panicking under pressure is what gets many pilots killed. If anything, a panicking MS pilot is more dangerous to his wingmen than the enemy."
Seph nodded. "Yeah... But how was I supposed to know what would happen?" he asked. "... Uh... what exactly happened, anyway?" He tilted his head as he asked. "It's all kinda blurry to me."
Chase was now befuddled. Nevertheless, he kept his composure. "You really have no idea?"
The Gundam shook his helm. "No. All I can recall was wanting to protect my friends and then... just..." He bowed his head as he wracked his new processor for the relevant memory files. "Just seeing them getting attacked and hearing screams. That's all."
Chase then debated with himself whether to tell Seph what really happened. Given the amount of power he now possessed in this Unicorn Gundam, codenamed Dracon, it was dangerous to get him on the wrong track. The ship had nearly been destroyed because of this.
On one hand, he did deserve to know. It could possibly help him in learning to control that power, or he could freak out again. And he seemed to be a good kid. He was in no way a psycho, if his reactions were any indication. If anything, it was highly he was just a kid who got involved in something beyond what he had expected, and therefore was reacting out of terror and shock at being placed into a powerful machine like the Dracon.
But there was also the chance he could be pulling an act on them. It was hard to gauge a Gundam's body language.
"Sir," Seph questioned.
"It's nothing," Chase quickly excused. He took a different tact. "Look, once we get to the Moon," he said, "we can begin to sort this whole thing out with you and your team. How you can help your comrades is to cooperate with us and allow Bright to do what he has to do. Right now, he is what's standing between you and the rest of the Federation brass that would like to see you dismantled."
Seph froze. "Y-You're kidding!" he squeaked.
"Technically, the Gundam is illegal due to it's frame incorporating psycho-technology," Chase pointed out, "Captain Bright is already being stretched to keep this incident under the radar as much as possible. We may have gotten off on a bad footing, but right now, we are the only people capable of protecting you."
The Gundam looked down at his left hand, unable to flex it. His reactor began to hum louder in his chest at the thought of being dismantled. He started to shake slightly.
Ming Institute, Lunar Surface
Within his office, Dr. Ming was sitting in front of the windows overlooking the city.
"You're telling me that the Phenex was defending you?" He was questioning the pilot whom he had sent to initially track the mentioned Gundam.
"Yes," Antares replied.
Dr. Ming hummed in contemplation over this behavior. 'Rita Bernal...' he thought of the name of the pilot who was last seen with the Phenex.
He knew that she had gone missing a couple years ago, close to a year and a half, really. Her sudden disappearance along with the Phenex had made enough people worried to the point they black boxed the whole operation, scrubbing it from all records, save for the memories of those involved. There had been no sign of it since.
At least until now.
"I'm sorry, Doctor," the pilot said in resignation, "I let my guard down and lost the target because of that."
"No. It's quite all right. At least we have confirmation of the Phenex's return," the old engineer replied gently. "In fact, it's provided us with more insight into what has been happening ever since its disappearance."
"Doctor?" Antares was now curious.
"Ever since its disappearance, there have been... others... who have sought that power for themselves," Dr. Ming explained.
"You mean Zeon and the Federation," Antares surmised.
"Them, as well as others," Dr. Ming clarified.
"Who are they," Antares asked, "Anaheim... the Vist Foundation?"
Dr. Ming was silent. "It is best that that comes out when the time is right," he said seriously.
"So... what is next?" Antares questioned.
Dr. Ming looked up. "We keep tabs on those Jestas you saw," he explained. "The ones with the unknown emblem. If they show up again, we must be informed."
"But how will I know where to track them," Antares asked again, "they were the ones who tracked me down first. If not for that golden wings, I would have been fried."
Dr. Ming had no answer. He silently pondered the question. In truth, even he was baffled. How could anyone have tracked down his institute's mobile suits? The only thing he could think of was the Noblesse, and he was not willing to share his theories on them with anyone outside his inner circle yet.
So he said the only thing he could.
"As a matter of fact, I might give you a new assignment," Dr. Ming said. With a pause, it was then that he dropped it, "it's concerning the Ra Cailum."
Antares was surprised. "Sir?"
"I need you to monitor the ship," the old doctor said, "it's captured a Gundam that belongs to this institute. The pilot who made the capture is someone I believe you know."
Antares' eyes widened. "Crux?" Then he chuckled. "Oh, yeah. I remember him, the crazy lunatic. He and I were wingmen."
Dr. Ming nodded.
"I'm about to have a friend of mine talk to Captain Bright onboard the ship when they make port here on the Moon," Ming continued, "I just want you to watch it so I know that it will arrive safely. I also need you to intercept any radio traffic you can from the ship's encrypted coms channel, so we can ascertain what happened with the MS and the test staff."
"Understood, sir," Antares replied.
"As always, thanks for your services," Ming acknowledged, "just be careful out there."
Antares nodded. "Yes, sir. Thank you."
With that, Dr. Ming gave a nod to Antares, allowing the pilot to leave.
As soon as he left, Dr. Ming tented his fingers as he pondered the Dracon pilot's situation.
'Who are you, Pilot of the Dragon...' the engineer thought.
Luio & Company, New Hong Kong
Michele looked outside her personal office into the night sky.
She pondered the recent events with the mysterious golden mobile suit, recalling the little girl who had once been her friend.
'So you've come back...' Michele mused. Her eyes flicked to where Brick stood off to the side.
"He will be arriving from the California Base tomorrow morning," Brick said with a bow.
"Good," Michelle replied.
"Still," Brick said without breaking composure, "but are you sure he's up to the task?"
Michelle was silent for a moment. She knew that he still had feelings for the girl, and those very feelings were going to be her tool to find the golden mobile suit. She nodded. "Yes," she said.
Brick's expression still did not shift as he continued. "You know that he still probably has not forgiven you for all those years ago," he pointed out, "and still less enthused that you are taking him from his family for this quest."
Michelle was silent as she contemplated what to say. She knew that Brick was right. But this, hopefully, would be enough to help her earn his forgiveness. "I am well aware. But it is necessary for him to be here so we can capture the Phenex."
"Understood," Brick bowed.
Michelle turned back to look out the window at the Moon, her eyes narrowed. "Rita..."
The next morning...
The Luio & Company chauffeur sent by Michelle held a sign out for his intended passenger along with other people and taxi drivers awaiting the arrivals.
True enough, a certain redhead man came out of the airport entrance. He looked around, spotting the sign. Seeing that the young man was waving to him, the chauffeur lowered his sign. He wordlessly opened the trunk for his passenger to put his light luggage in. The chauffeur then helped the redhead in, got into his driver's seat, and drove off.
The man shifted in his seat as he looked out the window.
To Jona Basta, this was only the next thing in a long list of issues he had going on right now.
"I hope your flight was not too inconvenient, Ensign Basta," the chauffeur greeted.
Jona just shook his head. "I'm on loan from General Staff HQ," he pointed out, "they could care less about inconvenience." Internally, however, he would sooner be back with his adopted folks or fighting Zeon remnants, than to be here. He only watched as the scenery passed by the limo. He wondered why he was even here, to begin with. Sure, things had looked up after Dr. Ming got him into a family that was willing to adopt him, but things were still a bit... tense, one could say. Especially since Michelle had done only what suited her best, and not the other two. In fact, he had to thank Dr. Ming more than anyone else at this point.
"We're here, Ensign," the driver said as they pulled up to the building.
Jona looked out at the building and his eyes narrowed. 'Michelle...' he thought.
The chauffeur helped Jona out with his baggage, and the two entered the lobby.
"Ensign, wait here," the chauffeur said.
Jona was left alone in the lobby with security and other people conducting business. Seeing that there was nothing else at the moment, he went over to one of the couches with his suitcase and sat down. As he laid back, he contemplated his being there.
Michelle had the gall to even call him here, and he had no idea why. He pursed his lips as he held the small shard of his father's pendent in his hand, looking at it. Memories of Rita came into his mind and he clenched his hand around it.
'You don't deserve that other piece, Michelle,' Jona thought.
Some small part of him wanted to just take it from her next time he saw her, but no doubt she didn't have it on her. Not since she had become a part of the upper rung of society.
It was then that a silver haired man about Jona's age came up to him, sporting his dark blue suit and spectacles.
"Ensign Jona. Lady Michelle wishes to speak to you," he said.
Jona stood up and nodded wordlessly. Picking up his suitcase, Jona followed the man closely. 'Here we go, Jona,' he thought to himself.
The two made their way through the building of Luo and Co. until they reached the main office.
"Miss Michelle," the silver-haired aide addressed.
Jona saw as the person sitting in her seat at her desk swiveled around. His expression deadpanned as he recognized that feminine, sly face. "Michelle..." he muttered.
"Jona Basta," Michelle greeted in a rather aloof tone. Jona clenched his fist at that. She then turned to Brick and prompted him to leave her and Jona alone. Brick turned and left the room dutifully.
"Welcome back, Jona," Michelle greeted, "I see you're doing well for yourself."
"As well as can be," Jona replied stiffly.
Michelle exhaled as she kept her neutral composure. She then pointed at the seat in front of her desk. "Sit down, please."
Jona hesitated, but obeyed regardless. As Jona sat down, it was then that Michelle decided to pour some tea. She offered a cup to him. The ensign reached out and took it. "..." He was silent as he took a small sip. Michelle sipped on her own tea as well, as she looked over the files in her hand.
"...Why did you call me here?" Jona asked seriously.
Michelle looked back up at Jona. "You're on loan from Staff HQ, because we've been hired to provide support and expertise on handling a troublesome target," Michelle explained. She handed him the file she was reading.
Jona picked up the file, and saw that it was a golden Unicorn Gundam, the Phenex. The Gundam had a strange blue aura about it as it flew through space in the image.
His eyes widened. "What...?"
"The Phenex went missing during a test flight about two years ago, engaging Neo Zeon forces," Michelle went on, "it went out of control from a psychoframe resonance, and destroyed its mothership before fleeing. For whatever reason, it has now come back."
"The Phenex..." Jona's eyes locked onto the image before narrowing a bit. "..."
Michele took another sip of her tea. She then said, "the Federation wants us to help capture the Phenex. Given that psychoframe technology is illegal, they are unable to deploy psychoframe MS in official capacity. However..."
Jona looked up at those words. "Hm?"
"Given that Luio & Co. are officially a trading company," Michelle said as she clicked on her computer, "we have plenty of backdoors for our little op..."
"Backdoors?" Jona raised an eyebrow.
Michelle nodded. "Yes." She clicked a few more times before she smiled. "Back doors that can work in our favor."
"Such as this..." Michele turned the monitor, revealing the specs and diagram of a mobile suit: RX-9. Jona's eyes went wide at the image. "That... That's..."
"RX-9 Narrative Gundam," Michele said, "a prototype of the Nu Gundam the Federation handed to us after the final test flights to be dismantled. However, now that the Phenex is back, they want us to modify it for the mission to capture it."
She looked into Jona's eyes. "And you are to pilot it."
Jona was surprised. All he could do was gape before he regained himself.
"However..." the shrewd businesswoman added, "we are still missing pieces of the puzzle to begin tracking doen the Phenex. That is all the more reason why we are getting involved.
Jona was silent as he pondered her words. "So, our next course is to find the rest of the pieces, am I right?" he asked.
"Precisely," Michele nodded. Jona had been expecting this, but at the same time, he wondered what else she had planned. From what he remembered, she always had some kind of a plan in place.
"Anyways," Michele said, "I will fill you in on further details regarding the phases of our operation. You must be tired from the long travel here." She then tapped on her intercom. Jona hated to admit it, but he was tired. He nodded.
It was then that Michele's aide, Brick came back in. "Lady Michelle..." he said. "Show Jona his room," Michele instructed, "and do make him comfortable and welcome. He is an old friend after all." She then unexpectedly gave a hint of a smile.
Jona blinked, but then returned to his serious expression as Brick gestured for him to follow.
"Oh and Jona," Michele said just before the ensign reached the door.
Jona looked back. "Hm?"
Michele took on a rather friendly, if rather solemn tone "I know you haven't been replying to my email messages... but I am glad to see you again."
Jona turned away with a slight scowl. As he left, he only wondered just what her motive for capturing the Phenex really was.
Ra Cailum, Interrogation Room
Chase frowned as he stood looking at the man before him. He read Dr. Lombardi up and down with his eyes. He could make out his shy and fearful body language, his refusal to make eye contact, and just a meekness to his breath and voice. Sure, he did not intend for the doctor to wither under his gaze, but saying that he was not disgusted would have been a lie.
Nigel stood off to the side, observing the whole thing and ready for his end of the routine.
"So run it by me again. You say that there was no issue with the testing, and then a virus found its way into the system and caused a malfunction, is that right?" Chase asked.
"That is right..." Dr. Lombardi managed, "that is the truth.
"Do you even realize just what kind of power that machine has?!" Chase demanded, slamming his hands down on the table in between the two men. "Especially seeing as how every time he panics, he threatens to go nuclear on us!"
Lombardi recoiled from the commander's reaction. Chase continued, "do you even realize how much danger you put the rest of Side 7 in? What if he lost control of the Gundam and it went on a rampage with the nearby colonies!?"
Lombardi was horrified at the implications. His face actually paled and he looked a bit sick.
"You're in deep soup, now," Nigel remarked rather snidely, "you know what could happen if this is all reported in full to headquarters."
The man shivered in his chair. "I...I had no idea..." he whispered. "...if what it truly was..."
"Well get a reality check," Chase retorted, "because this is a very serious crime involving illegal weapons development and human experimentation. You've endangered the life of the pilot as well as civilians and our own military's pilots in pursuit of the Dracon. Londo Bell does not take human rights violations and unethical experiments lightly."
For once, Lombardi looked like he was going to break down. "At least... tell me... is the boy okay?"
Chase was miffed. "He will be, if you can reverse what you people did to him," he spat.
Lombardi looked down at his hands in his lap, feeling a bit nervous. "Well... in theory it is possible... but we need to examine the equipment we used and try to isolate the virus... and reverse the damage it caused to the program..."
"How long?" Chase leaned in, his glare meeting the doctor's eyes.
"The... The program was heavily damaged by the virus... until I can get a good idea of the extent, it could take..." Lombardi gulped. "Three to four years... at a best guess..."
The Delta Plus pilot kept his composure, but his eyes burned with the indignity of Seph's situation. Nigel saw this and looked to Lombardi. "Something tells me that you'll have to work faster than that," Nigel said.
"I did say it was a guess!" he exclaimed. "For all we know it could take less time, depending on the extent of the damage!"
Chase backed away from the doctor. He was still calm, yet he gave off a withering aura. "Well better get started, doctor," Chase said with coldness, "because if anything else happens to that pilot... I'll recommend the firing squad in a court-martial."
Lombardi nodded. "Y-Yes... Right away!" he stammered.
"If you manage this, then maybe we'll go a bit easier on you," Nigel said to the scared engineer.
"Well he'd better," Chase glanced at his good cop partner, "because it's him and his crew that will also be on the line if they screw up."
Nigel nodded. "Something tells me he will. Right?"
Lombardi nodded. "Yes. I will!" he exclaimed.
Chase looked back and forth between Nigel and Lombardi, still being the bad cop in this scenario. "Well then... don't waste time here," he urged Lombardi, "your daylight is burning."
He then went over to the door and opened it. One of the guards came in at Chase's prompting. "Get this man and his team working on the Gundam," he ordered, "and watch them closely."
"As long as he stays away from Seph. Remember the kid panicked," Nigel reminded Chase.
"Of course I remember that," Chase shot back, continuing the routine. He then turned back towards the doctor. "We'll be watching you, so consider this your warning..." The man nodded as he was ushered out of the interrogation room.
"Ugh..." Chase said, now a little exhausted.
"Better hope the kid doesn't panic again. Even if he is immobile," Nigel remarked. Then he looked to Chase. "You okay, Commander?"
"Maybe I went further than I should have," Chase admitted, "I was venting."
"I can't blame you," Nigel commented. "In all honesty, I just hope that he does find a way to return the kid to normal. This whole thing gives me the willies." He shuddered at the thought of what the poor boy was going through.
"Speaking of which, when it comes to Anaheim, what are we gonna do with the kid? We can't have him in plain sight if they choose to come aboard..." he pointed out.
Chase grimaced at the thought of Anaheim. In all frankness, he distrusted them greatly with their spurious record of selective morality and aiding both sides of various conflicts for their own profit. It also did not help that they had a reputation for not caring much for the pilots of their pet projects gone awry, Newtypes least of all. It really would not do well to have them monkeying around the Dracon.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Chase simply replied.
"Better hope we can figure something out and soon..." Nigel muttered.
In all honesty, he was worried for the boy.
"May God help the boy indeed..." Chase thought aloud.
Hunter shifted as he sat in the cell. "Man... This bites..."
Martha on the other hand, was silent, but no less steamed about the situation.
"You thinking about what happened back in the hangar?" Hunter asked her.
Martha remained silent.
"Come on," Hunter groaned, "what the heck was that, Martha?"
"That... was the Unicorn Dracon..." Tina remarked. "Or... Seph, actually." She and her fellow Ming Institute staffers were being held in their respective cells next to or across one another, along with other members of Seph's PMC squad. The cramped spaces of the cells and their proximity to one another was enough to make most people claustrophobic.
It was then that Martha snapped. She banged on her cell bars as she raged at Tina. "What did you do to him, witch!?"
"It wasn't my fault!" Tina protested. "There was a computer virus that caused a backflow of the system he was using to control the mobile suit! That was what caused his condition to begin with!"
"You labcoat scum," Martha continued yelling, "I oughta strangle you and every single one of your crew!"
"I keep telling you, it wasn't our fault! Someone sabotaged the project!" Tina repeated.
"Shut up," Hunter said in annoyance, "that is what you Anaheim suits always say when your pet projects go wrong." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Thanks to you guys, we're all under the Fed's thumb. Think of what they'll do to the rest of my team."
"..." Tina was silent as she looked down. "Actually, I'd like to apologize for putting you in this situation... had I known about the Dracon's true identity... then maybe we may not be in this situation..." she muttered.
"Yeah right," Martha snarked, "the good your apology will do!"
"It's your fault, Hendricks!"
"I never signed up for this!"
"I'm gonna sue!"
It was then that the guard posted to the brig suddenly came up with his baton and hit the bars loudly, causing the prisoners to recoil from the clanging. "Shut up, all of you!" The group all winced, and Tina looked like she was about to cry. Unfortunately for her, the bickering and tension made the guard quite irritable. "That goes for you too," the guard barked at her as he brandished his rifle. She buried her head in her hands and began to quietly weep.
"That's enough," a voice sounded.
Everyone turned to see Commander Lee with another guard. The group all looked up, wariness on their faces.
"Sir," the guard snapped to attention.
Chase looked him up and down. "Rough shift?"
The guard grunted as he rubbed his helmet. "Kind of," the guard admitted.
Chase walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Break time," he prompted, "your relief's here."
The man nodded as he left. "Right. Thanks." After the guard left, Chase turned his attention to the prisoners. He was looking for one in particular. "Which of you is Tina Hendricks?"
"I... I am..." Tina sniffled.
Chase saw her weeping in her cell. With a nod, he prompted the new guard to come with the keys. The guard stepped forward and handed them to Chase wordlessly.
The group was baffled. What was up with him?
"What's with him?" someone muttered.
"How should I know?" another person hissed.
"We're going to need your help, Hendricks," Chase indicated as he played with the key.
"Right..." Tina whispered as she got to her feet, rubbing at her eyes to remove the tears.
"You do know why I'm here," Chase went on.
"Yes..." Tina muttered. "About... About Seph..."
"You and Lombardi are responsible for the Unicorn Dracon," Chase said, "and that Gundam is the reason why you are all here."
Tina looked down. "We had no idea..." she whispered.
"Well, now what is going to happen next going forward could very well decide your fate as well as the rest of the prisoners here," Chase said, "as much as I hate to say this... but you, Lombardi, and I are going to have to work together."
"Why...? After what happened to Seph, I'm not too sure," Tina said seriously. "And speaking of which, how is he? I mean, how IS he? Not in terms of physical condition but..."
Chase's expression softened somewhat, upon seeing the girl take interest in Seph's health. "He's under lock in the hangar bay. We couldn't have him wrecking our bay, but he seems to be calm at the moment."
"Thank God... I was worried about him..." Tina whispered softly, a light blush dusting her cheeks. Then she looked to Chase. "Can I see him, at least? Seph, I mean."
"Why not?" Chase then actually smiled a bit as he inserted and twisted the key to the cell door.
"Hey! Why does she get to go?!" Hunter blurted.
"Yeah! Seph's our friend too!" Martha shot back.
A few others protested as well.
"She's responsible for this!"
"Keep her locked in here!"
"She doesn't deserve this!"
"Quiet, all of you," Chase shot back, "none of you are at liberty at this time!" The group fell silent as Tina scurried out of the cage, feeling immense relief. "Now remember," Chase reminded, "you and Lombardi are only at liberty upon the condition that you reverse whatever happened with Seph. We will still have you both supervised and under guard, and under no circumstances is contact outside the Ra Cailum permitted."
"Trust me. I'm more concerned for Seph's mental health at this rate," Tina remarked as she followed him out of the brig to the hangar bay. "I mean... what I was - no am - concerned about is how this will affect him mentally. I mean, that machine is a fully operational Unicorn, and well... given how he has little control over the psychoframe, I'm worried about what he'll do when he does gain control of it..."
"The sooner we get him out the Dracon the better," Chase said as he escorted Tina, "I'm more worried about him being scrapped with the rest of the psychoframe. HQ will no doubt order it."
"But what if we can't?" Tina asked. "I mean... the program, from what I saw, is trashed. And it took us months to write it."
Chase frowned. "Neither you nor Seph have that much time," he said, "Bright will try to buy some time, but we don't know how much."
"How much are you thinking we have?" Tina asked in worry.
Chase just glumly answered, "not luxurious enough."
Ra Cailum Hangar Bay
Chase and Tina arrived into the hangar bay. As soon as the doors slid open, Tina was surprised to see Seph was locked in a cradle. He turned his helm to look and he saw Chase with Tina beside him.
A strange feeling filled Seph's chest and he gulped a bit nervously.
"You recognize this woman, Seph," Chase spoke up.
"Y-Yes," he said softly. "She was with me when... well..." He looked away, wishing he could shrug, but since all his movement systems were locked up, all he could do was move his head.
"Seph? That is you... right?" Tina asked.
The Gundam slowly looked to her and gave a tiny nod with a small whine emitting from the back of his throat. In all honesty, he was terrified. What if Chase ordered her to start dismantling him?
"I-it's me," Seph replied reluctantly.
"So... you really are the Dracon then..." Tina murmured. "I... I'm so... so sorry this happened to you..."
Chase was off to the side discussing something with the hangar chief. He then motioned to Tina to join him.
Tina wandered over, keeping a concerned gaze on Seph out of the corner of her eye.
Seph could barely hear what the three were saying as they talked softly amongst themselves. He tried to listen in closer by tilting his head in their direction. But no such luck. 'Darn! If only I could hear better!' the Gundam thought.
It was then that he heard a whining noise in his head.
"... and you will be responsible for basic maintenance to the mobile suit while she and Lombardi do their job," Seph heard Chase say to the chief.
'What the heck?!" Seph was surprised. How had he been able to hear that? And what was that whining he had heard?
"Commander, are you sure about this," the chief said in an uncertain tone.
"Yes," Chase replied. "I know it seems awkward, but this is the only way."
Tina shot a glance back at Seph as he squeaked and turned his head away, though he still listened in.
"Um, sir... just so you know, we may need more time than we have to try and recreate or repair the damage to the program that led to his circumstances," Tina said. "I mean, last time we had worked on it for months. And we need as much time as possible to try and reverse this."
"We'll make it work," Chase said rather firmly, "Seph's life depends on this."
"Thanks..." Tina whispered.
Seph tilted his helm a bit more, a questioning hum coming from his chest. What were they talking about?
The chief then addressed Chase. "What about allowing him some freedom of movement?" he asked. "I mean, we can't have him cause more damage than he already did..."
Seph blushed deeply beneath his visor at this and averted his gaze.
"As it stands, he will remain under OS lock as is standard procedure for all mobile suits," Chase said. He paused for a bit, then added, "however, with the rumors of yet another runaway MS running about, that could change."
"Huh?" Now Seph was confused. "Another runaway mobile suit?" He directed his question at Chase.
The three looked up at Seph. The chief looked both surprised and annoyed. "Hey, you may have enhanced audio reception," the chief shot back, "but it ain't nice to eavesdrop."
"Hey! How was I supposed to know?!" Seph grumped. He turned his head away, really regretting asking.
Chase glared at the mechanic for his response. "It's alright," Seph reassured, "Captain Bright authorized me to share this with other pilots aboard this ship. Given the nature of this potential threat, it may require us to use the Dracon in an emergency."
"Huh?" Seph looked down. "Y-You mean... combat?" He began to shake a bit, despite being immobile. "B-But what if I lose it?!" he whimpered.
"Like I said," Chase answered, "it's going to be an emergency. In the meantime, while Lombardi and Tina here work on extracting you from the Gundam, the captain has authorized me to train you in the event that we encounter this enemy."
"Uh... Okay..." Seph murmured. "And um... I can't exactly move right now..."
"Like I said," Chase reminded, "we will follow standard procedures for all mobile suits... and now that we've captured the Dracon, it is technically under Londo Bell jurisdiction."
Seph nodded. "Okay..." he said hesitantly. He really wanted to shift around; his servos and joints were starting to ache a bit. He moved his head around, trying to alleviate the aching building in his shoulders. "Sheesh! Do mobile suits usually get cramps?"
"No they don't kid," the chief retorted. He was honestly tiring of the whining and complaining.
Seph wisely kept his vocalizer muted, but he couldn't help but whine a little in the back of his throat. He really wanted to move so badly!
"Hey Tina," Chase turned to her, "maybe you could do a favor for Seph."
"Huh? What do you want me to do?" Tina asked.
"Maybe try and do something about his apparent sensitivity levels," Chase nodded towards the chief, "before he drives the crew mad."
"I...I'll see what I can do," Tina said hesitantly. She looked back at the Gundam who was now trying to move his arms. Chase turned towards the door, leaving Tina with both the irritated chief and Seph.
Tina walked over to Seph, looking up at him uneasily. "Um... so... you feel achy?" she asked.
"Yeah," Seph grunted, "but everytime I request some relief, I'm being told to shut or threatened with being shut off or shot."
"I see. Well, I'll see what I can do to help alleviate that," Tina said as she began to make her way up to the catwalks. "So, where does it ache the worst?"
Seph grunted as the aching feeling hit again. He tried to wiggle, but his body refused to move due to the OS lock. "The wings," Seph pointed out, "my wings are aching!"
Tina scrambled up the catwalks to the Gundam's back. She peeked closely at his wings. "Seems like they're folded a bit too tight due to the cradle," she remarked. "That could be the problem."
"We had to make the Gundam fit into the thing," the chief pointed out, "we only have so much space in here."
"Well, maybe you should at least try to make some extra room, or at least give him some space to spread his wings a bit," Tina suggested.
"You sure," the chief said with a slight frown.
"Yes," Tina said.
As this went on, Chase went up to the hangar observation tower. As he entered, he found Bright observing the whole exchange in front of the Dracon.
"Commander Lee," Bright said without looking. "How's the kid?"
"Seems to have calmed down somewhat," Chase replied, "at least he's not going nuclear on us."
"Good." Bright said. "I want you to begin his training as soon as possible in the event we need his power."
"Even though the psychoframe is illegal, and there are so many unknowns?" Chase shrugged as he felt a little itchy in his collar all of a sudden. "I don't like this case one bit."
Bright nodded. "If that runaway psychomachine is dangerous, we may need his power. I may agree with you that this is a big unknown and risk, but we may have no choice."
Chase came up alongside Bright as the two officers continued to watch as Tina advised the crew, who begrudgingly serviced Seph in his cradle. "You know," the Delta Plus pilot said, "Amuro once taught me that what for every inconsistency we see in a story, there is often a much bigger story behind it. For one, we at Londo Bell were told that the Dracon was being piloted by a psychopath going on a killing spree, and now look at what's happened to this kid. And yes, his team did shoot at us, but now we are seeing that they know even less of what is going on than we thought."
Chase then narrowed his gaze. "Then there is the issue of Dr. Lombardi. I may have been harsh on him before, but even now I'm starting to see that he himself is a pawn in a much bigger game than I imagined. With the rumors of another runaway psychomachine going around at the same time, it's all too much to be coincidence."
"That could very well be the case," Bright surmises. "And that is all the more reason we have to protect the kid."
"And his wingmen?" Chase glanced sideways at the captain. "You know some of their backgrounds came back with red flags as former Zeon soldiers."
Bright narrowed his eyes. "Keep an eye on them. If his wingmen prove they are willing to work with us, then... we'll let them go."
"But you also know what is happening out there, after the Laplace Declaration," Chase pointed out in a contemplative tone.
"Yes. I am aware," Bright noted. He watched with a contemplative look in his eyes as the mechanics finally gave Seph a bit more wiggle room in the cradle, his wings becoming looser against his back. "Aw, yes," Seph was heard through the microphone, "that's much better!"
Bright chuckled a bit in amusement at that. However, Chase continued to muse over Seph's situation, and what the Ra Cailum could possibly get into next. 'Amuro... what would you do...' The commander frowned. "Sir, may I ask when I will start training him?"
"Technically, the Dracon is under our jurisdiction," Bright said, "but as there is no designated pilot from Londo Bell, HQ has forbidden its deployment by any other pilot. Since I haven't told them of Matthew's situation in full, there's only so much that can be done at the moment."
"That sucks," Chase groaned, "so what then?"
The One Year War veteran frowned slightly. "We wait for now..." Bright muttered before silence fell between the two.
A week later...
Von Braun, Lunar Surface
Dr. Ming stood in his office, looking over the information he was preparing for Colonel Revil. "Once I transmit this to Joseph," he muttered to himself, "this will cast the die." He shifted before he looked it over one last time. "This is our last chance... or else all is lost..."
His computer buzzed as he got an email. The old engineer opened it. "The old carriage and its driver have trotted up to town," the email read, "ready for delivery." The engineer smiled. "I knew I could count on you, Joseph," he said as he compiled the files.
He finished his work and sent the files.
Von Braun EFF Lunar HQ
Revil stood before his desk as he observed the email. Fortunately for him, having the scrambled address set up between him and Ming meant that he could use his custom touchpad secure from the Federation monitoring system for electronic communications.
He looked over the files, a serious look on his face. 'This is it,' he thought silently to himself, 'everything the Noblesse wanted to hide.'
It was then that the government laptop on his desk beeped. Colonel Revil looked at the device, but let it continue beeping as his secret pad fully downloaded the data. He waited for a few minutes before it finished. With the download done, Joseph quickly tucked it away into its secret sleeve. He then turned to his government laptop and answered the call. "Colonel Revil here."
"Sir, the Ra Cailum is on approach," the soldier said, "they are requesting permission to dock."
"Permission granted," Revil replied, "inform them that I also wish to personally welcome Captain Bright."
"Yes, sir," the soldier responded.
When the transmission cut, Revil rose from his seat and donned his officer's hat. It was time to meet the much vaunted captain his father admired. And maybe he could see this new machine they had captured as well...
Ra Cailum Bridge
Bright stood in the middle of the bridge, observing as the ship came in to dock.
"Welcome to Von Braun Base, Ra Cailum," the controller greeted.
"Glad to be here," Bright responded.
"Our new base commander wishes to personally greet you and your crew," the controller notified, "he will be awaiting you and your staff in the terminal."
Bright nodded. "We'll be there to meet him, thank you."
The comm shut down and Bright turned to look out at the docks as they came into view.
"So what's the plan, sir," Chase asked as he was present on the bridge with Bright and Meran.
"As soon as we dock, we're to let in our guest," Bright explained. "And if he asks about the kid, we say nothing."
(What is the extent of Ming and Revil's knowledge of Seph inside the Dracon? :3)
"Right," Chase said in a none-too-enthusiastic tone, "and Anaheim, or this Ming Institute we found out about back on Side 7?"
"We'll deal with them as well," Bright said.
Chase hummed to suppress a bit of a groan. However, he did manage to ask, "want me to have Nigel's team and our marines at the ready, just in case? Knowing what guys like Anaheim and the Vist Foundation are capable of, I don't think I would be overly cautious in saying that we should be prepared."
"Right," Bright acknowledged. "Dispatch our Phantom Teams to Anaheim, but have Nigel and his team remain aboard on standby," he ordered, "and remember, keep it quiet."
"You got it, sir," Chase affirmed.
"And I want you to start training Seph soon," Bright added. "Even if it is in just the confines of the hangar bay."
"Sure, though we'll have to be discreet," Chase pointed out.
"And we can do that," Bright said. "Just try to not make a racket."
"We just need a convincing enough alibi," Chase suggested, "including for our guys going to Anaheim and Ming."
Bright nodded. "Yes. So, I'll handle the alibi. You get Seph hooked up to a virtual simulator. His training begins now."
"Understood sir, Godspeed," with a salute, the Delta Plus commander was off.
Straightening his uniform, Bright steeled himself. 'Here we go.'
Bright walked down the hallway towards the disembarkation ramp, with Meran in escort. As they walked up to the disembarkation ramp, they were greeted by another soldier saluting them. "Welcome to Von Braun, Captain Bright."
"Thank you," Bright said.
"Our base commander is waiting for you," the soldier informed, "he's been wanting to meet you for a long time."
"Hmmm..." Bright raised an eyebrow and was curious. Who was it that wanted to meet him? The soldier escorted him and Meran towards the terminal, where a trio of officers awaited.
The first man in the middle was at least thirty years old, and Bright pegged him as being about mid thirties, with a lean build and he had a scar on his right cheek. His brown, almost bronze colored, hair was cut short and his dark brown eyes clearly held the air of an experienced soldier in them. It was then that the officer smiled upon seeing Bright. "Captain Bright at last," he greeted, "I've been waiting for you."
"Who are you?" Bright asked, a bit surprised, but not that surprised he was known of. He did have a bit of a reputation, amongst the Gundam pilots, that is.
"Oh yes," the garrison commander chuckled in remembrance, "this is your first ever time meeting me, and I've only commanded this base for over two years now." He continued to smile at Bright. "I'm sure you're quite familiar with my famed late father, the commander-in-chief of the Earth Federation Forces of the One Year War."
Bright's eyes widened. "Wait... You're the son of General Revil?" he asked.
The commander nodded as he extended his hand. "Colonel Joseph Revil, commander of Von Braun Base," he introduced himself.
"Pleasure to meet you," Bright said, grasping his hand and shaking it.
"It's an honor to meet the White Base captain my father told me so much about," Joseph curtsied, "he had nothing but praise and admiration for you and Amuro Ray."
Bright nodded. "Yes. Amuro was one of the best pilots I had under my command. And I can only hope that others will follow in his example," he said, vaguely referring to the sentient Gundam currently locked in a cradle aboard his ship.
Joseph nodded, "and now you have one of his pupils aboard this very vessel. Commander Chase Lee, I believe he is."
Bright smiled. "That I do. And he has his own protégé, you could say," he remarked with a nod.
"So soon?" Joseph looked quizzical for a bit before his expression brightened again. "Speaking of protege... where is the commander?"
"In the hangar bay," Bright responded.
"Rather curious that he's not out here accompanying you," Joseph feigned ignorance, but knowing from Dr. Ming that the Ra Cailum was carrying the Dracon, he had a feeling that Chase was examining the Dracon.
"Yes, well, his protégé is kind of nervous, so he's helping train him in the event we need his mobile suit out on the battlefield," Bright remarked.
"I see..." Joseph mused. It was then that he looked back at Bright, "given the rumors of a runaway psychomachine, we'll need every advantage we can get."
The captain nodded. "Yes. And speaking of which, at some point I'd like to introduce you to the new pilot, but we'll have to wait for a bit. Kid's still nervous and all."
But deep down, Bright couldn't help but worry how he'd react to the kid's... situation... so to speak.
"In due time," Joseph said, though he thought at the same time, 'he must be talking about the Dracon's pilot, whoever it must be...'
Bright nodded. "Right. So, what is it you wished to discuss with me?"
"Of course." Joseph turned to his junior officers. "You two may leave us," he prompted.
"Sir," the two officers saluted, before turning away. Joseph looked rather intent on making sure they left the room.
"Good. We're alone now," Revil said as he reached back for his personal touchpad. "And this is very important."
"Revil?" Bright and Meran were now very confused with the young Revil.
"However," Joseph added, "I think I would like to discuss this aboard your ship."
The captain nodded. "Right this way," he said, leading the young colonel to the Ra Cailum.
"And if possible, I'd like to meet your MS commander's protégé at some point," Revil added, "I trust that a good pupil of Amuro would make a good choice of student to bring on."
The three men made their way to the ship, where Bright guided Revil into his office. Meran saluted Bright as he closed the door and kept watch outside the office. Joseph looked around and saw a portrait of Amuro, with the posthumous Medal of Honor award certificate beside it. "Shame I'll never meet him," Joseph muttered wistfully.
"Yes. But I am sure he'd be proud of one of his pupils," Bright said as he joined him. "I'm glad to have helped the kid grow into the man he was before his... disappearance."
"If my father had lived through A Baoa Qu," Joseph thought aloud, "he would have been Amuro and the Newtypes' most powerful and vocal advocate in the Federation government. He was the most honorable and accomplished of the Federation military leadership, and would have certainly provided great guidance for all the member nations."
Bright nodded. "Yes. And that brings me back to what you were going to show me. What was it you wanted to discuss?" he asked, turning to look at Revil.
"Everything," Revil said as he drew out his touchpad again. Bright looked at it, and saw that it was not the government-issued electronic typical of high-ranking officers.
The pad suddenly lit up, a scanner function flashing as a small noise was heard. Bright was shocked by this as words flashed on the monitor. "SURVEILLANCE DEVICES: NON PRESENT." He staggered back a bit in surprise from the computer.
"What was that," Bright was completely startled, "why the scan?"
"Long story short, it was to scan for any sign of surveillance devices," Revil began. "It has to do with the contents of the laptop."
Bright now did not like what he was hearing, but kept his cool. "What could possibly be so important that we need this kind of privacy?"
"Everything you are about to see and hear... will have grave implications if anyone is to find out," Revil began. "And it has ties to the Laplace Incident all those years ago... back when it first happened at the start of the Universal Century."
"Laplace's Box..." Bright muttered, "but that was already revealed a year ago."
"Yes. But this goes much deeper than merely that," Revil explained. "It concerns how and why the charter was altered to what it was." It was then that Revil tapped on the file stored in his computer. The contents came up and Bright's eyes widened. "The truth about everything," Revil summed it up.
Bright was in shock at the sight of the news articles. A lot of them already covered what happened, but he was seeing that some parts were highlighted or bolded. A quick cursory examination also uncovered something else: there were other documents of a trial after the death of Ricardo Marcenas. The trial constituted the supposed hiring of hitmen by someone named Henrich Zabi, which sent shivers down his spine.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the news coverage of the trial before it split into a deathbed confession. But what surprised him was the fact that the deathbed confession was not, as the news claimed, the murder. Instead, it was of how he had been framed. Framed for a murder he did not commit.
Something was wrong here.
Terribly wrong.
Wait a minute.
"Zabi?" Bright suddenly had alarm bells going off in his head, "the same Zabi family?"
Revil nodded. His face had a grim look on it.
"Wait a minute," Bright scrolled through Henrich's profile.
He scanned it over, his eyes narrowed.
The Zabi family's involvement in the history of the UC era went a long way back before the One Year War. In fact, according to the profile, Henrich Zabi was one of Ricardo Marcenas' closest advisors and friends. The two had been actually not just friends, but almost brothers with how close they were. It also said that the men worked to help craft the charter as it had been before the alterations took place after the destruction of Laplace.
"How and where did you get this," Bright questioned.
"A friend of mine," was all Revil would say.
The profile even went on to state how after the Laplace Incident, Henrich Zabi had lost his status inside the Federation hierarchy, and after serving his sentence on Earth, was cast out into the early space colonies and never allowed to return.
Something was terribly wrong here. Bright narrowed his eyes.
"Zabi was exiled, but obviously that was not the end of the matter, was it," Bright surmised.
Revil shook his head. "No. It wasn't." He highlighted something else on the computer and it came up, revealing the contents of a letter, written by Henrich himself.
'How foolish I was,' the letter read, we were fools. Both of us. We thought the world would be better. We thought that it would bring about peace. Our goal was not to instigate a forced exodus. No. It was different. We sought to give people in space a chance. But those at the top... the real enemy... they had different ideas. Different goals. And they took our dream... and twisted it for their own selfish gain.
'In our naivety, we formed the Federation in hopes of unifying the world's most powerful nations to accelerate the recovery from the last series of global conflicts and chaos. Little did the both of us realize how much power we had given to cynical and tyrannical men who exploited our ideals to form a global elite hierarchy without a powerful rival nation to check it.'
'When we discovered the truth, it was too late for my old friend. He died due to the selfish actions of his son, who was an agent for the global elite. And in my shame, I tried to act, but was made an accomplice in his murder. I was framed and exiled, cast out and ordered to never return. I fled to Side 3, where my family set up shop. But... I had no idea what was to come... I hoped to rally the Sides to independence, to check their ambitions. But... it was all for nothing...'
'The people who financed and backed Marcenas and my Earth Federation initiative posed as humanitarians and philanthropists, tongues laced with platitudes and praise for humanistic values and global brotherhood. Yet as my friend became the first Prime Minister and I his Minister of Colony Development, they showed their true colors: tyrants and manipulators, who while enabling our rise to positions of power, at the same time bankrolled the very dictators, bureaucrats, rogues, and militants that threw our world into chaos to pave the way for our Federation. They promised us responsibility, power, and wealth to reshape the world, but it was all with strings attached. We were nothing but pawns to cover for the greed and cynicism of these elites... these Noblesse...'
'We has been played. So my friend came up with the idea to give the colonies real power. Power that they feared. He put it into the charter, hoping that it would be seen as legal, and for a moment, it seemed as if it would work. But unbeknownst to us, we had been observed, and thus, the terrorist attack happened. The original charter was lost, and it was altered to fit the Noblesse agenda. The colonies were seen as inferior, and this became the backbone of their policies... to keep those cast out and later born in space as a political and economic underclass they could abuse and use. The Earth became something to be worshipped, as they oppressed those deemed undesirable and sinful against the Earth.'
Bright's gaze hardened as he read on.
'My family, the Zabis, and the Marcenas family are now cursed with the knowledge that we helped to bring about this oppression and tragedy. In toppling the nations and empires of old out of misguided optimism for global governance, we gave birth to an even more sinister form of empire and power extending into the cosmos.'
'So it is my goal now to create a nation of colonies to stand against them. Even if I shall fail to recognize justice in this time, others shall rise to challenge the stagnant and oppressive vassal system the Noblesse maintain through their Federation cronies. They shall rue the future where the people rediscover their liberty and independence in the reaches of space, as did the empires of the Enlightenment Ages when their settlers forged their destinies in the Western Hemisphere and threw off their chains. May God fill the future pioneers with swift and terrific resolve against this Second Babylon, and grant them blessings untold of in the stars beyond that they may liberate our home planet of this globalist scourge!' The letter ended with that.
Bright slowly looked up. "This..." He swallowed. "Is this even real?" he asked softly.
Joseph nodded, "my source can verify this from the original copy of Zabi's confession, even though all other copies and articles were confiscated and destroyed."
Bright wasn't sure what to make of this. To learn that the Federation had altered Laplace's Box was one thing, but to learn of this... a conspiracy to... create an empire where Earth was the home of the elites?! His mind was reeling with this. And how did that boy, Seph, tie into this?
"There is more that you should know... about Zeon itself," Joseph said as he changed tabs. The tab that appeared showed something that made Bright shudder. "This... This is..."
"What his son," Joseph dropped, "Degwin Sodo Zabi, did in the years before and after his death."
Bright thought he had seen all of the Zabis' depravity in full, but the next set of contents shed a disturbing new light on the late sovereign of Zeon. These were classified documents, stamped with what seemed to be the seal of the Noblesse, detailing Degwin as a MEMBER of the group.
"My word...!" the captain whispered. "It... It was all planned... The One Year War... Everything...!"
"Not exactly," Joseph clarified, "originally, Degwin was tasked with the elimination of Zeon Deikun as a threat to the Noblesse. He and his cronies did carry it out of course, but he also had every intention of betraying them."
Bright frowned. "And... what was his intention then?"
"To carry out Henrich's will," Joseph indicated, "by establishing Zeon as a powerful nation capable of fielding mobile suits, Degwin could solidfy his own powerbase to oppose the Noblesse. To that end, he actually subverted and created his own base using the Noblesse's own financial resources."
He then reached over to the PC again. "Degwin, however, was just the tip of the iceberg in the One Year War."
Bright's eyes widened at the sight of the list as it appeared on the monitor. "No way...!" he whispered.
Some of those names he knew well. But others he did not. However, yet another name stood out.
Bright's eyes narrowed. "Gihren...Zabi?"
"Yes," Joseph grunted at the name, "he was also Noblesse, specifically tasked with eliminating the Ral family during Zeon's early days."
Now Bright was starting to understand what was going on. "So these... Noblesse... they were the ones who started the current UC calendar, but twisted it around... and as a result, so did the Zabis...
"The Zabis hoped that by joining the Noblesse, they could actually overthrow them and the Federation with it," Joseph further explained, "however, the Noblesse were cunning enough to change strategy. Using their agents within Zeon and playing off Zabi family rivalries, they sowed discord within Zeon while simultaneously backing more Earthnoid hardliners into positions of power across the Earth Federation."
It was then that the young Revil brought up more files. "Since then, they've just manipulated more conflicts since to increase their power within the Federation." More names of Noblesse members and associates started to pop up.
A few names he recognized.
Bask Om, Jamaican Daninghan, Dr. Murasame, Josh Offshore... The names were prominent. Jamitov Hymem, Martha Vist Carbine, Ronan Marcenas, Alberto Vist... and a lot of current officials including admirals, generals, and even the current prime minister.
It was then that Bright's eyes widened again as he recognized names... from Neo-Zeon and the current Republic.
Horst Harness, Kaises M. Buyer..
A few other names leapt out at him.
Haman Karn, Full Frontal, Monaghan and Darcia Bakharov.
Bright had his mind blown. Even Zeon was as badly infiltrated and compromised as Anaheim and the Federation.
One thing came to his mind at that point: Who COULD they even trust? He asked Revil this, half expecting an answer in their favor.
"Very few unfortunately," Revil admitted, "for all the bumps and setbacks in the fighting between the Federation and Zeon, the Noblesse had their trajectory thoroughly planned where either side would be their tool in total control of the Earth Sphere."
"So we're basically on our own then?" Bright asked, despair starting to cross his features.
"Not at all, Bright," Joseph said with determination, "my friend has many connections throughout the Earth Sphere on both sides. Some of them did help to attain this information, albeit at great cost. I can assure you, however, that there are indeed good allies we can count on, but at the moment are scattered and unable to make any major moves without the Noblesse knowing."
To Bright, to hear they had allies was a huge relief, but to hear they were scattered and left unable to coordinate things was a huge disappointment.
"And that brings me back to the next issue," Revil continued. "I heard about the new mobile suit you have in your hangar bay."
Bright straightened his back for composure. "It was a renegade mobile suit that we captured along with its pilot," he said, "nothing more."
Joseph suddenly smiled and chuckled a bit. "Bright," he said, "that mobile suit is the Unicorn Gundam, Unit 4, callsign Dracon."
Bright's eyes widened. "H-How did...?"
Joseph laughed heartily. "Like I said, I have a friend with good connections."
Bright sighed. "Yeah. Okay. But what does the Dracon and the kid have to do with this?" he asked, gesturing to the computer.
"The Dracon was actually designed for the explicit purpose of getting this information out to the public," Revil explained. "But, my friend didn't explain just how it was supposed to do so."
"But... I thought the psychoframe technology was sealed away," Bright pointed out, "the Federal government saw to that."
"Is that so?" Revil asked. "Or is that what they want you to believe? Think carefully, Bright."
Revil then tapped on yet another file. "Maybe this will help you." Bright looked at it, and his eyes widened.
The files that displayed really drove home what was really going on. The Banshee was currently under strict lock and key, and the Unicorn was sealed and kept under heavy guard as well. But what really surprised him was the Phenex. Having gone missing a year ago, it was now on the run, and it was a possibly dangerous threat.
Much like the sentient Gundam they had in their hangar bay.
"They weren't dismantled after all," Bright said of the Unicorn and Banshee.
"No. And for a reason we can't understand right now. But whatever the case, the pilot of the Dracon must be guarded at all costs. I take it they are on the ship here somewhere?" Revil inquired.
"They are," Bright answered, now a bit more confident in trusting Revil, "I have Commander Lee watching him with my men."
"Okay. I hope you don't mind me asking if I could meet the pilot of the Dracon, then?" Revil asked with a small smile.
Bright pursed his lips. The One Year War veteran had a solemn look about him.
Revil was mildly surprised. "Something wrong?"
Bright looked Revil deep in the eyes. "You're not going to like this..."
Seph grunted as he chased the red mobile suit in front of him. His wings twitched as he ducked behind some debris, holding his beam magnum across his chest. His optics pulsed beneath his faceguard as he prepared to fire.
He fired another shot, only for the Sazabi to dodge and fire back at him. Seph rolled to the right behind another asteroid before he fired again, this time at an asteroid close to the Sazabi, hoping the debris would disrupt its lock on him.
The asteroid disintegrated, only for several funnels to fly through the flash and fire beams at Seph.
Seph yelped as he dove down, his thruster pack roaring in his audios. He fired off his head Vulcans in a desperate attempt to take down the funnels. He fared rather poorly, as the beams grazed his frame from all sides. One beam struck the e-pacs on his magnum, causing it to blow up and leave him without a rifle.
"Gah!" Seph threw his arms up in front of his chest as he weaved left and right, trying to dodge the beams. "Crud!" His audio sensors were flooded with alerts as he sustained heat damage from the beams, despite the armor's durability.
He peeled out, only to come face to face with the Sazabi as it aimed a gun at his chest. "Oh... nuts...!" was all he had time to say.
There was a flash of light, then static in his vision. The screen then blinked out and re-initialized as the program ended. He was treated to the sight of the Ra Cailum hangar, and looking down, one exasperated-looking Chase Lee.
"End simulation program," Chase prompted the tech next to him. He then looked up at the Dracon. "Char Aznable killed you three times already."
Seph groaned as he hung his head. "Sorry..." he muttered.
Chase walked up to the sentient Gundam as he stared right up towards Seph's optics. "I keep telling you to close the distance and get right in there with Char," the Londo Bell commander lectured, "Amuro himself figured out that Char's options were limited in close quarters, as good a swordsman the Red Comet was. You need to observe the enemy for weak spots more closely than just firing at random."
Seph looked down and he nodded, feeling his faceplate burning with embarrassment. "I understand, but I still don't know how to activate any close range weapons," he said.
The Delta Plus pilot was floored at the admission. "I thought you have some sort of mental access to your weapons bank," he said.
"I do, but I can only use my head Vulcans," Seph admitted. "That's about as good as I have right now." He looked down at the beam tonfas on his arms.
Chase had to resist rubbing his head in frustration, not wanting to discourage the young PMC pilot. 'At this rate... this guy is going to be destroyed upon entering the battle, no matter how much power he has.'
Seph tilted his head to the side in an inquisitive manner. "Uh, sir?"
"Never mind," Chase shook his head, "we'll do this however times we need until we get it right. In the meantime, try and better access your weapons system. If you can get your psychoframe to go haywire, accessing your weapons is the least dangerous thing you can do."
Seph nodded, then paused. He tilted his head a bit more. Were his audios malfunctioning? Or were those footsteps he was hearing?
"Lieutenant Commander," it was Bright's voice. Upon hearing that, Chase looked down from the railing to see his captain, accompanied by another ranking officer.
"Captain Bright, sir," Chase saluted.
"How's the new kid doing on his training?" Bright asked.
"Work in progress," Chase said scratching the back of his head.
"I see." Bright looked up at the Gundam as he turned his head away, which surprised Revil. He cocked an eyebrow as he looked to Chase.
Chase realized that the officer was looking his way. He quickly thought of an alibi.
"You have to excuse us," Chase defended, "we're doing some system checks with the mobile suit we captured."
"Hm. I was hoping to meet the young pilot you took under your tutelage, Lieutenant Commander," Revil replied. "I thought he would be here."
"Well..." Chase replied, trying to hold composure, "he's a little exhausted right now..."
"Ah. So he would be in the quarters, then," Revil surmised. Although he was getting a bad feeling judging from the fact the Gundam's head was moving.
"That's right," Chase went on, "he did just get assigned to the ship not too long ago." He did not know who this officer was, but Chase certainly did not trust him enough.
"Very well. I'll see about meeting him later." Revil watched as the Dracon pivoted its head towards him, its optics locking right onto him. And he swore he could see something within them. "Is that part of the system check? Rather unusual," Revil remarked. He paused for a bit, then decided to drop it on Chase, "then again, nothing about the Unicorn Gundam Dracon is usual, is it Lieutenant Commander?"
Chase froze. 'Oh, nuts...'
Seeing the shock on the young pilot's face, Revil raised his hand. "It's alright," he reassured, "I already know about the Dracon. I also know that it's pilot managed to trigger its NT-D when you tried to capture it. If it helps, I want to say thank you for helping to retrieve the Dracon before the pilot hurt himself."
Chase nodded, feeling some relief that he didn't know about the boy's condition. "Yes. It is good that we were in the area at the time," he remarked.
Chase then decided to finally ask. "If I may, who am I speaking to?"
"Colonel Joseph Revil, EFSF," the officer replied, saluting.
"Revil," the Delta Plus pilot recognized the name, "as in THE General Revil!?"
"Yes," Revil confirmed. "He was my father." The silence was deafening for Chase, as he never knew that General Johann Revil had family.
Seph actually spluttered in shock. "W-What?!" he blurted, completely forgetting his circumstance. "Y-General Revil was your FATHER?!"
"Seph!" Chase barked, now sweating bullets.
Revil looked up at the Gundam, surprise coloring his features.
Bright had to resist the urge to facepalm.
The colonel looked to Chase. "Care to explain, Lieutenant Commander?"
"Darn..." Chase muttered under his breath. Revil crossed his arms. "Well?"
Bright was silent as he gazed at Seph, making the Gundam turn his head, although the faintest hint of red could be seen on his faceguard.
"Well..." Chase said as he eyed Seph in the Dracon. Out of the corner of his vision, he could also spy a gun that he let rest on one of the consoles.
"When we tried to get the pilot out," Chase reluctantly answered, "we realized that it was not quite a regular mobile suit, and not just the fact the it's a Unicorn unit..."
Revil arched an eyebrow. "How so?" he asked.
Chase hesitated as he took a gulp. "The Gundam... absorbed its pilot."
Revil was silent, then he looked at the Gundam in the cradle. His eyes locked into those violet optics, and now he could recognize the human intelligence within them. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Is... this true?" he asked.
A small whine escaped the Gundam as he nodded slowly. "I am... the Gundam..." Seph mournfully admitted.
The colonel turned to Chase. "And you weren't going to tell me," he mused.
It was then that Chase decide to drop the act. "Seph is my responsibility, and I'm not about to see him scrapped with the Gundam." He quietly reached behind him and held the pistol, thumb on the safety.
Revil, however, was silent as he gazed at the Gundam. He shifted his head around, and it was clear to the colonel that he was immobile due to an OS lock. Then he turned to Chase. "Rest assured, I have no intentions like that," he said.
"That may be," Chase said, still gripping the pistol behind his back, "but I know that many in the government and Anaheim will certainly not feel the same way." Chase knew very well the Federation government's own track record with psycommu weapons from Amuro's own accounts.
Seph by now was silent, and downright scared. His frame may have been immobile, but he was still scared. His reactor was humming louder in his chest as he watched this playing out before him.
"Well, then that is an issue," Revil admitted.
Bright glanced to Chase. "Lieutenant Commander, Colonel Revil is here to help us," he said. "If anything, maybe he has a plan to help the kid."
Chase relaxed his grip on the gun, but still wanted to ascertain the situation. "Well then, Colonel," he inquired, "just how exactly are you going to help this guy?"
"My friend can... enlist... the kid in the EFF, give him records and an alias so this way the Feds can't find him that easily," Revil suggested. "This offer also extends to any who happened to be close to him at the time."
Chase was once again surprised. "Wait, what?"
"We can give the kid a false cover," Revil repeated.
Seph himself was surprised as well. This EFF officer barely met him, and now all of a sudden wanted to help.
No less, the son of the famed General Revil himself.
The Gundam's optics were wide beneath his faceguard. "W-What?!" he blurted.
Joseph looked up at the sentient Gundam. "You don't want to be dismantled right," he questioned, "I can ask my friend to give you a cover story so that you can work with Captain Bright and Londo Bell to survive until we get this issue resolved. Besides..."
He pointed up at Seph, or rather the Dracon. "That Gundam that absorbed you, is a very important one, and my friend believes that you have the potential to unlock its true power."
Seph tilted his helm to the side. "Wait... how is this-" He looked down at his frame. "-be considered very important?" he asked.
"It will be revealed in due time... and a more suitable location than here," Joseph answered in a cryptic tone.
The Gundam was confused, but let it go for now. "Um... what... mind me asking what kind of alias you plan on giving me?" Seph asked.
Joseph mused over this for a bit, before saying, "you're Lieutenant Kyle Ray, assigned to the battleship Ra Cailum under Bright Noa's command."
"Uh..." Seph inclined his helm to the other side. "Okay? Why Kyle Ray though?" Joseph shrugged his shoulders in response.
"Well, better than something stupid," Seph muttered. He shifted his head around, trying to alleviate the aching in his shoulders. "Crud...! Man! I sure wish I had mobility again!"
Now it was Revil's turn to be floored. He turned to Bright with a quizzical expression that was asking for an answer. Bright sighed. "The kid's apparently got some... sensitivity... in his frame. He's getting cramps, it seems," he explained.
The Delta Plus pilot shook his head, but knew what to do. "Adjust the cradle locks," he prompted the techie next to him. The techie nodded, although she was a bit uneasy. She fiddled with her datapad before the locks adjusted and Seph's shoulders sagged a little in the limited freedom. A sigh of relief escaped him. "Much better..."
Joseph almost found that remark amusing, but at the same time, his head was swirling with how to break this weird development to Dr. Ming.
If anything, they had to be extra careful. One wrong slip up and the boy was set for the scrappers.
End Chapter 4
Posted a bit later than I liked, but a longer chapter with more background on who is driving the events of this semi-AU fanfic and the events of the UC calendar. I hope to get over some of the writer's block I've had as of late, but all in all, I'm quite glad looking at this chapter.
I hope you all are doing well out there, and can take the time to read, fave, and review when possible. It gives me encouragement and helps to see constructive criticism and suggestions to get the gears and cogs grinding. Until the next chapter, people!
God Bless, and Merry Christmas! :D
