Super Robot Taisen S Zero Reloadd
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Chapter 11 - Enter ZZ Gundam!
"Well, then... looks like we ended up here, for some reason..." Judau grumbled, taking some time off his woring schedule to sit on the hangar's floor and sigh in powerless frustration. Many things had happened eversince the Argama had first landed in Shangri-La, and the repairs had been going smoothly... and in the end, him and his gang had reluctantly accepted to join the skeleton crew of the Argama and start working as mechanics and part-time pilots. The pay was good, after all, and once the ship had completed its mission and dropped them off back at Shangri-La, Judau would have had more than enough money to pay for his sister's education up until college.
At the moment, the Argama was heading to a space station known as La Vie En Rose, where it was going to finish being repaired and it was going to embark a few new Mobile Suits. This was going to be good in Judau's book, as it would give the ship a much better chance of surviving the attacks from the relentless Neo Zeon forces... but as far as Judau was concerned, as long as he got paid and his sister and friends were out of harm's way, he didn't really care about the rest.
"Well, I'll just do what I can for the moment, and then I'll go back to Shangri-La and pretend this whole mess never happened..." he murmured, casting a glance at his side. Beecher and Mondo were standing there, eating what looked like dried meat and rations with a disgusted expression on their faces. For her part, Elle was busying herself with checking a few mechanical joints on the Methuss, with Leina watching intently, and Iino was doing a few check on a list of parts and Mobile Suit accessories. In other words, they were pretty much doing the same kind of job they used to do back at home, only harder.
Judau was about to stand up and resume working on the Zeta Gundam, when Emma Sheen entered the hangar, waving at the ragtag bunch of street urchins before they could stand and salute her - not that Beecher and Mondo were going to do it anyway. "At ease, kids... I was just going to take a look and see how the work is doing. Do you require anything?" she asked.
"Yeah. A nice vacation." Beecher snarked, earning himself a glare from Elle.
"Work is going smoothly, Lt. Sheen." the blonde girl answered, tying her hair in her usual ponytail. "But since we're a little short on supplies, we are doing what we can to repair the damage. And the fight with that strange Mobile Suit at Shangri-La did a number on the Methuss."
Emma nodded in understanding. Sadly, as much as she tried to give it her all, Fa wasn't much of a pilot, and it was not unusual for her Methuss to end up in bad shape after a particularly rough fight. "Yeah, I can see that. Anyway, we're soon going to get to La Vie En Rose, and we will be able to get more supplies and equipment there. Hopefully that will make your work a little easier."
"I'm glad to know that, Lt. Sheen!" Leina answered merrily. Judau stood up and stretched the kinks out of himself, before walking up to his younger sister and gamely ruffling her curly hair.
"Lt. Sheen, I don't mean to sound cheeky or anything... but I'd like to remind you that we won't be doing any more work than is necessary." he felt the need to remind her of their agreement with Captain Bright Noah, which they had worked out before the Argama had left Shangri-La. "Therefore, we'll be doing the repairs on the ship and Mobile Suits, and I'll pilot the Zeta Gundam for you, but that's the extent of it. As soon as this litte trip is over, we're going back to Shangri-La, and that will be it."
"Of course. We need your help for now, but as soon as we get a few replacement pilots, we'll be able to send you back to your home colony." Emma answered. "I just hope Neo-Zeon won't be breathing on our necks anytime soon."
At the mention of Neo-Zeon, Beecher stood up and yawned in a bored way, before beginning to walk away from the hangar. "Meh, as long as we get our asses out of here in one piece, I don't care about the rest. Now, guys... if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the toilet! I need to take a piss, and badly!"
"Yeah, me too!" Mondo answered, standing up as well and walking right behind Beecher. Emma sighed as she watched the two street urchins walk away - she wasn't expecting those two to behave like trainer personnel, but still, their attitude was enough to raise a few eyebrows. She just hoped they wouldn't do something stupid...
"Alright, kids... I'll be sure to tell you when we're about to deck at La Vie En Rose." she said. "I think you'll be able to take a break while we're there."
Judau saluted, somewhat half-heartedly. "Fine... Thanks anyway, Lt. Sheen. And thanks for letting my sister on board along with us."
Emma smiled and shrugged. "Hey, couldn't have a girl her age stay home alone while her brother and friends are in space working for her as well. And Leina here asked if she could come as well. I know it isn't exactly part of the military protocol, but as it is, we're not sticklers for rules, and we figured we might as well let her onboard." she explained.
Leina smiled and saluted as well. "Still, thank you very much on my part as well, Lt. Sheen. I'm glad I could join my brother and his friends here!"
"Well then... let's see to it that we finish up this thing before we get to our destination..." Elle commented, going back to working on the Methuss...
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However, as they wandered the corridors of the Argama, apparently looking for a restroom, Beecher and Mondo were entertaining a few unsettling thoughts...
"Meh. Just as I thought, we're not cut out for life onboard a military vessel." Mondo grumbled. "Not only do we have to work like ants on these mechanical gizmos, but we also have to eat this filthy grub!"
"Yeah, I see what you mean." Beecher answered. "I'm sick of working here already... but I'm not going to bail out without getting something in return."
Mondo smiled cunningly, believing he had figured out what his best friend was suggesting to do. "Hmm, interesting! You wanna call someone to pick us up, and steal a Mobile Suit to sell for cash in the meanwhile?"
"I'm going to do even better than that, pal!" Beecher said with a smirk. "Just imagine if we were to sell the Argama itself to Neo-Zeon! Their leaders will surely reward us nicely... and they'll allow us to go back to Shangri-La without Judau, or any of us really, having to stick our necks out for the adults!" He stopped at a fork and motioned for Mondo to follow him. "All we have to do is set up a communication, and send a signal for a Neo-Zeon battleship to give them the position of the Argama, and it will be over in a snap! Now... just follow me!"
"Hehee, your ideas are always top notch, Beecher!" Mondo stated, his friend motioning for him to be silent as they made their way towards a communication device...
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For Mashmyre Cello, the Neo-Zeon officer tasked with the mission of capturing the Argama, the situation was rather embarassing. At the moment, as his Endora-class battleship was patrolling the space close to La Vie En Rose, he was busy answering the questions from a fellow Neo Zeon officer, who was grilling him about his failure to apprehend the AEUG battleship, and his recent defeats at the hands of the Argama pilots.
"So, Officer Mashmyre Cello... could you explain the reasons why you failed to capture the Argama?" Officer Kyara Soon asked. Facing Mashmyre was an odd-looking young woman with long curly hair that was a bright red on the left side of her head, and blonde on the other side, her face sultry and seductive with full ruby lips, and her custom uniform was quite revealing as well, with short red boots, a red-and-purple sleeveless uniform that was opened in front, showing a bit of cleavage, purple trousers and elbow-length gloves. The most unusual thing about her, though, was the fact that she was carrying a microphone and a recorder, and two members to the Endora crew were standing close, holding a couple of professional cameras and filming equipment. It seemed that Kyara fancied herself some sort of reporter, and was questioning Mashmyre as if she was doing an interview.
Trying to act as nonchalant as possible, Mashmyre cleared his throat and tried to answer. "Well, Ms. Kyara Soon... I didn't exactly fail to capture her." he answered. "I simply forced her to go out into space. After all, I did think it would have been a bad idea to keep fighting in the colony. If accidents happened, it would have damaged Neo-Zeon's reputation with the colonies."
Kyara chuckled and brought the microphone close to her own mouth. "That seems to be a convincing answer, except for one thing." she stated. "If that was your intention, how is it that now you are looking for the Argama?"
Mashmyre saw Kyara tipping her microphone over to him... and found himself at a loss for words! Taking that as an admission of failure, Kyara nodded to herself and tipped the microphone over back to herself, before turning to face the cameras. "As you can plainly see, Lady Haman, Commander Mashmyre Cello is admitting his mistake. This is reporter Kyara Soon from the Endora. Back to studio."
"MISTAKE, MY RIGHT FOOT!" Mashmyre yelled, frantically snatching the microphone out of Kyara's hands and trying to explain himself better. "My battleship can perform better in space, after all! This is all part of a premeditated strategy, Lady Haman!"
"I already turned the mic off." Kyara deadpanned. Mashmyre sighed and dropped the microphone on the floor in dismay.
However, before any of the two could say anything else, Mashmyre's second-in-command Gottn walked in, coming from a sliding door on the other side of the room. "Commander Mashmyre, Sergeant Kyara Soon... I apologize for the intrusion, but our instruments have picked up a very powerful electrical signature!" he stated, drawing the interest of both his superior and the dual-haired young woman.
"What?" Mashmyre asked. "Are you sure about that, Gottn? Do you think it might be the Argama?"
"That's the only explanation I can come up with." the larger man answered. "However, that doesn't make a lot of sense. If it really was the Argama, well... that would be like they put up a neon sign pointing to them. In other words, it's the last thing they would want to do."
Mashmyre smiled cunningly. "Hah! The explanation might be simpler than you think, Gottn!" he stated triumphantly. "This just means that there could be someone, among the Argama crew, who decided to defect to Neo-Zeon and is now trying to help us find them! Which means that our efforts to win over the favour of Shangri-La's inhabitants have paid off!" He cleared his throat before addressing Kyara again. "Well, that is what I was planning to do all along, as you can see, Sgt. Kyara Soon. This is what Lady Haman wanted us to do, after all. To enlarge the sphere of alliances for Neo-Zeon, ZAFT and Giganos Empire."
Kyara sighed, unconvinced, but that did not put a damper on the rest of the Endora crew's enthusiasm, and Gottn nodded to his superiors. "Very well then, Commander... I will immediately inform the pilots to get ready for sortie." he stated.
"Have my Hamma-Hamma prepared as well. I am pretty sure we will have to face the Zeta Gundam as well, and I wouldn't dislike the idea of trying out our new prototype!" Mashmyre answered, as the Endora quickly began following the Argama's signature...
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"Well, if those Neo-Zeon guys don't pick this up, they're either stupid or blind as bats." Beecher stated as soon as he and Mondo, well hidden in a communication room, had finished trasmitting another message, in the hopes that the Endora could pick it up and locate the Argama. The two boys were about to walk away... when they were startled by the door behind them sliding open and letting somebody else in! Believing they had bee found out, they yelped in fear and turned around... only to see that it was just Iino, who seemed to have wandered off on his own for some reason. Either way, the look on his face was not exactly what one would have considered relaxed, and he seemed pretty concerned about Beecher and Mondo being in a communication room.
"What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be back at work now?" the meek-looking boy asked.
"I... It was just you, Iino! Man, we were about to have an heart attack..." Mondo answered breathlessly. He quickly got his confidence back and cleared his throat just as Iino walked into the room, the automatic door closing behind him with a dull hiss. "Well, we have good news! Soon enough, we will be able to leave this ship, and return to our everyday life!"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Iino asked, having a strange suspicion about the whole mess...
Beecher smirked slightly and rubbed his nose with a finger. "That's right! We just sent a message, in the hopes that the Neo-Zeon battleship will be able to pick it up and find us! They will surely be grateful, if we allow them to capture this ship!"
Iino's eyes widened in horror. "What the...? Are you two out of your minds? You are actually drawing the enemy here?" he asked, in a louder voice than he probably meant to.
Beecher was quick to cover Iino's mouth before anyone could hear. "Ssssh! You don't have to tell this to the entire ship, you idiot!" he exclaimed. "Anyway... yes, we just did that, so what? It's not like we owe these adults anything, and I for one am not gonna sit here and let myself become an underpaid worker! We're getting Neo-Zeon's reward for helping them catch the Argama, and after that, we go back to Shangri-La and resume our everyday life!"
"And you haven't thought of the consequences of what you're doing?" Iino fired back, shocking Beecher and Mondo somewhat. Iino had always been a meek kind of person, who typically went along with the group's decision, so actually seeing him object to his friends' ideas was quite strange to them. "As soon as the Neo-Zeon battleship shows up, who do you think is going to go out in the Zeta Gundam to try and defend it? That's right, Judau... and he's going to risk his life in order for the Argama to make it out in one piece! Haven't you thought of that?"
Beecher and Mondo were silent at this. It was true. They hadn't thought this far... and now they were beginning to have second thoughts about what they had done. But they didn't have the chance to do anything about it, before the sound of the alarm reverberated in the Argama's corridors, confirming that the worst had already happened - Neo-Zeon had picked up the Argama's electrical signature, and the Endora was approaching!
"Warning. Enemy units detected in the proximities. Several Neo-Zeon and Gigans Empire units are approaching the Argama." Captain Bright Noah's voice called from the speakers. "To all pilots, please take positions and prepare to sortie. This is not a drill."
"Oh... crap..." Beecher mouthed. "I'm afraid we've really fucked up this time..."
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Preparations had been done in a flash, and soon enough, the few pilots available to the Argama - that is, Judau, Emma and Fa - were onboard their respective Mobile Suits, and ready to launch. Leina and Elle were looking at them for the bridge of the Argama, silently wishing good luck to all of them, and to Judau in particular. The Shangri-La youth, for his part, was busy making the final check, and was relieved to see that the Zeta Gundam's systems were working at full power. In his first combat in outer space, he was going to need all the help he could get.
"Judau, this is Lt. Emma Sheen." Emma's voice was heard, coming from the Gundam Mk-2. "This is going to be your first battle in space. I'm afraid the time came before either of us wanted it... are you feeling nervous?"
"If I have to be frank here... yeah, a little." Judau admitted, seeing no point in hiding how he truly felt.
"That's good. Just use that fear to keep your wits in combat, and you stand a good chance of surviving." Emma advised him. "Still, remember that space combat is very different from ground combat. You will now be fighting in a tridimensional environment in which there is no gravity, and your enemies will have an easier time catching you from all directions. Be very careful, and try to keep sharp. Use all the cover you can, and take care of attacks from above and below."
"Thanks, Lt. Emma. I'll remember that." Judau said. As much as he liked to say that hehad no use for adults, he appreciated the fact that this woman was actually concerned about him and trying to give sound advice. Hard to imagine she had been a part of the Titans...
"Judau, Lt. Sheen, Private Yuiri." Bright's voice stated. "The enemy is within attacking distance. We have recognized several Neo-Zeon Mobile Suits, one of them being an unknown model, and Giganos Metal Armors. Do your best to take them out."
"Acknowledge, Captain Bright!" Judau answered, as Emme and Fa gave their own affirmatives as well. "Judau Ashta, Zeta Gundam, I'm going out! That's what I'm supposed to say, right?"
"Well... yes, something along those lines." Bright answered. "Alright, good luck out there!"
The catapults activated, and Judau, Emma and Fa felt themselves pushed against their own seats as their Mobile Suits were launched in outer space, facing a small but intimidating army of Mobile Suits and Metal Armors, led by Gottn's Dreissen... and by a strange green Mobile Sit Judau had never seen before: much sleeker and more polished, it sported several thrusters on its shoulders and waist, and its relatively small head had four pointed extentions that looked like a crest of spikes running along the midst of its head, while the arms were incredibly thin, and divided in several sections, each one of them linked to the others by a bunch of extensible cables. On the palm of each of its clawed, three-fingered hands, was a three-barreled gun, and overall, the new model looked like it was more dangerous than the plain vannilla units surrounding it. Judau imagined that strange Mobile Suit was the commander unit, and he was proven correct when he felt a familiar presence in the back of his mind, just as Emma and Fa were beginning to fend off the attackers.
"Well, well... if it isn't Judau!" Mashmyre Cello greeted the Shangri-La boy from the cockpit of the green Mobile Suit. "It has been a while since we last met, and now I'm going to hand you back the humiliation you gave me back at Shangri-La! All units, scatter and take care of the Gundam Mk-2 and the Methuss! I will face the Zeta Gundam with my Hamma-Hamma!"
"Oh, I remember you... You're that guy I fought when the Argama arrived in Shangri-La!" Judau greeted back. "So, you still wanna do this one-on-one, huh? Fine by me! I'm going to win again!"
"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you, Judau Ashta." Mashmyre answered, his Hamma-Hamma's arm suddenly increasing in length as he pointed the three-barreled gun towards the Zeta Gundam. "I was going easy on you back at Shangri-La, but as you're going to see... you're not going to enjoy this advantage here."
"Is that so, prettyboy?" Judau fired back. "Then let me show what I'm made of! Take this!"
With a quick movement, Judau drew his beam rifle and fired a few shots... but the unexpectedly agile Hamma-Hamma quickly dodged by going up and right, the red beams missing him by a long distance. Then, the green Mobile Suit's elongated arms fired a beam back at the Zeta, grazing its shoulder and giving off a shower of sparks! With an annoyed grunt, Judau hung back and tried to fire again, but once again, Mashmyre was able to dodge the attack.
"Dammit... you're fast! I can't even get one hit on you!" Judau exclaimed, annoyed at the fact that his own movements were sluggish and somewhat awkward for some reason. Maybe that was what Emma was trying to warn him against... he was not used to battles in space, while his opponent had a lot more experience.
"This is but the first advantage I have on you now." Mashmymre explained confidently. "Not only is my Hamma-Hamma faster than most Mobile Suits, but I can see that this is the first space battle for you. And adjusting to the new environment is one of the most difficult things to do, for a beginner."
Judau smirked back at him. "Is that so? Well, this hindrance is easy to overcome for a young man like me and my reflexes! After all, young people are at an advantage, since their reflexes are better!" he said.
"Hey! I happen to be a young man as well! I am eighteen, for your information!" Mashmyre snapped, a vein popping up on his forehead. The Hamma-Hamma dashed to attack again, showing a much more aggressive behaviour than what Judau remembered from their battle in Shangri-La.
"I'll just have to move the same way you do!" Judau exclaimed, trying to fire again. However, Mashmyre dodged again and slammed into the Zeta Gundam with all the strength of his new Mobile Suit, and the younger boy was thrown around in the cockpit with a pained grunt. The Hamma-Hamma pressed the attack, delivering a punishing kick to the midsection of the sleek Gundam and slamming it against a nearby chunk of rock.
"And the second advantage... is that while in Shangri-La I had to take care not to damage civilian premises, there is nothing I have to worry about not destroying here. Which means, I can actually go all-out on you." Mashmyre said. The Zeta Gundam drew an arm back and punched the Hamma-Hamma in the head, forcing the green Mobile Suit to retreat slightly, and Judau tried to take advantage of that momentary respite to aim another shot from the Zeta Gundam's beam rifle... but his opponent recovered faster than Judau had anticipated, and shot out his extendable arm once again, firing a beam from the palm-mounted barreled guns. His aim was impeccable, and the Zeta Gundam's beam rifle was hit and literally exploded in the Mobile Suit's hands, damaging the arms and causing Judau to flinch slightly.
"Oh, no... this is bad! The Zeta Gundam's beam rifle has been destroyed!" Iino exclaimed as he watched the battle from the Argama' main bridge. "And both Fa and Lt. Emma are busy taking care of all the other enemies!"
"Big brother, be careful!" Leina exclaimed in worry.
Elle was not saying anything, but she was silently praying for Judau to get out of this predicament alive... and unknown to all of them, Beecher and Mondo were feeling horribly guilty about leading Neo-Zeon to their position. It was their fault that Judau was in trouble now... and now they wished they could do something to bail him out.
"Dammit... what are we going to do, Beecher?" Mondo whispered to his friend.
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Emma and Fa had their hands full trying to hold off several Mobile Suits and Metal Armors that were trying to swarm the Argama, weaving in and out of a field of asteroids and firing whenever one of the opponents got too close. Emma, true to her fame as one of the best pilots of the Earth Union, had managed to score a few kills already... and even Fa, in spite of the subpar Mobile Suit she was piloting, had managed to disable a Drau Metal Armor and a Dreissen Mobile Suit... but now, her luck was running out as Gottn's Dreissen approached her and threatened her with his heat axe. With an alarmed yelp, the black-haired girl parried an overhead slash with her Methuss' small beam saber, before trying to fire her beam gun at the opponent... but Gottn managed to smack the Methuss' arm just in time before he got hit, and Fa quickly found herself with her back against the wall... or rather, against the wall of a large chunk of space debris floating in the vicinities. Fa grit her teeth in fear as she saw her opponent heave his large heat axe, and getting ready to bury it in her Mobile Suit...
"Heh, not bad at all, girl!" Gottn smirked. "But not good enough, I'm afraid!"
"Fa!" Emma exclaimed, trying to come at her friend's aid. However, a Giganos Gebaye stood in her way, targetting her with his gatling gun, and a Dreissen approached her Gundam Mk-2 to blindside her. With an annoyed grunt, Emma was forced to fall back as Gottn prepared to score the telling blow against Fa, and the Chinese girl squeezed her eyes shut as she prepared for the end...
But the end never came. Suddenly, a beam came right out of nowhere to hit Gottn's Dreissen in the shoulder, blowing off the arm and causing him to drop the axe! Surprised and startled, the Neo-Zeon officer turned in that direction, only to see an unidentified unit, yet one that seemed to be reminescent of a bulkier version of the Zeta Gundam's Waverider Mode, approaching quickly!
"What?" Gottn exclaimed. "This was not part of the plan! Where does that thing come from?"
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"Captain, an unidentified unit has appeared and is attacking the Neo-Zeon and Giganos units as we speak!" a bridge operator told the Argama's captain, while the startled Shangri-La team turned their full attention to the newcomer. "It is hailing us at the moment!"
"Patch it through." Bright answered, rushing at is captain's chair in order to receive the communication. A few second later, a sound of static came from the speakers before the connection finally stabilized, and a strong female voice was heard from the cockpit of the unknown fighter.
"Argama crew, please respond." she said. "Argama crew, this is Warrant Officer Roux Louka, test pilot for the AEUG. I have come from La Vie En Rose in order to deliver a new Gundam model to you. I require assistance."
"The ZZ Gundam?" Elle asked out loud. "Is that it? Kinda looks like a dummied out version of the Zeta..."
Bright nodded. "Pilot Louka, can you help us? We are currently fighting a losing battle against a group of Neo-Zeon and Giganos Empire machines."
"I'm afraid I wouldn't be much help here." the girl answered. "I am unused to piloting the ZZ Gundam in Mobile Suit mode. I suggest splitting the ZZ in two units instead, and fight the enemy that way. Please, get a pilot ready for departure right now!"
"No problem." Bright nodded. A moment later, the captain was startled when Iino stepped forward to volunteer!
"Please, Captain Bright... allow me to do this!" the seemingly timid young man said, already clad in a normal suit. However, Beecher stepped up and held Iino back by the shoulder, trying to get him not to go out.
"Iino, you're not up to this! Let me do it... I'll do my best for you as well!" the red-haired young man stated, before turning to address the rest of the Shangri-La gang. "Please, trust me on this one, guys. This is something I have to do myself!"
"In that case, well... all we can say is, good luck, Beecher." Elle stated, clearly worried for both him and Judau.
Leina nodded. "Please, Beecher... save my big brother!"
The eldest of the Shangri-La kids gave a thumbs-up before heading to the hangar, with Mondo following right after him... but Beecher turned in hisdirection and told him to stay put, and that he would take care of this. "You too, Mondo. Stay with the rest of the gang. I will do my best for you as well!"
"Okay, Beecher... take care, though!" Mondo said, reluctantly going back to the rest of their friends.
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The battle was going badly. With Emma and Fa being outnumbered, and barely holding their own against the Neo-Zeon and Giganos units, Judau had to rely on himself only to fight Mashmyre's Hamma-Hamma... and the young Neo-Zeon commander was showing just how much more skilled than Judau he was in a space battle. The Zeta Gundam's beam saber slashed only thin air as the Hamma-Hamma dodged a top-down thrust and kicked the sleek Gundam in the midsection, before slamming it on the face of a large piece of stony debris and begin pummeling it with its fists. In the Zeta Gundam's cockpit, Judau was being violently thrown around, grunting in pain with every blow, and was finding himself unable to fight back. If only he had his beam rifle, and he had managed to get some distance from the Hamma-Hamma, maybe he would have a chance, but this situation was beyond his control.
One last punch caused the Zeta Gundam to crash into an asteroid's surface, and Mashmyre let out an enthusistic yell as he prepared to deal the final blow. "Hahaaa! I've finally done it! I've defeated the Zeta Gundam!" he exclaimed. "Have you seen that, my beloved Lady Haman? And now... now for the finishing blow!"
Mashmyre sent out his Hamma-Hamma's extendable arms, ready to fire his palm-mounted lasers, but a couple of laser beams from the side caused him to misfire and hastily turn in that direction, only to see an unknown vehicle approach at high speed, firing red lasers at him and forcing him to retreat with a frustrated grunt.
"What? They're trying to fight us off with that fighter plane?" he asked himself. "Ugh, and at such a moment too... everyone, I need some units to take care of that unknown unit! Shoot it down fast!"
As soon as the order was issued, a few Mobile Suits and Metal Armors detached themselves from the rest of their team, and began attacking the fighter plane piloted by Roux, who did a quick swerve and managed to dodge the blows... but her experience as a pilot quickly allowed her to realize that the crossfire was so thick, she couldn't expect to dodge for long. "Beecher, I am having trouble dodging all these attacks. Quickly, recover the pilot of the Zeta Gundam!" she ordered.
A smaller fighter detached from Roux's units, with Beecher at the controls, and the eldest of the Shangri-La gang flew towards the downed Zeta Gundam, keeping his fingers crossed. "Will do! Just try to hold out a little more!" he said, before sighing sadly. "I just hope you're still fine, Judau... 'cause if you aren't... I'll have to become a monk to atone for my sins! Judau! Judau, can you hear me?"
There was a sound of static for a while, and Beecher was beginning to sweat... but finally, a clear voice, obviously belonging to Judau, finally broke through the disturbance, delivering very clearly just how much the young man was disappointed with his loss.
"Darn... I lost..." he muttered.
Needless to say, Beecher felt elated at this. "Judau! Oh, thank goodness you're still alive!" he exclaimed.
"Well, duh, Beecher!" Judau answered. "Now, what's the plan?"
Beecher's fighter stopped close to the Zeta Gundam, whose hatch opened up to reveal a rather disgruntled but still mostly unharmed Judau. "Well, why don't you come and see for yourself? We've got a new Gundam to play with!"
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Emma blocked a slash from a Gebaye that had gotten too close and slammed her Gundam Mk-2's shield in the opponent's face, before skewering the Metal Armor with her beam saber and quickly dodging as a group of Dreissen targetted her with their beam guns. The former Titan officer hid behind a large piece of scrap metal and loaded a few ammunitions in her beam rifle, before coming out to return fire... and just then, her radar blinked, revealing Beecher's fighter flying back to Roux's main unit. The AEUG trainee was having more and more trouble holding her own, as enemies from all sides started to overwhelm her, and Mashmyre himself tried to destroy her unit before it was too late... but for now, Roux was managing just fine, and had even managed to down a couple enemies.
"Good news, everyone. Looks like our favourite bunch of troublemakers have done it again." Emma stated with a small smile. Before the Neo-Zeon and Giganos units could move to intercept them, Beecher and Judau approached Roux's unit, preparing to dock back with her.
"Cool! So this is the new model? And it's actually a new Gundam?" Judau asked, admiring Roux's skill in dodging all those attacks.
Beecher nodded. "Well, I don't really know the details yet, but it seems so."
"Hey, you two! Quit dilly-dallying!" Roux called them out. "I can barely dodge enemy fire as it is! Come and dock with me right away!"
"Alright!" Judau answered, and the two fighter units soon joined back into a single one, with a deafening clang of metal upon metal. "So, now we're ready to form the new Gundam, right?"
The girl nodded. "Exactly... the ZZ Gundam, to be correct. Your name is Judau, right? Now, you just have to pull the red lever on your console, and the rest should be easy." Roux instructed him. "And don't worry about your friend, him and I can stay on board the ZZ while you pilot."
"Alright!" Judau asked. His eyes quickly scanned his console and soon found the red lever Roux had spoken of, so he quickly pulled it down... and the combined fighter plane switched form, transforming into a bulky, heavy-looking white-and-blue Gundam with a large red shield mounted on its forearm, and a couple of barrel-like cannons placed upon its back, as well as a double-barreled beam gun mounted on its right forearm. It looked just as strong and heavy as the Zeta Gundam looked sleek and agile, and in fact on would probably have considered a natural evolution of the Zeta! Still, the trademark mouthpiece and golden V-shaped antenna were still in place. There was no doubt about it... this was the new Gundam model created by Anaheim Electronics, the ZZ Gundam!
"Wh... What?" Mashmyre exclaimed in dismay, just as his men began retreating at the sight of the mighty Gundam. But Mashmyre was not the kind of person who gave up so easily, and quickly aimed his palm-mounted guns at the ZZ. "The ZZ Gundam, huh? Well, it won't help you if I destroy you before you even take a step!"
The gun fired, and the ZZ Gundam was too close to dodge... but the golden bean struc an invisible barrier around the Gundam and dissipated harmlessly, leaving Mashmyre to gape in dismay. "What the... It is armed with an anti-beam barrier?"
"Heh. It appears so, Mashmyre! And now... with your permission, it's my turn now!" Judau answered. He quickly lifted the ZZ's right arm and fired his double-barreled gun, a red beam of solid destruction erupting from the weapon and striking the Hamma-Hamma in the shoulder and in the chest! Mashmyre screamed in rage and incredulity as he was flung back from the force of the blow, all of his systems showing bright red damage alarms!
"Aaaaargh!" he screamed. "No way... this can't be true! Darn, and here I was so close to getting rid of the Zeta Gundam... everyone, retreat! The day is lost!"
Gottn, who was still facing Fa's Methuss and was now finding himself a bit at a disadvantage, widened his eyes as his commander gave order to retreat. And here he thought they had this is the bag, this once... it was not going to go down well with Lady Haman! "Commander Mashmyre! Ugh... this is bad! Haven't you heard, everyone? Retreat immediately to the Endora! We'll have better chances later!"
Finally, all the surviving Neo-Zeon and Giganos units broke up the fight and followed Gottn's Dreissen and Mashmyre's heavily damaged Hamma-Hamma back to their mothership, and the crew of the Argama could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Especially Fa, whose Methuss was once again left pretty beat up...
"Phew... this one was a little too close for confort!" the Chinese girl breathed out. "Luckily they've sent that new model from La Vie En Rose... but what is that, Lt. Emma? That looks like a brand new Gundam, though I can see the resemblances with the Zeta."
"The ZZ Gundam, huh?" Emma said, pleased with the last-minute save. "Well, I certainly won't complain about it. We'll need all the help we can get, right now."
In the ZZ Gundam's cockpit, Judau felt the rush of adrenaline simmer down, and looked with approval at the still-extended arm of the latest Gundam model. "Heh... well, what do you know. I'm really liking this ZZ Gundam now!"
oooooooooo
Back in the Argama's hangars, Judau soon found himself being grabbed in a tight embrace by a very worried and relieved Leina, just as Beecher and Roux were dismounting the ZZ Gundam, and Astonage's crew was getting ready to work on repairing the Zeta Gundam. "Ah! Hey, Leina! I know you're glad I'm back and still in one piece, but... c'mon, no need to be like that!"
"Hehehee... guess that's to be expected, Judau!" Elle smirked, giving a wink to her friend. "You aren't the only one who's allowed to have a sibling complex, after all!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Judau and Leina asked back at her, to which Elle giggled and waved them off.
"Kidding. I'm just kidding." she answered. Then, as she walked close to the ZZ, she took a good look at the large Mobile Suit. "Hmm, so this is the ZZ Gundam, huh? Looks like quite an improvement over the Zeta!"
"You can say that, blondie." Roux answered, somewhat haughtily, as she took her space helmet off and allowed everyone to see her face. Roux was very tall, about six feet or so, and beautiful, even though she didn't look any older than sixteen. Long and shiny light purple hair flowed elegantly down her back, with similarly colored eyes set in a cute face with a slightly uppity expression. Her spacesuit was a deep blue, with a five-pointed golden star on a pair of red trails drawn on the chest. "The ZZ Gundam is a transformable Mobile Suit, capable of becoming the Mobile Armor G-Fortress, who can separate into two flight-capable components. It has several powerful beam weapons, as well as a couple of beam sabers, a missile launcher installed on the backpack, and the Hi-Mega Cannon on the forehead. However, it neds tobe said that it eats through its energy reserves quite quickly, and it's structurally more fragile than the Zeta, so care must be taken when piloting it."
"Still, it sounds like an excellent Mobile Suit." Fa commented, walking up close to take a look at the new weapon, who was now standing tall in the hangars. "And... thanks again for bailing us out, Pilot Louka. We were having an hard time out there."
"No problem." Roux shrugged nonchalantly. "Though I am quite curious to know how did that Neo-Zeon battleship know where the Argama was."
Beecher and Mondo sheepishly looked at each other... before the red-haired young man gulped and stepped forward. "Well, about that... Mondo and I have a little confession to make..." he started. When everyone turned to them, Beecher cleared his throat and began to explain just what they had done...
oooooooooo
"And that's pretty much it..." Beecher said, before falling silent and preparing himself to get lambasted by the rest of the team. There was a deafening silence for a few seconds, and the duo of turncoat wannabes was beginning to sweat...
"Well, aren't you a fine pair of jerks?" Roux commented. "Though... at least the fact that you went back on your decision and risked your hide to save your friend suggests that we should be a little more lenient on you."
"To be exact, we should tell Captain Bright about this, and have you two thrown out of the airlock..." Emma said calmly. "But... I think we should let Judau be the judge here."
"I think these two scoundrels deserve to be taught a lesson." was Leina's opinion.
"You're absolutely right, little sis." Judau said, nodding to himself as he approached Beecher and Mondo... and lightly clapped his hand on the red-haired boy's shoulder. "Therefore, my decision is... to forgive these two."
Beecher and Mondo both facefaulted at that, having not expected this out of their friend. "Wha...? Hey, Judau... are you really fine with that? I... I mean, are you sure you really want to let it go... and..."
"Oh, you know how I am." Judau answered, showing his trademark toothy grin. "I am not the kind of person who holds grudges, so I am willing to overlook your little... prank! Of course, I am only speaking for myself here..."
The two accused couldn't even breathe a sigh of relief before wondering what their fate would be in that case... and soon after, Astonage approached them and handed them a bucket and a broom each! "Huh... what do you... Hey! What's the matter with you? And what's the meaning of these things here?" Mondo demanded to know.
"Isn't it obvious? You're on toilet duty from now on." Fa answered with a sweet smile. "Of course, we still expect you to do a good job!"
"And if you try to use that as an excuse to peep on the girls... I'll personally make sure you two won't be able to have children ever!" Roux stated, smiling sweetly as well.
"We approve!" Elle answered.
Mondo and Beecher could do nothing but sigh in resignation as the rest of the crew began laughing out loud at their expense. "Ugh... guess we did bring this upon ourselves after all..." Beecher murmured.
"I did try to warn you this was a bad idea." Iino reminded them, as Beecher and Mondo began making their way to the ship's restrooms...
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the introduction of ZZ Gundam to this mega crossover! Next time, on Super Robot Taisen S Zero, we'll take a look at the Super Robot side of things, and we'll make our acquaintance with several new friends - do the words Dendoh, Zambot and Gravion ring any bells? ^_^
See you soon!