April 22 AC 201
Sally Po crouched behind a pile of large concrete slabs, her laser pistol held at the ready in one hand. With the other she motioned to her partner, Chang Wufei, who was similarly obscured about fifty yards away behind a mound of scrap metal.
At her signal, he sprinted across the intervening distance, pistol raised and darting furtive glances around the refuse-covered courtyard. Sally held her breath, silently praying that his stealthy movements would not be detected by some here-to-fore unnoticed sensor.
The night air was heavy and still. Sally could hear nothing save her own breathing, for Wufei was silent as a shadow. She saw him duck behind another pile of rubble, and held her breath, straining to hear whatever it was that had caused him to take cover. Suddenly she became aware of a low whirring noise. The sound seemed to vibrate through her body.
It must be coming from underground-but where?
She placed the palm of her free hand on the pavement, searching for some indication of the source of the steady rumbling. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Wufei leave his hiding place.
What could they be doing? I thought the Calisto moon colony was only a supply base for the outer settlements. Mining? No, from what we've seen they don't have that kind of equipment. That noise definitely sounds like machinery, though.
Suddenly, two figures appeared from around the corner of the immense building. Sally tensed, silently cursing the source of the low rumbling for having masked the sound of their approach. The two men-she guessed they must be guards, judging by the gray uniforms they wore, paused for a moment about ten feet along the wall. Raising her pistol, Sally hastily leveled it at the foremost of the two, but before she could fire Wufei's dark form had disappeared into the shadows. She didn't lower her pistol, but the tension in her neck and shoulders eased somewhat.
However, when he had not reemerged into her line of vision within three minutes, Sally began to be afraid. She hadn't heard any shots, nor had either of the two centries made any sudden movements, but with the new technology these people seemed to be pioneering that didn't necessarily mean that Wufei was safe.
I thought the Preventers' new lasers were top secret technology. The President knows-I think Une got his permission before she commissioned them-but I doubt many people beyond the organization know-or would approve of the fact that we're experimenting with such technology. Still, if we can develop these things, so can they presumably. .
She didn't like the idea that dissident groups could develop the same technology as ESUN's government. Une had fought for the right to do more defense weapons research, and to nearly everyone's surprise Minister Darlian had agreed. But the Preventers still had far too little leeway.
A sudden warmth at her side caused Sally to swivel just enough to plant a heavy punch in what she hoped was the face of her unseen adversary. Rather than the cry of rage and pain she'd been expecting, however, there came a low, gutteral curse in a language she knew well.
"Hey, fight your enemies, not your allies!" Wufei snarled in Chinese.
At his words, the taller of the two guards began to advance in their direction.
"What's up, Jim?" inquired his companion, drawing what looked like a slightly more compact version of Sally's laser.
"Thought I heard something," replied the other man, looking intently toward the shadowed corner behind Sally's barrier of concrete slabs. The fact that this colony was actually on one of the moons of Jupiter had made their mission extremely difficult from the outset. Surveillance runs that might otherwise have been conducted on moonless nights had all been performed in the light of the Giant planet's eerie low. Sally knew that, despite the double domed, tinted barrier that separated the colony from the vacuum of space the aid of the planet's reflected glow would allow the guard to rapidly divine their position.
"Now look what you did," she mouthed, realigning her own weapon with the approaching man. I'll have to remember that these guys have lasers too. Beside her, she could feel Wufei taking aim as well. Although the two had been in similar situations before, Sally still had a tight feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Show yourselves!" commanded the guard, suddenly sprinting toward their hiding place. Neither he nor his luckless companion ever knew what hit them. Two thin red bolts of laser fire dispatched them quickly and silently.
"there'll be more coming soon, I saw at least eight during the half hour you were scouting." Sally rose from the fighting stance she had assumed upon first sighting the two guards, but did not holster her weapon. "I suggest we hurry."
"Next time watch what you're doing," ordered Wufei, rising. "Your impulsive action just made things a lot more difficult."
Sally refrained from arguing, partly because quarreling with Wufei just at that moment would have been counterproductive and partly because she knew he was right.
"I think the shortest way is actually the way we came in," she advised, and began to run in that direction. He followed without a word.
They were out of the courtyard and had covered a good third of the distance to the boundary of the compound when shouts began to ring out in the darkness.
"They've found the guards," she said, although she knew she was merely stating the obvious.
"Run faster," was Wufei's only response. Suiting his actions to his words, the young Chinese man redoubled his pace. Sally followed suit, wondering for what seemed to her the millionth time how the five scientists who had created the Gundams could have trained their pilots to be so thoroughly calm. And athletic, she thought grimly, clenching her teeth and concentrating on matching Wufei's deer-like stride.
Without warning, several brilliant spotlights flickered to life. The florescent glow they produced colored the well-trodden grass underfoot a ghostly silver-green. Two bolts of dangerously bright laser fire whizzed past her head and collided, crackling ominously, with a large oak tree that was only about three feet to her left.
"Stop there!" came a woman's disembodied voice from somewhere behind them.
"The shuttle's about a mile into these woods," Wufei informed her, abruptly halting and pivoting on his heel. "Go key in the ignition sequence. I'll hold these-" and he gestured scornfully with his laser pistol.
Sally obeyed, simultaneously impressed by his courage and annoyed by his peremptory manner. Diving into the line of trees and brush that marked the edge of the compound, she fought her way through the clinging undergrowth. The light of the planet aided her somewhat, although the trees grew thickly in places. Once her foot became tangled in some sort of coarse weed and she fell, but Sally wasn't about to let herself be defeated by vegetation. As she hit the ground, the sound of the thud she made caused her to realize something which seemed extremely irrelevant.
There are no insects. In fact, I haven't heard or seen any wildlife on this colony during the three days we've been here.
Jerking her boot free she continued to run, not stopping until she reached the small transport Wufei had hidden amidst a clump of short, scraggly trees. Her lungs were on fire and her breath was coming in short gasps, but Sally hadn't been a major in the Federation Army for nothing. The door slid open as soon as she punched in the code, and she scrambled inside. Half flinging herself into the pilot seat, Sally tapped in several quick commands and the engines roared to life. Carefully avoiding the treetops, Sally guided the shuttle to a position just above them.
"You'd better be alright, Chang Wufei!"
It took the tiny craft only seconds to return to the spot where Sally had left him. As she had expected, nearly a dozen guards had pursued them. Two were dead-Sally could tell, even from this altitude-and several others were lying on the ground in various states of consciousness.
We're really going to have to explain this one. I wish he'd be more careful-the Preventers have to maintain an image consistent with the peaceful intentions of the government-especially where the colonies are concerned.
As she watched, Wufei burnt a smoldering gash in yet another man-fortunately in a nonfatal spot-which sent him toppling to the ground. Now there were only four left in Wufei's vicinity, but Sally spotted several dozen more uniformed figures exiting the courtyard.
"Time to leave this little party," she said to no one in particular, Banking the transport around in a half-circle in order to bring it closer to the ground. Wufei broke off his laser battle with yet another guard as Sally punched the button that would open the hatch. In less than five seconds he was inside, the hatch was closed and they were accelerating away toward Calisto's space port.
*****
"You think they'll follow us?" Sally asked over her shoulder. There retreat from the moon base had been uneventful, if somewhat hurried.
"No," he replied, then, seeing her impatient expression he added "I didn't see any space-worthy equipment-or anything that looked like it'd be much good for rapid movement within the colony, for that matter. They're obviously not expecting to have to move in any sort of a hurry. I think it's just a production facility." There was mud on his usually spotless Preventer uniform, and he brushed at it irritably.
"Production? That would explain the mechanical noise, but what kind of production would warrant them shooting at us with lasers-come to that, why would they have that kind of sophisticated weaponry in the first place?"
"I found about half a ton of gundamium alloy," he said. There was no doubting the worry in his tone.
"What else," she asked, with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"I couldn't get inside, but-you know those high pollutant readings we got upon landing?"
"Yes, what about them?"
"I think what our sensors detected was the atmospheric by-product of mass mobile suit production." He flopped down in the seat beside her, crossing his arms over his chest. "I want to get to the Mars colony as soon as possible. I think Une's going to want to hear about this.'
"I don't doubt it," replied Sally absently. "That would explain the fact that there didn't seem to be much wildlife on the colony-animals in space need more highly controlled environments than their relatives on Earth." She had put their craft on auto-pilot, and was busily scrolling through some electronic files. "I don't see any listings for mines that would contain the necessary metals to create Gundanium. Not on Calisto, that is. There are a few on Colony L4D577, but that's controlled mainly by the Winner corporation, and I doubt Quatre'd sanction the creation of more Gundanium-and certainly not mobile suits. You know," she added, giving him a mild glare, "Une's not gonna be happy about those casualties. You should've been more careful."
Wufei offered no reply. He was gazing out the window at Jupiter.
"It's huge, isn't it?"
"You need not state the obvious, Sally," he said, but there was no real annoyance in his tone.
"I'll say what I like, and you know that," she retorted amiably, yawning. We should reach the Mars colony in about two days. I don't think whoever those people are working for is going to start causing trouble in that short an amount of time, and I don't really feel safe transmitting this far out. Une can wait until we're closer to Earth."
Wufei rose. "I'm going to bed."
It was only then that she noticed the slight swelling around his left eye. She must hve hit him pretty hard.
The doctor in Sally made her make one last comment before he left the tight confines of the cockpit. "You really ought to put some ice on that, er, bruise," she said, inwardly wincing.
He half turned in the doorway. After regarding her steadily for a moment, Wufei just shook his head and disappeared into the rear of the shuttle. However, Sally was almost certain she had seen him smile.
Sally Po crouched behind a pile of large concrete slabs, her laser pistol held at the ready in one hand. With the other she motioned to her partner, Chang Wufei, who was similarly obscured about fifty yards away behind a mound of scrap metal.
At her signal, he sprinted across the intervening distance, pistol raised and darting furtive glances around the refuse-covered courtyard. Sally held her breath, silently praying that his stealthy movements would not be detected by some here-to-fore unnoticed sensor.
The night air was heavy and still. Sally could hear nothing save her own breathing, for Wufei was silent as a shadow. She saw him duck behind another pile of rubble, and held her breath, straining to hear whatever it was that had caused him to take cover. Suddenly she became aware of a low whirring noise. The sound seemed to vibrate through her body.
It must be coming from underground-but where?
She placed the palm of her free hand on the pavement, searching for some indication of the source of the steady rumbling. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Wufei leave his hiding place.
What could they be doing? I thought the Calisto moon colony was only a supply base for the outer settlements. Mining? No, from what we've seen they don't have that kind of equipment. That noise definitely sounds like machinery, though.
Suddenly, two figures appeared from around the corner of the immense building. Sally tensed, silently cursing the source of the low rumbling for having masked the sound of their approach. The two men-she guessed they must be guards, judging by the gray uniforms they wore, paused for a moment about ten feet along the wall. Raising her pistol, Sally hastily leveled it at the foremost of the two, but before she could fire Wufei's dark form had disappeared into the shadows. She didn't lower her pistol, but the tension in her neck and shoulders eased somewhat.
However, when he had not reemerged into her line of vision within three minutes, Sally began to be afraid. She hadn't heard any shots, nor had either of the two centries made any sudden movements, but with the new technology these people seemed to be pioneering that didn't necessarily mean that Wufei was safe.
I thought the Preventers' new lasers were top secret technology. The President knows-I think Une got his permission before she commissioned them-but I doubt many people beyond the organization know-or would approve of the fact that we're experimenting with such technology. Still, if we can develop these things, so can they presumably. .
She didn't like the idea that dissident groups could develop the same technology as ESUN's government. Une had fought for the right to do more defense weapons research, and to nearly everyone's surprise Minister Darlian had agreed. But the Preventers still had far too little leeway.
A sudden warmth at her side caused Sally to swivel just enough to plant a heavy punch in what she hoped was the face of her unseen adversary. Rather than the cry of rage and pain she'd been expecting, however, there came a low, gutteral curse in a language she knew well.
"Hey, fight your enemies, not your allies!" Wufei snarled in Chinese.
At his words, the taller of the two guards began to advance in their direction.
"What's up, Jim?" inquired his companion, drawing what looked like a slightly more compact version of Sally's laser.
"Thought I heard something," replied the other man, looking intently toward the shadowed corner behind Sally's barrier of concrete slabs. The fact that this colony was actually on one of the moons of Jupiter had made their mission extremely difficult from the outset. Surveillance runs that might otherwise have been conducted on moonless nights had all been performed in the light of the Giant planet's eerie low. Sally knew that, despite the double domed, tinted barrier that separated the colony from the vacuum of space the aid of the planet's reflected glow would allow the guard to rapidly divine their position.
"Now look what you did," she mouthed, realigning her own weapon with the approaching man. I'll have to remember that these guys have lasers too. Beside her, she could feel Wufei taking aim as well. Although the two had been in similar situations before, Sally still had a tight feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Show yourselves!" commanded the guard, suddenly sprinting toward their hiding place. Neither he nor his luckless companion ever knew what hit them. Two thin red bolts of laser fire dispatched them quickly and silently.
"there'll be more coming soon, I saw at least eight during the half hour you were scouting." Sally rose from the fighting stance she had assumed upon first sighting the two guards, but did not holster her weapon. "I suggest we hurry."
"Next time watch what you're doing," ordered Wufei, rising. "Your impulsive action just made things a lot more difficult."
Sally refrained from arguing, partly because quarreling with Wufei just at that moment would have been counterproductive and partly because she knew he was right.
"I think the shortest way is actually the way we came in," she advised, and began to run in that direction. He followed without a word.
They were out of the courtyard and had covered a good third of the distance to the boundary of the compound when shouts began to ring out in the darkness.
"They've found the guards," she said, although she knew she was merely stating the obvious.
"Run faster," was Wufei's only response. Suiting his actions to his words, the young Chinese man redoubled his pace. Sally followed suit, wondering for what seemed to her the millionth time how the five scientists who had created the Gundams could have trained their pilots to be so thoroughly calm. And athletic, she thought grimly, clenching her teeth and concentrating on matching Wufei's deer-like stride.
Without warning, several brilliant spotlights flickered to life. The florescent glow they produced colored the well-trodden grass underfoot a ghostly silver-green. Two bolts of dangerously bright laser fire whizzed past her head and collided, crackling ominously, with a large oak tree that was only about three feet to her left.
"Stop there!" came a woman's disembodied voice from somewhere behind them.
"The shuttle's about a mile into these woods," Wufei informed her, abruptly halting and pivoting on his heel. "Go key in the ignition sequence. I'll hold these-" and he gestured scornfully with his laser pistol.
Sally obeyed, simultaneously impressed by his courage and annoyed by his peremptory manner. Diving into the line of trees and brush that marked the edge of the compound, she fought her way through the clinging undergrowth. The light of the planet aided her somewhat, although the trees grew thickly in places. Once her foot became tangled in some sort of coarse weed and she fell, but Sally wasn't about to let herself be defeated by vegetation. As she hit the ground, the sound of the thud she made caused her to realize something which seemed extremely irrelevant.
There are no insects. In fact, I haven't heard or seen any wildlife on this colony during the three days we've been here.
Jerking her boot free she continued to run, not stopping until she reached the small transport Wufei had hidden amidst a clump of short, scraggly trees. Her lungs were on fire and her breath was coming in short gasps, but Sally hadn't been a major in the Federation Army for nothing. The door slid open as soon as she punched in the code, and she scrambled inside. Half flinging herself into the pilot seat, Sally tapped in several quick commands and the engines roared to life. Carefully avoiding the treetops, Sally guided the shuttle to a position just above them.
"You'd better be alright, Chang Wufei!"
It took the tiny craft only seconds to return to the spot where Sally had left him. As she had expected, nearly a dozen guards had pursued them. Two were dead-Sally could tell, even from this altitude-and several others were lying on the ground in various states of consciousness.
We're really going to have to explain this one. I wish he'd be more careful-the Preventers have to maintain an image consistent with the peaceful intentions of the government-especially where the colonies are concerned.
As she watched, Wufei burnt a smoldering gash in yet another man-fortunately in a nonfatal spot-which sent him toppling to the ground. Now there were only four left in Wufei's vicinity, but Sally spotted several dozen more uniformed figures exiting the courtyard.
"Time to leave this little party," she said to no one in particular, Banking the transport around in a half-circle in order to bring it closer to the ground. Wufei broke off his laser battle with yet another guard as Sally punched the button that would open the hatch. In less than five seconds he was inside, the hatch was closed and they were accelerating away toward Calisto's space port.
*****
"You think they'll follow us?" Sally asked over her shoulder. There retreat from the moon base had been uneventful, if somewhat hurried.
"No," he replied, then, seeing her impatient expression he added "I didn't see any space-worthy equipment-or anything that looked like it'd be much good for rapid movement within the colony, for that matter. They're obviously not expecting to have to move in any sort of a hurry. I think it's just a production facility." There was mud on his usually spotless Preventer uniform, and he brushed at it irritably.
"Production? That would explain the mechanical noise, but what kind of production would warrant them shooting at us with lasers-come to that, why would they have that kind of sophisticated weaponry in the first place?"
"I found about half a ton of gundamium alloy," he said. There was no doubting the worry in his tone.
"What else," she asked, with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"I couldn't get inside, but-you know those high pollutant readings we got upon landing?"
"Yes, what about them?"
"I think what our sensors detected was the atmospheric by-product of mass mobile suit production." He flopped down in the seat beside her, crossing his arms over his chest. "I want to get to the Mars colony as soon as possible. I think Une's going to want to hear about this.'
"I don't doubt it," replied Sally absently. "That would explain the fact that there didn't seem to be much wildlife on the colony-animals in space need more highly controlled environments than their relatives on Earth." She had put their craft on auto-pilot, and was busily scrolling through some electronic files. "I don't see any listings for mines that would contain the necessary metals to create Gundanium. Not on Calisto, that is. There are a few on Colony L4D577, but that's controlled mainly by the Winner corporation, and I doubt Quatre'd sanction the creation of more Gundanium-and certainly not mobile suits. You know," she added, giving him a mild glare, "Une's not gonna be happy about those casualties. You should've been more careful."
Wufei offered no reply. He was gazing out the window at Jupiter.
"It's huge, isn't it?"
"You need not state the obvious, Sally," he said, but there was no real annoyance in his tone.
"I'll say what I like, and you know that," she retorted amiably, yawning. We should reach the Mars colony in about two days. I don't think whoever those people are working for is going to start causing trouble in that short an amount of time, and I don't really feel safe transmitting this far out. Une can wait until we're closer to Earth."
Wufei rose. "I'm going to bed."
It was only then that she noticed the slight swelling around his left eye. She must hve hit him pretty hard.
The doctor in Sally made her make one last comment before he left the tight confines of the cockpit. "You really ought to put some ice on that, er, bruise," she said, inwardly wincing.
He half turned in the doorway. After regarding her steadily for a moment, Wufei just shook his head and disappeared into the rear of the shuttle. However, Sally was almost certain she had seen him smile.