A/N The idea for this story came to me after watching Moby Dick in English class. Thus being so, it is going to have some really weird elements in it, just weird and the fighter himself is going to be as strange as they come.
Disclaimer: I don't own G-GundamNeo-Finland, that's a nation. Strong values and a good heritage. But it does have it's faults. One of those is that there fighter is, how can one put it, a little eccentric. Yeah, that's the word for it. He is a weird one, started to prepare for the 14th during the 9th. Twenty years of training for this Jacob Starbuck. Very strange indeed, half of his life spent on the oceans and in the jungles, training for a fight that may not have come. His other major problem is that he's not even Finnish. He was born on Nantucket Island in America. The culture of that island, where he grew to be a good lad of 15 before his family moved, greatly influence him and his Gundam, the Gundam Whaler of Neo-Finland. Very strange to behold, armed with several harpoons and a 'lance,' a piercing weapon similar to a harpoon, but shorter, meant to do the actual killing of the whale, back in the heyday of whaling. The Whaler itself is one of the few Gundams that can do as good in water as it can on land, to quote Starbuck, 'Even better on the rolling waters, then on the stiff land.' He is very strange, one his 'quirks' as it were, is his speech. Oh, his speech is Old Victorian English. And he always fights to a monotone. 'Dead whale or stove boat.' Yes, very strange indeed is this Jacob Starbuck, Fighter for Neo-Finland and Hunter of the White Whale. Yes, he believes that the white whale exists, he just needs to find it, to tame it, to use it. And he warns all that fight him in the same way.
"I warn ye. I wish not to see thy children grow fatherless, nor thy wife take the Widows Walk, waiting for ye, one who shalt never return. For I have only one goal, and that is to send ye to Davey Jones. And I shall, out of the sake of pride, or of hate."
Yes, yes. Now that we met this man, heard his warnings, heard his boasts, do we really know the true man? Do we know why he is plagued by nightmares of horrible sea monsters and villainous ship captains? Do we know why he believes that winning the fight will end them? Do we know why he has a complete disregard for his own needs above that of others, even those of complete strangers? And do we know why this man curses the only thing he loves in the world? No, it is unfortunate that we cannot dwell any farther into his mind. What I know is that he has only himself, his only acquaintance that his eccentricities has not driven off, a cross made out of nails that his mother gave him, and the spirit of his grandfather, who taught him everything he knows and even after his life ended, he still watches him and comforts him and teaches him. Yes, this very strange man, this man who knows more about the sea then he knows of people, will be the common denominator for several people, some of which will become his companions, others will only find his faults. And, he will be the single factor that splits an entire group, quite on accident, but as he says 'One must let what happens, happen. For it has already been planned to happen. Go ahead, hide in thy hole, ye will not live an instant longer. All that ye can do is pray to God, the Saints, and the Angels, that ye will be welcome in Heaven along side them.'
This is his tale, his story, his history. And it shall ultimately end in the sacrifice of his well being for those that he cares about. However, it shall have a happy ending. But, until that point it is filled a sadness that is so painful, words will do it no justice. But, onwards I say towards this mans sad and long story.
(A/N Whoa, I never wrote something this long, as this just the monologue. You see, this authors note is just a break from writing that. My God, I can't believe I wrote it all. But actual story time now)
"How was that Granddad?" a boy asked an older man. The boy had just thrown a harpoon into a target, 15 yards away, dead on.
"That my boy is a good throw. I swear, you keep throwing like this, when you get half my age, you'll be able to hit a coal-black whales eye several dozen yards away, when the sky is darker then pitch, and the waters are liquid black. My goodness, you are my definitely grandson." The old man said. He was a graying old man, and his clothes were that of one who spent most his life on the sea. You could tell just by looking at him that salt water flowed threw his veins. And most likely it was true for the boy as well.
"Dad! Jacob! Time for dinner." A feminine voice called out. The two looked at the harpoon and had a laugh before they went into the house. The woman that called them was Jacob's mother. She was a good looking woman, bordering on Helen of Troy and Cleopatra, but she would never admit it herself. And she was wearing a simple dress, nothing to extravagant. The three of them sat down, and said the blessing and started to eat. After dinner, Ishmael, Jacob's grandfather, got out a poster with several whales on it. Jacob knew what this meant, and he waited for his grandfather to point.
"This one. Where is the weak spot on this one?" Ishmael said, pointing to a sperm whale.
"On the fluke." Jacob answered.
"Alright, how about this one?" Ishmael said, pointing to a right whale.
"Lower jaw. Come on Granddad, give me a tough one." Jacob said. And then the two started laughing. It was a joke that the two knew well and that they both enjoyed.
~29 years later~
"Oh come on, don't die on me. Breathe damn you, breathe." A 20 year old, whose name is Quib, said to an unconscious person. The man was in swimming trunks and was a shade of blue and not breathing. Quib was wearing his orange jumpsuit. And Quib at the moment was doing all he could to get the man to breathe, that didn't require mouth-to-mouth. Hence he was slapping him several times and punching his stomach. Miraculously it worked.
"Quib, you idiot. Stop ye infernal abuse. Please do not make me wish harm onto thee." The man said, gasping for air. This man is Jacob Starbuck, the Fighter for Neo-Finland, and 42 years old, but still in his prime.
"Jeeze Starbuck, what happened? One minute your swimming and the next, your floating face down. I mean, yikes. I thought you were dead." Quib said to his boss. It wasn't that Quib was afraid for Starbuck's life, it was just that the fight started in a day. Hell, last night they saw Neo-France's Gundam come from the colony from there boat off the coast of Normandy.
"Did ye get the challenge to Neo-France in, Quib?" Starbuck said as he grabbed his towel.
"Uh, yeah I did. But, why are you challenging the Jack of Diamonds so early?" Quib asked, he remembered yesterday when the man said he had to be joking. That was not a nice conversation.
"Why do ye fear George de Sand? Is it the glowing tattoo on his right hand that scares ye? Listen, me boy, George de Sand is a lad barely half way through his twenties. Just because ye are said to be the best, can not, does not, and will not mean that ye are. Only proving thyself to thyself and God can show the truth." Starbuck said, heading towards below decks to get his clothes on.
"Yeah, but what if you loose? Your not thinking strait, Man!" Quib shouted, but decided to give it up as Starbuck was no longer listening.
~The next day~
Starbuck really, really loathed the MTS suit. It was tight, itchy, and one time he had an allergic reaction to the material that it was made of. But, oddly enough, he was the only fighter who complained about it, so he let the subject drop. And there was another thing he loathed, well it was more of a hate. He hated when people brag that there the best. His grandfather constantly told him that you can't be the best unless you face everyone in your field and bested them, then you're the best.
"Is there anything that you have to say before we get this fight started?" George de Sand asked Starbuck.
"Yes, I do. I warn ye. I wish not to see thy children grow fatherless, nor thy wife take the Widows Walk, waiting for ye, one who shalt never return. For I have only one goal, and that is to send ye to Davey Jones. And I shall, out of the sake of pride, or of hate." Starbuck said. George de Sand was surprised. He had never heard in all of his days someone saying anything like this. This man was going to be sorely disappointed, but he did challenge a Shuffle Alliance member, and it will not be a lesson soon forgot. And with the sound of a bell, the fight started.
"Let's see if this fight is over before it started." Starbuck said as he hurled his harpoon at the Gundam Rose. He swore when the Neo-French Fighter dodged it.
"Seems that you did not plan as well as you thought Monsieur, hmmm, I was never told you name." George said to the Finnish fighter.
"It's Starbuck, no mister just Starbuck. And this fight is not yet over." Starbuck said to the Neo-Frenchman, as he drew out his lance.
"I agree with you totally." George said as he readied his foil. The resulting melee was punches, thrusts, parries, slices, and the occasional kick. After it, both fighters backed off, both battered and beaten. They both received there fair share of punishment in that engagement.
"As much as I enjoyed that fight, I must end it now. ROSE BITS!!!" George cried out. Now as he was saying, only one thought went through Starbucks head. And oddly enough it was last weeks rugby game. Which was more helpful then you think, as he tackled the Gundam Rose just before those Rose Bits came out.
"Well, lad, just what were ye saying just then?" Starbuck said, the Whaler still on top of the Rose. It was at that moment that the Rose threw the Whaler off of it.
"I said that this fight was over, but it seems that your about as stubborn at Monsieur Crocket." George said to Starbuck in a not to complementary way.
"Why thank ye. Coming from someone such as ye, it's a compliment." Starbuck said with a chuckle. He then noticed that the Gundam Rose started to glow yellow.
"Awww, crap." Starbuck said as he saw the Gundam Rose enter hypermode.
"This hand of mine is Burning Red. It's loud roar tells me to grasp victory! ROSE HURRICANE!!!!" George shouted. And a swarm of rose petals surrounded the Whaler, causing it to fall to one knee. But, something odd happened. A memory was brought to the forefront of his mind.
"Boy, whenever your in a hurricane, remember this. The hurricane is a beast. It feeds off your fear. So what you should do is stick out your chest, put your chin up, take a proud stature, and show no fear. Without that fear, the beast will starve and surely die." Ishmael had once told him.
"Thank ye Grandfather, thank ye." Starbuck said as he started to rise to both feet. And he stuck out his chest and held his chin high. You could not see any trace of fear in his stature. George did have to say that it was a noble thing he was doing, going out with his pride and honor intact. But the oddest thing happened. To George's dismay, the petals from the hurricane started to fall. Till the entire attack dissipated, like he never used it.
"It seems that ye great attack that everyone fears has failed ye. Now it's my turn." Starbuck said as he flipped the lance in his hand so he could stab downward.
"FROM THE HEART OF HELL!!!!" Starbuck said, and moved toward the Neo-Frenchman quicker then George ever saw a non-Shuffle member move. Starbuck then held the lance high over the Rose.
"I STABBETH THEE!!!!!" Starbuck cried as he brought down the lance onto the Rose. Then next thing George de Sand saw was darkness. But, minutes after that, a pair of strong hands grabbed him and pulled him out of the Rose.
"Ye fought well lad. And I won't let any person die or suffer undue harm around me, including ye. And ye earned a right not many have. The next we meet, please call me Jacob. Hopefully I will see ye at the tournament. Good day to ye Mister de Sand." Starbuck said as he left to the Whaler and ran off to who knows where. George then looked at the damage left by the Whaler's lance. It was a pretty good size hole in the shoulder, and he sighed, as this was the second man to beat his hypermode attack, and he did it by what seemed to be will power alone.
Quib was repairing the damage on the Whaler. He always thought it looked silly. It looked like it was wearing a brown nor'easter and brown waders. But, that was not his concern. He was happy that the Boss didn't get hurt. Hell, he was ecstatic that they won. He was still laughing, the Whaler beat the Rose. He made an vow right then and there to tell his great-grandchildren that he was the crew for the Gundam Whaler. It was at that time that Starbuck came in, his pipe in hand. He looked at the Whaler, then at Quib.
"Ye seem happy lad. Why are ye?" Starbuck asked his younger companion.
"Happy? Your asking me why I'm happy? We just beat George de Sand!!! You know your going to go down as the man who beat George de Sand in the first fight for the 14th Gundam Fights, after he became a member of the illustrious Shuffle Alliance. Do you know what this means?" Quib asked. He always knew that the boss had certain, issues that needed worked out, but nothing like this.
"Aye, I do. It means that we are going to Neo-China, where I will test me mettle and me strength against the Dragon, and the time it takes to travel there will give us the opportunity to find the White Whale." Starbuck said as he started to puff on his pipe.
"Whatever, Man. I'm just glad that we're not out of this yet." Quib said as he went back to work and he heard the laughter of Jacob Starbuck.
A/N Wow. I just wrote that. Man this is so cool. Oh and if Sora and/or Athena Masterson read, please leave a review, because your work basically inspired me to do a story of semi-epic proportions. So please review and help me out. Oh, yeah, the basic repetition that Starbuck is strange was on purpose I needed to get that across that he was far from the norm.