The Mayfly of Space(Revised)
By Seraphilim
Copyright Note: I don't own Gundam yadda yadda... OK, on with the story!
Other Notes: For those who are wondering, the Marinae Knights is a play off of the Japanese pronunciation of Marine. It's pronounced Mah Ree Neh in Japanese.
Also, the character "Acelia" that Alex mentions is a character taken from The Epic Story of Soldiers, and will be one of several things that will tie the two stories together.
Chapter 3 - Memories of Stardust
U.C. 0084
Luna II
Upon leaving Carroway's office, Cima realized that she had no clue as to where Alex and the other survivors of her fleet were.
"...Damn."
She began to move aimlessly down the corridor, hoping to find someone she could shake the information out of. As luck would have it, around the corner she found a lowly ensign who almost walked into her. She ignored it, and placed her hands on her hips.
"Hey, you."
The ensign looked over at her when he regained his balance.
"Ye... yes, si... hey! You're one of those Zeon deserters."
Cima raised an eyebrow. "What's it to you, kid?"
"If you're looking for the others, a bunch of 'em are down the hall in the lounge."
Nodding, Cima brushed past him and headed for the lounge. The ensign just stared wide-eyed as she left.
When she reached the lounge, Cima was happy to find Zennon Tirgell, the captain of the Fenrir Rose, sitting at a table along with a few others of her marines. Upon noticing her enter the room, Zennon stood and saluted, as did the rest of her marines. She waved them down, and took a pro-offered seat across from Zennon.
"It's good to see you well, Miss Cima."
A chorus of acknowledgements and agreements rose from the others. Cima contained a smile that was creeping up on her.
"It's good to be alive, Captain. How are my men?"
"As far as I know, everyone who survived is doing well. The only one who was wounded was yourself, Lt. Colonel."
"I see. The Feddies are assigning me a post in their "Black Ops" regiment. I'm due to head to Earth pretty soon."
Zennon seemed about to say something, but he stopped and looked away, troubled. Cima got pretty damn curious.
"You have a problem, Captain."
It was not a question. Zennon faced his superior, slightly un-eased by her piercing gaze.
"It's about that, actually. We... we don't want to go to Earth. At least, not now. Space has been our home, our lives, for, well, our entire lives. Me, the men, we want to stay where we feel that we belong. And we belong in space."
He bit his lip, waiting for a sharp response. It never came. Instead, he heard Cima sigh audibly.
"I suppose I should have seen this coming..."
"Ma'am?" Zennon was a bit confused.
"It's alright, Captain. If the men wish to stay up here, then I won't force them to come with me. Besides, it'd be nice to have an ace in my hand up here."
Zennon allowed a grin to spread across his face.
"Gotcha, Cima. Remember, our first loyalty is to you and the Marines."
Cima's gaze softened for a brief second, then she looked away.
"Captain, where is Alex?"
Zennon blinked at the sudden topic change.
"Alex? He's busy talking with some Feddies in transferring the Vagabonds to your command. He says that they're going with you to Earth."
Cima looked back at Zennon, surprised.
"What?"
Zennon smirked.
"Alex says that he feels that it's his obligation to serve directly under you. He even went so far as to refer to himself as your Johnny Ridden."
Tapping her palm with her fan, Cima smiled.
Captain Alexhander Krauser exited the room where he had just finished talking with the captain of the Altair, the experimental Pegasus-II carrier that was taking Cima, and now his Vagabonds, to Earth. It hadn't taken much to get Captain Luphas to agree. Luphas even said he'd have the dockworkers load their four Gelgoog-Ms aboard, along with Enders' High Mobility Zaku. Enders had offered to go along, since he no longer had anywhere else to go with the destruction of the Kraken. Alex had accepted, and christened Enders as the newest addition to the Vagabonds. Alex tapped his chin thoughtfully with one finger.
"Vagabonds... I'll have to change that, actually. We're no longer wanderers..."
He stopped and leaned against the bulkhead, thinking.
'Hmmm, well, now we're going to be Miss Cima's personal troops. What was that term? Ah, knights. That's it. We're Cima's knights. Or rather, the Marinae Knights. That sounds good.'
He closed his eyes as his thoughts turned to the events that brought him to this point in time. He crossed his arms and chuckled, amused at the memory.
"I never thought I'd be in a Fed base, on friendly terms no less, back when I signed up at the recruiting center on Mahal..."
He remember the fate of his home colony.
'Damn that bastard Gihren, and damn that asshole Asakura. Turning MY colony into Solar Ray. It was true justice to hear that Admiral Kycilia had executed that homicidal monster. Then, she had also died. We lost too many at A Baoa Qu. Even Johnny...'
Alex winced at the memory of hearing that his friend from the Chimera Corps, Lt. Commander Johnny "Crimson Lightning" Ridden, was listed as MIA at A Baoa Qu. Johnny had been the best of the best, along with One-Shot-Kill Brenev Auggs and the White Wolf, Shin Matsunaga. The fact that all three were gone proved that A Baoa Qu, no, the entire OYW had truly been hell for Zeon.
'A hell that we managed to live through.' thought Alex. 'Zennon's group was still fighting when Delaz pulled out. We still fought for those who were using us. Then, we finally escaped, and headed for sanctuary at Axis with the rest of Cima's fleet. Then those bastards at Axis...'
Alex clenched his hands into fists.
'Cima didn't know it was G3! Asakura pulled a fast one on us, using us as his scapegoats. He told us it was pure compressed oxygen, to knock out the inhabitants of Island Iffish so we could evacuate them...'
Alex felt a tear well up in his eye as he relaxed his hands.
'I still remember that hell... I remember those children... I can still see them as they died, crying for their parents. I remember Cima screaming... She couldn't take it back then when she realized what we had just done... Rick and I had to drag her out of there.'
Alex opened his eyes, wiping the single tear from his face. He looked around, and found the corridor empty. Good. It wouldn't do to have some Feddie see the Zeon Marines' squad leader crying, even if it was only a single tear. He turned and started walking down the corridor towards the lounge. Alex balled his hands into fists as he recalled one last memory.
'Acelia...'
End Chapter Three
By Seraphilim
Copyright Note: I don't own Gundam yadda yadda... OK, on with the story!
Other Notes: For those who are wondering, the Marinae Knights is a play off of the Japanese pronunciation of Marine. It's pronounced Mah Ree Neh in Japanese.
Also, the character "Acelia" that Alex mentions is a character taken from The Epic Story of Soldiers, and will be one of several things that will tie the two stories together.
Chapter 3 - Memories of Stardust
U.C. 0084
Luna II
Upon leaving Carroway's office, Cima realized that she had no clue as to where Alex and the other survivors of her fleet were.
"...Damn."
She began to move aimlessly down the corridor, hoping to find someone she could shake the information out of. As luck would have it, around the corner she found a lowly ensign who almost walked into her. She ignored it, and placed her hands on her hips.
"Hey, you."
The ensign looked over at her when he regained his balance.
"Ye... yes, si... hey! You're one of those Zeon deserters."
Cima raised an eyebrow. "What's it to you, kid?"
"If you're looking for the others, a bunch of 'em are down the hall in the lounge."
Nodding, Cima brushed past him and headed for the lounge. The ensign just stared wide-eyed as she left.
When she reached the lounge, Cima was happy to find Zennon Tirgell, the captain of the Fenrir Rose, sitting at a table along with a few others of her marines. Upon noticing her enter the room, Zennon stood and saluted, as did the rest of her marines. She waved them down, and took a pro-offered seat across from Zennon.
"It's good to see you well, Miss Cima."
A chorus of acknowledgements and agreements rose from the others. Cima contained a smile that was creeping up on her.
"It's good to be alive, Captain. How are my men?"
"As far as I know, everyone who survived is doing well. The only one who was wounded was yourself, Lt. Colonel."
"I see. The Feddies are assigning me a post in their "Black Ops" regiment. I'm due to head to Earth pretty soon."
Zennon seemed about to say something, but he stopped and looked away, troubled. Cima got pretty damn curious.
"You have a problem, Captain."
It was not a question. Zennon faced his superior, slightly un-eased by her piercing gaze.
"It's about that, actually. We... we don't want to go to Earth. At least, not now. Space has been our home, our lives, for, well, our entire lives. Me, the men, we want to stay where we feel that we belong. And we belong in space."
He bit his lip, waiting for a sharp response. It never came. Instead, he heard Cima sigh audibly.
"I suppose I should have seen this coming..."
"Ma'am?" Zennon was a bit confused.
"It's alright, Captain. If the men wish to stay up here, then I won't force them to come with me. Besides, it'd be nice to have an ace in my hand up here."
Zennon allowed a grin to spread across his face.
"Gotcha, Cima. Remember, our first loyalty is to you and the Marines."
Cima's gaze softened for a brief second, then she looked away.
"Captain, where is Alex?"
Zennon blinked at the sudden topic change.
"Alex? He's busy talking with some Feddies in transferring the Vagabonds to your command. He says that they're going with you to Earth."
Cima looked back at Zennon, surprised.
"What?"
Zennon smirked.
"Alex says that he feels that it's his obligation to serve directly under you. He even went so far as to refer to himself as your Johnny Ridden."
Tapping her palm with her fan, Cima smiled.
Captain Alexhander Krauser exited the room where he had just finished talking with the captain of the Altair, the experimental Pegasus-II carrier that was taking Cima, and now his Vagabonds, to Earth. It hadn't taken much to get Captain Luphas to agree. Luphas even said he'd have the dockworkers load their four Gelgoog-Ms aboard, along with Enders' High Mobility Zaku. Enders had offered to go along, since he no longer had anywhere else to go with the destruction of the Kraken. Alex had accepted, and christened Enders as the newest addition to the Vagabonds. Alex tapped his chin thoughtfully with one finger.
"Vagabonds... I'll have to change that, actually. We're no longer wanderers..."
He stopped and leaned against the bulkhead, thinking.
'Hmmm, well, now we're going to be Miss Cima's personal troops. What was that term? Ah, knights. That's it. We're Cima's knights. Or rather, the Marinae Knights. That sounds good.'
He closed his eyes as his thoughts turned to the events that brought him to this point in time. He crossed his arms and chuckled, amused at the memory.
"I never thought I'd be in a Fed base, on friendly terms no less, back when I signed up at the recruiting center on Mahal..."
He remember the fate of his home colony.
'Damn that bastard Gihren, and damn that asshole Asakura. Turning MY colony into Solar Ray. It was true justice to hear that Admiral Kycilia had executed that homicidal monster. Then, she had also died. We lost too many at A Baoa Qu. Even Johnny...'
Alex winced at the memory of hearing that his friend from the Chimera Corps, Lt. Commander Johnny "Crimson Lightning" Ridden, was listed as MIA at A Baoa Qu. Johnny had been the best of the best, along with One-Shot-Kill Brenev Auggs and the White Wolf, Shin Matsunaga. The fact that all three were gone proved that A Baoa Qu, no, the entire OYW had truly been hell for Zeon.
'A hell that we managed to live through.' thought Alex. 'Zennon's group was still fighting when Delaz pulled out. We still fought for those who were using us. Then, we finally escaped, and headed for sanctuary at Axis with the rest of Cima's fleet. Then those bastards at Axis...'
Alex clenched his hands into fists.
'Cima didn't know it was G3! Asakura pulled a fast one on us, using us as his scapegoats. He told us it was pure compressed oxygen, to knock out the inhabitants of Island Iffish so we could evacuate them...'
Alex felt a tear well up in his eye as he relaxed his hands.
'I still remember that hell... I remember those children... I can still see them as they died, crying for their parents. I remember Cima screaming... She couldn't take it back then when she realized what we had just done... Rick and I had to drag her out of there.'
Alex opened his eyes, wiping the single tear from his face. He looked around, and found the corridor empty. Good. It wouldn't do to have some Feddie see the Zeon Marines' squad leader crying, even if it was only a single tear. He turned and started walking down the corridor towards the lounge. Alex balled his hands into fists as he recalled one last memory.
'Acelia...'
End Chapter Three
