= = = = = = = = = = =
Kido Senshi Gundam: Char's Counter Attack
The Last Stand, Chapter 4
-Gredival
= = = = = = = = = = =
"You see when we first started design on this suit it was supposed to be able to transform to the Wave Rider without any BWS. But we decided to remove the feature to reduce the cost," he explained, "since it was supposed to undergo mass production we hoped that this would make it easier to rearm the suits. They wouldn't be grounded if the Wave Rider was damaged – just replace the BWS and go."
"So how long will it take?" Ryou asked impatiently. He didn't need a history of the suit. He just needed to know that it would work, and work soon.
"Well we have most of the parts here to enable conversion," the mechanic answered. "As soon as we got word you wanted to upgrade it we began construction of the wing binder and new thruster system. I'm thinking a week since we also have to repair the leg."
"We don't have that long," the Londo Bell pilot protested, unsatisfied with the answer. "We need it in three days tops!"
"I'm sorry but look – our focus is split. This isn't the only project we're on. And my crew's been working steady fourteen-hour shifts. And there's only so much we can do so."
"Michael, don't you have family on Earth?" The voice came from an older man. However the way he carried himself through the work area of the bay was a clear sign he was no disconnected figurehead, but a man intimately connected with his work and the people under him.
"Mr. October you know better than all of us we all just work for the corporation," the man tried to explain. "It's not like we want to build for the Neo Zeon," he argued trying to defend his actions, maybe more for himself than for his questioning superior.
"Yes I know," the aged man said. His sandy brown hair was disheveled and his eyes heavy with thought. "That's why I'll make it easy on you. Focus all the men you have at your control onto the Re-GZ."
"But sir the Neo Zeon just put in..."
"I know and as head of this division I am telling you that the Re-GZ takes priority. I want work stopped on any other projects you have going."
"Yes sir," the younger man agreed reluctantly. He jumped onto the bridge above and began ordering his men to get the rest of the staff on the job.
"Thank you sir," Ryou said, extending his hand.
October accepted the gesture with his gloved hand. "If Axis taught me anything it's that we came too close to the point of no return." The older man laid his other hand on Ryou's shoulder and focused his intense eyes into the younger man's. "And if they had succeeded it would have been partially this division's fault. Even if we're just doing corporate business it can't justify ignoring Londo Bell now. It won't be a Nu Gundam, but it'll be ready in two days time."
"Sir you don't know how much you've already helped," Ryou said with sincere gratitude.
"And one more thing..." October said softly. His hand dug into his pocket and produced a disk. He handed it to Ryou. "They'll have my ass on a platter if they find out, but I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't do this. Look over it later."
= = = = =
"It's confirmed. The ships seen leaving Sweetwater were evacuation ships. The ships are making increasingly frequent runs."
"How long until the whole colony is evacuated?" Bright asked, resting his head on his folded hands as he braced for the news.
"The colony will be completely evacuated within the day."
"I'll assume that the Federation won't mobilize main forces," Bright muttered, voice dripping with indignation.
"Their position remains the same. They do not believe that these actions should be considered an act of war. The Londo Bell is free to engage Neo Zeon renegades should they refuse to surrender but, no backup will be provided. No authorization to attack Sweetwater has been given."
"What's the report from the Ra Kiev?"
"The Ra Kiev and Ryou intercepted a small Neo Zeon squadron at Anaheim, most likely there to pick up Mobile Suits."
"Do they have an estimated time for arrival?"
"The lieutenant is reporting two days."
= = = = =
Nanai looked up at the Jagd-Doga. She was now amazed that she had any visual as she gazed at the bullet ridden hawk-like skull. The left arm was completely worthless, from the fingers and their melted metal casing to the bare and cracked shoulder. The scarlet red paint, the legacy of the Red Comet, was covered with scorch marks more often than not.
"You still wish to go into battle?" Lyle asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow at the notion.
"Shut up," Nanai snapped. Lyle chortled and held a smug grin for a second before he turned around.
"Have you downloaded the data yet?" he asked the mechanic.
"Yes sir," the mechanic answered. "It's over there on the computer if you will."
The group moved to the small terminal and stared at the screen as the technician's fingers flew at the keyboard, honed from years of this type of work. The black screen with a blinking white text bar soon displayed a picture of the Re-GZ, and estimated pilot statistics.
"That can't be right..." Lyle said as he looked at the reaction time. "Are you sure this is right?"
"This is the average estimate based on the video."
"That means that kid is a..."
"...newtype," Nanai finished.
= = = = =
Ryou double clicked on the disk. The LCD went black then brought up a green polygonal frame of the Psyco-Doga. Ryou's emerald eyes widened in disbelief. "This must be the new Neo-Zeon suit..."
He clicked again and the polygonal skeleton filled in with the tan beige armor of the finished product, and a side shot of the unit now accompanied the frontal view as well. An artificial voice with its monotone pitch began talking.
"Unit NZ-333, Codename: Psyco-Doga. A heavy assault mobile suit, it features six full sized funnels stored under its skirt armor. Two beam cannons are mounted on each shoulder controlled through psycommu. In addition the unit mounts two propulsion tanks as well as an I-field generator. Maximum thrust is estimated to be 5.21 G..."
Ryou cut the program off. He copied the data from the disk onto his laptop's hard drive and hit the eject button. He stuffed it back in the case and hurried out of his room.
He made his way through the hallways of the Ra Kiev, nodding his head politely in response to his fellow soldier's greetings. He rapped on the door of the communications wing.
"Hey Lieutenant, what do you need?" Erica answered. She was a young girl, and even though a soldier she hadn't lost that glimmer of innocence in her eyes. In her large brown eyes was a careless spirit, untainted by the war. Her responsibilities lay within communication, so she had yet to experience the horrors of battle like her pilot comrades. Her blond hair came to her neck, framing her slender face.
"Hey can you send a copy of everything on this desk to Captain Noah?" the man asked, procuring the diskette from his pocket.
The girl made a half frown, "I do have work, believe it or not. I can do it, but what do I get out of it?"
"Uh, my thanks?" Ryou answered with a grin.
"That doesn't make up for anything," she pouted. "How ab – hey we're not finished here!" she called after the fleeing pilot.
"Thanks a bunch, I owe you! Oh and don't look at what's on there, it's confidential!"
He pushed off from the ship, drifting slowly down to the floor of Anaheim's hangar through the weightlessness of zero gravity. He made his way through a series of hallways and handrails to the mechanics bay.
"Lieutenant, can we help you with anything?" Michael asked.
"Yeah actually, I came down in order to check with you about the Re-GZ."
"Well as you can see progress has gone up quite a bit, we'll meet your schedule no problem," the technician assured the Londo Bell pilot.
"I needed to know about the weaponry," Ryou clarified.
"Well in addition to the Wave Rider mode the unit will have additional thrust and maneuverability. The beam weaponry in Wave rider is a grade apart from that of the BWS. The beam riffle's been scrapped for a beam assault riffle. It's equipped with two hyper beam sabers that can function as beam cannons. And you'll still have the vulcans and missile launcher."
"What about the grenade launchers?" Ryou asked, concerned about the emphasis on beam weaponry.
"We had to get rid of them, they were in the way of transformation," Michael explained. "But the new weaponry is much stronger than live ammunition anyway..."
"Beam weaponry doesn't go through I-fields though, does it?"
"No," the technician admitted.
"I need you to find a place for those grenade launchers, or at the very least some flash crackers. I you can't mount grenades I'll need a bazooka; remote control capability of you can manage it." Michael scribbled the notes down on his clipboard. "Will it still be on schedule?"
"I don't know; we'll try out best."
"Okay, thanks," the young officer said quickly as he moved back to the Ra Kiev.
= = = = =
"How long until it's fixed?" Nanai asked, turning their attention back to the suit.
"That Feddie did a number on it," the mechanic began. Nanai scowled. "It'll be ready in two or three days. We're strapped for men as it is, we're having lots of our guy piloting those evacuation ships from Sweetwater to the Side 3 colonies."
"All right," Nanai said, accepting the delay as she strolled away. Lyle fell into pace with her. "How long until evacuations are complete?" "Three or four hours at most," Lyle answered.
"How fast can we deploy?" Nanai asked checking the papers she carried in her arm.
"About nine hours. It's projected that Sweetwater's journey will take about 48 hours."
= = = = =
The auditorium was large, and the noise from the floor projected out to all of the room. The Londo Bell pilots sat in the seats near the front. The room was dark in order to show the map on projection, which traveled in the form of a single beam of light that struck the white screen to display the image.
"We believe the Neo Zeon will be traveling along this path to enter the atmosphere here," Tooth explained pointing to a marked red X on the map with a laser pointer. "We're going to blow Sweetwater away before she threatens Earth. We've got no more nukes, but this ain't no asteroid – if we hit Sweetwater hard enough it'll blow, and hopefully explode the nukes the Zeeks have on there themselves. You're to engage the Neo Zeon troops and clear a path for a barrage."
"We're going to attack here," Bright pointed at another part of the map, some ways before the red X. "We strike hard and fast. Wave 1 will deploy here, Wave 2 here. We'll not be helping you with friendly fire so you'll have to be resourceful."
The Londo Bell pilots absorbed the information and began whispering amongst themselves.
"Hopefully the Ra Kiev and the Lieutenant will be flanking from here," Tooth said, raising his voice a touch to project it over the inner discussions. "Any questions?" The silence satisfied the Londo Bell operations manager, and he returned the room's lighting to normal.
"Everyone, are you willing to risk your lives once more?" Bright asked. He peered at their faces, stern and determined. Not one flinched under his examining gaze. "All right we move out from Londenion at once. Board the ships and prepare for launch," Bright ordered.
A communications officer made his way through the crowd of pilots down to Tooth and Bright. "A copy of a disk Lieutenant Okuimi sent to the Ra Cailum sir. It's been marked confidential."
Bright took the disk, "All right you're dismissed." The man lingered around a bit, anxious and nervous about the contents of the disk, but it became clear that the two had no intention of examining the files in his presence.
"What do you think it is?" the larger man asked as the last people exited from the auditorium.
"I don't know, but I doubt it's good."
= = = = =
"We'll have defenders here, here, and here," Nanai said pointing to three spots rapidly on the map. "Your job will be to make sure the Londo Bell does not damage Sweetwater. The colony must make it into the atmosphere in top condition; we have only one chance. The Federation is not dumb enough to give us another asteroid."
"Nah, it could happen."
That brought roars of laughter from Rezin Schnyder's old division.
Nanai ignored them and brought up a close-up of the colony on the screen. "The nuclear weapons will be stationed inside of this docking bay here, it is imperative they survive."
"Gee don't let the nukes detonate, that's a tough one!" came the voice from before. More roars of laughter responded to the second joke. Nanai strode over to the Geara Doga pilot.
Her fist swung across in an explosion of movement; he was laid low.
"I will be personally leading the defense in the Psyco-Doga," Nanai continued, walking back to the front. "Any questions? Good. We start at 0500 hours; sleep and get your preparations done and be at mission position by 0400."
Kido Senshi Gundam: Char's Counter Attack
The Last Stand, Chapter 4
-Gredival
= = = = = = = = = = =
"You see when we first started design on this suit it was supposed to be able to transform to the Wave Rider without any BWS. But we decided to remove the feature to reduce the cost," he explained, "since it was supposed to undergo mass production we hoped that this would make it easier to rearm the suits. They wouldn't be grounded if the Wave Rider was damaged – just replace the BWS and go."
"So how long will it take?" Ryou asked impatiently. He didn't need a history of the suit. He just needed to know that it would work, and work soon.
"Well we have most of the parts here to enable conversion," the mechanic answered. "As soon as we got word you wanted to upgrade it we began construction of the wing binder and new thruster system. I'm thinking a week since we also have to repair the leg."
"We don't have that long," the Londo Bell pilot protested, unsatisfied with the answer. "We need it in three days tops!"
"I'm sorry but look – our focus is split. This isn't the only project we're on. And my crew's been working steady fourteen-hour shifts. And there's only so much we can do so."
"Michael, don't you have family on Earth?" The voice came from an older man. However the way he carried himself through the work area of the bay was a clear sign he was no disconnected figurehead, but a man intimately connected with his work and the people under him.
"Mr. October you know better than all of us we all just work for the corporation," the man tried to explain. "It's not like we want to build for the Neo Zeon," he argued trying to defend his actions, maybe more for himself than for his questioning superior.
"Yes I know," the aged man said. His sandy brown hair was disheveled and his eyes heavy with thought. "That's why I'll make it easy on you. Focus all the men you have at your control onto the Re-GZ."
"But sir the Neo Zeon just put in..."
"I know and as head of this division I am telling you that the Re-GZ takes priority. I want work stopped on any other projects you have going."
"Yes sir," the younger man agreed reluctantly. He jumped onto the bridge above and began ordering his men to get the rest of the staff on the job.
"Thank you sir," Ryou said, extending his hand.
October accepted the gesture with his gloved hand. "If Axis taught me anything it's that we came too close to the point of no return." The older man laid his other hand on Ryou's shoulder and focused his intense eyes into the younger man's. "And if they had succeeded it would have been partially this division's fault. Even if we're just doing corporate business it can't justify ignoring Londo Bell now. It won't be a Nu Gundam, but it'll be ready in two days time."
"Sir you don't know how much you've already helped," Ryou said with sincere gratitude.
"And one more thing..." October said softly. His hand dug into his pocket and produced a disk. He handed it to Ryou. "They'll have my ass on a platter if they find out, but I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't do this. Look over it later."
= = = = =
"It's confirmed. The ships seen leaving Sweetwater were evacuation ships. The ships are making increasingly frequent runs."
"How long until the whole colony is evacuated?" Bright asked, resting his head on his folded hands as he braced for the news.
"The colony will be completely evacuated within the day."
"I'll assume that the Federation won't mobilize main forces," Bright muttered, voice dripping with indignation.
"Their position remains the same. They do not believe that these actions should be considered an act of war. The Londo Bell is free to engage Neo Zeon renegades should they refuse to surrender but, no backup will be provided. No authorization to attack Sweetwater has been given."
"What's the report from the Ra Kiev?"
"The Ra Kiev and Ryou intercepted a small Neo Zeon squadron at Anaheim, most likely there to pick up Mobile Suits."
"Do they have an estimated time for arrival?"
"The lieutenant is reporting two days."
= = = = =
Nanai looked up at the Jagd-Doga. She was now amazed that she had any visual as she gazed at the bullet ridden hawk-like skull. The left arm was completely worthless, from the fingers and their melted metal casing to the bare and cracked shoulder. The scarlet red paint, the legacy of the Red Comet, was covered with scorch marks more often than not.
"You still wish to go into battle?" Lyle asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow at the notion.
"Shut up," Nanai snapped. Lyle chortled and held a smug grin for a second before he turned around.
"Have you downloaded the data yet?" he asked the mechanic.
"Yes sir," the mechanic answered. "It's over there on the computer if you will."
The group moved to the small terminal and stared at the screen as the technician's fingers flew at the keyboard, honed from years of this type of work. The black screen with a blinking white text bar soon displayed a picture of the Re-GZ, and estimated pilot statistics.
"That can't be right..." Lyle said as he looked at the reaction time. "Are you sure this is right?"
"This is the average estimate based on the video."
"That means that kid is a..."
"...newtype," Nanai finished.
= = = = =
Ryou double clicked on the disk. The LCD went black then brought up a green polygonal frame of the Psyco-Doga. Ryou's emerald eyes widened in disbelief. "This must be the new Neo-Zeon suit..."
He clicked again and the polygonal skeleton filled in with the tan beige armor of the finished product, and a side shot of the unit now accompanied the frontal view as well. An artificial voice with its monotone pitch began talking.
"Unit NZ-333, Codename: Psyco-Doga. A heavy assault mobile suit, it features six full sized funnels stored under its skirt armor. Two beam cannons are mounted on each shoulder controlled through psycommu. In addition the unit mounts two propulsion tanks as well as an I-field generator. Maximum thrust is estimated to be 5.21 G..."
Ryou cut the program off. He copied the data from the disk onto his laptop's hard drive and hit the eject button. He stuffed it back in the case and hurried out of his room.
He made his way through the hallways of the Ra Kiev, nodding his head politely in response to his fellow soldier's greetings. He rapped on the door of the communications wing.
"Hey Lieutenant, what do you need?" Erica answered. She was a young girl, and even though a soldier she hadn't lost that glimmer of innocence in her eyes. In her large brown eyes was a careless spirit, untainted by the war. Her responsibilities lay within communication, so she had yet to experience the horrors of battle like her pilot comrades. Her blond hair came to her neck, framing her slender face.
"Hey can you send a copy of everything on this desk to Captain Noah?" the man asked, procuring the diskette from his pocket.
The girl made a half frown, "I do have work, believe it or not. I can do it, but what do I get out of it?"
"Uh, my thanks?" Ryou answered with a grin.
"That doesn't make up for anything," she pouted. "How ab – hey we're not finished here!" she called after the fleeing pilot.
"Thanks a bunch, I owe you! Oh and don't look at what's on there, it's confidential!"
He pushed off from the ship, drifting slowly down to the floor of Anaheim's hangar through the weightlessness of zero gravity. He made his way through a series of hallways and handrails to the mechanics bay.
"Lieutenant, can we help you with anything?" Michael asked.
"Yeah actually, I came down in order to check with you about the Re-GZ."
"Well as you can see progress has gone up quite a bit, we'll meet your schedule no problem," the technician assured the Londo Bell pilot.
"I needed to know about the weaponry," Ryou clarified.
"Well in addition to the Wave Rider mode the unit will have additional thrust and maneuverability. The beam weaponry in Wave rider is a grade apart from that of the BWS. The beam riffle's been scrapped for a beam assault riffle. It's equipped with two hyper beam sabers that can function as beam cannons. And you'll still have the vulcans and missile launcher."
"What about the grenade launchers?" Ryou asked, concerned about the emphasis on beam weaponry.
"We had to get rid of them, they were in the way of transformation," Michael explained. "But the new weaponry is much stronger than live ammunition anyway..."
"Beam weaponry doesn't go through I-fields though, does it?"
"No," the technician admitted.
"I need you to find a place for those grenade launchers, or at the very least some flash crackers. I you can't mount grenades I'll need a bazooka; remote control capability of you can manage it." Michael scribbled the notes down on his clipboard. "Will it still be on schedule?"
"I don't know; we'll try out best."
"Okay, thanks," the young officer said quickly as he moved back to the Ra Kiev.
= = = = =
"How long until it's fixed?" Nanai asked, turning their attention back to the suit.
"That Feddie did a number on it," the mechanic began. Nanai scowled. "It'll be ready in two or three days. We're strapped for men as it is, we're having lots of our guy piloting those evacuation ships from Sweetwater to the Side 3 colonies."
"All right," Nanai said, accepting the delay as she strolled away. Lyle fell into pace with her. "How long until evacuations are complete?" "Three or four hours at most," Lyle answered.
"How fast can we deploy?" Nanai asked checking the papers she carried in her arm.
"About nine hours. It's projected that Sweetwater's journey will take about 48 hours."
= = = = =
The auditorium was large, and the noise from the floor projected out to all of the room. The Londo Bell pilots sat in the seats near the front. The room was dark in order to show the map on projection, which traveled in the form of a single beam of light that struck the white screen to display the image.
"We believe the Neo Zeon will be traveling along this path to enter the atmosphere here," Tooth explained pointing to a marked red X on the map with a laser pointer. "We're going to blow Sweetwater away before she threatens Earth. We've got no more nukes, but this ain't no asteroid – if we hit Sweetwater hard enough it'll blow, and hopefully explode the nukes the Zeeks have on there themselves. You're to engage the Neo Zeon troops and clear a path for a barrage."
"We're going to attack here," Bright pointed at another part of the map, some ways before the red X. "We strike hard and fast. Wave 1 will deploy here, Wave 2 here. We'll not be helping you with friendly fire so you'll have to be resourceful."
The Londo Bell pilots absorbed the information and began whispering amongst themselves.
"Hopefully the Ra Kiev and the Lieutenant will be flanking from here," Tooth said, raising his voice a touch to project it over the inner discussions. "Any questions?" The silence satisfied the Londo Bell operations manager, and he returned the room's lighting to normal.
"Everyone, are you willing to risk your lives once more?" Bright asked. He peered at their faces, stern and determined. Not one flinched under his examining gaze. "All right we move out from Londenion at once. Board the ships and prepare for launch," Bright ordered.
A communications officer made his way through the crowd of pilots down to Tooth and Bright. "A copy of a disk Lieutenant Okuimi sent to the Ra Cailum sir. It's been marked confidential."
Bright took the disk, "All right you're dismissed." The man lingered around a bit, anxious and nervous about the contents of the disk, but it became clear that the two had no intention of examining the files in his presence.
"What do you think it is?" the larger man asked as the last people exited from the auditorium.
"I don't know, but I doubt it's good."
= = = = =
"We'll have defenders here, here, and here," Nanai said pointing to three spots rapidly on the map. "Your job will be to make sure the Londo Bell does not damage Sweetwater. The colony must make it into the atmosphere in top condition; we have only one chance. The Federation is not dumb enough to give us another asteroid."
"Nah, it could happen."
That brought roars of laughter from Rezin Schnyder's old division.
Nanai ignored them and brought up a close-up of the colony on the screen. "The nuclear weapons will be stationed inside of this docking bay here, it is imperative they survive."
"Gee don't let the nukes detonate, that's a tough one!" came the voice from before. More roars of laughter responded to the second joke. Nanai strode over to the Geara Doga pilot.
Her fist swung across in an explosion of movement; he was laid low.
"I will be personally leading the defense in the Psyco-Doga," Nanai continued, walking back to the front. "Any questions? Good. We start at 0500 hours; sleep and get your preparations done and be at mission position by 0400."