Chapter 8: Cornered
"They're desperate." Akiko muttered in her cold indifferent tone. "They're going to try to take out the meteor with the battleship."
"Then we have to destroy it before they can do that." Amura responded switching to his mobile suits beam cannon. He charged forward ready to start firing. He charged up the cannon and aimed it right at the bridge.
"Captain!" Nisokoff screamed through the intercom. He could see the two mobile suits in his rear view camera but had no hope of combating them like this. At the last second he saw one mobile suit grab the other's cannon causing the beam to soot just over the ship. "What the..." He switched to their frequency.
"Akiko! What the hell if we don't take them out now they'll destroy the base!" Amura screamed frustrated. Nisokoff watched the other mobile suit let go of the cannon and draw its two beam rifles.
"Peace shouldn't be paid in blood. Not senseless blood like this." She muttered with human emotion in her voice for the first time. With that she darted away and started destroying the numerous cannons on the outside of the ship. The other followed suit and soon all of the minor cannons were disabled.
"Idiots." He muttered indignantly. "You can't stop the main cannon like that. You'll have to blow up the ship to stop it..." He jammed his thrusters and slowly started moving back and towards the front of the ship.
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"Sir they just eliminated all of our defensive and offensive cannons without being hit once!" The first mate blurted in astonishment.
"I can see that." Jacobin responded with cool confidence. "It doesn't make any difference, fire the main cannon right at the colony."
"Sir! You hear him! Charge the main cannon!" The first mate barked.
"Two minutes to full charge." One of the bridge mates chimed.
"As soon as the target is eliminated turn 180 degrees starboard and re-route all power to the engines to escape." Jacobin said calmly as if there wasn't a single ounce of danger present.
"Yes Sir!"
"One minute thirty second to full charge!"
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"What is he doing?" Akiko wondered watching the disabled enemy suit move slowly in front of the ship. A light on the counsel started blinking indicating that there was an incoming message on another frequency. She switch to the frequency and saw a boy not much older than her looking back with a sort of relieved smile on his face.
"I can see that this war won't be as senseless as I thought so long as there are people who think like me on it. However the next time we meet I will destroy your friend for killing my friends. I hope your not to attached to him." Nisokoff said looking up at her with cold blue eyes.
"Don't take war personally. As soon as you do, it get a lot harder." Akiko responded with a sadness in her voice.
"Maybe you should take your own advice." The monitor switched off as he left the frequency. She pounded her fist into the counsel and let out a pained gasped.
"I can't protect everyone. But I... I have to..." She gasped as a tear streamed down her face. "I have to protect them inside and out..."
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"Sir! Nisokoff's Jin has accidentally floated in front of the ship!" A bridge hand reported frantically.
"Order him to move then." Jacobin replied simply.
"He can't Sir his completely out of power!"
"Sir! The main cannon is completely charged. What's your order?" Another bridge hand wondered looking back at Jacobin. The captain debated for just a moment before giving the order.
"Fire the cannon."
"But Nisokoff!"
"Fire the cannon. One life is of no consequence in war. People die in wars. It's the price we pay for the betterment of our cause." Jacobin replied coldly.
"Yes Sir Begin firing sequence!"
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"The bastard is going to fire the cannon anyways." Nisokoff thought with a sigh. "Well I suppose it's better than the result of me living. Sacrifice is a noble way to die even if it is in vain."
"Akiko we have to do something they're going to fire the cannon!" Amura scream chucking his rifles and grabbing the cannon.
"It's too late now that they've started the sequence. You won't be able to charge your cannon in time. Good bye." Akiko replied matter of factly.
"Damn! We're cornered! Either way we lose! Then let's get out of here! We can retreat and come back after they've left!" Amura shouted turning a jetting out of the way. Akiko watched him retreat for a moment then looked back at Nisokoff's mobile suit sitting helplessly in the line of fire.
"Friend or foe. I have to protect. That's all I feel that's all I know. Is this overwhelming will and desire to protect." She muttered as she jammed her thrusters to full power and zipped towards Nisokoff. She slammed into his mobile suit and pushed him out of the way just before the cannon fired. The intense beam from the cannon cut through space and headed directly toward the meteor. Suddenly there was a massive explosion and Akiko started crying; Nisokoff switched to her frequency and watched her body quiver up and down gently. "Mori... I hope you got in there in time. Please have gotten there in time. Please be ok..." She muttered over and over again. Nisokoff held his hand out and touched the screen gently with his gloved fingers.
"Why are you here? You shouldn't be here if you care enough to save someone like me. I'm your enemy..." He whispered not thinking that she could hear him. "I would have killed you and hated myself because I did it. But you... Why?" She slowly raised her head and looked at the screen. She flipped the face guard up and without the glare from the screens in the cockpit he could see her face clearly. He gasped when he saw the resoluteness in her eyes that seemed to betray her simple carefree beauty.
"Because if I can't save those I care about then I'll save the ones I should hate. Then they can learn mercy." She replied with emotion in her voice once again. He flipped his face guard up and looked back at her with sadness on his face.
"You're still my enemy. Sorry. Good-bye." He lifted his rifle to the midsection of her mobile suit. She closed her eyes and nodded in her head. "People like you shouldn't be in a battle. People like you should be the ones being fought for and protected so that people like me have something to believe in." His voice was becoming more and more strained. "If you all die what the hell are am I supposed to believe in?!" He dropped the rifle and started crying.
"I will have to kill you if you attack me again." She went on in her indifferent voice. "I can't have you preventing me from protecting others." She finished then shoved him away towards his own ship then darted away in the direction Amura had gone.