NOTE: To Starscream, thanks for the review. I'm sorry I haven't upload Deal with The Devil lately, but I'll try my best. I hope you enjoy this little story.
Chapter IV: Secret Weapon
EFS Stockholm, X-Divisional Fleet,
Dark Side of Lagrange Point 1,
March 10, UC 0088
Three days had passed since the X-Divisional Fleet's first combat as renegades, and since then they cowered in the dark side of L1, hiding under Federation's radars while licking their wounds from the skirmish with the 51st MS Division. The tactical officers from Stockholm tapped into EFF frequency, eavesdropping the Fed's communication line. EFF sent their probes to find the X-Divisional Fleet around Shoal Zone and any possible route from their last contact to Ayers City. But Admiral Brian Aeno was wise to choose the dark side of L1, the last place the EFF would search.
Something had been bugging Armus Gray since Brian Aeno decided to back out from the battle with the 51st MS Division amidst their winning condition. Every field commander knew that killing the flagship of a fleet would render the fleet useless. Leaving the flagship intact not only boosted the morale of enemy, but also opened a wide opportunity for the enemy to launch a deadly counter attack. So far the 51st shied from doing so, probably because they were not an elite team. But Armus considered themselves as lucky. Fortunately for Armus, the admiral decided to visit Stockholm to address his appraisal toward the GraveWalkers in person. He prepared himself to confront the admiral about it.
A small shuttle landed on the hangar, as the GraveWalkers stood in single column. The hatch of the shuttle squeaked, and two armed men jumped out of the ship, one stood on the right of the door, the other took the left. Then Admiral Brian Aeno stepped out of the shuttle. He was a rugged man, and his long, illustrious military career was etched on the creases on his face.
"Officer on deck!" Armus yelled and snapped a salute, followed by his subordinates.
"As you were," Aeno replied. "My comrades the GraveWalkers, I want to express my highest gratitude for fighting for my cause. Our cause! Rear Admiral Morrison couldn't be more right to suggest you to me. You've made him really proud. Hell, you made me proud for having you onboard! I'm not gonna lie to you. The path we take will only get tougher. But I believe in my cause, and I know you all believe in yours. Mark my words, ladies and gents! We will win this war! Now carry on, soldiers!"
As the admiral turned to his shuttle, Armus stepped forward, "Admiral, Sir, there's something I would like to discuss with you. I know you are busy, Sir, but I'd appreciate your 10 minutes."
Aeno turned back. "On with it, Lieutenant."
"I'd like to keep it private, Sir. Ten minutes, it's all I'm asking."
Aeno understood that Armus was going to challenge his decision to back out from the battle, and he saw no good in fooling the lieutenant. So he said, "In your chamber, Lieutenant. You'd better make this important or you'll waste my 10 minutes!"
Armus saluted, signaled Jack Pielhau to dismiss the GraveWalker, then led the way to his chamber. When they entered the chamber, Armus deadbolted the door, making sure nobody would disrupt his conversation with the admiral. Meanwhile, Aeno took a chair and sat down, then said, "I know what's in your mind, Lieutenant. You're upset about my decision to leave the battlefield before finishing the job."
"We both know that we gave the 51st a chance to strike back by backing out, Sir," Armus let it loose. "We are lucky they didn't take it, but we can't depend on such a miracle next time we fight."
"Let's say we did it for our own sake."
"Sir, my men hang their lives for you. They left their careers and their families behind because they believed in you. Please don't waste their talents and their faith, Sir."
Aeno got up and walked toward the window. Armus was right. He realized that the GraveWalker was a better unit than the rest of the X-Divisional Fleet, simply because of Armus Gray, a leader that respected his men. And Aeno always regarded that kind of leader the highest.
"Alright, Lieutenant. It seems that I owe you an explanation. Do you know why we stopped at Space Station Penta?"
"Reloading, Sir?"
"No," Aeno sighed. "We stopped to pick up an ultimate weapon. Ougusta Research Institute built this super mobile suit during the Gryps War, thinking that it was the weapon that would crush the Titans. But the AEUG fought better than everybody expected, and that Zeta Gundam was the one that sealed the fate of the Titans. So this mobile suit just sits at Penta, waiting for an opportunity to go to battle."
"Super mobile suit, Sir?" Armus frowned.
"Everything in this mobile suit is one level up of anything you've ever seen. This suit is capable of wiping an entire fleet all by itself. I'm not kidding, son. This suit is shoulder-to-shoulder to the Superior Gundam from Task Force Alpha. Now remember what I told you about the 343rd? If we had to fight that fleet, the only chance we can survive such a massive fleet with minute casualties is by using the super mobile suit. And it'll be a waste, since the 343rd is only a mediocre fleet, just a large number of regulars. I don't want to use our ultimate weapon to butcher a measly crowd. I want to use it to beat Task Force Alpha."
"I see," Armus gulped.
"Now, if you have to reason with your subordinates, you can use our conversation. But I don't want them to get lazy and regard this super mobile suit as their warlord. I want you to keep them as they were in the battle. Understand, Lieutenant?"
"Sir!" Armus saluted. "The GraveWalker will not let you down! I guarantee that, Sir!"
"Good! Now get me the hell out of here!"
Now this is something that you don't hear everyday. Aeno doesn't want to use the most powerful battlewagon in his arsenal to back up his principles. Imagine how the world would tremble if we slew the 51st and the 343rd altogether using this so-called super mobile suit. But instead, we're sitting here, in the dark side of L1, waiting for the EFF to get tired of this game, and then sneaking behind their back. Call me wrong, call me weird, but I start to feel that Aeno is a coward. And there's no deadlier curse for a soldier than going to battle under a coward leader. I almost feel like we should've gone home with the two cruisers that refused to back up Aeno's defection. But I might be a little overreacted. I'll see where Aeno will take his fleet. If he ever makes a decision that will harm my men again, I'll fry his ass.
EFS Stockholm, X-Divisional Fleet,
Ayers City, Moon,
March 12, UC 0088
Waiting 5 days hiding in the dark was excruciating for everybody, but luckily, Bull Run's tactical officers managed to find a course to slip behind EFF's back unnoticed, and quickly went to their final destination: Ayers City. As the X-Divisional Fleet touched down on the landing pad on top of Ayers City, Armus Gray prepared his official uniform, a clean blue jacket and sharp trousers with the same color. He paused in front of a mirror to marvel at himself for a moment. His chest was bare, without any stripes or medals other than his lieutenant wing. This mission could've been his first medal-worthy campaign, but instead he ruined it by defecting to a left-wing group called the New Desides. He smiled at that thought, then walked out of his chamber.
At the hangar, his entire crews were waiting for him. They gave him a salute. Armus returned it in a quick snap, then went to see his sergeants. "Did the techs fix our mobile suits?"
"Like shiny new, Sir," Jack replied. "Nobody would notice that we just got back from a battle."
"You look good in that uniform, Sir," Lynn commented with a small smirk.
"Thanks," Armus nodded, ignoring Lynn's smile. "Unload the mobile suits and group in a single column. Give the New Desides an impression of what we are. Clean guns make clean fights."
"Right away, Sir," Lynn saluted and dismissed herself, followed by Jack.
Armus put his helmet on, then waited until the techs opened the hangar door. He hopped into the landing pad, and the small gravity of the Moon enabled him to walk like a kangaroo. He entered the traffic control building and joined Admiral Brian Aeno as he was greeted by 3 men. Armus knew who they were. Hesitation occupied his mind for a moment, but he knew it was not the right time to show his doubt. He perfected his stature, and walked with steady steps toward the gentlemen.
"Welcome to Ayers City, Lieutenant Gray," the oldest man spoke. "I am Brave Cod, the leader of the New Desides. This is Ayers City mayor, Kaiser Pinefield, and this is my right hand, Captain Tosh Cray. Admiral Aeno speaks highly of how you fought incredibly against the EFF scums."
"Lieutenant Gray and his GraveWalker squadron destroyed a good portion of the 51st MS Division, setting up an easy battle for my infantries," Aeno added. "We should be glad to have them here."
"Thank you, Sir. Just doing my job."
"That's my kind of lieutenant," Cod chuckled. "A man of few words and a lot of action. So let me bring you up to speed, gentlemen. Task Force Alpha attacked Pezun for 5 days, March 2 to 7, and they sure kicked our asses real bad. We left Pezun with booby traps, but somehow Task Force Alpha managed to get away. Now they're on our tails. It can be any day now before they rain down their fire upon us."
"That might not be necessary," Kaiser Pinefield interjected, "if I can make the 'Lunar Cities Coalition' to work. I will campaign to other cities about our causes. If the entire cities on Moon back us up, we can make a motion that opposes EF aggression toward Ayers City. The Earth Federation senate will consider our motion, cease the aggression, and possibly disband Task Force Alpha. You see gentlemen, diplomacy can be very dangerous weapon."
"By the time the senate agree to cease the aggression, we're all dead," Aeno interrupted. "War is for mobile suits, and I happen to have Earth Federation's ultimate weapon, the one that was supposed to finish the Gryps War."
"I'm not aware of such a weapon," Tosh Cray said.
"That's because it's never been used. Highly classified, gentlemen. I believe this mobile suit will get you your revenge against Task Force Alpha. Wanna take a peek?"
"I'll be glad to," Cod grinned from ear to ear. "Revenge is always sweet. Then how should I make use of Lieutenant Gray?"
"Looks like the job for Josh Offshore," Tosh Cray flipped his comlink. "He's in charge of Ayer City's territorial defense. Yeah, Josh? Come here for a minute. I have something for you."
A minute later a young officer came. He was about the same age as Armus, with fatigue eyes that exemplified his sleep deprivation. When he came, Tosh Cray introduced Armus to him, "Lieutenant Gray, this is Lieutenant Josh Offshore. He'll show you his work."
"I've heard of you and your squadron, Lieutenant," Josh nodded in respect. "We sure can benefit from your team. Follow me, please. I'll show you how I set up the defense around Ayers City."
Armus followed Josh Offshore until they came into a small room. Josh pressed a button, and a 3-D hologram of Ayers City spread out in the room.
"Ayers City was built as an observation base," Josh explained, "but later it gradually developed into a metropolitan. During the Gryps War, Ayers City residents allied with the Titans and provided them with a supply base that was far away from the battlefield. Ayes City Mayor, Kaiser Pinefield gave Titans troops who came to seek shelter in Ayes City and rejected the Earth Federation Government's request to extradite them, arguing that the government interfered with the politics of the autonomous city. To cover the entire city, I've placed troops on these sectors." Josh pressed a button and several district blinked in bright red.
"What make your troops?" Armus asked.
"A combination of New Desides troops and locals, the Ayers City Militia.Our troops are the better ones, but we're significantly small in numbers. The local militias are... how should I put it... greenhorns. Most of them are wannabes and rejects, while the veterans can't even shoot straight."
"I see," Armus observed the city layout for a while. "Well, you can take your weakest unit and replace them by my squadron. Or you can put me in the most critical district in the city."
"Fair enough. Why don't you cover Chiba District, grid F54-G6. I'll place my men somewhere else, maybe break them up to support other ports. How many of you, by the way?"
"Twelve."
"Ah, the Dirty Dozen," Josh deactivated the hologram. "Thanks for joining in. If I don't know you, I'd say you're crazy to come in here and do this thing."
"Indeed, I am," Armus smiled. "But you know what? There are 11 crazier people that follow me around."
"Jeez," Josh burst into laughter. "Come on, I'll buy you a drink. There's a bar around here that serves good beer and naked women."
--------------------------------------------
Next, on "I, Feddie" Chapter V:
"Alright, GraveWalkers, listen up! Task Force Alpha is sending out their recon teams to monitor Ayers City. The New Desides want to let them in, so they can show off their military power. Our job is to avoid any weapon contact with them before they enter the city. Once they get in, we are to guard the door so the recon team cannot escape. The New Desides will deal with them. It is not our job to kill them, unless they try to pass our door. Got it, soldiers?"
"Jeez, another freak order. Who made this plan? The admiral?"
"Our job is to follow it, Pielhau. Doesn't matter who made it. Just do it and we'll be alright."
"Alright, Sir, as you wish."
Right in the middle of the city rose another mobile suit, a midnight-blue avatar with short, stocky rifle on its right hand and shield on its left. Two weird panels jutted out from its shoulder, almost like a pair of searchlights. The Nero intruders saw the new mobile suit and quickly sprayed it with their beam rifles. The blue mobile suit flinched to its left with remarkable speed, as if it disappeared and reemerged several hundred feet left from its original position. Then it drew its rifle and shot the Neros in quick succession. The Neros roared into fireballs, almost in unison.
"What... the... hell... is that?"
"Gundam Mk. V, I suppose. The Admiral's most valuable toy."
"What? Gundam... and you knew about this?"
"I heard of it, but I was as blind as you were until this very moment."
"That's why they let the Neros in. It's a test run!"
A dozen strands of light whipped out of their beam rifles, illuminating the dim environment, and speared one of the Neros right in its gut. The Nero blew up into a mini nova, raining down sizzling titanium armor and metal gristles. The other two Neros danced in the sky to elude the attacks, then fired off their own beam rifle. One streak lanced the shoulder of a Z Plus, the other lacerated its waist. Tongues of fire lashed out from the wound as the hapless Z Plus rocked back and forth, then thudded to the ground.