Chapter XII: Calm Before The Storm
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EFS Bull Run, X Divisional Fleet,
April 2, UC 0088
For 3 days the former New Desides and X-Divisional Fleet tiptoed in the dark space, shrinking their visage every time a Federation's patrol passed by, cowering under the shadow of Earth. It was a paradox to the New Desides and X-Divisional Fleet 2 weeks later, where they stood insolently before the mighty army of the Federation. But their pride faded away with their comrades that didn't make it out of Ayers City, and they learnt their lesson hard. They didn't challenge EFF authority this time, instead they stealthed under EFF radar to deliver a hard punch straight to the Federation's heart. And now they stood wobbly in front of the gate to their attack: Space Station Penta.
"It's quiet," Lynn commented, watching the figure of Penta through the screen in Bull Run's command center. "There are no mobile suits or fighters around. Just like Captain Tosh Cray foresaw."
"It doesn't mean that it's not wired," Armus replied. "It's not EFF standard to leave a base empty."
"That's why speed is really a key factor," Tosh Cray said. "Blitzkrieg will catch them off guard for a while. Armus, your squad has superior speed in the Z Plus. Why don't you open our attack. Clear the station before they can send anything to mother Earth. But we may need their supply, so try not to lay mess to their inventories."
"Affirmative."
"My Xeku Zwei has afterburners to catch up with you in a short time," Josh said. "I'm coming with you. Thought you could use extra hands."
"Extra weapon will do fine," Armus hissed. "Alright, suit up GraveWalkers!"
The GraveWalker squadron rushed to the hangar, Josh Offshore two steps behind. They climbed their mobile suits and kicked their reactor to maximum. Blue flames licked out of their nozzles, patenting their enthusiasm to quickly get the job done. When the hangar bay rumbled open, 4 WaveRiders and a Xeku Zwei flashed out of Bull Run. Armus pushed the thruster to maximum, whipping his mobile suit through the cold, dark space toward Penta. His WaveRider was cranky, shaking and screeching, a sure sign of internal battle scar, yet nevertheless granted his wish to sprint toward the unguarded space station.
Without much of resistant, the 5 mobile suits closed in and busted into Penta's bay in a very short time. Dozens of eyes greeted them with awe, but they were not soldiers' eyes. They were technicians. Armus parked his WaveRider, jumped out with his sidearm pointing at the crowd in a menacing posture, but the technicians just let him do it without any gesture to return hostility. Armus waited until his comrades could back him up, then addressed the technicians, "Listen to me, I will only say it once. We don't want trouble, but if you don't comply with me, you'll get trouble. Who's in charge here?"
"Captain Petrov, second level," one of the techs quickly answered.
"How many?" Josh added.
"Twenty five, thirty at most. I don't know, man. I don't count."
"Alright! All of you – go to the corner and stay there for a while. Just do what I say, and I promise you, you'll get home safe and sound."
As the technicians swayed to a corner, Armus went to his two wingmen. "If they make any provocation whatsoever, kill them. It's your asses you're defending, not mine. You're in charge until I get back." Armus turned to Lynn and Josh. "Ten to one odds. Are you up for that?"
"It's been a long time since I had a shootout, Sir!" Lynn cracked her knuckles. "I kinda miss it."
"Alright. Wait here 2 minutes, then send the elevator to second level and take the stairs. Josh, let's hunt some Captain Petrov!"
Armus and Josh cocked their pistols and sprinted toward the fire exit. The fire stairway was a spiraling steps that ascended some 300 meters from the hangar up to the command center. Lucky for Armus and Josh, the second level was only 20 meters above the hangar. They devoured the steps in no time, and came into a steel door with a small glass window. Armus took a peek, and the image of two dozen soldiers setting up an ambush at the elevator leapt into his eyes. A man in a red baret shouted his orders, orchestrating his troops to line up in front of the elevator, assault rifles hot and ready. The elevator hummed, and the small tracker on top of the door moved from hangar to the first level.
Armus cued Josh to get ready.
The elevator dinged, and the light for second level gleamed. The door slid open, and at the same time the man in the red baret barked. The assault guns flashed, spitting hot slugs toward the innards of the elevator. Sparks burst upon impacts, and the rattling sound blended with ricochets. There were not spaces 5-inch wide that were not riddled with bullets. But of course, they were shooting at void.
Armus and Josh burst out of the fire exit and roared their weapons. Five troops screamed and toppled, writhing in their own pool of blood. The leader in the red baret turned around and yelled in panic, but Josh sank 2 bullets into his chest. He choked a muffled scream, then slammed into the ground with two fountains of blood in his chest. Armus struck down two more soldiers before his gun clicked. He dove behind a barrel, just as a soldier showered him with machine gun slugs. Bullets whizzed on top of his head, but they failed to harm him. Josh fired his last round, then took a refuge behind another barrel. The remaining soldiers regrouped and peppered Armus and Josh's positions.
Lynn arrived and quickly made her pistol to work. Three shots quickly bore the heads of three soldiers. She shifted position to her right and fired again, bringing down 2 more soldiers with her razor-sharp marksmanship. Armus and Josh emerged from the barrels, pinning down the soldiers in a nasty crossfire. They fired until the last soldier fell, gurgling and retching, blood gushing from every orifice. His fall was the epitome of his defeat, his death the end of the resistance.
"Not bad," Josh tossed his pistol in exchange of an assault rifle from a dead soldier. "Not bad at all. I should've given you more liberty to set up your own battle scheme."
"You gave me enough," Armus got himself an assault rifle. "Now let's secure the command center. Varr, you stay here. Scavenge their weapons and shoot anybody that is not one of us."
The two lieutenants boarded the mangled elevator and punched the button for command center. The elevator creaked and screeched to move out, and small splinters fell from the wall as it quaked to ascend to the summit. Armus and Josh put fresh clips into the bloodied assault rifles and waited until the elevator dinged. They cocked their rifles, and quickly burst out as the door slid open. But fortunately, they didn't have to fight anymore. There were no soldiers on the command center, only weary tactical officers on their stations. From the corner of his eyes Josh Offshore saw a man stumbled for his sidearm. He fired two rounds, which quickly rummaged the innards of the man. The man yelped, then sloshed to the ground.
"Nobody moves!" Armus yelled as the tactical officers started to get up from their seats. "Keep your butts on your seats, and you won't get hurt!"
Josh scrambled the dying man, hurled the inside of his pockets until he found an ID. "Colonel Rusetski, EFF," Josh cried. "I guess we own Penta now."
Armus nodded, then came to the communication officer. "Link me to broadcast channel!" he pressed his gun on the cheek of the officer. The officer quickly went to work, and in 5 second he gave Armus a microphone. "This is Armus Gray. Penta is secured."
Twenty minutes later, Bull Run, Seikyou, and Zodiac docked with Penta. Tosh Cray declared the acquisition of Penta by New Desides and X-Divisional Fleet Army, then sent the rest of the New Desides to occupy the space station. Josh Offshore assembled the technicians to repair Bull Run, Seikyou, and the 5 mobile suits as good as they could pull off. Brian Aeno led a team of 5 to find ammunition, fuel, spare parts, anything valuable for their next journey. Armus vacated the command center and sent the tactical officers down to the hangar, where they were treated as POWs. He cut off communication lines from EFF, all but one that hooked him up with the top command of EFF. Feeling secure enough, he hailed Lynn and the other two GraveWalkers to the command center.
"I confiscated 20 working assault rifles and about 3 dozen clips from Petrov's security guards," Lynn reported. "I sent them to Captain Tosh Cray, but I got one for each of us with 2 clips."
"Thanks," Armus grabbed 2 clips and put them in his pocket. "I don't know if we ever need them again, but better be prepared, right?" He took a deep breath. "The techs won't be ready in 5 hours, so why don't you get some rest? The radar will tell us if EFF comes nearer than 50 clicks."
"Yessir," Lynn responded. "There's a coffee machine on the corner. I'll make one for you."
When Lynn went to make coffee, Armus leaned back on his chair, staring blankly at the vast space through the window. It was quiet, very quiet, different from the world he knew for the last 8 years of his life. For ones Armus thought if he ever came back to live a different life. To walk in the path of his businessman father. To dwell in the simple yet peaceful life of his ancestors. He pondered his decisions, and wondered if he ever made a right one in his life. Just one.
What if? Yes, the one-million-dollar question. What if I didn't follow Aeno's step to join this insurrection? What if I said no to Morrison? What if I didn't enlist myself to the EFF? What if I chose college over military? What if?
Will everything make a difference?
Maybe. Maybe Jack is still alive now. Then again, maybe not. If it's not with me, he'll die with somebody else anyway. This stupid war will happen with or without me in it.
I don't know. I just don't know.
"They don't have sugar, so here's your black coffee, Sir," Lynn came and handed the styrofoam cup to Armus.
"Thanks," Armus got the cup and hoisted his legs up in the console. "How do you see your life after this war, Sergeant? What do you want to do?"
"Me, Sir?" Lynn took a chair beside Armus. "Well, what I want to do is different from what will happen. For once, I want to quit the military. I'm sick of this killing business. I'm a doctor, and I was sworn to uphold life in any form. Being a soldier messed up my rectitude a little."
"I don't blame you."
"I want to be a doctor, a wife, a mother, a human. I want to get married, I want to find myself a strong man to cling on, someone who understands me, treats me like a princess. I want kids that make me proud, make me cry and smile at the same time. But it's only a dream now. Who wants an ex-con doctor? I could, probably, go to Jupiter for some jobs that only need recklessness, like a miner or a security guard."
"I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess," Armus whispered.
"Hey, it's my decision to fight with your, Sir," Lynn sipped her coffee. "I could've said no, remember? So I don't want to cry over a crushed dream. I take all responsibility of my life. What about you, Sir? Any plan after this is over?"
Armus took 2 minutes before he answered, "I don't know. I've mad bad decisions all my life, and I don't know if I can make a good one."
"Is this about Jack?" Lynn asked carefully.
"Jack, you, and anybody else that is hapless enough to end up with me."
"Sir, you are the best leader I've ever worked for," Lynn said. "You put your men as your first priority. I don't know if I can ever ask a better leader. I'm sure Jack agreed with me. It's been a privilege to fight with you, Sir."
"The honor is still mine, Lynn."
Lynn shot up. "Sir?"
"What? Wasn't it clear enough?"
"No, Sir," a broad smile sprung upon her lips. "You just called me Lynn."
"Well, about time, isn't it?"
"Hell yes, Sir!" Lynn replied enthusiastically. "About damn time!"
Armus smiled at her. He didn't know how much time he had with Lynn. He didn't want his last time with Lynn, and the rest of his GraveWalker, ended up with Lieutenant – Sergeant – Soldier relationship. Should they part, he wanted to remember them as his friends. Because only friends were willing to follow him through the gates of hell. Even though they knew there was no way back.
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Next, on "I, Feddie" Chapter XIII:
"I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid of the future. What's next after this? Suppose we accomplish our mission... will the Earth Federation change? Will corruption stop? Will Earthnoids split from Spacenoids? And if they do, will it make any difference to us? And then, what will become of us?"
"Clearly you have forgotten of what it takes to be a soldier. We were Earth Federation once, you and me. We soldiers were never trained to second-guess our judgment. We're not bred to think. We're made to one and only one purpose: to accomplish our mission. Second-guessing leads to hesitation, hesitation leads to death, or losing a war for that matter. You're thinking too much, Armus."
"How come loosing most of your men doesn't make you think about these things?"
"Because nothing is cheap. We have to pay for everything we want. We are trying to remind people about the danger of living with Spacenoids. The death of our comrades, and possibly our own, is the price we have to pay to make people remember. Death is not something you want to remember your comrades by, but if we accomplish this mission, then death is our glory. Now come on. It's time."
The S Gundam was simply too powerful for the GraveWalkers. With a quick swing, the S Gundam lined up its nozzle with the WaveRider, and a blinding light burst from the tip of the gun. Seconds later the WaveRider breached into two parts, gutted by the razor-sharp assault of the S Gundam. The two parts then exploded, sending cloud of flare and dust into the space.
"Bull Run, we can't hold on! We need immediate cover fire!"
"Lieutenant, Bull Run has lost 80 of her combat capability. She is no use for you. I will concede to the Earth Federation Force."
"What...."
"Bull Run surrenders to the Earth Federation Force. I'm sorry, Son. You're on your own."