Notes: The original version of this fic was removed and this rewrite posted
as an entirely new fic. This way new reviewers won't confuse the old
reviews and associate them with the rewrite. (it'll also bring the fic to
the top of the category for a while)
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ OR Gundam. I DO own my own characters. No money is beign made off of this writing so there is no justifiable reason to sue. I'm just a poor soul with a six-year-old piece of crap computer, so you wouldn't get anything, anyway.
Ranma Gundam 2008; War of Terror(rewrite)
By Tekkaman Xero
Prologue
May 26th, 2007, New Edwards Test Flight Center, California.
The sun rose slowly on the eastern horizon. Even in the desert the is the northern section of New Edwards Test Flight Center, this could be regarded as a trule beautiful sight.
Unfortunately, admiring that sight proved to be the downfall of a test pilot as he paused to admire it too long. Good thing it was only a mock battle. "Bill! You're in a fight! Don't stop for nothin'!" Xero shouted through the com.
"Easy for you to say!"
A group of ground-model RGM-79 GM Mobile Suits pursued a light green GM of a new type. Piloting the group of GMs were various pilots ranging from as young as 18 to as old as 28. The pilot of the green suit was Xero Prime. Best test pilot of New Edwards Test Flight Center. Xero was 24 years old. He was one of the greatest MS pilots in America. He was 5'8", with a slight muscular build. He had long (waist-length) black hair that had been kept that way thanks to his brother's influence. ('cause if he DIDN'T get to keep the hair, there would be a homicide, or a suicide!) It was always kept tied back into a loose ponytail, except for a spot on the right side of his face that was cut chin-length, and hung down loosely, framing the right side of his face, in a way. He had soft blue eyes that spoke of a sadness no one else could ever know. In spite of this, he was a very outgoing young man. His personality doesn't agree with what can be seen in his eyes. He spoke little of his past. Even his own brother did not know what he had seen that created this hidden sadness deep within him. And no one ever questioned it.
"Xero. How's the GM Custom handling?"
"Great! Definitely the best! You outdid yourself this time!"
The purpose of the GM Custom was to test ideas to make those old GMs made back in 2004 obsolete. Joseph Prime, the designer of the first Mobile Suits, first attempt at new MS technology, the MS-05 Zaku, had been stolen about a year ago. Since then he'd worked hard to develop a NEW prototype. The resulting RGM-79N GM Custom was the quickest, most powerful MS design to date, and would probably not be surpassed for several years. His younger brother, Xero, was the only Mobile Suit pilot in America who had proven capable of piloting of the GM Custom.
Shortly after the test, maintenance crews led by MS Pilot/mechanic Nikita Harte, AKA "Ice Bitch," went to work on the GMs. Nikita was rather young, at only 22, but was an excellent mechanic. She had a great figure, stood at about 5'6", shoulder-length blonde hair, and green eyes that seemed to pierce right into your soul.
"So what's your impression of the GM Custom?" Joe asked. Joe was 26 years old. He was the man who took the disaster four years ago and turned it into the technology that has now developed Mobile Suits. He was about 6'2", with black hair in a crewcut. He was often sighted taking MS out for joyrides in the testing area. No one cared, though, as HE had developed the Mobile Suits.
"It's fast. So fast it's almost scary. I could barely handle it. Will it even be possible for a normal pilot to handle this thing in combat?"
Xero was about to get his answer. In the western area of the base, a series of explosions occurred, taking out several hangars. Emergency sirens blared.
"We're under attack by five squadrons of Zaku-type Mobile Suits! Black team, scramble! Form a defensive line!"
Xero went into full soldier mode. "Ready the GM Custom! Load it up with everything you can!"
"We need ten minutes to charge the beam saber, plus ten more to load the Vulcan and machine guns! We need 20 minutes!"
"You got ten! Get to work!"
Joe knew better than to try and stop Xero. "You heard him! Get goin'!"
Twelve minutes later, the GM Custom finally left the hangar. The other MS Teams, equipped with older-model GMs, had taken severe damages. The enemy force had barely been touched. Xero had no time to assess the situation. "Brown, Black, and Red Teams pull back and cover me! Blue team, fall in on me!"
The five remaining GMs on Blue Team got into formation behind Xero. "Punch through the middle! Split 'em apart! Gold team, take the right flank!"
And so, they charged, weapons blazing. Forcing the enemy Zakus to break formations. Gold team, from their flanking position, easily began pounding the Zaku pilots. It's obvious that up until now, the enemy had been winning only because of the superior technology taken from the stolen Zaku. With the arrival of the even more advanced GM Custom, and the tactics change, the obviously inexperienced pilots began to fall like flies. They were quickly forced to retreat.
"Nice work, Xero. I'd say we can consider this defining test of the GM Custom."
"Can it, Joe. Let's help the cleanup."
One month later, Joe, Xero, and Nikita were summoned to Colonel Johnson's office.
"Reporting as ordered, sir!"
"At ease. I have been notified of a matter of the utmost concern. The governments of America, England, Russia, and Japan have just met. Apparently all of these countries have suffered similar attacks to the one we suffered a week ago. They've agreed to take action. The best scientists and pilots from all these countries are to join the newly-formed Alliance."
"Alliance?"
"It is the name being given to a massive task force created to hunt down the ones responsible for this, and locate whatever financial backing has allowed them to mass-produce the Zakus." Joe hung his head in shame that his creation had done such damage. "Relax, Joe. It's not considered your fault. You've all been called here because you'll be doing the most important jobs in our section of the Alliance." He handed them each a folder.
Joe read his, "Head of Mobile Suit and equipment development?"
"Yes. Your GM Custom is currently the most powerful Mobile Suit on Earth. They want it mass-produced for use by the Alliance, and they want it improved upon."
Xero read his, "Head MS Pilot for all Alliance forces?!"
"Your skill in piloting the GM Custom, and your leadership abilities shown during the battle have led to this decision."
Nikita read her own file, "Head of mechnical repairs on Grey Phantom assault unit? Huh?"
Joe spotted something else in his file, his first assignment in his position. "I think I know what that means. My first instructions are to design a aerial combat battleship and Mobile Suit transport for use by the most elite members of the Alliance. I surmise that would be Grey Phantom."
"Precisely. Mass-production of the GM Custom is not a big problem, however proper order in the Alliance was determined to be best maintained by creating a special section for the elite. Hence Grey Phantom. Members of Grey Phantom have authority over all of the Alliance, regardless of rank, with the exception of the Alliance Supreme Commander. You have two weeks leave before your tasks are to begin. I suggest you enjoy it."
"Sir!" They salute and left…
Chapter 1: Wars of Innocents
April 18th, 2008
Furinkan High was one of two focal points of chaos in Nerima. The other being Tendo dojo. However, today Furinkan would be where the source of all the chaos, one Ranma Saotome, would make a choice that would end the chaos. Of course, he did not know this as he blazed through the gates. He was VERY late and today he didn't even stop for Kuno's rambling. Rather, he simply ran over Kuno and continued on in.
During lunch, Akane stared, fuming, as Ranma ordered Okonomiyaki from Ukyo.
"You know, Akane, you really need to relax."
"Shut up, Nabiki! Just LOOK at that pervert! He's ALWAYS doing this!"
"You need a distraction, Akane. Maybe you should go on a vacation to relax."
"No way! That pervert would be all over Shampoo, Ukyo and probably even Kodachi!"
"Well, suit yourself. I'll see you tonight."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"I hear some new weapon is being delivered to the Alliance. I'm going to the base to try and get some pictures."
"The Alliance? That's just a regular base, Nabiki. There's no Alliance facilities anywhere near here."
"I beg to differ, Akane. I've found evidence that it's just a cover. Apparently, it's a research base."
"Wait a minute Na-"
BOOM!!! All heads turned to see an explosion in the distance.
Akane's friend Yuka spotted something out of the corner of her eye. "Look!" All heads turned, "An Alliance Mobile Suit!"
Indeed it was. The 50-foot GM Custom wasn't 100 feet from the school ground when it got shot up by a Zaku and went down. It soon became clear it wasn't the only suit. There were Mobile Suits fighting all over Nerima. One in particular caught Nabiki's eye. It ws like a GM, only bulkier. It had an almost human-like face, with a red protrusion on the bottom, almost like it was sticking it's tounge out. On top there was a gold V-fin. It was moving faster than ANY Alliance GM or Japanese Leo could. Nabiki was so caught up in the sight she failed to notice another GM crash down onto the school grounds. The pilot climbed out, barely able to move.
Ranma was there in the blink of an eye, but the man had already dropped down dead. "Damn…" Glancing into the cockpit, it looked relatively intact. A bullet from a Zaku had torn through the right viewscreen, rendering it useless. But all the controls seems just fine. What should I do?!
Ranma knew if he tried to pilot the Suit, he probably wouldn't be able to manage it. He'd probably be killed the moment the suit was seen moving. And if he DID manage it, he'd have to kill. He hated killing. He even hated killing Saffron. Still, wasn't it a martial artist's duty to protect those who couldn't protect themselves? Glancing back at the battle, he saw two more GMs go down, and saw two Zakus, and one model MS he;d never seen before, destroy a few buildings. He might up his mind right then and there. He jumped into the cockpit.
"Ranma! Are you crazy?!" Akane yelled.
"Let's see… How does this work?" He'd managed to close the cockpit, and the GM powered up automatically. But he need to figure out how to operate it. "These pedals must control the legs… And these handle the arms…"
After fumbling around for a while, he managed to get the GM on it's feet. About that time a Zaku stopped him and took aim. Ranma desperately searched for the wapons controls.
Akane saw the Zaku taking aim and looked away only a few seconds before gunfire rang out. But the GM didn't fall. Slowly, just looked back and saw Ranma had fired, not the Zaku. The Zaku had taken some vital hits from the GM's Vulcan and went down.
Inside, Ranma was getting the hang of the controls and was soon on his way. He soon found out he'd wasted all his Vulcan ammo on that Zaku and the beam rifle had two more shots left. Preferring fists over guns, he tucked the rifle into the hardpoint on the shield which the computer showed him, and having quickly mastered the controls, he went bout taking out the Zakus hand-to-hand.
This caught the eye of Xero Prime. "Who's piloting that GM?! Gundam to Grey Phantom! Identify the pilot of Blue 4."
"Blue 4?" Joe asked. "Blue 4 was reported going down near a high school."
"Then that's not the pilot in the registry, I'll bet."
Ranma had no trouble disabling the Zakus hand-to-hand, but the unidentified suits were another deal. The big purple ones could hover around at high seeds and dodge his attacks, and the blue Zaku-like ones had hopped onto a bunch of airplanes and were out of range of his thrusters' jumping ability. "Damn… Didn't count on this… I need to keep more up-to-date with technology in the future." Deciding long-range combat was the best choice, he grabbed the beam rifle. Finding it had recharged somewhat and now had five shots. "Now if I can just figure out how to AIM this damn thing!!" He had five targets, so every shot had to count.
"Gundam to the pilot of Blue 4! Come in!"
Ranma, noting the designation given to this unit, responded with a simple, "What do you want, I'm busy!"
Xero took a good look at the person in the cockpit of Blue 4. He looked unsure of himself. "The targeting unit is on the backside of the right arm control. Flip the switch and it'll do the rest. Be careful, it's not completely accurate."
"Not completely accurate?!"
"Don't worry. It hits 90% of the time."
"Very reassuring." Ranma took aim at a target near the outside of town.
"DON'T!!!"
"What?!"
"Don't shooot targets on the ground with the beam rifle so close to the city. You'll wipe out half the town if it hits the reactor!"
"Damn…" Ranma then noticed the suit in question was taking aim with a HUGE bazooka. Then a beam punctured the cockpit. The fancy-looking suit had shoved it's beam saber through the cockpit only.
"Use the beam saber on the Doms. You take those Goufs up there with your beam rifle."
Ranma did just that. Once he got the hang of it he shot down all three Goufs with ease. Then he noticed a piece heading for Furinkan. The impact took a chunk off. He noticed it was going to land right on top of…
"AKANE!!" Ranma urged the Suit foreward and stopped the falling debris from crushing his fiancée. Then he carefully picked her up.
"Hey, I gotta get her outta here!"
"Follow me!" Before they could, the started getting peppered by fire from above. A squadron of Goufs was coming in. Before they could to anything about it, a beam had shot down three Goufs. Several volleys of beam irfle fire followed as several Leos arrived on the scene, led by a single GM Custom.
"What? Do I have to do EVERYTHING around here?!"
"Hahaha, you the bitch, Nikita!"
"Joe says to get back to the ship so he can talk to that pilot."
"On my way. Hey, kid, follow me!"
"No problem."
Ranma followed Xero to where the ship waited. "Inside." And with that, they boarded the ship.
Joe was waiting for them inside. "Where's the pilot?"
As if on cue, Ranma exited the GM.(after setting Akane down, that is) and Joe approached him.
"Nice piloting out there. What's your name, kid?"
"Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes martial arts."
"I'm Joseph Prime, captain of the Grey Phantom."
"Nice to meet you. Now I have to get back to Nerima."
"Can't allow that."
"WHAT?! WHY?!" Both Ranma and Akane shouted simultaneously.
"You've both come in contact with a classified section of the Alliance. I can only offer you two things: You can join up and help, or you'll have to be thrown in the brig until the War ends."
Ranma and Akane were stunned. They had not expected this.
"Captain!" Someone shouted over the com, "Radar is detecting a squadron of Goufs and Dodai-YS incoming."
"Ready the Gundam for action!" Xero shouted as he climbed in. "Nikita, reopen the Gundam Mark II for Aerial Combat."
"Roger!" Nikita ran over to the equipment controls and replaced the clip on the Gundam's beam rifle, added two extra clips to the hardpoint on the right arm, removed the shield from the left (replacing it with two more clips) and replaced the shoulder units with the Aerial Combat Wings.
"Aerial Combat mode, CAS complete!"
Xero cracked his knuckles before igniting the engines and launching, "LET'S ROCK!!!"
"I have to get back to the bridge. Nikita will lead you to a room you can rest in. Let her know when you make up your mind." With that, Joe left and Nikita led them off to another room.
Once they were alone… "Ranma, what'll we do?"
"I don't know, Akane. I don't want you to get involved in this, but I don't wanna see you thrown in the brig, either. I've already made up my mind. I made my choice when I jumped in that Mobile Suit."
"Ranma, no!! This is a war!!"
"I kow that, Akane. But I can't just stand by like this. We both know I HATE killing people, but I have to defend those who can't defend themselves…"
"If you're going to help, so am I."
"Let's just hope they have something an uncute tomboy like you can handle."
"RRRRAAAANNNNMMMMAAAA!!!!!" Akane's mallet hand flexed and the entire ship shook as Ranma was smashed into the wall.
On the bridge… "Did we take a hit?! Gimme a report!"
"No damage reported, sir!"
In the MS Hangar…
"Any damage to the equipment?!"
"No, ma'am. Everything's okay."
A few hours later…
"So we've finally got some new pilots on the ship." Joe said
"Not sure about that yet, sir. We can verify Ranma's piloting ability but on the other hand, Akane hasn't even seen the inside of an MS cockpit, yet."
"Xero, test her immediately."
A few minutes later Ranma and Akane were in the hangar awaiting Xero's instructions.
"Welcome to the Alliance Grey Phantom assault force. I'm hoping this won't prove to be a mistake."
"Nothin' can go wrong while I'm here!" Ranma exclaimed
"If your skills in an MS cockpit improve at the rate they did out there today, I have no worried about you. You're almost as good as me. It's Akane that worries me."
"Are you saying I'm useless?!"
"Not at all. You just haven't been tested yet so we have no measure of your skill. That's why we're here. Suit up, we're doing a test flight!"
Akane was given a crash-course in MS piloting by Nikita while Xero went over the equipment Ranma hadn't used yet with him. Within two hours they'd launched. Akane was having trouble making her MS walk.
"Akane, you're putting too much force on the foot pedals. Ease up a bit." She did so. "That's better. Remember the harder you push, the more the legs move. You need to gain skill in walking before you go all-out and make the suit RUN."
Akane was in a standard-type U.S.-issue GM. Ranma was mastering the controls in the GM Custom while Xero ran Akane through the basics. A few hours after the testing began, it was done. Xero went to the bridge. "Sir! I have my report from Akane's testing."
"And?"
"She's got the basics down, but she needs some more training. But I think with her determination we'll make a good pilot out of her within a week."
"Sounds good. Is that all?"
"Just the issue of her impulsiveness. It worries me that she might defy orders a little too much."
"A bridge we'll have to cross when we come to it. Continue to train her."
"Sir!" Xero saluted and left.
"Xero, no need for the formalities when we're not on a base, okay?
"Of course, Joe."
In Ranma & Akane's room, Ranma was doing something important with Akane(No, no no! CLEAR YOUR MINDS, YOU PERVERTS!): Giving her some tips on control a Mobile Suit. They were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in." Ranma said. Xero did so.
"I have the results of the test and orders from the captain."
"I'm useless, aren't I?"
"On the contrary, Akane. Most MS pilots take weeks before they can do anything beyond making the suit WALK. YOU, however, are almost ready to start practicing with weapons. The captain wants you out there every day practicing until we reach our next stop: A military base in Moscow."
"Why're we going to Moscow?"
"To drop off that crappy old GM you're using and picking up a new model."
"Huh?"
"That GM you're using isn't a standard-issue Alliance GM. It was recovered from a battle in order to fill in for MS we'd lost."
"Xero." Ranma spoke up, "Since we're now members of the Alliance, you mind tellin' us what's goin' on?"
"I guess I should start from the beginning. Four years ago, my brother, who was only 18 at the time, developed the first Mobile Suit: The GM. It became the standard military ground unit in most countries, but as most know, Japan made their own types of MS instead. A couple years later, Joe decided to improve on the design, make it more compact, and therefore cheaper, like the Leos made by the Japanese government. His design, the Zaku, was stolen right after the prototpe was built. The government didn't worry, fairly confident that whoever took it couldn't produce it. A year later he developed a new project to improve the GM and he created the first GM Custom. I was testing it when a force of Zakus attacked the base. We barely repelled them. That's when the Alliance formed. The initial purpose of the Alliance was to track down what was then thought to be just a bunch of terrorists, and whatever finiancial backing allowed them to produce the Zaku. The Grey Phantom assault force is the head of the Alliance. Regardless of rank on this ship, you have authority over ALL Alliance personnel EXCEPT for the Alliance Supreme Commander."
"I see…"
"Two months ago, all-out war broke out with the enemy. They call themselves the 'Lords of New Order.' Not only have they produced the Zaku in HEAVY numbers, they've improved upon the design. When the ar broke out, the Alliance, and it's all-powerful GM Customs, became the front-line combat unit against the L.O.N.O. forces. We have no idea where their main base is."
"What's so special about the different MS types?" Akane asked, "If we're gonna be here, we might as well know this stuff."
Ranma had looked bored with the history lesson, but the idea of knowing the equipment he'll need had woken him right up.
"Glad you asked." Xero said as he walked over the viewscreen. Punching in a few commands, an image of the suit Akane was in popped up. "This is a standard-type U.S.A. Mobile Suit. The Alliance avoids using them in combat but uses them mostly for training new pilots." The image switched to a GM Custom, "This is the mass-production variant of the GM Custom. The same suit Ranma's using. It's performance has been boosted to allow for quicker maneuvers and harder hitting. Unlike the GM, the GM Custom can use beam rifles, which are the most powerful MS-scale weapons available." It switched to what looked like an armored GM Custom, "This is what we're on our way to retrieve. Akane'll be using it. This is the GM Cannon. It was designed for medium-ange fire support but can handle close-range combat when necessary. The added weight from extra armor decreases it's speed and agility, but the extra-powerful flight-capable thrusters, and the extensive punishment it can take compensate for that. The armor was designed to prevent the suit from being knocked down by the force of it's own beam cannons."
"What about that suit you were in?" Ranma asked, "It's pretty cool lookin'."
"That's the Gundam Mark II. In the early days of the alliance, new MS technologies were tested on a special Mobile Suit called Gundam. Gundam was unique because of it's internal structure, but I won't go into that. Everntually Gundam got thrown in a storage warehouse after the GM Custom production type made it obsolete. Later on it was pulled out and re-worked into the Gundam Mark II. As you two saw, it has flight equipment available to it, but can only maitain constant flight for 30 minutes."
"And the enemy units?" Akane inquired.
"No data. We only know that they're upgrade of the Zaku, and that the Goufs can fly on a type of fighter-bomber and that Doms can hover along the ground at VERY high speeds.
"Let's hope this equipment does us well."
"Akane, your next training session begins at 6:00 tomorrow morning."
"You make it sound like martial arts training." Ranma stated
"I'm fine with that. Though I wish Ranma was as willing to train me better in the Art."
"Why should I train an uncute tomboy-"
"RAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNMMMMMMAAAAA!!!!!" Again, Ranma is on the receiving end of the mallet.
All over the ship people scrambled to make sure everything was working okay…
End chapter one.
Next chapter: Akane continues her training and meets her GM Cannon in Moscow. And then gets her first taste of combat when the base is attacked by Doms! Then, at base in England, Xero gets a surprise gift from the scientists of the Alliance!
Author notes: This fic is temporarily on hold. I focused too hard on it and Flights of the Nova Cat, and therefore was unable to deliver on my promise to release a rewrite of my fanfic Kagome's Heritage alongside this. This fic is on hold until the rewrite of Kagome's Heritage is out.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ OR Gundam. I DO own my own characters. No money is beign made off of this writing so there is no justifiable reason to sue. I'm just a poor soul with a six-year-old piece of crap computer, so you wouldn't get anything, anyway.
Ranma Gundam 2008; War of Terror(rewrite)
By Tekkaman Xero
Prologue
May 26th, 2007, New Edwards Test Flight Center, California.
The sun rose slowly on the eastern horizon. Even in the desert the is the northern section of New Edwards Test Flight Center, this could be regarded as a trule beautiful sight.
Unfortunately, admiring that sight proved to be the downfall of a test pilot as he paused to admire it too long. Good thing it was only a mock battle. "Bill! You're in a fight! Don't stop for nothin'!" Xero shouted through the com.
"Easy for you to say!"
A group of ground-model RGM-79 GM Mobile Suits pursued a light green GM of a new type. Piloting the group of GMs were various pilots ranging from as young as 18 to as old as 28. The pilot of the green suit was Xero Prime. Best test pilot of New Edwards Test Flight Center. Xero was 24 years old. He was one of the greatest MS pilots in America. He was 5'8", with a slight muscular build. He had long (waist-length) black hair that had been kept that way thanks to his brother's influence. ('cause if he DIDN'T get to keep the hair, there would be a homicide, or a suicide!) It was always kept tied back into a loose ponytail, except for a spot on the right side of his face that was cut chin-length, and hung down loosely, framing the right side of his face, in a way. He had soft blue eyes that spoke of a sadness no one else could ever know. In spite of this, he was a very outgoing young man. His personality doesn't agree with what can be seen in his eyes. He spoke little of his past. Even his own brother did not know what he had seen that created this hidden sadness deep within him. And no one ever questioned it.
"Xero. How's the GM Custom handling?"
"Great! Definitely the best! You outdid yourself this time!"
The purpose of the GM Custom was to test ideas to make those old GMs made back in 2004 obsolete. Joseph Prime, the designer of the first Mobile Suits, first attempt at new MS technology, the MS-05 Zaku, had been stolen about a year ago. Since then he'd worked hard to develop a NEW prototype. The resulting RGM-79N GM Custom was the quickest, most powerful MS design to date, and would probably not be surpassed for several years. His younger brother, Xero, was the only Mobile Suit pilot in America who had proven capable of piloting of the GM Custom.
Shortly after the test, maintenance crews led by MS Pilot/mechanic Nikita Harte, AKA "Ice Bitch," went to work on the GMs. Nikita was rather young, at only 22, but was an excellent mechanic. She had a great figure, stood at about 5'6", shoulder-length blonde hair, and green eyes that seemed to pierce right into your soul.
"So what's your impression of the GM Custom?" Joe asked. Joe was 26 years old. He was the man who took the disaster four years ago and turned it into the technology that has now developed Mobile Suits. He was about 6'2", with black hair in a crewcut. He was often sighted taking MS out for joyrides in the testing area. No one cared, though, as HE had developed the Mobile Suits.
"It's fast. So fast it's almost scary. I could barely handle it. Will it even be possible for a normal pilot to handle this thing in combat?"
Xero was about to get his answer. In the western area of the base, a series of explosions occurred, taking out several hangars. Emergency sirens blared.
"We're under attack by five squadrons of Zaku-type Mobile Suits! Black team, scramble! Form a defensive line!"
Xero went into full soldier mode. "Ready the GM Custom! Load it up with everything you can!"
"We need ten minutes to charge the beam saber, plus ten more to load the Vulcan and machine guns! We need 20 minutes!"
"You got ten! Get to work!"
Joe knew better than to try and stop Xero. "You heard him! Get goin'!"
Twelve minutes later, the GM Custom finally left the hangar. The other MS Teams, equipped with older-model GMs, had taken severe damages. The enemy force had barely been touched. Xero had no time to assess the situation. "Brown, Black, and Red Teams pull back and cover me! Blue team, fall in on me!"
The five remaining GMs on Blue Team got into formation behind Xero. "Punch through the middle! Split 'em apart! Gold team, take the right flank!"
And so, they charged, weapons blazing. Forcing the enemy Zakus to break formations. Gold team, from their flanking position, easily began pounding the Zaku pilots. It's obvious that up until now, the enemy had been winning only because of the superior technology taken from the stolen Zaku. With the arrival of the even more advanced GM Custom, and the tactics change, the obviously inexperienced pilots began to fall like flies. They were quickly forced to retreat.
"Nice work, Xero. I'd say we can consider this defining test of the GM Custom."
"Can it, Joe. Let's help the cleanup."
One month later, Joe, Xero, and Nikita were summoned to Colonel Johnson's office.
"Reporting as ordered, sir!"
"At ease. I have been notified of a matter of the utmost concern. The governments of America, England, Russia, and Japan have just met. Apparently all of these countries have suffered similar attacks to the one we suffered a week ago. They've agreed to take action. The best scientists and pilots from all these countries are to join the newly-formed Alliance."
"Alliance?"
"It is the name being given to a massive task force created to hunt down the ones responsible for this, and locate whatever financial backing has allowed them to mass-produce the Zakus." Joe hung his head in shame that his creation had done such damage. "Relax, Joe. It's not considered your fault. You've all been called here because you'll be doing the most important jobs in our section of the Alliance." He handed them each a folder.
Joe read his, "Head of Mobile Suit and equipment development?"
"Yes. Your GM Custom is currently the most powerful Mobile Suit on Earth. They want it mass-produced for use by the Alliance, and they want it improved upon."
Xero read his, "Head MS Pilot for all Alliance forces?!"
"Your skill in piloting the GM Custom, and your leadership abilities shown during the battle have led to this decision."
Nikita read her own file, "Head of mechnical repairs on Grey Phantom assault unit? Huh?"
Joe spotted something else in his file, his first assignment in his position. "I think I know what that means. My first instructions are to design a aerial combat battleship and Mobile Suit transport for use by the most elite members of the Alliance. I surmise that would be Grey Phantom."
"Precisely. Mass-production of the GM Custom is not a big problem, however proper order in the Alliance was determined to be best maintained by creating a special section for the elite. Hence Grey Phantom. Members of Grey Phantom have authority over all of the Alliance, regardless of rank, with the exception of the Alliance Supreme Commander. You have two weeks leave before your tasks are to begin. I suggest you enjoy it."
"Sir!" They salute and left…
Chapter 1: Wars of Innocents
April 18th, 2008
Furinkan High was one of two focal points of chaos in Nerima. The other being Tendo dojo. However, today Furinkan would be where the source of all the chaos, one Ranma Saotome, would make a choice that would end the chaos. Of course, he did not know this as he blazed through the gates. He was VERY late and today he didn't even stop for Kuno's rambling. Rather, he simply ran over Kuno and continued on in.
During lunch, Akane stared, fuming, as Ranma ordered Okonomiyaki from Ukyo.
"You know, Akane, you really need to relax."
"Shut up, Nabiki! Just LOOK at that pervert! He's ALWAYS doing this!"
"You need a distraction, Akane. Maybe you should go on a vacation to relax."
"No way! That pervert would be all over Shampoo, Ukyo and probably even Kodachi!"
"Well, suit yourself. I'll see you tonight."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"I hear some new weapon is being delivered to the Alliance. I'm going to the base to try and get some pictures."
"The Alliance? That's just a regular base, Nabiki. There's no Alliance facilities anywhere near here."
"I beg to differ, Akane. I've found evidence that it's just a cover. Apparently, it's a research base."
"Wait a minute Na-"
BOOM!!! All heads turned to see an explosion in the distance.
Akane's friend Yuka spotted something out of the corner of her eye. "Look!" All heads turned, "An Alliance Mobile Suit!"
Indeed it was. The 50-foot GM Custom wasn't 100 feet from the school ground when it got shot up by a Zaku and went down. It soon became clear it wasn't the only suit. There were Mobile Suits fighting all over Nerima. One in particular caught Nabiki's eye. It ws like a GM, only bulkier. It had an almost human-like face, with a red protrusion on the bottom, almost like it was sticking it's tounge out. On top there was a gold V-fin. It was moving faster than ANY Alliance GM or Japanese Leo could. Nabiki was so caught up in the sight she failed to notice another GM crash down onto the school grounds. The pilot climbed out, barely able to move.
Ranma was there in the blink of an eye, but the man had already dropped down dead. "Damn…" Glancing into the cockpit, it looked relatively intact. A bullet from a Zaku had torn through the right viewscreen, rendering it useless. But all the controls seems just fine. What should I do?!
Ranma knew if he tried to pilot the Suit, he probably wouldn't be able to manage it. He'd probably be killed the moment the suit was seen moving. And if he DID manage it, he'd have to kill. He hated killing. He even hated killing Saffron. Still, wasn't it a martial artist's duty to protect those who couldn't protect themselves? Glancing back at the battle, he saw two more GMs go down, and saw two Zakus, and one model MS he;d never seen before, destroy a few buildings. He might up his mind right then and there. He jumped into the cockpit.
"Ranma! Are you crazy?!" Akane yelled.
"Let's see… How does this work?" He'd managed to close the cockpit, and the GM powered up automatically. But he need to figure out how to operate it. "These pedals must control the legs… And these handle the arms…"
After fumbling around for a while, he managed to get the GM on it's feet. About that time a Zaku stopped him and took aim. Ranma desperately searched for the wapons controls.
Akane saw the Zaku taking aim and looked away only a few seconds before gunfire rang out. But the GM didn't fall. Slowly, just looked back and saw Ranma had fired, not the Zaku. The Zaku had taken some vital hits from the GM's Vulcan and went down.
Inside, Ranma was getting the hang of the controls and was soon on his way. He soon found out he'd wasted all his Vulcan ammo on that Zaku and the beam rifle had two more shots left. Preferring fists over guns, he tucked the rifle into the hardpoint on the shield which the computer showed him, and having quickly mastered the controls, he went bout taking out the Zakus hand-to-hand.
This caught the eye of Xero Prime. "Who's piloting that GM?! Gundam to Grey Phantom! Identify the pilot of Blue 4."
"Blue 4?" Joe asked. "Blue 4 was reported going down near a high school."
"Then that's not the pilot in the registry, I'll bet."
Ranma had no trouble disabling the Zakus hand-to-hand, but the unidentified suits were another deal. The big purple ones could hover around at high seeds and dodge his attacks, and the blue Zaku-like ones had hopped onto a bunch of airplanes and were out of range of his thrusters' jumping ability. "Damn… Didn't count on this… I need to keep more up-to-date with technology in the future." Deciding long-range combat was the best choice, he grabbed the beam rifle. Finding it had recharged somewhat and now had five shots. "Now if I can just figure out how to AIM this damn thing!!" He had five targets, so every shot had to count.
"Gundam to the pilot of Blue 4! Come in!"
Ranma, noting the designation given to this unit, responded with a simple, "What do you want, I'm busy!"
Xero took a good look at the person in the cockpit of Blue 4. He looked unsure of himself. "The targeting unit is on the backside of the right arm control. Flip the switch and it'll do the rest. Be careful, it's not completely accurate."
"Not completely accurate?!"
"Don't worry. It hits 90% of the time."
"Very reassuring." Ranma took aim at a target near the outside of town.
"DON'T!!!"
"What?!"
"Don't shooot targets on the ground with the beam rifle so close to the city. You'll wipe out half the town if it hits the reactor!"
"Damn…" Ranma then noticed the suit in question was taking aim with a HUGE bazooka. Then a beam punctured the cockpit. The fancy-looking suit had shoved it's beam saber through the cockpit only.
"Use the beam saber on the Doms. You take those Goufs up there with your beam rifle."
Ranma did just that. Once he got the hang of it he shot down all three Goufs with ease. Then he noticed a piece heading for Furinkan. The impact took a chunk off. He noticed it was going to land right on top of…
"AKANE!!" Ranma urged the Suit foreward and stopped the falling debris from crushing his fiancée. Then he carefully picked her up.
"Hey, I gotta get her outta here!"
"Follow me!" Before they could, the started getting peppered by fire from above. A squadron of Goufs was coming in. Before they could to anything about it, a beam had shot down three Goufs. Several volleys of beam irfle fire followed as several Leos arrived on the scene, led by a single GM Custom.
"What? Do I have to do EVERYTHING around here?!"
"Hahaha, you the bitch, Nikita!"
"Joe says to get back to the ship so he can talk to that pilot."
"On my way. Hey, kid, follow me!"
"No problem."
Ranma followed Xero to where the ship waited. "Inside." And with that, they boarded the ship.
Joe was waiting for them inside. "Where's the pilot?"
As if on cue, Ranma exited the GM.(after setting Akane down, that is) and Joe approached him.
"Nice piloting out there. What's your name, kid?"
"Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes martial arts."
"I'm Joseph Prime, captain of the Grey Phantom."
"Nice to meet you. Now I have to get back to Nerima."
"Can't allow that."
"WHAT?! WHY?!" Both Ranma and Akane shouted simultaneously.
"You've both come in contact with a classified section of the Alliance. I can only offer you two things: You can join up and help, or you'll have to be thrown in the brig until the War ends."
Ranma and Akane were stunned. They had not expected this.
"Captain!" Someone shouted over the com, "Radar is detecting a squadron of Goufs and Dodai-YS incoming."
"Ready the Gundam for action!" Xero shouted as he climbed in. "Nikita, reopen the Gundam Mark II for Aerial Combat."
"Roger!" Nikita ran over to the equipment controls and replaced the clip on the Gundam's beam rifle, added two extra clips to the hardpoint on the right arm, removed the shield from the left (replacing it with two more clips) and replaced the shoulder units with the Aerial Combat Wings.
"Aerial Combat mode, CAS complete!"
Xero cracked his knuckles before igniting the engines and launching, "LET'S ROCK!!!"
"I have to get back to the bridge. Nikita will lead you to a room you can rest in. Let her know when you make up your mind." With that, Joe left and Nikita led them off to another room.
Once they were alone… "Ranma, what'll we do?"
"I don't know, Akane. I don't want you to get involved in this, but I don't wanna see you thrown in the brig, either. I've already made up my mind. I made my choice when I jumped in that Mobile Suit."
"Ranma, no!! This is a war!!"
"I kow that, Akane. But I can't just stand by like this. We both know I HATE killing people, but I have to defend those who can't defend themselves…"
"If you're going to help, so am I."
"Let's just hope they have something an uncute tomboy like you can handle."
"RRRRAAAANNNNMMMMAAAA!!!!!" Akane's mallet hand flexed and the entire ship shook as Ranma was smashed into the wall.
On the bridge… "Did we take a hit?! Gimme a report!"
"No damage reported, sir!"
In the MS Hangar…
"Any damage to the equipment?!"
"No, ma'am. Everything's okay."
A few hours later…
"So we've finally got some new pilots on the ship." Joe said
"Not sure about that yet, sir. We can verify Ranma's piloting ability but on the other hand, Akane hasn't even seen the inside of an MS cockpit, yet."
"Xero, test her immediately."
A few minutes later Ranma and Akane were in the hangar awaiting Xero's instructions.
"Welcome to the Alliance Grey Phantom assault force. I'm hoping this won't prove to be a mistake."
"Nothin' can go wrong while I'm here!" Ranma exclaimed
"If your skills in an MS cockpit improve at the rate they did out there today, I have no worried about you. You're almost as good as me. It's Akane that worries me."
"Are you saying I'm useless?!"
"Not at all. You just haven't been tested yet so we have no measure of your skill. That's why we're here. Suit up, we're doing a test flight!"
Akane was given a crash-course in MS piloting by Nikita while Xero went over the equipment Ranma hadn't used yet with him. Within two hours they'd launched. Akane was having trouble making her MS walk.
"Akane, you're putting too much force on the foot pedals. Ease up a bit." She did so. "That's better. Remember the harder you push, the more the legs move. You need to gain skill in walking before you go all-out and make the suit RUN."
Akane was in a standard-type U.S.-issue GM. Ranma was mastering the controls in the GM Custom while Xero ran Akane through the basics. A few hours after the testing began, it was done. Xero went to the bridge. "Sir! I have my report from Akane's testing."
"And?"
"She's got the basics down, but she needs some more training. But I think with her determination we'll make a good pilot out of her within a week."
"Sounds good. Is that all?"
"Just the issue of her impulsiveness. It worries me that she might defy orders a little too much."
"A bridge we'll have to cross when we come to it. Continue to train her."
"Sir!" Xero saluted and left.
"Xero, no need for the formalities when we're not on a base, okay?
"Of course, Joe."
In Ranma & Akane's room, Ranma was doing something important with Akane(No, no no! CLEAR YOUR MINDS, YOU PERVERTS!): Giving her some tips on control a Mobile Suit. They were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in." Ranma said. Xero did so.
"I have the results of the test and orders from the captain."
"I'm useless, aren't I?"
"On the contrary, Akane. Most MS pilots take weeks before they can do anything beyond making the suit WALK. YOU, however, are almost ready to start practicing with weapons. The captain wants you out there every day practicing until we reach our next stop: A military base in Moscow."
"Why're we going to Moscow?"
"To drop off that crappy old GM you're using and picking up a new model."
"Huh?"
"That GM you're using isn't a standard-issue Alliance GM. It was recovered from a battle in order to fill in for MS we'd lost."
"Xero." Ranma spoke up, "Since we're now members of the Alliance, you mind tellin' us what's goin' on?"
"I guess I should start from the beginning. Four years ago, my brother, who was only 18 at the time, developed the first Mobile Suit: The GM. It became the standard military ground unit in most countries, but as most know, Japan made their own types of MS instead. A couple years later, Joe decided to improve on the design, make it more compact, and therefore cheaper, like the Leos made by the Japanese government. His design, the Zaku, was stolen right after the prototpe was built. The government didn't worry, fairly confident that whoever took it couldn't produce it. A year later he developed a new project to improve the GM and he created the first GM Custom. I was testing it when a force of Zakus attacked the base. We barely repelled them. That's when the Alliance formed. The initial purpose of the Alliance was to track down what was then thought to be just a bunch of terrorists, and whatever finiancial backing allowed them to produce the Zaku. The Grey Phantom assault force is the head of the Alliance. Regardless of rank on this ship, you have authority over ALL Alliance personnel EXCEPT for the Alliance Supreme Commander."
"I see…"
"Two months ago, all-out war broke out with the enemy. They call themselves the 'Lords of New Order.' Not only have they produced the Zaku in HEAVY numbers, they've improved upon the design. When the ar broke out, the Alliance, and it's all-powerful GM Customs, became the front-line combat unit against the L.O.N.O. forces. We have no idea where their main base is."
"What's so special about the different MS types?" Akane asked, "If we're gonna be here, we might as well know this stuff."
Ranma had looked bored with the history lesson, but the idea of knowing the equipment he'll need had woken him right up.
"Glad you asked." Xero said as he walked over the viewscreen. Punching in a few commands, an image of the suit Akane was in popped up. "This is a standard-type U.S.A. Mobile Suit. The Alliance avoids using them in combat but uses them mostly for training new pilots." The image switched to a GM Custom, "This is the mass-production variant of the GM Custom. The same suit Ranma's using. It's performance has been boosted to allow for quicker maneuvers and harder hitting. Unlike the GM, the GM Custom can use beam rifles, which are the most powerful MS-scale weapons available." It switched to what looked like an armored GM Custom, "This is what we're on our way to retrieve. Akane'll be using it. This is the GM Cannon. It was designed for medium-ange fire support but can handle close-range combat when necessary. The added weight from extra armor decreases it's speed and agility, but the extra-powerful flight-capable thrusters, and the extensive punishment it can take compensate for that. The armor was designed to prevent the suit from being knocked down by the force of it's own beam cannons."
"What about that suit you were in?" Ranma asked, "It's pretty cool lookin'."
"That's the Gundam Mark II. In the early days of the alliance, new MS technologies were tested on a special Mobile Suit called Gundam. Gundam was unique because of it's internal structure, but I won't go into that. Everntually Gundam got thrown in a storage warehouse after the GM Custom production type made it obsolete. Later on it was pulled out and re-worked into the Gundam Mark II. As you two saw, it has flight equipment available to it, but can only maitain constant flight for 30 minutes."
"And the enemy units?" Akane inquired.
"No data. We only know that they're upgrade of the Zaku, and that the Goufs can fly on a type of fighter-bomber and that Doms can hover along the ground at VERY high speeds.
"Let's hope this equipment does us well."
"Akane, your next training session begins at 6:00 tomorrow morning."
"You make it sound like martial arts training." Ranma stated
"I'm fine with that. Though I wish Ranma was as willing to train me better in the Art."
"Why should I train an uncute tomboy-"
"RAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNMMMMMMAAAAA!!!!!" Again, Ranma is on the receiving end of the mallet.
All over the ship people scrambled to make sure everything was working okay…
End chapter one.
Next chapter: Akane continues her training and meets her GM Cannon in Moscow. And then gets her first taste of combat when the base is attacked by Doms! Then, at base in England, Xero gets a surprise gift from the scientists of the Alliance!
Author notes: This fic is temporarily on hold. I focused too hard on it and Flights of the Nova Cat, and therefore was unable to deliver on my promise to release a rewrite of my fanfic Kagome's Heritage alongside this. This fic is on hold until the rewrite of Kagome's Heritage is out.