For Christmas I got the Zeta Gundam box set. While the story was extremely good and I think it is the best Gundam series ever made, I got kinda sick of all of the #!ing newtype stuff. I wanted a gritty 8th MS Team style story, so I decided to write one.

Enjoy

Zakuboy

Disclaimer: No I do not own Mobile Suit Gundam (Oh how I wish I did). But the characters I created are mine.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: Front Line Soldiers

Chapter 1: The Beginning

"Come on you antiquated pile of crap", Mike Cook muttered to himself as he pulled his GM II around so that he could chase after the Hizack that had just blown past him. "I need a new suit" he grumbled as he turned his GM in time to deflect incoming 120mm rounds with his shield. The Hizack then turned and blasted towards the near by light green Salamis. "Shit", Mike cried, "Captain Collins you've got a Hizack incoming, 40 degrees to port and 70 degrees up". "Roger that", came the Captain's reply, "go after it but watch out for our anti-air barrage". "Right sir", Mike said, and he pushed his GM's thrusters up to full and raced after the Hizack. 'Can't use my beam rifle, I might hit the Boston by accident', he thought as he rocketed after the Hizack. 'So I guess I'll use these to get his attention.

He pulled the trigger and sent round after round spewing from his head vulcans. The Hizack only got off a few rounds before it decided that it didn't like all the bullets flying around it, and it disengaged from it's attack on the Boston. "Smart move" Mike said to himself "but not that smart". He centered his cross hairs on the Hizack, which was still dodging anti-air fire from the Boston, and pressed the trigger firing three beams. The first missed, but before the Hizack could react the second hit it in the back of the head, destroying all of it's main camera's, and the third hit the suits vernier backpack completely destroying the suit in a instant.

"Scratch the last Hizack" Mike called to the Boston, "I'm coming in for a landing". "Roger that Mike" said the comm officer on the Boston's bridge. Mike maneuvered his GM into position in front of the Salamis. The feet of his mobile suit slammed into the catapult and he decelerated to a complete stop. He moved his GM off the catapult, so that his friend, and wingman Greg Helaski could bring his own GM in for a landing. The other GM came back missing a arm, and it's shield.

"Damn those Hizack's" Greg said to Mike after the had moved their suits into the hanger beneath the Boston's catapult deck. "Even with that piece of shit machine gun, with their better maneuverability, better thrust, and better sensor rage they have a distinct advantage". They pushed off the floor of the hanger and moved into the pilots ready room, which was built right into the wall of the hanger. "The only advantages that we have", Greg continued, "are the fact that our suits can use a beam rifle and a beam saber at the same time". "Yeah" said Mike "they have got to have one or the other". "And the second advantage we have", Greg continued as he grabbed a burger from one of the machines along the wall, "is the fact that we are experienced combat veterans, while most of them are probably rookies". "Yeah" Mike said as he flopped down on one of the couches in the room.

Mike found this room, where he spent much of his time, extremely depressing. This was because it was only half full. There should have been two more, but Dawkins, and Trombley, had been killed during the operation which the Boston was returning from. They had been looking into how much of the Luna II base was controlled by the Titans. They had been returning from their observation of the asteroid when they had been ambushed by an entire squadron of Federal Forces, Galbaldy Betas. He and Greg had been able to slip away, but Dawkins and Trombley had been trapped and destroyed. A Titans Salamis had been pursuing them but Mike expected that it would turn around now because it was out of Hizack's.

The hatch that gave the ready room access to the rest of the ship, slid open and closed. Mike looked over the hatch and began to stand up. "At ease Lieutenant Cook" said Captain Patrick Collins, "get the rest while you can. I expect that the Salamis that that was tailing us will turn back to Luna II so we have a reprieve from further attacks for the moment. We're on our way back to Amman for resupply and rearmament.

The word "rearmament" caught caught the interest of Mike. "Sir, when you say 'rearmament' do you mean that we will be getting better mobile suits". "That is my understanding Lieutenant Cook. Because of you twos combat records in this war and the last I would assume that you are both to be getting new suits of some sort". "That would be great sir", said Greg from beside the drink machine. "You two go get some rest, it'll take the better part of three days to get to Amman, we'll call if we need you". "Thanks sir" they chorused and they left the ready room for their rooms.

- - - - - - - - -

"You frickin' incompetent fool!", the Captain of the Alexandria class cruiser Elgin raged. "You had four Hizack's and you couldn't finish off a damaged Salamis and two antique GM II's". "Sir the GM's pilots were very experienced while my men were rookies and they had no combat experience up to that point", the Captain of the Salamis Griffin pleaded. "That is no excuse for your failure", the Captain spat. "You are a Titan and they are spacenoids, there should be no competition, you should have crushed them. Return to Luna II and I will decide what to do with you later". "Yes sir" the Griffin's Captain replied, but the Elgin's captain had already cut the transmission.

Captain Eric Bladford turned to his XO, "Where does the Boston's course put it"? "Sir on it's present course it's destination has to be the moon but where on the moon we don't know", the XO replied. "The moon is full of AEUG supporters", grumbled Bladford. "XO put us on a course that is identical to that of the Boston, when we reach the moon put us into a fast orbit so we can watch for the Boston's departure". "Yes sir", the XO replied and began giving out the orders. "And if we find the AEUG's base radio it's position to Commander Jamaican he'll deal with it". "Right sir" said the XO.

- - - - - - - - - -

"It's nice to be able to sleep in some real gravity", Mike said to Greg as they made their way back to the Boston from the inside of the lunar city of Amman. The Boston had been in port for five days and was about to move out on another recon mission. But this time they were going to the Titan stronghold of Gryps to get a better look at the huge battleship that Lieutenant Quattro Bajeena of the Argama had taken pictures of on an initial raid of Gryps II.

"Being the second to go into Gryps is not my idea of a good time", Greg said. "After Lt. Quattro's raid I assume that the security will have been stepped up a lot". "Possibly", Mike replied, "but maybe they are two busy with that rumored move to be on the look out". "Well we'll find out when we get there", Greg laughed.

They walked into the hanger that housed the Boston and saw standing on it's deck four blue and green GM like suits. Also it looked like someone had heavenly modified the bow area of the Boston. "What the hell has happened to the it", Greg said as he stared up at the Salamis. "Well Lieutenant it has been modified and expanded", a voice came from behind the two men. They turned and, upon seeing who it was, saluted. The man behind them was Captain Collins, and with him was Wong Lee a representative from Anaheim Electronics. The Captain continued, "it's hanger has been expanded to hold two more suits, and a second elevator, and second catapult have been added". "Thats great sir", Mike said, "but there are only four suits on the deck". "Humph", Mr. Wong grumbled, "Captain if these are your best best pilots I have very little hope for your mission". "Sir"said the Captain "these two are extremely capable pilots and they will do excellent with their new suits". Mr. Wong shrugged and walked away.

"What's with that guy" Greg asked as he watched Mr. Wong walk away. "He has a lot of pull in the AEUG because he is the representative from Anaheim. A lot of complaints from him and we could loose their support, so we have to keep them happy", said Captain Collins. Greg shrugged, and Mike decided to change the subject. "So are these the types of suits that we are going to be piloting?", he asked. "No, you won't be piloting the Nemos", said the Captain, "your suits were already loaded into the hanger, lets go have a look, shall we". They walked to where a set of stairs had been rolled up to the side of the ship. They climbed up and entered the cruiser through a hatch on the side of the hanger. As soon as they entered the hanger they could tell that there was a lot more space than there had been. "And there", the Captain said indicating the front of the hanger, "are your new mobile suits".

Mike looked to the front and saw two brand new black RMS-099 Rick Dias' standing there. "Sweet", said Greg, "I've heard that these suits kick ass". "And you heard right" the Captain laughed. "Three of these suits took on Gryps and won. They even captured two of the Titan's new Gundams while there". "Mike turned to the Captain and said "well it's good that you made me sleep a lot while we were here. With this new suit I don't think that I will be doing much of that anymore". Whatever", the Captain said, "help get the rest of the suits on board because we're leaving in an hour". "Sir", they saluted and got to the task.

- - - - - - - - - -

The Elgin hovered behind a ridge looking over onto the sprawl that was Amman city. Captain Bladford was surprised that a city could exist this close to Granada without the Federal forces stationed there doing anything about it. "That city's full of traitors", he grumbled as he raised his field glasses to observe the docks that were built into the side of the cliff.

The ports were a riot of activity, with old GM II's moving about, and small junior mobile suits moving about with raw materials, and components, for the ships and mobile suits that the city was putting out. "Sir", Bladford turned his head to look at the Ensign who was also observing the city, "I see a Salamis leaving port. There's something funny about it though, it looks like it's been lengthened, and it's topside gun is now a double turret instead of a normal single". "Well it looks like our AEUG adversaries are getting smarter. We have many Salamis, and Alexandria class cruisers, while they only have a few ships that are able to stand and fight against ours. So they begin to improve their small compliment of Salamis', so that they can better fill the role of our Alexandria's".

The bridge's comm officer turned his chair away from his console, "Sir I have just received a transmission from commander Jamaican. He is following the AEUG's new warship here, and he has ordered us to continue our pursuit and punishment of the Boston". "Send Jamaican, a message telling him that we have received his message, and will comply with his orders". Bladford turned to his XO, "set our course to parallel the Boston's, and keep us low as long as you can". "Right sir", his XO responded, and went about following his captain's orders. Bladford meanwhile sat in his bridge chair, and thought about what he could do to ensnare the Boston.

After following the Boston for three days it's destination was determined, they were heading back to Gryps. That move, to Bladford, made no logical sense. Why would they go back into the layer of the beast, but he could work with it. He first thought of calling ahead and warning Gryps of the Boston's approach, but then he decided against it. He would allow the Boston to go in so far that it would not be able to get out when he did inform Gryps, and he would slam the back door shut on the Boston's lucky streak.

Over the remaining two days before their arrival in Gryps space, Bladford went over all of his plans with his mobile suit commander, and all of the team leaders. He finished their last briefing "If you follow the plan, the Boston will be floating space debris in the next 12 hours.

- - - - - - - - -

"Damn look at the size of that thing", one of the Nemo pilots commented as they came within visual range of the huge closed colony that was the Titans main base in outer space. "Nemo 3 cut the chatter" came a barked command from the Nemo commander who was situated in Nemo 1. Mike, and Greg were in a autonomous two suit unit not under the Nemo commander's control. "Attention all mobile suits", came the call of captain Collins, "Prepare to launch the two Rick Dias' for their infiltration of Gryps 1. Nemos are to stand-by and be prepared to defend the Boston from any attack Gryps might launch". "Roger that captain", Mike said and he crouched his brand new suit down in the catapult. The launch light went green, "Mike, Rick Dias, launching". He was slammed into his seat by the acceleration of the catapult, and his own suits thrusters.

After getting his suit off the Boston's deck he simply marveled in the new suits maneuverability, and speed. He made the suit draw out it's clay bazooka from it's hard point on the back. Along with being faster, and more maneuverable, then anything that Mike had ever piloted, it also had more firepower. Providing a long range punch there was the clay bazooka, and the beam pistols, while the vulcan phalanx system, and it's two beam sabers made it more than capable of fighting in close quarters.

"All right Mike, don't waste too much fuel playing with your new suit", Greg said as he pulled his identical black and gray Rick Dias up next to Mike's. "Right, lets go give those arrogant Titan sons of bitches a good kick in the teeth", Mike replied, and they both accelerated towards the massive colony.

Thats the end of the first chapter. Hope you liked it. Please Read and Review. I hope to have another chapter up soon

Zakuboy-