Declaimers: I don't won Gundam Seed
Gundam World
Phase 4 Episode 1
Massacre at Heliopolis
The Massive Earth Alliance Armada, composing of the Eighth Fleet and commanded by the Flagship Majestic, sat silently off of the newly built Junius Seven space dock, awaiting orders.
The planet Junius seven had been the first space dock that the Earth had conquered during the first stages of the war. Following its destruction two years before, the Planet had begun drifting towards the debris field surrounding Earth. The Earth high commands saw Junius Seven as a valuable strategic point and began to develop and repair its existing dock along with expanding it until the facility occupied the whole face and orbit of the planet.
No one inhabited J-7, the only people ever on it were military soldiers operating and directing traffic coming and going from the planet.
After the completion of its experimental planetary docking system, the J-7 was pushed back out into an orbit that intersected with the moon within 2 weeks. Many speculations have tried to explain just how the Earth did this, as no recorded data or technology has ever had enough push or pull to move a planet this far this quick; seeing that the moon was 27000 miles away.
"Mr. Himura sir, our transmission is severely interrupted, we cannot make contact with headquarters at all. And there is no information on when our support fleets will be arriving."
Kenshin Himura sat in his seat quietly and scanned over the information displayed on his handheld ship monitor, a slightly troubled expression marking his face.
"We'll stay put, there is nothing we can do now but wait." He glanced over to his operator and she nodded in acknowledgement. "We will wait till fifteen-hundred hours, and proceed with our attack even if no backup arrives."
"Only four hours left before we commence attack on Heliopolis." Lufius appeared behind Kenshin's seat and read from his watch, "is it necessary that we wait for headquarters to send back up at all? I mean, we have enough firepower in the Eighth fleet to take the planet within five hours."
Kenshin sat in his seat quietly still, not acknowledging his second-in-command. He was lost in deep thought. 'Why indeed is headquarters giving us this much back up?' He looked to his palm monitor again and with a click of his stylus, a long roster of incoming EA ships appeared.
It composed of the EA Atlantic fleet, Pacific fleet, and the renowned Lexington fleet, all of them big enough to have flagships. Kenshin's brows narrowed. They are receiving too much backup for a simple planetary invasion mission, what is headquarters thinking?
"Sir, I am picking up heat sources at distance twenty-five hundred, the heat signature appears to be that of the Lexington Fleet, consisting of a fleet of about two-hundred ships of various sizes."
Kenshin looked up and flipped his palm monitor shut with a snap. He stood up and walked over to the radar screen and bent down slightly to have a closer look at the images on the radar.
"Have we established contact with the incoming fleet?" Kenshin asked his operator.
"No sir, due to strong magnetic interference, I have been unable to open a secured channel with the incoming fleet."
"Okay then, up our alert level to condition red," Kenshin stood up straight and said in his usual calm tone. "Have all mobile suits ready to launch, adjust our fleet formation into formation Zeta. Launch scouts and get visual contacts."
"Yes sir, launching scout-type Mobeius."
Shining, white spots sped away from the ship Majestic, past the eighth fleet and winked away into the distance.
"Sir, all units are ready to launch, awaiting orders."
"Good," Kenshin said and went back to his elevated captain seat, he sat down and set his eyes in the direction of the incoming fleet. "Now we wait, inform me of any pre-engagement measures made by them."
"Yes sir."
Kenshin was troubled; they were out in the deep of space, not near any large source of gravity or planet, where was all this interference coming from? He made a mental note to keep up his guard.
The time ticked away slowly, the bridge was thick with tension and anticipation. After five minutes, either the scouts or more information came.
"Captain!" Kenshin snapped to attention as his operator suddenly burst out, "we are picking up a heat source approaching our position, it appears to be a mobile suit!" She paused for a moment, "it's identified as GAT-X207 Blitz Gundam of the Earth Alliance!"
Kenshin suddenly sat very straight. He took a glance at the fleet screen and checked the formation of his armada.
"Blitz Gundam?" Kenshin contemplated for a moment, "is there any large heat source such as carriers near by?" If the Blitz Gundam was here, the other 3 Gundams should be arriving too.
"No Sir, the Blitz is a lone signal."
"Aim all guns at the incoming mobile suit," Kenshin said as the dot labeled 'blitz' quickly approached their fleet formation. "But don't shoot unless it attacks."
"Sir, I'm picking up a faint signal from the Blitz!"
"Put it through, let's hear what he has to say." The captain sat rigid in silent anticipation. Static filled the speakers at first, and after a moment, there was a voice.
"Don't… shoot…Gundam, speak to captain." Then the line went dead.
"Sir, the signal has been lost."
"Open the hatch, let him onto the Majestic. Fire as soon as he enters attack vectors."
The battered frame of the Blitz Gundam appeared on the overhead large screen, only one of its thrusters was lit while the other was crumpled. The Blitz's head was half gone, incinerated. And its right arm was missing with wires and mechanics jutting out of the shoulder where the arm should have been. It limped towards the opening hatch and entered. The hatch closed behind it.
"Sir, the Blitz has been retrieved."
"Good, get our hanger crew to go see who is piloting it and why he is alone."
"Yes sir."
After a moment, Lufius's yell brought everyone's attention, "Captain! The incoming fleet has launched radar-jamming devices! They are preparing for battle, their LZs are hot!"
"Detecting approaching missiles at six o' clock."
"What? Behind us?"
"Sir, a fleet has appeared from behind us, at a distance of seven hundred. Missiles incoming."
"How? What?" The radar was suddenly crammed full of incoming dots labeled "danger, locked on."
"Missiles approaching fast, 3 seconds to impact."
"Evasive maneuvers, fire anti-projectile Igelstelung, valiant, and laser guided intercept-type torpedoes!"
Fire blossomed the sky instantly as hundreds of missiles were intercepted and some of the Eighth fleet ships were hit.
"Launch all units into the vicinity, prepare all guns! Identify the approaching fleets as enemy fleets." White dots instantly began to shoot out from ships and took up their positions around the EA fleet. Kenshin picked up a phone from beside him, "get Ramius on the line." A second later, the voice of Lieutenant Ramius filtered through to the Majestic's bridge and her face filled the large display monitor overhead.
"Commander Himura, is there any position that the Archangel should be deployed to?" She asked, her face emotionless and calculating, obviously a hardened soldier trained for war. Kenshin took another glance at his fleet formation and the enemy fleet before marking a position on the Junius-7 system maps and named it Alpha.
"I need you," Kenshin began, eyes darting from one monitor to the next, "to proceed to position Alpha with Whitcomb's battle cruiser squadron." Kenshin said, not wasting one moment to idle chatter, "flank the fleet from behind us and slow their progress."
"Yes sir!" Lieutenant Murre Ramius's face disappeared and the screen went black.
"What is the distance of the enemy?"
"Distance seven hundred sir, moving into attack distance in approximately twenty-seven seconds."
"Shoot, they are fast," Lufius, who wiped a streak of perspiration from his forehead, said as he looked up from his weapons control panel.
Thunderous booming sounds filtered through the thick titanium armor of the Majestic and into the bridge, cannons were fired, missiles intercepted, and ships were destroyed.
"Get all of my captains on the line!" Kenshin said to his communications manager. Instantly, the overhead screen was filled with the heads of over twenty captains, they all saluted to Kenshin in unison. "Begin moving Majestic forward, all ships fall into attack formation Beta around me and attack as soon as we are with in range. We will close the distance and deliver the first opening salvo!" Kenshin commanded his crew, he was in full battle mode now, not wasting one glance at anything unnecessary, his calm voice was all that kept his crew from panicking, and he knew that. All the captains on this screen gave quick nods before relaying Kenshin's orders to their crew.
"Sir, should we launch the Strike and Burning Gundam?" Lufius asked after typing in a series of commands into the keyboard before him as loud explosions rocked the bridge.
"No, let them stay put, we will not launch the Strike and Burning until we have confirmed what fleet the enemy is and what their specs are." Kenshin's voice was calm yet commanding, his fingers gliding over the control panel under his hand gracefully while his eyes traced graceful arcs across his command panels.
"Captain, we are six seconds from contact!"
"Good, all mobile suits to commence attack on the enemy fleet, command is given to their individual ships." The captain was worried, the scouts still haven't returned yet, that must mean that the enemy had already taken them out, all of them? That was hard to believe seeing that scout-type Mobeiuses were designed for long-range reconnaissance and six of them at once is almost impossible to be stopped.
The Mobile Suits and Mobile Armors floating around the Eighth Fleet shot off towards the approaching enemy fleet, hundreds of them. Three seconds passed before all ships, including the Majestic, launched their opening Salvo aimed at the enemy. The captains over on the display screen all yelled "FIRE!" in unison.
For a moment, a flash of white light filled the bridge before the fiber-carbon glass darkened to filter out the overly bright light from outside. Missiles zoomed past from overhead, thousands of green and red beams shot towards the enemy from every ship.
The dark looming shapes of the enemy ships in the distance caught fire as they were hit and exploded.
"Sir, the enemy fleet at twelve o' clock has sustained significant damage from our opening salvo, approximately twelve Aegis class ships have been destroyed, seven battle cruiser class have been destroyed or disabled, and a carrier has also been hit and sustained considerable damage." Lufius whistled long and appreciatively, "The enemy fleet have been identified as the ZAFT 7th expedition force."
"That'll teach tem to attack us out of the blue!"
"Focus Lufius!" Kenshin barked, "Prepare all our interception maneuvers! They will be launching their attack soon!"
"Prepare our Igelstelung!"
"Load the interception pods!"
"Launch all heat sinks!"
"Yes sir!" Lufius's eyes flew back to his control panel and he began typing in a series of launch solutions into the weapons control scheme.
"The ZAFT 7th fleet has moved their Battle cruisers to the front of the formation! They are preparing to fire!"
"Evasive measures!"
Thick, white beams originating from the ZAFT fleet shot past their ships, some were hit and exploded violently.
"Three battle cruisers have been disabled!"
"Good, the damage wasn't as extensive as I thought it would be." Kenshin said to the captains under his command overhead "Prepare our second massed attack, after this, all capital ships are to spread out and commence individual attacks on the ZAFT fleet! Understood? Maintain contact at all times."
"Yes sir!"
Once again, fire shot across the distance between the two fleets and ships exploded. Soon the enemy began to spread out and advance in small groups.
"Okay, begin spreading out and commencing offensive and counter offensive measures!" Kenshin said before saluting to the commanders overhead. "May the might of the EA be with you."
The commanders saluted in return and ships from all around Majestic began to veer away from it, spreading out into a massive formation through space.
"What are the status of Lieutenant Ramius and Whitcomb's ships?"
"They are slowing the progress of the enemy from behind us successfully, we are at a distance of five hundred from their effective attack distance."
"Good job Ramius and Whitcomb, you guys saved the day." Kenshin gave a tiny smile before he focused his attention back to the battle at hand. "Stop the advancement of the Majestic, we will hold our position."
Through the large windows looking outside, beams and missiles crisscrossed the paths of EA and ZAFT ships as they sailed past each other, unloading their payload into the sides of their enemy. Ships exploded violently, killing their crew while the victor moved on to engage in a new battle.
His long, red mane covered a look of pain on the face of Captain Himura effectively.
'What do we fight for? Why must people die such a meaningless death? Who wants to be incinerated deep in space, away from their home planet?'
"Captain, the enemy fleet is retreating!" Kenshin looked up from his thoughts. "The fleet we are currently engaging has sustained severe damage and are moving back, additional information from Lieutenant Ramius confirms of the same thing for the enemy from behind us."
"Call back all ships, stop all pursuing measures immediately." Kenshin said.
"What?" One of the captains asked incredulously, a look of anger on his face. "We have the potential to destroy their whole fleet!"
"Come back Whitcomb," Kenshin replied calmly to the angered face of admiral Whitcomb on the screen overhead. "Our primary mission is to invade Heliopolis, and if we continue to pursue, our own tonnage will be damaged further than they already are, and that could hinder our progress in our mission."
"But,"
"That is a command Whitcomb." Kenshin said and turned away, projecting authority and signally the end of the discussion. "All ships! Prepare a damage status report and file them to the Majestic Bridge in ninety seconds!"
"Yes sir!"
"Eighth fleet, retrieve all mobile suits and head back to Junius Seven for repairs and restocking. Operator, get me a status update on the Blitz Gundam in our hanger."
"Yes sir, report says that a pilot by the name of Seta Soujirou, identification number: 076421, has been extracted from the Blitz Gundam cockpit and said 'ZAFT, attacked us.' Before fainting. He is now being tended to in infirmary seven."
Kenshin got up from his seat, rubbing his eyes and ran a hand through his red hair. Then he turned and exited the bridge.
"Lufius, I am going to infirmary seven, you are on duty." And the doors slid closed.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Kenshin was worried; he was rapidly piecing scraps of information together. The boy that he is going to visit said 'ZAFT, attacked us.' While they, the Eighth Fleet was also attacked suddenly and without warning, this is too coordinated to be a coincidence; and the fact that the Blitz was in severe condition when it came to the Majestic alone made Kenshin wonder if the ZAFT had gotten a hold of the Buster and Duel Gundam, which were supposed to be delivered the Majestic together with the Blitz, if so, the Earth Alliance was in serious trouble. And if that's the case, what had happened to the Lexington Fleet and the rest of their support fleets? And how did the ZAFT even get a hold of the top-secret information of the transport of Earth's prototype Gundams? Kenshin was worried; he could practically smell trouble lying in Heliopolis.
He stopped and looked up at the sign that read 'Infirmary-7'. The doors slid open quietly and Kenshin stepped into the room; he looked around and found men lying on the white and clean beds, injured from their most recent battle, moaning and groaning. When Kenshin walked past, they forced a painful salute and Kenshin returned in gesture in respect and making the men lie back down to rest. He continued searching the room and soon spotted a group of nurses hovering around an unconscious boy. A look of pain and tension strung his otherwise boyish face together. Thick bandages were wrapped around his left eye, but other than that, the boy seemed to be okay. A tip glass hung above his bed and dripped a sterile liquid into his body through a tube that was inserted into his vein.
Kenshin strolled up to the boy gracefully and silently; he stood over the sleeping soldier and searched his pained face.
"What is his condition?" Kenshin turned his head and asked one of the nurses.
"He is fine, a little scratch on his head, but other than that, he is pretty much okay physically." The nurse paused to look down at the boy in a motherly gaze. "He fell unconscious from exhaustion, the poor soldier was drained mentally, when the crew from the hanger rushed him in, he was muttering 'ZAFT, attacked us' non-stop."
"I see, he must have seen quite a battle, I'd rather he wake up right now and tell me what he knows, but that'll be unreasonable right?" Kenshin said with a slight smirk. Before the nurse could reply, a soft yet determined voice from behind Kenshin made him turn around to face the speaker.
"Yes it would, I don't care if you are the captain, but you are not going to wake up my patient who needs care right now and nothing else." Kenshin smiled when he saw who was speaking.
"Ahh, Miss Kamiya, I'm glad that we have such a dedicated head doctor on this ship. Maybe someday when I am injured in battle and you will show me the same degree of care?" Kenshin almost laughed at the slightly annoyed expression on doctor Kamiya's smooth and angled face. She didn't reply but walked past Kenshin to inspect the boy Soujirou. She put a delicate hand to his forehead and the other to her own.
"Good, his fever is under control, I think we can relax now." doctor Kamiya said to the nurse, who nodded humbly and hurried away to tend to another patient, leaving Kenshin and the doctor alone.
"You know," Kenshin began, almost teasingly, "this boy has information in him that is vital to our upcoming military operation, and the more information we can get the safer we are from another surprise ZAFT attack like the one that just happened."
"That is your problem," the doctor tilted her head to one side and let a small smirk grace her lips as she surveyed Kenshin's face intently, "my job is to take care of the injured, and I'm not going to let you get your military paws on my patient."
"That's harsh, they may be paws but they are still strong and can protect people like you." Kenshin laughed. Doctor Kamiya shook her head.
"Whatever Kenshin. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more injured soldiers to look after." And she once again walked past Kenshin and towards a cluster of beds that had injured soldiers lying on them while nurses tended to each of them.
Kenshin looked after her and smiled to himself. A groan to his right made him snap his head to Soujirou, who had opened his eyes slightly, revealing pain through his dark pupils. Kenshin bent down and surveyed Soujirou's face.
"Hi, welcome back to the world of the living," Kenshin said with a warm and fatherly expression on his face. "You are Seta Soujirou, the pilot of the Blitz Gundam?"
The boy's eyes were confused, as if he didn't know where he was, or what time it was, or who was this man was that stood over him. Then he muttered a reply.
"Yes, I… need to speak… to Captain Himura." Each word was forced out through tired lips.
"I am Captain Himura Kenshin of the super carrier Majestic, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Soujirou was silent for a moment, as if contemplating if the man above him was lying, but the look in Kenshin's eyes assured the boy. Soujirou groaned and tried to push himself up unsuccessfully; Kenshin quickly brought a strong arm and helped the boy into a sitting position on the bed.
Soujirou saluted formally and shook his head slightly as if clearing his head.
"We were attack by a ZAFT fleet," he began cautiously, "our radar didn't pick them up until they fired their opening salvo, and the whole fleet was destroyed."
Kenshin whistled, "was the Buster Gundam and Duel Gundam with you?"
"Yes, they… captured the Buster Gundam and…" Soujirou paused a long moment, "and… the Duel was destroyed."
To Be Continued