Episode 11 - Stormy Skirmish
Time: 8:13 AM, July 7th
Location: Kanucha Resort Beach
This whole situation left a bad taste in his mouth, Ichika swore. Ephraim's words earlier had alleviated a lot of his initial fear, but there were still things that made him nervous about today.
First was Tabane, apparently teleporting them to the same forest her drop pod had landed in earlier. He recognized the dips in the dirt and the tree he and Ephraim had hopped on. They had quickly relocated back to the resort, where the other girls had been ushered into a borrowed meeting room that had been converted into a makeshift command center. It was nothing like Camp Schwab's CC, instead of having been fitted with whatever gadgets the teachers had brought with them, whether be it laptops or phones.
He and Houki were instructed to wait at the beach for the Professor's tuning program to finalize, and all the people staring at him were making him nervous. Classmates and batchmates whispered and pointed, wondering why he was in his IS pilot suit while they were in their swimsuits or leisure outfits.
Then there was this whole Silverio Gospel business, which didn't sit right with him considering just how low of a possibility something like this could happen while they were on vacation. On top of that was the very real chance of multiple human casualties, either from the RIMPAC thing that it was apparently going to or the slim probability that it could go to Tokyo and cause damage there.
And lastly…
"C'mon, c'mon..!" Houki growled as she paced around, looking at her watch impatiently. "Nee-chan said that it should be done in 7 minutes!"
"Uh, Houki, aren't you being a little…"
"What?" She turned to him with a frown, annoyance clear in her blue eyes. "Am I being a little what?"
Ichika flinched, taking a step back as he held his hands up placatingly. "I mean, pacing around and muttering to yourself isn't helping with the stress of the situation."
"That's the thing if my sister just made good on her promise of the 7 minutes-!"
Tadadada da daaa~!
The jingle from the Closed-Form of her IS cut her off, and she didn't waste any time summoning it.
"Come, Akatsubaki!"
"Wait, wait!" The other IS pilot cried out. "Out here in front of everyone?!"
Houki glared at him. "All the better so they could see it!"
In a flare of pink motes of light, the armor of her IS quantized around her, much to the awe and shock of those watching. Both students and tourists gaped as the armor changed color with a muted hiss, from drab gray to an eye-catching crimson. Immediately, plenty among them pointed and gossiped as she rose into the air, and those with whom they were classmates quickly took pictures.
"Wait, I've never seen that model before!"
"Is it new? The armor's color changed too…"
"I think it is! Maybe it has the same trick that the Gold Frame had last Friday?"
"Oh, damn it!" Ichika hissed as he raised the arm that had the bracelet on. "Let's go, Byakushiki!"
With another light show, the male pilot was quickly clad in the signature white armor of his IS. Just like with Houki, tourists gasped and gaped while their batchmates once more took pictures and fawned over his transformation.
Rising to her level, he tried to ignore the pointing and staring and focused on the mission. "So uh, how exactly-?"
"You hang on to me." The ponytailed girl huffed, looking a bit calmer now that she was in her IS. "Normally, I'd tell you to shove it when asking for a piggyback, but right now, I'll make an exception."
"R-Right…"
〈 Orimura. Shinonono. Do you copy? 〉
Hearing his sister's voice in their comms cooled his nerves, and he nodded as he sent a ping to acknowledge her.
"Yes, ma'am." He and Houki answered as they floated higher and away from the beach.
Time: 8:15 AM, July 7th
Location: Kanucha Resort Conference Room #2
"The success of this mission is dependent on a shield break." Chifuyu began to brief them from the makeshift command center. She glanced to the side, where Maya and a few other teachers were trying their best to monitor the situation using only their laptops.
"We don't have time to whittle it down, or else people are going to start asking questions as to why there's an aerial battle between six units out in the middle of the Pacific, near a military exercise or not."
〈 Um…six units? 〉 The younger Shinonono asked, confusion clear in her voice.
"The Astrays and you two make five, the Silverio Gospel makes six." The teacher answered, a bit of snark entering her tone. She ignored the growl of the girl and the quiet murmurs of the other pilots behind her at the table. "It shall be henceforth known as 'Gospel' for the duration of Operation Angel Down."
"A fitting name…" Laura hummed, leaning forward on the conference table. "If a bit obvious."
〈 Speaking of, 〉 Ichika then spoke up, a hint of worry in his voice. 〈 Have they launched? If so, where and how far are they from us? 〉
Chifuyu pulled out her phone, tapping on the screen and causing the three holographic screens to pop up again. "We're still trying to link up with Camp Schwab's information systems, but based on the data packet that Major General Halberton sent me, they've just passed Kitadaito Island at a speed of 1,073 kilometers per hour." There was a round of shared glances between the other pilots. "Their current altitude is at 20 thousand feet above sea level."
"1,073 kilometers…" Cecilia furrowed her brows and cupped her chin, doing a few quick calculations in her head. "That's already Transonic!"
"The Professor released the specs for each suit, remember?" Charlotte spoke up, pulling her phone out and accessing the public records of Project: Astray. "Each of the suits with their new upgrades can easily go supersonic. Way faster than the Ignition Boost from either mine or Orimura-san's IS…"
She was sure that her father was asking their engineers to come up with a similar engine for the IS. Or better yet, find a way to redesign modular armor that could allow an IS to reach such speeds without worrying about air resistance or air pressure.
'Perhaps something like the Flight Packs could work…'
Kanzashi frowned and looked down at her pearl. Could she and the Strike Uchigane reach such speeds? She hasn't fully tested out that aspect of her IS-MS hybrid, instead having focused on making the Barrage Pack far more ergonomic.
"Wait, wouldn't going supersonic mess with…" Rin was about to say something about their bodies but she then remembered. "Oh right, they're in…fully enclosed suits." She blinked as she looked down in realization. "Like with the Gospel... Huh, that's actually really smart of them."
〈 Damn it, they're already ahead of us! 〉Houki snarled. 〈 C'mon, Ichika, grab on! We can still catch up to them if I go all out! 〉
"Don't be too rash, Shinonono!" Chifuyu scolded her with a frown. "You have no prior experience with the Akatsubaki. We don't want a problem popping up just because you overloaded a critical component."
〈 …Understood. 〉Came the begrudging hiss of the overly-eager girl.
"Orimura-sensei," One of the teachers called out from her seat, her fingers typing away on the laptop. "We've established a connection with Camp Schwab's information network. We can finally have a real-time map, though comms will still take a while since our software is still technically civilian grade."
Not a moment later, Maya activated the holo-projector and displayed the live satellite imagery of their sector. The screen was then split into three smaller sections, with the left focusing on Kanucha Resort and the right and middle displaying an expanse of blue.
And amidst that expanse of blue…
"There they are!" Laura almost leapt out of her chair as she pointed at the middle screen, right at three barely noticeable dots that maneuvered around a series of altocumulus clouds.
"Good eye, Bodewig." Chifuyu complimented her student and with a wave of her hand, the middle screen zoomed in closer to the trio as they fell into a v-formation. "For this being their first time flying outside the boundaries of an arena or the airspace of the IS Academy, they seem to be holding up well…"
'...At least they aren't goofing around. And if my suspicions are right-'
〈 Sensei, are we cleared to go? 〉Came the voice of the Akatsubaki's pilot, snapping the teacher out of her train of thought. 〈 The longer we linger here, the greater the chance of the Silverio causing havoc, right? 〉
Narrowing her eyes and keeping her lips thin, the teacher tightened her grip on her biceps. "You two are at a sufficient height to not disturb those below you. You're cleared for launch."
〈 Finally! 〉
〈 W-Wait, Houki, hold on! Sensei said to-! WAAAH! 〉
Many of them turned their heads to look out the windows just in time to see a red glint soar into the distance.
"Sensei, the Gospel seems to have…it stopped its erratic movement and is heading straight for the RIMPAC again!"
All eyes turned to the holographic screen at the third and rightmost section, where a silver glint stopped its odd zig-zagging motion. It turned in a wide curve before flying West, leaving a supersonic expansion fan in its wake as it went past Mach 1. The drones trailed after it, almost akin to an artificial cloud with their white and gray coloration.
"Please be safe, Ryo…" Charlotte audibly prayed for the courier's safety, clenching her hands together tightly. He clearly didn't look like he was at his best earlier, and she hoped with all her heart that he would be spared from anything seriously dangerous because of it.
"Davion…" Kanzashi shared her sentiment as she clutched the Strike Uchigane, her brows furrowing in worry. She knew that Davion could handle himself but this was against an IS none of them had an idea how to face against.
Rin silently fumed to herself, the events of minutes prior still upsetting her. It was one thing to be told that she couldn't pilot her IS, especially when there was a rogue suit out there, it was another to be insulted by the ponytailed girl just because she got a new shiny suit.
Laura merely kept her focus on the holographic screen, watching as the Akatsubaki broke past Mach 1. She clearly didn't like the girl's attitude, it reminded her of the upstart recruits she had to face in her time in the Bundeswehr. Glancing down at her hand briefly, she frowned as she recalled not being able to confront her brothers about something they really needed to talk about.
Cecilia was silent, instead trying to suppress a growing headache as she kept her face calm. She believed that Ephraim and the Astrays would be a tremendous boon in the operation, as having more units to fight was always beneficial. And not to mention the combat capability of each of the test pilots. There is no way that they'll fail this one!
'But what is this…dread that I feel..?' She curled her fists under the table as she watched the holographic screens. 'Oh, I can't help but worry now…'
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Time: 8:25 AM
Location: 20,000 Feet above Sea Level, enroute to the Ogasawara Islands
(BGM Start: Yinshi Valley - Ace Combat 7)
Being this high up without having to look out of a plane's window was always an experience to the scarred blonde. From here, everything looked so small, so frail…
So…insignificant.
He closed his eyes, pushing away the potential start of a dark train of thought and instead focused on the conflict at hand.
'A possible fight over the RIMPAC would be nonoptimal. Nevermind being witnessed by the militaries of the world, the collateral damage from our fight could damage or sink some ships. Direct energy weapons aren't a joke…'
"So uh…" Davion's voice broke him out of his thoughts and the monoeye panned over to the right at the Blue Frame. It held the Caletvwlch out and forward, utilizing the Mirage Colloid's ability to control air resistance to increase its speed.
The Maga no Ikutachi Energy Absorption Claws had a similar ability, which was why he had them spread out prior to launch. Of course, only they were privy to such information, and to an outside observer, they were merely just wings.
"What's the story between you and the Lieutenant? You looked like you froze back in the Command Center when you two locked eyes."
"Only if you'd tell me why you seemed to recognize Natasha Fairs." The blonde countered with good humor in his tone, though it was mixed with a healthy amount of suspicion. "We haven't met her yet but back there you looked like you were already acquainted with her."
"Blegh." He could tell that the younger teen stuck his tongue out before he sighed. "Remember the time I was in Vegas?"
"Yeah? I remember you coming back with a smuggled briefcase full of gold."
"It's actually connected to the story. Anyway, when I arrived, I followed some rumors and there was apparently this underground-"
"Pit fighting ring, yes," The tired voice of the courier to their left graced their comms. "I already half-expect that wherever you go, you'd most likely have joined a local ring."
The Red Frame had its arms crossed as it flew, flying just a meter or so behind. The suit's optics were dimmed, giving the impression of it being bored or simply sleeping. It too had the benefit of Mirage Colloid, after all, the Tactical Arms 2 had its own tricks that the mechanic had put into it.
"Yeah." Davion didn't even deny it. "Anyway, the place wasn't as cool or homey as Purgatory, but it sure was flashy. I had to use another identity, 'Augus', and faced some cheap ass fighters."
"Cheap how?" The blonde asked, curious about almost anything fight-related.
"I swear they were doping up against me, a rookie contender." Davion grumbled, faintly remembering the bloodshot eyes and wild swings. "Broke their faces in though, weren't no trouble."
"And where does Fairs tie into this?"
"Well, I faced her in my 7th match of that first night in Vegas. Though, I didn't know who she was, neither did she to me, since we were both masked. She was…" There was a brief pause from the mechanic before his voice became a bit more wistful. "...Well, her fighting style reminded me of Yang a lot."
"...From RWBY?"
"Yeah, she was all punches and was as fast as a hellbat. It was honestly a really enjoyable fight. Hell, she managed to tank a gut punch from me. Anyway, after the match, we literally bumped into each other at the exit of the place. Didn't take a few seconds for her to recognize my build and we went out for a night of fun."
The Gold Frame's head slowly turned to him. "...Don't tell me-"
"No! I'm still a virgin, damn it!" Davion flushed behind the faceplate of the Blue Frame. "We just went out gambling with a friend of hers. Something Calling. Forgot, really. Oh yeah, during that time, she used the false name 'Natalya Fedorovich'. It's only until earlier that I realized her real name was Natasha Fairs."
"...That's…wild." Ephraim deadpanned, the flatness in his voice hiding his true feelings on the matter.
"So, what about you and the Lieutenant?"
"...Escort client."
…
"God damn it, dude." The mechanic hissed, disgust in his tone as the Blue Frame facepalmed with a quiet 'clang'. "Seriously?!"
"Yup." Popping the 'p', the blonde remained nonchalant about it. "She's why I didn't come home during Valentines since I spent the night at her place. I…no, that's a breach of privacy." The Gold Frame shook its head. "I may no longer be in the Escort business, but I'm still keeping client info confidential."
"Hm." Ryo grunted, and with it carried his disgust and disappointment.
"Oi, Murrue Ramius was in my top Gundam Crushes, okay? She's hot as hell."
"Mhm."
"Fuck you, dude."
"..."
…
Beep! Beep!
"Huh, Barbatos just…" Davion broke the brief radio silence, causing the Gold Frame to turn its head to its brother unit. "Cumulonimbus Clouds detected by satellite imagery. Looks like there'll be a thunderstorm once we get there."
"So we're gonna be fighting in the rain?" Ryo quipped with annoyance in his voice, the monoeye of the Gold Frame darting to him. "Great…"
"It's the perfect situation." Ephraim hummed as he took a deep breath of recycled air, thankful that the visor of his helmet didn't fog up whenever he exhaled. "We can dart in and out of the clouds and execute lightning fast strikes, all the while having rain serve as a cover."
"Just hope that we don't get hit by lightning." The courier snarked as the three flew over another altocumulus formation. "I don't want to get fried."
"Relax, we'll be fine!" The mechanic piped up with clear mirth in his voice. "Lightning wouldn't do much anyway, it'll even bounce off due to the Anti-Beam Coating! Er…probably."
That was not the answer the other two wanted to hear.
"You just fucking tempted Murphy." The blonde grumbled, already accepting the possibility that something stupid was going to happen to them. "I can't believe you just did that right before the fight."
Their comms crackled as their systems detected an inbound communiqué from Camp Schwab. They shut off their personal communications line for now and went back to using their assigned frequency, a temporary connection to the Command Center, considering they weren't enlisted men in the US Military.
〈 Astray Team, this is Lieutenant Ramius. There's apparently reports of signal fluctuations coming from the fleet. Just to be sure, how do you hear this transmission? 〉
"This is Gold, Strength 4 and Readability 3, Lieutenant, ma'am." 'Gold' was the temporary call sign for the blonde, obviously due to both his hair and of the inner frame of his suit. He wanted to use a cooler call sign, but thought better than to argue with military personnel and their nicknames.
"Blue here, there's some fuzziness, but I can make out your message… uh, ma'am." Just like with Ephraim, Davion was given a temporary call sign based on the inner frame of his Astray. He initially wanted to have the call sign 'Fenrir' but merely got a bunch of eyerolls from the marine airmen.
"Red can still make out the message, ma'am." Ryo curtly answered, fighting the urge to simply close his eyes for a quick nap. He got assigned Red, and he didn't contest it. The nickname was obvious in its origins, and he didn't really have the desire, or rather, can't be bothered at the moment due to his current state of mind to have a cool nickname like the other two.
This was a job, there was little time for goofing around.
〈 Well, that's good enough for now. FNMOC reported that the thunderstorm is nearing the immediate area of the exercise, so proceed with caution. 〉
They already knew that but responded either way.
"Understood." Came their collection acknowledgement.
"Any news on the IS Academy Cadets?" Ephraim asked, idly accessing the satellite link Barbatos had hacked for the three of them. He zoomed in on the storm nearing the RIMPAC fleets before zooming out to spot the Silverio closing in, all done with eye movements. "Because while we can hold our own against the Silverio, having the one-off ability of the Byakushiki is crucial in this Op, right?"
〈 Observers had spotted a red IS launching within Kanucha Resort's airspace, with a white IS latched on to its back. It was headed East, towards you three, so I'm going to assume that that was the IS Academy's backup. They achieved Mach 2 even before she got past 10 kilometers off of the coast. 〉
Ryo audibly sighed. "Great. Looks like we'll be seeing them soon."
〈 Actually, based on her speed and trajectory, she'll be with you three in less than a minute. 〉
"Understood. We'll go into radio silence to reduce chances of the Gospel detecting us." The blonde huffed as he checked his battery levels. 90%, but of course, he could extend its life if he…
"I think I see them." Davion piped up, the Blue Frame's head tilted down as it looked underneath its left arm. "...Wow, they're really clocking in with the speed there."
The other two Astrays looked just as the suits' sensors pinged them of a fast-mover coming up from behind 4 kilometers below. Three sets of optics zoomed in on the crimson glint closing in at around 6 thousand feet above sea level.
"Open communications with Shinonono and Orimura." The Gold Frame's monoeye lazily panned over to the Blue Frame. "We need to coordinate with them to maximize-"
Zoom!
The red glint soared past underneath, quickly flying ahead and seemingly ignoring them.
"Uh…" The mechanic blinked in slight surprise. "Does she…not see the shiny gold light above?"
Clicking his tongue, the blonde smirked at the expected action. "Why does she have to make things difficult?" He faux-groaned, adjusting the conical formation of microscopic colloids before the Astray. But before he could give the command to catch up, he paused.
…
"Duke, silence the birds."
A faint buzz set in a specific pattern went off in their comms, a familiar sound that signaled their private communications line being accessed.
Lips curling in a smile, Ephraim increased the Gold Frame's speed to just under Mach 2. They would still be supersonic, yes, but…
"You know what? Let them go ahead." He chuckled lowly, the Gold Frame's monoeye flaring as he flew over a few clouds, effectively hiding himself from sight. "Let's give them a bit of space, we've been coddling them a bit too much lately."
"Ephraim." Ryo muttered in a warning tone, sending a tired and annoyed glance to the caustic blonde. He increased his speed to catch up with him, the sea-green optics of the Red Frame lighting up as it turned its head to its brother unit. "Really?"
"It'll be a good opportunity for her to cool off, as hot-headed as she already is now with all that fourth-gen power going into her head." The older teen scoffed, and the other two could tell that he was rolling his eyes. "And we get to see just how she'll fare in actual combat."
"...That doesn't feel…right, man." Davion piped up in an uncertain tone, the Blue Frame flying up beside its brother unit so its sea-green optics could stare into the cold blues. "I mean, I get that giving her space won't piss her off more, but…are you saying that we let them get hurt?"
There was silence from the Gold Frame, a good minute of it, before it looked down at where the distant crimson glint would be.
"Of course not." There was steel in his tone, but there was a hint of something else. "We'll just need to revise Plan Zulu according to the information we have now."
"Revise it how?" The mechanic narrowed his eyes at the black and gold mobile suit.
"I'll consider the Akatsubaki as a rogue element. Shinonono won't follow any of our instructions now that she has that red eyesore." There was dismissal in the blonde's voice, as well as a fair amount of spite. "The Byakushiki, or rather Ichika, will cooperate with us when the time comes. So in this respect-"
"And when is that?" Ryo almost slurred, causing the other two to turn to him in slight worry. "Stop beating around the bush and get to the point."
"...When they miss twice, we should already be in the thunderstorm's clouds. At that point, you two go in and support them, to make it seem as if we were 'late'." Ephraim continued with a clipped tone. "Ryo, you use the Arrow mode to shoot down whatever the Silverio fires, I trust your eyes, even in the storm."
"Mn."
"Davion, suppress it with the Tactical Arms, hold nothing back. We'll be in the rain, your barrels will be fine." The blonde paused, and the Gold Frame's monoeye panned over towards the discreet black container that was on the Blue Frame's back skirt, in the shadow of the bigger gatling. "And…be ready to use that when the time comes, understand?"
The Blue Frame stared at its brother unit before slowly nodding. "...Understood. And you?"
Purple eyes narrowed as he made the Maga no Ikutachi claws extend and then retract. "I go for the finishing blow. With any luck, we'll get this over with sharpish."
(BGM End: Yinshi Valley - Ace Combat 7)
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Time: 8:56 AM
Location: 6,000 Feet above Sea Level, seas beyond the Ogasawara Islands
Crack! Boom!
(BGM Start: Dual Wielder - Ace Combat 7)
"Man, this rain is punishing!"
She grunted, squinting as she tried to ignore the freezing cold or her wet hair. They had decelerated a few seconds after entering the storm, to reduce risk of getting welts or wounds from impacting the rain at high speeds. "Should've brought goggles but we were short on time as it was."
"Damn it, where the hell are the guys?!" Ichika looked around with a peeved expression before realizing his futile endeavor. On top of the rain, the dark clouds above them denied him any sign of glinting gold. "Houki, can you contact them?"
"...Tch."
"Houki!" The male pilot scolded, not having much patience for her stubbornness.
"Fine!" Houki snarled, momentarily taking her eyes away from the clouds so she could look at the communicator. Tuning into the standard IS Academy student frequency, she looked up at the clouds as she gave her transmission.
"Hey, Akatsubaki to dumbasses, where are you three?!"
Ichika sighed.
They waited a few more seconds, minding the lightning strikes. There was nothing but static from the communicator, even as the first gray shapes in the water came into their hampered vision.
"Nothing?"
"Nothing." The girl growled before she switched frequencies. "Orimura-sensei, this is the Akatsubaki. Do you have a read on the Astrays?"
They were probably too far away to be picked up, but they still held on hope that they would have a form of communication with their superiors.
"Nothing…" Houki muttered amidst the static, shutting her comms down with furrowed brows. "I don't like the looks of this."
"Yeah, me neither." Ichika's eyes were narrowed as he looked at the ships below them. The RIMPAC attendants were seemingly heading West to get away from the storm. "Well, at least these guys look fine-"
Beep! Beep! Beep!
(BGM Switch: Two-Pronged Strategy - Ace Combat 7)
The girl gasped as a small screen opened in the corner of her peripherals, displaying a silvery glint peeking out from the clouds above. Snapping her head up, she spotted their target diving in and out of the clouds like some sort of demented dolphin, dancing between lightning strikes like they were nothing.
"There!" She snarled as she stopped her forward motion, lurching as they bled the inertia off. "Hang on, we'll go after her!"
"In the storm?!"
"What choice do we have? Accelerating!" Houki huffed as she shot up, accelerating back to near-Mach 2. They braved through the pummeling rain, their hairs rising as they entered the storm.
Both of them shivered as the temperature steadily dropped, far colder than what they were used or trained to. Ahead of them, they could only barely see glimpses of the Gospel amidst the clouds.
"Contact in 10 seconds!"
"Do you even know where you're going?!" Despite this, Ichika rose to a knee and brandished the Yukihira. He raised a claw to cover his face when they broke through another cloud, and when he lowered his hand, he could finally see their target.
The picture shown in the command center didn't do its majesty justice. Even as it flew in the storm, there was an air of regality in its movements. Its hands were partially hidden in bell-like gauntlets that had feather-esque decorations near the ends. The legs were the same, having weird bell bottoms that had similar feather decorations. The wing structure and the backpack it was connected to reminded him awfully of the Perfect Gold Frame for some reason…
'That's odd.' He noted as he activated the Reiraku Byakuya, coating himself in the golden sheen that stuck out in the dark clouds. 'It's just been flying around here doing nothing? Like it's been…'
"Ichika, focus!" Houki roared as they neared the Gospel. "Get your head in the game, we're finishing this in one blow!"
He blinked the rain away from his eyes as he grit his teeth. "Right!"
Crack! Boom!
Lightning suddenly arced through the air near them, and the Akatsubaki's pilot instinctually made rapid maneuvers, the fear of being hit by lightning ironically overtaking her focus on the mission.
"Damn it!" She cursed as the Gospel disappeared through a thick formation in their moment of weakness. "Fighting in a storm sucks!"
Ting-a-ling~!
There came a chime from their communicators, causing both to briefly look down at the sender titled with a massive 'UNKNOWN'.
"Who the-?" Ichika couldn't even finish his sentence before his HUD began to fizzle and a more painful chime, more akin to screeching, rang right in his ear. "Agh!"
"Ichika!" Houki cried out in worry, ignoring the melodic chiming coming from her communicator. "Are you okay?! What happened?!"
Debilitated, his grip on her faltered as the Reiraku Byakuya deactivated temporarily. There was a high-pitched ringing in his ears, as well as an immense sense of nausea as he fought to keep his breakfast down.
Adrenaline rushing through his veins, the Byakushiki pilot looked around frantically despite his swimming vision. His HUD fizzled once more before seemingly dying just as he deactivated his energy blade.
"Ichika, what happened?" His partner called out, turning her head to look at him with concerned blues. They quickly saw his pained expression and the state of the Yukihira. "Hey, can you even hear me?"
"What?!" He responded, seeing her lips move through squinted eyes. "I can't hear anything, the ringing is too loud!"
"Ringing?"
A silver glint caught her attention and she turned her sights back forward. Cutting through the clouds before her was the Gospel, flying nonchalantly on its side and with its back to her. The wings cut through the darkness like a shark's fin, before they suddenly spread out and the IS shot up.
It turned to them, the action oddly leaving afterimages, and spread its arms out. The legs posed one before the other, and the head tilted as it flew backwards.
"That pose is…familiar…" Ichika muttered, gripping the Yukihira tighter.
Houki snarled, her face in a rictus of anger. "That's the same damn pose that that scarred asshole did last Friday!"
There was a brief flash of light in front of the Gospel before their instincts screamed at them. Jumping off from the Akatsubaki, Ichika quickly dove down low as Houki shot up high.
Fyoom!
A bright blue beam cut through the air just moments where they had been previously. It swept left and right in quick succession, the rain turning into steam from the sheer heat of the blast. The Gospel did not give them a moment's break as smaller, but more numerous, beams began to shoot off from the wings.
Ichika noticed that they arced high and he snapped his head up at his partner. "Houki, it's aiming for you!" He cried out with wide eyes, trying to will the energy blade back on. "They're tracking!"
"Shit!" The girl hissed as she began to back off, quantizing Karaware and letting off two crescent beams in quick succession. They cut into the mess of beams, causing explosions that fizzled out most, but others quickly curved around the attacks and split off into different directions.
Brown eyes tracked those that went downwards, watching carefully as they curved down and clustered close together. They streaked through the rain, leaving a visible trail of steam as they headed towards…
Towards him.
"Oh shi-!"
Crack! Boom!
With a near-blinding flash, a bolt of lightning interposed itself between the beams and the IS. The two highly energized states of matter met in a shockwave-inducing lightshow, blowing away nearby clouds and even giving way for a bit of sunlight to shine down. In a few moments, both were gone but they heavily ionized the area of contact, leaving visible electricity arcing through the air.
"Holy..!"
But Ichika didn't even have the time to gawk or thank his luck, as the Gospel sent more of the tracking scatter beams after both him and his partner. Quickly glancing at the ships below him, he grit his teeth and shot up high.
The beams curved up after him.
"That's right. Come on, follow me…" He muttered as he soared towards where Houki was, the girl swinging back with the Karaware to wipe out most of the trailing beams that locked on to her.
"Houki!" The boy called out to his partner, who looked back forward and narrowed her eyes. She brought forward the same sword she used just recently and prepared to swing.
200 meters…
The Yukihira's energy blade reactivated, momentarily shocking Ichika but he quickly put his game face back on.
150 meters…
Brown and blue locked on to each other, a connection of trust long built-up and tested by time solidifying further at this very moment.
100 meters…
Some of the scatter beams began to shoot past the swarm, nipping at the proverbial heels of the IS' they respectively locked on to.
50 meters…
They began exploding.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Damn!" Ichika hissed as he weaved left and right, breaking from his linear path towards the Akatsubaki to reduce the chances of being hit by the exploding beams. "Just a little more..!"
25 meters..!
"Duck!" Houki yelled as she swung Karaware, a bright red crescent streaking towards the Byakushiki's pursuers.
"Dodge!" The boy retorted, his IS momentarily flaring gold as the Yukihira's energy blade swung horizontally.
The world slowed down as they passed by each other, their IS' nary a meter apart. Their eyes locked on to each other in that moment, confidence in each other's abilities reflected.
Boom!
And then they passed by each other once more, just as the crescent wave detonated all of his pursuers.
'"Hraaaaagh!" Ichika roared as his blade and the beams chasing after Houki made contact. In a surprising turn of events, they were cut in half throughout the whole length, quickly fizzling out mere milliseconds later. Then, the Yukihira's energy blade died out, the metal sword quickly assembling itself together once again.
"Ichika, that was..!" Houki turned to him with a mix of emotions on her face. She wanted to say 'Stupid', 'Dangerous', or even 'Moronic', but…
A smile eased the conflicted line on her lips. "That was cool."
"Thanks! I have no idea what I just did." The boy grinned despite his words. "The Akatsubaki's not too shabby too!"
Ting-a-ling~!
At the chime of the bell, they both turned their heads to see the Gospel floating above them. It held the pose it had earlier, reigniting the ponytailed girl's ire as she glared at it. The chiming seemed to fluctuate, as if…
"Is it…laughing at us?" Ichika frowned, furrowing his brows as he held Yukihira at the ready.
The Silverio raised a hand up high, causing both to put their guards up.
The chimes didn't stop.
"Looks like it." Houki growled, summoning Amatsuki in her left hand. "Ichika, I'll preoccupy it. If I lead it to you, can you-"
Bzzz…
Her words died on her tongue when, inexplicably, a gray drone buzzed past them. It was so out of the blue that they both stared at it as it went by.
"Wha..?"
Bzzz…
And then another flew by, this one faster than the last.
Bzzz…
And another.
Bzzz…
And then another.
Bzzz!
They began circling them, slowly at first, a mere trickle of a handful of drones before more and more joined their action.
Adrenaline once more surged through their veins as they looked up at the Gospel, their faces paling as more drones circled around it, akin to a protective swarm. One out of three drones they saw had missiles, others had bombs, and a fair few had machineguns latched on to the wings.
"Oh right…" Ichika muttered shakily, eyeing the mass of drones amidst the rain. "The Gospel hacked them…Ah cripes, they just arrived haven't they?"
"These are just drones, Ichika." Houki huffed, pink energy coating Karaware as she prepared to strike. "Hacked-shmacked, these won't-"
Ting-a-ling~!
The chiming of a bell was all the warning they had before the drones were upon them.
.
.
.
Time: 9:05 AM
Location: Kanucha Resort Conference Room #2
(BGM Switch: Unmanned Craft - Ace Combat 7)
"Maya, has Camp Schwab reported any change yet?"
"No ma'am, they still say that the fleet and the Astrays are unreachable."
The tension in the room had skyrocketed within the 30 minutes since the launch of both IS' and of the Astrays. On top of the fact that they couldn't use long-ranged communications with the Byakushiki and the Akatsubaki due to a lack of more sophisticated hardware, Camp Schwab had informed them that they had lost contact with the Astrays once they entered the vicinity of the RIMPAC Exercise.
Just what the hell was going on?!
Chifuyu restrained herself from punching the table in annoyance, knowing full well that someone needed to be the picture of calm in this tempestuous sea of stress. She should have really just brought their more sensitive equipment, tourists and bystanders be damned!
"Sensei, can we launch?!" Cecilia was the first to stand up, worry clear in her voice as her chair squeaked as it was pushed back. "Perhaps if we can-"
"It won't matter, Alcott." Laura grumbled, looking increasingly cross in her seat. "Our IS' can't reach the speeds of my Brüder and of the Byakushiki and the Akatsubaki. It took them 30 minutes to arrive, how long will we take to arrive?"
Kanzashi set her lips into a frown. "Perhaps I can launch. I haven't fully tested the maximum speed of the Strike Uchigane, maybe I can serve as a signal point-"
"As much as I hate being pessimistic, I don't think we can do anything, Mademoiselle Sarashiki." Charlotte deflated, her face pale as numerous scenarios went through her head on just what was happening in the thunderstorm. "They are too far and we are too slow…All we can do right now is to…" She took in a shuddering breath, looking down at her locked and clammy hands. "Attendre et espérer."
"该死的! 该死!" Rin seethed, having stood up from her chair minutes before and had taken to pacing by the windows. It was already bad enough that she wasn't cleared for flight, just sitting here and doing nothing just made things far worse!
"But even so!" The noblewoman continued, looking incensed at her own helplessness. "We still have to try! There's a chance that they may bring the fight closer, to a range where we can fly over and support them!"
"Or there's a chance that they'll do the opposite and take the fight to the Pacific Ocean, where, oh, I don't know," The albino groused, looking just as incensed as the blonde. "There is less risk of civilians getting caught in the crossfire?"
Cecilia glared at the German, her lips set in a stern frown. "Do you want to help them or not?!"
"I do!" Laura pounded a fist on the table with an audible crack, causing some of the teachers to look over in worry. "But being rash about this will only bring about more problems! This is a military operation, not some jaunt in the woods!"
"I know this is! I was trained by the military too, you brat!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, with how much you slobber over Sahaku, I couldn't see it!"
"Why, I never-!"
"All of you, out!" Chifuyu suddenly barked, momentarily losing her cool and bringing a shaking fist to her forehead. "All this damn noise isn't helping with the situation! Either shut up or leave!"
The girls looked at their teacher with a hint of fear in their eyes. The older woman's aura was so sharp that they could hardly breathe in fear of being cut apart.
This was the former Brunhilde they looked up to and wanted to emulate.
Without any further words, they sat back down, faces still set in rictuses of worry.
"A thunderstorm alongside downed communications…" Chifuyu muttered, the fist uncurling to massage her temple. "Someone really doesn't want to let outsiders watch."
'But that doesn't make sense. If Tabane wanted to show off the Akatsubaki, then there shouldn't be any problems considering the comms. Unless…'
Brown eyes looked up at the holographic screen once more, glaring at the mass of clouds that occasionally flashed with lightning and explosions.
'There's a third party wanting to keep those watching in the dark.'
.
.
.
Time: 9:05 AM
Location: 6,500 Feet above Sea Level, seas beyond the Ogasawara Islands
Boom!
"Agh!"
The Byakushiki recovered from the brief freefall, the boy's lips drawn into a snarl as he quickly dashed to the side to avoid another onslaught of missiles and bullets. Instinct guiding him, he swung the sword just as a slew of bullets flew at him.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
His arms were blurs as he deflected the bullets, cursing the machine-assisted aim of the UCAVs as the guns remained locked on as he dodged. He couldn't check his shield energy, hell, he couldn't check anything at all!
His HUD was down, so it was all up to his own instincts to see him through today!
The faint scent of ozone entered his nose and he did a split-second turn, boosting into the clouds just as a lightning bolt arced where he had just been previously. The missiles trailing him flew into the bolt, some reacting violently with explosions while the rest seemingly shutting off and falling into the brine below.
The UCAVs split off, half of which bugged out away from the lightning bolt and the rest still trailing after him. Once more, they aligned their noses at him, and he could barely see, with the help of the lightning flashes, the barrels of the numerous 20mm guns aimed his way. He prepared to defend himself-
Woosh!
-when a dark blur dropped down from above between them. Blue-white flames nearly blew him back from the sheer force of the jet wash as it heralded a familiar noise.
(BGM Switch: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray - Mission Start Arrange)
BRRRRRRT!
A stream of yellow tracers and green beams swept through the drone squadron, shooting most down and causing the rest to scatter.
His eyes widened and he righted himself in the air, the Yukihira held low as relief washed through him.
"No way..!"
《 Sorry for being late. This storm's something else, eh? 》
"Davion!" Ichika called out in great joy, the spark of hope once again growing in his eyes. "What took you so long?!"
The Gundam Astray Blue Frame Second G looked over its shoulder, the visible optic flashing in what seemed to be amusement.
《 We had to navigate the storm with our eyes and ears. Ranged comms and sensors were being jammed. It's why I'm using the loudspeaker. 》
"You too?!" That grounded the younger teen from his high and he floated up beside the Astray. Rain easily washed off the smooth surface of the suit, and Ichika greatly envied how his friend must have felt dry and even warm inside. "Then, how did you find me?"
《 Easy. 》The Neo-Type chuckled as he gestured around them. 《 I just followed the UCAVs. 》
Bzzz!
The sound caused him to immediately raise his guard, his head swiveling as he spotted movement in the clouds. "Damn it, here they come!"
BRRRRRRT!
The Blue Frame spun around as it fired its Gatling, sending lead and energy into the cloud cover around them. Ichika had to drop a dozen meters out of the air to dodge the stream of projectiles, but the following light show was more than worth the bare brush with death.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted all around them, and he could see the remnant pieces of the drones falling into the ocean below.
《 Fly with me, Ichika! 》Davion instructed, a grin in his voice as he returned the Tactical Arms to its Flight form on the Astray's back. The rain splattered against the gatling, cooling the barrels and causing small puffs of steam to float up with each impact. 《 Let's rendezvous with Shinonono-san! 》
The jovial nature of the mechanic was infectious, as his lips also curled up in both assurance and excitement. Finally, they got backup! "Right! Follow me, I last saw her dodging more drones! We got split, you see!"
Crack! Boom!
Without wasting another second, the two were off into the clouds, looking for the hot-headed girl as distant explosions rocked the air.
(BGM End: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray - Mission Start Arrange)
Time: 9:05 AM
Location: Nimitz-Class Carrier "Kestrel", Sea beyond the Ogasawara Islands
"Can I get an update on the status of our comms?"
"CDC still reports the same, captain. Long-range communications are down. We can't contact PACOM nor can we get in touch with Camp Schwab. Short-range comms are still up and the comms officers have their hands full trying to decipher all the radar blips as well as trying to coordinate with the other participants. It's not just us in the dark, sir."
Crack! Boom!
Lightning flashed outside the bridge's windows, casting a brief white shadow over the tense crew. This wasn't the first thunderstorm for all of them, nor will it be the last, but it sure was the first time where there was a battle going on above them and they couldn't do anything.
"Ensign, what was the last known message from Camp Schwab again?"
Purple eyes tore themselves away from looking out the window as debris rained into the ocean beside the ship, locking on to the stern blues of the ship's captain. At this point in time, everyone in the RIMPAC exercise had noticed the explosions above the clouds and had gone into full alert.
"They said that 'Astray Test Pilots are inbound to intercept the Gospel. Three units with friendly IFFs. Callsign 'Gold', 'Red', and 'Blue'. IS Academy units close behind. Two units with high energy output. Estimate 30 minutes.', sir."
The captain frowned, glancing out at a window as another muted explosion echoed in the skies.
"They were too slow…The Gospel was already in the storm when they arrived." The older man muttered, cupping his chin as his eyes narrowed. "With no line to Command, it's up to us to decide what to do now…"
"Sir..?"
The older man shook his head. "Just thinking aloud, Ensign Badgiruel. Inform the San Mateo, Monmouth, and Nassau to remain in General Quarters. Tell them and the Burke's to watch their Aegis carefully. We don't want any accidents happening in this storm."
Ensign Natarle Badgiruel nodded, just as a stray drone wing bounced off the bridge's glass windows, miraculously not causing any damage aside from a spike in adrenaline.
"Of course, sir."
Time: 9:05 AM
Location: 6,000 Feet above Sea Level, seas beyond the Ogasawara Islands
Boom!
"Damn these things!"
Brrrrrt!
"Gah!"
Bullets pinged off her shields from multiple directions, causing Houki to shoot up higher in an attempt to dodge all the lead coming her way. Shaking her wet hair out of the way, she drew Karaware back and unleashed more crescent slashes to take down the pursuing drones and missiles.
Boom!
A cluster of explosions resulted from her action, blowing the rain back for a moment. "Good." Her lips curled into a self-satisfied smirk as she checked her sensors.
'Alright, let's go find Ichika in this mess and-'
Ting-a-ling~!
She quickly whirled around, spotting the brief blue flash of light from a distant cloud formation. Not even a second later, scattered blue beams began to converge towards her.
"Not again!" The girl seethed as she quickly flew back, putting space between her and the beams as she swung Karaware. The crescent beam shot forth, sweeping across the sky towards the twisting and turning threads.
Boom!
Several of them exploded, catching others in a chain reaction. Her grip on her swords tightened as she narrowed her eyes, wary of any other sneak attacks from the now-hidden Gospel.
Bzzz…
Her sensors notified her of an incoming contact, and judging by the noise, it was another one of the drones. Scoffing, she turned around, Amatsuki ready to swing-
Ting-a-ling~!
-and she found herself staring into the smooth silver visor of the Gospel.
'..!'
Eyes widening in realization, her reflection mirroring it, she went to follow up on the swing-
"Gurkh!" A choked gasp left her lips as the edged knee of the enemy IS dug into her stomach. A second later, her head snapped to the side as the Gospel's leg unit struck her temple, momentarily causing her vision to swim.
The sheer force of the kick sent the Akatsubaki away, breaking through the clouds at such speed that it felt like she was going through thin walls. Shutting her eyes and forcing the disorientation down, she opened them just as she stopped her fall, the IS arresting itself in the air just as a lightning bolt cracked the space beside her.
Crack!
"Ah!"
Houki didn't even have a moment to collect her thoughts as all she saw was white. She could feel the sheer heat of the bolt, and she feared that she might have gotten burned. Guided by the instinct to 'get away from danger,' she quickly flew in the opposite direction of the heat.
Boom!
And then the thunder roared, caused by the rapid heating and cooling of air from the lightning strike. Thankfully, she had managed to modify the sound sensors of the Akatsubaki minutes prior to deafen the sound of thunder, having been sick of having her ears assaulted by it.
Still, that didn't mean that she was safe just yet.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Still half-blinded by the lightning strike, she turned around just in time to see a blur-!
Fyoom!
-be shot through by a yellow beam.
"Eh?"
Boom!
Houki blinked the white spots in her vision away and backed off from the explosion. There was a faint trail of leftover energized particles and her gaze followed it up…
Crack! Boom!
…right into a pair of cold sea-green optics.
(BGM Start: Gundam 00 - Power)
"No way…"
Briefly illuminated by the lightning bolt, the Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai lowered the Arrow-form Tactical Arms 2. The Flight Pack roared as the 8 high-spec engines blew away encroaching clouds with its jetwash, clearing the air around it from any visual obstructions. With the rain splattering against the armor and giving it a slight sheen, the mobile suit looked intimidating, especially in the dimness of the storm cloud.
The girl tensed her jaw and tightened her grip on her swords, glaring up into those indifferent optics as they flared.
'Damn it…just when I thought we got here before them..!'
She opened her mouth to ask him what took them so long, when-
Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!
-three yellow beams shot past her, the Tactical Arms 2 rising in the blink of an eye as the barrel in the middle of it began to glow once more.
'...?!' She raised both her swords in preparation for a counterattack, her expression twisting into one of open hostility. 'So they finally showed their true colors-!'
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Eh?" Looking over her shoulder, she saw three separate explosions, as well as shattered debris of drones falling into the ocean below.
《 Pay attention to your surroundings. 》
Houki looked back up at the Red Frame as it let loose another beam arrow, its back turned to her as another drone got its wings clipped. The Astray's head turned and the sole sea-green optic locked on to her blues once again.
《 Don't get distracted. Now's not the time to hesitate. People's lives are at stake here. 》
"Shut up..!" She hissed, rising to his level in just a few seconds. Glaring into the blank optics, she pointed Amatsuki at the suit. "Where the hell were you three, huh?! I thought you three could go Mach 2? Then you should have been right with us!"
《 … Take a good look around, visibility is low, and comms are being jammed. 》Ryo responded, the Astray turning towards her with an air of indifference. 《 Not only that, our sensors are going haywire. We were 14 thousand feet above you, and the two of you were barely on the edge of our sensors before it went dark, and we suspect that it's not the storm that's doing this. 》
"Huh?" Houki sneered, not buying his words. "What kind of excuse is that? Malfunction? Didn't my sister make those suits of yours? Didn't she train you to deal with situations like this?"
Those indifferent sea-green optics stared at her for a few more seconds before the pilot scoffed. 《 By dealing, it meant managing. No amount of training completely prepares someone for a situation like this. I can't make the storm go away now, can I? Now, If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find Ichika. Maybe he'll be more understanding than whatever you are. 》
"Hey, I'm not done talking to you, freak!"
《 Well I am. 》Came the biting words of the courier, the Astray turning away from her. 《 I can't be bothered to deal with your bullshit right now. 》
And with that, the Red Frame flew off, nearly blowing her back from the sheer force of the thrusters of its Flight Pack.
"You condescending asshole!" The ponytailed girl snarled as she chased after him. "Get back here!"
(BGM End: Gundam 00 - Power)
.
.
.
Time: 9:10 AM
Location: 6,000 Feet above Sea Level, seas beyond the Ogasawara Islands
"Houki, where are you?!"
Crack! Boom!
"Houki!"
Davion watched the Byakushiki pilot from the corner of his eyes, frowning to himself at everything that's been happening.
'I know Ephraim said to follow the plan but…' Gray eyes narrowed as he studied the determined yet worried expression of the IS pilot, a pang of sympathy going through him. 'Doing something like this to our friends…'
He glanced down at the corner of his HUD, watching as the red blip that was the Silverio seemed to circle around them. He had to lie to his friend earlier about their communications and other systems being down. They were operating in radio silence, sure, but stringing Ichika along didn't sit right with the mechanic.
"Houki, come on!"
Davion sighed as he focused back on the task at hand.《 Ichika, I don't think yelling in a storm is going to work! 》
The younger teen looked to his side, sending an annoyed glare into the sea-green optics. "Well, what else can we do? Both of our comms are down!"
The Blue Frame shook its head as it stopped in the air, looking around warily as it quantized a missile pod in its hands. The red blip had suddenly stopped, and he had a bad feeling about it. 《 We listen. Ignore the splattering of rain and the rumble of thunder. Listen in to something that doesn't belong in the- 》
Fyoom!
The Astray suddenly turned and fired off the pod's ordinance, the cluster of missiles roaring out into the clouds. A moment later, said clouds were blown apart by a cacophony of explosions, revealing the Gospel.
(BGM Start: Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphan - The Battle for Death)
Ichika whirled around at the sound of the explosions, his eyes widening as the silvery armor of the rogue IS twinkled even in the storm. It had its back to them, apparently preoccupied with something else as it randomly shot out more beams into the clouds around it.
"There she is!" Without another word, the Byakushiki rocketed past the Blue Frame, wreathed in gold as the Yukihira activated its energy blade.
《 Ichika, don't be foolish! 》
"Take this!" The younger teen ignored the Astray pilot as the Gospel finally turned around. It took less than a second for it to quickly shoot up, leaving afterimages and rendering the incoming swing useless.
"Damn it!"
《 I told you! 》
BRRRRRRT!
A barrage of lead and beams followed the Gospel up, pummeling and rippling against its energy shielding. It weaved left and right in an attempt to shake off the aim with minimal success, the Neo-Type's aim was straight and true. Seemingly angered, the IS whirled back around and spread its wings, where two blue balls grew before shrinking…
Fyoom!
From those balls, came countless energy beams, all curving, twisting, and looping around each other. They split off into two groups, one for each of the boys. The sheer amount of energy released attracted the lightning, all of which were constantly striking the blue as if nature itself was trying to stop it.
Crack! Boom!
《 Fly! 》Davion yelled at the IS pilot, in a voice that was more of a roar. The Blue Frame quickly placed the Tactical Arms back into Flight mode and turned around.《 We have to get out of here! 》
"But where-?!" Ichika couldn't finish his sentence as the Astray suddenly grabbed him by the waist. His stomach lurched as the mobile suit suddenly accelerated, an odd sword in one hand and the other wrapped around him.
《 Anywhere that isn't down! 》The mechanic snarled, shifting his grip on the younger teen so that his upper body wasn't over his shoulder.《 I'm not letting those ships burn for our mistakes! 》
His position might have been uncomfortable, sure, but it allowed him a great view of the energy beams trailing after them.
They both coiled around one another like snakes, twisting in a helix as they tried their best to catch up. The Gospel was right above them, as if controlling the things, and frequently had to dodge errant lightning bolts.
Something shifted in the corner of his eye, and Ichika looked as the Gatling gun of the Tactical Arms angled up and down, as if…
《 Cover your ears! 》
BRRRRRRT!
Ichika barely had a moment to react before the 30mm rotary cannon fired, spewing lead and beams towards the chaotic mass of energy chasing after them. His ears rang at the near point-blank gunfire, but thankfully he powered on, even as his teeth chattered amidst a tense jaw. Through narrowed eyes, he saw the green beams impact the helical pursuer, mixing into the blue before-
BOOOOM!
-erupting in a brilliant though chaotic explosion whose sheer heat evaporated the rain around them. There was a visible heat wave that cleared the skies for kilometers around of rain, and sunlight streamed through as the very storm itself dissipated.
Time: 9:13 AM
Location: Nimitz-Class Carrier "Kestrel", Sea beyond the Ogasawara Islands
The explosion shook every ship in the RIMPAC exercises. It shook the very sea and cracked the air, not unlike how a nuclear bomb did. Items and personnel fell as the ship lurched, most injuring themselves against consoles or walls.
Natarle Badgiruel was in the middle of climbing up a staircase when the lurch happened, and she lost her footing and fell back with a surprised yelp. The papers in her hand were forgotten, tossed in the air as she sought to grasp the handrail.
"Gotcha!"
A pair of hands pressed against her back kept her from fully falling, keeping her in an odd suspended angle as the short haired woman looked over her shoulder in slight surprise.
Purple met green as the latter crinkled in relief.
"Almost got brained there, Natarle. That was one helluva of an explosion, yeah?"
Natarle sighed as she pulled herself up using the railing, glancing down at the scattered papers with annoyance. "Thank you for the help, Sergeant, but what are you doing here? I thought you'd be with your squad."
"Can you fault me for being worried for my wingman out there?"
Shaking her head, the black-haired officer gathered the reports from the CDC and stood back up. "Orders are still orders, Sergeant Calling. Now, please return to your squad. There's no telling when you four might need to scramble."
Iris Calling rolled her emerald green eyes and saluted lazily. "Aye-aye, ma'am. Not even gonna be warm to a friend, huh?"
"It is because we are friends that I'm not thinking of telling the captain about you being away from your post, Iris." Natarle frowned as she hurried up the stairs. "Now get back to your squad! Things aren't sounding too good up top!"
Time: 9:13 AM
Location: Kanucha Resort Conference Room #2
When the satellite imagery showcased the storm being blown apart by the explosion, those watching felt like their hearts leapt to their throats.
"Maya, zoom in." The clipped voice of their teacher was lost amidst their own worries. "Zoom in and get me a line with Camp Schwab. Now."
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
"Please tell me they weren't caught in the blast!" Charlotte asked, her face pale as she slammed her hands down on the conference table. "S'il vous plaît, dites-moi que cela ne s'est pas produit!"
"Houki and Ichika are melee users." Rin shakily spoke up, her eyes wide and pupils shrunken. There was a slight tremble to her hands before she tried to hide them under the lip of the table. "W-What if they were near..?"
"Frau Dunois, Frau Huang, please calm down." Laura tried to ease the worries of the blonde, but she herself had to fight this new feeling of worry as it battled against her military training. "I'm confident that they would have been clear of the blast. Ryo-nii and the others would have gotten them out of there if they were within the blast radius."
"Still-!"
"They are safe."
All of those at the table turned to Cecilia, whose brows were furrowed as she stared at the screen. There was a bead of sweat going down her cheek as she pressed a hand against the side of her head, seemingly in pain.
"If…If they were caught in the blast, I think I would know. O-Or at least, I would know that Ephraim is safe." The noblewoman muttered audibly, sounding not too sure herself. "I don't know exactly how, but I would know. And knowing him, I doubt he'd let the others be hurt when he could have done something about it. Please, just trust me on this."
Kanzashi glanced at the blonde before looking back at the screen just as the light of the explosion died down. Her grip on the Strike Uchigane was as tight as it could be and her heart was pounding in her ears. There was a cold sweat forming in the small of her back, but she believed that Davion would be safe.
"Ma'am, we have a line!" Maya turned to the tense teacher, a look of determination on her face. "The Major General said that they have reestablished contact with the test pilots!"
"Well tell them to connect us to it! I want to hear whatever's happening now that the signal isn't blocked!"
Time: 9:13 AM
Location: 5,638 Feet above Sea Level, seas beyond the Ogasawara Islands
The heat of the explosion had burned parts of his skin and arms, Ichika knew that, but so long as he could feel the pain, then that was the best news he could have given the situation. Better to have 1st degree burns than to have the numbed nerves of the 3rd degree.
《 Holy shit! 》Came Davion's shocked exclamation as the Blue Frame almost flipped head over heels from both the shock and pressure wave of the explosion. 《 Ichika, are you alright?! 》
"Again?!"
《 What!? 》
Ting-a-ling~!
Ichika then began battering the shoulder armor of the Astray, causing the older teen to let him go as he pointed up. "She's doing it again!"
The mechanic whirled around and stared as the Gospel charged up another orb of energy in its raised hand, the visor seemingly glaring down at them in an odd mimicry of fury as the very winds began churning.
《 Sunnuva-! 》Davion snarled as he reached over to his back skirt. 《 Just how much energy does this damn thing have?! Fottuti Americani! 》
Fyoom!
"Karaware!"
Then, from behind them, came a combination of a yellow beam and a red crescent. They zoomed past the two and straight into the energy ball the Gospel was charging up. It saw the two and immediately shot up.
The red crescent missed.
The yellow arrow followed.
It curved after the rogue IS, the near human-like twitch it had bringing a message of surprise for those present. This moment of surprise was all the arrow needed to close in and impact its shields, the yellow energy washing over the normally invisible circular barrier that was its energy shields.
"Great job, dumbass, now it's higher than we could reach!"
Ichika immediately turned around, his face set into one of great relief. "Houki!"
The ponytailed girl broke her glaring at the Red Frame to lock eyes with her crush. "Ichika!"
〈 Camp Schwab to Astray Team, do you read?! 〉
《 Focusing on something else here! 》Ryo snapped, firing off more arrows from the Tactical Arms 2. The bow blades had fully extended, revealing the massive size of the construct. It was twice the height of the Red Frame and yet it was wielding it without any problems!
《 It's time. 》
Both Neo-Types' eyes widened briefly before they glanced down at their helmet HUDs, seeing the icon of a trio of commas converging only for just a moment before it disappeared. The Blue and Red Frame shared a glance before focusing back on the situation.
"Guys, we're gonna need all your firepower here!" Ichika turned to them with panic in his tone.
The Akatsubaki boosted over to his side, Houki's expression twisting into spite as she glared at the two Frames. "Screw that! Ichika, she's still charging, she's vulnerable! Climb on, let's finish this in one blow!"
《 I'll provide cover fire. 》Ryo announced as he raised the Tactical Arms 2, yellow energy shaping itself into an arrow in the barrel. 《 You two, do your work. 》
"Shut up!" The ponytailed girl hissed at him as she grabbed the Byakushiki and placed its claws on her shoulder. "None of this would have happened if you-!"
"Houki, mission first!" The Byakushiki pilot snapped, irritated by her hostility towards the other two. "Argue later!"
"Ugh!"
Within no time, the two were off, soaring high towards the Gospel as the energy ball floating on its hand grew bigger and bigger.
Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!
Three arrows were unleashed, flying straight and true into the rogue IS' shields. They stumbled the Gospel, with it visibly lurching at the impacts, and caused the energy ball to grow faster.
Motes of white-gold light formed on the Blue Frame's hips, forming themselves into rectangular shapes just as some form of additional back skirt armor also began to materialize. He reached over and grabbed two cables from the new armor-
《 Not yet. 》Ryo muttered as he fired one arrow straight up into the air, curving it back down not unlike a Javelin, into the growing blue ball to no effect. 《 Let's follow the plan and not reveal too much of our cards. 》
Davion stared at the Red Frame before slowly putting the cables back in their holding cells.
(BGM End: Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphan - The Battle for Death)
Time: 9:14 AM
Location: 12,000 Feet above Sea Level, seas beyond the Ogasawara Islands
"Come on, Akatsubaki, faster..!"
Standing to a knee on the Red IS' back, Ichika glared up at the immobile Gospel. He hoped that they would make it before it could use fire whatever attack it was charging up for. They had one last chance for a quick end to the fight, one last chance for a proper swing to land.
With any luck, this would be it.
"This is my last shot..!" He muttered as they neared their target, the air pressure already causing him to become short-breathed. "Come on..!"
He was hurting, freezing from the rain bath earlier, pained from his new burns, and felt like someone was squeezing his lungs the higher they went. His vision swam but he focused hard on the silvery armor of the Gospel.
Its head snapped towards them and it raised its other hand.
Fyoom!
"Oh no you don't..!" Houki hissed as she swung Amatsuki, a cluster of red beams flying with them before shooting up into the blue beams that streaked down to them.
Boom!
They entered the explosion cloud, hearts pounding in their chest. This was it, this was the end of the operation!
For Houki, this was truly it! A triumph over all those doubts and naysayers! She finally could be of use to Ichika!
As they broke through the cloud…
Buzz…
Ichika saw it first, an odd shimmering effect behind the Gospel. He thought it was a trick of the light, a hallucination from the growing lack of proper oxygen…
Until he saw the black armor.
Coming out of its Mirage Colloid Stealth was the Perfect Gold Frame, the Maga no Ikutachi Claws already closing in a vice around the waist of the rogue IS.
《 Right behind you. 》
The Silverio seemed genuinely surprised, the head quickly turning to look over its shoulder. The silver visor reflected only the cold blue optics of the Astray before it was yanked back, the claws quickly raising it up above and before the Gold Frame as if it was some sort of fine trophy.
《 Checkmate. 》
And then, in a flash of blue light, electricity began arcing from the IS, its limbs flailing and trying its best to be free from the claw's grip. The blue energy ball quickly shrunk into nothing before the flailing of the suit began to lose steam.
"No!" Houki gaped, face pale as her chances of vindication was stolen right before her eyes. "No no no no no no!"
The monoeye of the Gold Frame thrummed and flared menacingly.
《 Plan Zulu is a success-! 》
A white bolt!
Fyoom!
In a split-second decision, the Gold Frame let go of the Gospel, letting it freefall, just in time to dodge a bright yellow beam. The Astray's head snapped East, following the beam to its owner and…
A cold sweat formed down Ephraim's back, his pupils shrinking as the suit's sensors zoomed in on four distant figures…
Time: 9:15 AM
Location: 5,638 Feet above Sea Level, seas beyond the Ogasawara Islands
(BGM Start: Kyuchi - Toshihiko Sahashi)
"No…" Ryo's wary voice came through their private comms channel. "Please tell me I'm seeing things…"
As he took in the four closing contacts, the mechanic's gray eyes were wide.
The one leading was an odd rocket-like shape, with pink armor and black and blue accents scattered about. The tip of the thing was white, and it seemed to have some sort of 'skirt' binders that contained the thrusters.
The one following behind it was a white and blue machine with a blue shield and some sort of rifle in its right hand. Two handles were visible over its shoulders, where he could tell there was a powerful backpack keeping it afloat.
There was an olive and beige machine lagging behind the rest, a long rifle in hand that seemed to be attached to a sort of holster system. It was currently shifting its aim, as if taking in targeting data of those present in its range.
But what caught his attention the most, aside from the fact that all of them sported V-Fins, was the machine flying beside the lead pink one, a machine that he was intimately familiar with.
Red and blue armor mixed in with white, amber optics above a stark faceplate with grills and a red chin. Its winged backpack allowed it to keep up with the lead machine, and its shield and beam rifle made it clear that it was armed and ready for battle.
"The Strike Gundam…" Davion muttered, his eyes darting to each of the machines in growing horror. "The Aegis, the Duel, the Buster..!"
"God damn it..!" Ryo turned to him in worry. "This day keeps on getting worse and worse…"
"Where…where's the Blitz?" The mechanic quickly looked around, wary of some sort of sneak attack. "Where is-?!"
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Huh? Radar lock?!"
"Where from?!" The Red Frame turned around, warily watching its back for any backstab or similar attempts. The lock-on alert blared inside their helmets, and Davion followed its source to..!
"It's from…the RIMPAC Fleet?!"
(BGM End: Kyuchi - Toshihiko Sahashi)
AN:
Proofread and Edited by: ProjectRyo
And so we have the first part of Episode 11. Yes, this will be a multi-parter.
This Skirmish is going to turn into an all-out brawl soon enough!
Sorry for the late upload, but writing an entire Episode full of nothing but combat is a bit tricky. On top of that, I have to take into account some of the rolls on what the actors would do and, well, it's gonna be wild when I get around to uploading the rest.
Just keep in mind that whatever the outcome of this battle would be, the world will change in accordance.
Also, you know what irks me? The fact that Natasha Fairs and Iris Calling are apparently in the US Army yet Iris' pilot suit has 'U.S. IS Forces' on the back. So is this 'IS Forces' a part of the Army or is it some sort of odd branch where the Navy, Airforce, Marines, etc. can get in on it or..?
And the fact that they're on a Navy ship...yeah, I'm just...gonna ignore the interbranch weirdness of this whole situation. I know I put them there, but I realized this fact way before I took note of the little tidbit of Natasha Fairs being in the Army or 'army', as the wiki stated it.
Because even I know the friction between the US Army and Navy, not to mention the USMC...
Anyway, I modelled the Kestrel's (yes, that is an Ace Combat reference, I couldn't help myself) Carrier Strike Group after CSG 5 and DESRON-15, whose homeport is Fleet Activities Yokosuka. Here, in this chapter, they are comprised of 3 Ticonderoga-class Cruisers, 7 Arleigh Burke-class Destroyers, the unseen Carrier Airwing 5, and Iris Calling's Army IS Squad.
That is a sixth of the total ships in the RIMPAC, 11 ships out of the 67 present.
...On a random note, I finally assembled my HG Gundam Astray Gold Frame Amatsu Mina! It's ah...kinda why I was also late in uploading this.
TL:
"Brüder" = German for "Brothers"
"Attendre et espérer." = French for "Wait and Hope."
"该死的! 该死!" = Mandarin for "Damn it all! Damn it!"
"S'il vous plaît, dites-moi que cela ne s'est pas produit!" = French for "Please tell me that didn't happen!"
"Fottuti Americani!" = Italian for "Fucking Americans!"
Please note that none of these are my native language and I have to rely on translation sites. I apologize profusely if I mangled your mother tongue.
Acronyms:
FNMOC = Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center
CDC = Combat Direction Center, the CIC of US Carriers.
PACOM = shortened version of United States Indo-Pacific Command, or (USINDOPACOM)
To the Reviews!
P.B.S: Well, since they're going up against the 5 Gundams, I can confidently say...that they're not getting out of this untouched. And with the RIMPAC fleet being there, well, that's just another spice in the mix.
The Akatsubaki may have Phase Shift armor, sure, but it's effectiveness relies on how the pilot uses it. Houki...isn't the best pilot out there, that much can be said, and with the power trip going into her head, it pretty much nullified the tactical advantage of it.
Aha! So I didn't misremember that part! Well, hopefully I'll be able to navigate that tightrope. Though I do have some contingency plans for the already burnt bridge.
Ephraim in a Sailor Fuku...yeesh, I did not need that imagery. Ryo could pull it off, but not Ephraim. But yeah, Ephraim does fit into that 'category', in the sense that he did sell himself. Though, it wasn't all sex all the time.
KnightOfZaku: No single criminal boat here, my friend, but an entire fleet of warships! And Ichika is already suffering a cold, burns, and high-altitude sickness! Aaah the wonders of not having proper protective gear when you're flying up high, yeah?
And with that, this is a tired Cipher, signing off!
...Also, I may have found the perfect song for the OP of this fic, as cringe as it sounds. But ah, I'll keep it to myself for now... But maybe I'll drop a hint in the next part.
