Ben Fitzpatrick – Chapter 3
"Red Alert! Into the flames"
A week in space had passed since that moment, Vega had calmed down considerably, and often he was seen sitting by himself, not participating in any activities that staff members regularly took part in to pass the dead hours. Azrael on the other hand got to know most of the staff on board, he was praised as being a genius pilot, although he had never been in real action, he had already earned his red uniform, a position of power..
That day in particular held a dangerous task for the pilots of the Reprisal, Vega and Azrael had been tasked with checking the ships security system for any bugs or mistakes, working on one of the control panels that had been one of the cause for problems the last week, the calm silence was soon interrupted by a loud siren, all lights dimming, and the red alert lighting switched on in full effect.
"All hands, first level battle stations, repeat all hands, first level battle stations". The radio complemented the announcement with a heavy blanket of static, the battleship shook for a moment, and the terrified screams of both man and woman alike rang out throughout the hall.
"They've come it seems... this chorus of despair, it is a tune those bastards like to play often." His mind was a blank haze; each vibration sent throughout the ship brought him closer and closer to breaking point. Gazing at the man across from him, Vega spoke once again; "Azrael... Let's give these bastards hell, I'll show them the pain that they've inflicted upon me!" He reached down a grabbed Azrael's hand, pulling the pilot out of his daydream, straightening his uniform casually, he turned to his flank, and darted towards the mobile suit deck, weaving skillfully through the maze of corridors that the ship presented to him, he soon found himself in the ready room, Azrael followed closely behind. The hall was littered with nervous pilots, each struggling with one thing or another, Vega carefully noted the I.D. Number printed onto one man's uniform, the one throwing up into the rubbish bin placed in the corner by the shower block, he also noted one other, the calmest one in the room besides himself, "Magnus Highwind" was imprinted onto the man's helmet, his visor was clearly opened, and he seemed fully prepared.. one thing that held him back though was located on the opposite side of the room, several female pilots were also changing into their pilot uniforms., so naturally you'd have one or two people enlisting to 'reap the benefits'.
"Pathetic..." Vega said to himself, as he quickly changed into his pilot suit, "As long as I stay away from those two during this I should be able to survive". He only glanced over his shoulder once to inspect Azrael, it seemed the man was in deep concentration, preparing himself mentally for the fight ahead, "…Azrael, don't think too deeply about the coming battle, the more you think, the wilder your imagination soars…Just stay focused and we will have our share of Naturals today!". Pulling on his helmet the pilot kicked himself out into the hallway, letting his momentum carry him forwards at the lack of gravity. Azrael nodded and pulled on his own helmet with shaking hands before following.
It was only a short slot of time, but it seemed the process took forever... Vega started to get impatient; his revenge was the primary engine that drove his body at this stage. "All GINN units Prepare for takeoff!" the female voice announced over the intercom "Launch by pairs!" Vega's instant reply to this was "ZGMF-1017 GINN, Vega... Launching!", The Linear catapult spread out before him and magnetic forces seized his GINN, the ready light flashed green and he was propelled forward at fantastic speeds, Vega was caught by surprise and winced for a moment, everything ahead of the launch bay was a crimson tinted darkness. Taking a moment in his mind to re-evaluate the controls placed ahead of him, he adjusted his arms accordingly, there was no doubt about it, even though this was the first time the pilot had ever been in serious combat, he was ready. Recovering from the initial shock that the takeoff had caused, his face wore a malicious grin; he formed up with the rest of the Reprisal's GINN squadron and glared intently at the huge array of enemy ships before him.