Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Akihiro Atland is from Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans
Gundam Seed Fated Shift: Rearmed
By Centurious the Azure and Storm Wolf77415
A Goddess Scorned Pt. 1
(Eurasian Federation Starbase Artemis, January 27th, C.E. 71)
It was with a profound sense of relief that Flay found herself standing at the viewport, watching as the Archangel began entering Artemis's massive harbor. The last couple of days had been a true ordeal, but they were finally within allied territory. She fingered a few strands of her hair. "Wow, my hair is a mess!" Flay remarked to herself, chuckling a little. "I guess when you're trying to avoid being blasted out of space, your looks are the first thing to go. I wonder if I even brought a hair brush?"
Flay's chuckles eventually turned to full-blown laughter, recalling that she had left her purse in the lab building. "My hair brush is probably space debris by now!" Her laughs continued, drawing the attention of Yukimasa. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle her laughter. "Hi Yukimasa."
It hadn't been hard to find his girlfriend; He just had to follow the giggles, and there she was at the viewport. Yukimasa had to admit, it was nice to see a smile on Flay's face. He was afraid that recent events would have left a mark on her and not in a good way. So he put his hands in his pockets, offering his usual, carefree smile. "Heh, it looks like I missed a rather amusing joke. Care to fill in the rest of the class?" He floated up next to her.
"It just occurred to me that I haven't done my hair or make-up or anything else in almost two days, and I'm pretty sure I left my purse behind in the lab when we escaped." Flay said, putting her arms around his waist. "This isn't some crazy nightmare is it? We're really on a warship trying to avoid a bunch of people who want to kill us."
Yukimasa gently stroked those blazing red locks. "I don't think you need to worry about it too much, Flay. Your hair is just fine the way it is. Just as soft and manageable as any other day." She blushed at his words. "If it makes you feel any better, I left my phone in the lab. It's nothing new, I can get a new phone, however, it would be nice to be able to play Pokemon Go on this ship. I'm real eager to see what I could catch in a place like this."
He was rewarded by her laughter once again, clear and delicate as ringing bells. Flay pulled out her phone. "Here, you can play on my phone." She took note of the battery level. "Oh, It looks like I need to recharge it first." She sighed, shaking her head in realization. "My charger was in my purse. This really is a fine mess we've gotten into, isn't it?"
Yukimasa just put his arm around her waist. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, Flay. I'm just messing around with you. I can go without Pokemon Go for a while. Truth be told, I almost didn't take this assignment. But then it turns out to have been the best thing possible, since it mean I got to see you again."
"You couldn't be more right." Flay said, cuddling into his side. Yukimasa took in the feeling of her hand. the skin of her palm was soft to the touch, "If my father ever found the truth, he'd have a coronary, but I know I can win him over. Some of the suitors he picked weren't bad guys, but they couldn't hold a candle to you, Yukimasa. He would have picked a nice, safe choice."
"And by safe, you mean incredibly dry and boring, Like Prince Valium from Spaceballs." Yukimasa cut in, "Seriously, I could fall asleep just watching a guy like that yawn." This elicited more giggles from Flay.
"Yeah, and if that happened, I would have been miserable after the first day. The life of a being a trophy wife to some rich senator or congressman's spoiled, obnoxious son, sitting on the porch of some big, empty house getting wasted does not appeal to me in any way." She gave him that warm smile he loved so much. "I don't know what I want to do with my life, but I want to figure that out with you."
Yukimasa fished in his coat pocket, pulling out a pair of headphones. "We can't play Pokemon Go, but we can listen to a few tunes while we dock, care to join me?" Flay didn't have to say anything more, taking one of the offered earbuds. She turned to the music player, keying up one of her favorite songs.
"Tiny Dancer, by Elton John. You always did have good taste in everything, my girl." was all Yukimasa had to say, as he and Flay held hands, just enjoying the quiet moment. He put his arm around the redhead's slender waist, she rested her head against his shoulder as the Archangel slowly made its way into one of the docking slips.
(Bridge)
The tension on the bridge was so heavy it made Sharon's breasts seem light. The Hawk of Endymion nervously paced up and down the upper part of the bridge, just above the access to the Combat Information Center. He was clearly distressed about the entire situation.
"You look uneasy, Lieutenant La Flaga." The busty pinkette said from her place at communications, listening to the instructions being transmitted from the harbormaster. She brushed some of her thick wavy locks out of her face.
"Uneasy is putting it very mildly, Lieutenant Heim." He grunted, reflexively curling his fingers, causing the knuckles to pop. I hate to say this, but I seriously doubt this visit ending on a pleasant note. I have prior experience with Eurasians, all of it bad. They've never been the biggest fans of us, and the feeling is mutual."
"I've never had much love for the EF myself. Our two nations were in a veritable cold war before all of this started." Natarle frowned, tapping her foot impatiently before changing the subject. "Where is Colonel Sahaku in all this? Even if he isn't an Atlantic Federation officer, He should be present for these proceedings."
Mu just snorted. "I'm sure he'd gladly join us, although I'm even more certain he'd much rather be spending his time with a certain Vice Foreign Minister's daughter." The Hawk smirked at the notion that the child of the George Allster would fall for a Coordinator, especially a member of the Five Noble Houses of Orb. At the very least Yukimasa and Flay seemed happy enough with each other, so he couldn't really disapprove.
Murrue and Sharon both let out delicate titters. They had both recalled how much he had spoken of the graceful redhead during their time working on the G-Weapons. "Personally, I think their relationship is adorable. In the harsh environment of space, romance has blossomed between two young people." Sharon gushed.
Natarle just gave her fellow officers an annoyed glare. She clearly didn't find their laid-back demeanor at this critical moment amusing at all. "We're in a tight spot here! We have no idea of knowing how the Eurasians are going to respond to our arrival. This is hardly the time to be focused on stupid, teenage romances."
Mu sighed, wondering what it would take to pull the colossal log stuck up Natarle's ass. He understood the need for spit and polish at times, but there were times when it just slowed things down. He just ran a hand through his hair. "Now now, Ensign. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous of Colonel Sahaku. I'm certain you a teenager at one point. There was no doubt some guy you were pining over. Don't try to deny it."
"I'm just looking out for the wellbeing of the people on this ship, military and civilian alike." Natarle made sure to put emphasis on the last part. "Orb was supposed to be in charge of security. Lord Sahaku gave us his word that nothing what happen to the prototypes, and look at what happened. I guess that's what happens when you use nepotism."
Murrue stood up, watching as the docking clamps secured the majestic ship in place, a boarding arm swung around to connect to the airlock. "I might agree with you on that, but I know for a fact you saw how he fought out there. We wouldn't have made it out of Heliopolis alive, much less get this far without and Kira fighting for us."
"Hold on a minute you guys. I'm getting some new instructions." Everyone waited expectedly as Sharon listened to the other end, her delicate eyebrows narrowing slightly before taking the headset off. "We're to wait here for an inspection team led by Lieutenant Commander Biddauph, the station's executive officer." The way she said the last two words it almost seemed appropriate for her to make air quotes as she did it.
All four Atlantic Federation officers felt a sense of dread as the door opened, admitting a Eurasian man, flanked by a pair of very beefy men, in full body armor and armed with assault rifles. "What is the meaning of this? What kind of inspection team do you think are?" Natarle demanded, any further protests died when the guard pointed a gun right at her face.
"I suggest you watch your next words, Ensign." Biddauph spoke in an oily voice. "You've shown up here without any warning. We need time to verify who you are. It would be an awful shame if something happened to you before we got everything cleared up." The thinly veiled threat was apparent to everyone. "Now if you'll please follow me, I'm to take you to the conference room, Admiral Garcia will meet with you there once he's finished some paperwork."
Resigning themselves to their fate for the time being, the four officers fell into step, Murrue's last sight of Biddauph was a triumphant grin on his face as he looked around the bridge of the Archangel before the door snapped shut behind her, and she knew that their situation had just gone from bad to worse.
(Observation Room, five minutes earlier)
Yukimasa and Flay were still enjoying their quiet moment when they heard the harsh sound of grating metal as the airlock door slid open. The two ran to the entrance to see the "Inspection Team" coming aboard, Biddauph had brought eight men with him. The redhead gasped at the sight of the assault rifles the Eurasian soldiers were carrying. He subtly put himself in front of her watching as the Eurasian began issuing orders to his men.
"You two stand guard here." Two men took position at the airlock. "You two, began rounding up the crew and bring them to the cafeteria. The other four will come with me to the bridge." He then caught sight of the two teenagers standing there. "You there! What are you doing?" He demanded, the soldiers instinctively pointed their rifles at Yukimasa and Flay.
"My girlfriend and I are just enjoying the view, sir." Yukimasa said. "Kindly take the gun out of my face." The two were roughly herded down the hall, neither of them losing hold of the other. He was silently glad he wasn't on the bridge like he had been ordered to. He imagined that the rest of the crew would be rounded up before long.
They were taken to the cafeteria where Kira and Yui were having a bite to eat. The couple looked on at surprise at the unexpected guests. "Two of you stand guard outside, make sure no one tries anything." Biddauph gave those in the room a dismissive glance before sweeping out of the room like he owned the place, the guards hot on his heels.
"Mind telling me what that is all about?" Kira asked.
"I was hoping you could tell me." Yukimasa replied, taking a seat across from them. "Flay and I were just enjoying the view when this whole clutch of guys came in and started pushing us around. But if I had to venture a guess…they could be after the Strike and Masamune. The Eurasian Federation would just love to get any edge they could on their Atlantic Federation rivals, this is Christmas come early for them."
It was then an conversation he had with Mu earlier that morning came to Kira's mind. "Lieutenant La Flaga told me to put a lock on the Strike's OS before we made port. I guess he knew that this could go south on us." His hands wrenched in anxiety, as Yui put an arm around him.
"So what do we do, Yukimasa?" Yui asked, keeping her voice low. "We can't exactly take them while they're armed."
"We just play dumb for right now." Yukimasa whispered, watching as slowly the crew and civilians taken on from Helipolis began filing in, noting the soldiers were looking around the room. He leaned in close, keeping his voice low. "If I had to be totally honest, we may yet be rescued, and from a very unlikely source."
"Whom are you talking about?" Flay asked. "I know for a fact there's no other Atlantic Federation units in this area of space."
Yukimasa smirked. "I never said it would be the Atlantic Federation coming to our aid now, did I, Flay? No, our rescuers are ZAFT." The three looked at him, not sure their ears had failed them. He just smirked. "If I were Le Creuset, then I'd split my forces in half, following us at a distance where we couldn't detect them, and make an attack on this place in order to flush us out."
"How could they do that? The minute the Eurasians detect any enemy mobile suits approaching, they'll raise the shields." Kira said.
"Not if they go for a stealth approach. Remember I helped design these machines, Kira. I know everything they're capable of. One of the mobile suits, the GAT-X207 Blitz Gundam, was made for ambush attacks. It has something called the Mirage Colloid system, what this does allows the Blitz to pull off a real neat little party trick and become completely invisible to all means of detection."
"So it's basically a cloaking device?" Yui asked.
"Got it in one. It would be child's play for ZAFT to send out the Blitz while cloaked, fooling all the sensors on this giant hunk of rock. It destroys a few of the Umbrella's emitters, and it's just a big old target. I was going to tell this to Captain Ramius and the others but I kind of got sidetracked."
Flay let out a nervous gulp, if that was the case, then the trouble wasn't over, it was just beginning. Kira was less than enthused, because it meant he would have to fight more. Even taking in the details of Yui's face wasn't helping his nerves, although she wasn't really paying attention.
"How do you know that Le Creuset will have kept a portion of his forces here on standby?" She asked. Right now Yui was all business, she almost seemed like a soldier with the way she carried herself.
"Orb isn't as neutral as you may think it is, Miss Takamura. I know Uzumi Nara Attha sounds crazy with his talk of neutrality and pacifism, but he's also far from stupid. It takes more than pretty words to reinforce your borders." He cracked his knuckles. "It takes strength. A little-known fact, but Heliopolis had a standing force of GINNs that we imported from the PLANTs, courtesy of my old man. Unfortunately, they were away when Le Creuset attack. It's why the White Meteor is so dangerous. He attacked us when our guard was down."
He didn't tell them that it was most likely Kato who told Rau when the Kagutsuchi had departed; it was always on standby in the event something went wrong. "For right now, we just play dumb. Let's just see how things play out. If Rau doesn't act, then I'm certain Murrue and the other officers will figure something out themselves. We can't afford to act rashly."
It was then he thought back to his conversation with Cagalli just before the ZAFT invasion. "I know it's rather disheartening to hear that everything you thought you knew about our homeland is a big, pretty lie. However, these are desperate times we live in right now. Look no further than our current hosts. It's a pretty sad sign when thugs like these are supposed to be the ones guarding us. They'd fall apart like paper tigers exposed to the slightest rain. That's why we need to be walking tall like genuine lions. This isn't the time to be a meek lamb." He looked right at Kira when he said that last part.
"For your sake, Yukimasa. I really hope you're right." Flay said, curling up against him as the cafeteria soon filled up. Yukimasa kept his head low, silently praying that Keijiro had actually tried to escape and wasn't currently getting wasted somewhere in the bowels of the ship. He could really be their only hope of getting out!
Yui mirrored the redhead's action, resting her head on Kira's shoulder. In that moment, feeling the weight of the one person in the world who had come to mean more to him than anything else, Yukimasa's words rang true. Kira didn't like to fight, but what would happen to Yui if the Eurasians came wanting the Strike's secrets? He held onto her a little tighter, not wanting to know the answer.
(Conference Room)
"We've only been here an hour, and I'm already getting chills about this place." Sharon said, folding her arms across her chest. The minute they had docked at the station, Murrue, Natarle, Mu, and Sharon had been promptly ushered to a conference room and left to cool their heels. "I'm certain you'll agree with me this place is full of creeps? I saw how those men were staring at us. I imagine they haven't seen a woman in months!"
"Those bastards are probably already beginning to dismantle the Archangel and the Strike piece by piece in order to discern their inner workings." Natarle fumed. She had voiced her concerns about coming here, knowing that the relationship between both the Atlantic Federation and Eurasian Federation was never going to be a totally friendly one. The long-standing rivalry between the two nations guaranteed they would view each other with a degree of suspicion, and now they had access to their rival's latest technology.
"You did warn us about this possibility, Ensign." Murrue sighed as she poured herself a drink. "I had a feeling that something was up when the inspection team came on board with assault rifles." She scowled in disgust. "I just hope the rest of the crew and passengers are okay."
Mu leaned against the wall. The hard glare in his ice blue eyes, Murrue couldn't help but it a little bit attractive. Mu was always known as a fairly laidback guy, but in this moment, he was focused and most of all determined. This was the Hawk of Endymion when he was looking for his next kill. "They won't have harmed them…yet. Garcia would bring the entire AF Navy on his head if anything did happen. Although, I think the best course of action right now, is to get out of here."
"I'm with the Lieutenant on this one." Natarle said, glad someone was finally taking the initiative. "We can't stay here forever. Our best chance is to take back the Archangel and the Strike. We cannot let the Eurasians discern any kind of information from, even if they are our allies."
"Then we should get started and fast." Sharon said, growing tired of sitting around herself. "Because we do not we have the luxury of time." Before they could make any further plans, the doors swung open, admitting Rear Admiral Gerard Garcia himself. He carried himself with an overly prideful swagger. Murrue and the others begrudgingly snapped to attention, following the old adage 'respect the rank, not the man.'
"Welcome, Lieutenant Ramius, I apologize for the rough treatment my men have given you." Garcia laid on the famous Latin charm, but the three female officers weren't buying it, Mu just rolled his eyes. "I hope we can clear up any misunderstandings between our respective nations. It would be bad sport to treat an ally with such hostility now, wouldn't it?"
"What is happening to my crew?" Murrue asked, trying not to sound too demanding. "I certainly hope none of them have been harmed.
"You needn't worry about a thing, Lieutenant Ramius. I'm simply having them all kept in the ship's cafeteria until we sort out this whole bothersome mess." Garcia said. "Until then, enjoy your accommodations, if you have need for anything, just let one of my attendants know. In the meantime, I have some matters to take care of, until then!" With that Garcia and his escorts left, the doors locking behind him.
Once out I the hall, Garcia's pleasant expression melted off completely, replaced by a contemptuous sneer. "The officers aren't going to crack that easily. They won't lift the encryption lockouts on the operating systems for their two machines. We'll have to try pumping the rest of the crew. I'm certain someone will be able to break."
(Archangel, Cafeteria)
Kira and his friends were just silently biding their time when in walked Garcia and a pair of his guards. He Everyone kept their heads down, not making eye contact. "Good day to everyone. I apologize for the intrusion, but I am in need of some assistance. We're hoping someone could release the lock on the OS for the two G-weapons you brought with you? Perhaps the pilots of the machines could help us?" No one was fooled for a minute by the false congeniality in the Spaniard's voice.
Neumann stood up. "Lieutenant La Flaga is the pilot of the Strike, why not ask him?" He was rewarded with a bash of the rifle across his face, sending him stumbling to the ground. A few of the women screamed. Yukimasa swore that Garcia got off on it. But the helmsman just gave him a defiant glare.
"I suggest you don't be cute, Chief Petty Officer Neumann. We've looked over the ship's records and know that Lieutenant La Flaga has his Moebius Zero present. That means someone else is piloting the Strike and Masamune. So where are they?" Garcia punctuated those last few words. No one dared speak up.
Garcia walked up down and the tables, eyeing everyone. "I see everyone is being tight lipped…a pity. I'm going to have get persuasive then." He suddenly lanced out, grabbing onto Flay's arm. "The captain of this ship is a woman, then perhaps the pilot of the Strike is as well."
"I'm not the pilot, let go of me you creep!" Flay protested, struggling to break free, but Garcia held an iron grip. The redhead proved she wasn't so helpless when she whipped out, stomping on his foot, slapping him across the face and grabbing his crotch hard! "How do you like it when someone grabs you without express consent? Hurts, doesn't it?" She hissed.
Garcia hit a pitch reserved for calling dogs and the Vienna Boys Choir. One of the guards went to hit Flay with the butt of his rifle, only for Yukimasa to grab him by the arm, sending him across the room, sprawling to the ground. He stood over the guard with the rifle in hand, detaching the magazine and ejecting the round in the chamber. "Don't push your luck, Garcia." Yukimasa had his "ice prince" mask on, he looked quite regal, if not for the furious sneer on his face.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly, I am Colonel Yukimasa Ikari Sahaku of the Orb Strategic Services, and one of the creators of the G-Weapons. I'm also the pilot of the mobile suit, Masamune. You won't get any secrets of those MS without me. You or your goons lay a finger on the girl or anyone else here for that matter, I'll gut you personally."
Garcia gasped. "Be that it may, I want to know who the pilot of the Strike is." Kira looked to Yui, who clearly wanted him to not say anything, out of fear he would be harmed. However, Kira wasn't going to let anything happen to the girl he loved or his other friends. But just as he about to open his mouth, the door opened, admitting Keijiro, his trademark sneer on his face.
"Heh, did someone mention my name?" He drawled. He made a sweeping bow. "Ensign Keijiro Mishima, pilot of the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam at your service, Admiral Garcia. I'll be more than willing to play ball with you, provided the price is right, same with Colonel Bossman over there." Yukimasa threw a questioning glance to Keijiro, but he paid no mind. "The Sahakus are more than willing to share as long as their property isn't disrespected, but I think you got off to a bad start by putting hands on his girl. I doubt Vice Foreign Minister Allster would take kindly to knowing you roughed up his baby girl."
Garcia's eyes shot upwards as he looked from Yukimasa to Flay and back. He snapped to attention. "My profound apologies, Miss Allster. I wasn't aware you were on this ship. Your father's reputation is well known. I would never wish to anger the man. Nor would I desire to anger your father, Lord Yukimasa." He amended, but Yukimasa just glared at him. "Your father is well known in the Earth Alliance as a man who is sympathetic to our plight. I wish he had just come to us first." With that the affable nature was back in full force.
"I believe we've gotten off on the wrong foot, Lord Yukimasa. Since your father has been such an asset to help us bridge the technology gap, I'm certain we come to some kind of agreement? Perhaps I can show you the progress we've made on the H-Program, we're on the cusp of a massive breakthrough, although it's far from perfect. I'm certain a little touch of Orb's technical expertise could help…push us over the edge?"
Yukimasa looked to Keijiro who just gave a slight nod, clearly his stoner friend had a plan and since he had no ideas himself, it was best to play along, if just for the safety of Flay and everyone else. He looked to Kira, who was very distressed at this turn of events. "Okay Admiral Garcia, I'll play ball for right now. Show us the merchandise."
The Eurasian smirked. "Finally, I'm glad to see you've come around, please follow me." Keijiro just sauntered out on Garcia's heels. Yukimasa looked to Kira and the girls, throwing up a subtle two finger wave, Flay smiled at that and he walked out the door.
"What was that all about?" Yui asked, having seen it too.
"That's his way of letting me know everything is going to be all right. If I had to guess, He's just playing along with Garcia. He's probably going to try and find Captain Ramius and the others so we can escape." The redhead had known him long enough to recognize when her boyfriend had a plan.
"Probably where the Strike and Masamune are located as well." Kira said, bowing his head slightly. "I just wish I had said something sooner. I feel so useless." Yui patted him on the back, before leaning into give him a gentle kiss on the cheek, causing his entire body to go rigid. "W-what was that for?"
"Because I don't like it when you wallow in self-pity, Kira." Yui explained, speaking in the same voice she used whenever she was teaching in one of Kato's classes. "I'd never thought I'd say this, but Keijiro showing up is a godsend. Garcia thinks he has the Atlantic Federation's two G-weapon pilots in his back pocket now. As such, he's not going to give the rest of the crew a second thought. Once we know where the Strike and Masamune are, when the breakout happens, you can do your thing."
"How will we know when the time is right, though? It's not like he's going to just call us and let us now." Kira asked.
"Yukimasa will give us a signal, what that is, I don't know yet, but it will happen. We just to need to be ready." Flay said.
"Okay." Kira said, steeling his nerves for what was to come. "Then I guess it's just sit and wait until then." He took hold of Yui's hand, still resting on the table. Flay also reached out, since Yukimasa was no longer present she needed some support too.
(Artemis, Lower Levels)
Yukimasa tuned out Garcia's ramblings about how much superior the H-Project was to the G-Project and that once they were finished; the Eurasian Federation would cement their place as the dominant partner in the Earth Alliance. He was too busy focused on keeping track of the locations of every security camera and taking note of every guard station. He leaned into Keijiro. "I have to say, your timing was perfect."
Keijiro put on a shit-eating grin, Yukimasa found it amazingly reassuring. "Heh, I tapped into security, I was watching your every move. I think you've been spending too much time with that red-haired hottie of yours. I would think you'd be more aware of your surroundings that way."
Yukimasa just let out a silent groan, hoping Garcia and his men didn't hear any of it. "Then why didn't you try to warn us?"
"What are you talking about, bro. I sent you a text." Keijiro said, which just made Yukimasa's scowl all the more pronounced. "Dude, what is wrong with you? Garcia is going to catch on."
"My phone is currently floating about the remains of Helipolis. I couldn't have gotten your text even if wanted to." Now it was Keijiro's turn to scowl furiously.
"Son of a bitch…I brought half my game collection with us when we settled on the colony!" Keijiro dug his fingers into his palm. "Those games were classics! From before the Reconstruction War even! If I ever see that asshat, Kato. I'm taking it out of his ass, and then I'm making him pay me the difference for what I lost."
The group entered the hangar, the two boys looked on in amazement at the three Gundam-class mobile suits laid out before them.
"Behold the fruit of the H-Project…the Hyperion units! More than a match for anything the Atlantic Federation could think of." There was genuine pride in Garcia's voice as he introduced Yukimasa and Keijiro to his creations. "I've labored over them since the war started. With your expertise, I'm certain the Earth Alliance brass will use them as the basis for the new mass production units."
Keijiro whistled in appreciation as he looked over the Eurasian mobile suits. "Not bad…not bad at all, if I do say so myself. These Hyperions could easily give the G-Weapons a run for their money, what do you think, Masa?"
The Sahaku was about to say something when a young man walked by him. He took a couple moments, staring at the new arrival. He was about their age, with long, dark brown hair that reached well past his waist. He wore a black leather jacket that rode high on him, exposing his flat stomach and defined abs. He also wore very tight black pants trimmed with red, and chrome panels on the jacket and pants. He wore a dour expression on his face, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was.
Keijiro blinked a few times, wanting to get the full extent of what he was seeing. "Wow…I thought I was edgy and cool. Tell me, do you listen to Scream-O every morning after you wake up and get ready for the day? I bet your anthem is I Must Be Emo by Hollywood Undead. Seriously bro, get a change of clothes, 'cause I don't want to look at your bare midriff, it's kind of creepy."
"Let me introduce you to Lieutenant Canard Pars, he's the main test pilot for Hyperion Unit 1." Garcia didn't catch the annoyed glare coming from Canard. Yukimasa wasn't so much focusing on his clothes as his face, starting with his eyes, a deep shade of familiar purple. If Canard cut back his hair, and it was a few shades lighter, he could easily pass as Kira's twin brother. "Introduce yourself, Lieutenant."
"It's nice to make your acquaintance." Canard's voice barely rose above a monotone, but there was an irritated slant to it. "I don't know why the Admiral brought you here, and I could care less, just make sure to stay out of my way and let me do my job." With that he stalked off to one of the Hyperion Gundams, painted white with a gray torso and trimmed in black, red, and gold.
Garcia sighed. "Please excuse my subordinate's rudeness. He's had a rough go at life and thus has some unresolved…family issues. Rest assured he will do what's asked of him when required. Now how about we get to the matter at hand? I'm sure you'll be able to deliver what we need." He led them to the second Hyperion Unit, painted gray and trimmed in blue and black.
Keijiro climbed into the cockpit, starting up the main computer to check out the operating system, judging from his reaction, the Eurasians had as much luck in programming it as they had. Yukimasa inspected the outside, noting the all too familiar look of the machines in general. "Well, my first impression is that someone stole the keys to the patent office. Because these Hyperions resemble the G-Weapons quite a bit."
Garcia puffed up his chest a little bit. "I'm surprised you'd think such a thing, Lord Sahaku. You know as well as I do that the Gundams are hardly a new thing. We wanted to honor the memory of those mighty war machines of an era long past. They were a symbol of hope to their allies and fear to their enemies during the Reconstruction War. We want this to be the same for our own forces."
"I hear that. Gundams are just as much symbols as they are functional weapons of war." Keijiro said, sticking his head out of the hatch. "I remember reading the stories of during the war, how whenever a Gundam showed up on the battlefield the bad guys shit their pants." Yukimasa and Garcia looked at him confusedly, the stoner just scowled at them and took a drag. "What? I read history too! Changing the subject, I have to admit I'm impressed you managed to miniaturize the Lightwave Barrier onto a mobile suit. I bet that eats up quite a bit of juice."
"Yes, unfortunately that is one of the system's biggest flaws." Garcia sighed. "If this system had existed in the time of the Reconstruction War, it wouldn't be such an issue since the Gundams worked on nuclear power. But that's not an option with the N-jammers in play. We've been developing a new generation of high density energy batteries that can run longer, but until they can be perfected the barrier can only be used sparely."
"Indeed, A lot of the tech used in that era was outlawed by the United Nations after the war ended." Yukimasa thought back to one of the many history books he had read as he grew up. "Nano-laminated armor made them virtually impenetrable to energy based weapons. And the Alaya-Vijana system made it possible to control them without a complex operating system." His eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me that your machines use the AVS! The surgical procedure was known to be extremely risky, and a lot of people ended up severely crippled or even dead because of it!"
Garcia held up his hands in a non-threatening manner. "Oh please, we're not that barbaric! But we have taken many of our cues from the original Gundams." He looked up at the Hyperion with great affection. "I had a plastic model of one of them when I was a young boy…the Luminar I believe it was called. A true work of art in every way, that's why I patterned the Hyperions after them."
Yukimasa and Keijiro both got nostalgic gleams in their eyes. "We played with Gunpla too. It's kind of funny that what started as a training tool during war time became a game for children."
"Times do change." Garcia said, spreading his arms out. "But we're getting off the subject. Be truthful with me Lord Sahaku. What do you think you can do to get the Hyperions combat ready in time?"
Yukimasa sighed, readjusting his coat. "Well, that depends on the status of your pilot corps, Admiral Garcia. If you have a fair amount of Coordinator pilots, limited production of the Hyperion line could start right away, but you strike me as someone who's looking at the bigger picture, and want to make it available for all pilots ASAP, in which case you probably have the same problem we did for the G-Weapons…a lack of a Natural use OS."
"Yeah, I'm afraid it's a sad truth. Admiral G." Keijiro took a drag of his cigarette. "We won't be able to help you in that regard. Without the Alaya-Vijana, Your Hyperions are pretty much giant paperweights. So be ready to invest in some heavy research and development for the Operating System, or try and dig up the plans for the AVS, but good luck convincing your superiors in Moscow to let any of your soldiers undergo the procedure."
Garcia didn't look happy by this turn of events. "This is not what I was hoping for, gentlemen. I thought we had a deal. You said you would be able to get the Hyperions up and running." Both Yukimasa and Keijiro were unfazed, they had run into far worse characters than him."
"We're both good engineers, but we're not magi-tech elves, Admiral." Keijiro spat. "We can't just conjure up a solution out of thin air. We've taken a look at your mobile suits and identified the shortcomings with them. You're the one with the resources, so hop to it and give us what we need, and then maybe we can do something with it."
The Spanish admiral frowned, but he just shrugged. "Fair enough then. I suppose it will have to be enough for right now. I'll leave a few of my guards outside so you won't be disturbed. Ask them if you need anything. I will want to be kept informed of any developments and I mean anything." Garcia gave a slight nod before he departed. Keijiro and Yukimasa both smirked as the door shut behind him, and they high fived.
"Ha! Wow, he is really full of himself! As if we'd actually help that Hispanic idiot!" Keijiro chortled before giving the console a loving pat. "I think we might get a new toy out of this as well. With this, plus the Strike, Masamune and the Moebius Zero, we'll be set up fairly well for firepower, more than a match for the other G-weapons."
Yukimasa wore a thin smile. "I had to admit I was a little curious as to what your plan was, but I'm glad I followed your lead. All we need to do is bid our time and then we can get out of here. Although…" His gaze fell on Canard, currently running a diagnostic on his Hyperion unit at the maintenance console on the gantry. "We may have to deal with a certain little problem first."
Canard turned, and the two boys locked gazes. The young man who bore such a striking resemblance to Kira then began walking down the gantry toward them. For a few seconds none of them said a word before he finally spoke. "I get the impression you don't really buy into Garcia's bullshit. If you want, I can help you out. I hate working for the Eurasians, all a bunch of arrogant nobles stuck in another time frame. I can even tell you where your mobile suits and the officers are."
Yukimasa and Keijiro were instantly piqued. "Is that a fact?" Yukimasa asked. "What do you get out of this? I can't imagine this comes without some kind of price."
"Help me steal Hyperion Unit 01 and we'll call it even." Canard stated.
"Can we take this one as well?" Keijiro pleaded. "Just think of it as payment for services rendered."
Canard shrugged. "Sure, I don't care. Just as long as it means I can screw over Garcia. You can piss in his coffee mug for all I care."
Keijiro let out a silly grin, thumping Canard on the back. "I take back what I said earlier about the whole Emo thing. You clearly don't give a fuck about anything. I can respect that a lot, C-man." He began crying mock tears. "It's just so beautiful! I've found a kindred spirit. From here on out, you and I are brothers in arms about not giving a fuck!
Canard raised an eyebrow. "Is this normal?" He said to Yukimasa, jerking a thumb at Keijiro.
"Welcome to my world." Yukimasa answered in deadpan.
Keijiro put an arm around Canard who grunted and brushed it off. "Look, this is purely an alliance of convenience. I have my own goals and I just need a little extra assistance to make my escape."
Yukimasa just shrugged. "My sentiments exactly. Unlike my friend here, I don't see us painting our nails, having sleepovers, or going to metal concerts together. That being said, I'm a man who believes in paying back debts, and I think I may owe you a favor down the line." He held his hand out. "If you think about it, look us up in Orb. I'll try to accommodate you."
Canard regarded it for a minute, before tentatively grasping his hand and giving a firm shake. "I don't see anything in the immediate future, but I'll keep it in mind. At least you seem to have a half way working brain unlike your friend here."
"Aw, I think someone is being Mister Ice King!" Keijiro uttered in a singsong voice, going down to one knee and bowing. "My buddy and I are at your beck and call, sire. We are your disposal, but not literally, I'm not going to be your meat shield."
The Eurasian Gundam pilot sighed. "The feeling is mutual."
(Kagutsuchi, Bridge, Artemis Air Space)
"Please Tatsuo, you have to let me go out there!" Cagalli protested. "I've been practicing on the simulators back home for the better part of two months now. I know I can handle myself in a fight. Besides I want payback for Helipolis." The fire in her golden eyes was blazing even more so since the destruction of Heliopolis and evidence of Kato's betrayal, the professor was currently recovering in the brig from the round of Wheel of Misfortune.
"I'm sorry but that's just not happening, Lioness." Tatsuo said, taking another drag of his cigarillo. "I have strict orders to not let you sortie from your old man. Besides, none of our GINNs are even capable of being used by Naturals; we don't have that fancy operating system that's so crucial. You'd just be dead weight out there."
Cagalli's nostrils flared at those words. Kuro just squeezed her shoulder, it was one of the few ways he knew to get her to calm down. "I hate to say it, but Tatsuo has a point. Juri, Asagi, and Mayura would have had as much of a chance as you at this point, Cagalli. I know you just want to be useful, but let Alissa instruct you in how to work the radar, or maybe weapons."
The blonde just huffed in annoyance. "Fine, at least I can blow something up!" She went over to the weapon station where Alissa was already waiting for her.
Tatsuo sighed; while he was reknowned for being a colossal hardass to almost everyone, he had always had a soft spot for the blonde Athha heiress. He knew that she was a very capable soldier and commander, holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Orb Defense Forces. She was reputed for always leading from the front and sharing the risk with the troops under her command during training exercises.
Even though Orb's Astray series was technically superior to anything else available, without a proper way for Naturals to control the mobile suits, letting Cagalli go out at this point in time would be tantamount to suicide, and he would never be able to live with himself if the Lioness of Orb was cut down in the middle of battle.
The sound of the bridge doors opening followed by an elegant yawn caused Tatsuo to look over his shoulder, "Ah, so nice of you to join us, Yukira. It wasn't like we could have used you earlier." The source of the voice was a young woman of seventeen, wearing a white tanktop holding back her very generous c-cup breasts and tight, black yoga pants that showed off her shapely legs and very tight rear end. Long white hair tied in a low ponytail. Her brilliant red eyes held a fierce gaze.
"Oh piss off, old man." Yukira Rinka Attha said, stretching her arms over her head. "I had just got back from a three-day long mission. I was exhausted." It was then she caught sight of Cagalli at the weapons station, engrossed at memorizing everything on the screen. Her lips curled up in a playful smirk, she snuck up behind, putting her arms around her, eliciting a startled squeak. "Hey there Cousin Caggy." She purred, breasts digging into the younger girl's back. "I wasn't aware you were on board. Were you that desperate to see me?"
"Gah!" Cagalli would have leapt up but Yukira's embrace kept her firmly in her seat. She gave her cousin an annoyed scowl. "It's nice to see you as well, Yukira." The blonde sighed. "As for my being here, it's a long and involved story. Did you hear about what happened to Heliopolis?"
"Yeah, I saw it on the news feed when I woke up. I was going to try and sleep for at least another day before I read that schlock!" Yukira snapped, her white hair whipping around in the low gravity environment. "What the fuck happened there? How did we not notice that Kato was going to sell us out to ZAFT? I only hope he got what was coming to him!"
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. That traitor more than got what was coming to him." Kuro smirked, thinking back to the fun little game they had played earlier, and how Kato had been hauled off a gibbering mess, which was the usual state for people after a round on the Wheel. Tatsuo did give some really good revenge. "It was very…therapeutic at the time."
"You did miss a rather stirring round of Wheel of Misfortune, Yukira. Cagalli sang a truly, masterful rendition of Nookie while Kato was pelted with tomatoes." Mori said from his station at the helm, spinning around in amusement. "But of course, we recorded it for posterity. I'll be sure to send you a copy. You should get a few laughs out of it."
Yukira let out a hearty laugh as Cagalli blushed furiously. "I'll watch it just to see my dear little cousin sing!"
Mori sighed contentedly, leaning back in his chair. He was clearly proud of his work. "I should have gone into show business. That production was one of my best works to date. I can only imagine how it would have gone if I could have broadcast it live. The entire world would get to see just how spectacular I truly am!"
Kuro just let out an exasperated groan, all too used to his older brother's theatrics. Mori wasn't a bad guy, but there were times when his flamboyance just grated on his nerves! "Yeah, it would be broadcast on premium TV maybe. I sure don't want to know what you do to people who leave the seat down."
Mori got up, going over to pat him on the shoulder. "Ah, Kuro. I don't expect to you understand my mindset all the time. You see, I consider myself an artist at heart, and we artists see the world in a slightly different way than other people. But I digress. We have more pressing matters to deal with. As long as the Archangel remains ensconced within Artemis, we have no way of getting to them." He looked to Tatsuo. "What do you say, esteemed leader?"
The older man just smirked, lightning up one of his prized cigarillos, taking a long drag. "The answer to that is simple, Mori my boy. We go for the gusto, as is our custom. However, it may be a good idea for us to wait until our good buddies in ZAFT make their move. Until then, we have to play the waiting game."
(Pilot's Lounge, PSV Gamow, Artemis Airspace)
Yzak glared at the massive honeycomb shaped shield surrounding the rocky behemoth that was Artemis Station. "Damn it! We're so close, but as long as that stupid umbrella is up, we can't get at the legged ship." He slammed his fist into his open palm. "Those filthy Naturals can't be allowed to escape to the Moon. We have to stop them here."
"I'm glad we're on the same page then." Dearka muttered sarcastically as he leaned back on the couch. "I know you just want to get your hands on that one mobile suit with the big blade." He smirked a little, seeing the silent rage play out on Yzak's face. Despite his hair and eyes of ice, the blood of the scion of the Joule family ran red hot.
"Don't wind him up any further, Lieutenant Elsman." Captain Zelman, the master of the Gamow said. "We have to take action and quick. We all know Commander Le Creuset will want results. He's not the type you want to disappoint, but we already know that." There was an awkward silence between the three red clad pilots and black suited captain. While the man known as the White Meteor was usually a very soft-spoken, cultured individual, their commanding officer also had a reputation for being outright ruthless when he had to be, and no one, not even Yzak on his worst day, would dare cross the boss.
The conversation was halted when the wall mounted communications panel began beeping. Zelman walked over, answering the page. "This is Zelman, go ahead, bridge."
The Gamow's radar operations officer sounded rather nervous as he answered. "You're going to want to get up here right now, Captain. We've got a pair of ships inbound, they're approaching fast." The four men immediately tensed up with those words. They knew for a fact that Commander Le Creuset was still en route to the PLANTs, and they were the only ZAFT ship in the area they knew of.
"Is it the Earth Forces?" Yzak asked, fervently praying it wasn't. Even with the G-Weapons on their side, they were still only one ship, and between Artemis's own substantial forces, and any other ships the Earth Alliance would have sent, it could have given even the three redcoats a lot of trouble.
"No Lieutenant Joule, they're definitely ZAFT. Stand by the IFF code is transmitting." There was a sense of fear but also awe in the bridge tech's voice. "Oh wow…Captain Zelman, we may have actually have a chance here. The approaching are the Calvin and the Hobbes…it's Commander Connor's team."
"T-the Storm Wolves? The Storm Wolf of Jachin Due and his people are out here?" Nicol breathed. The three redcoats were immediately put into a state of awe. Any self-respecting ZAFT pilot knew the name of one of the best pilots the PLANTs had ever produced. His exploits of holding the line against the Fifth and Sixth Orbital Fleets at the asteroid base of Jachin Due secured his place in history.
"We'll be right up." Zelman said. "This could very well be the break we need for our little problem. Perhaps Commander Connor can provide a fresh perspective on this." The four immediately made for the bridge. "Distance from the Calvin and Hobbes?" He asked of the sensor operator.
"They're about an hour away and closing fast sir." The bridge technician replied, his demeanor now much more relaxed. "I have to say, I feel sorry for the Earth Forces now. The only people they had who would be able to match the Wolves were the Zero Corps and they all bought it at Endymion!"
Yzak made it a point to check his uniform, smoothing it out, adjusting his collar, and making sure his hair was straight. Dearka snorted as he watched his comrade finished primping himself up. "I'm so glad you're finished, do I need hold up a mirror for you? What are you doing anyway? Are you preparing for a date?"
"It's Commander Connor, Dearka! We have to make a good first impression on him!" Yzak hissed.
"And by we, you're talking about yourself, right?" Nicol replied. Dearka's opinion of the youngest member of their team went up a couple of notches with that grade A piece of snark.
Yzak would have responded in his usual, fiery manner but the communications officer reporting the Calvin was hailing them stopped him.
"Then put him on screen." Zelman said.
The monitor flared to life, producing the image of a young man of eighteen wearing the white uniform of a ZAFT team commander. He stood on the short side at five feet, six inches. Short, cut dark brown hair framed deep blue eyes, at first glance he seemed rather unremarkable, but if one looks deeper into those cobalt pools, there was far more depth than there should be for a man his age, the look of a seasoned warrior who had seen combat several times over, perhaps too many times.
Standing at his side was a tall, statuesque woman wearing black just as Zelman was. If any of the crewmembers of the Archangel were present at that moment, they would have been taken in at how just how much of a resemblance she bore to Flay, with her brilliant fire-engine red hair and blue-gray eyes.
Zelman and the three redcoats immediately snapped to attention, offering their best salute, which the two officers on screen returned. "It's good to see you Commander Connor, Captain Allster." Zelman addressed Sebastian, "I'll be lying if I said I wasn't relieved to know you were in the area."
"It's not a problem at all, Captain Zelman." Sebastian spoke in a relaxed baritone. "Regardless of how I feel about your boss, when we heard about Heliopolis, Maria and I reasoned it wouldn't be a bad idea to stop by and see if we could help."
"We're certainly flattered to have you here, sir!" Yzak said, a little louder than usual. "Those Naturals don't stand a chance with your squad here." He could feel victory close at hand. "It won't be long before the Legged Ship is ours and those mobile suits are destroyed or captured for the glory of the PLANTs."
Dearka and Nicol just rolled their eyes in irritation, they knew Yzak was ambitious, but this was just painful to watch. Sebastian clearly shared their sentiment. "I have no need for suck ups, Lieutenant Joule." The Storm Wolf of Jachin Due just frowned, clearly not impressed at all. "So kindly take your lips off my ass right now." Yzak looked a little irritated that he was dismissed so easily, but even her wasn't so foolish as to mouth off to a superior officer, especially one of the Storm Wolf's stature.
Maria cleared her throat. "Moving right along, why don't you fill us in on the situation?" Zelman and the three redcoats launched into the attack on Heliopolis, and the subsequent pursuit of the Archangel to Artemis. Neither Sebastian nor Maria said a word, just taking in every piece of information that was given to them.
"Ah yes, the fabled Umbrella of Artemis, a massive lightwave barrier that completely surrounds the entire base. The pinnacle of Eurasian Federation military technology, it's said to be impenetrable." Sebastian looked on thoughtfully. He gave a menacing smirk. "Of course, it just means taking that bad boy down will be all the greater accomplishment for everyone involved."
"You really think it's possible, Commander Connor?" Zelman felt silly for asking, but he wanted to be sure before committing to any kind of attack. "I'm stating the obvious here, but the Earth Forces aren't stupid. They will be keeping a close watch for any movements we make. Not even the combined might of the main batteries of our three ships would be able to even dent it."
"You're not wrong at all, Captain Zelman, as long as the barrier remains up, we can't do a thing." Sebastian gave a knowing smirk. "But what was working for you, can also work against you. Garcia is all too reliant on his precious Umbrella. It's been so effective up to this point, it's made him complacent. He feels he's untouchable."
Maria folded her arms, mirroring her commanding officer's grin. "But even the strongest of shields has its weak point." A graphic of Artemis came up, illuminating a series of points all along the asteroid's surface. "The Umbrellas are the numerous emitters required to generate it. If we can disable even a handful of them, their precious shield will be as useful as wet paper."
"So the challenge before is getting them to lower the shield." Yzak commented. "But I doubt that will happen any time soon, and even if it did. The minute any of our machines get close enough, they'll raise it and we'll be toast!"
"I think I may have the means to do it." Nicol stated, sitting at the console. "The Blitz is equipped with this Mirage Colloid system. It should allow me to approach the station undetected. I can take down the shield generators and the Umbrella will be completely useless then. It shouldn't be difficult for us to hit the legged ship on its way out."
Dearka just gave an arrogant smirk. "What a perfect strategy for a coward." He said in a dismissive voice. It was then Sebastian cleared his throat.
"Apologize to your squad mate right now, Lieutenant Elsman." The blonde sniper shrank back at the chilly tone of the Storm Wolf of Jachin Due's voice. "Lieutenant Amalfi's idea is far from cowardice. It's perfect. In war, you use every advantage given to you. The Earth Alliance no doubt developed this system just for situations as this. You clearly have done your homework, Lieutenant Amalfi, well done."
"Thank you, Commander Connor, coming from you I consider that high praise!" Nicol grinned sheepishly. He knew all too well that as the youngest of the squad, he would be looked down on. He would never be the marksman Dearka was, or as skilled in melee combat the way Yzak was, and Athrun was simply in a class all himself, but the young soldier remembered that the greatest weapon available wasn't a mobile suit or a gun, but his own mind, and now he was going to show everyone what he could do.
"If I were you, Captain, I would take the Gamow out of Artemis airspace." Maria said. "If Garcia sees there's no longer a threat from you, he should drop the shields. Once that happens, you can send in Lieutenant Amalfi, he can start targeting the emitters, and then we can flush this new ship out."
"We'll get underway at once. I'll plot a course to meet up with you and then we can launch our strike together." Zelman said.
"Until then, Captain." Sebastian and Maria both saluted, and the monitor went dark.
Zelman looked to Nicol. "Go ahead and get suited up, Lieutenant Amalfi. We'll drop you off in the Blitz and then join up with Commander Connor's team. The shield should drop once we leave. Once that happens, just sit tight. We'll give you the signal and then you'll attack the emitters."
"Understood Captain!" Nicol saluted, departing the room. He went straight to the locker room and began suiting up. He felt a certain uneasiness, the entire operation was hinging on him being ready to strike when the time came, but he had studied at the Keystone Academy and earned the right to wear the strident red that indicated his status as an elite. So he wouldn't fail.
Nicol entered the hangar with purpose, boarding the Blitz Gundam. He slowly brought the mighty war machine to life. "This is Amalfi, I'm ready to depart." He then guided the machine not to the catapult, but the rear entrance. Not wanting to tip off anyone on Artemis, the Blitz would just simply step out of the airlock. And drift for a bit until the time came. About ten minutes after the Gamow departed, the famed Umbrella came down. "A foolish move, one they'll pay for big." He remarked.
His brown eyes were fixated on the chronometer in the upper right-hand monitor, all the guiding the Blitz to a gentle landing on Artemis's rocky surface near one of the emitters. The minute the counter hit full zeros across the board, Zelman's voice came over the radio. "This is Gamow Actual. You are weapons free, Blitz, light the place up!" Nicol said nothing. He would let his actions speak for himself. He brought his Phase-Shift at the time as the cloak deactivated.
Nicol whipped the Trikeros to the right, bringing the first emitter square in his sights. He opened fire, launching two quick rounds square into the device, leaving a smoking hole for a few seconds before it exploded. He then set his sights on the second one, firing all three kinetic penetrator darts. Since there was no Phase-Shift on the emitter, it was quickly destroyed.
He then ignited the beam saber, slashing through the third emitter, the now severed piece drifting idly into space. He repeated hits process on four more emitters, thus ensuring the Umbrella of Artemis would never open again. Nicol smirked. "I never liked umbrellas anyway, always too much chance of them getting broken!"
"Nice job, Nicol!" Yzak sounded genuinely impressed. "I'll admit I didn't think much of your plan at first, but now I can say it a lot of guile. I can respect that."
"Yeah, I can say the same thing. We're on our way, pal. Don't hog all the fun!" There was new respect in Dearka's voice as well. Nicol just smirked a little, resolving not to let either of them forget it, and eager to tell Athrun of the part he had played.
"Then you better hurry, Dearka!" Nicol said, flying around to the hangar where the Moebiuses were beginning to filter out. He sighed. "It's almost too easy with this." He said to himself. Nicol genuinely didn't feel any animosity toward Naturals in general, but they were the enemy and thus he had no choice but to do what had to be done. "I hope you can find peace." He whispered. The Blitz opened fire, taking out the first two mobile armors.
The Duel and Buster arrived just as the other Eurasian mobile armors began forming up. Dearka sneered. "Ah, how nice for the Earth Forces to give me some target practice." He joined his weapons together to form the fearsome gun launcher that was made to be the Buster's trademark. He opened fire, watching with great satisfaction as he downed three mobile armors in short order.
Yzak settled for launching a grenade from the underslung launcher on his rifle, he set it for proximity mode, causing it to explode outward, taking about four Mobeiuses at once. "I almost feel sorry for them, key word being almost!" He sneered, dropping a couple more with beam rounds. "Those fucking Naturals are going to pay for all they've done to us!"
"I'm glad you're fired up, Lieutenant Joule." A familiar voice said. The three Gundam pilots saw a trio of mobile suits, a trio of GINNs and a CGUE fast approaching, One GINN had what appeared to be a radar dish mounted to its back, the other had a standard loadout. But the CGUE was the most distinctive. If the colors weren't a giveaway then the heavy sword shaped like a katana, and the logo on the left shoulder, a wolf howling with a storm cloud in the sky and a lightning bolt lancing down in a blue circle, cemented it. "But don't let it blind your senses. That's a quick way to end up dead."
"Nice of you to join us, Commander Connor." Nicol said. Video images came to life in each of their cockpits, showing Sebastian, resplendent in a white ZAFT flight suit, while three other pilots, two men and a woman, all wearing elite red appeared as well. "It's nice to see you as well, Lieutenant Mason, Lieutenant DeMarchais."
"Aw, it's so nice you remembered us." Sebastian's executive officer and chief strategist, Lieutenant Shawn Mason, drawled. "Glad to see it's not just the Boss Man who gets all the attention, right Gabby? After all, a wolf never hunts alone."
The woman let out a delicate laugh. "But of course. We all stand as one pack." Lieutenant Gabrielle Demarchais, the team's designated markswoman spoke in a light tone, her French accent evident for all to hear. A hint of worry in her voice. "So these are the new mobile suits the Earth Alliance was developing. I must say, I never thought I'd see a Gundam in my life time."
The Storm Wolf of Jachin Due just gave slight nod of weariness. He had heard of the legends of the Gundams himself and it was unsettling to think they were making a sudden resurgence. "I have to agree with Gabrielle on this one. You've come by some very heavy-duty hardware. I never thought the Earth Alliance would be so desperate to resurrect those mechanical demons."
"It didn't do them much good, Commander. We managed to steal them easy enough." Dearka said, launching a barrage of missiles from his shoulder launchers. "But there's still the issue of the legged ship and its two machines. We can't let them escape from here in one piece!"
"No one engages the mobile suit with the large blade but me!" Yzak sneered, he was waiting for a rematch. He spun and dove into combat, looking for the machine that had caused him so much grief. He was an elite of ZAFT and no Natural would best him!
"Agreed, Lieutenant." Sebastian saw as the Gamow, the Calvin, and Hobbes entered the fray. "This is Storm Wolf Actual to Gamow Actual and Calvin Actual, Captain Zelman, Maria, rattle the Eurasian's cage!" The response came in the form of a full barrage from the three ZAFT vessels, the two Nazcas letting loose with its pair of 177cm high-energy beam cannons and twin 100mm railguns. The Laurasia opened fire with its 937mm dual high-energy beam cannons, its battery of 450mm railguns, and 125mm beam cannons. The emerald beams, big around as tree trunks, and yellow charged projectiles streaked outward, tearing into the rocky surface of Artemis.
"Ha, enjoy that, Naturals?" Yzak leered. ZAFT had the superior firepower, and the advantage over the Earth Forces. It seemed victory was assured. But the mood quickly changed, when a yellow streak suddenly lanced from the void, managing to get hit in the starboard flank. "What the hell?" The ice haired pilot asked.
"We've been hit!" Zelman sounded frantic. "Damage is severe. Casualty reports are coming in from all over the ship, and several decks are on fire! Whoever these people are, they knew exactly where to hit us."
It was then Sebastian's eyes caught sight of something on a small planetoid a couple of kilometers above Artemis. "Gabby, get a solution on that." Gabby raised her rifle, zooming in on the possible origin point for the shot that hit the Gamow. "Do you see anything?" He asked.
"Oh Merde…" the Frenchwoman breathed. "Commander…it's a…it's a Gundam!" and with that every ZAFT pilot's focus came on the new arrival. A mobile suit that most definitely resembled the machines three of their numbers were piloting. It was colored a deep tan, and a pair of extra arms mounted on its backpack, it held a long, sniper rifle in its hand.
"Where in the hell did the Gundam come from?" Yzak raged.
"That's not possible. We got four of the prototypes and the other two are the legged ship! It's just not possible."
"That's because it's a not a prototype, Lieutenant Elsman." The Storm Wolf of Jachin Due remarked in a voice colored by awe and a healthy dose of respect. "It's the resurrection of a demon long thought to be dead, an original Gundam from the Reconstruction War…the Gundam Gunshot Rebake! Made for long distance sniping. I've studied it back at the Academy, but the pictures don't do it justice!"
"What kind of pilot could be at the controls of that thing?" Dearka wondered, he prided himself on being a pretty good marksman, but that shot required some insane skill. "He must be a genius!"
In the cockpit of the Gunshot Rebake, the pilot, wearing a tan flightsuit smirked. "Heh, nice shot, Aki." Kuro said from the monitor. "I'm surprised you didn't get the Laurasia in the first go around though. Don't tell me you're losing your touch?"
"My aim was just off a little bit." Akihiro Atland frowned slightly. "I'll have to compensate a bit next
time."
"You're thinking too hard, bro. Just concentrate and let your instincts do the rest. That's what the Alaya-Vijinana is for after all." Kuro said. He frowned, noting a pair of white and green GINNs advancing on them. "Uh-oh, it looks some Storm Corgis want to play. I guess I'll have to step in then. After all, I can't let you have all the fun now, can I?"
Akihiro just chortled. "Do your thing, man." He just raised his rifle, ready to provide cover fire.
A pair of Sebastian's subordinates hadn't taken too kindly to seeing the Gamow savaged like that. "Come on, Burns!" One of the pilots, a greencoat named Michael said. "Let's show this guy what it means to take on the Storm Wolves. We're the best for a reason and it's time for us to earn our paycheck!"
"I'm with you, buddy! Time to go on the hunt!" the other pilot, a greencoat named Burns sneered. "He can't take on both of us! All right chums, let's do this! Storm Wolves goooo!" He barked. The two GINNs engines kicked to life and they rushed the Gunshot.
"Storm Wolf Seven, Storm Wolf Nine, get back here right now!" Sebastian ordered, but his words fell on deaf ears, as Michael and Burns were determined to take this poser out. "Damn it, this is why I don't like hotshots! Those two were never good at taking orders, we have no idea who this enemy is or where they came from."
"Burnie, provide cover fire and I'll hit that thing up close, if it's a sniper type unit, it won't be good at melee combat!" Burns began opening fire with its rifle while Michael pulled out his heavy sword. "Time to die, mobile suit!" He let out a battle cry, when a white streak emerged from behind the asteroid that Akihiro had set up on. The blur slammed headlong into the white and green GINN, sending it flipping end over end.
Michael didn't have time to react, knocked around in the cockpit from the impact. He quickly righted his machine. "What the?" was all he had to say when a shadowy figure loomed over him, all the ZAFT pilot could see was a large extended horn like fin shaped in an oversized letter V, wielding what looked like a large mace. The oversized weapon swung and the entire cockpit reverberated with the sound of smashing metal. His screens went dead, indicating his main camera was taken out.
"Oh crap!" Michael screamed, trying to raise his rifle, but the cockpit shook again, the display indicated that the right arm had been completely crushed, rendering it useless. And then the most violent impacts yet happened, swinging him around his seat with his seat belt being the only thing keeping him from being tossed about like a ping-pong ball in the dryer.
And then finally the hardest impact struck, the cockpit hatch began bending inwards, a series of star shaped cracks forming on the now utterly trashed monitors. Michael was sure he had crapped his pants. And then everything went silent. "Is it over?" He whimpered, when all of a sudden, the entire front part of the cockpit began glowing, and a pole of frozen fire erupted through, melting him in seconds.
Burns could only watch in horror as the shattered metal hulk that had been once been his wingman's mobile suit drifted out of the view of his camera. He had witnessed everything that had happened, and it had been brutal. The white streak had been a G-weapon class mobile suit, and a vicious looking one at that. It had a rough, unfinished quality to it, missing the armor along the shoulders and waist, the massive V-fin and the claw like feet gave it a monstrous, even demonic look.
The weapon it carried, a giant mace, completed the motif. The mobile suit's blow had left a colossal dent in the GINN's right side, the armor crushing inward like it was made of the thinnest tin foil. The demonic mobile suit swung the mace again with incredible speed, this time crushing the head of Michael's GINN in a single blow. It would have been almost comical in a way, as if the machine's head had been punched down into the body, like in a cartoon.
Michael had tried to fight back, bringing his machine gun to bear, but the unknown mobile suit had struck first, this time swinging the mace, connecting with the GINN's right arm, rending it useless, the machine gun spiraling into the void, before going for the killing blow, smashing the mace into the torso a couple of times, the armor giving more and more with each impact, before it pointed the mace square at the cockpit. "Don't you dare you son of a bitch!" Burns roared, but it was to little avail, a beam not unlike on a beam saber, lanced out, neatly penetrating the cockpit, killing him in a second.
"Damn you!" Burns roared, drawing his heavy sword and attacking in a blind rage, once more ignoring the words of his commanding officer to withdraw. It was then the Gundam turned to look right at the angry ZAFT pilot, the green eyes flashed once. Burns brought his sword back for a backhanded diagonal strike, swinging with all his might.
"This is for Michael!" He yelled
The attack was all for nothing, as the Gundam casually grabbed the blade in its free hand. Burns struggled to break free, but it wasn't happening. The blade shattered in the Gundam's claw like hand, and then it grabbed the GINN by the shoulder. Burns now felt the exact way his buddy did, as his machine was sent hurtling into the asteroid that that the Gunshot had been standing on, leaving a nice little crater and kicking up a large cloud of dust.
Burns struggled to get his machine on its feet and try to get some distance, but his opponent was on him before he even knew what hit him, landing square on his GINN's legs, causing him to instinctively scream even though his real limbs were just fine. He looked up and saw the tip of the mace just above his cockpit. "This day sucks!" Were his last words before the beam pile bunker ended his life.
Sebastian couldn't believe his eyes at how casually his men had been dispatched by the sinister looking mobile suit, the mace casually leaning against its shoulder. Both Burns and Michael's GINNs hadn't even exploded like normal; they were just crumpled up wrecks with crushed and impaled cockpits. "That mobile suit…" Gabrielle's horrified voice came in. "It's a demon!"
"You couldn't have put it better, Gabby. That mobile suit right there is The Gravesend Gundam." Sebastian's tone was somber. "And it's yet another relic of the Reconstruction War, it was known as the White Devil…and it's not hard to see why with a performance like that."
"You know your history very well, Commander Connor. So it's all the more reason why it's a bad idea to get involved in a fight with us." A deep baritone voice cut in. Akihiro had been listening to the enemy chatter and decided to say a few words. "Consider this payback for what your friend Rau did to Heliopolis. Let the deaths of your two men be a reminder. You want the Archangel and the machines it carries? Then you'll have to fight us to get them."
That was enough for Yzak to hear, "How dare you say such a thing, you filthy Natural!" He snapped. "But then I suppose it's no surprise. "Your precious country talks all it wants about neutrality, but you support the Earth Alliance just the same!" Yzak sneered in contempt. "Of course, I shouldn't be surprised, it makes sense for cowards to band together, you're all the same!"
That only produced a bemused little chortle from Akihiro. "Oh wow, that's real cute coming from you, Lieutenant Yzak Joule." He was certain that Yzak was fuming in rage. "That's right, I know who you are, as well as your buddies, Zala, Elsman, and Amalfi. You used a sneak attack to get at the G-Weapons, and then blew the entire thing to hell in order to destroy one ship! Those are the tactics of someone who only cares about results. The White Meteor is a real piece of work, makes me wonder how much he's twisted your mind."
It was all Yzak could take, he wasn't going to let himself or his people be mocked any further! With a yell of incoherent rage, He ignited one of the Duel's beam sabers ignited within seconds of firing his mobile suit's thrusters. "I'm going to kill you!" He raged, totally blind to any commands Sebastian was giving out, even if Rau himself had been there, he wouldn't have been able to leash him in time.
"Yzak look out!" Dearka suddenly yelled, the pilot of the Duel was about to snap at his teammate when he saw a pair of yellow streaks hurtling straight toward him, and even with his enhanced reflexes, he wouldn't be able to get out the way in time.