Chapter 8
Mikazuki has just finished showering and was getting dressed for his, and the others were meeting with the boss of Teiwaz, McMurdo Barriston.
It has been over ten days since the battle with the Turbines and Mikazuki has never been more busy in his life.
During his free hours of the day him, Akihiro, and Shino train with pilots from the Turbines, most of the times it is either Azee or Lafter they train against though sometimes Amida spares an hour or two to train with them but mostly him since he beat her.
The Turbines simulators didn't have the Alaya-Vijnana system which gave them an advantage, but the three Tekkadan pilots didn't just rely on Alaya-Vijnana to fight and improved quickly from every battle they fought.
Mikazuki made fast friends with Lafter and to the amazement of the Turbines crew Azee as well, one could see him in the company of one if not both girls whenever he visited their ship.
Back on the Isaribi he was usually busy helping Nadi, Yamagi, and the test of the engineering team with the integration of the Alaya-Vijnana system into the Schwalbe Graze, and the Grazes that Tekkadan was going to use. Barbatos was perfectly fine and didn't need any work done for now so Mikazuki was free to help them work out the issues with implementing the system due to him being the best person for the job since he has three implants, he could handle the data feedback from the Gjallarhorn mobile suits without any issue since it was not much when compared to the feedback from Barbatos.
It only took a few days before they had the Alaya-Vijnana interface installed in all the mobile suits, Akihiro was given the Schwalbe Graze to pilot as it's much better than a Graze, Dante and Chad were each assigned a Graze Custom to pilot if necessary, simulator training was made available to anyone on the crew that was interested in being a pilot but the final call on who could pilot or not was up to Mikazuki.
Mikazuki was able to recreate digital versions of the various books Chaos had read with Chaos's help, this have the younger members something productive to focus on when they had free time, the fantasy and fairytale books were a favorite for the young members, the older members read the more mature books, it also helps them with their reading and writing practice.
That was what his daytime activities entail along with his patrol duties.
At night Mikazuki was on the other ship that they had taken to calling Ursula.
There were usually only a few members on the ship from time to time as Ursula wasn't involved in any of the fighting and was mostly being used to store the extra cargo that the Isaribi can't carry. It was also where the Paladin suits were kept, they didn't want the Turbines to know about them as of yet since they weren't allies at the moment, the members that were chosen as pilots for them were the ones who serve on the Ursula as they could train without any disturbances.
This fact allowed Chaos to work without disturbance and in a few days he had made three basic droid models, these droids resembled a human-sized mobile worker with over three dozen appendages of various sizes that allows it to do anything from heavy lifting to very complex precision work.
Chaos called them Worker droids and their main function was to maintain the ship and its various systems, it was also able to repair and build other Worker droids, it also assists in the repairing and maintenance of mobile workers, Paladin suits and mobile suits.
After Chaos made those three he had the droids build more of their numbers until there was thirty Worker droids running around Ursula by the tenth day.
The next droid he had built with the assistance of the Worker droids was the one that would serve as an engineer, it was three meters tall and humanoid in shape with two large hands, eight sub-arms for precision and complex tasks, it's functions were similar to the Worker droids on a much broader scale with it able to control the Worker droids, they were able to think for themselves making it possible for them to invent and manufacture various things like; mobile workers, Paladin suits, even mobile suit and ships as long as they have the necessary materials.
Only one of these engineering droids were made due to the limited materials on hand, there were plans to stock up on the necessary materials once they reach Saisei and until then the medical, navigation and communication droids will have to wait.
The situation on Mars was fine for now, the funds that they stole from Maruba kept them well funded and even though they aren't able to get any decent work because of Gjallarhorn's Mars Branch interfering with them getting jobs.
Orga and Biscuit had met with Naze Turbine for him to introduce them to a trader for the sale of the four Ahab Reactors for mobile suits, and all the loot they took from Orcus and Gjallarhorn, they could have looked for a trader themselves but they would not be guaranteed a fair deal as Tekkadan was a new company, but the Turbines had a powerful reputation which will make it more likely for them to get a profitable deal.
They had eventually reached the headquarters of Teiwaz, Saisei which was a Large Planetary Cruiser class ship, it had a large rotating ring that generates gravity for the thousands of people living on the ship.
Once all three ships were safely docked at the spaceship hangers on Saisei, Naze had called them to tell them about the meeting with his boss and that Kudelia had to be present at the meeting.
Mikazuki got dressed in his Tekkadan uniform, his new jacket was of a similar design as his old one but with the new color scheme of black with the Tekkadan insignia in red on the back, and breast pocket, he wore a dark blue long-sleeve shirt, black cargo pants with armored kneepads and black combat boots, the final item he put on was a belt made of segmented metal that could serve as a weapon since he can't bring his gun with him.
He meets up with Orga, Eugene, and Biscuit who were freshly showered, and dressed in their new Tekkadan uniforms similar to him, they were the one going to the meeting along with Kudelia.
They met up with Naze and followed him as he lead them through the ship towards McMurdo Barriston's residence, which was a large house in a lake surrounded by high walls.
"The man waiting ahead is the most fearsome man in the Outer Sphere. Make sure you're not rude to him." Naze said as they stood outside the gates of McMurdo Barriston's property.
There were four guards standing guard in front of the gates, Mikazuki could tell they were well trained and they were armed although it wasn't obvious to a casual onlooker.
"Hey, long time no see." Naze greeted one of guards.
"Yes, Mr. Turbine." The guard greeted him.
"I'm sorry to ask, but what business do you have today?" The guard asked Naze.
"Well, I came to see the Old Man." Naze said while taking off his hat.
The guard nodded then signaled for the gates to open.
"Okay, shall we go?" Naze said to them and they fell in line with him as he walked through the gates.
McMurdo Barriston observed the group of young men Naze has brought before him.
The chubby one with brown hair had a kind face and eyes, he seems the cautious type that preferred to avoid fighting and would welcome the safe, and stable life over the dangerous one he, and his friends are signing up for.
The blond one was tense probably because of Naze saying that he was some overly dangerous mafia leader, not that Naze was wrong but he has no need to intimidate these kids, the blond one seems eager, a little prideful as if he has something to prove but doesn't seem the type for insubordination, willing to follow orders without complaint at least in public.
The leader of the group was tall, handsome and had an air around him that drew attention, from what Naze had told him about this Orga Itsuka is a good leader and cared a great deal about his family, he has the complete faith of his people and has a vision for his family that sometimes makes him miss things around him, but he was young and was willing to swallow his pride to learn what he needs to ensure his family survive anything he leads them into.
He would definitely grow into a great leader as long as he doesn't lose who he is along the way to the top as many do.
The final young man was the one that most interested the Old boss of Teiwaz, the Gundam pilot, Mikazuki Augus.
From the moment McMurdo saw the teenager he knew he was cut from a different cloth than his friends around him, his friends retained some of who they were before they entered that he'll hole that CGS was and even if it was not by much all of them got changed from that experience, not that Mikazuki kid though.
The way Mikazuki walk was that of someone who learned very early the truth of the world; you are either predator or prey, the strong or the weak, and the latter group always ends up used or dead.
McMurdo could see that Mikazuki had made the choice to be a predator and has since never wavered from that choice his whole life, his eyes were that of a true killer who will never hesitate to do what is necessary, but he was not just a killer for there was a sharp intelligent mind behind those cold eyes that will serve him well.
McMurdo has met several men like this Mikazuki over his long life and unless those men are killed early on they always rise to power one way or the other.
"So Tekkadan has two leaders, the one that is the charming visionary that light's a path for them to follow, the other one is the ruthless warrior that protects them on their path and slaughters those that threatens their path." McMurdo Barriston thought to himself as he looks between Orga and Mikazuki meeting both their eyes for a moment before moving on.
"I see, so it's you guys. I've heard about you. You all look confident." McMurdo Barriston said kindly to them before ordering one of his guards to get some snacks for his guests.
He could see that his kind non-threatening demeanor has confused the chubby one and the blond one, their leader Orga still seems tense not willing to relax or show weakness despite the fact he has no power to change anything here, and the pilot Mikazuki has shown no reaction whatsoever and has retained his blank look on his face.
"So Naze, what do you want to do?" McMurdo asked.
"These guys aren't afraid of taking chances." Naze looked at them as he said this before turning back around to his boss. "Old Man, I want to swear a Sakazuki blood oath to him." Naze states shocking Orga.
"I see, you regard his manliness that highly? I guess rare events do happen." McMurdo said to Naze, then he paused for a moment apparently thinking it over before talking again. "That's fine. I'll hold a ceremony for you to be sworn brothers. Turbines and Tekkadan will be brothers."
"We and the Turbines will be brothers?" Orga asked surprised, he had thought they would just make Tekkadan just another group under Teiwaz, not that Naze would actually officially make his support for them known to everyone in Teiwaz.
"As always Mika is right about people." Orga thought to himself.
"And his worth?" McMurdo asked.
"Make it even. Neither will be above the other." Naze said.
"Even if you're fine with that, the others won't be." McMurdo said with a smirk then looked at the Tekkadan members and says. "It's too much of a burden for them, make it 40/60."
They finalized a few more details before McMurdo Barriston asked to speak with Kudelia alone, Naze and the others left the room leaving Mikazuki behind as her bodyguard.
"So you're the activist lady for the Mars independence. I'm honored to meet the one in the limelight." McMurdo said to Kudelia as he smokes his cigar.
"In the limelight?" Kudelia said uncomfortably.
"As a plan to rejuvenate the Martian economy, you demanded the Earth rulers to deregulate half-metal resources. To create autonomous distribution on Mars, you're going all the way to Earth, is that all correct?" McMurdo Barriston asked Kudelia.
"Yes." Kudelia answered.
"From the information we have, Makanai, the current head of Arbrau is really trying to make that happen." McMurdo revealed.
"Is that true?" Kudelia asked in surprise.
"In the worst case, this could be war." McMurdo declared shocking Kudelia.
"War?" Kudelia asked.
"Yeah, when you look to gain new rights, various organizations will start scheming. Using whatever dirty way they can, and this will last a long time. Even if they win their rights, friction between the organizations will remain." McMurdo explained to her.
"Why? I just want to..." Kudelia said, truly confused.
"Young Lady, can you appoint Teiwaz for this?" McMurdo asked.
"Huh?" Kudelia asked.
"If we can work with just cause as your direct appointee, we can do something about your immediate problems. Although there might be things we can't avoid." McMurdo clarified.
"Well…" Kudelia trailed off and gripped her hands in front of her nervously. "May I have some time to think about this?" She asked.
"There is a need to think?" McMurdo asked in a firm tone.
Kudelia was surprised by the question and then looked at Mikazuki for assistance in making her decision.
"This is something you have to decide." Mikazuki looked her in the eye as he talked. "Either way, people will still die. You know that from what you've seen by now."
"That is…" Kudelia muttered, not able to hold Mikazuki's gaze.
"This is probably like the first time I killed someone. Your entire future will depend on this decision, so you have to decide this yourself, Kudelia." Mikazuki tells her firmly.
"I see, that is indeed is a big decision. Ok, but I'm getting quite old, I can't wait that long." McMurdo said to Kudelia.
"Thank you. Please excuse me for today." Kudelia said with a courtesy.
Kudelia walked out the door and Mikazuki made a move to follow her when he was stopped by McMurdo.
"Young man, what's your name?" McMurdo asked not revealing he already knew it.
"Mikazuki Augus." Mikazuki tells him his name.
"Mikazuki… right, you're the one that pilots the Mobile Suit. Ok, we'll take good care of your mobile suit here." McMurdo said suddenly.
"What?" Mikazuki said with narrowed eyes.
"Our craftsmen are good, you know. It's just an old man's whim, I won't take it away." McMurdo assured him.
Mikazuki nodded his head then left the room.
McMurdo was impressed by what Mikazuki said to Kudelia and knew that he helped her make the right decision even if she isn't willing to say it at moment, plus Gjallarhorn will no doubt interfere with their mission to Earth so making sure their main fighter is at his best is a smart investment.
He called his mobile suit engineering team and told them to work on the Gundam Barbatos with no limits to the budget.
Mikazuki had met with the Head engineer of Teiwaz who was going to be working on Barbatos after they moved the Gundam Frame to one of their many mobile suit workshops.
Barbatos was perfectly fine as it is according to all the tests Nadi did before they arrived at Saisei, and they had actual accurate records of Gundam Frame maintenance to make sure everything was done properly on their part.
But Mikazuki saw the merit in the opportunity he was given to make Barbatos stronger, Chaos had made designs for a better version of Barbatos called Barbatos Lupus and had the engineering droid fine tune all his designs for said upgrade, they just didn't have all the tools, parts or funding on hand.
And the offer from McMurdo Barriston solved all these issues, so Mikazuki gave the Head engineer the plans for the upgrade along with sharing some of the data recovered from Flauros so that they wouldn't have to guess what they were doing when it came to a Gundam Frame.
Most of the software, overall design specifications, and foundation was already provided thanks to the engineering droid, so the work that the Head engineer for Teiwaz had to do was a lot less which meant the overhaul would take at least less than half of the original estimates.
Once he was done with that Mikazuki went through the list he had made for all the materials needed to produce more drones and to build more Paladin units, he purchased them from several different stores and had them shipped back to the Ursula which had the droids waiting to start working the moment the materials arrive.
While he was doing this Orga had taken some of the older members out to party and relax themselves, he also bought the younger kids a large and wide range of pastries for them to enjoy.
The Sakazuki blood oath ceremony was to happen tomorrow evening and after it was completed they would stay at Saisei for two weeks more than planned because of the damage done to the Hammerhead during their fight with Tekkadan.
Mikazuki then went looking for various medical supplies and equipment which helped disguise his real intentions of getting the specific drugs to make the medications that was given to Gundam pilots in the past to better condition them to piloting, it also helped speed up their synchronicity with the Gundam Frames.
He found the medical supplies and equipment easily, which he paid for them to be delivered to the Ursula and the Isaribi, the drugs proved to be harder to procure; the most common ones were easier to find and purchase from proper suppliers, but the more exotic drugs required him to look on the underground markets for a supplier that had the drugs.
Mikazuki eventually found a supplier that had what he was looking for and he purchased the drugs in large quantities so that he wouldn't need to come back anytime soon or ever, plus with so much of the drugs on hand they could synthesize their own given enough time.
He had to bring the drugs back to the Ursula himself because he couldn't risk anything happening to the drugs, due to how expensive they were along with how important it was to them.
He eventually joined Orga and the others at the bar they were at and spent the rest of the night celebrating with his family.
They got up early the next morning Mikazuki, Orga and the others, they showered after having breakfast then they all went to the event hall where the ceremony was being held.
They spent some time getting dressed in the ceremonial clothes that were required with the members of the Turbines helping them and informing them of what exactly the ceremony entails.
Kudelia had finally made her decision and agreed to terms with McMurdo Barriston, Tekkadan was still going to be her escort and Turbines were going with them as their guide.
The ceremony went off without a hitch and Tekkadan was now a subsidiary of Teiwaz allied with the Turbines, though this information will only be know to a small group since they weren't officially a member of Teiwaz yet.
Two weeks later they departed from Saisei with the Hammerhead's repairs finished, the upgrade of Barbatos to Barbatos Lupus was finished as well, the arsenal of weapons were fully upgraded along with that of all the mobile suits that Tekkadan had onboard both ships.
They were also tasked with making a delivery to the Dort Colonies from GN Trading so the Isaribi had extra cargo on board that they were told not to tamper with or inspect them, which was suspicious but orders were orders.