Hello everyone! and I'm back with another chapter!

This is my first time writing out a battle scene, so do leave a review to let me know if it's lacking.

As always, thank you for your support, and enjoy!

Speech:

Talking: "Engage!"

Whispering/muttering: "Damn! Engage!"

Thought: 'Engage!'

Comms: "Engage!"

I do not own either Gundam SEED or Gundam 00.

Copyright: Sunrise inc.

Gundam SEED: 2002, 2013

Gundam 00: 2007

Chapter 7

Lagrange 2

Katharon asteroid base, Resolus.

Alarms were blaring throughout the base, and staff were rushing back and forth, getting the mobile suits ready for deployment.

The Federation found their base.

"Shit! How did they find us?!"

"Did our intel leak?!"

"Shit! Was there a traitor amongst us here?!"

"Calm down!" Grant shouted as he entered the docking bay, filled with mobile suits of all kind. "It doesn't matter how the intel was leaked. All that matters now is fighting them off and preparing to escape." As he continued, he quickly made his way towards a space use Enact. "Get all non-essential personnel onto the Mississippi, and get as many mobile suits ready for launch! We need to buy time to get everyone out of here!"

""Yes Sir!""

As Grant got into the Enact, he quickly started the start-up sequence, and got the comms link online. As the system diagnostic ran, he called out to the dock control.

"Control, this is Grant. I need an update on all units that are ready for launch."

"Grant, this is control. Besides your Enact, there are two Tierens and a Realdo that are currently ready for launch."

'Bloody hell, that's all we have ready?' "Get more ready for launch, ASAP! We're going to need more than four units, even against one of those GN-Xs!"

"We'll try our best, sir. Control, out."

"Damn Federation, how did they find us?"

"A little late to be asking that, don't you think?"

"That voice…that you, Alexei?

"Aye, I had the ill fortune to have been around my Tieren when the alarm went off, so I'm launching too."

"Good to know you're covering my arse, old man."

"Don't celebrate just yet, Lee's going too."

"Aww, bollocks. We gotta babysit the bloody lad, too?"

"It's all we got, gonna have to make do, you two."

"Heh, so you're the one flying that Realdo, eh, Stuart?"

"Beggars can't be choosers, especially with those bastards knocking on our doorstep."

"Agreed. So, who's going to be the team leader? Not you, Lee. You have no say in this."

"Oh, come on!"

"Apologies, but I have enough on my plate looking out for Lee."

"You too, Sir?!"

"Not it. Looks like you drew the short straw there, Grant."

"Didn't have to rub it in, did you, you bloody yank?"

As the clamps were released on the four units. They quickly made their way towards the gate.

"Sorry to be a downer, but there's a chance we're not coming out of this one, so I'm just going to say this straight now: if we meet on the other side, first round's on me, lads."

""Roger.""

Same time

"We're approaching the mission area. As planned; you two will go silent while I draw their attention. Be ready."

"Unit 2, acknowledged."

"Unit 3, copy."

As the two GN-XIIIs acknowledged the order, they reduced their particle emissions, and came to a near stop, hiding behind an asteroid, while Barack's Ahead accelerated, and charged towards the base.

As Barack neared the area of the rebel base's suspected location, he saw four mobile suits launching out from a massive asteroid, one that looked big enough to house a small base.

'So that's where you're hiding, huh?' "Unit 2, I've found where their hideout is at. Be ready to move."

As soon as he finished speaking, he switched his focus to the four units that just launched. 'Hmm…Two Tierens, a Realdo, and an Enact, eh? I guess it's true that they don't have any GN Drive powered mobile suits. Regardless, this will be a good test for the Ahead.'

"Now then, terrorist scum. I do hope you'll last long enough."

"The hell IS that?" Stuart asked over the comms, as the Federation's mobile suit came into visual range.

"Oh god…is that…?" Lee's panicked voice came through, voicing the thoughts of everyone else.

"Son of a…that's a new model, and that color…that can only mean-"

"…tch, of course it's A-LAWS. Bloody hell, talk about REALLY drawing the short straw."

"What now, Grant? It's going to be hard taking that on, even if we outnumber it four-to-one."

"Even so, we still need to buy time for the others to escape. Alexei, you're the best shot amongst us, take your shot while we play keep-away with this wanker"

"Got it."

"Lee, watch the enemy's aim, and just lay down a curtain of fire. You don't have to hit, just make sure that bastard's attention is on US, and not Alexei."

"Yes sir!"

"Alright, then…you ready, Stuart?"

"Is "No" an option?"

"I'll take that as a "yes", then. Alright, then…ENGAGE!"

As soon as he said it, all four units simultaneously opened fire on the red unknown. But the enemy's mobility was too high, and none of their shot could connect. And just as quickly as it had dodged all that fire, it returned the favor in kind with it's beam rifle, and took out the fuel tank on Lee's Tieren. Fortunately, the safety system kicked in, and ejected the compromised tank.

"ARGH! Oh shit! I'm hit! I'm hit!"

"Calm down, you idiot! That was just the tank! Fall back and keep providing cover fire! Stuart, cover that idiot!"

As the Tieren moved back to gain some distance, the Realdo came in to back it up, providing cover while firing its linear rifle.

"Damned Federation mutt, come 'ere!" Grant said, as he fired off with charged shots. But yet again, he couldn't hit anything.

"Shit! This guy's good!"

"We still need to buy more time! Continue surrounding him, and keep laying it on him!"

""Roger!""

'But still…. what is this sick feeling I've been getting since earlier? It's as if that unit's pilot is just messing with us?'

"Alright, the Captain got their attention. Unit 3, time to go."

"Roger."

The two GN-XIIIs that hid themselves amongst the smaller asteroids took the opening that the Ahead opened earlier, and started moving towards the large asteroid where the Katharon units launched from, all while moving along a path that kept them well hidden from the launched units.

"Alright, now it's just a case of finding a hatch…"

"Lieutenant Alagga, over there, up ahead."

Just as Warrant Officer Davis pointed out, the "hatch" they were looking for was just a short distance away.

As the two units got near the hatch, they both slowed down, and landed right in front of the gate.

"Alright, let's crack open this bad boy…."

As it turns out, it didn't take them very long, as the security on the gate was using the old Union encryption, and soon, the gate opened.

Inside the base

"Hurry up with those escort teams! The loading procedure is almost complete, and we need to leave soon!"

"We're doing the best we can, sir, but it takes time to fuel the Tierens!"

"Then move faster! Even if the enemy is a single unit, the guys out there need backup!"

"Well, looks like they're in a hurry."

"Seems like it."

"Well, then. What say we give them a little…"Incentive"?" Alagga said, as he moved the GN-XIII's free manipulator to pull out the anti-fortress explosives they brought along.

"How long, Sir?"

"Set the timer to forty seconds, that should give us enough time to leg it."

"Understood. Setting."

"Timer set, and…release"

As soon as the two units let go of their payloads, the directional jets on the bombs fired off, and the bombs moved forwards into the hanger dock.

"And with that, I think we can let the Captain know that he can stop playing "dodgeball" with those relics."

As he said it, Alagga sent an optical signal towards the Captain's Ahead, letting him know that they have completed their objective.

'So they've finished up there, huh?' Barack thought silently to himself, as Lieutenant Alagga's unit sent the signal, telling him that the bombs have been set.

"Alright, time to wrap things up on my end, too."

"ARGH!" Stuart exclaimed, as the right arm on his Realdo got blown off by the unknown's rifle "Dammit! I lost my rifle!"

'Dammit! We're already having a hard time as it is!' "You've done enough, Stuart! Fall back to the base and get to the Mississippi! We'll-"

But before Grant could finish, the unknown's movement suddenly changed, and it started charging towards Alexei's Tieren, drawing it's Beam Saber from its shoulder mid-charge .

"What the-?!"

Before Alexei could finish, the unknown's Beam Saber made contact, and sliced right through the unit. Alexei screamed in despair as his machine exploded around him, killing him.

"ALEXEI! You sonovabitch, I'm gonna kill you!" Stuart pulled out the Plasma sword out of the Realdo's remaining arm, and charged at the unknown.

"Stuart, calm down! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

But alas, Stuart was too enraged, and continued his charge. But the unknown's pilot was no amateur, and dodged the strike. Right as the unknown was about to strike him down with it's Beam Saber, Stuart accelerated in an attempt to dodge, but the Saber still connected, and sliced the Realdo's legs off, sending it spiraling out of control. before the unknown could finish Stuart off, Grant had fired upon the red mobile suit, and got it's attention turned to the two remaining mobile suits.

"Shit! Lee, keep firing, and keep your distance from that bastard!

"Y-Yes Sir!"

They kept throwing everything they have at the unknown, but none of their shots connected. And just as quickly as it had taken out Alexei's Tieren, it directed its rifle's aim at Grant's Enact.

"Oh, shi-"

Before he could even finish his curse, his Enact was shot right through it's cockpit, and the Enact exploded in a fiery fireball.

"We're almost done with the loading! ETA to departure is 3 minutes!"

"Alright, get those Tierens out there now-"

As the man spoke, a large object caught his attention out of his peripheral sight, and he turned to see a large black block moving further into the dock.

"What the…?"

As the block turned, the display on it came into his view, right as the timer on it hit zero.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash that engulfed the rebel's dock.

Back outside the rebel's base, just as Barack took down the last enemy suit, explosions started going off throughout the asteroid base.

"Explosion throughout the suspected base confirmed. Mission objectives achieved. All units, regroup and return to the ship."

As the Ahead flew away from the slowly building fireball, the two other GN-XIIIs rendezvoused with him, and with a burst of particles, all three flew away from the inferno that tore the base apart.

"How's the machine, Captain?" Lieutenant Alagga asked over the comms.

"It's pretty impressive. All that, and it was only on basic settings. I'd say our dream of a unified earth isn't too far off now, not with this machine."

"Glad you like it, sir."

"Right, enough chitchat, let's return to the ship. I'm sure the engineers want a look at the combat data."

"Roger that, sir."

As the comms line cut, a burst of GN particles from each drive accelerated the three units forward, as they headed back towards their ship.

"Gah…god damn, that hurts."

Stuart climbed out of the cockpit of his Realdo, which had embedded itself into a small asteroid when it was sent spiraling out of control by the A-LAWS mobile suit(thankfully with the hatch facing outwards). Unfortunately, it had been a rather rough ride, and his left arm felt like it had been fractured(knowing his luck, though, it probably is).

As he pulled himself up with his good arm, he took a look around to see if there were any of Katharon's ships, hoping that they made it.

Instead, a grim sight greeted him, as he saw multiple lifeless bodies floating around in the distance, and the large asteroid that was their base was nowhere in sight.

The others didn't make it.

"No…no…"

He could only look on in despair, and wallow in his own powerlessness.

"GOD DAMN IT!"

As he wallowed in despair, from the controls of a shuttle a distance away, a young man in a black pilot suit looked on at the aftermath of the massacre.

"…Again…"

Rub' Al-Khali Desert

Katharon, Middle East Third branch base

"Resolus was attacked by mobile suit? Damn Federation, to attack without warning…"

Klaus Grad could only react solemnly to the news, powerless to the loss of the lives of his fellow comrades stationed in space.

"Looks like there was a new model Mobile Suit mixed in among the enemy forces. It's likely that it was…" Shirin Bakhtiar, the former advisor of Princess Marina Ismail, now turned Resistance member, said, as she delivered the intel provided by the lone survivor of the attack.

"Dammit, so it was those bastards…" Klaus thought to himself, wincing at the news.

"Klaus, these guys are serious. I think we should postpone the rescue operation at Proud-"

"No. Rather, we should make our move earlier than anticipated. Many of our comrade's lives are at stake here …"

As Shirin looked on with worry on her face, Klaus stood up, and turned to face his second-in-command.

"We can NOT afford to lose them."

"…I understand." Replied Shirin, sighing in defeat. "I'll contact the rescue team, and let them know that there's been a change of plans."

"Please do."

As soon as the conversation ended, Shirin walked out of the room, and headed to the comms room, while Klaus could only sit back down in his chair, and look through the newly arrived reports of the attack.

"…..Damn A-LAWS."

All he could do now was try to get more people for the rescue operation, thinking that it might just be enough to get his mind off of the matter.

Union territory

Washington D.C., Central Park

"So," Ardent Light said to himself, as his eyes glowed with a bright yellow light, indicating his active connection to VEDA. "Lieutenant, no, Captain Zinin performed remarkably, just as expected."

It was already past midnight, so he was sure no one would have seen his eyes. After all, he was an intelligence-type, it wouldn't do if he revealed his identity to a human now. Then again, it's not like these primitives could grasp the very concept of their kind.

"Seriously, though. First, Ribbons has me mixing in with the Agency, and now I'm here in America trying to infiltrate Katharon. Good grief, what a pain in the ass. Like there aren't already Innovades amongst their numbers, so why do I have to sneak in, too?"

As he sat there looking into the starry sky, contemplating his recent failed attempt at contacting Katharon, two drunks staggered past, reeking of alcohol, as if to remind him that most people aren't out sitting in the middle of a park at this hour.

"Well then," he said, as he stood from the bench he spent the last half hour in. "I suppose I should head back home now. A flesh and blood body needs rest, after all."

As he turned and headed for the park's exit, a figure standing amongst the trees caught his attention.

A certain man dressed in a black coat, with waist-length white hair, and a scar across his cybernetic left eye.

"SHIT!" Ardent could only curse, as he pulled the concealed handgun out of his jacket.

But he was too slow. The mysterious figure had already taken aim, and placed a shot right between the Innovator's eyes, along with another through his heart.

As Ardent breathed his last, his limp body fell backwards onto the ground, his nanomachine-laced blood turning the pavement red, and his eyes blankly gazing the night sky, devoid of life.

Seeing that his work was done, the mysterious figure turned and walked away, simply uttering:

"May god have mercy on your sinful soul, Fake Human."

And...that's it for another chapter.

Now, I'm sorry if it feels like I stretched out starting scene from episode 1, but it's still part of the story(albeit with no Kira), so apologies.

Bonus: Can anyone guess who our mysterious guest is? No prizes though, sorry.

As usual, please leave a review, and have a nice day!

...maybe I ought to raise the rating to M...

Uploaded: 25/02/2019

Next upload: 25/04/2019