PHASE 11: The Soldier's Life
March 15th
African Community
ZAFT Forces Mahamul Base
"The situation here seems difficult." Yzak commented, glancing at a map on Commander Ruddle's desk. The military base at Suez, right at the mouth of the canal, was clearly marked, as was their own position on the Gulf of Aden to the southeast.
To the west, the African Community, which was allied with the PLANTs. East of Suez, the Eurasian Federation.
The problem was, this was one of the areas where the local command had been and remained strongly affiliated with Blue Cosmos, and the response to uprisings in the Sinai Peninsula and the surrounding region had been particularly brutal.
-"It is. With the amount of battle strength the Alliance has at Suez, we can't afford to go in carelessly;" Ruddle agreed. "The easiest way to deal with it of course would be a descent operation from orbit, like we did in the last war. But for some reason, the Supreme Council will not approve that particular plan."
-"I'm not surprised they didn't rubber-stamp that idea," Yzak replied, "after telling the entire world 'we don't want to acquire new territory'?"
-"Don't get me wrong," Ruddle clarified, "Nobody wants to carelessly escalate the situation; I fully support the Chairman in this regard. But it does make it difficult for us guys on the ground. And because we're trying to play nice, the enemy is getting away with murder."
-"What do you mean by that?" Athrun asked, uncomfortably reminded of what Shinn had said to him the last time they argued, after their battle in the Indian Ocean.
-"It's a safe bet that the Earth Forces are planning to use Suez as a staging point for an all-out attack against us - first here at Mahamul, then at Gibraltar. However, they can't do that right now. And here's the reason." Ruddle indicated a point on the map.
-"Of course - the western Eurasia situation." Arthur said as he stared at the map - located critically close to both Suez and Gibraltar, one of the numerous areas of western Eurasia that was in turmoil as a result of the war.
-"Precisely. Because we control Gibraltar and the Indian Ocean, keeping this stretch of land from here to the canal stable is of paramount importance, and as a result the Alliance forces have been unable to marshall their forces for an attack against us." Ruddle explained, indicating as he did so a point to the northeast of their position, which Yzak's practiced eye picked out as a narrow passage in the mountains. "So in order to suppress resistance activities in the area and maintain their supply lines to Suez, they've forcibly established a bridgehead here, at the Gulnahan powerplant - the only point in the region that can be crossed by land battleships."
-"And a major supply route." Athrun cut in. "In other words, wiping them out here would not only cut the line to Suez, but it would significantly reduce their ability to suppress the resistance movement - indirectly dealing two blows to the Earth Forces in a single move."
Arthur stared at Athrun, surprised, while Yzak simply smirked. He knew very well that had he not deserted and fled to Orb, it might very well have been Athrun sitting now where Yzak himself sat - and the idea irritated him.
-"That's very concisely put." Ruddle acknowledged, impressed. "Of course they know that too. Their outpost is so positioned that the only possible approach is through the Gulnahan Ravine. They've placed a positron cannon here to defend the approach, protected by a monstrous reflector-equipped mobile armor. With support from the Hawkins Team we've already made an attempt to destroy it, with disastrous results."
Ruddle showed a video display that played back footage of the attack. The mobile armor was monstrous indeed - enormous and black, with a Dagger torso on a huge body with eight segmented legs, like a gigantic mechanical spider. As the ships and mobile armors attacked, it deployed a shimmering field of energy that blocked the shots and projectiles fired at it, as behind it a Lohengrin cannon on a fixed mount began charging. Then it shifted aside and the cannon fired, decimating the attacking force.
-"It's just like the one we fought before!" Arthur exclaimed, recognizing the same technology from the green flying-type they'd fought outside Orb.
-"And there's the rub. Our orders are to get to Gibraltar, but to do that, we have to go through this shit." Yzak commented. "Nevermind - if we're told it's our job, then so be it."
-"Very well." Said Ruddle, visibly relieved. "We'll discuss the exact timing and operational plan later."
Later, Yzak, Arthur, and Athrun returned to the ship. The hangar was a beehive of activity as preparations were made to their few mobile suits for the upcoming operations.
At the Saviour Gundam, Vino and Yolant were working on adjustments and calibrations on the new machine in preparation for the battle.
"Man, those guys at HQ were so lucky!" Vino said enviously as he remembered the concert broadcast from ZAFT's military headquarters earlier that day. "Lacus Clyne hasn't performed a live concert in ages! I wish I could've been there."
-"You know, she's changed her singing style, don't you think?" Yolant replied.
-"Yeah, I noticed." Vino replied.
-"I always thought she'd sound better if she changed her style to what it is now. It makes her seem...younger." Yolant continued. "She looks cuter now, too." He added, grinning.
-"And don't you just love the awesome outfits she wears now?" Vino asked.
-"Oh yeah!" Yolant replied. "You can tell she's totally stacked, man. I can't wait..." What exactly Yolant couldn't wait for he didn't say, because at that moment Athrun stepped up, and they both stepped back, surprised at his sudden appearance.
-"Where is the Saviour's maintenance log?" He asked impassively.
-"Uh, yes sir! It's right here, sir!" Vino stammered in reply, handing the requested log to Athrun.
-"Gentlemen." He said, and turned around. Vino chuckled nervously, and they both sighed in relief when Athrun stepped away again.
-"Can you believe he's her fiancé? He's so lucky!" Vino said.
-"Heh...you know, it wouldn't be that hard to pull a few cables out of the Saviour." Yolant said, only half joking.
From where he was standing, and much to the surprise and embarrassment of both, Athrun addressed them again.
-"I can still hear you two...and everything you said earlier as well."
-"Sorry, sir!" They both said. Shaking his head, Athrun walked away, leaving the hangar.
It was sunset when Athrun stepped out onto the rear deck of the Minerva. Predictably, he found Shinn standing there.
"Thought I'd find you here." He said.
-"What are you doing here anyway?" Shinn said derisively. "I would've thought you'd have all kinds of important stuff to do, being a member of FAITH and all."
Athrun shrugged. Shinn's attitude was starting to annoy him, not so much because of the disrespect but because he reminded him so much of Yzak and the way he used to act towards him when they'd met. At the same time, he saw something of himself in him too - at least, the way he'd used to be.
-"You have a way of saying things that can really get on a person's nerves, you know." he commented. "But what's really bugging you - you upset about me coming back? Or maybe you didn't like it when I hit you."
-"I wouldn't say I'm upset. But obviously you're never gonna find anyone who likes being hit. I'm just having a hard time understanding it and accepting your orders - there just doesn't seem to be a reason for you to even be here!" Shinn replied, glaring at Athrun.
-"Yeah, I can see your point. But is that the reason you won't follow my orders - because you don't like me being here?" Athrun asked, his tone hard.
-"Well...no." Shinn stammered, taken somewhat aback at the change in the older man's tone.
-"Or is it that you think you're always right, and whatever you don't agree with has to be some kind of mistake."
-"I never said that!" Shinn retorted, angrily.
-"Then explain that stunt you pulled in the Indian Ocean. Do you still believe what you did back there was the right thing to do?" Athrun demanded.
Shinn hesitated for a second, before replying with absolute certainty.
-"Yes, I do." he said.
Athrun sighed.
-"Shinn. You said that you lost your family on Onogoro Island in Orb."
-"I said they were killed. Because of the Athhas." Shinn replied coldly. But even as he did, he thought about the conversation he'd had with Athrun, back when they were on their way to Orb.
He wasn't sure anymore who he blamed more - the Athhas, or the Alliance? He decided it didn't really matter.
-"If you still want to believe that, I won't stop you." Athrun said dismissively.
He'd already spoken to Shinn about that before, and did not want to waste his time doing so again. "But is that when you came up with the idea? You know - you thought to yourself 'If only I had more power'."
The comment struck a nerve, which Athrun had expected.
-"What...why are you saying this?" Shinn demanded. Athrun turned away for a moment.
-"Anyone who's ever wept because they felt weak or powerless has had those kinds of thoughts. I'm no different." Athrun answered. Several moments' uncomfortable silence went by before either spoke.
"I was fourteen years old when my mother was murdered." Athrun said flatly.
The sudden comment shocked Shinn - not only because of what he said, but because of the strange coincidence of their ages; Shinn had been fourteen years old himself when he lost his family.
"I told you before: she died in the Bloody Valentine - her, and over 240 thousand other innocent civilians. And I felt the same way you do now. But over time I realized something: The moment you acquire all that power, you become the one who causes others to weep tears of loss. And if you throw your power at others out of a sense of your own righteousness...then you become nothing more than a destroyer. And that's not what you are, is it?"
Athrun's words struck Shinn like a hammer. He looked back on what he had done, and he realized that, as monstrous as the actions of those Alliance soldiers had been...in truth, his own actions had been no better - in fact, just as bad: What could one man with an assault rifle - or even a dozen of them - do against a Gundam? They'd been just as defenseless against him as those civilians had been against them.
"Like I told you yesterday: If you have power, you have to take responsibility for it - Never forget that." Athrun concluded.
Shinn stared at Athrun, speechless for once. As much as he hated to admit it, Athrun was right - at least, about what had happened in the Indian Ocean, anyway.
"We're going to be heading into battle soon." Athrun said after a few moments. "We are here to execute our missions as soldiers - not to pick a fight."
-"I know that much." Shinn replied shortly, though his tone was less hostile than it had been.
-"Then we'll leave it at that." Athrun said with a small smile. "Just remember what I told you, and you'll be a hell of a pilot some day." He turned to head back into the ship, but just as he entered, he looked back at Shinn. "But if you do forget, then you're nothing but a damned idiot!"
Two days later, the Minerva and the Ruddle Team set sail from Mahamul.
At the head of their formation, the Petrie-class Bagley, followed by the Desmond, the Lesseps Type-I-class flagship. The Minerva brought up the rear, traveling in the air as the others made their way across the ground.
The Desmond had two ZuOOT and two GuAIZ on its upper decks, while the Bagley had four GaZuOOTs on its upper decks, and its hold carried a full contingent of sixteen BuCUEs. A team of combat helos flew overhead as well.
A small jeep pulled up on top of a cliff some two hundred meters in front of the massive ships. Its driver wore goggles and a scarf wrapped around her face as protection from the wind and sand. Withdrawing a small transmitter from a jacket pocket, she activated it, broadcasting a signal that was received by the ZAFT ships.
As the Desmond and the Bagley passed by, she began to move again, driving fast until she reached a position underneath and midway down the length of the Minerva, which opened the cargo bay underneath its bow and lowered a ramp. The jeep accelerated and drove up onto the ramp, which closed.
In the ship's briefing room, the pilots were assembling, having been ordered to do so.
"What do you think they mean by "local cooperator" - are they talking about the resistance?" Shinn asked as he sat down, curious about this aspect of the orders they'd received so far.
-"Yeah, I would assume so." Luna answered. "I hear the situation in Gulnahan is pretty bad."
Arthur entered the briefing room, followed by Athrun and a young girl in civilian attire - the driver of the jeep.
Everyone stood and saluted as they entered.
"She's just a kid..." Shinn said as he saw the girl, who looked to be twelve or thirteen years old. Hearing him, she frowned.
"Please be seated." Arthur ordered, and the pilots all sat down. "Well, let's get to it then. This briefing is to discuss the final operational strategy for our operation to break through the Lohengrin Gate, an operation conducted jointly between ourselves and the Ruddle Team. I'm sure you all know that taking out this particular enemy will be a tall order; the Ruddle and Hawkins Teams both tried to break through once in the past, but they were...unsuccessful."
He turned the briefing over to Athrun, then sat down himself.
"Right. This is a map of the Gulnahan ravine and the outpost known as the Lohengrin Gate." He pointed to the map of the area on the screen behind him, and pointed out two areas. "The town is behind this bluff here; behind it is the powerplant. The only approach is through the ravine - there is no cover, and whatever route you take is within striking range of the enemy's positron cannon. Even an attack from extreme long range is impossible, because the cannon is defended by mobile suits and a mobile armor equipped with positron reflectors. I understand you guys encountered a similar mobile armor in that battle you had off the coast of Orb, and Shinn, you were able to disable its reflector."
Luna looked over at Shinn, slightly surprised. The latter was seated with his arms crossed. He looked up at Athrun before replying.
-"That's right." He said, looking slightly pleased with himself.
-"Well, we'll be counting on you again, but for something slightly different." Athrun said with a small smile. Our objectives in this operation..."
-"To destroy the mobile armor, blow the hell out of that cannon, and then go into Gulnahan, right?" Shinn interrupted. Next to her, Luna rolled her eyes. 'Here we go again...' she thought wearily.
-"That's correct." Athrun replied. The young resistance fighter stared at Shinn, surprised that Athrun was tolerating such insubordination.
-"I can do it." Shinn said contemptuously. Athrun turned to face him directly, now looking irritated.
-"I know you can. But now we need to talk about how we're going to accomplish these goals. This," he added as he indicated the girl, who was now glaring openly at Shinn, "is Coniel Almeda, who is from the Resistance." Then, he turned to her. "Miss Coniel?"
-"Huh? Yeah, of course." The young civilian answered.
-"Shinn is going to be the pilot - please give him the data you're carrying."
-"What? That jerk? Look, this whole plan hangs on getting a pilot who can do some pretty hot flying. Are you sure this guy's really up to it?" She asked, looking at Athrun.
-"Say what now?" Shinn interjected, standing up and glaring at Coniel.
-"You're the Commander here, right? Shouldn't you be the one to fly a mission like this? If he goes in and screws this up then we might as well kiss my town goodbye!" Coniel protested, glaring at Shinn.
-"Who the hell do you think you are?" Shinn yelled.
-"Shinn, sit down and shut up." Athrun snapped at him. Shinn obeyed the order, reluctantly, but continued to glare at both Athrun and Coniel. Turning to the latter, Athrun continued. "I assure you Miss Coniel, Shinn is perfectly capable of doing this. Please give him the data."
Glowering at him, Coniel withdrew a small data file from her pocket, but she did not give it to Shinn - she handed it to him instead. Athrun almost smiled - this kid vaguely reminded him of Cagalli when he'd first met her; not physically, but in her attitude.
Athrun stepped over to Shinn and held out the disk.
"Maybe you should just do it yourself, like the girl said." Shinn said disdainfully.
-"If I didn't think that you could handle it, I would have planned on doing it myself." Athrun said sharply. "But I think you have what it takes. Or are you going to chicken out after boasting in front of everyone that you could do this?"
Shinn hesitated for a few moments, but he finally took the disk.
-"Good." Athrun said. "Now Miss Coniel, if you would please explain our strategy."
Taking the pointer from Athrun, she stepped up to the map and indicated a long, curved green line that went through the bluff on which the Lohengrin was located.
"There's a tunnel down here that even a lot of the locals don't know about. It's not that big, so mobile suits can't use it; but luckily it's continuous, and it exits right below their battery. The exit is blocked off, but one good explosion should open it up."
-"So there you have it." Athrun spoke up next. "Shinn, you will launch in the Core Splendor, with the Impulse's Chest and Leg Flyers following you and tracking your course. The tunnel is too small for mobile suits, but this way you should be able to make it - just fly according to the data."
Shinn raised an eyebrow; Athrun seemed to have been pretty thoroughly briefed on the Impulse's capabilities. Still, this sounded interesting - though he hoped they were right about the tunnel's size.
Athrun continued speaking. "This way you'll be able to slip past the enemy defenses undetected and destroy their positron cannon. I will lead the rest of our forces in a diversionary attack to keep the mobile armor away. Now then, it's time to go. Everyone to your machines!"
As the pilots stood and began filing out, Coniel moved to leave, but turned back, still looking at Shinn like she didn't trust him.
-"What now?" Shinn said shortly. "Something else you want to say?"
-"The last time ZAFT attacked the battery, a rebellion broke out in the town at the same time as the attack. When the attack failed, the Earth Forces turned on us - those who resisted the Earth Forces faced unspeakable tortured, and many of us were killed. Who knows what'll happen if we fail again this time? That's why...that battery has to be destroyed! Otherwise..." Coniel was on the edge of tears as she spoked, her voice desperate. "I'm begging you...please, do not fail us!"
She finally broke down into tears, and Athrun laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. The anger in Shinn's expression disappeared, replaced by a cold determination.
-"I won't fail. I promise!" He said firmly as Athrun escorted Coniel out.
Lunamaria soon left as well along with Rey, as they followed Athrun and Coniel to the elevator that led down to the hangar.
"Good job back there!" She said to Athrun. "We've known Shinn ever since the Academy and he's always been like this; he was always arguing with his instructors! But you handled him perfectly."
-"It's not like that; I wasn't trying to "handle" him." Athrun replied as he and Coniel entered the elevator. "He's just a little...awkward socially. I have problems getting along with people myself, sometimes. But I know he's not a bad guy." Then he closed the elevator, leaving Lunamaria standing there, looking puzzled.
-"Uh...did he just...brush me off?" She asked as she turned to Rey.
-"Beats me." The latter said hesitantly. Shinn arrived just then and they recalled the elevator, boarding it when it opened and heading down to the hangar.
A few minutes later Shinn was in the cockpit of the Core Splendor, awaiting the order to take off.. Slung underneath each of the Core Splendor's wings was a twelve-shot missile launcher.
He'd trained for launch in separated form, but had never had to do it before.
On the bridge, preparations were underway, as the ships began the next phase of their operation.
"Lower the bridge!" Yzak ordered.
Privately he had wanted to personally lead the diversionary team and have Athrun take out the cannon, but the latter had veto'ed that; besides, Yzak's ZAKU had been destroyed and they had been unable to get a replacement before they'd had to leave Carpentaria. He hoped they would be more fortunate once they reached Gibraltar - he was sick of sitting back and letting Athrun have all the fun.
"Prepare for anti-mobile suit combat; after the Impulse launches the Minerva will move ahead of the Desmond and the Bagley."
-"Activate CIWS, Tristans, and Isoldes. Launchers one through five, load all tubes with Parsifals." Arthur ordered from his station, as the Minerva's numerous weapons systems were brought online.
Meanwhile in the hangar, Athrun's Saviour Gundam was loaded on the starboard catapult and prepared for launch, with the two ZAKUs to follow.
In front of Shinn, the heavily-armored launch hatch of the Minerva's central catapult began to open.
"Hatch open, linear launch system for Catapult 3 engaged, power levels normal." He heard Abby on the radio. "Course clear. Core Splendor, you are clear for launch."
-"Roger. Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor launching!" Shinn replied on the radio. The catapults engaged as he applied thrust and the small craft's engines roared. The tiny fighter shot forward from the catapult like a cannonball.
Behind him, the platform that had held the Core Splendor slid back, and the Chest Flyer was raised into place, then launched. The Leg Flyer followed roughly thirty seconds later. The Core Splendor's tracking systems locked on to both Flyers and they slid neatly into position precisely behind it as he headed for the location where the tunnel entrance was located.
This would be the first time since they left Armory One that Shinn deployed the Impulse in basic configuration, but he was confident he could handle just about anything the Alliance threw at him, as long as Athrun and the others kept that damn mobile armor busy.
On the screen in front of him, the data they had received - a precise digital rendering of the course he had to follow - showed him exactly where to go.
"There it is..." Shinn mumbled as he spotted the tunnel entrance, and the Core Splendor soared into the narrow gap into absolute darkness.
"What the hell? It's pitch black!" He exclaimed. "Damn it! I've got to do this relying on the data alone... "Just fly according to the data" he said...that bastard."
Once the Impulse launched, the Minerva moved into position in front of the other two ships and all three kept moving, until they entered the detection range of the enemy outpost.
Just as planned, they were spotted immediately - the Impulse was not.
"Incoming heat sources from Area 1! Scramble - all mobile suits launch immediately!" The announcement came as alarms began to sound throughout the base, and the Lohengrin was raised into position and activated.
In the base's control center, the atmosphere was tense despite the invincibility of their defenses.
"Identifying three ZAFT vessels with multiple mobile suits. One Lesseps-class, one Petrie-class, and...the Minerva's with them!"
The Commander scoffed. "Damned stubborn ZAFT. Well, new ship or not, the results are going to be the same. Send out the Gells-Ghe!"
As the base launched its defense forces - consisting mainly of Daggers, either in standard configuration or equipped with Jet Strikers - they also deployed their ace in the hole, the mobile armor YMAG-X7F Gells-Ghe, with its impenetrable positron reflector.
At the same time, the Saviour was launched. Immediately behind were the Gunner and Blaze ZAKUs.
Meanwhile, the Desmond deployed its BuCUEs - most of them standard models fitted with beam cannons instead of the original railguns, but the leader of the team piloted a Kerberos BuCUE, with its two menacing beam-gun equipped "heads" lending it the appearance of the mythical hellhound that gave the machine its name.
"Ascend, activate Tannhäuser!" Yzak ordered. "Be careful what's in your line of fire - we don't want to blow up the town. But we have to draw that mobile armor out!"
-"Yes, sir!" Arthur acknowledged. "Tannhäuser activated, targeting the enemy mobile suits."
Predictably, the mobile armor flying at the rear of the formation accelerated as it moved to the front and activated its positron reflector. Unlike over the ocean, the disturbance in such a confined area caused by the beam's enormous power created a shockwave that raised a cloud of dust and rocked the entire ship, as well as sweeping a couple of the BuCUEs off their feet.
Hovering low to the ground, Athrun issued his last orders.
"Let's go! We need to lure the enemy mobile suits as far out as possible."
-"Right!" came the identical responses of both ZAKU pilots.
"So, they're trying to use their own positron cannon to attack us from both the air and the ground. Not that bad of a plan, actually." commented the base's commander. "Too bad they don't have a shield..." He smirked, and ordered the Lohengrin aimed at the Minerva and fired.
"Predictable." Yzak commented. "Descend, maximum thrust - evade the attack!"
The Minerva slid downwards just in time to narrowly avoid the beam, which shot past a scant couple of meters above and continued on its upwards trajectory. However, the ship hit the ground, its course sending it sliding for several hundred meters sliding over the sand, rocking the crew. Several of them screamed.
Meanwhile, the two ZAKUs and the Saviour, along with the Ruddle Team's BuCUEs, were engaging against a force of Daggers on the ground. Despite their numerical disadvantage, the superior armaments of the Saviour and the Blaze ZAKU, as well as the speed and maneuverability of the BuCUEs, meant that they were defeating the Daggers. The Kerberos BuCUE that led the Ruddle Team forces was particularly fierce, cutting through the enemy forces with near-impunity.
The aerial Dagger teams meanwhile continued overhead and headed for the Minerva and the other ships, whose cannons put up a hail of fire supplemented by the six GaZuOOT artillery units.
"Damn it! Recharge the cannon immediately, and get the Gells-Ghe back here! What are the Dagger teams doing?"
More Jet Daggers moved in, targeting the ZAFT mobile suit teams from the air with a massive missile barrage. In an instant the tables had turned as the ZAKUs and the others found themselves pinned down. Athrun spotted the enemy mobile armor landing on its eight segmented legs and begin to retreat towards the Lohengrin outpost.
Taking flight, he dodged or shot down the missiles headed his way, and headed straight towards the mobile armor, opening fire on it as he did so from long range.
He was gambling on the mobile armor ceasing its movement to deploy the reflector, and his gamble paid off.
Detecting his attack, the mobile armor halted its retreat and deployed its positron reflector to block it, then countered with a pair of beam rifles, held in the arms of its torso. This gave him a few precious seconds, enough time to close in - he had to cut off the enemy's retreat.
'Come on, Shinn,' he thought, 'Where the hell are you?'
As the battle went on, Shinn was still flying through the dark tunnel. Though he flew as carefully as he could, the Core Splendor's wings clipped the tunnel walls several times.
Suddenly a proximity alarm rang out and he saw that the tunnel floor rose sharply into a sheer cliff. Pulling back on the stick as hard as he could, he took the Core Splendor straight up. Carefully timing his move, he shoved the stick forward again and the Core Splendor dove, avoiding hitting the ceiling by mere millimeters. Behind him, the Flyers followed his course - just barely.
"To hell with that bastard and his "I think you've got what it takes" crap!" Shinn yelled to nobody as he narrowly avoided another collision. "He just didn't want to fly this suicidal maze himself!"
For all his complaints though, and as much as the risk of a fatal collision frightened him, the adrenaline rush caused by such a dangerous flight was thrilling. More than that though, the desperation of that kid in the briefing room, the idea that hundreds, maybe thousands of civilians were facing torture or worse if he failed, kept him determined to keep going.
It was up to him now. "I can do this...I have to..."
At last he reached the end of the tunnel. "Distance, 500. Locked on...firing!" He said. He opened fire, emptying both missile launchers into the rapidly-approaching cliff wall, then ejecting the empty launchers.
The cliff exploded in a cloud of dust and shattered rock, the mobile armor a dozen or so meters away.
"What the..." its crew wondered as a small fighter, followed by two oddly-shaped craft appeared out of the dust cloud raised by what had previously been solid rock.
As they watched, the Core Splendor folded itself and the Chest and Leg Flyers locked in, homing in on it from above and below, then docked into a single mobile suit. It floated for a second in midair as its VPS Armor activated, before Shinn used its thrusters to accelerate its fall towards the ground - and the turret.
"What the hell is that? Intercept it! Lower the Lohengrin immediately!" the base commander ordered.
The base's defensive turrets roared to life, sending a hail of anti-aircraft shells at the Impulse. Shinn utterly ignored the attacks, which were incapable of harming the Impulse's VPS armor anyway.
A handful of Daggers on the ground however, armed with beam carbines, fired at him as well, and those attacks he blocked with the Impulse's shield.
-"Damn it, open fire!" ordered the Gells-Ghe's pilot. "We've gotta shoot that mobile suit down now!"
The Gells-Ghe's two crewmen responded immediately, and the mobile armor's upper torso turned as fired its two beam rifles at the Impulse - a mistake.
The Impulse blocked the attack, while the rapidly-closing Saviour counterattacked. Throwing aside beam rifle and shield, Athrun drew both of the Saviour's beam sabers and accelerated, dropping down on the mobile armor from above and slicing off both its arms.
As it countered with the beam cannons on its front legs, Athrun dodged the attack, and saw the retracting Lohengrin.
"SHINN! the cannon!" He hailed the other pilot. Turning his attention to the Gells-Ghe, he unleashed the Saviour's heavy "Amfortas" beam cannons, shearing off the front legs and their cannons, then finished it off with a shot from the "Super Fortis" beam guns. The critically damaged mobile armor collapsed, no longer able to function.
-"Oh, HELL NO!" Shinn yelled when he heard Athrun's message and saw the retracting positron cannon. Leaping into a thruster-assisted jump over the nearest Dagger, he took it out with a pair of snap shots that sheared off its legs.
A second Dagger fired and hit the Impulse's beam rifle, which exploded. He drew one of the Impulse's hip-mounted "Vajra" beam sabers, holding the shield in front of him to block its shots. Moving right up to it, he drove the blade into its cockpit hatch to the hilt, the blade driving into the pilot's upper torso.
Shinn leaped up to where the third and last Dagger still stood, mere feet from the rapidly-lowering cannon. Blocking its attacks with the shield until the last moment, he tossed it aside and once again struck with the beam saber, impaling the Dagger and killing its pilot.
With the Lohengrin retracted and an armored hatch closing over it, Shinn knew he had only a few seconds to act. He picked up the Dagger and threw it into the gap, his beam saber still embedded in its torso, opening fire with the Impulse's CIWS as he did so. The Dagger landed face-down across the closing gap and the shots pierced its backpack, then it slipped into the gap and the armored hatch closed over it.
As the Dagger fell onto the Lohengrin its propellant detonated and the mobile suit exploded. This caused the Lohengrin itself to explode, and the catastrophic detonation of the weapon tore through the base, igniting the propellant and ammunition that were stored in it. The subsequent secondary explosions annihilated the entire outpost from the inside, contained as they were by the millions of tons of rock into which the structure had been dug.
"Mission accomplished." Shinn said smugly "Barely..."
When the Minerva set down outside of the town not long afterwards, the Alliance officials that had been in the town had either fled or been killed in the riots that broke out following the base's destruction. The additional forces that had been stationed at the powerplant, too few to hope to oppose the enormous ship and demoralized by the destruction of what they had perceived as their undefeatable defense, fled.
The Impulse moved in and stopped just outside the town itself and Shinn, removing his helmet, rode the lift cable down to the ground, where the local inhabitants literally mobbed him, congratulating and thanking him for his role in liberating the town.
Coniel had rejoined her people as well, and they were just as ecstatic about her as well, one of them raising her up into his shoulders.
Athrun, from the cockpit of the Saviour, which stood nearby, watched with a smile. His expression turned grim however when he looked to the other side and saw one of the locals executing a handful of bound Alliance officers, shooting each one in turn in the back of the head.
"A job well done, Athrun." Yzak's voice distracted him as he looked up and saw his CO's face on the Saviour's communications screen. "We'll leave mop-up operations to the Ruddle Team. You and that nutcase Shinn get yourselves back here."
-"Yes, sir." Athrun said, and left the Saviour's cockpit.
As he headed over, Shinn saw him and shook himself loose from the throng to face him.
-"Something the matter? Did you take some damage out there - You of all people?" Shinn asked, but the tone lacked the usual contempt, and indicated more that he was joking than anything else.
Athrun chuckled briefly.
-"No, I'm fine. We did it - thanks to you." Athrun replied.
-"Come on, I can't take all the credit." Shinn said, glowing. "One thing though - I thought I was gonna die in there!"
-"Right."
-"You never said anything to me about the fact I wouldn't be able to see a damn thing." Shinn said, looking askance at him with his arms crossed.
-"Really? I did tell you you'd have to fly according to the data." Athrun replied, curious to see where this conversation would go.
-"Well yeah, but..." Shinn started, but Athrun cut him off.
-"Either way, you did it. You had the right stuff - and I'm pretty sure I said that too." He said. "Now come on, let's get back to the ship."
Athrun headed back to the Saviour. Shinn stood looking after him for a few moments. Then, with a shrug he turned towards the Impulse, and the two machines left and headed back to the Minerva.
All the way back, Shinn thought of the townspeople's reactions and of what he had done, a satisfied smile on his pale young face.
Whatever the future held for them, he had one absolute certainty: Even more than he had after the Indian Ocean incident, he felt that here at least he'd done the right thing.