Chapter 3
Fuck this. Fuck the Alliance. And screw you too, Admiral Wallace. This wouldn't be happening if we were still in ZAFT!
As he brought his beam saber through the torso of a black-painted Dagger L, Yzak could acknowledge that he was being hypocritical. Even if he, and the rest of his old teams, were in ZAFT it wouldn't have changed much. Even odds were that they wouldn't have been assigned to Armory One. Hell, it was better than even odds that were he there, he'd be flying in a ZAKU or some shit. And as good as a pilot as he was...Yzak didn't fancy taking on Gundams with a ZAKU. Or even a Murasame. At least Daggers weren't that big of a threat.
Though, as Lance Duel flipped over a swing from another Dagger, he began to wonder just where these damn things were coming from. There wasn't a chance in hell that single ship carried this many machines. Right?
"See anything else out there? Another ship?" Yzak barked out, plugging the Dagger with a single shot from his beam rifle. His ice-blue eyes scanning the battlefield, narrowing as another Nazca pulled away, trailing flames. Damnit! This is worse than Heliopolis was!
It didn't take long to get a reply from Hood, at least. "Nothing. If they've got another ship out here, it's hiding very well."
Grunting in annoyance, the silver-haired Coordinator took advantage of the lull in combat to scan the area, himself. His narrowed eyes didn't see anything that he hadn't already seen, of course. The destroyed and crippled ZAFT warships. The mystery- almost certainly Alliance -warship pumping green beams and volleys of missiles into the defenders of Armory One. And a handful of further Dagger Ls, wisely holding closer to their presumable mothership. None of that was a surprise.
"We already know that ship has Mirage Colloid. What's to say they don't have another one out here?" Yzak didn't bother keying his transmitter, well aware that Jane was listening in already.
"I don't disagree." To prove the point, her blonde-haired head appeared on one of Duel's monitors. A worried purse to her lips, as her green eyes darted from side to side, looking over her own data stream. "But we don't have Nicol here, and I think he's the only one who could pick out Mirage Colloid without some idea of where to look. Maybe." A sardonic smile replaced her frown. "Sometimes I really hate when we're right."
Yzak rolled his eyes, "Alliance bastards." He said that as if it explained everything, and really, didn't it, though? "Have the Murasames moved to the catapult, I don't like this."
"Expecting something else?" Jane asked, as she relayed the request to Hood's hangar deck.
"Call it a hunch. No way in hell that a bunch of Daggers are all we have to deal with. Not for something like this. Even Commander Le Creuset had his CQUE and Miguel's GINN."
With a final nod, Jane's face vanished. Not before giving Yzak a look that practically screamed at her desire to be out here, with him, fighting in her own Mobile Suit. Yzak smirked at that. Once a Mobile Suit pilot, always a Mobile Suit pilot. He knew his old commander hadn't taken well to being pushed into the role of ship captain over pilot, even if she was good at it. He knew that if he had asked, she would have shoved her way into one of the Murasames and been out here in a heartbeat.
Might not need that, if this is all the bastards are willing to bring-
A flash of green rather rudely interrupted Yzak's train of thought, as he threw the Duel back. His eyes narrowed, as he looked for the source of the beam. "Alright, who was that..."
His eyes soon focused on the distant shape of the enemy capital ship, which had turned to face in his direction, just long enough to open one of its four catapults. A catapult that had flung forth a single mobile suit, moving far faster and far better than any Dagger ever could. And Yzak could only growl in annoyance, she he looked at the machine change from dull grey to a multi-colored form. Phase Shift. A Gundam.
And when he looked closer, really looked, he recognized the shape of the machine.
"Oh you have got to be fucking kiddin-"
Armory One Exterior, Impulse
"...g me!" Shinn Asuka bit out, as Impulse finally stabilized outside of the outrushing air from Armory One. The winds had spun his Gundam around, throwing his aim completely off and making him lose track of the escaping Gundams. "Rey! Do you see those guys anywhere?"
"No." Rey Za Burrel's response was short, curt, and to the point. As always. "They must have taken the chance to slip away."
"Damnit!" Shinn slammed his hand into his controls, red eyes brimming with righteous anger.
He wouldn't have long to mope. A pair of Daggers had sprung from the side of Armory One, beam carbines blazing. Impulse and Rey's ZAKU spun and dove through the fire, though the former had to bring its shield up to take a hit from a massive cannon mounted on the back of the Daggers. A pair of cannons, actually, firing solid slugs. Impulse shook from head to toe from the impact, the shield dented and caved in at the point of contact. Considering his low power levels, Shinn would rather not think about what that would have done to Impulse if he hadn't blocked it. Phase Shift only worked if you had power for it, after all.
Daggers? This has to be the Earth Forces. That flared Shinn's temper ever hotter and higher. He was already fuming at the escape of the thieves. Knowing that they were probably working for the same people who had killed his parents?
It came as little surprise that he growled and flung Impulse forward, completely ignoring Rey's words of caution or the alarm telling him that Impulse was dangerously low on power. "One war wasn't enough for you?! Is that what this is about, huh?!" Shinn fired a brace of beam rounds, clipping the cannon of one of the Daggers while the other black-painted Mobile Suit dodged to the side. "Hold still!"
Inside the cockpit of his ZAKU, Rey sighed deeply and raised his targeting scope. "Always the reckless one, Shinn."
He still couldn't help the small smile on his lips, though. Polar opposites they may be, he and Shinn were the best of friends. And as he fired a beam that took the shield arm off of one of the Daggers, he shook his head fondly. Shinn would always be the one charging forward without a care in the world. And Rey, along with the missing Luna, would always be the ones supporting him. It was just how it was.
That being said, he couldn't shake the feeling they weren't alone. It was a strange feeling that he couldn't understand. A prickling at the back of his neck that wouldn't go away.
Is this what he always talked about? Rey bit his lip, remembering a masked visage over a fond smile. It couldn't be...right? The only other person like this was Mu La Flaga and he wasn't anywhere near here...
"Argh!" Shinn's cry of panic was enough to break Rey from his thoughts, as the Impulse was flung back by a kick from one of the Daggers. A kick that, at the least, had cost the machine its leg.
Even when he was being knocked back, Shinn had been aware enough to draw his beam saber and take the Dagger's limb off. The sudden loss of mass caused the machine to drift into Rey's line of fire, allowing the white ZAKU to pump a beam through its torso.
Nodding in satisfaction at the short-lived pink puff of smoke, Rey turned his attention back to Shinn. "Watch yourself, Shinn. These aren't your typical pilots, anymore than the thieves were."
"I know that!" Shinn snapped back, though his anger was still firmly- and only -directed at the enemy. He stowed his saber and brought his rifle up again, slowly getting a lock on the now-evading Dagger. "No way these are rookies. Not on something like this..."
Shinn would probably have been happy, yet angry at the same time, to know he was correct. The pilots in the black-painted Dagger Ls were veterans of the Last War to a man. Veterans who had gotten to their position through attrition and experience, surviving battles that had killed many of their comrades. They would have chewed through ZAFT machines older than ZAKUs, and had, as the debris of numerous GINNs, CGUEs and GuAIZ Rs attested to. The problem, though, was simple.
The Dagger L was a machine hardly superior to, and in some ways inferior to, the 105 Dagger.
No matter the skill or experience of the pilots, they were flying an obsolescent machine against the state of the art. Shinn and Rey were green, but they were extremely well trained and piloting far superior machines. Impulse, in particular, vastly outclassed the mass production machines. And as his anger fueled him, Shinn put that to good use, finally punching a beam through the cockpit of the remaining Dagger.
Panting and shaking sweat from his brow, Shinn turned his eyes- and Impulse's head -towards Rey's ZAKU. "See anything out there, Rey?"
"Not yet," Rey responded, as the pink monoeye of his ZAKU spun around, scanning the immediate area. "Those Daggers appear to be all that was...wait. I think I see something."
Shinn and Rey turned to look in the same direction, where a barrage of green beams flew back and forth. It was hard, even for Shinn's enhanced eyes, to see what it was from such a distance. At least before the two of them zoomed in with their cameras. Rey's blue eyes narrowed while Shinn's red snapped wide open. Both of them couldn't fail to recognize the distinctive shape of the Duel, even though the machine seemed to have been completely overhauled into something new.
"Duel...that's Yzak Joule, isn't it?" Rey muttered, while Shinn's eyes shifted from the sleek form of the Duel to the somewhat bulkier machine fighting it.
Another Gundam, one more clue that this had to be the Earth Forces.
Goddamnit! It really is the Earth Forces! We can't let them get away with-
Before he could even finish his thought, he was cut off. The distinct form of the Minerva arose from behind Armory One, already firing return flares.
Minerva
"Impulse and Rey's ZAKU located, ma'am." A chirpy female voice called out, originating from a slim girl in a standard ZAFT Greencoat uniform. Her red hair tied back in, admittedly somewhat childish, twintails as she looked at her screen. "Neither of them are currently engaging the enemy."
Sighing almost imperceptibly, Talia Gladys nodded her head. "I see...any sign of the stolen machines? The enemy mothership?"
"No sign of Abyss, Chaos or Gaia. Enemy mothership is engaging the defense fleet." Was the prompt reply, as delicate hands danced over a keyboard.
"Very well...thank you, Meyrin."
Not bothering to hide her sigh, now, Gladys looked over her shoulder. "Well, they seem to have succeeded in capturing the machines."
"Unfortunate, though not unexpected. You did the best you could, Talia." Gilbert Durandal gave a small smile, as he sat in a hastily placed chair. The Chairman shrugging his shoulders, as his smile turned crooked. "We can still attempt to stop their mothership, though I leave that decision to you. I am far from a military man."
You never have been, Gilbert. Gladys internally rolled her eyes, but accepted the olive branch for what it was. Durandal could easily have ordered her to do whatever he pleased, but he was allowing her operational authority. "Meyrin, once Shinn and Rey are back aboard, prioritize repairing and recharging the Impulse."
"Right away, ma'am!" Meyrin was quick to jump to her task.
Gladys nodded at that, and turned to her XO. "Arthur, I want you to prepare the ship for combat. We're going to engage the enemy mothership, preliminary designation..." She stopped for a split-second, before deciding to go for 'simple is best'. "...Bogey One. Lower the bridge, ready the Tristans and Isolde, and prepare the missile tubes."
Arthur Trine snapped off a quick salute, and set about doing just that, as the Minerva's bridge descended deep into the hull, safe from attack. Outside, Shinn and Rey came in for a hasty landing, while the handful of GuAIZ Rs aboard the Minerva prepared for potential launch. The ship's thrusters fired at full strength, shooting it off at a speed that rivaled the Archangel, while her two Tristan beam turrets and singular Isolde triple turret rose from their mountings and targeted the distant Bogey One. She may have been a green ship with a largely green crew, but the new battleship was quick and prompt in preparing for battle.
A sight that greeted Kira and Cagalli, as they entered the bridge.
"Ah, Captain Yamato and Lady Cagalli. How nice of you to join us." Durandal was the first to greet them, as the only one who had no task in front of him. There was no sarcasm in this words or his tone, as he gave them a warm smile. "I do apologize for all of this. Had I known..."
"You couldn't have known." Cagalli firmly, if gently, cut him off. She knew that, much as she loathed the necessity of it, she had to act the 'responsible politician' instead of demanding to be transferred to Hood and her beloved Green Frame. "ZAFT's done everything it can to resist this terrible attack, and I offer whatever support the Coalition can provide to regain your stolen machines."
Durandal raised an eyebrow, his orange eyes dancing with obvious amusement at how Cagalli tried to speak formally. "I would be happy to accept the Coalition's aid. Though, I do believe you hated the idea of our new machines."
Cagalli bit her lip to keep from saying something she'd regret. Kira's hand on her shoulder helped with that, giving her a gentle squeeze. She knew that he was on her side, even if he did agree that Durandal wasn't wrong. And, yeah, maybe she was being a bit hypocritical considering the Murasame and the new Gundams...
It didn't mean she was a fan of Orb expats working for ZAFT.
Giving her another gentle squeeze, Kira took over to let Cagalli work through her feelings. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more. I pushed Legacy too hard and they got away from me."
"No need to apologize, Captain Yamato." That time it was Gladys, turning her chair around just enough to send Kira an appraising look from beneath her brown hair. "Legacy was incomplete to begin with, and your actions at least secured it. And, arguably, the Impulse." A frown crossed her lips. "My deck crew is green, but I imagine they could have Legacy ready for combat again relatively soon."
As she turned away and back to focusing on the distant hostile ship, she chuckled softly. There wasn't much humor in it.
"Though, I'm sure you'll understand when I say I would prefer that doesn't become necessary."
Oh, yes, Kira understood that. He understood better than most how it felt to have his mission taken away from him. The desire to do everything yourself instead of accepting help. Cagalli had mostly slapped that out of him, years ago, but he was self-aware enough to know it was still an issue from time to time.
"Picking up combat near Bogey One, ma'am." Another member of Minerva's bridge crew spoke up, drawing all attention onto himself and away from the Chairman and his guests. "Hard to tell from here, but it appears to be..."
"...two Gundams." Meyrin finished, her clicking of keys bringing up the grainy image- due to jamming, most likely -of the two machines.
Kira's eyes narrowed, while Cagalli cursed. Gladys frowned and Durandal smiled, slightly, though it lacked the warmth of his normal smiles. It was the smile of a man who had a suspicion confirmed, but who was hardly happy with it.
"I see you brought Joule as an escort." Durandal spoke, his mild tone hiding his anger at the other machine, fighting the Duel. "And I see that our thieves are almost certainly supported by the Alliance, at a minimum."
For the Head of State for the PLANTs to say that, as near an accusation of a foreign government as it got, was no laughing matter. It was also impossible to deny, when looking at a Gundam, at the Gundam, fighting the Duel.
"They...they really..." Kira muttered, as Cagalli's hand clenched in his own, the two of them staring at Yzak's distant battle.
Outside Armory One
"Oh, you really are as good as I expected, Joule!" Roanoke grinned under his sunglasses. His hands clenched tightly on the control sticks of his Gundam, as he ducked under a beam from the modified Duel. "Then, I would have been disappointed in anything less, after Panama!"
Flaring his thrusters, spreading the wings of his machine, Roanoke charged forward and clashed beam sabers with the Duel. The red eyes of his Gundam staring into the green of Joule's. He couldn't see the other pilot, of course, and his words wouldn't have reached the Duel anyway. Whatever deniability he had left would be gone if he had done that. And the last thing he wanted was to be removed from his post.
He couldn't help himself, though, as he fired the railguns on his machine's hips. The impacts forced the Duel away, though they did no damage. Roanoke didn't care. He was enjoying this far too much. There was nothing like the feeling of fighting another ace, in a true battle. No practice duels against the Extended or his fellow regular pilots.
Hmm, they replaced the Assault Shroud, did they? That should have damaged it. Indeed, the armor bore no marks from the railguns. Just like the Blu Duel. Can't have expected anything less with Morgenroete involved. They would upgrade the machines. I wonder if that's still the old frame underneath it all?
It didn't really matter. Roanoke was enjoying the battle too much to care if he was fighting an entirely new machine or an old one with new tricks. "Come on, Joule. Show me what you can do..."
His own Gundam was an old machine, in its own way. A mishmash of designs from the previous War, mixed together and upgraded by Actaeon into something...decidedly different. Roanoke would love to thank whomever it was that gave the Alliance the plans for ZAFT's suits, even if his own lacked the nuclear reactor. For as he ducked beneath a swing of Joule's saber, he grinned at the mobility of his own machine. It may have had a body like the Strike's, but it was so much more.
The wide red wings, inherited from the Freedom, spread wide as he pulled back and peppered the Duel in a barrage of CIWS fire from the head and chest mounted vulcans. It forced the Duel to raise its shield, and allowed Roanoke to bring up the beam rifle developed from the Strike's, sending a brace of beams at the other Gundam.
As the Duel returned fire with its own rifle, the Phantom Pain commander took the chance to glance at his screens. A message from the Girty Lue drawing his attention. Oh. The kids are back. And ZAFT sent out their new battleship. Right. As fun as this is, best not to push my luck.
"Sorry, Joule, but we'll have to settle this another day." Roanoke sent a glance at the Duel from beneath his sunglasses, as he pulled back some more. The railguns on his hips and the pair of beam cannons in the wings firing at the Duel, forcing Joule back again. It's been fun. I would enjoy the chance to duel you again, on better terms. But I can't fail this mission because I got carried away with myself.
Reaching down to the leg of his Gundam, Roanoke pulled away a smoke grenade and tossed it in front of his machine. A hand reached up to the shoulder of the Gundam, pulling a beam saber free just long enough for the crimson blade to cut the grenade and spew the smoke free. It was never going to slow someone like Yzak Joule down, but it didn't need to. It just needed to give him a moment to back away, and for his superior thrust to pull him away.
"Have the Lue ready to pull back, Lee! I'm returning and we are leaving while we can!"
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Slamming a hand against his controls, Yzak glared at the retreating form of the other Gundam. The unholy abomination of the Strike and Freedom was faster than Lance Duel, in a straight line. And he couldn't have chased after the thing even if it wasn't. Duel was many things. A machine geared for attacking a warship that was clearly at least somewhat based on the Archangel? That wasn't one of them.
Damnit! They're going to get away!
Lowering his rifle, realizing that shooting would be a pointless waste of power, the former Redcoat twisted in his cockpit and looked back. Hood was pulling alongside the new ZAFT ship, the Minerva opening her hangars to pick up her own machines. Yzak snorted when he saw the one that looked like a smoother Strike, while his eyes narrowed at the pure-white color scheme of the ZAKU next to it. That brought up uncomfortable memories of a masked man and his poisonous words. Memories that Yzak would prefer to not think about, when he knew how that could have ended for everyone involved.
So he just shook his head, gave one last glare at the retreating form of the enemy, and boosted his way back to Hood. "Pull the Murasames back. No point in sending them out now."
"Roger that." Jane's face appeared once more, though now she wore a contemplative look. "Are you returning to the Hood or landing on the Minerva?"
"Reading my mind, now?" Yzak snorted, though he still let his eyes drift towards the ZAFT ship.
Jane chuckled softly, "It's a safe guess to make. We're going to need to coordinate with the Minerva if we want to catch those thieves. And we both know that neither Yamato or Athha are going to just let them go." A shrug of her shoulders accompanied the Captain's next words. "We may not be part of ZAFT anymore, ourselves, but I'm not really inclined to let them go either. Are you?"
That was a question that Yzak answered only with a growl of frustration. He had his problems with the PLANTs leadership, else he would have been in a ZAFT uniform that very moment. Yet...no. She wasn't wrong. Those bastards had attacked a PLANT with no warning, stolen ZAFT machines, and killed hundreds of ZAFT soldiers. No. He wasn't just going to 'let them get away'. He'd force the issue even if Yamato or Athha wouldn't.
"I'm heading back to Hood, first." Yzak said, instead, as he spun Duel around and accelerated to his full speed. "Have Duel recharged as quickly as possible. I want to get back out as soon as we disable that ship!"
"Will do, Yzak." Jane flashed him a small grin, her slightly-older face vanishing from the screen as Duel flew back to its mothership.
Minerva, in pursuit of 'Bogey One'
They got away.
That was the thought consuming the crew of the Minerva, from the Captain right down to her uninvited guests. Whomever was in command of the enemy mothership was smart. They'd detached the arms of their warship, throwing what had seemed an integral part of the warship aside, to give them a boost in speed and to slow down the ZAFT battleship. And the damndest thing was, that it had worked. The fuel tanks in those arms had forced the Minerva off course and given the speedy enemy ship the chance to pull ahead, if only temporarily. Between that and having to take aboard the Impulse and ZAKU, the enemy ship had a head start.
One that would not last forever, as it was still slower than the Minerva, by all indications. Yet still. A head start that could not be underestimated and would take time to claw away. Minerva would continue to chase, but it would take hours to catch up. Hours that could be better spent planning and figuring out the situation.
"...and that is why, I am sure you understand, I cannot allow you to return to the Hood." Gladys sighed softly, at the look of annoyance in the Lioness of Orb's eyes. No teenage girl had any right to look that mature and sharp eyed. "If we were to slow down at all, we would lose our chance to catch Bogey One. That ship isn't as fast as the Minerva, but between the head start and the time it would take to make that transfer..."
Cagalli breathed out a frustrated sigh, clenching her fists in her maroon pants. "No, I...understand. I hate it, but I understand. I don't like having to sit around and do nothing."
Standing beside her, Kira smiled. That was the Cagalli he knew. The one who always wanted to be part of the action. At the head of it all, even. She wasn't happy having to relocate to a small conference room, sitting on a couch across from the Chairman and the Captain.
"I don't believe any of us would." Durandal smiled warmly, giving a small shrug of his shoulders. The Chairman looked remarkably nonplussed by the situation they were in, his suit smooth and his hair having not a single strand out of place. "As such, and in the interests of formalizing our arrangement, I would like to request formal aid of the Coalition. If you are willing to offer it, of course."
It was a formality, and everyone in the room knew it. Cagalli and Kira both had already offered- and given -their support. Durandal had already accepted it. But, if this was an Earth Alliance ship they were chasing...well. It was for the best that the arrangement be formal. Give no room for dissidents inside the Coalition, like the Seirans, to take advantage.
"On behalf of the Coalition, I will accept your request." Cagalli sat straight and rigid, giving Durandal a short nod. Before, with an imperceptible sigh, she let her shoulders slump. "Not that we have much to offer. Kira didn't bring anything and my Green Frame is still on Hood."
What was left unsaid was that no one knew how the Green Frame would stack up against the Second Stage units. In pure technological terms, the ZAFT machines far outstripped a machine developed at Heliopolis. Cagalli could hope that the upgrades would give her an edge, but...well, it was all a moot point. She wasn't able to leave the Minerva to get her Gundam anyway.
"I'm sure that the services of the Shadows and Yzak Joule will be quite enough." Durandal just waved off her concerns, as he climbed to his feet. He sent a glance to Captain Gladys, before returning his warm smile to the pair of teenagers across from him. "As well as Captain Yamato if, of course, he is willing to pilot Legacy once more."
It was very apparent that Gladys was biting her lip, likely displeased by the idea of anyone not part of ZAFT piloting one of their new prototypes. Even if the Coalition and ZAFT had, mostly, warm relations. It was equally apparent that she wasn't going to dispute the point of needing the aid or of the Chairman having the final say.
Kira...he frowned slightly. He didn't have any moral concerns in piloting the Legacy. Or any technical ones. Yet, he knew that ZAFT was showing a lot of patience in even making the offer. A lot of trust.
They don't have to let me do this. They have Impulse and their other machines, and Yzak can bring the Duel. If we absolutely had to, a Murasame could bring the Green Frame over whenever we catch up to those pilots, too... Kira looked between Cagalli and Durandal, along with Gladys. He knew what his answer was, but he wanted to see what his girlfriend thought first.
And Cagalli just shrugged and gave him a soft smile, "If you want to fly, Kira, feel free. I'm not going to stop you. I just expect you to let me go out there too, once I get my Gundam back." She poked him in the chest, her smile a bit crooked now, while her amber eyes showed her determination. "You hear me?!"
With a chuckle, Kira nodded at the Lioness. "I wouldn't dream of saying you can't, Cagalli." Turning away from her triumphant smirk, he gave a small nod at Durandal. "If Captain Gladys is alright with it, I'll fly Legacy again. I've never lived in the PLANTs, but..." He sighed softly and shook his head. "I won't let them get away with this, if I can help it."
Durandal returned the nod, holding his hand out. His smile softening, ever so slightly, into one that was almost fatherly in spite of his young age. "And for that, as a child of the PLANTs, you have my thanks. In spite of our differences in the last war, I would never say no to a pilot of your caliber supporting us." As Kira took his hand, the Chairman gave it a firm shake. "Now, I believe I should give you and the Prin-"
"Chairman." Cagalli spoke just the one word, narrowing her eyes warningly.
Letting Kira's hand fall from his own, Durandal chuckled softly. "My apologies, Lady Cagalli. Some habits are hard to break, I'm afraid." Sending a placating expression at the blonde, Durandal shrugged his shoulders. "At any rate, I was planning on offering you and Captain Yamato a tour of the Minerva. Or, at any rate, everywhere save for spaces like the magazines and engine rooms."
As the Orb citizens blinked owlishly at that offer, Captain Gladys couldn't bite her tongue any longer. "Mr. Chairman, sir, you can't be-the Minerva is our newest warship! I know we aren't enemies with the Coalition, but to allow them to see the interior of..."
"Talia," Durandal held up a hand, sending a significant look at the Captain. "They've offered their aid and are, for all intents and purposes, a part of this crew for the duration of this chase. Surely the least we can do is offer them the chance to learn more about the ship they will be staying aboard?" His look shifted into something more caring, as he continued. "I will not make it an order, nor ask you to share anything you consider off limits. I simply feel we owe them, this much, at least."
As Gladys thought it over, the Chairman gave a sardonic smirk. "It's hardly as if they haven't had unlimited access to every ship we've ever built aside from the Minerva and Gondwana, anyway. Between the Shadows' ships and the Eternal."
Sighing heavily, Gladys shook her head. "You aren't wrong...very well. I understand. If nothing else, we can hardly expect to keep the hangar a secret when they've already seen it. And Captain Yamato will be there to help with the Legacy."
"Exactly." Durandal nodded, before turning back to the Coatlition teens. "So, shall we, Captain Yamato? Lady Cagalli?"
Kira returned the nod, while Cagalli flushed a little and spoke for them both. "O-of course, Chairman."
Neither of them had exactly been expecting a guided tour of ZAFT's equivalent to the Archangel, when this whole mess had begun.
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"Did you hear who was piloting Legacy, Shinn?!" Lunamaria Hawke floated up to Shinn, as the younger pilot stared up at the mess of mechanics surrounding the Second Stage machine. When he didn't respond right away, Luna poked him in the side. "Hey! Are you ignoring me?"
Shinn flinched, and shook himself, turning to send a glance at his friend. "Ahh...no? Sorry, I was thinking about something."
"There's a first for everything." That dry response had Shinn sputtering, as Luna rolled her eyes at him and took up position next to her friend. "Seriously, though, I can't believe it was Kira Yamato flying that thing. Who would have thought that someone from the last war, especially him, would be on Armory One! Though, I guess he is the one dating the Chief Representative of Orb..."
I already knew all of that. I know more about them than you do, Luna, even if it isn't really much... Shinn stared up at the deactivated Legacy again, once more consumed by the thoughts that had been rattling around in his head the entire time since it had shown up. I need to talk to them. There's a lot of questions I want to ask.
He never had the proper time to talk to them, when he had been in Orb. Or after he had left Orb. For every bit he hated Uzumi Athha, he could never thank Cagalli Athha enough for saving him and Mayu. As for Kira Yamato...well, the Freedom had been the one standing at the front of the defense of Orb. And, from what he knew, the one who had been pressuring that bastard to evacuate Orb faster. He wanted...no. He needed to know if that was really true.
He carried a lot of anger with him. He wanted to make sure it was directed where it should be.
"I knew who it was before you did." Instead of acknowledging that, Shinn settled for sending a cocky smirk Luna's way. The redhead returned that with a shocked look, as Shinn continued. "What do you expect? I was out there fighting beside him! Too bad he isn't all he's cracked up to be, or maybe we would have caught those thieves before they got away."
"Shinn!" Luna gasped, holding a hand to her mouth. "That's the pilot of the Freedom you're talking about, here! There isn't anyone as good as him except for Athrun Zala, himself! You can't be serious!"
"Maybe I am. After all, they've never fought me." Shinn hooked a thumb at himself, before floating away from the still-gaping Lunamaria.
All the better to hide the small smirk on his lips. Sometimes, it was fun to mess with Luna. After all, he knew that if the Legacy had been properly functioning, the thieves wouldn't have gotten away. He was sure of that much, at least.
"Wait up, Shinn!" Luna floated after him, having gotten over her shock at his words. Though her blue eyes were still wide with her shock. "You...you fought with him?"
Shinn rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I did. What, did you not see Legacy fighting Gaia?"
"I was a bit busy trying to get my ZAKU up!"
As the two pilots floated down towards the deck, they didn't notice the hatch into the hangar opening, nor the group who stepped out of it. Shinn was too lost in thought and Luna was too busy ragging on her friend for being arrogant. If they had noticed the Chairman and his guests, they probably would have been distracted again. As it was...
"I want the chance to talk to them." Shinn spoke up, cutting Luna off from her rant at him.
She stared, instead, and gaped at the younger pilot. "You...after all of that, you're telling me you want to talk to them?"
Shinn shrugged, "I never said I didn't, Luna." Narrowing his crimson eyes, Shinn sighed softly. "Look, I've never told you how Mayu and I survived the attack on Orb."
"You haven't, but I thought that was because you didn't want to talk about it." Luna replied, before her eyes widened in understanding. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth, as she stared at Shinn. "You can't be serious!"
While Luna was a bit of a ditz at times, she wasn't dumb by any stretch of the imagination. No one, not even in the worst days of the last war, got a Redcoat without being smart. She was picking up on what Shinn was implying very quickly. It just didn't make sense to her. How...why...would he keep something like that a secret? For his part, Shinn just sighed again. He'd kept his past a secret because he didn't want to talk about it. Mayu had agreed, for the most part. They didn't want the attention that it would bring on them. It was bad enough being a refugee from Orb who got assigned to a Gundam. People already gave him looks for that.
He really didn't want the attention that his past would bring on top of that. Contrary to popular belief, Shinn didn't actually like being the center of attention. He liked being the first to a fight, but that was a different thing entirely.
"I'll tell you after we track down the assholes who stole our Gundams." Shinn shook his head, as Luna tried to say something. "It's not something I want to talk about right now, alright?"
Luna blew out a sigh and pouted a little, but dropped the subject. "Fine. I'm holding you to it, though. There's a story there and I want to hear it!"
"You'll get it."
And that was that. The two pilots were about to leave the hangar to get some food in their system, when alarms began blaring. Their heads snapped up, when Meyrin's voice echoed over the intercom. "Bogey One identified on approach to the Debris Belt! All pilots to their machines!" Shinn and Luna shared a look, as Meyrin's voice continued. "I repeat, all pilots to their machines!"
"Well, guess we're heading out again." Luna brushed her hair from her face, before looking over her shoulder at the mechanics still swarming around the partially-stripped Legacy. "Just us, though."
Shinn nodded, a hint of anger in his eyes once more. "Damnit, the bastards aren't giving us a break, are they?"
"Did you expect them to?" Luna shot back, as the two pilots headed for the locker room, to change into their flightsuits.
It wasn't a surprise that Shinn only gave a growl of frustration in response. That, and a stare at the retreating backs of the Chairman and two familiar faces, that he noticed as he floated up from the deck. Captain Yamato. Lady Cagalli. You two are going to talk to me when I get back, you hear me? I'm getting some answers!
AN: Good enough point to end, I think. I want to have the battle in the debris be the start of the next chapter, then we can get to Shinn talking to Kira and Cagalli. And that will be fun to write.
That aside, sorry for the delay, even if it's nothing on the wait between the first two chapters. I'm mostly writing this as my muse wants, and trying not to force matters. That'll lower the quality. As it is, I'm not entirely happy with the second half of this one, but eh. My muse was willing to write, so take what I can get.
Hopefully it's still good.
Also, there's some history there with not!Neo. I'm going to have fun with that as we go along.
I suppose I should probably do the requisite tech sheet, too. In hindsight, it might not have hurt to do as old fics did and have a chapter at the start for collecting those, but too late now. Ah well. Just the Duel, this time. We'll get to Roanoke's machine once it's named, in story.
Suffice to say, I had fun designing that one.
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"Don't think this is the old Duel, you asshole! This Gundam is better than it ever was, and if you treat me lightly, you'll be dead before you can blink!" -Yzak Joule
Lance Duel Gundam:
Description:
With the old Duel Gundam the most simple of all the first generation G-Weapons, the frame was already showing its age at the end of the Bloody Valentine War. In acknowledgement of this, and of Yzak Joule's attachment to his machine, the decision was made to build a new Gundam based on the original design. The Lance Duel is, however, a much improved machine, even as it holds to the simplicity of the original. The Assault Shroud simplified and integrated into the design, allowing it to use Phase Shift armor. As well as this, the new Duel is a machine tuned and customized to Yzak's up-close-and-personal fighting style. Fast and agile, it should not be underestimated, even by the strongest of Gundams.
Model Number: CMS-GO2*
Code Name: Lance Duel
Unit Type: Custom G-Weapon
Manufacturer: Morgenroete
Operator(s): Independent Coalition
Accommodation: Pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso
Dimensions: Overall height 17.30 meters
Weight: 78.4 metric tons
Powerplant: Ultracompact Energy Battery
Equipment and Design Features: Sensors, range unknown; Phase Shift Armor; Assault Shroud Kai enhanced armor system
Fixed Armament: 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Multi-barrel CIWS, head mounted; 2x Beam Saber, back mounted; 1x 100mm "Shiva Kai" railgun, shoulder mounted
Optional Hand Armament: 1x Type 72 Kai "Ikazuchi" Beam rifle; 1x anti-beam shield
Optional Equipment: 350mm "Gáe Bulg" Rail Bazooka
Pilot: Yzak Joule
Appearance: Resembling the Blu Duel, though the armor is even further reduced compared to the Assault Shroud. The additional armor covers only the most critical areas of the machine, around the cockpit and the arms, with the rest left bare of add-on armor. Only one shoulder carries a weapon, the left bearing a smaller variant on the Shiva of the original Duel. The legs have additional thrusters mounted on the side and back to fit Yzak's 'charge in and get up close' fighting style. The backpack has stronger thrusters arranged more in-line with the original Duel than the Blu Duel. Color is the same as the original Duel.
Notes: As mentioned in the last chapter, I feel that the original G-Weapons are reaching the point you can't upgrade them to keep up with modern machines. As such, the Duel would be replaced with an entirely new-built Gundam based on it, but not the same. Yes, I am aware the Blu Duel is supposed to be a new built Duel that got upgraded later. The Lance Duel, here, is less 'newbuilt Duel' and more 'Gundam based on the Duel frame, but completely new from top to bottom'.
*CMS-G02: "Coalition Mobile Suit - Gundam 02"
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And for the review replies, as is the tradition from the previous fic:
Blanchimont, liger86: Athrun and Lacus are together. Beyond that, I'm not going to confirm anything because SPOILERS
MrSoandSo, hardcoreGSfan, ZeroExia, Just a Crazy-Man, tf330129, Breakerp16, Kaze: Thank you for the reviews!
goodwin761: The Coalition member states have their own space colonies, and Artemis has been rebuilt. As for the other questions...won't comment on Meer because spoilers, and I have plans for every power to have new (or different takes on) the mass production suits. As an example, the Windam will be treated as the ace suit it *should* be, based on its raw specs, instead of being 'Shinn shoots a dozen down in overused stock footage' that we got. Naturally, since I don't want the Coalition members just using Orb suits, there will be some variation there too.
Infinite Freedom: It's going to be fun throwing in the different suits and characters, yeah. Kira and Shinn will have a pretty markedly different relationship than Athrun and Shinn did, if only because Shinn respects Kira where he never did with Athrun. As for Cagalli...yeah, she's going to get to show her stuff much more than Destiny ever let her do.
maeljuri: Unfortunately, I don't speak a word of Spanish. Thank you for the review, though!
Rydan fall: Went over Lance Duel above. I feel that, with Yzak having input on the design, it would turn out as 'simple as possible' because Yzak doesn't really do fancy. Give him a rifle and beam sabers, and he's going to make it do what it needs to do. I honestly think he'd even ditch the missiles in favor of focusing on melee combat and tuning his machine to be as fast and agile as possible. It focuses a bit more on maneuverability, than straight line speed, though.
The Astrays are...weird. Honestly, I wouldn't call any of them the same machine that came out of Heliopolis. They've all been rebuilt so many times that there's barely any of the original machine left, in my view. Even then, I don't think they'd be on a par with- say -the Destiny. Most of their fights are against machines more equivalent to them.
Green Frame has been upgraded, yes, and I'll go over that when it pops back in.
Anything else is going to be straying into spoiler territory.
Ace-Triad: Yeah...there's a definite shortage of non-shippy fics, after the old guard (your Birds of a Feather and Valkyrie and (until recently) Golden Age) died off. As for your questions:
1. Unfortunately, I've found that trying to hold myself to any sort of schedule just leads to me failing to hold to it and lowering the quality from trying to force myself. I write when my muse is willing, though that does cause...its own issues, sometimes.
2. For the most part, I want the tone to come across as fairly similar to the canon. I do fully intend on blowing the fic off the canon rails, though, as we move along. There will be some similar events...but I want to avoid the Stations of Canon where possible. That said, until we reach Earth, it'll hold pretty close. Not as much room to change things before then.
Raventus Dracoria: Canon Shinn had the potential to be a good character, but as with most things in canon Destiny, that potential got wasted. I'm glad that you like the new take on him, so far.
Bad Habits: Yeah, I get that. But it's one of the things I've never really agreed on. Taking them as completely new machines, yeah, I'm fine with that. Nothing stopping them from still being relevant even if based on old machines. But beyond that...
Much as I don't like 00, the way they treat the Exia Repairs is more like what I'd expect if you keep insisting on rebuilding an aging frame. It can maybe be competitive, but it will never be top of the line again.
Lance Duel is intended to be the Duel, but completely new built to make sure it can be top of the line (at least, until people start throwing nuke suits around again).