Phase Twenty-One: Descending Sword
I do not own Chris, Liz, or Johanna Dante, Saul, Ian, or Diana Kessel, John Alaric, the 11th Fleet, the Raven, or the Surge Gundams. They all belong to Akatsuki_Leader13. Nor do I own Gundam. I only own Akira, Tao, Nisha, NASA/NAZAFT, the 7th Fleet, the Wing, Z.A.M., and Diver Gundams.
CT7567Rules: You don't need to make them shorter. Just hit enter at the end of a sentence or paragraph. It will make it easier for me, and you can make reviews as long as you want when using that trick. :)
Titanic X: Glad you do. :)
gagasgumilang208: No, Chris will not get the Raven repaired. He gets a new machine and you will see which soon enough. :) And yes, Heero will face down the Extendeds as well. XD
Bcz: I update once a week, so expect it weekly. :)
Just a Crazy Man: Again, glad you do, but please don't just say 'Love'. I want to know why you like it. :)
GI SCOE: Troll issues forced me to remove it, but this is a revamp. The majority stays the same, but there will be some changes too. :)
A0930: First, it is part of the series and a core one at that, so I would not have removed it anyway. :) Second, yes, it is sweet, and that is part of the plot. :) Next, Lox will get her own MS, and Chris gets a new one too. ;3 Aki is changing for sure. :) And I am glad you want Marie to live. Don't worry, she does. :3 And Tao definitely did need to do that punch. XD And you will see soon with Patrick Zala~ ;3 As for the question, the Freedom and Justice actually do have NJCs. And no, it won't affect it. As for the Athrun Lacus confrontation, there will be a slight change, but nothing that will affect the overall plot in a bad way.
On another note, I would like to give a shout-out of thanks to operation meteor for letting me use one of the scenes from his epic story, Gundam Wing: Journey to a New Battlefield. The scene I could not resist using, and it seemed to fit with the plot I had planned out. So, go read his story. I HIGHLY recommend it. Link is found on my profile under favorite stories.
Note to all readers: I am going to ask those who have an account to sign in to leave a review in order to know who is leaving it, or at least to put their account name on the review so I know who is sending it. If you want to sign in to leave a review, then feel free to do so. But if not, then at least put your account name at the top so I can see who you are. If you do not have an account, the feel free to leave a review anyway. Just no outright hatred of the story please.
Anyway, please read and review!
C.E. 71 – War has been raging for 11 months between the Earth Alliance and the PLANTs. With their superior numbers, it seemed inevitable the Earth Forces would win. But the PLANTs unveiled new technology and began to gain the upper hand. Now, 10 months after the initial conflict began, the war is at a stalemate…
A grey DINN slipped passed the raging battle unnoticed. It flew along the edge of the battlefield skimming passed missile and anti-air batteries until it reached its target: a small, unassuming waterfall guarded by a pair of missile batteries. The missile batteries opened fire but the DINN evaded the barrage of missiles and flew passed the batteries, through the waterfall and into the tunnel the waterfall hid.
"It seems Azrael's information was correct," Rau said as his DINN dashed through the tunnel heading for the base interior.
ZAFT mobile suits filled the air as they headed for their objective: JOSH-A's Main Naval Gate. Unfortunately, when they reached the area, they were surprised by what they saw.
"Hey! Is that the legged ship, and Omega One?" a GINN pilot asked.
"I think it is," a DINN pilot responded. "Ya think if we take them down they'll give us medals like Zala's kid?"
"Hell yeah!" a second DINN pilot shouted. "A round of medals for everyone!"
"Cut the chatter," the team leader ordered from the cockpit of his CGUE. "We have a-" However, before the pilot had a chance to finish whatever he had to say, a beam shot from above, tore through the CGUE, destroying it. The rest of the ZAFT team looked up. The Buster, riding atop the Surge, descended in on them firing its beam cannon and gun launcher as the Surge fired its shoulder machine guns and anti-air guns at them. The beams struck a GINN and the left wing of DINN while the solid rounds tore through a pair of other GINNs.
"Shit! Scatter!" a DINN pilot yelled out.
The ZAFT mobile suits spread out to avoid the incoming fire and returned fire themselves. The Surge swerved dodging most of their missiles and bullets. Those that were able to hit did little against the phase shift armor of the two Gundams. A GINN pilot swore through his clenched teeth. "They're just as strong as the reports say they are, but they can only handle so much! Keep-"
A single bullet struck the GINN and a second later and it exploded. "Sniper!" another pilot shouted.
John fired off more rounds. A round tore through a DINN's head. A GINN's Guul exploded. Another round tore through a GINN's torso. The fourth round hit the center of a GINN's back. John ejected the spent clip and loaded a new one. The Buster fired its cannons and missiles while the Surge's guns roared sending more mobile suits to the waters below. It was then that a GINN fired at the Surge, taking out one of the engines. Chris swore as his machine went down. Crashing into the ground, Liz hopped off of the damaged Surge, which was now in its mobile suit form.
"Damn it!" Chris cursed as he looked up from the damage readouts. "Right engine is down, and the left leg is damaged."
"I'll cover you. Get back to the ship." Liz said as she fired with the Buster's beam rifle.
"Right."
As Chris made his way to the ship, which was not too far off, he heard Liz cry out as the Buster lost both its arms. "LIZ!" he cried as he glanced back.
The damaged Buster made its way over, making Chris sigh with relief. "I can't fight anymore. We have to get to the Archangel." Liz said as Chris made his way to her.
"Yeah. Let's go."
From underwater, ZnOs and GOOhNs fired their torpedoes at the various naval vessels defending the base. Unlike the GINNs and the DINNs that were trying to deal with the Buster and the Surge, there was nothing to stop them from attacking the ships directly. The torpedoes hit their targets sinking several Arkansas, Des Moines and Fraser class ships. "Damn," John cursed saw one of the ships sink. "Murdoch, get that bazooka and my one remaining sword ready for me. I'm going under to deal with those underwater mobile suits."
"Right."
The Farsight returned to the hanger and a few minutes later it emerged armed with a bazooka and a sword stored on the back of its waist. The modified GINN leaped off the edge of the catapult and into the depths below.
"What the? A GINN High Maneuver Type?" a GOOhN pilot said at the sight of the Farsight. "Is it with the 11th Fleet?"
"Pilot, identify yourself," the ZnO commander ordered.
"Victor Cain. Officer of the 11th Autonomous Mobile Fleet. Serial number ZM-211787," John instantly replied. "My thrusters have failed and I need a hand at getting back to the surface."
"Alright then," the commander responded, not noticing a rocket launcher being aimed at his suit.
"Jenkins, help get him to the sur-"
A rocket stuck the ZnO silencing the commander. Two more rockets destroyed a pair of GOOhNs before anyone could react. "Shit! Attack!" the GOOhN pilot shouted.
Two GOOhNs charged the Farsight intending to ram it but John was much faster. He fired the bazooka at one GOOhN, easily defeating it, as he reached for his sword with his other hand and stabbed the second GOOhN. A moment later, it exploded.
"Who's next?" John said as more GOOhNs and ZnOs approached.
Wing Zero and the Z.A.M. Gundam fired as ZAFT units attacked the Archangel. Missiles from the long-range machine hit several ZAFT GINNs, forcing them off their Guuls. Nisha gritted his teeth as he targeted another group of them.
"What is with these guys? They just keep on coming!" he snarled as he fired the beam cannons at a few DINNs. Their wings exploded as they fell to earth.
"They are desperate, which can lead to death." Heero replied as he fired the Buster Rifle. The golden beam lanced through the air, knocking a few GINNs to the ground, two of which exploded while the third's pilot got away from his damaged machine unharmed.
Elsewhere, the battle for JOSH-A was going poorly for the Earth Forces. ZuOOTs and BuCUEs were overrunning the Earth Forces' tanks and gun batteries due in part to the air support provided by the GINNs and DINNs flying overhead. And with no help or reinforcements from NASA, they had no chance.
Saya fired off a burst of rounds from her rifle at a linear tank, destroying it. Nearby, Yzak destroyed a pair of tanks with the Duel's rifle. "These targets aren't any challenge at all," Yzak complained as he aimed at a gun emplacement.
"I find myself agreeing with you," Zane agreed as he fired at a gun battery. "After fighting the legged ship for so long, fighting against such weak opponents feels dull and boring."
"But Sirs, we're fighting in an important operation that could end the war," Saya said. "How can you consider this dull and boring?"
"It's not the mission that's dull. It's the opponents," Yzak said shooting down several missiles streaking towards his direction. "When you've been fighting against strong opponents for as long as we have, Rookie, you find weaker opponents boring. These guys may be fine for newbies like you, but experienced soldiers will find these guys boring to fight."
"Newbie? I'm not a newbie!" Saya shouted, insulted. She wasn't a Red Coat for nothing. 'How dare he say I'm a newbie!' She thought, fuming, as she rushed ahead of the group eager to prove herself. 'I'll show him who's a newbie!'
"Wait!" Yzak shouted. "Running ahead like that-"
"Let her go," Zane interrupted. "She's a Red Coat like us. Unless the Academy has lowered their standards, she's more than capable of handling whatever they throw at her. She'd be more of a burden if she wasn't."
The Archangel
"Dammit!" Dearka cursed as the ship shuddered from a few hits of missiles. He was holding onto the prison bars that kept him upright. The battleship was going through a barrage of fire, but it would take a lot more than that to bring it down. Though this didn't help Dearka's mood as he was once again shook off balance. "What the hell's going on out there?"
"Isn't it obvious? JOSH-A's under attack," Saul said lazily as he held onto his bed.
"Wait a minute!" Dearka exclaimed, clearly shocked. "Why is JOSH-A under attack? I thought we were going attack Panama!"
"Apparently, everyone thought that, too," Nicol responded also holding onto his bed. He was sweating out of nervousness. "But it looks like Alaska was the real target."
The Archangel shook as it was hit again. Dearka, who had been standing in his cell, lost his balance and banged his head against one of the bars and fell over on his bottom. "Ow! Dammit!"
"You okay, Dearka?" a concerned Nicol asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine," he responded, rubbing his forehead. "Just a bruise."
"Could be worse," Saul said. "If this ship goes down, we go down with it."
Inside JOSH-A
Mu ran through the corridors of the base trying to find the Archangel and any information regarding what was currently happening. It was at that moment that he felt it: a strange pressure-like feeling, the same spine tingling sensation he got whenever Rau Le Creuset was nearby. He reached the door to the command center and peered inside.
The room was empty, save for a ZAFT White Coat by the name of Rau Le Creuset. Who stood over the console doing god knows what. Rau spun around and fired. Mu pulled his head back in time barely dodging the bullets. Rau took off heading for a side door. Mu entered the room and fired at Rau. Rau reached the doorway and used the door frame for cover while Mu moved behind a console to use as cover as well.
"It's been awhile, Mu La Flaga," Rau greeted, though his tone was far from welcoming. "I don't have time to be fooling around. Though we've only just met again, I apologize for leaving so soon. But if you're still hanging around here, then your usefulness to the Earth Forces' is almost at an end. Oh Hawk of Endymion, how the mighty have fallen!"
Rau laughed and fired a few more rounds before taking off. Mu considered following him, but he needed to know why Rau was here. He turned to the computer Rau had been looking at. What he saw turned his blood cold, something he thought he'd never see again. "No..." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "They wouldn't..."
Flay ran through the corridors of the base wishing for the hundredth time that she had paid better attention to the route they took from the Archangel. She was hopelessly lost in the massive base. It was like a maze, and she wondered why it was built this way briefly. She reached an intersection when an Earth Alliance soldier appeared from another hallway. "A ZAFT soldier!" he shouted, staring down a different hallway as he drew his sidearm.
BANG!
The soldier fell to his side bumping Flay in the process. Flay stumbled, shrieking as she fell into the intersection. She glanced up from the direction the shot came from and she noticed one thing and it frightened her. Standing there was an armed masked man wearing a white ZAFT uniform. She silently hoped someone, anyone, was still around to come to her rescue but it looked pretty obvious that no one will be helping her. She looked for the next best thing: something to defend herself with. She noticed it and reached for the fallen soldiers gun and pointed it at the man, her hands shaking as she held the weapon.
"What have we here?" the man said, more intrigued than anything. He knew soldiers when he saw one, but this girl in front of him was acting far from one. Was it the feeling of her intense fear radiating off of her face? Or was it something else?
Flay's eyes widened in shock. That voice. It sounded just like her father's, but that was impossible. He was dead. She saw the ship he was on explode before her eyes! And this man didn't even look remotely like her father at all. "That…That voice…Why...why do you sound like my daddy?"
The man didn't react, or if he did, she didn't see it. Instead, he rushed towards her. His speed and reflexes were far greater than the girl's own. The shock from his fist forced her to fire a single shot before she was overcome by darkness and fainted into the man's arm.
Mu rushed towards the nearest hanger. He had to warn everyone on the Archangel before it was too late. He finally reached a hanger but it was a mess. Debris littered the hanger floor and much of the hanger crew was trying to put out a fire that erupted at another end of the large space. There were a few Spearhead fighters sitting in the hanger that looked flyable. He needed one of those fighters. While he was back in the command room, he learned that the Archangel had been participating in the battle just outside the base.
"What? They've been completely wiped out! That's impossible!" a HRL soldier manning the hanger's comm console said.
Mu ran to that man. "Who's in charge here?"
The soldier turned to him. "Ah... At the moment sir, you're the only ranking officer here."
"Then get out of here now! The base is being abandoned!" Mu urgently informed. "Get everyone here at least ten kilometers from the base as quickly as you can!"
This didn't make any bit of sense to the soldier one bit. "Ten kilometers? I don't understand sir."
"Just get out of here NOW!"
The soldier nodded. "Ah...Yes sir."
Not bothering to watch him gather the hanger crew and flee, Mu rushed to the nearest fighter grabbing a discarded helmet along the way. He climbed into the cockpit and started the fighter up. A moment later, he took off, heading for the Archangel's last known coordinates.
Outside JOSH-A's Main Gate
The Farsight reached the surface of the water near the Archangel. "Archangel, I've taken care of the underwater units for now, but more will come," John explained. "I'm returning for resupply."
"Roger," Miriallia responded. "Chris and Liz are also heading back as well. Their machines have taken serious damage and can't fight anymore."
"I have no ammo left in the bazooka," John informed as the Farsight rose out of the water's surface. "I'll get my rifle and cover the ship while they get inside."
The Farsight landed on the port mobile suit catapult and entered the hanger. He retrieved his sniper rifle and loaded some clips onto the Farsight's ammo racks. As he turned towards one of the catapults, the catapult door exploded from a barrage of missiles. John swore, "If we don't get any reinforcements soon, there won't be anyone left to save when they do get here."
Mu piloted his fighter over the battlefield, trying to avoid getting into a fight with ZAFT as he headed for the main naval gate where the Archangel should be. Hopefully that is.
A GINN fired at him. Mu evaded the incoming bullets and fired off a missile hitting the GINN's mono-eyed main camera. Mu quickly flew past it before it could recover. He had to find the Archangel. He didn't have time to waste on fighting.
A few minutes later, Mu spotted the main gate as well as the Archangel in the heart of the battle it played out on. "There she is!"
The Archangel had taken a beating. There was a gaping hole in one of the catapults and the other was open, allowing the Surge and the Buster to land. Standing on top of the ship was the Farsight destroying mobile suits with single, well aimed shots from his rifle.
Mu headed for the Archangel. He opened up a comm line trying to warn Murrue and the others, but a GINN spotted him and fired. Mu spotted it at last second and tried to evade the GINN's fire, but he wasn't quick enough. A round struck his fighter and he was quickly losing altitude. It was lucky that the shot didn't cause his fighter to explode. "Dammit!" Mu swore as he struggled to keep the fighter stable. "Archangel! Archangel, come in! This is La Flaga! Archangel, come in!"
There was no response, however. Either his radio was damaged or theirs was. "I guess I've got no choice. Clear the way cause I'm coming through!"
Mu aimed his fighter for the gaping hole in the catapult door. The fighter barely crashed into the deck, skidding across the catapult and crashing into the hastily erected crash net. Mu quickly jumped out of the cockpit and ran towards the bridge, ignoring Murdoch and the others' surprised shocks at his arrival.
"What's he doing here?" Liz asked. "I thought he was transferred off the ship."
"Apparently it didn't stick." Chris said.
The Bridge
"Captain!" Mu shouted as he entered the bridge out of breath from his run.
The captain glanced around quickly recognizing who had addressed her. "What the hell are you doing here?" a very surprised Murrue asked. Wasn't he supposed to be transferred?
Mu ignored her question. "No time...We have to get out of here right now!"
Murrue was confused. "What?"
"There's a large Cyclops System under the base! It's powerful enough to turn everything within ten kilometers of the base into a blast furnace!" Mu said shocking the entire bridge crew. "There aren't enough forces here to defend the base long enough for reinforcements to arrive! Soon, the defenders will be overrun and ZAFT will reach the base interior! That's when they'll activate the System and destroy the base! And in the process, take out more than half of fighting strength! That's the outcome of this battle as imagined by the top brass!"
"It can't be!" Murrue said, trying to convince herself that he was wrong.
"I swear to you. I saw it with my own eyes. The command center is abandoned. The only ones that are left are the HRL forces and the Archangel because those bigwigs have given up on her!"
"So they left us here to die?" Arnold asked.
"Only after we give them a desperate struggle so the enemy doesn't know it's abandoned."
"Wha...What kind of strategy this?" a stunned Taikyu said.
"Because this is a war." Mir said, her eyes watering. "And because we're all supposed to be good soldiers. If they tell us to, I guess we're supposed to throw away our lives." The moment she heard Mu speak about the Cyclops System, all her confidence and her beliefs shattered. The memories that kept her up in the past few nights, images and nightmares of Kira and Tolle dying all because of the war, resurfaced as she began to break down.
Murrue scowled. They, and everyone else in JOSH-A, had been left to die by their own commanders. The bridge was silent save for the distress calls from various forces fighting in JOSH-A.
"This is the Grant! The Northern Naval Gate is lost! I repeat, ZAFT has breached the North Gate!"
"...We're being overrun! There's too many of them! We need assistance!"
"The entire Sixth Air Defense Force has been wiped out! Command! We need reinforcements! Command? Come in Command!"
"This is the 14th Armored Battalion! We need reinforcements! We need rein...AAAAGH-"
Murrue came to her decision. "If the whole objective of this battle was to lure the ZAFT forces closer in, then in my opinion, this ship has already completed its objective." And to ensure the safety of her own crew, she added, "Note that I, Murrue Ramius, Captain of the Archangel, make this decision alone. No other member of the crew is to be held responsible."
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself Captain," Mu said.
Murrue ignored him and stood up. "This ship will now abandon the battle area and make its withdrawal. Inform Mr. Alaric and the others of what's happened and then signal the other ships to follow us. Engines to maximum. Head to port. We'll make our escape there!"
"This won't be an easy battle for us," Mu said as Murrue sat back down. "I'm launching as well."
"But Commander-"
"Don't worry. Remember, I'm the guy who makes the impossible, possible."
Zane smirked as he launched from the Cousteau. They had returned to resupply their mobile suits when Creuset had returned. Yzak and the others had been eager to join the others heading into base interior but Creuset had ordered them to attack the main gate. The legged ship was there and as a result, it was still standing. They'd be far enough from the base interior to allow them to escape before the Cyclops System could reach them.
It was time to end that troublesome ship once and for all. And if they couldn't destroy it, then the Cyclops would.
"Alright! We're gonna get a piece of the legged ship!" Saya said as her DINN joined the launching mobile suits from the Cousteau.
"Calm down Rookie." Yzak said in an annoyed tone. "That cocky attitude will get you killed. Especially against that ship. So tone it down. I've lost enough teammates against that accursed ship and its mobile suits."
"Indeed. If we can take that ship out, it will cement our victory here." Zane added.
Yzak nodded. "Alright. Listen up everybody! We're going after the legged ship. And we're gonna destroy that ship once and for all!"
"This is insane," Nisha said as he fired at more ZAFT mobile suits. They had received information about the Cyclops System only minutes ago. "Who in their right mind would sacrifice their soldiers like this?"
"This is war. People will die, no matter what happens. But I do agree," Heero said, angry inside at their betrayal. "It was Sutherland and those like him that did this."
"Now is not the time for this," John said. "We can worry about that after we've escaped."
"Heads up!" Mu said from the cockpit of his Sky Grasper. "We've got company!"
A group of ZAFT mobile suits appeared, heading for them, the Duel and a red GINN in leading in the front.
Heero growled as he targeted the red GINN. The machine and the Raven had always fought, so it seemed that the two pilots had a history together. Still, the Raven was out of the battle for good, so it was his turn to fight.
"Damn it! Where is the Raven?" Zane swore as he looked for said machine. He was so caught up in his search that he did not hear his cockpit warning alarm until Omega One was right on top of him.
Crying out in surprise, he pulled back on the controls, only to have Omega One's beam saber miss him by a mere inch. Growling, Zane pulled out his railgun, eager to fire a shot right into Omega One's cockpit.
"The Raven is out of the fight, for good." The voice over his cockpit speakers got him off-guard, but Zane did not care. All he wanted was to fight Chris, and Omega One was not going to stop him!
He targeted the cockpit door, but when he pulled the trigger, the winged machine dodged to the left. Zane swore and tried again, only for the same thing to happen again. "Damn it! Stay still!"
Heero closed his eyes and called upon the Zero System, which showed him which moves would be used, and how to counter those very moves.
His eyes snapped open, just as he dodged the red GINN's attempt to slash his machine in half with a sword. "You lack control, and are too driven by emotions." Heero mused as he flew back from the GINN, its sword having missed him again.
Pulling out the Buster Rifle, Heero jumped upwards, firing a low-power shot at the GINN, which dodged the blast. Heero opened up with Wing Zero's shoulder-mounted Gatling guns, the bullets doing very little damage, but still catching the pilot off-guard nonetheless.
Zane growled as he felt the small shells impact his machine, forcing him to defend the most fragile areas, mainly the head and main cameras. While the bullets did little damage against his machine, they served another purpose.
Heero then stopped the bullet assault, only to open fire with the Buster Rifle at half its full power. The massive beam sped right at him, making Zane gawk at the size. Jumping upwards into the air, the huge golden light passed right beneath his red GINN. Zane could only wonder at the power of the machine he was facing.
'Just how strong is that machine?!'
Zane was going to get his answer as soon as the Cyclops was engaged.
On top of the Archangel, John fired the last rounds from his rifle. The two DINNs exploded. "You're not sinking this ship." he said as he discarded the spent clip.
At that moment, a trio of DINNs fired off a barrage of missiles. They streaked towards the top of the Archangel's hull and the Farsight. John swore he jumped trying to avoid the incoming missiles but several missiles hit the Farsight. The badly damaged Farsight crashed onto the hull. Its right shin, entire left leg and right bicep were destroyed. "Gah! Dammit!" John cursed through clenched teeth.
Suddenly, a Guul mounted GINN swooped down in front of the bridge of the warship, its rifle aimed at its crew. Murrue and the bridge crew all stared down the barrel of the rifle in horror as Liz screamed and made a futile dive for cover. "No!" John screamed from the cockpit of his crippled machine. He was unable to help them.
Mu, Nisha and Heero turned from their own battles to see the GINN. They aimed for the GINN but couldn't fire. If they did, they'd hit the GINN and the Archangel's bridge. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the GINN pilot started to squeeze the trigger. It was too late. They had lost their comrades!
As if on cue, a green beam shot from above tore through the rifle effectively destroying the weapon without hitting anything else. Everyone in the area looked up trying to find the source of the shot. Descending on the GINN and the Archangel was a white mobile suit none of them had ever seen before. The mobile suit drew a beam saber and sliced the GINN's head off. The GINN backed off as the newcomer took a position in front of the Archangel's bridge with its majestic blue wings outstretched shielding it from any further harm.
"This is Kira Yamato. Please get to safety. I'll cover you."
The GINNs and the DINNs resumed their attacks on the Archangel and the other defenders. A seed shattered in the back of Kira's mind. The winged mobile suit locked on to every nearby ZAFT mobile suit as the Freedom's railguns unfolded and plasma beam cannons flipped over its shoulders. Kira fired off a massive barrage of perfectly aimed beam shots. The heads, limbs and weapons of ZAFT mobile suits exploded, including the crimson GINN's head. Stunned pilots of both damaged and undamaged mobile suits backed away from the Freedom and the Archangel, unsure of what to do against the power the Freedom displayed.
Out of all the pilots within this battle, only one of them wasn't afraid of the newcomer. "I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but you're going down!" Yzak shouted firing at the Freedom.
The Freedom raised its shield, blocking the Duel's beams. For a moment, Yzak noticed the Freedom stall and used it as an opportunity to get closer. The Duel drew its saber and lunged at the Freedom. Kira countered by drawing one of his own sabers and the two warriors clashed blades. Yzak aimed the Duel's railgun at the Freedom's head and fired, but Kira was faster and pulled the Freedom's head out of the line of fire. Before Yzak could get his guard back up, Kira swung his saber low. Yzak watched in horror as the saber came towards the cockpit. Suddenly, Kira lowered the saber slashing through the Duel's knees instead. Kira kicked the Duel sending it to the waters.
"I got you sir," Saya said as her DINN swooped down and grabbed the Duel. "Are you alright sir?"
Yzak ignored her, his thoughts on what just happened. "He didn't...But why..." Normally, when you have the opportunity to kill your opponent, you'd take the chance, but the pilot of the winged mobile suit clearly did not intend to end his life. It contradicted the whole point of this war.
"Don't worry sir, we're heading back." Saya said, heading for the Cousteau.
Nisha started to laugh as Wing Zero landed on the Archangel next to his machine. He knew he shouldn't do so in the middle of a battle, especially if at any minute they could all be annihilated by the Cyclops System, but he couldn't help it. Kira was alive after all! "Damn, good to see you Kira!" he cheered. "And the next time you scare us like that, you better be dead!"
"Wow! That was amazing! Where'd you get a suit like that?" Liz said in awe, but she was speaking from the bridge.
"While I admit that this is a happy little reunion, we do have more pressing matters to attend to," John said. "We have to get out of here. Now!"
"He's right. Miss Murrue, please get the Archangel out of here. I'll deal with them," Kira said.
"You don't understand, Kira. Under headquarters, there's a...a Cyclops System!" Murrue said.
Kira's face paled in horror. He had heard of the Earth Forces' defeat at Endymion Crater before and how they used a Cyclops System to wipe out the invading ZAFT forces. If something like that was here too, then it was more than just escaping a simple battle. More was at stake here than anyone realized.
"We're all just bait! We had no idea what they were planning this!"
Kira turned back out the battle. After his encounter with Lacus Clyne in the PLANTs, he knew exactly what he needed to do. What he was fighting for he now knew what he had to do. He had to end this war without a single person's life lost in the process. And that meant everyone, including the Earth Forces and ZAFT forces. He was determined to end this war once and for all, and if he had to become the enemy to ensure Naturals and Coordinators would no longer quarrel, then so be it.
"Attention, all ZAFT and Earth Alliance Forces! At any moment now, the Cyclops System under the Alaska Base will activate and the base will self-destruct! Please, cease fighting and withdraw from the area immediately!"
More confusion spread across the ranks of the soldiers fighting and their commanders. Was this kid bluffing to try to get the ZAFT forces to flee? Or was he speaking the truth and they were moments away from being annihilated? A few ZAFT soldiers decided that it was better to be safe than sorry claiming that they needed to resupply. Many, still confused over everything that happened in the last few minutes, didn't do anything. The rest simply ignored him and resumed attacking the base and its defenders.
"There is no need to leave." Heero suddenly said. Everyone looked at his machine like he was crazy.
"What are you talking about, Heero?" Nisha asked, speaking the question that was on everyone's minds.
"There is a way to destroy the Cyclops System."
John spoke next. "How? How can you expect to do such a thing?"
"Yeah, the place underneath the base is a literal labyrinth of halls and corridors." Mu added as he flew overhead, firing off a few missiles at a couple of ZAFT DINNs.
"Who said I was going inside the base?" Heero asked.
Mu was silent for a minute before he busted out laughing. "Oh man! I knew there was a reason I liked you!"
John also got the message, but his reaction was far different. "Are you serious?! There is no way that your machine's rifle can pierce that much metal and wiring in the short amount of time that we have!"
"Man, Heero! If I had known that you were this crazy, I wouldn't have agreed to cover you." Nisha remarked as he shook his head.
"Cover me." Heero said as he took off into the air.
"You heard him, guys! Give him as much cover as you can!" Nisha replied as Kira and Mu also moved into position.
While Kira and Mu took on the aerial ZAFT units, Nisha took on the GINNs that were riding Guuls. Missiles sped out of the chest chamber as GINNs fell to their heat-seeking properties. Nisha opened up with the shoulder beam-cannons as well, taking out a few more Guul-riding GINNs that tried to shoot down Wing Zero from behind.
Heero immersed himself in the Zero System, drawing on one plan that had a chance of succeeding at least. It was nearly suicidal, but then again, if it was easy, it would not be up to the standards of a Gundam pilot anyway. He sped to the center of the base, looking over the charge of the Buster Rifle. It was more than enough, and given that it would take two shots, he would need as much cover as possible, but that was only if the first shot prompted an attack.
Aboard the Earth Forces' Submarine, the Pisces
Captain Sutherland sat in seat at the table waiting along with the rest of the officers from JOSH-A. It was almost time. They had just received word that ZAFT had breached the interior of the base and would soon overrun it. Sutherland had personally told the doomed fools that reinforcements would be there in less than twenty minutes. All they had to do was hold out until then. The door to the briefing room opened, Admiral Jamitov Hymen entered the room. All of the officers in the room saluted the Admiral. "Sir. ZAFT has breached the base interior," Sutherland informed. "It's time."
Jamitov nodded. He silently took his seat next to Sutherland. Before both of them was a pair of metal boxes attached to cables with a keyhole in the center. Both men pulled out their keys and inserted them into the keyholes.
"It is my sincerest wish that this terrible sacrifice will bring a swift end to the war," a solemn and weary Jamitov said.
"For the preservation of our blue and pure world," Sutherland added. "3...2...1."
Both men simultaneously turned the keys... and unleashed hell upon those at JOSH-A.
But it was Heero who soon unleashed hell back at them.
(A/N: I got permission from operation-meteor to use this scene from his fic, Journey to a New Battlefield. This scene is his and his alone. I just got permission to use it.)
Climbing above the range of the guns of the ZAFT ground forces, Heero moved into position over the base. Charging the Twin Buster Rifle as he did so, he brought up a terrain map of the area on one of his side monitors.
Heero's eyes narrowed as he recalled his infiltration of the base several days ago, or more specifically, the facility maps he had pulled up on the computer during his hacking attempt. He had not saved them onto any external memory device, but they were stored in something much easier to access: his own mind.
With perfect clarity, he saw the floor plans of the base overlay perfectly with the terrain map in his mind's eye. Aiming the Twin Buster Rifle at the exact center of where he knew the Cyclops system to be located-the giant circular room that had been labeled as a storage facility on the map- he held his position as the barrels of the gun glowed with yellow energy. When the charge reached maximum he double checked his trajectory, took a breath, and pulled the trigger…
…and unleashed Armageddon.
The power to destroy an entire colony tore forth from the weapon in a massive torrent of yellow-gold hellfire. The energy blast slammed dead-center into the target area, and Heero's monitors were flooded by yellow light as a titanic explosion ripped through layers of earth, concrete, and steel. The base's mass driver, part of which ran over the area he had targeted, was utterly annihilated, as was the airfield.
People stared as the powerful blast faded, revealing the interior of the base. The structural integrity of the base was now in question, as parts were collapsed and hallways were littered with live sparking wires. But Heero knew that he was not done yet.
Underneath JOSH-A, the massive Cyclops System started to come to life. The first to feel its effects where the HRL soldiers in the interior of JOSH-A and the ZAFT forces that had penetrated the interior. Unlike a normal self-destruct that would have engulfed the base in a massive explosion, the microwave weapon rapidly heated up the munitions and propellant of weapons used by both forces causing them to explode. It had the same effect on human bodies. Water in the human body would quickly heat up. The people affected inflated like balloons. Mercifully, this agonizing process only lasted a few seconds before they too exploded from the inside out.
They were the first victims of the Cyclops System but they also happened to be the last. The System was stopped before it reached the critical point and the base as well as the array itself was destroyed by the intense heat.
Zooming in on the impact area with his sensors, Heero saw that he had ripped a massive hole in the ground, and had torn through several layers of the base's fortifications. 'The next shot should do it.' he thought. It would have to; his instincts were telling him that he was running out of time, and quickly.
"Here goes," he muttered to himself. Taking aim again, Heero opened fire, once again releasing a power that none in the Cosmic Era had ever dreamed existed until today. Another massive explosion engulfed the base, and his visual sensors were once again obscured by bright yellow light. Still holding position, Heero knew that now he could only wait and see if he had destroyed his target; if he was still alive in the next few seconds, he would have his answer.
Eventually he could feel himself relax as his instincts told him that the threat had been neutralized. Adjusting his sensors again, he was able to confirm his suspicions; the crater was deep, and it had definitely passed the 500 meter mark where the Cyclops system had been stored. What he could make out on the bottom was little more than black and red earth, turned to glass by the incredible heat of the explosion.
Taking one last look at what had once been a combination of base and death trap, Heero gunned his engines and made a beeline for the Archangel. Contacting the ship, he saw Murrue's face appear on the monitor.
"This is Wing Zero," he said, "The Cyclops system has been destroyed."
"No way!" Sai said. "Heero did it!"
Murrue stared as Heero's machine made its way back to the ship. "This is Wing Zero. The Cyclops system has been destroyed."
The people on the ship cried out in happiness as the smoke faded to reveal the large hole that was left behind. It was their miracle. Wing Zero was indeed a surprising machine. As Heero came in, a missile from a malfunctioning GINN launched and hit another GINN's head clean off
The Guul of the headless GINN near the Archangel exploded. The pilot screamed as shrapnel hit the GINN and he began to fall.
"I got you," Kira said grabbing the GINN's arm and carried it and its pilot to safety.
By some miracle, the Archangel barely managed to survive the aftermath of the Cyclops system, which would have taken them all out if it had not been for Heero.
The DINN carrying the Duel had made it half way to the Cousteau when the blast hit the base. The DINN turned back watching the massive beam consume the base.
"How... How they do that?" Saya said completely shocked by what had happened. "They wiped out their own men as well as ours."
Yzak didn't respond. This whole thing had left a bad taste in his mouth. A Natural piloting Dearka's machine. The new mobile suit that defeated him with ease. And now this.
Zane's headless GINN suddenly appeared alongside the DINN and the crippled Duel. "It's simple. While technologically, the Naturals are inferior to us, they drastically outnumber us." Zane said with venom in his voice. "They figured that one day, we'd likely attack their central command and as a result, planted a Cyclops System under the base. So if and when we'd attack, they had it lying in wait for us."
"But they sacrificed so many of their own soldiers!" Saya said. "Not to mention the Cyclops was destroyed by that winged machine. I don't mean the new one. I mean Omega One!"
"You forget. They outnumber us. The losses they suffered here is nothing compared to the losses we suffered. And because they thought we were going to hit Panama, most of their forces had been sent there. Meaning our own deception ensured that they would suffer fewer causalities." Zane said. "A truly disgusting tactic."
'Damn that machine! I would have defeated him if he hadn't been so sneaky.' Zane thought as they flew back to the Cousteau.
"It can't be!" the Cousteau's Captain said in horror.
The entire bridge crew of the Cousteau had similar looks of horror on their faces. They couldn't believe that the Earth Forces would do such a thing at their own headquarters. "It seems that we would have fallen for the Earth Forces' trap," Rau said with a frown that went unnoticed by all around him.
New Juneau
Akira could only stare at the power that was unleashed from the machine, Omega One-no-Wing Zero. The massive golden beam of light had decimated the entire Cyclops system! There was nothing of it left! Not even a small bolt!
"W-w-what happened?!" He exclaimed as the power was shown again and again. The guard also stared in shock, unable to believe the power himself.
"That…was…full power?!" The man guarding him could only murmur that as he stared in awe and fear of Wing Zero.
Slumping back against his cell wall, Aki' was still in shock at the power of the machine Heero Yuy piloted. It was unlike anything the C.E. Era had ever seen! People from both the EA and ZAFT were sure to be afraid of the Archangel now, due to seeing how strong Wing Zero actually was.
Even NASA was sure to be afraid, well, more or less wary, but wary nonetheless. It was just hard to fathom that one machine had such power at its command.
'What will it take to win this war? And if it takes that amount of power, can we even risk it?'
The answer never came to the guard.
President Hilson was in shock at the mere sight of the huge beam that had hit the Alaska base not too far off. The radius had been great enough so that she survived unscathed, but she had been close enough to see the power first hand.
The machine, Omega One, was now flying back to the legged ship, but the sheer display of its power was still before her, and it would not fade so soon…
7th Fleet
Tao watched with amazement as the true power of Omega One-no, Wing Zero-was unleashed on the Cyclops system that was confirmed to be beneath the base. With two shots of unheard of magnitude, the system had been destroyed. She was in awe at the power, but at the same time, she was terrified of it.
And with good reason.
"That blast could take out a colony!" Heidi exclaimed as she took in the massive size of the beam. No one disagreed with her. It was of that magnitude.
Aboard the Odin
"I see... So the Commander was going to meet up with the Eighth Fleet when Victoria was taken stranding him in Africa," Diana said.
"Indeed. But that's not all of it," Captain Burton of the Junk Guild replied. "We recently received word from some of our comrades on Earth that the new Earth Forces warship landed in Africa and defeated the Desert Tiger with the help of a band of rebels and a mercenary as well as a new machine that is not in any of our databases. A mercenary that Waltfeld himself identified as Commander Alaric and passed it on to the Junk Guild members that helped save his life. And there have been reports of a GINN High Maneuver Type fighting alongside that new warship since they left Africa."
"So he's fighting alongside them for now."
Burton nodded. "It appears that way. Oh... Before I forget, the last time he recorded a message for you," he said, pulling out a disc. "This is a copy of it."
Diana took the disc. "Thank you. Your people have been a tremendous help to us-"
Suddenly, a voice blared over the ship's intercom. "Commander Kessel! Please report to the bridge at once! I repeat..."
Diana stood up. "It seems something has happen. If you excuse me."
"I understand. I'll be heading back to my ship and oversee the supply transfer."
The two left Diana's office and went their separate ways. Captain Burton headed for the hanger while Diana headed for the bridge. A few minutes later, Diana stepped onto the bridge. The bridge was buzzing with activity. Lucius and Lee turned to her as she entered. "What has happened?"
"Spitbreak failed," Lucius bluntly told her. "The Alliance tried to use a Cyclops to destroy the base and our forces, but that was stopped by the new machine, Omega One. Early estimates put the causalities as low as ten percent and as high as thirty percent."
Diana swore as she took her chair. Another Cyclops was nearly used! "Contact Admiral Darlian immediately! I want a full status report on our holdings on Earth! If the Alliance is preparing a counterattack, I want to know where! And I want the supplies from Burton's ship aboard the Fleet now!" she ordered, her voice as cold as ice.
The Odin's bridge crew snapped into action, rushing to carry out her orders. A few minutes later, Admiral Darlian's face appeared on the main screen. "What Kessel?" he said, his tone angry.
"Are the reports true? Did they use a Cyclops at JOSH-A?" Diana asked revealing no emotion.
"Yes," Darlian grunted. "They nearly wiped our forces out."
"What's the status on our remaining forces from the attack?"
"What?"
"Don't tell me they're just sitting on the waters outside Alaska. If they haven't already started to, tell them to regroup at Carpentaria."
"Who do you think you are? You can't order me around! I am in command of this Operation!"
"Dammit, you idiot!" Diana said, standing up. "This Operation is over! We lost! Order the retreat so we can regroup and determine what to do! If you won't then I will!"
Darlian scowled and closed the comm line. "Arrogant fool," Diana said. "What's the status on our Earth-based forces?"
"From what we can tell, they're fine for now. The Alliance hasn't mobilized any forces to attack our bases on Earth yet," Lucius said handing her a personal computer with the initial reports from Earth. "But from the reports coming in, ZAFT is in complete disarray. The entire momentum of the war has changed."
"Indeed it has," Diana mused staring at the initial reports. "Our forces would have been devastated today. We can expect to recover from such the blow very soon, but perhaps not until after the war is over. The playing field has been virtually leveled now. The question now is what do we do from here?"
Chapter is complete. Heero unleashes hell on the JOSH-A base, wiping it out as a result of the Cyclops System. Everyone is startled by the power he has at his command, and Kira returns to save the ship.
Anyway, constructive criticism is appreciated as are reviews. Flames, AKA hate-filled/spamming reviews, will be deleted and/or reported depending on if they are signed or not. Just a heads up.
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