Phase Twenty-Three: Divine Thunder
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. Nor do I own Martin Nightengale, as he is Meteorthunder3's OC. I only own Akira, Tao, Nisha, NASA/NAZAFT, the 7th Fleet, the Wing, Z.A.M., and Diver Gundams.
Titanic X: Yep!
CT7567Rules: Okay, first off, that would be interesting if I had already done that. XD Second, you will see~! ;3 Third, trust me, he will. XD Fourth, I think it would be Gary Chalk as well. :3 Fifth, you will see~! Sixth, I will see. :) And seventh, you will see what plane is the NASA aerial MS... ;)
GI SCOE: No, Kyrios does not make an appearance, and I may do the upgrades, I may not. We will see this time around. :P
Vcg: I have said this before and I will say it again, I update once a week, but this time I am making an exception for my readers in regards to what is going on lately. I will update twice this weekend, and will see about doing the same next weekend. But it is normally once a week.
A0930: I am glad you liked this last chapter, so I know you will like this one~! As for Sutherland, well, when this war is over, he will get justice by Marie's hands. XD Just wait until then~! :3 And all questions will be answered over time in the fic, so just keep reading and enjoy~! :3
Mars309 Roci: Glad you think it flows better this time. :) And as for Wu, well, that will be changed when we get to the chapter where Athrun confronts him. :)
gagasgumilang208: You would be right~! As for the Trans-Am thing, yes they will have it. As for adding a booster, that is not an option for now. It may be an upgrade down the road, but we will see. And yes, the other four will help the Astray team. :) Specs will be in the new arc when I start it. :)
Just A Crazy Man: Thanks!
KentLinuxStadfelt: Trans-Am is locked for now, but it will be used soon. :)
Note to all readers: I am going to ask those with an account to sign in to leave a review in order to know who is leaving it, or at least 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.
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…
Aboard the Cousteau
Several Days Later
"Panama... I think HQ is asking too much of us this time," the Cousteau's Captain said, his tone weary. "We just don't have the forces."
"We really don't have any other choice," Rau told him. "The Chairman has ordered us to disrupt the momentum the Earth Forces gained from Alaska before the homeland becomes threatened. We need to close the door to space by trapping them here on Earth. That's why it's imperative that we destroy Panama's Mass Driver."
"What of the Gungnirs?" the Captain asked.
"They'll arrive on schedule," Rau replied.
"Gungnirs...I've heard some of the officers and pilots complaining about relying on something that's never been used in combat before to win the battle. But the real problem's on our side. Will we even be able to capture the target points in time?"
"Our soldiers have sworn to extract harsh vengeance for Alaska. We will succeed," Le Creuset said before leaving the bridge.
Rau's Quarters
Flay sat in a chair. Ever since that man had kidnapped her at Alaska, she had been locked in his quarters. She hadn't showered in days, nor was she given clean clothes. In fact, she still had the handgun from Alaska.
Flay hated the man and this whole situation she was in. She was trapped on a ZAFT vessel. There was no way for her escape or for her to contact the Archangel or the Earth Forces. She didn't even know where Chris and the Archangel were after what happened at Alaska. She supposed that she should be thankful to the man for saving her life. Had he not kidnapped her, she likely would have died in the destruction of the base. But he was still a creep. What she hated the most about him was that his voice sounded almost exactly like her father's. Several times already, she reminded herself that her father was dead and this man was not her father.
The door suddenly opened and Flay stood up pointing the gun at Rau as he entered the room. He completely ignored her and sat down at his desk. "A battle is about to begin. Would you like to observe?" he asked reading from a personal computer. "I'm sorry for dragging you all over the place, but orders are orders so it can't be helped."
"But why... Why did you take me?" Flay wanted to know.
Rau let out a quiet snicker. "You're already living on borrowed time, aren't you, Flay Alster? Back at Alaska, you have been equally dead whether I had shot at you or let you run off."
Flay kept her gun on him, her hands trembling slightly. An amused smirk crossed Creuset's lips. "And you'd die within moments if you were to shoot me now. The soldiers on board would hear the gunshot and come running. Or if you didn't want them to finish you off, I suppose you could turn the gun on yourself after you kill me," he said. "I assume, of course, the gun is loaded."
He stood up and walked towards her. "On the battlefield, life is cheap. It's lost in an instant. And yet, people still fight and die for their country, for justice, or for whatever other insignificant reason. But you're not really cut out for that sort of the thing, are you, Flay Allster?" he said as he walked past her. "You may be wearing that uniform, but you're no soldier."
He stopped and turned around. "You're nothing but a scared, helpless little girl caught up in events far greater than what you can comprehend."
She had enough of this creep. She may not be soldier and she may be scared, but she wasn't a helpless little girl. Flay spun around and punched Rau square in the face. He stumbled back a few steps, blood leaking from his nose. That bitch! How dare she strike him! Rau slapped her with one hand as his other hand ripped the gun from her hands. He turned the gun on her. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Flay. Her entire life flashed before her eyes as Creuset squeezed the trigger...
There was a click and trigger refused to move but nothing else happened. Rau glanced down at the gun. The girl had forgotten to flick the safety off. Rau started to laugh. "You're lucky, Flay Allster. If you hadn't forgotten to turn the safety off, you'd be dead by now," he said lowering the gun. "You may not be a soldier, but I won't think of you as a scared, helpless little girl again."
Creuset turned and headed for the door. The door opened and he stopped for a moment. "Oh. And don't think that I won't punish you for that," he said, an evil smirk forming on his lips. "I'm too busy at the moment. So your punishment will be later on tonight."
ZAFT Fleet
In Earth Orbit
ZAFT mobile suits were launched from the warships. They moved towards the dropships and their drop pods. A purple CGUE entered a pod with a trio of colored GINN High Maneuver Types. Five Laurasia class warships, modified to launch Gungnirs, waited alongside the dropships.
"Gungnirs... Bah! Things like those take all the fun out of being a soldier." Ajay complained as they waited for the Operation to begin.
"Hey, it does not help that we can't use our own ships for this." Tao replied as she also sat in a pod, despite the Diver's ability to enter the atmosphere on its own.
Diana ignored him. "Listen up. Our job is to secure landing sites for the Gungnirs. Once they're cleared, the Gungnirs will be launched. Once they've been fired off, this battle will end."
"Attention all forces, prepare for space drop," the dropship's combat coordinator said. "In ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one."
There was a shudder as the pod was launched. The pod started its descent towards the atmosphere alongside dozens of other pods. "YEEEEEEE-HAW!" Ajay shouted as entered they entered the atmosphere.
A few minutes later, the pods finished their atmospheric entry. The pods streaked through the air heading for the Port Panama Base and its Mass Driver. Elsewhere, DINNs, Guul mounted GINNs, ZnOs, GOOhNs and the Duel were launched from the sub carriers.
Port Panama's defenders scrambled as the ZAFT forces approached the base. The drop pods opened, releasing their mobile suits. Fighters were scrambled to intercept the mobile suits as anti-air turrets power up. Diana fired her newly acquired beam rifle at a trio of approaching fighters as other ZAFT mobile suits opened fire as well. From the sea, airborne and amphibious mobile suits attacked, hitting naval warships and beach defenses.
The space-borne mobile suits slowed their descent. Those that weren't shot down by the defenders, landed safely on the ground and continued to engage the Earth Forces. Basque Gideon fired off his Barrus heavy particle cannon and Gatling guns at a group of gun emplacements on the side of a mountain. DINNs and Guul mounted GINNs chased down the Earth Forces' fighters, blowing them out of the sky. ZnOs emerged from the waters around Panama, attacking the coastal defenses and installations of the Port Panama Base, the Diver leading the charge. Tanks and gun emplacements roared, their shells striking some of the attacking mobile suits. The ZAFT forces were heavily outnumbered. But as always, their mobile suits were far superior to what the Earth Forces could bring to bear.
Archangel's Bridge
Onogoro Island
"How are the repairs coming along?" Murrue asked as she sat down in the Captain's chair.
The bridge officers, Mu, John and Chief Murdoch, were there with her.
"Both the ORB crews and my guys have gotten a fair amount of the repairs done," Murdoch informed the captain. "A few more days and we'll be done and ready to go."
"Then what?" John asked as he held a cup of coffee in his hand. "Kira said we should fight to end the war but how do we go about doing that? Should we go into space and link up with the pink princess and my comrades? Or should we stay on Earth and do something here?"
Murrue sighed. That was a very good question. Who should they be fighting? ZAFT and the PLANTs? The Earth Forces? Everything had become so complicated now. "Were you able to reach your contacts in the PLANTs?" she asked, hoping he could shed some light on things.
"Yes and no. I got in touch with the middlemen that pass the messages between us, but they were unable to reach my contacts. So I don't know what's been happening in the PLANTs since Alaska."
"Captain!" Chandra said. "We're being contacted by the ORB Military HQ."
"Open a channel."
General Dante's face appeared on the main screen. "ZAFT has launched an attack on Panama." he announced.
Everyone was stunned by this. "What? So soon? They can't possibly have enough strength after JOSH-A to launch such an attack." Murrue said.
"Don't underestimate them," John said. "They wouldn't attack unless they had a means to win the battle. There's a good possibility that Panama will fall."
"A ZAFT weapon that hasn't been used before?" Mu asked.
"Likely. Though I don't know what it could be. If it was a new mass production mobile suit, they would have used it at JOSH-A, so it couldn't be that. As to other weapons, I know that they were working an EMP weapon early in the war but they took time to deploy on the battlefield and it could only be used once, maybe twice, before the Earth Forces would upgrade their EMP shielding. The military deemed it unfeasible as a weapon to turn the tide of the war and, as far as I know, scrapped the project. But they could have reopened the project after I've left or simply used what they created before the project for this one battle," John explained. "Of course, they could have some other new weapon as well. So the question is, if they do loose Panama, what will the Earth Forces do after that, especially with their new attitude after Alaska?"
Everyone was silent before Mu laughed suddenly. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy as the laughter subsided. "I'm surprised you guys didn't consider another factor in this whole war."
Murrue then realized what he meant. "Ah! He means NASA!"
John looked to her. "NASA may be an unknown factor, but even they cannot prevent an attack on Panama."
Mu just smirked. "Who said anything about preventing an attack there? If anything, they will not provide aid to the Earth Forces. After all, that base that was just lost? It was their base that they had leased to the Earth Alliance. And what did the EA do in return? They tried to use the Cyclops system on them to wipe out the base. So if they are asked to provide firepower, NASA has the right to say no."
Murdoch looked confused as he glanced at Mu. "So, what are you saying? Are you saying that NASA will help ZAFT?"
"No. They will no doubt hold back to see how ZAFT will react. If ZAFT reacts in a normal manner, i.e. they capture Panama without killing defenseless captives, then NASA will continue to help them out. But, if ZAFT reacts in a brutal manner, then they will cut all ties with ZAFT as an ally." Mu explained.
John looked at Mu in shock. Being from ZAFT formerly, he knew just how vital NASA's aid was in protecting the colonies. "Are you kidding me?!"
"No, I am not. If you take into account their history, they have always supported human rights, but not without their own violations in the process. That last part aside, what I am saying is that the United States is a member of NASA, and a highly respected one at that in the human rights field. If ZAFT violates any human rights, then the alliance will cut ties, even if the PLANTs are dependent on their protection." Mu replied.
John just slumped down into a chair, stunned at what he was hearing. And even then, it was uncertain the direction that NASA would take.
ZAFT Fleet
"Sir, the landing sites have been secured."
Admiral Darlian nodded. "Then launch the Gungnirs!" he ordered. "It's time to finish this."
The bottoms of the modified Laurasia class warships opened. Five large pods were deployed from the ships heading for Panama.
Port Panama
Diana fired at the advancing tanks. They were no match for her mobile suit. It was pitifully easy. There was just no point to it. Until the day the Earth Forces could field armies of mobile suits on the battlefield, they never stood a chance against them.
Diana looked up in time to see five pods descending on the battlefield. The Gungnirs had arrived, which means the battle would end soon. Suddenly, a beam struck a nearby GINN, destroying it. A blue and white mobile suit appeared, armed with a beam rifle and red shield.
"What the... Is that the Strike?" a GINN pilot asked.
"No. It's a different mobile suit," Diana said firing at the mobile suit.
Beams from the CGUE's beam rifle tore through the machine's chest destroying it, but more Strike Daggers appeared. "You won't have things so easy from now on," one Strike Dagger pilot said.
"All you Coordinators are just a little too cocky," another pilot added. "I think it's time to take you down a peg."
"At last. Opponents worth fighting. No more pitiful mobile armors, tanks and fighters," Diana said with a smirk on her lips. "Attention all forces! Incoming Earth Forces mobile suits!"
"Well, I'll be damned," Ajay said over the radio. Though to Diana, it sounded more like "It's about damn time!" than anything else. "Mass production Earth Force's mobile suits. I thought this was gonna be a dull mission."
"Cut the chatter," Diana said as she fired upon the advancing Strike Daggers.
Her beams tore through three mobile suits as other ZAFT mobile suits took another four machines. The Strike Daggers fired back, destroying two DINNs and a GINN while Diana sidestepped several shots and threw her shield at a Dagger. Her shield hit its mark cutting into a Strike Dagger's chest.
"Gah! Dammit! Sir! There's too many of them!" A GINN pilot said as he struggled to stay alive. "We have to fall back!"
"No!" Diana said drawing her sword with CGUE's free hand. "We have to have to drive them back so the Gungnirs can be deployed and fired! No retreat!"
Diana raced forward. Nearby members of the 11th Fleet charged forward with her while the rest of the ZAFT forces fired at the Daggers from the rear. Diana and her men fired as they headed for the enemy lines. The Strike Daggers were completely caught off guard by the charge. They had expected the ZAFT forces to be shocked by the appearance of their mobile suits and, combined with their superior numbers, would have enabled them to push the enemies back. Instead, they found themselves being charged by a group of ZAFT soldiers that wasn't fazed in the slightest by their ambush. They fired at the modified mobile suits, but with their thrusters, they were able to sidestep the worst of it. One of the GINN High Maneuver Types lost its left arm but that didn't slow it down much.
The 11th Fleet reached the Daggers. Diana sliced one Dagger in two as she fired at another. Hilda and her team smashed through a group of Strike Daggers. The red head impaled one Dagger with her sword. Mars blew away two with grenade launcher while Herbert gunned down a fourth machine. More Strike Daggers fell. The ZAFT soldiers became reinvigorated at the sight of the 11th Fleet tearing through the Strike Daggers. "Come on boys!" a GINN pilot shouted. "We can't let the Black Hawk's Fighters have all the fun!"
The rest of the nearby ZAFT forces pushed forward, driving into the Earth Forces' line. "Dammit! We have to regroup! Fall back!" an Earth Forces Captain shouted.
The Strike Daggers fled, firing as they did. But they did little against the ZAFT forces. "This is Commander Kessel," Diana said over the radio. "We've secured Site Three but I don't know for how long. These new Earth Forces mobile suits are a lot tougher than I first though. I strongly recommend that the teams protecting the Gungnirs are reinforced as soon as possible. Or we may end up losing them."
Elsewhere, more Strike Daggers appeared across the battlefield engaging the ZAFT mobile suits. Many of those ZAFT pilots were caught off guard by the Earth Forces' mobile suits. They were not use to fighting against enemy mobile suits. They were used to fighting inferior tanks, fighters and mobile armors. Added to this, the Strike Daggers were technologically superior to the GINNs and other ZAFT machines. Many GINNs and other ZAFT mobile suits were quickly torn apart by the Strike Daggers but not all of the ZAFT pilots were being overwhelmed by the new machines.
A beam tore through the cockpit of GINN. The mobile suit exploded. The Strike Dagger turned, searching for a new target when a DINN swooped down firing its rifle and shotgun. The Strike Dagger tried to raise its rifle in time, but the rifle rounds tore through the beam rifle, destroying it as the shotgun blew its head off. The mobile suit collapsed. Two nearby Strike Daggers fired at DINN as it rose up back into the air. "Whoa..." Saya said as she dodged the beams. "These Earth Forces machines are tough."
She fired off a barrage of missiles at one Strike Dagger. The missile struck its upper body, destroying the entire torso of the machine. The other Dagger fired and Saya started to dodge but she wasn't fast enough this time. A beam tore off a chunk of her left wing. Saya swore as she struggled to keep her DINN in the air. The DINN roughly landed on the ground. The Strike Dagger aimed the DINN's back. "Bye bye Coordinator," the Dagger pilot said.
Suddenly, a beam saber impaled the cockpit of the mobile suit. The Duel pulled its saber out and the Strike Dagger collapsed like a ragdoll and exploded a moment later. "You alright?" Yzak asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine," Saya said and repeated, "But these new Earth Forces mobile suits are tough."
"Shame their pilots aren't as tough," Yzak added. "Come on. The mission isn't over yet."
The 7th Fleet was having a hard time with the Strike Daggers, even with their modified GINNs which contained a lot of NASA military tech. "Damn it!" Tao swore as the Diver was knocked back by a Dagger's beam saber.
"These new machines are tough!"
"Tell me about it." Commander Wolfe replied as she knocked a Strike Dagger away with her machine's sword.
Heidi had, as usual, forgone her ranged weapons and was using her machine's knives to slice Daggers apart like no tomorrow. "These things might be tough, but the pilots sure aren't skilled. Even that Heero Yuy would have no trouble against these things."
Tao could not help but agree. Taking out the Diver's battle staff, she shoved one end into the closest Dagger, making the machine blow up while she kicked another one away. Her machine could barely stand up to such machines, even with the phase-shift armor!
"These things could turn the tide of the war. And not in our favor…" she murmured as the Diver moved back from a trio of Strike Daggers.
"What about NASA's machines? Could they stand up to these machines?" a DINN pilot asked.
"I wouldn't count on it." Tao murmured grimly.
A Strike Dagger impaled a GINN with its beam saber. The pilot withdrew the saber and kicked the GINN down before it exploded. Suddenly, a blade descended slicing the Dagger in two down the center. Ajay smirked as the machine exploded. "Even with fancy, new mobile suits, you guys still ain't good enough."
There was a burst of gunfire, followed by an explosion behind him. "You're getting sloppy," Lucius said as he approached his comrade. "The mobile suit was about to shoot you from behind."
"Nah. I already knew he was there. Just as I knew you were in the prefect position to ambush him," Ajay nonchalantly replied.
"Don't be so cocky," Lucius said. "That arrogance will get you killed one day."
"Bah! Come on. Loosen up a little."
A GINN loaded the final EMP caster into the Gungnir. "Right. Caster 12 is primed," the pilot said. "Now to-"
Suddenly, the last GINN covering him exploded. The pilot swore. He had to activate the Gungnir now. The GINN moved towards the Gungnir's control console. The GINN's fingers were inches from the console when a beam hit the GINN destroying it. A trio of Strike Daggers approached the Gungnir. "Now. What the hell is this?" one pilot asked.
"Probably some new weapon the Coordinators cooked up. We better destroy it to be on the-"
A high velocity round tore the cockpit of the third Dagger. The machine fell to its knees and then exploded. A blood red GINN, armed with a railgun, appeared. "Pathetic. Your machines are superior, but as always, your pilots are inferior," Zane said.
"Inferior! I'll show you inferior, Patchworker!" one pilot shouted as he drew his beam saber and charged.
"Idiot," Zane said as he squeezed the trigger.
A round tore through the mobile suit's right shoulder, severing it. Three more rounds tore through the Strike Dagger's torso tearing it apart. "You bastard!" the remaining pilot shouted as he fired off his rifle.
Zane was faster as he sidestepped the shot and fired back. The round hit the machine's chest removing the last threat to the Gungnir. Zane walked up to the Gungnir's console noticing it was still waiting for activation. "Now this won't do," he said as he pushed the activation button. "There. Now everything is back to the way it was. I hope you enjoy our present, Naturals."
With the final Gungnir activated, the count down on all the Gungnirs started.
30...
20...
10...
5...4...3...2...1...0
The Gungnirs fired each releasing a wave of energy. The waves spread out, consuming the entire area. The ZAFT mobile suits were unaffected but all of the Earth Alliance machinery wasn't. The EMP waves fried the circuitry of all of their machines and computers. From tanks and gun emplacements to Strike Daggers to the Panama Base itself. The Mass Driver overloaded, sending a massive surge through the track, tearing the entire thing apart.
Tao looked around at the carnage already beginning. She could hardly believe it! ZAFT soldiers were killing defenseless pilots!
"HEY! Stop this at once! What has gotten into you?!"
"They killed many of back at JOSH-A! They deserve this treatment! We are the superior race!" A DINN pilot shouted as he tried to fire on a defenseless Strike Dagger. But Tao moved her machine in front, taking the blow on the Diver's Phase Shift armor.
"Damn it! Stop this now! This is not how we do things!" she shouted as the DINN pilot had his machine's head sliced off.
"What the? My machine! It won't move!" the Strike Dagger pilot said as he frantically tried to get his machine to work.
Diana pushed the mobile suit down and pried open the cockpit hatch. The pilot stepped out with his hands raised. Other nearby members of the 11th Fleet and the 7th Fleet did the same by rounding up a couple groups of Earth Alliance soldiers. But…it wasn't meant to be.
"Aw...What's the matter? Is your toy broken?" a ZAFT pilot said as pushed a Strike Dagger down and fired at the cockpit, laughing as he murdered the defenseless pilot.
"Stand down dammit!" Diana shouted. "They're defenseless!"
"Who the hell cares about a bunch of disgusting Naturals?" the pilot said, aiming at the gathered group of soldiers.
A shot rang out. The GINN's head exploded. "What the hell? Why are you firing at me?"
"I will not allow the senseless execution of defenseless soldiers," Diana said. "Stand down or I'll put you down."
The pilot wisely dropped his rifle. "Attention all ZAFT forces, this is Commander Kessel. The execution of surrendering Earth Forces soldiers will not be tolerated. Anyone who shoots a surrendering soldier will be punished severely."
"Who the hell do think you are, Natural Lover?"
"Yeah! They deserve to this for JOSH-A!"
"Let's kill 'em all!"
Cheers filled the comm. Most of the ZAFT soldiers were out for blood. An eye for an eye. A massacre for a massacre.
"Very well then. All members of the 11th Fleet and any other willing ZAFT soldiers, I order you to stop the slaughtering of the surrendered soldiers wherever you can. Permission to use lethal force has been approved, but keep yourselves from killing, if possible. I will take full responsibility for what happens here."
Across the battle, groups of mobile suits from the 11th Fleet gathered around captured EA soldiers. Many ZAFT soldiers wisely chose to avoid these groups, more out of fear of the 11th Fleet than anything else. A small few of like-minded pilots joined them in defending the captured soldiers but not all did as those two groups did...
"All ZAFT forces willing to help! I need your help in stopping the slaughter of any Earth Forces soldiers that have been captured. I do not care if you have to fight the other ZAFT pilots to get them into our protection, but to what you must to prevent this senseless killing! I will take full responsibility for what has occurred here."
Many of the 7th Fleet's machines did just that, attacking GINNs and other machines just to snag the Strike Daggers that were scattered about. Tao herself was engaged in a fight with three ZnOs, but she easily defeated them with her machine's battle staff.
"Back off!" Commander Wolfe shouted as she fired on three DINNs that tried to take the Strike Dagger trio behind her. The DINNs each exploded, catching the attention of the other pilots that were trying to kill the Earth Forces that were now captured.
"Aw man…That's the Zeus! The 'Maverick Fleet' is attacking!" A GOOhN pilot shouted as many others began to back away from the Strike Daggers that were closest to them.
"Out of the way!" the first of a pair of GINN pilots shouted.
"Sorry. No can do." Ajay drawled.
"Why the hell are you bothering to protect these dogs?" another pilot shouted. "Look at what they did at Alaska! They don't even give a damn about their own forces!"
"I got my orders pal. Just back away before things get messy." he said.
"Filthy Natural Lover! Then you deserve to die as well!" the first shouted as they raised their rifles.
But Ajay was faster. Drawing his elbow blades, he sliced through the rifles cutting them in two.
"Gah!"
"What? Dammit! You'll pay for this Natural Lover!"
"Don't you two ever shut up?" Ajay said as he sliced through the GINNs' heads. "There. Say anything else, and I'll have to kill ya both."
"Julie was at Alaska! This is for her!" a GINN pilot said as he aimed at a surrendering tank crew.
Suddenly, a sword sliced through his arm. "That's enough." Hilda said raising her sword to strike again if necessary. "They're surrendering. ZAFT soldiers don't fire on surrendering soldiers."
"But they-"
"No buts or I take your head." Hilda said. "We're ZAFT soldiers. We're better than them. We don't stoop to their level."
Heidi stood before a large group of DINNs and GINNs. The aerial machines were more than a match for her, but she was not a normal pilot either. She was one of the 7th's best.
"Stay back or I will kill you!" she snarled as a pilot raised his weapon on her.
"Damn Natural-lover! You will pay for this, even if you are one of the 7th!" he shouted as he fired. Jumping upwards, Heidi slashed off his machine's arm as a DINN came at her. Using her machine's jets, Heidi was able to land on the other machine and slice off not just the arms, but also the legs and wings. The machine fell to the ground with a THUD, Heidi landing unharmed not too far away.
"So, anyone else willing to try me?" she purred as the ZAFT pilots backed off from the group of Strike Daggers that she was defending.
"Out of the way, woman," a ZAFT pilot in a DINN said.
Lisa DeCosta and her all female team stood in front of an Earth Forces Aid Station bunker. They were not impressed by this pig and his buddies. The group of DINNs and GINNs had come here to take out the Aid Station and everyone inside, something none of them were willing to allow. "No," Lisa said. "This is an Aid Station. There's nothing but injured people here. Back off or you and your buddies will need it in a moment."
"You think that we'll be beaten by a bunch of women? Ha! There's no way you're better than us!"
"Yeah!" another pilot shouted.
"Get out of the way, girlie! Before we get angry and get rid of you too!"
Lisa fired off some rounds at that particular pilot's GINN shooting off its head. "Call me that again, I dare you," the Commander of the Valkyrie's mobile suits challenged.
"Damn bitch!" the lead pilot shouted. "Kill them all!"
Both groups of ZAFT mobile suits fired. A GINN armed with Canus missile launchers fired but to the pilot's shock, one of the GINN High Maneuver Types fired and hit one of his missile just as he squeezed the trigger, detonating the missile and taking out the GINN and two other nearby mobile suits. A GINN with a sword, charged Lisa but she was faster. She drove her GINN's free hand through the other GINN's head. The GINN stopped and stumbled back a step. Before he could do anything else, Lisa grabbed the GINN and spun it around. She stole the rifle holstered on the back of its waist and kicked the mobile suit to the ground. She fired both rifles. Rounds tore through the GINNs and DINNs, destroying weapons and tearing off limbs. It wasn't long until there was only one DINN left while all of the High Maneuver Types were still standing. "Damn you, bitch..." the leader of the group angrily said. "How...How could defeat all of us without losing single machine?"
Lisa smirked. "There's a reason why my machine and I are called Lady Luck," she said. "Ever since this war started, there hasn't been a single fatality among my team. And my teammates have survived crashes that should have been fatal. They believe me to be the embodiment of luck protecting them from harm. It's kind of foolish if you think about it, but if they wish to rationalize it like this, it's fine with me. Of course, I believe that it's the opposite. I don't bring them good luck but rather, I bring our opponents bad luck."
"Quit screwing around with me!" the enraged pilot shouted, raising his rifle and shotgun. "I refuse to be beaten by a bunch of women!"
Lisa and her entire team fired. The sheer number of rounds tore through the DINN's head and limbs. Shredding them and tossing the DINN's torso back.
"Sarah, secure the fallen weapons. Maria, Linda, check the survivors. Take the wounded to the Aid Station and keep the rest in a group away from there. Everyone else, stay on alert."
"Sir!" the women said before carrying out her orders.
But even then, there just weren't enough of them to save many of the Earth Alliance soldiers. For every one they saved, ten more were mercilessly gunned down. Medics and wounded soldiers leaving a bunker were mowed down by a pair of GINNs. Immobile Strike Daggers were used for target practice for ZAFT mobile suits, their pilots still inside. Lifeless naval vessels were sunk by ZnOs and GOOhNs whose pilots would then crush the fleeing lifeboats with their suits arms. A barrage of missiles from the ZAFT sub carriers rained down upon the base. Without its anti-missile turrets, there was nothing to stop the missiles from hitting their targets. Destruction rained down upon the Port Panama Base. Buildings and hanger were hit and leveled. Not even the underground base command center was spared. Several missiles struck the building over top of the command center, causing the ceiling to collapse, crushing the command center and everything within it.
Saya watched the massacre in horror. There were rules to war. You weren't supposed to shoot surrendering soldiers, especially if they were unable to defend themselves. Even NASA knew better than that! They had even been ordered not to kill them by Commander Kessel, but they continued their merciless slaughtering of Earth Forces soldiers. Even some of her own teammates had gotten involved in the killing. It just wasn't right. She didn't join the military to kill defenseless people. She joined to protect her family and the PLANTs. "Sir, are we just going to let them do this?" she asked, hoping that Yzak would do something about this nightmare unfolding before them.
Yzak shrugged. "Shooting targets that can't fight back doesn't interest me but I'm not about to pick a fight with our own forces over saving some Naturals," he said, turning away from the slaughter. "Come on. We're heading back."
Saya reluctantly turned and followed after him leaving the scenes of carnage behind her.
Zane walked through the remains of the Panama Base watching as ZAFT soldiers mercilessly gun down the defenseless Earth Forces soldiers. Zane himself hadn't joined in the slaughter. There was no need to. The angry and vengeful ZAFT soldiers were more than willing to show the true nature of humanity. Though there had been those that had resisted: The 11th Fleet and 7th Fleet. They were becoming more and more of an irritation. Of course, with Wu now the undisputed leader of ZAFT, they wouldn't be a problem for much longer, especially after this. They would either be brought to heel or dealt with, one way or another. Zane smirked as a GINN gunned down a group of soldiers trying desperately to escape with their lives. Another GINN appeared crushing a number of fleeing soldiers under its foot.
"Ha! They're like little rats running from the exterminators," one of the pilots said.
"Of course. The Naturals are nothing but vermin. And it's our job to exterminate them," Zane said nonchalantly. "Go. Wipe them all out. They deserve nothing less."
The pilots cheered and resumed exterminating the Naturals as tried to escape with their lives.
Washington D.C.
President Hilson looked up from her position on the floor next to the trash can. Just barely two hours ago, she had seen the footage of the attack on Panama, and she had become sick to her stomach over the mere images that she had been seeing.
Now, the U.S. leader was enraged and angered by what she had seen. It was hard to believe that they had been supporting such a violent group of people. "It appears that following ZAFT is out of the question now." She murmured as she looked out the window.
Her guard looked at her. "Ma'am?"
"Call a meeting with the other two leaders at once. We have a decision to make." She said as she turned to face him.
"Yes ma'am!" Agent Williams replied.
Hours later
President Hilson sat in her office as the other two leaders arrived. Canadian Prime Minister Travis Warson and Mexican President Diego Gonzalez entered the Oval Office.
"You called us?" Prime Minister Warson asked. He had black hair and brown eyes. At age fifty-five, he was not only the oldest of the trio, but he was also the most experienced to date.
"Yes I did." The president of the U.S. replied.
President Gonzalez nodded. "Well, would you mind telling us what this is about?" he asked. Aged forty-five, he was the second oldest, with the average Mexican heritage one would expect. He was also the most informed thanks to a previous career in the intelligence gathering field.
"Have you seen what occurred at Panama?"
The other two leaders nodded. "Well, given that, and who runs the PLANTs by now, I'd say it's safe to say that we can no longer be allies of the PLANTs. We'll have to go our own way in ending this war."
Both male leaders gasped. "Are you serious?!" Gonzalez asked.
"I am." President Hilson replied.
Prime Minister Warson frowned. "But are you sure that this is the right idea?"
"If it wasn't, would I have even suggested it?" she rebutted.
Gonzalez sniggered at the other man's reaction.
"No…"
"Good. Then it's safe to say that we are now officially enemies of the PLANTs."
NASA missile silos
In White Sands Missile Base, Coordinator scientists were working on overcoming the N-Jammers as well, but like the other bases, to no avail.
"Damn ZAFT and their N-Jammers…" One murmured before the warhead she was working on flashed negative for engagement. "DAMN IT!"
Her colleague looked over. "That one failed to engage?"
"Just like the others that we tried." She murmured as she looked back at the stockpile behind her. "I just don't know how ZAFT did it!"
"What? Coming up with the N-Jammers?"
"Yeah! I mean, we're Coordinators too, right? So then, if that's the case, why can't we overcome this challenge?"
Her colleague just sighed. "I know. It's just so hard right now. We need these missiles, and yet we can't even use them!" he replied.
"The N-Jammers are perhaps our biggest obstacle. I mean, sure, we can re-armor our missiles, but that will only work in the short run. We need to disrupt the N-Jammer signal to our missiles in the long term." The female scientist sighed.
"That we know. It's the how that we can't figure out." Her colleague reminded her.
"I know that!" she snapped back. "The Earth Forces will eventually figure it out and try to attack us with their own! We need to have these as our counter!"
"Those ZAFT scientists really outdid themselves this time. They rendered us unable to defend ourselves, as well as the rest of the planet. If ZAFT tries to use nukes against us, then we would be done for. The energy crisis, as well as our lack of an effective defense, is all their doing. And they expect us to be thanking them? As if. We are just as defenseless as the rest of the planet." The male scientist growled.
"If this is their way of repaying us for defending the Junius City group of PLANTs from being completely wiped out, then they are sorely mistaken." The female scientist growled. "We respect their human rights, and yet they take away one of our most effective defenses. Talk about thoroughly repaying someone for helping."
Her companion could not help but agree. "ZAFT made a big mistake in dropping those things into the Earth. And now we have to labor to find a way to cancel them out, or at least prevent their interference from messing with our missiles."
The two scientists looked back at the warhead that was still opened up. An engineer looked up to face them. "Well, like at all the other sites, the missile failed to engage. It seems that this is a world-wide phenomenon if you ask me."
"So then that means we would need to find a way to cancel the N-Jammers wherever the missiles go. We need a universal canceller." The female scientist mused.
"Yes; and getting one to even exist will be a challenge in itself." The engineer replied as he walked over. "It seems that the N-Jammers cancel out nuclear fission, but not fusion. Still, a lot of the missiles use fission to start the fusion process, which is the downside we have with this."
The crew knew what that meant. Until they found a way to overcome the N-Jammers, there was no way that the missiles, fission or fusion, could be used.
"ZAFT is a real headache…" the male scientist murmured as he ran a hand through his hair.
"The purpose of the N-Jammer is to disrupt nuclear fission, which renders our current missile arsenal useless. If we were to build nuclear fusion missiles, then that would take a lot more time and money than just outfitting our current arsenal with the canceller that we are seeking." His colleague pointed out.
"True, but it would take a lot less than researching for a way to overcome the N-Jammers." He replied.
The female scientist sighed. "Why must ZAFT be so paranoid over a nuclear attack when it happened to be another nuclear missile attack was what saved them?"
Her companion shrugged. "How are we supposed to know how the PLANT Supreme Council thinks? They are just like us; individuals with their own thoughts and feelings on many subjects."
"True, very true…"
At the old Fermi-lab research site, scientists were working to try and cause an atom to split like it had in the years of the Second World War. But each time, the results failed to occur. Many were frustrated to the point of giving up, but they were under pressure to keep going.
"Damn it all!" the head of Fermi-lab snarled as she slammed her fists down on the table before her. "Why can't we get nuclear fission with the particle accelerator?! This thing has the most powerful energy source that is not nuclear powered, and yet we STILL can't get nuclear fission!"
The people working on the project looked at each other, all knowing how grim the situation was overall.
"We STILL can't get the atom to split, even under ideal conditions with the N-Jammer signal being blocked, thanks to the armor of the Traverses lining this place! And after all we have done for the PLANTs too! THIS is how they choose to repay us?! By taking away OUR nuclear fission weapons?! How ungrateful and paranoid can they be?!"
Another scientist looked back at the massive particle accelerator. "The power of the accelerator is more than enough to create nuclear fission. It's the N-Jammers that disrupt the free neutrons floating around. That is the cause of all nuclear fission not being used as of today."
"We know. It's just that ZAFT did not have to do this. They could have asked us to help out. We could have stopped this from happening by searching out the ones responsible for the attack. Yet did they? No! The High ZAFT Command just decided to drop these N-Jammers into the Earth instead!" the head of the lab replied.
Looking towards the massive computer readouts, she frowned. "N-Jammers are what make this research so difficult. The frequency that they emit can't be overcome by normal means."
"Then how can we? I mean, that is why we are working on this project!" a third scientist exclaimed in exasperation.
"I know. But if we are to overcome the N-Jammers and get our missiles working again, we need to think outside the normal means. And therein lies the problem. We have never encountered this before, so there is no current technology that can overcome the N-Jammers. We need to develop it." The head of the lab explained. "I just hope that we can before it all comes down to nuclear war…"
Washington D.C.
President Hilson sighed as she read over the reports that had been sent in from the sites working on the N-Jammer problem. So far, there was no luck in the project. All attempts to cancel out the N-Jammer signals had backfired or ended in failure.
"So, even the armor of the Traverses can't cancel out the N-Jammer signals for too long…This could be a real problem if the Earth Forces find a way to overcome the signals." She noted as she read over another report. "Even Fermi-lab can't overcome the signals…that rules out sheer power for overcoming the N-Jammers…"
She put the reports down and looked out the windows. Not too far off, the White House grounds crews were working on digging out an N-Jammer that had landed right in the White House grounds. The machine was a tube that emitted the signals that were jamming nuclear fission, no doubt developed by ZAFT.
As she stared at the machine, an idea then came to her. 'Wait…If ZAFT developed it, then shouldn't we be able reverse engineer it to see how it works?' That seemed to be the most logical path to take, as it would reduce the amount of time spent on finding a way to overcome the N-Jammers.
"We study the source, and then we work from there…"
It seemed to be the best path at that point, but also the most problematic if ZAFT got word of the idea, or even worse, if the Earth Alliance figured out what they were doing. Still, it was the only option that seemed viable.
'If ZAFT finds out, then they could launch an attack on us from orbit, and that would be hard to stop, as there is no real base for us to attack in retaliation. Plus, if they can just drop down onto the planet, then we have to real defense thanks to the N-Jammers. Our most powerful missiles are disrupted, so they can't be used. Now if the Earth Forces found out, then they could attack us with sheer numbers, which means that even we would fall, and thanks to our missiles being out of commission, once again thanks to the N-Jammers, we would have no real method of retaliation. This is the most risky option yet, but if it is pulled off, it also has the most rewards…'
The president thought carefully before she sat down and began to write out her proposal to the Congress and Pentagon.
Pentagon
John Keller looked over the proposal that he had received not too long ago. "She wants to study the N-Jammer that was dug up…not a bad idea…"
He set down the paper, musing over the possibilities. If the proposal was carried out, then ZAFT and the Earth Forces would possibly find out. But if it was kept under the utmost secrecy, then the potential for their missiles being brought back online was enormous. AND it would allow for NASA to have the power to back-up its fighting words this time.
The defense secretary smirked. This was going to be fun…
'Once those Blue Cosmos nutjobs see that we are not without our most powerful defenses, then they will really have reason to scream and cower!' he thought as he wrote out the orders.
Military bases all over the alliance were sent the data on the N-Jammer while one received the actual article.
The base lucky enough to receive it was none other than the Great Lakes Naval Base in the Midwest of the States.
The N-Jammer was unloaded as security guards at attention around the area. Naval and military officers and scientists stood around the N-Jammer as it was set on the ground. Once it was set down, a Coordinator scientist opened up the N-Jammer, revealing the electronics inside it. The man looked it over and moved around to get a better look at some of the parts.
Observations done, he looked up. "Well, it will take some time, but I believe that we can overcome it and the radiation emitted from it." Those were the words that everyone had been waiting to hear. Cheers erupted from the whole of the group. "Still, it will take lots of observations and data study to do so. That was just my opinion."
That did not bother the rest of the military officials though. As far as they were concerned, it was all they needed to hear.
New Juneau
Aki' stared in horror at the carnage shown to him via the NAZAFT commander's computer screen. Now he knew why she had called him down to her office again.
"So, pilot Nishikama, are you still willing to serve such a…brutal…military force?" the commander asked him.
He was so focused on being sick to his stomach that he did not even answer. "…ugh…"
"Well?"
The boy looked back at her, his face filled with fear. "Was I…becoming like them?" he asked.
"If you had remained as such, yes, you would have if you had continued to seek revenge for your sister's death."
Looking down at his hands, he could not accept that he had killed so many Naturals. And even then it had not been in such cold blood.
"Do you want to know if I want to leave ZAFT?"
The NAZAFT commander looked up. "You have a response?"
Aki' nodded. "Yes. I want to leave ZAFT altogether."
Akira plans to leave ZAFT as the ZAFT forces attack Panama while NASA's leadership votes to go against ZAFT and tries to overcome the N-Jammers to regain their nuclear arsenal. But will they be able to? Or will ZAFT get wind of NASA's plans and try to defeat them as well? Read on to find out~! :3
Any flames will be deleted or reported, depending on if the review is signed or not. Keep reading and reviewing!
