Chapter 5

CE 73, November 9th, OMNI Enforcer Armed Convoy, SarPol-e-Zahab, Iran

Morning 07 12

The light of morning saw a bleak sight. On the ground, the smoking husks of heavy transports and armored vehicles littered the area; some were still smoking, although the soldiers of the convoy had spent the night fighting the fires. The ground was marred with streaks and patches of fused sand and rock glistening in the rising light, indicating the paths of yesterday night's long-range beam attacks. The stench of burnt things hung in the air.

Ray awoke to the beginning lights of a soon-to-be glaring sun, the usual sounds of people being busy absent. He turned to his side, nearly kissing Guy's foot.

As Guy stepped back to give Ray some space, Mendez approached. The older man had the left side of his head wrapped up, and his left arm was in a sling, but his stride was as confident as before. "Here… you might need this."

Ray accepted the cup of coffee. It was more plain water than coffee, and the amount in the small metal cup was laughable, but it would do. Ray blinked a few more times and willed the sleepiness away, before standing up. "How are the soldiers?"

Mendez sighed and looked north. "Gulnahan is, at best, five days travel on foot, and three days on the APCs." The sergeant turned back and gave Ray a look of resignation. "We were going to refuel the APCs yesterday night, but the attack cooked our petrol stores. We can drive for the first two days, but we'll be hauling ourselves to the Lohengrin Gate once the fuel runs out, or until help arrives. That's not a possible option, given the number of heavily injured people here."

Ray shaded his eyes with his right hand, looking at the remainder of the convoy. "Not happening," he said. "Tomorrow is the estimated time of the attack on Gulnahan. The day before, word had it that the Minerva had arrived at ZAFT's Mahamul Base."

"Which means that they're going to be busy preparing to welcome the best of ZAFT," Mendez said. "And that which would leave us stranded for days on end here."

The three men were silent as they pondered the severity of their situation. From the APCs, Ray could hear a moan.

Ray finally broke the silence. "How many need immediate medical attention?"

The reply made his heart sink. "All of them in the APCs."

Guy's comm unit gave a sound. "Well, break's over." He saluted Ray. "Yeah, I'm coming back. The wire's fried? Try and get another replacement for the unit…"

Ray watched his number three squadron mate walk off, and turned to Mendez. "I have yet to thank you for last night," Ray said. Enduring a head wound and a dislocated arm, the older man had lugged a bazooka to the edge of camp where Ray had been fighting his opponent, the ZAKU Phantom, and had managed to hit it in its knee joint. Given how the ZAKU Phantom had managed to deal even more damage to the convoy while in combat against Ray at the same time, he very much doubted that he could have survived against the ZAFT unit once it was done with wrecking the camp.

Mendez gave a short salute. "Anything to even the odds, Lieutenant."

"How many losses?" Ray asked as they walked, the older man heading back to the APCs. Ray himself needed to talk to Nain. Although they had sent a distress signal last night, there was no way they would know if anyone had picked it up or not.

"There's no more armour, and slightly over half for the infantry," Mendez said. "B Platoon is completely gone. I could combine A and C Platoons together and not get a full unit."

Mendez walked over to a row of body bags. "Hey, Jake, how long are you going to sit there and stare at his corpse? He's dead."

After hearing his name, Ray recognized the man as one of the people in Scout Team Bravo in their previous mission. He watched as the man called Jake rose shakily to his feet, his bloodstained hands hanging loosely at his side. The corpsman sleeve band on his uniform was splashed with dried blood, the Red Cross indiscernible from under the browned stains.

Mendez gave the man a look-over. "Go to the medical officer," he gripped the soldier's shoulder and shook him lightly. "And get something to make you sleep easier, and sleep now. That's an order."

Jake didn't even respond; the man shambled off towards one of the APCs. Mendez looked over his shoulder, catching the attention of another nearby soldier. "Burton, see to it that he sleeps. I need as many medical crew in top condition as possible for the next three days."

Ray watched as Burton nodded, and ran off after Jake. "Poor guy's been working over the night seeing people die from burns he can't fix without proper equipment." Mendez said, crouching beside the body bag that Jake was at. "It's a shame. Max might not be a recon expert, but the man could anticipate things sometimes. His wife isn't going to like this."

Ray remembered the name as another one in Scout Team Bravo. He looked over at the mountains that the deadly attack had come from last night. "Dammit," was all he could manage, his expression locked into an ugly grimace.

Mendez walked past the pilot. "No use thinking about the past, sir," he said. "Best thing now, we get the injured comfortable, and we inch our way to Gulnahan. Maybe we could chance upon a town-"

Ray turned back to face the older man. "In this state, even the local populace could loot us silly. Given what I've heard of how the soldiers at Gulnahan have been treating the locals, our guys won't won't be able to beat back a town of oppressed, desperate people that have been let loose."

Mendez raised an eyebrow. "You speak as if the Lohengrin Gate was a lost cause, sir."

"I believe it is," Nain said from behind, causing the two men to quickly turn to look at her out of surprise. Ray, already having spent the night in an uncomfortable position on rocky ground, heard a worrying crack; a second later, his neck turned numb. Head slanted to the left, and holding his neck, Ray saluted Nain with his free hand; Mendez did likewise, minus the awkward pose.

"At ease," Nain said, slightly bemused at Ray's discomfort, despite the surrounding situation. "I've got good news and bad news."

Mendez allowed himself a chuckle. "I suppose this is the classic scene where the good news is bad news and the bad news is even worse, ma'am."

Despite fatigue clearly written all over her face, Nain returned with a wan smile. "Something like that. Leon and Camelot have been tinkering with the radio units of their Dagger Ls. They've managed to salvage and hook up whatever's left of the communication equipment, and establish a working link with the Lohengrin Gate." Her smile disappeared. "Recon from the Gate forces shows that the ZAFT units from Mahamul Base are ready for war. They won't be sending any help for us."

Ray couldn't help but feel something akin to doom as he read Nain's expression. "And the bad news?"

Nain looked at Ray. "I sent Sakamoto out on short-range recon a couple hours ago. She's just returned and delivered footage of a crashed transport aircraft. ID matches with one of the two that took off from Sinai Base." Nain drew a deep breath. "It was burnt to a husk. Sakamoto brought back a sample piece of debris… all signs point to a beam attack."

Ray felt his heart sink. They hadn't counted on finding supplies just wandering around, but the aerial transport being down meant that the ZAFT squad they had fought last night had been active in the area since a week ago; they could have done all sorts of things since then. "So the Lohengrin Gate is closed to us."

"Pretty much," Nain ran a hand through her dark brown hair. "In that link with the Gate forces, it seems that the supplies that they were due to receive have been dwindling since two week ago." She looked at each of the men in the eye before continuing. "I've also managed to ascertain that the OMNI battle group sailing up to the Gulf of Suez is no more. The last transmission they got was four hours ago, where they were under attack by ZAFT naval forces at the Red Sea... no doubt reinforcements sent in the wake of the Minerva from Carpentaria."

Mendez scowled. "Well, this is bad."

"That is an understatement, Sergeant," Ray could see hear the rage in Nain's voice, thought her poker face held well. "It would be bad if the Gate could hold, then send help to us once they were done. At this rate, we will be trapped in the wilderness far from our only safe area in South Sinai, with less than minimal supplies, and with an anti-Earth Alliance population in-between us and our only supply stash at the Gulnahan Ravine, which is unlikely to remain ours once ZAFT passes through."

Ray looked back at the body bags. "Can we move the soldiers? If I have the Dagger Ls operate at minimal system power and start out by pushing the APCs manually, we could get the APCs a fair distance before our batteries run out; after all, there are four Dagger Ls, and only six vehicles. Then we drive the APCs to the Lohengrin Gate."

Nain silently considered the plan. "It's a good attempt, but I just don't feel safe without mobile suit support."

"We might not need the mobile suit support, ma'am." Ray rapped a knuckle on the combat knife Mendez kept in a shoulder sheath. "Not against normal people, at least."

Mendez's trademark crooked grin came back. "The Lieutenant has a point," the sergeant tapped his knife again. "Why bring a cleaver to a fist fight… when a small knife is more appropriate?"

Nain smiled, despite herself. "Okay, Lieutenant, you have your clearance. We move out in two hour's time; I'll need you to be ready by then." Nain pointed a thumb behind her. "Fortunately, we've managed to salvage a few spare portable recharge packs for the Mobile Suits. Use them as you see fit." Nain scratched her head for a brief moment. "Mendez, gather up the personnel, fit a shade on the APCs if you have to. The only people we're leaving behind are the dead ones; bury those that haven't been yet. Get people to help you if it gets the job done faster."

Both men saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"

CE 73, November 11th, OMNI Enforcer Armed Convoy, Gulnahan Ravine, Iran

Evening 19 43

It was a day and a half past the Minerva's assault when the convoy finally reached the Lohengrin Gate. To nobody's surprise, the mountains that the Gate was built into were belching smoke from every opening available. The APCs swerved around debris in the ravine as they made their way to a location Nain pinpointed on their map.

Mendez leaned out of the lead APC's back door, taking in the sights. "ZAFT sure did a number on those guys… the closest thing I remember was when ZAFT first landed in Kaohsiung, back in CE 71." Mendez turned and looked back into the APC. "You guys remember your orders from the briefing. Don't fire unless you have express permission from Major Nain, Lieutenant Feric…" he glared at the soldiers around the cramped interior of the APC. "… And me."

Though the troopers Mendez had selected for this operation all sported a variety of wounds and injuries from the ambush, they were the fittest in the entire infantry contingent. "Sir, yes sir!"

"Mm-hm," Mendez turned, his gaze shifting back to viewing the smoke columns. In the distance, he could see a Sword Dagger L and a Launcher Dagger L move from cover to cover; the Launcher Dagger L was carrying the Oracle Lance's custom beam rifle. The mobile suits had pushed the APCs along until they had exhausted their battery; after recharging from the remaining battery racks that they had lugged along, they had continued with the APCs under their own power, but unfortunately the Manhunter Command and Oracle Lance had to be left behind. The Dagger Ls had no more options left; if ZAFT redoubled back to Gulnahan, Nain had told everyone in clear terms that she was prepared to accept an unconditional surrender.

A few hours prior, Nain had come up with a plan; get into the Lohengrin Base, or what remained of it, to obtain medical supplies, stabilize the condition of the wounded, and then make a no-stop return trip back to Sinai Base. Undoubtedly, they would come into contact with the locals at some point in time, and so she had cooked up a plan to get them to come to what she called "talking terms".

"There's no way we can hide for a week from all eyes, and if we just walk in, we'll probably get shot before we can raise a white flag." Nain had said. "Best to have them come to us in our playing field, and let them know that we won't do anything for as long as we're here."

In the other APC, Ray clutched the rifle in his hands and looked back at his soldiers. Sheryl, a marksman's rifle in her grip, caught his gaze, and nodded. "Stay tight, people." Ray gripped the handles of the APC boarding hatch. "We're here to search for supplies. Don't shoot anything, even when shot back… these people just got freed from what they saw as dictatorial control under OMNI. If we get them riled up, it'll be the end of us."

Ten voices answered back. "Yes, sir."

The APCs stopped, and Ray hit a button, causing the back hatch to fall downwards and outwards with a resounding clank. "Go go go!" The lieutenant shouted. Twenty-two men thundered down the ramp hatches of two APCs, kicking up dust and sand on the ground.

Mendez cocked his pistol, and pointed at the partially-collapsed door. "Proceed cautiously; if there are any OMNI troops around, I don't want them to mistake us for marauders. Burton, you're up."

"Aye sir," Burton replied, patting away at the dust on the sealed door. He keyed in a code on the dusty number pad access, eliciting a high-pitched whine from the door as it struggled to open. "Seems like it's stuck, sir." He held up a brick of thermite. "Permission to blow the door down."

Mendez nodded. "Permission granted," he said. Turning to Ray, the older man nodded his head. "We'll meet up at the main hangar bay according to the schematics that Nain acquired."

Ray gave a nod and turned to the squad leaders under him command. "Alright. Kim, Grey, Camelot, your teams are with me. We're going to enter by one of the service hatches." Sheryl and the eight soldiers saluted.

Ray and the squad made their way across a rocky section of the ravine, keeping track of their footing, and steering clear of the ruins of gun turrets, eventually reaching the small service hatch. Ray tried the turn-handle, his arms and body straining in vain to unlatch the door. "Locked," he said, stepping back.

Sheryl inspected the door. "It's shut tight," she said, knocking on its frame. "And non-electronic, to boot."

Grey stepped up. "Stand back," he said, hefting a brick of plastic explosives. "This might get messy."

The soldiers retreated a distance back as the demolitions expert attached explosives to the steel door, and inserted a wire into all of them. He stuck a timer on one of the pieces, and retreated to the same distance.

The small click made by Grey pressing the detonator switch was drowned out by the resonating sound of six breaching explosives going off. The steel door fell inwards, the din echoing around the corridor and beyond.

Ray stepped through first and activated a torchlight, illuminating the dark corridor, trying to push the thoughts about the nasty ambient smell in the air into the back of his mind. There were cracks in the wall and loose pieces of bulkhead strewn about, but the way remained clear. He motioned with his hands, and one by one, the soldiers followed him down the ladder.

Aside from a few missing rungs at the end, the trip was uneventful. Ray dropped the last meter and landed, gun on one hand, pointed outwards, as he returned to a less strenuous and more normal firing stance. One by one, the soldiers dropped into position as well.

"Well, damn," one of the troopers replied, his nose wrinkling in disgust, as he shone his own torchlight over the corpse of an OMNI personnel, his head partially caved in. A steel plate beside the man and the hole in the ceiling over his head testified to his end.

The soldier known as Kim, a Master Sergeant, rapped her knuckles on the trooper's vest. "Quiet," she whispered.

Ray looked at the datapad, slowly learning the interior of the place. "This way," he motioned, and the soldiers set off cautiously.

It was a full twenty minutes of walking; the soldiers clambered over wrecked sections, inched past collapsed walls, forced or blew open jammed doors, and treaded around dead bodies, until Ray reached a steel door. Unlike the first hatch, it was an electronic door, and the passkey number panel was illuminated a brilliant crimson in the dark; the door was locked.

"I'll handle this," One of the soldiers, Harvey, stepped forward, electronic unlocker in hand; popping open an emergency hatch in the wall with his combat knife, he attached the device to it.

The unlocker's electronics probed for a signal from the door's locking systems. Ray watched as numbers appeared on the unlocker's digital screen, running through hundreds of combinations of six-digit numbers in seconds. There was a hiss as the service hatch unlocked.

Ray slowly stepped through the opening, pistol raised and scanning the area. Nain's map had guided them well; they had arrived at one of the hangars, albeit on a raised walkway almost 14 meters high up; it would have brought them level with a mobile suit's cockpit hatch had one been berthed in the holding slot closest to them.

The blast doors down on the first level were shut, as expected. Sheryl gave a low whistle as she took in the entire hangar at a glance. "Intact Dagger L units," she said, looking towards the far end of the room, her own torchlight faintly illuminating the mobile suits located on the far end. Despite the darkness, Ray fancied he could almost see the smile on her face without using his torchlight. Sheryl swept her light across the room. "Recharging generators too. I see spare rifles and cannons as well."

The soldiers themselves had pretty good luck as well. Ray heard the sound of boots on metal grating as the soldiers descended to the first level. Harvey took out his unlocker and placed it in a wall-slot near another door. Within seconds, the door unlocked, and Kim gave a low whistle. "An armoury," she said, shining a torchlight around the dark room, mentally taking count of the assault rifles, sharpshooter guns, automated turrets, and disassembled machinegun emplacement sets placed around the small room. We've got enough to push back a couple of platoons' worth of infantry and light armour with this, if we can get to the ammunition dump in this place."

There was a small sound, and the side entrance to the hangar opened. Out stepped Mendez and his retinue, facing ten guns pointed at them.

"Stand down," Ray said, faking a cough as he holstered his own pistol. "Did you find the medical supplies?"

"More than that, sir. We found food, fuel, stored ammunition of all sizes," Mendez took a look around the hangar, sweeping his torchlight across the cavernous area, "as well as a couple of soldiers. Low-ranking officers and enlisted; some of my men have led them to Nain."

Ray arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Survivors? How?"

"There were a few trapped in here initially," Mendez said. The next time he opened his mouth, Ray could barely hear what he said. "They managed to get free, hole up near supplies, and a couple of new additions from outside managed to join up with them soon after… and according to them, the townspeople down the ravine have been executing every OMNI personnel that couldn't escape in time that they can find them."

Ray cupped his chin with his left hand, deep in thought. "Does Nain know?"

"The Major knows," Mendez said. "We're bringing the soldiers with us, as well as any supplies we can get from this base."

Ray nodded. "All right, that takes second priority to our plan; either way, once we mix the soldiers, the locals won't be able to tell until someone proclaims to them. For now, I'll need some people to help me. We've got a couple of trucks here; I'll need some of you to help in disassembling the two Dagger Ls in this hangar, then tie their parts down and ready them for transport. Lieutenant Camelot will be guiding you guys until the technicians come by." He turned to Sheryl. "Just guide them along for a while. I still need you for Phase Two of the plan."

"Yes sir," Sheryl saluted, moving off to one of the Dagger Ls.

Mendez barked an order, and his soldiers begun to set down their rifles. Ray turned to look at Mendez's soldiers. "The contents of that armoury are included as well." Some of them cheered. "But don't open the hangar's blast doors until you receive an all-clear signal." To Mendez, he motioned for the older man to follow him. "Take a couple of your best snipers and arm them with marksmen weapons. You too." Ray patted his pistol. "I feel uneasy about this. We'll need to link up with Nain's forces and check the clearing again."

Mendez nodded. "Yohann! Hanson!" Two sergeants turned and saluted. "Get one more person each; make sure they have marksmen training! Pick your deal from the armoury, we're going to try bird-spotting tonight!" Mendez turned to Ray. "You think we might be watched?"

"It was your report that set my alarm bells off, actually. You said some of them linked up with the freed officers… if they were followed, we need to be ready." Ray nodded as a soldier passed him two rifles; he passed one of the guns to Mendez, who said his thanks and immediately ejected its magazine to check for leftover rounds; finding none, he placed the magazine back and pulled the rifle's charging handle; no loaded rounds fell out of the ejection port, either. "And honestly speaking, those townsfolk are idiots if they don't see this place as a huge supply cache, ripe for the picking. If not all of them, then at least some."

Ray checked his own weapon as well; confident that it was clear of stray rounds, he slung it across his shoulder. "Well then," Ray said. "Let's see if Leon and Sakamoto have seen anything yet. Lead the way that you came through. We'll load up and go welcome our potential visitors."

CE 73, November 11th, OMNI Enforcer Armed Convoy, Gulnahan Ravine, Iran

Evening 20 52

The teenage boy was just passing by, returning from a short trip up east, when he had seen everything; the trucks, the two mobile suits walking alongside them, and lastly, the armed men that stormed from the trucks to enter the ruined complex. And from those sights, the boy had remembered the terrible scenes of mistreatment his family and friends had endured, under the rule of the Earth Alliance's OMNI forces.

Coniel Almeda was at a table, discussing with others the people she wanted to take with her into an expedition into the mountains to forage for supplies for the village, when the boy had ran full-tilt into town, screaming "The Earth Alliance is back!"

Naturally, this brought shock and disbelief to more than a few, but Coniel knew the boy well, and the kid would have never lied about something as serious as this. She left the house and snagged the boy as he ran past her. "Where did you see them?" She asked.

The boy managed to splutter out an answer. "The Gate… at Gulnahan Ravine… mobile suits…"

One of the men nearby came over. "You're not seriously going to check at this hour?"

Coniel turned back. "I have to. If the Earth Alliance has really come back, they can't be here just to take over their old base." Coniel balled her hands into fists. "Their old base… that they built with our people, with our efforts. And just when we were going to start an expedition into the place to get supplies for our people, too. It would help the frail ones if we could get to them before these people do."

The man nodded. "I understand." Waving at a group of people behind him, he motioned for them to come over. "Hey, I need you guys to go with Coniel and see if the Earth Alliance has really returned! Madra, you have a pair of night-vision goggles that you got from that Alliance soldier that last time, right?"

One of the men waved back. "Aye, I do! Just let me get that and my gun." The group dispersed, going about to prepare for the late-night journey.

Coniel looked at the mountaintops, and silently cursed the fact that she was one of those who had voted to delay their journey into the base to raid it for supplies to tomorrow. Pillars of smoke still rose, but the skies were much clearer than when the Minerva had passed through just a day ago. She could only hope that the clear night sky was not an outright lie... nor space made ready for an even bigger cloud of despair.

CE 73, November 11th, Lohengrin Gate Entrance A-12, Gulnahan Ravine, Iran

Evening 21 18

Hidden behind a section of the ravine, sheltered by a rock outcropping, was a Sword Dagger L. Its eyes dimly lit, the mobile suit slowly turned its head from left to right. The new moon casted a weak shadow, and together with the somewhat obscured skies, a casual onlooker would not have noticed the dark-coloured unit, half-obscured by a hoodoo formation rising from the ravine floor that survived the tumultuous battle a day before, crouching behind a dark-scheme desert-camo shield.

Kaguya sat in the cockpit of her Sword Dagger L, arms crossed. Ray had opted to recharge her Sword Dagger L's batteries with his own during the last leg of their journey, allowing her unit to operate for at least another 4 hours from now, provided that beam weapons weren't used excessively. Frankly speaking, that act impressed her somewhat. She had never expected her own squad commander to continue the operation on foot; it was certainly different from the usual self-serving Atlantic Federation brass... no, it was definitely different from the way most people in power worked, regardless of where they were from.

Kaguya glanced at one of the display screens, her Sword Dagger L's main sensors highlighting the human-sized contacts walking along a mountain path. Kaguya set her screen zoom to maximum, and she saw the rifles the group carried along with them. To her mild surprise, leading them was a young girl, probably not more than sixteen of age.

Kaguya reached for the comm unit. "Hunter Four reporting," she watched the people turn a bend in the path and disappear. "I have at least twenty contacts on visual. Be advised, they are armed. Only three or four anti-MS personnel, as far as I can see. Normal heavy anti-armor rockets, nothing too advanced."

"Hunter Leader here. I read you, Four. Move on to phase two of the plan." Ray turned to the men behind him, the night wind blowing around their faces as they trekked up a narrow path. "We have twelve people incoming; they're all armed and it's highly likely that they won't take kindly to us being here. But I need you to stay your trigger fingers; unless an order is given, you are not to shoot, nor to return fire."

One of the soldiers looked Ray in the eye. "Not even in self-defence?" The trooper set his rifle to his side. "Sir." He added.

Ray returned the glare. "Not even in self-defence. Those who were here before us have sown a bitter seed. This is the only way we can make things right again."

The trooper sighed, shrugged, and shouldered his rifle. "I understand, sir."

A distance away, Coniel and her retinue stood, facing the base entrance that the boy had said he saw OMNI troops enter through. Sure enough, Coniel saw armed men dressed in OMNI uniforms about the entrance, although judging by the way that they were just milling around, and making enough noise that even she could hear them from a good quarter-kilometre away, they didn't seem to be much of a threat. Were they survivors from the ZAFT attack, secure in whatever residual arrogance they had left that the locals would never keep a watch out? Or arrogant reinforcements, who thought that could just waltz in and claim what the locals had torn down as their own?

Either way, Coniel was sure that they would never find out. The men around looked at the young girl-turned-resistance fighter, their rifles already loaded, four of them with light rocket launchers slung behind them. With OMNI-issue firearms that they got from the surrendering troops from the Lohengrin Gate base, they could even the playing field against the enemy. After all, the men all had plenty of practice executing the Earth Alliance officers that hadn't managed to escape in time.

Coniel took one last look at the men stumbling around, and turned away in disgust. "One of you, call up the rest of the people on standby. The others, what you have to," she told the men. Despite their relative advantage, something nagged at the back of Coniel's mind; she chalked it up to the senseless but needed slaughter that was about to ensue.

"Good choice," one of them whispered. He raised his rifle.

One of the men down there shouted even louder.

Coniel gave a gasp of surprise as a Dagger L, missing its left arm, came crashing down right in front of the cliff path, blocking the group's view of their front; its eyes flashed a brilliant blue, and Coniel saw a cylinder on its shoulder start to spin madly, the roaring of its mechanics echoing loudly in the valley. It didn't take a genius to realize that it was some sort of automatic gun or cannon. Coniel suddenly realized that she hadn't seen any of the mobile suits that the boy had mentioned until now; she had assumed that the Alliance soldiers had parked them somewhere, but judging by the timing of this particular unit's appearance-

From the corner of her eye, Coniel saw another mobile suit approach; this one had a large sword on its back. When the men kept their rifles up, the first Dagger L pushed harder into the rock wall covering one side of the cliff path with its right arm in a wide stance, cracking the surface, raining small stones upon the group; its gun was still trained on the group. Its external sound unit spat out words in a harsh, mechanical tone. "Drop your weapons." Its next word echoed across the area. "NOW."

Coniel stepped back, gritting her teeth. No doubt that they had just walked into a trap, and now the Earth Alliance was going to use them to bargain for something of great importance to the townsfolk living near the ravine. Despite her anger, Coniel shuddered as she thought about just what might be demanded of them…

The girl was snapped out of her thoughts as an OMNI soldier slid down the rock wall, landing lightly on her feet; in her right hand was a rifle almost as long as she was tall. "Leave your weapons where they are, and follow me down." She gave the group a look-over as they, with great reluctance, began stripping off their armaments. "And no funny movements. I'm not going to bind and gag you guys or anything, but one twitch that goes the wrong way," she flicked her thumb at the Dagger L with the shoulder gun, which had stopped spinning, "and the guy there puts more holes in you than the number of pebbles in this ravine. So don't even think of using those rockets and RPGs."

"If you want something from us, just spit it out," Coniel said, trying to sound as scathing as possible. "Don't have us running in circles; the more time you waste, the more likely someone will realize that we're gone for too long; then they'll go get ZAFT, and you bastards will really be in trouble."

To her surprise, the woman leading them didn't even get slightly angry. "Well now, that would be really scary," she slowly said, and with her right hand, patted her rifle's barrel. "What will I do against the supremely competent ZAFT soldiers?"

One of the men started to step forward. "You arrogant bitch," he breathed.

Coniel moved into his path. "Sared! Stop!"

The shoulder gun on the closer Dagger L begun to spin again. "Hey, hey," the voice echoed out. "You don't want me to use this now, do you?"

The man known as Sared growled, but stepped back.

As Ray watched Sheryl lead the people down the path, one of the troopers snorted. "We're talking to them now? I doubt they'd believe anything we have to say."

Ray turned to the soldier. "It'll take us a few days to load all the supplies that we need. Holding out for that long would be a dangerous risk, and besides, Nain wants to treat some of the wounded here, where we have medical facilities that might be eligible for repair or might have even been undamaged by the battle." He turned back to see Sheryl and her "prisoners" approach. "And the less obstructions we have for that, the better off we'll be."

Afterword:

Writing this part was harder than I thought, what with there being no precedent set in the actual series for non-killing interaction between OMNI soldiers and civilians, much less say between OMNI soldiers and jumpy civilians. I've tried to add personality to the locals both here and in the upcoming chapters, Coniel in particular, whom you might all remember as the girl who contacted the Minerva with the plans to take down the gate, but I can't say I've done a good job at it.