Chapter 26
CE 73, December 29th, Mannheim Base, Germany, Eurasian Federation
Evening 21 21
The loud roar of a cargo aircraft permeated the office. Ray looked out of the window to see a heavy cargo aircraft touchdown and manoeuvre over to another aircraft that was already on the tarmac.
"I thought we'd get a bit of peace and quiet after Christmas, but they've been at it for three days," Sheryl remarked. "Where are all the troops they're landing here going to, anyways?"
"I wouldn't know," Ray replied. "After that first batch of new pilots, Geroda has been taking over the supervision of personnel placement with these guys."
"The base is getting more and more packed, though," Guy remarked. "The hangars have always been spacious, but with the new mobile suits they brought in yesterday, we barely have any empty hangers left."
"Half the barracks used to be empty, too," Kim Rassare spoke up from the cubicle that she was in. "My people are complaining that the showers are starting to get too crowded… you know, the more people there are using the place, the harder it is to keep things clean."
Kaguya leaned towards the window. "Looks like more infantry this time."
"It's the infantry that are getting more and more, though," Kim said. "The pilots and machines are moving out, slowly, but at least they seem to be going to other bases. Well, not counting the new pilots you've trained," Kim sighed. "The infantry seem to be here to stay, though. I heard the Mannheim base personnel talking about setting them as a security contingent."
"A regiment as a security contingent?" Sheryl asked. "That's a bit out of hand, isn't it?"
"Well, the Victoria Supercomplex has two for its security details," Kim said. "But Mannheim, even as a large base, is only at the most half that size, and it's not like there's anything gravely important here."
Ray glanced out of the window to watch the infantry disembark their transport. Even from a distance, the insignia of the Atlantic Federation, emblazoned on the side of the transport plane, was clear.
CE 74, January 2nd, Chief Office, United Eurasian Government HQ Complex, Bern, Switzerland, Eurasian Federation
Evening 21 16
Tabitha Enice, Chairwoman of the Eurasian Federation Parliament, was used to staying up this late in her private office. Typically, just reading the reports of the various regional parliament members was enough to keep her up to the hours of next day's morning. Today, however, her attention was focused on the small screen in front of her, the papers on her personal desk ignored for the moment. Standing beside her was her long-time aide, Grenda Kelmov, her sight downcast, and several other representative members of the various states of the Eurasian Federation.
While the parliament members were usually divided during the parliamentary sessions, there was one thing that they currently shared with each other; an expression of unease, fringed with terror, and only kept in check by their own disbelief.
"We have reason to believe that the Eurasian Federation is reneging on its treaty with us," the Atlantic Federation statesman in on the screen was saying."Clause Twelve of the World Security Treaty clearly states that any action that can be constructed as taking a stance for the aid of the enemy is to be first consulted with all member nations. The Eurasian Federation, for the past few months, has not only actively sought to tamper down all conflicts instigated by the enemy military formation known as ZAFT, but, in light of recently-uncovered evidence, has actually sought to create a damaging treaty in favour of the PLANTs while causing significant damage to the finances, aid plans, and security of all member nations of the World Security Treaty."
One of the parliament members spoke up. "W-we need to contact the other nations. The South African Union – the Republic of East Asia – "
"Quiet," Grenda said, her voice small, but firm. "Chairwoman Enice will decide on that action."
Tabitha ignored the action, and watched as the video of the Atlantic Federation's government session speaker continued, her mind barely registering the stretching of her wrinkled skin as her fists clenched in anger, as the Atlantic Federation spokesperson continued. "Therefore, it is by a voting process that we will now determine our next action against the Eurasian Federation. Gentlemen, I believe that you have already been briefed on our possible courses of action before the launch of this emergency Security Council meeting..."
CE 74, January 3rd, Government Suite, Republic of East Asia Parliament Lodgings, Beijing, China, Republic of East Asia
Night 04 18
President Tao Chexin's face changed from the dour expression of a person up far too early for his liking, to a grimace that made his previously-tired face look angelic. On the wall-mounted television, he watched the members of the Atlantic Federation's Security Council place their votes.
Chexin picked up the phone from his bedside desk. "Are you seeing this as well, Fengche?"
From the other side, the tired voice of his long-suffering Vice-President, Fengche Huyuan answered. "Far too clearly for this time of the day. These Americans can never pick a good time to spring a surprise."
"I thought the WSS was to encourage mutual consultation," Chexin snapped, his mind now crawling with all he could will into clarity. He pressed a button on the wall comm device; "Coffee, black, please. Room 1." He placed his smartphone back near his ear. "So much for that."
From the background sounds he could hear from the phone, Fengche was also hustling around his room, no doubt putting on his work attire of a suit. Both men knew that what little remained of their night was shot to hell; come morning, the news was going to spread like wildfire, and the sooner he prepared, the sooner he would have a story to feed to the press.
Even if there was no story that could mask the fact that the war was going to escalate out of control.
"Well, the WSS did its job well. For a front for the Atlantic Federation to deploy troops all over the place, that is." Fengche replied. "They've been abusing it to send in substantial numbers of troops to the Eurasian frontlines to maintain order, and kept up with daily requests and demands for the Europeans to push the front against ZAFT. As for us, we're lucky that West China is of little interest to them, and we've been fighting them in a relatively narrow theatre in the south-west regions."
"All for the better. A shouting person cannot hear what others are trying to tell him, and even the most illiterate peasant in our few remaining rural villages will know that the Atlantic Federation is always shouting." He pulled on his shirt and trousers, proceeding rapidly into the style of clothes that he had worn for the past two years of his life, not counting his campaigning years both in public and in private hosting rooms with people older and – it used to be – more powerful than him. Well, for the next four years, anyways. Then he would have to run for this position again.
There was a knock at the door.
"Leave it there in the usual place, thank you," Chexin shouted, pulling on his blazer. Moments later, opening the door to his room, he noted the tray, and on top, a mug of coffee. Warm, but not scalding; exactly what he needed right now.
"Call the Chief of Staff and his crew," Chexin said, pausing to down the mug's contents in a single, long pull. "If they ask, tell them that the yang gui zhi are playing with fire again, and this time, they're setting fire to their friend's house."
"Understood. I will see you later." Fengche replied, before hanging up.
Chexin looked around the room to see if he had left anything of importance behind. It was a hotel-lookalike, one unit of an entire apartment block built for members of the government offices to sleep in if it was inconvenient for them to return home. As the President, he warranted a permanent booking for this particular room, and it let him keep his previous house where his wife now usually spent her days in, in the nearby state of Tianjin, where the majority of his relatives also lived. He still remembered the minor wave of shock he caused throughout the political world when he had declined to say in the President House.
He had last set foot in there three years ago when the place served as an emergency triage for the wounded in the city during the chaos of the April Fool's Crisis. As a retired trauma care doctor, he had lent his strength during that time of crisis; even until now, he could not set foot inside without hearing the voices in his memories.
"Next time, I'll take the damned plane home," Chexin muttered, before stepping out and shutting the door.
CE 74, January 2nd, Mannheim Base, Germany, Eurasian Federation
Evening 21 29
Ray Feric and Esther Granmark were one of the first amongst OMNI and the Eurasian Federation Armed Forces to catch wind of this; they watched the announcement alongside Colonel Roan Moran and Major Wallace as the Atlantic Federation Security Council passed their sentence.
"It is with an overwhelming majority of the votes that the Atlantic Federation has decided upon armed intervention in the Eurasian crisis. We will move to render aid to the remainder of the nation that still remains allied with us."
No sooner had Roan shut off the display did Ray's voice seep through his self-control. "Bullshit," he hissed. "This isn't legal!"
"They one-upped us," Roan said. "This was a live broadcast. Surely you saw the images that they flashed through all throughout."
"Those were images from the Trecin Incident that we took with our own drones and frontline feeds," Esther cut in. "The bastards used the data we gave them, after they requested for it, to undermine us!"
"What's done is done," Roan said. "Feric, Granmark, I want you to - "
The door to Roan's office hissed open, and Major Geroda Rells strode in, four rifle-armed men stepping in behind him. Ray noticed, with growing dread, that their armbands hailed them from OMNI, rather than the Eurasian forces.
"Major." Roan said, his tone level. "What can I do for you tonight?"
Geroda smiled, a tight-lipped affair that made him look like a predator watching prey. "Well, Colonel, for starters, you can sign this personnel transfer order. And then, the standby order acknowledgement." He placed two documents in front of the Eurasian commander.
Roan eyed the documents, then the soldiers, before fixing his sight on Geroda. "Land transfers? I was not notified of this. And our standby orders come from the Eurasian Federation-"
Geroda waved a hand dismissively. "Don't dig the small details. It's just a simple manpower transfer of some of our land forces from neighbouring bases to here. After all, things are going to heat up soon... it'll be better to have more security around, isn't it?" "Besides," he said, grinning, and pointing to a corner of the paper, "Both sets of orders have already received the signature of OMNI Commandant for the European region and the General-Commander of the Eurasian Armed Forces, so there's no need for you to hem and haw. I only need your signature to acknowledge your orders. Sir."
"Is that what all those infantry transfers were about?" Wallace spoke up, motioning to the troopers. "You know what the announcement was about. We're being forced to remain on standby while Atlantic forces sweep our cities!"
"I do not recall asking for your opinion, Major," Geroda replied. "Wartime conventions, remember."
Wallace bit his lip, but otherwise kept silent, as Roan signed the form. Geroda collected the document, a smirk evident on his face, before leaving the room, the armed troopers in tow.
Everyone was silent; Ray was the first to break it. "Standby orders? I suppose key personnel are now handled by OMNI members instead?" He shot a glare at the closed door. "Where the hell does he think he's getting around bringing in outside forces first without authorization?"
"OMNI is using protocols to raise the base's alert level," Roan said. "Which means that the armouries and the hangers will likely be guarded, and if I guess rightly, by their personnel. If they're resorting to that, then I can only imagine what kind of 'intervention' they're planning to carry out."
"We can retake those locations," Esther replied immediately. "If we-"
"Lay low for now," Roan said.
Esther's reply was as fast as the look of incredulity that spread across her face. "What?!"
"You heard me, Captain. Lay low." Roan leaned back into his chair. "You saw the broadcast. Smart bastards are looking for an excuse to toss the whole sack of rocks at us. Don't give them a reason to."
"They can't keep us silent like this!" Esther replied heatedly. "If the Chairwoman puts out calls to the Republic of East Asia -"
"Funny you should mention the Republic. There is a Chinese proverb," Roan said, "... that I believe goes 'a close neighbour is better than a relative living far-off'. They're in no better position to help us than we are at helping ourselves." He stood up suddenly, fixing his gaze to somewhere outside of the window. "Who are you going to call? The African nations? The Equatorial Union? Australia?" He turned to fix Ray, Wallace, and Esther with a glare than none of them had seen in his eyes before. "ZAFT is the closest. And as you all should know, the worst choice we can make right now."
"That…" Esther faltered.
"We wait. If they're just going to carry out searches, then we might be able to tide this over without much incident." Roan settled back into his chair. "For the Federation's sake, I hope other people don't do anything beyond their means."
CE 74, January 3rd, Berlin, Germany, Eurasian Federation
Morning 07 05
The Germans on the streets watched as a column of armoured vehicles, each bearing the insignia of OMNI and the Atlantic Federation, rolled through the streets. Wheeled fighting vehicles that crunched loose gravel, industrial heavy loaders with Linear Tanks lashed to their flatbed carriers, and large transport trucks, some crammed with soldiers, others with boxes of supplies. Then came the MS carriers, massive vehicles that took up almost the entirety of the streets.
Those who had bought their morning papers glued their eyes to the text, silently reading the headline article on the Atlantic Federation's new declaration of conflict. Some looked up with a hard look at the armed convoy; others tried their best to avert their gaze.
New Year decorations dangled on the front of shops that were late in removing them as the line of vehicles winded their way through Berlin. The procession continued, a column of drab military colors, their presence silencing the hustle and bustle of a city wherever they passed, until they came upon a main street.
Dozens of citizens lined the sidewalks, holding up placards with curses and messages of ill will. The vehicle commander of the leading jeep grimaced as one of the Germans shouted an expletive, his voice momentarily rising above the din.
"They sure are hostile for people who need their asses saved," the driver remarked.
"Well… most people who need help don't bother asking for it until the eleventh hour," the officer replied. "Still, you'd think that the division commander would choose a less urban road to get through, time be damned. This stinks of a strutting act."
The column proceeded through the crowd, the soldiers gazing out from under the hem of their helmets at the hostile throng all around them. Some looked away; others gripped their weapons tighter.
CE 74, January 3rd, Chief Office, United Eurasian Government HQ Complex, Bern, Switzerland, Eurasian Federation
Morning 07 15
"I'm sorry for disturbing you, ma'am, but you need to see this," Grenda said, switching on the wall-mounted television.
Tabitha Enice sighed, resolving herself to open her eyes. She had busied until the wee hours of the morning setting her papers in place, preparing for the inevitable media onslaught today that she could see coming. She had set her wristwatch alarm for a half-hour break, but even that had been denied of her.
Any sleepiness, however, drained from her body, as did the colour on her face, when she saw what was displayed on the screen. A German reporter was covering what looked to be a crowd of protesters that were being barely kept in place by scattered policemen and policewomen, while an armoured column of the Atlantic Federation rolled through the streets.
"Who…" Tabitha croaked. "Who gave them permission to cut through civilian places?"
"According to our German liaison, it was an order from OMNI. Something about making their way to the frontlines with all due haste. It's the same everywhere."
"Get me through to the German liaison," Tabitha hissed. "Tell him to get those people off the streets now!"
"Ma'am?" Grenda said, surprised at the desperation that tinged the voice of her long-time colleague, in the world of politics. She had never heard Tabitha use this tone before, not even during the demanding post-war negotiations following the Bloody Valentine War.
"Do it!"
CE 74, January 3rd, Berlin, Germany, Eurasian Federation
Morning 07 27
The man pulled on his long coat, and slowly drew out a bottle.
To any casual observer, a glance would reveal that the bottle was an ordinary drink bottle; whether it carried beer or fizz previously made no difference. To his side, another person, holding up a placard that read "You're not welcome here", glanced in his direction.
His eyes widened as the man took out a lighter and set fire to the end of a rag, which was stuffed into the neck of the bottle. Within the bottle, the other end of the rag reached into a clear liquid sloshing about inside. The smell of kerosene immediately permeated the immediate area.
Before a warning could get out, the man let fly the Molotov cocktail, the improvised explosive sailing through the air to burst a gout of fire all over the lead jeep. The vehicle swerved as its driver tried to avoid the sudden inferno that had erupted in front of him, and more of the devices rained down from places amongst the crowd.
The entire protesting crowd went quiet, for an instant, as the convoy pulled to a halt.
Then those nearest to the lead vehicle began to scramble backwards as the doors to the jeep were kicked open. The vehicle commander stepped out, eyes wild, and yelled into his comm device, just as those more discerning amongst the protesters realized that now would be an excellent time to vacate the immediate area.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
CE 74, January Chief Office, United Eurasian Government HQ Complex, Bern, Switzerland, Eurasian Federation
Morning 07 45
"A call from the EFAF Chief of Staff," Grenda said, handing the phone to Tabitha.
The Chairwoman of the Eurasian Federation took the mobile phone without taking her eyes off the screen, where the chaos in Berlin was unfolding. It had all happened so quickly; moments after she had told Grenda to put her through to the police force chief in Berlin, the Atlantic Federation troops had been firebombed, and they were now engaged in a running riot battle with the civilians.
It was the worst outcome. The Atlantic Federation delegation had made it clear that any action against them would result in deadly force; and yet it had happened anyways, despite her best efforts to get the news out to all channels.
"General Kylius Vardan. Can the Eurasian Federation Armed Forces move out?"
"They'll have to fight their way out first," the representative chief of Eurasia's armed forces replied. "We were too careless. I was too careless. They've been using the WSS to shift troops and material around our countries to facilitate this." The General fell silent for a brief moment. "It's just like JOSH-A all over again, except, this time, they won't be leaving. With OMNI putting pressure on us, we can't afford to move anyhow either."
Tabitha exhaled and forced her voice to remain level. "What facilities of ours remain free to move about without erupting into a firefight? If we move forces from bases close to here, we'll risk the Atlantic forces watching over them leaving and joining the battle, too."
There was the sound of brief chuckling over the phone. "Has anyone told you that you sound like someone from the military, Mrs Enice?" Kylius said. "Unfortunately, while our Russian and Eastern Europe forces are free to move, they're also where ZAFT is currently camped at. I can move very little of them that can reach the Eurasian Federation heartlands in less than a day." He was silent for a moment. "If I said that reneging on the treaty was our best option right now, Chairwoman, what would your answer be?"
Tabitha closed her eyes. "That would give the Atlantic Federation an excuse to go to a complete war footing against us. And they would have the advantage, would they not?"
"And the current chaos is not? Their soldiers are being harassed by our civilians. Smart bastards did well to provoke our extremist elements into action so they get an excuse to start shooting back. Well, it's working; OMNI Command has ordered a lockdown of Berlin on the grounds of insurgent activity. The city is surrounded."
Tabitha willed her tone to stay resolute. "Keep me informed of other options, Chief."
There was a sound that resembled a sigh, and Kylius replied. "I understand. Major-General Bertha Carnes is in charge of force movement. She'll get in contact with you if I have anything that can be done, short of a full mobilization."
Tabitha waited a moment as Kylius hung up, before exhaling a long breath, her shoulders dropping. "I only hope we can gain control of the situation before the Atlantic Federation decides to take the initiative. At least we can delay - "
"Ma'am," Grenda said, calling her attention to another phone, one that Tabitha recognized as a link to the liaison for the northern regions of the Eurasian Federation. "There's a call for you".
No sooner had Tabitha taken the phone did she hear yelling. "Chairwoman! Is that you? Get the Atlantic Federation on the line! They're going heavy on us-"
Tabitha slammed the phone down as the line abruptly cut itself off. Picking up her desk phone, she quickly keyed in numbers; moments later she had Kylius back on the line. "Chief, I just got a call from my northern liaison office that hell's breaking loose in their area. Is there something I should be informed of?"
"I'm trying to get a hold of people on that side, myself – hold a moment, Chairwoman, pardon," Kylius said, his voice growing muffled. Tabitha heard him speak to another person on his side, followed by a yell of surprise.
"Chief? What happened?"
There was a pause before Kylius replied. "Ma'am, I'm sending over a feed now. You need to see this."
The wall screen flashed once and changed to a different video of another location in Berlin; Grenda gave a gasp of shock. Tabitha's countenance hardened as she watched; citizens of Berlin formed a wall against a group of OMNI troopers huddled together, weathering the crude projectiles and deadlier debris flung their way. On the public side, several people could be seen hoisting PLANT and Eurasian Federation flags together, and even through the cacophony of noise Tabitha could hear the chanting in favour of ZAFT.
"This…"
"The Atlantic Federation is accusing us of underhanded deals with the enemy in violation of the treaty," Kylius said. "They're raising their response level and OMNI is going hand-in-hand with their request. I've just received reports of - "
"Reports of the USSA, and the South African Union voting in favour of intervention," Tabitha finished Kylius' sentence for him, nodding once to Grenda as she held up her work tablet for Tabitha to see for herself the latest press release. "The nerve of the curs. I have not even had a chance to meet Chairman Durandal since the debacle with the Junius 7 remains ended," she said, her voice hardening. "At least the Republic of East Asia is staying out of this."
"I know that all too well," Kylius replied. "Nevertheless, the situation is rapidly turning against our favour. I can order a defence, Chairwoman, but I need to know the council's thoughts if I am to mount an effective resistance."
"That's the best news I've heard since this whole debacle began, for what it's worth," Tabitha replied. "It will take a while to gather them, but if your people are in defensible positions, tell them to prioritize peacekeeping actions. Don't antagonize the OMNI forces further. Do you have any more… good… news for me?"
"I have worse news for you, ma'am," Kylius replied. "According to my sources, Berlin has been placed under complete lockdown. OMNI is going to act in that area first. A land battleship that had been on patrol last night skirted the sea surface and entered Germany from the Ronne Base in the Denmark region, and they're en-route to Berlin right now. I don't like the looks of the way things are going."
That a pro-Atlantic OMNI land battleship was going to get involved in a simple riot was heavy enough news on its own. Kylius let the ensuing silence add weight to his words. "Still feeling on keeping that treaty?"
Tabitha clenched her teeth. For every second she remained silent, the situation would escalate further. "Do what you must, Kylius. We cannot endure another JOSH-A."
"You have my word." The line terminated abruptly.
Tabitha turned to Grenda. "Grenda, get me a line to the PLANTs."
CE 74, January 3rd, Mannheim Base, Germany, Eurasian Federation
Morning 09 17
Ray's hearing rang as he watched the television in the mess hall, the news anchor announcing the break-out of chaos in Berlin. "This is a bad joke."
Guy was silent, as was Sheryl.
"Regardless, actions have been taken," Kaguya said. "I do not know what OMNI's response will be. I only hope they will not attempt a second Gulnahan Gate," she said, echoing the thoughts of the Manhunters that were present. "They will not get away with it."
"Saying that is one thing," Esther said, approaching the group; behind her were the remaining members of Blizzard Squadron. "Fulfilling it is another." She looked around once. "The machines are currently under lock and key. Last I checked, they're assigning the new arrivals to our units."
"Are they aiming to replace us?" Guy said. "This is getting staler by the minute."
"Yesterday, I would have shared your sentiment," Esther said. "Now, however, OMNI is enforcing a lockdown of Berlin and sending in peacekeeping troops to quell the mass protests." She eyed the OMNI regalia on the left shoulder of Ray's uniform. "Of course, since most of their forces are from the Atlantic Federation, I suspect that they're about as capable of peacekeeping as a rock is of flying."
Ray swallowed once. "And we haven't had any scramble orders yet? The news has been repeating similar instances all over."
"They're probably keeping us here because they don't trust us," Esther said. "What they've done is just short of an outright lie. If they let us loose, we're liable to compromise their plans, whatever they are."
Rolan sat down on a nearby chair. "Meanwhile, we're stuck here doing nothing."
"I would keep my words with me a little longer," Ray said. "I don't like this situation. It feels too similar to a comms blackout; when the curtains lift, there's going to be total chaos."
"They're only doing inspections and security sweeps… right?" Caleria Vayer asked.
"That was the general idea," Esther replied. "Whether they're actually doing that - "
A commotion at a corner of the mess hall attracted the attention of the pilots. A group of personnel were gathered around a loaned laptop, and, Ray thought, judging by the looks of their faces, there was something on the screen that they'd rather not be watching.
Esther shook her head, and approached the group. "People, if you want to watch a movie during this 'downtime', I'd suggest your own bunks…" she said, her voice trailing off as she left the Blizzards and the Manhunters. Ray watched as one of the soldiers from the group stopped watching long enough to talk to Esther; a look of shock crossed her face as she saw what was on the screen.
A shout from across the area distracted them; a pair of security troopers which Ray recognized, from their shoulder insignia, as belonging to the newcomers under Geroda, walked in from one of the mess hall's entrance. "Hey! No wireless contact! Shut that off now!"
"Wireless conta…" Sheryl gasped. "You're kidding. When did that happen?"
"I don't know, but this seems to be sliding down fast," Ray replied, getting up from his seat. "Stay here."
As Ray approached the group, he began to make out the sounds around them. His main concern was the laptop; the sounds coming from it didn't seem like what he should be hearing from a movie. It sounded choppy, distorted; almost like the quality one would expect from a live stream using very poor gear. Then he saw what was on the screen itself.
It was a simple video streaming site, but the video showed that Berlin was alight in fire. Rubble decorated its formerly well-ordered streets; Ray had never been to the place before, but he knew a city in ruins when he saw one.
He'd seen enough of New York going through similar times during the April Fool's Crisis.
The video feed was a live link; as was typical, it was fuzzy, and whoever was holding it shook badly; the coherence of the sound was nearly non-existent. But it was clear to all watching that the people in the video were running; the scene cut to a massive shadow over the city.
The video whited out as a bright flash covered everything else; a crushing feeling pooled in Ray's chest as he realized that what little could be heard from the sound immediately brought to mind the whine of a high-powered beam weapon, the type that could only be expected from warships.
One of the soldiers reached out and grabbed Esther at the shoulder. "Are you deaf? I said…" He fell silent as he saw the contents on the screen; the flash had receded, but the view of the ruins still remained. The camera had been abandoned on the ground; a few people were running. Bodies littered what little they could see of the streets. A vast shadow covered what they could see of the ground.
"Holy… is that Berlin?"
The soldier's partner looked at him as though his fellow guard had been replaced with an alien. "I'm shutting this down. Orders are to restrict outside access to all but official uses only-"
"While OMNI razes Berlin into the ground?" Esther said, her voice low.
The soldier thumbed the safety of his rifle, his hands settling on the trigger grip; Esther noted that his index finger placed itself directly on the trigger, in violation of standard warning procedure. "Orders are orders. Shut it down."
Ray reached out from the side, his hand placing a firm grip on the soldier's rifle. "I think this discussion is over."
The soldier snarled, backtracking to put distance between Ray and himself. "You-"
Ray stepped in, placing his foot in-between the guard's legs, and struck upwards with his knee. As the man gasped, Ray pulled his adversary's finger out from the trigger and snapped in backwards, dislocating the joint; his head struck forward before the soldier could react further, the hard bone of a human forehead connecting with the nose of the guard.
The guard's head whipped back as the impact knocked him out; Ray turned to see that Esther had the other guard secured, both of his hands held securely behind his back.
The comm unit on the remaining soldier crackled. "Farnes, you're a bit late for your patrol checkpoint. Are you there?"
Ray eyed the soldier. Farnes gulped once as Esther nodded from behind; one of the soldiers from the video-watching group reached out, and pressed the 'reply' button on the comm unit.
"Farnes? Corporal, can you read me?"
"We're… fine. Baley stopped by a washroom, said he had a bit of a stomach-ache. We're passing to B Checkpoint now."
"Step it up, if you could."
"Acknowledged."
Ray dislodged the assault rifle from Baley's unconscious form, ejecting the magazine once to check its interior. Satisfied with what he saw, he snapped it back into the rifle, and toggled the safety switch of the weapon. Around them, the members of Blizzard and Manhunters gathered.
"Mr. Farnes, was it? I hope you can keep quiet for a while."
Afterward:
We're finally approaching the Destiny's Berlin arc. Throughout the chapter, ZAFT forces would have been attempting to stop the land battleship from delivering its cargo, as seen in Stargazer. This and the next couple of chapters will hopefully provide at least a somewhat satisfactory explanation for why only ZAFT troops were present to oppose the Destroy.