Chapter 34
CE 74, February 22nd, Supercomplex Block C, Heaven's Base, Iceland, Atlantic Federation
Afternoon 13 31
The Windam's leg thrusters flared as the mobile suit leaned forward, taking off at a sprint. In seconds, Geroda was within range, and the swipe from one of the Strike Noir's heavy blades barely missed Ray, gouging a furrow into the concrete ground as the Strike Noir pushed off from the ground again.
Ray Feric felt the G-forces compressing his body into his seat as the Windam's back thrusters ignited, and the mobile suit took to the air with a boosted jump. Without a pilot suit, the edges of Ray's vision rapidly filled with a red tinge, the edges contracting until his vision was a pinprick of light. He held his breath, willing his mind to stay conscious, as the boosted jump transitioned to its fall phase, and his vision recovered slightly as the Windam's thrusters fired in automatic bursts to prepare for the impact of landing.
With nary a chance to catch his breath, Ray threw the Windam into a forward drive; the move proved itself true as railgun rounds smashed through the building he had landed behind as cover a second later.
"You slippery fuck!" Geroda Rells hissed.
"Do they teach you to whine about missing shots these days?" Ray shot back, putting all he could to keep his voice stable and his breathlessness under wraps. The compartment of the Windam's left skirt armor opened up, and its arm reached towards it; as the Strike Noir swooped towards the ground, beam pistol blazing, sword held in the other arm, Ray let fly an explosive penetrator.
The hit, square in the Strike Noir's upper torso, didn't even slow it down. However, Geroda's viewscreen filled with the smoke from the penetrator's explosion; and in an instant, the Windam closed the distance between the two units, beam sabre ignited in a forward thrust.
The shoulder thrusters of the Strike Noir blazed, and the mobile suit sidestepped the strike, its sword raised for a killing blow; however, the Windam swept its sword up upwards, its right elbow blocking the Strike Noir from being able to swing downwards. Jamming its forward foot into the ground, Ray ignited the Windam's second beam sabre, its left arm tucked close to its body; a brilliant arc swept the front of the Strike Noir, the blow barely missing as the Strike Noir kicked the Windam away, its thrusters blazing to keep it from falling onto the ground.
The Windam slammed backwards into a building, Ray pushing himself into the cockpit seat as much as he could to prevent the impact from leaving him completely disoriented. Even so, the impact left him rattled, and he tasted blood in his mouth. There was no time to rest, however, and he slammed the controls; dust clouds roiled as the Windam's back thrusters erupted with flames, pushing the mobile suit back into a standing position. Its left arm gripped a building corner, pulling the mobile suit along just fast enough that the Strike Noir's railgun rounds failed to hit their target again.
Beam and railgun rounds smashed holes through the surrounding buildings as the Windam weaved through cover, Geroda now throwing down a fusillade to keep Ray on the move and away from his MS. Beam shots and railgun rounds chased a path behind the Windam as it sped for cover, and Ray turned his appropriated MS around a hangar not a moment too soon as a barrage of shots gouged holes into the structure.
The firing stopped as the Strike Noir momentarily lost track of its target. "If that is all you can bring to this fight," Geroda gloated, "then you might as well give it up now, Ray!"
Ray ran his eyes across the Windam's cockpit screens, Geroda's taunt barely registering in his mind. Propellant was still good, but the difference in physical capabilities was clear; the Strike Noir had all the advantages in direct combat, and as things were there was little chance of closing the distance in-between the two without Ray coming out worse for it.
Geroda's countenance soured as the reply he expected did not come. Engaging his mobile suit's thrusters, the Strike Noir approached Ray's position, raising its beam guns in preparation for a final strike.
Ray threw his Windam forward in a boosted run, the single back thruster on the Windam emanating a brilliant blue flame as it propelled the mobile suit forward with all the speed it could muster. The Strike Noir fired in response, but the shots barely missed their mark as the Windam burst from its cover. It crossed its arms in front of itself, and with a final kick at the ground a beam shot barely missing its left leg, swerved to its right and crashed through the closed shutters of a hangar in its path, stumbling into the interior with a discordant cacophony.
"Finally snapped from the stress, eh?" Geroda remarked, keeping the Strike Noir at a safe distance. Dust billowed from the open hangar entrance, as a few mechanics stumbled out; the next moment, flashes of light began to shine from the interior as the Strike Noir's railguns started their salvo, the mach-speed munitions pounding their way through the roof. That there might have been allies still within the hangar mattered little to Geroda; he would not entertain even the slightest chance of letting Ray regain his footing to continue his antics.
CE 74, February 22nd, Hangar C16, Supercomplex Block C, Heaven's Base, Iceland, Atlantic Federation
Afternoon 13 48
While the battle raged on above and around the perimeter of Heaven's Base, that did not mean that the other personnel within the area simply ran to the bunkers or lazed around waiting for the final moments of the battle. Infantry were ordered to fortify the interior of buildings, awaiting their moment of action, and the cavernous underpasses of the base concealed manned battle tanks and other armored vehicles to ensure that ZAFT and their allies bled for every meter they took. Mechanics and technicians were kept on standby to prepare replacement equipment for those that required them.
The support personnel located in Hangar C16 were one such group, and the crew were busy preparing replacement beam rifles for disarmed mobile suit pilots, when the other half of the escapees, formed from Karl Hartner, Bolvar Kasavok, Rasel Grey, Sheryl Camelot, and Guy Leon, made their move. The hangar had only one Windam on-site, but to Sheryl, that was enough for their purposes.
Karl spared a moment to glance at their target area. "Finally. A hangar with some vehicles at least. They'll be good enough." He turned to Sheryl and Guy. "What about the two of you?"
"I have something else in mind," Sheryl replied, pointing at the Windam . "This chance is too good to pass up."
"I'll join you if we find another mobile suit on the way," Guy said. "Let's move!"
The nearest OMNI technician whirled around as the group approached the hangar entrance at a dead run. "Infantry? Hey! What's going on?!"
Rasel opened fire, the rounds striking the ground in a spray of sparks. As the technician hightailed it, the group split. Despite the alarm raised, there was little the unarmed ground crew could do; without a security detail available, the escapees encountered no attempt on their actions, as Sheryl jumped onto the personnel lift, and raised it towards the Windam's torso. The others claimed two army jeeps.
"Emergency use! Get out of here if you know what's good for you!" Sheryl hollered a reply as she punched the controls, shutting the cockpit door and powering up the Windam's tertiary systems.
As the four left on their tow carts, Sheryl moved the Windam out of its holding slot, leaving the broken remains of its holding frame behind as the mobile suit tore itself free. She glanced to her left, where the beam rifles were on standby, awaiting someone to claim them.
"Don't mind if I do," Sheryl muttered, as she picked one of the weapons up. Pushing the controls, the Windam broke into a run, the tremors of its footfalls shaking the ground as it made its way towards where Ray's Windam and the Strike Noir would be.
CE 74, February 22nd, Supercomplex Block C, Heaven's Base, Iceland, Atlantic Federation
Afternoon 13 57
The air around the Strike Noir's railguns crackled with static when Geroda stopped the bombardment; the mobile suit had put several shots through the roof of the hangar in less than a minute. Geroda kept his position, fingers still on the trigger, as smoke thrown up by the raingun rounds rolled about the surroundings.
There was a warning sound as a beam lanced in from behind the Strike Noir. Cursing, Geroda cut the thrusters, and his mobile suit dropped through the air for several seconds as he attempted to catch sight of the shot vector. At the same time, detritus burst upwards as the Windam, holding two battered shields, boosted into the air and straight towards the Strike Noir. Geroda gritted his teeth as he pulled on the controls, and the Strike Noir kicked its legs forward, sole thrusters blazing; the Windam overshot as the Strike Noir moved backwards, a brief shower of sparks the result of a shield-edge scraping the Strike Noir in its torso.
"Too rude to die properly!" Geroda roared. "As expected of you!"
The Windam threw a shield at its opponent, its now-free right arm reaching to its waist armor, for one of its beam sabres. The Strike Noir unhooked an anti-ship sword, intending to catch the Windam in its fall - but to Geroda's shock, the Windam fired its thrusters again, and the mobile suit, shield held forward, slammed into the Strike Noir, knocking one of its beam pistols free.
"If you think some random barrage - " Ray hollered.
At the moment of impact, the Windam's thrusters were at full burn, backed by gravity; the Strike Noir's, however, were just keeping the mobile suit hovering. With enough air height, the Strike Noir might have emerged the victor; but even as Geroda reacted instinctively by pushing the thruster controls as fast as he could, the moment had been decided the instant the Windam had bodied the Strike Noir with its shield. The Windam reached out with its free arm, its feint completed, and plunged its beam sabre sideways; only a last-minute deflection from the Strike Noir's arm caused the beam sabre to stab deep into the back of the mobile suit, destroying the Strike Noir's primary thruster, instead of having it go through its torso.
The Windam grabbed onto the Strike Noir's left arm, ensuring that the mobile suit would never free itself in time nor use its remaining beam pistol, until seconds before impact; frontal thrusters alight, Ray pushed off from the Strike Noir, leaving Geroda's unit to crash into the ruined hangar, the impact sending a new cloud wall of dust and debris billowing outwards. The impact snapped Geroda's head backwards, leaving the Phantom Pain pilot disoriented, while inwardly, his consciousness screamed at him to put distance between himself and the Windam. He could vaguely feel a warm trickling sensation tracing a path from under his nose, and the taste of blood soon flooded his mouth from without and within. It felt as though every bone and muscle in his body had come loose. The aftereffects of a heat wave seemed to have spread itself across his entire back.
The Windam itself landed heavily, Ray mentally taking note of the multitude of impact warnings flashing across the cockpit display screens.
"- is going to do me in, you're in for a sorry surprise." Ray finished, spitting out blood from his mouth. Swiftly, the Windam pulled out its beam sabre, and brought down its right arm, beam sabre now activated, in a single stroke, just as the Strike Noir fired all of its thrusters, speeding out from underneath the Windam. Geroda, shaken from the impact, however, was just a moment too late; the beam sabre struck the Strike Noir from its left, the energized plasma that formed its blade eating through the Strike Noir's left wing, forearm, and leg. As the Strike Noir's thrusters petered out, the mobile suit crashed back into the ground, the force of the landing leaving a long furrow gouged into the concrete ground.
"You… bastard," Geroda spat, clawing weakly at his helmet in an attempt to get it off his head. "Traitorous… piece of shit!"
"Am I?" Ray replied icily. "Pushing for war, forced conscription, fermenting allied infighting, the list goes on forever. We haven't even finished patching up the scars of the first war." The Windam approached, left arm raised, gesturing towards the front, where signs of battle continued to rage. "But here we are. And in the face of defeat, your fellow Blue Cosmos lackeys continue to cling onto their lies of an objective enemy!"
"The… world… needs to be… returned… to its natural… order!" Geroda coughed, spitting a wad of blood against his helmet visor. "To close… this schism… to reunite… humanity!"
"Tell a lie enough times," Ray countered. "And you'll buy into it yourself."
"This split in the human race has no quick fix. Not one that won't be remembered in history as a low point for humanity." The Windam loomed over the fallen Strike Noir, beam sabre gripped with its roiling blade pointed at the cockpit.
There was a thunderous roar as a Strike E rounded the corner, leg thrusters keeping the heavy mobile suit hovering at high speeds. Outfitted in a Linebreaker Striker Pack, the Linebreaker Strike E immediately deployed its over-shoulder multi-phase cannons, twin rainbow blasts of energy barely missing the Windam, as it dodged backwards, thrusters alight. It quickly put itself in-between the wrecked Strike Noir and the Windam, but there was no need for a follow-up shot; the Windam turned a corner and continued, the impacts of its footfalls growing fainter on the Strike E's seismic detector with every moment.
"Flogger 3…?" Geroda managed. "What are you… doing here?"
"The front has collapsed," Hanna replied. "We've been given orders to pull out. Flogger 2 is leading the surviving members northwards. We have an escape vector there."
CE 74, February 22nd, Heaven's Base, Iceland Southwards Shoreline, Atlantic Federation
Afternoon 14 14
A distance away from the borders of Heaven's Base, two Windams landed, a rolling cloud of steam billowing out from around them as the snow on the ground melted to the heat of their thrusters. Behind them was the sprawling complex that was Heaven's Base; but the possibility of pursuers seemed close to zero, as weapons fire rained down on the base itself. ZAFT had finally beaten down the last stronghold of Blue Cosmos.
At this distance, even the Destroy Gundams, the massive strategic mobile units that Blue Cosmos held to be their cornerstone, were barely visible with the naked eye. The last of them toppled backwards, the impact obscuring everything in a gout of debris, dust, and flame. "I told you not to go back for me," Ray said.
"Every time you say that, this means that the battle is serious enough that we need to go back for you," Sheryl chuckled. "You have no idea how to keep people from jumping into a fight, Ray."
"Guilty as charged," Ray replied, a tone of amusement in his own voice.
Under them, two military jeeps stopped. "Stop having a private talk up there!" Guy hollered into the comms. "Karl says that we've got a while to go before we make it to the extraction!"
Ray undid the pilot seat restraints. "The guy is right. C'mon, Sheryl. Last leg of the journey."
Sheryl allowed herself to feel a little of the joy that crept around the edges of her consciousness, not daring to savor more of it lest a last-minute complication snatch victory from her. "Yeah. Let's leave this place behind."
CE 74, February 22nd, Heaven's Base, Iceland, Atlantic Federation
Afternoon 14 16
The Aile 105 Dagger came apart as a solid metal flail hammer smashed into the unfortunate mobile suit from its side, scattering its own machine parts through the air in a steel rain. The heavy weapon swung through the air with the subtlety of a thrown brick, flying upwards as the composite cable that was attached to it retracted the weapon back towards its owner.
Alan Reidr paused for a moment to take in the sights of the combined military forces overrunning Heaven's Base. ZAFT's Gibraltar Fleet, backed by units from the Eurasian Federation and earlier defectors from the other nations of OMNI, continued their assault on the stronghold of Blue Cosmos and their LOGOS puppet masters to purge the Earth Sphere of their murderous influence once and for all. Aerial fighters and mobile suits streaked overhead of Alan's GOUF Crusher, unleashing missiles and high-explosive munitions on the already-damaged base facilities. Hours of hard fighting had finally won them the base, with ZAFT's special forces warship, the Minerva, spearheading the assault. Even the five Destroy units revealed by the defenders failed to avail them, with the Minerva's GUNDAM complement crushing them effortlessly.
Alan's view of other mobile suits landing and coming ashore was obscured by Grace Sakerfield's GOUF Ignited, as she fell into position beside Alan, both units going to ground to conserve fuel and to prevent being made easy targets of by any remaining enemy forces. With the beachhead and deep thrust phases completed, their roles in the battle were complete, and for the time being they were tasked to hold position while fresh units surged into Heaven's Base to secure it for good; ZAKUs, GOUFs, GOOhNs, ZnOs, and even a handful of the newly-deployed amphibious assault ASH units. The display was occasionally broken by the sight of OMNI units proceeding in the same direction as the ZAFT forces; those were Eurasian units sent to bolster ZAFT's effort as a gesture of thanks for their aid during the Berlin crisis and the ongoing skirmishes on mainland Eurasia against Blue Cosmos holdouts, as well as of defector allies that had joined up with the Gibraltar fleet.
"Odd of you to be so brooding at this moment," Grace said.
"Am I? I suppose it's because I see it as a bitter victory at best," Alan replied. He glanced towards the false mountain that had dominated Heaven's Base's background until an hour ago, when it had opened up to reveal an anti-air energy cannon. He had fought all the harder then, after seeing two full regiments of orbital assault forces destroyed down to the last pilot and mobile suit. Flashes of lightning still struck skywards from the ground as the cannon spent the last of its static charge into the open sky.
Grace no doubt invested as much effort as Alan in the ensuing push against the forces of Heaven's Base, if not more; her GOUF Ignited was slick with the fluids of OMNI mobile suits terminated in close-quarters battle, and the barrel-ends of the arm-mounted tribarrel beam guns her mobile suit carried shone in the setting sun, their protective coating having been vaporized after repeated heavy usage. The mobile suit held its primary melee weapon of choice upright, a Falx beam polearm usually reserved for the Slash ZAKU Warrior; only by special requisition was one given to Grace for her use. It was in no better state than her mobile suit, wisps of smoke still curling from the places where machine blood had trickled into an activated beam edge moments ago.
"Djibril can only die once. His other allies will have to pick up the slack for him." Grace growled. "We'll turn this place into a crater, rock by rock, if we have to."
Three other mobile suits separated from the stream of incoming reinforcements and joined the pair; ZAKU Phantoms piloted by his subordinates; Fredric Koherg, Larry Falke, and Amano Suzuki. The Guul subflight lifters they used earlier were gone, having returned to their parent submarine on autopilot; with the airspace secured and a beachhead established, aerial cover could be left to the more specialized units.
"Holding assault position as ordered," Fredric said, as a pair of Blaze ZAKU Warriors tromped past, their footfalls causing anything not securely bolted down in the cockpit of his mobile suit to rattle. "Zone is secure."
"Grace, you look like you've been playing in the local motor pool with that GOUF Ignited," Larry quipped. "How many did you get?"
"Fifteen," Grace replied, thumping the concrete tarmac of the base with the beam polearm's hilt, as though for emphasis. "Nine to the Falx, specifically."
"Fifteen?!" Suzuki exclaimed. "Deadly as ever, Raider Two."
"Every number counts, not just the highest," Alan said, tapping the intercom to answer the new incoming call. "Raider Leader is receiving. Go ahead, Unapproachable."
"There are reports of active enemy resistance half a klick east of your position. They're currently engaged with elements of the 31st Battalion, but are about to break engagement and head southwest."
"Raider Leader copies. We'll be there," Alan replied. "Raiders are on station." The wings on his GOUF Crusher snapped into flight position in a swift motion, the mobile suit's multiple thrusters rapidly glowing from red, to orange, then bluish-white. "Raider Leader to all! Intercept mission one klick east; the details should be in the data-link. Raider Two, on my tail; Raider Three, take the rest of the team and engage any remaining enemies in a secondary strike!"
"Raider Two copies. On your mark, Leader." Grace replied, the threat in her tone unmistakable for anything else.
"Raider Three copies," Fredric said. "Raider Four, Five, boosted jump on my mark!"
With a running start, the GOUF Crusher leapt into the air, soaring skywards a moment later, with Grace's GOUF Ignited close behind. Leaving Fredric to lead the rest of the team in as backup, Alan focused his attention forward; soon enough, he caught sight of a group of 105 Daggers on the ground leading a force of Dagger Ls, breaking out towards the sea. By desperation, or some design, he couldn't tell; no submarine would be suicidal enough to surface this close to the battlefield, not with ZAFT's Gibraltar fleet and mobile suits gathered in force not two kilometers from their current position.
"Raider Leader to 31st Battalion! Be advised; we're approaching your position from east! Watch for friendlies!"
Beam fire lashed skywards from the enemies as Grace and Alan launched their attack, even before their allies replied to their message. Going to ground, the GOUF Crusher landed heavily, pulverizing the surface concrete underneath its feet as it drew its shield from its left hip mount; a special modification to the base design that he had installed. Like all GOUF shields, it carried a Tempest beam sword within; but the weapon was left holstered as the GOUF Crusher hefted the defensive device on its right arm and boosted forward with a kickoff against the ground that sprayed concrete behind it.
Streams of plasma energy washed off the shield's surface as he closed with his first target, a Dagger L. Cutting the thrusters just short of beam sabre reach, the GOUF Crusher braced against the tarmac, ducking as the Dagger L frantically drew its beam sabre in a panicked slash, the strike going well overhead of the ZAFT unit. Alan pushed the controls, and his mobile suit thrust forward; the Impact Vise mounted on its left arm slammed into position, the mobile suit's forearm bending backwards to accommodate the weapon. The metal jaws of the weapon snapped open as they reached around the Dagger L's torso; time seemed to stop for an instant, the Dagger L's head unit looking downwards at its inevitable doom.
The moment passed as Alan pressed on the controls; there was a shower of sparks as the Impact Vise consumed its stored booster cartridge to slam both claws shut with shocking speed. The crushing claw closed around the Dagger L's torso with spectacular effect, crushing its sides in a manner not too unlike a tin can thrown into a compactor. Armor burst at their welded and joined seams as the Impact Vise compacted whatever was between its claws. The Dagger L jerked once like a flesh-and-blood human with their spine snapped, and slumped down, its vital components fragmentized and destroyed beyond all repair, as was its cockpit block. Lubricant oozed from cracks in its frame, and one side of its head unit was smeared with coolant and other fluids that had sprayed outwards through one of its neck joint pipes from the sheer force of the Impact Vise.
Kicking the ruined mobile suit away as the claws snapped open again, Alan put the GOUF Crusher into a sideways boost to dodge enemy beam fire as the Impact Vise ejected its spent cartridge and loaded another, before swinging back in lieu of the mobile suit's original left arm. Switching the shield from right to left, Alan drew the mobile suit's beam rifle, mounted on a right hip block clamp, and unleashed fire on the remaining mobile suits, now divided between Alan and an oncoming Grace, as her GOUF Ignited dragged its initial target off its beam polearm and drove into the center of the group. Falx beam polearm rising and falling incessantly, her GOUF Ignited smashed its way through the enemy formation; ducking under a beam sabre strike, Grace chopped off her would-be backstabber's legs with a follow-up roundhouse strike, before bulldozing through the shield block of a 105 Dagger. Pirouetting, the GOUF Ignited released its right hand from the polearm's handle, tribarrel beam guns showering another target with deadly bolts of plasma moments later as she turned around to fire back into the group.
Alan's GOUF Crusher landed alongside two Blaze ZAKU Warriors of the 31st Battalion, combining his volume of fire with theirs. The rest of Raider Team caught up moments later with; amidst a hail of beam shots, Larry's Gunner ZAKU Phantom unleashed the might of its multi-phase beam cannon before it even landed, raking the enemy formation with indiscriminate anti-ship firepower as Larry and Suzuki's Blaze ZAKU Phantoms provided support fire.
"Focus fire!" Alan ordered, his jaw clenched tight as the ZAFT forces laid into the futile resistance of the Blue Cosmos forces.
Alan's ongoing battle was but one of many. All across Heaven's Base, ZAFT forces, Eurasian allies, and OMNI defector support struck against Blue Cosmos resistance even as the main command center of Heaven's Base raised a white flag. The sounds of guttering skirmishes that followed a major battle continued to dissipate into the skies well into the evening.
CE 74, February 22nd, Heaven's Base, West of Þorlákshöfnshoreline, Iceland, Atlantic Federation
Afternoon 20 11
Kaguya Sakamoto looked inland, listening intently for any sounds other than the distant cacophony of battle, or the crashing of waves on the shore. Beside her, huddled under a camouflaged cover, infiltrator Joji waited, drawing a gloved hand over his face in a vain attempt to lessen the bite of the cold sea wind. Seated beside him was fellow soldier Tony, in a similar getup, with their escape jeep hidden underneath a snow-camo tarp.
"We've been here two hours and counting, Commander," Joji said, pointing towards the sea and glancing at Tony, who sighed and shook his head. "Tony says that the submarine crew are getting impatient circling around the area."
"Just a while more," Kaguya replied.
Joji was about to belt out an exasperated reply when the sound of vehicles reached their ears. Kaguya folded her arms in satisfaction as a short while later, two military jeeps drove off the nearby road from amongst the sparse trees that dotted the island shore, as Kaguya, Tokimura, and George moved out of tree cover to meet with the group.
Joji shook his head in amazement. "I'll be damned, you people really pulled it off without any losses." He turned to look at the Ray. "Never thought I'd see a someone survive a fight with a GUNDAM-class mobile suit in a base unit!"
"Survive?" Sheryl feigned annoyance. "Try 'shoot-down'; of course, not without a little help."
"Give some credit where credit's due," Karl interrupted, pointing back towards the general direction of Heaven's Base. "Securing the base will keep ZAFT busy for a while longer. Where's John and Shaun?"
"We sent them on first, to the sub," Tony replied. "No followers?"
"Not that we saw," Ray replied. "And even if there were, they'd likely be ZAFT."
"Doesn't mean they won't take potshots at us," Karl said. "Both the Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation have declared their separation from the World Security Treaty, with most of the other nations having followed shortly. By technicality, Orb is still under it since the government hasn't issued any statements of rejection, and they haven't announced a ceasefire with the signees yet." Karl let a sigh escape him. "Meaning that the legality of the constituent signees is currently comprised of Orb… and the Blue Cosmos breakaway faction."
Kaguya's expression visibly darkened at Karl's words. "We'd better get back as fast as we can, then, if the situation remains at it is."
Ray spared a glance at Kaguya, but the words were lost on him. Despite having guessed her possible stature, finding it out for real was another matter altogether. And now, the situation was reversed, with Kaguya amongst her erstwhile comrades, while Sheryl, Guy, and himself were isolated from OMNI.
His reverie was broken by Kaguya's voice. "C'mon, Captain," she said. "Nothing to be gained by lingering here."
Sheryl glared at Kaguya, but said nothing.
Guy folded his arms. "I'm all for that, Captain. Even if OMNI is now free of Blue Cosmos' grasp, shit's not going to be exactly smooth if we just turn up back in home territory. As well, we don't know if the Atlantic expeditionary forces sent to Europe were merely lied to, or if they're really headed by Blue Cosmos-aligned agents, in which case we better rethink any attempt to link back to OMNI via Europe for the present."
The transport raft was already making its way towards the shore. Karl glanced at Ray.
"I don't know about you, Feric," Kasavok said, moving past him. "But if you're thinking of reappearing back in Eurasian Federation territory, perish the thought. For starters, you'll have to steal a boat with nothing but these rags on your back." he picked at the prison vest Ray wore. "Listen to that man," he gestured at Karl. "Bend the technicalities to your advantage."
Ray shook his head. "Not many roads open to me, as far as I can see." He turned to Karl. "Just promise me you'll get me a cell with enough space to stretch my legs."
CE 74, February 24th, Orb Special Forces Submarine, Greenland Sea, Atlantic Federation
Afternoon 14 49
In all aspects, Karl's efforts had vastly surpassed Ray's expectations. None of the true OMNI personnel were thrown into the brig; there was enough space in the regular quarters to allow them to stay within, although they were forbidden to leave the bunking area without supervision, and only to a few select places. Nevertheless, it was a major step-up from Ray's previous abode.
Kaguya had no qualms on revealing as much as she could afford to. In the room Ray and Guy shared, Ray, Guy, and Sheryl had listened as she told her story; Orb Recon Brigade Commander Kenroukuen Mei, assigned to an infiltration mission into the ranks of OMNI after the fall of Orb during the first Bloody Valentine War. Despite her best efforts, the involvement of Phantom Pain during the Kaohsiung campaign caused her to come under suspicion; assigned to the Ptolemaeus Lunar Base as part of a forward squadron filled with personnel suspected to be less than amicable to Blue Cosmos' needs, she survived the GENESIS attack on the base itself, and spent most of the time in-between both wars moving around the African regions as a simple pilot.
"So for what purpose did you infiltrate the ranks of OMNI?" Ray had asked. "Certainly not to steal technology."
"Our-my orders to scatter into the world were not forthcoming on exact actions," Mei replied. "Had I found out that the myth of the bloodthirsty average OMNI pilot to be true, I would probably have planned and executed sabotage on OMNI bases if I could get away with it. Or, if I had risen high enough, to stay in position to siphon off more data. Perhaps to Orb. Definitely to information brokers on the black market. ZAFT agents would have loved to have that intel. I might perhaps even end up working with the moderates in both the Atlantic and Eurasian Federations."
Sheryl shook her head after Mei finished her tale. "Couldn't make up this life story even if I tried. So how did you end up with us do-gooders?"
Guy stifled a laugh as Mei smiled. "I wasn't - and still am not - a very good actor. When Phantom Pain interfered in Kaohsiung, I lost control of my hand. That was what got me sent to Luna in the first place."
"Some spy you are," Sheryl jabbed. Her glare was still there, but it had lessened in intensity after the escape from Heaven's Base.
"I'm glad to be done with it, if it helps you feel better," Mei said. "Spycraft was part of my training, but I was never really good at it."
"So what awaits us?" Sheryl asked. "Get ransomed back to OMNI or the respective Federations for some spare cash? We're passing by Greenland and Canada to get to Orb, right? You could just toss us onto a boat and let us reach the shore, if you had a mind for it."
"We could offload you onto Greenland or Alaska," Mei said. "But that is up to discussion."
"Out of one frying pan and into another," Sheryl sighed dejectedly. "At least this one obeys human rights laws."
"Lighten up, Sheryl," Guy said. "The food here has got to be a plus."
"You can't mess up MREs, Guy," Sheryl retorted. "They're the lowest standard line for quality."
That conversation was yesterday. Now, told that they were going to begin crossing the Chukchi Sea, in-between continental Russia and Alaska, by tomorrow, Ray mused that it would be the closest to allied territory that they were going to be on this journey.
"As much as Sheryl grouses about our current situation, it's not without point, captain," Guy said from the bunk above Ray's. "When we land at Orb, what awaits us? It would be nice if we continued getting this kind of treatment, but I'll believe it only when I get it."
"Karl had told us that Kaguya - that Mei had argued for the rescue attempt to include us," Ray replied. "We could try and break out from the submarine, but the odds of success aside, betraying her trust would seem to be an unwise thing to do for the moment."
"Sheryl still has a point, though she keeps it hidden under her anger," Guy pressed. "Things may seem well now, but we have too little to go on. The situation might change for the worse without our knowing."
Several seconds of silence passed. The background humming of the submarine seemed to fill the air. Guy hoisted himself to the edge of the bunk bed to check on Ray. "Ray? You asleep?"
Ray sighed, pulling himself upright on the upper bunk bed. "I'm tired, Guy. Tired from trying to uphold a peace that apparently nobody wanted, tired of putting mind and body on the line for… what? We put our pride and skill to the test to keep people from committing stupid acts, to repel invasion from outside, but every time we put that band-aid on something, Blue Cosmos' actions open up another wound from behind us. It would have been a never-ending game of scapegoat."
"I'm tired of having to be answerable for people whose only crime was to wear a uniform usurped by debauched fools, who, in a past day and age, would have greedily welcomed the genetic advantages of being a Coordinator. They were the ones who dug this hole, and since then they've been using our corpses to fill it during these two wars."
"Those blood-sucking bastards are finished, hopefully for good this time. All of the major powers of the Earth Alliance have withdrawn from the treaty. OMNI is on the brink of being dissolved. ZAFT's actions have the warmongers on the run. If all goes well and we get freed from Orb's custody in due time, we'll split back into the militaries of our constituent nations, and let the politicians do the talking."
"We've done all we can, held on as long as we could. Let the others pull their weight in our place."
Guy struggled to form a reply, acutely aware of the silence between them that had settled. But Ray spoke again.
"I must sound pathetic," he said, bitter mirth in his voice. "What kind of commander professes to giving up in front of one of his own?"
Guy laughed, although there was no ill intent in his tone. "No sane person is truly fearless. I think in this instance, you've earned a moment of respite. Besides, there's no way you can let things go that easily."
Ray lay back down on the bunk bed. "Yeah. You're right. I want to know what remains of the Manhunters, and of OMNI in general. The situation in the Eurasian Federation is still a question mark, too."
"Kaguya had said that some holdouts of Blue Cosmos loyalists still exist around the continent, engaged in siege battle with the Eurasian regulars," Guy added. "If there's a plus to our current situation, it's a well-deserved break from all the action." He snickered. "OMNI has never been very forthcoming with the off and leave rewards, anyways. I'd rather not return to duty too soon."
Despite his own grey mood, Ray had to laugh at that last statement. "Can't argue that point."
Afterword:
So ends the Manhunters' jaunt at Heaven's Base. Overall the buildup turned out better to write for than I expected, although on later review the segment was a bit lacking in outside perspective without the Raider Team parts. Leaving them out was originally intentional, however; the previous concept for this arc was to have a limited view of matters from the Manhunters' perspective to give a sense of being caught up in events greater than them. But on second thought, it made it seem like I was sidelining them, hence their inclusion in the final narrative of this arc.