Spectre: Sup, you guys? I've just been having a hectic sched due to me playing some rather addictive games like ML or COD Mobile but I always remember this fic and how to continue it. And that is when my favourite mecha franchise popped on my head. So now, let's begin!
Ainz oal gown: Glad to hear it! It's Arc-ventures across the Multiverse, Chapter 8.
Akakiru: I plan to do No Russian, but Jaune isn't the person I have in mind.
Ketzerei818: I will soon in a few chapters.
Fido123a: I could if I can manage.
Inspiration: Gundam Seed
Chapter 15: Clashing Fates
A few hours later, the Audience returned to their seats after the last screening. They had either their fill on meals or sleep at this point.
"Okay, we're back. But before we start, this universe is vastly different from the others. In the timeline known as the Cosmic Era, there are two sides, both human but very different from one another", Aeralyn told them.
"In what respects?", Ozpin asked.
"One side are called Naturals, or ordinary Human Beings. While the others are called Coordinators, or genetically-enhanced humans by birth, who practically superceded the Naturals. Because of the racial discrimination they had from the Naturals, they built space colonies known as People Liberation Acting Nation of Technology or PLANT for short in order to escape persecutions from Remnant.", Aeralyn explained.
Ghira could relate at this one. The primary reason why Menagerie was established was to escape persecution due to their lineage, which is similar on how Coordinators were due to their genetics. He could see why it has come to this.
"So, are they like, jealous or something?", Roman questioned at the side's rivalry.
"Yep", Flit agrees. "Most Naturals hated Coordinators due to them feeling racial inferiority that escalated to violence in occasional periods."
"That's more like the White Fang's doing but the opposite", Ruby remarked until Aeralyn stepped in.
"And then, things went bad when the Naturals blew up one of their colonies called Junius Seven because of their own racism towards them. Thus, initiating the Alliance-PLANT War where the nations of Remnant joined forces to fight the aggressors of the Coordinators and their military force, the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty, better known as ZAFT"
The Audience were then shown images on the destruction of Junius Seven, murder of several Coordinator citizens, and that of the war itself, which gave them chills on their spine.
"But", Flit stepped in. "The main highlight of this universe are Mobile Suits",
"Mobile Suits?", Ironwood questioned.
"Giant, humanoid war machines that were used in battle. But five special mobile suits here are built, and are known as the Gundam", Aeralyn told him as the audience was intruiged at the thought of using giant mechanized beings as robots..
"Gundam? Strange name", Roman remarked.
"It received its name due to its OS being called General Unilateral Neuro-Link Dispersive Automatic Maneuver", Flit exclaimed. "There were five built for the Alliance but the four were stolen by ZAFT and one remained in the Alliance where it was piloted by a Cooedinator. Now without further ado, let us begin!", Aeralyn finished as she pushed the button of the remote.
The screen then shows Lie Ren walking down at the bridge of what seemed to be a submarine underwater, wearing a red and black military uniform belonging to ZAFT.
Coco lets out a whistle. "Now that is a military uniform!"
"Looks good on you, Renny!", Nora said to her best friend.
"Perhaps we could suggest a change on the military uniforms, general?", Winter asked Ironwood.
"Perhaps, if the council would be willing", the general of Atlas replied.
"Are they on maneuvers?", Ren asked the sub's commander.
"Yes", he affirmed. "Although it wasn't scheduled. They're headed northeast".The sub commander turned his attention towards the crew. "Haven't you found out yet what ships they are?"
Ren remained determined before he cut in. "We'll prepare for battle. Please hurry with those IDs.", he asked them before he walked out of the bridge.
The scene then shows a a huge, legged-ship being escorted by a small fleet of warships in an open sea, where they are en route to the Alliance Headquarters at Atlas.
"Awesome...", Ruby gasped as they glanced at the warship. The audience were likewise impressed on its design and schematics.
"Can Atlas make something like that?", Blake asked.
"Possibly, though it would take a long time to innovate at this level of technology", Ironwood told her. Internally, he was awed by the ship's marvelous apperance, and can only wonder what kind of payload they had.
"We're almost at territorial waters", Yatsuhashi said from of the bridge's computers. "No signs of enemy activity in the area", he said to Captain Winter Schnee.
"I am a Captain?", Winter stammered, not really seeing herself as one yet.
"It seems so, Specialist Schnee.", Ironwood affirmed.
"Wonder what promoted you along the way", Qrow questioned just as Winter scoffed at him.
"Keep watching", Winter ordered. "As we leave the fleet, we'll lift from the sea and procees to maximum speed level!"
"It can fly?!", Ruby squealed at the thought.
"Technology is really ahead of this time honestly", Weiss remarked.
"Message from the fleet", Fox said to her from the computer. "It reads, we are now turning back, we wish you the best of luck".
"Reply. We appreciate your escort", she told him. The screen then shows a hangar where a woman wearing an orange and cream mechanic's uniform inspecting the huge machine until she saw the form of Jaune Arc, wearing a blue, white, and black pilot suit complete with a helmet.
"That's me?", Jaune questioned, the thought of him piloting a huge humanoid machine would always cause him motion sickness.
"Yes, but you don't have to worry about motion sickness since your Coordinator Genes pretty much stamped it out", Aeralyn said to him.
"I recognize her, it's Ilia!", Kali called out to the female mechanic on the screen.
"Who?", Sumner questioned.
"Sienna Khan's adopted daughter, a Chameleon Faunus", Ghira answered her.
"What's wrong, kid? No orders had been given yet", Ilia questioned the young pilot.
"ZAFT will attack the ship once we're out of friendly territory", Jaune plainly said as he went inside the Strike's cockpit, leaving Ilia with more questions than answers.
The Archangel's thrusters sprung to life as the escorts made way for the legged ship. Within moments, the huge ship took flight, as it left the sea to the skies.
The Audience were marvelled at the ship's design and statistics. Ruby looked with starry eyes while Ironwood had an envious look, wishing they have the means to create that type of warship.
The scene shifted to that of the ZAFT submarine's hangar, where the battle station alarms went off and from there, it displayed three mobile suits. The Aegis, Blitz, Buster, and Duel Gundams.
"One ship is leaving the enemy fleet!", the sub's CO announced. "Checking the IDs. It's the legged-ship"
Neptune Vasilias of the Duel gasped at hearing this while Sun of the Buster Gundam whistled.
"Nice! We got ourselves some cool machines!", Sun remarked at this.
"But why do I have a scar across my face?", Neptune questioned.
"An earlier battle due to your cockiness caused Jaune to injure you in battle, which you had a personal vendetta with", Flit explained.
"Come on, I'm not that cocky!", Neptune defended himself before glancing at Sun. "Am I?"
"You were right, Ren!", Nora Valkyrie of the Blitz Gundam affirmed to her squad leader.
"Hey I'm also a pilot too!", Nora cheered. "And Renny is my team leader!"
"Still, it feels strange to the fact that we aren't on the same team", Phyrra said.
"We're taking off!", Ren said to his squadmates. "Today's the day we sink that legged ship!"
"It always give a strange feeling when you left as friends before meeting again as enemies.", Ruby lamented as Taiyang held a hand on her shoulder.
"It always does", her father agreed.
The Submarine's hangar doors opened. "All tanks empty!", the CO announced. "Opening hatches! Launch path clear! Commence takeoff!"
The four mobile suits took off not before four more popped out of the submarines. That is where it unfolded and revealed a Guul flyer, allowing the mobile suits to commandeer them and head towards the Alliance ship.
"They have flight systems but why need floaters?", Weiss questioned.
"Likely to conserve their fuel. Judging to their thrusters, it probably needed a significant amount to go into full-flight", Winter assesed.
The Archangel's radar picked up. "Radar detecting! Four mobile suits!", Sage announced as the crew gasped.
"Checking models...Aegis, Buster, Blitz and duel!", Yatsuhashi confirmed.
"They've been hiding!", Raven affirmed. "They were waiting for us all along!"
The said mobile suits then loomed in closer to the ship.
"Prepare for underwater and mobile suit battle!", Winter ordered. "We have to get away from them! I know that could be tough, but I wish you all luck!"
"ECM at maximum strength!", Raven ordered. "Display smoke dischargers! Lay down smokescreen at both sides!"
The screen then shows the Strike plugging in a power cable into its beam cannon. "Coordinating power conduits. Auxiliary Power Online. Standby complete", Jaune said to command.
"I could somehow tell that you and Ren are gonna be the main ones this time", Yang said to Jaune who simply nodded. But he could not imagine what was it like to battle his best friend at any point.
"To be fair, Jaune and Ren were childhood friends before Ren left for the PLANTs, only for them to meet in the battlefield at opposite sides once more", Aeralyn explained to them.
The members of the audience grimaced at thr thought of being forced to fight old friends because of this of war.
The Archangel launched what seemed to be missiles, only for it to pop to reveal smoke in order to conceal their position. The ship also released its own smokescreen from different parts of the ship.
"Can't they just face them head on?", Blake asked.
"Their objective is to avoid confrontation considering they are almost to Atlas at that matter", Ironwood corrected her.
The screen then focused on Adam Taurus wearing an orange pilot suit with a look of determination in his eyes but with a sense of nervousness from within.
"Don't be so nervous", Commander Qrow Branwen told him through the coms, "All you have to do is to support the Strike from above"
"Yes, sir!", Adam stammered.
Smiling under his helmet, he simply told him "Let's go! Don't get shot down!", he finished as he lifted off from the hangar.
"Course clear!", Blake Belladonna said from the bridge. "Skygrasper Taurus, take off!", she announced before she added. "Be careful."
The fighter took off as Adam was taken by surprise of the sudden impact of taking off before his craft also left the hangar.
"Good Adam?", Yang remarked. "That's new!"
"In this universe, Adam never became a terrorist or had any ill-intentions at another race. Like Jaune, he joined the Alliance in order to protect his friends, particularly Ms. Belladona here who is still his girlfriend.", Flit explained.
Blake compared the aspect of Adam being a kind-hearted and caring individual of this universe to the racist, and fanatical Faunus he had become at their reality. Internally, she wished Adam was just like she had seen here.
The Duel and the Buster loomed in towards the ship, only to be surprised by the display of it.
"A smokescreen?", Sun questioned, surprised of what just happened.
"Trying to be cute with us?", Neptune spat. The two Skygraspers went towards them from the smoke, each carrying the Striker packs needed for the Strike.
"You're more hot-headed at this one, Nep!", Sun remarked as his best friend scoffed at himself acting this way, saying that this is not him at all.
"Two?", Neptune questioned before he open fired at the two crafts.
"Oops", Qrow stammered as Adam was taken by surprise. The two dodged the shots at the next second. "Okay, not bad at all! I'll leave you in charge of reinforcing the Strike!", Qrow ordered.
"Yes sir!", Adam complied before he contacted the said machine. "Skygrasper Taurus here. Strike, can you hear me? I'm sending you the coordinates and targetting data!"
"Adam", Jaune thought. "Roger!"
"I get it now", Ozpin realized. "They're using the smoke as cover from the ZAFT units while the two Alliance aircraft would mark their targets for Mr. Arc to shoot at!"
"Never thought you'd be a tactician at this one, Raven!", Summer praised her teammate who kept a wide eye at what she was seeing.
The Strike's targetting systems tracked where Adam had sent the coordinates. And at the right moment, the Strike fired its beam cannon to which the ZAFT team was taken by surprise.
"Scatter!", Ren ordered the team as he and Nora moved to the right while Sun and Neptune moved to the left.
Jaune deactivated its targetting system where he unplugged the chord to its rifle. And its Phase-Shift armour sprung to life and he took off to the air.
"I can't really cheer on anyone at this one", Yang groaned.
"Considering what both sides have been doing, I wouldn't either."
"Strike!", Neptune cursed as the Duel's Guul launched a volley of missiles against the machine.
"You're not getting past me!", Sun declared as he used the Buster's rifles to try and shoot down the machine.
Keyword, trying. The Strike evaded the shots with such skill before he used his beam cannon to shoot down one of the engines of the Buster's Guul before the machine was suddenly kicked on the waist by the Strike, sending it into the ocean.
"Damn you!", Neptune cursed as the Duel used its headguns to which the Strike used its right shoulder gun to shoot down the Guul's missile pods. Neptune yelled as he began to crash into the ocean.
"What?!", Sun called out, flabbergasted on what just happened to them.
"We went down like jobbers, what the hell?!", Neptune exclaimed, also shocked of what just happened.
"Aww cheer up, guys, I'm sure you're gonna have a spotlight later", Coco assured them.
"Neptune!", Ren called out before he returned his focus towards the Strike.
"Take this!", Nora shouted as the Blitz and the Aegis open fired on the Strike who evaded their shots.
Ren gritted his teeth on that, and that is when he realized that the Archangel was getting close to them and it fired its Gottfried cannon, to which the two mobile suits evaded. The Strike landed on the middle of the Archangel where the ship began to move out of the smokscreen.
"Valiants, fire!", Raven ordered as the railguns and its missiles fired onto the Blitz and the Aegis. Ren scoffed as he dodged the railguns and used the Aegis's headguns to destroy the missiles in front of him while the Blitz used its beam rifle on its main weapon to destroy the incoming missiles as well.
"Black isn't really my color", Nora muttered.
"Link their vector data to the ", Raven ordered her subordinates near her. "Ensign Daichi! Maintain course!".
"Yes, mam!", Yatsuhashi complied.
The Strike's phase-shift armor deactivated as it detached itself from its launcher equipment. "Branwen is approaching from above!", Adam told Jaune.
"Strike, standby to convert to Aile mode!", Blake said to Jaune via communicator.
"Don't you dare drop my present!", Qrow sassed to the young pilot.
"Go ahead, Commander!", Jaune said to him. The Strike took up the air once more where Qrow's Skygrasper detached the backpack and its weapons where the backpack was attached to the Strike and its rifle and shield on its right and left arm respectively. The Phase-Shift Armor sprung back to life soon after.
"Awesome!", Ruby squealed at the machine's performance and its ability to switch its weapons.
"Mr. Arc's changed his style to that of an aerial type. He can fight evenly with the two machines with the current equipment he has", Ozpin remarked.
"That guy changed his armor in mid-air!", Nora said in disbelief as Ren maintained a stern expression.
"Ren..", Jaune thought before the Strike used one of its beam sabers. The Blitz lunged its harpoon but the Strike sliced down the projectile as it made contact. The Blitz then used its own beam saber where it clashed towards the Strike."This is even better than most robot shows I watched!", Yang excitedly remarked.
"Minus the part where Jaune and Ren are trying to kill each other", Weiss told her.
Qrow's Skygrasper fought Ren where it fired its beam rifle towards the red machine. The Aegis retaliated by firing its headguns but the jet evaded them.On the air, Adam watched as his teammates fought the ZAFT mobile suits. Adam looked in worry but he gathered all his determination to support his allies.Meanwhile, the Blitz and the Strike continued to clash with another, neither slash going through with either machine. "Damn..", Nora cursed as she prepped to fire her beam rifle but was distracted when two rockets struck the shield on her beam rifle. "Bastard!"
"Jaune!", Adam called to to his friend.
"Adam!", Jaune used this opportunity where the Strike loomed in towards the Blitz, where its beam saber severed its right arm and kicked it away from its Guul, causing it to plummel into the sea to which the Strike proceeded to commandeer it.
"Aww, what?!", Nora whined upon seeing herself get handled by Jaune.
"Sorry, Nora..", Jaune apologized while scratching his head sheepishly.
"You did it!", Adam praised his teammate for that. The Blitz continued to plummel down the ocean as the Aegis remained. "Damn..."
The Aegis fired its beam rifle towards the Strike, who returned fire with his own, deflecting a shot with its shield with Ren doing the same. The two continued to exchange gunfire until a memory of Ren suddenly flashed on Jaune's head, before he gritted his teeth before returning his focus on the mission.
The Strike then fired another shot where it shot the Aegis's Guul, with the red machine getting off the floater where it crashed towards the one the Strike had, causing it to explode.
The Aegis then transformed into its MA form where it fired its Scylla energy cannon, which the Strike evaded. The White machine landed on thr Archangel once more where its Gottfried canons fired again, but only succeeded in grazing its machine.
"Ren's machine also got its payload", Ruby remarked.
"Jaune! I'm sending in the Sword Striker!", Adam called out.
The Aegis landed where it greeted him with a rain of gunfire from the Archangel where it defended itself with its shield before Ren noticed his energy fuel was running low.
"That can't be good..", Qrow muttered.
Ren scoffed before an alarm suddenly went off. "What?", he said before he realized that the Strike was about to slash him with its longsword. Ren attempted to fire again but his beam rifle was cut down by Jaune.
"Stop firing!", Raven ordered before going to her coms. "Ensign Arc! Don't chase it too far!"
The Aegis watched the Alliance warship backing the white mobile suit. "Retreat already!", Jaune pleaded. "You guys have lost!"
"How dare you?!", Ren spat as the Aegis activated its yellow beam sabers and it engaged the Strike once more.
"This guy is insane!", Mercury remarked.
"He is a soldier, Mercury. It is his duty otherwise he might be captured for secrets if that was the case", Cinder said to him.
"Enough, Ren!", Jaune pleaded once more. "I don't want to fight you anymore!"
The Strike dodged the attack by jumping before using its longsword to slash down the red machine, only for it to be parried by its shield.
"It's too late for that!", Ren spat. "Shoot me! You said it's what you'd do!", he finished as the Aegis went for another slash but the Strike parried it with its sword.
"No, it's not!", Jaune called out to the screen, not wanting to imagine himself fighting his best friend.
"You said it before that you'd destroy me the next time we meet!", he added. The Aegis detached its shield to ignite another beam saber but Jaune blocked it before landing a punch straight into the Aegis's head.
"Right in the face!", Mercury called out.
The Aegis stumbled backwards where the beam sabers deactivated, and its Phase-Shift Armor also being deactivated. The Strike raised its sword towards the defenseless Aegis.
"Ren!", Jaune called out as the ZAFT pilot gritted his teeth.
"No!", Jaune called out, not wanting to see how this goes.
"Don't do it, Fearless Leader!", Nora cried out.
"Ren!", Nora called out as the Blitz Gundam revealed itself from its Mirage Colloid with a lance on its remaining arm and was charging towards the Strike. "Get back!"
Ren widened his eyes at what she was about to do, and that is where he stood up. "No! Get back!", he shouted hoping that she would hear him from the audience.
Jaune could only watch in horror, knowing what was going to happen.
The black-colored mobile suit attempted to stab the Strike, but instead, it ran into the blade where it struck the cockpit, where Nora screamed in pain as the beam breached her cockpit and into her torso. Jaune was aghast, and the Strike let go of the blade and backed away from the Blitz, who was sparking electricity. Ren could only watch in horror from the Aegis.
"Oh oum...", Phyrra muttered as she covered her mouth with her hands, horrified to what has transpired.
"Nora...", Ruby stammered. "She... she ran through the blade..."
"Jaune...he didn't mean to slash the blade into her..", Weiss exclaimed. "It was an accident..."
Nora watched her counterpart in shock. She knew this was just an alternate reality and that Jaune didn't mean to kill her as she stepped in the way. But internally, she was hoping for that the Ren in this universe wouldn't do something drastic because of this.
"Ren...", Nora weakly said. "Run...", she finished her last as blood spread across her face and the visor cracking.
"Be careful, Nora", Romina Valkyrie said to her daughter before she left for ZAFT.
"Mother...my piano..."
And within moments, the Blitz exploded into a fiery inferno.
"Noooo!!!", Phyrra cried out as Jaune was holding back his tears at what happened to his teammate.
"Oh my god...", Summer exclaimed.
Qrow took a chug from his new flask given by Flit, not wanting to imagine what had happened back there.
Everyone grimaced at the fiery death of the young student, seeing it worse than any other they had witnessed.
Jaune gripped both his fists in total regret, he did not mean to kill the pilot firsthand. The Aegis stood still as bits of the ruined machine fell.
"NORAAAA!!!!", Ren shouted to his fallen comrade.
Spectre: Gotta get in shape soon! Part 2 may be in a week or two.