For those of my readers who have wondered where I've been, I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you. Underwater is the best I can do. For those curious about this, read my profile page and it should become clearer. Heres one more chapter, and hopefully a few more soon after, but no promises, I don't know how long I'll be in port.
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"YOUR TURN TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY!?" Cervantes's exclamation was loud enough to turn heads in his direction even outside the debarking terminal. His fingers curled into fists and he took a single step forward, staring incredulously at his son in law and the banner he was standing under. "What exactly does that mean, Sai!? What the hell do you think you're doing? I must say, that if you've picked up the habit of playing practical jokes, you chose an extremely bad time to show it."
"No one here is more serious than I am, Cervantes." Sai replied quietly. "I didn't think my statement was all that confusing. Still, let me re-phrase it for you again... you've dropped the ball one too many times now, and I'm no longer going to sit on the bylines and let you make an embarassment out of our family name."
"You little bastard! I made you into the man you are today and this is how you show your gratitude? Kicking me while I'm down? I always knew you were a blind, foolish idealist, Sai, but I didn't realize what an idiot you were until just now. You honestly think you can replace me? Me, Cervantes Zunnichi, the Lord of Blue Cosmos? Have you gone mad? No one can replace me... no one else is even close to worthy to replace me." Cervantes snarled
"When a man starts to think of himself as irreplacable, no matter what he does, that is when his replacement becomes a necessity." Sai retorted firmly. "I didn't plan this from the beginning, Cervantes... I would have liked to work with you to address the Coordinator problem, to find a viable solution together. But you constantly refused to see any view but your own... you wouldn't even let me speak about any goal that did not end with the violent death of all Coordinators. By blinkering yourself to just that one solution, you blinkered all of Blue Cosmos and were starting to do the same to the rest of the world, dragging billions of innocent people down to hell with you in the name of racial fear and hatred. I'm very sorry, sir, but my own conscience would not let me sit by and let you abuse the lives of others for your own ends any longer."
"You're sorry? Not yet you aren't. You're not even close to sorry yet. You know me, Sai... I've never been tolerant of disrespect or understanding of rebellion. I'm the man who made you into the person you are today, who elevated you to the heights of power you enjoy and are now misusing against me... or trying to anyway. I know your game... its the same game that's been played by the young and lustful throughout all of history... you just want a bigger slice of the pie and you think my grip is slipping enough that I won't be able to stop you. You're wrong. Dead wrong. I can take everything from you... your job... your money... your respect... your society friends... everything, even including your love. Isn't that right, Vanai?" Cervantes replied with a sly wink towards his daughter, who had initially pumped Sai for information at her father's request, almost a year ago.
"No, it's not. Father... I will always love you for all the wonderful things you've done for me. You've made my life into the paradise its been... but I cannot side with you now. Please believe me, father... I have not abandoned you... I'm still your daughter... I still love you. But I can't let you do what you've been doing any more. I can't let you misuse your power to drag other people into a conflict that has no end." Vanai answered, her face set in stone though the pain in her voice was strong. It's never an easy thing for a child to tell a beloved parent that they think what they're doing is wrong... especially when you and your parent agree on so many other things.
Cervantes's face was white with anger now, and pinched with a mixture of displeasure and outright shock. The one thing he'd never expected was his own daughter, his own flesh and blood whom he'd lavishly spoiled since birth, whom he'd indoctrinated into Blue Cosmos personally, would turn on him like this. He'd underestimated the persuasive powers of young and lusty love apparently. The thought that perhaps it was his own increasingly desperate and unbalanced philosophy that might have driven this wedge between him and his daughter did not enter into Cervantes's mind. To him it was almost inconceivable that anyone could think his methods were anything but the most effective and correct methods available. He was fighting to win the war, damn it! Casualties were a part of the equation... people had to die to win a war, it was unavoidable. That's what soldiers did, wasn't it? Died to win wars, died to follow the orders of people like Cervantes? That was the natural order of things, after all. If you had power you made the decisions... if you did not, then you followed the decisions and sometimes that meant you had to die doing it. Sad perhaps, but there was no use fighting it. "So you've turned her against me as well, haven't you?" Cervantes said heavily, disappointment dripping from his words. "Frankly, Vanai, I guess I shouldn't be surprised... faith and loyalty are always hard to maintain when the man has a big cock and your father is far away, aren't they?"
"Father... no... I haven't lost faith in your teachings. I'm still loyal to Blue Cosmos... I... I just can't follow the same ideals you follow now. Can't you see... it's not us who have deviated... its you. Your path can only lead to genocide... Blue Cosmos was never about genocide... it was about preventing humanity from utilizing the evils of genetic engineering to erase their own roots and natural characteristics. It was about preventing science from perverting nature... to keep the essence of humanity pure! It was never about death... it was never about the killings before! Even Blue Cosmos never espoused rampant use of WMD's on terrestrial battlegrounds, or used military war machines to break up peaceful protests! Can't you see that you're going too far?" Vanai protested.
"There is no such thing as going too far. This is a war of survival. It's us or them... in a fight like that, you can't hold back... not even a little bit." Cervantes snapped.
"This is not a war of survival. This is a war of rampant misunderstanding and hatred, inflamed by the rhetoric of extremists like yourself." Sai countered. "I was there at the end of the first war... I know as well as anyone that peace was the only thing on anyone's mind then. No one wanted another war... no one wanted to keep fighting. It wasn't until the truth about Cagalli came out that things started to return to the way they were before the first war... and you can bet that the crap you shoveled down my throat for an explanation as to how someone found out about Cagalli isn't going to satisfy me now. How could a father countenance using his daughter like that, to force a man she loved to betray his friends? No wonder Athrun and Cagalli hate me... they think I betrayed them to Blue Cosmos willingly." Sai continued, his own voice lowering now as he warmed to his subject, keeping his next accusations more personal. "And don't think I'm stupid or blind, Cervantes... you think I haven't figured out that the giant mobile suit that destroyed Pearl Harbor with nuclear weapons and the giant mobile suit that attacked the crowds in Orb on your orders are the same mobile suit? Most of the rest of the world has no idea, obviously, but it seems to me that it is quite unlikely that two identical mobile suits would be in use by opposite sides, hmm? But then that would mean you ordered the nuking of Pearl Harbor as well... ordered the death of an entire city, just to provoke the public."
"That's... that's..." Cervantes stammered, unprepared for the highly accurate accusations. "You never said anything before..."
"I never had as much time to think it over before. See these bandages Vanai and I have... they aren't for paper cuts. Several days ago I rescued a man from being beaten to death by friends and neighbors who thought he was a Coordinator. It turns out that I was the one who was decieved, not them... he was a Coordinator, a deep planted spy. When he found out who I was, he killed the bodyguards you assigned to watch over me and tried to kill both me and Vanai, along with our children, who should be born in about two months now, if you care. If it weren't for additional security precautions I myself arranged for..." Sai had vowed to Ashino that he would not let Cervantes find out about him and so he embellished his account a little. "... we would have died. As you can see, we did not, though both of us were injured. We tried to call you and tell you... I wanted to at least talk to you about regaining my original security team while we recovered. But you ignored us... if it wasn't for a tipoff I received from some friends in the operations department of Blue Cosmos, I wouldn't even have known you were coming to Panama... though I guess I shouldn't be surprised, now that you've chased yourself out of Orb with your own stupidity. Attacking the crowds with a mobile suit!? How insane are you, anyway?" Sai demanded harshly.
"I did what I felt I had to do, just like always. If it hadn't been for the interference of that blasted Archangel and your former friends from the wedding, it would have been the right choice too. If the Merciless was still intact, I'd still be in Orb and you can bet they'd never protest my rule again." Cervantes spat.
"Your rule?" Sai asked, eyebrow raised. "I thought the EA was in charge of Orb... not you. You may have played your part in the peaceful annexation of Orb... but by no means were you its ruler. Despite your mudslinging, that title still rightfully belongs to Cagalli, I would think."
"A seventeen year old girl? Don't make me laugh. A national leader can't be a seventeen year old girl... she's nowhere close to mature enough to run her nation the right way... her public affair with Zala is more than proof of that much, I should think!"
"I don't think you have any understanding of Cagalli at all, if you're the one calling HER maturity into question. I didn't even know her very well... but let's do a quick comparison... she lost the only man she'd ever known as father to Blue Cosmos attacks... but instead of seeking revenge against our organization, she was mature enough to put her own pain aside to try and bring peace to the world again, working tirelessly to end the war not for her own goals, but to advance the cause of all humanity. Then we have you... you haven't even lost anything and you're still seeking revenge against people who cannot help how they were born. Who's not mature now?" Sai said in a withering tone. "And her "affair" with Athrun was quite discreet, in terms of national news, until you found out about it from me and revealed it yourself, so I would hardly think it fair for you to criticize her on that score either." He paused again, and closed his eyes, struggling to contain his own anger. "And what exactly is the right way to run a nation? How would you know what's right? You tried to run Orb like your own personal playground, oppressing its people, squeezing them for every red cent you could get in both money and manpower to fuel a war they wanted no part of... no national leader worth the name would run a country like that."
"Your own words turn against you, Sai." Cervantes smirked. "I may not know how to run a country, but can you say you really know how to run an organization like Blue Cosmos? I don't think so... you haven't the slightest clue as to how to maintain your authority over a political movement like Blue Cosmos. It's too big a responsibility for a moral weakling like you."
"That's not what the board of directors say." Sai replied calmly. "Do you honestly think I'd be foolish enough to confront you like this, in public, if I didn't have two legs to stand on with a lot of backup as well? Before you got off your jet, you were easily the most powerful and influential man in the world, Cervantes... and now, you're still unbelievably powerful. Thousands if not tens of thousands of people live and die at your behest every day this war goes on. If I didn't have the support of a lot of very powerful people, it would be suicide to confront you like this... politically and literally, given how you seem to solve problems these days."
"The board is a bunch of old fools... they never had any real power. They were never anything more than advisors to Azrael or I." Cervantes retorted, a superior smile on his face. "Even if you do have their backing, which I find dubious, given the amount of time I've known them, it doesn't mean anything. All they can do is ratify my decisions anyway... if they won't follow my orders, I'll just get rid of them and find people who will. There's always people who desire money like that which the board members make. Blue Cosmos does not lack for qualified people. No one is irreplacable."
"This time its you who have stumbled into a trap of your own words. Let's see if you can weasel out of it too." Sai observed. "Blue Cosmos is full of qualified people... and no one is irreplacable. Especially not the person who fills the role of figurehead leader. Any highschooler who has a few years of drama club under their belt could do your job, Cervantes... all you have to do is be the public face of Blue Cosmos and all that requires is a force of personality and a big smile."
"But that's not all I do. I'm the one who makes all the decisions." Cervantes smiled. "Without me to order it, nothing would get done."
"I think you'll find a surprising amount of things get done without you even knowing about them. I've managed to fund and manage my little breakaway party right under your nose for months now and you never had any idea. You've been too worried about the war you caused to mind such little details. Yet another reason why I can't let you continue on as leader... you've lost touch with the organization... what sort of leader lets a member of his own family rebel against him, after garnering the support of the board of directors of the company and organization the leader is nominally head of? Not a good one, I can tell you that."
Cervantes smiled again, crossing his arms over his chest and regarding Sai through slitted eyes, casually looking around the room, noting with satisfaction that it was still mostly full of Hellhounds... his own personal elite troops, the best of Blue Cosmos. "Well, I can't say this was a pleasant surprise, son in law. But this little coup of yours ends here and now. You may have support, you may have political backing. You have my daughter and you have your arguments. But you have not won. In fact, confronting me like this has resulted in you losing. You know me as well as any, Sai... and thus you know I have no ethical problem with ordering your death, even now, in public." Cervantes looked around the room again and his smile grew. He raised his voice. "Hellhounds... you know what to do with traitors!"
"Too right we do." the inflectionless voice of Cyprus Finch replied from off to his side. Cervantes had still been smiling as dozens of armed men within hearing distance had drawn their weapons in unison at hearing his order. He was still smiling when he turned to regard the Lieutenant. He stopped smiling when he saw that the Lieutenant was pointing his rifle at him, not at Sai. Indeed, as his eyes darted around in shock, about half the Hellhounds present weren't pointing their weapons at Sai at all... they were pointing them at their fellow Hellhounds, who had followed Cervantes's order. From a distance of less than six feet, the small caliber muzzle of the Gladiator rifle still managed to look big enough to fit one of his fingers inside now that it was pointed between his eyes.
"What is the meaning of this!? Asmodeus, what the fuck is going on here!?" Cervantes demanded as everyone within sight froze, unprepared for the sudden rifts within their unit... it had been less than a day earlier when these men and women were all fighting and dying together... now they were at gunspoint with each other.
"I would imagine that Sai has more support than either you or I guessed, sir." Asmodeus answered quietly, his icy blue eyes blazing with anger as he stared at Cyrpus Finch, his star pupil and most valued subordinate... a man whos loyalty he had thought to be utterly unquestionable. The thought gave him pause... if Sai's views were enough to bring around a man of Cyprus's caliber and intellect, this wasn't just some power grab on Sai's part. There had to be real meat to his arguments for Cyprus to betray his superiors like this. In truth, Asmodeus had been worried about Cervantes's mental state for a while now, and his rash decisions in Orb had done nothing to reassure him about his friend's stability. But Asmodeus could not change camps now... there was too much shared blood on his and Cervantes's hands for him to turn away from his oldest friend just because of the path he was taking would likely end in ruin for everyone. If you couldn't be loyal to your friends then there was no point in you being alive, in Asmodeus's opinion.
"Get your people under control, Asmodeus! I won't stand for insubordination in my soldiers!"
"They aren't our soldiers anymore, sir. They're Sai's soldiers." Asmodeus pointed out, one hand on his pistol grip, though he did not dare draw it while Cyrpus already had a gun pointed in his direction... he was nowhere close to that fast, especially not at his age.
"They aren't my soldiers... they're my friends and companions, people who support my plan for ending this war and bringing peace to the world once again, a peace that will prevent any Natural-Coordinator conflicts for all time, once the fortifications are fully completed, that is." Sai replied. "I don't want this to turn into a political war, Cervantes. Such a thing will only prevent Blue Cosmos from becoming the force it will need to be in order to bring the war to a rapid close. I'm asking you now... begging you if you want... but however you want to look at it, please, just step down. Relinquish your death grip on the fate of the world... for the good of all mankind and for the preservation of our blue and especially our pure world. Please."
Cervantes chuckled and the chuckle turned into a laugh... and from there became a full blown fit of amusement. After nearly a minute he pulled himself together again and he turned to jab his finger at Sai, ignoring the weapons pointed at him in his fury. "I don't think so, Sai. The only way you'll ever get Blue Cosmos from me is if you pry it from my cold, dead fingers. And I don't think you have the balls to kill me... or even order me killed. Oh, your pet dogs here will do the deed for you if I were to order you dead here and now... but you yourself will never be the one to order an assassination. It's not in your character... it doesn't play well with your ethics or morals." Cervantes growled with a terrible grin. "You argue well, but words mean nothing... only actions... and you are afraid to take action. If you weren't, you would have greeted me with a bullet, not a banner. You think you speak from a position of strength, but your support is a house of cards and I will delight in kicking it out from underneath you and grinding you and your little group of supporters into bloody paste beneath my heel. This is not the end of things, Sai... this is just the beginning. You accused me of starting a war for my own ends... well now its a crime we're both guilty of." Cervantes reached out slowly and purposefully and pushed his finger into Sai's chest, causing the slim young man to sway backwards. "For the Preservation of our Blue and Pure World... stand by. Just stand by."
Asmodeus eyed the Hellhounds who'd joined Sai's faction warily... most of them looked ready to open fire at less than an instants notice, as their leader was threatened by Cervantes. "Sir, it might do well to remove your hand..." Asmodeus started to say.
"We're done here, Asmodeus. Let's go. We have a very big guest to prepare for, let's not forget. Come now, we have no time to waste." Cervantes spun on his heel and walked out of the terminal, head held high, utterly ignoring the guns that followed his every move, dismissing them, daring them to shoot him because he knew they wouldn't... because it wouldn't be right... it would be murder to shoot him... and Sai was no murderer. Which was why Sai was not going to be around too much longer if Cervantes had any say in the matter. He smiled again as he walked outside to meet his driver, Asmodeus and the still loyal Hellhounds warily following him, weapons still to hand as the tension in the terminal room gradually died down. Cervantes reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone, which he casually flicked open with his thumb. He paused in front of the open door of the limo and looked back into the terminal building, meeting gazes with Sai one more time. He hit a speed dial button on the phone and held it to his ear. "Frost... I hope you haven't gotten too comfortable..." he slowly drew a finger across his throat meaningfully while maintaining his gaze lock with Sai.
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Sai maintained a stubborn and resolute expression on his face until Cervantes's car was well out of sight. Then he allowed his true feelings of worry and concern to show. He turned to face Cyprus and the other members of the Hellhound teams who had chosen to side with Sai's party, the Isolationists. "That didn't go nearly as well as I was hoping it would." he admitted. A ghost of a smile crossed Cyprus's lips as he slung his rifle across his shoulders once more and picked up the gunny sack that contained his other gear and supplies he had brought to Orb with him.
"I don't know, nobody died... thats more than I was expecting." Cyprus said dryly. He glanced over his shoulder, where the stretcher that held Thomas Glory was just being picked up again by four Hellhounds... one for each handle, since two men by themselves weren't strong enough to carry the massive Sergeant-Major for very long. The tiny smile left his face when he regarded his friend of longest standing, still unconscious from the sedatives he'd been force fed by Cyprus on the flight over. He tried not to think about how close he'd come to losing one of the few people that really understood him... a commodity he was always careful never to underestimate the value of. Of course there was very little... almost nothing... he could have done to prevent Glory's injury, only a desperate man or a madman would have done what Captain Ramsgoth did and he paid the price of his actions... but though Cyprus kept his emotions supressed much of the time, he was still more than human enough to feel guilty that he hadn't been able to prevent his friend's suffering. A .50 caliber slug fired from close range into your side would have been enough to kill a great many men that Cyprus knew... there was a reason why action heros always fired the big guns, never got hit with them... they were designed to be deadly, one shot kills almost no matter where you hit your foe. Even the redoutable Thomas Glory had been near death for a while, until they'd reached the jets and got him hooked into some blood replenishment.
"There's less of you than went to Orb. I didn't realize the mobile suit battle involved the Hellhounds." Sai noted, seeing only eighteen soldiers present counting Cyprus and Glory, considerably less than the thirty or so Cyprus had assured him had been converted to his views before going to Orb.
"It did not. At most it had a subtle effect... when the Merciless went down, the roof of the room we were fighting against the members of TEMPEST and your friends in collapsed. Before we could pursue them and finish them off, we recieved a frantic distress call from Cervantes and we were recalled to help guard him as he evacuated. There was such a rush that we were even ordered to leave nonambulatory wounded behind." Cyprus saw Sai looking around, seeing several Hellhounds with leg or torso bandages, besides just the insensate Glory. "Naturally, he didn't exactly do a headcount and Asmodeus had already turned control over the battle to me earlier, so he was in no position to complain."
"And what of..." Sai trailed off, not quite sure how to ask what he wanted to know.
"Our objective was to kill Lacus Clyne and Cagalli Yula Attha." Cyprus said heavily. "We failed to complete that objective utterly. We did kill Captain James Ramsgoth and I've received reports that Captain Vladimir Valkavich, aka Andre Forkav, was killed as well, but until I see his body myself I would not count on that. In the process we lost almost twenty Hellhounds and more than thirty EA infantry soldiers dead and many more wounded. By any standard I know of or follow, the mission was an abject failure, a career ruining event." Cyprus paused and grinned slightly. "For all that, its a failure I think I can live with... even more than I could live with success." Sai smiled back, relieved that his friends... estranged friends but he as a whole wished them no harm... were alright.
"I cannot help but agree with you there... though our viewpoints differ, I am still working in parallel with Lacus and Cagalli... and the more people working for peace, the easier it will be to gain it." Sai replied. His face clouded again quickly. "Assuming we can remove Cervantes from power quickly enough. I don't know about you, but to me he looks like he's in a tailspin, going down in flames and hellbent on dragging whoever and whatever he can down with him to justify his failures. Like I told him... its not me vs him in a personal battle for power and prestige... this is a warranted and necessary step that I personally find quite distasteful, but I could not delegate to someone else... he is my father in law and he was right, he did make me the man I am today... and I aim to show my gratitude by saving him from himself."
"And everyone else along with him." Cyprus mumbled. "He's not going to go quietly though, I'm sure you realized that. He is not able to see that we are not acting out of selfishness and he will treat us all as enemies now... barely above the level of the Coordinators he hates so much."
"He was spot on on his characterization of me. I won't countenance sending people to kill him. He may be insane... he may be the single biggest contributor both to the start of this war and its continuation... but if we just kill him off, if we resort to that level of persuasion, we wouldn't be any different from him and I refuse to be like him. I may start out just ordering the necessary deaths, but soon, the definition of necessary death might start to change to mean what I want it to mean and from there its only a matter of time before I start sending mobile suits out to attack helpless civilians. No... he's right, he's safe from harm coming from me or mine." Sai said firmly. "Bodily harm that is. I intend to murder him politically, socially and reputationally, you can rest assured of that. It won't even be all that hard, with all the ammunition he's given me to use against him from Carpentaria and his rule over Orb."
"He's not stupid. He's going to try and silence you." Vanai piped in. "I don't think he'd try and hurt me, despite his hurtful words, but he'll be seeing all of you..." she waved her hand at Sai and the Hellhounds. "...as vermin to be exterminated as quickly and finally as possible. Knowing my father, I'd say he's probably already on the phone... or has Asmodeus on the phone... setting things up to kill you all."
"His resources exceed ours, especially here. We need to leave Panama and return to safer waters as quickly as possible." Cyprus agreed. "Too much can happen on a military base like this... a mobile suit misfire, a defensive emplacement program error... there are many ways for people to die accidental deaths. Cervantes might not even care about making it look accidental anymore... he still has Zacharis Frost and the Fury and while my men and I may be able to protect you against a large number of infantry, theres extremely little we can do against even a mobile suit like a Strike Dagger, much less the Fury."
"What is this Zacharis Frost anyway? I've had people tell me a little bit about him, but thats only been recently and I'm not quite sure what to make of what I've heard." Sai asked. He thought a moment. "We'll return to my home in Hawaii... its on its own island and your team already has defensive positions set up there, I'd assume. It's as safe a place as any for the moment, until I can contact some of my supporters and set up a real hideaway."
"That's acceptable for the moment. At the very least we should be able to see any enemies approaching from far enough away that we can effect an evacuation." Cyprus agreed. "As for Frost, well, I know only what I've read about him in various briefing documents, which were frustratingly sparse on the details and strong on the hinted assumptions. From what I understand, he's an engineered human... not genetically, but chemically and mechanically... designed to counter the potentially superior physical and mental abilities of the Coordinators. His purpose is to engage them on their terms and beat them. His specifications... I use their term... exceed those of any Coordinator ever born by significant margins. Personally, I've yet to see him doing anything particularly amazing, but I've heard the rumors... dodging bullets, tearing through brick walls with his bare hands, being shot multiple times without dropping, killing with a punch... he's supposed to be absolutely unbeatable in a mobile suit too."
"Sounds like a real monster." Sai observed.
"Good word choice." Vanai commented with a shudder. Sai and Cyprus looked at her, equally surprised.
"You know about him?" Sai asked.
"Not really know, no. I've met him before though. He was at the party back in Swtizerland, before we got together. You may remember someone dressed as the Grim Reaper standing at the door greeting people. That was him." Vanai explained, leaving out her rather more personal involvement with the vicious little killer... what good would it do to tell Sai about how she'd slept with Zacharis several times? None, none at all. "What Mr. Finch did not cover was that despite his many science gifted powers, Zacharis might have lost more than he gained. He's twisted... evil in the strictest sense. My father is misguided and probably crazy... Zacharis is irretrievably insane, the sort of being whom normal humans cannot even connect to any more, his psychoses so terrible that he has become apart from humanity. My father may see people as tools or pawns to be used... Zacharis sees people as things upon which to vent his rage and pain by killing them as brutally as possible. He would think nothing of attacking crowds of people in a mobile suit... he would enjoy it."
"Wonderful." Sai noted, trying to hide his concern... from the conviction in Vanai's tone he knew she was not exaggerating. "You said he was designed or engineered... does that mean there are more people like him?" He asked Cyprus as they walked outside, headed for the jets that were being fueled and prepped for another flight, the crews having been forewarned by several Hellhounds who'd run ahead as soon as Cyprus agreed with Sai about their destination.
"Not like him, but there are other's similar to him. The term my father always used was BCPU... don't know what that stands for, but Zacharis was called a BCPU 6 and there was another one, a girl, who was a BCPU 5." Vanai volunteered. "Maybe she wasn't as strong as him... she was pretty warped and fucked in the head too though."
"Biological Computer Processing Unit." Sai furnished, the term Ashino had supplied him to use to describe who Ashino was. He noted Cyprus's look of interest. "A... new friend gave me some information, I was seeking to expand my knowledge base by asking you." Sai explained.
"New friend?" Cyprus raised an eyebrow eloquently. "I take it he's that security measure you spoke of?"
"You noticed."
"I may have loaned you my pistol, sir, but you're no combatant... if a Coordinator spy had entered the house and managed to neutralize your guard detail, you were as good as dead without outside help. I knew something was going to happen as soon as I left your side... just knew it."
"I did manage to get a few shots off... but you're right, I wasn't even close. I remember I tried to pilot the Strike Gundam once, soon after we landed in the African desert... I just felt so useless, with Kira defending us all the time and me being unable to do anything at all to help. Since then, I've come to terms with the fact that I'm just not the sort of man who's worth is decided by how he can physically protect the people he cares about. I'm no pushover, but I'm certainly no soldier and even less of a mobile suit pilot. My battles are fought with words, in online forums and on the floors of political offices or courtrooms... that's why I have friends like you, Cyprus, and my new friend... to provide me and those I care most about with the physical protection I am unable to provide."
"I take it we're going to meet this "new friend" of yours?" Cyprus asked. "He must be pretty good, to take down a ZAFT spy by himself. And he seems pretty dialled in on some very sensitive projects of Blue Cosmos, to even know the name Zacharis Frost."
"Frankly, I still haven't completely made up my mind about him just yet." Sai replied as they boarded the private jet, which was filled with Cyprus, the comatose Glory and seven other Hellhounds, while the others rode in another jet. "He saved my life... saved Vanai's life and our children's lives... but theres so much about him I don't know and I'm not sure of the reason why he hasn't opened himself up to me more fully, since he professes complete friendship."
"So you don't trust him?"
"More I'm waiting for a second opinion before I feel completely safe. He and I are getting to be friends, he reminds me a lot of Kira... and that's both a good thing and a bad thing. I've been burned once in the fires of a sundered friendship... I'm not eager to go through that sort of hell again."
"I'm honored that you think so much of me as to ask me to check him out." Cyprus said, taking a seat and closing his eyes.
"Why? Who else would I ask? Vanai has much the same opinion of him as I do... he's a wonderful person, gentle, kind and loyal... but those things are more like a skin over what he really is... we don't know how deep those qualities go and until we do... well... that's why I'm asking you." Sai replied. "Besides... its not like he could fool you... one look into those eyes of yours and a mute person could start babbling out all their secrets."
"Heh..." Cyprus chuckled once, almost like a hiccup of amusement. "It's just psychology... prey animals tend to have nervous eyes, always evaluating their environments for threats, while predators have focused vision to pick out a target and bring it down. Prey are uncomfortable when they are forced to stare at one thing... especially at a predator. Humans are no exception, most of the time... those who lack confidence or are less than completely sure of themselves tend to be unable to meet the gaze of a true predator... unless they are a true predator themselves. Cervantes for instance... I could stare him down to my hearts content and he wouldn't even twitch... same for you, I believe. But humanity as a whole... most would look away, uncertain which of their faults I know of, wondering why I have to stare so hard."
"Are you tired? I'm sorry, you've probably been up for a long time... and fresh out of combat too. Damn it, you're supposed to say something... I'm not going to deprive you of your sleep just to talk with me!" Sai protested, seeing that all the rest of the Hellhounds were already dozing in their seats.
"There's tired and then there is in need of sleep. Tired is when you've done enough work of any sort that you don't want to do it any more... I'm tired, but I won't be able to sleep just yet." Cyprus replied. "Not until I've satisfied myself that everything is as it should be."
Sai shook his head and sighed. "You certainly are hard on yourself."
"My job is the easy one... you are far harder on yourself, adopting the role of leader, sir. I only have to worry about keeping my men and myself alive, and you and your wife alive and safe... you have to worry about saving the entire world... and the world currently doesn't seem to particularly want to be saved. Don't waste your concern on me, sir, I've endured much worse than this before."
"Maybe so, but I'm still going to worry about you. What sort of leader would I be if I wasn't concerned for the well being of my friends and supporters? No... we're on a jet and theres not a damn thing either you or I can do to affect our own safety until we land again. So until that point in time, you're going to sleep... it'll be an order if it has to be, but I'd prefer it to be a recommendation. If it makes you feel any better, I'll be getting some rest too... that confrontation was not easy on the nerves."
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Ashino watched as the helicopter slowly approached the landing pad of the splinter island that Sai's mansion was built on, some twenty or so miles from the Big Island of Hawaii. It had been almost a full day since Sai had left with Vanai and a few supporters to meet Cervantes in Panama, the most likely place for the leader of Blue Cosmos to flee to after being chased out of Orb. Well, former leader now, if Sai and the world were lucky... Ashino didn't have much hope for that though. He'd never known the exalted leader of Blue Cosmos personally, and was glad for that... but given what he did know about the man, giving up power was not something he would do quietly or bloodlessly. He'd been concerned enough that he'd considered going along with Sai to Panama as protection, despite the risk of discovery and massive confrontation that that would have sparked, but Sai had counseled him against it, revealing that many of the people he was going to meet in Panama were highly trained soldiers already on his side of things. Ashino still had misgivings... he knew well what sort of soldiers Blue Cosmos tended to recruit... slovenly at best, with notoriously fickle standards of loyalty or else utter fanatics, not the sort of men who would see any sort of end to the war but what Cervantes saw. He supposed the sight of the helicopter returning on time, with no worldwide news proclaimation of Sai's death, was a good sign, an indication that at least his newfound friend was returning alive.
Ashino was casually dressed in some clothing that Sai had ordered for him... durable dark blue slacks, not quite military fatigues but not civilian wear either, with a light blue undershirt and dark blue overshirt that matched the slacks in construction, with many large pockets on the front and sides. Combined with military boots, sturdy belt and dark blue garrison soft cover, his "working clothes" brought to mind the uniform of a professional janitor or exceptionally clean mechanic. The pistol holstered at his side and the compact assault rifle slung over his left shoulder quickly dispelled that illusion, leaving no doubt that the short but muscular man was at the very least a security guard or soldier. Ashino fingered the hilt of the long combat knife sheathed across his lower back as he watched the helicopter make its final security passes before coming in for the landing, tapping the rubberized grip almost nervously in anticipation. At length he noticed what he was doing and quelled his rebellious twitching with a stern thought, though he did smile briefly... such nervous tics were a sign of normalizing to him, an indication that he was really becoming more human the longer he stayed around Sai. He looked out at the landing pad again from his position in the shadows of the tree line, squinting his eyes in the sandstorm briefly blown up by the rotor wash as the helicopter settled to the ground.
The men who came out of the helicpoter first were not familiar to him. There were two of them, rangy of build with tense stances, dressed in an odd form of urban camouflage that featured splotches of orange as well as the standard white, grey and black. Both men were well armed, with assault weapons similar to the one Ashino carried held confidently in their arms, while pistols and knives were holstered at waist and thigh. Grenades hung in tight clusters across their chests, which were bulky in a way that suggested high quality body armor to Ashino's eyes. Both men wore full face helmets of slightly fanciful design, with the face masks being constructed in the form of leering hound faces complete with snarling fangs and glowing red eyes. Still, there was nothing flighty or jocular about how they scoped out the area, always moving so that one covered the other, with overlapping fields of fire and constant motion. These were professional soldiers, among the best he'd ever seen. Ashino did not wait to be detected by them, a forgone conclusion given his relative lack of cover and the no doubt high tech sensors built into their helmets. Keeping his hands near his weapons but not overtly threatening, Ashino stepped calmly into the daylight of the landing pad, staring at the polarized window of the passenger compartment door. The soldiers hadn't shot at him yet, but he declined to take that as meaning they were friendly... they were cagey sorts and a lack of action did not indicate a lack of intent.
His fears and worries were put to rest a moment later though, when the helicopter door opened again and Sai jumped down onto the ground, one hand on his sun hat to keep it from blowing off in the fierce rotor wash, the other raised to help Vanai down after him. Once his wife was safely down on the ground, Sai turned and gave Ashino a brief wave and a nod, heading over towards him as more and more of the soldier types came spilling out of the helicopter behind him, this time with their masks up, revealing tired but resolute looking human faces. The back hatch of the helicopter lowered with a hydraulic hum and more soldiers crabwalked slowly down it, carrying stretchers with injured soldiers on them, including one man who was a true giant, so big that two men could not carry him farther than the edge of the landing pad before having to set him down to rest their arms. One final soldier jumped down from the helicopter, a lean and mean specimen even amongst the other soldiers, who all exuded a tough aura of competence and deadliness. This final soldier kept his face downturned from Ashino's vision while waving for the helicopter to take off, before falling into step a few paces behind Sai.
"Ashino, it's good to see you, my friend. I hope things have been restful for you during my absence." Sai said warmly as he approached, his steps only slightly hitching from the pain of his wounds, which were still some time from being fully healed. Ashino's own wounds and injuries had closed within days, but he forced himself to remember that Naturals or even Coordinators were not nearly as robust as a BCPU.
"It's good to see you as well, Sai. I must admit to fearing that you might not return." Ashino replied, remembering to extend his hand to shake Sai's... one of many everyday customs he was learning. "Cervantes is not a man to confront lightly." Sai reached out and took the proferred hand without hesitating, despite the slightly unnatural feel of Ashino's skin, which was more leathery than even the most hardened outdoorsman, despite looking no different from any other skin.
"Well, I cannot say it went as planned, but we all came back alive and whole, though given what my father in law hinted, that's a situation that might be changed at any time." Sai answered with a smile and an unconcerned shrug that didn't fool any man present. "I hate to be abrupt, but has anything come up that I should know about? Anything at all?"
Ashino did not immediately reply, his gaze and attention focused upon the lean and mean soldier that had shadowed Sai ever since he left the helicopter. As usual, he was looking up into the man's face, but Ashino found himself unable to get more than a peripheral view of his features... due to the fact that his eyes were locked onto the pale grey orbs of the soldier's eyes. Ashino wasn't one for primacy rituals or pissing contests, but he wasn't just going to back down from the hard stare of this Natural soldier either. Besides, even he, empathically deadened as he was, could discern that this was a good deal more than just a game of comparing manhoods. The soldier wasn't trying to get him to look down or away... entirely the opposite actually, Ashino felt like his gaze was being inexorably drawn into the others, like his soul was being slowly pulled out through his eyes and examined in minute detail by the other. His mouth twitched in a slight smirk... he was no stranger to a penetrating stare, as any man who had worked long with Asmodeus Sark had received more than a few of them. He took his own measure of the soldier as the soldier took his measure of Ashino. For nearly a minute the two men stared each other down, barely even blinking as each tried to rummage around in the other's head to get a handle on what sort of person they were.
"I can do this all day if need be." Ashino said at length. "And while it is interesting, I don't think it serves either of us much purpose besides entertainment. It certainly won't help Sai any. My name is Markov Ashino. I'm a Biological Computer Processing Unit, level 4. I used to be the pilot of the Blue Cosmos Gundam designated the Bane before it was destroyed some weeks ago in Panama. Currently, I'm a guest at Sai's mansion, though I don't think I'll be going anywhere on my own... I've sworn myself to his service in whatever capacity I can manage or he can find for me. Pleased to meet you."
Cyprus narrowed his eyes for a fraction of a second before reluctantly cracking a small smile as well. It had been like staring into a room with a couple of active smoke grenades inside. He could get some sense of Ashino, a general layout, a basic map of his psyche... but any sort of detail was occluded from his view, either by years of mental and psychological conditioning or mental damage of some sort. Given what he'd heard on the unofficial grapevine about what sort of processes it took to become even a BCPU 2, he strongly suspected it was a combination of both. Despite this, he hadn't gotten any sort of feel that Ashino intended any harm, however minute, to Sai or his cause. Ashino was likely a troubled individual with a troubled past, several psychoses and a great deal of hidden angst, but Cyprus couldn't make himself hold any of that against the short BCPU. His smile turned bitter for a brief moment... indeed, such a description could be applied to more than just Ashino. Without breaking eye contact, Cyprus held out his hand.
"Lieutenant Cyprus Finch, formerly of the Hellhounds of EFSOU. Commander of Sai's security detail and his personal bodyguard." Cyprus said firmly as he shook hands with Ashino.
"He's also a good friend of mine, though he has trouble saying that out loud." Sai chipped in. If Cyprus was shaking hands with Ashino, that must mean everything was cool between them and Sai could let out a small sigh of relief. He wouldn't have wanted to witness a battle between two men like Ashino and Cyprus. It wouldn't have been much fun for him either, having two close friends at each other's throats. But luckily, that didn't look like it was going to happen. "In fact you'll probably both find you have a lot in common, including a sometimes frustratingly taciturn nature."
"I choose my words carefully, that's all." Cyprus retorted, turning towards Sai to shoot him a barely perciptable nod of permission.
"Why say something when it has no meaning?" Ashino asked, noting the nod and deducing that he'd just been examined and given the green light. He didn't mind... he thought it was quite prudent of Sai actually... there was a great deal about Ashino that was unknown to Sai and it would only be natural for him to want to be sure Ashino was no threat to him, even if he had already saved his life. Of course, there was a great deal about Ashino that was unknown to Ashino himself, so unfortunately he wouldn't be able to open up to enlighten his friend about him anywhere near as much as he'd like to. "The only message of note was an encoded document from the people at Research... they're nearing the final stages of blueprints for the Archmage and Cataphract designs. Assuming everything goes well and nothing bad happens to their funding, they'll be moving into prototype construction within the week."
"That's good to hear. ZAFT is retrofitting their entire force with new models of mobile suits and the Strike Daggers and Strike Crusaders just aren't going to be a match for them any more. It'll be back like it was at the start of the last war... we'd have the extreme numerical advantage, but thats not much of an advantage when one of their machines can destroy five of ours." Sai replied. "You're a pilot... what did you think of the schematics for the Cataphract and Archmage?"
"How about I tell you as we walk?" Ashino offered. "If trouble really is at your heels, its best not to stand around in the open too much and the day is hot... we don't need you or the soldiers getting sunstroke just for the sake of my opinion."
"What about yo..." Sai was about to snappily rejoin with a smile when his mind caught up to his mouth. "Oh yeah... little bit of tropical sun and heat probably doesn't bother you too much does it?"
"Not generally." Ashino admitted. "I can remain optimally functional in temperatures ranging from eighty degrees F below zero and one hundred eigthy degrees F above zero for an indefinite period without the need for protective clothing."
"Not that he's bragging or nothing." a Hellhound whispered to a friend. Ashino turned his head towards them where they stood in some shade about forty feet away.
"It's merely a statement of fact, not a boast. Its nothing for me to be proud of... I'm not resilient because of personal achievement or training, merely because it is how I am made."
"You have keen ears." Cyprus commented as he, Sai, Vanai and Ashino stepped off the helipad onto the path through the trees that would lead them to the mansion. Cyprus noted without looking that the hale members of his teams were already fading into the palm forest, spreading out into a defensive perimeter across the area around the mansion while others carried their wounded comrades inside to the guest rooms. He didn't have many soldiers to command, but he didn't really need many when he had Hellhounds. Ashino shrugged, another human mannerism he was now proud to display whenever he got the chance.
"I'm a weapon, Cyprus." he replied casually, disdaining the use of ranks or titles... they reminded him too much of his old life. "What good is a weapon without sophisticated targeting systems?" Cyprus shrugged in return and nodded once. "But to answer you about the mobile suits... I think they admirably fit your outlook and strategy, Sai."
"So what's wrong with them then? I sense a bit of reservation... just tell me what you really think about them... I'm not thin skinned, a friends opinion isn't going to make me cry." Sai pressed. Ashino frowned and struggled to order his thoughts into something coherent, something a non pilot would be able to understand.
"Well, obviously they aren't perfect, since the Cataphracts are woefully slow and clumsy, being heavily armed and armored centauroids. They're more mobile artillery platforms than mobile suits really. Even more so for the Archmage... its just a big floating box with guns and repair facilities. In any sort of running engagement your forces are going to be at an extreme disadvantage. From what I know of ZAFT, their machines are going to be quite maneuverable... I'm worried that despite the heavy armor and weapons the new models sport, because of the speed and agility of the enemy, it will do them little good. Look at what Kira Yamato did to Cray and the Merciless at Carpentaria... all the firepower in the world doesn't matter a bit if you cannot hit the target."
Sai smiled and nodded, considering what Ashino had said. "I agree with you up to a point. Fortunately, not all Coordinators have Kira's skills... if they did, the war would have been over months ago. But I think you've slightly misconstrued my intent for the Cataphracts and Archmage's. Unlike ZAFT, our new designs are not going to be replacing all our old models, but will merely be added to our inventory. Deployed in groups of four Cataphracts and one Archmage, armed with their artillery weapons and defended with their linkable Citadel shields, they will form a sort of mobile stronghold on each battlefield, from which the rest of our forces can resupply, repair and rest, not to mention use as defensive positions. Think of it like this... we are men with spears... ZAFT is cavalry. We cannot stand against them alone or even in small groups, because they are faster and more agile than each of us individually. But if we all work together and form a hedge of spearpoints, a square to defend all sides... well, then they will break upon us, unable to penetrate our defence no matter how hard they attack."
"That's an alien idea to me. Formation fighting died out centuries ago, with the advent of heavy mobile artillery and other long range weapons of destruction." Cyprus said contemplatively. "To think that the new counter to the Coordinator war machine would be to revive an ideal from so long ago, in the days of the beginning of gunpowder use." He smiled. "Frankly, I must applaud you, sir... I can honestly say I never would have thought of doing something like that."
"I studied a little bit of history... the Napoleonic wars of the late 1700's and early 1800's AD especially. That's where the idea came from. It would all fall apart of course if ZAFT managed to come up with some form of new "cannon" to break our "square" with, but they've showed a great deal of reluctance to use WMD's so far in this war and I can only hope they continue to do so. Thanks to Kira and the others, our own efforts to use such strategic weapons have likewise been mostly stymied, thankfully. As soon as I'm able, I'm going to have all those nukes dismantled or shot into the sun... we don't need weapons like that... they're just a curse on humanity, of no use to any moral right thinking person." Sai replied.
"What about Gundams?" Vanai threw in suddenly. "I'm no military tactician or student of history, but it seems to me that only foolish people would disregard the effect only a few powerful mobile suits piloted by exceptional people had on the last war. Think about it... throughout all of history, sure, battles have been fought and won or lost by strength of arms, or numbers or strategies... but they've also been won because troops were properly led, inspired by great leaders, special individuals who turned the tide of seemingly lost battles merely by their presence. To me, Gundams represent people like that in modern warfare... a force stronger than its physical characteristics would indicate, a force multiplier to use a military term my father likes. Something that when added to an already powerful unit increases their abilities to astounding new levels. I would think that Lieutenant Finch would be a good example of such a thing."
"She has a point. My men and women do perform better when I am on the field of battle with them. Not to say they don't always give their best even when I'm not around... but their best seems to get better when Thomas or I am there." Cyprus admitted after a moment's thought.
"Cervantes is not blind to that idea. Thats what I and the other BCPU's are." Ashino said. He bowed briefly in Vanai's direction. "Thank you for pointing that out to me, something of the sort had been nagging at me but I was unable to put it into words until just now. Ordinary soldiers are well and good... but now that the Gundams have been introduced they must be accounted for. Currently ZAFT has no Gundam, though I've heard a few reports of some new prototype that had a hand in destroying the 12th lunar fleet. Of the Earth Alliance, only Frost and the Fury remain, but he alone is an enormous advantage. The three of us could have turned the tide at Washington DC and saved the city if we'd been allowed to. Cray and the Merciless very nearly compromised Carpentaria's defenses before Kira showed up. These are examples we cannot afford to ignore. I myself am easily capable of annihilating a company or more of mobile suits alone, assuming I was in the Bane. If ZAFT does have a Gundam in development, that could very well become a "cannon" to use your analogy, that would break our formations and spell doom for our cause."
"It seems ludicrous to think that the actions of a single man and machine could have such a drastic effect, but I cannot deny you your points. After all, I was aboard the Archangel at Jachin Due." Sai said quietly as they reached the patio. A sudden thought occured to him. "This might sound a bit counter culture for me, but would it be possible to use this Frost character and his Gundam? You've told me that he's a monster and I don't doubt you, but the raw fact remains that he's a very effective monster by all accounts."
"I wouldn't recommend that." Ashino said instantly.
"Hell NO!" Vanai cried vehemently.
"That would be inadvisable." Cyprus added, speaking almost at the same time as Vanai and Ashino. Sai held up his hands placatingly.
"Okay, okay, I get it. I guess that leaves us with one real choice then. Somebody hand me a phone. I need to call R and D and get them started on a new project. A new Gundam."
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Frost looked out of the small window that pockmarked the fuselage of the long range cargo transport aircraft. If he'd been human, he probably wouldn't have been able to see much of anything at all... it being well past midnight. It didn't help that they were a good thirty thousand feet in the air either and there was moderate cloud cover between them and their target. As things were, he fancied he could just barely make out the whitish outlines of crashing surf along the coastline of the large island below them through occasional breaks in the clouds. His mind was blank, not quite asleep but not at normal active level either... much like a computer that goes into low power mode between periods of intense activity. He might have even dreamed once or twice, but he was never sure. These last few months had been unusually lucid for him, but he'd learned long ago that he couldn't trust his own mind even a fraction, because it wouldn't hesistate to mess with him. Even just thinking something like that caused a slight reaction... shadows seemed to elongate and drip from the ceiling, almost humanoid in shape, shrieking mouths open soundlessly as they were torn apart by something he couldn't see. The tang of fresh blood drifted past his nostrils and he imagined he could feel a liquid warmth seeping over his palms. There was a burst of background noise, like static, that caused him to shake his head slightly before looking out the window again. The glass was cracked now, and a slick blackish-red substance coated the lower half. He paid it no mind.
"Holy fuck... holy fuck... holy FUCK!" a soldier screamed from across the compartment, bile rising in his throat as he stared at the ravaged body of one of his fellow squadmates, who'd gotten up from where they were huddled in a pre mission shoot-the-shit to take a piss. On his way back from the bathroom stall, he'd for some reason decided to take the long way around the compartment, perhaps stretching a kink out of his legs. In any case, his meandering path had led him to pass right next to the small, half catatonic form of the special agent that had been attached to their company for this mission. None of the members of the MAGOS (Marine Assorted General Operations Squadron) company knew what to think of the kid. They'd been ordered by the mission leader and their officers to give him a wide berth, but to the hardened mission specialists of one of the most elite fighting units in the EA armed forces, he didn't look so tough. But then the soldier had stood between the kid and a light source, casting a long shadow over him where he sat hunched by a porthole. What had followed had happened so quickly no one had seen anything but the aftermath. There was a gasp of shock and pain and then the sound of shattering bone and cracking glass. The soldier was now headless, his neck a ragged stump from whatever force had twisted his head off and slammed it so hard into the glass porthole that the reinforced glass cracked and the skull fragmented into a dozen clattering shards.
"What in all the names of god is going on bac..." a senior enlisted NCO poked his head out of the small forward room beneath the cockpit where he was getting the final premission brief from the mission leader along with his fellow NCO's and officers. "Oh shit!"
Asmodeus heard the exclamation and sighed, knowing that his good fortune had at last run out. He'd dared to hope Frost would remain introverted and quiet until they reached their target, barely twenty minutes away now, but he should have known things were going too well. Maybe if he'd had the rest of the Hellhounds with him... but no, they were all either undergoing intensive loyalty and psychologic retesting following the defection of fully half their number or else directly guarding the Judgment in its hangar, assuming they passed the tests. Two had failed so far and that had necessitated their... retirement. A waste of talent and training perhaps, but better that than another schism in the ranks. So instead he'd been forced to make do with another special forces group under the umbrella command of EFSOU. He'd pulled a few strings, called in a few favors and ended up with a company of almost seventy MAGOS soldiers. MAGOS was a little too strictly military for his tastes... EFSOU was more a paramilitary or truly "Black" operations group, while MAGOS served the Naval branch as their own personal elite fighting force, much like AFAR for the ground based forces. But they were adequately trained, if not nearly to the same extent as his Hellhounds and they were very well motivated and perhaps most importantly, completely and totally loyal to Blue Cosmos. This was a mission about as far off the books as it could get... military soldiers assassinating a political leader who was well loved by many people in the EA without provocation or notification. There would be no speaking of this event... not ever.
"Calm down." Asmodeus ordered flatly, moving away from the lecturn board where he'd been laying out the general plan of attack against the Zunnichi family mansion situated on the small island off the coast of Hawaii's Big Island. He was dressed in his Hellhound's uniform, with his helmet-mask set upright and facing out into the assembled officers and NCO's sitting in the briefing chamber. A unsubtle but undeniably effective reminder to them that his words were to be taken extremely seriously. Normally infamous for their rowdy and bawdy conduct before missions, the MAGOS soldiers hadn't so much as whispered behind his back ever since he identified himself and set out the helmet. Reputation did have some uses after all. "I warned your soldiers to stay away from that man. This is why."
"He tore Simmons's FUCKING HEAD OFF!" the NCO, a First Sergeant, shouted with one hand pointing at the gory mess while the other scrambled to unbuckle the mean looking automatic pistol holstered at his side.
"Then Simmons was an idiot. Do not approach within ten feet of the man dressed in the cloak... how hard is that to understand?" Asmodeus retorted, placing his hand firmly on the sergeant's gun arm. "Stand down, Sergeant. And relay that to your men. The very last thing we need is for a gun battle to break out inside an aircraft at thirty thousand feet. It wouldn't even make a difference anyway... it would only provoke him."
"But sir... he's just attacked and killed one of my men!" the commander of the MAGOS company, Captain Kiffon, protested. "That man needs to be restrained for court martial. I demand his incarceration and trial!"
"Demand noted and denied. Zacharis Frost is not governed by the military code of conduct. He is also exempt from civil laws, since he is a non-citizen of every nation. He doesn't even exist, do you understand, Captain? Your man had a terrible accident during a training mission. That's all. Believe me, you do not want to take this any farther up the chain of command than it's already gone. Training accidents can be depressingly common. Now, since we've resolved the situation, let us get back to the briefing... we don't have too much longer until we reach the DZ." Asmodeus informed everyone in the compartment loudly, firmly and coldly. He stared the Captain down for only a second or two before the man cast his gaze down and ducked back into the room, pale and trembling with pent up anger. Asmodeus didn't care even one bit. Let the man hate him... the hate would help sharpen his reactions... and he'd need every advantage he could get, because they were very likely going up against the Lieutenant. Asmodeus had not revealed this fact to his troops for reasons of morale... no one would perform well knowing they were going to be fighting against a legend.
He strode quickly back up to the temporary podium and picked up his pointer stick again, ignoring the glares from everyone else in the room. "We're going to be utilizing HALO drops. The DZ is going to be cold... the enemy has no anti-air defense capability or any form of long range sensors. Rapier team... that is, myself, Frost and the command squad plus the heavy weapon squad will deploy into the forest here, on the northen tip of the island. Trident team... squards 2, 4 and 6... will conduct an ocean splashdown and come up towards the house from the eastern beach while Broadsword team... squads 1, 3 and 5 lands on the western beach and comes across in a pincer movement. Are there any questions about the basic plan of attack?"
"What sort of OppFor (Opposing Forces) are we looking at here?" the MAGOS XO wanted to know.
"The exact number is unknown, but theres anywhere from twenty to thirty hostiles in residence at the manor, approximately one fifth of which are non-ambulatory wounded. The primary target is a noncombatant, but his guards are top notch. Consider them at the very least equal to you yourselves and you'll have a good starting mentality. I won't lie to you, gentlemen... the enemy is likely to be well dug in and in fortified positions. The house itself is hardened against anything smaller than a RPG. Luckily, we have complete diagrams for the layout of the built in defensive locations and command center that were built along with the house for security purposes."
"If these guys are anywhere near as good as us, they won't be using those anyway." the First Sergeant who'd been first to respond to the scene in the cargo bay replied sourly. "How are they armed and equipped? Any vehicles or heavy support?"
"No more than light civilian vehicles and oceangoing surface craft. The enemy forces may have a heavy weapon or two, but there are no dedicated heavy weapon units and I have very strong information which says that their heavy weapons will be inoperative or ineffectively used." Asmodeus answered. Unless Glory somehow manages to do the miraculous and recover from a .50 caliber gunshot wound in less than a week... which isn't possible for a human. "I would expect to encounter traps of all sorts, ranging from IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices) to mines to satchel charges to bundles of grenades on a tripwire."
"This is going to be a bloody fucking nightmare." the First Sergeant muttered. "Night time HALO drop, cold DZ or not, into an unknown number of well trained and entrenched hostiles in a FUCKING JUNGLE and REIN-FUCKING-FORCED house, likely equipped with at least one heavy weapon and through who knows what sort of fucked up booby traps they've set up."
"You don't have to like it, Sergeant... you just have to do it."
"Not to mention we got a goddamn psychopath dropping with us!" Captain Kiffon added venemously. "What's his deal, Captain Sark?"
"I could tell you what his deal was. But if I did, none of you would ever go home to your families ever again, successful mission or not." Asmodeus shot back. "I can say this much though... he's our trump card." Further conversation was interrupted by a series of three loud pings and a blinking red light up on the wall above his head. "There's the five minute warning. This briefing is concluded. Good luck." He did not wait for any more questions, picking up his helmet-mask and striding briskly from the room. He turned and stalked over to his private cubicle just across the hall, barely bigger than the bathroom stall just a few steps further down the passageway... cargo aircraft not being known for their luxurious and spacious accomodations. He felt the aircraft dip and slide as it slowly descended towards the drop altitude of twenty three thousand feet and made the final course corrections that would lead it to fly over thier target. Without wasting motion or time he threw on his body armor and equipment, patting his side once absentmindedly where his sword was missing from its usual place... a long blade had no place on a para-drop mission... more hassle than it was worth.
Once he was prepared he took a heavy metal case from a rack along the wall and pressed a thumb into its genetic lock scanner, popping it open with a snap of rotating metal gears. Carefully he withdrew two short and heavy bladed machetes with chainsaw teeth running along their edges instead of a normal edge. Holding them in the crook of one arm he took two heavy batteries from other indentations in the foam interior of the case and slipped them into firmly secured belt pouches, one on either side of his body. He was no fool... Frost would carry his weapons down... but he wouldn't be able to fully use them until Asmodeus supplied him with the batteries on the ground. He didn't delude himself into thinking Frost couldn't wreak bloody havoc with the inert blades anyway, but it was a small measure of control and he was glad for it. With a final look around to make sure he hadn't missed anything, he set his helmet onto the top of his head and strode out into the cargo compartment, where the MAGOS soldiers were completing their final mission preparedness checks, heavy oxygen masks and NVG visors perched on top of their heads, hunch backed with bags of gear or tanks of extra oxygen for the ocean dropping teams.
The alert siren pinged three more times and the warning light turned a steady red. "Two minute warning!" an NCO bawled, making sure his squad was properly strapped into their parachute-gliders. Asmodeus made his way over to Frost, stopping a good ten feet away and out of easy reach. The dead soldier, Simmons, lay where he'd been killed, his blood congealing on the floor as the cargo bay was slowly vented to the atmosphere outside. Decompressing like this wasn't the most comfortable way to do things, but it was fast and easy as long as portable oxygen supplies were used by the troops, there being little to breath at 23,000 feet. Asmodeus set the chain-machetes on the ground and kicked them over to Frost, who looked up at the sound of metal grating on metal. His eyes glinted with triumph when he saw the gift, though it dimmed somewhat when he picked them up and noted they were inert. Asmodeus snapped his helmet-mask down over his face, feeling the portable oxygen supply kick in. He heard the various MAGOS squads conducting their own oxygen and commo checks through the tactical net. No helmet or oxygen mask had been provided for Frost. He did not require one. Three more pings sounded and the light started flashing green. One minute. Asmodues shrugged into his own parachute-glider and snapped all the closures tight. Frost had been wearing a parachute the entire time, it being locked on to him before he boarded the plane. He was a valuable asset after all... if something happened to the plane they wanted to be able to stand a good chance of finding him at least.
"Thirty seconds to DZ." the pilot announced over the tactical net. "Conditions are cloudy and calm, with a fourteen kph wind out of the north. Temperature at altitude is negative thirty... temperature at LZ is seventy four... a nice night for a fight."
"Fuck you, flyboy." Captain Kiffon snorted, from his position at the ramp. He hit the interior control button and with a almost silent humm the ramp dropped, affording everyone in the cargo compartment a great view of a sea of grey clouds below them and the cold starry night above. There was a period of time where there was dead silence. Then the light above their heads turned solid green. "DROP DROP DROP! GO!" Captain Kiffon shouted putting word to action and diving headfirst out of the back of the plane, followed in well drilled progressions of a second exactly by his men. Asmodeus and Frost were the last to leave the plane, with Frost jumping first and Asmodeus leaping after him, making sure that the little BCPU was never out of his sight or gun range. Below, a peaceful tropical island slumbered, quiet and expectant.
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Ashino looked up at the night sky, at the faint moonlight filtering through the cloud cover at about ten thousand feet or so. There was a storm coming, he estimated. Not tomorrow, but the next day. Nothing major, just a rainstorm. The air had that slightly charged feel to it. His stomach panged and sent a frissure of momentary pain through his abdomen. He grimaced and gritted his teeth until the pain was gone. It wasn't a hunger pang... he ate better and more copiously here than he had anywhere or anytime else in his life. But his metabolism required more than sugers, proteins, vitamins and fats to sustain it... without the chemical compound Gamma Glipheptim his various biological modifications and augmentations would begin to wear down at a rapid pace. Normally he received continuous doses of the drug, which also served to heighten agression and sharpen reflexes, every two weeks. His internal stores carried enough supply for a month before they would run dry. But his last refill had been before his fight in Panama and he knew he was beginning to run low. The stomach pangs were like a biological alarm light, meant to warn him that he was running low on fuel so to speak.
He did not look forward to the time when the drugs ran out. Crippling pain would be the initial symptom and would continue without abating until he received a dose of the drug. If he went for a sustained period of time without any in his system, his biological and chemical upgrades would begin to... deteriorate... the end result of which would be his death by massive internal bleeding in four or five days. Maybe a week all told after his supply ran dry and he'd be dead, unless he managed to somewhere find more. Which didn't look likely, the drug could only be synthesized at great cost in a very few specially equipped laboratories in the world. The primary source had been JIHAD, but that was of course gone now. Another facility existed in Panama, but that wasn't an option either. There were bound to be others, but Ashino had no idea where they might be. He'd of course informed Sai about this problem of his and a blood sample had been sent off to the Research and Development scientists who had defected from the Puritan Blue Cosmos to join Sai's Isolationists... but he held little hope that they'd be able to adequately supply a replacement source in time. His blood had so many chemicals and other additives in it that it could barely even be called blood by some standards. Isolating a single compound, when not even he knew what it was composed of... well... needle in a haystack, so to speak.
His train of thought diverted slightly after he thought about the R and D guys. Isolationists... Puritans... Blue Cosmos had been fractured into two political camps by Sai and Cervantes. The line had been drawn in the sand with Sai's confrontation of his father in law in Panama and the schism had become a public reality only a day later, when Sai sent out a message to every major chapter house of the organization worldwide and on the internet as well. He had called for all moral and right minded people to come forth and stand with him to oppose the madness and bloodlust that had gripped the old echelons of command in the organization, the ones who would perpetuate such bloody horrors as Carpentaria or Purgatory Day. Personally, Ashino had had some doubts as to how much of a return Sai was going to get on his investment but he'd been pleased to be proved shockingly wrong. Sai had smiled when Ashino admitted this and said "Well, since all you were ever around were the die hard fanatics of Blue Cosmos, I can hardly blame you for having that opinion my friend. But Blue Cosmos is much more than just the extremists... its a world wide organization made up of everyday people. Shopkeepers, students, businesspeople and yes, soliders. But by and large these people... these regular, normal people... are as sick of this war as you or I am."
Ashino smiled and shook his head again... truly he understood nothing about the great scheme of things. But he was learning... slowly but surely. A creaking floorboard behind him alerted him to the presence of another person walking out onto the third story balcony, though in truth he'd been aware of the man as he made his nearly silent approach through the empty guest room behind him as well. "Couldn't sleep eh?" Corporal Richard Ramierez, the scout of Hellhound Alpha team commented, coming out onto the balcony to take in some of the night air as well. Like every other Hellhound, he'd of course been briefed in on the BCPU project on several different occasions, but he'd never expected to encounter one personally... special forces and the mobile suit division didn't have much to do with each other, generally speaking. Ramierez hadn't yet made up his mind about Ashino... in truth his mind was so filled with conflicting thoughts about the current world situation and the memories of the disastrous battles in Orb not so long ago at all that he hadn't actually thought of the short red head at all until he spotted him standing out on the balcony.
"I'm not very tired." Ashino replied noncommitally. These Hellhounds reminded him too much of the old Blue Cosmos... it was of course to their eternal credit that they had chosen to side with Sai, but he could not bring himself to trust them just yet. He was betting the feeling was mutual. They didn't go out of their way to avoid him per se, but neither did they seek him out to talk with him. At least until tonight. "You?" Ashino asked in return.
"It's too quiet out here. Almost expectant... theres a charge to the air." Ramierez replied, putting his hands on the railing and looking out across the moderately dense jungle that covered much of the small island. There was nothing to see but the tops of the trees, barely swaying in the shore breeze and the dim glint of refracted moonlight off the water miles away. Birds called sleepily as they were disturbed by the movements of rodents or lizards in the underbrush and the constant hum of flying insects provided a soothing background intermixed with the sounds of the waves washing up on the sandy beaches. "Maybe I'm just getting a case of the post battle shock... Purgatory Day isn't something I'll be forgetting any time soon."
"You... uh... lost... friends?" Ashino asked hesitatingly, unsure of how to proceed with the conversation. Ramierez gave a deep sigh but did not turn to look at the BCPU. There was a long pause.
"Yeah. I lost a lot of good friends." Ramierez answered tightly, closing his eyes in grief. "Damn those bastards in TEMPEST... fiends, bastards to the last. Those goddamn booby traps... urgh!" Ramierez shook his head in remembered frustration.
"I'm sorry." Ashino said, doing his best to be sincere. He was unsure of how successful he was until Ramierez turned his head to look at him.
"Heh. Didn't expect that." Ramierez commented. "No offense, but sympathy wasn't something I expected from a BCPU. I thought they tried to burn that out of you guys."
"For a long time, I thought they had." Ashino admitted, taking his turn to look introspectively at the inside of his eyelids. "It's only recently that I've started to realize how much of myself I still have."
"Well, it sounds like we've both got a bit to get off our chests, doesn't it?" Ramierez noted. "Most of us aren't sure what to make of you, Ashino, I'll freely admit that. A lot of us don't like being around you just because of what you might be. Hell, I'll man up and admit that you scare me. You could kill me right now and theres not much I could do to stop you, is there?"
"Yes." Ashino agreed after a moments thought. "Given the proper provocation I could kill you with an eighty nine percent probability of receiving no more than minor damage, with most of the other eleven percent consisting of killing you with various amounts of more severe damage to myself."
"See, thats another thing... you just don't act human all the time either. To most people thats a real off putter."
"To most people... what about you?" Ashino asked.
"I'm a scout. We tend to be more lone wolf types. Not the most amiable of people, if you catch my drift. Sure, you're a little more out there than most, but you're not the most dehumanized person I've ever talked with." Ramierez said, turning around to lean back against the railing.
"Thank you." Ashino told him sincerely. He was about to say more when a faint noise reached his ears. "That's funny..."
"What is?" Ramierez asked, staring up at the cloudy night sky.
"Why is a plane flying overhead at this time of night? We're well outside the normal air traffic lanes." Ashino replied, his skin prickling as the charge in their air seemed to intensify for no discernable reason. He cast his gaze upward, his enhanced eyes cutting through the murky gloom of the night with far greater ease that Ramierez. The drone of the plane's jet engines gradually receeded, but by then something new and far more alarming had revealed itself to Ashino's sharp senses. "This is bad."
"What's bad?" Ramierez hissed, his posture tense as he slipped the radio from his belt and flicked it on.
"Multiple falling bodies... at least two dozen, most likely more. They're wearing parachutes and they look to be armed."
"Oh, fuck." Ramierez breathed. He held the radio to his lips. "Sir, we have a problem..."