CHAPTER 12
CROSSROADS (PART I)
/ unknown location /
The atmosphere was hostile. None of the participants inside the meeting room had anything to say; even if they did, it would create even more hostilities. The guests were an unwelcome sight for the council as they were not from anywhere in Earth; their physical presence alone sparked concern among the people.
Finally the chairman broke the silence. "It appears our… guests from the other dimension haven't said anything since they arrived," he spoke, the Persian cat sitting comfortably on his lap.
One of the guests hissed. "I have no intentions of saying anything to you lowly monkeys," said Viral. "And I will never cooperate with the likes of you. Never in my entire life."
The chairman smirked. "I believe I know how to persuade you," he said and bent forward. "That red robot… you're after it, aren't you?" Viral glared at the chairperson, as if saying "how the hell?" The chairman chuckled at his look of pure shock and showed him a satellite photo of Gurren Lagann pummelling grunt units during Green Sphere raid at EFA's Mongolian base.
"Bastard!" Viral barked. "Nobody gets him until I DO!" (The pet cat hissed as a response, its furs standing erect in hostility at the Beastman.)
The chairman cackled. "Have no worry, my dear… guest. We have no intentions of capturing the weapon. Yet." The answer caused Viral to snarl in disgust, and the chairperson merely asked him to keep the anger 'for another day'. "Besides, we already have our own weapon of terror at our disposal. The time just isn't right to use it."
Viral had his eyebrow batted upward. "I don't have time for your ramblings."
"Of course you don't have to," the chairperson replied with a mocking smile. "After all, the decision isn't final until your leader's given his answer himself."
"Why would he consider cooperating with you? Your business with this world has nothing to do with us," Viral spoke.
"Perhaps, but then the situation may prove otherwise," the chairman pointed out. "We'll see."
The meeting ended without any resolutions achieved by both sides. Viral and the Beastman that had been accompanying him left meeting room, all while the chairman put an eye on them. "The Spiral Knights… their arrival to this universe has been… foreseen," he murmured. "Too bad he doesn't want to share his prophecies with us. Perhaps it isn't just the right time."
"Mister Chairman, the Central Asian Division is on your channel," his assistant informed.
"Right." He rotated the chair as to face the wall-mounted screen, his hand continually petting the cat. "Bring them in." Seconds later, representatives of the said division appeared onscreen and began their discussion with the chairman.
"So you have decided to proceed with Project Linked Core? I'm very surprised it took you this long," the chairman said at the end of the discussion.
"We regret the delay, Mister Chairman, but our candidate needs more time to adjust himself with the RSM unit," the representative answered.
"Ah, yes. The overly complicated Synchronization," the chairman noted. "I can see the reason. Do not worry if it takes lots of your time, but be aware that we are facing very strong enemy. Please remember that."
"We understand, Mister Chairman," the representative said. "Mister Chairman, we also have identified the second Candidate but we need to analyze her Synchronization capability. What is your advice?"
"Do whatever you feel you must do," the chairman said. "The decision is in your hand, isn't it?"
"Understood, Mister Chairman."
The discussion ended after both sides reached a consensus regarding the LPC candidates. The chairman finally let go off his pet cat, which jumped off his lap onto the desk, and leaned into the comfort of his chair. "It will not be long before the time comes…" he murmured and went to sleep.
-x-x-x-x-x-
/ twenty miles to the northeast of Grand Canyon /
"You're serious about this? I understand; I'll inform them immediately. I've taken care of the loss. Yes, I know, but they've taken care of the enemies for us, too. Please, don't worry too much about us. I know. Thanks, dad. We'll talk again later."
The phone was hung up. Suzuki leaned into the chair and took a deep breath. It had been very hectic days for her as Centaur-Hanagami's vice director, and she was certain the rest of the crews shared the same feeling. On top of that, eight weeks had passed since they left Sapporo and they had encountered much stuff together. The Centaur-Hanagami might not have been a proper military organization, she thought, but at least those who worked in it had mutual sense of responsibility towards each other.
Suzuki left her desk and headed to the hangar. Upon arrival, Kyosuke was seen having discussion with the Pistoleros, while Excellen and Lamia were consulting Sakura on her combat style. She approached them and conveyed the message her father had asked her to relay. "In other words we're asked to meet the Archangel over Grand Canyon in ten minutes," she said.
"Good to see them coming here," Frieda nodded.
"As for other relevant information, Major Kitamura is with them. They'd picked him up at Pearl Harbour following the assault," Suzuki continued.
"Cool! We haven't met Kai for a very long time," Excellen said. "Wonder how he's doing."
Amuro approached the people. "Bright contacted me a while ago. He wants me to report in ASAP," he said. "So that means I'll have to head back to White Base."
"When I thought I could learn more from Senior Amuro," Sakura dejectedly sighed.
"It's going to be lonely without his presence," Lamia noted. "But I'm sure Sakura has learned a bit from him." (Shyly Sakura giggled at the mention and cupped her flushed cheeks.)
"Don't worry about that. I'll be back as soon as possible," Amuro assured.
After the Hi-Nu Gundam left the Aeroscraft with the Pistoleros acting as escort, the remaining crews concentrated on establishing contact with the Archangel. Several minutes later both task forces met up at rendezvous point over Grand Canyon, where ATX Team was despatched to greet the battleship. The Alt Eisen Riese, the Weiss Ritter, the Angelg and the Sylvia were about to approach the Archangel when Aeroscraft radar operator warned them of approaching enemy. "Confirmed enemy identification as GS Gespensts and Barrelions!" the female operator said. "ATX Team, please intercept!"
"What about the rest?" Kyosuke asked.
"We need a bit more time to prepare their launch," the radar operator answered. "Archangel, can you provide us backup?"
"Archangel to Aeroscraft, we'll deploy our units now," Murrue replied. "Launch Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice!" The Mobile Suits (that had been docked at the launch station prior to the arrival) took off and joined force with ATX Team; Kai and Mwu followed later on onboard their respective mechas.
"What a meeting," Excellen exclaimed as the quartet approached ATX Team. "Though we get to be reunited with Kai after all."
"We don't have much time for chatters," Kyosuke reminded (much to Excellen's usual ire).
"That doesn't sound very encouraging from the Beowulf," Mwu said. "Why don't you go a bit easy on her?"
"See? Even he agrees with me!" Excellen grumbled.
"Captain! We have unauthorized launch from the hangar!" Archangel technician reported.
"What? Who?" Murrue asked.
"Hello, everyone!!" ATX Team could not believe what they had heard (as so was the rest onboard the Aeroscraft) and were even surprised to see the sight of pink Astelion launching from the Archangel. "It's such a wonderful and beautiful day, isn't it?"
"Ibis, you're going to kill yourself!!"
"Oh, Wendy, you're worried of my incapability to face combat," the voice giggled, even as the Astelion was charging at the northern GS grunts. "See? They don't call me Ibis the Shooting Star for nothing! Yee-haw!"
"Is that Ibis? Ibis we know wouldn't charge at the enemy alone," Excellen said.
"Any idea about this Ibis, Major?" Kyosuke asked.
"I'm afraid explanations will only make matters more confusing," Kai answered.
"None of us could believe it," Mwu continued. "And I'm quite sure none of you ever will."
"Miss Excellen! Are we supposed to let the Astelion do all the works alone?" Sakura asked.
"Right; we almost forgot," Kyosuke said.
"More enemy units from twelve and five o'clock!" Aeroscraft radar operator reported.
"The usual day has come, it seems," Kai said and armed the double Jet Magnums. "Kyosuke, lead your team to help that Ibis. Kira, Athrun, Mwu and I will take on the southern wave."
"Roger," Kyosuke replied and brought the Alt Eisen Riese into the mayhem ahead. "Let's see if you can dodge this old giant," he said and fired Claymore Avalanche at the oncoming Gespensts.
"Hey! You didn't even bother waiting for me," Excellen moaned and fired the Oxtongue Rifle, followed by Sakura who fired Divine Shooters at the enemy. "Wow! Nice shot, Sakura!"
The Alt Eisen Riese dodged a GS Gespenst's Jet Magnum and counterattacked with a head-butt of its Plasma Horn. The super PT dodged another Jet Magnum and impaled its Revolver Bunker into the Gespenst, kicking it out of the way before reloading its cartridges. Once a while, it jumped off the ground before coming back to crush the grunts with its sheer weight.
"Kyosuke-san is really good at melee combat, isn't he?" Sakura cooed and squealed when a Barrelion found its target. "That was a close call!" she gasped after she dodged.
"Don't lose your focus, Sakura," Lamia reprimanded and turned the Angelg at the grunts. "Preparing weapons… take this! Shadow Lance!"
"Isn't that Angelg?" SM Ibis exclaimed when she noticed the Angelg. "Awesome! I've wanted to see it up close!" She looked front to see several Gespensts rushing towards her with plasma blades. "You never want to love an idol, do you?" she shouted and fired all the missiles.
"This one is nuts!" one grunt shouted after his Gespenst got shot.
"Hey! Who are you calling nuts!?" SM Ibis grumbled and charged at the grunts with Sonic Breaker.
"Say, Kai," Excellen asked while reloading the Oxtongue Rifle. "What does the Green Sphere really want from this war?"
"I have no idea, Excellen," Kai answered and snatched a Barrelion before slamming it into the ground judo style. "What all of us do know is that they're terrorists. Terrorists are terrorists."
"Or so we think they are," Mwu added. "We'll talk about it later once we're done with this."
"Okay, whatever you say," Excellen shrugged and turned to the GS Barrelions. "Alright, then. Who wants to have taste of pain with the capital letter P?"
More and more GS grunts were approaching westward and the task force was pressed to work very hard in keeping them at bay. Even after the deployments of the Apotheosised Ialdabaoth, the Beast Squad and the Daimos the vast numbers of the grunts seemed to be unstoppable. "Those bastards! They always like to outnumber us!" Athrun barked.
"You maggots are helpless against Shura Gods!!" Folka roared.
"You people piss me off!" Shinobu shouted. "Eat this Dan-Kuu-Hou! YAAAATTEYARUZE!!"
"Let's go, Daimos!" Kazuya commanded and opened battle stance.
"I have you now!" Lamia shouted and deployed the Angelg's bow. "Limiter released! Take this! PHANTOM PHOENIX!"
"Master, I suggest that we use full force to repel the enemy."
"Good idea, because seriously," Sakura said and loaded the Raging Heart. "I've grown tired of the Green Sphere already. Eat this! DIVINE BUSTER!!" In one shot half of the grunts were wiped out from the sky, but Sakura was not about to let it end in the attack. "Let's go, Sylvia!"
"Yes, Master."
And Wendy's only concern was of SM Ibis' safety. "Van! Do something! Van!!'" she begged.
Van turned to her. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"Look! If she gets shot- or anything happens to her, are you just going to sit and do nothing?" Wendy barked.
Van sighed. "Oh, alright. I get your point." Lazily he left the bridge and headed to the dock. He took a bit of time observing the battle, ignoring the guards who told him to get back inside. He turned his cowboy cap, and made a V-sign with the liquid metal sword. As if on cue Dann descended towards the Archangel, smoothly landing onboard, where Van immediately climbed onboard the mecha.
"Wake up, Dann."
The appearance of the Armour brought everybody into surprise. With the exception of the Archangel, none of the Aeroscraft crews had expected to see a personal trooper that exotic, and before anyone could react Dann pounced towards Astelion Custom to slice an attacking Gespenst.
"I didn't see that coming!" SM Ibis gasped.
Dann flip-kicked the Gespenst into the ground. "I'll lose my free meal if you ever get shot down," Van told SM Ibis. "You better be careful."
"T… thanks for saving me," SM Ibis said.
"What? Free meal? Van! Is that ALL you've got in your mind!?" Wendy scolded over the radio.
"That's one awesome mecha!" Excellen exclaimed. "Where did it come from?"
"Wow, what a wicked move," Sakura said in awe.
"That mecha is different from anything I know," Lamia noted.
Several rounds later Dann stood victorious, GS units scattered around the canyon like scrap metals. Van shrugged and took a deep breath of relief before made landfall on the cliff. "That was better than I thought," he shrugged. "Though I have to jump back and forth between here and there a lot."
"Van! I'm going to yell at you once you get back!" Wendy shouted.
"Oh? Sweet Wendy is very concerned of the slacker already," SM Ibis teased. "I'm so happy to hear that. Just like what a wife should do to her beloved hubby."
"I'm not!" Wendy cried in denial. "Hey! I'm NOT his wife! Quit jumping into stupid conclusions already!"
"You two…" Van sighed.
"Unidentified mecha at 12 o'clock!" Sai reported. "It's using teleportation! All units stay alert!"
Out of nowhere a mecha teleported into the battlefield, landing (surprisingly) close to where Dann was standing. "Well done," the newcomer said with handclaps heard. "As the supervisor of Green Sphere North American Division (in an instant everybody flinched at the mention of the name) I am amazed that such a small task force is capable of surviving my battalion's onslaught."
"Hmm… I don't know what you're talking of," Van said, seemingly unsurprised by the mecha's appearance. "I don't have any interest in fighting you for now. My concern is my job as her bodyguard."
"Oh, how responsible of you," he said in mocking tone. "It's fine. I didn't have any intention of having armed confrontation with you or anyone else. For now."
The Aeroscraft team had identified the newcomer as the stolen Ark Raider prototype. The news did nothing to please Suzuki; in fact what hurt her most was the fact that Centaur-Hanagami's masterpiece was being used by the enemy.
"I like this machine," the newcomer said and test-fired the prototype's equipments (the shot missed the Archangel, but the deliberate act had offended the task force). "It is unfortunate my task is to test-pilot it. And besides, long-range combat isn't exactly my specialty. My Javelin is better, longer - and definitely penetrates deeper - than this." (SM Ibis, Wendy and Sakura found themselves blushing at the thought of 'better, longer and penetrates deeper'.)
"General Macbeth, return to base. We need you to file your report on the Prototype."
"Roger." Turning back to face Dann, he waved a simple farewell salute and teleported, leaving Dann and the rest of the teams behind. No attempt to chase after Ark Raider was made as Suzuki was still in fury, and none of her subordinates had anything to say to their chief.
"No enemy units are detected," Sai reported. "Captain?"
Murrue nodded. "All units abort operation. Anyone who needs to repair their mechas can do so onboard Archangel. Aeroscraft, do you read?"
After a bit of hesitation, Suzuki replied: "yes, Archangel. We're coming."
-x-x-x-x-x-
/ Archangel mess hall /
"Another Hagane?"
Kai nodded. "This time, they brought in their aces. Two of them, actually." He paused as to sip the tea before he continued. "I'm sure any of you has heard of the Back Huckebein. It's been confirmed that its pilot is working with the Green Sphere."
"If my memory serves me correct, that's the rumoured unit that destroyed the entire patrol squad at Siberia," Kyosuke said.
"That is correct," Kai agreed. "It was also responsible for the fall of the RT Pacific Division, though it didn't trash the HQ thanks to the Shuffle Alliance. I'm still wondering of who the pilot of the Sword Strike was. He seemed to know about me."
"What about the mysterious guy? Doesn't anyone of you have any idea of who he is?" Excellen asked.
"We don't," Murrue answered. "But if what he said of being the North American Division advisor is true, then we can't take his possible threat for granted, given that he has mobilized his troops around the continent."
"I see," Kyosuke said. "At the very least we get to know some of the henchmen."
"By the way, you aren't going to introduce us to the new pilot, are you? She's got quite a skill. We'd like to know her," Mwu said. Kira nodded; he, too, had notified the Sylvia's prowess and wondered if they could meet on friendship basis.
"She's at the hangar," Excellen answered (much to Mwu and Kira's disappointment). "I think she's repairing the giant robot with Suzuki right now."
"Hangar? But I thought I saw her at the kitchen with the Idol and the pigtailed girl," Masato corrected.
"Kitchen?" Excellen's lower jaw dropped low at the word 'kitchen'. "Don't tell me!"
"Alright, folks! Meal is ready!" Sakura announced as she entered the mess hall with SM Ibis and disgruntled-looking Wendy. "Today's menu is durian ice-cream and pickled mangos! Very recommended to those who have sweet tooth, if you don't mind its smell."
"What is that smell?" Miri asked and covered her nose.
"It's like rotten eggs thrown into old shoe with skunk pees poured over it," Shinobu said.
"Reminds me to buy the anti-odour formula I found on the 'Net," Mwu added.
In an instant the mood changed. As it had been onboard the Aeroscraft, the diners' response did nothing more than to make Sakura sulk. "Sigh, when I thought I could do something to refresh everybody's morale," she mumbled. "Wish Takeru-kun was here to compliment…"
"Come on, guys! Don't make our cute chef cry," SM Ibis urged. "I had tasted it once, and it's really good." As to prove her words the Idol took a scoop of the ice-cream into her mouth and nodded in approval. "See? It doesn't taste bad at all," she said with a wink.
"That's because you like to eat anything sweet," Wendy retorted.
"Let me have it," Van said as he suddenly appeared behind the girls, which made them jump off their feet. Ignoring Wendy's dismayed cry he took the pickle and munched it for a few seconds. Then, in a reaction that certainly startled everybody he shouted in ecstasy: "DELICIOUS!!"
"This girl is also a chef? That's a surprise," Kira said when he was offered a cup of the ice-cream by Sakura (Athrun and Mwu backed away, leaving only Lacus to see his reaction). "Oh, thanks." He ate the ice-cream and what the duo had feared became reality: the Ultimate Coordinator falling unconscious without prior warning.
"Already?" Lacus sighed at the sight of the fainted Kira.
"And that's just one scoop of it," Athrun said with shudders.
"Oh, dear. I think I put in too much durian in it," Sakura said and scratched the back of her head.
"I begin to wonder if she can end the war with her culinary skill alone," Kai said. "She's more suited to work with Rätsel onboard Kurogane."
"Major Kitamura, it's best that you don't mention the name right now," Lamia reminded.
"Why? You're expecting her to rule the world as a kitchen dictator?" Wendy asked.
"…" was the people's only response.