Prologue B: The Loss of Innocence

The Colony of Eurios would soon be screaming. An exotic mixture of the sounds of war. ..

Tensions had been high ever since the shattered fleets of the Federation retreated here and "commandeered" the colonies. Effectively taking over the area and turning it into a reforming and staging area after their rout at the Lunar defense line. It was a desperate attempt to hold onto power in the area, one that was already in a state of unrest with the Federation. The citizens of Eurios though, already near the breaking point like the rest of the colonies of Side 4 would soon have more dire things to lament.

It began with the buzzing of alarms and the shudder of battle, this was the colonies primal screech. When realization of what this meant hit the denizens of the colony all restraint was lost. The citizens of the colony added their primal screams of fear and anger to that of the colony. Gunfire soon joined fury as well, as the Federation sought to protect itself from rampaging spacenoids. Then it began. Incredibly brilliant displays of light flashed outside of the colony. Small novas lighting up the cool dark of space, signaling the beginning of conflict. It would only get worse.

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Lieutenant Commander Irene Hamlin awoke to chaos, the jumbled bellow of alarms and panicked announcements. She was dazed and yet not befuddled, she knew this day might come, and had been preparing for it. Never the less the day had come, and it was a hard dread that settled into her stomach.

Perhaps it was just some emergency, she wanted to believe despite her usually realist beliefs. But no such luck, her pager was going mad. It was an early warning, (Acknowledge Code DC-1, Enemy attack.)

She had only been asleep for a few minutes or so she thought. She hadn't sleep much over the past week, past month really...

The Federation kept running, and the soldiers kept fighting with a dark desperation to keep the Zexen at bay. At least until they could recover or receive reinforcements. Until then there was no rest for Federations soldiers stationed at Side 4. The brass figured, hoped more likely, that the Zexen would not follow the retreating fleets to Side 4. At least not so quickly, Hamlin thought The horrid engagements around the moon battered the Federation terribly. The toll should have been far worst on the Zexen, whose forces were actually outnumbered initially. This coupled with their sustained and almost suicidal ferocity; it didn't seem real that they could keep going strong this long. Where the Zexen found the resources for such upkeep of their spirit, manpower, and equipment Lieutenant Commander Hamlin could not begin to guess. The attrition on the Zexen should have slowed them, but Zexen diligence and devotion to cause was notorious.

"Hey Villers time to get a move on soldier," she said softly, shoving the young man in the billet beside her seat. She received no response.

"Feth... You are killing me Villers," she sighed, wiping her short, sweat soaked hair out of her face and moving to get the other pilot awake.

2nd Lieutenant Teska Villers, her fellow mobile pilot was in dead sleep, almost falling off of the billet he slept on. The poor man had been awake for more than 50 hrs straight, helping to repair base 4/a's Mobile Suits, in addition to keeping on combat alert and going on combat patrol. Even the ruckus outside was not enough to wake the dark-skinned young pilot. Hamlin hauled the exhausted man up on his legs and the young Lieutenant finally awoke. "The hell is going..." said Teska trying to orient himself. "How long was I out…" he spoke, with the slurred speech of a man that was dead tired. Rubbing his face he seemed to be coming alert, the alarms seemed to sober him…somewhat.

He still looked like he wanted to lie down and die.

"We're under attack? How…" he said still trying to grasp the world in which he awoke.

"You fell out about 10 hours ago Teska," Hamlin admitted, surprising the Lieutenant. "I had to let you sleep, you needed it. And don't worry I took your patrol as well."

Teska's eyes grew large and his cheeks burned with shame. He knew he was exhausted but 10 hours! And on top of that he still felt tired. "Sir I…. apologize, I am…

"... very tired from trying to do the work of multiple people Teska." Hamlin said punching him on the shoulder lightly. "Don't worry. We need to get to ops and get to our suits. A storm is coming. Looks like a bad one..."

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Hamlin and Villers hurried to get to the Mobile Suit bay that was responsible for finishing repairs on the various Mobile Suits from their particular squad, in the 2nd fleet. Commandeering a jeep they raced of into the surrounding streets of the Colony. A furious assault was brewing in space up above. The first engagement with the patrol forces and the enemy vanguard.

Try as they might, navigating the roads of the Colony was proving quite difficult. As Hamlin and Villers drove through the panic filled streets they saw the handiwork of mob mentality. A multitude of people had raided many of the Military controlled areas of the Colony. Hamlin and Teska couldn't make sense of the chaos; it was as if the crowd was fallen to a deep hysteria. Molotov fires raged out of control in some places, vehicles and debris cluttered the streets. While Hamlin crazily maneuvered the city streets Teska shivered in shock as he eyed harried military guards firing into a crowd of attackers.

"What are they doing dammit," Hamlin said swerving the Jeep as she drove over to stop the guards. By then the horde had diverted to other areas and the guards were seemingly dead.

"I knew it was a mistake sheltering ourselves here. Fed. High Command should never have brought a neutral population like Side 4 into the war," A disgusted Hamlin vented, even as she began driving even more aggressively.

"Especially considering the long standing secessionist sentiment of these colonies." Teska told her. "Heck Crossbone based their takeover attempts from the colonies in this Side."

Hamlin just shook her head in disgust at their predicament. "Now the Zexen are here and we brought this down upon them..."

Even running the jeep at full speed it still took them long minutes to navigate through infected city streets. The initial firestorm in space had died down some, which was another bad omen... It meant the Zexen had dealt with the patrol groups and outer fringes of the Federation forces. There was no doubt that next they would take the battle to the Colony garrisons themselves. From the looks of things, even at this early stage of the battle, Hamlin felt it would be unimaginably messy.

Finally they reached MS Bay 4/a. An element of panic was in the air there as well. A nervous group of guards let them in past the Base's main gates. "What the heck is going on Sir?" asked one young man, that was really more a boy. He and his companion had a large machine gun trained on the entranceway to the base. And they both looked quite nervous at having to stay on their assigned post.

"The Zexen are here," Teska said in passing, as they rode by.

"And the people are panicked now that the Zexs are attacking so close to the Colony." Hamlin yelled back at them, shaking her head in anger.

They raced past and the guard gate and made quick time to the bays only stopping at a pilot lounge to get two normal suits. Hamlin suited up and Teska was soon ready as well, though he looked a little gaunt and hazard to her eyes. But what could I do for him now..., she thought sympathetically. She and Teska got into the jeep again and drove to their designated hangar.

"Where are Masla and Poe? Chen? I hadn't even realized to ask what happened to them. " Teska asked zipping up his suit, Hamlin's crazy driving making it rather difficult.

"Already on Standby. I left them here when I went to check on you and take care of a few things. They should already be out there or at least in the general area." she said more than a bit distracted.

"If they were smart maybe they are on board the Lese now." She said uncharacteristically optimistic. "Hope my team can handle without me."

"We'll be pulling out of here quickly I assume Teska. No way can the Federation hope to hold Side 4 against a determined force." Hamlin paused when she heard an outraged yell and looked over to see that it came from Teska. He was looking skywards to a scene just outside the colony's glass pane. She looked as well, and that sight filled her with the same horror that must have racked Teska.

"What the Feth are they doing?" Teska yelled to no one. Hamlin felt his raw anger while she felt simply nauseated. She could see the streams of beam weapons crossing back and forth around a Federation ship.

An old Alexandria class was using the Colony as a shield!

Its burning hull was gliding right over the glass part of the cylinder, barely a few hundred meters above it. "Those cowardly bastards. What are they..."

The old ship exploded suddenly, a huge green beam tearing through the vessel's hull. The spectacular explosion of the ship ripped into the Colony hull hungrily. A large breach in the cylinder and a rain of debris was all that marked the ships passing. "My god it's over for them, all of them" Teska whispered in horror.

Huge gales of air picked up as the pressure vacuum of space took effect near the hole. Thought it would be some time yet before the colony lost all air, their shear size helping them in that regard. But the situation worsened as randomly fired shots missed other targets and struck the cylinder as well.

Then it got worse yet again as the splash damage of the explosion dissipated. Zexen Mobile Suits quickly entered the gaping fissure. They did so hungrily as if they couldn't wait to enter and feast on entrails of a gutted colony.

Immediately the Zexen began engaging targets, firing insanely. Some Zexen Mobile Suits didn't even have targets, they just fired wantonly into buildings, streets, and vehicles. Seemingly intent, and content, just with causing mass destruction.

"My God, Have they gone mad, there are civilians here…."

This colony would be in extreme peril unless repairs could be made to the multiple breaches in its hull. But now Hamlin felt dark fury inside as she realized they wouldn't be able to save this colony. Not with the amount of Zexen forces swarming into it and the battle raging outside of it. Looking at the people running around in panic, debris raining down upon them, She felt sick then she realized it…that the colony was dead. The close combat taking place now was only hastening its demise. She'd like to think that maybe they could evacuate the refugees, could some how save all these people…but it wasn't true.

The Federation military had barely protected itself in the last months of the war.

Shaking her head sadly Hamlin gunned the small jeeps engine feeling a deep rage kindle in her. "We don't have much time. They'll probably be on us in a matter of minutes." She gritted out. "We may be defeated here Villers but I am damn determined to at least make a good account of myself!" she said defiantly. Teska knew that tone and it made him a bit more worried about his Lieutenant Commander than before.

Unopposed because of their devious entry the Zexen Mobile Suits raged out of control in all directions. Teska and Hamlin both realized that the majority of any active Mobile Suits in this colony would be protecting the capital ships at the dock. Sooner than they thought, a hectic battle began to form in the air above their heads. Federation Mobile Suits were rising to engage the enemy now, though they seemed far too few for Hamlin's taste.

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The MS Bay's Hangar field already sported some damage. The MS Bay was actually nothing more than a large concrete pad stretching out for quite a distance, populated with different Hangers spread about it. The Hangars were nothing fancy, just huge aluminum covered buildings with multiple tiers like the kind used to house planes at airports.

Hamlin and Viller's particular Hanger was seconds away when they heard the buzzing approach of airborne Mobile Suits. They dove out of the jeep having reached their destination finally. Hamlin and Villers desperately tried to jump into cover as a Ramza Mobile Suit appeared from behind a nearby cloud speeding towards their location. Its dark ''goggled mask'' and shock trooper-esc design accentuating its intent. It opened fire on Hanger 3b, and the pilots desperately trying to get airborne. The beam set something off and the explosion blew hot air and waste over Hamlin and Villers. Teska Villers could barely open his eyes afterwards.

The Ramza stood there only about 30 meters from Teska and Hamlin, almost as if gloating at the destruction it caused. It turned in their direction but beam fire shot pass the enemy Mobile Suit, distracting it. To Hamlin's shock it waved a dismissive finger in the air, mocking the Federation attackers, and its beamrifle began to spit out return fire. Fiercer beam assaults did eventually drive it off though. "We have to get airborne," she growled grimly as she stood up entering the Hanger. "I have to get a piece of them."

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"Good they look alright, despite the damage." Teska related upon entering the Hangar. Though the Hanger looked damaged from the outside, once they made it inside, Hanger 2a's damage was not what they feared. We can finally fight back at least...

Miraculously three suits were still located in the bay. With the carnage going on outside I figured our personal Mobile Suits would have been conscripted by the most readily available pilots, Teska Villers thought as he surveyed the Suits for damage. The Zexen mus have caught us more flat footed than we could fathom.

The Mobile Suits were amazingly intact despite the carnage caused by the Zexen Ramza Suit. Teska smiled, his old Jamesgun E type appeared to be ok, and so was Hamlin's newer model Mobile Suit, affectionately referred to as the J-Rock.

Teska quickly ran to his Mobile Suit and began to load up. He had just reached into the cockpit when the roof of the Hanger collapsed in and he heard a scream of desperation. A Zexen Mobile Suit had just crashed into the hanger virtually on top of the Lt. Commander!

"LC! Lt. Commander. Hamlin!" Villers screamed doubling his efforts to bring his Mobile Suit online. The Ramza Mobile Suit stood up with some difficulty. It was missing an arm and thankfully the weapon in that arm. Though it quickly ignited its beam saber.

The Ramza stumbled towards Teska's Mobile Suit and Teska sighed in semi-relief as the suit's painfully slow start-up sequence finally finished. The Ramza lunged towards him, blade held back for a chest bisecting blow. Teska roared defiance and raised the Jamesgun's arm up, sacrificing it to the blade. The blade tore off the arm, bit deep into the shoulder and stuck there. Smiling grimly Teska readied his beamrifle and fired pointblank into the Ramza cockpit.

Damn Teska, that was so foolish! he yelled to himself upon realizing his potential blunder. The speed and desperation of the events almost throwing him into anxious confusion. But no explosion came though, and the Ramza slunk back off of his Jamesgun lifeless. After the adrenaline of the situation ended he remembered with a jolt about Lieutenant Commander Hamlin.

Rubble had collapsed around the Lieutenant Commander, and partially around the J-Rock. Teska couldn't see her and feared she was dead…but then he heard a faint voice over his Suit's amplifiers. Hamlin was yelling under the rumble. He scrambled and used the Jamesgun to excavate the debris, very carefully. He finally uncovered her after a tense 10 minutes.

"I'm ok Villers. I didn't get hit too hard I just need to… " Hamlin said but then she stumbled for a second, straining heavily, using her hands to keep from laying face first in the rumble. She looked quite pained. "Sir!" Teska voiced, terribly concerned. But she waved him away angrily.

"I'm fine, it's….it's just nausea." Hamlin said dismissively, and she didn't give Teska anytime to protest. "Cover me while I suit up. We may not last this day but I intend to take these bastards with me. As many as possible."

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The J-rock and the Jamesgun raced into the battle which was horribly underway before them. The majority of the fighting was drifting over the city center of the colony. Smoke rose everywhere darkening the sky. The fire and explosions painted it and the cityscape with evil colors, as if it was a part of hell.

Hamlin headed right into maelstrom, the downtown section of the city. The thickest part of the fighting.

Zexen and Federation Mobile Suits swarmed overhead engaging frantically. It was like bees swarming a hive. Their explosive deaths echoing every few moments. Lieutenant Commander Hamlin and Lt. Teska Villers sped along right into it. Now the city seemed more aflame than when they were viewing it on approach. Because of all the carnage the colony looked as if it was shuddering in pain. Though Teska realized that perhaps it was his fatigue taking hold. He couldn't tell… he admitted to himself.

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Hamlin dove her J-rock towards street level, savagely kicking the head off of a Zexen Ramza; driving it down into a dead building-side restaurant.

Teska struggled to keep up with her. His Jamesgun had suffered greater damage than he realized from the beamsaber hit. So he adjusted to covering Hamlin from the rear where maneuverability didn't hurt him too much. Light flashed as beams reflected off of Hamlin's beam shield, then she plowed another Ramza first with her shield then with her saber.

She had a serious mad on Teska knew. Which could be dangerous here... Teska figured that he couldn't stop her but he could curtail a bit of her recklessness and of course watch her back. Hamlin knew this too, she always trusted Teska to be there to watch her.

"Bastards, there aren't enough of you!" she yelled defiantly as a Ramza exploded. "Teska you keeping up?" she blurted then blasted ahead of him again. Quickly dodging a beam, her return fire carved up the upper stories of a building as she tracked her fire after another Mobile Suit. This one a Rahja. They weren't holding back now, Teska realized. Most of the people in this place had fled, and if they were still here then the loss of colony integrity would take them. God help them either way.

Hamlin's J-Rock flew down another street corner, beams criss-crossing all along and around her path. Teska's Jamesgun E was right behind her, only a bit more slowly around the turn. But then blinding light and thunderous sound disoriented Teska. A humongous green beam ripped large holes through two buildings and cut into the building over his head, rattling his Jamesgun badly. Teska barely cleared the debris field, but dust and smoke billowed every where destroying visibility.

"zzzz Teska zzzzell happzzz you zzzzght!……… I'll zzt tze zzztard." He herd Hamlin say over her comm. system.

Teska didn't respond. He sat in his seat trembling. The high levels of adrenaline and his fatigue were killing his body. He just wanted to lay down and die, but then another beam flashed before him. A mere meter from his Suit's torso. A near miss!

It shocked Teska into reacting, he sent his Suit backtracking into the expanding smoke cloud.

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It seemed I picked up a lot of admirers, Hamlin though as she blasted the cockpit out of another Ramza. A Samurai-like Rahja and Stormtrooper-esc Ramza rose into the sky to meet her. "Good!" she said angrily. But then the dark, heavily armored form of a Masad rose up as well and she bit back a curse. Hamlin launched the Mobile Suit into the nearest city streets hoping to lose them. She knew she wasn't that good!

A huge explosion went up by her as the Masad opened fire with its large caliber Bazooka weapon. It took the life of a Federation pilot that was trying to give her cover fire. She back tracked, rushing through the blaze. Hoping to loose the tail. Warning alarms sounded off around her. The J-rock didn't like the heat it seemed. She initiated a full burn forcing the Mobile Suit out of the flaring crater. Lucky for her that she did so, for a moment later a huge thick beam impacted her fiery hiding spot, mere seconds later. A small mushroom cloud covered the blast area that almost took her down.

"He spotted me?" she said out loud. She was starting to sweat despite her normalsuit for some reason. Malfunction? The J-rock boosted again and was flying up above the cityscape when she saw him.

There it was... a strangely insectoid Mobile Armor floating in the sky above her. It fired off another thick green beam as her Suit turned towards it. A Federation Mobile Suit tried to rise to her aid but the Armor shot it out of the sky matter of factly.

It turned to face the J-rock.

"Hello my little slitch! Seems you want to tango…. Well fine by me." A hard voice cracked over her comm.. system, transmitted by optical means. "Boys back off, I want her! Tell Camion that our mission here is almost complete. Prepare to disengage from this CZ."

"And I though I was cocky, " Hamlin said checking her scopes. She was happy with herself that she didn't jump when she saw that the three suits she thought she lost were almost upon her. They broke of to comply with their orders. The Masad firing a blast from its Bazooka, it seemed, just for the hell of it. She stood facing the Armor for what seemed like a long time but was only a minute or so. " Well lets dance." Hamlin said blasting towards him. So these were Lord Captain Camion's men. The savagery, and slaughter made sense now.

The big armor ignited propellant, dashing of at ridiculous maneuvering angles. "Fething fast!" was all she could say. Four beams lanced toward her, fired from the armors four side nodules. It was almost like a ridiculous and crazy lightshow…one that was trying to kill her.

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A Masad fired its high powered beam into the clearing smoke cloud. Another building crumbled under the assault.

The heavily armored beast of a Mobile Suit waded forward through the rubble of its handy work, "hunting". The tall buildings were like a concrete forest to move through, the Masad pilot thought with amusement.

"Where are you feddie? I can smell your devolved funk even through my normalsuit, " the Zexen said to himself. He had been hunting the damaged Jamesgun for a good bit. He was surprised the gakking thing could even move so well in its condition. Still…."Its just a fething Jamesgun... How in the hell…" he stopped. He caught the shadow of the Mobile Suit as it moved through the smoke cloud. He fired, tracking his aim to head it off. The thick beam struck something up ahead, heaving up more rubble. He knew he didn't kill the thing. Where is this pest?

The Masad pilot boosted through the area, angry about this hunt . He fired his rifle again and again at the concealed area for the mere fact that he was frustrated. Camion and Diesel would have his tail if they saw a lowly Fed leading him on like dog. "Where are you, you bas…bingo."

His Suit detected the ambient traces of the Jamesgun's profile up ahead. He brought the Masad up to a small intersection marked by four big buildings, one was burning intensely from internal fires. He started to move the Masad through the intersection, but he checked his scanners and smiled. And then doubled back and came around the other end. He wouldn't be caught in a poor attempt at an ambush. The Masad pilot traveled down a tighter street to get behind the Jamesgun. As he snuck up to his "prey's" position the smoke cleared a little and he saw the nozzle of a beamrifle just a few meters down the street from him. It was barely poking around the corner of the building he now leaned his Masad against.

His self congratulating sneer would have made even the most peaceful man enraged. He lined up his shot. The Heavy Beam Rifle fired and struck a few meters to the right of the gun. Hopefully a dead on shot to the Jamesgun's torso.

Nothing happened.

There was only the clump of superheated metal that used to be a beam rifle. That and a large see-through hole from where the beam punched through. "Feth he duped me..." It was too late to react. Light caught his eye from the steel and glass lobby to his right. The light from an ignited beamsaber. Teska's Jamesgun burst forth coming through the building to the Masad's right. The Jamesgun closed far too quickly, its beamsaber ignited. It flared in a mid-height slash that bisected the Masad straight through the cockpit. Teska quickly departed the area, his opponents explosion flashing behind him.

Teska relaxed a little letting out a long sign and breathing deeply. "Where is she?"

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Teska found his Lieutenant Commander a few minutes later. Her J-rock's beamsaber pierced through the hull of an insectlike Mobile Armor. Sparks arcing back and forth between the Suits. The two Mobile weapons fell towards the ground but Hamlin dislodged herself at the last minute. The Mobile Armor impacted the ground hard, and it was clear it wouldn't be rising again.

"Trouble Sir?" Teska asked as the J-Rock rose to met his Jamesgun.

"Hmph…no not really T. Just feeling a bit dizzy, actual sort of drained now that I notice it." That battle must have really took it out of me. Sweated up a storm too. Hamlin checked her Suits diagnostics, and was not surprised to see a few red areas. "Seems Suit's Life support is kinda frisky." She said dismissively. To Teska's ears she seemed a little less intense for a mere second. "I feel pretty dang damp in here Teska. Hot too." she added. "Look Teska… I was worried," Hamlin said sounding rather serious but with a hint of sarcasm. "It lowered my reaction time by .502 Seconds," she joked.

Teska let out a tired laugh.

"You ok soldier?" she asked he obviously drained subordinate.

"Just the usual aches sir," a severely tired Teska answered. "You banged up?"

"That bastard wished I bet… Hmm seems like the fighting is dying down…. This place is done for Teska. The Zexens had their fill of blood and carnage." Hamlin said in disgust. Though firefights still flashed in the sky, the Zexen forces seemed to be moving on. Hamlin hardly saw any Federal forces Mobile units still flying. She nodded her respect to her fallen comrades. "At least I sent a few of them to hell for their troubles…," she said falling silent for a long moment, and then she checked her plot. "Wait hey Teska, you still have functional sensors? I have contacts due 344.334.216 on an intercept course with a large Federation IFF signal. Seems to be a capital ship. "We….uughh…….we better help them," she exclaimed coughing roughly for a few seconds. The hacking breaking up her words.

"I can make it, though I am short one beamrifle. Are you really..." Teska asked as Hamlin could her the prodding in his voice.

"I'm ok...so don't ask. Lets go."

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Lieutenant Commander Hamlin and Teska Villers shot towards the aft of the colony. The IFF code was from an old Ra Cailum class ship the Radiant. They headed towards the end of the colony, where the ship docks were located, hoping to get there in time to save it. They hurried, grimly silent with the now lifeless essence of the colony before them. Hamlin's J-rock swayed erratically again, the third time in as many minutes. Perhaps it was more damaged than it seemed Teska now worried. " Sir, you'd better…."

The Re-GZ J-R dropped out of the sky like a rock. And Teska's heart dropped with it. Why didn't I notice…my god. "LC! Respond! Respond!"

"Teska…I may…." Hamlin's strained voice cracked over the comm. The Suit seemed to slow its decent some but made a hard landing in a burning forest below. Just barely a few minutes from the Colony's docks. The Jamesgun landed hard itself, Teska not caring about caution. He was out of the thing barely caring that it wasn't set to a safer idling setting. He hit the ground running and rushed off to her Mobile Suit. A quick dash later and he was there. He opened the cockpit and his heart sank again. His Lt. Commander was worse than he thought she was very near death. Her helmet was off and she slumped in her cockpit, trembling. Her eyes scarred him the most, her vibrant and always burning eyes, they were losing their luster.

"Tes….I may have over done myself this time…,"she said, incredibly weak. "Dang life support it's too…t…too cold in here…"

"Hold on Sir! Hold on…" Teska grabbed her gently and placed her on the floor of her cockpit. Ripping away her normalsuit he confirmed his fears. Her normalsuit was soaked through with her own blood…she has lost so much! He tried not to let her see the extreme worry on his face. "LC the rubble. It must have been more than we…"

Hamlin put her weak blood covered hand to his lips "Tes it is all right. I knew I was hurt but…"she paused, coughing up blood. "Didn't expect this though…you know how I am when the adrenaline hits me."

Tears ran down Teska's cheeks. This wasn't happening. Nothing on this day was really happening. It was a nightmare, but it seemed he couldn't will himself awake. He just held the woman he admired so much close to him and cried. Where would he be without her…

"I shouldn't have let this happen..." he told her, holding her closer still. Not wanting to let go of his friend and mentor. " But what could we do at the time it was so…"

"Chaotic," she finished for him. Her eyes had grown even more lifeless. She stared blankly up at the sky above. "…story of my life. At least I had you….."

"and Poe…and Masla…Ren."

Teska was about to respond but the Mobile Suit's communication system cracked, it was picking up a broad range transmission. It was heavily decayed by Minovsky particles. "

"zzzz Repeat. This iz zze EFSF Radzzzt we zzz zzzer attack! Rzzzzzz imediazz assistance. Civilians zzzoard. Zezzz have us surrounded. zzey wont acknowledge zzr surrender. Rezzzz. This is…"

"Tes I want you to rescue them…take my..J-rock," she managed to plead.

"I can't leave you LC… I can't leave you Irene. Not here."

"Don't worry…Tes…I made a good account of myself…today...didn't you see." She was barely rasping out words now. Her voice was a wheezing whisper. "Please Tes you make one of yourself…someone has to help those people. Besides…one of us has to go ave... avenge me."

Teska had a hard time deciding to listen to her but he knew she was right. "I understand," he croaked out, his throat raw. His vision danced as grief and fatigue washed over him.

"Good I didn't….want to have to order…you. I can still...ki…kick your butt...even when I'm…in the grave." She said grimly, trembling to say her words. She seemed beyond pain though. Seemed at peace with herself. "This girl," Hamlin said indicating her Mobile Suit. "Will serve you well, take care of her."

Teska felt her body start to shiver even more as she strained to lean up to him and whisper in his ear. "Irene…please," he admonished her.

"Teska Villers you were a pleasure to serve with…one of the finest soldiers I ever came to know," she said, straining to give him a blood soaked kiss on the cheek. "and you were a pleasure to be around." Teska barely held it together at the power of that gesture.

" I…I...know you will do me…proud…"and with that whatever was left of Irene Hamlin passed on. Her body slumping in Teska's tear soaked arms. "Irene…I…thank you." was all he could say. He sat there for long moments oblivious to the world around him. The burning of the forest. The battle ahead. And the explosions echoing through a colony on its deathbed.

It was only the panicked calls from the Radiant that snapped him awake. Teska got up carrying Irene Hamlin's body and placing it in his Jamesgun. He then climbed into the cockpit of the J-rock wiping tears from his eyes. He had to offer any assistance he could to the survivors of this catastrophe. And as he departed from Irene Hamlin's resting place a deep rage grew from within him. Thought he wouldn't satiate that rage.

Teska would follow Irene's advice and make a good use of himself, he wouldn't do it by blindly going off to die either. Nor would falling into revenge lust serve him. He would avenge Irene Hamlin, but in another way... First thing first was to help the Federation survive this day, any way he could, and that meant helping the Radiant. He hoped they were still alive to be saved. By the look of this colony, the Zexen were an unstoppable force of nature.

But maybe it wasn't true all around. As Irene proved, the Zexs high-tech equipment and fanatical thinking didn't guarantee an easy victory, the Federation still had teeth of its own. Teska just had to make sure it survived long enough to show this to the Zexen. Again willing away his fatigue, he brought Her Mobile Suit up to speed and rushed to help anyone he could. Leaving the carnage of the dying colony behind him.

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Channelside
On this day of September the 18th the Zexen Loyal Militaire launched Operation Channelside. A massive engagement of the entirety of the Federal forces stationed at the colonies of the Side 4 cluster. Located at the L1 Lagrange point.

The Federation, basing their assumptions on partially correct data that the Zexen forces would not be able to mount another major operation so soon after their battles at the Lunar defense lines, had no choice at the time but to retreat to this area. Thus hoping for a chance to regroup and repair while the Zexen were supposed to lick their wounds resulting from the Lunar campaign. As a result the surprise attack at L1 caught them in a dire tactical position. The battle, though valiantly fought by the soldiers of the Federation, resulted in a loss of over 70 percent of their forces.

High Command of the Zexen Military smartly agreed to High Admiral Vinay's truly risky but potentially opulent plan. Which was officially designated Operation Channelside only days before it was placed into motion. Many would never realize the part the Luna Line offensive had played in the operation.

This battle plan would end up being a major turning point in the war. In the Zexen's favor.

Despite loosing a large percentage of their forces, the Zexen declared the mission a success. As a result of the operation the Federation's power and influence was drastically crippled across the Earth Sphere and the L1 point was tentatively under Zexen authority. This was a key component for their future goals. Which, among other plans, provided them far easier access to the closer Lagrange points and the Moon itself.

However, the Zexen reports would never call out the substantial tally of "collateral damage" inflicted by the very nature of the intense engagement. Or the even more deplorable destruction caused by so called "extremist" parts of the Zexen fighting machine. On that day though, the Zexen lost their innocence.

And as so usually is the case...it is known that history repeats itself.

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Well there you go. Hope it didn't turn out to badly. I was striving to keep a good balance of action in there.

To tell you the truth I am quite worried about the first prologue. It took me many rewrites to get it the way it was. I was trying to capture the feel of a youngman thrown into the strange world of the antagonist forces he used to fight against.

Originally planed on playing this from Aden side of the story. Just focusing on him striving in the Zexen military machine. But through development of the story a greater idea immersed, this just laid the ground work off it. Mostly the first two prologues were to set up the conflict and Zexen, and drop a lot off clues and mysteries about them that the reader would learn about later. It still feels a bit awkward. Though it is much better than it was originally I think.

Now this prologue I am rather proud off. Thats right I made two. This prologue took a lot of work. I hope that I was able to pull off Mobile Suit battles, I doubted I could at first. I can do fighter duels and ground combat with not too much trouble but MS battles are a whole other beast. I hope Hamlin's death wasn't too much as I need more experience writing those types of scenes.

Let me know how it went, good or bad. I reread it many times but I bet I still have grammatical errors I missed. I doubt I put enough detail in this fic, describing the world around the characters, painting it for the reader, is always one of my weaknesses. I don't doubt I have a lot to work on. But I think I did well enough for this amount of work. Now on to rewrite chapters 1-3. What fun! (-.-); And given my workload, I am gritting my teeth for it.

But where is this story going you probably wonder... I doubt you would expect it! Until next time I guess.