Episode 12: Knights of the Realm
The year is After Colony 205. Following the breakdown of the peace negotiations, President Relena Darlian authorizes the Preventer Corps to use force in the defense of Earth and its colonies. On Mars, groups of loyal Preventers are making guerrilla attacks on military facilities and are one by one being destroyed by the Aresian Military Service. The Preventer Corps begins to increase the frequency and power of its patrols and correspondingly swells the ranks of its pilot division.
"Trowa, are you guys ready?" Duo asked.
"As ready as we'll ever be, Duo," came Trowa's reply.
"Alright then, let's go!" Wufei shouted, and led the charge toward the simulated pirates.
"Have you got your targets selected?" Trowa asked First Squad.
"Affirmative."
"Then open fire," Trowa said.
"Mariemaia, I'm not sure if I can replicate yesterday's success," Zhacque said.
Translation: I can't do it without the Zero system, Mariemaia thought. She said, "Just do the best you can, Zhacque. In fact, I'll assist you."
"You sure that's a good idea?"
"Second will be fine; they've got Duo and Wufei with them," she reasoned as beams flew past the Taurus IIs from both directions.
"Alright. I appreciate it."
"Ready?"
"Ready. Let's dance!"
Explosions blossomed in space.
"Wow! That was quick," Mariemaia commented after it was all over.
"Yeah," Zhacque agreed
"Alright, rookies!" Duo said cheerfully. "Now that we've all had a warm-up, on to the main event! Captain Nattono is adjusting the data, so work out a plan while you've got time!"
"O-kay... I suggest that we pull a modified Shear and Herd maneuver. We obviously can't do the shearing part, but we can divide their attention between two forces. The fact that we outnumber them three to one gives us greater tactical flexibility, which is to our advantage. If I were them, the first thing I'd do would be to try and eliminate that advantage. First Squad, concentrate your beam rifle fire on Trowa's Taurus. It'll be the one doing most of the shooting. Second, we'll engage Duo and Wufei. Use both of your beam sabres and fight defensively. In fact, give your rifles to First Squad. That effectively doubles their firepower. With those changes, I'm confident we'll at least put up a good fight," Mariemaia ended.
"Okay, people, you can start fighting each other when the countdown reaches zero. Seven... six...," Roche's voice broke in.
"Five..." Trowa adjusted his grip on the control joysticks.
"Four..." Duo wiped a hand across his brow.
"Three..." Wufei tensed.
"Two..." Mariemaia tossed her bangs out of her eyes.
"One..." Zhacque's eyes snapped open.
"Zero!" Knights of the Realm Squadron fired their boosters, First Squad scattering in all directions, Second Squad charging the three enemy Taurus IIs.
"What the hell do they think they're doing? Don't they know they can't possibly beat us?" Wufei yelled as his Taurus locked sabres with one of KotR Squadron's.
"Wufei, what would any one of us do if hopelessly outmatched by an enemy?" Trowa asked.
"Try and inflict as much damage as possible," Wufei conceded, kicking the Taurus II away so that Trowa could blast it. "Trowa, blast it!"
"A little busy here," Trowa said, returning First Squad's fire with both of the beam rifles he was holding, "but sure," he half-turned and pulled the trigger, sending it into simulated oblivion.
"Zhacque, who was that?" Mariemaia asked, fending off Duo's beam sabres with both of her own.
"That was Breton," Zhacque darted around Mariemaia's side and sliced the left arm of Duo's suit off. "No need to thank me," he said, only to be hit from behind by Trowa's beam rifle. "Errrrghn! And I think Wufei just got Weiss. Gonna go help Phinney," Zhacque zoomed away.
"Heh. Okay, Duo. Take this!" Mariemaia raised her left sabre high...
Trowa locked on, and fired.
... and brought it down mightily, only to find her suit's arm was missing from the elbow down.
"Thanks, Trowa!" Duo exclaimed. "I thought she had me there. Well, sorry, missy, but turns out you can't kill the God of Death after all!" He delivered a stab through her suit's midsection.
"Mariemaia!" Zhacque shouted, and his hand went to the input board, ready to type in ZERO. No, he stopped himself, she isn't really dead, and blowing your cover right now won't do any good for you or for her, Zhacque. His hand returned to the joystick. "Wrong, Duo! The God of Death can be killed!" he opened up the throttle all the way and felt the g-forces shove him back into the cushioned pilot's chair. "Your luck's run out!" Zhacque managed to shout.
All action on the field stopped to watch Zhacque racing toward Duo's suit, sabre raised.
"So that's the speed these Taurus IIs are capable of," Trowa noted to himself.
"Sorry, pal, but that's nowhere near fast enough to beat the God of Death," Duo said, also opening up his throttle to full.
"You're not the God of Death! You're just a man!" Zhacque screamed in rage, swinging his beam sabre down.
"Even so, you're not taking me down that easy!" In an instant, Duo's own beam sabre was in position to parry. But, just like Zhacque had done to Mariemaia in the sims before, there was no collision, and Duo was unbalanced. "Huh?"
"HA!" As before, Zhacque had deactivated his sabre at the last instant, reactivated it, and stabbed upwards.
"Shit, that's a cool trick," Duo said before his screen told him that he was no longer a participant in the battle.
Zhacque's victory was short-lived, however, as Trowa recovered from the shock permeating the battlefield sufficiently to fire a double burst at Zhacque's Taurus, catching it where it had been hit before.
"I really mean it, Zhacque, that is one cool trick you pulled," Duo said. "It's too bad I didn't think of it. There've been times in the past when I could've used a trick like that."
"Thanks," Zhacque said. I dunno what I expected him to be like after I beat him, but this wasn't it.
"Well, I should prob'ly be getting back to my junkshop," Duo sighed. "Wonder how Hilde's doin'..." He stared into his cup of coffee, then jerked himself out of whatever pensive mood he was about to enter. "Well, I'll be seein' y'all again sometime," Duo said, getting up and walking to the door. "You can count on that." On his way out, he passed the rest of the pilots of KotR Squadron, who were coming in.
After Duo had left, Zhacque slipped on some headphones.
Mariemaia asked, "What're you listening to?"
Zhacque raised one earpiece. "Say again?"
"What're you listening to?" Mariemaia smiled a bit.
"Celtic stuff," Zhacque told her. "In spite of my name, I actually have a decent portion of Irish and Scottish blood in me, so I am genetically predisposed to like the sound of bagpipes and drums, especially when mixed together."
"Everyone likes drums," Mariemaia said, a bit dismissively, "they're primal."
"I don't disagree- This is a good one," Zhacque said.
"Hey, Zhacque... Maybe we should go practice with the system," Mariemaia lowered her voice conspiratorially, but still couldn't bring herself to say 'Zero system' out loud with so many people around.
"We want to be careful about that. If people see us surreptitiously sneaking off together, they're going to get ideas," he replied. He thought, I don't think I could bear it if other people thought Mariemaia and I were lovers when we aren't... especially when I so desperately want it to be true.
"Let them think what they want. Come on, let's go," Mariemaia got up, went to the door, and paused, waiting, as Zhacque sighed, rose, and followed.
"Where are they going?" Mike asked Phinney.
"No idea."
When Zhacque and Mariemaia came back about an hour later, Mike noticed that Mariemaia had sweat on her forehead. The two of them sat down at the place they had occupied before and began speaking in low voices. Mike inched closer to hear what they were saying.
"- and I don't know how it was for you, but it was much easier for me this time," Mariemaia was saying.
"Yeah, for me too, and- " Zhacque broke off, noticing Mike, who smiled evilly. Zhacque gave Mariemaia a look that plainly said 'I told you so.'
Just then, Roche walked in. "Good," Mike said. "This saves me the trouble of having to find the Captain."
"Squadron, we've been put on patrol. Get to your suits."
"Sir, I thought it was current policy not to put the Taurus IIs on patrol but to keep them at Vulkanus so they could reach trouble spots more easily," Mariemaia said as she walked down the corridor to the hangar. "Why have we been put on patrol?"
"The Virgo unit we're replacing was more heavily damaged in the Martian attack than had been previously estimated, and as we're the only unit currently completely familiar with our Tauruses, we got the assignment," Roche explained.
"Sir, could you switch to a private channel for a moment? There's something I think you should know," Mike said.
"What is it, Sullivan?" Roche pushed a button.
"Sir, I have a strong suspicion that Lieutenant Kushrenada and Lieutenant Lejeun are having an affair."
"Explain."
"I initially became suspicious when I saw them leave the ready room about an hour before you arrived, Sir. When they returned, both looked a bit tired, and when I eavesdropped on their conversation, Kushrenada commented on 'how much easier it was for her this time.' That's almost a quote, Sir."
"I see..." Roche said. Kushrenada and Lejeun? Possible... I believe they did go to St. Gabriel's before joining the pilot division. This could be a continuation of a prior relationship...
Roche's musings were interrupted by Mike. "It's against regulations, of course."
"We'll wait and see," Roche decided. "If it doesn't affect their performance in the field of battle, I'll let it go."
"But Sir!"
"The Preventers have always been a bit lax about enforcing that particular regulation, Michael," Roche said, and terminated the private connection. Indeed they have been, he thought. Aretha...
"Sir, I've just spotted 6 bogeys coming in. They're not Medusas, in fact, they look a little like Tauruses... Damn! I lost them!" Rivqin's voice cut in.
"I saw them too, Captain," Mariemaia confirmed.
"Assume they are unfriendly and open fire on sight," Roche ordered.
"Here's one!" Phinney yelled. "Take this!"
The suit dodged easily.
"It's even faster than we are!" someone shouted.
"Hah!" Roche hit one. It didn't vanish again, but unleashed a stream of gatling fire at him, which he dodged easily. "They may be fast, but their aim is abysmal. I'd say these are reconnaissance models," he said as another skilled shot destroyed it.
"Roger that," Rivqin replied, pegging one herself.
"There are the other four!" Mike shouted, as the four unknown MS sped away. "That acceleration profile is impossible! They must be mobile dolls!"
"Pursue them!" Roche yelled. Knights of the Realm Squadron blasted after the fleeing MD.
"Major! The Vulturises are being chased by a squadron of unidentified mobile suits. They appear to be modifications of the OZ-12SMS Taurus."
"Launch the Medusas and have them engage the enemy. They must not be allowed to report our presence here!"
"Captain! I'm reading at least two squadrons of Medusas coming at us from up ahead," Mariemaia said. "Should we try a Shear and Herd?"
"Negative. If that's a low-end estimate, then splitting up our firepower is a bad idea. First Squad, use the technique you got from Trowa Barton and share your targets with Second. Prepare to fi-"
"Missile barrage incoming!" someone screamed.
"Evade! Evade!"
On a private channel, Zhacque gave Mariemaia a heads up. "I'm activating Zero. You should too."
"Roger that," Mariemaia replied. Simultaneously, they typed in Z-E-R-O.
"I'm hacking into the missiles' target identification program and setting the Medusas as their targets," Zhacque said, voice flattening as the Zero system filled his cockpit with yellow light.
"Roger. I'll make sure nothing gets you," Mariemaia answered flatly.
"Program hacked, target set."
"Knights, get ready to fire at the Medusas." The missiles turned sharply back the way they had come and began heading toward the Martian suits.
"At your command, Captain," Mariemaia said, her voice flat.
"Knights of the Realm, open fire," Roche issued the order. A river of beam fire poured out from their formation. The forward squadron of Medusas hadn't deployed their defensors, wanting to retain their mobility, and were annihilated by a combination of their own missiles and KotR's beam rifles. The rear squadron, however, escaped largely unscathed.
"Now, quickly, charge before they can adjust! We must win!" Roche shouted. As one, KotR screamed toward the shocked squadron of Medusas.
"WHAT? An entire squadron of Medusas destroyed, just like that?"
"Yes, Sir," the bridge crewmember said nervously. "And now the enemy is charging the second squadron. We're not going to be able to get away if they break through."
"Are the Vulturises aboard?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Then we've got what we came for. Start the engines."
"And leave our troops here?"
"I don't like it either, Senior Chief, but we have no choice if we are to successfully complete our mission."
"Y-yes, Sir."
"Take this!" Zhacque sliced through a Medusa. Actually, he sliced through three Medusas. "Mariemaia, the carrier is getting away!"
"Can't do anything about it!" Mariemaia shouted. "We don't have the firepower to destroy it. Just concentrate on eliminating the Medusas. Phinney, go take that one on the right."
"Roger that, Lieutenant"
"Breton, watch your back!" Zhacque said as he vertically bisected a Medusa.
"Thanks, Lejeun."
"Don't mention it."
"Good work, Knights," Roche said as he slashed through the last Medusa. "Let's return to Vulkanus."
"Amazing how easily they were able to defeat our two squadrons of Medusas," the major mused on the retreating carrier. "Senior Chief, when we get to Mars, be sure to inform the engineers to begin designing an upgrade to the Medusa to counter the Preventers' Taurus IIs."
"Yes, Sir."
"So you engaged two full squadrons and defeated them without support?" Lady Une repeated to Roche's image onscreen. She sighed. "Very well, Captain; what are your casualties?"
"I myself find it difficult to believe, but... we took no casualties. There is, of course, some damage to the mobile suits themselves, that's to be expected, but the pilots all made it through with no serious injuries."
"What?" Lady Une looked up sharply.
"To give credit where credit is due, it pretty much all came down to the two exceptional pilots I've got in command of Second Squad, Mariemaia Kushrenada and Zhacque Lejeun. They- you know what, I'll just transmit the battle data to you so you can see for yourself." Roche carefully did not transmit recordings of his conversation with Lieutenant (JG) Sullivan immediately prior to the battle.
Lady Une sat back and watched the battle play itself out.
Continued in Episode 13: In the Ascendant