Episode 20: The Angel of Deliverance

The year is After Colony 205. After the Senate's declaration of war, the Taurus II is put into mass-production. Armed with these new weapons, the Preventers once again feel powerful enough to provide for the security of the World Nation. All does not point in favor of the World Nation, however. Martian engineers, learning of the Taurus II's potential, have begun designing an upgrade of the Medusa. In addition, Odel Bernett, an elite pilot from MO-V and a veteran of the Eve Wars, has defected to their cause. Even now, he and Julia Esroni are leading an AMS assault force on a mission to capture Vulkanus, the Preventer Corps's orbital base and construction facility.

All over Vulkanus, crewmembers were rushing into other people's quarters and hurriedly packing their personal effects. In VCC, Lady Une watched the battle continue to unfold while her frenzied subordinates coordinated the evacuation effort. In the hangars, organized chaos reigned as technicians rushed to prepare shuttles for departure: loading the necessary cargo and getting passengers on board.

Into one of these hangars, Mariemaia arrived. Ignoring the frenzy of activity, she looked around. When she saw that there were no more mobile suits in the hangar, she strolled over to an unoccupied computer terminal and started searching for a mobile suit she could take to battle. There must be a spare suit here somewhere, she thought.

She pulled up a list of all of the hangars in Vulkanus and selected the one below the Main Hangar, which was located at the top of the list. "No suits left in that one," she muttered to herself, moving on to the next hangar. "What about you...?"

"Colonel Bernett!"

"Stheno Leader?" Odel turned. "I thought I told you and your squad to go take Vulkanus," he said darkly.

"We were en route when Four intercepted a transmission from Commander Une herself! You won't believe it! It says... Well, you'll hear for yourself. Four, send Colonel Bernett the recording."

"Yes, Sir. Colonel, stand by to receive my transmission."

"Standing by," Odel replied. After a brief pause, he heard a slighty staticky Lady Une saying:

"... overwhelming Vulkanus's defenses. I have decided that to continue to resist would result in needless death, so I am ordering our main forces to pull closer to Vulkanus and cover our evacuation to the Lunar Base. This is Commander Une, out."

Odel sat speechlessly for a moment. When he had recovered his voice, he said, "Stheno Four, are you certain that this message is genuine?"

"Yes, Sir. Just after the transmission ended, the unit of Taurus IIs we were fighting began to retreat, and Leader received reports of similar retreats from other squadron commanders."

"I see..." Odel flipped a switch on his control panel. "Lieutenant Colonel Harrison, this is Colonel Bernett. I need the flagship to boost my comm signal to all of our soldiers!"

"We copy, Colonel. We're linking you up now," Harrison replied from the bridge of the assault force's flagship. "Link complete. Go ahead, Sir."

"Attention, AMS troops! This is Colonel Odel Bernett! I have been informed that the Preventers are in the process of abandoning Vulkanus. I therefore ask you to cease your attack until I give the order to resume it. Bernett, out." Odel took a breath. "Harrison, hail Vulkanus."

"Commander Une, the Martian suits have stopped attacking!" A female crewmember in Vulkanus Central Command shouted.

"WHAT!?!" Lady Une whipped her head around to stare at the woman. "What do you mean, Alyssa?"

Just then, a crewman on the other side of VCC called out, "Commander? The enemy leader is hailing us! Should I put it onscreen?"

"Wait a minute," Lady Une said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Having regained her composure, she reopened her eyes and spoke. "Right. Put it onscreen now."

Odel Bernett's face appeared on the main monitor. "Hello, Commander Une. This is Colonel Bernett, commanding officer of Aresian Military Service Task Force 2. I'm contacting you to negotiate the surrender of Vulkanus, intact, into our hands. In return, you will be allowed to evacuate all of your personnel to your Lunar Base without fear of being attacked en route by my forces."

Lady Une leaned back in her command chair and steepled her fingers. "Well, Colonel, this is rather unexpected. What makes you think we intend to surrender?"

Odel smiled flatly. "You've already given the order to evacuate. I'm just trying to achieve a result acceptable to both of us. I get Vulkanus, you and your people get out alive and uncaptured."

"Ma'am?" the communications officer said. "The first shuttle is ready to launch."

"I'm sorry, Commander," Odel said quietly, "but I cannot allow any of your people to leave until we have reached an agreement."

"Hey, you!"

Mariemaia turned away from the computer terminal to see who was talking. A space suited technician was floating towards her. He grabbed her shoulder and stopped himself.

"You should get on the shuttle," he said. "Don't you know we have to evacuate?"

"Let me stay a little while longer," Mariemaia said tersely. "I need to find a mobile suit so I can return to the battle."

"There aren't any left!" The technician said, exasperated. "And besides, we're surrendering."

"I'm gonna keep looking anyway!" Mariemaia snapped back.

The technician sighed and shook his head. "Fine, okay, but if you're still here when the Martians take over, don't blame anyone but yourself." He pushed away.

Mariemaia ignored him and turned back to the computer terminal.

"Well then, Colonel, I'm afraid we have reached an impasse. I can't trust that you won't have our evacuees attacked," Lady Une was saying, "and you can't guarantee that I won't self-destruct Vulkanus."

"So it seems," Odel agreed, "but perhaps I can think of something. If you'll excuse me for a few moments...?"

"Certainly, Colonel," Lady Une said. Odel's image disappeared, leaving the screen blank. "Disarm the self-destruct sequence," she ordered. "Have you started purging the computers?"

"Only the most classified files so far. Would you like me to pause that process as well?"

"Yes."

"Done, Ma'am."

"Commander? Bernett is hailing us again."

"So soon? Put it up, Ensign." Lady Une looked at the main screen. "Welcome back, Colonel," she said when Odel's image had reappeared. "Am I to infer that you believe yourself to have found a possible solution?"

"Yes," Odel replied. "I believe I have."

"Damn it, that techie was right. There aren't any more suits here... at least, none that are handy; none of the techies are gonna bring me up a Virgo from deep storage, what with the evacuation... Wait a minute! I haven't checked the main hangar yet!" Mariemaia's fingers flew across the ketboard, then stopped as Mariemaia balled her hands into fists. "None there, either... Hang on, what's this?..." Mariemaia trailed off. "Wing Zero," she breathed. Should I take it? she wondered. Why not? I can already handle the Zero system... But it says "restricted access"... Does it have fuel? "I'm gonna have to hack it," she decided, muttering to herself. I wish Zhacque was here. He was always better with computers. She smiled slightly. You'd never guess it, looking at him now, but I can remember how much of a geek he used to be... She paused for a moment, and her smile faded. Hope he's okay, she thought with concern before returning her attention to the job at hand.

"My plan is this," Odel said: "for every one of your shuttles that leaves, two of our suits will enter Vulkanus as hostages. You and your command staff, Commander, will leave last and from the Main Hangar. You will also be in constant communication with your shuttles, just as I will be in constant communication with the hostage suits. If any of your shuttles are fired on, you are free to detonate Vulkanus, killing the hostages. When it is time for you and your staff to leave, you will set a ten-minute timer on Vulkanus's self-destruct device. As you leave, I will enter and take control. Five minutes after you leave, you will transmit instructions on how to disarm the device, giving us five minutes to disarm it. Is that acceptable to you?"

Lady Une considered. "What if our 'hostages' decide to be difficult?"

"Feel free to pull in your own mobile forces if you're worried about it. That will give you a less all-or-nothing system of method of reprisals."

"No. You can afford the loss of two suits much more than I can afford the loss of a shuttleful of people. In this case, I prefer all or nothing. I want your hostage suits to disarm themselves before entering."

"Very well, they'll float their weapons into your hangars ahead of them."

"What about their missiles?"

Odel sighed. "Commander Une, my goal is to capture Vulkanus undamaged. We have no desire to go blasting up its interior... unlike the Lunar Base. Do we have a deal or not?"

"What about the Taurus troops?" Une asked. "Will they be allowed to withdraw?"

"Your suits will be permitted to withdraw along with your shuttles. Now, do we have a deal?" Odel reiterated.

Lady Une gritted her teeth and said, grudgingly, "We have a deal."

"Excellent! You may launch your first shuttle. Stheno Leader and Four, go enter Vulkanus. Remember to put down your beam gatlings and sabres," Odel said. Turning back to Une, he added, "I'd appreciate it if you'd alert me as shuttles became ready to leave, Commander, so I can keep pace sending in hostages. Bernett, out."

He disappeared, and Lady Une turned to her communications officer. "Inform the crew not to be alarmed if Medusas enter our hangars. Explain that it part of the terms of our surrender. And then," she ordered, "re-arm the self-destruct device."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"And be sure to inform Bernett as our shuttles become ready to launch.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Commander, we've lost 15 of the suits launched from Vulkanus; we don't know any figures for the Lunar Base," Lieutenant Alyssa Samson, the tactical officer, said. "That's 42 suits lost, which means that 238 are still out there."

"We need seven shuttles to clear everyone but ourselves out. I want you to divide the remaining forces roughly into sevenths, and have one group escort each shuttle."

"We'll need two pilots for our shuttle," the operations officer pointed out.

"Fine," Lady Une answered. "Take care of the details."

Corporal Shahai Iuchi looked around Vulkanus's Main Hangar. Wing Zero stood setinel-like against one wall. "Hey, Sarge!" she called over to her superior.

"What's up, Shahai?"

"What're we gonna do with Wing Zero, here?"

The sergeant looked up at the Gundam. "we'll have to get it out of here, I guess. Go deactivate the security measures so we can move it."

"Yes, Sir," Iuchi said.

Come on, Mari, stop taking so long! You hacked yourself access before, didn't you? Mariemaia thought frustratedly. Well, yeah, but last time I wasn't trying to do it in the middle of a battle! Suddenly, Mariemaia stopped typing in astonishment. "What? The security barriers are going down by themselves... But why...? Of course! They can't let it fall into the AMS's hands, so they're getting ready to get it out of here." A determined look settled over her face. "I have to get to it before they do." With that, she pushed herself away from the computer terminal toward the lift.

"Colonel Bernett, we are launching our fourth shuttle," said the voice of Vulkanus's communications officer in Odel's earbug.

"I understand," he said. "How many more shuttles will you be sending out?"

"Four, counting the one Commander Une and the command staff will be taking."

"Roger. Keep me informed." Odel closed the channel. Now that's interesting, he mused. At the rate their suits are leaving, their eighth shuttle--the one Une and the command crew will be on-- will be completely unprotected... Tsk, tsk, Lady Une. You missed the loophole in our agreement. I never once explicity said that I wouldn't order your shuttles attacked, which means that I can have you eliminated as soon as you tell us how to disarm Vulkanus's self-detonation sequence. It's a pity to have to kill such a worthy opponent, but this is war, he thought, his face set in stone.

Shahai Iuchi sighed as the last of the security programs was deactivated. Now, I can move it onto the trailer, she thought. Walking over to Wing Zero, she climbed the ladder up to the platform that was level with the cockpit hatch.

In the low gravity, Mariemaia dashed from the lift into the main hangar and leapt towards Wing Zero, where she saw someone climbing the scaffolding. I have to get to the cockpit before that other person does, she thought. I know! I can use the thrusters in my backpack! Keying the controls on her wrist, Mariemaia sped forward, propelled by the hissing thrusters.

No! I'm too late! she thought in alarm as the figure on the scaffolding opened up the cockpit.

Shahai opened the cockpit hatch and had just settled into the pilot's chair when a young woman--just a few years younger than Shahai herself, actually--in a flightsuit swung over the railing of the platform.

"Get out of that chair," she ordered.

Shahai recognized the voice, not to mention the shoulder patch designating the speaker's squadron. "Lieutenant Kushrenada!" she said. "But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out there in your Taurus II?"

"I took heavy damage and had to retreat," Mariemaia explained. "It blew up just before I got here and I had to eject. Now, Corporal Iuchi, I would like it if you would kindly allow me to take this suit and return to the battle."

Shahai blinked. "Don't you know? The battle's not going on anymore. Commander Une negotiated Vulkanus's surrender. The AMS is allowing us to leave before they move in."

"Then I'll escort Commander Une's shuttle when she leaves."

"Uh... Okay, then." Shahai climbed out of Wing Zero's cockpit, and as Mariemaia settled herself into the pilot's chair, Iuchi said, "Oh, and by the way, I overheard your, um, disagreement with Sullivan earlier, and I gotta say that I couldn't agree with you more."

Mariemaia looked up, and through her visor, Shahai Iuchi thought she saw the girl smile. "Thanks, Shahai," she said.

"Sure thing... Mariemaia," Shahai smiled back.

"Oh, and could you get me refueled here, Corporal? The ammunition's still aboard, but you techies have sucked Zero's fuel tanks dry."

Shaking her head, Shahai answered, "Right away, Lieutenant."

"There goes their sixth shuttle," Odel muttered to himself. "Only one more, and then..."

"Okay, Mariemaia, your tanks are being filled," Shahai informed her. "The pipes'll detach automatically once you're full, and now, I gotta get onto that shuttle over there. See you at the Lunar Base!"

The voice of the communications officer on Vulkanus came over Odel's earbug. "We are now launching our seventh shuttle. We will notify you when we are ready to leave aboard the eighth."

"I copy, Vulkanus."

Lady Une looked at her operations officer. "Have our computers been wiped of everything?"

"Yes, Ma'am, of everything except the basic environmental programs."

"Good. In that case, ready the self-detonation arming protocol with ten-minute timer to be activated from the Main Hangar," Lady Une ordered.

"Done."

"And now, people, let's get the hell out of here." Lady Une led the way out of VCC.

"Colonel Bernett, this is Commander Une. I have activated the self-detonation device with a ten-minute timer as per our agreement and I am leaving this facility. Vulkanus is yours."

"Thank you, Commander. AMS troops, move into Vulkanus as soon as Commander Une's shuttle is away."

"Argh! They're leaving already? Zero hasn't finished refueling yet! Damn!" Mariemaia cursed as Lady Une's shuttle fired its thrusters and flew out of the Main Hangar.

A squad of Medusa Is entered the Main Hangar first.

"Hey!" one of their pilots said. "The Preventers left us Wing Zero!"

"Why the hell would they do that?" one of the others asked.

"Beats me," said the first.

"It doesn't matter right now," their commanding officer said. "Right now, we need to get to the fusion reactor."

"Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, damnit!" Mariemaia urged through clenched teeth as the fuel gauge slowly increased.

"Colonel, we have secured the fusion reactor and are ready to deactivate the self-destruct as soon as we recieve our instructions," the squad's commander said.

"Roger that. Good work, soldier," Odel replied.

"Finally!" Mariemaia cried exultantly as Wing Zero finished getting refueled. Stepping away from the hangar wall and smashing through the platform, Wing Zero flexed its wings and leapt out of the hangar.

"Ma'am, we're five minutes out from Vulkanus," the operations officer said.

"Send the instructions," Lady Une said.

"Colonel, message relay received. I am proceeding to deactivate Vulkanus's self-detonation system."

"Roger that, Lieutenant. To all TF2 forces outside Vulkanus, attack Commander Une's shuttle," Odel ordered.

"Commander! We read multiple AMS suits closing on us! What should we do?" Lieutenant Samson cried.

"Accelerate to full throttle!" Lady Une shouted in reply. "It's our only chance!"

"You're not getting my aunt," Mariemaia said. Wing Zero's trademark targeting brackets went red.

"The enemy is still closing on us!" Samson panicked. Lady Une unbuckled her crash harness and had started to move toward the cockpit when one Medusa II came right up next to the shuttle and raised a beam sabre over its head, ready to slice the shuttle in two. Suddenly, a beam came out of nowhere to annihilate the Martian suit. The explosion threw the shuttle off course, and Lady Une was thrown against the walls, floor, and ceiling as the shuttle rolled while the pilots fought to bring it back under control. When they had, Lady Une clambered to her feet and limped over to a window in time to see Wing Zero fly into view, brake, and stop in place. Pulling the two halves of its twin buster rifle apart, the Gundam pointed them in opposite directions and fired, spinning in place. Space glowed with the detonations of dozens, if not scores, of AMS mobile suits.

"Colonel Bernett, our forces have failed to destroy Commander Une's shuttle due to the sudden arrival of Wing Gundam Zero," a pilot said on Vulkanus Central Command's main viewscreen. "The Gundam is now escorting the Commander's shuttle to the Lunar Base."

"Wing Gundam Zero? Well, it can't be helped. Come to Vulkanus, Petty Officer Johnson."

"Yes, Sir." He closed the channel.

"Sir, we've just received word that General Remek's occupation force will be arriving shortly," an AMS soldier said from the communications console.

"Good. Let's make sure we're ready to welcome him properly."

"Commander Une, are you all right?" Mariemaia asked over the comm.

"Mariemaia!" Lady Une gasped in astonishment. "What are you doing in--?... Never mind," she shook her head. "We're fine here. Everyone except me was buckled down when the blast hit, so I'm a bit bruised, but nothing serious."

"Good," Mariemaia said, relieved. "I'll give you an escort to the Lunar Base." She closed the comm connection, and a memory floated to the surface of her thoughts. "The three beats of war, peace, and revolution continue on forever." ... Three beats, Mariemaia thought. Well, it looks like the third beat has given way to the first in truth now.

Wing Zero and the shuttle flew away toward the moon.

After the Aresian Military Service's victory at the Second Battle of Vulkanus, the Preventer Corps accelerated the development and production of ground-based mobile suits, nervously watching the captured orbital facility and knowing that it was only a matter of time before the AMS decided to launch an invasion.

Mariemaia Khushrenada was promoted to the rank of Captain and transferred from Knights of the Realm Squadron to Excelsior Squadron, where she became the designated pilot of Wing Zero. Replacing her as Knights of the Realm's executive officer and Knight Six was Lieutenant Aretha Walker, a longtime comrade of Captain Roche Nattono. Private First Class Peter Weiss, Knight Ten, was posthumously promoted to Lance Corporal. His slot was filled by Private First Class Nathan Kunwolf.

The year is After Colony 205; the day, August 2nd. The Second Battle of Vulkanus has ended, and peace in the Earth Sphere is no more... and the way things are looking, it may never be again.

To be continued in Episode 21: The Breaking Storm