Welcome to the second chapter! ^^ Thanks a lot to everyone who reviewed, your tips were really helpful. :D I feel a little bit better about this chapter, but everything is still a little episode-based… still, I hope it's better now! .
Please read and tell me what you think! ^^
Ch 2 : Intervention
"Hatch open! Hatch open!"
I smiled to myself at Haro's enthusiasm, my hands moving fluidly over the levers and switches as the operating information flickered across the screen around me. Everything was in excellent condition and perfect working order, the 'all-green' signal beeping in front of me several times before it disappeared. In its place I could see a projection of the outside surroundings, with the bright blue sky stretching far into the horizon.
"Exia, Dynames, Luchanti, prepare to sortie!" Haro chirped again, "Prepare to sortie!"
My fingers rested on the main controls as I felt Luchanti being pushed upwards into a standing position for take-off. Wang Liu Mei, one of our main agents and financers, had just relayed our next mission to us. She was still here right now, and I could see her standing next to her bodyguard Hong Long beside our opened hatches. The passing wind whipped her long hair in an elegant fashion, splaying it out in artistic swirls around her form-fitting safari regalia.
Dynames picked up the gun next to it, and Exia began walking onto the grass. I ran a last minute check-up on Luchanti as I moved out as well, careful to leave enough space between our Gundams so we wouldn't end up crashing into each other.
"GN particles, commencing dispersion!" The robotic voice of Haro floated over, "Commencing dispersion!"
There was a whirring sound, and I knew that the sparkling light was beginning to fill the air again.
"Luchanti, Spica Duciel," I gripped the lever, pushing it forward, "Sortieing."
The familiar pressure on my body as the Gundam rose into the air was strangely comforting, but I didn't have time to dwell on such trivial feelings. In the end, Luchanti was much more than just a mobile suit I was piloting... she was an extension of me. She personified my will to fight, my desire to eradicate war from the world.
I hovered above the ground for a split second as Exia took the lead, Dynames following swiftly. Luchanti flew last, and I had to accelerate a little to catch up with them. The small, secluded island was rapidly fading behind us, and within a few moments it was nothing more than a mere speck amongst the blue ocean waves.
Destination: Ceylon. An island located in Southern India, part of the Human Reform League. Formerly known as Sri Lanka, Ceylon Island is currently in a state of anarchy. The Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority living there are in the midst of a civil war that dated long back into the 20th century, spanning over 300 years. Due to the HRL's decision to back the Tamil minority, the conflict escalated during the last ten years and caused the country to fall into anarchy. In truth, the real motive of the HRL was only to ensure the safety of their solar energy pipeline, located under the ocean off to the east coast of Ceylon Island... an area controlled by the Tamil people.
As Celestial Being, our mission is to end this ethnic conflict by armed intervention.
Two glittering trails caught my eye, and I lowered my speed a little, trailing right behind Dynames and Exia.
"They're here," Lockon's image appeared in the screen in front of me, "It's Allelujah and Tieria."
"Yeah, I see them," I nodded, "Proceeding to the rendezvous point."
A picture of Setsuna came up next to Lockon's, "Entering the first phase."
We began heading upwards, leaving the ocean surface to approach Kyrios and Virtue. I remained close to Dynames as the five of us moved into a diamond formation, with Exia still leading in the front.
Each of the Gundams specialized in different areas. Exia's strength lied with close combat, while Dynames excelled at long-range fighting (namely, sniping... Lockon has a wicked aim). Kyrios, piloted by Allelujah, could easily transform between its current jet-like fighter form and a mobile suit form, faring well both close and long range. Not quite as strong as Exia or Dynames in each of their respective aspects, but very well-rounded. The mobility of Kyrios was second only to Luchanti, though its speed was the fastest of the five Gundams. Now, Virtue's mobility and speed are a different story altogether, but the heavy armor it was equipped with more than made up for that. In terms of destructive power, Virtue completely dominated us all, the energy blasts from its GN Bazooka and shoulder-mounted double-barrel GN Cannons capable of obliterating enemies in a single blow.
Ceylon Island was beginning to come into sight now, and I frowned at the black smoke trailing from it. Seems like the fighting was really heavy there... I shouldn't be surprised, though, what with the HRL was supplying weapons and such to the Tamil people... and the Sinhalese most likely had their own backers, too...
"Proceed to your allocated mission objective based on Sumeragi Lee Noriega's combat projections," Lockon instructed as we neared the island, "I expect everybody to give their best performance. Good luck."
"That depends on the individual," Allelujah's voice traveled over the communicators.
"I will do a thorough job," Tieria spoke.
"Do as you wish," He seemed a little amused by their reactions, "Hey, Setsuna, Spica, are you two listening? Respond!"
"Yeah, I heard you," I replied as I moved Luchanti a little to the left, "Roger that."
Silence fell over us as we waited for Setsuna's affirmation... which we never got.
"Setsuna?" Lockon asked again, "Setsuna! Respond, Setsuna!"
A mix of concern and unease bubbled up inside me as I waited anxiously. Setsuna was the only Gundam Meister around my age, albeit he was always rather cold and detached... Even so, he wasn't one to go around ignoring others. Was there something wrong...?
"Gundam."
I blinked, utterly perplexed. 'Gundam'? What kind of answer is that? Did I mishear him or something?
Lockon seemed to be thrown for a loop as well, "What did you say?"
... This time, there was no mistaking Setsuna's words, "I am Gundam."
I frowned a little, "Gundam...?"
"What are you talking about?" Confusion and worry were evident in Lockon's tone, "What -Oi, oi, Setsuna!"
Exia suddenly broke formation and charged forward toward the battle site with a burst of speed, ignoring him completely.
"I'll leave the babysitting to you," Kyrios swerved to the left.
"Huh?"
"Commencing the operation," Virtue flew away in the opposite direction.
"Hey, you two!"
The concern nagging at the corner of me receded in that moment as I focused instead on suppressing the urge to giggle as Lockon was quickly abandoned. Miraculously, I was succeeding...!
"Short straw! Short straw!" That did it; I burst out laughing when Haro added its own commentary to Lockon's plight.
"Hush, I know that," He grumbled, but immediately brightened when he noticed I was still here, "Spica! How-"
"Don't mistake me," I held up my hands in mock-surrender, still smiling, "We just happen to be headed in the same direction." Which was true, technically.
Lockon finally resigned himself to his fate, "Concentrating on the fire control. I'll leave the evasive maneuvers to you, Haro..."
I closed the communication link between us so I could focus my attention on the mission. Setsuna and I were tasked with going in for melee combat this time, and Lockon was to be sniping the enemies from afar. I needed to terminate the enemies in the eastern area, while Setsuna was charged with the ones to the west.
Spotting the rugged brown mobile suits that were engaged in combat, I immediately veered over, leaving Lockon to continue after Setsuna. This was it... Celestial Being's first intervention.
"Luchanti, conflict confirmed," I braced myself, "Proceeding to eradication. Thorns, pierce!"
The yellow lances spiraled out from the hidden compartments on Luchanti, but instead of launching them like last time, I kept them close to me in a tight circle. There were far too many opponents for me to face this time, and I didn't want to spread out Luchanti's attack power too thin. That would only make me vulnerable if they were to use their superior numbers to their advantage. Instead, I would go for them one at a time, using the Thorns to rapidly overwhelm them systematically.
Plan settled in mind, I bore down on my first target, pulling out and activating the GN beam saber from Luchanti's leg. The poor bloke never knew what hit him as I directed my Thorns to sever the arms and legs of the mobile suit, cutting off the head with the pink-tinged beam saber.
"One down," I whispered to myself, spinning Luchanti and sending the Thorns to tear apart the Anf on my right as I lashed out with the beam saber at the same time to slice another one in half. With the mobile suits closest to me down, I gathered my Thorns and leaped onto another unsuspecting target, stabbing it as the yellow lances proceeded to render it useless.
Fighting. This is what I'm created for... death and destruction.
... But death and destruction only cause suffering. If I can use my skills to help put an end to the death and destruction, to the suffering...
I'm not stupid. I know that things aren't that perfect, that suffering can't be ended just like this. But I'm willing to give my all for it, I'm willing to fight for a better world, I'm willing to fight for what I believe in.
Luchanti smoothly glided over the ground, the sharp turns and twists maneuvered in a way that almost felt like a dance. A deadly dance, to be sure. Crouching low, I used the momentum from a particularly fast move to slam into the mobile suit next to me, thrusting the beam saber into it as I commanded the Thorns to surround and attack as well. A series of quick beeps alerted me to an Anf coming up behind me, and I quickly used one of the Thorns to block the energy bullets it shot toward me.
"Go!" I shouted, and the other three Thorns became a yellow blur as they spun through the air, cutting the Anf into four separate pieces that thudded into the ground with a loud crash.
Scanning the battlefield, I pushed the lever forward, feeling Luchanti lurch forward for the briefest of moments as we picked up speed again. The golden lances spiraled around me, deflecting the attacks that came my way and cleaving through any enemy that came to close. I gritted my teeth as I raised Luchanti's beam saber again, gutting the other Anf that was trying to get a drop on me. It was slightly disorienting to be facing off against so many enemies, some of them panicked while others still determined, when I had to keep my concentration not only on the opponent in front of me but on my lances as well. Even so, I could do this... after all that training which I had to keep my focus...
Slowly but surely, their ranks were beginning to thin out. Already a few of them were fleeing the battle site, and I couldn't help but give a small sigh of relief. It's not that I can't take them on... I just don't want to kill any more than necessary.
After all... being made to kill doesn't mean I have to enjoy killing.
"It's over."
Luchanti straightened up after dismantling the last enemy, and I surveyed the rocky terrain one more time. Broken machinery from mobile suits littered the ground, with smoke still curling off them. There were a few small fires blazing along the ground, and craters were seen everywhere I looked. Gigantic boulders scattered around messily as well.
Death. Destruction.
This isn't going to be the only battle I'd have to fight. The world isn't going to change because of a single armed intervention... But we are going to change the world, and we will intervene as many times as needed. Until all wars come to an end, until all hatred is directed at us... we would keep on fighting.
Celestial Being.
We are the pain required to bring about change.
... This... is what it means to be a Gundam Meister.
I turned my back to the carnage and tilted the lever again. Luchanti lifted higher off the ground and I left, heading to rendezvous with the others.
The myriad of rosy colors cast by the setting sun gently spilled over the ocean, glinting beautifully as violet mixed with pink, and pink melted in with orange. It looked so idyllic and peaceful, such a drastic change from where I was mere seconds ago...
... The world is just filled with contradictions, isn't it?
I spotted three other Gundams skimming across the waves and began heading over, opening my communication line on an afterthought.
"Where's Exia?" I heard Allelujah ask as soon as I finished fiddling with the controls, "Don't tell me it got shot down."
A brief flashback of Setsuna's strange reaction when we'd arrived flitted over my mind, and for some obscure reason... the very mention of the possibility of Exia being brought down sent waves of apprehension through me. Maybe it was because we were all members of Celestial Being?
"Setsuna went back before us," Lockon replied easily, and I found myself relaxing my hold on the levers a little. Wait, when did I even tighten my grip again, anyways? "It's his first armed intervention. He just needs some time to think."
"... I don't get it," Tieria spoke, "Why is he a Gundam Meister?"
... I know what he is referring to... The way Setsuna broke formation and charged into battle ahead of us, without even telling us beforehand...
I remained silent, opting to fall into position beside Dynames.
Setsuna...
Setsuna never really talked much. He was very... reclusive, I guess, and he didn't open up to others.
...
Okay, so he didn't open up to anyone at all. I never really went beyond the normal greetings and mission debriefings with him, but... we were Gundam Meisters. That meant he was a comrade too, right? A... friend?
"Hey... I'm going to catch up with Setsuna, alright?"
I think Lockon might've started to reply something to my abrupt statement, but I closed the communication lines again. Pulling ahead of the others, I began speeding up in the general direction of our destination.
Setsuna was a pretty calm and detached person, never interacting with us much... but there were rare times when he would act impulsively, just like today. He usually wasn't the type of person to act impulsively per se, but... there were times when he showed he was human, too. It was at these times that I was drawn to the undeniable fact that Setsuna F. Seiei was a mystery.
I liked figuring out puzzles. But that's not the point here. It was... concern for a fellow Meister, I guess. If Lockon had ran off, I knew I'd definitely track him down-
... Nah. I can't imagine Lockon pulling a Setsuna on us. But-
"What the hell?" The sensors picked up an incoming attack and I swerved Luchanti to the side, evading the blue-tinted blast just in time. I cursed to myself as I quickly checked for enemies on the side of the screen, mentally berating myself for letting my attention wander again. For someone who was supposed to be unusually aware of their surroundings, I was a such an airhead.
"A Flag?" My eyes widened in surprise, but I'm pretty sure they bulged to the size of saucers when a message popped up next to it, as well as another glowing dot on the map, "It's fighting Exia!"
I gripped the controls as I accelerated even faster without a second thought.
"Thorns, pierce!" I called out.
Four yellow flashes shot out immediately and I quickly followed, the urge to hurry completely dominating my instincts. When the gray Flag came into sight, still shooting at Exia, I sent the Thorns hurtling-
The Flag somehow sensed them at the last second, dodging to the side. One of my Thorns missed completely, while two only left gouges in its side. Only the last of them was able to deal decent damage, taking off a leg at the joint.
... Even so, my assault had been enough to distract the Flag's pilot. Setsuna took the momentary opening and rushed in, destroying the rifle weapon it held in its hands with one blow. The Flag finally realized the huge disadvantage it was at, not to mention that Exia was dangerously close, and quickly shot backwards in a hasty retreat.
I grimaced, even as I watched the Flag fly away... Although I started attacking from a pretty far range, that pilot was good, to be able to avoid my Thorns like that.
Pushing that thought to the side, I contacted Setsuna instead, "What was that just now?"
"A solo sortie," His image appeared on my screen.
"Who was it, though?" I pressed.
"... I don't know."
That was a disturbing thought. A skilled pilot, unknown... that would be more trouble stirring up in the future.
"Are you alright?" I asked instead, switching the topic.
"I'm fine," Short, staccato, and to the point. Really, what had I been expecting from him?
"... And you?"
...
I admit, that was unexpected.
"Oh, uh... same here," I stuttered for a moment, but managed to catch myself.
An awkward silence descended upon us after that, and I fidgeted slightly.
The silence was broken when Exia began moving again, going back on course for our rendezvous point with the others. There was this strangest twinge in my chest as I followed, but... I'm not quite sure what it is. It felt rather uncomfortable, though...
"Hey, Setsuna?" I was struck by an uneasy thought as the remnants of the battle replayed in my mind again, "That Flag... was it trying to get a piece of Exia to bring back or something?"
"... Most likely," He turned to the left, and I mimicked the movement, "The Gundams... there's a lot of people who desire power out there."
"Say," I pulled up Luchanti beside Exia so we were side by side, "Setsuna... Is there war because of people who desire power, or is it simply because destruction is in the nature of humans? ... Or... maybe... is it something else entirely?"
It had been nagging at me for awhile now. I joined Celestial Being shortly after Mr. Laelia was murdered. I joined so that no one else would have to go through the same pain I did, so no one else would bear the loss of those dear to them. I also joined because of who I am, a Super Soldier. The inhumane treatment at the facility and the excruciating pain from those scientists' experimenting... no one should have to go through that. Ever.
But what was the source of all this suffering? Celestial Being was taking action to eradicate war, which this suffering was stemming from... but... what did war originate from?
What, indeed?
Ch 2 : End
Lol, I didn't really like the last part, but… yeah, kinda got stuck. ^^" Help/comment?