Mission One: Phase One
2307 A.D.
The large ship, known as the Epouranios, kept itself hidden along the ocean floor, the crew on the bridge monitoring everything promptly as Aeolia Schenberg's video was broadcast over every network worldwide and more.
"I would like to address this statement to every single human being born and raised on Earth. We call ourselves simply Celestial Being. We are a private armed organization in possession of the mobile weapon Gundam. The main objective of Celestial Being's activities is to completely eliminate acts of war from this world. We do not act for our own benefit or for personal gain. We have chosen to intervene for the greatest goal of all to rid ourselves of the scourge of war. As of this moment I make this declaration to all humanity. Territory, religion, energy no matter what the reason or excuse if there is an evident act of war being carried out, we will commence intervention with our force. Any country, organization or corporation that promotes war will also be a legitimate target for our intervention. We simply call ourselves Celestial Being. We are an armed organization that was established to eliminate all acts of war from this world. I repeat..."
"So it really has begun." Tsubasa's eyes moved over the screen as it played the video, cutting off shortly after. She had been the first to speak, break the silence while the rest of the team stood there. Her eyes moved over to the other members currently located on the bridge as she pushed herself from the wall. "I'm assuming that you know Veda will have us running interventions soon enough, Captain. As it is, the world now knows about Celestial Being. The next step should be simple enough, or am I mistaken?"
A yawn broke in, allowing everyone's eyes to move towards the source. The raven and snow haired male kept his feet propped up on one of the control panels as he sat next to fire control as he allowed his crimson and gold eyes to look towards the young woman. "Does it really make much of a difference? That was the plan from the start, was it not? We're here to heal and fix the world, and all that crap.. even if it means burning it all down and starting over." He simply shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be honest and say I'm not opposed to that idea at all."
She allowed her eyes to move towards him, her arms folded lightly over her chest as she stood frozen for a moment. "I don't imagine someone like you would even be opposed to the idea of burning everything to the ground, Seraph." Her voice almost seemed bitter as she turned towards the captain.
"You're the overseer for Veda, and this ship. Would you like to tell us what Veda has in store for all of us?" He questioned her as he stood up from his seat, rubbing his sandy colored locks of hair.
"It's quite simple, is it not? We run interventions just like the other members of Celestial Being unsing the gundams. I don't see how I could possibly make it any simpler let alone clearer than that."
"..." Asuka blinked a couple times, her body desperately trying to convince her that rest would be the better option rather than standing on the bridge listening to practically nothing that would interest her.
Stretching, another female member of the team yawned as she watched her other teammates discussing the idea of burning things to the ground. "Sounds exciting in its own way but must we really burn everything to the ground?" She asked before turning to Tsubasa. "And aside from that, what exactly does Veda have us doing? Are we to be launching right away, tomorrow, or a week from now? An answer is good because I want one now." She stated clearly.
"I'd say whatever is best for ending war." One of the last members spoke from the corner he currently stood in, watching over the team. "But we shouldn't overstep our boundaries. It may be just a simple order, but it's difficult to figure out how it needs to be done." He sighed as he walked towards Tsubasa.
"Yeah, well that's the problem with you stupid kids. You're all so damn worried about rules in a world where rules are shit to none." Seraph stood up and rubbed his head, messing up his hair a bit before he closed his eyes long enough to allow a smirk. Opening his eyes and walking out, he left the bridge and headed towards the MS deck.
Tsubasa kept her eyes on him for a moment before shaking her head. "We leave in approximately twenty minutes. Do whatever it is that you need to do and get your asses moving." She growled, clearly annoyed as she glanced up at Skhei before leaving the room.
Seraph sighed, he was used to operating on his own from Kung Threp. This whole team thing was a massive cramp in his side. Of course, that's why Telos was suited for multiple roles, but he couldn't help wondering if that was needed now. "We're almost phased out here." He muttered.
"Irritated you, hasn't he?"
"Jynx... shut up." Tsubasa growled, stopping to look at her reflection in a nearby window. Her eyes stared out at the bottom of the ocean as she felt the ship alter, slowly beginning to move towards the surface.
"Think I'll be kind enough to give you this time to gather your thoughts... but remember, I'm taking over once we're inside Medeis."
"Do what you want. I'm tired." She whispered and headed towards the MS deck.
Asuka sighed as she watched her teammates, the very thought of burning things to the ground as a solution making her sick. She hugged her arms tightly at the elbows, shaking her head and followed after them to the MS deck. "How can I possibly trust these people when they have impossible ideas for the quick end of war..." Her mind questioned it as she got into her machine, Lucifer, and started it up, preparing to launch. "This war needs to end. Can these people really help it to come to a swift end... or perhaps they're useless to the cause. Regardless, I don't trust them." And with that, she launched her machine from the Epouranios.
A young man's mouth curved into a smirk as he watched the area he had been assigned to. It'd been almost twenty minutes since his arrival and he finally took notice of the beginning of the enemy's launch. Cracking his knuckles through his gloves, he returned his hands to the controls of his machine and accelerated towards the single MS unit that had launched.
Tsukiko watched the events unfold and quickly followed after the rest of the team, stopping onlyfor a moment to change into her flight suit. Shortly after, she climbed into her machine, Apoleia, and ran a quick check over the machine. "Everything's in order. I'm ready to go." She informed the bridge, slipping her helmet on and securing it.
Skhei grabbed his helmet as he followed the team to the hangars, standing there as he watched a few more launch. Tying his hair back, he slid his helmet on and sighed. "Well this already looks like drama." He muttered while climbing into the cockpit of his machine, Thanatos, and starting it up. While the preparations for his launch went through smoothly, he looked at the open line with the bridge. "Alright, this is Dhayte Skhei in Thanatos Gundam. I'm launching!" He called as his machine launched from the ship. "Intervention en route."
"Talk about jumping the gun much? No one's even confirmed our targets yet." Seraph sighed as he decided to go without the extra equipment. "Seraph Damascus, Telos." He half muttered as the gundam was launched out over the ocean. It's GN drive increased its output and allowed him to quickly catch up with the others. "So who are we attacking and where are they?" He glanced over his shoulder, something else seeming to pull at his attention.
Charging towards Asuka's machine, the young man pulled out his beam sabers and shoved the machine back towards the ocean below. In one quick move, he brought his blade down on her gundams arm but paused to look at his radar, taking note that the other enemies were approaching. "Damn it..." He growled under his breath.
Asuka's eyes lowered into a glare as she stared at the enemy gundam. The damage done to Lucifer would take a while to repair and she was none too pleased. She backed away quickly in an attempt to get away from him and gain the upper hand, but suddenly realized that her hand had been damaged to the point of immobilization. "This isn't good.."
"What in the hell is this?" Seraph watched as the two gundams started fighting. "Where did this other dude even come from?" He obviously didn't seem that interested in the whole fight as he sent a message for his D-Assault pack to be sent out. As he waited, he decided to watch the action. If the little girl couldn't hold her own, she really had no business being in a gundam. "Stay alive for a little longer. I'll kill the newcomer in a split second, though of course, I'll wait for a bigger gun." HIs voice trailed off a bit as he waited for the ship to comply with his request.
A fleet belonging to the Union moved along the water, a force large enough to handle anything that could be thrown at them, but little did they realize that their trip was about to be delayed.
Seth was up on the upper deck of the Washington, enjoying the sight of the mobile suits take off and whatnot. A sea sergeant had just recently dropped off the mail so he was more than happy to be getting word from his mother seeing as they hadn't spoken since he enlisted. Although, being on standby wasn't always a drag as he got to see a flock of whales earlier that day, but now to more important matters. Apparently there was a terrorist convoy shipping weapons to the Pacific Islands coming through and they were going to give them a lesson. The one issue; they hadn't shown up yet though the raid siren was going off. "What the hell is going on?" He glanced over the ocean and looked up slightly to see what looked like some odd reflection. Having never seen GN particles in person, he didn't get what was going but the orders to launch had been given and without hesitation, he made his way to his Flag.
Eri watched as the events unfolded, her eyes moving over the screen in front of her. "Captain, Seraph is requesting his D-Assault pack."
His eyes moved towards the young woman before nodding. "Give him what he wants. We can't afford to let that enemy machine gain the upper hand." His eyes moved back to the screen. "Where the hell did it come from?"
Nodding, she gave the order for his pack to be sent out. "Kill that bastard, Seraph."
"Eri, what about the current targets?" He turned his seat to look at her again.
"Sir, we've got one MS carrier and eight destroyers accompanying it. As for what kind of machines they've got, they've got at least 36 units on board." Eri let her fingers run over the keys before she turned to face him.
"Lovely."
Jynx watched the little spat for a moment before glancing back at the rest of the team. "If you're not going to be able to hold your own against the machine, what right do you have to even call yourself a gundam meister?" She growled, shaking her head. "Look little girl, get your ass in gear and kill the bastard!" She snapped.
"Don't allow yourself to become distracted. You don't know where the hell this guy even came from or why he has a Gundam. We can't afford to waste any time. Focus on the task at hand. If anything, I'm sure that Seraph can handle this guy."
She simply shrugged as she moved her machine past the two gundams, allowing them to continue their spat. "Whatever... I'm not about to give up the chance at showing these bastards what it's like to mess with a Gundam." She laughed.
The Thanatos followed behind Medeis, Skhei trying not to worry about his current ally in combat. "Alright, now to our mission." He glanced down at his radar while the location of the targets appeared.
Not all that interested in staying behind while the two machines duked it out and drew attention to themselves, Tsukiko quickly followed after Jynx and Skhei. Her eyes darted about as she watched for any signs of incoming units. "It seems like the coast is still clear." She smuttered, her breathing a bit uneven. She could honestly admit she was nervous but not enough to let it interfere with the mission at hand. "I think that's the ship right up ahead." She called out to them.
The young man smirked at his handywork, moving towards her with the intent to attack her once more. "Heh heh..." He laughed.
Asuka dodged his attack quickly, her eyes widening. "Get away from me!" She shouted. Noticing that the others had seen that she was being attacked, she growled as her anger was becoming known. "I can take care of this bastard! Deal with your own battles!" She demanded, pulling out her beam sabers and charging the enemy unit. "Die you bastard!"
Seraph ran a quick diagnostics check as the D-Assault equipment started to sync with the Telos' GN-Drive. "It's all green. Good. Now it's time to have some fun." He smirked as the GN bazooka was aimed at the unknown machine, the Revenge gundam. "Does this mean I'll have to kill your targets too? Heh, don't get killed on your first mission. It makes me look bad." Lucky for him, the machine was right in the path of his target; a single Union destroyer on the high seas, about 200 meters out. "Oh well." He smirked and fired the massive GN weapon.
Seth had just finished pre-flight when he was cleared and ordered up into the air. "Alright, I'm clear. OSO targets confirmed. Sweet luck kids." His mood seemed to settle into a more serious tone as he was pressed back against the seat by the catapault. As soon as the red Flag launched in its fighter mode, one of the escorting Destroyers exploded in a flash of purple. "What the hell is that?" The Flag banked to the right to change its course. "Those guys are dead! VMF-034, get your ass in the air and help me!"
"This is Captain Walsey. Set an air defense net Lieutenant. Get a grasp on the situation and rip those bastards up."
"Roger that. All players, CAG is on station. I don't give a damn what they're packing. We will win."
"Target confirmed." Locked on, a single bolt of energy reached out like a helping hand to Asuka, grazing her enemy as a warning shot in the shoulder joint. Den methodically started planning out his next move, taking note of the reinforcements from the opposition. Den sneered, as if he heard something that displeased him. "I know, Amos, but I can't be too messy. That wouldn't be graceful." He spoke inside his cockpit, referring to his Gundam as if it were another living person. But from the size of the enemy forces, he reckoned he shouldn't be in sniper mode for too long.
"Be wary. I got your back."
The young man glanced up at the incoming beam. "Hmpf, that won't stop me.." He turned his thrusters on high and lunged forward grabbing onto the Lucifer and plunged into the water, escaping just as another ship exploded behind him. "Ahhhh, damn it!" He fought to keep his gundam stable, glancing at his screen to look at the gundam he took down with him and mentally noting that it took some damage. "Oops, looks like I'm taking you with me." He smirked, flying in the direction of his commading ship.
Asuka sat in Lucifer, competely shocked. In the back of her head, she was glad to still be alive, but the idea of her being taken captive didn't hit her fancy either. Swearing under her breath, she swore the bastard would pay for damaging her gundam. "I'm going to kill him..."
Eri's eyes focused on the screen for a moment before she turned back to the Captiain. "Sir, we've got multiple targets showing up on screen and Asuka's signal was lost!"
"Damn it! Did she...?" His eyes shut for a moment as he exhaled slowly. "Very well. Move us back underwater and we'll take a few of them from below."
Eri nodded as she turned back to the screen, watching as the ship moved below the surface and towards the enemy ships. "Here goes nothing. C'mon guys... hurry it up."
Jynx laughed as she caught sight of the enemy fleet, watching a few of the destroyers explode. She almost couldn't contain how excited she was. "This is getting good~!" She grinned, noticing a red machine flying about. "Should we play with this one?"
"Looks like everything is just about ready. I assume the Captain will be more than eager to give us a helping hand from below. For now, focus on the mission."
"Destroy the enemy fleet and stop all acts of war. Blah, blah, blah. Let's rip these guys apart!" She laughed, switching to her MA and speeding past the red suit.
As the targets came into view, Tsukiko took aim with the revolve bazooka. "Alright, I've got a lock on the target." She spoke softly, breathing lightly as she fired off the weapon. As she did, she watched Asuka's signal vanish from her radar and her eyes stared down at the screen. "Did Asuka just... Did we just lose Asuka?" She called out to the others.
Watching the radar as enemy unit signals started disappearing, Skhei moved Thanatos through the openings in their formation and appeared on the other side of the enemy flank. Turning around, he threw one of the beam boomerangs and pulled out a single beam saber. Watching the boomerang slice through three enemy units arms and legs before returning, he moved quickly and sliced the rifle arm off another unit. "..." His eyes caught sight of the enemy taking aim and moved out of the way to avoid being shot. "Report! What happened to the Lucifer?"
Seraph sighed and shook his head. "You've gotta be kidding me." This was an annoying situation. Some random half-assed gundam pilot, as he called him, pops up out of nowhere, attacks them and drags Asuka down with'em. "No, her signal wnet out when she hit the water. Seems like the interloper decided to take her for a ride." He shrugged, increasing his GN output and launching himself towards the enemy mobile suit force.
Captain Walsey gave the order and once a firing solution was figured, the remaining destroyers and the carriers active turrets turned skyward towards the unknown mobile suits. Being careful not to hit their own forces, the Union ships opened fire.
Seth glared as he watched the enemy machine transform and speed by him. "Holy..." The Flag bankeed to left and quickly gave chase as the afterburners kicked in. "Don't think you can just mess with me and fly off!"
Jynx watched as the enemy unit chased after her, a smirk on her lips. "Oh look at that. This one's eager to play." She laughed, keeping ahead of him just enough as she turned quickly, diving down into the water.
"Your messing around could result in Medeis getting damaged. Stop being an idiot."
"Oh come off it, girly. Medeis is able to handle anything you throw at it and more. Besides, I'm not giving this guy the advantage. I'll toy with him long enough so that our team can take out the enemy fleet and this guy will have nothing to return to." She smirked.
"What?" In an instant, the situation had changed with Den watching through his scope. He bit his tongue, debating on what would be the right course of action. This intervention was important, yes, but he wanted to ensure the survivability of his team. "Damn it, I know! But.." He said, gritting his teeth. Out of spite, he locked on and sniped out a couple of Flags' arms and heads in rapid fire succession. "You're right. SCOUT camouflage, disengage." With that, his Gundam had now taken appearance, folding his sniper rifle and placing it on his back. He launched out and darted towards the enemy forces. But as it looked like he was about to assault the opposition, the Amos dived straight below to Asuka's previous location. Plunging into the water, Den tried to locate the two mobile suits. Spotting a faint dot, he rushed in deeper, keeping an eye on the pressure gauge. Out of a blind sense of faith, he reached out and grabbed onto something. It was the back of the enemy mobile suit. "Everyone comes back alive!" he said, as he propelled himself upwards to the surface. As they reached topside, still holding onto the mobile suit, the GN Shotel from his right arm released and extended. With it, he cut through the arms which had a death grip on the Lucifer, immediately following up with a swift roundhouse kick to the enemy for breathing room. "Den F. Lyons, target found. Commencing destruction of the target."
"Captain! It seems that Amos has retrieved the enemy gundam along with Asuka!" Eri had a smile on her face as she turned to everyone on the bridge.
"Good job, Den." He whispered. "Alright, let's give these guys a hand! Prepare to launch GN missiles towards the enemy fleet."
The young pilot spun around, pissed that he was taken out of the water. "Fucking asshole!" He yelled, activating what seemed to be some odd kind of GN particle dispersal while knocking the Amos backwards in hopes of stunning him long enough to make an escape. "I'll teach you to mess with me..." He growled, flying out of sight and range while taking the Lucifer with him.
"No you don't!" Thanatos' GN drive roared as it took off into the air after Asuka and the enemy pilot, but in one quick move, his radar was suddenly not responding. His eyes moved over the area, noticing the particle dispersal. "Why isn't my radar picking her up?" He shouted, scanning the sky frantically before slamming his fists on the controls in front of him. "Damn it!"
The Amos was pushed back from the unknown attack it wasn't prepared for, but before Den could counterattack, the two had disappeared again; this time seemingly for good. He just tried to properly adjust to what had happened. He was sure Asuka's safety was assured, but she was taken. A mission parameter had failed, but Den wasn't looking to leave this battlefield empty handed. His gaze became focused. He had become quite irate. His second GN shotel released, and Den commenced his original plan. "I'll make you all Pay. Search and destroy." He muttered to himself as he lunged towards the fleet of destroyers.
"Where the hell is taking me..." She wondered, letting her eyes move forward to fall upon an unknown and unfamiliar ship. Reaching beside her, she grabbed onto a hand gun that she kept hidden inside Lucifer's cockpit and held it tightly.
Seraph sighed, taking aim at another destroyer and fired a focused GN burst. "Hm... what's this?" His scans picked up a second group. "Oh, this must be the magical boys I was wanting to meet."
Another ship moved slowly and cautiously. They were shocked to see that the Union had caught onto them but more to their surprise, they were being taken down by some odd mobile suits.
The group's leader watched through a scope before shrugging. "Hell, maybe it's our lucky day. Try and go around them."
The Union fleet was at odds, but luckily it seemed like the unknown mobile suits were splitting up. However, ignoring them wasn't possible.
The captain got a hard link to 1st Lieutenant Cross and the Flag group. "Keep engaging these off mobile suits. We have command on line and hopefully we'll get help in time. Lance units engage the terrorist. Don't let that ship pass. Blockade formation."
Seth glared as he watched the enemy speed away from him. "Tch." He thumbed the trigger, firing off six missiles and dropping the leg mounted pods. His Flag rolled over into an imulman turn and midway through, the red mobile suit shifted into it's MS form, leveling its liner rifle straight against the Gundam's chest. "Hiya." He smirked as he pulled the trugger and fired several charged rounds at the mobile suit.
Jynx moved quickly, but not quickly enough. After getting hit a few times, she felt herself get slammed back into her seat as her gundam was slammed back from the force. "Fuck." She hissed, glaring at the machine. "This is bullshit." She was cursing herself mentally for a bit. No doubt Tsubasa would be pissed if her precious Medeis was damaged.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Speak of the devil. She shook her head. "Shut up!" She snapped. "You can whine, bitch, moan and groan all you want later!" She moved back from the enemy machine as quick as she could, a smirk crossing her lips. "Let's give our fangs a shot, shall we?" She laughed, releasing the 8 GN fangs just as she burst out of the water.
The Flags picked out targets and from what they could see, the Lieutenant was doing his thing meanwhile three of the mobile suits had run off. That left them with the other two gundams. The flags split their group. Two going after Tsuki and two going after Den.
Slowly guiding his way onto the ship, the enemy pilot docked his machine and got out of his cockpit. "I wonder who's flying that machine..." He muttered, looking over at Lucifer while he waited for them to get out, preparing himself for what might happen next.
Asuka opened her cockpit, holding her gun tightly in her hand. Moving slowly, she got out of her Gundam to look around for the enemy pilot. "Where are they.."
Watching his enemy come out of their machine, he made sure to watch them carefully. Noticing instantly that they had a gun in their hand, he grabbed his own and shot it quickly out of their hand. "I don't think so." He smirked.
Her eyes widened at how easily this guy unarmed her. Knowing she wouldn't be able to attack him, she came out of her mobile suit slowly. Taking off her helmet, her eyes narrowed into a glare.
He glanced at her, getting a good look. He was surprised by what he saw. "A woman..? I give you props for being able to fight me off for as long as you could." He smirked.
"Why did you take me?" She snapped, her head whipping towards the direction of his voice. Moving quickly towards him, she punched him hard across the jaw. "Stupid asshole!" She thought back to the others. "Their use to me was minimal..."
"Missiles are ready, Captain. Multiple targets locked." Eri moved quickly, her eyes scanning the screen as she watched the battle that took place above them.
"Good. Fire those missiles now!" He demanded, looking back at the crew currently on the bridge. "Time is running out." He shook his head. "And inform those meisters of ours to hurry their asses up! Our time is running short!"
"Sir." She opened up the comm line immediately. "Attention meisters. Time is running short, as you're all probably aware. The Captain says to hurry your asses up." She paused for a moment. "Also, prepare for some underwater fireworks in a moment." She smiled, closing the line and watching as the missiles were fired as ordered.
Skhei laughed as he moved Thanatos to intercept the unknown enemies just a little ways from them."Thanks Eri." He smirked. "Don't you worry. We'll have this wrapped up shortly." He announced over the comm line before it was cut. With its dual beam sabers, the Thanatos began to attack the modified AEU units.
The ship opened fire on the single mobile suit as it closed it but the larger guns were too slow. The ANFs on deck opened fire with their smoothbore cannons and the Helions struggled to intercept the machine as it attacked from the air.
"What the hell is going on?"
"I can't hit this guy!"
"Calm down and evade. We need to get out of here." The chatter over their comms continued.
With two units coming towards her, Tsuki rolled her eyes and quickly opened fire. "You guys got some kind of death wish?" She snapped, pulling out one of her beam sabers and slicing down at one of them. Bringing her machine's leg around, she kicked the other incoming machine and moved back to gain distance. "Damn these guys are persistent. Gotta give them some kind of credit though, I suppose." She laughed.
The Epouranios crew watched as the remaining carriers exploded before they decided to make their next move with Eri once again opening the comm lines.
"Alright ladies. Let's finish these guys off and get the hell out of here. You got 15 minutes so get your asses moving." The Captain rubbed his head as he looked at his watch. "The rest of you prepare to fire the GN missiles again at whatever is left floating out there. Give those guys a hand so we can move onto the next phase."
A few of the people on the bridge moved about before taking their seats once again, looking towards the Captain. "Ready on your orders."
"15 minutes? Damn, you better get your asses moving then too. I'd hate for you to miss out on all the fun, sir."
Eri shook her head, trying not to laugh as she looked towards the open comm line she had just linked with Skhei. "How are things out there?" She was quick to ask, a calming smile on her face. "I hope all is well. I'm counting on you."
"Jynx, just get the goddamn job done and get back here before I kick your ass." The Captain growled, giving the signal to launch several missiles again.
"What the?" The Flag shifted awkwardly and tucked its right arm in as the GN fangs flew by. He watched the defense rod as one of the fangs were deflected. The next one, however, shattered the defense rod and damaged the arm. "Okay, I'm bugging out. We're outgunned. All wings, pull back and defend the carrier."
Jynx couldn't help but burst out laughing as she watched the enemy unit. "C'mon, juts a little more." She smirked, allowing her fangs to play with the machine a little longer.
"Tick tock, tick tock. We have other enemies to deal with."
Seraph watched as Skhei went on his little slaughter fest. "Is that really fun mister fearless leader? It's a tad annoying if I do say so myself. A bit of a struggle is more what I'm into. Make each other bleed a little bit." He laughed as he fired another GN burst into the AFT of the last destroyer and watched it sink slowly. He scanned the skies, spotting Jynx and her engagement with a Union pilot. "Awe, how cute. It's not dead yet. Having trouble sweetie?"
Rolling her eyes, she heard Seraph over the comm and glared at his machine. "Cute? Buddy, you can fucking blow me." She grumbled as she moved back a bit, opening fire on the enemy unit with the submachine guns mounted on her machine's wrists. "I don't need your goddamn approval."
He smirked as the GN bazooka was docked and the Telos hovered over what was left of the Union fleet, if you could even call it that now. "Heh, well I'm not the one with performance issues." He couldn't help but laugh as his gundam moved towards the designated evacuation position. There wasn't much else for him to do at the moment, unless the captain wanted them to wipe the Union and terrorist force out.
Noticing that the unknown enemy had started to back off and take a passive route, Thanatos lifted into the air and headed back towards the evacuation point without turning his back on the enemy. "Everything is looking good. These guys have taken some good damage, enough for them not to start any aggression towards the others. I'm returning now so please make sure everything's clear for me to do so."
Seth grunted as the g's pressed against his body. The Flag rolled away from the fangs and banked hard to the right, diving at a 30 degree angle. This allowed him to dodge the incoming fire from the freaky machine. "What the hell is this thing? It's really getting on my nerves..."
Rolling her eyes, she stopped the attack on the enemy unit and pulled back. "Oi, did anyone ask for your opinion? Nah, I didn't think so." She growled. "I'll let this guy go. No real sense in trying to kill him just yet, right little miss Tsubasa?"
Listening to her teammates going at it verbally wasn't her idea of entertainment as she cut comm line, taking in the silence. Grabbing the chance to move back, she headed towards the designated point where the rest of the team was waiting. "Those two fight like a damn couple." As she got closer, she took a final glance towards the enemy, rather what was left of them. "We really did a number on them." She whispered.
"I'd prefer if we didn't have to really kill anyone, however these guys are done. Look at them. We've completed the task at hand. Move towards the evacuation point and wait for everyone else."
"Whatever you say, lady." She shrugged, switching to her MA and taking off towards the designated point. "Y'know, that Seraph guy drives me nuts. I've got an urge to hit him when we dock."
"That doesn't surprise me. Everyone drives you nuts because they're not borderline psychotic."
"Hey, being a little psychotic isn't a bad thing." Jynx laughed as she folded her arms over her chest, waiting for the ship to surface.
Seth sighed as he dipped the wing and stared down at what used to be the 7th fleet. No destroyers or escort ships left, just a crippled carrier and it's damaged mobile suits. "Damn it... who were those guys?" He shook his head and continued to fly defense rings over the carrier. Once again he had survived a Celestial Being attack, but these mobile suits were different from before. The thought of there being more of those machines scared him, but it also excited him. "Hm." The red flag rolled slowly before leveling out. The Union mobile suits honestly didn't need to land. They could stay in the air as long as they weren't damaged too badly and had a direct feed of power from the orbital elevators.
The first phase done, the Epouranios surfaced to allow the meisters to return to the ship. Of course, they were five minutes ahead of schedule but he wasn't going to complain. "Activate the camouflage and as soon as the meisters have docked, move us towards the next phase." The Captain was quick to order.
Eri and the others nodded as she relayed the message. "You're all clear to board. Skhei, I'll meet you down there." She smiled, shutting off the feed and standing up, heading towards the MS deck.
Kagami shook her head as she followed after Eri, walking alongside the girl. "What's the deal with you and Skhei? You take some kind of liking to the guy or something?" She teased, nudging her lightly with her arm as she brushed the red strands from her eyes as they arrived to watch one of the meisters dock, the Apoelia. "Hey~ Tsukiko!" She waved at the machine with a friendly grin.
After climbing out of the cockpit, she found herself staring at the empty spot where Asuka's machine was supposed to be. Her eyes locking on it, Tsukiko felt bad that none of them could have stopped the enemy machine from taking her. "That just isn't right." She whispered, holding her helmet tightly in her hand before heading off towards her room. "I wonder how everyone else is taking it..."
Seraph yawned as he cut the thrusters, leaving the Telos to fall toward the sea. After counting to six, he opened the throttle and spun the machine as it slowed so that it would be caught in the open landing hatch of the catapult. The result made the ship dip slightly from the impact so he couldn't help but laugh as the Telos was stripped of its equipment and he walked the machine to its dock. "Well today was fun. Beat the hell out of the Union in less than twenty minutes. Lovely." He muttered as the cockpit opened.
Thanatos followed shortly after, docking carefully and shut itself down. Stretching, Skhei opened the cockpit and jumped down onto the platform to notice Eri and Kagami standing a little ways away. Pulling his helmet off, he ran his fingers through his hair to let it fall into place and cover the holes on the side of his head. "Mission was successful." He smiled, joining them.
Shortly after returning to the ship and locking Medeis securely in place, Jynx climbed out of the cockpit and jumped down onto the platform in front of her. "That went almost as smoothly as we had hoped." She let her eyes moved towards the empty space where Lucifer once was. "That's the only thing that went wrong. What a waste." She muttered, pulling her helmet off and holding it under her arm.
"We'll go and report this to Veda. See if there's anything about that enemy machine. I'm still irked about that pilot taking Asuka."
She nodded, walking towards the hall that lead to Veda before stopping to look at Telos as the cockpit opened. "Oh look. He's graced us with his presence." She smirked.
Den kept his mind blank as he continued the mission. The enemy was defeated, and everyone returned to their respective dock; all but one. He left his cockpit quickly and kept an eerie silence. Quickly pacing himself to his quarters, he took the time to meditate on what happened today. He failed a mission parameter. He let a teammate down. "I need to reflect.. on how I can prevent this from happening in the future." He thought as he stared through his window, nearly perfectly still, entering his thought process.
Seraph pulled his helmet off and messed up his hair. "Hahaha, not bad. Not bad at all. A little messy but I guess it can't be helped." He laughed after commenting about the meister's abilities. Deep down, he was missing his Blast Realdo. In fact, they had it locked away in the event that his gundam got fragged, he had a back up. Besides, it wasn't like he got all the acceleration he wanted from the Telos, but given its role, that couldn't be helped. Jumping down from the cockpit, he stuck his tongue out at the empty MS dock. "Oh well, it's not really our problem now is it?" He turned back to his machine as it stood in place. "We've got a lot of work to do buddy. Maybe we'll steal it afterall~"
Eri blinked, blushing lightly at Kagami's comment. "Shut up!" She nudged her in the side as she looked at Skhei. "You guys were amazing out there." She smiled. "But it's a shame we lost Asuka." Her eyes moved to the remaining pilots before she folded her arms over her chest, glancing back at Jynx. "She's got the connection to Veda with her being an Innovade and all. No doubt we'll find something out soon, I mean... we can really only hope."
Kagami grinned, rubbing her side. "Geez Eri, you didn't have to hit me." She glanced up at Skhei. "Why are you so damn tall?" She grumbled, standing on her toes to try to match up with his height but with no luck. "Oh, curse you tall people." Her eyes moved towards Jynx as she listened to Eri. "I don't know about her. Something about that Innovade rubs me the wrong way."
Skhei looked over at Jynx and Seraph as a wave of relief came over him but he didn't show it. He didn't want to be seen as weak... again. Soon after, her felt upset and looked over at the two girls he stood with and his expression turned to disappointment at their words. "Then I will take my leave." He spoke as he strolled down the hall, heading towards the male's locker room to change out of his flight suit. "What if they knew..."
Jynx shook her head, the urge to hit Seraph coming back again. "Not bad?" She stopped for a moment. "Oi, and they call me the crazy one? Dude sometimes acts like he's got a few screws loose."
"You can't be seriously thinking that."
She blinked, looking at her reflection in her helmet's visor before shrugging. "I can't help it. It's funny." She laughed, watching Skhei leave. "What's eating him?" Her eyes moved towards Kagari and Eri, a semi glare as she stared at them.
"What the hell is going on? Don't even think about it Jynx. Now is clearly not the time."
"What'd you two idiots say to him? Knowing your intelligence, it couldn't have been much." She growled, her eyes lowered into a proper glare as she continued to stare at them. "Fucking morons." She muttered.
Eri blinked as she looked towards Jynx. "Hey! What the hell did I do to get called an idiot?" She snapped once it sank in. "Stupid Innovade. Just because she's different, we're idiots." She growled, leaving the room to return to the bridge.
Kagami's eyes lowered into a glare. "Who are you calling an idiot?" She snapped, walking towards her now that Eri had left. "I don't recall doing anything wrong to upset Skhei, but since you're so keen on knowning what I said, I'll tell you to your face." She stopped when she got close enough. "I said I wasn't sure about you because something about you just rubbed me the wrong way. Are you happy now, Innovade? You know." She snapped, fighting the urge to hit her. "But I think I'm slowly figuring it out. Maybe the reason I don't like you is being you're pretty much a fake. You're not really human, more like a computer that's only useful when it wants to be. It's digusting, and I don't have to like it. Matter of fact, I won't. You and I never got along in the first place, so there's never going to be a reason to try." She paused for a moment, glancing at Seraph. She wasn't sure about him either. They never even spoke before, but her eyes were back on Jynx. "From what I've gathered just from being around you, Innovades think they're so perfect. News flash, you're not. You're about as imperfect as things like you go. So let's be completely honest here. If you're not human like the rest of us or you're borderline psychotic like you are, I hate you.." With that, she walked towards the door only to stop before she left. "It's people like you that end up causing more harm than not.. and it's people like you that are the reason my entire family is gone." And with that, she was gone.
"Damn, she got you." He whistled, laughing and nudging Jynx as he walked by. "Perfection is overrated, human beings are over exaggerated and emotional as hell... hey, I guess you're human after all. Me, on the other hand, I'm a lion among men. I enjoy the finer things, like cleaning the blood and skin from under my nails." He laughed as he walked to the male's locker room to shower and change.
Jynx glared when he nudged her, his eyes staring at him and taking in what he said. "I'll get her back for that. I guarantee it. I don't take to things like that lightly." She hissed, walking towards the female locker room to do the same. Throwing her helmet into her locker, she fought the urge to break everything as she walked into the shower.
"Of all people, I didn't expect that from Kagami.. I, myself, don't even know how to react to that. Perhaps this is best suited in your hands. We'll be sure to do a little digging, won't we?"
She nodded as she let the hot water run over her skin. "Damn that girl. I'll be sure to do digging alright. I plan to gather all the information I can on this little team of ours." She growled, punching the wall hard in front of her. "I won't allow another incident like that to occur." She felt the stinging in her hand as she looked down at it. "I appreciate you letting me handle this because as it stands, she'll be in recovery for a while once I'm done with her."
"Do be careful. We don't know how everyone else will react to you beating the girl within an inch of her last breath. Mind you, I don't see Seraph stopping us but you do know who need to be most concerned about."
"Yeah.. but as it stands, I couldn't really care. No one talks to me like that and gets to walk away unscathed." She hissed, finishing up with her shower and getting back into her uniform. "Let's deal with Veda first. Kagami will be handled accordingly once I'm finished." With that, she headed towards Veda's terminal.
(A/N: Alright, so that concludes the first chapter. I'd like to just give a personal thanks to everyone who is a member on the Gundam 00Reborn forums for their help in bringing this chapter to life. For those who are interested, you are more than welcome to join in. Just send me msg for the link. :) The forum is open to everyone, and for those who enjoyed this chapter I should hopefully have the second chapter up within a few weeks. Thanks for reading. :D Please, do submit feedback. Any of it is helpful!)