Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED or any of their machines that I may include in this story. Sebastian Connor who will appear in this story was created and owned by Storm Wolf77415. The only OCs that I own are members of the Sasaki family and one machine I have created.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Comm Chatter or T.V."
Sound
"AI Talking"
Chapter 6: Mandalore
The Flames of Hatred Scorch The Skies, Igniting Gaia's Funeral Pyre…
Admits The Blue Skies, A Link From Past to Future. The Sheltering Wings Of The Protector.
Time: 12:15 PM
Date: 1/25/ 71 C.E.
Location: Abandon Construction Lot (25km away from Morgenroete Mobile Suit Factory)
"Ok 'Orion', spill it," Kazuma said, sitting in the X025's cockpit chair with the doors shut and looking at 'Orion's form on the large panoramic screen. "Explain why that GINN's sword didn't cut through the armor of the X025?" he asked, crossing his arms in annoyance.
"Very well," 'Orion' started, unphased by his pilot's serious tone. "What do you know of the metal called 'Teridium'?" He asked his own question, making Kazuma lean back in his chair.
"From what I heard," Kazuma started, going into deep thought trying to remember what he had heard about the metal. "It was a metal discovered on Mars over seven years ago. What about it?" he finished, wondering what 'Orion' was getting to.
"Teridium is a highly dense metal, superior to Diamonds due to it's molecular structure," 'Orion' started, making Kazuma blink before he continued. "To understand the molecular structure better, it is very similar to how a cotton fabric is woven and overlapped in multiple directions. This makes the metal impervious to conventional weapons such as explosives, solid projectiles, and the GINN's sword. So far, the only thing that can pierce Teridium alloy is beam and laser weaponry and/or a Teridium sword," he finished.
"Why didn't the Atlantic Federation just use the Teridium for the G-weapon's armor?" Kazuma asked curiously, wondering why the A.F. didn't use the alloy instead of Phase Shift.
"One of the drawbacks to the alloy is that it has only one, very small, known source which is deep inside Olympus Mons," 'Orion' said, getting more of Kazuma's attention. "It is also notoriously hard to work with because of its near indestructibility and is extremely difficult to mine, resulting in trillions of dollars being spent," the AI finished, waiting for any other questions from his pilot.
"So the Phase-Shift armor on the G-weapons were based off of the metal?" Kazuma asked, tilting his head to his left.
"Correct, Phase-Shift was developed by Atlantic Federation scientists, based on small samples of Teridium, for a more economical means," 'Orion' replied, making Kazuma straight his line of sight. "Phase-Shift works by using a magnetic and electrical field throughout the armor's molecular structure. This field disrupts kinetic energy similar to Teridium's Molecular structure. However, this method drains the onboard battery of the suit considerably, limiting it's operation time," he finally finished before he continued to monitor ZAFT's communications.
"Why am I not surprised," Kazuma said in response, putting the back of his head on the seat's headrest and looked up towards the ceiling. "The E.F. do have their moments from time to time," he finished. The binary codes along the panoramic screen flashed to a white color for a few seconds before it reverted back to it's usual bright green, catching Kazuma's attention again.
"We are being hailed by the Strike's pilot," 'Orion' said, making Kazuma uncross his arms and close his eyes.
"His name is Kira 'Orion'. Please call him by his name," Kazuma said, flatly as he pressed two buttons on the main console, making a picture of Kira pop up besides 'Orion's main image. "Did you make contact with anybody?" he asked, wondering if anybody had gotten his signal.
Kira shook his head negatively. "No," he said, making Kazuma frown and pinch the bridge of his nose in disappointment. "All I got was static," he finished, leaning back into the pilot seat of the Strike.
"I see," Kazuma replied, releasing the bridge of his nose and placed his hand on the controls. "'Orion', any luck hacking into Heliopolis's main hub and finding a place for everyone?" he asked, as an image of the AI appeared on Kira's main screen as well.
"I had little trouble hacking into the system," 'Orion' said proudly. "Unfortunately, all of the shelters that have some free space are in the Côte d'Azur District," he finished making Kazuma sigh in frustration while Kira looked at 'Orion's image like it was crazy.
"But that's on the opposite side of the colony," Kira informed, thinking whether or not the AI was nuts.
"And the ZAFT outside of the colony would attack us before we even had a chance to get moving," Kazuma said, finishing Kira's train of thought. "As much as I don't like it, we may need the Lieutenant's help to get the others off the station. Let's head back outside," he finished, pressing several buttons on the main console. The main hatch as Orion's left hand raised up to the cockpit's hatch, giving Kazuma a platform to stand on as he stepped out of the cockpit and on to the suit's palm.
"I shall continue to monitor ZAFT's communication's network in case of an attack," 'Orion' informed, making Kazuma turn around and look up towards the suit's face.
"Good," Kazuma said to the AI before he remembered something important. "Oh, and another thing," he started, as the Orion's left hand rose upward so that Kazuma was now eye level with the suit.
"Yes, sir?" 'Orion' asked, wondering what his pilot wants to tell him as Kazuma looked into the Orion's red-orange eyes. "Calling you 'Orion' and the suit Orion is getting a little confusing," Kazuma said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Is there another name you would like to be called instead of 'Orion'?" he asked, making the AI tilt the Orion's head to the right in confusion.
"Names are irrelevant to machines," 'Orion' stated, as Kazuma tilted his head to the right in confusion as well. "Why don't you just give me a name?" he finished.
"It is YOUR name, the only one who deserves to name you is yourself," Kazuma said, hoping the AI would understand him.
"I see," 'Orion' said, straightening the Orion's head, unsure how to react to the situation. "Do you have any suggestions?" the AI asked, making Kazuma go into thought.
A few seconds later, Kazuma looked back up towards the suit. "How about 'Mandalore' or 'Poseidon' , both have a nice ring to them?" he asked. He saw the suit's head look downward, like it was thinking hard.
Orion's head leveled out again so it was looking right back towards Kazuma. "Mandalore sound fine, I would like to be called that," the AI said gaining a nod from Kazuma before he lowered the Orion's left hand to the ground, so his pilot could get off.
"Alright," Kazuma said getting the Orion's left hand as Kira started to walk towards him from the Strike. "If you find anything over ZAFT's comms, let us know," he finished looking up towards Orion before he glancing at Kira as he walked up.
"Affirmative," Mandalore replied, moving the Orion's left hand back on to it's left knee and the suit's eyes went dark.
"What should we do now?" Kira asked looking at Kazuma questioningly, making him look directly at Kira and crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"As much as I don't like it," Kazuma paused, looking to his left and towards Murrue and Miriallia. They were sitting next to each other on a bench while they waited for Sai, Kuzzey, and Tolle's return with one of the trailers the Strike was suppose to be transported in. "We may need to stay with them in order to get off this station," he finished, turning his gaze back towards Kira.
"But aren't we being detained?" Kira asked, tilting his head at Kazuma in confusion.
"Nope, the Atlantic Federation operation here is illegally," Kazuma said, confusing Kira even more as Kazuma closed his eyes and sighed in frustration. "Article 16, Sub-Section Z, Paragraph 1A, Sentence 9-10 of Orb Government Regulation and Laws: All projects with other countries whether they be military or civilian, must be approved by the current Chief Representative personally. Otherwise the said project is considered illegal by all accounts and the ones responsible can be sentenced with 5 to 7 years in a high-security prison," he finished, making Kira blink before raising his eyebrow at his friend.
"How do you know that stuff?" Kira asked remembering several times where Kazuma pulled out a regulation or law from nowhere.
"My mom pounded the laws and regulations of different governments into my head when I was little," Kazuma said as he started to walk towards Murrue with Kira in tow. "To say the least it was very annoying, not to mention painful," he finished, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand as they drew closer to Murrue and Miriallia.
"Why painful?" Kira asked.
"My mom was very strict," Kazuma said, placing his arms to his side and his hands into his side coat pockets. "So every time I got something wrong, she would whack me at the back of my head or flick my forehead," he finished, looking at Kira.
"Ah, I see," Kira said, wondering about Kazuma's childhood before he realized something. "Hey Kazuma, since you're a noblemen of Orb, don't you have authority on Heliopolis?" he asked making Kazuma stopped in his tracks.
"What are you talking about," Kazuma asked, looking at Kira with a confused look.
"I'm saying since you are a Orb Noblemen, you should have authority while the A.F. is here on the station," Kira said a bit slower, making Kazuma instinctively blink in realization.
"Not sure," Kazuma said, scratching the tip of his nose with his right hand. "I doubt they would believe me, even though Mandalore did a brain wave and DNA test on me when we first met," he finished. This time Kira blinked in confusion.
"How did he do those kind of tests," Kira asked, wondering how the AI did it while inside a mobile suit.
"Beats me," Kazuma replied, shrugging his shoulders as he noticed one of the large trailers used to transport mobile suits was heading towards their location. There was a large number 5 on the trailer's front left side, making him turn his head towards Murrue and Miriallia as the trailer came to a stop near them. "Looks like Tolle, Sai, and Kuzzey found the trailer the lieutenant sent them out to get," He said, as Kira look towards his friends and continue to walk to Murrue with Kazuma following closely.
"What do you think is in there?" Kira asked, as they neared the Atlantic Federation officer and friend. The trailer came to a stop near the rest area, allowing Sai, Kuzzey, and Tolle to get out of the large trailer.
"Most likely the Strike's interchangeable weapons system," Kazuma answered, noticing Sai has started to walk towards Murrue as well. Kira looked at Kazuma in surprise and suspicion. "I'll explain later when we are not in a dangerous situation," he finished, answering Kira's unanswered question as Sai sopped in front of Murrue and Miriallia.
"Here's the number five trailer you asked for," Sai started before he looked back towards Tolle and Kuzzey as they were leaning against the trailer.
"Yes, that's right," Murrue confirmed, nodding to the teen as she placed her left hand over a gunshot wound on her right arm, trying to stop the sting even though the bullet was out. "Thank you," she finished, thanking the three teens, making Sai turn around and look at her.
"So what's next?" Sai asked, wondering what she'll have them do. "What are we suppose to do for you now?" he asked sarcastically. Murrue looked at him with a raised brow.
"Get one of the Striker packs installed on the Strike," Kazuma said making Sai, Murrue, and Miriallia look up at Kazuma in surprise. "Once that's done Kira, well use the Strike and Orion as escorts to get to the shelters in the Côte d'Azur District, ok?" he finished, looking towards Kira for his answer.
"Sure," Kira agreed, nodding before he turned around and started to walk back to the Strike.
Murrue gave Kazuma a hard look before she stood up in protest, but was silenced when Kazuma rose up his right had in a halting motion. "You have no authority here on Heliopolis because of Article 25, Sub-Section B, Paragraph 3D, Sentence 1 in the Atlantic Federation Protocols Version 7," he started, as Murrue blinked in surprise.
"When Atlantic Federation personnel is on neutral territory illegally, they are to follow the orders from the highest ranking official in the territory they are in until they can be retrieved by their superiors," Kazuma finished. Murrue's jaw drop; surprised an Orb civilian would have knowledge of the A.F.'s protocols.
She quickly regained her composure and gave Kazuma a questionable look. "How can the A.F.'s presence here be illegal and how can I tell you're an Orb Noble?" she asked raising an eyebrow at Kazuma as he crossed his arms again and looked towards Murrue. "For all I know, you could be impersonating the missing Sasaki," she finished, making Kazuma close his eyes and sigh in frustration at the Lieutenant.
"You can ask Mandalore for a positive ID," Kazuma replied, pointing towards the Orion with his right thumb over his right shoulder. "He did some DNA and Brain Wave test when I first got into the suit. He can also pull up my private medical records in the Murasame Hospital," he finished, as Murrue walked passed him towards the Orion.
On the Archangel's Bridge
"Launch the ship?" Arnold asked looking at Natarle, who was sitting in the captain's chair pressing several buttons. "But that's impossible with the number of people we have," he finished, pleading with the ensign hoping to change her mind.
Natarle looked at Arnold angerily. "If you have time to argue, then spend it on finding a way to do it! Morgenroete could still be under attack for all we know! Are you suggesting we remain confined here and ignore what's happening there?" She yelled, making Arnold grit his teeth in frustration.
The doors to the bridge opened to reveal three more Earth Forces members. They quickly made their way onto the bridge. "I rounded them up for you," the lead crew member said from the doorway as he was moving in Zero-G towards one of the stations on the bridge.
"To your stations people!" Natarle ordered, looking over her left shoulder and towards the crew members. "Just do what the computer instructs you to do!" she suggested, waiting for a reply from her fellow crew members.
"Yes, ma'am!" the three crew members said in union, moving to their respective stations on the bridge.
"The ZAFT vessels are still out there!" Arnold warned again while holding on to the Archangel's pilot's chair. "We're in no position to fight!" he finished, as Natarle looked back at him again
"I'm aware of that and the position we are in," Natarle argued with the pilot of the Archangel, hoping to get the point across. "Just prepare to fire the assault cannons as we activate the ship! You can do that, can't you, Chief Petty Officer?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as Arnold grunted in defeat as he got into the Archangel's pilot seat.
"Alright, begin launch sequence!" Natarle ordered wanting to get the ship underway and out of the hanger. "Due to the urgent nature, we'll omit C-30 to L-21 from the process. Main power, online!" she finished looking at Arnold, waiting for the diagnostics check on the power output.
"Output increase stable." Arnold informed. "450 seconds to required rating."
"That's too long! What's the status of the conduits to Heliopolis?" Natarle asked impatiently, wanting to get the ship moving quicker.
"They're undamaged," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jackie Tonomura, as his figures danced across the keyboard in front of him.
"Set us up to draw power from them! Get the conduits online and relay power to the accumulator!" Natarle ordered, mentally thanking God for the small break.
"Confirming connection!" Jackie informed. "Flow stable, twenty seconds to required rating!" he finished with a small smile on his face.
"Life support systems normal," Petty Officer 2nd Class Dalida Lolaha Chandra II said from his station.
"CIC online."
"Weapon systems online. CIS contact."
"Magnetic field chamber and pellet dispenser idling stable."
"Maintaining external shock damper at maximum output."
"Linking main power. Engine stable."
"All Archangel Systems online. Preparations for take-off complete!"
"Seal all airtight bulkheads," Natarle ordered, looking out in of the main view port towards the hanger doors blocking their path. "All hands, be prepared for impacts and sudden damage to the ship. Advance with caution. Archangel Launch!" she finished as the Archangel's engines suddenly fired to life and began to move forward slowly. One of the Assault cannons came out of its holding chamber ready to fire at a moments notice.
Back with the Orion and Strike
The Strike was sitting on the left side of the transport while the Orion stood next to it scanning the colony's interior, ready to fight at a moments notice. Kira pressed a few buttons on the Strike's main console in front of him, opening a comm. channel to the Orion. "Which one is the Power pack?" he asked as he looked over which piece was the one he want.
Kazuma was about to reply, but was cut off by Mandalore as his image appeared on one of the Strike's secondary screen at Kira's left."Pack WR98HL237R02YR87MFUZF720R29UGF8F is 45 degrees down and 60 degrees to your left," the AI answered making Kira blink.
"What?" Kira asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
"…It's to your lower left," Mandalore replied in a low annoyed tone, making Kazuma chuckle. "One other thing," The AI started again, getting the two teens attention again. "The weapons and Power pack are together in one unit, so mount the whole thing," Mandalore finished, turning of the monitor and comm link to the Strike before he returned his attention back to monitoring ZAFT's comm. array.
"How do you know so much about your so called 'successors'?" Kazuma asked, as he took off his helmet, placed it on his lap, and put his arms at rest on the cockpit chair.
"I grew tired of checking the Orion's system, so I hacked into every computer on Heliopolis to pass the time," Mandalore said casually, like it was nothing while Kazuma gave Mandalore's image a flat stare.
"You were bored?" Kazuma asked, not quite convinced an AI could get bored, unaware that the top of the cockpit had opened up three holes; one hole large enough for a human head to fit through while two smaller holes were on the right and left side of the middle one.
"I'd like to see you try and go for 4 years with nothing to do," Mandalore responded, making two robotic arms with 4 pronged robotic hands come out from the two small holes at the top of the cockpit and move toward the helmet in Kazuma's lap.
"Good point," Kazuma said as the robotic arms grabbed the helmet and lifted it up, surprising Kazuma. "What are you doing?" he asked, as the right robotic hand moved to the front of the helmet while the left hand gripped the module connecting the wires to the helmet and detached it.
"This helmet was not meant for my system, so I'm switching it out for a spare I already have within the Orion," Mandalore explained, as the right arm lifted the helmet up the main hole, making another large 4 pronged hand come out, taking the helmet from the other arm, and pulled it into the hole. "This new one provides more head protection and is meant for this suit," the AI finished, before a different helmet appeared from the main hole. The right arm took helmet from the large hand, moved it towards the left arm, placed the module at the base of the helmet, and presented it to Kazuma.
"Oh," Kazuma said, as he took the helmet in his hands. The arms retreated back into the holes and closed up before he looked over the new helmet.
It looked similar to the standard Mobius helmet. However, it didn't have the bulged forehead like the standard ones did: instead it was flat with a slight curve to it. The visor itself was clearly visible, but it was smaller with some small struts underneath where the eyes would go. The face plate of the mouth was also different. Instead of the usual square mouth cover, it was in a triangle shape that would cover the mouth and most of the nose. (A/N: For an image, it looks and works exactly like the one used by Blue Gender Double Edge pilots. This will help for those who don't know what it looks like. Sorry for the quality though.
i127(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/p151/SPARTAN-251/KazumasNewOrionHelmetImage005(dot)jpg
i127(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/p151/SPARTAN-251/KazumasNewOrionHelmet001(dot)jpg )
"Looks cool though," Kazuma said, placing his right hand on the helmet's forehead, accidentally pushing it upwards and raising the visor upward, opening the helmet like a medieval knight's helmet making him smirk. "I like it, thanks," he finished as he turned the helmet around, putting it on and raising the visor up.
"I thought you wou-," Mandalore started before he stopped in mid sentence, his image changing color to a dark red for a split second and back to his usual color. "We have unwanted company coming towards us," He said calmly, making Kazuma sit up straight, buckle himself into the cockpit seat, and put his visor back down, hearing a hissing sound along with a satisfying click.
"Where?" Kazuma asked as Mandalore's image disappeared, allowing him to scan over the Orion's panoramic looking for the bogies. An explosion from Heliopolis's main support beam racked the colony as the shockwave washed over them, making everyone look up just in time to see a white ZAFT CGUE and an A.F. Mobius Zero fly out and into the colony's interior.
"Does that answer your question?" Mandalore asked jokingly, as he checked over the Orion's system for any errors.
"Pretty much," Kazuma replied, returning the joke before rotating the Orion's head upward so he could get a higher resolution of the incoming crafts.
"Scanning," Mandalore said, enlarging the CGUE image for Kazuma and making a light green grid appear over it, evaluating the new threat. "Type: ZGMF-515 CGUE, Phase Shift Armor: none, Armaments: MMI-M7S 76mm heavy assault machine gun, MA-M4A heavy sword and M7070 shield-plus-28mm vulcan system, Threat level: None," Mandalore finished before the grid on the CGUE vanished and the enlarged image blinked out of existence.
"How's the generator?" Kazuma asked in a hurried tone, checking the pilot chair's harness to make sure he was strapped in tight.
"It is currently operating at one hundred and ten percent," Mandalore answered, checking over the generator for any malfunctions as Kazuma finished checking his harness and placed his hands on the controls. "I suggest using the H.E.M.P.A.C.'s first phase for this fight," he suggested, hoping his pilot would take his advice.
"Alright," Kazuma said, taking the AI's suggestion as he looked up at the CGUE as it slowed down a bit. "Anything I need to know about the First Phase?" he ask, hoping for more information about the weapon.
"The first phase fires 57mm underpowered high-energy beams at a very high rate of fire," Mandalore stated, switching the H.E.M.P.A.C. from phase two to phase one. "However, because the beams are underpowered it wouldn't do a lot of damage to the target," he finished, completing the switch from phase two to phase one.
"You know that and I know that," Kazuma started, raising the Orion's main weapon at the CGUE and took aim at it. "But HE doesn't," he finished, pulling the trigger.
Sorry for the wait, alot of things happened that i had to take care of. The chapters may also take longer to post since I start school soon.
Anyways, Please Read&Review so I can improve.
So until next time, This is SPARTAN-251, signing off...(Click)