Gundam Seed: Killer's Realm
Phase 19: Meetings
Just outside of Orb
February 5, 71 C.E., 11:37 A.M.
The Barachiel crew was silent as they made their approach to Orb's territorial waters. Despite the return of Jack, they had still lost Kira. And Jack's return hadn't actually made anything much better. In his escape from the Grigori, the Kiba had gotten 'nicked' by its Inferno Positron Cannon in the left arm. Which meant practically the entire left side of the Gundam was just gone. If it weren't for the Barachiel's nano-lathing facilities, they wouldn't have had a snowball's chance in hell of getting the silver Gundam repaired anytime before fall. Even with the nano-factories, it would've taken a month.
Yet, when the same fact was mentioned (tentatively) to both Liene and Jack, the two high-ranking Orbites just shrugged, saying that it was just as well it had happened when it did. When pressed for details, Liene had muttered something about 'not needing the Kiba at this point'. Then he'd walked off, saying that the Orb welcoming committee/escort would show when they reached the edge of Orb's territory.
The bridge crew, plus Mu, Liene and Jack, were looking outside, searching for the well-known (and feared) Aegis-class cruisers and Kuraokami-class destroyers. Despite the comparatively small size of the naval warships, and their comparatively minuscule armaments, Orb had by now acquired a reputation for unorthodox weaponry and tactics among the Barachiel crew.
Then....
"Captain! Large submerged contact on the sonar!" Jackie called out, causing both Murrue and Natarle to look.
"Depth, size, anything?" Murrue barked, demanding answers.
"Er, 300 meters and rising rapidly at a rate of 20 meters per second......size.....over 800 meters!" Everyone's jaws literally dropped, when, not ten seconds later, an enormous, hulking mass of metal almost literally blasted up from underwater, before the whole thing settled. The submersible was 135 meters above sea level at the top of its conning tower, and seemed to have enough mass to make two Celestial-Classes.
"Barachiel, do you read me?" Murrue didn't seem to hear. Then she started, and grabbed the phone, her hand shaking as she brought it up to her ear.
"Who is this?"
"Rear Admiral Kei Todoka." Liene stepped up next to Murrue and tapped her on the shoulder. When she looked, he motioned for the phone. When he had it, he started speaking.
"Admiral Todoka, this is Liene Van Dalygon, Morgenroete Identification Number TK-421X, contracted clearance to level Zulu-Zulu-November-Seven. Comply."
"......Confirmed. SSFCN-601 Mutio will escort the Barachiel to the military port at Onogoro Island." Liene handed the phone back to Murrue, who put it down, as the Mutio submerged again, returning to a depth of 450 meters.
"What was all that about?" Mu asked.
"TK-421X is the MIN assigned to me as an employee of Morgenroete. I suspect that Todoka is now contacting Morgenroete to have them change my number now, seeing as how I spoke it in front of all of you. Zulu-Zulu-November-Seven, on the other hand, is the old NATO Phonetic Alphabet version of the 15th highest classification level in standard Orb Military procedures, ZZN-7, two levels above the minimum required to know about the Mutio. If I had not repeated those two sets of information, the Mutio was under orders to immediately sink the Barachiel and pick through the wreckage later."
"Oh."
"The Barachiel is also classified, but under the Special Forces procedures, which uses an entirely different system. Under that system, the minimum level to know about the Barachiel is Bravo-Kilo-Two-Zero-One, or, BK-201."
There was a nervous silence in the bridge. The Barachiel already had a special classification?
"Anything related to the G Project is classified to that basic level. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go change."
Everyone watched as Liene walked out the bridge door and into the hallway, turning right towards his quarters. Everyone, that is, except Jack, who was looking sternly out the viewport until the bridge door closed. Then he started chortling.
- Quis est a Iuguolo nisi a Iuguolo? -
Liene wanted to kill someone.
Now, normally, he was pretty calm. So calm in fact, that most people were somewhat scared of him. Now though, the sheer force of his fury caused many of the people he passed in the hall to scurry away, looks of great terror on their face. The only person who did not react so was the one he was looking for, and found, in the cafeteria: Jack.
"Jack, why did you spray-paint my best clothing lime green?" Indeed, Liene's suit, a middle-class looking suit, was stained in a very fluorescent green, almost painful to see.
"Cause, with Kira gone right now, there's a decreased chance of painful retribution. Or, at least, a chance of decreased pain during retribution." Jack replied cheerfully, munching quite contently on an apple. Liene flinched a little as flecks of fruit were sprayed in his direction by the uncouth pilot.
"You shouldn't speak so cavalierly about Kira."
"Oh come on, he's not dead."
"No one could have survived that fusion projectile." Jack sat up at this and looked Liene in the eye.
"Remember when Kira got sent to the hospital, 'cause his leg got broken?" Liene nodded hesitantly. "And the whole wing where he was got blown up by a Blue Cosmos bomb? Then, when the search teams combed the entire site, they found him, not only alive, but having rescued five patients, two nurses and a doctor. Oh, and he helped deliver two babies. If he can pull that off, then I'm pretty sure that he can easily get away from a nuclear fusion reaction going off inside his own mobile suit. Especially with that nice auto-eject system he programmed"
"But the probability-"
"Is shit. Yeah, I know. But Kira's very existence defies probability. Or have you forgotten?" Jack looked meaningfully at Liene, who conceded the point, nodding.
"True. But, I still have to get you back for the paint." Liene said, the merest shadow of a grin crossing his face. Then he pulled a taser out of his sleeve and hit Jack in the neck. The effect was.... amusing, to say the least. "Oh, and I have some good news: Karl's meeting us at the dock." Jack's expression painfully turned into something approximating a grin, although it was hard to tell with all the twitching. "And so's Andrew." The grin lessened somewhat.
- Quis est a Iuguolo nisi a Iuguolo? -
Orb, Onogoro, Secret Morgenroete Port
15 minutes later
Still shaking off the effects of the tazer, Jack sprinted down the corridor to the airlock, to which the workers outside were attaching the boarding ramp. Upon reaching his destination, he skidded to a halt, managing to stop before he slammed into Rau Le Creuset.
"Man it feels good to be home!" The pilot grinned, noticing his former classmates out of the corner of his eye. All of them, Tolle, Miriallia, Kuzzey (truth be told, Kuzzey wasn't surprising in this respect) were slowly backing back into the hall they were coming from. Facing them and stepping forward, he spread his arms out wide, as though to embrace them. "Aw, come on guys, I'm still the same Jack you know.....You just know more about me now." Needless to say, they weren't taking it.
"Yeesh Twinky, more psychologically scarred people? We can't keep paying for your mistakes...." The voice came from the airlock, and upon turning, everyone saw Lord Uzumi Nara Athha escorted by two people.
One was a tall man with long light gray shoulder-length hair parted down the middle, red eyes, an entirely cybernetic right arm, and a very scary.....feeling, so to speak. His features were gaunt and hawkish, lending more force to the scary feeling, and he carried what looked like a katana. He was also dressed in an Orb uniform that was very, very neat and tidy, with two silver Major-General's stars pinned as rank and a host of ribbons, medals, and other such military decorations.
The other was almost as tall, with short strawberry blond hair combed back and grayish green or hazel eyes. He had two scars, one going from the corner of his left eye to his earlobe, the other starting at his right cheek, going along his jaw, before disappearing along the shoulder of his shirt. He too was dressed in uniform, although he just a major rank, and a few less decorations.
It was the second man who had spoken, grinning in Jack's direction. The two walked lazily up to each other and started their usual greetings.
"Nice to see you Mr. Hurts!" Jack said, grinning and slapping the man on the back.
"Ditto to you, Twinky!" The man said back, laying Jack low with a reciprocal slap. A low cough from the general caused the two to back away respectfully, albeit with somewhat mocking expressions.
Uzumi smiled at the two before turning back to the main group from the Barachiel, which was Murrue, Mu, the refugees, Liene and the ZAFT pilots. "You all know me already. However, I'd like you to meet these two: Major-General Andrew Victor Payne, and Major Karlton William Hertz." The two behind him responded appropriately, with Andrew giving a brief salute while Karl just waved.
Most of the former OMNI officers had to stop themselves from quivering. Andrew Victor Payne, not to be confused with Waldtfeld, was one of the more notorious individuals in military circles. For one, he was the commander of Orb's Special Operations Division. For another, he was efficiently brutal in dealing with enemies. Of which he used to have many.
Karl, on the other hand, was just as notorious, but in a more direct sense. OMNI intelligence judged him to have personally dismembered several dozen high-ranking officers in several militaries. Not that they could directly tie him to them.
More frightening was the fact that they apparently knew and liked Jack.
"Welcome to Orb, ladies and gentlemen." Payne said, somewhat stiffly, his red eyes scanning over everyone several times before stopping to rest on Jack. "In your case, welcome back......Jack." At this, Jack leaped up and hugged Andrew.
"Nice to be back VP!" Payne's look changed slightly, and he sighed, before jabbing the teen in the stomach with the katana, before facing Cagalli.
"Welcome back Miss Athha." For a second, he studied Athrun, eyes seeming to bore deep into the Coordinator's soul before turning away to greet Liene. Cagalli glanced mockingly at Athrun as he exhaled, relieved that the demon wasn't looking his way anymore.
Off to the side, Karl was conversing with Mu. From what small scraps of the conversation Jack could hear, they were mainly trading stories about their respective military service and some lewd jokes.
"So you took out an entire ZAMS squad by yourself?" Karl asked, incredulous.
"Yep. Wasn't too hard. That AMBAC system gets them a lot of maneuverability, but the Moebius Zero has the edge in speed and firepower. And the Shadowfax was much, much better than the Moebius Zero." Mu explained, demonstrating with various sweeping hand motions.
"Wait, I thought you had a mobile suit?"
"No. I had the Shadowfax, and that's really all I needed."
"Hm. Well, you're gonna want one after you see ours!" Karl exclaimed, grinning in a manner that reminded Mu of Chimamare.
"Major Hertz!" The calm, but forceful reprimand was shot across the room at Karl by Andrew, who was staring very hard at Karl, who chuckled a bit.
"Yeah, Andrew's really uptight, doesn't want me talking about the Tetsujins." At this point, Andrew had walked over in front of the two, with Mu trying to scoot out from under Karl's arm and away. "But they're really cool, we'll show you-"
"Major Hertz, may I remind you that, while they seem to have defected to Orb, their actual loyalties are still suspect." Andrew said, his tone shifting ever so slightly that most of those present missed it.
"I can vouch for them Andrew." Cagalli said sternly, staring the General in the eye. Athrun backed away from her when Andrew returned the glare, staring the Orb Princess down.
"Well, that's all three of the Royal Family." Uzumi said, bemused.
"Three?" The majority of the Barachiel crew chorused.
"Well, there's me, Cagalli, and Father." A familiar voice said. Uzumi stepped aside to reveal, there, standing in the hatch: Kira.
"Kira!" Cagalli shouted, jumping onto and hugging her brother. Everyone from the Barachiel started crowding them, hugging Kira, shaking his hand, and all the other things one does when a friend thought dead came back.
"I told you he was alive!" Jack crowed, punching Liene in the shoulder. This earned him a somewhat crossed look, which he ignored, instead going to slap Kira on the back. "So, how did you get here before us?" Kira grinned.
"I hitched a ride on a ZAFT sub."
They stared blankly at him, unbelieving.
"It's true, he did." A girl's voice said, causing the Barachiel crews' heads to whip around to stare down the ramp. At Lacus Clyne. Jack snuck a sly look at Kira, which was returned with a thrown pebble, apparently saved by the Coordinator for just that. Said pebble was thrown with enough force to cause the schizophrenic pilot to swear under his breath and rub furiously at the impact point on the forehead. "He also managed to save the Tharsis Montes from a Megalodon school."
"In what?" Jack started, staring quizzically at the Prince.
"I believe he piloted one of the WAAM assigned to the Tharsis." That elicited a respectful wink from Mu, an incredulous look from Jack, and a studious glance from Liene.
"Hmm. Well, let's get off the Barachiel." Andrew interjected. "We have something we want to show you before we start the diplomatic talks with ZAFT." The General led the procession of engineers, pilots, and high-ranking politicians down the boarding ramp, onto the docks and towards some vehicles that looked as though they were meant to withstand Constantine assault rifle rounds.
Around the vehicles were five of what the former OMNI troops would swear were robots, with thick armor plating and skull-like heads that grinned viciously at them. The leader, a machine with a strange cape draped around its shoulders, strode up to them, stopping directly in front of Kira. Those not in the know, including the mechanics, Mu, and the bridge crew, shivered slightly as the 2 and one-third meters tall robot stood silently in front of Kira.
Then, to their surprise, the mechanical man hugged Kira.
"How you doing Kira? It's been a while since we last saw each other." The machine said, its slightly modulated voice emitting from the jaws of the skull.
"Heh. I suppose it has, Sergeant Shimizu." That got the former OMNI personnel staring.
"Hoy, its Captain Shimizu now." Then Shimizu reached up, and unlocked his helmet from his armor, revealing a tanned Asian face with dark brown hair and two glowing green cybernetic eyes, causing Mu and the rest to feel both slightly embarrassed and chillingly freaked out. Then the Captain grinned and pivoted to face them full-on.
"Captain Gary Shimizu, Special Operations and Intelligence under Major Hertz and Major-General Payne." He stated proudly, saluting the entire assembly of commanding officers and high-ranking politicians, of which Kira, Jack, Karl, Andrew, Murrue and Mu returned.
"Hey...." Mu muttered, coming to a realization. "You're that former Sergeant that tried to teach Kira how to shoot a gun, right?"
"Biggest mistake of my life." Gary said, straight-faced and serious. "I suppose you tried too?"
"No, Jack stopped me."
"Good." Gary shot a dark look at Kira before placing his helmet back firmly on his head and marching off to join what was presumably his Special Operations team. The native Orbites followed, and after collecting their wits, so did the Barachiel crew.
- Quis est a Iuguolo nisi a Iuguolo? -
Joint Supreme Headquarters - Alaska (JOSH-A), Docks, Grigori
Everything is getting set up for the 'big-time', as Sariel would say. Edward thought coldly, sitting at his desk in his quarters on the Grigori. Before him, the door slid open as two teenagers dressed in OMNI Enforcer uniforms walked through, backs ramrod straight and expressions forcibly neutral.
Ensign Wesley Mercis, joined for vengeance on ZAFT for the death of his mother, a former colony engineer who was killed by some of Patrick Zala's supporters. Conversely, he is Anti-Blue Cosmos in beliefs.
And Ensign Michael Archer, BCPU research subject, former juvenile delinquent, joined for, quote-unquote 'fun'.
Not the kind of people you'd think would be piloting former G Project mobile suits, considering Yamato and Zala's psyche profiles.
"Gentlemen." Abaddon began calmly. "You have been assigned to the Watchers Special Operations Group. Do you know why?"
"Sir." Mercis, the one on the left, with short, white-lined black spiky hair said. "Because we have shown exceptional skill in piloting our respective G-Project mobile suits, sir." Edward noticed Archer, the one with wild dark blond hair, roll his eyes at his comrades polite reply. He decided to let it slide. After all, Operation Retribution would start in only five weeks, and he doubted the ensign would be able to pilot his G-Unit with only one arm.
"That's correct. You'll be working with our own G-Unit pilots, including myself and Commander Abaddon. I would suggest you stay clear of the BCPUs. They're rather..... unstable." Abaddon noted, speaking the last word with a slight tone of disgust in his voice.
Then the door opened again, letting in John Thatcher, still in his pilot suit.
"Sir, Major John Thatcher, Strategos Team Commander, reporting for duty, sir!" The Army officer snapped to a crisp salute. Abaddon glanced at him.
"At ease." Thatcher relaxed, dropped his helmet on the coffee table in the middle of the room, next to which the two ensigns stood, and slumped down in the couch along the wall. "It's nice to see you again Edward. It's been....two, three....five years, hasn't it?"
"Yes, well if you'd joined the Space arm of OMNI like I did, then we would've been in constant contact." Edward shot back.
"I'd have killed you within a week." John mused humorously. The two ensigns glanced at each other nervously.
Later
Edward's slight grin faded completely as the last of his three visitors exited his quarters, the door sliding silently shut. Then he reached down into one of the drawers and pulled out a file, flipping through it until he reached two specific documents.
OMNI Enforcer Intelligence Profiles
Name: Kira Yamato-Athha
Date of Birth: May 18, 55 CE
Age: 16
Height: 165 centimeters
Weight: 53 Kilograms
Blood Type: A
Nationality: Orb Union
Position: Prince of Orb
Known Relations: Caridad Yamato (Deceased Mother)
Haruma Yamato (Deceased Father)
Uzumi Nara Athha (Adoptive Father)
Cagalli Yula Athha (Twin Sister)
Genetic Type: Coordinator (Ultimate?)
Psychological Profile: Very slight sociopath, Slight Paranoia
Political Leaning: Anti-Blue Cosmos
History: Yamato has no 'official' history beyond his adoption by Uzumi Nara Athha after the Battle of Ptolemaios. However, OMNI Intelligence suspects that Yamato is a former subject of Doctor Hibiki's 'Ultimate Coordinator' experiments, perhaps even his son, although no records obtained from the Lagrange 4 facilities confirm or deny this. Also, according to Vice-Admiral Edward Abaddon, Yamato is apparently responsible for the death of Admiral J. Abaddon, although this claim is rather unlikely, considering Yamato was perhaps 10 at the time.
To this point, Yamato has participated in several operations openly, masquerading as an Orb Intelligence Agency operative in the Battle of Heliopolis, as well as the combat action at Artemis, where he managed to escape the custody of Vice-Admiral Abaddon and turn the entire crew of the Barachiel to Orb. Then he fought above Africa in Earth Orbit against Admiral Krowhart's Third Fleet. Afterwards, he engaged in several skirmishes on Earth, ranging from North Africa to the Indian Ocean before his mobile suit, the Augury, was destroyed in combat with the Watcher's Samyaza, piloted by Commander Lena Abaddon. However, according to Commander Abaddon, Yamato managed to evacuate the Augury prior to its destruction, impossible as it seems.
Presently, judging by the vicinity of both ZAFT ships and the Barachiel, it is likely that Yamato has already been recovered, and is at Orb.
Skills: Eyewitness accounts suggest Yamato is an extremely skilled mobile suit pilot, with a kill count numbering in the dozens, including ZAFT and OMNI kills.
Also, judging by progress reports and teacher comments recovered from the Heliopolis Institute of Technology, Yamato is extremely skilled in computer software technology, and thus can be said to be a highly proficient hacker as well. It should be noted that he was able to complete the Augury's Operating System during a fifteen-second lull in a fight with a ZAFT ZONGS.
As a Coordinator, Yamato presumably possesses the same advanced learning capability, heightened intelligence, and increased healing rate, as well as the same near-immunity to diseases and viruses. However, if he is one of Hibiki's 'Ultimate Coordinators' then it could be said that his Coordinator attributes are greater than normal, probably to an extreme degree.
Side Note 1: The Blue Cosmos members of OMNI (e.g., most COs, NCOs, and quite a few enlisted soldiers) have noticeably increased preparations for the upcoming operation against Orb since Intel revealed the possibility of Yamato being an 'Ultimate Coordinator'.
Side Note 2: An increased reluctance to engage in said operation has been noted amongst the less fanatical Blue Cosmos members and much of the enlisted troops.
Personal Note: Considering Yamato's track record, I don't blame them.
Name: Jack Kagizaki
Aliases: Chimamare, Hajikidasu
Sex: Male
Date of Birth: May 13, 55 CE
Age: 16
Height: 163 centimeters
Weight: 54 kilograms
Blood Type: AB
Position: Unknown
Known Relations: George Smith (Deceased Father)
Genetic Type: Coordinator
Psychological Profile: Schizophrenic, Somewhat Sociopath
Political Leaning: Uncaring
History: Unlike Yamato, Jack 'Kagizaki', as he calls himself, is well-documented in OMNI.
Formerly Richard Smith, an orphan, Kagizaki was a test subject in the 'Caligula' Project, one of several precursors to the BCPU Program. The Caligula Project was intended to create perfect Anti-Coordinator soldiers, just like the present BCPUs.
But, instead of using biochemical modifications, Caligula utilized experimental nanotechnology developed from similar enhancements found in the corpses of some Orb military personnel. Surgical procedures implanted nano-factories to build and program nanomachines next to every major organ. The nanomachines would then proceed to modify the subject's body, grafting metal to the skeletal structure, increasing muscle density, and generally improving the performance and efficiency of internal organs.
Most test subjects died, due to their bodies rejecting the modifications. Kagizaki, Subject E-58, lived. The procedure succeeded in almost all areas, excepting one.
The nanomachines intended to 'rewrite' his original personality, turning him into an intelligent and capable, but loyal, soldier, malfunctioned. They instead created the alternate personalities Chimamare and Hajikidasu. The former took control of Kagizaki's body and rampaged throughout the facility, brutally slaughtering project personnel and surviving test subjects before moving on to the guards. The facility, located in Eurasia, was devastated, with only the main data-banks surviving.
Afterwards, Kagizaki moved south, into Asia, before obtaining passage to Orb from former Thailand.
There is then an unknown period of time where Kagizaki presumably befriended Yamato and became part of the Orb military or something similar.
The next reliable report of Kagizaki is at Heliopolis, where he piloted the Kiba to single-handedly destroy a ZONGS-led team of ZAMS. Then he is reported to have participated in every combat action the Barachiel was in, rapidly racking up a kill count equaling, if not exceeding, Yamato's.
More recently, Kagizaki was captured by Commander Abaddon and detained in the Grigori's brig. Afterwards, he was allowed to escape with the Kiba and the tracking beacon implanted in it.
Skills: Kagizaki's natural abilities are greatly enhanced by the nanomachine-made additions to his skeletal-muscular system and internal organs. As with Coordinators, his reflexes and healing rate are increased by a great deal, along with his intellectual capabilities.
In combat, one of Jack's alternate personas takes over. It seems that the more 'creative' and bloodthirsty one, Chimamare, is the main combat operator. This alter appears to prefer close-range combat, utilizing mainly melee weaponry. Often, said weapons are improvised, ranging from sharpened pieces of metal in infantry combat to dismembered limbs in mobile suit battles. Kagizaki's other alter, Hajikidasu, seems to occasionally participate. However, he appears to prefer ranged combat, using mainly rifles.
Kagizaki appears to possess some knowledge of mobile suit mechanics and the human body, and his alters use this knowledge mainly for increased efficacy in combat.
Side Note 1: The BCPUs appear to be especially eager to fight Kagizaki.
Side Note 2: Most of the normal military is especially unenthusiastic to face him in combat.
Personal Note: Considering Chimamare's tendancy to tear open cockpits and brutally dismember pilots, I really don't blame them.
Personal Note 2: Recommend both Yamato and Kagizak be labeled as 'Persons of Mass Destruction' (PMD)
Reading over the two profiles, Edward felt a slight twinge of pride every time the words 'Commander Abaddon' passed his eyes, even tearing up a bit as he remembered his daughters promotion. Immediately after that, he chuckled a bit when reading the personal notes.
I gotta remember to track down this guy. He doesn't wrap up his reports in layers of shit to cover his own ass. As a soldier, Abaddon hated bureaucrats on principle. After digesting the rest of the documents, he leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.
Neither Kira nor Jack especially liked Blue Cosmos, with the former actually hating it while the latter really didn't give a shit. This, especially, was important to Abaddon.
After all, as a Coordinator, Edward was bound to be eventually found out by Blue Cosmos.
- Quis est a Iuguolo nisi a Iuguolo? -
A/N: Shock! Gasp! Backstory!
I bet none of you saw that coming, did you? Well, maybe you Velshard, although I doubt that.
("Hell, I didn't see it coming and I live in your head!")
Considering you spend your time attempting to take over my body, I'm not surprised. I really should be careful though. Don't wanna end up like Ichigo.
("Oh come on! You know you want to run around with a mask of my face on! And while we're talking about me, why won't you let me into your Code Geass Author Notes?")
I should think that would be self-evident.
("The reviewers love me!")
I'll leave that up to them.
Anyway, I have to apologize again for the wait, but I've been working on my CG fic for a while (which those of you who Author Alerted me should know) and haven't really had time to come back to this fic for a while. The first 2,000 or so words were just sitting there, gathering dust.
Anyway, I'll be trying to keep this updated along with my CG fic.
Should I succeed, I demand you worship me.
("He's joking, don't take him seriously")
Well, it's either that, or they worship you for being one of the most hindering things in public conversation.
Oh yeah, before I go, see if you can spot the Lucas and Darker than Black cameos.
("Should be pretty easy")
Knightmare Gundam of Ni