Gundam Seed: Killer's Realm
Phase 20: Tetsujin
The group of Andrew, Liene, Karl, Kira, Jack, Mu, Murrue, Athrun, and Rau and his team exited the transports at the first stop while the rest of the Barachiel crew, ZAFT politicos, and Orb natives continued on.
For the non-Orbites, the stop was underwhelming, to say the least.
Before the group was a small cabin that could have come right out of an old painting of a log cabin in the middle of the North American plains. Except placed at the very edge of a cliff and run-down, with sections of the walls rotting right off and the door hanging open by a single hinge.
Andrew led the way inside, Kira and Jack following quickly with an eager air. Liene took the rest in then. As they expected, it was a fairly stereotypical 'wild west' decoration, with a fireplace, bear rug and trophies on the wall.
"Alright, what's this about?" Mu asked, somewhat mystified. Judging by the hints Karl had dropped, they should have been going to see Orb's new mobile suit. He'd been expecting to go to some kind of high-tech hanger, not a dump of a cabin! That was when Andrew and Liene shoved some sort of ID card into what appeared to be cracks in the wooden walls.
The walls and ceiling promptly began to rise - actually, it was the floor descending, revealing a mix of an extremely dark concrete and steel, with lines of light running up and down to provide illumination. None of those present could tell just how fast they were descending, but they arrived at wherever they were going in seconds. The floor/elevator stopped, leaving them all incongruously staring at a thick metal door flanked by keypads while surrounded by Civil War-era Western-style furniture.
Both Andrew and Liene stepped up to the keypads and started punching in numbers, with Jack turning around and talking.
"Both of these keypads are made of a mix of a copper/silver casing with conductive gel keys and integrated biometric software, linked up to Orb's database. Should a person whose biometric data does not match with any of the records in the database, a very large shock is delivered into their system through the keypad."
"I remember." Yzak growled. "You set up your room with one." Dearka and Nicol clamped their hands onto their mouths, muffling the chuckles that came as they remembered happening to see Yzak during that 'incident'
"Of course not." Jack said, grinning that mad grin. "That was one I jury-rigged from some scrap. If I had one of these on my door, you'd have died the first time you so much as brushed against it." At this point, the door had been open for a few seconds, with Andrew and Liene moving on. The group moved into what looked like a tramway or something similar in a tunnel just about large enough for three Mobile Suits to walk side by side, waiting for a few seconds before a tram showed up, doors already opening in anticipation. The Orbites moved onto the tram first, with former OMNI and ZAFT personnel hesitatingly following.
As the tram started up, Liene directed their attention to the right with the wave of a hand. They saw what looked like four large sets of train tracks.
"This tunnel is an extinct lava tube, which we found when some of the initial construction teams broke in around this general area. Those are four Maglev tracks for a gantry system allowing us to more easily move supplies throughout Orb and the facilities we have under construction." He explained as the tram picked up speed, until it was proceeding at a rapid pace through the tunnel. Barely a minute passed before everyone saw what was their presumable destination.
It was a large blast-door, about two meters tall and wide enough for two people to pass side-by-side. On either side were two depressions large enough for an adult human's arm to fit. "This is part of the security system, similar to the electroshock keypads." Liene explained as he and Andrew stepped up to the depressions and inserted their arms. "If your biometric data doesn't match any in the database, a monomolecular-edged blade coated in specially programmed nanomachines and anti-coagulants slices your arm off, ensuring that you'll die in a few minutes from blood loss, if not earlier."
That caused a universal shudder in the audience, except for Kira and Jack, who merely grinned viciously.
The blast doors started opening then, sliding into the wall or ceiling, with the first door sliding up, the second right, the third down, and the last left. As they proceeded, the group saw another blast door similar to the first, opened with the same procedure, to reveal yet another. After the the fifteenth, Dearka noted:
"Man, it doesn't look like even the Bastion's cannon could blast through here."
"Indeed, it could not." Liene noted, sliding his arm out of the sixteenth door's lock. "This facility is even more impenetrable than Artemis, and unlike that space station, you cannot sneak around these defenses." Nicol flushed slightly as Yzak and Dearka threw him sly looks (well, Yzak's was more threatening). After the last, thirty-second door, they emerged into a dark area, where the Maglev tracks resumed. Unlike the tunnel or the blast door-sealed entrance, their voices and footsteps didn't noticeably echo. It was also at this point that everyone noticed the slight blue lines of cybernetic quantum nerve lines tracing over Andrew and Liene's bodies, as well as their glowing eyes. It made most of those not familiar with the two shudder.
"Yudl - Ay - WEEE - HOoooo!!" Jack yodeled into the darkness with a volume that spoke well of his vocal chords' strength. Everyone paused to listen intently to the echo, only hearing it about six seconds after the yodel. "Damn this place is big." he said.
"Indeed. Currently, we are inside of an Orb facility built inside an extinct lava dome, 9 kilometers below the surface of the Earth." Liene informed, the eerie blue glow of his eyes whisking over to eye the group for reactions. There was an air of awe and fright emanating from the OMNI and ZAFT people, and Liene didn't fault them for it. Finding out that Orb had one or more facilities like this and having no clue of it would be like if the OIA found out about some ZAFT deep-space technology institute, or an OMNI sub-lunar G-Project factory, for example.
The engineer then walked over to a console next to one of the Maglev gantries, and hit a switch.
Spotlights lit up the end of the gantry, revealing a mobile suit that, much to Liene's pleasure, cause the group to gasp in awe - or horror.
"I present to you: The Tetsujin." The mobile suit immediately seized their gazes for a number of reasons, one was its size and basic proportions, looking to stand at about 20 meters tall but having a much more lithe design instead of being as bulky and compact as most every other suit in existence. The next part they noticed was it's armor which almost looked to be the same glossy bluish black color of an insect's exoskeleton but appeared to be almost seamless and having a smooth curving organic design that seemed to perfectly fit the MS like a suit of armor. Something seemed odd about it's leg design but realizing shortly that that was because it's legs were distinctly non-human in their design, looking more like a feline or a bird of prey's hind leg and having two large long forward facing 'toes' per foot and two shorter ones where the heels should be. This led to them noticing even finer details of the suits design, notably the vicious looking talons at the end of each Raptor like leg's toes, the way the tips of the suits knees, elbows, shoulders, and fingers all seemed to flow into wickedly sharp tips.
The final part of the suit to be analyzed now in detail was it's head, which somewhat creepily looked more like it was designed after a Ninja's cloth masks and head gear with a thin narrow strip for it's eyes but possessed an over sized visor that almost looked like the sharply out-thrust beak of a bird of prey. The suit almost looked to be sagging slightly in it's cradle with it's head tilted forward as though sleeping exposing a pair of short but exceptionally wide silver V fins that seemed to travel parallel to the top of it's head. The overall impression this new Mobile suit gave off was of something distinctly Alien, an otherworldly predator who was for the moment at least sleeping peacefully but at the same time waiting eagerly to be disturbed from it's slumber. Those who had never laid eyes on it before felt some primal part of themselves shrink away from the Sentinel before them as well as experiencing a spine tingling sensation as they gazed on the details of it's design.
"The MBF-MP5 Tetsujin is the newest and first Orb mobile suit. It was developed by using both OMNI and ZAFT technology that we.....obtained, as well as Morgenroete's independent research." OMNI technology was obtained by hacking their databases, the disguise of SpecOpsIntel teams as ZAFT commandos and subsequent infiltration of top-secret R&D divisions, and of course, OMNI's idiotic contracting of Morgenroete to aid in its G-Project. ZAFT technology was obtained by similar methods, along with the hiring of mercenaries to obtain mostly intact ZAMS, ZONGS and SCAU mobile suits.
"The armor that gives it that color is a Laminated Hybrid Hyper Alloy consisting of a combination of monocrystalline titanium carbide nitride reinforced by aggregated diamond nanorods, or hyperdiamond, all sandwiching a core of beryllium composite cermet material. This combination gives the Tetsujin enormous survivability, as the combination of enormous tensile strength and elasticity allow it to survive even the Noctoraptor's Ballistra rifle, or the Samyaza's minature HALC."
Damn. I wonder if I can convince them to let me pilot this Gundam....Mu thought.
"The motive system is far more advanced than what modern mobile suits use. Where as others use simple blocks of electroactive polymer, the Tetsujin's high-density electroactive polymer-fiber bundles are based off of organic musculature and give it a power to weight ratio of more than 6:1, as compared to a ZONGS 2:1 ratio. As a result of this, as well as the raptor-like leg construction, the Tetsujin has a running - yes, running - speed of over 500 kilometers per hour, outstripping the GAHMU and the Megalodon, the two fastest terrestrial mobile units before the Tetsujin. The Tetsujin's internal frame is based on that of humans for the main body, and the extant Deinonychus of the Cretaceous period, and consists of hollow hexagonal structures containing in order to limit weight."
Hmm...I wonder if they would let me 'borrow' this Gundam....Was what was running through Yzak's head at the moment. Then Liene said:
"Rather impressive for a Mass production suit if I do say so myself." At that moment, other spotlights flickered on, revealing a host of more than two hundred Tetsujins arrayed in formation on their gantries behind the one the group was studying. Eyes popped, jaws dropped, and a few of the weaker-willed viewers dropped, the shock far too much for their strained systems. Jack's 'normal' mad grin extended into a hideous skull-like rictus of glee. Kira's expression, however, chilled those who noticed it, a cold and unfeeling mask of grim enjoyment.
"There are, however, some problems with the Tetsujin." Came the random sentance. Heads whirled to see a woman step out from behind the Tetsujin, striding up to the group.
"May I present Erica Simmons, fellow Tetsujin developer and head of Morgenroete's Mobile Suit Research and Development division." Liene introduced, stepping aside to allow Erica the spotlight.
"What's the problem?" Kira asked, somewhat concerned.
"Well, the numerous.....'control programs' are interfering with one another. Orb's overall C3 system, SCAI-Net, can't interface with the unit and test pilots can't even move them. Most of our pilots have had to make do with simulator training. We were hoping you can resolve the problem in your usual timely manner so we can start running tests on them at their full operational capacity."
"Alright. Let's get to work then." Kira said, motioning for them to lead the way.
- Quis est a Iuguolo nisi a Iuguolo? -
Joint Supreme Headquarters - Alaska (JOSH-A), Docks, Grigori Upper Hanger Deck
David Sariel shivered as he stood next to Abaddon and Thatcher, watching as the younger Abaddon, Thatcher's subordinate, and the new G Unit pilots gathered with the rest of the Grigori's crew. The Grigori's entire Constantine congingent was gone, replaced by Thatcher's five-suit Strategos team and the two new Gundams, the XGAT-117 Repulse and the XGAT-123 Outlaw. Abaddon had also hinted at another addition, for which the entire upper starboard hanger had been cleared out, the BCPU Gundams and Lena's Samyaza switched to the upper port hanger.
"Crew of the Grigori." Abaddon began suddenly, startling Thatcher and Sariel into high-strung positions of attention, along with the rest of the crew. "As you have probably suspected, the majority of OMNI Enforcer's terrestrial forces are gathering here, at JOSH-A, in preparation for a large-scale operation. Some of you have suspected a massive attack on all ZAFT terrestrial forces. Others have concluded that we are gathering in order to defend against an enormous orbital drop operation. Neither of these are completely right, nor are they completely wrong."
"This is Operation Retribution: An assault on Orb." Mutters streaked across the room at several times the speed of sound, or so it seemed to Sariel, so fast the conversational buzz had begun. "Orb is harboring a war criminal of extreme interest: Kira Yamato. He, among other objectives, is the goal of the Operation. Orb has also refused, multiple times, to join the Earth Alliance, as all terrestrial nations should-" There was a slight change in Abaddon's tone as he said the last statement, something only those who knew him well would have noticed: a slight sarcastic edge with a chill. "- and OMNI Enforcer High Command has deemed it proper for us to correct this mistake. Another objective is the acquisition of the 'Kaguya' Mass Driver facility. The relatively few mass drivers we have are vulnerable to attack, and HighCom wishes to lessen the risk of us being cut off from our space-borne comrades."
At this point, the entire crew had already caught on to Abaddon's personal feelings about this operation. Hand-picked by him to serve on the Grigori, most had served with him on numerous battlefields over the years of the war, and had, of course, grown familiar with him.
"Also, OMNI Intelligence-" A slight hint of humor there at the oxymoron. "- has picked up hints of a large ZAFT space-to-ground operation, this time concentrated around the equator rather than the poles. Part of the forces here will head to Panama, the presumable target of this operation. The Grigori, however, and the majority of the fleet will move to pacify Orb. In preparation for this operation, I am ordering training drills for the crew and group simulations for mobile unit pilots. I expect you to do better than your best people. We are no longer merely watching." With that, Abaddon saluted the crew, and the crowd dispersed.
Sariel made to do the same, following Thatcher, but Abaddon's hand reached out and caught him by the shoulder.
"Hold on David. Your new unit is coming now." Startled slightly by the use of his first name on duty, Sariel followed Abaddon over to the right side of the hanger. The doors opened, revealing what appeared to be a large block being lifted up by several freight VTOLs before another nudged it forward ever so slowly. The block slowly slide back into the hanger, before stopping at the back, blocking the last three mobile unit berths.
"Ah....what is it?" Sariel asked. Without a word, Edward handed over the clipboard he'd been holding for the better part of the day. After flicking back and forth through the documents, David was officially breathless with awe. "Holy shit sir......"
"You always did like to play with scorpions." Edward noted with amusement, as David's mouth twisted into a pleased smirk.
XMHA-001 Agares....I'm going to have some fun with you....
- Quis est a Iuguolo nisi a Iuguolo? -
A/N: FINALLY!!!! I've finally managed to work my way to the Tetsujin, the almighty engine of destruction that is Velshard's most F*cking Awesome design yet! I also gotta thank him for helping me with the intro. Also, Abaddon's less informative presentation of the engine of more destruction that is my Agares. Yes, the Battle of Orb shall be epicness incarnate.
("That, or total loserness.")
Quite K'GoN
("Still waiting to hear about the Code Geass me.")
If you're lucky, you'll appear as a stuffed doll trod upon by the Bors.
("Sheesh, no need to get snappy.")
With you, there's always a need for snappiness
Nivek Beldo: no problem. As for Gary, there's probably going to be some segments focused on him and his team. Abaddon's Coordinator status is a rather large motivator in his actions to come. Thanks for the kudos, and there probably will be some....'romance' coming up. If somewhat badly done.
G. Wager: thank you
Play4ever: thanks
Velshard: I'm not all that sure what I'm doing with Halburton. At present, I think he's with his fleet somewhere over South America.
Mathiasosx: Thanks.
Oh yeah, Somebody got one of the Darker than Black references last chapter. The other was November-Seven, and the George Lucas reference was TK-421
Knightmare Gundam of Ni