IMPORTANT: THIS FIC IS NOT SET IN EITHER TIMELINE AND THE CROSSOVER ONLY COMES IN THE FORM OF MOBILE SUITS, THAT'S ALL!
Hello! I am a long time fan of Gundam and after a lot deliberation, I've decided to start releasing this fic I had sitting around in my computer.
This fic is set in an original timeline I came up with and thus has no relation to any Gundam series timelines It takes inspiration from various Gundam shows and includes mobile suits of all kinds but it also includes references to other mecha anime I've watched over the years, like Macross, Majestic Prince, Patlabor and many, many others. Another important source of inspiration was Ace Combat and this story borrows a lot of concepts and names from that game series.
Similary to my KND fanfics, this is a passion project about a franchise I love very much.
Mobile Suit Gundam: 2nd Orbit War Chronicle
Part 1: Erupting Sky
Ten years ago, a war ravaged the world. The Orbit War as it was known, killed one quarter of the human population in a span of 8 months and left a divided world in its wake. It was fought between the newly established Colonial Empire, seeking complete independence from Earth and the Earth Federation, wanting to maintain status quo. It was named such because the war literally ended in the Earth's orbit, when the Empire, in a final act of defiance dropped two empty space colonies on Earth. One was destroyed in orbit by the Federation's nuclear weapons, but the other colony split in two during atmospheric entry and the parts landed in the North-Atlantic and Central Asia, respectably.
Shocked by the sheer scale of the colony drop, both sides agreed for a seize-fire and a peace treaty soon followed. However, a deep rift had been formed between spacenoids and earthnoids. Neither side believed they had lost, and they had not depleted their military strength. While on the outside the world may seem peaceful, one small spark could reignite the flames of war.
Chapter 1: A Rose in the Desert
It's the year 0040 of the Space Century calendar, ten years after the Orbit War. Humanity has colonized space and built cities on the moon. All this has been made possible with the discovery of the Minovsky particle and its contemporary adaptation, the Minovsky Reactor. A clean nuclear reactor, it has led to the end of fossil fuels and most other forms of non-renewable energy. It has also led to the development of the Mobile Suit, a large humanoid-like mecha that has become essential in civilian use and as a weapon of war.
In the deserts of North-West Africa, a blue and white mobile suit flies through a canyon. Smoothly, it skims the canyon floor before it jinks up and flies out before two other identical mobile suits join in-formation as they leave the canyon behind and fly over the endless desert "Hey Space Boy, you better hope there aren't any scratches on that thing. You know the Chief's gonna kill ya if he sees any." The blond-haired pilot of the left-hand MS says jokingly over the radio.
"Hmph, if there are any, he'll have to look for them with a microscope." The black-haired pilot of the first MS responds stoically but all three are startled as a gruff voice yells at them through the radio.
"I heard that, Silver 2! Quit messin' around and stick to the testing program!"
"I told you it was a bad idea…" The be-spectacled pilot of the third MS laments, but the black-haired pilot is not deterred.
"No, it wasn't. Gründer said they want as much data as possible, so that's what I'm doing."
"Okay, cut the chatter you two. We're gonna test the acceleration next. Max thrust for 60 seconds." The blond-haired pilot says as he takes the lead.
"Roger, Silver 1."
"Roger." His teammates reply and all three MS line up and begin accelerating along the desert, creating a massive dust cloud as they fly at full speed.
"Release in 3…2…1!" The pilots let go of their thrust levers, causing the MS to slow down.
"Ugh…I hate high G's…" The be-spectacled pilot moans as the trio climb and form up once more.
"Good job Silver Team. Take vector 180 and turn back. And Silver 2, I'll get the microscope ready when you land, got it?"
"Hah-hah-hah! Space Boy, you're so busted."
"Hmph." The black-haired smiles faintly as the MS turn to the right in formation and head towards an air-base south of Jerada.
As they approach the base, the blond-haired pilot contacts the control tower. "This is Silver Leader; my team is returning from the test flight; we're ready to land."
"Copy that, Silver Leader, you are cleared to land. Hangar 4 is prepared for your arrival.
"Roger, over and out."
The three MS gently land on the runway and walk to the hangar and after the pilots shut down their suits and leave the cockpits, all three line up and stand in attention as the Chief Petty Officer in charge of MS maintenance, leads the mechanics to the mobile suits. While his crews gets to work, the balding Chief takes off his sunglasses and eyes the pilots. "So, how did ya like the new Jet Striker?"
"Worked like a dream Chief. The thrusters were acting a bit though." The blond-haired, laid-back pilot answers.
"Yeah, the thrusters only worked on maximum power in low altitude." The black-haired, serious pilot adds.
"That's the idea, because the Windam and the Jet Striker are still in an experimental phase. Battery powered MS don't have enough power to maintain high altitude flight and besides, if you stay low, you'll blend in with ground clutter and radar can't pick ya up well. You never know if those spacenoids are watching us." The Chief nods up and the black-haired pilot lets out a very silent, frustrated sigh. "Alright, go and get changed to your uniforms. The Base Commander wants to see ya. We'll take care of the mobile suits." the Chief points at the barracks across the airfield before saluting the pilots, who do the same before walking out of the hangar and head towards the barracks.
"Hey Akito, you think we'll finally get our first assignment?" The short, bespectacled, brown-eyed black-haired pilot asks enthusiastically.
"Well, you can always hope for that. I doubt it though." The black-haired, green-eyed pilot shrugs.
"Don't give Takumi any wild ideas, Space Boy. He's been dreamin' about a front-line assignment ever since he was a little kid."
"You bet I have. My dad was a mobile suit ace during the Orbit War. I want to carry on the family tradition."
"Meh, I don't really mind what kind of an assignment I'll get, as long as it's in somewhere comfortable. The tropics would be cool." The blue-eyed blond says as he opens the door to the small barracks.
"I don't think you'll have much of a choice in that, Michael."
"I know, but a man can dream." Michael takes off his flight suit and starts changing to his brown EFS military uniform. Takumi changes to his blue uniform while Akito changes to a dark blue uniform. Michael and Akito are about equal in height but Takumi stands only up to their shoulders. Soon, they are walking back to the main building where the mess-hall and the officers' quarters are but as they cross the airfield, suddenly, they hear a low, rumbling sound and over the horizon, the silhouette of a large warship appears.
"Wow, isn't that a Ra Cailum-class assault carrier?!"
"I guess so Takumi, but it looks like its seen better days." Michael remarks to an excited Takumi as the massive warship slowly approaches before flying over the base and lands behind the main building. Following it are three purple mobile suits, flying in a V-formation. They loop around the base in a perfect synchronized maneuvre before landing on the warship's deck.
"And those are Murasame's! The Federation hasn't even officially deployed them yet." Takumi shouts excitedly while they cross the searing hot tarmac and approach the base's main building.
"Man, Takumi is like a kid in a candy store when it comes to MS." Michael chuckles and nudges Akito, who smiles slightly before they enter the building and go all the way to the 5th floor, where a guard lets them into a large room. There, a man wearing the rank of commander sits hunched behind a large desk.
"Second Lieutenant Perez and Ensigns Evans and Tsuda reporting, Sir!"
"At ease." The commander straightens his back and looks at the three young men.
"Well, it's been six months since you three were assigned to this base for MS testing. As of today, I am no longer your commanding officer."
"Sir, does this have something to do with the Ra Cailum-class ship that just landed here?" Takumi asks, trying his best to contain his enthusiasm, amusing the commander, who lets out a laugh and stands up from his chair.
"That is indeed correct, Ensign Tsuda. You three have been reassigned to the assault carrier Edelweiss. That includes your mobile suits, equipment and maintenance crew. I have also received orders to abandon this base within 24 hours. Report to the ship in 30 minutes and you'll be briefed further about your new assignment. It's been an honor having you here, Gentlemen. You have developed into fine pilots, and I hope will continue to do so in the future as well."
"Thank you Sir!" the pilots reply in unison as the commander salutes the pilots before they leave.
Once outside, Takumi finally releases his excitement. "This is SOO cool! We got assigned to a Ra Cailum-class ship! Mom's gonna be so proud of me."
"Hey calm down! Ya don't need to make a clown outta yourself." Michael grabs Takumi by the shoulder to stop him from jumping uncontrollably while Akito glances over his shoulder towards the warship, the sun's rays reflecting from its white hull.
"You don't think they'll send us to space, do you?"
"I doubt it Space Boy. Only you and me got any zero-gravity training and besides, you're still afraid of space aren't ya?"
"I never said I was scared. It just makes me sick."
"Eh, whatever. Let's get going guys, we got 30 minutes to get our stuff together and board that ship."
"AWW YEAH!" Takumi runs ahead of them towards the barracks.
"It's hard to believe he's 18. The guy acts like a 12-year-old."
"Look who's talking Michael, sometimes you act like a 30-year-old." Michael jokingly punches Akito on the shoulder.
"Hey, I'm still 20. I just have more class than you two freaks." Akito laughs as they re-enter the barracks and start packing. In 10 minutes, they have emptied the building of all their belongings and once again cross the airfield.
Then, Takumi stops by the empty hangar. "I can't believe we spent 6 months here. Every day we flew and tested the Windam and now we get assigned to a trans-atmospheric warship."
"Don't start crying now. Do it once we actually leave." Michael says over his shoulder.
The closer they go towards the ship; its sheer size becomes more apparent. As they reach the ship, they report to a pair of guards standing in-front of a long set of stairs that lead all the way to the side of the ship, almost 100 meters above ground. "Did you know that this ship is 167 m tall, 487 m long and 165 m wide? It was introduced 2 years ago and is based on the Alexandria-class heavy cruiser. Also, of note is the…" Takumi continues explaining various facts and statistics about the ship as they make the long journey up the stairs. Michael pretends to listen while Akito looks back at the base he has lived in for 6 months. They had been assigned there immediately after graduating from Frankfurt Military Academy.
Finally, they reach the top of the stairs and enter the ship, Michael notices the Chief walking to the briefing room. "Hey Chief, did ya get transferred too?"
"That's right kid; you guys ain't gettin' rid of me and the boys so easily."
"We wouldn't have it any other way, Sir" Michael gives the Chief a short salute as they part ways.
Soon they are greeted by a young woman in her late 20's, wearing a Commander's insignia the collar of her white and red officer's uniform. Her long brown hair is tied in a tight bun, but small bangs cover her amber eyes. "Hello, you must be the new pilots, I presume."
"Yes Ma'am, I'm Second Lieutenant Michael Perez and these are Ensign's Akito Evans and Takumi Tsuda." Michael says as they salute the officer, who does the same.
"At ease. I'm Commander Maria Aho, the Executive Officer and Second in Command of the Edelweiss, nice to meet you."
"Likewise, Ma'am."
"You can take your belongings to the pilot's quarters. Just turn left from the next corridor and head right. You'll be sharing a room, if you don't mind."
"I wouldn't mind sharing a room with y…ugh" Akito elbows Michael in the stomach. "OW! Why'd ya do that?!" Michael holds his stomach while Takumi tries to stop himself from giggling.
"My apologies Commander, the Second Lieutenant doesn't always know when to keep his mouth shut." Akito says stoically, casuing the Commander to laugh a little.
"It's alright. I'm used to men who don't know when to shut up. Once you're done in the pilot's quarters, come to the briefing room. The Captain will give you your orders there." She salutes the pilots and as she leaves, Michael continues to eye her as she goes around the corner.
"Man, did we get lucky or what? That commander's totally my type!"
"I just wanna take a closer look at those Murasame's in the hangar. Did you know that…?"
"Hey, you already talked plenty about tech when we climbed those damn stairs. My brain is still hurting from that knowledge overload."
"Are you saying that I'm boring you?!" Takumi gets agitated from Michael's comments.
"Maybe I am."
Akito ignores their argument and goes on ahead of them but as he opens the door leading to the pilot's quarters, he meets a young woman wearing a Lieutenant's insignia leaving from the same door. She has long black hair tied into a compact ponytail and wears a purple and white uniform with a butterfly pin. She's slightly taller than Akito while her green-hazel-colored eyes stare coldly at him, prompting Akito to immediately salute her, and she does the same. The exchange is short, cold and wordless and soon they are heading to opposite directions. Akito takes a final look at her before she disappears to the hallway.
…
Having left their belongings to their shared room, Akito, Michael and Takumi arrive to the briefing room and upon entering, they see a woman with an eye-patch sitting behind a desk. She is wearing the same white and red uniform as the Commander, has short blond hair and holds the rank of a captain. Standing on her left is Commander Aho and on her right is a tall, scarred, muscular man with a crew cut wearing a dark blue officer's unifrom, holding the rank of Lieutenant Commander. In-front of them are five rows of chairs and behind the officers is a large screen. Sitting at the back of the room are three girls, all wearing purple uniforms. Akito recognizes the one in the middle as the girl he met earlier. On her left is a freckled girl with brown, curly hair and on her left is a Japanese girl with short black hair.
The tree pilots stop in-front of the captain's desk and salute her. "Second Lieutenant Michael Perez and Ensign's Akito Evans and Takumi Tsuda, reporting for duty."
"At ease. I am Captain Louise Renner. I believe you've already met my XO, Commander Aho." All three nod and the Commander nods back. "And this is Lieutenant Commander George Barros. He is the commander of the mobile suit team, though he doesn't actually pilot one." She gestures the three newcomers to sit down. "Now, before we go any further in to why you were assigned here, I would like to go through your personal files, just so I know who I'm dealing with." The Commander hands her a folder and she begins reading it out loud. "Second Lieutenant Michael Alfonse Perez, Flight Leader "Silver 1" callsign "Pixy", age 20, born in May, 0020 SC. You're from England, correct?"
"I'm a third-generation Spaniard Ma'am, though the only thing Spanish about me is my good looks."
"I see. You specialize in aerial combat; you graduated at the top of your class in Frankfurt but your zero gravity training results were average."
"That's because I prefer the air, Captain."
"Indeed, now on to you." Renner says before changing her gaze towards Akito. "Ensign Akito Evans, Element Leader "Silver 2", callsign "Cipher", age 19, born in January 0021 SC, Japanese-American. It says here that you hold a citizenship of the Atlantic Federation but you are from the colonies as well? I noticed the Colony insignia on your uniform." Her question lifts eyebrows on everyone's face except on Takumi's and Michael's while Akito tenses up slightly.
"I lived on the Aquarius Colony until 0035. After it was destroyed, I moved to Japan with my brother and sister." he replies coldly.
"So, you're from Aquarius…That makes sense." Akito stares silently at the Captain who glances back at him and continues reading. "Moving on, you specialize in mid-to close-range combat, in any environment. You also went through zero-gravity training and graduated at the top of your class. However, it says here that you had problems with authority."
"Let's just say that some people didn't like the fact that someone from the Colonies was trying to apply to their military."
"Is that so? Very well then." The Captain nods and then turns towards Takumi. "Ensign Takumi Tsuda, Wingman "Silver 3", callsign "Scope", age 18, born in October 0022 SC, nationality: Japan." She stops to read the file and Takumi becomes very nervous while both Michael and Akito notice the sweat forming on his forehead. "Apparently your combat grades were so low that you only barely graduated. You also had a tendency to panic in simulations but on the other hand, you performed exceptionally in signal analysis, programming, MS maintenance and planning. With these kinds of skills, you would be better suited to be a technician, a mechanic or a designer. Why do you want be a mobile suit pilot?"
Under Renner's gaze, Takumi fidgets while staring at his feet and tries to stop himself from bursting into tears. "My…my dad was an MS pilot during the Orbit War...he was an Ace. I want to be a pilot, even if I don't have the ability to use mobile suits well. It's been my dream for 10 years…"
"I see. Well don't worry, Lieutenant Commander Barros is known for whipping worse pilots in to shape."
"So…I won't be dropped?"
"I can't disobey an order. You'll be stuck in here with the rest of us."
"Tha..thank you Ma'am." Takumi shrieks as Commander Aho hands Takumi a paper tissue and he blows his nose.
"One more thing before we move on to your orders, I would like to introduce our pilots." Renner says before gesturing the girls to stand up and the long-haired girl introduces herself first.
"Lieutenant Lucia Gronwald, Germany."
"Second Lieutenant Jacqueline Blanc, France. Call me Jacky." The curly haired girl says cheerfully.
"Second Lieutenant Aiyumi Kagami, Tanegashima, Japan." The short haired girl says stoically and the pilots salute each other before sitting back down.
"Now, let's take a look at the orders." The Commander once again hands the Captain a folder. "So, you three and your maintenance team have been assigned to my ship so that you can continue to test the Windam and the Jet Striker. They also wish that you will get combat experience so that you can be later assigned to active bases and/or warships."
"Combat experience?"
"That's right, 2nd Lieutenant Perez. The Edelweiss is part of the Sleeper Hunting Force.
"What the heck are Sleepers?" Before Captain Renner can answer, Takumi adjust his glasses and turns towards Michael.
"Haven't you read your history? The Sleepers are small mobile suit teams sent by the Colonial Empire. They were supposed to pave way for the planned invasion but once the colonies were dropped, they were abandoned and have been fighting a guerilla war for 10 years." But before he can continue any further, Takumi notices that almost everyone is staring at him and he immediately hunches down. "I'm sorry Ma'am. I didn't mean to interrupt…"
"None taken. I've had to explain that to so many people since I was given command of this ship that frankly, I'm tired of it. Thanks for saving me the trouble." a grateful Takumi makes exhales and the Captain continues. "Our job is to find Sleepers and capture or destroy them. We have successfully eliminated 5 cells so far, most of them here in Africa. Now because you have no experience of real-life combat, Lieutenant Commander Barros will personally put you through your paces and if the situation arises, initially you act as backup to our Purple Team. Is that clear?"
"Yes Ma'am!" Michael, Akito and Takumi say in unison and nod.
"Good. We'll be leaving in 2 hours. The Edelweiss is going to head towards Cairo next along the southern-Mediterranean coast. If you're hungry, the mess hall is open for you. I can have someone give you a tour of the ship as well."
"I think we'll check out the mess hall, Ma'am." Michael replies.
"Alright. That's all, you're dismissed." Renner says before saluting everyone and they salute back, before Michael leads Takumi and Akito out of the briefing room while the Purple Team stays along with the officers. "So, what do you think about our new pilots?"
"I find them quite charming." Commander Aho replies while Lt. Cmdr. Barros nods sternly.
"The glasses-wearin' kid's a big question mark but the other two are alright. What about you, ladies?"
"I don't know…The blondie's kinda hot."
"Was that the only thing you noticed?" Aiyumi nudges Jacky.
"Of course not! But I really can't say anythin' yet. I gotta talk to them more."
"Well, I want to see how well they can actually handle a mobile suit." Aiyumi then turns towards Lucia. "So Lucia, what are your thoughts?"
"As long as they do their job, I don't care." the black-haired Lucia says bluntly.
"That's our "Butterfly", always such a people hater." Aiyumi smirks but Lucia immediately goes on the defensive, breaking her stern facade.
"Don't label me like that. I won't have a problem if they…"
"Yeah yeah, come on; let's go to the mess hall too. I wanna get to know them better." Jacky grabs both Aiyumi and Lucia and drags them out of the room, leaving only their superiors.
Then, Captain Renner puts her hat on the desk and takes a deep breath. "I feel awful about that dumb question I made." she mutters as her head sinks between her arms.
"About the Aquarius kid? Don't worry about it too much. That kid's got spunk." Barros remarks but Renner only frowns.
"But that sort of an event doesn't leave your mind so easily."
"I know. The moment you asked him about the colonies, for split a second, he looked like he was gonna leap over that desk and kill ya, hah hah. I ain't ever seen anyone look at you like that."
"It's not funny George. We were all there when it happened. The Aquarius colony was destroyed in seconds and only 20 people out of 300000 survived that disaster." Renner says in a stern voice, casuing the Lt. Cmdr. to sigh.
"Hard to imagine that was 5 years ago."
The mood drops in the briefing room until Aho speaks up. "Okay, let's not get depressed. We've still got a mission to complete and new pilots to train, am I right Captain?"
"You're right. George, go to the hangar and talk to the new mechanics. Maria, we'll go to the bridge. I need to contact the base commander about the cleanup.
"Understood Ma'am."
…
Meanwhile, in the bowels of the Edelweiss, Akito, Michael and Takumi walk to the mess hall. It is mostly empty apart from a few mechanics and off duty crew. "Man, this is a pretty fancy place for a warship."
"Of course, it's the newest of its line. The Ra Cailum also has…"
"And I'm gonna go get food before you kill my appetite." Michael walks swiftly away followed by Akito and a slightly downtrodden Takumi. Once their trays are full of military standard food, they sit down on a table near the back of the hall but Akito, who took the least amount, finishes first and takes his tray away. He then returns and pulls a deck of cards from his pocket and starts playing solitaire. "Space Boy, you never part from that deck do ya?"
"Why should I? It keeps me occupied and calms me down."
"Did you get pissed off at the Captain for mentioning the colonies?"
"Not really. I just don't like it when people make a big deal about it."
"Alrighty then. Anyway, what do you guys think? Are we gonna fit in here?"
"Seems okay. As long as they let me do my job, I don't mind." Akito says, immersed in his game.
"I hope I get better at being a pilot…" Takumi mumbles.
"Come on man, you'll do fine. You graduated from the Central Academy of all places. All you need is a bit of self-confidence, buddy." Michael pats Takumi's back but he still keeps his head down.
"THERE THEY ARE!" A girl's voice echoes in the mess hall. Jacky, along with Aiyumi and Lucia arrive at the entrance and then, she drags both of them to the table where the boys are sitting. "Mind if we join you?"
"Be our guest. I was plannin' on getting' to know you ladies better anyway." Michael winks as the girls sit opposite to the boys, with Jacky sitting opposite to Michael, Aiyumi opposite to Takumi who turns bright red and Lucia sits opposite to Akito, still immersed in solitaire.
"Let's do the introductions again. I'm Jacky."
"I'm Aiyumi."
"Lucia Gronwald."
"Lucy, you don't have to say your whole name again."
"But it's impolite, Jacqueline." Lucia replies, casuing Jacky to crack up and put her hand on Lucia's shoulder.
"We're sorry, Lucy's from a rich and strict family so she's really bad with small talk."
"That's not true. I have no problems with talking."
"Of course, you don't, dear." Jacky says with a fake British accent, annoying Lucia before the boys introduce themselves again.
"Well then, I'm Michael Alfonse but you can call me Michael."
"I…I'm T.T…Takumi."
"Akito."
"So, there you have it. The three stooges, am I right?" Michael wraps his arms around Akito's and Takumi's necks and drags them closer to himself. Jacky and Aiyumi giggle.
"When did you guys graduate? We graduated a year ago from North Academy in Norway."
"Frankfurt Central Academy, 6 months ago." Akito says, staring at his cards.
"Yeah, what he said. I was constantly fighting for top honors with this guy but in the end we tied. By the way, that was only the second tie in grades in the academy's history." Michael smirks as he nudges Akito, who's eyes remain glued to his cards.
"Wow, that's so cool, me and Kagamin where 20th and 3rd. Lucy was first by a mile. She was the first graduate in the academy's history to get perfect marks in everything."
"Damn, that's pretty impressive. By the way, can I ask something from you three?" Michael says with a glint in his eye.
"What do you wanna know?" Jacky responds.
"Could ya tell me your three size…GAHGH!" Akito once again elbows Michael and this time, because he is sitting, his head slams on to the table.
"Why do you have to ask that from every girl you meet? Apologize." Akito still keeps his head glued to his solitaire.
"Ow man…I'm sorry…" Michael holds both his face and stomach while both Aiyumi and Jacky laugh hysterically.
Suddenly, Takumi puts his arm up. "Um…excuse me but…when did you get those Murasame's? They haven't even made it to the main squadrons yet."
Both Jacky and Aiyumi look at each other for a second. "I don't know…wasn't it like…six months ago?"
"Yeah I think so…"
Takumi stands up, his face red and eyes furious. "But that's not possible! The Murasame has only three working prototypes and they can't even transform. Those have to be fakes, or if not, why haven't we been given them? We're test pilots after all." His sudden outburst stuns the others, even Akito who looks at him surprise.
"Oh no…" Michael whispers to Akito before Lucia breaks the silence.
"For your information, the Murasame has been in constant development since 0018. The machines we use are limited production models given to those who actually know how to use mobile suits. It would be best if you'd check your sources before you make claims." She says bluntly as everyone's gazes shift between her and Takumi who is close to tearing up.
"I…I'm sorry!" He shouts and grabs his tray.
"Takumi!" Michael shouts after him but he doesn't listen as he runs out of the mess hall and disappears. Takumi runs all the way to the pilot's quarters and jumps on his bunk bed, moves the curtain around his bed and curls up.
"Don't worry Dad…I'll become better…I'll be a great hero like you…They'll see…"
Back in the mess hall, an awkward silence as fallen over the pilots. "*sigh* Sorry about that…Takumi tends to get emotional about mobile suits. He adores them."
"We're sorry too. Lucy doesn't always think before she blurts out rude things."
"I wasn't being rude. I merely…" Jacky stops her mid-sentence.
"Don't make it any worse. You hurt his feelings, in-front of his friends." Jacky says to Lucia, who huffs and looks away before Michael tries to change the subject.
"Okay…umm…"
"What forms of combat do you three specialize in?" Akito says and Michael responds with a quick thumbs up.
"Oh…I specialize in assault, Kagamin's specialty is reconnaissance and Lucy's a sniper. I bet she's the best shot in all of the EFA. She once shot a drone in mid-flight from a kilometer away with a standard beam rifle."
"That's pretty impressive."
"By the way, I've been meaning to ask, what are you doing?" Jacky looks at Akito, who continues to play cards.
"I'm playing solitaire. It's a habit of mine. I've done it since my brother taught it to me."
"Oh yeah, you did say you had a brother." Jacky says and Akito nods back.
"And a sister. My brother Ryo is a mercenary pilot working for the Valais Company and my sister Emi is a law student in Tokyo."
"That's really cool. What about you? Do you have siblings, Michael?"
"I've got a big brother, Helio. He works for Gründer Industries. Last time I heard, he got promoted to Executive Director." Michael replies to Jacky while Aiyumi puts her hand up.
"I have a younger brother back in Tanegashima and Jacky's an only child."
"Sad but true. And Lucy has a younger sister and two older sisters, but they don't work for the military, right?"
"That's right. My sisters Emilia and Elizabeth work for the fashion industry. My younger sister Katrin is just 10 years old." she says quickly but Akito can sense a bit of anger in her tone. However, their converstion is soon interrupted by the ship's intercom.
"ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL: THIS SHIP WILL LEAVE JERADA BASE IN 10 MINUTES."
"Damn, has it been that long already?" Michael remarks as Jacky gets up and looks at the boys.
"If you want, you can go the observation deck to watch the take off. Why don't we all go together?"
"That's a great idea Jacky. What do you guys think?"
"Sure, I'm in." Michael nods while Akito finishes his game and puts his cards to his pocket.
"Fine by me."
Lucia however, stands up and starts walking away. "I'll pass. I need to do some tests in the simulator." and before anyone can say anything, she's already left the table, causing Jacky to sigh slightly.
"Our Butterfly must be angry again. She always goes to the simulator when she's troubled."
"Butterfly?" Michael asks.
"That's been her nickname and callsign since the academy days. Why? Because, even though she's a sniper, nobody could hit her in simulations. She would float around like a butterfly."
"Heh, none of us three any cool backstories behind out callsigns. Well anyway, Space Boy, let's go to that observation deck." Michael stands up and Akito does the same.
"Wait, Space Boy? Is that his nickname?" Jacky asks, prompting Michael to smirk slightly.
"Only those who beat him in a simulation or sparring match can call him that. So far, I'm the only one with that right."
"Aww, can't we call you Space Boy?" Jacky pleads jokingly but Akito shakes his head.
"No. It's annoying if everyone says that."
The group heads for the observation deck, located one floor below the sub-bridge. As they head towards the elevator, Akito stops Michael. "What about Takumi? Should we go get him too?"
"I don't think that's smart. You know him, after that kind of a talking down; he'll probably be holed up in his bed, hidin' behind the curtain. Remember, he did that back in the academy too."
"Yeah…"
"We'll talk to him later okay?" Akito nods and they board the elevator.
…
Up on the bridge, Captain Renner is sitting in the captain's chair with Aho standing next to her. "Ma'am, we've been cleared for take-off." The communications officer informs her.
"Good. Ensign Williams, start the engines."
"Yes Ma'am." The helmsman pulls the master switch and the ship shudders as its eight engines rumble to life while Minovsky Craft system slowly lifts the ship above the desert and begins moving towards the east as Akito, Michael and the girls are watching from the observation deck, along with some crew members.
"Man, it just dawned on me that we're actually leaving that sweaty piece of pavement."
"Yeah. Six months is a long time, especially in the desert."
"Huh? Hey, Akito, look over there!" Michael points towards the hangar next to the control tower. and parked next it is a tilt-rotor craft.
"That must be the commander's plane."
The tiltrotor takes off towards the west and as soon it leaves the base perimeter, without warning, explosions rock the buildings surrounding the airfield. "What the hell?!" Michael exclaims as Akito's expression becomes serious.
"They're blowing up all the buildings. I guess they were really planning to abandon this base…"
Back on the bridge, the base commander contacts Captain Renner on a private line. "Now all the evidence has been erased. Thank you for your cooperation, Captain Renner."
"You're welcome. I just hope those three pilots you gave us are actually going to be of use to us."
"2nd Lt. Perez and Ensign Evans have the potential but Ensign Tsuda…frankly I believe he shouldn't even be allowed to pilot a mobile suit."
"I'm not planning to give up hope just yet."
"Always the optimist I see. Regardless, I wish you a good voyage, Captain." The base commander hangs up and the tilt-rotor flies westward while Renner takes a deep breath and turns to her XO.
"Why is it always us who end up with these werid missions?" She says in a low voice to Aho, who shrugs.
"Your guess is as good as mine Captain."
"Maybe the top-brass just doesn't like us."
"Don't be like that, Captain. We've got a long trip ahead of us and we can't have you being all depressed."
"You are right." Cpt. Renner adjusts her hat and opens the intercom.
"Attention crew, this is Cpt. Renner. I will now explain our new objective: This ship will follow the southern-Mediterranean coast to Cairo, all the while keeping an eye out for any Sleeper activity. We've also received some new crew members in the form three pilots and their mechanics. Let's make sure they know their place while onboard the Edelweiss. That is all."
Down on the observation deck, Jacky and Aiyumi giggle over the Captain's announcement. "That's our captain; she always knows what to say."
"If anything, she's got a sharp tongue." Michael scratches his head and walks over to Akito, who has moved closer to the window and leans on a railing. "So, we made it. Six-months of torture in the desert and we finally got our big break. I tell ya, things are only gonna go up from here."
"Yeah…I hope so…"
Little does Akito know that the events that would unfold in the next two weeks would change his, and the lives of all onboard the Edelweiss forever.
...
Later that same day, in the Atlantic Ocean, on the Azores Island, a warship lies in the harbor of Praia de Vitória. It has no markings on its hull and is colored in dull, black camouflage. Standing on the ship's mid-section are two men, accompanied by a girl with blond, shoulder-length hair, who leans on a railing. "Are you sure he's coming?" The slightly shorter man wearing a black military uniform asks.
"He'll come. He has too much to lose." The taller, blond-haired man wearing a bomber jacket and sunglasses answers. He looks to the sky and scans the horizon. "But I won't be surprised if he turns tail and runs. Federation officers are more worried about their reputation over anything else. If he's smart, he'll run." Then the air fills with the sound of rotor blades. All three look towards east, where a gray tilt-rotor approaches them. "Looks like he's dumb after all."
"Indeed Eric."
The tiltrotor slowly lands on the ships extended flight deck. The man named Eric, the officer and the girl leave the mid-section and they descend down to the hangar. As they arrive, Jerada's base commander leaves the tiltrotor. "So, how was Jerada?"
"Absolutely terrible, Heron. However, I did see two promising pilots while I was there."
"Interesting. Do you have the information on our target?"
"Here." The man gives Eric a file containing pictures and profiles.
"The Edelweiss…A top of the line ship and a veteran captain and crew. They'll be perfect test dummies. You have done well."
"Yes…uhm about that reward…"
"Ah yes, the reward. Take him to the back so that he can receive his reward." Eric orders two guards to move him to a side room. After a moment of silence, a gunshot echoes in the hangar.
"Why'd you kill him?" The blond girl asks.
"We were ordered not to leave any witnesses, 4. This is a top-secret mission after all."
"Oh well, as long I get to do some target practice, I don't care what you do." The girl starts walking towards an elevator and along the way, she passes a black mobile suit with a circular backpack. Meanwhile, the man called Eric and the officer head over to the ship's bridge.
"Captain Duncan, what's the status of the diversionary force?" Eric asks as the officer sits down on the captain's seat.
"They have successfully landed in Northern-Germany." Duncan replies as Eric crosses his arms and smiles slightly.
"Good. What about the Pacific operation?"
"They are also on schedule, but they have run into some trouble with a mercenary force."
"Mercenaries?" Eric lifts an eyebrow as Duncan nods back sternly
"Yes. Apparently, the Valais Company's trans-atmospheric carrier has been tracking them ever since they passed Midway."
"Let's hope they get rid of their pursuers before they cross the Japanese border. We can't afford any mishaps at this point." Eric says to Duncan, who nods back.
"Indeed. Our sponsor won't like it we this mission ends up in failure."
"Then it's time we start our part of the operation. We'll take off and head for the Bay of Biscay."
"Understood." Duncan replies while Eric walks over to the bridge window and gazes upon the Atlantic.
"It's such a shame we have to unleash the flames of war upon this planet again...but it's necessary to change this stagnant world..."
Note: Thank you for reading the first chapter. Originally, I had no intention of publishing this fic. It was supposed to stay hidden in my PC for my own eyes only, but after I released my KND fanfics and the positive feedback I received from them, I decided to test the waters and put this out as well. It is unfinished but I intend to write it alongside my ongoing stuff, so the releases will be a bit sporadic.
Anyway, this first chapter was mostly dialogue but there will be plenty of mobile suit action soon and speaking of which, Mobile Suit designs for this fanfic were all made in Gundam Breaker 3 Break Edition.
Also, I want to talk about the characters a bit. Our main character Akito's physical appearance is based on his namesake, Akito Hyuga from Code Geass. I wanted to avoid basing his personality on any single Gundam protagonist specifically but instead, he shares features with many different Gundam pilots. His callsign was taken from the player character of Ace Combat Zero, Cipher. Michael's appearance and mannerisms meanwhile are based on Kurz Weber from Full Metal Panic, with a bit of Larry Foulke from Ace Combat Zero sprinkled in. He also shares Larry's callsign. The rest are characters that are not based on anyone specifically, except Eric and the blond-haired girl at the end, but I won't talk about them just yet.
If this was a real Gundam show, the opening for the first part would be "SHARP" by NEGOTO and ending would be "Houki Boshi" by Younha.
Stay tuned for more.