Chapter 2: Proving Grounds
As the Edelweiss's journey through the North-African coast continues, Akito, Michael and Takumi have had to get used to their new routine. While the Purple Team performs almost daily patrols, the Silver Team is forced to do simulator training and only some test flights with their Jet Windams. Five days go by rather quickly as Takumi continues to struggle, even in the simulator. After one such session, where he crashed right after take-off, Michael pulls him to the side. "Hey man, what's wrong with you? You were doing just fine back in Jerada."
"I…I don't know. I'm just nervous I guess…" Takumi mutters as Michael puts his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"If there's something botherin' ya, you can always tell me and Space Boy. We're here for ya."
"There is nothing bothering me! I'm fine! I just…need to get used this place."
"Then pull yourself together man. Wasn't it your dream to be here?"
"I'll become better! I promise."
"I never said you need to be better. You just need to calm down and take it easy. We're in this together."
"I can't afford to "take it easy"! This is my chance to prove that I can become a hero like my dad!"
Before Michael can say anything else, Takumi storms off and as he leaves, he bumps into Akito but ignores him and continues on his way. "Man, he's really pissed off."
"What did you say to him?" Akito squints slightly at Michael, who immediately puts his hands up.
"Nothing, he just messed up again in the simulator and gave up."
"Yeah, I saw it. He's been like that ever since we left Jerada."
"Don't tell me the cafeteria incident is still bothering him."
"It can't be. They apologized to each other afterwards. It has to be something else."
"Well, whatever it is, we've gotta do something about it."
The next morning, the pilots are called to the briefing room after breakfast and along the way, Michael starts complaining about the early wake up. "*groan* I'm never gonna get used to these early morning briefings…*yawn*"
"You can only blame yourself." Akito says bluntly.
"Yeah, who was it that spent the whole night glued to his holo-phone?"
"Hey, I gotta keep in touch with the ladies."
"Ladies? You actually have a girlfriend?" Jacky asks.
"He is currently three-timing." Akito quickly clarifies, causing the three girls to stare coldly at Michael.
"Three-timing? You're gross."
"Disgusting."
"Skirt-chaser."
"What do you guys take me for? I wasn't three-timing, I was merely chatting to three people at once."
"You want to prove it? Takumi can always hack your phone." Akito nudges Michael, but he is not amused.
"Hey, let's drop the subject okay?!" Their conversation is stopped as they enter the briefing room, where the Captain and the other officers are waiting.
"Morning everyone. I believe you've already noticed that the Edelweiss has stopped for the moment." Renner says before pressing a button on her desk and the screen behind her lights up. A rocky pass appears on it and the Captain moves next the screen. "This is Kasserine Pass. We will be staying here for today so that the engine room mechanics can rest and also because the Lt. Cmdr wants to test you. He'll explain the rest." Cpt. Renner sits back down and Lt. Cmdr Barros takes her place.
"We're going to have a mock battle." Barros says with his booming voice, shocking the pilots.
"Damn…" Michael whispers to Akito and a visibly worried Takumi, as the 's words fill his heart with dread and just as he is about to say something, Barros continues, as if knowing that Takumi was going to open his mouth.
"Before you ask, no, this not an exam or an evaluation. You won't be discharged from the ship if you lose or anything of the sort. Your test flights have only shown that you can control an MS but I wanna see you use them in a combat situation."
"But the losers have to do something for the winners." The Commander ads and both Renner and Barros glare at her. "What? It'll give them more motivation."
"I AGREE!" Jacky shouts from the back.
"Same here." Michael nods his head and Barros rolls his eyes in response.
"Suit yourselves. The mock battle will start in an hour, so go and get ready. I'll explain the rules once you have boarded your mobile suits. Dismissed!"
After another round of salutes, the officers leave the pilots by themselves in the room and the girls immediately huddle together. "This is a great chance. We can see how well they fight AND we can make them do something for us!" With a slight glint in her eye, Jacky whispers excitedly to her teammates.
"How can you be sure we'll win? Excluding Takumi, Akito and Michael are really good from what I've seen." Aiyumi asks while Lucia frowns.
"What's the point of this? We're just wasting fuel and time."
"Come on Lucy, don't be like that. Don't tell me you're not interested to see their abilities? Haven't you seen the scores Akito has made in the simulator? He beat your record with over three times the points." Jacky gestures towards Akito and suddenly, Lucia's expressions becomes serious and determined, as if a switch had been flipped inside her.
"We'll win. No question."
"Now she's motivated." her teammates giggle while across the briefing room, the boys have also huddled together.
"We gotta win guys. No matter what." Michael exclaims, but Akito becomes suspicious about his motives.
"I hope you aren't planning anything."
"Of course not, Space Boy. This is our chance to prove that we're great pilots."
"Hey guys, I can't…do that." Takumi says dejectedly.
"Takumi listen; you'll be fine. This is just a mock battle."
"No, I won't be fine, I'm useless! I'll be knocked out as soon as the battle starts."
"Not if we're there. We're your teammates after all." Akito and Michael try to cheer up up their teammate, who is clearly on the verge of panicking.
"That's right Takumi. Space Boy and I'll keep you covered."
"Okay…" Takumi leaves the room with his head hunched. Michael turns towards Akito and whispers.
"To be honest, he's right…He's kinda of a deadweight."
"I know…I'll think of something. We just need to keep him behind us."
"He just barely passed the target practice back in the academy and in Jerada, we didn't have any MS target practice. He's not gonna hit anything, especially against those three." Akito nods and sighs as he and Michael realize how tough their task will be.
One hour later, the pilots arrive to the hangar. Takumi, still feeling dejected, climbs to his Windam without saying a word. Michael and Akito also enter their Windams, while the girls board their purple Murasame's. Barros contacts them from the bridge.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, listen up. The mock battle will be held here at the Kasserine Pass in a 200 x 200 km area. Maximum altitude will be 3 km, any further than that and you're out. Your suits have been equipped with paint guns. You are allowed to use your beam sabers but no physical contact. Pilots are eliminated if their suits are hit in the head or the torso. Eliminated pilots are to immediately return to the ship and you are not allowed to shoot them after they're out. The winner will be the team with more team members standing after 5 minutes. We have marked both the combat area and your teams' starting locations into your navigation systems. You have 3 minutes of preparation time. Begin."
The six mobile suits move to the catapults, purple to the left, silver to the right. One at a time, they begin to take off.
"Purple 1: Butterfly, launching."
"Purple 2: Mayfly, launching."
"Purple 3: Dragonfly, launching."
"Silver 1: Pixy, I'm takin' off."
"Silver 2: Cipher, launching."
"Silver 3: Scope…. launching."
The MS fly to opposite directions as the Windams land to the edge of the pass behind a cliff while the Murasame's fly to the other side of the pass. Aboard the ship, most the crew has gathered around various TV screens to watch the mock battle. "Who do you think is gonna win?"
"Our girls, obviously. They've taken down 4 Sleeper nests already. Those guys won't stand a chance."
"You'd be wise not to underestimate the Silver Team." The Chief says as he adjusts his sunglasses.
In the pass, Michael contacts his teammates. "So, what's the plan?"
"We watch out for their sniper. Leave her to me."
"Alright, Silver 2. Silver 3, you stick with me, got it?"
"Roger…"
"Preparation time will end in 10 seconds…5…4…3...2...1, BEGIN!"
"Alright, let's g…" Michael is interrupted by the sound of three paint bullets hitting the left side of Takumi's Windam's head. "Oh shit!"
"Silver 3 is out, return to the ship."
Stunned by what just happened, Takumi sits sliently in his cockpit, his hands shaking the control sticks before he lifts his head and sighs. "I told you guys I'm useless…" He turns his suit around and flies slowly back to deck of the Edelweiss, leaving behind his teammates, who can't believe they lost Takumi so quickly.
"How the hell did she hit us? We're behind a cliff." Michael shouts over the radio as Akito starts scanning the sky and soon enough, he spots the tell-tale sign of light reflecting against metal.
"They're in the sky, 12 o'clock high, and at altitude 2.8 km."
"Aw man, what are we gonna do now?"
"I'll keep her busy; you deal with the other two." Akito says and floors his Windam's thrusters, leaving Michael behind.
"WHAT!? I have to fight against two people?"
"Weren't you good at aerial combat? Fly circles around them."
"Okay, got it."
Above them, the Murasame's stay right at the edge of the altitude limit, with Jacky and Aiyumi's suits hovering on either side of Lucia's Murasame. "That was a great shot, Purple 1. This'll be easy now."
"No Purple 2, I merely eliminated the deadweight, this is where the real fight begins."
"She's in serious mode now, Purple 3."
"Yeah. Why aren't you shooting the others?"
"That would be boring. I want to see how they will respond."
Then, Jacky notices that the Windam's are moving in opposite directions. "They're splitting up!"
"You two deal with the Leader. Number 2's mine." Lucia says stoically and takes aim with her rifle while Jacky and Aiyumi break off towards a climbing Michael.
"When she's serious, she's really scary."
"You said it, Purple 3. Okay, let's take care of Mister Hotshot." Aiyumi gestures with her paint gun as Michael closes in on her and Jacky and upon passing each other, Michael quickly reverses and fires at the girls.
"Mayfly, break!"
Both Murasame's split up and perform a long, left-and right-turn respectively and fire back. "Whoops!" Michael banks to the right and manages to get in Jacky's six o'clock. "Good night." He fires a short burst but Aiyumi flies between them and manages block the round with her shield.
"Thanks!"
"Don't lose your focus. He's really good. We have to attack him from two sides. I'll draw his attention; you attack from below."
"Roger." Aiyumi starts shooting at Michael as she tries to gain altitude but Michael however notices their plan easily.
"I know what you're planning, but that's not gonna work against me." with slight smirk on his face, Michael protects himself from Aiyumi's initial barrage and accelerates forward before performing a splits-s, giving Michael the drop on an suprised Jacky "Bye bye." he says calmly as three paint rounds pepper Jacky's Murasame's cockpit hatch.
"Purple 3 is out!"
"Oh gosh darn it!" Jacky exclaims jokingly and flies out of the dogfight while Michael stabilizes his Windam and points his paint gun up at Aiyumi who hovers 10 meters above him.
"It's just you and me now baby. Are you ready to dance?" Michael grins as he gestures to Aiyumi with the Windam's left hand, annoying the Japanese pilot.
"Bring it on, loudmouth!
Meanwhile, aboard the Edelweiss, Captain Renner and her officers watch the mock battle unfold with great interrest. "Pixy and Cipher are really damn good. They're using those suits like it's a second nature to them." Barros notes while Aho crosses her hands just as Takumi lands his Windam inside the ship.
"But Scope on the other hand…"
"Yeah, what are we gonna do about him, Captain?"
"I don't know, George. At this rate, we may have to transfer him to a base somewhere once we get to Cairo or worse, back to Frankfurt."
"He wouldn't last a split second in a real battle."
"To his defense, they positioned themselves badly. They completely ignored the fact you were not bound to a ground based starting position." Aho says to her collegues, who nod back but
"Regardless, something has to be done…"
Down in the pilot's changing room, Takumi leans against a wall, his head buried between his legs. He can hear the cheering coming from the hangar but he couldn't care less
…
The mock battle has gone for 3 minutes. After Jacky was knocked out, neither side has scored any critical hits and the battle has turned into a full-blown dogfight between two pairs of expertly flown mobile suits. While Michael and Aiyumi continue to battle near the edge of the altitude limit, Akito has flown out of the canyon at high speed and Lucia immediately fires multiple paint bullets at him, but he evades them effortlessly. "Removing thrust limiters." Akito flips three switches on his control console and he is pressed against his seat as the Windam's speed triples.
High above, from her static position, Lucia's computerized gun sight can't follow the Windam fast enough, forcing her to follow him manually. "He's forcing me to drop my altitude, interesting." Without even blinking, Lucia transforms her machine to fighter-mode and initiates a high-speed, left-hand dive and gives chase but this maneuvre puts her at a much lower altitude so she can keep her sights on a speeding Akito who has continuously evaded all her shots, despite her superior marksmanship. "He knows he has the disadvantage if he stops moving. He has to take me out before he runs out of fuel…" Her Murasame transforms back to MS-mode as she flies slightly behind and above him.
Then, Akito unexpectedly performs an Immelman and is instantly on equal altitude as her. He then fires paint at her but as she banks left to evade, one bullet hits the very tip of her suit's foot. "She's reading me like a book…I've only got 2 minutes of fuel left in the Striker. Come on Windam, work with me!" Akito climbs higher and shuts down the Jet Striker's engines to conserve fuel. The Windam glides quickly as Akito uses the leg- and back-mounted thrusters to give himself some form of control. Lucia meanwhile has reversed her own turn and climbs, charging head-on against the Windam. Akito counters by cutting power. This causes the Windam to plummet violently and for a split second, he's right below the Murasame. He manages to fire a burst but she again dodges by turning left but even so, two bullets hit the Murasame's left wing. Akito re-applies thrust and the MS shutters as it lands on the bottom of the pass. The Windam skids the desert floor as he forces it to a standstill. Then, Akito surveys the area around and above him until he notices the Murasame circling, at 1 o'clock high.
"This is it Windam, our last chance." He steels his nerve and points his gun towards the Murasame while also moving his shield over his torso.
High above them, the other Murasame and Windam are caught in a tight turning fight over the pass. Neither has scored any hits but Aiyumi is getting exhausted since she's not used to the violent maneuvers. "He's too good. I can't keep this up much longer."
"She's getting sloppy, I better end this now."
Michael executes a barrel roll, dodging her diving attack and gets on her six o'clock. "Oh no you don't!" Aiyumi unexpectedly spins 180 degrees and both fire at the same time. Her shot hits Michael's cockpit hatch while he paints her head yellow.
"Silver 1 and Purple 2 are out!"
"Damn, I got sloppy. It's all up to you now, Space Boy!"
"Come on Lucy, you can do it."
As they leave, Barros contacts the remaining two mobile suits over the radio. "You've got one and a half minutes left."
At the bottom of the pass, the Murasame continues to hover above the Windam. "He must have run out of fuel…I could easily get him from here…" Lucia adjusts her sight and locks on to the Windam.
Akito meanwhile sits silently in his Windam, gripping his controls. Then, he takes a deep breath and acts. "NOW!" He applies power to the Strikers engines and starts flying low to the ground, away from the Murasame just as she pulls the trigger, missing her shot.
"Why you…!" Lucia immediately dives after the fuel starved Windam. Akito takes a quick look behind him and deploys his airbrakes, forcing the Murasame and the Windam to fly side-by-side. Then he flips his mobile suit 90 degrees to the side and fires. Lucia reacts too slowly but manages to dodge the first bullet. The second bullet however flies directly between the left side flight thruster's nozzle and the thruster itself, causing the nozzle to be stuck in an up/left position. Because she applied full power to evade, the stuck nozzle causes her suit to violently flip on its back and it crashes chest up to the desert floor.
A simultaneous gasp is heard on the ship as the Murasame slides and grinds to a halt. Akito cuts power and stops 20 meters away from the downed MS. With only 30 seconds left, Lucia uses her remaining thrusters to jump and land on her feet. She immediately points her gun at Akito and opens fire but the Windam counters by charging directly at her, its left hand-mounted shield covering the head and torso. Akito drops his paint gun and replaces it with his beam saber for his right hand. He activates the blade and flips the sword into reverse grip, powering it down immediately afterwards. He then moves his right hand to "strike" the cockpit, but this forces him to move his shield more to the left, exposing the Windam completely. The Murasame lands hits on the Windam's head and torso but at that exact moment, Akito's deactivated beam saber touches the Murasame's cockpit hatch.
"Silver 2 is out, Purple Team Wins with 1 second left in the clock!" Barros shouts and collapses on his seat. "Hot damn, those two are really something."
"I've never seen anyone use a mobile suit like that."
"Damn straight. If this is their level now, imagine how far they'll get with experience and more powerful units."
"Indeed." Renner exhales as she watches the mobile suits fly back to the ship.
All around the ship, the crew shout and cheer over the mock battle while in the hangar, Michael is everything but cheerful. "God dammit, he lost!"
"Oh yeah! That's what you get for being cocky." Aiyumi says triumphantly.
"Hey, we were the under dogs."
"And you lost. I hope you're prepared for you punishment.
"Aw man…"
…
Meanwhile Jacky, who watched the battle from another room, walks towards the pilot's changing room to put on her uniform. However, as she gets closer, she notices the door wide open. Taking a peak, she sees Takumi, still hunched against the wall. "Oh, there you are." Jacky says cheerfully as she approaches him and squats down.
"What do you want?" Takumi mutters, his face still buried in against his knees.
"The mock battle just ended. Did you watch it?"
"No…there was no point. We lost anyway."
"That's true…but me and Kagamin got knocked out too. Akito fought Lucy tooth and nail."
"Well obviously…he and Michael are great pilots…unlike me…"
"You weren't knocked out because of your mistake you know? I was taken out right after you."
"But at least you got a chance to fight…I did nothing…I'm useless…the most useless MS pilot ever!" Takumi starts weeping, causing Jacky to sigh and jump up.
"Okay that's it. Stand up."
"Huh?"
"I said stand up!"
"Why?"
"Because I'm your superior, Ensign. Now STAND UP." Her assertiveness pays off as Takumi slowly pulls himself up from the floor, his eyes red. "Good." Before Takumi can respond, Jacky gives him a big hug. Because he is shorter than her, his face is pressed against her chest and his face turns bright red. "You are not useless. Nobody is useless. I know how it feels like when you're overshadowed by your teammates. You just need to pull yourself together and work harder. You've made it this far despite your limits."
Right at the same time, Michael, Aiyumi, Akito and Lucia are returning from the hangar. "So, Lucy, what should we make the boys do for us?" Aiyumi nudges a stone-faced Lucia while Akito rolls his eyes.
"…"
"I've got a really bad feeling about this man. I hope it's not manual labor…" Michael whispers to Akito, who sighs.
"Unless they hate our guts, I doubt it's going to be that mundane."
However, just as they are about to enter the changing room, they stop at the entrance when they notice Jacky hugging Takumi and without a word, they double back and peek from the side of the door. "Oh my god…" Aiyumi gasps as Michael squints at the pair.
"How did he end up there?"
"I don't know, but I think we should leave them be." Akito whispers, to which both Aiyumi and Lucia nod at the same time.
"Aw come on. I wanna see how far they'll go."
"No, you won't!" Aiyumi hisses at Michael before turning around towards the way they came from. "Now let's go back to the hangar or something…"
"You guys are no fun…"
"And you're being rude." Akito pulls Michael away from the door and they silently move to the waiting room next door.
Just then, inside the changing room, Jacky lets go of Takumi. "So, feeling better?" she asks with a smile.
"A little…" Takumi stutters while keeping eyes glued to the floor to hide his reddened face.
"Why don't we talk a little more? I never got a proper chance to know you better."
"Sure…"
They sit down and begin talking about their lives before joining the military. Takumi explains in vivid detail how his father piloted a GM Sniper II during the Orbit War and how he shot down 5 mobile suits in a single engagement. Jacky on the other hand tells him how she was born to a fisherman's family in Brittany, in northwest France and how, just like Takumi, she struggled during her time in the North Academy. "I was a real klutz back then. Kagamin and Lucy had to always help me with assignments and such. Off course I paid them back by helping them be more social. Did you know that those two hated each other back then?"
"Really?"
"Yeah, you see, Kagamin came to the Academy through hard work and sheer determination while Lucy just waltzed in. They immediately butted heads and where always competing who got the best score. Lucy would always win but Kagamin never gave up. They stopped being rivals after Kagamin and I learned about Lucy's bad social skills. But I'm still the worst out of us in terms of being a pilot. My only good side is that I always charge in and draw all the fire."
"Well that's better than me…I have no special skills as a pilot. All I'm good for is being an MS nerd…"
"Hey, stop saying that. Why did you want to become a pilot?"
"Because my dad…"
"Then that's all you need." She grabs his shoulder. "If you ever need any help or you're feeling down, talk to me okay? I know a thing or two about failure. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to change into my uniform."
Takumi, having already changed to his uniform when he came back, turns red and runs out of the room but before he leaves, he stops at the door. "T…Thanks for hearing me out."
"No problem." Jacky smiles and Takumi walks out, touched by her act of kindness.
…
With the mock battle over, the ship's crew return to their daily duties, but it remains a hot topic among them for the rest of the day. Then, as evening arrives, Akito and Michael are sitting in the mess hall. Akito plays solitaire and Michael looks at his holo-phone. Aiyumi, Jacky and Lucy join them. "Hello ladies."
"Hiya. Where's Takumi?" Jacky says as she looks around the mess hall.
"He was in the simulator the last time I saw him." Akito says without making eye contact.
"Yeah, he had a different look in his eyes. I've never seen him that determined. What did you do to him back there?" Michael's question surprises Jacky and she begins stuttering.
"Wha…you saw?!"
"Just a little. We had to drag Captain Stalker away from the door though." Aiyumi replies before glaring at Michael.
"I was NOT stalking!"
"That's what it looked like. Anyway, what DID you do, Jacky?" Aiyumi looks at Jacky with suspicion and she turns slightly red.
"It wasn't a big deal really! He was feeling down so I wanted to give him some encouragement."
"I think you gave him more than just encouragement with those huge…OUCH!" Akito elbows him with his right hand while he continues to play solitaire. "Why do you always gotta hit me, man!?"
"Because you're always thinking with your libido." Akito replies bluntly while Aiyumi rolls her eyes and changes the subject.
"Anyway, onto more pressing matters; we won so you guys have to do something for us."
"You guys only won because Akito moved his shield out of the way."
"A win is a win."
"A dirty win!" Michael and Aiyumi start arguing over the end result until Lucia interrupts them.
"No, he's right."
"What!?" her teammates shout at the same time.
"Had it been a real battle, I would've already lost when he hit my wing. I only managed hit him when he got close. Before that, I had no chance."
Shocked by Lucia's humility, Jacky and Aiyumi huddle together. "I've never seen her talk that way about an opponent. She's never admitted losses, NEVER." Jacky whispers to Aiyumi, who nods frantically.
"I know right. Was he really that impressive?"
"Hey, could you guys please pass the judgment already." Michael says across the table.
"Oh right. Um…" Both girls start thinking but Lucia points towards Akito, his face still glued to his cards.
"I would like to fight you again…in the simulator."
"Huh? Oh sure." Akito doesn't lift his head as he responds while Lucia begins staring at him.
"Now."
"Now?"
"Yes."
"Why? I still have cards to play."
"Then I can wait." Lucia continues to stare at Akito expectantly and after about five minutes of silence, Jacky, Michael and Aiyumi move to the other end of the table.
"Don't tell me she's going to just sit there?"
"Trust me, when Lucy is that determined, she's not going to stop until she gets her will through. Back in the academy, it was called the 'Death Stare'. Even teachers and instructors couldn't stand its all-penetrating gaze." Jacky replies quietly as they look at Lucia and Akito again.
"*sigh* I'm gonna leave them there. Shelly's new single came out and I gotta listen to it."
"Wait, you know Shelly? Oh my god, I'm like her biggest fan!"
"Hell yeah. She's got the voice of an angel I tell ya."
"I haven't heard her newest song yet, let's go listen to it!" Amused by their shared interrests, Aiyumi stretches her arms and stands up.
"I think I'll hit the gym. I noticed that I can't keep up with you so I need to get in better shape." she says and leaves first, followed by Michael and Jacky while Lucia keeps staring at Akito, who start getting increasingly bothered by her.
"You're really going to sit there until I'm done?"
"Yes. It would be rude of me to tell you to stop doing something you like."
"Right…" Another five minutes go by and finally, Akito breaks. "Fine, you win. Let's just go to the simulator." He collects his cards and leaves, followed by eager Lucia.
…
Another five days go by quickly. The atmosphere among the six pilots has improved massively. Takumi has returned to his former, excited and talkative self while Akito has given most of his daily flight hours to Takumi so he can practice combat maneuvers. Both Lt. Cmdr Barros and Jacky have given him plenty of advice and he has improved. Akito meanwhile has been forced into simulator exercises with Lucia multiple times a day, leaving him little time to play solitaire since she always asks him when he is playing.
Evening, 10th day. While Lucia and Aiyumi are in the gym, doing their evening workout, the rest of the pilots are sitting in the lounge, where Michael and Jacky are persuading Akito, who is playing solitaire, to listen to Shelly's music while Takumi is glued to an MS combat manual. "Come on Space Boy, you'll love it."
"But I don't really listen to music that much…"
"Then it's all the more reason to start listening."
"But I want to finish my game…"
"If you want, I can give you my old music player. It's got Shelly's music in it too." Takumi says before handing Akito his small, silver colored music player, despite his objections.
"Takumi, thanks but I really…"
"It's okay, I don't need it anymore. My first patrol is tomorrow so I need to go to sleep early."
"Oh yeah that's right, all six of us get patrol duty now." Michael notes while Jacky starts patting Takumi's shoulder, causing him to blush.
"I'm so proud of you Takumi. You really picked yourself up after the mock battle."
"I'm not that good yet…"
"You beat me in the simulator."
"But only because you didn't take me out within the time limit, Michael." Takumi replies stoically but Michael shrugs back.
"It's good enough, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess…"
"Anyway, I'm gonna hit the hay. Akito, make sure you listen to those songs okay."
"Yeah, yeah…Takumi, I'll give it back to you tomorrow."
"I said keep it. Don't worry about it."
…
A few hours later, in the Bay of Biscay, the black ship moves slowly across the ocean. The man named Eric stands on the ship's bridge, accompanied by Duncan. "Message from the Diversionary force, Sir; 'Have moved to point 381, awaiting signal to move in on the radar station.'". The CIC operator informs him.
"Excellent. You can always rely on professionals to be on time. Commander, what's the status of our MS complement?"
"The Diversionary force managed to procure 3 Geara Doga's. Including the Gorgon and your 1 Gundam, we will have a total of 14 MS, the Doga's excluded."
"I hope our sleeping beauty is prepared for tomorrow. She hasn't used the Gorgon in a real battle yet."
"I wouldn't doubt her readiness. After all, you did train her from a very young age."
Eric nods and looks at the horizon as Duncan adjusts his dark blue Commander's hat. "It's a shame that the Pacific operation failed…"
"Yes Cmdr. It is most unfortunate but the only thing that matters is that the public learns about the attempted nuclear attack on Tokyo tomorrow. All we have to do is to wait for the Alpine Rose to take the bait…"
…
The next morning, the Edelweiss's crew receives a rude awakening when the intercom wakes them.
"ATTENTION ALL HANDS, LEVEL 2 BATTLE STATIONS! PREPARE ALL MOBILE SUITS FOR COMBAT! PILOTS, REPORT TO THE BRIEFING ROOM IMMEDIATELY!"
Akito, Michael and Takumi stumble out of their room and run through the corridor. "What the hell is happening here!?" Michael shouts as they run past a group of frantic mechanics.
"I don't know but I doubt it's an exercise." Akito says as Takumi looks at his friends nervously.
"Are we being attacked?"
"No, that would mean level 1 battle stations."
They turn to the right and meet up with the girls. Jacky is still half-asleep. "Why do we have to wake up this early? It's only four thirty."
"A soldier has no right to complain."
"Lucy, I'm a soldier second but a human being first and human beings need sleep."
The six pilots barge in to the briefing room where their commanding officers are waiting. "Please be seated. We have a really bad situation at the moment." Renner says with a stern expression. "Today at 03:40 AM, 3 unknown mobile suits took over a radar station codenamed "Grosse 5" in the Eifel Mountains in western Germany, and that's not all, yesterday night at 02:00 hours, two unknown mobile suits tried to attack Tokyo with nuclear weapons." The pilots stare at Renner in disbelief.
"They attacked Tokyo…" a horrified Aiyumi whispers to herself while Michael jumps up.
"Seriously, they had nukes?"
"That's right 2nd Lt. Perez. Fortunately, the suits were intercepted and destroyed by a mobile suit from the Valais Company's mobile assault team while the warheads were retrieved and handed over to local EFSF officials."
"That's where my brother works…" Akito thinks as Renner looks sterlnly at the pilots.
"However, the radar station is a more pressing matter to us. HQ has ordered the Edelweiss to alter its course and head to Germany."
"WHAT!?" Michael, Jacky, Aiyumi and Takumi shout at the same time, angering Renner.
"SILENCE! I am well aware that this ship is ill-equipped to engage in combat at the moment, both in terms of pilots and personnel. However, it is a direct order from headquarters so we must obey."
"Do you know what kind of mobile suits took over the station?"
"Takumi, this isn't the time for that." Michael hisses at him.
"We have some satellite photographs, but they are of very bad quality."
"Can I take a look?" Takumi insists and Renner nods back, handing him two black and white photos. "Hmm…" After about a minute of silence, Takumi identifies the suits. "Ahh I get it. Three Geara Doga's, late Orbit War model, armed with beam-machineguns, beam sword-axes and they even have bazookas. One is also armed with two Sturm Faust's. The one with the horn is the leader." Everyone stares at Takumi in disbelief but Renner smiles gently.
"Well then, I'll be sure to leave all mobile suit identification to you, Ensign Tsuda."
"Heh heh…"
"Moving on, we have already come up with a plan to deal with the radar station. Lt. Cmdr. Barros will explain in more detail." Renner gestures for Barros to take the floor while the screen behind her shows a map of the station and its surroundings.
"'Grosse 5' overlooks a Y-shaped river valley, at a height of 50 meters. Below is a village where two of the mobile suits are currently positioned. The third one is guarding the station. Their poor tactical positioning gives us the advantage. While the station's radar can easily detect us from a long distance, we doubt the MS possess such long-range sensors. This will allow our mobile suits to fly low and approach the valley from two directions: team 1 will attack from the north, escorting a team of Special Forces soldiers, who the local EF Army ground garrison has provided us with. Team 2 will attack from the east, attacking the two suits in the village. This operation will be called 'Operation White Out.' If the Ensign is correct, then we are facing reactor equipped mobile suits which means you have to be careful about hitting them. The Special Forces' job is to storm the station and look for signs of sabotage or hostages. After some contemplation between me, Cmdr. Aho and Capt. Renner, we've decided that the Purple Team will be in charge of the escort. Silver Team will attack from the east. Are there any questions?"
"Sir, we don't have any real combat experience, how do you expect us to do all that?"
"That's true, 2nd Lt. Perez but right now we have no choice. We'll brief you in more detail about your targets now."
After about 30 minutes, the pilots are dismmissed "Operation 'White Out' will commence at 06:30 hours. Prepare yourselves by then." Renner salutes everyone and the pilots leave, under an air of anxiety.
They walk silently to the mess hall where they sit down in a table at the back and start eating, except Takumi. "Hey man, you gotta eat something. It's hard to fight on an empty stomach." Michael nudges his friend, who clenches his fist and stares intensely at the table.
"I'm not hungry…"
"If you don't feel like going out there, you can always…" before Michael can finish, Takumi lifts his head and looks at him with an intense glare.
"No, it's not that! I'm not…afraid. This is what I've been training for."
"Yeah but…"
"I'm not going to withdraw! I'm a soldier of the Earth Federation like my father was before me! I'll fight, because no one's gonna do it for me! I fight to protect those who can't protect themselves." His sudden outburst shocks the other pilots, but Akito pats him on his left shoulder.
"You're right Takumi. Besides, there's no way I'm going out there without you, Scope."
"Damn straight Space Boy."
"And we'll also be there." Jacky puts her hand on Takumi's right shoulder.
"Let's get through this and get back alive alright?" Akito says to everyone and they all nod together, while Takumi smiles weakly.
"Thanks guys…"
As the clock ticks ever closer to half seven, the pilots prepare themselves for the battle awaiting them. While the Purple Team is sitting in the changing room, Silver Team is briefed by the Chief about the weapons they will be using.
"Alright, since this is your first time using mobile suits in real combat, I'm gonna give you three some pointers about the weapons you have and when and where to use 'em. Apart from the basic armament of CIWS, rifle, beam sabers and shield, your Windam's also carry a pair of "Stiletto" rocket propelled penetrators. They're very useful when you're aimin' for weak spots but you gotta get close. Your shield will also have pair a of 'Würger' missiles and the Jet Striker will carry a set of 'Würgers' and two rocket pods. You've got limited ammo so don't waste a single shot. Any questions?"
"No, Sir." The pilots answer in unison.
"Good. This is also the first time the Windam will be used in anger, so you better bring them back, got it?"
"Yes Sir!"
The Chief salutes and the boys leave the hangar but no one says a word as they go to the changing room, especially Takumi, who is trying his best to hide the fact he is beyond nervous. As the trio arrive at the door, they hear Aiyumi and Jacky talking. "I know it's not the right time for this Jacky, but can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"You've been spending more time with Takumi lately, haven't you?"
"Y…yeah so?"
"What do you think about him?"
"Wha…This really isn't the time for that." Jacky stutters.
"Yeah but I really wanna know." Akito and Michael turn towards Takumi, who stands with his back against the wall, totally motionless.
"Well…" All three boys look at the door at the same time. "He's kinda cute you know. He works so hard to be better and that makes me happy because he reminds me of me back when we were in the academy. Remember? I was always the one who failed at everything."
"So, you like him or?"
"No! Not like that!" Jacky shouts as her face turns red while Michael and Akito again look behind them as Takumi remains motionless. "He's kinda like a little brother to me. I've always wanted to have one you know."
"Oh okay. Sorry."
"No problem."
In the hallway, Takumi stares at the floor as his teammates walk up to him. Akito notices that Takumi is clenching his fists. "Hey Takumi…about what they just talked about…" Michael asks cautiously.
"Oh that? It's fine, totally fine. She's just a fellow pilot to me anyway. I've got no problem with that, not a problem at all. Uhm…I'm gonna go back to the hangar to do some checks on my Windam. The mission starts in 40 minutes so better do it now." He quickly turns around and starts walking back the hangar at a quick pace.
"Aw shit, I don't think we were meant to hear that…" Michael whispers to a frowning Akito
"Yeah, and at a really bad time too…"
"This is just gonna mess up with his head even more..."
"Oh, you guys are here." Suddenly, Aiyumi, followed by Jacky and Lucia walk out of the changing room, startling the boys.
"Yeah, we just got back from the hangar. The Chief gave us a lecture about the Windam's weapons and all that."
"Where's Takumi?" Jacky asks, causing the boys to exchange looks.
"Oh him, uhm…he's still in the hangar. He wanted to do some more checks on his Windam. You know him, he wants to be thorough."
"Okay, I'll go see how he's doing." Jacky tries to walk past the boys, but Michael stops her from going.
"Uhm…I don't think it's smart to talk to him right now…"
"Why not?"
"He said he needed to be alone so he can prepare mentally, yeah that's what he said."
"Oh well, I'll speak to him after the mission is over."
"Yeah, you do that." As the girls go ahead, Akito pulls Michael to the side.
"Why did you tell her that?"
"Look, I had no choice. Knowing Takumi, his head is gonna explode. I've seen how he's been looking at her lately and after hearing that, he probably doesn't wanna see her right now. You gotta understand."
"Right…" Akito sighs and they walk back to the hangar, where the Chief gives more advice for about 30 minutes until the intercom springs to life.
"ATTENTION, THE OPERATION WILL BEGIN IN 10 MINUTES. PILOTS, BOARD YOUR MOBILE SUITS AND PREPARE FOR LAUNCH."
"Here we go…" Michael says as the pilots climb to their suits and ss they perform some last-minute checks, the Chief contacts the Silver Team one last time.
"Just remember, your suits are battery powered so try not to waste your beam rifle shots. They drain your battery!"
"Got it, Chief." Michael answers over the radio.
"And one more thing: Come back in one piece."
"Yes, Sir!" Silver Team replies.
"Good luck."
Then, as they wait for the signal to launch, Michael contacts Takumi. "Hey Takumi, everything okay?"
"Yeah…I'm fine…"
"Don't worry about what you heard back there. There's plenty of fish in the sea."
"I told you, its fine. The only thing on my mind is the mission.
"Good."
"Takumi, you're not going there alone. We'll be there with you."
"Thanks, Akito…"
Then the Captain speaks through the intercom. "Operation: 'White Out' will now commence. Mobile Suit teams, you're cleared to launch."
One by one, the two teams take off and begin their approach towards "Grosse 5". Lucia's Murasame is equipped with a ray dome and a long-barreled beam sniper rifle while Jacky's suit carries two missile pods in the sides of the legs. "Purple Team, rendezvous with the Special Forces VTO/L craft and head north-east. Silver Team, continue forward until you reach the edge of the valley and fly low. The Edelweiss cannot provide direct fire support until the Special Forces have confirmed that the radar station is not occupied." Barros contacts them over the radio.
"Oh great, they're sending us there bare naked basically."
"Cut the chatter until you reach the target area, Pixy."
"Yes Sir…"
…
Meanwhile, 50 kilometers away to the west of "Grosse 5", the black ship hovers above a flat plain. Eric stands next to Duncan, who is sitting in the captain's seat. "Sir, we have confirmed that six mobile suits have launched from the ship. They have split up and are headed towards the valley in two groups. The second group is accompanied by a VTO/L craft."
"What about their ship?" Duncan asks.
"The ship is holding position 10 kilometers away from "Grosse 5". the radar operator replies, causing the commander to lift an eyebrow.
"That's unexpected. You'd think they would be closer so they can provide support fire with their cannons…Do they know we are here?" he says to Eric, who is also puzzled.
"That's not possible. They must think that the station is occupied, and they don't want to be detected. Very smart, but they are in a disadvantage if more enemies join the battle."
"Should we begin the attack as well?"
"Not yet. Prepare the ship for battle and order the pilots to board their machines. Don't deactivate the stealth cloak and begin moving slowly until we are within 10 km from "Grosse 5". Also, tell Unit 4 to move into firing position."
"Understood. All hands, level 1 battle stations. Pilots, prepare for take-off." As Duncan starts issuing orders, Eric leaves the bridge and heads towards the hangar.
Upon boarding the elevator, the blond-haired girl, wearing a black and blood-red colored pilot suit, joins him. "So I finally get to see some action?"
"Yes, 4. The enemy mobile suits should be no match for your Gorgon but don't underestimate them."
"Don't worry. I've never lost a mock battle so this shouldn't be too different."
"Real combat is very different from mock battles. I hope you'll keep that in mind, 4."
"Of course, I will." the girl smiles cheekily as the elevator stops.
"Good. Once I give the signal, we'll take off. This is going to be an interesting test." Eric says with a confident smile as he and the blond-haired girl enter the hangar, where a yellow and gray-colored Gundam stands next to a black mobile-suit with large, circular backpack. "Let's see how well the Rose performs out there. I hope they give us a good challenge."