Chapter 15 White Reflection
The once peaceful port city on the island of Sicily had turned into the worst attack in the history of the Preventer Navy. In the course of a couple of minutes fifteen warships had suffered critical damage, the flagship of the battle group the aircraft carrier Yorktown was listing so heavy to that it's anchors was the only thing preventing it from flipping totally over. Explosions filled the air as the fires that raged on multiple ships reached where the shells and missiles being stored, stain glass window in a church in town shattered when one of the ships exploded in a fireball, which could be seen from miles away. The waters around the ships where filled with men and women abounding ship and heading toward shore.
While the Navy was, having a horrible day the ground forces on the shore was not having it any better. It had long been standard operation for all none front line bases to have fifteen mobile suits ready for combat operators at all time, while the rest waited in their hangers. The Phantom core had prepared for them, they were among the first to get hit. The small missile launchers the Special Forces carried is not strong enough to destroy a fully armored mobile suit but the gears around the knee. With the combat ready suits down it would take a few minutes for the rest of the suits to get manned and armed for battle, it was this time frame which the Phantoms where counting on.
"We have at most five minutes to get to the evac point." reported the driver of the lead Humvee as they zoomed down the two lain road, which lead toward the main base entrees. The moment they made a turn they came into view of the main checkpoint which was in a state of lock down with large concreate barriers raised up and spike strips located in front and behind the barrier.
"The barriers are suppose to be down by now," cursed the driver as the Preventer guards by the checkpoint spun their guns toward them.
"The others must have been held up," noted the phantom in the back seat.
"Do not stop." ordered Heero as the driver looked at him, only to see the Admiral loading a grenade launcher. "We go through them."
"Yes, sir." said the driver as the man on the fifty caliber machine gun opened up on the Preventers who instantly returned fire. Their bullets bounced off the metal plate in front of the machine gunner and the bullet resistance glass of the Humvee which cracked from the impacts.
"Here we go." said Heero as he leaned out the window with the grenade launcher in hand. With quick aim he sent a round flying down range hitting just below his target point, with an explosion of dust the concreate barrier was gone. Heero leaned back into the vehicle just in time for the Humvee to run over the spike strips, the tires where punched but this wasn't a civilian vehicle the Humvee had run flat tieres which would last long enough for them to reach their target.
"Is everyone through?" asked Heero into his radio
"We are." confirmed Luna who was riding in the last Humvee in the column.
While battle raged in the harbor Relena, Lady Une and President Barker retreated into a large command and control center located in what looked like a normal semi-truck trailer. The trailer was hidden among dozens, which had been moved in to carry all the supplies.
"How could this have happed? cursed the President as he looked at real time satellite photos of the burning fleet in the harbor down the road. "Where the hell are the mobile suits at?"
"They destroyed the ones who we had on standby in case of an attack and the others are being armed and prepared for combat." reported Lady Une as she put her hand over the receiver of the phone she was holding to answer the President's question.
"Why the Hell where they not armed?" yelled the President, this time it was a communication officer who manned the computers who answered him.
"Standard orders, so that there are no on base accidental shooting." answered the operator "We had multiple accidental firing years ago sir."
"Zoom on that!" ordered Relena as she pointed toward a line of vehicles moving across the base. "That is Heero, he is heading toward his gundam."
"We cannot let that happen." snapped the President as he looked at Lady Une.
"Mr. President, I am sorry but tell me something I don't already know." snapped Lady Une back "I am trying to get into contact with the team you sent take down Wing Angel but I don't have much hope."
"Why do you not have hope?" asked Relena
"Because a massive amount of fire is coming from the hanger where Wing Angel and the Zaft shuttle is located," explained Lady Une as the image zoomed in on a large hanger by the waterfront where a firefight between multiple Preventer forces and someone inside was going on.
While Lady Une, Relena and President Barker were getting a bird's eyes view of the battle on the ground it was mostly a one sided fight the more highly trained and prepared for a fight was dominating the preventer ground forces which had come out to fight. Another key advantage was the fact that they had access to the small arsenal located inside Wing Angel's storage area. The small arms located inside the arsenal where all the best quality and the most advance.
"Sniper team moving into position." yelled a woman over the radio as the Phantom squad membered aimed a bolt action rifle at the two man sniper team moving into position in a nearby office building. "Taking them out."
"Understood." Confirmed a voice as the Phantom squad sniper aimed down range the scope recital turning red, she selected the smart round she wanted before she pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out of the camber toward the office window where the snipers where setting up behind some cover. The bullet above the heads of her target however, it was perfectly aimed as the small explosive charge in the bullet exploded spraying the room and shrapnel killing the two snipers in one shot.
"Target down." Confirmed the Phantom member sniper as she scanned for more targets, she did not really have to hunt for targets only pick select them. She zoomed in only to see a line of vehicles moving toward them. "Enemy convoy sighted…wait."
"What is it?" asked her commander as he fired his assault rifle from behind a barrier.
"Primary objective has arrived, I have the Chairwoman and the Admirals in site." confirmed the sniper
"Great…covering fire!" yelled the commander as all the Phantom squad members opened up on the Preventers forcing them to take cover as the line of vehicles rolled through the open hanger door before screeching to a stop. Once the vehicles came to a stop the Phantom squad members and the Zaft guards jumped out and moved to defend the hanger.
"Get Lacus and the civilians onto the shuttle." ordered Heero as he stepped out of the lead Humvee "Luna take control of the shuttle."
Luna did not say anything as she ran up the stairs into the cockpit of the transport shuttle.
"Admiral we need you to get in your suit." yelled a Zaft guard "We have enemy mobile suits coming toward us."
"Don't worry about them," explained Heero as the sound of marching mobile suit footsteps filled the air.
While the Preventer mobile suit forces where moving into position out at sea both of the Preventer fleets which surrounded Malta where on high alert. The call of general quarters filled the air as the sailors of the nearest task group to Sicily went on high alert.
In the center of the fleet on board the carrier flagship the admiral was giving orders and launching every mobile suit could spare to head toward the Preventer base which was under attack. The reports coming in where a mess and somewhat hard to understand but from what he could gather a massive blow had happened to the ships in port.
"Admiral, the New Orleans is preparing." Stated an aid as the Admiral snapped his head toward him.
"I never gave that order; get me the captain of the New Orleans." ordered the Admiral as the radio operator sent out a message to the massive ship located near the rear of the task group. It was one of only two prototype surface boomer. It was the size of an oil super tanker only instead of oil in its haul only missiles. While the smaller missiles where a deadly weapon the main weapon of the ship where two giant rockets cable of reaching into space in a way the smaller sub launched missiles could not as well as carry some of the new none nuclear warheads which were just entering service.
"Sir, the captain reports they have orders from high command to launch on enemy targets." explained the radio operator
"Get me high command, what would they want with those missiles." Cursed the admiral as he looked out the window at the New Orleans, he could see two giant missiles rise out of the holders on either side of the ship. At the same time he could see the smaller hangers built into the haul open up and thousands of smaller missiles all raised up into firing position.
"Is the captain crazy over there if he fires all those at once the ship will take a lot of damage if not sink out right." Noted an aid as the two of them looked toward the bridge of the ship only to see a group of figures not dressed in Preventer navy whites but instead dressed in black combat uniforms.
"Sir, high command never gave any orders for the New Orleans to fire!" yelled the radio operator at the exacted moment the group of figures on the bridge of the New Orleans all gave them the middle finger, some even using both hands. There was no time to react as the two larger missiles took flight, seconds later the thousands of smaller missiles shot off like angry hornets leaving a broken nest. The short-range missiles flew toward their targets as the Preventer anti-missile defenses opened up but there was just too many of them too close to them. Multiple explosions rocked each ship as the missiles found their target, other missiles found the mobile suits in flight and finally the last of the smaller missiles flew the short distance between the ships and the Sicily. There they would find and destroy any mobile suit dumb enough to be powered up at the moment.
"Well that was nice." Laughed the Phantom Squad member who had spent days onboard the ship having taken the ship when they jumped from orbit. The ship was rocking as it began to sink, the force of launching all those missiles was enough to open breaches in the haul, not that it mattered to them.
"Time to get to zodiac and get to shore." ordered the Phantom commander as the ship took on even more of a list.
"Sir, what about the larger missiles?" asked the newest member of the team "Don't we have to track them?"
"Stay if you want but then you have to swim to shore." Laughed the members as the newest membered checked the missiles one last time before heading toward the waiting zodiac boat.
Back on Sicily watching the battle from the relative safety of a rented penthouse balcony sat Dorothy Catalonia sat with a glass of wine in her hand watching the smoke rise from the burning Preventer fleet. Already smoke could be seen coming from out at sea meaning another blow had happened to the Preventer. They had watched as a wave of missiles came streaking out of the south before hitting the Scorpions, Leos and Areas mobile suits which had finally entered the fight.
"Lady Dorothy we should get in the house." advised Rashid
"There is no reason." Noted Dorothy "Tell me where is Quatre?"
"Last reports were that he and the other Gundam pilots were heading toward their gundams." Reported Rashid
"So Duo's and Wufei's gundams are repaired," noted Mariemaia who was staying with Dorothy while her adopted mother was in meetings. Also out in the balcony was Hilde and Catherine, they had been celebrating Hilde's pregnancy but now something else was on their minds.
"They had to rush but they are ready." Added Hilde as suddenly a suit crashed through the roof of a hanger located near the waterfront. Once the suit was cleared of the roof it spread its white angel like Wings.
"Looks like Heero has finally entered the fight himself instead of just directing it." noted Dorothy
"Look." Said Hilde as she pointed toward a hanger where her husband's freshly repaired gundam moved out followed shortly by Heavy arms and Sandrock. Almost at the same time Tallgeese and Altron came out of their own hanger.
"Heero verses five gundams, even he can't stand against all that." stated Mariemaia
"You may be right but I am not so sure." Rebutted Dorothy
Inside Wing Angel's cockpit, the fact that Heero was going up against five gundams along with any other Preventer mobile suits which launched in time.
"Far runway is currently clear." reported Heero as the shuttle carrying Lacus and the civilians headed out of the hanger. The Phantom squad members where providing covering fire as the shuttle left the hanger.
"We are clear of the hanger." reported Luna as she sat in the cockpit of the shuttle.
"Understood launching feathers." Reported Heero as eight feathers flew out of their holders and formed a diamond shaped pattern around the shuttle, once in place beams of light shot out from each feather making a web around the shuttle. "Shield is up."
Wing Angel landed beside one of the two large runways with a sword in one hand and a buster rifle in the other. Behind him the burning remains of the Preventer fleet filled the blue sky with thick black smoke. Before him the base was also burning and out of that fire appeared five gundams.
"Well you certainly know how to make a mess Heero." Came Duo's voice over the intercom as Heero looked at the five preventer gundams which were forming an arch around him. Zechs in the Tallgeese where in the center directly in front of him with Wufei and Duo forming the outer edges.
"Heero even you must know you can't stand against all of us by yourself." Noted Trowa as the Heavy Arms stood in position with the chest mounted machine guns, shoulder and leg mounted rockets and twin chain guns in each arms stood ready to open up on Heero.
"Heero if you surrender we will let the shuttle go." offered Quatre who had not even pulled the twin swords of Sandrock.
"We can't do that!" snapped Wufei
"We would but Heero has planned this attack so perfectly he has something up to counter us." stated Zechs
"In a way, I have two things actually." Confirmed Heero as alarms filled the air of all five Preventer gundam cockpits.
"Unknown contacts!" yelled Trowa "Coming from orbit."
"Missiles?" offered Duo
"Must be nothing else came come in that fast and at that steep, it has to be missiles of some kind" added Wufei but Quatre knew the truth.
"They are coming aren't they?" asked Quatre
"They are here," confirmed Heero as two sonic booms filled the air as the Strike Freedom and the Infinite Justice slowed down as they flew over the burning remains of the Preventer fleet. The two gundams burst through the smoke before coming in for a landing on either side of Wing Angel.
Quatre just sat in his suit studying the situation. The Strike Freedom raised two beam rifles up aiming it at Wufei, on the other side the infinite Justice was aiming at Trowa with a rifle of his own and a shield held close. They had learned most of abilities of Wing Angel but these two other suits they had next to know knowledge about.
"The Legendary Three." noted Quatre sadly.
Well I hope you liked this chapter and that you all survived Thanksgiving/Black Friday. Now until next time please keep reading. Thanks Wilkins75.