"Commander Falcon sent me to assist on the bridge sir" Garret explained and Richard nodded in response.
"Marcel North, ZAKU Warrior, bring it on!" Garret heard the pilot's voice call from Victoria's station. His eyes lingered on the small, brunette girl for a moment. Like Marcel and Lucian, Victoria was a friend of his from his academy days. Victoria was short, a little taller than Marcel however and had short, brown hair. Her sapphire blue eyes were almost motherly and she was always kind to the three pilots, knowing how much strain the fighting put them under.
"Ready the 66 millimetres, target the two hundred and fifty metre to the starboard side!" the captain ordered. He waited for a few seconds as the ship rotated slightly. "Fire!" he roared and the beam cannons launched their attacks. However a mobile suit flew in front of the beams before they connected with the ship and deflected them. "What the hell was that?!" Richard demanded.
"GAT-X252 Forbidden sir! It's using its energy deflection armour to protect the enemy ships sir!" a man sitting next to Victoria called in reply.
"Shit! We can't get to the ships with that thing there…" the captain groaned.
"I'll take care of it Richard" Aston's voice spoke through the bridge as his face appeared on the main screen. "Just keep suppression fire on anything that gets near the Bayonet and wait until I take down the Forbidden" he spoke. Richard nodded and the picture on the screen vanished. Garret looked all around the bridge as the captain continuously called out his orders and the crew followed them.
"Marcel's ZAKU has engaged the Duel sir!" Victoria informed the captain. Both Richard and Garret looked up onto the screen and saw the green ZAKU Warrior engaged with the blue and white Gundam.
"I'll take you down!" Marcel roared, taking his tomahawk from his shield. He swung it forward, smashing it against the Duel's beam sabre. Sparks crackled from the two blades until the two mobile suits moved away from each other.
"You Coordinators are a blight on all of humanity, in the name of Lord Alastair, I'll kill every last one of you!" a male voice called into Marcel's cockpit.
"Alastair, who's that?" Marcel wondered quietly to himself. The two clashed their blades together once more and this time Marcel pushed forward, driving the Gundam's own beam sabre towards its cockpit. The Duel drove its knee up and sent the ZAKU tumbling through space.
"Marcel! Are you alright, do you need a hand?" Aston called to his comrade.
"I'm fine sir! You focus on getting the Forbidden!" Marcel replied. "If Garret can do this in a GINN, I can beat this bastard in a ZAKU!" Marcel roared. He boosted forward and slammed his shoulder into the Duel, driving the suit into an asteroid. Marcel sheathed his tomahawk and then pinned the Gundam to the rock by the arms with his ZAKU. He opened his cockpit and floated over to that of the Duel, using the emergency release switch. The pilot looked up in his grey pilot suit, a startled look on his face. "I'm taking this!" Marcel declared, tearing the pilot from the seat and flinging him out into space.
"You bastard!" the Purity pilot called, heading for his suit again. Marcel quickly pulled the pistol from his belt and unleashed three rounds into the man. He then closed the Duel's cockpit and reboarded his ZAKU.
"What the hell is that kid doing?" Captain Phillips asked, watching the event on the Bayonet's screens.
"He's bringing the Duel this way Captain; I think he's going to put it in the hangar!" Victoria said startled in reply. Garret watched and then grinned as he saw what Marcel was doing and remembered his words.
"Captain Phillips!" Marcel said to the ship through his comm. link.
"Marcel, the hell are you doing?!" Richard demanded in reply.
"I'm dropping this machine off for Garret to use sir! We need the help out here!" Marcel replied as he neared the ship. Richard's eyes widened and then he looked over to Garret.
"Permission to go sir?" the pilot asked; a serious look in his eyes.
"Granted" Captain Phillips replied and the pilot headed to the elevator and made his way to the ship's hangar. He watched as the ZAKU landed on the Bayonet, the Duel in tow. He released the Gundam and then stepped onto the catapult.
"Garret! Be careful in that thing, it is an enemy machine after all!" Mr. Farris instructed as the pilot climbed into the cockpit.
"Yeah. I know" he said, closing the cockpit hatch. He secured himself in the seat and booted up the systems. "Trans-Phase Armour? I thought the five from Heliopolis used Phase Shift Armour; the Earth Forces' second line of GAT series used the Trans-Phase. These have been upgraded" Garret said with a grin. "Ok, so this thing is missing one of its beam sabres but it still has the other and its rifle. The shield is still here too, I think I can do this" he said, his eyes scanning the screens. The Duel was placed on the catapult and Garret did a final check of the systems.
"Can you fly it?" Richard's voice asked him.
"I should be able to sir. It doesn't seem too complicated" Garret replied.
"Garret, you can launch anytime… be careful" Victoria spoke to him, whispering the last two words.
"I will. This is Garret Kross, Duel Gundam, soar!" the pilot called and the mobile suit shot out into space. He found Marcel waiting for him in the ZAKU and he slowed to meet his comrade.
"Told you I'd get you out here huh?" Marcel asked, smiling.
"I wasn't expecting this. I mean hell; you stole me a freaking Gundam!" Garret exclaimed in reply. "This isn't the time though, let's kick ass!" Garret called, taking off with his beam rifle and shield ready. "Commander! I'm transmitting you the IFF of this mobile suit, don't shoot me down!" Garret informed the GOUF pilot.
"Roger that Garret. Be careful, you've never piloted something like that before" Aston replied as he sliced through a Strike Dagger with his sword. "Marcel and Garret, I want both of you to focus on taking down the Buster and Aegis, allied forces have already taken out the Blitz. Engage them on their own, you don't stand a chance against both together!" the commander ordered.
The Duel and ZAKU flew off towards the grey and blue Archangel-class ship where the two Gundams were positioned. "They're both defending that ship, how do we separate them?" Marcel asked as the two stopped behind an asteroid for a moment.
"I have a plan, get to these coordinates and wait for me" Garret instructed, transmitting a location to the ZAKU. Marcel acknowledged the orders and flew off. "The last communications say that the pilot of that Buster is named Allen, that'll do me" Garret said, skimming the communications log. The green and red machines turned as the saw the Duel flying towards them.
"Harrison! What the hell are you doing here?! I thought you were ordered to take out that new Nazca that showed up!" a brusque, male voice called over the suit's comm. link.
"There's a larger enemy force hiding in some ship debris not too far from it, Allen I need a hand!" Garret replied. He hoped that the other pilot didn't notice the different voice.
"Argh! These guys are pissing me off!" the voice yelled back. Garret figured that must have been Allen. "Hilde, guard the Cherubim!" Allen instructed someone. Garret noted it was probably the pilot of the Aegis.
"Yeah, whatever" a cold, female voice replied. The Buster quickly headed over to Garret and the two flew away with the Duel leading.
"Has anything gotten through to the Cherubim?" Garret asked, trying to act like an ally to the Buster pilot.
"Not a thing, Hilde and I have shot every one of those Coordinator insects down" Allen stated triumphantly. Garret's fist clenched as he resisted the urge to turn and shoot the Buster where it was. He knew however that he couldn't afford to take risks; he had to reach Marcel first.
"Oi! There's a ZAKU there, let's kill it!" Allen grinned, combining his two guns to form a shotgun like weapon. Garret quickly realised the suit was Marcel; he hadn't reached the rendezvous point yet.
"Shit" Garret murmured and he raised his beam rifle. "Marcel!" Garret yelled and the ZAKU spun around and saw the Buster coming. Garret fired a shot that grazed the hip of the other Gundam which turned around instantly.
"What the hell Harrison?!" Allen roared, opening a video link with the Duel. "Z… ZAFT?!" he stuttered, a surprised look on his face. "Hell. An ambush…" he sighed.
The Duel put away its rifle and quickly pulled out its beam sabre. Garret roared as he boosted forward, his shield out in front of him with his sabre pulled back, ready for a thrust attack. The Buster raised its shotgun and went to fire a shot when the ZAKU fired on it. Allen quickly separated his gun and aimed one at each of the two suits approaching him. Garret deflected the shot fired at him with his shield and Marcel dodged the one aimed at him. The Buster ascended quickly as the Duel reached it. Garret rammed his sabre through the leg of the Gundam and then retreated backwards. The leg exploded and Allen looked in horror as the ZAKU neared him with its tomahawk, there was nothing he could do.
"Allen!" a female voice yelled and a large red and white energy beam shot in front of the ZAKU, causing it to stop. The Aegis rammed the green mass-produced suit in its mobile armour form, sending Marcel tumbling through space.
"Damn, it's the Aegis!" Marcel groaned, stabilising his suit. The red mobile suit did a U-turn behind the ZAKU and came around for a second strike. Garret sheathed his sabre and pulled out his rifle and aimed it at the Aegis. He pulled the trigger and the shot struck one of its claws, destroying it and throwing the machine off course. The Aegis transformed into its mobile suit form and pulled out its beam rifle. Marcel flew over to Garret and the two readied themselves as the two Gundams moved to join each other.
"I'll kill you for stealing that suit and killing Harrison!" Allen yelled, obviously aimed at Garret. He joined his weapons together to form his shotgun, aiming at the Duel. He went to fire at the blue and white suit when a series of multi-coloured lights exploded near the grey and blue Archangel-class ship. "Dammit... time to get out of here..." Allen groaned, putting his weapons away. The Aegis put its rifle away and the two Gundams turned and headed for their ship.
"Not a chance!" Marcel called, raising his arm to throw his tomahawk but Garret grabbed the arm.
"They're retreating Marcel, leave it" Garret said quietly. Marcel groaned and then lowered his arm. The two saw flares come from their own ship and began returning to it. The ZAKU landed in the hangar first, being secured in its usual space. When Garret landed, he noticed that the GOUF was already on-board, missing and arm, leg and its head. The red-clad pilot emerged from his suit and saw the commander being escorted out of the hangar by two doctors. Garret removed his helmet and floated over to Marcel. "What happened to the Commander?" he asked the brown haired boy.
"I heard Mr. Farris say that he took a few hits from the Forbidden... I hope he's alright" Marcel replied sadly. The two changed back into their uniforms and then proceeded to the bridge of the Bayonet.
"Kross, North, nice flying out there" Captain Phillips said as they arrived. The two pilots saluted him and then stood at ease.
"Thank you sir. Do you know if the Commander is alright?" Garret asked; a concerned look on his face.
"He took some bad hits in the battle, turns out that he was fatigued also. He's had a cut on his head tended to, prescribed some sleeping pills and he has to stay in his quarters for a day or two so he'll be out of action for now" Richard explained. He could see the worry on the faces of the two pilots and smiled. "He'll be fine boys, it'll take more than this to keep Aston down" the captain reassured them. "Are you two doing ok? Both of you have been pushing yourselves pretty hard lately" he asked.
"I'm fine sir" Garret spoke and Marcel mimicked the reply.
"Victoria, go to the cafeteria with them. You've been working hard lately too" Captain Phillips instructed the CIC crew member. The brunette girl got to her feet and moved to join her friends, her green jacket trailing slightly behind her. "Garret, Marcel, be sure to get some rest. Leave your machines to the mechanics and let your hair down a bit" the captain spoke. The three soldiers saluted their superior and headed for the cafeteria.
"Garret, you were amazing out there. I can't believe how well you piloted that Duel" Victoria commented, a smile on her face.
"Yeah, even I was surprised how well he did in an unknown suit" Marcel commented.
"The controls and OS are pretty simple; it's clearly been modified for use by Naturals. Anyone could fly it" Garret explained as they entered the cafeteria.
"Even me?" Victoria asked.
"Probably, if a Natural can do it you should have no problem" Garret replied. The three sat down with trays of food and began eating.
"If that Duel has a Natural piloting OS, doesn't that mean its overall capabilities would probably be decreased?" Marcel asked Garret, twirling his fork around in his fingers.
"Most likely, I'm going to see if I can rewrite it later and try to improve it. I even noticed when I was piloting it just before, I couldn't seem to push it as hard as my GINN" Garret explained.
"Didn't the Captain say to leave your suits alone for now?" Victoria asked the two boys. They both looked at her and sighed. On the ship, there wasn't really much for a pilot to do except work on their mobile suits, making sure they were working fine and prepping them for the next battles. "Let's all just chill out, we haven't spent time together really since we left the PLANTs" she pointed out.
"Alright, we'll leave the suits alone for now. Right Garret?" Marcel asked, looking to his friend.
"Right" Garret replied and the three rose to their feet and went to leave the cafeteria.
If people wouldn't mind, could you please leave me some reviews just letting me know what you think of the fic so far? I just want to see if people are actually enjoying it and what they are enjoying before I put up much more.
Thanks,
Chrome