-PLANTs, the Ceres-
"Captain, we have reports that an Orb transport has arrived at the PLANTs and is carrying cargo for us" on of the bridge crew spoke, turning to Richard.
"Have them bring their cargo here. I wasn't informed of any of this" Richard grumbled, getting to his feet.
"Sir, they have requested that yourself, Commander Falcon and Marcel North are to visit the ship itself" the crew member explained, reading a transmission on the screen.
"Marcel? Right, inform them that we're on our way" Richard spoke, leaving the bridge. He gathered the two requested pilots and proceeded to the dock where the Orb transport waited. They proceeded onto the bridge and the captain lead them to a hangar at the closest base.
"We had this transferred to a hangar rather than keeping it on the ship. You were supposed to receive it at the same time as the Paladin but there were a few delays" the transport captain spoke as they approached a mobile suit. It had a frame vaguely similar to the Paladin but slightly bulkier. The head held the 'V' shaped crest that marked it as a Gundam. "This is the HB-738M Rebound Gundam, specially constructed for Marcel North" the captain spoke. Aston turned and saw Marcel's jaw drop and his eyes light up like a little child's in a candy store.
"Come on, go play with it. We all know you want to" Aston said with a laugh. Marcel took off like a bullet, clambering into the suit.
"We have also brought a modified Perfect Strike Gundam for Victoria Mays as well as some equipment to modify the Sword Calamity and Saviour" the transport captain said to Richard and Aston as Marcel closed the cockpit.
As Marcel booted up the suit, a video link with a mechanic on board the Orb transport was activated. The mechanic was an older man with wiry, grey hair and eyes that made him looked like he hadn't slept for several days. "So you're Marcel North?" the man asked in a gravelly voice.
"Um, yes sir" Marcel replied.
"The name's Gerald Harvest, I'm one of Morgenroete's chief engineers and the main developer of your Rebound Gundam" the older man spoke.
"May I ask why it's called the Rebound Gundam?" Marcel asked.
"That is because of the unique system that I developed for that mobile suit to use. It utilises thirty small Neptunis Redirection Mirrors or the Neptunis System which is deployed from the suit's shield. These mirrors are controlled by you and when a beam projectile is fired into one, the attack is absorbed into the mirror and you can fire it out of another" Gerald explained.
"Wow, that sounds… amazing" Marcel said, his eyes wide.
"The system does have its limits though. For one you can't use it on something like a beam sabre or boomerang, they will cut straight through the mirrors. Next, the further the projectile has to travel to its exit mirror, the weaker it becomes. Lastly the pilot has to be extremely focussed at all times to use the Neptunis System effectively" Gerald said, looking at Marcel through his monitor.
"I see" Marcel said as he typed away on the keyboard, bringing up a list of the Gundam's weapons. "Whoa, this thing is armed to the teeth!" Marcel exclaimed. "Two beam rifles, a beam pistol, two beam knives and the CIWS in the head. That's a lot of guns" he said.
"The Rebound can also use three pieces of optional equipment. The first is a linear boost pack which dramatically increases the suit's speed but only boosts it in a straight line. The next two are weapons, a beam shotgun and the Aphrodite Beam Gatling Cannon" Gerald said.
"Um, why is a gun like that called the Aphrodite? That's the Greek goddess of beauty" Marcel pointed out, slightly confused.
"That's because it's just such a beautiful noise when the gun's bullets are tearing through your enemy" Gerald said with a smile.
"I see…" Marcel said as he hit the phase shift switch. The legs, arms and head of the suit turned a deep purple while the knees, torso, wrists and shoulders turned dark red. Like the Paladin, the crest was silver with the centrepiece turning gold. The green eyes lit up and Marcel walked his new Gundam outside. "This thing is way different to the Chaos" he said as the thrusters on the backpack lit up and the Rebound ascended into the air before heading towards the Ceres. When he landed, Garret and Victoria were already waiting in the hanger. Marcel disengaged the phase shift as he disembarked and climbed down to his friends.
"So you got a new one as well huh?" Garret asked, looking at the Rebound.
"Yeah, it's called the Rebound Gundam. Apparently it deploys these mirrors things that I can redirect beams through" Marcel explained.
"Wow, that sounds cooler than Garret's" Victoria said, poking her tongue out at the blonde pilot.
"Oh, we're going out for a while, do you and Hilde wanna come along?" Garret asked, looking at Marcel.
"We have shore leave again?" Marcel asked.
"Yeah, apparently everyone is gearing up for a big operation to wipe out Purity so they want us to relax and make sure we're ready for it" Victoria explained.
"Alright, I'll come along, just let me go get changed and get Hilde" Marcel said as he ran off. He came back a few minutes later with both him and Hilde dressed in casual clothes.
"Let's go then" Garret said, climbing into the driver's seat of one of the Ceres' cars. They parked once they got into town and sat down at a small café overlooking a huge lake.
"So it's all gonna be over soon huh?" Marcel asked, sipping the drink he had ordered.
"I guess so. They say the operation is going to be huge. Apparently Purity has constructed a huge battleship and they have a fleet of like thirty ships, it's expected that the attacking forces are going to suffer pretty heavy casualties" Garret explained.
"Yet they'll say it's a sacrifice for the good of Earth and space so people will see a good reason for it all" Hilde sighed.
"It may be a big risk, but we're soldiers so this is our duty. We took on the role of fighting Purity so it's our duty to go out there for this final assault" Marcel said.
"It's so hard to believe though. If you look around here, you wouldn't think something so ominous is just around the corner" Victoria said with a sigh. The four looked down at the lake, watching children and parents playing in the water.
"That's something I never understood" Garret said. "If Alastair's goal is to wipe out Coordinators, then why didn't he start by attacking the PLANTs? Why stay on Earth for so long?" he asked.
"I often wondered about that very question when I was part of Purity, but I never got an answer" Hilde said in response. "I think Alastair is planning something much bigger than just the eradication of the Coordinators and I think we'll find out soon what it is" she continued.
"Well at the end of the last two wars there were giant cannons so maybe he's got one of them" Marcel said with a little laugh.
"Speak of the devil…" Garret said, looking up at a television inside the café. Alastair was standing on what appeared to be the bridge of a ship with Allen and Xero at his sides.
"I stand here today to address the entirety of humanity. As all of you know, Purity and its ideals have come under constant attack by ZAFT, the Orb Union and the Earth Alliance Federation. As a result of this, many lives have been lost on every side. This was not my initial intent. I had hoped that our ideals would have been accepted and that a full-scale war would not break out like it has. I will be the first to admit that the elimination of Coordinators, the ultimate sin of humanity, was something that was far too large to merely 'accept'. I made an error in judgement from the very beginning, but I shall rectify that. I ask, one final time, that the people of Earth join with me in the final hours of this bloody conflict. Soon it shall all come to an end and after the final flames of battle are extinguished, a new world will be born. I, Alastair Masamune, want only to create a world of peace where the tyrants known as Coordinators cease to exist. Should they win the coming battle however; the world will continuously be sucked into a cycle of war. I urge you, true sons and daughters of humanity, stand with me in the final hours of this horrid war so that the world of peace I envision can become a reality" Alastair spoke, his voice perfectly calm. With that, the broadcast stopped and people were instantly talking about what they had just seen.
"He sounds desperate" Victoria said. "He knows that he's been beaten" she continued.
"There was something in his eyes… he's got a plan. This was just to make everyone think that he's losing it. I have no idea what it is, but he's planning something" Garret explained.
"I don't think we should worry about it now. Let's just spend this time relaxing so that we're ready for whatever is coming" Hilde said. Everyone agreed with her and the four of them headed back to their seats. "Hey, let's go down to the lake, it's been forever since I went swimming" Hilde said, suddenly sounding like an excited little girl.
"That sounds like a good plan. We'll head back to the Ceres to get our swimsuits and then head down there" Garret said. By the time they arrived at the lake it was moving into late afternoon. Aston had joined them once they got back to the Ceres, wanting some relaxation time himself. The five of them got changed and ran for the water. As the afternoon went on, Garret swam up to Victoria and got her to follow him. He led her up onto an outlook that gave them a view of the whole lake.
"Wow, it's beautiful" Victoria said. "I'm so glad my injuries healed so I could spend this time in the water with everyone" she said.
"Yeah, I'm glad you're better now" Garret said with a smile.
"I can see the Commander from here, look. He's there sneaking up on Marcel" Victoria said, pointing down. The two watched as Aston slowly swam up behind Marcel and then jumped out of the water onto the younger pilot's back. Marcel struggled to hold both his own weight and Aston's and eventually fell with a crash under the water while Hilde merely watched and laughed.
"Wow, Aston acts as young as us sometimes" Garret said.
"Well he's not that much older" Victoria commented.
"True. Hey Victoria, I want to ask you something" Garret said, his tone turning serious. Victoria turned to look at him as he stared out over the water.
"The final battle against Purity is going to be extremely dangerous. There's a good chance we'll get hurt or injured. If we come back, it has to be both of us together" he said. "So I want some incentive to make sure that we both come back for sure" he began. He reached into his pocket and took out a small black box. He opened it up to reveal a beautiful silver ring with a ruby in the centre. "Victoria Mays, will you marry me?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes.
"G…Garret! Wow… this is so sudden" she said, staring at the ring. "Of course" she said with a smile. Garret slipped the ring onto her finger and the two shared a long embrace. "You better make sure you come back now" she whispered to him.
"I swear that I will" Garret replied. The two of them returned to the car and sat in it with Garret in the driver's seat and Victoria in the back. The others returned shortly after and the car began heading back towards the Ceres. Hilde reached down for her bag on the floor of the car and glanced at Victoria's hand, seeing the ring.
"Victoria!" she suddenly squealed, throwing her arms around the brunette girl and almost smacking Marcel in the head with her hands.
"Hilde, what the heck, you almost hit me!" the boy said loudly. Hilde quickly grabbed Victoria's hand and held it up, showing him the ring. A huge grin spread across Marcel's face and Victoria turned bright red. "Garret you stud!" Marcel said, jabbing his fist into the blonde pilot's shoulder.
"Trying to drive here" Garret said, ignoring the hit. Aston watched Hilde and Marcel fussing over Victoria in the backseat. He smiled and gave the brunette girl a nod who smiled back at him.
"Congratulations Garret" he said, smiling at his comrade.
"Thanks Aston" Garret responded.
"I guess that means I have to come back from this mission now" Aston sighed with a smile on his face.
"Why's that? You're not the one getting married" Garret said, smiling.
"I'm aware of that. But imagine how boring your wedding would be without someone as amazingly awesome as me there" Aston declared. "Also I take your little 'why's that' as an offence" he added.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't even think to invite you" Garret said with a huge grin on his face.
"You're demoted" Aston muttered. The car arrived back on the Ceres and the news of Garret and Victoria spread like a wildfire. Mostly thanks to Hilde. That night the crew of the ship held a party for the two of them. Garret snuck away from the overly excited crowd and retreated into the hallway somewhere close to midnight. He was soon joined by Aston.
"You definitely know how to take everyone's mind of the battle don't you" the crimson haired man said.
"Yeah I guess so. It's odd seeing this ship so lively from something other than a Purity attack" he said jokingly. "Once this is all over it'll be nice to have a reason to just settle down and get away from all this fighting" he said.
"Very true. You just make sure you come back" Aston said, placing a hand on Garret's shoulder. The younger pilot nodded and the two continued an idle conversation until everyone finally went to bed. Garret sat on his bed with Victoria who was examining her ring.
"When did you even have to time to get this?" Victoria asked, resting her head on her new fiancé's shoulder.
"When you were in the hospital in Orb" Garret replied.
"Oh, so you've had it for a while. You were just to chicken to ask weren't you?" she asked with a laugh, poking Garret in the side.
"Yeah, something like that" he smiled. "Come on, let's get some sleep" Garret said and the two climbed into bed. They fell asleep quickly and drifted away into their dreams.