Celestial Being Chronicles - Chapter 92
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Gundam series, nor any of the various series which are used or referenced in my fic, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else, also, don't read this if you are not of legal age to read such material. The story contains possibly disturbing content and should not be read by close-minded people (i.e., people who are easily offended.) Everything in the story is fictional. I am also not responsible for any actions taken by people who read this story and society's problems. I do, however, own my original character; Hope Yamato.
A vast portion of the Earth had been devestated by Third Impact. Despite the fact that Third Impact had begun in only a single timeline, once it had been initiated, its effects were quick to spread. Japan itself, along with everything within a 100 mile radius of the country was completely uninhabitable.
"Why would anyone want to cause something like Third Impact?" Kira Yamato asked himself as he stood in one of the Excalibur's many crew lounges, looking out the window at the devastated planet below.
Meanwhile, the restored warship Katsuragi was speeding through space. The purple-rimmed vessel was rapidly heading towards the Earth, from where it had been restored on the Moon.
"Two dozen Earth Alliance Pangea-class super carriers now in range, it appears as though they are being escorted by three dozen ships of various classes." Lexi suddenly announced on the bridge. "Heat signatures suggest they're all getting ready to launch mobile suits."
The Alliance Pangea-class super carriers were roughly the same size and shape as ZAFT's own class of super carrier; the Gondwana-class. Although the Alliance claimed that the Pangea-class was a completely original design, it was in reality nothing more than a reverse-engineered Gondwana-class.
In the Katsuragi's captain's chair, Misato glanced over at Asuka. "Weapon and mobile suit status?"
"Tristans charged, Isolde loaded, Tannhäuser charge at 68 percent." The red-haired woman answered. "And all of our mobile suits are ready for launch."
Misato fixed her sight on the ship in the lead. "Then let's draw some blood. Tristans, Isolde, target the Pangeas and fire!"
With a great rumble through its decks, the Katsuragi let loose a blistering volley of firepower. The shells lanced forward and smashed through the first Pangea's prow, knocking it backward as though it had been struck by a fist. As the first carrier listed to one side before exploding from within, the Tristans opened up next on the two carriers on the first's flanks, ripping through both with a blaze of fire.
"Oh, kickass!" Luna cried, pumping her fist in the air. "That's never worked before!"
"Arthur, maintain course." Misato ordered. "Parsifal launchers, stand by; we'll let them come to us."
In the cockpit of the Twilight Gundam, staring out the Katsuragi's open portside catapult, Lunamaria Hawke swallowed the knot of fear in her throat. She was surrounded by allies, her friends and family onboard the Katsuragi, but even so, they were staring a massive Earth Alliance fleet in the face. The enemy's mobile suits were already launching from the carriers and the escort ships were closing in.
Lexi's face appeared on the Twilight's auxiliary screen, and she flashed a cocky grin. "Twilight, you're all clear. Kick some ass out there, Luna."
Luna smiled back and took the Twilight's controls. "Lunamaria Hawke, Twilight Gundam, launching!"
The catapult fired, the engines roared, and the crimson-colored Twilight Gundam roared into the void.
Pressure suddenly sliced across Rau Le Creuset's consciousness like a knife, and he lit up with an eager grin as he whirled the Legend Gundam around. Mere Strike Daggers, Windams, CGUEs, GuAIZs, GOUFs and ZAKUs piloted by regular pilots were an adequate appetizer, but what approached now was the main course. It appeared to be the original ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam. Little did Rau know, however, that the machine charging towards him was actually the Eclipse Gundam, with the holoshroud projecting the Destiny's form over its armor.
"Downgrading to the Destiny, are you?" He cackled, and turned to bring his rifle to bear. The Destiny darted around his blasts with characteristic nimbleness and returned his fire, and Rau eagerly stashed his rifle in favor of a beam javelin. Sword fighting was far more fun anyway.
The Eclipse jerked up as Rau tore apart its beam rifle, and retaliated with a saber strike against the Legend's beam shield. "So, I've finally found you." Shinn snarled. "I've finally got you cornered!"
Rau simply chuckled and surged forward, throwing the Eclipse back. The blue mobile suit lashed out with its right leg, kicking the Legend across the face; before Shinn could make good of the opening, Rau stabbed the javelin forward and deflected his killing saber stroke.
"The Alliance will be destroyed, even if you aren't." Shinn shot back. "And even if you survive, you will be hunted by God himself!"
Rau grinned as the Legend launched its DRAGOON units. "I've heard that before." Shinn growled in fury and stormed forward, his wings of light flaring into existence.
"You people don't understand what you've done!" The pilot of an IWSP Windam cried, as the Alliance machine streaked towards the Twilight Gundam, beam rifle blazing. "You're messing up the entire world! So I'll kill you!"
"Try it!" Luna shot back, knocking the Windam back as it charged for a swordfight. The IWSP Windam rose up behind her and she turned to face it.
Instead, her instinct rippled up through her and she went the Twilight diving to the side, just as a pulsing wave of red energy blew off the Windam's Striker pack and right arm. The smoking, ruined machine went plummeting through the blackness.
Luna darted aside again to dodge another blast, this one clearly aimed at her, and cringed at the hulking form of a Zamzazah mobile armor speeding in from the blackness.
The Zamzazah's eyes flashed and it turned its guns towards the Twilight, forcing Luna back on the defensive.
"Julian, what the hell?!" The pilot of another Windam, this one bearing an Aile Striker, yelled. "Check your fucking fire! You took down Merau!"
Heedless, the Zamzazah barreled forward, beam cannons blazing. Luna scowled at it as she dodged its blasts.
"I guess I'll have to take care of you, too!"
Shinn yawned as the Eclipse effortlessly dodged the ceaseless hail of shimmering beam blasts spewing forth from the Legend's DRAGOON units. "Come on." The raven-haired man taunted. "You've got to do better than this if you want to take us down."
"Shut up!" Rau roared, even as he continued to swarm his DRAGOONs around the Eclipse. The masked man thought that he might be able to hit the blue mobile suit if he moved his remote weapons closer and boxed it in. But it was not to be, as the Eclipse unexpectedly reached out, grabbing two of the swarming DRAGOON units out of the blackness and smashing them together.
"These things will make a perfect snack for our newest mobile suit." Shinn smirked as he threw the two disabled weapons towards the Katsuragi.
In the cockpit of the modified Evangelion Unit 01, staring out the Minerva's open starboardside catapult, Shinji Ikari, watched as a pair of severely damaged DRAGOON units tumbled towards him through the void. "Shinji Ikari, Evangelion Unit 01, launching!"
The catapult fired, the engines rumbled, and the purple beast known as Evangelion Unit 01 sped onto the battlefield. As it did, Shinji contacted the resident soul within his Evangelion Unit, the soul of his own mother, the soul of Yui Ikari.
'Mother.' Shinji mentally spoke, even as the blood red form of Evangelion Unit 02, now nestled within the menacing confines of a METEOR unit, pulled alongside him.
'Let's kick some ass, Shinji!' The voice of Yui Ikari resounded within her son's mind, causing a confident smirk to cross his lips. 'Oh, food!' Yui's voice gleefully added as Evangelion Unit 01 snatched the pair of DRAGOON units out of the blackness and eagerly devoured the weapons. A few seconds later, Evangelion Unit 01's shoulder pylons unexpectedly shot off with a burst of exhaust, the knee guards following suit an instant later. Once they were clear of the Evangelion Unit, both of the shoulder pylons split into three seperate pieces, the pieces of the two shoulder pylons now vaugely resembeling the DRAGOON units utilized by the Legend Gundam.
As the purple Evangelion Unit launched its newly acquired remote weapons, the attacking Earth Alliance ships slipped away, the fleet staying just outside the sensor range of the Katsuragi and its mobile suits.
"Where the hell did that enemy fleet go?!" Shinji yelled, as Evangelion Unit 01 twisted around enemy fire and pounded off a salvo of beam blasts from its recently acquired DRAGOON units. The blasts pounded against the shields of a Windam squad up ahead, but a Doppelhorn Windam among their ranks lunged up over the smoke and answered with a blast of its own to throw the purple beast back. "Dammit! This thing's too slow in space!"
One of the Windams lanced up from below, beam saber held high, and claimed Evangelion Unit 01's right arm at the elbow. Shinji jetted backwards and let loose a cloud of missiles in the Windam's face to blow it apart, only for another Windam to streak down from above and slice off his left leg at the knee with its saber.
"Shinji! Three o'clock!" Asuka's voice screamed. Shinji shot his eyes to the right, just as another Windam opened fire and blew off what was left of the his right arm.
"Goddammit!" Two more Windams appeared, rifles leveled off, and the three Windams took aim. "I don't think so!"
The Windams opened fire, and Shinji smashed his hand down on one of the switches. With a burst of steam, Evangelion Unit 01's armor broke off in a cloud around the unit itself, and Shinji jammed back the controls just as the searing energy beams sliced through the armor pieces and blew them apart.
With a scream, Shinji charged out of the smoke and drove his progressive sword into the leading Windam's cockpit. The remaining two darted to the sides and one of them hurled an anti-armor penetrator down towards him. Shinji's eyes went wide and he pulled back on both control sticks hard, the penetrator jammed itself into Evangelion Unit 01's left shoulder and detonated, blowing off the arm, and the world went dark for Shinji Ikari.
At the same time, a single Murasame launched from the Katsuragi. The Murasame was pure white in color and displayed a large, red cross on each wing, with another large, red cross on its shield; clearly identifying it a medical unit.
A blood red energy beam suddenly coursed through the battlefield and blew one of the Windams apart, followed by the darting gunbarrels of a Proto Chaos to pick off the other, and Asuka's crimson Evangelion Unit 02 floated over to the now mutilated form of Evangelion Unit 01. "Shinji, damn you, if you die in there I'll kick your ass!" The blood red Evangelion Unit turned its eyes towards another Windam team on the approach, and it reared back and kicked the purple beast in the other direction. "Lexi! Get Shinji back to the Katsuragi!"
"Right!" Lexi answered, as the white Murasame dropped in to catch the damaged Evangelion Unit, before then taking off towards the winged warship.
"Don't let your anger cloud your judgment, Asuka." Lunamaria warned from within the Twilight Gundam. "These men are well-trained."
Asuka snarled in fury as she watched the enemies open fire. "These fuckers don't know what they're dealing with!"
With an ear-splitting shriek, the Eclipse Gundam plunged its anti-ship sword through one of the Windams and let it explode in a fiery flash. Three more lined up for a beam rifle barrage, with a Buster Dagger between them; Shinn darted up above, blinding them all with a flurry of afterimages, and before either could react he stormed into the center of their formation and slashed the right-hand Windam in half. The Buster Dagger jetted backward and pounded the Destiny with a point-blank blast to throw the Gundam back; the Windams followed it up with a barrage of beam rifle blasts that sliced through the afterimages.
Shinn glanced over his shoulder. "Luna, now!"
A tower of fire rose up from behind one of the destroyed Earth Alliance warships and a hail of missiles came streaking down out of the black sky, blowing one of the Windams apart. The Buster Dagger jerked to the side, switched its rifle, and fired the high energy cannon into the wreckage, but too late, as the Destiny rushed in to chop it in half. Luna's Twilight Gundam roared out of hiding and pounded the shields of both Windams with beam blasts, just in time for another shot to come streaking out of nowhere and slam through the right-hand Windam's cockpit. And as that one exploded, Shinn shot down upon the last Windam and ripped it in half with his sword.
Nearly thirty miles away, the sleek form of the Earth Alliance Soveregin-class warship Charlemagne, along with the other 49 ships which had launched the unprovoked attack on the Celestial Being warship Katsuragi, silently floated in the inky void as the crews waited for the end of the battle, and the destruction of the purple-rimmed Minerva-class warship.
Ivan Danilov studied the scene before him. Flashes of light flickered up from somewhere in the distance, poking out of the blackness, but if the tactical map was any indication, the battle was going well for the attack forces. Perhaps the Charlemagne's presence would not be needed.
"Heat sources, captain!" The sensor officer suddenly cried, and a moment later the Charlemagne rattled as missiles came streaking out of the blackness. Danilov looked up in disbelief.
"CIWS, respond! Jason, find the sources, now! Ronald, weapons on standby!"
Immediately, the bridge rattled as missiles and beams slammed into the Charlemagne's hull, and a moment later, space in front of the bridge flickered and three N Dagger Ns materialized and rocketed away to safety.
"N Daggers?!" Jason exclaimed as the trio of machines appeared on the sensor screen. "How the hell did Celestial Being get those?!"
Danilov's eyes searched the space before his ship, and they went wide in disbelief as he caught sight of no less than ten warships fading into existence. "Ronald, target those warships! It's an enemy combat fleet! Open fire!"
The Charlemagne quaked as its Gottfried cannons opened fire, but the blasts dissipated a moment later and for the first time, Danilov noticed a strange greenish tint to the area surrounding the fleet. He felt his heart stop.
"Our blasts were stopped cold, sir." Ronald answered from the weapons console. "Enemy warships seem to have released anti-beam depth charges."
"The Valiants, then! Target the enemy fleet!" Vera shouted.
"Impossible, the control circuits have been disabled!"
"Then send out our mobile suits!" Danilov ordered.
"The catapults aren't responding, sir!" Sheila exclaimed from the mobile suit deck console. "We'll have to open the doors manually, and by then the enemy fleet will be long gone!"
"Then, Connie." Danilov went on with a growl. "Get us a line to Admiral Mathis. Tell him that a Celestial Being Fleet is coming up on his position from the rear."
"Sir, the communication channels aren't responding!" Connie protested. "We're being jammed!"
"Jammed?!" Danilov sputtered.
"Searching for the source of the interference now!"
Danilov stared ahead in disbelief, and the pieces came together in his mind. They had used those N Daggers to get close enough to launch a devastating surprise attack to disable his weapons and stymie his mobile suits, then covered their own escape with anti-beam depth charges, while jamming his communications somehow. That was the Celestial Being Fleet; that was their professionalism and skill, disabling his mighty, unsuspecting battleship while they slipped into the fray, from behind the position of the attack force.
Danilov looked back towards the Celestial Being Fleet, as they sped towards their comrades.