Update: Tweaked/rewritten August 2020
The Protégé
"I'm so glad that you could make it, sir. I must admit that I was getting a little anxious when no one from higher up was coming to observe our progress." Vindur motioned the commander to sit down on the chair provided. The captain was nervous, to say the least. No matter how much he had envisioned how this day would turn and went through every little detail, he still felt that the plan wasn't perfect. He had received a letter the previous week informing him that a commanding officer would be stopping in and since then he upped the training schedules for the recruits. He didn't want them looking as if they weren't well-trained since that would have put his own failures on display.
Even though the man that the military sent was a rookie commander, Vindur still found himself a bit afraid. This officer sitting in front of him now and looking through some profiles was said to be one of the protégé commanders that ZAFT was pushing through the ranks these days. Because of his previous heroics in battles, he had been awarded the Order of the Nebula and now put in charge of one of ZAFT's new space battleships the Vesalius. Even though that honor was only given out to superb soldiers, Vindur found it hard to be impressed—call it jealousy—when he read about all of this in the report he had received that morning; however, he was too afraid to pull anything as risky as outright showing his disapproval. Vindur himself had been a ship captain prior to the facility and he hoped that his efforts in his current position would boost him up in rank. He knew that this man's report would either allow him to become terribly powerful, or insanely powerless.
Perhaps his nerves were justified.
"We have some refreshments. Would you like anything, sir?"
The commander shook his head, saying a simple but soft "no" before looking back at the folders in his hand. He put one aside, scratching his check just below a white mask that expanded snuggly from ear to ear across his eyes. A strand of his shoulder-length blonde hair fell momentarily across the covering, but the commander paid it no heed. "These are your top trainees?" he asked, regarding Vindur with a suspicious glance, or so his tone implied. With the eye holes clouded over, it was hard for the captain to know his emotions for sure.
Vindur took a moment to verify which recruits he was referring to and nodded. "Yes, they are my finest. We have been recording their progress since we began and that was a little over a year ago. I must admit that they are quite impressive."
The man nodded and went back to the portfolios, shifting his right leg over his left and leaning back in the chair. He was so at ease it was making Vindur even more nervous. "And this one, Lunar Eclipse, is the leading recruit?"
"In overall results, yes, but she doesn't have top marks across the board." The captain wrung his hands together as he stood before the commander, feeling too restless to sit down. He looked over at the glass of water on his desk and took a small drink as his guest continued.
"It says here that he is actually a she. I remember the council asking specifically for an all-male program."
"No, your memory is correct, sir. There were some… unfortunate events that forced us to pick the girl, but as you can see it's turned into quite a benefit actually. After some initial bumps, she's turned into a very reliable soldier."
"I can't argue with you there. Her records are impressive, but papers don't show everything. Is there any way that I can see her in action as well as the other recruits, Captain?"
"Of course, Commander. They should be in mobile suit training as we speak. There is an observation room that overlooks the hangar, so we check on their progress from there. That is the safest place."
He nodded. "Lead the way."
Vindur walked over to open the door, holding it for the commander and then walking through himself. The facility had become more compact over the past year or so as the courses became more focused and the recruit numbers began dwindling. It wasn't a long trek to the hangar and, as planned, the captain chose the route that took them past the other classes currently in session. The recognizable sounds from sparring and hand-to-hand combat filtered through the various rooms along the hall, egging a smile to grace the captain's lips. He led them further to the end of the hall and motioned upward through the open door, indicating they were to climb the stairs. Once they reached the top, Vindur punched in a series of numbers on the door and ushered the commander inside.
The room, was both an observation room and a command center, housing an array of computers, levers, and buttons alike. Eight men were seated in front of four different computer consoles and other machines that helped control the training that was in process down in the large hangar below. So busy concentrating on their work, none of them saluted their superiors as they walked in. The three other soldiers that were roaming around and keeping an eye on the eight did notice their entry and offered a small salute before going back to their duties.
Vindur and the commander walked further into the room and stopped at a large window overlooking the hangar. Down below, a total of four GINNs were fighting amongst themselves using only MA-M3 heavy blades.
"These computers monitor each and every mobile suit as well as the pilot inside. We require the recruits to wear certain mechanisms while they train in order to record the data and note improvements. They watch the pilot's heart rate, sweat levels, reaction time, and endurance."
"And you use real suits not simulators?"
Vindur nodded. "Yes. If anything happens to the suits, the recruits are expected to repair the damage with the machines and spare parts we have on hand. We find that this type of training has been more beneficial than using a simulator and it's often easier for a recruit to jump from one type of machine to another."
"Impressive, Captain. And who may I ask is training now?"
"Roan?" Vindur called, causing one of the three roaming soldiers to look his way. The man's golden eyes sparkled for a second before he saluted and looked down at the clipboard in his hand.
"Revelation, Specter, Despair, and Chronos are down there now, sir."
"And who's fairing the best?" the captain asked.
"Well, usually our third-ranked Despair excels in MS training, but lately he's been a little off. Chronos has actually scored the most hits this bout while retaining the least amount of damage."
"Hm, Despair. I do remember that name," the commander muttered softly to Vindur, probably thinking back on the profiles he had rifled through earlier.
"Sometimes the recruits just have bad days, if that's what you'd want to call it," Vindur countered quickly, noting the suspicion in the commander's voice.
"In this business, Captain, there is no such thing as `bad days.'"
"Of course, sir. I only meant—"
"No need to correct yourself—Roan, is it? When does the next batch of recruits come in?"
Roan flushed at first, but looked down at the clipboard to hide his embarrassment. He rifled briefly through the papers. "This session should be over with soon, sir, and a fresh group should be suited up in a half hour."
"Will either Lunar Eclipse or Avalanche be in the next batch?"
"Avalanche will be in next," Roan confirmed, "but I'm afraid Lunar Eclipse is doing an interrogation right now, so she won't be in until much later if at all. Depends on how things go."
"Ah, I see." The commander stood silent for a moment, his attention on the sparring GINNs through the window. Vindur wished he could know what he was thinking, but there was just no way he could read him.
And that was frustrating.
"How often are these interrogations performed?" the commander asked at length.
"We rotate through the recruits and assign them as many as we can, but sometimes there aren't enough prisoners to get through many," Vindur replied.
"So, you're implying about two or three interrogations a week?"
"If that, sir. There are times that the same prisoner is seen by more than one recruit, but usually the one who starts the questioning is required to finish it."
"However, you are able to get in an adequate amount of executions, correct?"
It was such a blunt question that even Vindur paused. Full disclosure about the program was only accessible by a select few and if this young commander was asking such specific questions, he was privy to the information. That proved he was well-trusted by some very important people, to say the least. The thought didn't rest too well and Vindur had to bring his hand up to his mouth and mask his scowl, attempting to disguise the motion as a thoughtful gesture. His fingers slid over his upper lip and down onto his chin. "Yes sir. I know just as well as you that we cannot allow them to get soft. If we see signs that they are starting to take their restlessness out on each other, we split up the recruits into two teams and put them through real-life battle situations. Occasionally we lose one, but that is rare, sir."
"Good, I don't want to lose anymore than we already have. I believe we're down to only seventeen now? That's nearly half, Captain."
"Yes, I know, sir, but some losses were unavoidable."
"Of course," the commander said and paused, turning away to look back at the hangar. "By the way, Captain," he said after a moment. "I trust that your security is top notch?"
"Sir?"
"You do realize what you're breeding here right? These are expert soldiers and I assume that you've trained them to get out of every situation as well as infiltrate any facility. Keeping that in mind, I'd advise you to take every precaution and make sure that nothing will happen."
"Everything's perfect, sir. We haven't had any breakout attempts since that stretch in the very beginning and those recruits we had executed right away. The rest have been too scared to pull anything since."
"'Scared,' you say? I'd advise against getting too comfortable. Didn't you teach them to let go of their fears? You really shouldn't underestimate them."
"Thank you for your concern, sir, but you really have nothing to worry about."
The commander nodded and turned away from Vindur, catching a side glance that passed between Roan and one of the soldiers at the computers. It seemed to be a look that told more than it meant to, and the commander felt the corner of his lips twitch in amusement. "I think I'd like to stay for Avalanche's match, but after that I'll retire to my quarters. I need to take a look at these portfolios again before I make my final decision."
"But Commander Le Creuset, you only just got here. You haven't had enough time to observe—"
"After Avalanche I'll have seen who I wanted to. I want only the finest for this mission. Perhaps tomorrow I can observe them in their classes?"
"O-of course, sir."
"Good. Then would you mind finding me a chair?"
"Done already, recruit? Did you get the information that you needed?"
The redhead grabbed the towel offered and wiped off her hands. She really didn't look that much different outwardly other than the fact that she had indeed gotten older. Right then, she was fifteen, but in a little over a month she'd turn sixteen. Her figure had curved out over the year, and she had grown taller, standing only a little bit shorter than the greencoat next to her. It was quite the spurt and she had been happy for the extra height. Instead of the shoulder-length locks that she had been wearing previously, her hair now had jagged layers and fell to about just below her chin. The shorter hair had made it easier to handle as well allowed her to keep it out of her way during her training.
Taking one final wipe with the towel, she looked down at her hands to inspect her work. They were still a little red from the encounter, but she would get a proper scrub later. There were some days she was able to something as innocent as an interrogation, but despite the information that was probably highlighting their program, "interrogations" was not the right terminology to describe their contributions to the war effort.
They were tortures.
"I got a little out of him, but nothing really of substance. I'll go back to my room anyway and look it up while it's still fresh in my mind to see if it's actually worth my while."
"What did you want me to do with the prisoner?"
"Tend to his wounds for now. I may be back later tonight or even early tomorrow morning if I do find something. If not, I'll inform you before coming and finishing the job myself."
"Very good, I'll tell Officer Roan that you probably won't make it to the mobile suit class then."
The private and recruit saluted each other before the redhead turned and walked away. The private opened the door a crack once she had disappeared around the corner and couldn't withhold his cringe. That girl is a monster, he thought, shutting it before his lunch got the better of him. In fact, all of them are. I'd hate to be the Earth Alliance as soon as they get out on the battlefield.
Eclipse maneuvered her way down the corridors, knowing the way by heart. She knew that she probably should attend her mobile suit class, but because of the information from that prisoner, she figured that her superiors would rather have her at a keyboard than behind the controls of a GINN. The civilian didn't really give her much solid information, but because her other tortures had only provided her with false clues, she was getting a little desperate. The captain continued to pressure her about her failed attempts and she had no desire to go through any more of those punishments.
Rounding the last corner, she punched a sequence of numbers on the keypad and waited for her door to slide open. She locked it behind her once she was inside and walked to the bathroom to wash her hands. The whole process took a couple of minutes and once she was confident her hands were clean, she walked over to her desk and computer. After flicking the light switch near the desk, she flipped open her laptop and switched it on. While waiting for it to boot up, a small book on the floor in the corner caught her attention. She got up and went over to it, withholding a sneeze when a cloud of dust rose as she picked it up.
She flipped through the pages one by one, digesting the words written there. It's my journal from way back when, she thought and went to the last entry. It was dated back to the third week of her training and she gave solemn smile. It was short, sloppy, and only a few lines, but that was probably because it was with her left hand. Remembering this, she flexed the fingers in her right hand and cringed slightly when one of them let out a sharp pain.
This has got to be quick 'cause I'm late for my first class. I've finally figured out how to make it through this thing alive. I'll just hide everything and put it away for later. That's my only chance.
Lunar Eclipse
She turned the page over as if looking for more, but when she found none she just shrugged and tossed it idly onto her bed. It had been such a long time since she last wrote that entry, so she honestly didn't even know what she was talking about. "Hide everything and put it away for later?" I wonder what I meant by that. Deciding to forget it for now, she walked back to her laptop.
"Good morning, Commander. I trust you slept well?" the captain cooed as the younger officer walked into the room. Two glasses of coffee were placed on the small table in front of the chair that the commander had sat in two days ago. Le Creuset glanced at the glass momentarily before finally deciding to pick it up and take a sip.
"Did you make your final decisions?" Vindur asked as he pulled his own chair around from his desk. He sat down lightly, looking a little less nervous than the previous days.
"Yes, I have. I'd like Avalanche, Chronos, and Lunar Eclipse to see me as soon as possible."
"Of course, sir." He motioned over to the greencoat standing near the door who saluted before leaving. "They should be here shortly. Would you mind telling me what you're sending them out to do? I think I should have some kind of an idea."
"We received some information about some prototype mobile suits being built on the resource satellite Heliopolis. Apparently, the Earth Alliance is involved."
"Heliopolis? Isn't that run by Orb?"
"It seems that they've overstep their neutrality bounds."
"So, if you already know that the suits are there, what do you need my recruits for?"
Le Creuset took a sip of his coffee. "You see, we don't know for sure if the information's reliable. I want your weapons to infiltrate the colony and gather as much as they can on the subject."
"Ah, I see, but sir, is it wise to send Lunar Eclipse then? I'm sure you know, but her home country is Orb after all."
"I'm confident that that won't be a problem. Do you anticipate trouble, Captain?"
Vindur paused, selecting his words carefully. If he was to voice any concerns then it could be turned back onto him that he didn't train her well enough and that could be disastrous for his career. However, if he withheld such fears and the worse was to happen, then he could also be blamed for not sharing his opinions. Either way, the outcome seemed bleak indeed. He just figured he'd go with the safest route and place some trust in Eclipse. "No, sir. I'm sure everything will be fine."
Le Creuset smirked and took another sip of his coffee. After watching the girl in her classes yesterday he didn't think she would pull anything funny either. He had read of her earlier exploits, breaking rules and all, but they were terribly minor offenses and within the realms of a teenager her age. When she saw her skills in class, he had been assured that she had grown past those minor rebellions. He made a point to watch her right hand in particular, knowing of the serious injury that happened earlier in her training, but what he saw only made his confidence rise. It looked as if the injury actually helped her success more than hindered it. Her left hand could do things as equally well if not better than her right hand. That type of ambidexterity was quite a prize among recruits. The commander didn't really know what was going through her head, but judging from the reports concerning how she handled the tortures and executions, Le Creuset was sure that the facility had succeeded in stripping her of such teenage emotions.
He was sure that she was no longer the human being she had recognized, but now ZAFT's new, weapon of war.
The three trainees filed in about a half hour after summoned. Having had another all-night mobile suit training class, they felt that washing up before meeting a superior officer was only necessary. Le Creuset didn't mind.
They saluted briefly when they entered and stood in front of the commander. He rose to his feet, smirking lightly as he did, and faced them. "My name is Commander Le Creuset. I have been sent here to gather three soldiers, such as yourselves, and send them out on a recon mission to the resource satellite Heliopolis. Your orders are to infiltrate the colony and gather as much information on five prototype mobile suits as you are able. Their whereabouts are unknown, but we do have a few leads." Turning around, he grabbed a small stack of folders on the desk and handed one to each of them. "The folder should contain the small amount of information that we do have along with a list of safe contacts within the colony already.
"I'd like you to gather as much information as you can including blueprints, weaponry, pilots, and the like. Your means of getting such info is up to you, but I'm sure that each of you realize stealth is the better of the options. I'm giving you a week to complete this mission." The three nodded silently and Le Creuset could only smile again.
They were all such beautiful new weapons.
"Well, I won't keep you any longer. A shuttle should be leaving this colony within the hour and I'd want each of you on it. Dismissed."
The recruits saluted again and walked out of the room, offering a small salute to Vindur as they walked by.
A/N: Hey all! Yup, its another chapter but it might be a tad more boring then the previous ones. If so then I'm sorry! Like I said the story's finally going to go into full-swing, but it looks as if I was off a few chapters. (I seem to be doing that a lot lately don't I?) Anyway, you'll see in the next chapters.
LunarRaven666: Thanks for the review and yup, it does seem that way doesn't it? :)
Death-Scimitar: Yeah, yeah don't get so conceited. You know you're lucky 'cause you know where this whole thing is going and how it's going to end. Perhaps you should be tanking me instead of boasting? :P
CSS Stravag: Hah, the wait is understandable then. I have to admit that I pouted a little when I didn't see your reviews. :P Basically some of the officers care about the recruits well-being while others just couldn't care less. They've seen so much in their lifetime that the safety of some brats really doesn't matter to them. I'll take your "lone wolf" comments into consideration. I'm not sure if what I'm going to do later on will remedy your concerns, but I'll see what I can do. It is a valid point.
Thanks again for all the reviews and for sticking with me through the long breaks. I hope you enjoyed it!
Strata