Patriot-112: Hey Peeps! Here I am again with a new chapter for this fic. Sorry it took so long. Looking after my grandparents place, lack of inspiration, writer's block and all that. Hopefully this chapter will make up for that.
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED, or anything related to the Gundam Franchise is not mine, it all belongs to Sunrise. Support the original release.
Chapter 7: Aloha
May 25th, 2014 AD/ CE 71
Pacific Ocean - En-route to Hawaii
The Refugee Fleet continued on it's course towards the Hawaii, with many of the ships' populace all concerned on what they will find there. Many praying that it will be calm, and normal, and there were no E.A. Forces there. Of course, the less religious were all on edge, with many making plans to jump ship if they were attacked.
Of course, one of the more eventful things was giving them an advantage, as Takeshi had learned. Ron's 'soccer ball' cockpit was something that most of them were going to need to get used to, but it meant that back attacks were damn near impossible.
With all of this though, many more were just preparing to do their part in making sure they'd make it to Hawaii in one piece. Among those being Jordan, the Archangel pilots, the new U.S. Mobile Suit pilots the crews of the combat ships, D.J. and everyone else. Speaking of, Jordan was currently sitting next to where the Schwarze Calamity rested, on the deck of the repurposed U.S.S. Kitty Hawk. The wide deck was being used to create a makeshift refugee camp, as tents and small structures were built to house a large amount of civilians.
Jordan had spent a lot of time working since the last battle, doing minor maintenance on the Calamity, getting to know his new wingmen like Kira, Athrun and such. However at the moment… he was feeling very angry. And for once, it wasn't being directed at the Earth Alliance, ZAFT, or Blue Cosmos. No… now that Anger was being focused towards a small group of tents where people were gathering, where a woman was having them all pray, or singing hymns.
"You don't seem to like that church, do you?" a voice said, as Jordan glanced as Kira and D.J walked up next to him.
"No, I don't," he said, glancing back at it. "They're literally just standing around, singing and praying when they could be doing something more productive - you know, making sure everyone's got shelter, helping issue out food… and I'm not a fan of who's playing priest." He indicated the woman with short blond hair and blue eyes wearing a pale blue dress. "Jenna Jacobs… she wrote her own books of 'her interpretation' of the Bible… basically just spewing out Homophobia… she's one of the people who I actually hoped did get killed when all this shit started. Hell I wouldn't put it past her to start preaching against Coordinators once she finds out about them - she's already against Vaccinations - your typical deep south religious fanatic."
"Would you rather prefer her or the Westboro Baptists?" D.J. asked, which caused Jordan to look at him like he was crazy.
"Hell no, but she'd probably be right with them," he said, gesturing towards them. "Just look - what do you think the Average IQ of this group is? Just from some observation and deduction, I see a tendency for obesity, poverty, and a yin for fairy tales… folks putting what few buck's they do have in a wicker basket being passed around… its safe to say none of e'm gonna be splitting any atoms."
"Some folks enjoy community," A passer by said. "The common good? I mean… can you imagine what if people didn't believe? The thing's they'd get up into?"
"Well, if the common good's gotta make up fairy tales, then it's not good for anybody," Jaden said. "And they'd just do the exact same things they do now - just out in the open."
"Bull Crap," The passer by said. "It would be a freaking freakshow of murder and debauchery and you know it!"
"If the only thing keeping a person from doing that is the expectation of divine reward, then that person is a piece of shit," Jaden shot back. "And I'd like to get as many of them out in the open as possible so they can get put away for a loooong time." He then pointed at Jenna. "Have you actually read her shit? How many times she's called Homosexuality an abomination?"
"Only because the Bible says so-" the man began, before Jaden cut him off.
"Yeah yeah, Leviticus 18:22, chapter and verse," Jaden said. "Here are a few other things… my brother, he usually works on the sabbath day - Exodus 35:2 says he should clearly be put to death for that. Am I morally obligated to do that, or should I call the police? Here's one that's really important, because we've got a lot of sports fans in this fleet - touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean - Leviticus 11:7. If they wear gloves could the Washington Redskins still play football, can Notre Dame? West Point? Does the whole town really need to be brought together just to stone the farmers for planting different Crops side-by-side? Can I burn my mother in a small gathering for wearing garments of two different threads? Think about that the next time you want to use that damn archaic piece of 2,000 year old fiction to defend your little cult."
The man looked a bit surprised, and was so dazed he just went about his way, while Jordan went back to work on the Schwarze Calamity. "That… felt surprisingly good," he admitted with a small smirk.
D.J. chuckled a bit at that.
"Man, I may be Catholic, but even I know that over half of the stuff written in there was bull," he said.
"You may become an Atheist yet!" Jordan said with a smirk. "It's just a matter of actually reading the Bible and realizing how full of shit it really is."
"You really don't like Religion, huh?" Kira asked, and the Schwarze pilot shrugged.
"It's not Religion per say, it's how its used so easily to fuel ignorance, bigotry and greed." He replied. "Think about it - without the bible, is there really a reason a gay couple can't be married together? In fact, Blue Cosmos's entire anti-coordinator fetish is probably derived from those same archaic beliefs, using 'their' interpretation of what they read, using it to justify atrocities like Junius 7, JOSH-A, and so on…"
D.J. sighed at that, "Yeah, I know what you mean. But while I may have major doubts about religion thanks to those damn Jihadists, I gotta believe in the good points of Christianity. Of course, can't ignore the big mistakes Christians made in the past." he said.
"You're right - there are some good points." Jordan said, "They bring up a few good points and ideas, and most of the Ten Commandments are pretty sound - excluding the first four. But people just need to realize that the bible was written of the span of hundreds of years over 2,000 years ago, pretty much by jumbling a bunch of old scriptures together. The bible is severely outdated, just like the writings of old Greek, Roman and Egyptian faiths. They all would make a good point every now and then, but they're just… outdated as culture and humans evolved with new understandings of the world around them, and themselves."
Everyone nodded, until D.J. started to chuckle, making the others look at him.
"What's so funny?" asked Kira, as D.J. looked at them.
"I just had a hilarious theory." he said as the others listened in. "What if Blue Cosmos was founded by a deranged Westboro Baptist?"
Jorn deadpanned at that info.
"If that were true, then the E.A. is doomed," he said, causing the others to laugh hysterically at that.
Meanwhile, Archangel sickbay
Rena sat in the cot of her bed in the Archangel's sickbay. She was lying down, staring up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression.
As the Doctor had said, her memories were slowly starting to return, as she could recall what she had done during her time in the EA, people she had fought with and against, people she knew in her life… who she was during that time.
Though there was part of her that felt a bit loyal to the EA… she had read up some history about the Cosmic Era, seeing what the EA was like in the eyes of the crew of the Archangel, as well as the experiences of the American soldiers fighting to defend the refugees. Why was the EA not even attempting to negotiate with the nations of the Pre-Reconstruction era? It had been months since their universes had apparently collided, and the EA has done nothing but try to stamp out any remnants of the United States or other nations.
She doesn't know why, but… despite getting her memories back, she couldn't convince herself that returning to the E.A was a good idea. Her memories were saying one thing… but her gut was telling her another.
"What the hell do I do?" She mentally asked herself, "My head is telling me to listen to my slowly returning memories, while my gut tells me not to."
She then groaned a bit, as she placed her hands on her temple and stomach.
"And now it's left me with a headache and a stomach ache that could kill an elephant," she muttered, as she shook her head.
Thankfully the door opened, and in stepped a young teenage girl wearing the pink volunteer uniform of the E.A. but with the patches removed and holding a tray filled with food and a glass of water.
"Oh, are you alright?" Miriallia asked in worry as she moved over and placed the food tray on the nightstand and headed over to see if the E.A. Ace was alright.
"Yeah, just dealing with the amount of memories and the revelations that our universe just merged with a Pre-Reconstruction one," she said, and accepted the glass of water that the copper-haired native of Orb offered her.
"Believe me, you're not the only one," Miriallia said. "I'm just glad Orb wasn't really affected… apparently according to the people here, the Orb Islands don't exist here. So when our universes collided, we didn't merge ontop of another nation like the rest of the world did."
Rena nodded a bit. "You're from Orb aren't you?" she asked, and Miriallia nodded. "Thought so, it was your accent, it has a slight Japanese hint to it, as well as a small mixture of German."
Miriallia blinked at that. "Wow, you can actually tell my heritage just by my voice?" she asked, and Rena chuckled.
"Yup, and also by your looks," she said, making the young girl blush a bit.
"R-Right." she said. "Anyways, D.J will be glad to hear your memories are coming back." She paused for a moment before speaking again. "Though… if you don't mind me asking… what will you do… well… when you get them all back?"
Rena immediately frowned at that, "To be honest, I'm not sure. A part of me wants to return to the Alliance, but... with the way things are now back home…" she said, and Miriallia sighed.
"Yeah, we couldn't believe it either when we arrived off the coast of California," she said, before smiling a bit, "Anyways, we should be arriving at the Hawaiian Islands in a bit."
Rena quirked an eyebrow at that. "Really, well aloha Paradise of the Pacific." she said.
A minor explosion was heard outside the ship, along with someone yelling creative curses at the top of their lungs.
"What was that?" Rena said while her eyes widened slightly in surprise, while Miriallia gave a sigh.
"Someone's been refitting a ship for a couple of weeks," she explained. "Things keep exploding. Nothing major, but it's annoying."
"And which ship is it?" Rena asked.
"One of those older battleships, the Iowa." she said, making Rena blinked in confusion at that.
"Aren't those ships beyond hope for a modern battle?" she asked, while Miriallia sighed.
"Tell that to the guy refitting the ship."
Meanwhile - With Jordan
"Gotta admit, we were lucky that we found you, Flay," Jordan said, as he and Flay walked through the Archangel, heading towards the Mess Hall where Kira and the others likely were at. "A lot of the crew here though you might've been at JOSH-A when it blew up."
"I… suppose I was lucky…" Flay said. "I… went after Mr. La Flaga, until that ZAFT officer found me… he… surprised me, and took me aboard his ship."
Jordan glanced at Flay. "He didn't… do anything to you, did he?" he asked. He knew what kind of man Rau was, though he doubted he'd do anything… that unpleasant.
"No, he… he was surprisingly kind…" Flay said, glancing away. "For a ZAFT coordinator."
"Don't have a fondness towards Coordinators?" Jordan asked.
"I… I don't know anymore…" Flay said, as they stopped for a moment, just outside the mess hall. "My father… he was George Allster, a Blue Cosmos member… he always told me what… what monsters Coordinators were… how they caused the U.N Bombings at Copernicus, the April Fools crisis… if it weren't for them, my… my mother might still be alive…"
"What do you mean by that?" Jordan asked, while George's fate was well-known, it was never revealed what happened to her mother.
"She… she was in a hospital when the April Fools crisis began…" Flay said. "She was sick… in the emergency room… but then the N-Jammers dropped, and cut the power across the globe… the emergency reactors were only able to work for so long…" a few tears began to stream down her face. "There… there wasn't anything… a-anything they…"
"Hey, hey," Jordan said, as he gave Flay a short hug, surprising her for a moment. "It's alright… I know losing people you love is difficult… when… all of this started… I don't even know if my own family is alive or dead at this point… but the best you can do is move on. I personally believe that a person is never really dead as long as we remember them. That way, they're… almost immortal in a way. And then you just keep pushing forward…"
Flay said nothing, but what Jordan said… did make a bit of sense. As long as she remembered her family… the would always be with her, in her thoughts and heart. But the tales her father told her about Coordinators were still fresh in her mind. And how she treated Kira…
Kira… the thought about the Coordinator pilot brought about a very strong pang of guilt to Flay's heart. "Thank you… but… I just…" she said, shaking her head. "H-how will I speak to them now? After all… after all I've done…"
"What do you mean?" Jordan asked, even though he already knew, he had to play the role of ignorance.
"When… when my father died I… I wanted to use Kira… the pilot of the Strike… to… to kill all of the Coordinators…" She said, her fists clenching a bit. "ZAFT killed my father… I wanted to make them pay… Kira had a crush on me… I used that to… to work to my advantage… but I went too far…"
She then closed her eyes for a minute. "Then… the ZAFT Commander captured me… and… he told and showed me things…" she said. "He… he showed me what Coordinators are like, how… how human they are… how they're not monsters… he gave me a perspective on ZAFT I never knew before… and now…"
She glanced away. "Now… I don't know what to think anymore…" she said.
"Do what your heart and mind says is right," Jordan recommended, causing Flay to look at him in surprise. "This war between ZAFT and the EA isn't as black and white as everyone wants you to believe… both sides have done great wrongs, but both sides have done great goods, as well… some more so than others admittedly, but that's aside the point."
"The point is, that now that you've seen both sides of the war… both ZAFT and the EA… you can make your own decision," he continued. "Your father may have had some points… but he forgot one important thing: Coordinators never chose to be Coordinators. Their parents were the ones who made that decision - and they did it because they wanted their children to have a bright future - not to become those 'Space Monsters' Blue Cosmos wants the world to think. However people like Patrick Zala are wrong as well, Coordinators are not the future of mankind, and they are wrong to look down on Naturals."
Flay was honestly surprised at how… philosophical Jordan was, he was more than just another MS pilot. But Flay shook her head. "Maybe… but…" she said. "What I did to Kira… what I said to him..." tears began to leak from her eyes. "N-now… I can never tell him… he d-died at the Marshalls… I… I j-just wanted to say… I-I'm sorry… and S-Sai, I…"
Jordan suddenly realized Flay had no idea Kira was alive, however he just put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on," he said. "let's go see if your friends are at the Mess Hall."
Meanwhile - With D.J
At the Mess Hall
D.J. gave a sigh of relief as he enjoyed the food he was eating.
"Man, it's been almost a month since I ate anything this good, all that running around and eating nothing but granola bars, and those gross K-Rations, really did a number," he said, as he ate some Hashbrowns, eggs, and bacon.
"I know the feeling," Cagalli said with a short chuckle, as she, Athrun, Kira, and the Heliopolis crewmembers sat in the mess hall, eating. "Back when I was with the Desert Dawn, rations were almost the only thing we had to eat until the Archangel showed up. Heard the ZAFT ones were better though…"
"I've never had an Alliance Rations, so I wouldn't know," Athrun said, shrugging. "Though from the way you describe it, I hope I never have to."
"I agree with ya on that, kid," said D.J. "I would stick to civvie food any day of the whole YEAR."
That caused everyone to laugh at that.
"So…" D.J. said, as he looked at Kira and Athrun. "You said the two of you used to be friends?"
"Yeah," Kira said nodding. "Me and Athrun both went to school at Copernicus, our families sent us there to stay away from everything going on... "
D.J. nodded in understanding. "Good call," he said. "The British did the same with their children when Nazi Germany decided to bomb their major cities. Evacuated them all to the country."
"Yeah… didn't last long, though," Athrun said with a small sigh. "When things took a turn for the worst… my father called me back to the PLANT's… I had hoped that war would never come… but the Bloody Valentine changed all of that."
D.J. sighed a bit at that. "A bunch of fanatics whose only real purpose in life is to make people miserable," he said.
"I know…" Athrun said, glancing to the side. "My Mother… she was at Junius Seven when the nuke went off… that's the reason I joined ZAFT, but now… after Heliopolis… after everything…"
"Sorry for your loss," D.J said. "We've all lost people important to us… some more recent than others… all we can hope for now though is to end this war before it can get even worse than it is already."
The others all nodded, before a moment later the mess hall doors opened, as Jordan walked in… and was soon followed by Flay Allster.
"Flay?" Sai said in complete surprise, as Miriallia along with Kira all gave wide eyed gapes as they spotted the red-head.
When Flay came in she recognized Sai and Mir, however her eyes widened when she saw Kira - who was now very much alive.
D.J. was about to say something… before Flay ran towards Kira. "KIRA!" she shouted as she hugged the young Coordinator.
"F-Flay?" Kira asked in shock and surprise as Flay hugged him as tight as she could.
"Y-You're alive!" she shouted. "I-I can't believe it! You're alive! K-Kira, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry about what I said at Orb! H-How I treated you, what I said to you in space when my father died! I-I'm Sorry!"
Kira could only blink at what Flay was saying before he, a little hesitantly, returned the hug. D.J. nervously looked at Sai, looking for his reaction to the two lovers reunion. Jordan was doing the same thing, and was, one of the rare moments in his life, praying to every single deity he could bring up for Sai not to make a scene. However, surprisingly, Sai only remained calm, and just sighed a bit.
"F-Flay… I…" Kira said. "How… are you… here?"
"I… I got out of JOSH-A… before it blew up because of a ZAFT Commander," she said. "He… saved me and… with this alliance with the Resistance… he allowed me to come back to the Archangel... " She looked back up at Kira. "Kira I… I thought you died at the Marshalls… I… I know you… you might not forgive me for… for what I said at Orb but… being with ZAFT it… it changed my perspective on… on everything…"
Sai's and Miriallia's eyes widened at that info about Flay being in ZAFT. Kira immediately began to become very concerned on what Flay learned while with ZAFT.
"What happened… while you were there?" he asked.
"The people with ZAFT I met… they were nicer than I thought they'd be," she admitted. "My father… he was wrong, Kira… I was wrong…"
Kira began to think on what she saying to him. Was her prejudiced opinion on Coordinators now non-existent?
"What finally convinced you?" he asked, while Flay had more tears coming out of her eyes.
"Panama…" she said. "I… I saw the Earth Forces… attack the villages that appeared during the world fusion… they just… shot them… it was ZAFT that protected them, not the EA… my father… always told me Coordinators were monsters, yet… they protected people the EA wouldn't… and then there was JOSH-A… the EA killed their own people just to take out ZAFT! If it wasn't for Commander Le Creuset, I'd be dead too!"
Athrun, listening to the conversation, blinked at he heard the name. "Wait, did you say Commander Le Creuset?" he asked.
Flay blinked in surprise, looking at Athrun, before nodding. "Y-yes… he was wearing a white mask most of the time, though," she said. "He saw the EA had the Cyclops buried under the base, and got me out of there before it went off."
Athrun was silent for a moment as he processed this bit of info. 'He knew,' he thought. 'He knew the EA had a Cyclops… but he didn't tell the rest of the attack force?'
D.J. and Jordan saw the slight frown on his face and immediately knew what Athrun was thinking about, but decided to remain quiet as Flay continued her story.
"Le Creuset told me things, Kira… gave me a new perspective on… everything," Flay said. "I know that… that it probably… it won't make up for what I did and said… but I am being completely honest when I say… I'm sorry… for… for everything…"
Kira hugged Flay to him, as the girl began to quietly sob into his uniform jacket. D.J. and Jordan gave small smiles at this scene.
'Well, that's one issue taken care of…' Jordan thought before glancing a Sai. 'Have to keep an eye on Sai for a while, though… make sure he doesn't do anything… stupid.'
He looked to D.J. who gave a small nod in understanding, as they continued to watch the two lovers be reunited.
Several Days Later - Hawaii
"I am a GOD of design." Ron said smirking as he was looking at the Iowa's hull, which was being rebuilt with the superstructure of a destroyer, and the turrets rebuilt with an auto-loader system akin to an M1911 handgun's firing and magazine systems. The Iowa was a nice ship, yes. But the superstructure was too large, and any idiot with a railgun could hit the damn thing. The oil boilers and their fuel tanks were replaced with a molten salt thorium reactor, which, for reasons they failed to understand, was immune to N-Jammers.
The Iowa-II was smaller in stature, and lighter, making it more maneuverable thanks to the lack of mass. The turrets were also remote controlled, using a Mk I 'soccer-ball' cockpit for each gun.
"Love what you've done to her," Jordan said with an appreciative nod. "Can't wait till the final product is finished. This is the beginning of a new dawn for battleships."
"The American military's incompetence when it came to battleship design comes to an end with this." Ron said, "Why make massive ships with massive superstructures that are massive targets-" OMNI Enforcer proved that with the Agni blast that destroyed the Iowa's upper decks. "Or slightly more compact ships, with the same firepower, but with a smaller profile that are more effective with more armor?"
Jordan shrugged. "Meh, I personally like bigger - usually size equals intimidation," he said. "Either way, though, the Iowa II shows a lot more promise. Gonna take some time before it's complete though, of course."
"Half this shit is window-dressing: I could steer the ship from a soccer ball in the hull." Ron said, "Besides, if I have to tell you that the Tarkin Doctrine doesn't apply to reality, I'm going to hit you."
"It doesn't apply to reality yet," Jordan said with a smirk. "I'm not thinking of making any Multi-Kilometer sized ships anytime soon… but big ships like the Archangel, Minerva, and such are soon going to be leading the navies of the world. And I intend to make sure the Iowa II-class can keep up as well."
"There's a limit to as far as this frame can go," Ron said with a sigh. "We're going to have to let it go back into the museum eventually." And any future battleships would be closer in size to smaller battlecruisers like the HMS Hood, only with the same weight-class as the Iowa. The big guns would be mounted to smaller ships.
"I've come up with a few more modern battleship designs for us to build: smaller, yes, but bigger than destroyers and heavier armored than any ship before or since the Iowa," Ron said. "Besides, the General's put me in command of the refit for now, and I'm probably going to be in command of her until we get to Orb. After that, she's your Navy's problem, not mine."
"Sounds good," Jordan said, nodding. "If you'll excuse me, though, me and the others are having some much needed shore leave. After all the shit we've been through, it'd be nice to relax a little bit. And we're at freaking Hawaii, what better place to relax than here? You wanna come with?"
"Until this ship is ready? The yard dogs have no idea what they're doing with half the shit I've come up with-" An explosion was heard inside the hull, with smoke coming out of the number 2 turret barbette. "And they keep doing that. Standards have gone down the gutter. Like most of our fics." The Canadian quickly made his way back on board, leaving Jordan behind.
Jordan sighed, shaking his head before he headed away from the docks, as he approached the Jeep he had used to get there - one of the many things they had taken from the underground bunker they discovered. Waiting inside was Takeshi, D.J, and Linda. "Ron's too busy with the maintenance on the Iowa, he ain't coming," he said.
"Right," Takeshi replied. "I can sorta understand that… so, where to?"
"Well, we can head to either Waikiki or we can head to Diamond Head," said D.J. as he looked at the map. "Or we can just drive around until we find a nice beach somewhere and rest."
"I vote for looking for a beach," Jordan said with a smile. "This is my first time here at Hawaii, so I want to make the most of it while we can. I may end up learning how to surf… always wanted to do that…"
"Beach works for me," Takeshi replied. "What about you, Linda?"
"I wouldn't mind the beach," Linda said, glancing away as she hid a small blush forming on her cheeks. "It… might be fun…"
Mainland North America - San Francisco, California
Muruta Azrael was not pleased. "Gentlemen, we have the most powerful military on the planet." He said slowly. "Only the simple fact the Coordinators had those damned N-Jammers kept this war from being ended quickly. So WHY THE HELL aren't you idiots done dealing with these pre-Reconstruction War idiots?!"
A good deal of the planet was displayed on a map behind him, showing the areas controlled by ZAFT, the Alliance and the 'locals'. China had FINALLY been dealt with, freeing up a large amount of their forces to deal with the rest of the planet, and, despite the brave resistance of the Japanese (and their seeming and slightly unnerving familiarity with their equipment) OMNI Enforcer had finally landed a large force to take the important island nation. Yet the Americas were being a pain in the ass. "Well?!"
"Sir, their forces are spread out across the globe," one General said. "This isn't like fighting ZAFT, both of our sides were caught completely by surprise, and the resulting chaos took a toll on both of our forces. Even though we've technically taken control of the US, China and a portion of Japan, resistance in these areas is still extremely high. This war started at every single military base, fort, city… almost everywhere on earth has been effected… except for Orb, and anyone in space. We're still dealing with the fallout from the initial chaos."
"That's not good enough! We need to deal with these people, then focus on ZAFT!"
"Mr. Azrael, let us worry about the 'locals'." Admiral Sutherland said, "We know where the most major American resistance force is: Hawaii. General von Kraft is going to lead an airborne invasion within the week. And we have the identities of several major resistance leaders."
"Oh?"
"Officially they are lead by an American General… but we have identified several notable members who are proving to be the most… annoying." The Admiral said, as several files were pulled up on the screen.
"First is one Ronald Pinkerton," he said. "He took command of a Canadian unit - the 22 wing from CFB North Bay, and is responsible for hijacking several Daggers, and one of our heavy MS Transports. He and his own team have proven to be… most dangerous."
"Then we have a Tom Johnston… not too much info on him," he said. "All we can confirm is that he and his group of Canadian Spec-Ops captured several EA Warships including one of our beached carriers carrying a G-Weapon Prototype. As for the forces he was part of… we have yet to get much info on them."
"Next we have a rather… dangerous duo," he said. "Jordan Tackett and D.J Cobb… these two are responsible for the theft of a 105 Dagger, and the Schwarze Calamity, and are credited with managing to take down the Sakura Burst. They've lead the Californian Resistance since this whole thing started, and have become aces in Mobile Suit combat."
"Next up is… an unusual one," he continued. "Takeshi Yamato… no relation to the Strike's former pilot. In fact, we're not even sure it's his original name, but it's the name he took for himself after we apparently killed his parents in the initial chaos. He joined up with a group from the US Air Force Academy, and managed to capture a 105 Dagger. He's about as much of an Ace as Tackett and Cobb, though he seems to focus on Close Range Combat. As of the battle at San Francisco, he's taken to calling himself 'Aku wo Tatsu Tsurugi Nari', or 'The Sword that Cleaves Evil', and his trademark seems to be slicing Mobile Suits and ships in two with a single strike."
Pictures of the group appeared on the monitor, limited as they were. "All of them are Tier 1 priorities. Tackett and Johnson will be the most difficult to kill, and Yamato's overspecialization on close-quarters will be the end of him. However, our main focus is capturing Pinkerton. Recon from the Pacific shows he clearly hates ZAFT for some reason. Couple that with relative skill, a better machine and…" he smirked. "Proper conditioning, and we will have a weapon to take the fight to the resistance, and eventually, ZAFT."
"And the rest?"
"Capture or kill, depending on the situation."
Meanwhile - Hawaii
"Ahh, just smell that air!" Jordan said as he drove the jeep through the Hawaiian forest, continuing their search for the perfect beach to relax at. "I've heard Hawaii was awesome, but I just love it here!"
"I've visited this place back when I was still in High School, it was a little hot, but it was tolerable since it was around Christmas time," said D.J. as he looked around. "We actually drove around the whole island of Oahu in one day."
"Been here a few times, myself," Takeshi replied. "Grandmother on Mom's side tended to take us on one trip to the islands a year - sometimes Maui, sometimes the Big Island, Kauai a couple of times, and here to Oahu a total of three times."
"First time here period actually," Jordan said, "Me and my family have been wanting to come over here for a long time, but never could… wished it were under better circumstances…" He paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Anyways, keep your eyes open - there's bound to be a good beach around here somewhere. Somewhere nice, secluded… may try to invite some of the SEED guys over too."
9 loud 'bangs' were heard in the distance. "What was that?" Five seconds later, nine more were heard. Followed shortly by the loudest scream they'd heard yet. "I'M A FUCKING GENIUS!"
Takeshi sighed. "Ron," he said.
"It sounds like he's making the reincarnation of the Yamato over there..." Jordan muttered with a sigh as he turned the Jeep around a dirt corner.
An explosion was heard from less than a kilometer away. Ron seemed to be taking pot shots at them now. Or trying to hit the wrecked cars.
"And testing out the new guns, I take it, trying to get their new control systems aligned properly," Takeshi remarked.
"I wonder if he'll upgrade the Cannons into Railguns..." Jordan mused out loud. "It would make it all the more badass..."
A 16 inch shell impacted a rocky outcropping, revealing a large cave entrance that had been sealed by a lava flow decades before they arrived.
"Okay, he is going way overboard now... " Jordan muttered, shaking his head.
"Maybe," Takeshi replied. "Still, might as well see what's inside that cave - who knows what we may find?"
"I agree, or it might lead to an old bunker from the 1940's, left to rot with rust everywhere," D.J. said, as the jeep finally stopped.
"That was one time, Patriot," Jordan said with a sigh, but still smiled a bit. "Though I guess it is worth checking out… but if there's lava in there, we're leaving."
"I believe it is called Magma until a volcano actually erupts," Linda commented.
"If you want to get into a discussion on volcanology, I'll try and find a way to contact Ron. Until then, why don't we just explore the damn thing?" D.J's comment put an end to that before they began entering the cave system, which reminded them to a point of the derelict from Alien and at least a half-dozen movies and games involving natural caves.
"Doesn't look like a conventional lava tube…" Takeshi remarked. "I doubt it's a 1940's bunker, but I am getting the feeling that it's artificial in some way… any bets on whether we're going to stumble on some sort of OPA?"
"OPA?" Linda asked.
"Out-of-Place Artifact," Takeshi explained. "It's a phrase from the Star Ocean game series - used to identify an archaeological artifact too advanced for its supposed age and the technology level of the world it was discovered on."
The ground shook again as something impacted and exploded above them. "Is he TRYING to kill us?!" D.J Shouted.
Jordan sighed as he brought out his radio - thankfully it still had a signal. "Ron? Stop shooting the mountain please - we are IN it." he said.
All he received was static, followed by another impact and explosion, causing part of the cave to collapse, revealing not so natural-looking carved steps in a semi-hollowed out wall. Semi, because the rock was five feet thick.
"Ah damnit, signal isn't strong enough." Jordan said, slapping his phone. "Well, let's hope he doesn't collapse the whole fucking thing… for now, let's see where the stairs go."
"Agreed," Takeshi replied. "And we're definitely dealing with something artificial here - I'm guessing an OPA, but it could be anything."
The stairs led downwards, deeper into the caves, where they discovered it got warmer. "I thought caves were supposed to be dark, dank places."
"Deeper you go, the hotter it gets." D.J said, "At least I think that's how it works."
"Well, we ARE pretty damn close to a Volcano," Jordan said as they passed through another opening. "It has… to… be…" he trailed of what he was saying, as he and the others all saw what was inside the passage the had just entered.
The walls, floors and ceilings were filled with… crystals. Glowing blue crystals everywhere sticking out from the rocks, their glow illuminating the entire cavern with an almost majestic light.
"Holy shit." A faint rumble was heard, probably caused by Ron's continued bombardments. "What the hell are these things? I thought sapphires weren't formed in volcanos."
"I don't think they're sapphires," Takeshi replied. "I can… feel, I guess… power radiating off of them. I was right - we are dealing with an OPA."
"It's always crystals." Jordan muttered. "Think we should head back up, tell your friend to stop shooting at us-" A much more powerful rumble was felt, caused not by the volcano or by the 16 inch shells. "Did you guys hear that?"
"Yeah…" Linda said, pointing towards yet another tunnel. "Came from in there… I think…"
They approached a tunnel that looked more man-carved, but eroded from water. Discarded items like clipboards and leather-bound journals were all over the place, along with-rather disturbingly-human bones.
"Still think it's an OPA… but it looks like someone else stumbled upon it years ago and were researching it," Takeshi remarked.
"Yeah," said D.J. as he approached one of the journals which a skeleton's hand was resting on.
"Sorry," he said to the skeleton as he carefully lifted the hand off the book, grabbed it and then placed the hand back down. "Okay, let's see what these folks were up to, shall we?"
He then opened the journal and began to look through it.
'August 12th, 1949: the crystal formations are generating some form of power, but we can't use it because we lack a proper interface. The German scientists are trying to get it working with the knowledge they gleaned from their samples during the war, but we're still on square one.'
'September 8th 1950: We have a development, at least somewhat. Thanks to the arrival of the Japanese scientists, we've had a bit more luck studying these crystals. Whatever they are, they've been here for a long time, and they are producing some kind of energy field. We still don't know how to interface with it, but progress is progress.'
'April 7th 1961: After a decade of research, we may have a breakthrough. We constructed a small generator, and built it using one of the crystals. We have managed to get the generator operating, using the energy from the crystal - however there wasn't much energy we could harvest from it. We need to perfect the method we use in utilizing these crystals - if our theories are correct, this crystal could be more powerful than… well anything mankind has ever, or will ever utilize. It could very well replace nuclear energy, and fossil fuels. And I have a feeling that is just scratching the surface.'
'July 6th, 1985: It's over. A recent eruption has sealed the cave entrance, as well as partially plugging the cave itself. The Corps of Engineers assholes are probably drinking beer and fucking prostitutes while laughing at us eggheads. We're dead. We just haven't stopped breathing yet.'
D.J. rose his eyebrow in a typical Spock fashion. "Sounds like something Ron would say," he said, before another rumble shook the cavern.
"Okay, how the HELL does that keep happening every time I SPEAK his name!?" he shouted, causing an echo, before he shoved the journal in his backpack. "Let's get hell outta of here before he decides to bring the whole damn mountain around our ears!"
USS Iowa
"Didn't I tell you to shift your targets AWAY from the rock face? We're trying to test the accuracy of the guns, not the destructive potential of the shells they're firing."
"Sorry, Lieutenant," Ron groaned at the mention of his now-formalized US Navy rank. The Admiral had decided to give him a commission, as if to mock him. "Sir, seeing something crawling out of the cave we opened up."
At that exact moment, Ron's radio snapped on. "GODDAMMIT RON! STOP SHOOTING THE FUCKING MOUNTAIN!" Jordan's voice shouted out. "YOU NEARLY BROUGHT THE WHOLE FUCKING THING AROUND OUR EARS!"
"I'm not the idiot firing the guns! I told the gun crews to shoot further inland at abandoned cars and shit! Bitch at them!" Ron glared at the bridge (if a cargo container could be called a bridge) crew. "I swear, this ship is cursed to have an incompetent crew!"
Ron then felt something hit him in the back of the head, causing to hiss a bit before looking what hit him, and saw it was a hockey puck, with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks logo on it. He picked it up, then glared at the bridge crew.
"Gentlemen," he said ominously, causing the sailors to gulp in fear.
"Y-Yes, Lieutenant?"
Ron pulled out his Striker. "I'm going to fucking kill every single one of you."
The next day - With Jordan
"From what we can tell, the research group continued working on the program until the last researcher died after the cave in." Jordan said, as the group were once again gathered at the Archangel. "They managed to make a lot of headway with the program… these crystals have a lot of energy built up in them. It also seems that we aren't the first ones to discover the base."
"What makes you say that?" General Toolan asked.
"We found additional files - with more recent dates like in the 2000s," Jordan said. "It seems someone from the U.S military aquired some of the crystals, began using it for some different program… it seemed to fall under the code-name 'Wolfsbayne'. They called the crystals 'Aeonite'."
"Well, it seems that, as fucking usual, the US government is to blame. Christ, can't you idiots just leave well enough alone?"
"Mr. Pinkerton-"
"No, you are NOT getting away with it this time. You assholes caused this bullshit. If most of the government wasn't dead, I'd been introducing my boot to their asses! Maybe this time, you retards will FINALLY realize that you should focus on your own fucking country!"
D.J., Jordan, and the others could only sigh at Ron's temper, before Jorn spoke again.
"Actually, Ron, according to these journals, Wolfsbayne was conducted as a Shadow Company project, the rest of the military, nor the government even knew it existed," he said, making the U.S. officers, Russians, and everyone else blink at that.
"What do you mean?" Murrue asked.
"There isn't much info on Wolfsbayne itself in here… but it's very obvious that whoever conducted this experiment, wanted to make sure no one knew outside of a select few," Jordan said. "It seems that these Crystals - Aeonite - are a critical mineral required for the program. They conducted additional experiments within the facility before relocating to some secondary base in the Middle East, but a lot of the tech samples were left behind… we might be able to use this technology for ourselves… it could easily become our trump card against the Earth Forces."
Before anyone could speak on the manner, a soldier came onto the bridge.
"Sorry General Sir, but Hickam Air Base just picked up an incoming flight coming in from the southeast!" the soldier said with a salute. "IFF confirms it's one of ours, and they said they came from Afghanistan."
"I've got nothing better to do until the superstructure from the Ottawa is put onto the Iowa." Ron said. "I'll go see who it is."
"Your Mobile Suit can't fly, Lieutenant."
"I've been working on rectifying that problem, General. The Aile's flight capable now. I'll see who it is, and if it's OMNI enforcer trying to trick us into letting them land, kill them." The Canadian left the bridge as soon as those words left his mouth, leaving no room for argument.
"I'll head out in the Aile Schwarze as well, just in case," Jordan said as he left to follow Ron. "If we're lucky… we might get a few answers out of this."
C-17 Globemaster III en route to Hawaii
A single C-17 flew toward the 49th state, its' passengers and crew nervous as all hell. They hadn't received any information on Hawaii's status, not knowing if it had fallen to OMNI Enforcer's relentless onslaught or not.
However, one person was nervous for a whole other reason. His family back in California.
'I wish this fucking tub would go faster dammit!' Daniel cursed, hoping that the C-17 somehow gained super-sonic and they would be there in a flash.
In the cockpit of the transport, the crew were trying to raise Pearl Harbor Command, but for some reason were having difficulties.
"Dammit! Fucking radio, come on!" the pilot cursed as he tried to get the piece of junk working. "Pearl Harbor command, this is Foxtrot-Zulu 0-6-9er, does ANYBODY read me, over!?"
A crackle was heard before a green beam shot past the aircraft. "This is Lieutenant Ronald Pinkerton, US Navy. If you don't tell me who you are, your asses go to the bottom of the Pacific. NOW."
The pilot sighed in relief when he heard, "Oh finally, someone fucking responded. This is Foxtrot-Zulu 0-6-9er, we are an inbound flight from Afghanistan after the shit hit the fan with that damn light show. We have VIPs on board, over?" he said and waited for a bit until he got another response.
"Confirmed, FZ-069. You are clear for landing approach. Do anything stupid, and I shoot you down. I don't give a fuck whether you're allied or not. Get your asses on the ground."
"Well aren't you a cheerful fella. Asshole," the pilot groaned out.
"I heard that…" Ron said.
"Good, that's why I just said it." the pilot said, a smirk on his face.
He wasn't smirking for long as a beam rifle round actually clipped the Globemaster's port wing. It didn't do much damage, but it was enough to shut him up. "Shut up and get on the ground, or I just shoot your ass down. I've had enough of you Americans for the past month and a half. Arrogant fucks, the lot of you."
"RON! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?" another voice came in. "We're suppose to escort them back to Oahu! Not blow them out of the sky! What is WRONG with you!?"
"I've had enough of dealing with idiots and retards. My patience has finally been exhausted." A 105 Dagger with a modified Aile pack entered view, taking position just behind their port wing. He was fully intent on shooting them down if they did anything stupid.
"Holy shit!" shouted the co-pilot, "Dude, don't piss him off even more!"
"Yeah, I got that; look, sorry, man!"
"I don't give a fuck. Land."
Later - Hickam Airfield
The C-17 managed to land at Hickam without any… further incidences. A group of Marines had surrounded the aircraft, just on the off-chance they really were EA in disguise. And as further assurance, the Schwarze Calamity was present, along with D.J's 105 Dagger.
The rear ramp lowered and the Marines readied their guns, before a voice was heard.
"Whoa whoawhoawhoa! We're friendlies!"
"Come on out and prove it!" shouted one of the Marines, until a single soldier came out, his hands raised.
In his 105 Dagger, D.J.'s eyes widened when he saw the soldiers face, thanks to the Dagger's zoom feature.
"…Daniel?" he said before he flipped the switch for the loudspeakers. "Hold it! They're clean!"
His brother reacted in shock, and the Marines stood down, keeping ready to shoot if need be regardless. "I'm heading back to the Iowa. I have a refit to supervise." Ron's 105 Dagger headed back toward the shipyards, his presence no longer necessary. Or actually welcome: they were going to need to talk to him about his general attitude later.
When Ron's 105 left, D.J. opened the cockpit to his M.S. and descended down the cable as it lowered him to the ground. When he finally touched down he immediately headed toward the C-17, and his brother.
Daniel looked in surprise, as his eyes widened as he saw his brother running forward. "D-Drew?" he asked in shock. "Wha-what are you doing here?!"
Drew smiled at seeing his brother before he spoke, "Me and the rest of the family evacuated here after California fell," he said, and Daniel blinked.
"Wait, everyone?" he asked, before Drew's expression turned solemn.
"All except... Aunt Claudia and Uncle Tom," he said. "They're dead, Dan,"
Daniel's eyes widened at that, before he put his hand on D.J.'s shoulder.
"It's alright, bro. Although they're gone, you got everyone else out," he said, making D.J. nod at that, while smiling.
"Thanks man," he said.
All in all, an almost happy family reunion. But that left a few things to deal with. In particular, the VIPs on the Globemaster and the pissy attitude of one of their pilots.
A few days later, Hawaii
"Iowa to SC: you're drifting. What the hell is going on up there? Are you DRUNK or something?"
Jordan shook his head. "I'm fine, I'm fine!" he said as he focused back on flying the Schwarze Calamity through its patrol. "It's nothing."
"Don't crash: I need air cover during this thing's sea trials," Ron said, before he paused for a moment. "For the love of God, don't go down to the reactor core: low radiation levels or not, it's still radioactive!"
Jordan sighed as he looked down as he saw the newly refit Iowa down below, as it went through its sea trials. They managed to get most of Ron's new system upgrades completed thanks to the advanced technology the EA left behind when they were forced out of Hawaii during the initial fusion. There was still a lot that needed to be done, but the Iowa was now fully capable of dishing out twice as much pain as before, and was more than capable of defending against not just airborne attacks, but MS attacks as well.
"A few hiccups with the reactor. No one has much experience with a MST reactor, so that's expected. The guns are fine, CIWS and manual AA turrets are good. Testing radar systems now." All in all, it was a routine boring trial. "Jorn, I know you guys have been wondering why I've been a total asshole lately, not like the guy you've come to know online."
"You don't need to say anything Ron, I understand," Jordan said with a sigh. "We've been through a lot these last few months… we've all lost people important to us… hell I don't even know if my family's alright back south… we're all under a lot of pressure with the EA everywhere…"
"At least you HAVE a chance for them to be alive…"
Jordan froze. Ron had said that family was the most important thing in his life. Without them… "Oh shit." They were dead. They were all dead. Ron had almost nothing from his old life left.
"Ron…" he began before he sighed. "I know this… this may sound cliche and all, and it probably won't help… but working with you these past few months, well… you're like a brother to me." He smirked a bit. "That brother who's almost always right, no matter what anyone else says. And it's not just you, working with Takeshi, Jessica, Tom, D.J… you're all like family to me now… a rather… dysfunctional family, but a family none the less."
Ron let out a short chuckle. "Thank you. But right now, I only have one goal in my life. Making sure this shit never happens again. First step: killing Azrael, Zala, Durandal and Djibril. Second: destroying every scrap of research that caused this to happen. After that… I have no plans. Head back to Oahu: the Iowa will act as early warning and first line of defense."
"You got it Ron," Jordan said, nodding as the Calamity banked left back to Oahu. "See you back at base."
Meanwhile - Back at Oahu
With D.J.
D.J. was talking to his brother about what happened after the merging, and when he was finished, the Sergeant couldn't believe it. But considering what he saw when they arrived, he had no choice.
"Man, this has been one fucked up month," Daniel said with a sigh, as he drank a can of Bud light, while his brother, who wasn't much of a alcohol lover due to a bad experience, opted to drink a can of Dr. Pepper.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said, as he looked up at his Astray Dagger. "But, I guess the good thing that came out of this was that I am now an M.S. pilot."
Daniel chuckled at that. "Yeah, not to mention you lost weight. You look like you ran a marathon FIVE times," he said, causing D.J. to laugh.
"Well, that's what happens when you're too busy running around dodging bullets, beam shots, and who knows what else the AtFeds throw at ya," he said, as he took a sip from his can before continuing. "Lt. Welsh of Easy Company was right though, Modern War is hell."
"Doubt there's any way this could get worse," Daniel said. "Half the world's gone to hell, and the rest are signing up with the bastards that took it over."
D.J. sighed at that. "Hasn't been a year and already we got collaborators. Well, I guess in every war we have to have them. My friend Ron would've joined them with no hesitation, but instead he has a bone to pick with those Environmentalist faggots in Blue Cosmos," as he finished that sentence he crushed the empty soda can in his hand.
"He's the guy who nearly shot my plane down, right? What the fuck is his problem, anyways?"
D.J. gave a sigh at that. "Well, he's hates Americans, especially the arrogant types," he said. "And he acts like a total jerk most of the time, but I get the feeling there's a soft guy in that tough guy exterior of his."
Daniel blinked. "Well, he's right about our people being arrogant," he said, as he crushed his can. "And Obama was only making it worse."
"Yeah, not to mention the Republicans and the Democrats were too busy getting into a catfight to really care about the people," D.J. said, then shrugged. "Oh well, less problems for us, now that they're mostly dead. The only big obstacle is those damn Global Nazis."
"We'll take care of them when we can. Right now, we gotta focus on getting ready for the next big attack."
D.J. nodded. "I hear ya," he said. "So, who was the guy in the lab coat and the Air Force Colonel?"
"They said they were part of some secret project, dating back to the Cold War," Daniel said. "No one in the government or the higher echelons of the military knew, not even the President. It was a complete Shadow Company project, so they didn't give me any details."
D.J. immediately blinked at that. "Wait, did you just say a Shadow Company project?"
"Yeah, I didn't get the specifics, but it involved something called Wolfsbayne," Daniel said. "But now we're all tied up trying to help the nation which encompaces Afghanistan, India and such - the Equilateral Union. The former militaries of the nations that were once there are now working together to keep the EU from being annexed into the Earth Alliance… Drew, you listening?"
Most of what Daniel said was zoned out as D.J just realized something; if the VIP's of that aircraft were from Wolfsbayne… they might know just what in the hell happened that caused this whole mess.
And Ron would probably kill them afterward.
'I better keep my damn mouth shut then, if Ron finds those two, we're lose our only chance of learning what this thing was that caused this shit to happen.' were D.J.'s thoughts before he went back to talking to his brother.
San Francisco, California, occupied United States - Forward Operating Base/OMNI Enforcer
The fleet of Siegfried-Class carrier planes and the entire 6th Fleet were ready to move out, heading directly for Hawaii. Their intent was to conquer the island, kill or capture the Tier 1s and crush the resistance. "This is General von Kraft! All forces, move out! We will crush the resistance!"
The soldiers were all laughing in expectation of the coming 'battle', although no one was calling it that; everyone was referring to it as the upcoming slaughter. After all, they were the largest Pacific fleet on the planet. There was no way some rag tag group with weaker technology than theirs could be theirs in addition to the overwhelming force that was coming to bear on them.
There was no way they could lose.
USS Iowa - 350 kilometers from Hawaii
4 days later
"Lieutenant, I just lost radar coverage towards the mainland," Ron rose an eyebrow. "Check the dish. I want to make sure this isn't a false alarm."
"We had someone check fifteen minutes ago, sir: it's intact and fully functional."
"Then get a fucking lookout on the mast!" Ron barked. "We're blind toward the mainland!"
"Y-Yessir," The ensign replied quickly before hurrying off to complete the order. "Sir!" The ensign came rushing back in minutes later. "I spotted an unknown fleet and it's bearing is Hawaii!"
"Radio in and warn Oahu," Ron said as he headed towards the door. "Prep my MS." The crew got to work. "Overlord, this is Iowa: large fleet incoming! Sir, I'm getting nothing but static!" The ship rocked for a second, caused by a missile that had just been shot down by the CIWS.
"Give me that thing and pump every fucking amp into the transmitter! This is Lieutenant Ronald Pinkerton, commander of the USS Iowa to all resistance forces: we are under attack by OMNI Enforcer carrier planes and surface warships! Christ, there's thousands of them! Evacuate Hawaii: get everyone and thing the hell out of there!"
Meanwhile - At Hawaii
Jordan was just about to land the Schwarze Calamity before Ron's message came through. "Oh damn..." he muttered before he hit the comm. "Attention all forces! We've got EA forces on approach to the harbor, the Iowa is engaging! Get ready for a fight everyone!"
The message quickly spread across Oahu, as US military personnel manned whatever defenses they could muster, and the naval ships that weren't being repaired started moving, preparing their defenses against the incoming attack.
"The Iowa's holding off the entire invasion force, and they've got hundreds of Mobile Suits bearing down on them by now! Hate to say it, but the Lieutenant can't hold off THAT many! Get everything we can spare and move out!"
"This is Captain Johnston," Tom's voice called out. "We're deploying our ships, we'll buy you as much time as we can."
"Takeshi Yamato here," Takeshi's voice reported. "Ready to do some Cleaving! Archangel, given the size of the enemy force, I think this might be a good opportunity to try that strategy we discussed before San Francisco: Jam the enemy airwaves with Heavy Metal!"
"Son of a bitch! Can't get a break can we?" Came D.J.'s voice.
"Iowa to allied forces: we're under heavy attack and the Lieutenant requires assistance! He's engaging a LOT of Mobile Suits, along with a few I've never seen before! Get here NOW!"
"We're moving! We're Moving!" Jordan shouted as the Calamity soared through the skies, as it sped towards the Iowa's position with the rest of the team.
"We're gonna have to stick to the shores!" Hilda said, as her team's GiNN's marched out of the hagars. "They aren't really capable of flight!"
"Stick to the shores then! EA forces will likely breach our defenses and attack the island itself!" Jordan said. "No matter what, we are NOT losing Hawaii! The line gets drawn HERE! This far, no farther!"
"I'm gonna head off and try to bring down a few of those aircraft!" said D.J., "Attention all M.S. with flight capability, engage those transports! Aim for the cockpits and engines! That'll bring them down!"
The aerial MS forces moved toward the Iowa's position, seeing smoke on the horizon, coming from the Iowa, which had taken damage from either a shell or a missile that got past the CIWS screen, and Ron engaging Daggers that had copied his surfing to take the fight to the battleship. That was when they spotted three GAT-series MSs: a Duel, Buster, and Strike, modified for flight.
"Oh GREAT! G-Weapon copies," Jordan groaned. "Pick your targets everyone. Those Gundams are priority targets, but don't neglect the rest of the attack force!"
"It's about fucking time you got here! I've been fighting these assholes for fifteen minutes, and I can't keep this up for-" A beam round took off his Dagger's head, knocking out the radio transmitter, followed by the left leg.
"Ron!" Tom shouted out at he fired off a flurry of shots at a group of Daggers. "Someone get in there and secure the wreckage!"
"I'm on it!" Jessica cried. The Strike Dagger she had last used streaked into the fight, speeding right for Ron's Dagger.
That was a mistake, as the Strike fired at her machine, destroying the thruster pack and ruining the machine. Two Daggers recovered the downed machine, dragging it away toward a high-speed transport to get it back to the mainland.
"Aw HELL NO!" Jordan shouted as he pulled out his Beam Boomerangs. "You ain't taking Ron, ya bastards!" However before he could toss them, the Buster opened fire with its long-range Gun Launcher, forcing him to break off to avoid. "Goddammit!"
They didn't just capture a pilot. They captured someone who knew almost everything there was to know about Gundam prior to 2009. "Iowa to fleet: we've taken a hit to our screws! Speed and maneuverability decreased! We need to retreat!"
"I'll give you some cover, Iowa!" Takeshi called out. He then yelled, "ITTOU! RYOUDAN!" as he descended on a Strike Dagger, Cleaving it in two.
Again, hubris was about to cost them another Mobile Suit as a number of Strike Daggers, all standard GAT-01s, began unloading beam rounds into his general direction, some of the plasma missing, but a number of bolts connected, hacking him down but not killing him.
"Gah!" Takeshi cried out as his machine lost both of its arms and a leg to the barrage. Luckily, his Aile Striker, modified like Ron's to enable flight, was still functioning. "Dammit! I'm gonna have to fall back, too!" He suited action to words as he flew away from the battle, heading back to the Archangel.
"This is General von Kraft: all OMNI Enforcer units, fall back. Tier 1 asset acquired." The fleet continued to open fire, keeping the resistance forces from actively doing damage to the retreating enemy fleet.
"FUCK YOU FUCKERS!" Jordan shouted as he tossed his Beam Boomerangs at the retreating Duel Gundam copy, managing to damage its flight unit, and cutting off its right arm. Jordan proceeded to use his Schwert Gewehr Anti-ship swords to slice off its second arm, before delivering a kick at the general area where the cockpit would be. The machine went limp, its pilot knocked out.
"Iowa, return to Pearl."Jordan growled out, as the EA fleet began its hasty retreat. "We need to get you patched up."
"What are you talking about?!" Jessica shouted. "They've got Ron! We can't-"
"There's NOTHING we can do for him… at least not now," Jordan barked back. "If we're gonna save him, we need a plan! We aren't leaving him for the EA to interrogate, but we can't go rushing in blindly."
"He's got a point," Takeshi remarked. "And I think I might have to retire the Sword that Cleaves Evil routine… they seemed to be prepared for it this time, and not only that, I lost most of the Sword Striker on my machine… I think I'm going to need to try something else next time."
"What about the Duel copy we downed?" Jessica asked. "And the pilot who's in it?"
"Leave the interrogation to me and my people," Tom informed as he landed on the Iowa. "I have a trick to get him singing like a bird quickly."
"Wait a second," came D.J.'s voice, as his Dagger Astray came after dealing with some transports, "didn't you hear that transmission the Archangel intercepted? 'Tier 1 asset'." That forced them to think. If Ron, a lowly MS pilot, was a T1 asset, that meant THEY were all T1 assets. Ron was just the first one to get captured.
"Shit…!" Jessica breathed, realization dawning. "They're after all of us! Not just him, but us as well!"
"What else did you think was going to happen?" Tom asked. "We dealt some serious blows, and now they're going to focus on you for real."
"We're going to need some serious firepower here…" Takeshi remarked. "And we'll be seriously outnumbered… but…" He smiled as he seemed to come to a decision about something. "I don't mind betting on long odds!"
The team began to fall back to Hawaii, escorting the damaged Iowa and bringing the damaged machines back to Oahu.
117Jorn: Oh boy, THIS isn't good...
Patriot-112: True.
Ron the True Fan: GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!
Titanic X: You said it, Jorn. Bad news indeed! O.O
Takeshi Yamato: Agreed.
DragonKnightRyu: Well, I think we need to start a drinking game, take a shot whenever Ron's voice goes over fifty hertz
Patriot-112: Anyway, we hoped you all enjoyed this chapter and wait till next time for the next new chapter of this fic! So, adieu my friends!