Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam, Cain Euthanas is the property of 00virtuezero
I now have an editor/Beta reader, credit goes to Name Under Construction for what I feel was a decent editing job.
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Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty
Chapter 18: Orb's path
Two years ago, Orb was the ground of a tremendous battle. That day, Shinn Asuka lost his family yet in a way, found a new sense of purpose. The battle had awakened his fighting spirit, but also his desire to make a difference. But now Orb was going down the same path again. The Athha family was driving a country his parents loved to ruin once more. As a result, Shinn made it clear that if Orb was to be his enemy, then he would destroy the country with his own hands. He sat in the cockpit of the Core Splendor, looking over at the Aero Gundam as it was being prepared for combat. Although strangely, Silver Mask had yet to come out of his quarters, even with members of the crew knocking at his door. Meanwhile, Atlantic Federation ships continued to gather outside of Orb, ready to destroy the Minerva as it left the country.
Cagalli brooded as she walked through the halls of Orb's defence headquarters. She understood the need to defend Orb through enforcing its neutrality policy. But Yuna was already acting like Orb was part of the Earth Alliance. Now an Atlantic Federation navy fleet was gathered on the edge of the country's borders. In a sense it was a pincer attack, as both fleets would fire on the Minerva. The ship couldn't go back to Orb, so it had to move forward.
"Um, Silver Mask sir…we're about to go into battle!" Luna said anxiously, knocking on Silver Mask's door.
Nia tapped her foot against the floor while Joe sighed. Luna widened her eyes as she heard a pained groan coming from the room.
"Silver Mask, are you all right?" she asked.
The door suddenly slid open, revealing the man himself.
"Perfectly. Why aren't you guys ready for combat?" he deflected.
"We can't fly" Nia said bluntly.
"That doesn't mean you can't fight. Come." Silver Mask instructed.
Shinn slid his helmet's visor down as Silver Mask climbed into his own machine. The Aero Gundam was loaded onto the catapult as Silver Mask ran through the jet's activation system. His glowing eye blinked for a moment as he rubbed his head.
"Is everything all right, sir?" Meyrin queried.
"Yes, Miss Hawke, I'm ready to launch." The masked man said in response.
"The Catapult is ready, you're clear to launch Aero!"
"Enemies in front, soon-to-be enemies behind and nowhere for this ship to go but forward. Now this is my kind of fight! Silver Mask, launching!"
The Aero Gundam slid across the catapult and ignited its tail rockets. Earth Alliance Windams had already launched from the Navy ships and were targeting the Minerva.
"It's the Aero, the machine of that masked mercenary!" One of the Earth Alliance pilots exclaimed.
"All units converge on the Aero, destroy it before it transforms!" Their Commander instructed.
Silver Mask slid one of the panels on his side open and flipped several switches. The Aero fighter's wings expanded, igniting a pair of beam blades. Then Silver Mask turned a dial above his radar, opening the fighter's nose cone. One of the Earth Alliance pilots looked at the glowing centre of the nose cone and widened his eyes. Images of the Purpose flashed before his eyes. He remembered the unique generator used by the Purpose and mass production machines such as the Orion and Kratos units.
"An Arc generator. The Aero has an Arc Generator!" He cried, panicked.
The Aero covered its nose cone with a green nose shield, protecting itself from beam fire. Silver Mask then charged into the Windam squadrons, firing missiles and cutting apart Windams with the Aero's wing blades. Orb soldiers gasped as explosions lit up their skies. The Aero fighter moved between Windams, firing its beam rifles. It shot Windams in the chest and head, even shooting out the wings of their jet packs. Silver Mask targeted multiple Windams and released his missiles.
"Unlike your Purpose, the Aero's fighter form was designed for combat and not long distance travel. This jet could take on a whole battleship if it had to." Silver Mask explained.
He turned the Aero around and fired beam blasts into the back of several Windams. The Minerva crew got the core splendor onto the launch catapult. Joe, Rey, Luna and Nia mounted their machines while Shinn prepped for launch.
"Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor launching!" He shouted.
The parts for the Impulse linked together with the Force Silhouette. As soon as Shinn entered the battle he began firing his beam rifle. Windams were shot through the chest as Shinn flew between them. He fired several more shots, blowing up several Windams. One of the Windams drew their beam sabre and tried to slash the Impulse, but Shinn shot the machine in the chest, watching it blow up before moving onto his next target. Windams flew at the Minerva, but gunfire from the bow side CIWS cut apart the attackers. Silver Mask sliced two Windams in half and flew past the Impulse. Shinn then shot the two Windams pursuing the Aero.
"All of those mobile suits for one ship, what the fuck are the Earth Alliance thinking?" Nia asked as the Zakus and the Kampfer walked out of the catapult.
"They're approaching it the smart way. Means more enemies for us to deal with." Joe remarked.
"Luna, Nia, you two use the Gunner packs for this battle." Rey instructed.
The Red and Blue Zakus removed their long range beam cannons while the Kampfer kept its 360 mm bazooka and Panzer Faust warhead ready. Joe smirked as several Windams flew towards the ship.
"Alright boys and girls, time to have some fun." The ace said.
Earth Alliance Commander Cain Eunathas cared little for politics or ideals. He had orders to fight and they were good orders. If they had been bad orders he may have questioned them and altered the strategy in order to make the mission easier. But this mission had a high probability of success. Sensou Grand Commander Vincent Rach had just been in a battle with four G-Type mobile suits. He was worn out and angry because of a pilot's death. This would make him sloppy and in turn, make Cain's job easier. He led a small group of Phantom Pain Jet Dagger Ls. They had enough experience to handle a pilot such as Rach - but Cain wasn't going to become overconfident.
"Surround him men, force him to fly towards me." Cain commanded.
"Yes, Commander!" His men chorused.
Vincent flew the Burning ReZEL straight towards the enemy mobile suits. He was no longer in the mood for games. Targeting retinas appeared over his eyes and when he raised his rifle, one of the retinas went red, focusing on his target. He fired a beam straight towards the lead machine. Cain swerved out of the way, smirking at Vincent's intelligence.
"Take out the head first, huh? Not good enough I'm afraid, all units commence attack." Cain taunted.
The Dagger Ls began firing their beam rifles, forcing the ReZEL to fly upwards. Cain narrowed his eyes at the ReZEL as it flew higher and higher into the sky.
"Pursue him, now!" he ordered.
Cain fired his beam rifle, abandoning his original tactic and joining his men in their pursuit. The storm of beams flying towards the ReZEL would cause mediocre pilots to panic. But Vincent was far from mediocre. Cain had read of the man's exploits at Panama and had even heeded the rumours of Jachin Due. He was the man who had piloted a barely rebuilt "First Gundam" and still managed to fight evenly with Rau Le Creuset. Reportedly, he had even killed the terrorist Uragiri. That, and Rach had the firm strength of character to kill a village full of people.
'What are you planning, Rach?' Cain wondered.
"He just keeps flying up and up, what's he trying to do?" One of the pilots asked.
They were storeys above the water now, they had even soared past the clouds. And still the ReZEL flew ever higher. Cain widened his eyes, finally realising his foe's plan.
"Cain, stop flying now!" The voice of Jeremiah came over the radio, the man having also come to the same realization.
Cain's Windam, luckily, had better equipment than the Dagger Ls – their pilots unfortunate enough to fall for Vincent's trick.
"What the- MY ENGINES ARE FREEZING!" A pilot yelled.
Vincent then dived downwards, using the panic caused by their freezing jet engines to his advantage. He drew his beam sabre, slicing one of the Dagger Ls in half. Then he turned to another, stabbing it in the chest. Beams began flying out of space, hitting the Dagger Ls from above. Nick Armstrong and his team of snipers fired their rifles from the comfort of a Base Class ship.
"Ha ha, didn't you idiots ever watch Iron Man?" Armstrong snarked, laughing as his GM fired its rifle.
The beams impaled and shot apart some of the Dagger Ls and forced Cain to evade. He let his mobile suit fall, using his shield to block shots until he was out of firing range. The ReZEL suddenly flew out of the clouds, swinging its sabre towards the Windam. Cain flipped in midair, aiming a kick towards the ReZEL. But Vincent ducked and swung his sabre upwards. Cain deflected the blade with his shield and aimed his rifle point blank in Vincent's face. Vincent fired his Vulcans, tearing the battery of the rifle. Cain threw his rifle aside and flew backwards, firing his own Vulcans at the ReZEL.
"Jeremiah, where are the Skygraspers?" asked Cain.
"On their way Cain, they have Aile, Sword and Blast packs ready!" Jeremiah responded.
Cain flew away from the ReZEL, disengaging his jet pack. He then swung around, firing his Vulcans at the pack. The jets blew up, obscuring Vincent's view. Cain radioed the Skygrasper pilots, telling them to release the Aile pack. The Windam lined up with the Skygraspers, one of which released the Aile pack. Vincent narrowed his eyes at the Windam as the flight pack slammed into the machine's back. Cain targeted the ReZEL and drew his beam sabres. He spun around, dodging the spray of bullets fired by the ReZEL's Vulcans.
'Not good enough.' Cain thought.
Vincent yelled and blocked Cain's sabres with his own. He forced his mobile suit forward, pushing the Windam back slightly. Then he pulled his mobile suit back, dodging Cain's left sabre. Cain thrust his right sabre forward, barely brushing Vincent's shoulder. The ReZEL's eyes flashed before Vincent grinded his sabre against Cain's swords.
"Colonel Euthanas, let us back you up!" The Skygrasper sword pilot shouted.
"Fly around him, but only distract him. The killing shots will be mine." Cain boasted, grinning as he swung his sabres downwards.
The force of the blows forced Vincent back, throwing him against his seat. He looked up at the Windam and then turned his attention to his warning alarm – the Skygraspers were attacking to his right. He pulled out his targeting camera, drawing his rifle and fired a blast at the Windam.
"Trying to get me to back up in fear, huh?" accused Cain.
Cain split the beam apart and flew straight towards the ReZEL. Vincent bought his ReZEL's arm up, using the added armour to block Cain's sabre. The Sword Skygrasper folded out its sword, attempting to cut the ReZEL down the middle. But Vincent kicked off of the Windam, flying away from the Skygrasper and mobile suit.
"He's better then we thought he'd be!" The Skygrasper Blast pilot complained.
"But not good enough to survive attacks from all sides!" The pilot of the Aile Skygrasper reassured him, firing a missile at the back of the ReZEL. Vincent grunted as the explosion threw him forward, Cain then flew forward, slashing the ReZEL's shoulder. Vincent quickly flipped his mobile suit around and kicked the Windam across the head. Cain widened his eyes as the ReZEL then thrust its foot into his chest, throwing him backwards. Vincent then took out his shield and threw it, the shield spinning like a discus until it crashed through the Skygrasper Blast's cockpit.
"Damn, we're already losing more pilots than Sensou and ZAFT!" Jeremiah cried, watching both the battles of the ReZEL and of the Minerva.
"It seems we underestimated Vincent Rach, sir." Jessica quipped.
Jeremiah slammed his hand against his armrest, looking at the battle with disdain. Vincent swerved to the right, hitting the Windam with several bullets from his Vulcan. Cain linked his sabres together and linked the two sabres to his machine's wrists. He began spinning the wrists of his Windam, using the spinning beam blades to block the ReZEL's Vulcans and force it back. Vincent frowned and fired his beam rifle, only to have the beam blocked by the Windam's sabres. Knowing they could overheat, Cain stopped spinning the sabres. Instead, he then threw them, sending them spinning towards the ReZEL. Vincent flew downwards, yelling as two missiles slammed into his mobile suit's chest.
"You may be good at fighting opponents in duels, but on a real battlefield, superior numbers can overwhelm you!" Cain pontificated.
Jeremiah turned to the battle in Orb, narrowing his eyes at the Aero. It hadn't yet changed out of its fighter form. Silver Mask was either trying to make a point, or mock the Alliance forces. Perhaps both. The Aero fighter fired several more blasts from its beam cannon, destroying two Windams. Joe fired his shotgun, blowing a Windam out of the sky. Rey fired several shots from his beam rifle, blowing off the limbs of a Windam before it crashed into the water. Talia gave the order to fire and the ship released a volley of missiles. The mobile suits dodged the missiles and the gunfire from the ship. Silver Mask swung his head around, watching the EA flagship launch a mobile armour of some kind.
"Is that the Zamza-Zah?" Jessica asked.
"Yes." Jeremiah replied.
He narrowed his eyes at the mobile armour. Though mobile suits had replaced mobile armour as the dominant war machine, there were still many that pushed for advancements in mobile armour technology. The Zamza was the result of those advancements. Jeremiah sighed as he leant back into his chair. This would only strengthen the Seiran's side of an Orb and Atlantic Federation Alliance. He didn't like the Seiran family, not many people respected them, but Jeremiah could honestly say that every member of the family made his skin crawl. But the Seirans were nothing if not deceptive. And it was there ability to deceive that would allow them to take Orb without a single bullet having to be fired.
"Yuna, what is going on here?" Cagalli asked as she entered the Orb Defence HQ.
All of the Orb soldiers promptly saluted their representative and then got back to work.
"The Earth Alliance fleet is attacking the Minerva." Yuna drawled.
"That isn't fair! Where was the Minerva supposed to go after it was forced to leave this country?" Cagalli protested.
"I've sent out Orb's fleet, they will fire warning shots in case the Minerva tries to cross back into our territory. Even though we haven't officially signed the treaty, we've decided to join the Earth Alliance. As that ship is an enemy of the Atlantic Federation, it is obvious what stance we should take." Yuna explained condescendingly, ignoring Cagalli's question.
Two spies narrowed their eyes at the nobleman. They worked for Scirocco and Treize respectively. Both had become familiar with the integrity of the Orb government. If Cagalli was in her right mind she would put Yuna in his place. But she wasn't in her right mind and the man Yuna feared the most was in the deepest reaches of space. Treize and Scirocco had no doubt that Orb would join the Earth Alliance. Cagalli herself was starting to realise the necessity of an alliance. Orb was damned if it didn't join but if it did, then there was a likelihood that Cagalli could save the people of Orb. But the girl still wanted to compromise neither her political views, nor her morality.
"Yuna, stop this now!" she commanded.
Yuna swung around, looking Cagalli in the eye.
"This country is not your plaything, stop making decisions based simply on how you feel!" he retorted.
If Casvall were there, Yuna wouldn't have dared talk to Cagalli like that. Branden and Kojiro slid their helmet visors down and began launch preparations. Sheryl was already on the ship with her mechanics, working frantically with the Minerva crew. The Zamza fired blast after blast from its cannons, forcing the Aero and the Impulse to manoeuvre across the battlefield. Luna fired her cannon, cutting a Windam in half. The Minerva bought ups its positron cannon, the Tannhauser.
"Fire!" Talia yelled.
The incredible white and blue beam flew towards the Earth Alliance fleet. However, much to the shock of the Minerva crew and the Orb fleet, the Zamza blocked the beam.
"A positron reflector shield" Talia and Jeremiah exclaimed.
The Aero folded into its mobile suit form, its sole eye glowing at the mobile armour.
"Now this is going to be a good fight." Silver Mask said with dark delight.
"Hope you don't mind some company."
Silver Mask smirked as he looked to his right. The Kenshin and Murasama Rogue were flying towards the battlefield. Kojiro flew on a flight platform while the Murasama Rogue's powerful rockets kept it above the ocean. Branden's Gundam was equipped with powerful, three bladed gauntlets that were more then a match for beam sabres. He split a Windam into three pieces, while the Kenshin fired the missiles on its flight platform, destroying several Windams. Kojiro then took his sword and sliced through a Windam's cockpit, staining the sword with the pilot's blood.
"It's great to be back in the fighting." Branden quipped.
The Murasama Rogue cut two more Windams apart before firing the chain-linked Gatling guns on its shoulders, one of the Windams cut apart by the volley of bullets. While the Sensou and ZAFT mobile suits fought for their lives, the Orb fleet watched the battle. Veteran Captain Todoka watched with particular disdain.
"So we're to ally with the people whom attacked us two years ago and to keep out those who fought heroically to save the Earth. I believe the word for that is 'ungrateful'. Then again, that word probably doesn't exist in politics" he remarked dourly.
"Sir, despite our warnings the Minerva is drifting towards our territory!" one of the crewmembers said, panicking.
"Fine, fire a few shots into the water near them – but don't hit them." Todoka commanded.
"But sir, that goes against our orders!"
"I'm not a politician."
Nia fired her cannon at the Windams, cursing as her low power warning lit up. She disconnected the gunner pack and began firing shots with her beam rifle. The Orb ships began firing a volley of missiles, bombing the water near the Minerva and pushing it away from Orb borders. Shinn turned the Impulse around, looking at the Orb ships.
"They're attacking us!" He shouted angrily.
Suddenly, the Impulse jerked as the Zamza grabbed the Gundam's leg with its claws.
"Oh shit!" Shinn yelled.
"Damn it Orb, why did you have to kick us out, you stick-in-the-ass country? And where's Vincent, we fucking need him!" Nia cried.
Kojiro span his Naginata around, blocking the beams fired by several Windams. He ignited the staff's beam blade and sliced two Windams in half with a single swing.
"Commander Rach is currently engaged in a test flight, but it isn't like him to take this long. And watch your language in regards to Orb." Kojiro responded.
"Captain, the Impulse's power is at critical levels!" Meyrin said.
'Damn it!' Shinn thought.
Jeremiah lowered his head at the sight of the giant mobile armor trapping the Gundam. The Zamza had firepower, enough firepower to keep the other Gundams back while it finished off their ally. Jeremiah pitied the pilot of the Impulse, just as he pitied Vincent Rach. Cain and the Skygraspers showed Vincent no mercy, never allowing him to catch a break. The ReZEL was constantly on the move, dodging beam fire from every direction.
'Damn it!' Vincent thought, unknowingly in synch with Shinn.
Cain flew downwards, swinging his sabre towards the ReZEL's chest. Vincent yelled as he pulled his mobile suit backwards, when a missile suddenly flew into its back.
"I can't die here, I have to get to the Minerva!" Vincent declared.
He dived downwards, dodging beams fired by the Skygraspers. Cain drew his beam rifle, firing at the back of Vincent's ReZEL.
"Darcel Archer, are you ready?" Cain asked over the radio.
The Slaughter moved through the forests of one of the nearby islands. Darcel smirked as he cleared the trees away and aimed his Gatling Guns at the ReZEL. Vincent widened his eyes as the Slaughter's eyes glowed.
Shinn couldn't hear the explosions around him. He couldn't hear Meyrin and Silver Mask yelling over the radio. Nothing outside of himself existed anymore. All he saw were his failures, the result of his lack of power. He saw his parents and sister, crushed under the arm of a Strike Dagger. Then he saw the daughter of Uzumi Nara Athha, preaching to others over matters she didn't understand. He saw Vincent Rach, looking at him with empty eyes.
'I won't…'
Mayu was running through the park, laughing as the leaves fell.
'I won't let it end like this.'
A red seed was spinning.
'I won't…'
Mayu smiled and the seed shattered.
"I WON'T DIE HERE!" Shinn roared.
He was back on the battlefield, his eyes seeing the enemies with the upmost of clarity and his mind processing the best method of defeating them. The Impulse swung its arm round, cutting the Zamza's claw with its sabre. Silver Mask turned his head towards the Impulse, stroking his chin curiously. Shinn yelled as he stabbed his sabre into the Zamza's cockpit, killing its crew of three. Jeremiah got off his chair, watching in shock as the Zamza blew up before his eyes. He then looked to the battle with the ReZEL and growled in frustration. Darcel hadn't yet delivered the killing shot.
"Darcel, what's going on?" Cain asked, annoyed.
Darcel clutched his head in a mixture of pain and confusion. Then he recognised the familiarity of the feeling he was experiencing.
"He's here!" He whispered.
Vincent and Cain both widened their eyes as the Purpose Mk 2 burst out of the bushes beside Darcel. It sliced the Slaughter's guns apart with its sabre and flew upwards towards the ReZEL. The Purpose flew past the ReZEL, delivering a right hook that crushed the Sword Skygrasper's cockpit. Cain turned to the AI controlled machine and swung his beam sabre. But the ReZEL quickly turned around and sliced off the Windam's arm. The Purpose then threw a beam Kunai into Cain's rifle, blowing it up before he could fire another shot.
"All units, commence retreat now!" Cain ordered.
"We can still win!" Darcel protested.
"Not in our current condition. This is neither a victory nor a defeat, today both sides lost an equal amount of pilots."
Jeremiah watched the Impulse fly to the Minerva as it opened its launch catapult. Another silhouette flyer took off as the ship fired its Deterion beam. The thin beam hit the Gundam's V-Fin, recharging its power supply. Shinn then disengaged his Force pack, the Sword Silhouette taking its place on the back of the Impulse, changing its chest and feet armour to a red colour. Shinn flew straight towards the Earth Alliance fleet, shocking Branden and Kojiro with his initiative.
"Don't just sit there with your mouths open, JOIN THE PARTY!" Silver Mask yelled eagerly.
Earth Alliance crewmembers began to panic as the Impulse landed on the flagship. Shinn stabbed his sword into the front of the ship, and then slashed the bridge. The two portions of the ship slid from their original places, crashing into the ocean. Silver Mask unfolded an anti-ship sword, igniting the doubled edged beam blades. Branden drew the Rogue assault swords from the Murasama's waist while Kojiro jumped off of his platform with his spear ready. The three Gundams began to cut apart the Earth Alliance ships. Kojiro remained in his calm state, indifferent to the screaming crewmembers crushed beneath his blade. Branden yelled, dragging his sword across the side of one of the boats. Silver Mask even laughed as he crashed his sword into the bridges of the ships. Shinn however, howled in raw fury, looking at the bridge of the final remaining Earth Alliance ship. He roared, crashing his sword into the bridge and flying away from the burning wreckage.
"My god!" One of Jeremiah's aides gasped.
"Remember that scene men. That… is the power of a Gundam." Jeremiah said weakly.
Jeremiah pressed a button on his remote, turning off the screen and focusing on the scene with the ReZEL and Purpose Mk 2. He watched the two mobile suits land on one of the nearby islands. They stared one another down, and Jeremiah could only imagine what Vincent was saying.
"Who do you fight for?" He would have asked.
The Purpose raised its fist and Jeremiah gasped as the sentient machine and the piloted ReZEL slammed their fists together. This was the beginning of a very strange friendship in Sensou, and the beginning of terror for the Earth forces.
Next Chapter 19: Alliances
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter