20 Years Later - 20 AC
John Stason's POV
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what assignment I was to be given for my journalism project at university, I was to interview the heroes of the Alien/Titans War from long ago that fought for the former Dilganese Empire which was now the Alien Republic after it was democratised following the war.
In order to assist in the project, I had various researchers that helped me gather information as well as get in contact with the right people that could help with the project and low and behold we got some big news early in the research.
"James Pickles has accepted our offer of an interview for this project," said my colleague
James Pickles was Dil Pickles's middle child and played a key part in both the American front as well as the final stages of the war, to be able to talk to the 1st Presidents son so early into the project felt like a fever dream.
I got on a plane and flew out to where he lived which was in the suburbs of Los Angeles California, when I landed at LAX, I got a taxi and was able to drive out to the area which felt like a throwback to the 1950s as similar looking suburban houses dominated the landscape. Eventually we found James's house by the number of the house that was written on the piece of paper that we had.
I exit the taxi and walked towards the house, there was a swimming pool as well as a grass lawn that was similar to most of the houses of the area, although on the grass lawn was an imposing basketball hoop with Seattle SuperSonics branding as well as a basketball on the floor.
I ringed the door bell to find it open quite quickly. The man who answered it wore a golf polo, a pair of cream coloured shorts as well as a pair of retro looking Reebok Pumps. He had curly bronze hair at medium length as well as a pair of aviators which gave him a Maverick sort of vibe.
"I see your the Journalist that wanted to interview me," said James
"I am, are you James Pickles," I said
"The one and only, it must of been a long flight to get here," said James with a big smile
"It was, we are based in New York, so it was a flight from one part of the America's to the other," I said
"I remember travelling the America's by foot and mobile suit, your underestimate how big the subcontinent actually is," said James
"That must of been during the Aliens/Titans War," I said curious
"Exactly, please come in, I'll provide refreshments," said James as he welcomed me into his house.
Walking into his house was a corridor that had some pictures on the wall as well as a wooden staircase on the right hand side, the pictures were James with his friends and what appeared to be his wife and kids, but noticeably no pictures with any of his parents.
"Come on into the living room if you want to hear what happened in the war," said James as he led me to his living room which had two large sofas that flanked the room with a fireplace below a large flatscreen TV, he also had pennants of the Seattle SuperSonics, Bradford City and the North Sydney Bears that flanked the TV as well as cupboards with 3 pictures, one of a family gathering recently, one of him and Yasako during the war and one of him and Charlie at a baseball game. On the table was a big jug of orange juice and James had poured it out in two cups.
"How's the research going," said James
"Here's the papers that I have researched and written," I said handing him the papers
"Ah I see you have covered the early parts of the war as well as most of the America's campaign up to the siege of Royal Woods," said James
"I was going to start writing my piece, but I managed to secure a interview with you and I figured it would be great to have a person that actually lived the siege as well as you being the son of two very important figures of the entire war," I said
"Well you got your man, what would you like to know," said James
"How did the events of the siege unfold from your perspective," I said
"Before the siege funnily enough I actually met my future wife Yasako as well as being trained along with my colleagues by the Red Comet himself and then my mother took over the operation and thus the siege began on December 17th 0 AC," said James
"I heard your wife was related to the North Japanese leader at the time," I said
"Her mother Nayuki was 1st Cousin's with the North Japanese leader," said James
"Wow, how did she even end up on the Michigan Front," I said
"She was transferred along in order to rescue relations between the Dilganese and North Japanese following the peace deal with the SGDR that strained relations," said James
"Yeah I heard the peace deal was very controversial considering that the SGDR had played a big part on the Titans end of the war and it nearly costed the Dilganese relations with both the Dangos and North Japanese," I said
"It was, did you know it was I that negotiated it," said James
"Really," I said surprised thinking it was done with senior Dilganese officials.
"Yeah, me and Lyssa Von Karn met up and we managed to negotiate it," said James
"I can't believe that was how the peace deal was made, I thought it would of been done using the diplomatic corps of each country," I said
"Dad deployed me to do it as I was considered the only person that could convince Lyssa to make peace with us," said James
"Considering you were both related and that Lyssa had beef with Haman beforehand, it would of kinda made sense, have you spoken to her since the war," I said
"I've been over to the SGDR as a guest of the nation and have spoken to her a couple of times, despite the distance and political differences, I would say that we are still on good terms," said James
"That's good to hear, so cutting to the chase, what happened during the battle," I said
"Ah yes, the morning of the battle we were woken up early in the morning, so early that the sky was still dark as the Dilganese had looked to counter the defenders by surprise, we were hurried into our MS where Mom and Quattro were waiting for us in their MS," said James
"There were rumours that your MS managed to hope onto a USS Defiant and you rode into a battle like a gallant warrior," I said
"There was a USS Defiant, but it arrived too late for such a event to occur, so we rode off to battle as the ground forces followed us into battle, it was a cold day with snow covering the ground as well as snow filling the air as the month of December had kicked in," said James
"I heard from both sides that it was one of the coldest days of the year and from accounts I read both sides had issues dealing with it," I said
"Tell me about it, if we used standard issue MS they would of froze over, luckily we were aces and thus our MS was more advanced and able to keep up with the gruelling climate, although a few people I served with told me of the poor weather," said James as I was writing down all of the key 1st hand historical information.
"What happened next," I asked
"We arrived in the battle in which heavily entrenched Leni forces awaited us who bunkered in the many building's that were spread around the city, it's there where I saw first hand how good Quattro and my mother were as pilots," said James
"It would make sense considering they were both seasoned war veterans," I said knowing my UC history
"They were able to pick out where exactly the entrenched Leni forces were firing from and snuffed them out quickly, all we had to to do at first was destroy the heavy Leni ground units to help our forces when they arrived," said James
"When you refer to as we, you referring to the 17th Jefferson Division, is that correct," I asked
"Yes, we were mostly a cover unit for Quattro and my mother who were able to make things really easy to the ground forces, although I will say that they did leave lots of collateral damage as they would simply shoot at the Leni forces without any empathy or care," said James
"Would make sense considering they were sort of both anti-hero's in a good guy organisation," I said
"Like Han Solo or Quark," said James seemingly knowing his movie/tv references
"Yeah, like that," I said
"If you put it that way and the fact they were both ex-villains, yeah they were, anywho the ground forces eventually arrived after some fierce fighting and the battle had begun with fierce fighting on the streets of the city with both sides trading blows as the Leni forces fought like their lives depended on it, it taught me a valuable lesson actually," said James
"What was the lesson," I said
"That many of the Leni forces weren't fighting for any ideology or were loyal to her crazy vision, but rather were fighting for survival as well as to defend the place that they called home, it reminded me of when I was in the Alien Home Guard and defending my homeland from a Leni/Titans invasion," said James
"So what happened next," I asked
"Then we pressed deeper into Royal Woods to find the LPG who were awaiting us with their MS," said James
"The Leni Pretorian Guard, Leni Loud's elite guard," I said
"Despite the death of their leader, the LPG remained in Royal Woods to defend the very heart of the Empire to the sword, the MS was formerly Titans MS that had been upgraded by Lisa Loud who was one of the Titans top scientists which turned these MS into unstoppable fighting machines," said James
"If they were so unstoppable, how were you able to defeat them," I asked which judging by James's emotions, he didn't like the tone I asked the question.
"We engaged them in active combat, despite all but two of us being Newtypes, it was clear that the LPG knew how to fight us as they were made of pilots that were lab trained specifically to fight Newtypes and it showed as the less experienced and Oldtypes were struggling to fight them," said James as his tone got more and more somber as he spoke.
James stood up and opened one of his cupboard draws to reveal a broken pair of black visor sunglasses.
"I stole these when we were doing MS training with Quattro, although when I think of that day of the battle, an another thought comes into mind," said James
"What is that," I said
End of POV
Flashback - December 17th 0 AC
The battle between the Jefferson Division and the LPG had been fierce with even Haman and Quattro not being able to fully dominate them which demonstrated the success of the Anti-Newtype training the LPG members received in the labs. Despite the training Quattro and Haman had managed to down two of the MS.
Suddenly the LPG pilots had managed to out-duel Leo and Yasako who were probably the weakest pilots out of the group and they were about to finish them off with their beam rifles before a red MS jumped in the way taking quite a few shots before the red MS fell to the floor with smoke emitting from the MS. Leo and Yasako were able to use the distraction to destroy the remaining distracted LPG MS.
However attention quickly turned to the crumpled mess that was the Red Zaku Alpha which had smoke emitting from where the beam rifles from the LPG's MS had torn through it.
They realised that Quattro Bajeena had sacrificed himself to save two of his fellow soldiers and to distract the elite LPG enough for the elite Leni unit to be defeated.
Immediately Rosemary's MS went to its knees as Rosemary had burst into tears which caused Leo to enter a covering position to avoid any Leni ambushes.
Haman was simply lost for words, she had the most history with Char and they had their disagreements and even fought against each other on the battlefield. But at the same time she had some sense of familiarity with him considering they were both from the same dimension as well as her past feelings for him.
Haman turned off her comms and said to herself "He'll be at peace knowing that he has reunited with his father and Natalie, but even so it's still a hard loss to bare" as she turned her comms back on and saw a red aura begin to engulf James's MS.
Suddenly James began repeating the same phrase over and over again.
"Don't ever got no brain or nothing"
James's red aura intensified the more he kept saying it until suddenly he rushed towards the battle without a thought or care.
"James, where is he going," said Haman surprised
"The curse has got to him, he's going berserk," said Yasako
"Leo, keep an eye on Rosemary and stay put, Yasako, you and me are going to find James no matter what it takes," said Haman
"Aye," said Yasako as both of them rushed forward.
Both advanced their MS forward, blasting past many Leni ground defences as they frantically shifted through the streets of the city.
The evening
It had been hours since James had disappeared into battle as the battle had roared on, at this point of the battle the Leni forces had retreated heavily and were only defending various important sites that had some political importance to the fallen state.
Haman and Yasako were walking around the once bustling city, Haman was in a rebuilt version of the Qubeley that had been built with Dilganese technology replacing the old Neo-Zeon technology as well as a special seat to accommodate Haman's prosthetics, whilst Yasako was piloting a Dango GM Sniper Custom that had been outfitted with special close and long range add-ons.
"James, where are you," said Yasako worried
"James, come out and show yourself, it's too dangerous to be alone out on the battlefield," said Haman also worried
"Leo and Rosemary warned me that the red curse of Everwood had begun to affect James's performance in the battle," said Yasako
"The curse of Everwood, what do you mean by it," said Haman raising her voice in a stern manner.
"I don't know much, but it some sort of curse that affects not only James, but the entire Pickles family, Quattro and Dil spoke about it after we trained with Quattro and Quattro told me it relates to when the Pickles visited a cursed mineshaft called Camp Everwood when they were younger," said Yasako
"How comes I've never seen it before, plus I don't see Dil and the other Pickles family members with a red aura," said Haman
"Because it affects them differently with James being the most severe case due to having Newtype powers, I have noticed it only affects James when he is in extreme stress or sadness," said Yasako
"What was he like with the powers," said Haman
"He had this menacing red aura that engulfed his MS and was able to deflect most attacks, he could draw a MS in before finishing it with brute strength, it's an powerful attack, but it also affects his lifeforce," said Yasako
"Have you seen it before," said Haman
"Only in MS Simulators, he used it successfully against Quattro and nearly used it against you in that training scenario, but I stopped it using my Fox powers," said Yasako
"Fox Powers???," said Haman confused
"Due to the teleportation and dimension tampering abilities of our people who my mother saw first hand with Ayu and a fox called Makoto, I managed to briefly teleport James into an another dimension, the one that both the living and spirits can cross," said Yasako
Haman was surprised by the revelation.
"I know that when James got there, 4 people spoke to him before he returned back to our reality," said Yasako
"Who were the 4 people," said Haman
"Both of Dil's grandfathers Boris and Lou as well as your father Maharaja and your sister Marlene," said Yasako
Haman was speechless, she couldn't believe that midway through a battle, James had been teleported away and was able to meet her late father and sister as well as some of Dil's late relatives.
"What was the meeting like, do you know any details," said Haman
"They gave him advice as well as an heart to heart, I heard it was good tempered," said Yasako
"Was anything said about me, like from my father and Marlene," said Haman
"Marlene mostly thought rather highly of her nephew and did advise him to watch over both you and Mashymere during these troubling times," said Yasako
"What about father," said Haman
Yasako smiled before saying "Maharaja actually commented that James was raised well and that you had atoned for your sins for the First Neo-Zeon War, he also advised James to be himself and not be burdened by the past,"
A tear flowed through Haman's eye at that moment, when she gave birth to James, her emotions were all over the place as it had only been 2 years since the First Neo-Zeon War and when she first saw James for the first time, she promised herself that she would make sure that he had the childhood that was taken away from her by the Universal Century and that James would be raised with a kind heart as well as to make sure he didn't make the same mistakes that she did. However now with the revelation that Yasako had revealed gave Haman some sort of peace in both her mind and her soul.
"You love James, don't you Yasako," said Haman which caused Yasako to blush
"You might say I do have feelings for him and we confessed a day before the battle, how could you tell I liked him," said Yasako
"I can sense it, Newtype intuition, I will give you a piece of advice though," said Haman
"What's that," said Yasako
"Make sure you treat him with upmost kindness and love, he's got a good heart and I don't want it ruined or affected by any toxicity, if you dare to mistreat him, I'll eliminate you without any remorse," said Haman which caused Yasako to gulp.
"I'll treat him to the best I possibly can, I love him and have a lot of feelings towards him," said Yasako
"I know you'll make an excellent partner to James, I can sense it," said Haman
"Thank you, Haman" said Yasako
"One more thing," said Haman
"Go on," said Yasako
"If I don't make it out of this war, make sure James remains his usual self, don't let it affect him mentally," said Haman
"I'll try my best," said Yasako
Suddenly 2 packs of USS Defiants could be spotted flying through the air with one of them having the SPT Raptor attached to it.
"James, how did he get on top of a Defiant," said Yasako
Meanwhile
The two USS Defiants were flying over the battle when the crews decide to comms each other.
"This is Morty Pangborn of the 2nd Coalition Defiant Fleet, coming in," said Morty Pangborn
"This is Benjamin Sisko of the 1st Coalition Defiant Fleet, I have the SPT Raptor attached to my ship, can you cover for me as we attempt to clear the Leni positions," said Benjamin Sisko
"Will do, Defiants we've got a job to do, let's go do it," said Morty Pangborn as both of the fleets began wrecking havoc on the remaining Leni forces.
End of Flashback
John Stason's POV
"And then the Defiants helped us win the battle as the remaining Leni forces either fled or were destroyed," said James
"I have read your wife's accounts of the battle and she recalls her conversation with your mother, but one thing that I never could find was what were you doing at that moment," I said
"It was all a blur as the curse had caused my memories to muddle a bit, but from I could gather is that I continued to fight the Leni forces for a bit before I was intercepted by a few USS Defiants," said James
"That must of been Benjamin Sisko," I said
"It was as well as Morty Pangborn who's uncle was my fathers former principal, they had snapped me back to reality as well as to attach my MS to their ships to increase their firepower," said James
"I did read that the Defiants were the turning point of the battle and that Royal Woods fell in a day," I said
"They were, after the battle, the Defiants flew to Detroit where we fought Lisa Loud and the last of the Leni forces, the battle lasted 3 days and afterwards the Empire of Leni had completely collapsed with the last Leni forces surrendering a day after the fall of Detroit," said James
"What happened to the 17th Jefferson post battle?" I asked
"Rosemary would exit the military shortly after as she grieved over her fathers death, Leo would end up serving in Charlie's fleet for the rest of the war and would lead his MS team and me and Yasako were reassigned to the 12th Magpie Fleet which consisted of a mixture of old American Front and Australian Front troops that had weathered both fronts," said James
"I heard they named the ships of the fleet out of the old Wests players of the past," I said
"They did, I could recall the ACS Dallas and the ACS Raudonikis being notable ships of the fleet," said James
"Yeah, there was also the ACS Summons and ACS O'Shea that were deployed," I said
"Yeah I remember those ships fondly, post battle, I was flown on a plane to Bradford ready for the Christmas Day game," said James
"My parents told me about the game, saying it fulfilled their lives during a rather glum time," I said
"Your parents were in the 10th Armoured Ike Regiment, that is correct," said James
"How did you know," I said
"I studied who you were before you came here and the Regiment popped up, they fought in the American Front," said James
"I can sort of tell that you have researched the many regiments/divisions/fleets that the Dilganese Empire fielded during the war," I said
"Yeah I have actually got a booklet somewhere that recalls every regiment that was deployed," said James
"May I have it for my research," I said
"I'll go fetch it for you," said James as he left his sofa and moved to his study, his study looked like a home office with a desk and chair, he also had a bookshelf as well as a cupboard that flanked the desk.
James pulled out both a booklet as well as his old Bradford shirt
"Here is the booklet and this was the shirt that I wore on the Christmas Day game," said James
The shirt appeared to be a replica of the 1999-01 shirt that Bradford City wore in the Premier League, although on the sleeves of the the jersey was a special patch that commemorated the Xmas day game.
"No new shirts were made for the game as that would of been wasteful considering the resources that would be required, so Bradford worry donated replica 1999-01 jerseys, whilst Barnsley wore 1997-98 replicas with both having unique patches," said James
"It looked like a 90s Premier League game then," I said
"In some cases yes as many regiments that were still fighting had to watch on poor quality TV's, but the referees shirt was a throwback as well which did gave that old school feel," said James
"I remember my parents telling me that the fame was shown on all TV's throughout the Empire," I said
"It was apparently on terrestrial TV with the newly de-merged Yorkshire Television covering the game," said James
"Indeed, my parents watched it when it was on, I could recall you and Galaxy Pilgrim scoring for a 2-0 win for Bradford," I said
"Yeah, Galaxy actually served in the 12th Magpie Fleet with me following the match, I could recall both of his parents being assigned to the 10th Interstellar regiment at the end of the war," said James
"Ramona and Scott Pilgrim, I heard they were both given custom MS for that battle due to their inter-dimensional capabilities," I said
"Yeah beforehand they were mostly deployed as Space Frogmen in the Alien Frogs Division which were to diffuse Titans bombs and booby traps that they had placed in dimensional gateways," said James
"The Alien Frogs, they were some of the bravest of the Dilganese military as they had to deal with the extreme conditions of interdimesnional gateways as well as to diffuse traps, they didn't have the easiest job," I said
"Yeah, I remember them being on my mothers flank during the final battle," said James
Suddenly the door opened to find Yasako who was James's wife as well as what appeared to be his twin son and daughter, his son had reddish curly hair, sunglasses and his facial features resembling his mother, whilst James's daughter had dark blueish hair with the style of her paternal grandmother in her causal style and facial features of James.
"Hi James," said Yasako
"Hi honey, how was work," said James
"It was good, got a major project through to production, is this the journalist that is covering your story on the war," said Yasako
"I'm John Stason and I"m a journalist looking to write about the war for a project," I announced myself
"I'm Yasako Pickles and I"m James's wife, them two over there are our twin children Stu Jr and Grace," said Yasako as the twins were playing on some sort of VR Console.
"Nice to meet you all, I have read your accounts on the war and I will say it's good reading," I said
"Thank you, I feel it gives a good insight into my perspective of the war," said Yasako
"Now speaking about post Christmas affairs, what happened after the Bradford game?" I said
"After the game, I was fully transferred into the 12th Magpie Fleet along with Yasako and Galaxy and we were given our first deployments into space which were to defend Metropolis and the Three Suns Colony from a New Titans offensive which was called according to many surviving Titans officers: Operation Kursk," said James
"According to many history books, Operation Kursk was a Hail Mary offensive by the New Titans to try and advance on the Dilganese to recoup their losses from the American Front," I said
"It was and it was one of the most exhausting 2 months of my life, we had to colony hop around 3 times and even then the New Titans managed to dig themselves deep," said Yasako
"Remember Galaxy's emotions when we all parachuted into the centre of the Three Suns Colony," said James
"He was terrified as we had to take it by surprise as well," said Yasako
Flashback February 17th 1 AC - Outside the Three Suns Colony
The 12th Magpie Squadron were on top of the colony in their blue space suits, they were supplied with space rifles as well as grappling and parachuting equipment.
"Today, we take this colony, today we end the New Titans stupid Kursk offensive," said Galaxy
"A little overdramatic, I would preferred a more subtle response to begin it all," said Corporal Jason Goose, son of Julie and Gordon Goose
"Considering your twin brother John is one of the most accomplished Titans Captains of the war, I'm not sure I can trust you," said James
"Relax, John has got my parents more evil tendencies, I apparently inherited the nicer aspects of my parents," said Jason
"He schemes similarity to John and his dad, but he's been an old friend of mine for years, even trained and fought together," said Galaxy
"Our parents were once rivals, but the passage of time allows most wounds to heal," said Jason
"Shall we enter this colony," said James impatiently
"Give the order," said Jason
James did a thumbs up gesture which caused 5 teams of the 12th Magpie Division to begin to funnel their way through the colonies air vents which took them to the colonies sewer system.
"How come we're not floating through the air," said Jason
"Because it's an closed type O'Neil Cylinder Colony, which means they have cities that cover the entire cylinder," said James
"I see, guess we have to get access to the city above without making it look obvious," said Jason
"Fetch me the blowtorch, if we can break a small hole, we can fit all of us above," said Galaxy
"Make it in a area that makes us our position less obvious," said James
Galaxy found a area that seemed to have little population noise and made a hole before entering the hole.
"It stinks up here," said Galaxy
The others followed him up to find that they had drilled their way into the toilets of an office as the hole was right next to the urinals which explained the smell.
"Galaxy wasn't wrong, we need to be more quiet to avoid detection," whispered James
"What's the plan," whispered Jason
"We're going straight for the main command centre, but we need to wade through the colonies streets to get there," whispered Yasako
"Sounds like an intriguing plan, but what building are we in exactly," whispered Jason
"Judging by the conditions of this place, I could say we are in an abandoned office building," whispered Galaxy
"Sure looks that way," whispered James
"Shall we keep moving," whispered Yasako
"Yeah," whispered James as they began to move out of the office building.
"Remember we don't have MS for this mission, so we have to use stealth to seize the colony," whispered Yasako as they managed to exit the building by sliding through a broken window which took them to a backstreet.
"Hide, I'll check to see if the main roads are deserted or not," whispered James
The group hide behind the back of a building as James peeked to see the main road. When he did peek, he found it to be a bustling street with many illuminated nightclubs and casinos as well as New Titans soldiers that were patrolling the streets.
"Main street is not an option, we have to go through the back streets," whispered James
"Back streets, are we able to get to the command centre that way," whispered Jason
"Should be a piece of cake," whispered James
"Considering the layout of the colony, it may be difficult than we first predicted," whispered Jason
"I'm sure we can make it across, anyone got a map of the colony," whispered James
"I have it, we need to cross a few blocks, but the issue is we need to avoid the illuminated street lights in case of detection," whispered Galaxy
James looked at his surroundings, he knew some of his fleet were in different places in the colony which resulted in a flanking position to reach the colony.
He found a item that could be useful in getting across undetected. A giant wheelie bin
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking," whispered James
"I sure hope not," whispered Jason
"We take the garbage out of the wheelie bins and we use them to wheel across to where we need to be," whispered James
"Those bins look disgusting, that's a terrible plan," whispered Jason
"Have you got any ideas?" whispered James
"We need someone with a vantage point that could help spot for long range enemies," whispered Jason
"I partly agree with the vantage point which you will provide seeing that you don't want to get in a wheelie bin," whispered James
"Fine, pass me a walkie talkie and I'll navigate you," whispered Jason as James handed him a walkie talkie and Jason grappled up a building.
"Everyone else, to the dumpster," whispered James as James and everyone else removed the garbage and got in two dumpsters.
"How do we move these things," said Yasako
"I have an idea," said James as he tore a hole in the bottom of the dumpster for both of his feet to fit in which allowed him to move the dumpster.
"What's the status of the road, Goose," said James
"All clear for crossing," said Jason
James's dustbin moved across the road where it lead to another alleyway.
"Where to now, Goose," said James
"Let me move to a better vantage point," said Jason as he zipwired across to the building using a grappling kit.
"Don't move out of the alleyway, there is a MS approaching the road," said Jason as he put his disguise on
James peeked out to find a Hizack patrolling the road, every time it got closer to James's position, it caused the ground to shake beneath James and his crew.
"What now," said James
"Go up on the road, then turn right, as soon as an any patrol appears, stay still or you'll get shot at," said Jason
Meanwhile
New Titans Captain John Graves (He chooses his fathers old villain surname) was currently at the command centre patrolling over the Three Suns Colony.
He was with one of his closest confidants, Lieutenant Farley Patel watching the CCTV footage of the colony.
"I can sense that their is going to be ambush soon," said John
"How can you tell," said Farley
"That same rubbish bin, it's been in many places," said John
"Maybe it's garbage day today," said Farley
"Garbage day is not for another two days, this points to a ambush," said John
"What shall be the next cause of action," said Farley
"Increase MS patrols, move forward trash day to tonight, we will arrest them in the garbage shoot," said John
"Right away," said Farley as he saluted.
Meanwhile
Jason Goose could suddenly hear something.
"James, the garbage collectors are here, you need to disembark at a safe place" said Jason
"I think they're onto us," said James
"I'll meet you at the alleyway just off Dunes Street, I'll put it on your portable GPS," said Jason
"Thank you, what street are we currently on," said James
"You currently on Sands Street, you're not far from Dunes Street," said Jason
"Nice, we'll meet you there," said James as his team exited the dumpster and ran to an alleyway for cover as an another MS patrol strutted down the road.
"We've just got to let them past," whispered James
The convoy slowly went past the group who were able to remain hidden before James had an idea.
"I'm gonna try and seize one of the Hizack's," whispered James
"Are you insane," whispered Galaxy
"Possibly, but I want you guys to head to Dunes Street, I'll ensure you get there undetected," whispered James
"If your so sure your plan is going to work, than we will follow your lead," whispered Yasako
James switched his space rifle mode to grappling and grapple himself onto the Hizack that was furthest behind in the convoy which he then used his silenced phaser to dispatch of the Titans pilot inside before entering the cockpit.
Yasako had begun to move her troops towards Dunes Street.
"How do these old things work," said James as he figured the Hizack's controls.
"Convoy, has any detected any activity in the area," said what appeared to be a senior New Titans officer
"Negative," said one of the pilots sounding like a Jerid clone
"I haven't seen anything," said an another pilot who was not a Jerid clone.
"I have," said James cockily as he ambushed and destroyed an another Hizack with its beam rifle.
"Traitor, you've have shamed your nation and the Earth," said one of the New Titans pilots.
"I wouldn't exactly call the New Titans my nation and I'm half-Spacenoid, so that's 3 strikes, bring it on," said James as his Hizack went into battle against the other Hizack's that had attempted to turn around, James destroyed two of them with the MS's beam rifle , leaving one remaining which had turned quick enough. It was the Jerid clone.
"James Pickles, I've finally get to go face-to-face with the Alien Phantom, this will be your last day," said the Jerid clone as they clashed beam sabers.
"We'll see about that," said James
Meanwhile
Yasako and her team swayed around the streets until they reached Dunes Street which is where they met up with Jason Goose.
"Where's James," said Jason
"He's allowed to move by causing a distraction, fighting Hizack's," said Yasako
"The idiot, he could cause them to send reinforcements, we would be finished," said Jason
"James is no idiot, we can seize the HQ long before the reinforcements even get here," said Yasako
"We're not far from the HQ, we've just got to make it there before then," said Galaxy
"What's the timeframe," said Yasako
"30 minutes which involves getting through a Titans guards unit to access the main command building," said Jason
"Let's go," said Yasako
Meanwhile
"I see, the Dilganese have infiltrated the colony," said John
"I'll summon the reinforcements," said Farley
"You do that, but I have a better idea," said John
"What's that," said Farley
"Through listening the comms of the convoy, I can concur that James Pickles is leading the infiltration unit," said John
"What makes you so certain," said Farley
"I recognise his voice from the Dilganese broadcasts which matched with the pilot that stole the Hizack," said John
"Typical Gundam way of stealing a MS, I have to say, what's your plan," said Farley
"If we eliminate James Pickles, it would be a massive propaganda defeat for the Dilganese Empire, he will outclass the Jerid clone as he is a skilled pilot in his own right, but there's a drastic way of defeating him for good," said John
"What are you thinking," said Farley
"Get me a line to the Titans Commander of the Metropolis Colony," said John
"This is Captain Kojima Utsumi of the New Titans Metropolis Guard Unit, how may I provide assistance," said Kojima
"We have a Dilganese infiltration unit invading our colony led by none other than James Pickles, I have come for a proposal," said John
"What do you have in mind," said Kojima
"I suggest smashing our two colonies together which has a good chance of finishing them off, we have been given emergency escape teleportation devices in case of a dramatic event by the IRGO," said John
"What about the civilians of the colony," said Kojima
"We will evacuate as many as we can, but keep in mind if we eliminate James Pickles, it would be a New Titans propaganda victory," said John
"I am not risking my citizens for a heist that could cause more risk than reward," said Kojima
"That's rich coming from someone who's grandmother Hitomi and her two sisters were major jewel and art thieves a few decades ago, your family has been well known for their extravagant heists," said John
"You also got remember that my father is the Head of the New Titans Military Police, he will have both of our necks for this," said Kojima
"Only if we fail and if I can recall your father would probably supportive of our actions if we succeed," said John
"If you feel this is the only way, it'll be done, I'll prepare the evacuation order, colonies will collide in 2 hours," said Kojima
"Very well, farewell Cats Eye Jr," said John
"Stop calling me that!" yelled Kojima angrily as both ended their comms transmissions
"Start the evacuation of all civilians, we will prepare the teleportation co-ordinates," said John
"Yes sir," said Farley
Meanwhile on Metropolis Colony
The comms transmission ends on Kojima's side.
"There is absolutely no way we are colliding the two colonies together, that would be an absolute waste of resources," said Kojima
"Have you got an better idea," said his Lieutenant Katsuko Asatani
"Colony Drop, we'll drop the Three Suns Colony on the nearby moon of Lsyion III," said Kojima
"That's sounds a bit like what the Zeons would do," said Katsuko
"The moons uninhabited, so it would be more ethical," said Kojima
"What about the population in the Three Suns Colony," said Katsuko
"If John is competent then they'll be evacuated, if not then he will be to blame," said Kojima
"May I sortie to fight James," said Katsuko
"You may," said Kojima as Katsuko was about to head towards the hanger bay
"One more thing, I am aware of the fact that the Karn family is a distant branch of the Asatani line, I can recall that Haman Karn's mother was a Asatani, your grandmothers sister," said Kojima
"The Asatani that got lost in an another more futuristic dimension, my grandmother Mitsuko told stories about it when my father was young, she was apparently sucked through a wormhole," said Katsuko
"And this could be the battle where the Asatani and Karn families fight for supremacy which is part of a feeling I'm getting from this war," said Kojima
"What feeling is that," said Katsuko
"Have you ever heard of the phrase 'War to end all wars'," said Kojima
"It was used to describe WW1 which was then made redundant by the fact there was a 2nd World War," said Katsuko
"I feel this war has a purpose, to settle old feuds and to determine which order will rule the cosmos, many will fall as well many lives will change forever, this is the conflict that will haunt space and planets to the point where there will be no war in the future regardless of the victor if it's the New Titans or the Dilganese Empire, there will be peace in our time," said Kojima
"Your very philosophical, Captain," said Katsuko
"You have to be to make sense of everything in this current climate, prepare to sortie," said Kojima
"Yes Sir," said Katsuko
Meanwhile
"Citizens of Three Suns Colony, prepare for evacuation immediately, this colony will collide with Metropolis in the next 2 hours"
James was in a Hizack having dispatched the Titans convoy and was now looking for a way out of the colony
"How do I escape here without exposing the colony to the vacuum of space," said James to himself
"Pickles, it's pleasure to be able to fight you," said Katsuko who was in a RMS-154 Barzam
"Who are you," said James
"It is said that one day the two branches of the Asatani family would fight, I would never thought this would be the day," said Katsuko
"What do you mean," said James
"Don't you know the story, there was once two sisters who lived in the same dimension until a wormhole sucked one of them away to the Universal Century and married your grandfather and had a daughter, that daughter was your mother," said Katsuko
"So we're distantly related, in that case why are you fighting for the Titans," said James
"Because I believe that the Earth is worth saving as well as the redemption of the Asatani name," said Katsuko
"I'm not my mother, but I'm not going to let you decide my fate," said James as he pulls out the Hizack's Beam Saber.
"I see, a duel to determine which branch is superior," said Katsuko as his Barzam pulled out two Beam Sabers.
"You're on, if you want to fight honourably, I suggest Marquess of Queensbury rules, no rifles or sabers, just the fists of our MS," said James as he drops his beam saber
"If that's how you want it, let's see what you've got," said Katsuko
Meanwhile
"So our reinforcements from the Metropolis colony have decided to fight with fists only," said John
"Captain, I can detect some gravitational movement of our colony," said Farley
"The collision must be on track," said John
Suddenly some gunfire could be heard and Yasako as well as Jason Goose and the Dilganese infiltration had made it to HQ.
"I see you have reached your destination, although I will say you have badly timed your endeavour," said John pointing a gun at the team along with Farley and a small unit of Titans soliders.
"John, how could you fight for such a organisation such as the New Titans," said Jason
"Says the traitor of our family that decided to fight the so-called good fight," said John
"Because the Dilganese are the only ones that can provide a true option of peace and justice in the cosmos, why do you fight for the Titans," said Jason
"I can see the stable and secure future that the New Titans can offer everyone, something that the Dilganese bureaucrats are too simple and naive to understand," said John
Suddenly the colony began to move downwards, causing everyone to lose balance slightly.
"What's happening," said Yasako
"The colonies are colliding, this place will soon be history," said John
"Are you insane, why would you destroy one of your own assets," said Jason
"Because it will be a quicker way to win the war, we eliminate one of the major members of the Pickles family and we can achieve an victory here," said John
"A last ditch strategy, but what about the civilian lives," said Jason
"They are being evacuated as we speak," said Farley
"Hate to break it to you, but the colonies going downwards," said Yasako
"Wait, what," said John as he checked the systems to find the colony was being pulled downwards into the moon.
"That traitor, Kojima's betrayed us," said John
"We're being colony dropped," said Farley
"In that case, none of you are leaving this colony alive," said John pointing a gun at them.
Meanwhile
James and Katsuko continued fighting fist to fist, managing to damage each other's MS even when the colony began shifting downwards.
"Kojima to Katsuko, stop fighting the Dilganese forces, the Titans have been informed of our treachery, we're going rogue to save the Metropolis colony," said Kojima to both MS pilots
"Looks like we're now on the same side," said Katsuko
"Looks like the Titans are trying to write your fleet off, we'll call it a draw, maybe we can settle it in a less dangerous way," said James
"Cards," said Katsuko
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," said James as both of them worked together to exit the colony that was plummeting towards the moon.
Meanwhile
Yasako and co had managed to escape the building using smoke grenades, but not before Jason had hit in the stomach by a wild gunshot from either John or Farley, however rather than catching them Farley and John had decided to teleport away.
"This is James Pickles speaking, a New Titans fleet has gone rogue and has agreed to assist us, I'll send the co-ordinates, steal a MS or transport ship and be on your way," said James on comms.
"This operation keeps getting stranger and stranger," said Galaxy as he was rushing holding onto John who was wounded as they all rushed into the hanger bay.
Meanwhile
Kojima was observing events going on from the Three Suns Colony as the colony descended into the moon.
"Kojima, we are receiving comms from the TMP (Titans Military Police)," said one of Kojima's ensigns
"Put it through," said Kojima smiling.
"Son, I've heard of your treachery, why did you turn your back on the only order that can save the Earth," said Kojima's father Head of Titans Military Police Tatso Utsumi
"Because I value human lives and the people I serve in this colony," said Kojima
"They are spacenoids, they aren't as valuable as the Earth and its inhabitants, you'll make the same mistakes as your grandparents," said Tatso
"You say the same thing every time I descent from your decision making, I'll say one word that make you quiver, great-grandpa Micheal Heinz," said Kojima
"I'll have you court-martialed son, just you wait," said Tatso angrily as he turned his comms off.
Meanwhile at the New Titans New Konpei Base.
Tatso Utsumi had gotten off the comms with his son who he had learned had just betrayed the New Titans.
"My own son, how could he betray the Earth and me, I have done everything to make sure he could get a high position in the New Titans and have an honourable life and he's just spat in my face," said Tatso
For Tatso this betrayal ran very deep as Kojima was his only son and was the only semblance of family he had left, his wife died giving birth to Kojima and his parents Hitomi and Toshio died in an accident when Tatso was 10, Tatso remembered the day that changed his life forever.
Further Flashback
Tatso was counting down the days until the annual family vacation, every year his parents would plan an extravagant trip across the America's, this time they had planned to go to Los Angeles
It was the morning where Tatso woke up and would wake up his parents Hitomi and Toshio who were fast asleep in the next room.
"Come guys, it's time for the big vacation," said Tatso jumping up and down on his parents bed.
Both Hitomi and Toshio woke up, both rubbing their eyes.
"Looks like our little adventurer is ready for his big trip, have you prepared for it," said Hitomi
"Yeah, I've got all my stuff packed downstairs," said Tatso
"He takes after his mother," said Hitomi smiling at Toshio
"I'm always prepared," said Toshio as he slipped out of bed and onto the floor causing everyone to chuckle
"I'll go make you some breakfast before we drive to the airport," said Hitomi as the 3 of them went downstairs to the kitchen where Hitomi turned on the coffee machine to make coffee for her and Toshio before making Cap'n Crunch cereal for Tatso.
"What's the plan then for the first day," said Toshio
"We arrived at LAX at 1pm and then we just settle into the hotel and explore some sights nearby, we're going to explore the major sights tomorrow," said Hitomi
"Do you know what our hotel is called," said Toshio
"Yucipica Central Hotel, it's a few train stops away from the main city," said Hitomi
"There's an exhibit they are putting on tonight, I've heard," said Toshio
"It's from an old friend of my fathers, he kept many art pieces himself including a jewel that my father crafted," said Hitomi
"When you were Cats Eye, didn't you and your sisters steal pieces that were either made by your father or from your fathers former collection," said Toshio
"We did, but only because we wanted to find his whereabouts which eventually to after a while and dealing with his brother who betrayed him lead to my father sending us mail every now and then to check on how we are doing," said Hitomi
"To keep you on the straight and narrow I see," said Toshio
"Although I do have inherited my fathers love of art, I will have to admit," said Hitomi
"It will be good to see some good art, did you get those Expos/Dodgers baseball tickets," said Toshio
Hitomi pulled out 3 tickets for the Yankees/Giants baseball game and said to Tatso "Are you excited to watch the baseball when we get there,"
"Yeah, so what are we planning after we land," said Tatso
"We're going to settle into the hotel room and me and your father are attending an art exhibit near the hotel, there's an arcade literally next door from the hotel if you don't fancy looking at paintings or jewels," said Hitomi
"I think I know my choice there," said Tatso
"Shall we head to the car," said Toshio
The 3 of them flew from New York to LAX where they would get the train from the airport to Yucipica where they then settled into the hotel before unloading their suitcases, getting some food at a nearby restaurant before getting changed back in the hotel into some smart clothes, whilst Tatso was given some spending money to go to the arcade which he duly went.
"Goodbye Tatso, don't cause too much trouble and have fun," said Toshio
"Goodbye Tatso, you go have fun out there and don't stray too far from the arcade," said Hitomi
Tatso left for the arcade where he was greeted by lots of arcade machines of all sorts, there was claw machines, pinball machines and of course the video game machines.
He saw a big crowd crowding around a machine, he knew full well that it was Killer Instinct 2 as he recognised the arcade case as he had played it before.
Tatso queued before reaching the front where it was clear that one person had been defeating everyone who had dared challenged him at Killer Instinct 2.
"Who's next to face the Alien," said a guy in a Sherpa hat almost Tatso's age
"Me, Tatso, otherwise known as the Iron Cat," said Tatso
"I'm Dil Pickles, also known as the Alien," said Dil
"I've got money on Dil," said Lil
"I've got money on the new kid," said Phil as everyone gathered.
Both selected their fighters as Dil selected Jago, whilst Tatso selected Fulgore.
Tatso would win the 1st round as he managed to catch Dil by surprise in terms of skill as Tatso was able to get his character to launch combo's from out of nowhere.
"You're better than most opponents, but I haven't even gotten started," said Dil cockily
Dil upped his game in the next round, hitting combos as counters to whatever Tatso threw which allowed Dil to win easily.
"Last round, time to seal the deal," said Dil.
"We'll see about that," said Tatso
Round 3 was a tense round with both unwilling to take any risks against each other, eventually one mistake by Dil allowed for Tatso to implement the Ultra Combo, finishing the match in his favour.
Dil's jaw dropped when he realised that he lost, he had never lost at Killer Instinct 2 before and this upstart had somehow done the unthinkable and defeated him.
"Well played, are you new here," said Dil
"I'm on holiday from New York, my parents are visiting some art exhibition next door," said Tatso
"Ah I'm Dil Pickles, guys come meet the guy that defeated me at Killer Instinct 2," said Dil
"Someone beat you at Killer Instinct 2," said Chuckie surprised
"It was bound to happen eventually," said Kimi
"The champion himself, won me 5," said Phil to Lil's displeasure
"I'm Tommy, Dil's brother, that's Chuckie, Phil, Lil and Kimi," said Tommy
"Nice to meet you all, my name is Tatso Utsumi," said Tatso
"Are you visiting or are you new here," said Kimi
"I'm visiting from New York, my parents are at the art exhibition next door," said Tatso
"I don't blame you for coming here instead," said Tommy
"I would like to of seen some of the more abstract pieces on any exhibition," said Dil
"I think it's just jewels and paintings on display, no abstract I'm afraid," said Tatso
"Ah that's a shame, anyone fancy the 4 player racing game over there," said Dil
"I'm up for it," said Tatso
"I'm up for it," said Lil
"I'll show you who the best racer is," said Phil
The 4 of them (Dil, Tatso, Phil and Lil) entered the racing machine with all of them sat at a unit where the 4 races against each other, despite having prior skill at racing games, Tatso was no match for Phil Deville who completely dominated everyone.
They would all play various games throughout the day including Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, NBA Jam and Time Crisis, whilst playing Star Wars Arcade, they could hear a earthquake like sound.
"Was that part of the game," said Tatso
"I don't know, I'm not sure the game is meant to shake like that," said Dil
Soon Kimi came rushing to where Dil and Tatso were, she looked shocked.
"You two, have you seen what's been going on outside," said Kimi
The two rushed outside to find police completely surround the building where the art exhibition was being held, there was smoke coming through the building which signalled that it had been on fire as 4 people had escaped with various paintings as well as all of the jewels before disappearing in a sudden flash.
Everyone had their jaws drop to the floor, but an immediate worry had gotten into Tatso's head and that was if his parents had made it out alive and he began rushing towards the scene.
However he was intercepted by a police officer before he could enter the building.
"It's dangerous in there, you cannot enter," said the officer
"My parents are in there," said Tatso
"What's your name," said the officer
"Tatso, Tatso Utsumi," said Tatso
The police officer went up to an another police officer known as Sgt Wilson who had been in the building and asked for any information on Tatso's parents to which he seemingly responded before taking his hat off and putting it to the side before walking up to Tatso.
"I'm so sorry to tell you this, but your parents were killed during the raid of the art gallery, you're to come with us," said Sgt Wilson
"They can't have, they'll come out of that building in no time, my mother is proficient in all kinds of martial arts and is mobile," said Tatso
"Eyewitness reports saw that your parents put up a considerable fight, but whoever was in there had powers that many people couldn't comprehend and was after all of the Micheal Heinz paintings and jewels, it seemed they had intelligence on everything beforehand," said Tatso.
From that moment Tatso was bitter towards the arts as he was aware that his mother and his two aunts were former art thieves that were after the former Heinz's collection of paintings and jewels and now Hitomi's past had caught up with her and it had destroyed Tatso's childhood. Tatso spent 2 years in the foster system as the authorities were unable to get any contact with Tatso's two aunts.
However when Tatso was 12, he was thrown into a wormhole which teleported him to the One Year War in October UC 0079 and despite his young age, he was conscripted in the Earth Federation Forces where he would fight as a GM pilot in the Battles of Solomon and A Baoa Qu where he managed to shoot down various Zeon MS as well as even survive an encounter against Anavel Gato.
Post One Year War, Tatso was part of the EFF's War-to-Education plan that saw him and many other former Federation soliders that had been conscripted as children during the One Year War being given a formal education as well as living with a foster family who were very pro-federation.
When Tatso was 18 in UC 0085, he re-joined the Earth Federation military and was able to pass the exam to gain entry into the Titans where he served faithfully alongside Takahiko Arima whom Tatso would become Takahiko's lieutenant as despite his experience, Tatso had total faith in Takahiko as a superior due to Takahiko's leadership skills.
The Takahiko fleet served both Jamitov Hymen and Bask Om and later when he became leader Paptimus Scirocco faithfully during the Gryps War whom their fleet managed to survive intact before it was teleported back to Takahiko's and Tatso's native dimension.
Tatso would meet a woman just before the Gryps War and Kojima was born in UC 0086, but unfortunately that woman died in childbirth and Kojima spend his baby and toddler years on a battleship during the Gryps War.
After being teleported back, Tatso served Takahiko faithfully as Takahiko would run the Takahiko corporation with Tatso as his right hand, after helping Takahiko rebuild the Titans in secret, Tatso was given the TMP (Titans Military Police to manage as well as a special battalion to himself.
That battalion was known as the Cromwell Battalion whose sole job was find any Micheal Heinz artwork and either destroy it (virtually all of the paintings was smashed) or sell it to pro-Titans factions (Takahiko informed Tatso that the IRGO needed the jewels for their technology which saw a lot of the jewels being harvested).
A major victory for the Cromwell Battalion saw no casualties as through a well timed operation, they were able to destroy virtually of Cats Eye's collection of Heinz paintings using a GM Quel (the jewels were extracted and sold to the IRGO), whilst Riu as well as her and Ai's remaining family who were some of the last inheritance of the Heinz fortune (Ai had passed away only 2 years prior from cancer) were away as well as not revealing himself (he used the guise of a Titans raid). However Kaori Arima would read the battle reports from this raid which completely disgusted her and turned her against the New Titans as she felt that her music would be threatened by them.
By the time of the Aliens/Titans War, only one painting from the Heinz collection remained in existence and there were still many jewels out there, but a lot of them were being ruthlessly pursued by the IRGO as they helped fuel their weapons and restoration technology. As for Heinz's instruments, most of them were captured by the Viola Force and CIA with Kaori Arima keeping a few in very secretive places to hide them from the Cromwell's Battalions wrath.
Tatso knew he had to find that final Heinz painting in a deluded attempt to what he believed would clear his family legacy.
End of Further Flashback
Meanwhile
All of the Dilganese team were able to escape the colony with Jason Goose in the medical bay as the team as well as Kojima and Katsuko were able to pick them up in Kojima's ship.
"Very surprised to see a Titan help us, you guys are so hell bent on conquest and supremacy," said James
"I'm not your average Titan, in fact I am beginning to despise their methods personally," said Kojima
"Why did you join them," said James
"My father fought for the original Titans and I was forced in, Katsuko was an old school friend of mine," said Kojima
"I am well aware your father is very powerful in the New Titans," said James
"He's the head of the TMP and Cromwell Battlion who's sole stupid purpose is to erase history," said Kojima
"I've heard rumours that he blamed Micheal Heinz for causing a chain reaction that lead to the death of his parents as the thieves that killed them were after Heinz's work and that Tatso wants to destroy all of Heinz's work," said Yasako
"Where did you hear those rumours," said Kojima
"From somewhere, it's what a lot of North Japanese soliders believe," said Yasako
"The rumours are true, he once said to me if Micheal Heinz didn't go into hiding then his mother wouldn't have to steal to look for him and that if Heinz's artwork wasn't so desirable as result of the risk of Cats Eye, then my grandparents wouldn't have been killed by thieves looking to seize it," said Kojima
"Why didn't he ever catch the thieves that killed his parents," said Galaxy
"Apparently they sold the paintings to various art dealers which is how the Cromwell Battalion were able to get there hands on it, as for the jewels they are still missing," said Kojima
"So are you on our side now," said James
"Look I'm gonna defect, but not to the Dilganese," said Kojima
"Who do you plan to surrender to," said Yasako
"North Japanese Intelligence otherwise known as NJCB (North Japanese Cats Brigade)," said Kojima
"So you're putting our fleet in the hands of the North Japanese," said Katsuko
"You and the rest of the fleet are going with them (points at James and his team), I'm surrendering myself to one of the NJCB's chiefs," said Kojima
"One of their chiefs, do you know if they are nearby," said Katsuko
"I have the communications code, i'll send a voice message through a channel," said Kojima
Kojima walked from the medical bay to the bridge where he activated a code on the communicator and then spoke through.
"This is former Titans Captain Kojima Utsumi, I request to speak to Riu Takahashi whom is the sister of my grandmother Hitomi Utsumi, I request to surrender myself and defect to the North Japanese as I feel I can help with regards to defeating the Cromwell Battalion as well as I want to know more about the family my father lost all those years ago," said Kojima through his Alexandria-class communications system.
End of Flashback
Back to present and John Stason's POV
"I heard of the sad tale of the Kisugi family and how the war changed them," I said
"Tatso and Kojima would play a huge role later in the war," said James
"I've got a question, why didn't Lawrence use the Entropy Cannon in January and had to wait months to use it," I asked
"He apparently delayed its firing as he didn't have enough harvested jewels to fire it as of that time," said James
"Oh, I see," I said
"Although after the Three Suns Raid, the war changed and the final stages of it had begun," said James as he walked into his office.