A/n
Okay, yes, I'm back after a long hiatus. I will keep working on this story as I can with life as it is. Thank you for your patience with me not working on this story for a bit.
Phase 84: In Lands of Bondage
November 10th, 73 C.E.
ZAFT Gibraltar Base
Days passed since the Spear of Twilight operation, but ZAFT was not idle during that time. The landing forces that had made it through the Alliance's interception attempts were brought back to Gibraltar and Carpentaria. From those two bases, forces were sent to other bases and positions which ZAFT were holding currently. With the Alliance's recent push for serious activity on Earth, the National Defense Committee had insisted on strengthening ZAFT's positions to counter that. ZAFT had made a few gains since the Alliance-PLANT War in the African Community. There were some possibilities of gains in the Middle Eastern area through helping the locals who were under the rule of the Alliance. Operations were in the works to potentially set up a "liberation" of local communities in the Middle East from the tyranny of the Alliance. In order to assist in potential operations, more of the landing forces were sent to bases in the African Community, especially those close to the Middle Eastern area of the Eurasian Federation.
After the days since the Spear of Twilight, the Minerva was fully repaired from the damage taken fending off the Alliance interception attempts. It was given order to head out to the ZAFT base near the Middle Eastern area. From what Talia understood, the "Mahamul" base which would be the Minerva's destination per orders, was meant to be a counter to OMNI's Suez base. That was the largest Alliance base in the northern part of the African Community. It was OMNI's main and critical supply hub for operations in the African Community and Eurasian Federation. ZAFT had been trying to come up with a way to disable the Suez Base, but there had been no success in that yet.
For the Minerva to be sent to the Mahamul base made Talia wonder what her ship would be doing in the area. She hadn't heard of anything serious going down in the region as of late, but that didn't mean much these days. By what ZAFT intel said, the Alliance had some sort of base which established control over the passage over land to the east of Suez. Talia had brought up the intel report on the idea and hadn't liked the lack of info or what was in the report. The Alliance's Suez base was troublesome, she wouldn't deny that. However, others were saying that the Alliance planned to use it as an operations base to attack Gibraltar. Talia didn't agree with that idea as that would have OMNI forces in Federation territory. The Spear of Twilight operation had shown the Federation wouldn't tolerate OMNI in their territory regardless of their stated reason until further notice.
Then there was the other Alliance base that was northeast of Suez that the Mahamul had been investigating. The "Gulnahan Ravine" was what the Alliance had named the passage to the majority of the Eurasian Federation's territory. It was in one of the widest canyons that would lead into the Eurasian Federation with the terrain in the general area. But something in Talia said the Alliance base had something to do with the Minerva's new orders. She just hoped that if that was the case, those at Mahamul had some sort of loose plan to go against the Alliance's base. The reports didn't have a great deal on the Alliance base and Talia didn't like that point.
The Minerva set out from Gibraltar the following morning after Talia received the new orders. The journey from Gibraltar through the Mediterranean Sea was as peaceful as it could be with no encounters with OMNI forces. At the Eastern end of the Sea, the Minerva turned to the northeast on its path to the Black Sea. At that Sea, the Minerva would turn south to the ZAFT base. Mahamul was on the inside coast of what had been called the Persian Gulf before the Reconstruction War. From what Talia had seen from the report she read, the Alliance Gulnahan Ravine was to the north northeast of the ZAFT bases a reasonable distance. And the part of the Minerva's journey to the Mahamul Base that crossed what was technically Alliance territory shouldn't be horrible. The Alliance tended to ignore ZAFT forces going to the Mahamul base, at least they did for the time being.
The Minerva arrived at the Mahamul base by late evening the same day it set out from Gibraltar. As the Minerva moved into the dock it was directed to, Talia took in what she could see of the base. Most of the vessels at the base's docking facilities were land class ships, like the Compton, Lesseps, and Petrie classes. There were more Petrie and Compton classes than Lesseps that Talia could see. The base also had subs at the docks at the shorelines, which looked to be some Vosgulov, but mostly supply subs from the view Talia got. However, the thing which Talia noticed the most was the serious air around the base. This was one of the smaller bases ZAFT had on Earth, though that didn't detract from its strategic importance for the region. So, Talia didn't see a reason for there to be a serious air beyond whatever the Minerva had been sent here to help with.
With the morning came, Talia had Aila and Matt stand as in-charge of the Minerva while she and Arthur went to the briefing for the operation. In the briefing, the commandant of the base whose name was Joachim Ruddle gave the rundown of what the "operation" was to accomplish. Talia listened to the general rundown of what was planned and was concerned with the idea. The operation was to have ZAFT forces break through the Alliance's Gulnahan Ravine in essence. The goal was to disrupt the Alliance's supply line to their Eurasian Federation in general. Tactically it would give an advantage for ZAFT and deal a blow to the Alliance, specifically those from the Eurasian Federation. The objective wasn't what Talia had an issue with, for it made tactical sense to her to accomplish the point. The best way to do harm to the Alliance and yet avoid potentially killing innocent civilians was to strike the supply lines they used. Going against OMNI's Suez base would be a far more involved operation which was in the works from what Talia understood. So, the passage that was a shipping lane for the Eurasian Federation was a clear target which could be hit. Commandant Ruddle gave more details than what the intel report Talia had read contained and those details were what concerned her.
The Alliance had quite the setup for their base which the operation would go against. The Gulnahan Ravine provided natural land formations which forced any approaching to either go down the ravine or travel above it. Because of that, the Alliance had an anti-air system which made approaching from above the ravine very hazardous. That in essence forced any large vessels or craft to use the ravine to make its way through the area and get to the other side of the ravine. With that in mind, the Alliance had set up their base and its defenses to be able to attack any coming through the ravine and take them down before getting to the other side. The most problematic part of the base's offensive option was the "Lohengrin" positron blaster cannon battery OMNI had put in place which overlooked the ravine. Mobile suits were the additional defense and counter the Alliance had for the base which guarded the ravine.
Talia wanted to ask if there was any way which the positron battery could be disabled but was beaten to it by one of the other captains involved in this operation. The answer wasn't what Talia hoped for as the commandant essentially answered there was not. The Alliance had been smart and had the power plants which supplied their defenses including the positron cannon behind the base. That essentially made them unreachable during the operation. So, the positron battery had to be seen as a dangerous factor in the operation. However, the commandant did say they would be getting help from locals. Apparently, the Alliance had been "encouraging" locals to help construct and expand the base, or rather they had been forcing them and not admitting that point. Talia hoped that whatever the "inside help" they would be getting would be able to help with doing something about the position cannon. The Minerva would be the ship picking up the contact from the locals who would be giving more details.
All in all, the briefing painted a picture which most there were concerned about. But the National Defense Committee had said dealing with the Alliance base was an important step for ZAFT's response. Two Compton classes along with the Minerva would be leading the operation. Four Petrie classes would also be with the task force that would participate in the operation. There was a secondary task force being prepared if the worst happened and the first task force failed or was wiped out. Talia could tell that even when it wasn't mentioned, losses in this operation were expected rather than hoped to be avoided. It said how dangerous the operation would be but also how important it was being classified as by higher-ups.
Talia and Arthur returned to the Minerva after the briefing. They discussed the planned operation as they headed back to the ship. Arthur hadn't liked what had been brought up during the briefing by the commandant and others. The operation sounded like it would be more than just dangerous, but lethal should things go in a bad direction. The Minerva had managed to respond well enough against what it had faced thus far. But it hadn't assaulted an enemy base like this operation planned to do. "I don't know about you ma'am," Arthur said, "but this operation is sounding and seeming riskier the more I consider what information we were given in the briefing. I can understand the benefit of disrupting the Alliance's supply line, it would definitely help those in the area, and Carpentaria I would imagine. But this Alliance base they had in the Gulnahan Ravine sounds like it is positioned to counter those who come down the ravine effectively."
Talia could see where Arthur was coming from, and she didn't disagree with what he was saying. The assault on the Alliance's "Lohengrin Gate" was going to be anything by simple and straightforward. The Alliance was positioned to overwhelm and destroy those that came down the ravine they didn't like. And with how aggressive the Alliance had become recently, Talia feared there would be more than just the positron blaster battery to deal with in the operation. ZAFT intel had brought back rumors that OMNI had possibly developed new model mobile armors with "new technology." What that could mean, Talia couldn't say but she doubted it would be much longer before ZAFT saw if there was truth to those rumors. She was more worried what "new technologies" the Alliance could've developed and not used yet. During the Alliance's assault on Asgard, Talia had noticed the Federation had employed new technology which they hadn't used in the Alliance-PLANT War. Their ground to orbit cannons were just one example of where technology could be going. They also seemed to have "shields" that prevented bombardments as well. The Alliance and Federation had shown prototype deflection technology at the end of the Alliance-PLANT War. Talia doubted the Alliance hadn't worked to develop that idea alone further.
Talia couldn't see OMNI letting ZAFT take or defeat their hold on the Gulnahan Ravine without a hard fight. There was also the potential factor of the Federation getting involved during the operation. It was an opportunity for them which they could take to punish the Alliance for what they had been doing. However, Talia didn't think the chances of the Federation showing up to be all that high. There was little reason for them to move and attack the Alliance's base. It was a distance from the border of the Federation's Equatorial Union, so it didn't involve their territory directly. In the end, Talia ended out sighing, "You are not the only one who has serious concerns about the operation, Arthur," she replied. "There are a lot of factors going into this which are questionable. The Alliance isn't going to let their base fall without them fighting to prevent that from happening. And I fear they see nothing wrong with using whatever methods they can employ to obtain victory." She paused for a moment, then continued, "But as we stated, we will be picking up a local contact which hopefully give us more information. The locals should know more, and it is my wish that they may have something we could use to make the operation more likely to be successful."
The two boarded the Minerva and Talia mentioned to Aila and Matt they would be making a slight detour along the way to the Gulnahan Ravine. Aila could see whatever had been said in the briefing hadn't been the nicest. Talia did give a general summary of the briefing which didn't help Aila or Matt feel any better about the operation. By what Talia was saying to them, the operation almost sounded along the lines of a suicide mission. If the "local contact" had good information, then that may change and Aila certainly hoped that would be the case. And as team lead, Aila would be the one meeting the contact first among the Minerva's crew. Talia mentioned the contact would be driving a land vehicle which the Minerva would take on board. It made Aila wonder how bad the Alliance had been treating the local people to have them not just risk helping ZAFT but do so willingly.
At the same time the ZAFT task force was traveling from the Mahamul base, a young female teen was in a jeep racing toward the coordinates she'd been given. The teen's name was Conille Almeta, and she was on her way to meet up with a group from ZAFT. She had neck-length brown hair normally set in a ponytail. She had aqua colored eyes and slightly tanned skin from the sun exposure with the part of the world she lived in. Conille had a height of one-hundred forty-seven centimeters, so learning how to drive had been a simple matter of picking up the skill and practicing it.
Conille had been selected by those who were leading her home village to go and meet with ZAFT in the hopes they would help. Because of her young age of fourteen and that she was a girl had the Alliance keeping less of an eye on her all the time. The horrible Alliance personnel ignored or worse raped the women from the village depending on their age. Should nothing change, Conille would be a target for rape the day she turned sixteen. Conille didn't like that she'd been the one to be chosen to deliver info to ZAFT rather than stay around her home village and help the efforts against the Alliance. Her father was one of those leading the village which all listened to. He was keeping things from going really bad and everyone getting massacred. Those who were in their teens, like Conille were either in hiding, forced to work, or had run to get help. Most girls like Conille went into hiding in the caves and other places the Alliance didn't check often. The boys were either dragged off to work on the Alliance's base when they were fifteen or sixteen or had run to try and get help.
Conille could only think that one of the boys that had escaped had gotten to some within ZAFT for the organization to say they would try and help. Her older brother and a few others had said they would go to the Equatorial Union and beg for assistance from the Federation. Conille respected and loved her brother and hadn't wanted him and the rest of his group to leave. However, she had understood why they had volunteered to go for help. She and others could only wish them luck and see them off in the middle of the night when they had made their escape.
Honestly, with the "change" which had come with the Alliance personnel in the last six months or so, Conille knew the village needed help more than ever. The Alliance had become rougher and truthfully, violent toward the villagers. They beat the men for little to no reason, saying ridiculous excuses as to why. There were now whispers that the Alliance would kill them all once the base was "finished." And Conille could believe they would be sick enough to do that with the violence they'd been showing over the last year, especially in the passing months. The hope of help had waned when the Alliance had said they killed a "group of teens" which they had caught. Conille had assumed that group had been the one her brother had been with going for the Federation border. She had shed tears at hearing the Alliance boast of how they had murdered the teens they had caught. The thirst for vengeance had been burning in her to get back at the Alliance for her bother and the others. But her father had told her to be patient and not lash out at the Alliance visibly.
That led to the current situation Conille found herself in. Those that had been going to get help from the Federation had been killed in their attempt. Sending more to try again would be expected by the Alliance so those from the village couldn't do that right away. That left assistance from ZAFT as the only avenue the village had left to go with before possibly being slaughtered by the Alliance. Conille only could pray ZAFT could use her info to free the village from Alliance suppression. The hope she had months ago had been fading and was almost gone with her brother and his group being murdered. The village had little if any other options than to hope ZAFT could help them. They would rebel against the Alliance otherwise as a last resort or die trying to get free of the Alliance. So, Conille was putting the last of her hope and the village's on giving ZAFT the info about the cave system that led to the Alliance's main weapon battery they used as a symbol of power.
Conille brought her jeep to a stop as she reached the overlook of where she was to meet up with the ZAFT group. She pulled out the com-device ZAFT had gotten to the village and put in the code that had been on the instruction with the device. As she did so, Conille heard a rumbling. She glanced up and saw aircraft which the Alliance didn't use coming in her direction. A few minutes later, ships came into her view which she assumed she was to meet up with. The one in the lead was a gray and red ship and she figured that was the ship she was to board. She moved the jeep forward and drove it onto the sand, heading toward the lead ZAFT vessel.
As Conille was approaching the meeting point, the ZAFT task force was traveling towards the ravine's entrance. There was a stretch ahead of the ravine's entrance which was the place the local contact was to meet up with them. Meyrin informed Talia when she picked up the signal which was being expected from the local resistance contact. Talia told Malik to lower to the sand, then told Meyrin to lower the cargo lift so the contact could board the Minerva. She once again hoped that whatever info the contact had would help have success with the operation. As things stood, things would get messy the longer the operation went on.
Conille spotted a platform being lowered to the sand under the lead ZAFT ship. She floored the gas petal and raced for the platform. She circled behind the platform in an arc before she raced onto it and hit the brakes. The platform began rising, and Conille hoped again that ZAFT could do something to help the village. She didn't want everyone to die because of the Alliance, too many had been murdered in different ways by the Alliance already. And Conille was sure her village wasn't the only one the Alliance was abusing as they were hers. There were rumors the Federation's military was helping some. That was the reason her brother's group had headed toward the Federation's border. They had been sure they could convince the Federation to help the village. And Conille had faith that had her bother and the others gotten to the Federation, they could have gotten their help. Yet, they had been killed before evening having the opportunity to beg for help.
In the Minerva's hangar, Aila was waiting for the cargo platform to come back up. Matt had gone to the briefing room along with the rest of the team and other mobile suits pilots involved in the operation. Aila still wondered how bad the Alliance could've been to have the locals turn against them. The Alliance was already putting itself in a hard position with the Federation and ZAFT going against them. The Alliance couldn't afford turning much more against them and have good chances of being in a coming war for long. And Aila didn't believe locals would agree with being a part of the Alliance's coming war. She was brought out of her thoughts when the platform come up and a jeep was on it.
The single occupant in the driver seat had Aila blinking in surprise. The sight of a teenager, likely in their mid to young teen years didn't sit right with Aila. It brought a frown to Aila's face as the girl looked younger than any of the Minerva's pilots. Heck, the girl appeared younger than any in the Minerva's crew. For a girl as young as the one Aila was seeing to be involved with a local rebellion was both extremely sad and a horrible sign of the times. It was commendable that the girl had the bravery to come out and help ZAFT against the Alliance. Aila could only wonder about the girl's motivation to fight against the Alliance.
Aila approached the jeep slowly, so she didn't potentially spook the girl. The girl likely had seen more horrible things than any teen should. Aila didn't want to add to any trauma the girl could've experienced. "Hello," Aila greeted. "I would assume that you are the one bringing us the intel from the locals?" Conille had pulled down her mask and shoved her goggles up to glance around the ship's hangar. Her gaze snapped to the voice and found a woman approaching her jeep. The woman was notably taller than Conille herself and had a womanly figure which Conille was starting to develop. Conille would guess the woman was in her early twenties. She had long silver hair which framed her admittedly pretty face. The woman's light blue eyes had an expression of warmth but held concern behind them. Conille had learned to read body language, more as a means of survival with Alliance personnel. "Yes, I'm the contact ZAFT was meeting up with," Conille stated evenly. "Who are you?"
Aila could tell the girl was guarded with her answers. She could only imagine that it had come as a means of survival with being around Alliance personnel. Aila couldn't help but also be curious about if this girl was sent because there wasn't anyone else or some other reason. Aila bowed her head, "My name is Aila Lakeen, I'm the mobile suit team leader for this ship," she returned. "I will also be one of those commanding on the field during the operation against the Alliance's base." Aila smiled a bit hoping it would help the girl be a bit more open and cooperative. "It is nice to meet you, but could I get your name so I can properly address you?"
Conille stared at Aila for a bit, wondering about the woman in front of her. Should the woman be one of those leading ZAFT's operation against the Alliance, then she was one of those Conille needed to work with. ZAFT's involvement going against the Alliance in the area was the best chance Conille and her people had to gain freedom without shedding their own blood badly. There had already been several that had died trying to get to the Federation to plead for their help. And that blood spilled was only getting worse with each attempt there was to get some to the Federation. "My name is Conille Almeta, Miss Lakeen," she replied. "I hope ZAFT can help us against the Alliance." Conille hesitated for a moment, "We are running out of options and our hope if fading."
Aila could see desperation with the girl, which had her believing Miss Almeta was telling the truth as she knew it. It sounded like her people were more than suffering under the Alliance's rule. And Aila didn't know if she wanted to be made aware just what the Alliance was doing to the locals. She felt for the girl's situation and the suffering she and her people were dealing with. If ZAFT helping them was seen as the last resort, then things had to be extremely bad for Miss Almeta's village. The girl was braver than Aila had originally surmised coming to meet with the ZAFT task force. "You are brave to leave others you care about behind so you can try and help them," Aila said. "I assure you, we will help your village as we can with going against the Alliance base." Aila gestured to the hangar's entrance, "If you would follow me, we can go to the briefing and get down to shooing away the Alliance from your land."
Meanwhile, pilots were gathering in the Minerva's briefing room for the "battle plan" for the operation. Matt was saving a seat for Aila when she came with the local contact that was coming onto the Minerva. Rey was next to him waiting for the briefing to begin. Matt hadn't seen Shinn or Lunamaria yet even when the time for pilots to assemble in the briefing room had been announced hours ago. He wasn't all that worried about Shinn, for the kid had enough good behavior he would be in the room for the briefing. Hawke on the other hand, Matt wasn't as sure about if she would be consistent on following instructions. Just as Matt was about to ask Rey if he knew where the two were, they came into the room. Matt gestured for the two to take the seats next to Rey to wait for the briefing to begin.
Shinn took the seat that Mr. Dems had pointed to still wondering about the coming operation. What had been said was the task force would be going against an Alliance base to the north of the Mahamul base. There was the rumor going around that they would be getting "local cooperation," of some kind. There had been more detail of that, or if it was true. Shinn hoped that in the briefing those participating would get more details of what they would be doing. He and Luna had been talking about what had been stated about the operation thus far along the way to the briefing room. "So, what does it mean that we're having local cooperation," Shinn questioned. "This base is in Alliance controlled territory by what I understand."
Lunamaria didn't know any more than Shinn did about the operation. And she hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Aila and see if she knew anymore about the operation. Aila had been "busy" with details involving the operation so wouldn't stop to talk. Luna hadn't wanted to ask Dems as she still didn't like him that much. She had promised Aila she would try to work with the guy and follow instructions given by him on the field. That didn't mean she liked him any more than before, but she would do what she could for Aila. So, she shrugged, "I couldn't say," Luna replied. "The latest intelligence reports say that things in the area of the Gulnahan Ravine have gotten bad since the Alliance took control over a year ago. But there isn't much more than that, so we don't know much detail."
Matt could hear the two were discussing the rumors going about with the operation looming. It wasn't worth entertaining those as they would be confirmed or dismissed with what information the contact had hopefully. "We have a local contact coming on board the ship," Matt remarked. "They will hopefully give us more information about the Alliance base for the operation. It had been implied that whatever they have will be valuable and help us succeed. So, until the briefing begins, discussing rumors isn't worth it."
Outside the briefing room Arthur was waiting for Aila to bring the Minerva's guest. The contact would hopefully have good info that would seriously improve the chances of the operation's success. All the pilots involved in the operation were in the briefing room besides Aila. So, when Arthur spotted Aila coming up the corridor, he was relieved. He also saw there was a young teenage girl with her, which he assumed was the local contact. Arthur gestured Aila and their guest to enter the briefing room. The three came into the briefing room, which acted as a signal to all inside to salute before taking their seats. Aila and Conille stood to the right side of the front of the room while Arthur went to the left of the main display. "This briefing is for explain the finer details of the operation we are about to embark on." Arthur brought up a map of the general area, "The operation is to break through the Earth Alliance's "Lohengrin Gate," which is a critical part of the Alliance's main supply line. The operation will be conducting with the Ruddle and Midas Teams."
Arthur had the map being displayed zoom in on the Gulnahan Ravine and the Alliance base at the end of it. The majority of the operation would take place in what was being displayed, so Arthur wanted to focus on that. There were some factors which would be brought up that had to be looked at. "I am sure that most if not all of you are aware, the area we're gone into is controlled by the Earth Alliance currently. Tensions have been high in the present year. However, they have notably increased since OMNI's assault on Asgard. This is especially true around the general area as it is fairly close to the western border of the Federation's Equatorial Union."
Arthur paused for a moment after laying out the general facts as they had been given to him and Talia in the previous briefing. The operation as it was currently couldn't be described as anything but a very tall order. Should the contact's information be able to help with the operation's success, that tall order could perhaps be lessened. "With that being said, assaulting this enemy position will be a tall order. That is mostly because the enemy has a Lohengrin positron blaster cannon battery in a place which overlooks the ravine. The Ruddle and Midas Teams have already made attempts to break through this enemy position before this." Arthur paused remembering the descriptions which had been given at the commanders briefing. The results of the attempts against the Alliance base had been messy and horrible. "But the missions were unsuccessful to put it mildly. However, this time will be different," Arthur turned to Aila, "Aila, if you would take the briefing from here."
Aila knew she would be giving more details about the operation. She had been studying the information ZAFT had on the Alliance base at the eastern end of the Gulnahan Ravine. The Alliance had been smart in how they positioned their base in relation to the ravine. With where the Lohengrin batter was likely placed, it would be able to target ships in the ravine once in range. The structures which had been identified as the power plants for the base and the battery were located behind the base. Thus, the positron blaster battery couldn't be disabled by attacking its power sources. It was a guarantee there would be mobile suits on the Alliance's end to counter any attempts to get machines close to the blaster cannon. So, the information from Miss Almeta would be depended upon to raise the chances of success. Aila moved forward to the controls for the display, "Okay everyone, listen up," Aila began. "This mission will be as the Minerva's deputy captain said, difficult and a tall order."
Aila typed in a command to have Alliance structures on the map highlighted before she continued. "This is an overhead image of the general area that the operation will take place which is the Gulnahan Ravine. The Alliance's Lohengrin Gate base is positioned at the eastern end of the ravine." Aila picked up the rod for the display and used it to point out what she was referencing. "You will note that there is a town at just outside the eastern end of the ravine. By that town is the power plants which provide the base with the energy it needs, including for its positron blaster cannon." Aila pointed out the Alliance structures which lined the northern wall of the ravine on the eastern end. "The Alliance has built their base to position themselves overlooking the ravine. They can counter approaches from the west down the ravine due to that positioning. They also had an anti-air system in place to prevent any from coming from above the base."
Aila gestured at Miss Almeta, "This young lady is our local contact from the town which the power plants are around. The only way that one can approach the town, or the power plants is traveling down the ravine itself. It is the best way to get there, if not for the placement of the enemy's blaster cannon battery. From what intel has been able to get, the cannon is high up on the bluffs, which allows it to cover the vast majority of the approach, firing upon ships that come down the ravine at will." Aila had her gaze scan over all the pilots in the room, "With that in mind, make no mistake, there is little to no cover within the ravine for the whole approach. That is the same no matter the route you use to try and reach the Alliance's position." There was silence at what Aila had been saying about the Alliance's position in relation to the ravine. What was laid out was grim for it could lead to the pilots in the room going out to die. There was some quiet muttering between some about how ridiculous the operation was being shown to be.
Lunamaria had been listening intently to what Aila had been saying about the operation. It certainly sounded like the Alliance was dug in and would be hard to overcome. But if that was the case, the briefing would've stated that and then move onto mitigation of losses. So, that Aila hadn't said such a thing told Luna that there was more information which would change how things were being viewed. Thus, Luna wasn't the happiest that Aila wasn't being allowed to keep going without muttering to the contrary. So, she cleared her throat loudly to draw attention to her, "I assume ma'am," she started, "there is more information that could give us a means to not go out and be shot by the Alliance's defending forces at their leisure?"
Shinn had been thinking along the same lines as Luna had clearly been doing before speaking up. As grim as things were being portrayed, there had to be more for this briefing to be called for. The Alliance's position may be solid against brute force attacks, but that didn't mean it was covered from other ways. And that there was a local contact on the Minerva told Shinn they likely had info which would help the operation. "And that information is to come from our guest," Shinn questioned evenly. "So, please go on, ma'am before others began muttering about what we shouldn't be doing."
Aila turned and focused on Shinn after he spoke. She was glad it seemed the Minerva's pilots had been listening and weren't jumping to conclusions. The operation wouldn't be done to fail the same way the previous attempts had. The information coming from the locals would make the difference, that had been assured. "I'm glad some have been not only listening, but not jumping to conclusions without having all the relevant information. That is what this briefing is being held to discuss and iron out the needed details. I stated to you all that an assault even from elsewhere other than the ravine on this Alliance base is essentially a fool's errand. The reason being is the anti-air defenses and the positron cannon can used for and aerial assault." Aila would've kept going, but another pilot spoke up, "That just comes back to what the hell this operation is for to put us on a suicide mission."
Conille's hope that ZAFT would help her village and people had been fading with the briefing going on. She could see the signs that those listening were becoming disillusioned to the point. Honestly, she was wishing she had gone with her brother to beg the Federation for help. Because with what she was seeing, it was more likely that the Federation would help her and the others than ZAFT would. They were clearly scared to go against the Alliance's setup without even hearing the info she had brought to them. Several had died to get the intel she had. The Alliance had murdered them or just beat and tortured them to death for "slacking" on the job. The Alliance had started figuring out those from her village were listening and gathering info to give to those who could help.
ZAFT's intel which she had heard was out of date and lacking. What Conille had could fill in the holes they had including on the Alliances positron blaster cannon battery. Her people had observed the Alliance's routines and limitations were while forced to build their base. The most recent piece of information was about cargo which the Alliance had received a little over a week ago. A large piece of equipment had been offloaded which looked kind of like a mobile suit according to the one who had gathered the info, beaten badly for it. Thus, Conille was getting irritated at the reactions she was seeing from these ZAFT personnel. And when the question from the pilot asked the question of the value of the "mission," Conille lost her control on her emotions.
ZAFT apparently didn't understand what was at stake in this mission of theirs. There would be lives at stake, all in her village would be at risk of being slaughtered by the Alliance. ZAFT may not care about those in her village, but Conille certainly did, and she would fight for them. So, Conille moved forward into the view of those in the room. "All of you have no clue what is at stake in this," she stated firmly. "Maybe for ZAFT this is a strategic move against the Alliance. But for me and my people, this is a matter of life and death and has been ever since the Alliance came." Conille shook her head violently, "You don't know the suffering which we had been under. The beatings the Alliance dish out upon us for the tiniest things."
Aila could see Miss Almeta was being emotional and she didn't blame the girl. It sounded like the Alliance had been cruel to the people in the town behind their base and more. As she said, for ZAFT the operation was a strategic move to disrupt the Alliance's supply line. But for those under the terror of the Alliance, it probably a matter of life and death survival. And Aila was getting the picture the Alliance had been not just oppressing those that lived in the town, they had enslaved them and treated them as less than human. Aila was about to speak up when another one of the non-Minerva pilots spoke up, "While your suffering is regrettable, if this operation has a low chance of success, it will continue. With the information we have, the chances of success aren't good at all."
If it was info that ZAFT wanted to motivate them to help, then Conille would shove what she had down their throats. She would give the intel she and others had acquired normally with consequences from the Alliance. "You want information," Conille just about snarled, "Then I'll give you intel we locals gathered with prices paid for to obtain them. Did you know the range of the Alliance's positron cannon is a kilometer, which equals around five-hundred meters from the last turn in ravine which faces the base? Or that if you do manage to get close to the base, the Alliance's cannon can be lowered into an armored bunker to protect it from attack? Is that enough info to get your attention or do you want me to shove more down your throats, cause I got more."
Aila had to hold back the laughter that was trying to escape her at Miss Almeta's actions. The girl wasn't going to let others try to decline this operation on the grounds of lacking information. Her intel was better than Aila had hoped for thus far. To have such details about the Alliance's base and its operation suggested the girl could have even more valuable data. The effective range of the Lohengrin cannon was a very helpful thing which would help in the operation's planning. The point of the cannon being able to lower into an armored bunker was problematic in reaching the weapon. Aila hoped that Miss Almeta had a potential method to reach the Lohengrin cannon that would be an alternative to the ravine approach. Aila put a hand on the girl's shoulder, "I believe you have made your point that your intel is valuable, thank you." Aila turned her gaze to the pilots in the room, "You would all do well to listen to the intel which has been brought to us to help the operation's success. The data is what will keep us from going into the fight with a high chance of dying for the operation."
Conille calmed down as Miss Lakeen got control of the situation. There was a plan which could get someone to the positron battery and give them a chance to strike it before it was lowered to safety. Whether ZAFT had a machine which could use the cave network was something that Conille couldn't be sure about. If they didn't, that would complicate the plan which had been made. But she hoped they had something that could do it as the plan was the best path there was right now to help the town. After things were brought to order, Aila looked to Conille for her to continue. "The Alliance built their base to take advantage of high ground and being able to attack those below," Conille iterated. "They tout that, saying it's the reason the base won't fall to those who assault it."
Arthur nodded at the information, "Which would mean the approach would be more difficult than we originally thought it would be." Aila didn't disagree with Arthur's statement, but there was more to it than that. With the placement of the Alliance's defenses, there wasn't any cover to use for those coming down the ravine. "It's more than that Arthur," Aila remarked. "The Alliance's position makes it so there is no effective cover even in the rock formations along the approach. And I assume the Alliance has their the Lohengrin battery defended by more than the bunker it can be lowered into." Aila glanced at Conille, "Is that correct?"
Conille knew the Alliance had made it difficult to assault their "pedestal of power." With how they bragged about it, how could Conille and her fellow townsfolk not know the point. And the mobile suits which had been building up hadn't been mentioned yet. There was more to go over beyond the mobile suits that were around. The Alliance had things to respond to an attack around the power plants close to town. "Yes, the Alliance has multiple ways with the rocks around the battery and the armor plating which shields all but the front of it. The Alliance also has mobile suits in hangars built into the cliffs which can scramble when told to. Those forces have been building up for the last month with regular shipments to the base."
The information about the other defenses around the Lohengrin battery was unfortunately expected. The data about the mobile suits building up at the base for the last month was very concerning. It meant Windams would be out in sizable numbers to counter the task force when it approached. The mention of shipments to the base had Aila wonder what the locals could've seen come in. Mobile suits wasn't the only thing that could and likely had come to the base in the "shipments." What else could have come to the Alliance's base could be even more dangerous for ZAFT to face. "Did you or others happen to see anything odd coming in the shipments to the base," Aila asked. "Anything could be helpful to make this operation a success and help the townsfolk."
Conille hesitated for a moment at the question. She couldn't help but remember what the friend who had gotten the information about the recent shipment and the condition they had been in when giving the info. The girl had been a few years older than Conille and so had been at risk with the Alliance. Her friend had been beaten and raped before the Alliance had dropped her back in town, bloody and bruised all over her body. Conille's friend was still working on recovering from what the Alliance had done to her before "bringing" her back. "Someone managed to see something being unloaded a little over a week ago," Conille said in an even voice, holding back the anger she felt for what had been done to her friend. "They said it looked kind of like a mobile suit but was larger and had more legs and weapons than the other mobile suits that had come to the base. We don't know what it actually is, but it went to the base and into one of the hangars. That was the last any saw of it. But some of the Alliance soldiers were saying that any that tried and attack the base would be in for a surprise, especially if they used powerful beams."
Several in the room didn't like what Conille was telling them. Aila and Matt were figuring what had been described was some kind of new mobile armor the Alliance had developed. If a mobile armor had been brought here, it likely would have special equipment to help in the base's defense. The implications from Miss Almeta said the armor could have a means to block or deflect beams fired at the Lohengrin battery. That would be extremely problematic if that were true and there was little reason to doubt it. Aila hummed in response to that, "That will likely complicate things for the operation. But I hope you have an alternative means to go for the battery, Miss Almeta."
Conille nodded and took out the storage device she had and plugged it into the console below the display. The screen changed to have several blue lines on the left side of the ravine with one red line spanning the majority of it. "When the Alliance built the base, they did look into part of the cave network in the walls of the ravine but never explored it fully or much at all," Conille stated. "All they did was seal the two entrances near their base and said that was enough. We locals know about the network as our ancestors mapped them so we could retreat to them for safety when needed. Alliance didn't let us get to them, but we know more about the cave network than the Alliance ever knew. But it is that cave network which provides a path that comes out right next to the weapon battery."
Aila studied the red line which started before the final approach path to the Alliance base. It did seem like it went all the way to the area where the Lohengrin battery was. However, there was no data on the diameter of the tunnels which would have to be traversed. That would be the key to whether the cave network could be used to get some to the battery. "Do your people know how narrow the tunnels on this path can get," Aila inquired. "That will be what determines whether the idea is feasible or not." Conille looked at the floor at the question, "The narrowest places are around nine meters wide."
The answer wasn't the one Aila was hoping to hear. The issue with the diameter mentioned was pretty much any mobile suit used in the operation couldn't fit through that well if at all. That would force the operation to go with the original plan for the assault which would be messy. And yet, Aila had a thought about the point. The problem with most mobile suits to make the diameter was due to their flight systems and shoulder equipment. The Impulse didn't have that problem until it assembled. So, in theory, the Impulse could do the whole trip with the flyers traveling behind the Core Splendor. The only problem that Aila could think of was the Silhouette flyers couldn't fit with their wings they used to fly. Thus, if the Impulse did the journey, it would have only basic equipment to use in attacking the Lohengrin battery. Aila glanced over the path through the caves again while others were murmuring. If there was a more detailed map to follow, then the idea should be possible from what Aila was seeing. "Miss Almeta, do you have a detailed map for the path which would be taken," Aila questioned. "If you do, I think this may just be a possible plan we can work with."
Conille did have a map which could be used to travel through the cave network. But she hadn't heard anything as to the potential machine being with ZAFT which could get through the cave system. If there was one, then there was hope that ZAFT help was possible for the town and its inhabitants. She nodded, "Yes, I have a detailed map to get someone through the caves," Conille replied. "ZAFT has a machine which could get through the cave network then?"
Aila was becoming more certain the Impulse could get through the caves if it didn't assemble until coming out the other end. Yet, she was to be out on the field with the Osiris leading the "charge" against the enemy base. That left Matt or Shinn doing the job with the Impulse which wouldn't be easy even for a competent pilot. While Aila was confident in Matt being able to hold his own on a battlefield, this required more technical skill with the Core Splendor. Matt hadn't had the time to practice with the Core Splendor and get better with it. Sure, he could assemble the Impulse fair enough. Yet this would require knowing how to work with the flyers for a distance and keeping them with the Core Splendor. The next best skilled pilot who could do the point would be Shinn from what Aila could figure. "Yes, we have one that can manage the journey through the caves," Aila remarked. "As long as your map is detailed enough for a pilot to use to get through the cave system."
Conille handed over the other data storage device she had which contained the map for the cave system. She was glad ZAFT had something to get through the cave network. It had the best chance to get to the Alliance's positron battery before they could hide it. The cannon had to be destroyed for the Alliance to be beaten. It was their symbol of power, and so it had to be taken out to do a blow against them. Miss Lakeen had sounded confident in getting this mission done. Conille felt that with Miss Lakeen said it could be done, then the Alliance could be knocked down from their seat of power around here.
Aila took the disk that Conille handed to her which she assumed contained the cave system map. While the Impulse used the cave network, the rest of the task force would work on drawing away the Alliance's mobile suit forces. Pulling away the Alliance's mobile suits would be important as it would give the Impulse the best chance at taking out the Lohengrin battery without interference and giving the chance to lower the cannon to safety. And if the mobile armor could be led away as well, all the better for the operation's success. Aila turned back to the pilots in the room, "There is a unit on the Minerva which can go down the cave network and get to the Lohengrin cannon. But while it travels, the rest of us will have to work on distracting and pulling away the Alliance's mobile suits," Aila iterated. "The Minerva's unit will get to the cannon and take it down while we distract the enemy force. With that cannon out of the picture, we can push forward and overwhelm the enemy force." Aila focused on Shinn, "Shinn you will be flying the Impulse through the cave system and attack the Lohengrin battery."
Shinn wasn't the only one who thought he heard Aila wrong when she said he would be flying the Impulse through the tunnels to the enemy battery. But as Shinn thought about it, he could see how the Impulse could get through the cave network. In fact, the Core Splendor and its flyers were the only thing that there was in the task force which could fit in the spaces mentioned. However, that didn't explain why Aila was going to assign him to do the job. She had more experience with the Impulse than he did, so she would be better suited for it. Granted, he could understand what would be involved in getting through the caves with flyers and not lose any of them. It would certainly be a tough set of maneuvers to pull off to succeed, there was no question about that.
Conille stared at the guy which Miss Lakeen had said would be flying the machine which was key to this whole thing. The guy had only said two sentences the whole time while Conille had been in the room. So, Conille couldn't make an accurate assessment of the guy with what she'd seen. But she wasn't anywhere near as confident as she was in Miss Lakeen with making sure the mission would be a successful one. The lives of all in the town were riding on ZAFT helping and taking down the Alliance's seat of power in the area. Should ZAFT fail, the Alliance would turn on the town assuming correctly they had helped them. The last attempt to rebel had gotten several killed as the Alliance making an example of what would happen to them. It was expected that this time if the Alliance kept power, most if not all in the town would be slaughtered as punishment. So, the last thing the town and its people needed was some sort of cocky ZAFT pilot to mess everything up.
Conille looked back to Aila with an incredulous expression, "Wait, you're saying that this guy is the one expected to do this," she questioned pointing a finger at Shinn. Aila was slightly surprised at Miss Almeta's reaction to Shinn being assigned to the task. Shinn had been well behaved during the briefing only asking one question so far. He certainly hadn't given any impression of being cocky or anything like that. So, Aila nodded, "Indeed, he will be the one piloting the machine that will be key to this operation with the plan you helped make." Conille still wasn't sure about the guy Miss Lakeen was going to pin all the hope on. Those here didn't seem to understand what was at stake beyond the risks ZAFT would face. Thus, Conille stared at Shinn for a moment longer, "I don't know," she began, "this plan requires a pilot that can pull off some seriously tricky flying to get through the caves." Conille jabbed a finger at Shinn, "Are you sure that this guy can handle that?" Conille turned back to Aila, "There's a lot at stake in this that some in this room don't seem to understand. You're the mission commander, aren't you? Wouldn't it be better for you to do this yourself, you have the skills, right?"
Shinn hadn't missed the implied point that he didn't have what it took to pull off flying the Impulse through the caves to attack the enemy battery. Sure, the flight wouldn't be easy from what he'd seen. Yet, Shinn felt if he was put to it, he could get the Impulse through the caves and to the battery. He had fought alongside the Federation during the Alliance's assault on Asgard when it had looked like he may not last the whole battle. This would just be hard in a different way than the fight around Asgard. However, instead of countering the girl like he was wanting to, he decided to do something different. He'd learned while on the Normandy that sometimes it was better to say nothing and let others speak for you. It was one of the lessons he'd gotten while away from the Minerva which he felt would serve him well.
Aila glanced at Shinn and was surprised and impressed that Shinn was remaining quiet with what Miss Almeta was saying and implying about him. Not everyone could stay quiet when another insulted them in some way. Lunamaria wouldn't by what Aila had seen from her, though she hoped the girl would improve given time. Aila was impressed that Shinn was not letting emotions get the better of him. She turned back to Miss Almeta, "I'm confident that he can accomplish the task of getting through the caves and attacking the enemy cannon. I have seen what he is capable of and am sure he will do well." Shinn was kind of floored and humbled at the praise Aila was giving him with the confidence she had in him. It was the first time she had said such things for him to hear.
Miss Lakeen sounded confident in the guy to Conille. That did help some of her fears lessen, but it didn't make all of them go away. ZAFT still didn't seem to understand what their help would really do for those in the town. The year of "slavery" under the Alliance's occupation had been horrible and had only gotten worse as time had passed. Should ZAFT fail like they did a little over a month ago, the Alliance would take it out on the town. "If he," she said, pointing at Shinn, "messes this up, then my town and everyone in it will suffer."
Conille paused as the memories of what had been tried to get out from under the oppression of the Alliance flooded her mind. The lives which had been lost had been horrible. So many good people had died because of the Alliance's punishments. And those "punishments" from the Alliance had been getting worse over the last few months. People had been beaten to the point they couldn't stand or work for a week at least. Some had been hurt worse, like Conille's friend who had gotten the new equipment information. Those in town were counting on her to help ZAFT succeed in their attempt to earn them freedom from the Alliance. "The Alliance has been torturing those of us who live in town for the last year. They have enslaved us to build their base and hurt or kill those that refuse," Conille said looking at the floor. "The last time ZAFT attacked the base, those of us in the town rose up in rebellion against OMNI. They punished many to send a message to the rest of us. If this fails, those of us in the town are as good as dead, the Earth Forces will personally make sure of that." Tears came to Conille's eyes, "We've already lost too many good people because of the Alliance."
Luna sympathized with the losses those in the town had faced, but ZAFT wasn't responsible for them. The Alliance had done the horrible things to them, they should be blamed for it. "It's harsh you've lost people," Luna commented. "But ZAFT is here to break the Alliance's control, saving the town would be a benefit." Aila was very tempted to slap Luna on the back of the head for her lack of tact. She should've been the empathetic one of the Minerva's pilots, not come off as unfeeling. Conille's people had been suffering under Alliance tyranny, that shouldn't be waved off. "Lunamaria," Aila stated firmly, which caught Luna's attention. When she looked at Aila, she knew she had chosen her words poorly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
Conille stared at the redheaded girl for a long moment, not quite believing she had said what she did. She was saying ZAFT didn't care for the suffering that the Alliance had been causing upon the inhabitants. They would be saying other things if it was their own people which made it all the more infuriating. An angry expression came to Conille's face before she cut over the redhead, "How dare you downplay what my people have gone through at the hands of the Alliance," she growled. "You have no idea how many good people we have lost because of them." Conille had tears in the corners of her eyes as the memory of her brother saying his farewell to her before leaving to get to the Federation border. The Federation would at least be sympathetic to the plight the town was in, Conille was sure of that. "I've lost family because of the Alliance's tyranny. They killed my mom to get my dad who is our town leader to do what he was told." Conille's voice caught for a moment, "They murdered my older brother and others for trying to get help for our people. So, don't you dare wave off what we have suffered since the Alliance came here and established themselves as our overlords and enslaved us."
Aila put a hand on Conille's shoulder after chiding Luna, "I apologize for what she said," she said. "She wasn't thinking about what you and your people have gone through. None should have to suffer as your people have because of the Alliance. You have my word ZAFT will do what we can to help your people the best we can." She glanced at Shinn, "I can assure you that he can do this mission Miss Almeta. I understand your concerns but when this operation is done, then you and those in your village will be able to see many tomorrows and be free from oppression."
Shinn didn't know exactly what Miss Almeta was going through but he certainly understood the feeling of fear of losing family. That was the feeling he'd experienced while evacuating from Orb during the Alliance's attack. There was a moment Shinn seriously though he was about to lose his whole family when Mayu had fallen behind. So, Shinn sympathized with the girl and what her town had been suffering under. The Alliance killing innocent people wasn't something which was public knowledge that Shinn knew of. Fighting the Earth Alliance was one thing, but for others to have to pay for what happened, especially when things going badly was wrong to Shinn. "I may not know what suffering you and your people are going through," Shinn remarked soberly. "Yet, I do know the fear of losing those you think of as family. I experienced that during the Alliance-PLANT War when I was evacuating from under an Alliance attack. So, I really can feel for the fear and somewhat the losses you have endured. I promise I'll do everything I can to help tear down the Alliance here and help your people."
Conille blinked at what the guy said to her. From what she could see, the guy was being genuine. He was telling the truth when he said he knew the fear of losing loved ones. If he was originally from the Human Federation as he implied, then maybe she'd been very wrong about him. She didn't think she would meet any within ZAFT that would understand even a little of what she and her people had been enduring. Conille bowed her head, "Sorry," Conille said to Shinn, "I have seemed to misjudge you and I apologize for that. We've been suffering for long enough now that we're at the end of our rope and don't know what to do. We want our freedom to live as we see fit, which the Alliance took away from us. This is the last chance we have without shedding our blood trying to escape their tyranny. Please understand, it is what is at stake for the town and my people."
The rest of the briefing was mostly giving out assignments to the others and who would play the distraction to draw the Alliance's attention where. Once done, the pilots began filing out so they could return to their ships. Shinn was beginning to follow the rest. Aila wanted to tell Shinn to study the data he'd been given by her. The map would be the main guide for him, if not the only guide he would have in the caves. He would only have one chance to do the journey right and attack the Lohengrin battery. Shinn would do well to study the map, so it wasn't a surprise or a mystery to him when he was flying the Core Splendor. "Shinn," Aila stated clearly, "a word before you go, in private please before you go to the hangar." Shinn turned to gaze at Aila for a moment before he returned to his seat. The rest of the Minerva's pilots besides Aila and himself filed out of the room. Once it was just Aila and him, Shinn spoke, "You wanted to say something to me ma'am?"
Aila believed Shinn would take the mission seriously, but she wanted to be sure he understood this wouldn't be easy. The Impulse reaching the Lohengrin battery was the key which the success of the operation was hinged on. If the Impulse couldn't do that, then the majority of the task force would likely be wiped out before a retreat could be made. So, Aila gained a serious expression on her face, "Shinn, say what's on your mind, you kept quiet before," she remarked. "It was a mature reaction I'll admit, but the expressions that crossed your face still spoke for you."
Shinn was glad to be in the Gundam rotation when Aila had told him about that. But this was a step beyond that which Shinn wasn't sure he was ready for yet. Sure, Commander McGregor and Aila had said he had potential, yet he wasn't sure he saw it. Commander McGregor had been the one who had essentially convinced Shinn he could be a Gundam pilot. But he hadn't thought about the weight they would carry, like the outcome of a mission being on him. So, Shinn didn't say anything for a moment ordering his thoughts. "Aila, why would you consider me to play a pivotal role like this? If the stakes are as high as you say, wouldn't it be better for someone that can do the job for sure do it?"
Aila couldn't help but wonder if Shinn didn't see his potential as others could. She'd seen it before now with the fights she'd seen Shinn fight in. But apparently, he was questioning what he was capable of. Thus, Aila didn't answer right away trying to figure out how to tell Shinn just how much potential he had. After a long moment, Aila exhaled heavily, "You may not think so Shinn, but you have abilities and talents that you might not have seen or know of yet." Shinn blinked as Commander McGregor had said something similar to him while Shinn had been on the Normandy. "Wait, Commander McGregor said something like that," Shinn remarked. "I didn't think much of it at the time though."
If only Shinn knew that Mr. McGregor had been the one to push for Shinn to use Gundams on the Minerva. Should Captain McGregor not have done whatever he had to get the National Defense Committee to not step in, it was unlikely Shinn would be in the rotation. "Did he now," Aila posed. "He has a good eye for talent then. And between you and me, he is the major reason you are able to be in the Gundam rotation." Shinn blinked not understanding how Commander McGregor could have anything to do with his pilot assignment. "What do you mean, Aila?" Aila smiled, "Mr. McGregor talked with the captain and convinced her to make you a Gundam pilot. He promised he would do something to make sure the National Defense Committee wouldn't override the decision."
Shinn was blown away at being told that Commander McGregor had done something to prevent the National Defense Committee from stopping Shinn from being a Gundam pilot. He couldn't begin to guess what the Commander could've done to get the Committee to stay out of the point. Sure, Commander McGregor was a really nice person, but he did come off with being okay bending rules or discarding them if he saw a reason to. Yet, Shinn hadn't expected him to go the distance to help Shinn like Aila was saying the Commander had. Shinn shook his head in slight disbelief, "I had no idea he would go that far."
Aila shrugged, "You aren't the only one that is surprised that he would go so far for you," she remarked. She then held out the storage device which Conille had given her which contained the map of the cave system. "But to the business which you will be responsible for in this operation. I believe that you are capable of doing this mission and being successful. If I didn't think you were able, then I would be doing the task myself." Shinn hadn't wanted to imply that Aila didn't trust him or anything like that. He appreciated that Aila was saying she believed he could do a difficult task when such was put to him. Yet, that still left the question on what Aila would do in the operation if Shinn was flying the Impulse. "But then what will you be doing on the field?"
Aila knew some would question why Shinn would be the one flying the Impulse through the caves and not her. She had prepared for those who would likely still ask before the operation officially began. It wasn't that she couldn't make the flight down the cave network, Aila felt she could do it. No, it was her skills would be better used on the field with keeping as many alive in the task force as possible. OMNI wouldn't waste time when they detected ZAFT coming, they would fire their Lohengrin cannon the moment the task force was in effective range. And Aila wanted to be around when the suspected mobile armor appeared. That machine was a wild card and Aila didn't like that with all the factors which made the operation difficult before that. Thus, she intended to take the Osiris out in the operation while Matt had said he would take a ZAKU.
Shinn would be up to the flight through the cave system, Aila was confident of that. He had talent and skills which were developing. She could understand and agree with the assessment the Federation had made of Shinn. He had real potential and was quite the good choice for a Gundam type. That those who made decisions on specialized mobile suit assignments hadn't noticed Shinn's potential was kind of concerning. The Federation had clearly seen his potential and had only seen Shinn's performance a few times. ZAFT should've seen the same potential Shinn had before the Federation. And Aila felt if not for Mr. McGregor giving Talia an "ultimatum" and him getting the National Defense Committee, Shinn would likely still be stuck working with a ZAKU.
Aila ended out sighing after a long moment since Shinn asked his question, "I could do the job, if that's what you ask," Aila admitted. "However, I believe my skills would be better employed out with the task force and keeping as many alive as possible. So, I will be going out from the Minerva with the Osiris and helping the task force directly." Aila paused for a moment, "The base's defending forces will be gunning for us. They will not hesitate to fire their Lohengrin cannon when the task force comes into range. Those at the Alliance base proved that with ZAFT's last attempt." Aila gained a concerned expression, "I think we could dodge one blast from the cannon, but I doubt we could do the same with more. Enemy mobile suits would pin us down for the cannon to pick off at its leisure. If the Impulse doesn't get to the battery before a second shot, then we will lose people." Aila gazed at Shinn, "With what we are dealing with on the Alliance's end, I can help better than you would be able to. Thus, you are the best choice to fly the Impulse through the caves."
Aila stopped as there was one other point which she hadn't mentioned to Shinn just yet. The Impulse wouldn't be taking a Silhouette flyer with it as it normally would. The Silhouette flyers usually provided the equipment which gave an advantage in battle. But with the diameter of the tunnels, none of the Silhouette flyers would be able to fly through them. So, Shinn would have limited offensive options to work with to take down the enemy cannon. "And don't think flying the Impulse through the caves and then attacking the enemy battery will be any easier than what the rest of the task force will be having to do. The flight through the cave system will be a very difficult one. You will be using the data on the storage disk to make your way through the caves. And when you reach the end of the tunnel and blast away the blockage the Alliance put up, things won't get easier. You will be in enemy territory by yourself and expected to assault a defended enemy position. Also understand, with the tunnels diameter as they are, you won't be able to take a Silhouette flyer with you. The other thing you need to keep in mind is don't get through the caves too quick, nor too slow. We will need time to draw away enemy mobile suits, but not enough time for the enemy cannon to recharge and fire a second time."
Shinn blinked at hearing what Aila was telling him. Sure, the flight had sounded like it wouldn't be a "walk in the park" as the old phrase went. But it seemed it would be harder than Shinn had figured it would be. The Impulse was a heck of a Gundam, Shinn would admit that. Yet, its advantage came with being able to have different equipment through the Silhouette flyers. Without one of those flyers, the Impulse would be more limited in combat situations. Granted, Shinn would have the beam rifle, anti-armor knives, and CIWS guns, but those would only go so far. And then, the time-sensitivity to the task Shinn would have just put on the pressure on him to succeed. Lives would be in his hands to an extent which stressed Shinn somewhat. Thus, Aila was right in saying he wouldn't have any easier a time than the rest of the task force.
It was nice that Aila said she believed he could do the key task of the operation. But the weight of the operation's success would be on his shoulders with him in the Impulse. And it wasn't just those in the task force who would be potentially killed by Alliance forces if Shinn didn't pull off the plan. According to that girl, those in the town behind the Alliance base would suffer at best or be slaughtered at worst should the operation fail. It wasn't the same amount of pressure that Shinn had felt during the Alliance's assault against Asgard. However, it felt quite similar which didn't sit nicely with Shinn. Shinn exhaled heavily, "If you really think I can pull this off," Shinn began, "I'll give it my best. But there seems to be a lot riding on if the Impulse can get through the caves and take out the battery. Is there a backup plan should that not happen as hoped?"
Aila wished there were contingencies ZAFT could have ready if things didn't go well. But with how the Alliance's base was positioned, effective options were limited. With the data Miss Almeta provided, they had the best possible option to overcome the Alliance's Lohengrin cannon. The only other two options ZAFT had was an assault from the ravine or an aerial attack. Both options would come with heavy losses even if successful in the end. "Unfortunately, the other options we have will come with high prices for a lower chance of success," Aila replied. "I'm aware that this puts a lot of pressure on you, Shinn. However, the plan has the best chance to be successful and lose the least number of lives in the process." Aila held the disk out to Shinn, "Make sure you seriously study the data on that disk, you WILL regret it if you do not later. You'll be depending on it I assure you."
Aila left the room after giving Shinn the disk, leaving him alone. It wasn't that Shinn was against the plan which had been laid out. It was just so much hinged on him making it to the enemy cannon and taking it down. Shinn rose and slotted in the disk and view what data was on it he would be relying on. The data was a virtual "simulation" of the cave system. It showed the full path that would allow an undetected approach to come out under the Lohengrin's battery. The path included the trip through one of the canyons that split off the ravine. That was followed by the entrance in the canyon wall into the cave system. It was finished off with the way through the cave system to the blocked tunnel exit. As Shinn watched the data, he frowned as the flying looked to be more than just hard. There would be little room for error. The margin Shinn would have to not scrap the walls with the Core Splendor was in the range of feet, less than a meter in some places with the Splendor's wingspan. The missile pods had enough firepower to clear the blockage the Alliance had "sealed" the ending tunnel with. If things went according to the operation's plan, then Shinn should have a small window which he could assault the enemy cannon with less interference. The task force was to pull away as much of the Alliance's defending forces as they could. With less standing between Shinn and the enemy Lohengrin cannon, he could focus on it and take it down before it had the chance to lower to safety.
Shinn wanted to succeed in this and make the operation a success in the end. The townsfolk deserved to get out from under the Alliance's oppression. By what Shinn had heard, they had been trying to get the Alliance to leave them alone. No human being deserved to be a slave to another, Shinn believed that. And technically, the international laws which were written up after the Reconstruction War, slavery was a serious crime. So, that the Alliance was doing that, and it wasn't public knowledge was odd. And Shinn feared with how the Alliance had established itself here, they would have someway to deny what they were doing was slavery. Shinn wanted to help the local people, especially after what Miss Almeta had said. Thus, Shinn would do his best to get through the caves in a "timely manner" and take down the enemy cannon.
Shinn had just gotten to the end of viewing the data fully one time when his concentration was disrupted. There was an announcement over the Minerva's speaker system. It said that the operation would soon start, and all pilots needed to go to their assigned machines. Shinn grabbed the disk and began making his way to the Minerva's hanger. Upon arriving in the hangar, Shinn saw that the other pilots were already boarding their machines in preparation for the operation. The Impulse would head out from the Minerva before the task force got within range of the Alliance's response. The task force would have a length of the ravine before turning and coming into view of the Alliance base. Shinn couldn't help but worry about the rest in the task force and what they would face. They would face danger in the form of the Alliance raining down their counterattack including their Lohengrin cannon. From what Aila had said, the Alliance's cannon would fire at least once before he could possibly get to it.
The other things about the operation was also a "mobile armor" which had been mentioned by Aila and after Miss Almeta's description of the idea. The girl had been talking about some of the "cargo" which had been coming into the Alliance base. A more recent shipment had contained and "odd" machine which Miss Almeta had described. Part of it had sounded like a mobile suit, but the rest had not. Aila had suggested it could and likely was a mobile armor which the Alliance had recently designed. Were that so, then Shinn couldn't help but wonder what made it different than the Windams. It was unlikely the Alliance would have this mobile armor brought to this base unless it had something special. With no hint as to what the armor could do, ZAFT would be going in blind to that.
Shinn boarded the Core Splendor and inserted the disk so the map would be up on his forward display to use. The end of this operation couldn't come fast enough for Shinn as the stress he was feeling was getting heavier as time passed by. With the Alliance's assault on Asgard, Shinn had been working with others who would watch his back and Shinn would do the same for them. However, in this operation, he essentially would be on his own for the majority of it. He would have little assistance from the task force when in enemy territory. With the Impulse being a Gundam, it did make an amount of difference in what Shinn was to do. But Shinn would still do all he could to take out the Alliance's Lohengrin battery.
Meyrin's voice brought Shinn out of his thoughts asking him if he was ready to head out. Shinn told her that he was as good as he could be to start his part of the operation. The Core Splendor and the two flyers he would be taking began rising in the central lift up to the Impulse's catapult. Shinn glanced over the Core Splendor's displays and saw that the craft was ready as possible. The QF908 6-tube anti-air missile pods had been replaced with AGM33 "Ladybird" guided missile pods. The Ladybird missiles would pack the needed punch to break through the rocks the Alliance used to seal the exit. It would be the first time Shinn had the Core Splendor equipped with its alternative missile loaded. But there had been no reason for the Ladybird missile before now. The Core Splendor wasn't meant to be an attack craft, it was the core of the Impulse, so there had been no need for it to attack on its own.
Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Minerva, with the operation starting, Talia knew it was time to get the Impulse off and move to be in the lead of the task force. The Minerva was designed to be able to take more of a beating than other ships. That was why the Minerva would be in the lead drawing the most fire from the Alliance. Its laminated armor should protect from general beam weapons the Alliance would use. That wouldn't include the Alliance's Lohengrin battery, such would rip through the laminated armor without much of a problem. Yet, the Minerva was more maneuverable than the land class ships.
Talia had already told Meyrin to work on getting the Core Splendor and the two flyers out. The splitting paths ahead in the ravine would have Shinn going to the left while the rest would head right. The task force was minutes away from the final turn which would put them in the Alliance's range and sites. The operation would become far more involved when the Alliance began their counterattack. All that could be done before that to help with the operation's success had to be accomplished before that final turn. "Lower the bridge," Talia ordered. "Prepare for anti-mobile suit combat. Extend the wings out and have us ascend a little so we have room to maneuver as needed. After the Impulse heads out, we will move ahead of the Desmond and the Bagley. The others will take up formation behind us before we come into the view of the enemy base."
Arthur may not like the plan the operation was going with for the goal. But he had to admit, depending on the Impulse to take out the enemy battery was better than what plans had been suggested at the Mahamul briefing. It was odd that the Minerva seemed to depend more and more on its Gundams to get the needed work done. And at times, they were expected to do what would be seen as impossible if left to the regular forces. However, there was no more time to argue for a different plan even if Arthur could think of one. "Activate CIWS, Tristans, and Isolde," Arthur ordered as he took his station. "Launchers one and seven, load tubes one to five with Parsifals." Talia turned to Meyrin, "Get the Impulse to head out, Shinn is running out of time to launch and not be noticed by the Alliance," she instructed. "Then send our other machines to the catapults to head out."
The Osiris with Aila in the cockpit was the first mobile suit to start moving to one of the linear catapults. Matt's ZAKU wasn't far behind the Osiris moving to the other catapult. Rey would follow Matt while Luna would go after Aila in the launching order. Matt had his ZAKU equipped with the Blaze set for what was ahead. Rey chose much the same equipment as Matt had gone with seeing the logic with it. The Blaze set gave good mobility in combat and that would be key going against this Alliance base. Luna was given her normal choice of the Gunner set to work with.
As the Osiris and ZAKU locked into the catapults, the Core Splendor reached take-off position. Shinn zoomed out from the Minerva when Meyrin told him he was clear. The chest and leg flyers quickly followed him after he flew out of the Minerva. Shinn had them take up their positions behind the Core Splendor. However, he had them following a bit more closely than normal. He didn't want them to fall too far behind and have the chance of them not receive commands from him while in the cave system. Shinn had the map he would use come up and started on the path it was showing. He veered left at the fork ahead of the Minerva and pushed his throttle forward to quicken the pace to the cave entrance. The seconds after he went left at the fork, everything went silent, which became his only boon companion. At his current speed, Shinn figured he should reach the cave system entrance in about a minute and a half. There would begin the "harder" part of his journey to the enemy battery.
After the Impulse headed out and went to the left, the rest of the task force surged forward and went to the right. They should have around another minute before the Alliance would detect them coming down the ravine. The last turn to come into view of the base would be another few minutes of travel. Unfortunately, that would be more than enough time for the Alliance to scramble forces and charge the Lohengrin for use. But the task force was to be the distraction to buy the Impulse time to get to the Lohengrin battery. Mobile suits would draw away the enemy defending forces to help the Impulse have success.
And as calculations predicted, the Alliance detected the ZAFT task force coming down the ravine. Sirens sounded at the detection of enemy forces approaching. Those in the base's command center were acquiring info on those coming their way. Windams were ordered to scramble to meet the enemy forces coming. The new mobile armor designated the YMAG-X7F Gells-Ghe was also ordered to scramble. It would be the Alliance's trump card against ZAFT attempting another assault against Lohengrin's Gate. It was equipped with the newly developed Positron Reflector Shield, which was called "Schneid Schutz." Should ZAFT have brought some sort of heavy beam cannon, the Gells-Ghe's shield would block its use.
The Alliance officer in command of Lohengrin's Gate had his sensor operator work on identifying the approaching heat sources. The man was a tad curious what ZAFT was throwing at the base this time. It had been interesting and entertaining to watch ZAFT's force which had tried assaulting the base the last time get wiped out by the Lohengrin battery one ship at a time. The Windams had cleaned up ZAFT's mobile suits back at the time after their ships were hit. Seeing ZAFT run with their "tails between their legs" as the phrase went had been amusing. It gave hope that the coming war would be very different than the Alliance-PLANT War. The Alliance wouldn't have to fear ZAFT with their mobile suits. They would be hunted down and treated as the vermin that they were to the human race. "So," the officer began, "What is ZAFT throwing at us this time?"
The sensor operator had the data from the detection network in the ravine return what it had on the heat sources. In total, the ZAFT group was made up of five ships, which was two more than there had been in the last attempt against Lohengrin's Gate. Two of them were their light Petrie land class ships. One was ZAFT's heavier Compton class land ships. There was a ZAFT Lesseps class which was likely the command ship of the group as those tended to be. But the final ship in the group took a moment longer than the other four to come up with identifying information. When the operator saw the data on the final ship, they couldn't help but wonder if ZAFT was desperate, or reckless. The ship was ZAFT's new symbol of power, their Minerva-class battleship. It had already caused issues with OMNI up in space. That it was down here said it was a transatmospheric ship as the Archangel-classes were. "Sir, five heat sources detected on approach," announced the sensor operator. "Two of them are Petrie-class, one is a Compton class, and another is a Lesseps class. The final one is ZAFT's Minerva which has been encountered in space."
The group was larger than the one in ZAFT's last attempt against Lohengrin's Gate. It had been a possibility with their defeat, though it wouldn't make a difference in the end. However, it was surprising that ZAFT would send their "prized" ship, their symbol of power at Lohengrin's Gate. Yet, that also gave an opportunity to do a hard blow against ZAFT by taking that ship down. "It seems ZAFT just has a hard time learning their lesson," The base commander mused. "With the defeat they suffered the last time, one would think they should know that over taking this base won't happen." The base commander paused, "Perhaps seeing the Gells-Ghe stopping them and losing their prized ship will hammer that lesson in this time. Activate and charge the Lohengrin to full, target the lead ship."
As the task force as making the last turn to face off against the Alliance, Shinn was traveling along the stream below in the ravine. The entrance to the cave system should be ahead of Shinn from what the map was saying. The timing of this was still weighing on Shinn as the battle was about to start between the task force and the Alliance. Shinn had to time his travel through the caves to not be too quick or too slow. If he was too fast, he would face Alliance defenders and they would delay him long enough to allow the Lohengrin to lower to safety. Should Shinn be too slow, his allies would be slaughtered by the Alliance's Lohengrin battery and mobile suits.
Shinn looked ahead and spotted the stream coming out of the cave system entrance exactly as the map had shown it would. He quickly double checked that the flyers were close behind him before Shinn flew into the cave. The moment Shinn was inside the caves, everything that wasn't directly ahead of him vanished into darkness. And the only reason he could see anything ahead of him was the Core Splendor had two lights to illuminate a small distance ahead of him. Shinn couldn't stop himself from cursing, "What the Hell?!" He glanced down at the forward display where the map had been, to see it had changed over to the simulation view he'd watched in the briefing room. "Are you freaking kidding me," Shinn exclaimed, "I'm supposed to do this in pitch black except for a short distance in front of me?!"
Shinn looked at his forward display again and realized the reason for the simulation view. It had been odd when he'd watched it back in the briefing room watching the simulation view. Shinn had thought at the time why would anyone need such a view if they had a map to show the way. Now it made sense, the simulation view was the guide for him to get through the cave system while he couldn't see. Aila had said it would "be a good idea" to study the data on the disk. Sure, Aila had said something to the effect he would be relying on the data, but she hadn't said he would be flying solely by it. Shinn would be telling her that next time, just tell him why it was so important straight out. She could've said he would be using it to guide his path through the caves, Shinn would've taken that to heart and studied the data more.
He clenched his jaw knowing that complaining would be pointless since it wouldn't help, and no one would hear him anyways. And yet, Shinn just couldn't stop or help himself, "Damn it," he cursed, "Aila, you are so going to be paying me back for this after the operation is done." Shinn gained a white knuckled grip on his flight stick and the tunnel began climbing upward. His gaze flicked to see that the flyers were still right behind him. Shinn had to concentrate to keep the Core Splendor from scraping the walls. Yet, he still heard the screeches as the wings hitting and scraping the walls as he flew by. That served to annoy and frustrate him since the task he had was getting harder by the second. "You can do this, Aila said," Shinn stated in an almost mocking tone. "I have confidence in you, she says!"
Waterfalls appeared out of the blackness directly in front of Shinn which he flew straight through. Internally, he was going between anger of doing this crazy flying in the dark, risking his life every minute while doing so, and the stubbornness to prove he could do it despite how difficult it was. A huge waterfall materialized before Shinn, causing him to pull up hard on the control stick. The G-forces were climbing as Shinn kept his speed the same and the quick changes of direction were piling. He quickly leveled out the Core Splendor's flight at the top of the waterfall adding to the pressure his body was under. "To hell with her compliments and saying I can do whatever I am asked to crap," Shinn snarled. "She just didn't want to fly this maze herself!"
Nonetheless, while Shinn was mad about what he was having to do, he wouldn't let that get to him. He would prove to Aila and others that he could do something like this and pull it off with fudging flying colors. And when he did that, he would use it to make Aila pay him back for going through this. The next stop the Minerva made he, Rey and Lunamaria would be going out to eat and Aila would be paying the full bill! And it wouldn't be a cheap place either, Shinn would make sure of it. That was what the frustration of flying in this "tunnel" was building within him as he kept going. The simulation view was helping him, but it didn't lessen any of the irritation he was feeling.
Shinn checked the display with the readings on the flyers. He saw they were still on course and following behind him. Shinn gaged his speed since he needed to not get to his target too soon or too early, the point had been repeated more than once, or those distracting the Earth Forces would be overpowered. All the while, it felt like the tunnel walls were closing in tighter around the Core Splendor as Shinn kept flying forward. It was taking most of Shinn's concentration to fly through tunnel and keep the fliers with him and not have either of them bang into the walls and crash. Shinn knew Aves would be snapping at him for the bangs and scraps that he was putting the Core Splendor was going through. He was softly cursing with each bump and scrape that came. It might not make a difference overall, but in Shinn's mind it helped, even if only a little. He couldn't hear the battle that was no doubt going on outside, but timing in this battle was key.
While Shinn was making his way through the cave system, the task force's mobile suit began launching out of their ships. The Minerva sent out its four remaining mobile suits. Luna and Rey took positions on the Minerva's upper deck. Matt waited for the Osiris to lead the way for them as they wouldn't be close to the Minerva during the operation. Most in the task force were having a few mobile suits to act as defense while the rest were out in front. And as ZAFT was deploying their mobile suits, the Alliance Daggers and Windams were drawing closer. Their job was to lure away the enemy defending forces including the mobile armor which had been spotted from the positron battery. The rest would be up to the Impulse to take down the enemy Lohengrin battery. The ships stuck behind the mobile suits, providing support as the approach to the town entered the harder half.
Aila led the Minerva's mobile suits along with a few others away from the direct path of the battle. Aila was searching for places her group could hide for a bit and wait for the best opportunity for them. The group would let enemy forces pass before they flanked them. Those from the Minerva would focus on the enemy mobile armor. Aila had spotted it and the descriptions that Miss Almeta had provided made more sense seeing the machine. It did have the torso of a normal mobile suit, but that's where the similarities ended. It appeared almost like a twisted fly or insect if Aila was honest. It had multiple weapons to use from what Aila could see. But what was the oddest thing about the mobile armor was that it had three strange emitters, two on the front of the shoulders and one the front of the camera array. Aila had the group with her hunker down so they could hide from the sight of the Alliance.
Talia ordered the Minerva to climb so it could possibly get a line of sight shot at the enemy battery. If the information provided and the assumptions were correct, the shot wouldn't work, but it would show what the Alliance had to potentially block beams. "Ascend and activate the Tannhäuser," Talia ordered. "Aim for the enemy Lohengrin battery. We can take out some enemy mobile suits and the armor if we are lucky. But make sure you know what is behind the target. We don't want to accidentally hit the town just to take out enemy forces. Remember, we are to draw the enemy forces to us, that is the goal." The Minerva rose above the level of the other ships in the task force, its wings allowing the ship to fly even at a lower speed than regular aircraft.
"Understood, ma'am," Arthur replied, "Aim Tannhäuser at the enemy mobile suits."
"Primary weapon bank, contact," called the weapon controller, "output stable, releasing safety lock."
The Alliance defenders noticed the Minerva had deployed what appeared to be a heavy beam cannon. From reports, the ship was supposed to have a positron cannon which had been used against allies in space already. The Gells-Ghe's shield would be up to the task of blocking even a positron beam. So, the crew of the Gells-Ghe moved their machine forward to be in front of the rest of the Daggers and Windams. The crew activated the shield just before the Minerva fired its positron cannon.
The Tannhäuser's beam raced ahead but came to a dead halt the moment it made contact with the Gells-Ghe's positron reflector. However, the effects of the positron beam blasted out in the form of a shockwave which forced the task force back a bit. With all the dust kicked up from the positron beam's deflection, Aila decided that was great cover for her group to move. As they moved forward, Aila noticed the enemy Lohengrin battery coming to bare on the Minerva. The Minerva would be on its own to avoid being hit by the enemy battery. Aila was confident that Talia would do what she had to for the preserve the Minerva.
Talia did see the enemy Lohengrin battery taking aim at the Minerva. However, Talia was ready for the Alliance doing that. She had the Minerva ascend not just to use the Tannhäuser, but also to provide a path of evasion when the enemy aimed at the ship. And that evasion would allow the Minerva to dodge a harsh hit and not put allies in danger of being struck. So, Talia ordered Malik to have the Minerva dive down. The Lohengrin battery fired at the Minerva but missed with the ship heading toward the sand below. The Minerva hit the ground and scrapped the ravine floor as its momentum kept it going forward. Talia had Malik pull up and after a distance, the Minerva did manage to climb back up into the air. Alliance defending forces began clashing with ZAFT's mobile suits after the Minerva climbed back into the air.
Aila's group was making progress forward as the fighting was picking up. However, she spotted the mobile armor was moving back toward the Lohengrin battery. That was the last thing needed and that created a chance to ruin the operation's plan. Aila ordered her group to come out and attack. However, the Daggers and Windams caught sight of the group and some broke off launching missiles at them. Aila and Matt were able to break free of the group before OMNI pinned them down. Aila and Matt were able to reach the mobile armor and at least slow it down for a bit as they pressed against it. The two knew the Impulse was due very soon to blast out from the cave systems and assault the enemy's Lohengrin battery. So, the more the mobile armor was delayed, the better chance Shinn would have at succeeding.
As things were starting to take a grim turn, Shinn was still making progress down the cave system. He saw on the data the word "destination" appeared on the display. Shinn hoped that meant he was just about at the end of the path he was traveling. He armed the Ladybird missiles as the distance counter on the data was counting down. The moment Shinn saw the word "launch," he pulled the trigger and had the missile fire out of the pods. He just hoped the task force had manage to pull away a good portion of the Alliance's defense forces. That would include the mobile armor which had been mentioned. If his allies had been able to do that, he would have a good chance to get to the Lohengrin battery and take it down. The explosion ahead ripped the rocks apart revealing daylight ahead of Shinn.
The Gells-Ghe armor had been making its way back to the Lohengrin battery. The shot had missed the enemy ship by a small margin. The Lohengrin battery would need time to recharge for another shot. That gave ZAFT a window of time to potentially strike at the battery. The Gells-Ghe could defend the battery and even shield it from the enemy positron cannon. However, it was slowed down when two enemy mobile suits caught up with the Gells-Ghe. One was the mass-production ZAKU, and the other was a golden Gundam type. The two quickly brought the Gells-Ghe to a crawl, preventing it from returning to the Lohengrin battery to defend it. The longer that the Gells-Ghe was prevented from reaching the battery, the more likely the chance an enemy force could attack it. The fight between the Gells-Ghe, ZAKU, and Osiris had got going when part of the mountainside exploded outward. Out of the smoke came the Core Splendor, followed by both the leg and chest flyers. If not for the mobile armor trying to get back to the enemy battery, Shinn's timing would be pretty good. But Aila knew with the armor where it was currently, the Impulse would be hard-pressed to accomplish his task.
The moment Shinn saw the flyers were clear of the tunnel, he started the combining process for the Impulse. The time he had would be limited the moment he came out of the cave system, he knew that. So, he would use it the best he could to get to the Lohengrin battery to take it down. The sooner it was out of the battle, the better it would be for Shinn's allies. The Impulse couldn't effectively fly without a Silhouette flyer. However, the Impulse could still use the thruster the Core Splendor provided to jump and made his way toward his target. Once the Impulse was assembled, Shinn activated the phase shift armor before focusing on the Lohengrin battery on the bluff above and ahead of him.
The appearance of the Impulse didn't go unnoticed by the Alliance even if it did catch them off-guard. The base's commander ordered all the automated defense activated so they could intercept the enemy machine. He also ordered for the Lohengrin cannon to be lowered into the bunker for its safety. The enemy Gundam was worrisomely close to the Lohengrin battery. It needed to be slowed down enough to get the Lohengrin away from danger. The base commander also demanded to know where the Gells-Ghe was. It was supposed to be on its way back to the bluffs to defend the battery as needed. The Gells-Ghe and the automated defenses could force the enemy Gundam back. Once enemy forces were forced back enough, the Lohengrin could rise back up and get back to work.
The reply that the Alliance base's commander wasn't encouraging and revealed some potentially issues. The Gells-Ghe was currently in combat with two enemy mobile suits, one of which was a Gundam type. They had slowed the Gells-Ghe down and were working to keep it from returning and defending the battery. Should the enemy keep that up, then it would be up to the automated defenses and the few Daggers to stop the enemy Gundam which had appeared. The base commander told his mobile controller team to tell the Gells-Ghe to focus on the new enemy Gundam. If they manage to get to the Lohengrin battery before it could lower into the bunker, it could be lost. Should the Lohengrin cannon be lost, then the Alliance lost its major advantage over those who assaulted the base.
Aila and Matt saw the Impulse rush forward, focusing on its intended target. Shinn had a decent chance with getting to the enemy Lohengrin battery before it could be put out of reach as things stood. "Matt," Aila called, turning to the mobile armor, "We need to deal with the enemy mobile armor. We can't let it slow the Impulse down and protect the enemy battery for any reason." Matt knew Aila had a good point with the armor, it couldn't be allowed to go after the Impulse. "I'm with you on that," he replied. "Let's take down this armor."
The Gells-Ghe had turned its attention for a moment when the rock wall which had exploded outward. Its crew had observed what had come up become an enemy Gundam. The issue was the enemy machine was far too close to the Lohengrin battery to be acceptable. Then orders had come in from the command center telling the Gells-Ghe was to focus on the new enemy suit. The crew captain knew the Gells-Ghe couldn't completely ignore the two which had been slowing them down. But the priority was to make sure the enemy didn't reach the Lohengrin cannon before it lowered into the bunker. The Gells-Ghe fired its beam rifles at the Osiris and ZAKU to get them to back off a bit.
Matt and Aila evaded the beams by leaping back a bit from the armor. The mobile armor then turned its attention to the Impulse. With the armor's attention not fully on them, Aila knew Matt and her had the best opportunity to rush forward and take the armor down. Matt surged forward on the left of the armor, using his beam assault rifle in one hand, taking out his beam tomahawk in the other. Aila lept into the air slightly behind Matt, storing her rifle system as she went. She was aiming to strike the "suit" section on the armor with a close-range weapon.
The Gells-Ghe saw the two enemy machines coming from behind but reacted too late. The armor did manage to avoid the bolts from the beam assault rifle but lost its left middle and rear legs when Matt swept his tomahawk hard through them. The Osiris took out its "Defiant" Beam Javelin from its rack on the underside of the Osiris' shield. Aila activated the javelin's head and thrust forward, impaling the suit section of the Gells-Ghe. As Aila stabbed part of the armor, Matt kept going forward and swung his tomahawk in a hard horizontal arc. His tomahawk slammed into the forward part of the armor right below the suit section.
The Gells-Ghe crew had been turning to force the two enemy suits back again quickly before attacking the new Gundam. However, losing the two rear left legs made their situations much worse. The crew captain witnessed the gold Gundam use a lance and stab through the suit part of the armor, disabling it. But before the crew could do anything else, they saw a beam tomahawk coming at them. The three could only scream as the tomahawk cut into the camera and sensor arrays. Matt's tomahawk entered the cockpit killing the crew unbeknownst to him. Signs of the armor about to detonate were seen, which got Aila and Matt to draw back their weapons and jump back from the armor. The Gells-Ghe exploded with the damage done by the ZAKU and Osiris.
At the same time, Shinn had dived down toward the ground higher up and closer to the enemy battery. His plan was to leap from ledge to ledge to get to the enemy battery as quickly as possible. The Alliance would begin lowering their Lohengrin to be out of reach the moment the Impulse was visible to them. They had already brought up automated turrets to slow Shinn down. The Alliance had also sent out a couple of their Dagger suits to go against him. Yet, Shinn's focus was still on the enemy battery as that was his goal. His allies were depending on him to take down the enemy battery so they wouldn't be shot and killed by it. And Shinn would do the best he could to destroy the positron cannon to protect his allies.
In the Alliance's command center, the operators were working to lower the Lohengrin battery. Power and control cables were disconnecting from the battery as the Impulse was quickly closing the distance between it and the battery. The report of the Gells-Ghe being destroyed didn't bode well for the Alliance's defense. But the base's commander felt as long as the Lohengrin was intact, there was hope for forcing ZAFT back. It wouldn't be easy, but the Dagger Ls and the Windams could manage to get ZAFT forces to back up and allow a second counter offensive. Yet, should the Lohengrin be damage or worse destroyed, most chances the Alliance had would vanish.
Shinn landed on the cliff rim that was two under the enemy battery, shooting at enemy turrets. Yet, it was as he shot and destroyed a Dagger L which Shinn caught sight of movement. When he glanced in the direction the movement had been in, Shinn saw the Lohengrin battery starting to lower itself. That told him the "clock" he was on was ticking down extremely fast if he was to have success. He jumped up to the next rim, shooting at the Daggers which were trying to slow him down. On the rim, there was a Dagger, so Shinn dropped the Impulse's beam rifle drawing one of the anti-armor knives. Shinn then rammed the knife into the Dagger in front of him before he moved past the enemy machine. He had to block some bolts from a Dagger above him as he was surging upward. Shinn tossed the shield aside and took out the other anti-armor knife and slammed it into the attacking enemy. He glanced over where the enemy battery was and saw it had about gotten down to its bunker.
As the armored shutters began to move into place, Shinn did the first thing that he could think of. He grabbed the Dagger he'd stabbed and threw it into the gap there was with the shutters still working to close. The Dagger slid over to the shutters and Shinn pulled and held down the triggers for his CIWS guns. He peppered the enemy machine before it dropped into the bunker and the shutters closed. Shinn had done that to get the Dagger to detonate when it was in the bunker. That should destroy the enemy battery at the very least with the machine nearby. In the best-case scenario, the enemy suit exploding would do damage to the internal structure of the Alliance base. Shinn lept back from the rim to get enough distance from the enemy base should the best-case scenario occur.
For a brief moment, the Alliance was relieved that the Lohengrin battery had gotten into the armored bunker. The enemy had tried and nearly succeeded at destroying the cannon. However, that relief vanished as the Dagger which had slipped into the bunker exploded and destroyed the cannon. Things didn't end there, the detonation of the Lohengrin started a chain reaction of explosions which spread within the base. The first to die were those below and in front of the Alliance's command center. And though the explosions didn't directly reach the command center, they still had effects. The explosions caused debris to crash into the command center, killing all within it.
The sight of smoke and explosions along the sides of the ravines was a welcome one to the ZAFT task force. It signaled that the Impulse had succeeded in its task and taken out the enemy Lohengrin battery. Enemy set defenses appeared to be going down or exploding themselves. Alliance mobile suits were hesitating if not falling back at what was going on. In essence, the Alliance had lost the battle, all that was left was the cleanup. Commandant Ruddle had gained a slight smile at seeing the Alliance base falling. It made those who had sacrificed their lives in the previous attempts feel like they had value. Ruddle would personally thank Captain Gladys for the help of her ship, its crew, and pilots. And if possible, he would love to thank and congratulate the young Gundam pilot who had made this possible.
Talia leaned back into her seat at the sight of the Alliance base falling and enemy forces falling back. It meant that Shinn had done the job against all the odds which had been in his way. If the National Defense Committee had any lingering doubts about Shinn having the makings of a Gundam pilot, his work in this operation should settle those. She still wondered what Captain McGregor could've done to get the Committee to not ask about her decision with Shinn. All the message from them had said was they wouldn't argue with her decision. The tone that Talia had gotten was the Committee had been humbled somehow, like someone they respected had told them off. Not that Talia would be complaining the Committee wouldn't be reversing her field promotion. She would thank Captain McGregor if she got the chance in the future for whatever he had done to help Shinn.
The battle was on its way to a close, and things had gone better than had been hoped. There had been a few casualties on ZAFT's end with the fighting with the Alliance's defending forces. However, there hadn't been anywhere near what had been fear could happen with the operation. Talia could only hope that the townsfolk were doing okay, and the Alliance wasn't taking out the loss on them before ZAFT could stop them. From what Arthur had mentioned, the local contact had iterated some of the suffering they had been under with the Alliance oppressing them. ZAFT would of course do what they could to help them, but there was no certainty that would be enough.
Those in the town behind the Alliance base had been watching the battle going on. They were waiting to see if ZAFT could do something about the Alliance. If they could overcome the base, then the townsfolk would get to work running all Earth Alliance personnel out of town. They had been under the Alliance's oppression for around a year, and it had been a torturous hell. The town's population had been reduced to a little more than half since the Alliance had come. The lives lost had been hard to swallow for those who remained. The horrible things which the Alliance did to the townsfolk were even worse. The women had been beaten and raped on an almost regular basis. The men had been beaten and worked as slaves to build the Alliance's base.
Of course, small groups had tried to go and get help since the Alliance had come and established themselves as overlords. But all of those had failed, either being dragged back or outright murdered by the Alliance soldiers. Everyone in town knew several who had been killed by the Alliance in some way. And that served as motivation for the town to resist quietly, waiting for the moment they could get vengeance against their oppressors. The town's current leader's daughter had been sent to meet up with ZAFT and given them the info which the townsfolk had managed to learn. And it was hoped that ZAFT could unseat the Alliance and free the people from their oppression. So when smoke and explosions were spotted from the base, that was taken as the signal to get to work.
Those in town weren't the only ones that were ready to act against the Alliance, unbeknownst to them. There was a group of five Federation Pelican transports heading for the town at the same time. All five were loaded with Federation soldiers from the Equatorial Union. Most were either specially trained or were a part of the Union's Tactical Operation Forces or TOF. The force had been assembled at the order of State Head Ismail. She had given the green light when some from the town had crossed the border and told some what the Alliance was doing to them. The mission was to free the town from the Alliance's oppression and enslavement. Those from the town who had risked their lives to bring the information to the Federation were also with the Federation group. The four were in their late teens and had said they wanted to go with the Federation soldiers and help the town. They had convinced the Federation's military force to give them a ride back close to their home. There had been hesitation as the teens were still recovering from their poor conditions, they had been in upon crossing the border into the Union. The teens were showing courage that was uncommon from the youth outside the military these days.
The Pelicans were flying low to avoid immediate detection by the Alliance. The goal was to save the townsfolk, not pick an all-out fight with the Alliance if it could be avoided for the moment. There were already discussions going on to put together a force to go against the Alliance base should things come to that at a later time. Saving lives was the priority for the group and that had been stated to the teens. It was a sad thing as it hadn't been uncommon more than a year ago for the Federation to have good relations with the remote towns in the middle eastern areas. But the Alliance had been cracking down on that saying the Federation was trying to influence "their" citizens.
One of the teens, who was the unofficial leader of those who had come to the Union was thinking to himself. His name was Hector Almeta. Hector had brown neck-length hair and bronze-colored eyes. It was said he looked like his father, others said he looked a lot like his younger sister Conille even if he was around a foot taller. Hector was hoping his group and the help they had gotten could make it back to the town in time. The Alliance had been getting more violent as of late which translated into the townsfolk suffering. Hector had gone to his father who was the town leader and told him of his group's plan. Things couldn't stay the same or all in the town would end out being slaughtered by the Alliance at some point. His father had said there were some working with ZAFT to have their help, so Hector's group didn't need to go. However, Hector had been insistent that ZAFT could fail as they had before with their previous attempts.
The journey of Hector's group to the Equatorial Union had been a hard one in a few ways. It had taken half a week of travel to reach the border, and that was after escaping the Alliance soldiers. Hector knew the escape had almost not happened; his group had been almost caught. If not for three of his friends volunteering to stay behind and letting the Alliance catch them, then his group wouldn't have managed the evasion and had been slaughtered. The rest of his group had hidden while the three had gone another way to draw the soldiers away from them. It had been painful to listen to the short exchange between Hector's friends and the Alliance soldiers. The soldiers had mocked and beaten them before simply murdering his friends and laughing about it afterward. His group had waited for an hour after the soldiers had left before coming out of hiding. They had approached their friends and it had been hard to see what the Alliance had done. Hector had needed to comfort another member of his group who was the younger brother of one of the three murdered. Hector's group had carried the bodies of their fallen friends to the cave they had hid in, promising they would return to give them a proper burial.
Hector's group had kept traveling after seeing to their fallen friends. It was to honor their sacrifices for them to have a chance to get help for the town. The days of travel to the Equatorial Union's border had been grueling. But his group had helped one another to keep going as they were determined to all make it to their destination. The journey was slightly easier than a hard week of slave labor the Alliance would demand of them. Yet, most of them had been in poor condition when they reached a village in the Union. Hector had been told all of them had been rushed to the nearest hospital after they had dropped from exhaustion. When he'd woken up, he'd begged to talk to someone who could get information to the Federation's military. He was told by the hospital staff they would get someone for him. When a person, which was dressed in a soldier's uniform the Federation used, Hector began to hope he could get the town help. That had been the result much to Hector's relief. A force was quickly assembled after that which was the one Hector's group was now with.
Hector and the others had been determined to go with the Federation force and had told them so. It wouldn't just be a ride back to town, it would be them returning with help and saving their people. Sure, Hector would love it if the Federation would help take back the town from the Alliance if that was necessary. But he could understand the Federation saying that couldn't be done at the moment. He'd heard there was a plan in the works to do that should it be needed, and Hector would accept that. The Federation would help save the townsfolk and that's what counted to Hector's group. It was mentioned that evacuations would be the likely method to save the people in this operation. That was better than having no help and it would be only temporary.
Hector glanced around the hold of the transport once more still surprised at the equipment the Federation was using. They had "suits" on which they said would give them a serous advantage over Alliance soldiers. They also had assault and high-powered weapons to use if fighting broke out. Hector believed what had been said, but kind of wanted to see what was being referred to with his own eyes. His group had also been given weapons to use when they said their group would be helping. Two had been given assault rifles while the other had been given a high-powered rifle. Hector was holding onto the sniper type rifle he'd been given to use. His group had also been issued body armor which they had been required to put on by the soldiers. With what he was seeing, Hector was feeling the strongest hope he'd experienced in several months.
Hector's attention was shifted when the pilot of the transport called out there was smoke ahead. That didn't bode well in Hector's mind, and it made him worry that the Alliance could be doing something to the town. The leader of the Federation soldiers on the transport got up and went to the cockpit. It felt like a long moment later before they returned to the hold with a grim expression on his face. That didn't help Hector dismiss any of the worry he was feeling, "Captain Mon," Hector started, "What's going on? What was that about smoke?"
Captain Mon, who was a member of the Union's TOF, glanced at the teen who the others seemed to look to. The young man had been the one who had convinced enough to have this rescue operation occur. Mon respected the teens who had trekked from their town to the Union's border on foot. That would've been days of walking most of the day to manage that. Then, they had been insistent to come with the task force assigned to the operation and help. It showed they were loyal to the people of their town, which was admirable. The smoke the pilot had called out about was ahead of them. Yet, it wasn't coming up from the town, rather the Alliance's base to the west of it. Since the Alliance seemed to be in trouble, that changed the potential plan of rescuing the people of the town. Should the enemy base be falling, the Federation task force could take care of OMNI soldiers in the town and free the people. If that could be accomplished, there would be no need for a larger scale operation to liberate the town from Alliance oppression. "There is smoke coming up ahead, young man," Mon replied. "But it isn't coming from the town. It is rising up from ravine, likely the Alliance base were I to guess."
Hector blinked at being told smoke was coming up from the Alliance base. It possibly meant that ZAFT had agreed to help the town and might have managed to take down the Alliance's seat of power. If that was the case, then maybe the town could be freed today, and Hector knew he wasn't the only one that would love to see that. "Some were trying to get ZAFT to help our people be free from the Alliance," Hector iterated. "If ZAFT agreed and I fairly sure they would, then they could be attacking the base at this moment."
Captain Mon nodded at the information the teen was giving. Should ZAFT be working on the Alliance base, it would keep Alliance forces off the Federation task force. They could more effectively help the townsfolk while the base was brought down. Data provided by the teens had placed an Alliance storage area and airfield to the immediate north of the town. The Pelicans could strike that to cause chaos within the Alliance after setting down the task force. Mon told the pilot to hover directly east of the town so all of them could get off. Then the Pelicans would go and attack the Alliance airfield and other major Alliance areas they could. The pilot confirmed the change and told Captain Mon the Pelicans were about to swoop in and hover.
The Pelicans hovered in the designated position and opened their cargo hold ramps. The Federation soldier poured off the transports as did Hector's group and dropped the few feet to the ground. The east end of town was around fifty meters away from where the Federation task force had dropped at. The soldiers formed into teams as they moved forward. Hector's group divided themselves to have one in each group so they could lead them into town without being spotted right away. There was already noise coming from the town as the task force got closer, so their pace was increased.
The Federation soldiers came into the main street before the teams began going down side streets. The side streets Hector's group had assured would help the Federation task force get further into town without the Alliance knowing. A few OMNI soldiers were encountered along the way as the teams made progress, but they were gunned down without hesitation. There were one or two Alliance personnel ripped out from buildings and dealt with. Hector had discussed with Captain Mon that the best place for the task force to start with was the town hall. Those that were there would either be the leaders of the town or would know where they were. The sooner they could have the townspeople on their side, the quicker the Alliance could be forced out.
At the same time, some had run back to town hall to report seeing smoke coming up from the Alliance's base. Mr. Cal Almeta who was the official town leader knew ZAFT was attacking the Alliance's seat of power atop the ravine. His daughter Conille had messaged him to say ZAFT had agreed to help them and the general timetables their operation would use. The plan was to rise up against the Alliance personnel once ZAFT had the upper hand over the Alliance. And smoke coming up from the sides of the ravine was as clear a sign that ZAFT had the upper hand as Cal could figure. So, he told the townsfolk now was the time to oust the Alliance from their town. It was the chance all of them had been waiting for, the chance to fight for their freedoms.
The people of the town went to their homes and other hiding places and grabbed the guns and other weapons they had for what they were about to do. There would not be a single Alliance soldier left alive by sunset, everyone in town would make sure of that. It would be the vengeance they would bring down on their oppressors for the lives they had taken and the suffering they had brought upon them. Even the young would be allowed to help in the ousting of the Alliance, though it would be dangerous for them. Once weapons were obtained, the townspeople began going through town seeking out the Alliance personnel. Some also went about destroying any symbols the Alliance had put in the town. Today would be the day the town and land would be cleansed of the Alliance oppression.
Cal was directing the charge against the Alliance from the town's central plaza in front of the town hall. He'd delegated to other trusted leaders to lead the people in bringing out the Alliance personnel. They were to drag every one of them to the plaza if that was necessary to be punished for what they had done to the people. There were quickly reports of some Alliance soldiers resisting the townspeople, but the job of smoking out the oppressors continued. However, as Cal was giving out instructions to a group who had brought some Alliance personnel to the plaza there were explosions to the north. Cal looked in that direction and witnessed what appeared to be missiles being sent at the Alliance's airfield. What was odd was the missiles seemed to be appearing out of thin air which didn't make sense.
Back with the team Hector was with, they were just over halfway to the plaza in front of town hall. They had been helping the townsfolk along the way. And once the townsfolk understood the "big suits" were Federation soldiers, they were more than happy to have the help. The teams broke off into smaller groups like pairs and trios working with the townspeople. With the Federation's help, the barricaded doors the Alliance had scrambled to put up were smashed through with ease. It certainly sped up the ongoing process of gathering the Alliance personnel.
Hector stuck with Captain Mon and the two soldiers he kept with him as they kept going toward the plaza. He had his rifle ready but hadn't had to use it yet as the Alliance personnel he'd seen were trying to surrender. However, his group came to a stop when ahead of them a small group of Alliance soldiers were pointing their guns in the plaza's direction. Captain Mon waved for the three with him to take cover before they were noticed. Hector did as instructed, but soon peeked out and saw one of the Alliance soldiers had a girl as a hostage. He wouldn't let that stand, so Hector brought his rifle to bare on the soldier's head. Hector pulled the trigger and the Alliance soldier's head exploded. While Captain Mon would've preferred to study the situation for a moment longer, the shot from the teen wouldn't allow that. So, he and the other two with him rushed forward and attacked the other Alliance soldiers.
Cal had grabbed his own gun when a small group of Alliance soldiers came into the plaza. What was problematic was one of them had a hostage which was a girl with a gun to her head. Cal was trying to figure out a way to deal with the soldiers and save the girl when the one holding the girl had their head explode. Before any could react, what appeared to be three large, suited people or robots rushed up behind the soldiers. The Alliance soldiers were slammed to the ground hard by the robots. The girl was shaking as she sunk to the ground having dodging death. She was covered in the blood of the man who'd been holding her. The girl was processing what had been happening when there was a hand touching her shoulder. She turned and found a sight she didn't think she would ever see again. Standing behind her was none other than the town head's son, Hector. Hector had been the one who most of the teens listened to, mostly since he looked after and protected them.
Hector wanted to comfort the girl which had just faced such a harsh experience for her age. He believed the girl was the daughter of the local baker if Hector recalled right. Having her chastity threatened in her mid-teens was hard enough without having to have a gun against her head. "Hey there," Hector said setting his rifle down, "Are you okay? You were just in a harsh experience." Hector glanced at the girl's dress and saw it was stained with blood pretty good. "While I'm glad I was able to save you by shooting the mean soldier, I'm sorry about your dress being stained. You just tell me when you get to cleaning it and I'll come to help you with it, how does that sound?"
The girl was so relieved to see Hector right now. He'd always been nice when he swung around the bakery her father ran. He'd promised her and her father he would make sure she wouldn't be raped by any of the Alliance personnel when she got older. So, she spun around and embraced Hector and began sobbing happy what she had just faced was over. Hector patted the girl's back as she sobbed, telling her everything would be okay. After a moment, Hector managed to get the girl to stop sobbing and get up. He needed to talk to his father and tell him the Federation was here to help them. So, Hector made his way across the plaza and spotted his father still delegating orders to the people around him.
Cal was grateful for whoever was helping them, but there was still work to do. He got back to giving out instructions to those around him so the gathering of Alliance personnel could be wrapped up. However, his voice caught in his throat when he saw a pair coming up to where he was. One was the girl who the Alliance soldiers had threatened. The other by what Cal was seeing was none other than his son. The whole town had grieved when news had been brought that the Alliance had murdered a "group" of teens they had caught. Cal had believed he had lost his son forever. The Alliance hadn't even had the humanity to allow any to go recover the bodies of those they'd murdered. Words couldn't express the joy Cal felt as seeing his son was alive and well. The town had already lost more people than it ever should have because of the Alliance. Any that could be brought back was the greatest news for all of the town.
Hector came up to stand in front of his dad. He would've spoken but the father of the girl appeared hugging his daughter. After a moment, the baker looked up to Hector and gained an expression of shock. The young man in front of him was Hector Almeta, the son of the town's leader. He was supposed to have been murdered by Alliance soldiers when he and other had gone for help. "Hector Almeta," the baker stuttered, "You're alive?" Hector nodded with a smile, but it was his father Cal which spoke next, "Words can't express what joy I feel to know you are alive Hector. But how is it that you are, and are any that headed out with you survive as well?"
Hector gained a frown at the question. It was a reminder of the sacrifice of his friends to help them escape the Alliance patrol. His gaze fell slightly, "Four of us are still alive," Hector hesitated for a second. Cal could see his son wasn't happy with what he was trying to say. And that he had said four when his group had been made up of seven meant some hadn't made it. It would make sense with the Alliance having murdered some teens the night Hector's group headed out. "Three sacrificed and let themselves be caught but the Alliance soldiers which were searching for us." Hector's fists clenched, "We had to listen our friends be mocked and beaten before they were shot with assault rifles." The loss of the three teens was certainly regrettable, Cal wouldn't downplay that. But at least not all that had gone out for help had been slaughtered by their oppressors. "I'm sorry for the loss, it had to be hard to listen to."
Hector shook his head in response. His friends had volunteered, knowing they would likely be killed by those chasing them. Yet, if some didn't do something to throw off the Alliance soldiers, they would all be slaughtered. "Their sacrifice allowed the rest of us to get away," Hector said. Tears came to the corner of Hector's eyes before he wiped them away, "We did carry their bodies to the cave we hid in so we could give them a proper burial later." Cal smiled at his son's thoughtfulness. Granted, it had been for friends his son had been with for years, so he would want to honor them. But Cal felt his son would do that for anyone in town. And because of his group's action, the teens who had been going to get help for the town could be honored properly by the townsfolk. "That is beyond kind of you, Hector," Cal remarked. "We can now honor them and give proper farewells."
Hector nodded and wiped his eyes again from the thoughts of his fallen friends. But they could be seen to after the Alliance was dealt with. There was still work to see to free the town. The Federation task force was already doing a lot to help. They were cutting off the Alliance's escape route by striking their airfield. Their soldiers were assisting the townspeople in bringing out the Alliance personnel. If full cooperation could be established, then more help could be found. Captain Mon had mentioned two more "Pelicans" as the transports were referred to as were on their way with medical supplies and personnel. That help would be invaluable for the townsfolk which was sorely needed. "That can be seen to later, dad," Hector stated. "My group did convince the Federation to send help. I and the others came with a task force of soldiers which are already helping drag out the Alliance personnel. Their aircraft are attacking the Alliance's airfield as we speak. If we can coordinate with them fully, we can finish dealing with the Alliance by the time ZAFT wraps up with the Alliance's seat of power."
Cal was impressed his son had not just returned but brought more help than had been hoped for. The attempts to have help from the Federation had failed not because the Federation had refused, but none had reached them. The Alliance patrolled the east to make sure none would reach the Federation's border. And yet, his son had managed to get past the Alliance patrols and made the days long journey on foot to the Federation's border. Cal would've said more to his son, but one of the suited people approached them. Hector turned and saw Captain Mon coming up to where he was. "Captain Mon," Hector greeted, then he pointed to his father, "This is Cal Almeta. He is the one who leads the people of this town as well as my father."
Mon removed his helmet and bowed his head to Hector and Cal, "Greetings, I'm Captain Mon of the Equatorial Union's Tactical Operation Forces." Mon gestured at Hector, "His group came to the Union and told us of what the Alliance was doing to your people." Mon frowned in anger that the Alliance had been enslaving the local people and keeping that fact hidden. And if this town had been suffering under the Alliance's oppression, it was probable that other towns were in a similar position. "The members of the task force are more than happy to help this town's people. Our only regret is we didn't know of this sooner and stepped in, saving lives before they had been lost."
Cal was sure should or more when the Federation found out about what the Alliance had been doing to this town and others, they would intercede. The principles that the Federation was founded upon would put them against any form of slavery no matter who was enforcing it. It was why the first groups that had gone for help had tried to get to the Federation. Cal bowed to Captain Mon, "You have our heart-felt gratitude for the Federation's task force's assistance. And do not blame yourself for not helping earlier." Cal waved a hand, "The Alliance worked actively to prevent any from being able to reach the Federation to ask for help. And the help you are providing now is more than welcome. If we could coordinate, then we can gather the Alliance personnel who are in town quicker and be done with them." Captain Mon nodded, "indeed, that would be best."
Hector told his father he would go and help the townsfolk with their task. He grabbed his rifle and ran out of the plaza to find the nearest group and assist them. It was over the next fifteen minutes that the Alliance personnel who were still alive were brought to the plaza. They were sorted by rank and lined up. The highest-ranking officers were the first to be executed, but they were beaten with pipes and other hard objects they could find before that. The groups of Alliance personnel were moved through the executions. As that was going on, Hector's group was greeted by all in the town. They were heroes bringing back help from the Federation that had assisted in gathering the Alliance personnel and stopping them from escaping.
After the executions were completed, the townsfolk thanked the Federation soldiers who had come to their aid. They were greeted like one would long lost family. The Federation used to come around the town before the Alliance came to check in on the people and deliver supplies. The air around the town had been the highest it had been in around a year and Cal was relieved it had finally become so. The town would be free from today going forward, after all the efforts made to free the people from the Alliance's oppression. Captain Mon oversaw the landing of the two Pelicans with the medical supplies and personnel. Cal had some of his helping hands organize those who needed medical help in preparation for the Federation's help.
Meanwhile, Shinn came down to land on a rim along the ravine wall that was clear of the Alliance's base. He had managed to take down the enemy cannon and the Alliance's base was falling. The town should be safe from the Alliance now with the base being taken down. Shinn had the Impulse begin making its way toward the town using the ledges and rims along the ravine wall. He would meet up with everyone else at the town, Shinn was sure of that. Plus, he did want to make sure the townsfolk were okay after what happened. Besides, without a silhouette flyer, Shinn couldn't return to the Minerva quickly or at least till it landed on the ground.
Aila checked with Matt to make sure he was okay after the battle. He told her she was worrying a little too much about him. Matt also said he should be the one worrying about her out of the two of them, she was his girlfriend after all. Aila couldn't help but chuckle at Matt's comment as it was just how he was. She checked with Luna and Rey to make sure they were still alive, and found they were. Aila told them to return to the Minerva and that she and Matt would go meet up with Shinn. He would need assistance to get back to the Minerva without the means to fly for long enough to get back to the ship. Aila then told Matt to follow her to the town as she suspected that was the direction Shinn would head off in.
It had taken nearly ten minutes for Shinn to get to where he spotted the town. It took a few more to get down from the height he was at when it came into view. As he was working his way down to the ground, he spotted aircraft he'd never seen before circling about the town. They certainly didn't appear to be Alliance craft that Shinn had seen before. Plus, the people in the town weren't hiding from the craft at all. It made Shinn wonder if they could be some sort of Federation craft. It made sense to Shinn if the Federation came to the town's aid. The Federation's principles had them stand against slavery in any form and they enforced international laws against such.
The Impulse reached the ground level and Shinn had it walk the rest of the way to the edge of town. However, Shinn was surprised at the greeting he got the moment he opened his cockpit. Cheers and praise were being shouted at him from the people below that were coming to Shinn's ears. Shinn descended to the ground, and he was instantly surrounded by people. He heard thanks and praise of his and ZAFT's efforts against the Alliance base. It was similar to what Shinn had experienced back at Asgard after the Alliance's assault. Not that he wasn't glad to see the townspeople were okay and the Alliance hadn't been able to do harm to them. So, Shinn just took the praise replying he had just been trying to help.
Aila and Matt came into view of the two a few minutes after they had spotted the Impulse working its way down the ravine wall. By the time the two had reached ground level, they saw the Impulse had been surrounded by the townspeople. Aila told Matt to go over to where the Impulse was so they could at least see if Shinn was all good. The two moved their machines over to be next to the Impulse before exiting their cockpits. Matt glanced around as he was descending to the ground. The aircraft circling the town weren't Alliance, so he assumed they were Federation. Were that so, the craft were unlike any aircraft of the Federation's that ZAFT had seen previously.
Aila was also scanning the town as she was descending to the ground as Matt had been. The aircraft were different, and she had no doubt ZAFT intel would be looking into them. From what Aila could see the craft seemed to be using thrusters rather than turbines or propellers. Should that be true, the craft would have advantages over generally accepted aircraft the other factions used. Aila's gaze moved to the ground level and found something even more "interesting" than the Federation's new aircraft. There were Aila imagined soldiers in what appeared to be some kind of suit. What was interesting to Aila was those in the suits were doing tasks which a regular human being shouldn't be able to do. They were stronger than humans could be on their own at the very least by what Aila was seeing. The aircraft and suits were more than likely something newly developed by the Federation. And if that was so, Aila would be concerned should ZAFT ever have to face off against the Federation.
When Aila and Matt reached the ground, they were quickly surrounded by people thanking them for what ZAFT had done for them. It really made Aila figure the Alliance had been coming down on the townspeople. Miss Conille had mentioned something to the effect that the Alliance had enslaved them. That was believable with the cheering the people were letting lose as the rest of ZAFT's task force began to come into view. Aila glanced back at Shinn and couldn't help but smile at people thanking him in various ways. Shinn was a hero in this instance and so he did deserve the praise. Today, ZAFT would be seen as heroes for this town, and Aila hoped that ZAFT could do this for more people in the future.
The Minerva landed outside the town before some could disembark from the ship. Conille was among the first to leave the Minerva, and she was shocked. The feel around the town was unlike anything it had been for a solid year. The townsfolk were happy and celebrating in ways they hadn't since the Alliance had come around. Conille felt a smile come to her face at seeing the difference. All the work which had been done had been worth it. The town was now free from the Alliance's tyranny. Conille left the Minerva's crew and set off to find her father and check in with him.
Cal was still working to make sure all the people's needs were being met, especially the medical ones. The Federation's supplies were helping a great deal. Some of it was the first genuine medical supplies beyond the most basic which had been seen in months. Captain Mon was already promising communication equipment for the town to use for what they needed. They would also give a limited access to the same systems that the Federation used for that equipment. That alone would make a difference for not just their town, but likely others as well. It would reverse the Alliance's work of disrupting communications in the region beyond those they controlled. Thus, he was being kept busy with coordinating things. Cal would make the time to thank the ZAFT forces when he could for the help they had provided.
Conille found her father in the town plaza, working with several people. He certainly looked busy, but he looked okay and she would take that. There were strange people in suits of some sort, but they looked to be helping the people, so Conille wasn't that concerned about them. However, before she could see what could be done to help in the efforts for the town's benefit, there was a tap on her shoulder. She turned and blinked her eyes, not believing what she was seeing. Conille even rubbed her eyes hard to make sure she wasn't dreaming or seeing things. But it was Hector's chuckling which snapped her out of the disbelief, "I'm no ghost, Conille," he assured. "I'm alive, maybe not at a hundred-precent at the moment. I'm still recovering from the journey to the Federation's border, but I should be fine in a few days."
Tears came to Conille's eyes at seeing and hearing her older brother. She had been convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that she'd lost him. The Alliance hadn't even had the humanity to allow any to go retrieve the bodies of those they killed. So, Conille hadn't thought she would see her brother again to even say goodbye. Conille hugged her brother and sobbed, "I thought you were dead, that the Alliance murdered your whole group. They were boasting of catching a group of teens and killed them for their foolishness." Hector returned his sister's embrace, "Sorry for worrying you, Conille. I and three others made it," Hector stopped before he could say his friends had given their lives for the rest of his group.
Conille pulled back a bit at what Hector had said. His group had seven members when they had set out. "What do you mean four of your group made it," she questioned. "There were seven of you when you set out." Hector frowned, "Conner, Basel, and Luke didn't make it. They drew the Alliance's patrol's attention away from where the rest of us were hiding." Hector hesitated, "They volunteered to stay even when they knew they were going to die doing what they were." Hector stopped remembering what his best friend Conner had said to him before going and drawing the Alliance's attention. "Conner ask me, and he wanted you to help make sure his little brother moves forward." Hector looked away from Conille, "Nick didn't take seeing his brother's bloody body well at all. I think doing a proper funeral will help, but he will need help from friends to move forward and keep living."
Conille frowned as she was friends with the one her brother mentioned. Nick would've been the one to go give ZAFT the info if he hadn't got with Hector's group. And she could feel for Nick as until right now, she had been grieving for her brother. But then the implications of what Hector sunk in. Hector had mentioned a proper funeral, meaning he could know where the bodies of the three lost were. "Wait, you know where the bodies of our friends are," she asked. Hector nodded, "We waited for the Alliance patrol left and then carried their bodies to the cave we hid in so we could go back later and get them to bring them home."
While Conille was happy her brother was alive and here, that left the question of how he got back here. His group had gone to get help from the Federation for the town. "How did you get back here Hector," Conille inquired. "Did you reach the Federation border?" Hector smiled at his little sister, "You bet we did. We brought soldiers back to help us and they assisted gathering the Alliance personnel so they could be punished properly for what they had done. They are going to do more to help the town be able to stand. We will be free from the Alliance's oppression from today onward, Conille. We finally were able to help our people as we've wanted to."
A/n
Alrighty then, I'll be leaving off there and continue in the next Phase. Where to start with this phase? There's a lot to go over both for the phase itself and what it took so long to put out. Let's start with why this has taken so long. To say my life has been hectic would be an understatement, busy as can be and little to no time to write to start with. I also lost my creative vibe for this story for a time sorry to say but getting it back. Getting to see the new Gundam Seed Freedom film certainly helped with that. The film was neat, definitely worth seeing if any of you fans of Gundam Seed. It was a nice wrap up or epilog for destiny. I mean sure, it could have been better but that is true of any series if you ask me. Don't expect me to pump out phases as regularly as I did before just yet. I need to get the time and back into the rhythm I had before for that to happen and that hasn't occurred yet.
Onto the highlights from this phase as there are several to go over. So let me begin with the section I will refer to as the "planning" phase for the assault on Lohengrin's Gate. So, it is said in canon that the Mahamul base essentially is what is preventing the Alliance from launching attacks on Gibraltar. I won't deny that is kind of true in my story, but there is more to the point than just that. Keep in mind that the Alliance is not on good terms at all with the Federation after the attack on Asgard. Thus, the Alliance is "trying" to let things cool down a bit by not interacting with them directly. That isn't to say the Alliance is being smart about their actions, but they aren't looking for direct confrontation with the Federation at this time.
So, a bit of a difference from canon, or rather giving details that canon doesn't specifically, is what I give on "resistance groups." Those from the town on the other side of the ravine are going to ZAFT as they have little other option. In this phase, I do give more details which I will get to in a little bit. The general plan which ZAFT is going to use is much as canon had. The changes are that instead of Athrun, we have Aila and Matt for the Minerva. The other thing is the previous attempt didn't have the mobile seen by ZAFT's attacking force. I also want to remind you readers that Shinn isn't the spoiled brat that he is in canon. This is another phase where that comes out and I at least like the difference as I wasn't the fondest of the bratty Shinn myself.
Let's move on to the scene where Conille comes in and there is the second briefing. I want to start with Conille's introduction as I go into more detail with her than canon does. For those from the village that is in this phase, I wanted to give a picture of the suffering they have been under while oppressed by the Alliance. I wanted to give a feel of helplessness those there had been going through as those they knew were beaten and killed. I know I'm portraying the Alliance as more than villains, but at this point they kind of are. And the reason the Alliance is so oppressive is two-fold in my story. They want to dominate and win against ZAFT which is in canon. However, they also don't want the Federation interfering in what they do. That is why the Alliance forces don't allow any to make a run to the Federation's border. The other thing I wanted to show with Conille is that she came as a representative for her village. Yet, she wanted to go with others to get help from the Federation. So, she doesn't have high hopes for ZAFT helping the village going into this.
Frankly, I feel that Aila is a better first meeting for Conille than Athrun was in canon, no offense to Athrun. Aila comes off as more empathetic than Athrun does overall in my opinion. But onto the briefing for the actual mission in this phase. I would like to note that the briefing overall is very similar to what is in canon. However, I would point out some things which differ and make a difference from canon. First, the Minerva's pilots are the calm ones listening to the briefing actively where others aren't. Second, the ZAFT pilots aren't entirely onboard with the mission. That comes from the failure of the previous ZAFT force which had no survivors. So, is it a surprise that Conille lost her temper when she saw that ZAFT pilots weren't very interested in helping the village. I wanted to show just how mean the Alliance had been to those like Conille's village and others in the region. I don't blame her for losing her temper with what she sees as at stake in the operation. And I like how she counters the back talk she receives by giving information to them about what they would be going against. One has to give the girl credit for doing what she can for her people.
The operation itself is pretty cut and dry for ZAFT's end. I wanted to make it a little interesting with how the mobile armor was defeated. I felt that Aila and Matt teaming up would be neat and better for taking down the mobile armor. You readers are free to disagree with me on that, but that is how I've written it. And we can't forget that Shinn owns the Alliance forces that he goes against.
Now, let me move onto the scene which is newer to this phase. As should be obvious, the group of teens that had gone for the Federation border reached their destination. And their journey hadn't been for nothing as the Federation sent forces to help as they could. Originally, they were to help evacuate the town as their priority. A mission would be set up to oust the Alliance after the evacuation. But with ZAFT taking out the Lohengrin cannon, that changed the point as the Alliance was falling there. This scene lets me show off once again the Pelicans and the Exo suits. As you read, the Alliance didn't stand a chance against either idea. But this homecoming for those that had gone to the Federation is their scene too. I also wanted to show that the Federation are known by the remote villages in this region of the world. Before the Alliance had come down hard of them, it was more the Federation that checked in on the village and made sure they were okay.
I wanted to end this phase with the village celebrating the freedom they had fought for. The other thing is the return of those that had gone to the Federation for the help that came back with them. As bad as this phase could be seen, I wanted to end on a higher note so it was nicer than it could be. That is why I had the last part Conille reuniting with her brother she believed dead by the action of the Alliance.
In conclusion, I'm glad I'm back on this story. I can't promise consistent posting at this point, too many factors at the moment to work through. I will try to post as I can with this with all those that like this story. As always, some of you take the time to write a review and tell me what you think of the phase or ask questions. Peace out until the next phase!