Hey, peeps~! Here's the next chapter of The Phoenix Rising. I hope you guys are ready for what's coming here. ;) Let's just say that there is going to be a real trainwreck of Djibril's last gasp plans! XD
- operation meteor: Nah, I can't blame ya! XD I would've asked something similar, to be honest! XD And glad ya liked the scenes. :) Yeah, Eisenhower was indeed blunt, but for good reason. She's not a political figure in the sense that he is. She's more honest and straight to the point. :3
- raw666: Yeah, Durandal is not a very good planner. And as for the AI, he's gonna be regretting it indeed, especially once the resistance gets a few other AI up and online themselves. ;3
- KentLinuxStadfelt: Heh. I had to include the old guy! XD He was one hell of a planner, so I wanted to take advantage of that and show his abilities for the resistance. :)
- CT7567Rules: Yep. :) And this arc is gonna be really epic! XD
- 1800009trumbullps . net: Oh, you know it! XD
(The screen shows only blackness before a small light is shown in the center, growing larger until a fire ignites, panning around to show the Strike Dagger S equipped with the Phoenix Striker flying through space, a tattered American flag shown flapping on a flagpole in a huge colony)
START MIKAKUNIN HIKOUSEN BY TAKAYOSHI TANIMOTO
(The camera pans in towards the colony where it shows several members of the resistance gathered: President Eisenhower, Steven Krane, Mackenzie Samantha Allen, Turbine Martinez, Keith Martinez, Marcus Wolcott and his squadron, Warren Thompson, Robert "Rob" Jackson, Kyle Eisen, Kashi Tsukiyama, and Turbine's squad mates)
Oh yeah! Be strong, jump on, and become the wind (The group is standing before the Redemption in the background, a shadowy mobile suit above them and below the ship, two brilliant light blue optics flaring)
Pass the orbit beyond the sky (The camera pivots away from them and out to show a map of the Atlantian Reich split into two colors: blue showing the resistance and purple showing the Reich)
I can't hold back this rushing speed (The camera zooms in on Denver as Eisenhower is shown standing atop a tank, waving her hand as she barks an order into a headset she's wearing)
A familiar town becomes a diorama (The screen is flooded with dust as a tank speeds by, showing a single pinprick of light as a shuttle is launched into orbit from Anchorage)
Burst through the unclear skies (The camera pivots away to show another explosion as a Murasame blasts past, bearing the emblem of Sicario)
Blow away your worries and discontent (The camera zooms in on the wolf head emblem before it starts to flutter as a flag, panning down to show the leader of Sicario, Arnold Franken, on the screen)
Who needs a journey that's by the book? (The commander of the mercenaries waves his hand and three mobile suits blast overhead, their pilots shown with their emblems behind them before panning away to show Heaven's Base)
Even if you're lost or trembling, raise the altitude (The base is shown shrouded by darkness, Nazara standing above the base as the ZAFT-Defector fleet sails towards it)
Oh yeah! Show off, mess up, and stand back up (The image is suddenly shattered as a huge gun shell slams into it before the camera pans to the left to show the SS United States in Orb, undergoing repairs while her crew is gathered before her, the USS Missouri on station to act as deterrence)
I'll watch the unknown horizon with you (The camera pans away to show the captain of the Archangel and Heero standing beside one another, their hands entwining)
Now be strong, jump on, and become the wind (The two look at one another before a mobile suit flies past, panning up to show the Strike Dagger S clashing with a shadowy mobile suit)
Use the sun that lights tomorrow as a guide (A sinister dark aura surges out from the mobile suit, twin eyes glaring at the assembled warriors, the image of Durandal shown off to the side)
Fly off to the glorious world of freedom! (The image shows the resistance ship and their allies facing down the dark shadow, Djibril's face behind it as he looms over them)
GUNDAM WING: THE PHOENIX RISING
Let justice be done, though the heavens may fall
- Steven Jackson 'Spray' Krane
CHAPTER XLV: The Shining Pacific
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
JANUARY 1st, 0074 CE
The entire area was a mess.
Across the rail yard, all kinds of things were taking place. Welders were working around the clock on one of the components of the next phase of the project. It was a lot harder than they thought, considering the size and scale of the new machines they were working on. And to make matters worse, they also had to work with 3D printing and rebuilding a complete replica of the very vehicle they were using.
To Kashi Tsukiyama, this was the biggest project the resistance had ever undertaken, just behind Project: Shūmatsu in terms of its scale.
The Japanese-American Coordinator reflected back on the decision to even enact such a project to begin with. Ever since LOGOs' declaration of war against the Coordinators back in 0070 CE, the resistance leadership on the West Coast had started interrogating some of the higher-ranked members of Blue Cosmos in their custody and had learned about the endgame of LOGOs. With the revelation in mind, the sector commander had insisted on trying to create a project that would show the results of learning from the past to create a better future. Many had put forth a few proposals, some of which were outlandish. But it had been due to an old anime from the Republic of East Asia territory formerly known as Japan that had inspired him, along with his love for history of the railways.
Kashi's idea had simply been known as Project: Shinka, or the Evolution Project.
The idea behind Project: Shinka was to create two mecha, one built from a relic of the past and another constructed from a more modern train, but from the early twenty-first century AD. With this, Project: Shinka was designed to combat LOGOs' attempts to take the railways, which was about to begin. And they only had two of the necessary components for Project: Shinka completed. He gritted his teeth as he looked to the tarp-covered train not too far from the second machine being constructed.
"Sir?" Kashi turned to face the chief engineer for the project.
"What?" he asked, turning his gaze back to the trains.
"The commander wishes to speak to you," the woman said.
Kashi merely nodded. "I'll be there."
He tore his gaze from the trains and began to walk towards the sector command station, positioned close to where the Transcontinental Railroad had been completed close to three centuries ago. Promontory Point, the location where the two sections of the national railroad had been connected, was now a key resistance base, as it was here at this junction that LOGOs intended to strike, hoping to split the resistance camp and isolate them from their comrades on the eastern coast. That was why Kashi hoped his project would get off the ground soon, so they could thwart LOGOs' efforts.
He clearly recalled how in the Civil War the North had won because of the railways. And of how in WWII the Allies had basically built railroads in Iraq to ship supplies and materials to the Soviet Union. He knew all too well the importance of those iron veins that provided the lifeblood of supplies to national and local economies. Without railroads, the resistance would be a mere collection of cells instead of a cohesive network like they were now. He gritted his teeth as he clenched his fists.
'LOGOs... they know about the importance of the railways...' he thought. 'So that's why they're trying to strike at our position here... and all so they can split us in two and take out the people on the eastern seaboard before heading west and wiping us out too. So we have to hold them here!'
He looked up as he arrived at the sector command station.
The building was a modest office building, but within its basement levels was an entire resistance command center. He made his way down to the lower level via the stairwells. The resistance pilot finally entered the command center, coming to a stop before the hulking figure of the sector commander.
"Sir, Pilot Kashi Tsukiyama reporting as ordered!" he said, saluting sharply.
The man turned to face him, his brown eyes hard. "Ah. Good timing," he said. "I was about to call your phone."
"No need, sir," Kashi replied, lowering his arm. "I got a message from the chief engineer."
"Ah. Right. That was smart of her then," the man said as he straightened out his uniform. He clasped his hands behind his back as he spoke. "So, the reason I wanted you here was to ask you if you were ready for the test phase."
Kashi's eyes widened. "Then... it's ready?!" he blurted, his eyes widening.
Commander Hugh Darrick gave a nod. "Yes. It's currently awaiting its pilot." He glanced to something on the table and Kashi gulped as he approached it. He grasped the object and held it up, turning it over in the light.
It was a shinca card.
The exact same card used to ride the shinkansen back in his ancestral homeland. He blinked as he looked to the commander who nodded, smiling.
The pilot nodded back and turned, walking back towards the main stairway.
With the shinca card in hand, he exited the command center. The very feeling that this project was now coming to fruition was something else. It felt like a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders, and it was a huge relief to actually feel the tension exiting his body and muscles. He glanced down at it, taking in the decal of the new machine he had personally seen built for this occasion. The old anime series he had taken inspiration from was a sort of old cult classic, with a few members of the fandom across the entire country. But it was those few who had been in key positions to acquire the necessary equipment and components needed to build the thing.
And now, at last, after two years of work, it was ready.
Kashi glanced up from the card as he spotted the train on its tracks as the tarp was ripped off, exposing the vehicle beneath.
The E7 Kagayaki shinkansen.
A sleek bullet train found in museums across the world, the E7 had been in use for many years prior to the beginning of the Reconstruction War. In the aftermath of said war, the trains fell out of service. The majority were scrapped, but a number had been shipped to different museums around the world, including one in the former United States. It was that very train that had been subjected to Project: Shinka. The train's distinctive blue roof color glinted in the light of the sun, and its white paint sparkled brilliantly. The windows flashed as Kashi approached it, and the gold and blue lines along its sides indicated its speed while the distinctive stylized 7 glimmered with reflected sunlight. The pantographs atop its third and seventh cars were currently retracted to lay flush with the roof, and Kashi couldn't help but feel a bit both excited and nervous at the exact same time.
The chief engineer stood beside the train's driver's side door and gave a nod. "The pilot suit is inside, and the control unit is ready to go," he pointed out.
Kashi just nodded in acknowledgement.
The chief engineer stepped aside and Kashi made his way towards the train. The door slid open and already he could see the pilot suit and helmet required lying on a seat. He stepped inside the train as the door slid shut behind him. He grasped the pilot suit and picked it up.
It didn't take long for him to don the pilot suit and helmet. He glanced over the suit, checking the necessary connector points and flexed his hands, feeling the exoskeleton parts moving. He looked up and glanced to the cockpit of the train. The door was open, awaiting him.
Kashi stepped into the train's cockpit and the door slid shut.
As soon as he took his seat, he could already feel the vehicle shuddering as it was hooked up to another train.
And not just any train.
The legendary Union Pacific 4014 steam train, known affectionately as Big Boy.
Built in 1941 for the Union Pacific Railroad Company by American Locomotive Company, the Big Boy class of trains was known for their especially large loads, especially during World War II and up until the 1960s AD. These massive engines had long since fallen out of favor for more efficient diesel and eventually electric trains. But with the rise of LOGOs in the 50s CE, most electric trains had been scrapped. And as the only surviving train of its class in operation, the Union Pacific Railroad had chosen to return 4014 to service as a long-haul freight train. It was just as well, too, for that was what saved it from the scrappers. A pair of other such trains remained in museums at the insistence of their curators, but not for much longer.
4014 was also one of the resistance's greatest assets. The UP had handed it over to them as soon as it was discovered that the old train was to be sent to the scrappers to be melted down for spare parts for the Windams of LOGOs' forces. It was this decision that had saved the historic engine from being used as a part in a genocidal war machine.
Now, put within the train yard at the base of Promontory Point, the old engine was proving its worth as it was connected to the E7.
Kashi settled into his seat and watched as the train began to pull him and his machine to the necessary testing track that had been erected over the last few months. Already he could see that the length was set to run around in a large loop, and the catenary cables ran the whole length of the tracks. The entire loop was enclosed in a large, transparent dome that reminded him all too much of the dome over Copernicus City. The reasoning behind the construction of said dome was to act as measure to keep the intense winds from buffeting the train as it enacted its transformation.
At least, according to the theory behind it.
The doors to the dome were pulled open by a pair of Lotos in tank form, and already Kashi could feel the first tingle of adrenaline as it started to rush through his body. His eyes narrowed as he shifted his gaze forward and looked down at the shinca card in his grasp.
Everything was now riding on this test.
Either it would work...
Or it failed.
And he sincerely hoped it would be the first choice.
. . .
The test track was set.
The commander watched as the sleek bullet train was maneuvered into position by 4014. The old steam engine's brakes hissed and steam emitted from them before the coupler on the train detached from the shinkansen. All it took was ten minutes more before the historic train steamed out of the dome and the doors were pushed shut by the Lotos.
He glanced to one of the technicians manning the cameras. A number of them were scattered around the dome's interior, and each one showed the sleek train in its dock, awaiting the command.
Darrick grabbed the headset and donned it, adjusting the mike in front of his mouth. "Pilot Tsukiyama. Do you read?"
An image of Kashi in his pilot suit appeared on the main monitor in the lower left hand corner. "Hai!" he responded.
"Good. Are you ready?" the commander asked.
Kashi held up the shinca card. "Yes, sir!" he declared.
"All right. Then you know what to do?" Darrick inquired.
The rebel pilot nodded. "I do, sir."
The older man gave a nod. "Good. Then proceed as planned."
A camera mounted to one of the poles near the shinkansen adjusted its angle to zoom in on the cockpit controls. The feed showed Kashi pressing the card to the card reader on the cockpit controls. A small ding echoed over the speakers. "This train is now departing for the Junction Test Track," a deep, computerized male voice intoned.
Kashi gritted his teeth as he grasped the throttle. "Kashi Tsukiyama, E7 Kagayaki... shuppatsu shinkō!"
He pulled it back and the pantographs extended up to touch the catenary cables before, slowly, power began to be siphoned from them directly into the train's drive systems. The shinkansen began to move, slowly gaining speed. Kashi's hands landed on the controls for the train and he began to adjust its speed as it exited into the test track. The vehicle began to accelerate as he pushed forward on the throttle.
"Here we go..." Darrick whispered.
The train accelerated to full speed and became a blue and white blur as it sped around the test track's perimeter. He glanced to look at one of the techicians as she observed the status of the project. "E7 has reached top speed, sir!" she said.
He gave a nod. "Excellent. Pilot Tsukiyama, you are cleared to engage Phase II!"
The young man nodded. "Hai!" The camera showed his hand reaching out and slipping into a slot underneath the card reader and throttle, grasping something. A small light shone on the controls before he lifted up his hand, exposing the reader and throttle to be on top of what appeared to be a gauntlet designed to look like the front end of a shinkansen. "Master Control Shinka Gear equipped!" the technician relayed. "Limiters disengaged!"
She glanced back over her shoulder at Darrick. "Phase II complete!"
He gave a nod. "Begin Phase III!"
Kashi nodded and grasped the throttle control. "We are go for Ultra Evolution Speed!" He pulled it back and the train began to accelerate as a magnetic field started to surge along the tracks. Light blue electricity danced towards the train and the shinkansen was enveloped in it, earning a sudden jerking before the train began to speed up, its rate of travel increasing with each passing second. Kashi's eyes were narrowed as he was pushed back into the seat; the flight suit developed for the project was designed for such high acceleration and intense 'G's, keeping him conscious. The helmet was also likewise built for the project; it was designed to keep Kashi from blacking out.
The suit also monitored his vitals so they could determine the point at which to terminate the project when or if things went downhill.
Already they could see his vitals dancing all over the place from the sheer force of the acceleration and speed. But they were not dipping below the threshold for cancelation. If anything, they were remaining just above it, if barely. Darrick bit his lower lip nervously as he watched as Kashi's eyes narrowed a bit more and he slowly reached for the shinca card in between his legs. He grasped it with a shaking hand and pulled it up, holding it tightly in his grasp.
"Sir, Kashi's vitals are all over the place!" one of the medics in charge of monitoring his health exclaimed. "If this keeps up, we'll have to abort!"
"N-No!" Kashi rasped. "We... We have to see this through...! Especially as LOGOs... wants to take the tracks...! And we... we can't let that happen!"
"But your vitals..." the medic protested. "They're going to dip into the red zone any minute!"
"I don't... care!" the pilot snapped. "This... this is our best bet here... And I won't let it be aborted...! Not when we've come so far! And...I mean it!" His eyes widened as he held up the shinca card.
As he did this, the technician looked back. "Phase III has been completed! He's reached top speed for Ultra Evolution Speed!"
Darrick nodded. "Good! Now, begin Phase IV!"
Kashi gave a grunt as he drew back his free hand and slid the card into the side of the Master Control Shinka Gear. "C-CHANGE...!" he rasped.
He struggled to slap it in, only to miss. "Crap!"
"He can't keep this up!" another medic exclaimed.
"C'mon...!" Darrick muttered.
Kashi gritted his teeth and drew back his hand a second time. "C-Change...! SHINKALION!" he roared.
He slapped the card into the Shinka Gear fully, and the device's front snapped open to expose a lens of sorts. The lens registered on the main controls for the train, and at once the cockpit began to shift and change.
The seat slid back as a hardpoint pack descended from the ceiling, locking onto the hardpoints of his flight suit. The console slid forward slightly as twin pedals extended from the floor, allowing him to place his feet on them before restraints locked his feet in place. As this happened, the same deep mechanical voice echoed over the cockpit speakers.
"Now transforming into Shinkalion."
The front and rear engines disconnect from the rest of the shinkansen, linking up. The rear engine opened to reveal a pair of legs, each leg protected by the outer shell of the rear engine. A pair of treads snapped into position on either side of the ankles. The rear of the front engine opened as the front shifted its position to become a chest and lower torso. Two arms extended from the rear of the front engine and locked into position, the hands clenching as two shovel guards came down to protect against strikes to the hands. The head finally emerged, and twin green-yellow optics flared online as the new machine slammed its fists together and landed on the ground, mimicking the pilot's movements as he stood up straight.
Everyone stared in shock at the tall machine the train had transformed into.
Standing at twenty-six meters in height, the robot it had become was imposing. Its blue and white armor gleamed in the light of the sun, giving it a majestic appearance. Its upper body was comprised of the first car and the entire rear engine made up its lower half, with the shells of the rear engine acting as additional armor to protect its legs. Interestingly, the robot possessed two pairs of caterpillar treads, one pair on each ankle. Its feet had what appeared to be pistons on their fronts, allowing the robot to boost its jumps. It had on its hands two guards that resembled an excavator shovel, and pistons on those allowed the robot to put more force into its blows.
The lower legs were completely blue with grey and gold accents, while the upper legs were white in color. The robot's chest was blue on the front with white on the sides, and golden outlines. Its arms were dark grey with white armor on the lower arms, and its hand guards were golden in color. The shoulders were broad with white on the bottom and the tops were blue with a golden line to separate the two colors. The helm was blue with a silver command fin with a golden V-fin underneath it, and those optics glowed a fierce green color. Its faceplate was pure white, and on either side of the robot's face was a vent. Two protrusions swept back from the thing's helm, adding a sort of streamlined look to its appearance.
"Holy...!" someone breathed. "It actually worked...!"
"That is so cool...!" another person whispered. "A real-life train robot...!"
"Hell... That kid really came through with this...!" a third person murmured.
The huge machine turned its helm to look at the closest camera and gave a thumbs up.
"Good." Darrick gave a single nod. "Begin Phase V!"
The mecha turned back to face the interior of the Test Track dome, watching as the doors closest to the station started to slide open. A number of captured Strike Daggers and Windams came in, piloted by resistance pilots to test the capabilities of the new Gundam Shinkalion E7 Kagayaki.
The Windams opened fire first.
Kashi's eyes narrowed in the cockpit and he crouched, revving the crawlers on either side of his machine's ankles. The machine suddenly lurched and accelerated as he remained crouched before he drew back a fist and punched as hard as he could, slugging one of the Windams in the gut and whipping around before leaping up and spinning, delivering a nasty roundhouse to the head and sending the Windam sprawling flat on its back.
"Windam 2 is down!" the lead technician reported.
The Gundam landed and looked around as two Windams came at it from both sides. Kashi gave a small smirk as they drew their beam sabers and his machine's servos slowly inched towards the side skirt armor of his Gundam. The Windams ignited their beam sabers and slashed, but then a pair of sudden blurs of bright blue light cut across the screen before it faded, showing the E7 had drawn its own beam sabers, blocking the violet blades with bright blue, akin to the blue in the old movie series Tron. The trio of mobile suits struggled against one another, but the two Windams were unable to break the defensive stance of the E7. The machine hesitated just the tiniest bit before it broke the sword locks and leapt back, spinning both beam sabers between its fingers, holding them in front of its chest a short minute later.
The Windams came at the Gundam, only for Kashi to pounce. Three slashes of bright blue covered the screen before it faded to show the two Windams missing their arms and legs, collapsing to the ground. A trio of Daggers charged in, one from the left, one from the right, and one from the rear. A final Windam lunged from the front, and Kashi smirked.
He reacted swiftly, spinning around and unleashing the head Vulcans built into the helm of the Kagayaki. The small bullets caught the pilots off guard as they peppered the shields and forced them to protect the sensitive optical sensors. Kashi put one beam saber away and held out his machine's left servo.
"Phase VI commencing!" the technician declared.
Darrick watched as he shifted his gaze to a nearby monitor. Displayed on the screen were schematics for a beam rifle especially built for the Kagayaki, but what was interesting was that the front of the barrel looked as if it was covered by some kind of shell, akin to the cover for the nose coupling of the train. The weapon itself was lying beside a trailer, but this type of new deployment mechanism was something that was unheard of, as no one had even considered quantum teleportation for allowing a machine to summon its primary weapon.
The theory had been postulated by Aeolia Schenberg, and he had even developed a prototype mechanism for allowing a mobile suit pilot to summon their machine's weapon. No one aside from Schenberg even had the faintest idea as to how it really worked, but one thing was certain: if it did work, it would allow mobile suits to be able to call their weapons forth from a ship's main mobile suit armory. Already the group was observing if this whole thing would work. The beam rifle started to shimmer briefly as it started to glow with bluish-white energy, and at the same time the palm of the E7 began to glow before the gun vanished in a flurry of particles and appeared in its hand.
"Phase VI completed!" she exclaimed. "Phase VII commencing!"
'So far so good...' Darrick thought as his eyes narrowed. 'But one can never tell with this type of technology. Even Schenberg admitted it could only be used once per battle. Still, this is a good thing for the future, at least.'
The E7 Kagayaki crouched and aimed its beam rifle as the two covers opened, exposing the barrel of the gun as it extended outward. "Firing Coupler Beam Rifle!" Kashi stated.
He squeezed the trigger and the pink beam fired, striking the leg of one of the Strike Daggers before he sped in, his active beam saber slashing through the right wing of the Windam and causing it to collapse to its chest. The Strike Dagger fell back on its butt in defeat. The other two kept on his tail, and Kashi spun his machine around so it was zooming backward using its crawlers. He put away his second beam saber and gripped the gun in his other servo to steady his aim. Once more, a salvo of beams fired from the gun and the Daggers were riddled with them, mostly in the arms and legs. Devoid of all limbs, their torsos fell to the ground and Kashi brought his machine to a stop, snapping the arm with the gun off to the side and closing up the covers on it.
"Phase VII ended!" the technician said, looking back.
"Stage I is completed!"
Cheers broke out at that declaration and Darrick turned his gaze to the main monitor. "Pilot Tsukiyama, status report!"
"All systems are operational, sir. No anomalies found across the board," Kashi relayed. "Combat data has been recorded and will be analyzed after return to base."
"Good." Darrick smirked. "Looks like Project: Shinka has proven itself after all."
"Only the first stage, sir," Kashi reminded him, eyes narrowed. "It's the second and third stages that worry me at this point."
The commander understood where Kashi was coming from at those words.
The second and third stages were more or less designed to compliment the E7 and its capabilities. Or more specifically, the second stage was. The third stage was currently in operation, and already the weapon to be attached to it was finished being constructed. After all, UP Big Boy 4014 was designed to haul large loads, and the artillery gun developed for this situation would be easier to handle if it was towed by the steam engine instead of a pair of diesel engines.
It was the second stage that was giving people trouble at this point. But they were giving it all they had to try and finish this one before the attack began. Darrick had no idea as to when the attack would come, but he knew it was coming. He just wanted to be ready for it.
. . .
Kashi slumped back in his seat, his eyes closing. "That was exhausting..." he murmured. He opened his eyes a few seconds later, a small smile crossing his lips. "But it was so worth it."
He slowly straightened up, the E7 Kagayaki mimicking his movements as he started to walk the machine back towards its docking berth. Already technicians were preparing to examine every inch of the mobile suit to check for any signs of damage or repairs. He made sure to step around a cluster of techies before he pivoted the machine and slowly backed it into its berth. The docking gantries swung into position in front of the machine and locked into place. Kashi slowly moved his limbs and body, flexing until he felt the hardpoints detach from the control mechanisms. The pedals on his feet slid down, the clamps releasing his booted feet. He hopped down and landed atop the floor of the cockpit. He slowly looked to the Shinka Gear on his left wrist and paused before he slowly removed it, putting it back into its slot.
"Shinkalion power down commencing."
The door to the cockpit slid open and he emerged onto the gangway next to the chest of his unit.
Already he could feel his stomach rumbling, and he guessed that it was closer to dinner than he had expected. He reached up and removed his helmet before running his hand through his shocking white hair. He rubbed it a bit before he shouldered his helmet and began to walk.
A young woman in her twenties looked to him and gave a smile. "Kashi!"
The young man looked over, his eyes widening as he recognized her. "Perpetual?"
Perpetual Davidson nodded.
At age twenty-seven, she was the younger of the two, as Kashi was twenty-nine, almost thirty. She had a shock of bright red hair and green eyes, but her skin was almost ebony in color, a sign of her Coordinator heritage. Her parents had once been amongst the wealthiest in their community before LOGOs seized their business and assets and evicted them to the streets. It was only thanks to the resistance that they had managed to even find a home in a more middle-class neighborhood. They were able to assist the resistance in giving information on LOGOs' activities in their community, which led to them becoming more of an asset than a liability. It was only when Perpetual found her parents dead in a supposed terrorist attack that she retreated before the Headhunters could string her up from a lamppost, going underground and taking the train from Utah to Cheyenne, Wyoming where she expressed an interest in the railways and any type of train.
When Kashi's project had been proposed, she had been ecstatic and immediately signed up to be the pilot for the second stage when it became operational. For now though, she had been put through simulators to get an idea of how to handle her new machine, and she had shown a real talent for it.
Currently, the head of the Union Pacific Railroad, which was now operating under Anaheim Electronics' jurisdiction, was overseeing a recreation of the UP 4014 being built for stage two of Project: Shinka. Unlike the original, this replica was developed with modern technology in mind, but at the same time combining the power of the old steam engine with newer methods and materials to make it stronger and better than before. This new machine was currently what was being built, and it was an absolute mess to get it right.
"That was amazing out there!" the female pilot exclaimed. "I never thought that the quantum teleportation would even work!"
"Yeah; surprised me too," Kashi admitted. He then sighed. "But seriously. I never expected Project: Shinka to really show its potential."
Perpetual nodded. "It's a good thing, too. I mean, the original 4014 is so old we can't use it for this, but by building a replica, it's as close as we can get for now."
The white-haired Coordinator narrowed his eyes. "Maybe, but it's best to actually get a more thorough idea of how to actually make it viable. And as it stands, we're kind of rushing it as it is. We just don't have the time or resources necessary to do a real test of all systems. So it could backfire for all we know."
The other Coordinator looked down, a bit of worry flittering across her features. She bit her lower lip before she turned her gaze to look at the train under construction. "Will it even work then?" she asked.
Kashi hung his head, his eyes becoming hidden by shadow. "Honestly, I don't know..." he whispered. "I really don't know at this point..." His hands clenched into fists. "I'm sorry..."
. . .
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
JANUARY 1st, 0074 CE
Ferric Schwartz narrowed his blue eyes as he observed the unit being readied for battle. He was one of the pilots assigned to the thing, and he had a very good idea of its capabilities.
But what he didn't understand why it was even being deployed to the middle of the country. It was a real hassle to get this unit up and running, and due to its nature as a test unit, it really wasn't meant for prolonged battle, or even combat at all. It was just a testbed for any new technologies centering around said units.
The rest were currently at Heaven's Base, and those were the real combat machines.
He shot a glance to one of his companions, Stopa Jaggar, who leaned against the wall of the huge hangar, smoking a cigarette. He took the cigarette out of his lips and blew out a cloud of smoke. "So, vhat's ze vord?" he asked.
Stopa opened his pale blue eyes and tossed his cigarette aside. "Ze vord? Ferric, it is not zat simple. Ze vord is zat ve vait until our unit is ready for combat. You know zat."
Ferric ran a hand through his long blonde hair, brushing some strands out of his face. "Zat is ze same as ze last time," he remarked. "Vhat I mean is, vhen vill ve be ready for battle."
Stopa leaned back, lacing his hands behind his head. "Ah. Zat." He narrowed his eyes. "I see." He turned his gaze to his fellow pilot. "It vill be vithin ze next few days. Ze weapons are finished being installed. All zat is left is to calibrate zem."
A feral grin slithered across Ferric's face. He could hardly wait to begin the extermination of those rebel insects.
However, there was no way it was going to be that simple.
Ferric was no fool. His feral grin faded as he glanced out at the huge unit, the Karkinos, as it loomed over the area. The huge thing looked a lot like a crab, as some pointed out, which made him scoff. Sure it bore a slight resemblance to said creature, but the fact it was mechanical in nature and bore way more than just claws indicated it was not a crab. But had he been of sane mind, he would've known that a crab's weakness lay in its joints, which made this thing no different in that regard. The only saving grace the Karkinos had was its shielding. And even that was no surefire guarantee to its defense.
As it stood, these men had no clue as to what the resistance was even planning.
Or of what they were even creating.
. . .
JANUARY 1st, 0074 CE
EN ROUTE TO UNDISCLOSED SAFE HOUSE
"GODDAMMIT!"
Eisenhower punched the wall of the command car, feeling the metal denting slightly under her strength. Her eyes were hidden by her bangs, and her teeth were gritted in frustration.
"Ma'am?" One of the technicians had a concerned look in her eyes as she approached the commander-in-chief of the resistance.
"Damn that man...! He's so arrogant!" she muttered. She looked up, her blue eyes hard as ice. "He didn't even consider my words, least of all even acknowledge my warning!"
"That's like him," the male tech said as he leaned against the wall. "He's one who won't back down from a mission once he gets it underway."
"Yeah. But I was hoping that he would at least consider my words," Eisenhower admitted. "But... it was all for nothing." She glanced to the image of the fleet heading towards Heaven's Base. "His troops and the defectors are going to get slaughtered."
"Slaughtered? More like massacred," the female techie responded. She narrowed her green eyes. "And that's bad news."
"Speaking of, what's happening in Anchorage?" Eisenhower asked. "How's the fighting going there?"
The woman shifted in her seat before she turned and brought up the image of Anchorage on the main monitor, minimizing the window showing the advancing fleet to the lower left hand side of the screen. The image zoomed in on the base, and already Eisenhower could see mobile suits swarming over the scene, the bright blue ones being rebel-aligned and the sinister purple color being LOGOs-aligned. Her eyes narrowed as she frowned.
"The LOGOs members that are stationed there are putting up one hell of a fight, ma'am," she reported. "There's no way we're getting past them to take the mass driver."
Eisenhower could see that her assessment was right on the money. "Those trenches and anti-mobile suit teams are the real threat," she noted. "A very good way to deter us from going in lest we want to lose any more of our forces and war material."
"Not just that, ma'am," the female tech replied. She adjusted the image to zoom out, and Eisenhower hissed as she spotted a single Destroy.
"I thought we destroyed all those monstrosities!" the rebel commander growled.
"So did we," the male tech stated. "But they apparently had this one shipped north to keep that mass driver in their hands. And with these things, it's a real hassle to take them out, especially with their shields." His eyes narrowed into slits. "I can only conclude they have a plant up there that was able to churn this one out."
That actually made a lot of sense to President Eisenhower. She pursed her lips in thought. 'Actually, it does make sense,' she thought. 'Having a plant to produce the parts needed for it just makes it more difficult for us to take the base. Even if we do take the Destroy down on the first run, they'll just have parts to repair it, and we don't have the resources up north to handle that. Our best bet would be to call in some of our allies out here, which means either the Eurasian Federation or the Equatorial Union. The Republic of East Asia's leader is just a coward, and the Oceania Union is on the side of the PLANTs. Orb is too far, and South America needs time to build their own naval forces up. Sicario is not about to deviate from the task at hand, which is a shame because we could've used their support here. But I'm not about to break a mutual contract, seeing as how we need their help.'
Her eyes narrowed. 'So that just leaves the Equatorial Union.' She closed her eyes and sighed.
'I just really hope they're up for this...'
She opened her eyes a few seconds later.
"Get in contact with the Equatorial Union," she ordered.
The two looked at one another in shock before looking back at the President. "Ma'am?" the man asked.
"You heard me," she insisted. Her eyes narrowed. "We're going to be needing their help for this one..."
. . .
SIGNAPORE
EQUATORIAL UNION
JANUARY 2nd, 0074 CE
The Prime Minister pursed her lips as she pondered the message she had just received. "Hm. I see," she mused. "You wish to have support to deal with the base at Anchorage, yes?"
The President of the resistance gave a nod. "That's right."
Prime Minister Liu narrowed her eyes. "What kind of support are you requesting? Because if you are aiming to take the city back, you will be needing sufficient air support. And the Destroy is a real menace to any aerial units, plane or mobile suit."
"The support I'm requesting will be to your discretion," the rebel commander stated. "However it would be best to send some ships that can harass the Destroy from long range."
"We can spare a few frigates and missile destroyers," Prime Minister Liu replied. "However, given the state of affairs right now, we cannot spare any more forces other than that at the moment. President Peng is just itching for us to betray our security alliance. And that is not counting the Oceania Union and any remaining assets of the Atlantian Reich. The Eurasians, I am sure, will remain firm in their commitment to our security pact. After all, we are seeking the same thing at this point, are we not?" She narrowed her eyes as she said this, studying the woman before her on the monitor critically.
"We are," the President admitted. Her own eyes narrowed in response. "I can understand where you are coming from, Prime Minister. And unfortunately, it's something I cannot ask you to do. If it's required to keep potential enemies at bay, then I can understand your decision to keep some forces held back."
"More like our entire naval force," Prime Minister Liu said softly. "I do not like it. Peng is a coward and an opportunist. The moment he senses weakness, the moment he will take the opportunity to extract concessions from us. And we cannot afford that."
President Eisenhower frowned to herself. "The intricacies of geopolitics," she muttered. "Something I tend to despise, but am willing to work with."
The Equatorial Prime Minister could sympathize with the resistance commander-in-chief. "I can sympathize with you on that one," she admitted with a small smirk. Then it faded as she eyed the other woman. "Speaking of which, how does your rebellion fare on the main front?"
Eisenhower's eyes hardened. "The overall front at home? Or near D.C.?"
"You know which one," Prime Minister Liu said. "The one that has the most political impact."
Eisenhower was silent for a moment before she closed her eyes and sighed heavily. "Our forces have yet to make a move on the capital of the country," she admitted. "Right now, we're only starting to fully mobilize our troops to take back the major cities LOGOs has under their sway. And that is not counting the infrastructure campaign that they have launched against us." She opened her eyes. "By that I mean that LOGOs hopes to take the major railways to try and divide us to make it easier to conquer us. And that we can't afford to have happen."
The prime minister scowled. "How prepared are you for that?" she asked.
The President gave a wry smirk. "We have a few new machines in development for that particular contingency," she remarked. Then her smirk faded. "But they're only meant for use on the internal front. Foreign movement for them is going to be close to impossible."
Prime Minister Liu pursed her lips. "I see."
"And add on to that the fact that they cannot be used on most roads, it makes for a serious problem," the insurgent added.
"And yet you chose to use them," Prime Minister Liu pointed out. She tented her fingers in front of her mouth. "And that brings me back to your original request for support, does it not?"
Eisenhower had to keep from grimacing, but she managed. She merely nodded.
"In terms of carrier support, we have only two operational, but we do have a third under construction," Liu replied. "However, as stated before, we cannot spare any more forces until we are sure that we have support for our sovereignty. Peng is not above nibbling away at our borders and Oceania is more accommodating, but their policies are geared more towards the PLANTs. We would prefer to have a secure power bloc to deter Peng's advances and the Oceanians' own growing might."
"I see..." Eisenhower's eyes closed as she tented her fingers in front of her mouth, head slightly bowed. She sat like that for a few minutes before she snapped her eyes open. "I think we can make this work..."
Liu arched an eyebrow. "Hm?"
Eisenhower sat up straight and ran a hand through her hair. "Currently we have a few assets out at sea, one of which is a very heavy hitter. I'm sure you recall the attack on Orb that deposed Unato Seiran?"
"Who could forget that?" Liu said with a small chuckle.
"Well, it just so happens that our heavy hitter was involved in that," the President admitted. "And you surely heard the news reports?"
Liu's eyes widened as she recalled the mentions of an old relic once more sailing the seas. She could remember the panicked expressions on some of the mercs' faces as they babbled about an old battleship that should have been left to rot as a museum, and some of them had even broken down in tears at seeing the old girl in action, realizing just how outclassed they were when dealing with conventional firepower of that magnitude. After all, no ships these days possessed triple sixteen inch gun turrets for their main firepower.
Only the Iowas still possessed that firepower.
And one of them, the USS Missouri, had just delivered some massive bombardments to the mercenaries on one of Orb's main barrier islands.
And on top of that, there was that museum ocean liner that was now prowling the seas once more, only outfitted this time as a command ship. Her eyes narrowed at that, but when she recalled the sheer speed of the SS United States, then it was hard to ignore the potential for real change here in the Pacific power blocs.
Still, two ships did not make a navy. But when combined with the mercenaries they had hired, there was a chance that Peng could be forced to back off for a while. After all, his naval forces were still some of the strongest, although with the rumored unrest stirring in the former country of Japan, it was only a matter of time before that naval power was put to use in blockading the island nation.
She glanced up. "So that is your plan, then?" she asked. "To project power outwards to act as a deterrence towards Peng?"
Eisenhower gave a small smirk, although it was a grim one. "What little power we do possess, yes. As it stands, our navy can hardly be called a true navy until we have enough ships. But what we do possess should in theory be enough to make Peng think twice. After all, if we could blow up Devonport, then who's to say we can't do the same to one of his ports if he tries anything?"
Prime Minister Liu frowned, but she did admit the insurgent commander had a good point.
"You do make a good point, but are you sure it's wise to even consider such a drastic action?" she questioned.
"I'm not above considering all options, including warfare," Eisenhower stated plainly. Her eyes narrowed at this, and Liu had to suppress a shiver at how cold and ruthless those eyes were. "I don't like it, but given what we're fighting for here, it makes sense we'd have to be prepared for just about any contingency. And that includes warfare."
"But surely you recognize your forces' limits, yes?" Liu asked, now concerned.
"Believe me, I'm well aware of their limitations," Eisenhower retorted. "But as I said, I'm considering every option available. However..." Here her gaze softened. "...I'm hoping to God that we don't resort to war against Peng at this moment..."
"For what it is worth, he's mostly a coward. So he's only taking nibbles to gauge our strength. Any potential military moves and he'll fall back to his borders," Liu reminded her counterpart.
"Maybe, but I'm not too keen on him remaining out of the conflict for the moment," Eisenhower pointed out. Then her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And that's not counting Africa's own military buildup."
"You're worried about them, then?" the prime minister asked.
The rebel commander nodded somberly. "What I'm most concerned about is their potential efforts to build up a naval fleet to match ours. Or rather..." Here she gritted her teeth. "...their plans to cross the ocean to get to our borders. From what satellites we could hijack, it seems as if they're trying to build landing craft as well as support vessels for them."
That was not good news for Prime Minister Liu. "I see..." Her hands clenched into fists in front of her mouth. "They seek to make your country pay for what the Atlantians did to them."
Eisenhower nodded. "Yes. I fear that they intend to invade us and slaughter large numbers of us in order to make us repent for what our masters did to them. In their eyes, we are not above the same punishment. In short, an eye for an eye. A massacre for a massacre. Violence for violence, rape for rape, murder for murder." She gritted her teeth and as she ducked her head to hide her eyes beneath her bangs, Liu swore she saw the faintest glint of tears in them. "To them... we must pay for the sins of our fathers. It's... it's not right... and this kind of thinking has to end. Right here, right now!"
She lifted her head, and Liu couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her fellow leader in these trying times. The presence of tears in her eyes, despite the cold, hard look in them, was a dead giveaway to how she really felt. Eisenhower was distraught, even if she hid it well. To hear an entire continent had united and was intent on engaging in a brutal mass slaughter of innocents like the Atlantians had done was something she did not want at any cost.
Liu closed her eyes. "I understand. But the truth is, the memories of that slaughter are still fresh. So it makes sense they'd want you to suffer the same thing they did." Then her eyes snapped open. "And for what it's worth, I'm in complete agreement with you. An eye for an eye never solves anything. That is why we worked so hard to maintain a careful balance of neutrality with our surrounding adversaries, primarily the Republic of East Asia. And now that the Earth Alliance has disintegrated, and with the Atlantian Reich in utter chaos, it can be anyone's game."
Then she narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward. "And you have sought to create a new power bloc to counter both the Atlantians and ZAFT, am I right?"
Eisenhower nodded seriously, closing her eyes as she leaned back in her seat. "Yes. I've been trying to reach out to like-minded individuals to create a new world forum where we can actually debate and discuss things out, not... go backwards to spheres of influence and utter disregard for rule-based international order. This new world forum has to be stronger than the old UN, and at the same time reinvigorate the people of the world to be a united human race, not divided into genetically pure and impure specimens. It's a lot like the Nazis' dream of a racially stratified world, where they would be at the top as all-powerful aristocrats and all those beneath them would be either enslaved or exterminated based on physical appearance and racial characteristics."
"Ah. The New World Order they had propagated during the Second World War. Including a new feudal order in which certain human races would be limited in education, rendering them illiterate and unable to do much else except serve the Master Race," Prime Minister Liu mused.
The President only sighed. "It's all too much like that. At least in LOGOs' heads." She opened her eyes, and the tears at their edges dried. "This is what Nazism is... and why it has to end!"
The Prime Minister bowed her head. "A lot easier said than done, Madame President. It will take more than a final battle against Lawrence Djibril to end those beliefs."
"Yeah. But it is my hope that such a final battle will drive home how foolish it is to believe such ideologies," Eisenhower admitted.
"A final battle on such a scale would also have to involve such a man being defeated by a weaker specimen of human in his eyes," Liu pointed out. "And are there such men in the Atlantian leadership who would go out and fight?"
Here the President's lips curled into a scowl. "There is. His name is Dennis Krantz, and he's the new commander of the 666th Devil's Brigade in orbit."
Quickly, Eisenhower outlined what had happened in Earth orbit involving the 1776th Battle Group, and the complete seizure of it, along with her mole's actions in taking down the political adjuncts in the fleet. She was very thorough in explaining the situation with Krantz and his newly awakened Newtype abilities. The very fact that he had awakened them was enough to make the Prime Minister frown. When the President had concluded her explanation, she leaned back in her seat, a frown on her face. "I see. That is disturbing..."
"At least I'm hoping that the battle between the two can be publicly viewed somehow..." Eisenhower whispered.
"Well, we will cross that bridge when we come to it," Prime Minister Liu replied. "For now, we need to focus on the task at hand."
The President sat back up and nodded. "Right," she said.
"In regards to ships we can send, as I have stated, we can spare a few frigates and missile destroyers. But no more than that," Liu remarked. "But... they will be our most powerful ones we send." She gave a smirk. "After all, what we lack in size, we make up for in quality."
Eisenhower's eyes widened as she recognized the tone in her counterpart's voice. A smirk crossed her own lips. "Oh, now that is good!" she purred. "When can we expect them to come?"
"Within the next few days," Liu replied. "We can have them ready as soon as tomorrow."
"The sooner they get here the better. We'll be needing all the firepower they've got!" Eisenhower sneered.
Liu couldn't help but chuckle at her tone.
But at the same time, she could only wonder what impact this would have on the coming fights...
. . .
L4 COALITION
JANUARY 2nd, 0074 CE
The Blue Masque studied the looming conflict closely, her eyes locked onto the single country to the northwest of the Atlantian Reich.
The Kingdom of Scandinavia's new launch system was supposed to be tested today, and she had to wonder just what their intentions were. The launching of a new ship during wartime was unheard of, and since this one had yet to be publicly unveiled, this made her wonder if it was a black ops project. It did seem plausible, but the fact that there was no intelligence on it indicated that it had to either be very recent... or it had been in the works for a long time to hide it from possible spies.
She shifted her gaze towards the location of Heaven's Base, and already she began to wonder just what had made the President so concerned. Her recent broadcast to Durandal over a ZAFT channel indicated that they had been able to breach ZAFT communications encryption. She could only wonder if the resistance had some kind of supercomputer that could handle such a task.
If they did, then it would make a lot of sense as to how they had been able to also breach secure Atlantian codes and bring down the Atlas Firewall she had heard so much about.
But what else could they do with such a powerful computer? The very idea was enough to make her wary of them, but at the same time, they had provided a guaranteed position at the negotiating table in the aftermath of the war.
'President Eisenhower... just what will you do now...?'