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: Heh. Glad ya liked it. :) I thought why not because LOGOs wants to take the railways and split the resistance up. :) And there's one more that's in the works~! XD
- RisingGundam2006: Glad ya liked it. :) I wanted to include Shinkalion as part of the resistance's mobile suit arsenal for a while now! XD
- CT7567Rules: The idea came from Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion. :) It's a really good anime. :) And yeah, a lot of old steam trains did get melted down. And as for the 4014, well, he will be hauling cargo for the resistance all right! XD And let's just say he's gonna be really delivering some firepower to the rebels come the attack LOGOs is gonna pull. ;)
- 1800009trumbullps . net: Oh, don't you worry. ;3 I'm definitely working on 'em. :)
(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 XLVI: The Shining Pacific II
JANUARY 1st, CE 0074
OLOFAT, YALAFATH, ORB UNION
The sun shone down on the port city as the two vessels lay at dock.
It wasn't that often that foreign warships made port at the Orb Union. But considering the circumstances behind these two, it made sense their crews were allowed shore leave on the mainland of Orb.
The first one was none other than the USS Missouri, her huge sixteen inch guns gleaming in the light of the sun as its rays touched the barrels. Her tattered United States ensign fluttered in the breeze, and already Orb soldiers and civilians were starting to swarm around the huge battleship. A number of resistance crewmembers were acting as guards in case any LOGOs sympathizers tried to sneak aboard and blow her up via a suicide bomb.
But for those who were not with LOGOs, it was an awe-inspiring sight to see a relic from the Second World War in their capital city. A bunch of families were gathered just behind the cordon of rebel fighters, some raising their kids onto their shoulders so they could see the ship in all her glory. A few people had their smartphones out and were raising them to take pictures, and amongst them were two members of the Kiou Family, no doubt to see and assess the potential of this new ship and her owners.
Not too far off, Cagalli stood beside a few of her governmental security officers, looking at the old ship with a weird sense of respect and intimidation. After all, this was the ship that had helped bring her back to power, but it was also one of the only ships to have sixteen inch guns, an armament size that no modern vessel carried. Despite her old age though, she had proven to be one hell of an asset. And she could see just how big those guns were in person. And actually, it both impressed and intimidated her at once.
The Chief Representative of Orb slowly made her way down to the cordon of sailors, taking note that a small scuffle had broken out and two of them had subdued a man who had tried to sneak past them. His shirt was torn off to reveal a pack strapped to his waist, and on it were several explosives. The woman who had tackled him to the ground had him pinned in a headlock that was close to choking him into unconsciousness, but not to the extent of death. Her eyes were hard as a third sailor intervened and removed the waist pack before looking to the man and slugging him out cold. Once he was out, two Orb police officers came down and picked him up to bring him to the police station.
The captain of the Missouri, a Coordinator if his file was anything to go by, shook his head as he watched the man hauled off. "Dammit... Why some people have to resort to such things is beyond me... Especially this whole genetic purity crap they spout."
"It's something we have to wonder about sometimes," Cagalli remarked.
The captain's gaze snapped to her. "Oh. You must be Lady Cagalli, am I right?" he asked.
The young lady nodded. "Yes. That's me. And you are?"
"The name's Sakchai Bunnag," he said, extending a hand. Cagalli took it and shook, surprised at his firm grip. "I'm the captain of the USS Missouri."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Cagalli said as she pulled her hand back. "And for what it's worth, I cannot thank you and your comrades in the resistance enough for helping to bring me back."
"I'll be honest in that it wasn't easy to get the old girl back up and running, but we managed," Captain Bunnag remarked with a small smirk. "But the biggest reason we were able to even get her back to fighting shape was the miracle of 3D printing. As well as salvage from some other ships."
"I'm very impressed by the resistance's resourcefulness," Cagalli admitted. "How in the world were you able to make the parts and install them all without LOGOs noticing?"
The captain chuckled at that. "Well, thank the maintenance guys and gals for that one. All they had to do was say that they were keeping the ship maintained for the future historians."
"A simple, but effective trick," Cagalli mused, grinning. Then her grin faded as she glanced to where the second ship of the resistance was at dock. The gash on her forward funnel was still visible, but already she could see that a few cranes were moving into position to allow dockworkers to get repairs started. Already the captain of the Missouri could see where her gaze had wandered and he sighed.
The old ocean liner clearly looked like she had seen better days if the faint rust stains were of any indication. But her sleek lines and the fact she seemed to ripple with power, even at dock, indicated she was in no way an old granny, either. In fact, the SS United States seemed to give off an opposite air. She was old, yes, but her sheer speed in circling the islands during the battles had kept communications from reaching the Atlantian Reich, as she now knew the true government of North America to be called.
"I have another question, Captain Bunnag," Cagalli admitted.
"About the Big U?" Captain Bunnag asked, guessing her question.
The young ruler blinked, surprised. "Y-Yes... But how did you know?"
"A few people have already asked the same one," he told her. "And to answer your question, the ship was actually refitted after her escape from Philly. Turns out the Kingdom of Scandinavia is not as stupid as one would think."
"Hold on. The Kingdom is neutral," Cagalli protested. "So, why would they take action to assist you?"
"They've been aware of the changing tides for some time now," the captain remarked. "And as such, they've been waiting to see if they should increase their military spending or hold off until further developments show themselves. But... after the attack on Devonport we pulled and after other actions, such as the invasion of Eurasia, they decided to start slowly easing out of neutrality and into a new union of nations."
"Union of nations?" Cagalli blinked in confusion.
"What he means, Lady Cagalli," a new female voice replied, "is that the leader of the resistance has plans to bring back a global forum to debate and work things out."
The newcomer was clearly a woman as well, but she carried herself with the air of an experienced sailor, and the United States naval ensign on her uniform marked her as an officer in the slowly resurging United States Navy. "Name's Rebekah Stimson. I'm in charge of the Big U."
"You're her captain then," the Chief Representative noted.
Here Captain Stimson gave a small smile. "Guilty as charged." Then her smile faded as she grew serious. "Our leader wants to bring back the United Nations, which will disrupt any plans LOGOs may have for the world."
"So... does that mean that the footage that we saw... was for real?" Cagalli gasped, recalling the horror of seeing the United Nations representatives being murdered on real time footage from four years ago.
The Big U's captain nodded grimly. "Yes. It was. And LOGOs hid the truth from everyone. But now with things out in the open, it makes sense people would be pissed at them and demand justice for their brutal murders."
"Not to mention that they constantly lied about the outcomes of several disastrous operations during the war," Captain Bunnag growled. "And people did not see their loved ones returning from their supposed victories. That alone made people hunt for the answers by delving into the Dark Web, and when they found us, we showed them the truth. And from there the fury just kept building, leading to outright revolt across the country."
"But... something doesn't add up," Cagalli mused. "How is it that so many people are against Coordinators there, and yet how is it that so many Coordinators are working with the underground?"
Here Captain Stimson actually cackled like a hyena. "You honestly expect us all to be against Coordinators? You truly believe that every single person in the country is a rabid anti-Coordinator, racist, fascist Nazi?" She had a smirk on her face as she placed a hand on her hip. "Look. No offense, Lady Cagalli, but that is a load of horseshit."
Cagalli narrowed her eyes at Stimson.
"The truth is, it's only a minority that is like that," the captain explained. "And that minority is just a bunch of old men with outsized power and reach. They can't even grasp the concept of change or evolution in the sense that we normal people can." She then shook her head. "Unfortunately, a lot of people were swayed by their words, and it's that third of the country that we are currently at war against."
The Chief Representative blinked. "Wait. So then... you are fighting against a third of your own countrymen and women?" she asked.
"Pretty much," Captain Bunnag admitted. "But the twist here is that it's only the male segment of that third that is currently engaged in war with us. The female segment is kept on the home front, working as domestic labor. And that's not counting the servants, maids, and nannies of a majority of those people." His eyes were hard like rubies as he folded his arms across his chest. "And the other thing that sets them apart from us is their disregard for logistics."
Cagalli could get a basic idea of the necessity of logistics, but it was clear that the resistance prioritized logistics to get goods and people from place to place. "So you mean to say that they only know how to use logistics at its most basic?" she inquired.
The captain nodded. "You got it, Lady Cagalli," he remarked. He then scoffed. "Frankly, I'm surprised it took us this long to convince people of the truth, because all they were getting over and over again were lies spewed by LOGOs. It took a huge revelation in the form of the children's concentration camp in the desert for people to wake up to the truth."
Cagalli felt her legs go weak at those words, and her face literally paled. She felt a sinking feeling of disgust coming to her and she felt her stomach lurch as she clapped a hand to her mouth, eyes wide in shock and horror. "Oh... God...! You're... You're... Please tell me you're joking!" she whimpered.
The Mighty Mo's captain looked down, a hard expression in his eyes. "Believe me, I wish I was, Lady Cagalli," he said softly. "But... it's true. A concentration camp dedicated to holding the children of dissidents and moderates was found in the desert of the American Southwest, and conditions there were downright inhumane. No food, no water, no medicine, no shelter." He gritted his teeth. "Can you imagine such conditions? And the worst part is that the guards did all the beating and maiming of the children."
"But why?!" Cagalli practically screamed. "Why go to such inhumane measures?!"
Stimson's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Because they could care less about the human race as a whole," she explained. "All they care about is themselves and their irrational fear of change and evolution."
"But it doesn't make much sense! Why would they even consider change and evolution to be a terrible thing?!" Cagalli blurted, stepping towards the Big U's captain.
"Men like them have no inclination to even consider the future," Stimson said somberly. "They are of old blood, meaning they are of old money. Their families have been rolling in that wealth for centuries, for generations. And as such, it has given them an inflated sense of power, of entitlement, and of greed. All they want is more and more. They have come to see change as a means to counter their power, and as such, they are willing to resort to any means possible to prevent change from coming about..." Her eyes were now icy cold, and it sent shivers down Cagalli's spine. "...even if it means going against the laws of humanity and God Himself."
Now Cagalli was starting to grasp the mindset of the Atlantian nobility, and it scared her out of her mind. "So... if change is to occur, it could lead to them losing their grip on power..." she rasped, feeling sick to her stomach. "And they won't relinquish said power because it's all they know..."
"To put it simply, that is the idea," Captain Bunnag replied. A look of pure disgust manifested on his face. "It's sickening to all of us."
The Chief Representative just about collapsed if not for the Mighty Mo's captain grasping her as her legs gave out from under her. "It's just... why?"
Here another voice came up behind her. "It's because of human nature," the voice of Heero Yuy admitted.
The trio whirled to face the legendary Gundam pilot as he approached them.
The two resistance captains were stunned. They had been expecting to eventually meet with Heero, but to see him in person was a totally different situation compared to what they had been expecting. Rumors and propaganda for the entire movement had made the young man out to be a towering figure in comparison to his actual height of five foot eleven inches. The rest of the reports were actually accurate in terms of his physical appearance with regards to his eyes and hair: piercing Prussian blue eyes and a thatch of thick, messy brown hair, wearing a green tank top and blue jean shorts, and a lean, but toned build.
"Heero..." Captain Stimson was stunned.
"Yuy...!" Captain Bunnag whispered.
The Gundam pilot eyed the Chief Representative in the arms of the Coordinator captain. "Is she all right?" he asked.
"Yes. She's just disgusted by LOGOs' mindset regarding change and evolution," the bigger man said as he helped her sit down on a bench close by. "It's enough to make anyone sick, really."
"That's something to be determined," Heero remarked, crossing his arms. "So, you may as well come clean here. Who are you two?"
Captain Stimson was the first of the two to regain herself and she saluted abruptly, right hand held at her forehead in a firm United States military salute. "Captain Rebekah Stimson, commanding officer of the SS United States, United States Navy!" she exclaimed.
Captain Bunnag likewise nodded as he still had a hand on Cagalli's shoulder. "Captain Sakchai Bunnag, commanding officer of the USS Missouri, United States Navy."
Heero eyed them both critically. "You two are members of the resistance then?" he noted.
The two nodded. "That's correct," Stimson replied as she lowered her hand.
The Gundam pilot's eyes narrowed a bit, and both sailors tensed, as if expecting a fight. And truthfully, Heero couldn't blame them. He was a famous enemy of both the EA and ZAFT, after all. He slowly raised his left hand and a small smile crossed his lips. "Your efforts in assisting us are much appreciated. Especially the sabotage of the Destroys and the utter annihilation of Devonport."
The captain of the United States relaxed her posture and stood up straight, walking forward and clasping Heero's hand in her own. "When you're dealing with bastards like LOGOs, you can't hold anything back," she remarked, shaking his hand. "And let me tell you, Operation: Merlin was the hardest operation to pull off, seeing as how we had to coordinate with you guys and the Eurasians. But I'm glad it worked out."
"Although I am a bit curious. Did you plan on the Funka being there when you blew the Halifax?" the young man asked.
"Truthfully, no," Stimson admitted. "It was a lucky thing that tanker was there to add to the explosion."
"Also, your mercenary allies really came through then," Heero told her. He pulled his hand back. "I read the reports. They were thorough and professional, and I'm impressed they didn't cause any casualties on the civilians."
"Sicario's known for their ethics when it comes to fighting in cities," Stimson replied. She let her hand fall to her side and placed her other one on her hip. "And we're going to do whatever it takes to limit civilian casualties when compared to the other mercenaries that they're hiring to make up the losses of soldiers, sailors, and pilots."
"I also am impressed you have a large number of women amongst your ranks," Heero complimented. "Was it hard to persuade them?"
"Hell, after LOGOs unjustly discharged all women from the military on the assumption that they are weak and cannot be brutal warriors, they cut off a large amount of manpower," Captain Bunnag replied as Heero turned to face him. "That alone is what devastated the South back during the Civil War. Universal male conscription utterly decimated the male population and left many women the sole providers for their families. Plus, it also means that many sons will be left without fathers and other family members who are male."
"That is a good point," Heero remarked. "And I assume you have fears of a different kind pertaining to that?"
The two resistance captains looked at one another, grim looks crossing their faces. They then turned to face him directly, and he had to admit, the look of utter disgust and hatred was enough to make him wary, even though he knew they were on the same side as Terminal and their other allies.
"You have no idea how right you are..." Captain Bunnag said darkly.
"It's almost too horrid to mention, but... it has to be mentioned," Captain Stimson snarled.
"The sudden drafting of all men also means that, with their deaths, the women are ripe for the cabal to turn into a harem for each of them," the Coordinator explained. "Each man of the nobility and royal family will have a harem that they can then have sex with, all in an effort to generate a blond-haired, blue-eyed race of Aryans."
Cagalli couldn't keep it in anymore. She turned green in the face and bolted to her feet, running to a nearby garbage can and throwing up.
And in all honesty, Heero couldn't blame her. He too was disgusted by this, and it made him want to retch. But instead, he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Such thinking is bound to doom a country," he muttered.
"Which is why we're trying to rally as many people to fight as possible," Stimson muttered. "And let me tell you, every single person we made contact with was more than willing to assist in any way they could once we got the truth into their heads. Telling the truth... can really make a difference."
The young woman who ruled Orb finally glanced up, rubbing her lips with one hand. "Ugh... How can such beliefs still exist in this day and age...?" she murmured.
"As long as racial pride survives, then so to will such beliefs," Heero said. "The only way to stop it... is to drive home the fact that war affects everyone, no matter what."
Captain Stimson looked like she was about to protest, but then she pursed her lips, thinking. And for what it was worth, she could see that the young man was right. To drive home the fact that all humans were affected by war was an important step. But it also had to come at a steep price, she guessed. She wisely kept her mouth shut on that though.
"There is one question that's been bugging me for a while though," Heero admitted. "How is it we never saw your protests?"
Captain Bunnag growled. "Because those people weren't even shown on TV," he told the Gundam pilot. "And those people they did show? Had you paid close attention to the broadcasts of the protests leading up to the prior war and this one, then you'd see that there is something a lot more going on."
"Care to explain?" Heero quipped.
Stimson nodded. "Sure. But in order to get a good idea, it'd be best if we go aboard the Big U. Her communications suite will be perfect for this."
Heero quirked an eyebrow, but gave a nod.
"I'm coming too," Cagalli rasped. She had gotten over her nausea, but she was still green around the gills, so to speak. "I want to know what you're mentioning, too."
The woman gave a nod. "C'mon then."
. . .
SS UNITED STATES
Heero and Cagalli both were awed by the sheer scale and sophistication of the setup.
The entire layout put anything Terminal had to shame. It was divided into three sections, and right now, the foursome stood before one of said sections, the communications station. Captain Stimson was busy working alongside one of the technicians who had eagerly agreed to download footage of several protests from the leadup to both wars.
And already Heero was wondering what the captain had meant when she mentioned paying close attention to the broadcasts.
Within fifteen minutes, the two had finished their work and Captain Stimson gestured for both Cagalli and Heero to take seats at one of the console stations. The two sat down, and the rebel captain typed in a few commands. The screen before the two lit up, and Heero narrowed his eyes as he saw that the protests were being played side-by-side.
"Okay. Now, as I said, had people been paying close attention, then they'd see that there is something very odd about these two protests," Stimson began. "Take a close look. And by that, I mean very close."
Heero narrowed his eyes as he studied the scenes playing before him. He could see that the scenes were showing protests across some major cities. Cagalli squinted her eyes as she tried to pick up any clues as to what could be wrong. "I don't see anything."
The Gundam pilot, though, was quick to pick something out. "Wait. Pause it."
Stimson did just that.
Cagalli looked to Heero, confused. "Uh, what's going on?"
"It's very subtle, so it's easy to miss," Heero explained. "But it is there regardless." He looked to Stimson. "Can you separate this?"
The captain smirked. "Very good. You picked up on it a lot faster than I thought," she complimented. Then she became serious as she leaned over and began to work. "Yeah, I can separate this."
"Hold on. Separate?" Cagalli was already getting a bad feeling. "What are you referring to? Like layers on a software or something?"
"That's precisely what I'm referring to," Heero told her as Stimson nodded.
"He's right. It's very well done editing. But it is there," she explained. "What happened was the protests we did were caught on camera, but the cabal did not like that. So what they did was they took those protests and edited them, putting a layer of anti-Coordinator protests on top of the ones we did, to convince the world that everyone in the Reich was against Coordinators."
She turned back to her work. "All in an effort to undermine any possible resistance across the country."
The screen suddenly lit up and Cagalli watched as two separate layers were revealed. "See?"
Now Cagalli did see. "Hold on. Then that means that that footage was all fake?"
"Not all of it was," Stimson admitted. "A lot of it was, however. Our protests were edited to be anti-Coordinator." She gestured to the screen again. "Take a good look for yourself."
Sure enough, the young ruler could now see that the video feed had been edited. The resistance protests were calling not for the extermination of Coordinators, but the cessation of hostilities and the surrender of President Copeland and his administration, along with the resignation of the former Congress. Some were even calling the government Nazis, as well as the release of all prisoners held in those camps.
Heero narrowed his eyes. "Seems to me like there was a lot going on they didn't want the world to know about."
"Exactly. That's why they put those protests calling for the genocide of Coordinators over ours," Stimson said gravely.
"Then why not just split the layers and show what really happened?" Cagalli asked.
"It's not that simple, Lady Cagalli," Captain Bunnag muttered. "If it were, we'd've already done it by now." He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall closest to their station. "With LOGOs at the helm of everything in terms of media, it's easy for them to paint us as enemies. But now that we do have the head of all media on our side, we can do it, to an extent. The only downside is the online component. Social media is their other biggest weapon." His eyes narrowed. "And the head of the social media conglomerate is a staunch anti-Coordinator Nazi."
"So it's only a matter of time before they find a way to thwart us regardless," Stimson added. She glanced down. "But... we're hopeful someone will off that man and shut down his social media empire."
"You're really wishing for an assassination?" Cagalli whispered.
"With that man, any option is open," Stimson snorted. "He needs to die, plain and simple fact. No offense of course to the people under him. And frankly, they'd be much better off without him in charge."
"Sounds to me like you're not above playing dirty in regards to LOGOs," Heero remarked. "And that includes assassination."
"To be frank, I wish we didn't have to resort to such things, but given the current situation, there are some hard decisions we've had to make," Stimson said softly. "And a lot of people will see them as controversial for years to come, but we hope to persuade people that those decisions were better in the long term instead of the short term."
"A tall order, Captain," Heero mulled. "Is the resistance really that committed to their cause?"
"Even after all we've done to earn your trust, you still want to know about our commitment?" Captain Bunnag grumbled.
"Given what's been happening in the homeland, I would assume that many civilians would not be up for a civil war during a war," Heero retorted.
"Well, after the revelation of LOGOs and the fact that we had been lied to, and the discovery of Kiddie Kamp and the sudden release of dissidents across the nation from concentration camps, every civilian on our side is sick of this farce of a genocidal campaign against people all because of how they were born," Stimson countered. She folded her arms. "And note I said our side, meaning the side of reason and logic, not passionate primal hatreds."
Heero was quick to note the description. "Okay. Care to explain that part?"
The two captains nodded. "Sure," Sakchai said. "First off, during the Battle of Moscow, did you notice something... off... about the attack force?"
The Gundam pilot nodded. "Yes, I did. They did not surrender or even retreat. It was like they were... dare I say it... possessed... by something."
Stimson growled. "That is what I meant," she explained. "The attack force was possessed, but by their passionate primal hatreds. LOGOs has this... uncanny... ability to draw out such hatreds to the point where reasoning and logic get thrown onto the backburner." Here her eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists to the point her fingernails drew blood from her palms. "They also have a tendency to call people who they deem worthy to serve their cause to meet with Lawrence Djibril and the High Command. The meetings tend to last for months, during which the subject is drugged and behavioral processes are altered through the use of hypnotic lighting and mental suggestive methods. The subject then is changed into a totally different person, all reasoning gone and their personality dedicated towards what they call the Great Crusade against Coordinators."
"Wait. Is that even possible?" Heero asked as Cagalli paled in the face.
"You have got to be kidding!" she whispered.
Here Stimson shook her head. "I'm not kidding, guys." She took in a breath and let it out as she closed down the screen and placed a hand to her face.
"My uncle... he was one of those who were brainwashed by LOGOs..." she began. "Before the meetings with Djibril, he was a kind, honest, hardworking man who treated his troops fairly, no matter what their gender. He also didn't see genes, but the human nature within Coordinators. And he was a keen strategist. He served in the Navy at the time. And he just happened to be picked for a series of meetings because of said strategic talent.
"He went to the meetings expecting to be promoted to a new rank. But... when he came back a few days later, it was subtle, but his personality had begun to change. He did mention how he felt strange afterwards, but we thought nothing of it. The whole family was a bit worried. After each meeting, he became more and more aggressive, set off by minor things. He began to beat my aunt. She fought back and divorced him for her own safety. My father was pissed at him. By the time the end of the meetings came, the whole family decided to stage an intervention and get to the bottom of things."
She ducked her head as tears began to streak down her cheeks. "But that was the last time he ever was seen alive by everyone."
Heero was already getting a bad feeling in his gut and Cagalli had her hands over her mouth while Sakchai didn't even show any emotion; his face was as blank as a shard of granite.
"When he came back after the last meeting, he wasn't the same man we knew. He had become a monster, a beast possessing his body. The whole family had to restrain him as he attacked his brother for attempting to stage an intervention. My mother was knocked out cold and she still has memory problems from that attack. My sister was wounded in the eye and she can't hear in her right ear anymore, either. My father and grandfather and brother all struggled to restrain him and well... he wanted his own niece to bear his child since he didn't have a wife to do that for him now," Stimson continued. "I... I was not going to become his whore. I ran into the kitchen, but I didn't go for the knife like he assumed. I ran into my dad's office, grabbed his gun from the safe, ran back out, and shot the man dead in the head. Right in between the eyes."
Both Heero and Cagalli were stunned.
"After that, my dad never spoke of him again. No one did. But we wanted answers as to why he had changed. So we hired a private investigative team to do an autopsy on the body to find out what caused his transformation. The autopsy revealed a ton of drugs that were used to modify or alter behavior within his system. Some were not even supposed to be mixed together," Stimson explained. "And that was enough for me. I didn't want to be arrested for murder, so I went underground and stayed there while my folks pretended I had died. I never spoke to them again until now."
She lowered her hand and looked up, her eyes still shimmering with tears. "It's been haunting me for years now. Had we noticed his subtle changes in personality, could we have saved him before it was too late?"
"There's no way you could have known," Heero told her. "It was all the fault of LOGOs, and it wasn't your fault for not taking action. What happened in the past can't be changed. But what can be changed is the future."
Cagalli slowly stepped closer to the other woman and put a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"I know," Stimson remarked. "I know that all too well. And that's why I'm even here. Fighting to prevent such things from happening again and again."
Heero shot a glance to Sakchai. "What's your story for joining the resistance?" he asked.
The Coordinator grimaced. "Same as every other Coordinator. Hunted down like animals, forced to go underground and joined with the rebels. I was a former Navy SEAL before genetic testing became mandatory. Luckily I was discharged well before then, but someone did a genetic test on me without my knowledge and I got hunted by literal hunters. I killed them and left their bodies with a sign that said 'Humans are not beasts to hunt' and retreated underground." He sighed. "My wife and kids... they're thankfully up in orbit as citizens of the L4 Coalition. They left after I gave them a warning to flee. Been there for two years now, and I'm glad for it. At least there they can be protected from the Atlantian Headhunters."
Cagalli grimaced at the thought of literally hunting a human being like some savage beast. "How can anyone be so cruel towards others?" she whispered.
"Blame LOGOs and their Nazi beliefs," Sakchai grumbled. "They don't see others as human. Only pawns in their game to remake the world in their own image."
"Still, for what it's worth, I'm glad you both chose to fight for what is right," Heero said.
"It's a lot better than letting some madmen rule the world like kings while everyone else suffers, especially given the endgame LOGOs has planned for the world," Sakchai stated. "I'm sure you guys caught the broadcast from the President?"
Heero nodded. "Hard to miss something like that. I'm surprised she revealed her face though. I was under the assumption she worked in the shadows."
"She does, usually," Stimson stated. "But in this case, it was warranted to show Lawrence just how anyone can undermine even the greatest manipulative mind in the entire Reich."
"The President is a real expert at intelligence gathering and deception operations," Sakchai explained. "Actually, she was a Marine for ten years before she was recalled to deal with anti-Governmental groups that were popping up after a while. It was during that time as an anti-rebel operative that she learned who was really in charge and started to learn more about strategy and tactics in guerilla warfare and made contacts within some of those movements to assist her. She developed an MO of learning one movement's tactics and then using them against that movement, leading her to acquire a reputation as a rebel breaker. But she wasn't."
"I take it that she was instead learning from them and then eliminating the ones that were a threat to her plans, right?" Heero asked, narrowing his eyes. "A way of culling the more extremist groups?"
Stimson nodded. "That was indeed her plan. And it worked. After she declared her mission a success, they discharged her and she went on to live a normal life until the day her father and grandfather were killed in explosions. She suffered burns and trauma from that day, but she never lost sight of her mission. Of course, the Atlantian nobility wanted to smear her name, so they spewed scandalous stories about her sleeping with men to continue her family's crimes, when that was not the case. She vanished off the grid a few years later and well... she formed her movement from there."
"But she looked to be strong and fit," Cagalli noted.
"A trait from her time in the Marines, and a mark of her strength of will. She wants to be out there fighting, so she's trained herself to the peak of human physical condition," Sakchai told the two. "And she's also exercised her mind to a great degree, becoming one hell of a strategist and tactician, right up to the point where she was actually influencing the war away from Lawrence and his ilk."
"How could she do that?" the young ruler asked.
Here Stimson gave a grin as she leaned back a bit against the console. "Remember the information on the Seirans?" she retorted. "That was all due to the intelligence network she developed. She knew a lot of people with connections, and those connections became important in our efforts to find out more about the war. And Lawrence, for all his efforts, can't expect everyone to fall in line. The President is someone who's a cunning planner. And in fact, one of her ops was a three-pronged assault. The attack on Devonport was used to cover up the sabotage of the shipyards, which are now offline due to those efforts. And the attack on Kiddie Kamp was used to stir up trouble in the city of New York, which by now has become the feudal capital of LOGOs."
"That means she's had to have the pieces in place for some time then," Heero mused.
'Actually, if she is as good as they say, then perhaps she'd be up there with Treize and Zechs,' he thought to himself. 'Able to use the war against LOGOs... never thought I'd say that, but it appears that was what she was doing. She's clearly a master if that's the case.'
Of course, he would have to meet her to get a better judgment of her skills, but she sounded like a woman who knew warfare on a scale that no one else did.
"She did," Sakchai admitted. "But that's all we know, really. We're just naval captains."
"But that's good enough information for us," Heero told them. "Thank you for that."
"As well as showing what was really happening in your former nation," Cagalli explained. "I... I was stupid to fall for that lie."
"Hey. They got all of us," Heero assured her. "Even me."
Captain Stimson smiled thinly. "They got everyone globally with it," she admitted. Then her smile became genuine. "And thank you for repairing our ship."
"For what you did, it's the least I could do," Cagalli remarked. "Your efforts to return me to my home are appreciated and will never be forgotten."
Heero glanced back to the Big U's captain. "So, care to tell me the story behind this ship?" he asked.
The captain grinned as she sat down. "Sure. But first, let me assure you that she's not easy to catch..."
. . .
Shemei smiled as she glanced to the Big U as people crawled over her deck and superstructure, a small section cordoned off to allow visitors to observe and watch the ship being readied for departure within the next few days.
With Atlantian ships still roaming about, it would only be a matter of time before they chose to attack, and there was also the chance of an attack from ZAFT coming. And Orb still needed time to fully mobilize its military might to defend itself.
She glanced back to Mu who stood beside her. "Never thought I'd see the United States in action as a command ship," he admitted.
"Well, her capabilities really came in handy back during those fights," she told him.
The Hawk of Endymion snorted, but it was in a good-natured manner. "True," he conceded. "True indeed, Shemei."
The Crimson Valkyrie ran a hand through her hair. "For what it's worth though, I wasn't expecting her to get a mobile suit kill."
"That's because the enemy got careless," a familiar voice remarked.
Both Terminal pilot spun to face the speaker. Mu was quite surprised to see the man was dressed in the uniform of Sicario, which meant he was one of the mercenaries the resistance had hired. He was older than the two, and he was clearly built like a tank, with a powerful chest and shoulders to complement his thick arms and legs. But it was the twinkling blue eyes that belied his good nature.
"Ah. Captain Sokolovsy," Shemei remarked.
"It's good to see you again. But what about your contract with the resistance? Is it done now?" Mu asked.
"A mutual contract is in place with them," the Russian expat explained. "It serves both our needs, which coincide with yours as well."
"I've never heard of the term mutual contract before," Shemei confessed.
Here the captain had to suppress a wry grin. "No one has," he told them. "It's a type of contract that very few mercenaries perform because none of their goals align with those of their employer. But in rare cases, such as with Master Goose Militia, one of our rivals, mercenaries can form mutual contracts with their employers. It's also got a sort of safety clause that allows the contract to become null and void if the two parties' goals begin to diverge." He then sighed. "But that's beside the point."
"Yeah. Nice to know, but little use in the current scheme of things," Mu admitted. "So, why you guys here?"
"Shore leave," Captain Sokolovsky pointed out. "We were in need of it after those fights."
"By the way, I wanted to ask you. What's up with the crosses painted on your machines?" the Hawk of Endymion wondered.
Shemei blinked. "Wait. You did that?" she asked the merc.
Captain Sokolovsy nodded. "We did. And to anwer your question, Mu, it's simple. To dispel the primal darkness that has possessed many of those we fight. I'm not sure if it will even really matter, but it seems to have had an adverse effect on some of the enemy pilots. Although I can't say why, to be honest."
Shemei pursed her lips as she crossed her arms. "Well, to be clear, from what I do recall happening during the attack on Moscow, the people in that attack force seemed to be possessed by some darker force, right up to the point where they wouldn't retreat to even save their own lives. All they could care about was subjugating the Eurasians and making them pay for their defiance against the Great Crusade, I heard it being called."
The Russian scoffed at that. "Pathetic! This is no Great Crusade against demons from hell! This is genocide, plain and simple!" he grumbled.
"Exactly why we all fight," the voice of a familiar pilot admitted. The trio spun to face Heero, Cagalli, and the two resistance captains as they approached. Mu was surprised to see Cagalli was slightly green in the face, and he could only wonder what she had seen to make her sick to her stomach. Heero, on the other hand, was as cool as a cucumber, and as difficult to read, as well. But the way he was tense indicated that obviously he had seen something as well.
"Heero Yuy, I presume?" the mercenary asked, giving a grin. "I must say, it's an honor to meet the man who can go toe to toe with the real dogs of war."
"That would be me, but I prefer to let my actions do the talking," Heero retorted.
Captain Sokolovsky burst out laughing. "As blunt as the reports have made you out to be!" he chortled.
"By the way, what did you mean by the real dogs of war?" Shemei asked. "Aren't you dogs of war as well?"
"Not in the sense one would assume," the mercenary captain said. "Actually, we're not dogs of war at all. We're more like... soldiers for hire, so to speak. Most mercs care only about the contract. We care about the people before the contract." He then snorted. "To be honest, caring only about money makes me sick to my stomach. Sure the pay's good, but it's nothing compared to the satisfaction of making sure there are no casualties when we do our missions."
Mu hummed thoughtfully. "So there's a difference then. Dogs of war are those people who put the contract first. Soldiers for hire are those who put people before the contract and try to avoid casualties."
"Yes," Captain Sokolovsky confirmed. "And that's why we turned down all contracts that put civilians in danger. To be frank, anti-piracy ops were starting to get very tame. So, the contract we have now is more lucrative and pays more, too."
"And it works for aiding the resistance," Heero noted. "And that brings me to my next question. How much emphasis do you put on limiting casualties?" His eyes narrowed as he asked this.
"If even one of our members causes a civilian casualty, then they are terminated," the Russian exile told him, eyes hard.
Heero was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I see. You put ethics over money. And that is something the world needs at its highest ranks."
He then sighed. "Especially with the Atlantians."
Shemei cocked an eyebrow. "Care to explain, Heero?"
"Allow me," Captain Bunnag said as he approached. The pilot of the Epyon Revenant looked over at him, narrowing her silver eyes.
"Ah. Captain Bunnag?" she noted.
"Captain Sakchai Bunnag, commander of the USS Missouri," he said, introducing himself with a nod. "And this is Captain Rebekah Stimson, commander of the SS United States." He gestured to the woman beside him.
"Pleasure to meet you both in person," Shemei said. "So, what's this about regarding the Atlantians' leadership?"
Captain Bunnag sighed heavily. "Well... to put it bluntly, the Atlantians also captured our protests when we went out onto the streets. But the Atlantian media owners did not like that. So..." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "...they edited the footage to make it seem like everyone was against Coordinators."
"Wait. Hold up. Then most people were not for the extermination of our people?" Shemei blurted in disbelief.
Cagalli nodded. "It's true, Shemei," she admitted. "I saw the footage myself. The editing was very well done, right to the point that only a seasoned computer expert could find it."
Shemei was shocked, but Mu was not too quick to buy the words of the resistance. His blue eyes hardened. "You say that, but from what I saw, a good majority of the country were against them."
"As I said, clever editing," Cagalli repeated. Her eyes hardened. "A lot of their protests were actually calling for the cessation of hostilities and the surrender of Copeland and his administration, as well as the release of all political dissidents, including the... what did you call them again?" She glanced to Stimson.
"The Enhanced. Those who are half-Natural, half-Coordinator," she explained. Her eyes narrowed. "In fact, their roundup and subsequent imprisonment was all because they were half-Coordinator, much like the Jews in Nazi Germany. Hell, their treatment was the same. And let me tell you, when they were released from their camps via the NSA, a lot of them brutally murdered those who had stolen their homes, assets, and businesses. One group even left the bodies of Atlantian citizens who had stolen their homes and businesses all over someone's home and called for their surrender."
"Wait. You mean to tell me that they were actually repeating history?!" Mu blurted, shocked at what he was hearing.
Stimson nodded. "Yes. And all in the name of genetic purity, which is actually quite ridiculous, as no one is genetically pure. We're all mongrels in name, if not in genes. So why try to create a master race of blonde, blue-eyed Aryans when no such race existed?"
Petri narrowed his eyes. "It's impossible to accept that, because it's utter nonsense," he pointed out. "Such a race never existed, except in fiction. So it's an ideal that can never be achieved."
Mu pursed his lips. "I see... and how will these Enhanced react once the war is over?"
"The President has a plan in place to compensate them for the funds they lost. By using the assets we seized from LOGOs, we're going to give them back the money that was wrongfully stolen from them, as well as rebuilding their businesses and reinstating their identities," Stimson explained.
"Hold on! You're actually saying they don't exist in the Atlantian Reich?!" Shemei blurted.
Stimson nodded grimly. "Yes. And for good reason. They see them as unlife, and as such, have labeled them as daemon-spawn."
"I've heard that term..." Mu mused. "From the old Warhammer 40K franchise."
The Big U's captain nodded. "Exactly. They seem to be drawing on some of the darkest aspects of human creativity to drive fear of the Enhanced and Coordinators into the people."
"A tactic meant to dehumanize on the utmost level," Heero concluded.
Everyone fell silent in the group. For a long while, an incredibly awkward silence filled the air between them.
"So, in regards to the shore leave, how much longer do you think your crews will need?" Cagalli asked, bringing them back on topic.
"Not much more," Captain Sokolovsky remarked. "But we're going to need some fuel for our ships and supplies."
"We can provide that," Cagalli said. She then turned to the resistance captains. "And for your ships as well, I assume."
Captain Stimson nodded. "Yeah. We do need it, especially the Big U as she's got the most powerful engines of all the ships here."
"Mighty Mo's still got plenty of gas in her," Bunnag remarked with a grin. "Just a straight shot back to Pearl for fuel in all honesty."
Cagalli nodded. "I understand. But at least allow us to resupply the battleship before you leave," she insisted.
"That we can accept," the Coordinator remarked.
. . .
JANUARY 1st, 0073 CE
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
"For the love of-!"
A loud explosion blew the ground open as the colonel general ducked behind an overturned linear tank to shield himself from the debris of the blast.
"Sir, we're really getting hammered by that monstrosity!" came the reply from one of his subordinates.
Louis Huntington grumbled as he poked his head out, his helmet slightly askew as he spotted the hulking beast as it stomped across the battlefield. He could see his scouting regiments having issues with the Destroy, and already a number of them were missing about a third of their personnel and their equipment was getting trashed. For what it was worth, while tanks and other vehicles were indeed more agile and swifter than that beast, its guns on that huge backpack were what kept them from really getting in close to plant the explosives near its feet.
To put it bluntly, there was no way they could really do much damage to the thing, but in all honesty, they had to try and stall it, or at least harass it long enough for some of the heavier hitters to move in. His gaze drifted towards the shadowy camouflaged shapes of the NEMOs and Lotos as they progressed across the battlefield.
With the Windams being attacked in the air by experienced pilots from a slew of smaller countries using old Skygraspers, there was no way the Windams could focus on the incoming threat from the surrounding woods. And while he was not willing to admit it out loud, the fighter pilots were doing just as he had planned in terms of diversion. With the numbers they brought to the field, and with the resistance keeping the tanks and other ground units occupied, the Windams weren't doing so well, especially since most of those fighter pilots were using modern fighter aircraft and had experience behind them while the Windams were being piloted by green Blue Cosmos diehards.
To be fair, the fight should not have been going as well as it was in the air given the superiority of the mobile suit to standard aircraft. But then again, given how the Blue Cosmos diehards were not actually thinking and were firing just all over the place, it made sense that people who could think and had experience would have an edge, even against a superior machine.
The colonel general shot a glance up briefly as a fighter jet barreled overhead, its jets shrieking as it punched the throttle, going full afterburner to avoid a Windam as it fired in its direction. A timely barrel roll to the right just barely saved the pilot's life; a second jet pounced on the Windam from behind, releasing a pair of missiles that slammed into the unit's thrusters, causing them to explode. The machine barely maintained altitude before it plummeted, and three more jets circled and fired their own missiles, causing the damaged machine to explode.
He had to admit, the fighter craft were doing rather well.
His gaze snapped back towards the Destroy as it fired a few more of its beam weapons at the infantry and APCs running around its feet.
A growl escaped him as he held up his radio. "All assault units, fall back!" he ordered. "There's no use in you getting slaughtered by that thing!"
"Yes, sir!" came the reply of the commanding officer.
He watched as the machines in question began to circle and retreat, scattering in every direction as the Destroy began to shift and change into its mobile suit mode. That was a bad thing, Huntington mused. That meant it could use its three chest-mounted "Super Scylla" 1580mm Multi-phase Energy Cannons, and those drone arms as well. His eyes narrowed as he spotted a number of other machines preparing to do battle.
He sighed. It was either now or never.
He grasped his radio and raised it up.
"All mobile suits... target that Destroy!" he barked.
"YES, SIR!" came the collective cry.
. . .
Alfred Schwenke had to sneer as he watched the Destroy pilot aim his machine's drone arms and fire them off.
This was just too easy! There was no way any of the rebels could get past that thing. And since there was a plant for creating parts for the Destroy in the city, it was just a matter of finding the right ones to replace the damaged ones.
He could only guess as to what their plans were, and it made him chuckle.
What he didn't expect was to see a salvo of missiles come out of the woods, catching him by surprise. He and his fellow soldiers were startled to see the missiles arcing over the trees, coming towards them like huge arrows from crossbows. But it wasn't as startling as seeing the source of those missiles coming out of the brush.
A large contingent of mobile suits that looked like they could turn into tanks came charging out, arms raised and missile launchers opened. A few others had standard manipulators and were carrying beam rifles, firing red beam rifle shots that struck any of the ground-based Windams they had on standby. Those few units then split off from the main horde, drawing out beam sabers that ignited in a flash of fiery red. They engaged the Windams that survived their salvo in close-quarters combat, red and violet clashing in fierce duels, not unlike gladiators of old.
But these gladiators were not fighting for an emperor.
They were fighting for ideals.
And only one side was going to win here.
He gritted his teeth and looked to the men he was standing beside, his artillery crew.
"Vell?!" he barked. "Don't just stand zere! Get ready to fire, you fools!"
The men scrambled to their guns and started loading their rounds. The resounding clanks of shells being slammed home sounded across the battlefield and Alfred cackled. "All guns, target the enemy!" he barked.
"HEIL DJIBRIL!" the gunners cried.
The thunderous booms of the artillery resounded as they launched their shells into the air, arcing over the walls of the defensive emplacements and out into the fray. A number of them struck the ground or hit the enemy mobile suits, causing some explosions or the loss of limbs. The rebels, however, weren't as stupid as they appeared to be. One of the tank mobile suits suddenly spun and pointed its beam saber at the wall, and a few seconds later, a second salvo of missiles came their way, making Alfred blanch in utter horror as he realized they were heading for his location.
He had no idea that the resistance had used satellite imagery and data to lock onto his position.
All he could think about was how impossible it was for his kin to be trounced by these insects before the missile struck home and he knew nothing more.
. . .
Major Howard Lawson narrowed his eyes as he jerked back on his Loto's controls. The machine skidded to a stop as he pivoted it, hearing his fellow crew members grunting as he traversed the machine on its treads to the left. Mud churned beneath the tracks as he swung around another linear tank before firing its missile launchers at the enemy tank.
The warheads exploded, leaving the linear tank in ruins. He heard his commander muttering to herself as she looked up, rubbing her chin whrre her helmet's strap dug into her flesh briefly. "Damn thing... wish it wasn't so tight...!"
"Sorry to say this, sir, but we're in a battle right now!" Howard grunted. "No time for complaints! Save it for after!"
The woman scowled, but she knew he was right. She could complain later.
"Right. Thanks, Major," she replied.
The major returned the nod before he angled the treads slightly just as the alert rang in his ears. He gritted his teeth before punching the throttle and increasing the speed to maximum as his Loto weaved to avoid the three beams from the Destroy's chest-mounted weaponry. A trio of brilliant crimson lances streaked out, each one hitting the ground and carving immense trenches in the muddy, snowy terrain, scorching it into either lava or glass, thick smoke and heat coming up from the gashes carved into the earth. A few melted allied machines and enemy units lay off to the side, and some had been completely incinerated in the blasts.
As it was, his Loto had suffered some melted armor, and he had been a good distance away from the beams. He shot a glance over to the communications officer who was looking a bit panicked. His hair was all frazzled from his helmet, and it looked like he had just come out of the shower before donning his uniform. Combined with his wide eyes, he looked like a maniac.
"Sir, we got contact from Command!" he exclaimed, looking to the commander.
"What orders do we have?" she asked.
"The general is ordering us to open fire on that thing!" he blurted.
"Like we haven't been doing that already?" Howard grunted as he pulled back on the throttles and pressed them down, engaging the transformation sequence.
The threesome felt their seats jolt as the cockpit shuddered. The vehicle began to change, standing upright and the rear treads folding up against the back of the machine. He shot a quick glance at the monitor, and he had to suppress a smirk at the image flashing on the screen. Standing up in its humanoid form, the Loto aimed both arm-mounted missile launchers before the hatches opened and a slew of missiles was released. The projectiles barely missed a group of Windams as they approached, beam rifles held at the ready, but the debris from the warheads striking the ground was enough to damage a number of them.
Howard gripped the controls as he glanced at the radar screen, noticing how already a number of Windams that had survived the initial barrage were charging at him... and there were more following close behind. He narrowed his eyes and prepared for the coming fight.
"You sure about this?" the comms officer asked.
The pilot nodded. "Yeah. We can't outright take the city, but we can whittle down their defenders' numbers. And as long as that thing is here, their morale is going to remain high, no matter what we throw at them. And by that, I mean the Destroy."
"Only question is... how long can we survive?" the commander mused.
The comms officer could only shrug.
Howard had no answer for that. He only knew they had to hold out until reinforcements came. But seeing as how Sicario was busy in Orb and the Atlantic Ocean... there was only one country that could provide them.
The Equatorial Union.