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: Glad ya liked the chapter. :) I wanted to showcase the whole minority in control aspect more, so I had the media completely alter the resistance's protests to further alienate them from the world as a whole. But with the fall of the Atlas Firewall, people are now seeing what is really going on. So the whole world is starting to see that they had been lied to this whole time. Sure it will take some time to recover that trust, but I hope that there is a situation that will help the world see just what America is truly about. :3
- CT7567Rules: Oh, you'll see 4014 in action all right! XD As for the dub, no, it's not. Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion is only subbed. But you can watch it on wcofun . net. :3
- 1800009trumbullps . net: You bet he is. ;) And as for Tim Drake, he's somewhat based off of the original, but not entirely.
(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 XLVII: Trailblazing Trains
JANUARY 1ST, 0074 CE
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
"Vhat? You mean to tell me it's ready?!" Ferric blurted, his eyes wide.
Stopa gave a nod. "Yes, Ferric. Und ze High Command has a target for us in mind."
"Explain!" the other man snapped.
Stopa nodded. "As you vish." He stood up straight and rolled his shoulders. "Ze High Command has recently received intelligence of a nest of rebels out near ze point vhere ze transcontinental railroad vas completed. Zey have good reason to believe zat ze rebels are planning to try und keep ze railroads in zeir hands. But it is ze order of High Admiral Vest to take ze tracks und split ze resistance down ze middle, leaving zem unable to coordinate und send resources to ze rest of zeir troops."
Ferric pursed his lips as he pondered these new orders.
"Zey vant us to take zis base, yes?" he mused.
The other man nodded. "Yes, sir," he confirmed.
"Hmm..." Ferric's blue eyes narrowed as he rubbed his chin. "Und ze weapons are finished being calibrated?"
"Yes," Stopa replied, nodding once. "Zey vere finished shortly after midnight."
Ferric couldn't help but sneer at the news. "Zen zat is our cue," he purred. "I vant zat machine up und running. Ve move out... tonight!"
"Yes, sir!" the other pilot declared.
As he ran off to get their third compatriot, Ferric couldn't help but wonder just what the rebels would do once they saw the machine that would be their downfall. Of course, there was no way of even knowing what those rats were up to, least of all how they would react. It was, after all, just speculation. No one could read minds, he knew with a scoff. Then again, the resistance was known for being too uncanny in their intelligence about a lot of things the Reich was doing. But, seeing as how he was a rational man, he often dismissed it as being merely due to their vast intelligence network, which he now knew to encompass everyone not under the banners of the Royal Family and the new nobility.
And it made him sick.
It was required to have an iron fist around the neck of the weak populace to sway them into embracing their primal nature. It required a man's iron resolve to slay those beasts in orbit over the sacred Earth. It required a man's iron discipline to manhandle the men into arms. It required a man's solid belief in Lord Azrael and Emperor Djibril to reclaim the stars that had been defiled by those daemon spawn beasts.
In short, it required an absolute dictatorial monarchy to make their dreams reality.
And these fools who dared to speak up in old, archaic ideals of democracy and equality were nothing more than vermin, than rats to be stomped out by the stronger creatures of this world. They were inferiors to the superior race of Naturals, the Aryans. And even those space monsters would be slain by their hands. His eyes hardened as he glanced to his right, seeing the new mobile armor that was to take back the rails from those vermin.
'Very soon indeed, mien compatriots,' he thought, a sneer crossing his lips.
He could already taste their blood on his tongue, and he wanted to taste more of it.
Much more of it...
. . .
PROMONTORY POINT
JANUARY 2ND, 0074 CE
Kashi was fast asleep when the alarm began to blare.
The young man jolted awake, his neon green eyes flying open as he sat up abruptly.
The lights in his barracks had flashed on, a dim red color coming from the ceiling lights to keep the soldiers' night vision intact. Already the other occupants of the barracks were stirring, some starting to get their uniforms on and others grumbling as they came out of a deep sleep.
People were also starting to grumble about the ungodly hour, but the Japanese-American Coordinator was quick to pick up on the sudden alarm blaring in the background. "What...?" He shook the last vestiges of sleep from his brain as he finally got out of bed and started to scramble for his military uniform. He quickly donned it, keeping himself focused as he did so.
Once fully dressed, he bolted down the hallway towards the main courtyard of the base. As he emerged, he could see more soldiers running for the command center, and he fell in line with them. A number of other pilots broke off from the main crowd, heading to their machines. He was quick to spot Perpetual waving from over by the Big Boy 4014. His eyes narrowed as he ran to join her.
"What's going on?" he asked.
The younger Coordinator pursed her lips as she waved for him to follow her.
The two made their way down to the hangar where their machines were stored.
"I'm not entirely sure," she admitted as they ran. "But I have a sinking feeling that something big is going to happen." Her eyes landed on his. "And we need to be ready."
"But your machine... is it really finished?" Kashi asked, a bit concerned.
The young woman shook her head. "No. Its weapons haven't been installed yet," she admitted. "But the rest of it is finished."
Kashi pursed his lips as he considered this. His own machine was fully completed, which included its arsenal being equipped. But her machine wasn't even finished yet, which meant that the only thing she had going for her was the immense physical strength of her unit. And even that was not a guarantee to victory. That only meant that the final stage, the Big Boy 4014 itself, had to be finished as well.
His gaze drifted back towards the old steam train; already he could see the crew working to try and get it up and running quickly. But it was going to take up to six hours to even get the big guy up and operational. But the fact they had even begun the effort before the alarms had begun blaring was a testament to the resistance's resolve to use whatever they had at their disposal to defeat LOGOs. He tore his gaze from the old steam train and looked to his fellow pilot. "Let's get moving," he said. "The sooner we do, the better."
The young woman nodded and both resumed their trek.
Within minutes they had reached the hangar. Kashi bolted for his machine, stepping up to the driver's cab and opening the door. As soon as he had stepped past the entryway, he spotted his pilot suit and quickly donned it. He put on the helmet last and clicked it into place. Once he was dressed in his suit, he made his way into the cockpit. He closed the door behind him and adjusted himself in the seat as his COMMs beeped.
The pilot reached over and pressed the button. The main screen on the console flickered and he saw the commander's face appear.
"Ah. Good. You got to your machine then," he noted.
Kashi nodded. "Yes, sir. Both me and Perpetual. Although her machine isn't fully finished yet."
"As long as it can move, that's fine with me," Commander Darrick remarked. "Truthfully, we just need its strength. The third stage is just about finished as well."
The Japanese-American Coordinator knew what he meant by that. "Right."
"The reason why is because we're facing that new mobile armor, the Karkinos," Darrick stated, making Kashi's eyes widen.
"Wait! We're actually gonna be fighting one?!" he blurted.
Darrick nodded grimly. "It's already en route to our location." His eyes hardened. "And it will be here within five hours."
"Five... the guys are already working on trying to get the 4014 up and running, but considering its size..." Kashi's voice trailed off. "We don't have enough time to fully get it up and running."
"Then we'll make that time!" Perpetual said as her image came up on the screen beside the commander's. Her eyes were hard as she sat in the cockpit of her own machine. "Just give us the word and we'll move out!"
Darrick was silent as he looked at his top two pilots. He finally sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "All right... You two are cleared to deploy. But Kashi, since your machine is run on primarily electricity, you'll be the first one there."
"Understood, sir!" Kashi said, saluting sharply.
"Where is the Karkinos supposed to arrive at?" Perpetual asked.
"Brigham City," Darrick responded. "That's where it will be arriving. And that is where it will be attacking. Your goal is to preserve the city and make sure it does not get to Junction City!"
"Got it!" Kashi remarked.
The commander nodded. "Good luck to both of you."
The screen went dark briefly before a second image, this time of the controller, appeared. The young man's eyes were hard as he spoke. "Pilot Tsukiyama, you are cleared for departure!"
"Hai!" Kashi said. He reached up and grabbed the shinca card as it rested on the control console. He held it up before touching it to the card reader. A small ding echoed over the cockpit speakers. "This train is now departing for Brigham City, Utah," the computerized male voice declared.
Kashi gritted his teeth as he gripped the control throttle. "Kashi Tsukiyama, E7 Kagayaki... shuppatsu shinkÅ!" he cried. He slowly moved the throttle back and the pantographs connected to the overhead catenary cables. Power at once began to flow from the cables and into the train, siphoned by the pantographs. But unlike the original model of shinkansen, that power was diverted into batteries lining the sides of the train. These batteries were the same model used to power Turbine's Phase Shift Armor and frame: the EXCEED battery packs.
The sleek train began to move, slowly increasing speed as it made its way out of its hangar and onto the main tracks heading towards Brigham City. Kashi gripped the controls and pulled the throttle back, increasing the speed of his machine. His teeth gritted a bit harder as he narrowed his eyes. 'LOGOs... your train stops here!'
The blue and white shinkansen accelerated to full speed and Kashi's eyes hardened into neon emerald shards of determination.
. . .
The huge machine continued to make its way towards Brigham City, the current junction between the two halves of the transcontinental railroad. In the cockpit, the three pilots were excited for the possible battle that was coming.
This time, there was going to be no way to escape for those rebels. Ferric watched on the main cockpit monitor as he saw the city just on the horizon. He gripped his gunnery controls and looked to his two companions. "Are you ready, brothers?"
"Ja!" they declared.
The Karkinos's optics flared as its ten legs continued to move, propelling it along its designated course.
Stopa's hands gripped the triggers for the twin "Aufprall Dreizehn" high-energy beam cannons on the back of the machine, and he could only lick his lips in anticipation of the coming strike. Sweat was already building on his forehead, as if he were in the middle of fighting, and he could almost smell the scent of blood on his hands.
In the pilot's seat, sat Stag Helder, their pilot. He was a huge man, but despite his build, he was quite fast on reflexes. However, what he had in brawn, he lacked in brains. He was a man who believed wholeheartedly the pseudo-scientific theories espoused by the Nazis and LOGOs and Blue Cosmos. He had even come up with his own twisted version of religion, shaving his blonde beard and moustache into an exact imitation of the Nazi leader's as if to denote himself as a priest or shaman. Around his neck he wore a scarf made from hide of a pair of rodents to add to his shamanic image.
Helder's eyes glinted as he maneuvered the huge beetle-like mobile armor across the desert terrain.
For once, all three men were going to battle, and they were more than ready to deal some damage to those rebel insects.
Already the town of Brigham was in sight. And the trio were prepared for the slaughter to come.
But they had no idea they were heading right into a fight they would soon regret.
As they approached, further off, the sleek blue and white train charged ahead, its headlights blazing a path through the darkness as it closed in on the town.
Already alerts were being sent to the resistance personnel within the city, and evacuation protocols were put into effect. People wearing old American military uniforms started to establish defensive lines with vehicles that had been on station close by, along with a few of the new NEMO mobile suits and some of the Lotos as well. A squad of Windam pilots who had defected lined up in the streets to act as a defensive barricade to try and stall the Karkinos as it drew closer. Soldiers ushered the civilians out towards trucks and buses that had been set up for the occasion, and already many were leaving their homes. The evacuation efforts were at best haphazard, but they were still at least making an effort to save as many lives as possible.
Most of the elderly and children were evacuated in the first wave, leaving the brave men and women of the city and resistance to hold the line. It was not a perfect solution, but given how the resistance was about treating everyone with dignity, it made sense many of the more able populace stayed behind. It was also a way to show that they were grateful to the resistance for helping them to see the truth behind the deaths of their loved ones in this senseless war. And many of them wanted to kill LOGOs' soldiers and members in their fury.
But it was not as simple as primal passions taking hold. Unlike with LOGOs drawing out primal instinct, the resistance showed them the reason they had lost. And it was with clear eyes and minds that the people were going to war against LOGOs' soldiers and thugs.
The Karkinos was now in the firing line of the Windams and resistance mobile suits.
Pink, red, and blue beams lanced out from the assembled units, backed up by missiles from the Lotos as they raced towards the incoming mobile armor. Stag laughed as he triggered the shield. "Zose insects!" he chortled. "Zey can't breach zis barrier!"
"Don't underestimate zem, Stag," Ferric cautioned. "Zey have been known to pull off ze impossible sometimes."
"Feh. As if zey could reach us," Stag retorted.
Ferric did have to agree that the shield was effective, but it was only good as long as the emitter was functional. The resistance had proven to be quick about shutting down the emitter and causing it to explode somehow, but as to how, that remained a mystery. But it mattered little to him. With the way the Karkinos was laid out, it would be close to impossible to even get to the emitter.
He watched as the town's lights went dark on the main monitor in the distance just as the shields took the beam shots and the missiles impacted it uselessly. Stopa laughed out loud at the sight. "Idiots! Zeir missiles are useless!"
The impacts faded, leaving the machine's shields to hum quietly before shutting down. The Karkinos was left unharmed.
Already some of the people were beginning to panic, but the resistance soldiers stood firm, never letting their fear get the better of them. They had trained to deal with larger adversaries, even outside of their mobile suits. And they had long since mastered their emotions. They stood where they were, remaining in their positions before opening fire as the Karkinos's own guns swung around. They opened fire, their green lasers lancing out and striking both buildings and mobile suits as people began scrambling for cover. A number of men and women were incinerated and the two "Aufprall Dreizehn" cannons on the back belched their rage.
The twin sets of beams struck the ground, carving trenches through the streets and leaving some buildings as smoldering ruins. Stopa laughed in glee as he aimed once more at the mobile suits as they regrouped after scattering for the initial barrage. "Fools! You don't stand a chance!" he chortled.
The resistance fighters refused to budge as they opened fire for a second time, but Stag was one step ahead. He activated the shield a third time.
The beams deflected off the shield as he chuckled. "Useless insects."
Or so he thought.
. . .
Kashi spotted the huge machine as he gritted his teeth.
"Okay... Here we go!" he muttered.
He stuck his hand into the slot underneath the master control and he felt the gauntlet clasp into place around his wrist. He slowly lifted up his hand, exposing the Master Control Shinka Gear. In his helmet's headset he heard the voice of the technician. "Master Control Shinka Gear equipped! Limiters disengaged!"
Kashi grasped the control and pulled it back. "We are go for Ultra Evolution Speed!" He pulled it back and an electromagnetic field engulfed the train in blue electricity. He felt the telltale jerk as the vehicle began to accelerate, pushing him back in his seat. The effect was like being in a speeding jet without proper gear. But his flight suit acted as a counter to the increased Gs. His eyes narrowed as he slowly reached his hand for the shinca card in between his legs. He pulled it out, his teeth gritted. "C-Change...!" He stuck it into the slot on the side of the Master Control Shinka Gear. "...SHINKALION!"
He slapped it in and the transformation began.
"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.
Kashi slowly turned to face the huge mobile armor, clenching his machine's fists as he did so.
'This is it...' he thought. 'Time to derail their plans!'
The Karkinos came to a stop just outside the city boundaries and it flexed the massive claws before it began to move in.
The rebel pilot gritted his teeth as he slowly crouched, revving the crawlers on the sides of his machine's ankles. He felt his unit jerk slightly before it moved, speeding along the ground. The Karkinos slowly pivoted, and Kashi had to snort at how much it resembled a crab. The guns along the edge of the disk began to pivot and track his movements, but Kashi was quick to dodge, swerving and weaving with the crawlers on his ankles. He held out a hand and a glimmering light filled the servo before a flash of light briefly erupted, fading to show the Coupler Beam Rifle resting in his machine's outstretched servo.
The twin covers opened to expose the extending barrel and Kashi pulled the trigger. A pink beam lanced out and struck one of the legs, or it would have had it not been for the positron reflector coming online. Kashi grunted at the sight. "Shit!" he muttered.
"Pilot Tsukiyama!"
Kashi jerked as he heard the voice of his commander. "Sir!"
"Have you arrived?" Commander Darrick asked.
"Yes, sir! I'm currently engaging the Karkinos right now!"
The base commander was silent for a moment. "Be careful, Tsukiyama," he told him. "That beast could easily crush your machine if it gets its pincers on you!"
Kashi nodded as he swerved around another slew of green beams. "Yes, sir!"
The COMM went dark as Kashi held up his beam rifle and fired a few more shots, weaving to the right as a few missiles came his way from the missile launchers. The pilot shifted his aim and fired several shots for the missiles, impacting them and causing them to explode. A bit of shrapnel came his way, but the CIWS in the head was enough to shatter it. He narrowed his eyes as he sped in, a beam saber coming unsheathed in his machine's left servo as he held the beam rifle in his right. The Karkinos adjusted its position as those twin beam cannons on the back aimed in his direction.
Kashi's eyes widened as he gasped. Quickly, he jerked to the left, just as the barrels locked into position and began to glow with power. He felt sweat starting to form on his forehead and he had to resist throwing off his helmet to wipe it off. There was no way he was going to evade in time!
Or so he thought.
The next thing he knew, a salvo of fire came from the resistance mobile suits and former Atlantian Windams as they unleashed multicolored beams upon the beast. The sheer unexpected onslaught was enough to strike the Karkinos's massive upper body and cause it to lose its lock on Kashi. The resistance pilot was quick to take advantage of this and he drove harder, swerving his unit out of the line of fire as the beams belched forth from the cannons. His eyes were hard as he aimed his beam rifle once more and fired, this time striking one of the missile pods before it could aim at him again. The pod exploded, rocking the entire mobile armor harshly. Three of the legs just about buckled, but the pilot was able to regain control and stabilize the machine.
He placed the beam rifle on his machine's skirt armor for storage and grasped the second beam saber, pulling it free and igniting the blade in a blaze of cyan light.
Kashi narrowed his eyes as he observed the Karkinos, and behind him he could sense the other machines assembled near Brigham City's outskirts. They were starting to line up behind him, each armed and ready for the fight. This thing was not getting past them, no matter what it took!
. . .
KINGDOM OF SCANDINAVIA
UNDERGROUND DOCK
Turbine grunted as he was ushered into the cargo hold of the Asgard, the Kingdom of Scandinavia's secret spacecraft developed under the ODIN Project.
To be frank, he was rather surprised at not just how friendly the people in the Kingdom were to him, but also at the fact that they had even prepared such a project for this moment. Had they been aware of the changing winds for longer than the resistance thought?
He brushed that thought aside as one of the technicians glanced up to him. "I know this may not be very comfortable," she said, "but it is the best we can do. As it stands, we will have to strap you down to the floor due to a lack of space for you to stand up."
Turbine just nodded. "I understand," he told her. "I may not like it, but what can you do?" He shrugged his shoulders.
The woman chuckled. "Just as blunt as we were told by our contacts," she said. Then she became serious. "And honestly, from what we were told about AI, it's kind of refreshing to see one that is actually much different than those under development by the Atlantian Reich."
"Hold on." Turbine looked her right in the eyes. "You mean that you were informed of Project: Iron Legion?!"
The technician nodded. "We were." Her eyes hardened. "The very idea of an AI hivemind... just what are they even thinking?! Can't they see the danger that it poses?"
Turbine fell silent. "They can't all because of their fears over change," he admitted. "A friend of mine who... who died in the line of duty during the siege... She was a psychiatrist. She told us that it was because they feared evolution would change the human form in a rapid amount of time, or something like that."
The woman actually cackled at that. "Is that what they believe?" She shook her head in disbelief. "It's so insane it's ridiculous! Evolution does not work like that! It doesn't happen in a few short years or decades! It takes millions of years to complete!"
The AI had to nod. "Exactly how we feel," he told her.
Another mechanic gestured. "Okay! Get over here!" he called.
Turbine turned and walked over to the vacant spot. The man nodded. "Just lay down and we'll strap you and your forearm in place. We don't want you being bounced around the hangar now, do we?"
The AI had to admit they had a good point. So he laid out on his back and placed his dismembered forearm on the floor beside him. Already a few other technicians and mechanics were crawling over him and attaching thick, heavy straps designed to keep a mobile suit from shifting around during launch. It took only a half hour to get them fully tightened across his frame. He could vaguely feel the tension of the straps and he had to admit it was a bit off-putting. But he squashed any discomfort, knowing that soon he'd be at Judgment Station to finish his repairs.
At least, he hoped so.
Once he was secured, the crew left and he dimmed his optics. 'May as well get some recharge on the way...' he thought to himself before his systems started shutting down.
. . .
With the chaos of the battle at Heaven's Base raging, it was the perfect time to launch.
Captain Hedda Vang glanced around the bridge of the Asgard, taking in her crew and officers as they sat assembled around her chair.
The captain's sharp blue eyes went well with her platinum blonde hair, and her entire body was shaped by workouts that kept her fit and trim. She was not muscular, but instead built more like a runner. Her facial features were sharp and well-defined, making her seem a model amongst the other crew members, and even amongst the notable captains of the Kingdom's space forces. While they did not have a significant presence in space, the fact they had at least fifteen warships of their own design was a testament to their dedication to upholding human rights across the country and protecting them from the atrocities that occurred globally under the command of the Atlantian nobility and even ZAFT soldiers and less ethical mercenaries.
Born into the House of Vang, Hedda was a part of the upper class of the aristocracy, possessing great wealth and privilege that many others could only dream of. But unlike many others who were at the peak of such power, Hedda had elected to go into the military, preferring to see how the grunts lived and what she could do to help them after significant injuries or trauma. She had always held a fascination for mental health treatment, but she wanted to see how it could be helped from the perspective of a soldier instead of a psychiatrist or psychologist. Vang household members, both male and female, had always served in the military, usually as officers, but she had been a soldier in the army before shifting branches to the space force.
It was only two months ago she had been selected to become captain of the Asgard, and a part of the ODIN Project.
In some way, it made sense to her to have a weapon that could show LOGOs they were no longer holding back. Famously the Kingdom had always been neutral. But now... now things had shifted very drastically ever since Heero Yuy had come onto the scene, and then two years later, his friends as well. LOGOs was now in its death throes, and everyone around the world wanted in on the action.
Well, mostly everyone, if the African Union was anything to go by.
"Captain?"
The woman turned to face her second-in-command, Fredrik Hall.
At age fifty-two, he was older than her by a good decade, which made him invaluable as he had served on a number of ships under different captains before being assigned to her vessel as her number two. He stood at a full six feet in height, with a thatch of bright silver hair and intense green eyes. He had some wrinkles near his eyes, but it only added a sort of scholarly look to him when coupled with his trimmed mustache and beard combination. He looked less like a vice-captain and more like a well-groomed college professor.
But that only belied his experience.
He was one of the top officers in the Royal Scandinavian Space Forces for a reason.
"Fredrik," Vang remarked. "I assume you have something to report?"
The vice-captain nodded. "I do. The ship has finished loading."
"I see. And our guest?" Hedda asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Strapped down and secured in the hangar," he told her. "We can launch at any time."
Hedda nodded. "Very well. I will leave it to you to decide when, seeing as how the fighting is raging."
Fredrik nodded. "I will give the command when I see fit," he remarked.
The captain folded her arms and looked out the window of the bridge. "Very well."
The Asgard's crew continued to go about their jobs, checking and double checking and even triple checking all systems as Hedda observed the satellite feed showing the battle raging at Heaven's Base. Beside her, Fredrik also watched the fighting, narrowing his own eyes as he waited to give the signal to launch.
Finally, he saw his chance. "Ma'am, we have our opportunity!" he declared.
"Excellent!" Hedda exclaimed. "Give the order!"
The vice-captain nodded. "Engage the engines!"
"Yes, sir!" the helmsman replied.
. . .
Outside, located in the former Norwegian fjords, two huge doors began to slide apart, exposing the underground hangar in which the Asgard had been secreted. Unlike most other hangars, this one also had a surprise within it. The ship began to rise up, angled, on a platform. Strapped to the sides of the ship's 'legs' were boosters, but unlike the positron boosters that the Archangel used, these were standard boosters exactly like those that the old American space agency NASA had once used to help launch the space shuttle into orbit. These were just scaled up to match the Asgard's size. These were part of a unique system called the Bifrost System, named after the rainbow bridge between Asgard and Midgard in Norse mythology. When the scramjets were ignited in conjunction with the rocket boosters, the combined red-orange fire and green-blue fire from the scramjets resembled the fabled bridge.
Once the ship was fully vertical, the boosters were ignited, along with the scramjet engines.
The entire vessel shuddered as it began to lift off, the thrust of the booster rockets propelling it slowly off the surface of the earth. The ship's engines also increased power, slowly accelerating. The first two minutes of this launch were crucial, as the boosters were needed to help accelerate her up to where the scramjets could take over. To those watching from the distance, or even on Scandinavian naval warships out at sea, the huge column of smoke was an indication that their contribution to the war was finally underway.
And it was also a mark of a new era for the world as a whole.
An era of critical reason over primal passions.
In other words, rationality was coming back.
And primal instinct was no longer the governing force behind the former Reich governments.
Within two minutes of launch, the boosters detached from the ship's 'legs', falling away as their fuel was spent. And just as the rocket boosters for the space shuttle once had, parachutes were deployed from the tips of the nose cones to help in their descent. The Asgard's scramjets accelerated to full power, and down below, a sonic boom echoed in the sky as the ship passed the sound barrier. The greenish-blue hue of the engines stood out against the darkened sky, and the smoke trail vanished further into the air.
Down in the palace, King Isaksen watched on the monitor on his desk, fingers clasped in front of his mouth.
And a small smirk crossed his lips.
'Finally. The ODIN Project is finished,' he thought. 'And our power will no longer be underestimated. We will have a place at the negotiating table, and we can use that to finally denounce LOGOs once and for all.'
His thoughts then drifted back to Eisenhower, his newfound ally.
He had to admit her point about having the United Nations return was a valid one. If the United Nations existed, then they could finally keep LOGOs - or those with the same leanings - in check, and even hunt them down to remove them from the world once and for all. And if those with the same leanings were neutered, there would be no way for them to make a comeback.
For all her capabilities as a strategist, her real goal of bringing back the UN was perhaps the best way to thwart any remnants of the terrorist organization at this point in time. And to be frank, he had to admit she really was someone not to underestimate. His eyes narrowed a bit as he watched the rocket boosters continued their descent.
And as befitting its name, the Bifrost System's afterimages resembled that of the legendary bridge between two realms.
The ship became a mere speck in the distance, the rainbow fire fading away as if it had just ascended to the realm of the Norse Gods itself.
. . .
BRIGHAM CITY OUTSKIRTS
Kashi grunted as he swerved around one of the pincers as it tried to grab his mobile suit.
'Dammit! How long can this thing even go for?!' he thought as he brought up a beam saber and slashed, deflecting a shot from one of the guns lining the rim of the Karkinos's upper hull.
"Kashi!" a voice called out.
Kashi perked up and brought up the COMMs. On one of his side monitors, he could see the face of another pilot he knew. "Chris? What's going on?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing!" Chris Stahl exclaimed. "What's going down in Brigham?"
"Long story short, we got a Nazi mobile armor trying to take the railways!" Kashi snapped as he spun around to avoid another swing of the pincers. "I can't even get close to that thing! Its pincers and guns are keeping me at bay, and that shield isn't helping matters, either!"
"Well, you don't have to worry for long!" Chris remarked. "You got reinforcements inbound shortly!"
"Better hope they get here soon!" Kashi retorted. "We can't keep this up forever!" He was forced to duck behind an overturned tanker truck, sprawling out on his chest as he brought the Coupler Beam Rifle to bear, resting it on top of the truck's tanker like he was an infantryman in the First World War. He narrowed his eyes as he synced the targeting system to his unit's optics.
"They should be coming up within the next fifteen minutes. Try and hold out until then!" Chris said.
Kashi nodded as he fired a few rounds from his rifle at the Karkinos's shield. The barrier took the beam shots before going down, and he gritted his teeth. 'That damn shield just keeps deflecting whatever we can throw at it! If only someone could go in and get at that emitter from above...!' he thought in frustration. The only problem was with the way it had been designed. The Destroy's back emitter was a lot easier to take out because of the fact the machine stood upright in mobile suit mode, and it meant that the guns on the rim of its backpack had a blind spot from the bottom. This thing's crab shape was definitely designed to prevent such an eventuality from happening.
'It's clear that LOGOs learned from the sieges and our taking out their precious Destroys,' he mused. 'That makes it all the more important to have a plan in place, and as it stands, until our reinforcements arrive, we got no way to take that thing down, and we can only stall it for as long as our batteries last. It's something we're really having issues with right now, so we have to hold out just for fifteen minutes. But...' His eyes narrowed a bit more. '...can we really?'
He was not as worried about the fact that reinforcements were coming. No. What really concerned him was the length of time that they had been fighting. Already they had been fighting for ten hours, and it was only going to get worse for the rebels if they didn't get their help and soon.
He could only hope the reinforcements were en route.
The Karkinos aimed those twin guns on its back once more, and Kashi just about gasped as he saw them aim right in his direction!
Fear and terror both flooded his body as he stared at those massive guns coming to bear. He knew instantly that there was no way he could dodge it in time. All he could do was watch as the barrels began to glow with unholy red light, tinged with blue. His eyes widened as he stared at what appeared to be his impending death.
'No...!' he thought. 'Is... this it...?!'
However, it was far from the end.
A sudden massive thundering boom echoed across the battlefield, and Kashi spun on the spot, seeing what appeared to be a massive artillery shell, much bigger than even that of the Iowas, coming in hard and fast. The shell, from what he could see, was about twenty inches in diameter, and it had come from further down the tracks... which made him wonder if they had finally gotten the second stage up and running.
The artillery shell slammed full force into the Karkinos's upper hull, just barely missing the shield emitter, but causing a significant dent to the metal plating and causing an explosion that rocked the entire mobile armor. The legs just about gave out, but the pilot quickly compensated for that and regained control, pivoting the entire vehicle to face the direction the shell had come from.
Kashi narrowed his eyes as he triggered the zoom function of his machine's optics. The cameras zoomed in on an incoming light, and his eyes widened as he saw it was the Union Pacific 4014 Big Boy. "Crap...!" he muttered. "Not good!"
However, he needn't have worried.
Because that was when the train seemed to split, and his mind reeled as he realized what was happening. "They're crazy!" he blurted.
The two trains sped down the tracks, the 4014 seeming to recoil as a second shell belched from some way behind it, making Kashi realize what was going on at that point. "No way...!" he breathed.
The shell struck the Karkinos again just as its shield went up, and the round exploded against it, making the entire mobile armor shudder. Kashi seized his chance and revved the crawlers on the sides of his machine's ankles, scrambling out from behind cover and firing the Coupler Beam Rifle as he did so. "RAAAAAAH!"
. . .
Perpetual gripped the controls of her machine, feeling the power of the massive train surging around her.
Like Kashi's mobile suit, hers was based on a train, but this one was an exact replica of the 4014 Big Boy. The only difference was this one was powered by banks of EXCEED battery packs, which was what gave the unit its immense power and strength. The sheer power of this new unit was the main reason it had even been deployed at this point in time. The strength would be needed against the Karkinos's pincers, and she was determined to show the strength of the American people, the real people of this great nation.
Her eyes narrowed as she leaned forward a bit in the cockpit, pushing the throttles to their stops.
"Okay! Here we go!" she declared.
The younger woman grasped a card in her hand, similar to a shinca card, but of a different design. It was bulkier, and had on one side the head of a new robot. "4014 Gundam... CHANGE!" she declared.
She slapped the card into the control console in front of her and rammed it in fully. The main monitor above the control console lit up, showing an outline of a huge mechanoid, vaguely resembling Kashi's machine, but much bulkier and more heavily armored.
"4014 Gundam now transforming," that same mechanical male voice intoned.
The huge train began to shift and change.
From the outside, it showed the entire front end of the train seeming to push itself up as two arms unfolded from the rear of the vehicle and shoulders coming up to lock into place on either side of the main engine. The engine began to split down the middle, revealing a chest and torso. Legs began to emerge from the bottom as skirt armor latched on to the sides, rear, and front of the waist. The upper legs emerged from the rear bottom of the train, and the lower legs formed from the entire wheel system, the feet being like those of a mobile suit, but with two sets of train wheels on either side for maneuvering on the tracks. As the chest and torso spun around, the head emerged last.
Unlike other machines, this one was a more unique design. The helmet was based around that of a Gundam, but with twin radar antennae emerging from the sides of the head. The optics were a brilliant yellow, and atop the forehead was a twin-mounted light system, comprised of two powerful searchlights mounted atop one another. The V-fin was positioned right beneath these lights, and the faceplate was bright red.
This was the 4014 Gundam.
Standing at an imposing fifty meters in height, this machine dwarfed all other machines the resistance had created thus far. It possessed no weapons at the moment aside from its head Vulcans, but it did have brute strength and power behind its massive frame. The unit was painted in pure black and gray, with red accents across its chest vents and shoulders, helm and limbs. The only gold parts were the optics and V-fin.
And it was ready to rumble against the huge Karkinos.
The massive machine's optics flashed brilliantly, and Perpetual slammed both its fists together before getting into a fighting stance. "Okay, you bastards! Time to end this!"
The Karkinos's optics flashed before its legs moved and it was closing in on the 4014 Gundam. The twin pincers began to seethe with heat as their beam emitters activated, coating the pincers in pinkish energy. The machine drew back one of them, attempting to grab onto the smaller machine's chest. But Perpetual brought up one massive mechanical hand and lashed out, grabbing the actuator arm that the pincer was attached to, sparks flying from the impact of metal on metal. The entire mobile armor shuddered as it tried to push, but the mighty machine wouldn't budge.
The other arm came about, trying to use its pincer to grab onto the 4014's helm. But as before, Perpetual lashed out with the other servo and clenched it firmly on the actuator arm for the pincer. Both machines were now pushing hard, one trying to overpower the other. But the girl wasn't budging. She planted both feet of her mobile suit firmly on the ground, staying in place as behind her, the 4014 Big Boy came around. The huge train was not just hauling an artillery gun; it was also carrying much needed supplies for the garrisons at Brigham City and Junction City. Beside it, traveling on either side of the tracks, were a number of Lotos, and above were two squadrons of fighter jets. But not just any fighter jets: these were of the F-15 make.
And like everything else the resistance was using, these machines had mobile suit modes.
In the cockpit of one of them, the pilot, one Rei Ozora, glanced down at the ground, his eyes narrowed as he spotted the 4014 Gundam grappling with the huge machine that LOGOs had created. He gazed left and right at his wingmen, and dialed in on the squadron frequency. "Kyushu-1 to all units. Report in!"
"Kyushu-2!"
"Kyushu-3!"
"Kyushu-4!"
"Kyushu-5!"
"Kyushu-6!"
"We read you loud and clear, sir!" came the reply from his number two.
"Good! We're approaching the battlefield now! And judging from the looks of things, they've deployed the big boy, and not just the train!" he said.
"That's bad news for us then," Kyushu-3 responded.
"Not as bad as one would think because of the fact that the 4014 Gundam is keeping that monster back," Rei retorted.
"Still, we got Windams inbound as well," Kyushu-4 radioed. "The call just came from Command."
"Dammit...! Just when we thought we'd have the upper hand!" Rei snarled. He glanced at his radar, and he hissed in anger at seeing the dark purple dots coming up from the south. "All units, prepare to engage mobile suit mode!"
"Yes, sir!" his wing mates replied.
The six jets split off, each one arcing around for their attack on the Karkinos's upper hull.
Rei's jet was the first one to begin its transformation. The others flew alongside and triggered their own transformations.
The jets all started to climb straight up, relying on their sheer thruster power to ascend rapidly. As they did so, the cockpit of each jet began to fold downward as a pair of arms unfolded from the middle of the plane. The shoulders extended up and attached to the exposed shoulder sockets before locking into place. The thrusters suddenly extended out, forming into a pair of foot guards that covered the mobile suit feet that poked out of the thruster nozzles. The legs unfolded from the rear of the machine, the rudders forming a pair of sub-wings on the legs for added maneuverability. The helm was the last thing to come out, a pair of brilliant red optical sensors flaring brightly.
Each jet may have had the same design, but they were not the same in terms of their armaments. Three of the machines were armed with missiles attached to their wings, which were splayed wide open to allow for full flight capabilities. One of them was armed with a large rifle that resembled the beam rifle of the legendary Freedom Gundam, but with a slightly bigger stock and an actual, physical ammo magazine. This was the MG-45XG "Minuteman" machine gun, created to deal with significantly armored adversaries such as mobile armors.
As an experimental weapon, there were very few guns made, but those that were built had been rigorously tested against the thick armor of the hull of a Destroy Gundam chassis, and it had been proven to penetrate into the armor a significant degree. But when targeted at the joints, the bullets literally shattered the systems of the joints to make them move. Of course, there were no more actual Destroys, but against other mobile suits they were just as effective, if not more so, due to the fact that the projectiles were tipped with hardened tungsten.
The other two F-15s were armed with twin pistols, akin to the Shorty beam rifles of the Strike Noir. But instead, these were a scaled up version of the M1911 pistol used by the resistance. And like the MG-45XG, they had actual physical rounds instead of beam mags. And like the bullets of the MG-45XG, they were tipped with hardened tungsten for added penetration power.
Rei's eyes hardened as he grasped his controls and brought up the MG-45XG.
"Here we go...!" he muttered.
. . .
Stag was surprised by the sheer power of this new machine.
Despite its shorter stature, the machine was making it close to impossible to move the pincers. The new mobile suit's optics flared as it started to lean forward, making the two actuator arms groan and shudder under the strain.
Stag narrowed his eyes as he growled, pushing the controls to their stops. Already sparks were flying from the joints of the actuator arms, and he could feel the shuddering of the mobile armor's nuclear reactor's power. If there was one thing this machine had going for it, it was the endurance. This machine they were clashing against clearly had batteries within it, and a huge number of them. But the Karkinos could run for years on one single reactor. This thing could not.
And he was going to take advantage of that.
He gritted his teeth as he shifted his controls, moving each of the legs individually to try and get a better grip on the terrain. His eyes hardened as he started to make some progress, placing one leg down, followed by a second, then a third, etc. The towering mobile suit started to be pushed back, but the pilot apparently wasn't going to make it easy for him. One massive foot slammed into the ground as it started to push harder, this time smoke coming from the two stacks on its shoulders.
'It appears it has a boiler for added strength,' Stag noted. 'Either zat or zat is just excess heat being vented.'
For her part, Perpetual was not going to let this thing get through. She kept her machine firm and steady, relying on the extra strength from the additional battery packs to keep her in the fight. But it wasn't that alone. The added battery packs also had a downside; while they did provide extra endurance, the sheer number was what caused overheating. So her unit was equipped with twin smokestacks to expel that excess heat as steam. It did prevent overheating of the systems, but it was not as effective as heat sinks would have been.
And considering they hadn't had time to fully install them, this was the best they could do until further notice.
But she was not going to let something like a little extra heat stop her.
Her eyes narrowed as within her mind's eye, a green seed-like jewel fell, spinning as it did so. The jewel made contact with the water and exploded in a nova, a red ring around the light as it did so. Her eyes changed, becoming dilated and the pupils becoming smaller as her irises enlarged. In SEED Mode, she was a formidable close-quarters fighter, and she was about to show these thugs a thing or two.
She positioned the 4014 Gundam's left leg behind her before shifting the right foot forward and adjusting her stance.
As she did this, she twisted her machine's hip joints, and giving a battle cry, actually wrenched the pincer she held in her right servo clean to the left, causing the appendage's joints to screech in protest. At the same time, the beam emitters shut down, leaving the pincer as just a massive flail. The pilot's screeching in German was enough to make her sneer as she released the limp pincer, letting it dangle on its mangled actuator arm. That was all she needed to clench her machine's fist and she drew it back.
She hesitated though, her sensors detecting the six F-15 Eagles as they soared overhead. Within minutes, a slew of missiles was released, striking the ground around her and the massive mobile armor. She could already see that the joints on the legs were starting to give from her efforts, but even with the extra batteries, the Karkinos had much more run time than she did. She just had to hold out long enough for the Eagles to do their job at disabling the guns and missile launchers, as well as those twin energy cannons.
Stag, meanwhile, was not about to let this machine keep him from finishing off the rebels' supply lines. He gritted his teeth as he triggered the external speakers.
"You... son of a bitch!" he screamed.
The pilot didn't answer. Instead, the golden optics of their machine flashed in response to the message.
. . .
"Kyushu Lead, this is Kyushu Two!" came the call from his second.
Rei's eyes narrowed as he spotted the mobile suit in question. "What?" he asked.
"We've got our work cut out for us; that positron shield is still active!" he replied.
"Shit...!" Rei gritted his teeth as he glanced around, trying to see if there were any weaknesses to the thing's defenses. From what he could see, it was like the machine's armaments could not fire while the shield was active...
Ding!
On went the mental lightbulb.
"Well..." Rei purred with a smirk in his voice. "...then let's see how well those things can reflect their attacks!"
"What!? Sir, are you crazy?!" Kyushu Three practically wailed.
"No, I'm not," Rei replied. He looked up, flipping up his helmet's visor, exposing his intense grin. "I said let's see how well that shield can reflect their attacks! By that, I mean we try and get that mobile armor to unleash its payload on the shield! That will eliminate any weapons, and hopefully take out that emitter with the sheer force of the explosions!"
Silence filled the airwaves for a moment before Kyushu Six chuckled. "That, sir, is ingenious! Take advantage of the reflective capabilities, and then that thing will be all the easier to beat!"
Rei nodded. "Yes! All units, begin your attack runs! And also, it seems like the pilot is a pseudo-Nazi. He probably believes in all that propaganda crap about pure-blooded, genetically pure humans with blonde hair and blue eyes. So, if anyone can find the communications frequency, get on it and start harassing them!"
"I'll do it!" Kyushu Five offered. "I was an amateur radio jockey for a few years!"
"Then do it!" Rei ordered.
The woman's mobile suit peeled to the left and out of formation as Rei and the rest of Kyushu Squadron began their attack runs.
Rei aimed his machine gun and pulled the trigger, sending the tungsten-tipped rounds for the mobile armor's flanks. As he predicted, the shield came online and took the bullets, making him grit his teeth. But that was not the real assault. It was only a distraction, along with the rest of the attacks. The real attack was going to come from Kyushu Five.
And it was a psychological one.
Within minutes, he could hear the crackling of his radio as the mobile armor's pilot spoke. "You... son of a bitch! Zis vill not stand!" he snarled.
"Oh? And why do you say that, you freak?!" Kyushu Five snapped. "Face it! Look around you! You, the so-called superior Master Race, are being beaten by a bunch of rebels who are more diverse and capable than you lot!"
"You do not know ze true strength of ze Master Race!" the pilot screamed.
"Oh, we do, you Nazi bastard!" Kyushu Five growled. "And that is precisely why all of us in the resistance and across the countries you stole from us are fighting with everything we got and then some!"
"Zat is vhy you dare to resist us?!" the Nazi bellowed. "Zis is ze only vay ve can be free of zose daemonspawn Coordinators! Zey vill destroy us all! IT IS IN ZEIR NATURE! JUST LOOK AT ZE LAST VAR!"
"That was due to that nutcase Creuset!" the woman hissed. "That was in no way the real nature of Coordinators! Look at those who fought that bastard! THEY ARE NOT LIKE THAT AT ALL!"
"You bitch...! YOU DARE TO ACCUSE ME OF LYING!?" the pilot screeched.
"Yes!" Kyushu Five chortled.
Rei turned his attention to the Karkinos as it started to aim its missile launchers at her machine as it came in hard and fast, firing its M1911 pistols at the sides. The three mobile suits armed with missiles on their wings let loose another salvo, striking the shield as it came online. The more Rei watched, the more it seemed as if this would work, but he knew better than to assume it would. His eyes narrowed as he saw the missile launchers and perimeter guns pivot to the machines attacking.
He just hoped that this idea was going to work.
The shield stayed up for a few seconds more before it shut down, making him hiss in anger. "Dammit!"
They had been so close!
But he needn't have worried. The 4014 Gundam drew back its clenched servo a bit more before punching, forcing the shield to go up again, and this time the entire unit opened fire with their weapons. Rei was first, emptying the entire mag of tungsten-tipped rounds. The other two machines fired with their pistols, slamming them into the shield as the other three mobile suits fired off the last of their missiles. The entire barrage hit the defensive barrier, making the pilot and gunner both scream in rage.
The Karkinos's perimeter guns began to fire at the same time as the missiles were released from their launchers...
And just as Rei had hoped, they struck the barrier...
and were reflected back at the hull of the massive machine, taking out each of the smaller weapons. Rei scanned the hull of the monstrosity, spotting the heatwaves as they raced across the metallic surface underneath the barrier, along with shrapnel and debris from the destroyed launchers. The debris peppered the emitter, and when combined with the heat buildup, it was enough to cause the emitter's delicate circuits to actually melt and solder together. The entire emitter was now smoking as sparks flew from it, and the shield wavered before shutting down.
Now the back of the machine was totally exposed.
"YES!" Rei cheered. "It worked!"
"Well... how about that?" Kyushu Four nonchalantly remarked.
"Still not down yet!" Rei reminded him.
The other ace grunted. "Sure, whatever."
Rei shook his head as he turned his gaze back to the mobile armor. "Kyushu Two, Three, you're on me! Kyushu Four through Six, stay back and keep the Big Boy intact!"
"Yes, sir!" his wingmen replied.
As the team split into their respective groups, Rei finished setting up the encrypted tactical channel. "Kyushu Two, Three, do you read?"
"Yes, sir!" the two replied.
"Good. Now, while we did take out its smaller weapons, it's still got its "Aufprall Dreizehn" high-energy beam cannons. Those alone can wipe out an entire city block if they can get a lock on it. So our objective is to take them out and keep them from annihilating the station!" Rei stated.
"So we buzz the guy and take out the cannons," Kyushu Three summarized.
Rei nodded. "Yes. I'll go at it from the front. You and Kyushu Two are the ones slated to slice off those cannons' barrels."
"You sure, boss?" Kyushu Two asked.
The leader nodded. "Yes. I'm sure. I can handle myself. You guys take those things out."
"Got it!"
"Aff as fuck!"
The two mobile suits peeled off, allowing Rei to reload his machine gun with a fresh mag from his side skirt armor. He slammed it home and glanced to the Karkinos's cockpit location. His eyes hardened as he dove down, firing his gun in a measured burst. The rounds impacted the metal hull of the mobile armor as he sped past. He pivoted in midair before coming back around, weaving as it tried to bring those energy beam cannons to bear. But that was what his squad mates had been waiting for.
. . .
Kashi was caught off guard by the surprise tactic pulled by the air forces, but he was not about to complain.
As soon as the explosions rocked the huge mobile armor, he could see the shield wavering before it shut down, leaving the backside exposed from above.
And that was just the start of its demise.
He watched in astonishment as the air squadron split into two groups, each of three, and one banked back towards the 4014 Big Boy as LOGOs Windams began to fire on it. The secondary group - the one assigned to protect the train - was out of missiles, but they were not deprived of firepower entirely. Each Eagle drew its beam saber and ignited the glowing white blade, becoming blurs of gray and black as they dashed towards the Windams.
The Windams were caught off guard as these three unknown mobile suits attacked them with the full element of surprise. A number were cut in half by the trio before the rest regained their senses and drew their own beam sabers, trying to go in for the close quarters kill. Kashi tore his gaze from the furball erupting above and turned his sight back to the Karkinos as it continued to struggle against Perpetual's machine. Both were still struggling to overcome the other, and Kashi had to admit this was not what he had been expecting.
Especially when the lead machine of the aerial defenders launched a one-man run against the mobile armor's front, firing their machine gun at the upper hull of the mobile armor to draw its attention. The attacker peeled off from the assault before sweeping around, distracting the pilots of that huge monstrosity.
And that allowed for the other two Eagles to pounce with their white beam sabers.
Twin white slashes were shown across the screen briefly before returning to the fight, showing the twin cannons on the back sparking as their barrels glowed in the middle. The first three quarters of the barrels slowly started to fall, collapsing off the hull of the Karkinos, landing on either side of it.
And Perpetual seized her chance to strike.
With a cry, she drew back her machine's clenched servo and thrust it forward with every ounce of power she could muster.
The Karkinos was struck dead on in the 'face', and that alone was what was needed to turn the tide. The huge war machine began to be pushed back from the sheer force of the blow, slowly tilting back a little more each second. Then, with a resounding CRASH!, the mobile armor literally toppled flat on its back, all eight of its crab legs wriggling as it tried to right itself in vain. It also didn't help matters that Perpetual hadn't let go of its remaining pincer, literally tearing it off its actuator arm as it fell. The 4014 Gundam stood there, fist outstretched, hand still clutching the remaining pincer before dropping it to the ground.
Kashi decided to take his chance to finish the thing.
He revved the crawlers on the sides of his machine's ankles, drawing out a single beam saber and igniting the cyan blade as he dashed towards the downed mobile armor. He could see that there was a ridge ahead, and a tractor trailer truck's container was lying close to it, almost like a ramp. Kashi was not about to question the convenience of it; he knew to not look a gift horse in the mouth when he saw one.
A low growl started to build in his throat as he charged, slowly increasing as he got closer and closer. Already he could see the underside of the Karkinos, and he increased his speed. He crouched a bit, becoming like a skier as he accelerated up the makeshift ramp. Within mere seconds, his mobile suit was launched into the air, and he vaulted over the gap in the fighting. He could see the resistance putting up one hell of a fight beneath him as he careened over, causing a few mobile suits on both sides to glance up in confusion or shock.
Then he was over, whipping out the Kagayaki's free servo to catch one of the crab-like legs. The momentum of his charge caused him to spin around on the leg before he released it, having increased his momentum a bit further. Now he was just above the center of the thing's underside. He clasped his machine's servos around the hilt of his beam saber as he twirled it around to point down at the armored underbelly. "RAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
As he descended, his eyes were wide, and he screamed out as he landed on the thing's belly, jamming his saber right through its armor and into the reactor core.
. . .
There was no explosion.
Perpetual had been half expecting a large explosion to rock the area, taking out the entire city and train station. She slowly lowered her arms and her machine's limbs, staring in disbelief at the sight of the Kagayaki Gundam crouched atop the downed Karkinos.
Slowly, the machine began to stand, pulling out the beam saber, shutting it down as it did so.
Kashi turned his mobile suit's head to look over his right shoulder. "Don't worry about an explosion," he said. "I cut the main power cords to the mobile armor itself."
"Excellent!" Darrick exclaimed over the COMMs. "That's one mobile armor down, one to go!"
"Where's the second one?" Perpetual asked.
"Down in San Diego," Darrick told her.
"Shit...!" The young Coordinator slammed her clenched fist on the control console. "And this one was bad enough!"
"Well, all we can do is hope that the forces down there can take it down..." Kashi muttered.
And for once, Perpetual feared that it would not be so easy...