A/N
Okay, I know this is much shorter than my Phases normally are, but I will explain that in the closing notes. But this is the start of the Destiny portion of the Cosmic Era. Do enjoy the Phase!
Phase 62: The First Domino
September 20th 73 CE.
The Moon
The Alliance had been working silently since the official ending of the war close to a year and a half ago. The leadership of the Earth Alliance and the top brass of OMNI wouldn't accept the results of the war or the treaties that had come from it. They had lost more than the other two factions by a harsh margin. They were also forced to make more concessions than the other two factions with treaties and agreements. Thus, they had not complained publicly about what the Alliance had received from the other two factions. As the Alliance had been trying to figure out how to change their position with the factions, others approached them. The group had stated they represented an organization called Logos. The organization, according to them, was a business group that could provide services that others couldn't. The representatives said that included military equipment and access to "special products" not available on the normal market.
The top brass and the leadership of the Alliance had just about leaped at the offer of military support. Any that were suspicious about the Logos organization were overruled by those that wanted to have domination. That Logos had agents in "questionable" places and that they sold products that were frowned down upon were ignored for the service they were offering. Logos provided equipment and other valuable services to the Alliance behind the scenes so the other factions wouldn't know. Their assistance had been helping plans along at a good pace from what the Alliance leadership could see. It was with the help of Logos that OMNI was able to finish the new lunar base and HQ ahead of schedule. That would allow focus on other plans ahead of the predictions made for them.
The Arzachel Lunar Base was built in the crater directly south of where Ptolemaeus base had been. The location had been selected both for the terrain that would add to the defense and to be in operational distance of other places on the moon. The base was slightly larger than Ptolemaeus had been and more up-to-date than the old lunar HQ had been. It would be able to house most of the orbital fleets that had been rebuilt since the war, and none of the factions be aware of them. The other two factions hadn't missed the base's construction, but they had said nothing about it. OMNI had been careful to hide some of the equipment, which they didn't want others to know about as it was brought in and installed. The base may be visible to ZAFT and the Federation, but nothing inside the complex would be visible to any form of detection used by the other factions. The construction had kept going until completion without any interference from the other two factions.
Arzachel was within striking range of the Federation's Lunar base next to Serenity City. The two locations were "seats" of power on the moon, not just for the Federation but for those not under the influence of the Alliance. The two could and likely would play a role in the future attack on the Federation's position of power. One of the major differences between Arzachel and Ptolemaeus was the former was built with sensor-jamming equipment. That had been done so neither of the other two factions could spy on the base or its activities. Every seeable precaution was being considered with Arzachel, so it didn't fall as Ptolemaeus had. Neither of the other two factions could know about what the Alliance was doing until things were well underway. If they did find out, they could counter the Alliance and potentially stop them in the plans to make the Alliance the faction that called the shots.
The Alliance was attempting to learn from what mistakes and issues arose in the last war. Mistakes were made, which had cost the Alliance dearly in their fight against ZAFT and then later the Federation's military. It was the reason the Alliance and its OMNI had been using the time since the war's end to prepare for the conflict that would come. The signs had been coming up, unrest and other such things on Earth and the Moon. Blue Cosmos had risen from the ashes the other factions had reduced to it. The Alliance had been assisting them outside the public eye as treaties made it problematic to do so for others to see. There had been more people willing to fuel the hatred of Coordinators than had been assumed by those in control of the Alliance. That helped plans along to bring another war to the human race so the Alliance could come out as the ones in charge of the species.
One of OMNI's captains was in the observation lounges looking over the main docking area. The man was six feet tall when standing, yet much of his face was covered by a grey and red mask, giving him an ominous air. The man had blonde hair that went beyond his shoulders, though none of the hair on the top of his head was visible due to the mask. His name was Neo Roanoke, and he was a member of the special forces unit known as Phantom Pain within the Alliance. The unit was considered a "black ops" group for OMNI and wasn't admitted to exist officially on record. It operated for OMNI but wasn't directly under its command, so it could do activities OMNI couldn't. Its funding came from Blue Cosmos and other "anonymous" donors, which seemed endless. Thus, with the unit's autonomy, they had no problem ignoring treaties or rules established by any of the three factions.
Neo was gazing at the vessel he had been told recently he would be assigned to for the mission he would set out on soon. The ship was the first of a new class the Alliance had designed and built for use against its enemies. The class was titled the Girty Lue class and designed for covert strike missions. It was classified as a limited production stealth space battleship meaning it wouldn't be a normal ship class the Alliance would employ. The ship was three-hundred-eighty meters long and was built to carry up to twelve mobile weapons for special operations. From what Neo had read on the ship class, it was based on the former Alliance Archangel class, which had been retired since the war. It supported a crew of one-hundred-fifty when fully supplied for a solid month.
The mobile suit hangar and the ship's four launching catapults took up the forward section. The back half of the ship contained the rest, including crew quarters and special operation equipment. Much like the Archangel class, the navigation bridge was in a tower structure raised from the top outer deck of the ship. The ship's eight engine thrusters were all at the rear of the in two groups of four left and right of the ship's center line. It had other special equipment that other Alliance ship classes lacked and couldn't use effectively. Rocket anchors were a good example of Girty Lue's special equipment and could employ well in certain situations. They made it possible for the ship to attach itself to objects in space, to either hide or maneuver as the situation required. Two other specific features were unique to the ship class that Neo had studied.
Of the two features, there was the secondary and optional propulsion system in the form of jets attached to long spars that linked to the ship. Old gas-based fuel tanks were attached to near the base of the spars, which linked to either side of the ship. That fuel used in the jets nearly eliminated all heat emissions detectable with current thermal sensors used by all factions. That was an advantage as it would mask movements from long-range detection, and Neo wouldn't say no to that. The other feature was the stealth system the ship had to work with during given operations. The system would also decommission the ship class if the other factions knew about it. Neo knew the Junius Seven Treaty had banned Mirage Colloid. It was the specific tech mentioned in the treaty and had harsh consequences attached to it if used. However, combined with the optional jets, the Girty Lue class should be undetected even by the Federation. There was no guarantee that was the case, but it should at least make it harder for the Federation to track the ship.
The ship class's armaments weren't anything to scoff at, which Neo appreciated. While the Girty Lue may not have a great deal of variety of weapons to work with to fight its enemies, it had powerful weapons to use. For an assault, it had six "Gottfried Mk.71" 225cm high-energy beam cannons that had been developed originally for the Archangel class. Two were above and below the catapult, and the other two were on either side of the forward section. The six beam cannons made those in front of the Girty Lue targets to punch holes in with ease. The other offensive option the Girty Lue had was the vertically aligned missile launchers. There were thirty-eight launchers that would usually be loaded with anti-ship missiles for battle. Lastly, there were sixteen "Igelstellung" multi-barrel CIWS guns over the top and bottom of the ship. They would provide an interception field against enemy missiles.
The ship certainly seemed to be up to the mission Neo had been handed if it could perform as was being said. At least it should be capable of accomplishing the tasks Neo would usually get being in Phantom Pain. And his current mission was one of the more risky ones Neo could recall being assigned in the last year and a half since his recovery. He had been told he'd fought in the Second Battle of Jachin Due, and his suit had been destroyed. It was a "miracle" he'd survived the destruction of his mobile suit back at the time. But his service had made him a golden choice for Phantom Pain when it was being created. And with the tasks he had done thus far, Neo couldn't argue he was a good fit for what the group did.
Neo and those under his command were expected to work around Lagrange 4 for two tasks. The first task was to go to a Federation outpost which could accurately be said to be in the middle of nowhere. The second task was to go to the single ZAFT PLANT colony in the Lagrange point's colony cluster. The assignment sounded simple when it had been told to him like that, but the details of each made Neo concerned. The second task around the ZAFT colony would be the easier of the two. His team was to steal mobile suits being developed there, which was straightforward enough. The suits were Gundam types, creating one complication from what information had been acquired. The machines would be guarded, Neo would be shocked if they weren't. ZAFT would have to be dumb or extremely lax if they didn't have soldiers guarding Gundams. However, Neo was being "given" some of the special soldiers that had been developed to steal the suits. Neo had been assured they would be able to accomplish the task. Supposedly, the special soldiers had been trained to go against ZAFT forces well, so any response from ZAFT would be handled.
Most would expect the first task of going to the outpost to be the easier of the two parts of the assignment. Neo would tell any who thought that they were wrong, but it would be pointless to do that. Getting to the outpost and gaining entry would be easy if done right, of that Neo was confident. No, it was accessing the Federation's Information Network where Neo foresaw serious problems. The Federation guarded its Information Network zealously, and that was an understatement. The lengths which the Federation went to guard it were ridiculous to Neo, but he'd seen the evidence to know it was true. Not that Neo didn't understand the interest and temptation there was to get even brief access to the network. The potential information there was there could be gold for the Alliance. It was just getting that info was extremely difficult with the Federation's security measures.
The Federation's Information Network was the prize or prizes to the Alliance, and Neo knew that as a fact. What was on the network was unknown overall, and nothing OMNI's intelligence agents could get helped clear anything up on that. But as the Federation relied on it so much, it was assumed that any and all facts they acquired, both in the open and in secrecy, were kept in the network. Yet, nothing the Alliance had tried and gotten near the network. Asking the Federation had gone nowhere, no matter how requests were worded. Trying to gain access directly hadn't gone any better, the Federation's security measures had ensured that.
In the end, Neo felt he and those under his command would be able to get the ZAFT Gundams. However, he didn't believe they could get away with information from the Federation and keep it. That was the second half of the problem of "getting" data from the Federation and keeping it. The Federation was known for tracking down "thieves" and either taking back what was stolen or destroying it. When the Federation knew someone who shouldn't be accessing their network, they would start "clean up." And the data Neo knew the higher-ups wanted would no doubt have something to tip off the Federation it was being looked at. The Federation was not expected to give up a pursuit once they started it until they achieved their goal. So, once the Federation knew Neo and his team had stolen from them, they would start tracking them down.
Neo stopped brooding on the assignment, instead, he fetched his things and headed for the Girty Lue. Once on board, Neo found the loading process was still ongoing, and the ship wouldn't leave until that was done. He dropped off his things in the quarters he was assigned for the mission. Neo then headed for the bridge to meet the ship captain he would be "working with" during the mission. He knew of Phantom Pain's reputation for being a pain to work with for OMNI officers. Other commanders in Phantom Pain did what they wanted and used Logos's authority to force OMNI officers to do what they said. Neo wasn't one to do that most of the time unless the mission required the point. But since others had abused the authority, OMNI officers just assumed all in Phantom Pain did so. Thus, Neo attempted to meet and talk with the OMNI commanding officer of a ship as a show of cooperation as a matter of personal policy.
When Neo came onto the bridge, he found crew members working at the six bridge stations. There was a chair on either side of the entry to the bridge, one for the commanding officer and the other Neo assumed would be his. A man was in the commanding officer's chair did catch Neo's attention. The man was around five foot seven, by what Neo could estimate. His hair was bleached blonde and was short. The man's eyes were also blue from the glimpse he got of them. The man's uniform said he had the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Neo assumed the man was the officer he would work with for the mission. So, Neo cleared his throat, "I take it you are the ship's commanding officer," he asked.
Lieutenant Commander Ian Lee looked up when another spoke and found a man in a black OMNI uniform. The uniform color strongly suggested the man was in the 81st Autonomous Mobile Group, called Phantom Pain. The group's reputation was nasty, from what Ian had heard. Ian hadn't dealt directly with any from Phantom Pain, but he'd talked to a few who had. The man wearing a mask over his face was odd, but it didn't detract greatly. So, Ian nodded, "Yes, I am the commander of the Girty Lue," he answered. "I take it you would be the mission commander we will be working with?"
Neo held out a hand as a gesture of "good faith" in the hope things would go smoothly. "That is correct, Captain Neo Roanoke of the 81st Autonomous Mobile Group," Neo greeted. "I hope we can work together to accomplish what is ahead." Ian was taken aback at the greeting as it was nothing like anything he'd heard about those from Phantom Pain. They were supposed to be arrogant and full of themselves. It was because they were under Logos's control and did the work assigned to them. Since they weren't under the direct command of OMNI, they didn't follow protocol or even accepted policy. This Roanoke wasn't anything like that with the greeting he'd just given. So, Ian grasped the offered hand after a moment, "Indeed, Captain," Ian replied, "Forgive me, you are just not as I've been told those from Phantom Pain are like."
Neo sighed, "Yes, I know some in the group are idiotic and let their pride get the better of them." Neo shook his head, "I am not like that. I prefer cooperation as things go much smoother when all are working toward the same goal. And with the assignment we have, we will need to be at our best to have a chance to succeed. Thus, I wanted to introduce myself and hope you will allow me to explain things. Understanding will be critical for this mission to go as expected and for us to live." Ian took what had been said seriously as this Roanoke sounded like he knew what he was talking about. "If you say you will explain, Captain," Ian started, "Then I will listen to what you have to say."
The explanation that followed was both concerning and straightforward to Ian. The assignment given to the Girty Lue was crazy on the face of it. That was also the reason it was likely an off-the-books mission to begin with. Stealing mobile suits from ZAFT was dangerous enough before taking into account that they were Gundam types. That task would be left mostly to the "special soldiers" who were down in one of the larger holds on the Girty Lue. They had come with special equipment that was for "maintenance" to give them top performance. The Girty Lue would deliver them and pick up the stolen suits, that was the ship's task. If needed, they would provide support with distracting ZAFT from the theft. The other task the captain told Ian about was the more concerning of the mission's two parts.
The first part of the assignment was to go to a Federation outpost. The outpost was used for astrological research of some kind, according to Alliance intelligence. The outpost had been chosen because of its connection to the Federation's Information Network. OMNI higher-ups were insistent on acquiring data from the network for upcoming operations. The issue was access to the network was closely watched by the Federation. To trigger them had serious consequences, which were hard to shake off. Then delivering the data to Arzachel would be a challenge in itself as the Federation would track thieves down and get back what was stolen or destroy it.
The general plan that Captain Roanoke then gave sounded reasonable and doable, even if it would be challenging. They would deceive those on the outpost and eliminate all there before they could prevent access to the Federation's network. After acquiring the data, they would hurry to ZAFT's colony and steal the mobile suits. Time would be of the essence after the attack on the outpost. The Federation would start tracking them down once the data was stolen, there was no question about that. Because of that, ZAFT would be the least of the Girty Lue's worries getting back to Arzachel. And yet, the Captain's plan had the best chance of success that Ian could figure. Ian found Captain Roanoke to be a reasonable man to work with since he wasn't pushy like others said Phantom Pain was supposed to be.
The Girty Lue launched out once loading was complete. The ship now had eight 02L2 Daggers and Neo's TS-MA4F Exus mobile armor in its hangar. The armor was based on OMNI's TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero combined with data the Federation had improved during the last war with the modifications to the X105 Strike Gundam. The performance of the thruster system from the zero armor gave it better mobility and speed. That put the mobile weapon on par with ZAFT mobile suits they currently worked with. The arsenal it employed was also improved from what the Moebius armors used. The Exus was armed with two 38.5mm machine guns on its nose and a quadruple missile launcher between the machine guns. There were also two linear guns alongside the main body of the armor. Finally, there were the four wire-guided gunbarrel pods the armor could use as the old zero armors had. Each gunbarrel features two beam guns and two beam cutters. Thus, they could be used in ranged and melee combat, something that the gunbarrels of the earlier Moebius Zero and Gunbarrel Striker couldn't do.
The ship set its course for Lagrange 4, aiming for the Federation's Milos Astrological Research Outpost. It would be a few-day journey to the outpost from the Moon. Sailing through the colony cluster was uneventful overall. A few times, the Girty Lue had to activate its Mirage Colloid not to be seen by a Federation patrol. But those were predictable as the main patrol route the Federation used had been observed by Alliance vessels. The combination of the Mirage Colloid and the gas jets made the ship unseen to the Federation patrols. Neo still thought it better to run silent while in the cluster and suggested that to Ian, which he agreed with. The less suspicion they attracted, the better for their mission.
Neo was told more about the "special soldiers" he was sent to accomplish the mission during the trip. They were part of what was called the "Enhanced Human Project." He'd heard of the project before now, but what he'd heard wasn't the most encouraging. The project supposedly took kids and turned them into living weapons or monsters by the rumors. From what their "handlers told Neo," the trio would need maintenance regularly for top performance. The trio comprised of two males and one female who were currently "sleeping" in their pods. The handlers assured Neo that the "problems" there had been during the last war with the candidates had been worked out. He was assured the trio was a good example of the labs' work. Some of those who had worked on the project and pushed it along had vanished, but apparently, the project had kept going without them.
Neo was shown footage of the teens' performance to prove they were capable. What Neo saw did help his concerns about the teens doing the theft. The footage showed that they were proficient and quick at dispatching their opponents. It would've surprised Neo if he hadn't seen kids fight for their lives in areas with conflict. The maintenance the handlers gave details of was odd to Neo in the way they explained it. The "cradle pods" being used helped keep their mental conditioning and implants. The pods were part of the improvement made from what the project had put on in the last war. Neo was also told they had what was referred to as "block words," which were used as a last resort to control and restrain the individuals. He didn't like such was necessary for controlling the project's candidates. It was akin to a powerful weapon with a known fault that one hoped wouldn't come up. But Neo would allow the three to show they could do what was asked of them.
While the Girty Lue moved through the colony cluster, Neo did spend some time around the trio. The female Stella Loussier quickly grew attached to Neo, showing him affection and wishing for praise from him. It turned out to be a fair means of control for the girl that didn't cause issues with the rest. The boys were attentive enough and followed instructions given to them which would work well for Neo. The three appeared to work well enough together that they should do well in the mobile suit theft. That would be their task, and they were given information to work with for the job. They studied the info intently, which Neo did appreciate since they would use it to accomplish the task.
Neo left the three to their work and focused back on the operation against the Federation's outpost. Getting on the station would be easy enough, and deception would do that well. Neo was already coming up with a plausible story that would be believed and get soldiers on the Girty Lue in. The second part of the operation would be getting to the station's control center quickly. When the attack started, those in the control center would try to disconnect from the Federation's network. If they succeeded, the operation against the outpost would be seen as a failure. Thus, getting to the control center first would be a priority. Taking care of the rest of the station could be seen to once the control center was secured.
Hours later, the Girty Lue came to be just outside of the communication range of the Federation's Milos Outpost. The Girty Lue deactivated its mirage colloid behind one of the last colonies and then moved forward and into view of the station. Mechanics onboard the Girty Lue adjusted the ship's systems to make it appear to be having trouble. It was part of the deception story that Neo had come up with to get the station to let them dock. There was also the part where an injured crew member had been in an "accident" and needed medical attention. The deception wouldn't likely be questioned until it was too late to do anything. Neo knew this part of the mission would be bloody as all on the station would have to be silenced so they would not tip off the Federation early.
The Girty Lue slowed, and the crewman at the helm had the ship "limping" along to play up the narrative of engine troubles. Ian then nodded at Neo to say all on the Girty Lue were ready to execute his plan. At the signal, Neo ordered the com-officer to contact the station and give the message they'd been rehearsing. At the same time, the soldiers on the Girty Lue were moving into rooms nearby the port-side airlock, readying themselves to attack when ordered to. The "story" group would go onto the station first and make sure those in charge couldn't stop the boarding soldiers. Half the soldiers would head quickly to the station's control center with Captain Roanoke leading them.
On the Milos station, the communication came in from a ship saying they were having trouble. The small crew in the control center found it odd for a ship to be out at the edge of Lagrange 4 that wasn't Federation. The message claimed the "ship" was having trouble with its engines and life-support systems. And the ship was quickly spotted and looked to be indeed having trouble with its engines. It was also mentioned they had injured personnel onboard that needed medical attention. The station had a doctor on it so that could be seen to, but the outpost crew felt something seemed off about this situation. The ship wasn't of a class in the Federation's database which was rare. It had similarities to the Alliance's Archangel Class assault carrier ship but wasn't the same. Yet, the outpost was a research one and had not military presence or significance. The Alliance should have no reason to come to the outpost for anything they may want. Granted, the outpost had a connection to the Information Network, but that could be severed before the Alliance got access. In the end, the crew acknowledged the request and agreed they would do what was possible for them to help.
The Girty Lue was instructed on the docking procedure, and the ship moved itself to do as told. As that was going on, the raiding party was making their final preparations for the next step of the Captain's plan. Neo headed down from the bridge toward the airlock the docking tunnel would connect to since he would be with the raiding teams when they moved in. When he arrived at the airlock area, he iterated again to the soldiers how important the control center was to be intact and as undamaged as possible. Access to the Federation's Information Network was the priority of this part of the assignment. Recklessness was to be avoided as it would easily cause the failure of this task. Neo then faced the ship's doctor and nodded for them to be ready to move when the airlock was opened. They would be the Trojan horse that would allow the raiding party to get on the station and get to work. After they got what they were here for and eliminated any witnesses, all would exit quickly and leave before any came around to find out what happened. Neo had just enough time to duck out of sight before the airlock opened, and the first party moved forward onto the station.
The people on the station were going about their daily business as they normally did when the strange ship docked at the station. The day had started as any other before had, nothing had been different before the "visitors" came. Some glanced at the ship from the habitation ring of the station. It was rare for a non-Federation ship to come to the outpost. A small party came in with a medical gurney in the docking lounge. The "doctor" looked to be in an OMNI uniform, but none in the lounge initially thought much about that. That rapidly changed when the one on the gurney sat up and raised the rifle they had and began firing at the people in the immediate area. One in the docking lounge hit the switch for the door to the rest of the station to close and sound an alarm before they died. Once the alarm started going off, those in the habitation ring quickly tried to scatter and hide from whatever was happening.
Neo heard the alarm going off and signaled the raiding party to move in and get to work. The alarm may warn those in the station, but it wouldn't save them in the end. They would all have to die before Neo, and those with him left the place. They had a basic station layout to follow and sweep through to make sure the job was done. The controls to the door had been scrambled, so that would delay Neo's advance. But one of the soldiers had found the manual release, which helped get the door to open.
Those on duty in the station's control center stared with horror as Alliance soldiers poured into the habitation ring and began mowing down others. The lead crewman ordered the control center and its access corridor be sealed immediately to delay the Alliance soldiers invading the station. They were obviously here to wipe out all on the station and for something else. And the only thing any of those in the control center could think of which would be of value to the Alliance was the connection to the Information Network. So, they quickly began going through the process of disconnecting the station from the network to prevent the Alliance from getting anything. The work was hard to do as the sounds of screaming came in from different places on the station through the feeds to the control center. Those in the control center knew lives were being sacrificed to buy time to stop Alliance personnel from getting potentially dangerous information. But should the Alliance get access to the network, they could use what they stole to kill far more than they were in the process of doing.
Neo entered the habitation ring right behind the soldiers but left the work to them. He didn't take pleasure in killing people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those on the station had little to nothing to do with the growing conflict. They were just unlucky enough to be in the path the Alliance was making, so their lives had to be ended. However, there wasn't time to think about that, as the goal was to get to the station's control center. Those there would likely be trying to sever the connection to the Federation's network as fast as they could. They were also no doubt telling the Federation something was going on. That was the last thing Neo wanted, the Federation to be told the Alliance was attacking them. As he moved forward, he saw there were some putting up resistance to the soldiers. They were mowed down but bought bits of time for others to do things.
Half of the raiding team accompanied Neo as he traveled through the station to the control center. As Neo made his way toward the control room, he was somewhat surprised to see the children's bodies. He had thought this was a research outpost, meaning scientists and system operators, not children. The murder of children might be deemed necessary by some, but it didn't sit well with Neo, even if they were Coordinators. Children were innocent and shouldn't have anything to do with the conflicts taking place these days. He would still shoot and kill if it were needed for the stated goal he was working for, it just didn't feel right. Once outside it, he found the room had been locked, which would take a little time to get past. Every second counted right now, as the longer, it took to get into the station's command center, the more likely those inside had severed the connection to the Federation's network.
The crew in the control center were halfway done severing the station's connection to the Information Network. They were also sending a message as to what was happening to Echowas, so they knew the Alliance was causing issues. Most, if not all, in the control center were in tears as they worked with those on the station dying as they did what they could. For most of them, their families were being murdered as they were trying to do something to make a difference. And they also knew they would be facing death as well soon enough as there was no escape for them from the Alliance. The outpost was a research station, not a military facility, and it didn't have an armory or even guns. Essentially, they had no way to defend themselves from the assault that the Alliance had brought.
It took five more minutes for Neo and those with him to break through the doors sealing the control center. Explosives had been required to get into the corridor to the control center. He'd told the raiding party they needed at least one left alive for a bit, preferably two, to get to what they were here for. There was no doubt in Neo's mind that the Federation had some sort of authorization system that a Federation personnel could pass. Thus, they needed one of the station's crew alive to get pass what the Federation had for security measures. And in the end, it had taken explosives to get through the seal to the station's control center. Once inside, Neo saw seven people working at the consoles. They were ordered to step away, which none of them did as the soldiers told them to. The two in the middle were spared while the others were shot. Neo said nothing as those in the raiding part threatened the remaining individuals.
Instead, he glanced over the consoles and couldn't help but be relieved the raiding team and he had come directly to the control center. As he'd suspected, the crew had been working to sever the station's connection to the Federation's Information Network. However, they hadn't finished doing that when Neo and those with him arrived. One of the remaining individuals was used to get access to the Federation's network before both were executed. Neo didn't spare a moment for those that had been killed, he moved to a console and got down to work on the real goal of the assignment. Time was of the essence as the station's access to the Federation's network could be cut off at any time by those who managed it. Neo had been told what type of files he was to find and copy, even when no one else on the mission had been informed about it.
The "files" OMNI higher-ups wanted were information on ZAFT's military deployment and the patterns they followed. Logos also wanted such information so they could potentially sell to ZAFT and make a better profit. Logos wanted the conflict to be going but didn't officially take sides in such things. The conflict was more profitable for them than peace times since they sold weapons and information to the highest bidder. And it didn't take Neo all that long to find what he believed were the target files. They were encrypted as he'd expected the Federation to have done. But Neo was just acquiring the files, not making them usable by others, so the encryption wasn't his issue to deal with. He copied the files onto the storage device he had with him and then got out of the Federation's network. Neo saw no point in sticking around the network and being caught by the Federation. He and those on this mission were already facing enough backlash from the Federation and ZAFT. There wasn't the need to add more complications to the assignment than there already were.
Neo signaled the raiding team to help the others clean up the station by silencing any witnesses. Neo had to get to planning the next step of their mission and not work with the raiding team. While the work on the station was going smoothly, better than hoped, Neo didn't count on that continuing. Adapting and planning ahead is what drove success in one's endeavors, Neo had learned that lesson personally. So, he headed back to the Girty Lue to work on his part as the mission commander. Time wasn't on their side, and it was worse now with their raid on the Federation station. It was only a matter of time before the Federation's Military sent some to look around to see what had happened to the outpost. Plus, Neo was fairly sure the station's crew had gotten out some sort of message to the Federation before he and others had gotten to the command center. It would be best if the Girty Lue weren't around when the Federation arrived. He knew Federation detection equipment was better than ZAFT's, so mirage colloid would only help so much.
Neo decided to use the time it would take the Girty Lue to get to ZAFT's Armory One to plan out the theft better. He now had to take into account ZAFT's various reactions to the theft. That was on top of the Federation chasing them by that point. Neo took the time to look into the project which had created the special soldiers the ship had to work with. The information Neo found was both disgusting and odd to him. The project took kids and changed them into monsters which some considered living weapons. Neo noted there was no mention of how the kids were obtained for the project, just saying they were brought for it. The training regiment was harsh, from what Neo read about the idea. If the training were as stated, the teens would give ZAFT soldiers a serious run for their money if not beat them. The kids would be "escorted" by some dressed in ZAFT uniforms to get to the Gundams. The story which was created for the infiltration group was one Neo felt would fool ZAFT personnel. The "ZAFT" soldiers were bringing some family members to see where they worked for a day. That was the tale that would get past most and to the goal they were to achieve.
While the infiltration team was working on their tasks, those on the Girty Lue would get into position to distract ZAFT. They would be in two teams, one with the Girty Lue and the other close to the colony's central sector. Once the theft began, the Girty Lue would attack the patrolling ZAFT vessel, catching them off guard. The suit group with the ship would then engage what ZAFT suits managed to launch before their ships were disabled. The group near the colony would move and attack the colony's main dock. They were to strike ships and make them block the port's entrance, thereby preventing ZAFT from getting countering effectively. That would cause chaos among ZAFT forces providing a window of opportunity for Neo and the rest to move forward. The goal of the chaos was to escape with ZAFT's Gundams and then leave before they recovered enough to fight back.
Meanwhile, the infiltration team would be working on getting the Gundams out of wherever ZAFT had them stored. They would have to fight what ZAFT forces there were in the colony interior and escape to the outside. The method of getting the stolen suits outside the colony didn't really matter in the end. However, some ways would be easier than others to escape pursuers. Time wouldn't be on their side, and Neo didn't kid around about that. It wasn't ZAFT that he was concerned with stopping them. It was the Federation catching up with them in the middle of the theft, which worried Neo. Should Federation forces appear and fight the Girty Lue, that would be a disaster of epic proportions. While his plans should get them in and out as quickly as possible, there was always the chance things could go wrong.
After he had a plan in mind, Neo went down to meet the kids he would be sending into the colony. He thought he could show the teens he was on their side and wanted to assist them in the work they did. Neo needed their cooperation, whether it came willingly or not. However, he'd found that willing cooperation tended to be more effective in getting things done than forced obedience. Thus, "befriending" the teens was a good place to start, work from there, and see how things went.
A/N
And I'll leave off there and continue in the next Phase from there. There isn't a great deal to highlight in the Phase, but there is still some stuff I want to point out. So, the first thing which I mentioned in the opening notes is. This Phase is shorter as it was originally combined with the next one, however, it approaching 30k words, and I try to cut it off before that. Also, I felt it would help to give "Neo" his own Phase to give him his debut for the story, which is better than canon is.
Now onto the first scene which starts with a "summary" of what the Alliance has been doing and their views since the war's ending. Many of you readers may have figured it out, the Alliance didn't like the outcome of the Alliance-PLANT War. They lost a lot and gained little in the process and were still on the "Bottom" of the faction stack. Nor was the Alliance being passive in the position they are in. They are working to strengthen themselves and change their position when the opportunity is right. I also wanted to highlight that LOGOs came to the Alliance at a very low point. For those that have watched the anime, you know Logos is no stranger for taking advantage of others for their benefit. I wanted to show that and the Alliance being at the point they don't care where help comes from or why it is offered.
I want to speak on Arzachel a bit in this as I went into a bit more detail than canon does. I claim author's rights to elaboration for some of the additions and implications I've written for the base. I stated Ptolemaeus was "out of date" or lacking in state-of-the-art equipment, and I stand by that. Ptolemaeus may have been strong, but it wasn't a new base since it had stood for a number of years before its destruction. Yet, Arzachel's construction and location was chosen for a reason by the Alliance. They needed a new lunar HQ of course with the loss of Ptolemaeus. But the Alliance is looking ahead toward future operations, rare as it is for them to think all that far ahead of their present plans. They want the option to strike the Federation's Luna Base and Serenity City if they choose to. The Alliance understands waving off the Federation as nothing to worry about is a mistake. It was one of the lessons they took away from the Alliance-PLANT War.
The other thing I want to point out in this summary section of the Phase is the Alliance has not changed for the better. The attempts of some to rid the Alliance of the radicals only worked for a short period before they took back control. I'm not saying there weren't efforts to wipe out those like Blue Cosmos and Logos, for there were. But organizations like that are good at hiding and enduring assaults against them. Yet, I would also say that the Federation still knew of them even before the war in Destiny gets going. I will go into more detail for that later on, but I wanted to bring that up at this point to introduce you to the idea.
Now onto Neo's introduction, I know some have asked why I have Neo and not have Mu go back to the Archangel after his survival. While I don't like everything that canon does for the story, I think the character Neo has a purpose. I will go into that in future Phases, but I wanted to make it clear that Neo is in this for a reason. However, I also wanted to show he has hints of Mu's personality traits, somewhat more than canon shows. So, please, no complaints about Neo being around instead of Mu for the time being. I will explain things as time goes on, so please be patient.
Now, the mission brief via Neo which I wanted to go through in a little more detail. So, the mission, simply put, is to raid a Federation outpost and ZAFT's Armory One. As canon shows, the Armory One raid is to steal the Gundams ZAFT was developing and that hasn't changed on this end. The raid on the Federation outpost is as the original told, getting access to the Information Network. However, there are different sets of difficulties with each side of the mission. Neo does imply the Alliance still underestimates the Federation to varying degrees, though he isn't one of those. Yet, that was one of the qualities that had Neo chosen for Phantom Pain. So, Neo is convinced that the raid on the outpost would be more difficult than the Gundam theft. And in the long term, Neo is right since there are more consequences for the raid on the Federation that are felt than the theft. He knows the Federation guards its network zealously, even if others don't bring that up. But Neo does admit why the Alliance has the interest in getting to the Federation's Network.
The last thing I want to highlight in the first scene at Arzachel is the "reputation" that Phantom Pain has. The reputation of Phantom Pain precedes it even within the Alliance. They are known to be a pain to work with, no pun intended. Agents of Phantom Pain are arrogant, take charge and flaunt authority. Alliance officers dread working with any from Phantom Pain as it is nothing but frustrating and painful. Officers don't even need to have direct experience with them to know of their reputation. That explains the hesitance Ian Lee has to Neo with him being from Phantom Pain. And understand, Neo is an exception, not the rule with Phantom Pain.
Moving onto the second and last scene of this Phase, the raid on the Milos Outpost. I felt this deserved attention which I didn't give in the original. I know this is a scene that has people being slaughtered, and I'm normally against that type of thing. However, I wanted to portray what Phantom Pain does "out of the public eye," as canon doesn't really go into that. The other thing I wanted to show is Neo doesn't like this sort of thing. It implies Mu's quality of caring about people is still there but buried.
In conclusion to this phase, I know it was short, but if I hadn't split it, then it would've been over 32k words for all of you to read. As I've stated, I like to keep Phases I write down to less than 30k words so readers aren't overloaded with one phase. Fair warning, the first two original phases are expanding into multiple phases. So this will have more story than the original, but I hope it will be better in the end. As always, please some of you write a review and tell me what you think of the Phase or the story as a whole so far. The next Phase will be titled, "Tracking Down the Truth." Peace out until the next phase!