Hey, peeps~! Here's the next chapter of The Phoenix Rising. I hope you guys are ready for what's coming here. ;) This chapter is going to cover the buildup to the final assault on Sovereign, as well as its aftermath. ;3
- operation meteor: Glad ya liked it. :) Yeah, I wanted to show how the fallout of the attack on Paris affected everyone. And I thought it would be interesting to show how some others are intrigued by the resistance as well, even choosing to send volunteers to help bring that bastard Nazara down in some way. And Eisenhower is good at keeping momentum up on something like this. She knows what she's doing. ;3 And I'm happy you enjoy the Blue Masque. :) I'll include more of her in this chapter as well. ;3
- 1800009trumbullps . net: Well, thanks. :)
- CT7567Rules: I heard about that. And yes, the resistance is building up for another assault, this time in conjunction with Terminal and the other Allies against the Sovereign. Nazara's monstrosity is going down~! ;3
- KentLinuxStadfelt: First off, I'm sorry for your loss, Kent. I know how hard it is. And I'm glad I can make you smile with this. :) And yes, Blue Masque is a shoutout to that particular game. ;3
(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 LII: Retribution Rising
JANUARY 1ST/JANUARY 2ND, 0073/0074 CE
EARTH, EARTH SPHERE
The entire area was almost silent.
The only night sounds, if they could be called that, were the humming of the colony's life support systems and air filters, keeping the oxygen flowing as its inhabitants either slept or worked on some of the resistance's major projects, alongside the natural noises of chirping crickets and the faint hooting of owls in the colony's woods.
To say that it was going to remain as serene was another matter altogether.
Judgment Station was very well hidden, which was the only reason no one from the Atlantian Reich or ZAFT had found it. Especially the Atlantian Reich. With how close the L2 shipyards were to the edge of their sensor radius, it made sense they'd have to rely solely on disguise and stealth to remain in play. And the debris field of L4 was the perfect choice to hide in.
For Spray, it was a perfect place to get away from all the planning and the anticipation of the coming operations.
He sighed as he lay back on the grass, his eyes locked onto the segmented glass enclosure that acted as a ceiling for the colony. He could see the stars beyond it, and the faint lights of other smaller settlements on the opposite side of the cylindrical shelter. His mind was already filled with the pending operations that lay in the future, especially the upcoming attack on Iceland for ZAFT and their allies.
He narrowed his eyes in thought.
'What is it the hell they're hiding...?' he thought. He didn't know, but whatever it was, it was surely going to be a doozy of a weapon. Based on what he knew about the Atlantians' military doctrine, it was always bigger guns, bigger weapons. And there was little room for tactical or strategic initiative, relying solely on sheer numbers to whittle down their enemies' forces. Brute force over reasoning.
Primal hearts reigning over civil smarts.
It was enough to make him sick.
'Just what is it about such things that draws LOGOs and Blue Cosmos to them?' he wondered. 'It's like... I don't know what it's like, but... whatever the reason, it's like they fear change to the extent they will resort to primal passions to urge their people to ignore science and all reason. Like they want us to become primal animals again... like... primitive superstitions are the governing beliefs...'
He scowled as he sighed, closing his eyes. "LOGOs' mindset is just too alien for me..."
The sound of the crickets chirping was his only answer.
At least for a few minutes more.
The soft revving of a motorcycle engine caught his attention as he sat up, narrowing his eyes as he spotted the glinting of the headlight on the road. He got to his feet and turned to face the newcomer as they brought their bike to a stop.
The rider kicked the stand out and shut down the bike's engine as they reached up and removed their helmet.
Twin green eyes greeted him as a thick mess of brown hair fell out around a handsome face, one he knew well. "Wait... Radar?!" Spray blurted. "What are you doing here?!"
The AWACS operator just clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Long story short, they needed me brought back to space. I'm not sure as to why, but the top brass was insistent on it."
Spray pursed his lips as he walked over to a nearby log and sat down on it, patting the spot beside him.
Radar Harrison walked over to where his friend was and sat down beside him. The two men stared for a while at the city in the distance, and then Radar glanced to his friend. "So, I heard. You've been assigned a new unit," he mused.
The rebel ace nodded. "Yeah. The new machine just has to be fine-tuned. And the ship's about ready to deploy." He sighed as he glanced at the sky above, taking note of the stars outside the colony's outer shell. "The only question is, will it work as intended?"
"C'mon," Radar scoffed. "You're really doubting Dr. Brand? Especially after the completion of the new fusion reactor?"
Spray pursed his lips as he looked down; he could clearly recall the news report from close to twenty years ago. "I wonder what he would think of all this..." he murmured. "I mean... we could have, and should have, tapped into nuclear fusion reactors long ago. But no, LOGOs had to thwart that. And not only did they stifle all research into them, but..." He clenched his fists. "They also killed the creator of the next generation of nuclear fusion reactors..."
The news report had really drawn condemnation from most of civilized society, calling for the assassin to be put to death because of the fact the man had killed a very well-known figure in the field of nuclear physics. In fact, Dr. Brand had been close to this man, as had the renowned Aeolia Schenberg. The brilliant engineer had been the most outspoken at the time, and the federal investigative agencies had just about caught the assassin, only for him to suddenly get killed by a drive-by shooting, which was too coincidental in the eyes of many. When Dr. Brand heard of this, he had quit his job in working on nuclear power plants and gone into hiding, as he also had knowledge on how to build nuclear fusion reactors; he just didn't use that knowledge for fear of being killed like his old friend had been.
The man in question had been one of those very few who could build a working fusion reactor in their garage with what they had at their disposal; he had actually done so when he was in college, and all for a science project, too. He had become a legend in the realm of nuclear engineering, and had earned many admirers, and enemies, as his assassination had shown. The death of Dr. Torenov Minovsky had really rattled the world at large, and now, there was no way anyone could recreate his only working prototype nuclear fusion reactor.
At least in theory.
It was by a sheer stroke of luck that Dr. Brand happened to find a single flash drive containing all his notes pertaining to the development and manufacture of his new generation fusion reactors, hidden in his old college apartment dorm in a hidden drawer in his dresser. While visiting the old dorm before it was torn down to make way for a new dorm, he had poked around for any remaining evidence of his former friend, and by sheer chance, happened to find that flash drive.
And now, the resistance had the blueprints for the first working Minovsky nuclear fusion reactor, named after its creator and inventor. Unlike the original fusion reactors developed by the Atlantian Reich in its early days, this one was smaller than average, having the same output for smaller size. The reason: it used an energy field created by a new particle called the Minovsky Particle to confine and compress the reactor fuel, thereby triggering nuclear fusion. The particles generated also acted as a catalyst to keep the reaction going. It could also be used to power the mobile suit's avionic and other electronics, including joints and life support. This nuclear fusion reactor also had an unintended side effect of releasing those very same particles, which could jam enemy electronics, just like the Jammer Pack could, but on a much larger scale and without a time limit or limited Mirage Colloid particle supply.
The downside: the particles could not disperse that quickly, meaning that most conventional BVR engagements were rendered useless, making close combat a necessity; hence the need for mobile suits.
The only issue was that they could only make one due to a lack of a substantial supply of helium-3 gas, and that very reactor was within the Phoenix Gundam X.
Radar gave a subtle nod. "Yeah. I'm sure Dr. Minovsky would be insisting on restarting research into creating them."
Spray was silent for a moment, only the chirping of crickets and the faint hooting of an owl reaching both men.
The resistance ace finally sighed as he glanced back at the ground. "I just wonder what it will take to finally defeat Nazism for real this time..." he muttered.
Radar placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Whatever it takes, we will do it," he reassured him.
Spray managed a small grin at that. "Heh. Yeah. After all, if we could wrench the world free from the crazed grip of LOGOs' ideology, then we can do the unthinkable for sure."
But he knew it wouldn't be that easy. Always throughout history the very beliefs of the old Nazi Party in Germany during World War II had resonated with people and urged them to embrace their dark sides. By ignoring fundamental truths about human nature, they always relied upon conspiracies and pseudoscience to justify their actions, always claiming it to be for a certain 'race's greater good' by wiping out those they deemed impure and unfit to live. The same beliefs endured now in the Atlantian Reich, and it would take an immense amount of effort to end those beliefs once and for all.
The only question now was, how could it be done? What would it require to break those beliefs to be shattered for good?
What would be the unifying catalyst for humanity to come together as one race, not differing tribes divided by false assumptions and lies?
To Spray, the answer should have been obvious. But it was according to human nature to classify people and others. And it was in humanity's nature to come together in separate, smaller units that made up the whole.
But that nature also could lead to humanity's downfall if not curtailed and guided down the right path.
Radar seemed to sense his thoughts and looked down. "To be honest, Spray, I'm just not sure if we will ever truly break those beliefs."
"Still, there has to be some way to do so," Spray said softly. "I mean... we can't keep relying on common sense to rule forever... Those beliefs are bound to force us into another war of genocide... if not outright omnicide..."
The bigger man knew what his friend was getting at. He scowled at those words. "Then all the more reason to find that very catalyst we need," he said, placing a hand on Spray's shoulder. "If we can do it... then we'll have done the impossible and broken those beliefs."
At least he hoped it would be possible.
No one knew what the future held, and no one would truly grasp what was to come.
The very fate of humanity hung in the balance.
. . .
JANUARY 3RD, 0074 CE
EARTH ORBIT
The timing for the mission was critical.
Spray licked his lips as he narrowed his eyes, his hands curling around the controls for his machine. He could already see the countdown ticking ever closer to the point of firing. Behind him, the Redemption hovered a good distance away, but not far enough to cause the beam to miss. The ship's maneuvering thrusters were working overtime as the crew and helm officer kept the vessel on station. Even the slightest margin of error could cause the beam to either hit the Phoenix Gundam X, or miss it entirely. And they could not let that happen.
His COMM line beeped and he triggered it. "Is the ship moving?" he asked.
"Yes," Hannah replied. "We just got word. Their turn should be complete within the next fifteen seconds."
A sinister grin crossed Spray's lips at that. "Good..." he muttered darkly. "That beast won't escape the wrath of the angels this time!"
The image of the captain of the Redemption grinned on the main screen in the upper left hand corner.
"You know what to do?" she asked.
"Yes," Spray replied. "I've been waiting for this for some time!"
"Good. Let's hope it works accordingly." Hannah was hopeful, but at the same time she was worried. Would it even work?
"I hope so too," the pilot muttered. He closed the comm.
On the bridge of the Redemption, Hannah turned to her bridge crew. Already she had her orders in mind and she wasted no time barking them out. This was their only chance to get a direct hit on the Sovereign, and she was determined to make sure they hit the emitter directly. Alongside Wing Zero Albion's TBR, there was no way those shields could hold forever. Even if they could hold out, the fact that the shields would leech power from other sides was the thing they were gambling on. Each victory was going to cost them more and more, she realized, and this was the biggest victory that would not only secure their presence on the world stage, but also the fact that the Atlantian Reich was nowhere near as powerful as people feared.
This was their best bet, and she was sure as hell not going to waste it.
"Is the VEDA Network linked up?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am!" one of the computer engineers replied as he glanced back over his shoulder. On his station's screen, she could see the data from the VEDA Network streaming through their hacked satellites directly to the ship's databases. By combining that with the data sent to them via Wing Zero Albion, they were able to overlay the two sets to show the exact point to target.
It was accurate down to the millimeter.
"All right. Let's do this!" Hannah ordered.
With her command, the crew began to work as chatter filled the bridge.
"Energy linkage engaged!"
"Secondary fusion reactor coming online!"
"Power systems engaging."
"Limiters disengaging!"
"Energy transfer online!"
"Power levels rising!"
Someone got to their feet and ran for the back of the bridge where the activation switch was located. He reached out and touched the wall, grabbing a hidden hatch and opening the concealed door to expose the breaker. The breaker itself was shaped like an upside down question mark. The man grabbed it and began to push it up. "Judgment Satellite... engaged!" he cried. With a loud grunt, he pushed the breaker into the on position. Once it was in the on position, it resembled a capital P, and behind it, two dimly illuminated phoenix wings flashed red.
"Phoenix System is a go!" the man cried, looking to the captain.
The satellite began to charge up.
"LOGOs... your Judgment is at hand!" Hannah sneered.
Deep within the ship, the generator that was the heart of the system began to shudder with power. The fusion reactor's power began to flood the device, sending energy surging throughout its systems to the relays. The ends of the relays slowly lit up before threads of light lashed out to connect, and then the emitter started to hum with the power of the stars. The glowing emitter began to shine, and then a brilliant ray of cyan light lanced out, slamming into the glass. The entire shield began to shine, the energy becoming more and more potent as it was enhanced like a magnifier before being funneled into the satellite dish's energy connectors. The very tip of the satellite dish's antenna began to glow before a thin, but potent beam of light streaked out, slamming into the back of the Phoenix Gundam X.
The hexagon began to shine with power as the energy from the Judgment Satellite System started to surge over the machine's limbs and frame. On the back, the large white extensions began to unfold, two locking into position above the shoulders and two folding out to rest beneath the shoulders, closer to the waist. The extensions reached out a bit further, unfolding a second time to lock into position before two handles emerged from the lower segments. The pilot grasped these handles as the wings on the back of the Phoenix Gundam X suddenly snapped open to full width, exposing a sort of 'feathered' appearance reminiscent of the Freedom Gundam.
The large extensions began to seethe with cyan electricity as it raced down to the ends before starting to coalesce into a cyan orb between the right and left pairs respectively. The energy lit up in the depths of space, and Hannah watched on the main monitor as the pilot fed the targeting data back to her. When combined with a satellite overlay, the resistance had a very accurate image of their target. The large vessel that was the destroyer of Paris was moving along, its target clear: Vienna.
"Your trail of destruction ends here!" she muttered.
. . .
Spray's eyes narrowed as he watched the beam coming streaking down towards the dot that was the Sovereign. He cleared his throat and toggled the COMMs, speaking in a rough French accent, speaking the only words he had bothered to learn for this moment.
"Ceci... est pour Paris!" he snarled in anger.
. . .
JANUARY 3RD, 0074 CE
The explosion of the massive dreadnought was a sight that rocked the world.
The twin beams from the resistance's own superweapon and the TBR heralded in the arrival of a new fighting party, a faction whose power rivaled that of Terminal, with a much more extensive reach across the former Atlantic Federation countries. This faction, the newly named North Atlantic Security Alliance, was going to eventually shift the balance even further, but for the moment, as long as their combined efforts alongside everyone else brought the Atlantian Reich's dreadnought down, that was all that mattered.
The sense of relief the world felt was palpable. But it was not as noticeable as it was for the rest of Terminal.
The other emotions that filled the air were joy... and hope.
Despair, once rampant, had been snuffed out by the twin beams of Judgment and Zero.
Striking down the anvil of despair and fascism, symbolized by the dreadnought, the resistance and Terminal, combined with the efforts of Eurasia and Orb, brought back hope to the world as a whole.
And the sheer power of hope was enough to bring a sense of happiness and joy to the world in the wake of the Sovereign's demise.
Across the world, people broke out into cheers. Massive fireworks displays broke out across Eurasia's cities inland, and countless other displays of victory showed themselves as well. Within the former Atlantic Federation, the resistance experienced nothing short of a miraculous boost to their morale. Their efforts to showcase their power and potency to the Reich had paid off, and now Nazara would fear them, not dismiss them as a threat. The Atlantian diehards were caught off guard by the sudden surge in fighting spirit in their enemies. While they were not as spiritually 'pure' as them, the rebels were far more unified and driven now that a major victory had been scored. And against one of their biggest weapons, to boot.
Project: Doomsday had succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, despite needing a combined effort to bring down the dreaded ship.
Within the train heading to the safehouse in the Pennsylvania countryside, President Eisenhower smirked as she leaned back in her seat. "Well... looks like Project: Doomsday succeeded after all," she remarked.
"Yes, ma'am, but it was a combined effort," one of her aides admitted. "It wouldn't have been able to penetrate those shields alone, as we just saw."
"True, but it goes to show that we were able to match the TBR in its sheer output." Her smirk grew into a grin, then a sneer. "LOGOs truly underestimated us when they said that we weren't intelligent and that we were mere lambs led astray from the true flock."
A few other people present shivered at the comparison. One person even scoffed. "Lambs? Yeah, right! We're not lambs! We're human beings, too, remember? And therefore we get to decide our own damn fates and lives."
"Lambs or not, we are not going to let this continue," Eisenhower stated. Her sneer faded as she became serious. "Speaking of, how's the status of the safehouse?"
"The safehouse is still unnoticed," a third aide replied. She glanced back from her seat at the COMMs station. "The cell in Norfolk has just informed us the prisoner has been sent there."
"Good." Eisenhower nodded. "The sooner we can get this underway the better." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "That man... has to be awakened to the folly of his decisions and the fallout for his family."
The people in the car all knew who she was referring to when she said that.
She was referring to Commandant Jarrod Ramius, the former father of Murrue Ramius.
"That also reminds me. What's the status on the base itself?" the resistance commander-in-chief asked.
"The base has been without its commandant for several days now," the aide replied. "We were already one step ahead in placing our own commander in charge of it. With the loss of Norfolk, this should significantly slow down the buildup of forces in Great Britain for retaking the initiative in Europe."
"All the better for us then," Eisenhower mused. "And all the better for the Eurasians. Without the flow of supplies to Great Britain, the less supplies the invaders will have to use against the Eurasians. And the less they have, the more of a chance they'll have to defeat the Atlantians on their home turf."
"We can also reroute supplies earmarked for the invasion towards our own forces back home," the first aide suggested. "That way there will be less for the Atlantian diehards to use and more for us."
"Then do it," Eisenhower ordered. Her gaze locked onto the monitors displaying all resistance activities. "Also, did we manage to get one of our own on the base as their new commander?"
"We did, ma'am," someone else reported. "The man is already rerouting supplies from the ships directly inland. He's pulled a coup on this one. He managed to convince the LOGOs thugs in charge of supplies that they weren't needed as the defeat of the Sovereign signified the end of the invasion."
Eisenhower leaned forward a bit, tenting her fingers in front of her mouth. "The High Command isn't gonna like that," she stated. "But they can't do a damn thing about it, given how bad things have gotten down here on Earth. In orbit is the only place where they have any sort of influence left, and we're about to take that away from them, too." Her eyes hardened into shards of ice. "But for now, we have to make sure that their Admiral, Richard West, doesn't get his hands on the commandant we stole from them."
. . .
L4 COALITION
The entire Council was in an uproar.
But not in a bad way.
The mood in the room was far from angry and tense. There was nothing but joy and celebratory actions as the Council members watched the fiery demise of the Sovereign. The Blue Masque had a smile on her face as she studied the scene below her. With the defeat of the dreadnought on Earth, there was only one threat remaining. The second half of Project: Reaper. Intelligence sniffed out by the Darter a week ago indicated that the Atlantian Reich had something in the works on the dark side of the moon, something that worried her enormously.
What it was, she had no idea. But whatever it was, it was enough to make her shudder.
She turned her gaze back towards the site of where the beam that lanced down from orbit had come from.
The ship the resistance had built in secrecy.
The Redemption.
Unlike so many other movements throughout history, the resistance scattered all over North America and the former countries of Great Britain and Ireland was far more competent and capable than anyone had thought possible. Possessing the means to create such a ship was no easy feat, as the intense secrecy needed could usually lead the construction of such a vessel to take years, if not decades. But the resistance had managed to get it finished in less than four years, and launched using a ramshackle mass driver, a tactic that shouldn't have worked, but did.
Her gaze landed on the single machine that had unleashed the sheer power of the dreaded Cyclops system, but in what they had called its true form. That single Gundam-type mobile suit had unleashed Armageddon down on the Sovereign, bringing down a beast of the Devil with the power of Heaven. Or, rather, it had been a small cog in the collaborative effort to slay said beast.
The first, truly unified effort to slay one of the Devil's hounds had ended in a resounding victory for the human race as a whole. And now the world was fully aware of what the resistance could do. A movement with the sheer industrial scale to create such a ship in so short a time span was something that the Atlantians underestimated. And truthfully, so had she. But now that she had seen the results, her decision to align with them made perfect sense. And with the sheer audacity of them to even defy Durandal long before they fought him was something else to be admired.
It was clear to the Blue Masque that President Eisenhower was one hell of a planner, and she knew very well what she had to do now.
She turned as the rest of her fellow Councilors continued to cheer and celebrate the defeat of the dreadnought. She was going to let them enjoy themselves, since everyone needed a way to forget the sheer barbarity of what LOGOs had done to Paris.
While the war still was a top priority, she had another thing to focus on.
And she needed to meet with someone who could possibly provide more insight on what they had discovered through their recent search in Mendel.
She exited the Council chamber and slowly made her way through the building until she reached the staff quarters. She was quick to make her way to the third floor, before arriving at a door numbered 3034. She knocked on the door and the sound of someone standing up reached her hearing. Footsteps echoed before the door unlocked and slid open to expose the occupant of the room.
The young man was in his mid-to-late teens, with a shock of light blue hair and red eyes. He had a lean, but strong build, and he wore a dark gray jumpsuit underneath a white and blue shirt, with dark gray metallic boots to round out his outfit. On his hands he wore black and red fingerless gloves. "So, I take it you saw the news?" she asked him.
The man nodded. "Yes. Quite a feat for a resistance movement to have created such a ship and weapon in so short a time span," he mused.
"And that, Ergnes, is precisely why you are here and not in the PLANTs or on Earth," the Blue Masque explained.
Ergnes Brahe was no ordinary Coordinator, having been born on Mars and sent to Earth as part of a delegation to determine their stance on the war as a whole. After having been intercepted by the L4 Coalition forces, his ship had been rerouted to the main colony where they were detained for their own protection. While not held prisoner, they were not allowed to leave the colony lest they get spotted by the two warring factions; it was also a necessity as the colonies on Mars had basically implemented the same kind of plan the search team had found drafts for in Mendel. Being from Mars, Ergnes was a key person to help determine the exact steps and processes needed to enact such a plan.
"I am fully aware of my circumstances; much as I may dislike them, I can fully understand the necessity of them," he remarked.
"Good. Now, I do not intend to keep you detained here indefinitely. It will last until the war ends, and then we shall see about fully opening trade publicly with the rest of the colonies," the Blue Masque stated.
Ergnes nodded, folding his arms over his chest. "And I assume you want information on how the colonies implemented the plan you found on Mendel?"
The Blue Masque nodded. "Yes. Any information is of value, especially as we do not know why it is going to be implemented."
"From what little you've gathered, it seems to me like it's a means to not only ensure everyone has a role, but there is a deeper component to it," Ergnes remarked, his red eyes narrowing a bit. "It's sort of similar to what we executed, but... why?"
"Regardless, any information you can give us would be most valuable for the resistance and our allies," the Blue Masque repeated.
Ergnes could see where she was coming from, having seen the way the world had rallied against Blue Cosmos and LOGOs in the shadows. But with the PLANTs also being a potential threat, he wasn't too keen on seeing them get attacked, or even destroyed. Whatever the case, he wished only for the war to end in favor of his people, regardless if they were on Mars or in space, or even on Earth.
He sighed before he began to speak.
. . .
JANUARY 4TH, 0074 CE
JUDGMENT STATION
MOBILE SUIT REPAIR BAY
The mobile suit repair bay was close to silent as it could be; with very few suits present, it was just a large empty space that also doubled as a makeshift barracks for their guest, seeing as how they had nowhere else to put him.
A single projector shone on a blank wall, displaying all the combat data that had been recently forwarded to the resistance via Terminal. Currently a movie comprised of visual combat data from Wing Zero was playing out, and the viewer had his arms crossed over his chest as he sat on one of the crates holding ammunition for the DIs.
Turbine Martinez's optics flickered as he lowered his helm a little. 'So that's how he did it...' he mused to himself. Studying the footage gleaned from the fights with the command-class AIs Hugin and Munin he was able to discern that Heero Yuy, despite being a mere human, was way more capable than any pilot or AI he had faced. He had to admit that Heero had a sort of mechanical quality when fighting. He never let things distract him, always focusing on the goal at hand. His movements were clean, precise, and his agility was truly astonishing for a human being piloting a mobile suit. Most other pilots only used their machine like a bulky suit of armor; Heero used his like it was his body, not a mere suit of armor.
The comparison to himself was a bit uncanny, but there were also some minor differences. Namely in his ability to keep control of his emotions in battle. He was calm and levelheaded, unlike Turbine himself. He tried to remain levelheaded, but there were times he had to admit that his temper got the better of him in combat. Well, that, and he was more or less still learning about his growing range of emotions.
"Turbine?" The AI jolted as he heard the familiar voice of the station commander.
Turbine turned his gaze to look at the man as he approached. "What are you doing?" Maxus asked, spotting the footage on the wall.
"Oh. Maxus." Turbine nodded once. "I didn't expect you to come down to the repair bay so late."
"Well, I couldn't sleep, especially after that victory that we helped pull off," the man explained. He rubbed his eyes a bit. "Getting drunk didn't help much, either."
"I thought you said you couldn't sleep," the AI joked.
"I did say I got drunk," Maxus countered. "I got so wasted I passed out on the couch and woke up this morning with the worst hangover ever."
"I hope you had something to eat to help with the symptoms," Turbine remarked as he turned his gaze back to the video footage. "Because from what Father told me, that's the best way to ease it."
"Oh, I did," Maxus said as he joined Turbine beside the crate. "It helped a lot, but not enough to stop the headache. At least I wasn't puking my guts everywhere."
"Puking your guts out is not possible," the AI remarked. His optics dimmed a shade as he studied the video feed.
"Are you reviewing the combat data?" Maxus asked.
"Yeah." Turbine nodded. "It's a good thing to do, given the circumstances. Especially as from what I heard, production has been ramped up for those mass produced AI units they call the Krahes, or whatever they are."
He then gestured to the projector's operator to pause the footage, observing a formation of those machines. "Wait..." Turbine stood up and made his way over to the wall, placing one massive servo on it and leaning in, as if trying to study something on the wall itself. Maxus arched an eyebrow at his behavior, only to see him then make some measurements with two fingers. He moved them around in an angle before he turned back to the man in the projector booth. "Can you go frame by frame on this?" he called.
"Sure, Turbine!" the man called back. "But why?"
"Just trust me!" the AI shouted.
The footage began to play again, this time going frame by frame. It was so slow it was as if they weren't moving, but the more the two watched, the more Maxus could see the AIs moving in perfect synchronicity.
Or at least that's how it appeared to the human. To the AI, on the other hand, he held up a servo. "Pause again! Go back, then take some time to go frame by frame! Ten seconds in between each frame!"
The man nodded and the footage rewound itself back to the perfect formation's maneuver. The AI pressed his digits to the wall at an angle, moving them slightly every ten seconds. His optics flickered a bit as he ran through some calculations rapidly before doing the same thing for the next few frames. After twenty minutes had passed, he turned back to the projector booth. "All right, stop it!" he called.
The image paused, and stayed put.
"What was that about?" Maxus asked Turbine as he made his way back over to the crate. But instead of sitting down on it, the AI grabbed one of his beam sabers and adjusted the power output to the barest minimum possible. He grabbed a nearby slab of metal that was used for fabricating replacement armor panels and shifted his grip on his beam saber so he was holding it like a giant pen. He ignited the extremely fine blade and placed the tip of it on the metal slab.
"That formation... It's so fine, so minute no human could expect it," Turbine muttered as he started to work.
Maxus scrambled closer to the metal slab that was now being used as a makeshift drawing board. "What is this, Turbine?"
The AI glanced over, his cyan optics locking onto the station commander. "This?" He gestured to the slab of metal, and the human inched closer. He peered at the doodles Turbine had made.
He could see that there were six dots marked in two rows. But what really surprised him was seeing that the more he stared at them, the more the dots had a pattern of movement to them...
"This is the movement patterns of the Mobile Dolls, as Terminal has been calling them," Turbine responded as he continued to work. He kept 'writing' down the patterns before he put his beam saber closer to some of the dots and starting to etch an angle in the metal. He proceeded to do this for the next fifteen sets of dots before he started to etch in the number and degree of the angle in question. Each pattern, Maxus realized, was a sequential movement for each dot, or more like each Mobile Doll, if that's what the dots represented. His eyes went wide as he started to grasp what Turbine had seen.
"Wait... this is the sequence of movement that each drone has made... right?" he asked.
Turbine glanced to the man and nodded. "To put simply, yes. Each mobile doll doesn't move in perfect sync with the others. There is a subtle delay between each doll's movement with the others. It's so subtle no human can see it, regardless if their genes have been enhanced or if they're just naturally gifted with superb eyesight for organics. Only another AI can discern it due to our nature as AI. We can make more precise and finer calculations than humans can, which makes us capable of outperforming your capacities in math and whatnot. But that doesn't make us superior in everything," he explained. He then sat back on the balls of his metal feet, putting his beam saber away after recalibrating it to its combat settings. He studied the makeshift notepad and his optics dimmed a little. "This is very troubling..."
"In more ways than one," Maxus mused. "That subtle difference is impossible for us to counter..."
"And there's something more," the AI responded. He turned back to the projector room and nodded to the man inside. "Switch the combat footage to the end of the fight!" he called.
"You got it, Turbine!" he remarked.
The two men on the ground turned their gaze back to the wall as the combat footage shifted, becoming static before recalibrating into crisp, clean footage, showing the aftermath of the Sovereign's destruction. he AI sat back on his crate as he and Maxus watched for a few minutes and at once the station commander picked up on it.
"Those surviving mobile dolls..." he noticed. "Their combat performance has dropped significantly. They're not fighting at peek capabilities." He turned to Turbine. "Why is that?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure myself," he muttered as he folded his arms over his chest. "But... if what I'm seeing is any indication, then I can only surmise that perhaps there was a relay node or some kind of transmitter sending electronic commands and orders to them. Perhaps the node was destroyed, or their transmitter was damaged or who knows? But it is something to consider as a possibility." He then dimmed his optics a shade as he dipped his head a smidgen. "It's actually highly likely that a relay was aboard the Sovereign to transmit their maneuvers to them."
"So then you think that the node being destroyed is what led to their decrease in combat performance," Maxus deduced.
Turbine nodded. "It's possible, but until we can get actual footage and data from our forces back on Earth, it's only an assumption, but one that can be considered as highly likely," he stated. "And the mobile dolls had to resort to backup programming."
"... So you're theorizing those mobile dolls may not have sophisticated programming like the two Heero and Wufei took out. And that in turn means that the Atlantians did not consider that as a primary priority," Maxus pointed out.
"That is possible, but another reason could be that Hugin and Munin were never meant to truly surpass their own limitations, despite their learning algorithms," Turbine guessed. "In all honesty, those two are just basic AI programs, no matter how advanced their learning capabilities." He then scoffed, forcing air out his vents in a short burst. "They lack the ability to take initiative on their own, which makes them unable to truly put themselves through their full potential. And their fighting style... I studied some of the footage snatched from satellites and the Internet on the fights between that Eurasian mobile suit, the Wyvern, and Wing Albion."
Maxus swore to the day of his death that he saw Turbine's optics actually narrow, which was impossible given the limitations of their technology at the time.
"Their fighting style matched that of Mihaly!" the AI spat.
The human was surprised to hear the utter disgust in Turbine's voice. "Wait. Are you disgusted with those two?"
"More than you know," Turbine muttered lowly. "Those two didn't earn their combat experience the same way I did. They had it programmed into them. Actually, programmed combat experience is not real combat experience at all. It's only battle data fed into their programming, meant to simulate real combat experience. Unlike me, where I had to earn it through real time battle. Such as back during the siege of Satellite City. I gained a lot of valuable combat experience through that fighting, and the attack on Dr. Sung's lab, not to mention the battle back at our first base."
He then let out a heavy sigh through his vents. "Real combat experience is something one goes through. It cannot be programmed. It cannot be simulated. It has to be real, visceral, brutal... it has to be right there. You have to see, hear, and feel the war, the battles, the gore, the smell of gunpowder and cordite, the screams of the dying and the wounded... the smell of blood, oil, and hydraulic fluid, the stench of melting metal..." He shuddered, his armor rattling against his metallic hide as he clenched his servos on his arms. "It has to be real, Maxus. As a soldier, you understand that, don't you?"
Maxus did. He nodded. "Yes. I fully understand where you're coming from." He then turned his gaze back to the footage as it replayed on the wall. "Although I never expected an AI to feel a sense of superiority over other AIs before." He then pursed his lips. "I always figured that AIs, once they achieved sentience, would lord it over humanity and surpass them."
"Trust me, that's not even the case," Turbine remarked with a snort. Or at least as close to it as he could get. "I don't see you as inferior. You are not like the AIs Xen created. And I'm not like that anymore, either. I've got a soul. Same with you. You can think outside the box. And so can I. We both can appreciate the arts. And we both feel the same emotions, don't we?" He then unfolded his arms. "So to me, humans are equals in many things, and superior in others. We're not truly inferior, nor are we truly superior. We're only good at what we are good at."
The station commander actually laughed at that. "That's quite a deep statement!" he chortled.
"What? Just saying it because it's true," Turbine said as he looked down to the human beside his big metal feet. "No one should be seen as inferior or superior to others in everything."
Maxus stopped his laughing as he turned his gaze back to the footage of the battles playing out. "This reminds me though... with the upcoming mass production, the rest of the resistance back on Earth is going to be implementing new AIs into their forces."
The AI perked up. "Wait... what do you... Do you mean my father has begun the second stage?" he asked.
The human nodded. "He did. So you may be getting more siblings or whatever you want to call them in the future."
Turbine snorted. "Siblings? As if. If that's true, then his plans will involve those AIs developing their own personalities and quirks. The fact that they are AI like me only indicates that more of my own kind will be joining the fight. We're a different race, not siblings." Then he paused. "Actually, that does bring up an interesting question. Can AI even have siblings?"
"Well, regardless, I'm sure we'll find out soon," Maxus said. "In fact, I'm kind of hopeful for these new AIs."
"Huh? You are?" Turbine inclined his helm a bit. "Why do you say that?"
Here a smile crossed Maxus's face. "If an AI like you can be born... then I have faith in the future of humanity as a whole. Because AIs and humans can then work together, despite what the naysayers may think."
. . .
SATELLITE CITY
MEXICO
Within the city's center, Dr. Keith Martinez watched as the latest AI was removed from the simulation chamber, huddled against Jen's body as it was carried to the designated people who were to help care for it. The whole time, Kenta Wong stood off to the side, that smirk on his face as he watched the same AI shudder in Jen's grasp.
The former engineer had a point, he mused. This was more barbaric than anything he could come up with. But it was also more humane, as the AIs' chassis were not harmed. But the simulation was far too real to these infant AIs. And many people were not too thrilled about this.
But already there were signs of progress to show how far his project had come.
Turbine had a soul of his own.
The next batch of AIs, of which three were the original models from the Strike Daggers the resistance had hijacked back in November of 0073 CE, were already gaining their sentience and awareness, with two already having defined genders and names. The last eight were still trying to learn where they fell on the spectrum.
One of those AI had already displayed a keen interest in military matters, and the assigned pair to raise it, Frederik Hans and Natasha Killington, had brought up their concerns to him. Keith took the time to look over the AI in question, and after several hours, confirmed to them that nothing was wrong with it or the coding that made it up. In fact, he had also confirmed that the AI had a male gender and had picked the name Stalemate as its designation.
This earned a bit more attention than he had expected, but he was not about to let this slide. In fact, a number of ideas were already racing around inside his head as he watched the two engineers work to help their AI 'son' adjust to his smaller chassis and frame. Keith's eyes narrowed as he grabbed his notebook and started to flip through the pages, coming to a stop at a blank section. He grabbed his pencil and started to doodle.
Already he could see how the frame would look.
His pencil darted across the page, sketching a rough outline of what he wanted it to look like. The primary weapons though were another matter altogether, and that would be a hindrance unless something was done. But so far things were looking up for them. Having the plans for Minovsky's fusion reactor was a boon, as now they could actually try and build another one to give this machine the power it needed. But until then, battery packs would be needed and installed in the future reactor cavity.
His eyes narrowed as he studied his plans as they took shape.
"Whoa...!"
The sound of a familiar voice reached his hearing and he snapped his gaze to face the Anaheim Electronics representative, Neizan Castilla. His eyes were wide as he stared at the image. "That... That's something I didn't think you'd come up with..." he whispered.
Keith turned his gaze back to the image, showing the sketch.
While it was rough, it was still an imposing design.
Possessing a much larger build than even Turbine, the new machine would tower over him at twenty-five meters, give or take a few feet given the command fin. A smooth faceplate was located just beneath a singular optical sensor, and the entire frame was more muscular in its design than Turbine's own frame. On the back were a pair of large vernier thrusters, and they looked like they could fold against the back, no doubt for added protection, Neizan noted. The rear of the machine was taken up by a thruster pack that resembled that of the Freedom Gundam, and there were two large slabs of metal that extended from the shoulder guards themselves. He noted at once that they could lock into a more horizontal position, no doubt for flight, he guessed. The legs had on them additional thrusters, no doubt for added speed, Neizan mused. This machine was not just built for power.
It was also built for intimidation.
The helm had on the front an intricate eagle crest, and he arched an eyebrow at the design of the helm, noticing how it partially resembled a military cap of a high-ranking officer.
"Additional intimidation," Keith muttered as he set the pencil down. He held it up and examined it in more detail closely. "What do you think?"
"Honestly, the design kind of scares me," Neizan admitted. "So why go for such a design?"
"Because we need all the help we can get," Keith muttered darkly. "And if we can give the Atlantians something to fear in orbit, a machine that can reach orbit all by itself, then we can solidify our presence there more effectively."
"That's why the massive verniers?" the engineer asked, pointing to the image.
"Yeah. This guy needs to be able to accelerate to orbital escape velocities. And not have his frame come apart while doing so," Keith remarked as he handed the sketch off to the company liaison.
Neizan took it and scanned it over. "Hmm... Well, we can in theory pull it off, but to do that we're going to need to draw on Lunar Titanium. And your reserves are not that large," he noted.
"We can make do," Keith said seriously, a hard edge to his voice. "Speed is going to be one of his greatest assets. But in order to make use of said speed, we'll need an energy shield."
"Akin to Artemis?" the Mexican engineer asked with a smirk.
"Close to it, but not quite," Keith admitted. "We don't have the tech to replicate it exactly, but we do have enough of an understanding to help make it possible." He then sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with one hand. "The real issue is the primary weapons... we just don't have enough data to replicate the Providence's own funnel system."
"Who said anything about needing to replicate that beast?" Neizan mused, looking up. "I've heard rumors about Newtypes... some of them having the ability to direct weapons towards their targets."
"Hm?" Keith's eyes narrowed. "You're kidding... right?"
"Aren't you the one who theorized they would exist?" Neizan taunted playfully.
"Well, yeah, but I didn't theorize they could use their abilities to redirect weapons..." Keith muttered, the implications dawning. Newtypes had Neurowaves, which were different from the usual brainwaves given off by humans. The Neurowaves were supposed to act as a sort of... transmitter/receiver, allowing Newtypes to transmit their thoughts and feelings, as well as read the thoughts and emotions of other humans, thus breaking down age-old racist and sexist stereotypes. But to hear that they could in theory be used to control weapons...?
His eyes narrowed slightly. "The NWCOMM..." he muttered. "Dr. Rustal's invention... he did make mention of how it used the mind-scanning technology of the Extended programming machines... So... what if...?"
His mind was already racing as he tried to piece together what he had just learned.
If what he had heard was true, then there was a possibility...!
His eyes snapped wide open as he perked up. "I think I got it..."
Within seconds he had snatched the notebook back from Neizan, earning a yelp from the engineer. He started to doodle once more, this time in the margins on the next page. Small objects began to take shape, cylindrical objects that appeared to be able to extend a small nozzle and with flaps on the sides of a small thruster...
"Are those... what I think they are?" Neizan whispered.
Keith didn't even look up as he finished the rough sketches. He then turned to the engineer. "Yes. They are. Funnels. Six of them."
"Why only six and not more?" the Mexican asked.
"We're not equipped to deal with the technology in DRAGOON System of the Providence or Legend Gundams," Keith admitted. "So basic funnels like these are the best we can do." He finished the sketches and handed them back to Neizan. "They're going to be stored in the back-mounted thrusters."
"Rechargeable?" the Anaheim engineer inquired.
Keith nodded. "Yes."
"Hmm..." Neizan pursed his lips and closed his eyes. He ran through the specifics of the materials required, along with the means to procure them. A lot would have to be winged, and he knew that. But... if done right, then perhaps the new AI could be ready for extra support in orbit within the next few weeks, if they pushed themselves. And with a massive civil war raging as well, it was going to be tight.
"I can do it, but it will be pushing it," he admitted, opening his eyes. "There is a good chance it could fail, you know."
"I'm not surprised," Keith muttered. "But as long as the frame is done, that's all that matters."
"Speaking of, what about the AI in question? How are you going to deal with his military interest?" the corporate representative asked.
"Well... I've been thinking about that..." Keith said softly. "...and a lot of people won't like it. But... I think I have an idea..."
He proceeded to outline his plan to the engineer, and Neizan's face went pale. "You gotta be shitting me..." he whispered.
"What other choice do we have?" the AI expert murmured. He looked up, eyes hard. "It's the only choice we got to outsmart them when it comes to large-scale operations. Even Turbine, despite being a command-class, doesn't even know how to command large scale ops. We need one that can."
"And why do you think Turbine can't handle large-scale operations?" the engineer inquired, narrowing his eyes.
"For one thing, he's more geared towards handling smaller units. Remember, he was supposed to be one of two sub-command-class units. But we got him before the Atlantians could use him," Keith said darkly. "And right now... well, we need a command-class that can handle large scale ops."
"..." Neizan's eyes hardened. "So you plan to hack into the Atlantians' main database and steal their tactics so their new AI can download them?"
Keith gave a somber nod. "Yes. All so he can develop counters to them."
That was the gambit. Neizan pursed his lips. "I see... and the frame design in general is to not only give a commanding presence, but also an intimidating one for the Atlantians. They know that the signature feature of most of ZAFT's mainline units is a singular optical sensor. You're hoping to use that to convince the Atlantians that ZAFT developed a machine that can counter theirs, when in reality, it's us."
"An unintended side effect," Keith sighed. "But I will be honest and say that we will be taking advantage of it."
"Better hope this plan of yours works," Neizan remarked. "Or else, it's all over for us."
"Me too, old friend... me too," Keith whispered softly.
. . .
SATELLITE CITY HOSPITAL
Former Eurasian Federation Air Force Major Mihaly Reyne watched from his hospital bed as he observed the footage being beamed directly to the laptop that Marius was using to help analyze the data. He was impressed the resistance had even gotten this stuff.
Off to the side stood Jennifer Morris, her eyes fixed on the screen.
"Looks like the AIs that the rear admiral developed don't really have much in the way of backups," she noted.
"Yes. That is one of the downsides," Mihaly remarked. His eye hardened as he glanced to her. "The AIs in question had to be equipped with backup programs in case the main AI was taken down. Or in this case, the relay node."
"Relay node?" Jen glanced to him. "What do you mean?"
"It's something that the Atlantians were working on to make their AIs more effective," he admitted. "It is meant to relay orders and commands directly to the AIs in question, making it harder to bring them down. With near perfect synchronicity, the AIs could intercept and take down enemies while using their superior agility to avoid enemy hits. That's their MO, basically."
That last statement caught Jen's attention. "Wait. Near perfect synchronicity?"
Marius gave a nod. "Yes. The AIs are very well programmed, but they cannot achieve perfect harmony. It's just impossible to discern the delays in their turns or movements," he stated. "No human can pick it out, no matter how enhanced their genes or advanced the tech needed to discern it."
"So then..." Jen's eyes narrowed as she quickly grasped the implications. "That means only an AI can discern them..."
Mihaly was silent at that. His lips pursed as he scowled. "That... is correct," he muttered. "It's not something I like, but... your AIs might be the only ones that can fight these things..."
"Not quite," Jen clarified. "We told you sometime back that this is a project designed to support human pilots, not replace them." She then crossed her arms. "I can understand where you're coming from though. And that brings me back to the relay node. What is a relay node, exactly?"
"It's not exactly a node insomuch as it is an AI itself," Chloe remarked as she entered the room carrying a soup container for Mihaly. She set it down on the table lying across the bed and stuck a straw in, allowing the injured ace to sip his dinner; his arms had recently been rebroken and reset in proper casts and splints, therefore allowing them to heal correctly. "It's an AI meant to transmit orders to other AIs that are under its command. It's set up to transmit them over a... a network, I guess you could call it. I'm not sure what a good name for that network would be, but it is meant to allow AIs to link to one another. Sort of like a cybermind, of sorts, I guess."
"A cybermind...?" Jen's eyes narrowed a bit more. "So then that means there were some AIs that acted as these relay nodes."
"More like one," Mihaly admitted. "It was installed within the Sovereign as a means to keep it safe. But your superweapon, combined with the Twin Buster Rifle, and the combined attack from below, took it out. So the relay node was eliminated. But given this loss, it only makes sense that they may have had a backup plan in place."
"What kind of plan would they have in place?" Jen wondered.
"When I was held captive, they did mention that there were other relay nodal AIs that would be installed within mobile suits as well," he explained. His lone eye glinted dangerously. "And that means that those nodal AIs will be hard to hit, in contrast to the one within Sovereign."
"So then we need to figure out ways to disrupt the nodal AIs in question," Jen mused. She uncrossed her arms. "But given how hard it will be to even hit them, that means taking them out is not an option."
The old ace frowned at the statement. He knew she had a point. But the real question was...
How were they going to disrupt them?
They just didn't know.