Relevant Notes Will Be At The End Of The Chapter
-000-
The ground war was over.
The Expeditionary Forces of the Citadel Coalition have been left scrambling for a solution in the wake of General Sovennes' surrender. Admiral Arterius, desperate to soften the blow of the ground campaign's failure, planned an all-out offensive to rescue the forces still trapped on the planet
On the home front, a polarized Turian Empire threatened to spiral into civil war. Working against the clock, ISB Chief Castis Vakarian is doing everything he can to uncover the true extent of the plot to oust Primarch Lacinius from power.
Meanwhile -like a coiled spring- the most powerful fleet ever gathered by mankind stands a stone's throw away from Shanxi, waiting for the counterattack to begin
The year is UC 0379.
The fate of the galaxy has been written on the world called Shanxi.
-000-
Mobile Suit/Mass Effect
Episode 25:
Beyond The Red Sky
-000-
I watched from Risima's flight deck as Verns bid farewell to his family... well, most of his family. His mother Sasha was still stuck in Iscandar so it's not like she could be present, but Saffira's absence was unexpected. I would've thought she'd make the time to see off her favorite brother, but apparently, she had more pressing matters to attend to in New Taiyuan. Risima was picking up a few things from the Argus Labs before we finally returned to space.
Each Hedder sibling took a few minutes to say their goodbyes, with Merry taking the longest. The Hedder Patriarch was the last and quickest of the bunch, who from a distance only gave a few words, a pat on the back, and what looked like a little paper bag, before sending Verns off on his way.
As he walked up the gangplank back to our ship, I sprung a question on him.
"Where'd Saff run off to?" I asked. "Would've thought she'd move heaven and hell to make it here."
"I didn't realize you were on a nickname basis with my sister now." He said at first, "At any rate, she's got CIS business to deal with. They need someone who's done a specialization course on linguistics and she wasn't in a position to say no."
"Ah, that sucks."
"Yup." Verns shrugged. "But she did leave some parting gifts with Dad."
At the mention of a parting gift, I looked at the paper bag that Verns was carrying.
"Cookies for Rosen, and for us..." He said, pulling out a pack of homemade cookies, and then he put it down to show me the more important parting gift.
It was a flash drive, with a big red 'CONFIDENTIAL' sticker wrapped around it.
"Everything the CIS has on Rosen's mother."
-000-
Saffira sat silently and did her best to remain as stoic as possible. Being a reasonably experienced agent of the Congressional Intelligence Service, she liked to think that she had a good handle on things... but truth be told, she was afraid. Terribly afraid, and not just her. Even the two guards that stood behind her seemed uncomfortable at their station... because in the container-turned-interrogation room that she sat in, across the table was one of them.
An alien. A Turian, he called himself. He looked almost avian, and yet not quite. Where feathers would be, instead there was some sort of plating that shimmered ever so slightly in the light, suggesting a sort of metallic composition. He was also very tall. Taller even than Verns and Gil, and they were among the tallest in a family of very tall people.
However, what was perhaps most startling was the fact that he not only understood us but could also speak Standard English! Well, that was a bit of a reach. The Turian wasn't speaking English on his own, but he had a device that could translate his speech to English, and that was close enough.
The implications of this discovery were dire. Saffira had CIS analyst colleagues who suspected that the aliens were able to somewhat understand us, but none of them expected that they had what appeared to be almost native comprehension of the language. Already, theories were being tossed left and right on how the Turians were able to decipher the English tongue so quickly, and that was merely another thing that Saff was tasked to find out.
"You said you wanted to speak with us?" She started the... conversation.
The alien answered in his native tongue, which to the untrained ear sounded vaguely like one of the many Post-Latin European languages. However, Saffira was trained in those languages, and the alien words sounded like gibberish to her.
Thankfully, the translation device kicked in quickly and saved her the trouble of manually deciphering the alien language.
"Yes, I did." The alien said. "It's an urgent matter. I must speak with whoever's in charge of the prison camps."
Prison camp may have been a bit generous. In reality, what the Turian was calling a 'prison camp' was a large part of New Taiyuan's industrial port, sectioned off to hold the prisoners of war who were captured or had surrendered. Stacks of containers were quickly requisitioned and converted into prison blocks with the most basic of accommodations. The furthest corner of the container was padded to provide some place for the aliens to sleep. A rudimentary toilet, with running water and plumbing was also provided, though nobody was sure if the aliens did their business in any way similar to Humans. Of course, the plumbing and waste disposal weren't provided for entirely altruistic reasons. There were concerns that improper sanitation in the camp could lead to the outbreak of an alien disease. The priority was to make sure the people of Shanxi were safe. That the aliens were treated somewhat humanely was a convenient side-effect.
The way that the Turian spoke and carried himself suggested that he was someone who was used to giving out commands. A high-ranking officer, perhaps even the commander-in-chief of the planetary invasion forces. That is if the alien command structures were anything remotely familiar to what the Congressional Forces had.
The CIS agent carefully considered her response before speaking again.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid you'll have to settle for speaking with me," Saffira answered. "As you may be well aware, the situation is something of a mess. To start with, do you have a name?"
The Turian huffed, and Saffira judged by his expression that he appeared somewhat annoyed. However, he appeared to have appreciated being called 'sir', which feeds into the theory that he was indeed a high-ranking officer.
"I understand, of course, and I apologize for not introducing myself earlier." The Turian said before continuing with greater urgency. "I'm General Traxus Sovennes, commander-in-chief of the 1st Special Naval Landing Forces Group. The lives of all the Turians under my command are at stake. I have to speak with whoever's running this camp."
Saffira held back a scoff. So the abastard general invaded her home, and destroyed the lives of untold numbers of people... but he now expected her to sympathize with him?
Utterly ridiculous.
It took all of her willpower to not sneer at the Turian across the table.
"I'll be the judge of that, General." She simply answered.
Saffira saw Sovennes ball his fist and clench his mandibles, before taking a deep breath and speaking again.
"Alright, alright." He said. "Most of the soldiers in this camp, they're Turians like me. We're a dextro-amino acid based, while you are levo. We've been able to drink the sterilized water you've provided us, but the food is a different matter."
The CIS officer raised an eyebrow at the explanation. Recalling her highschool education, Saffira remembered that dextro acid was considered dangerous for levo-based Humans to ingest. Given that every single livable world they've discovered so far also supported a levo-based environment, she had simply assumed that all life in the galaxy was the same. It never occurred to her that somewhere out there was a dextro-based world - and one that could produce intelligent spacefaring life, no less.
However, Sovennes was right that this was something important... and because it was important, that meant she could use it as leverage.
"I'm sorry, General, but I fail to see what we're supposed to do about that." Saffira replied, acting in a dismissive way to force Sovennes into an unfavorable position. "Humanity is a levo-based species, and Shanxi is a levo-based world. It's not like we could just go and find food for you out in the wilderness, even if we wanted to."
This was the bait. The CIS agent knew she had all the winning cards. All that was left is to bait Sovennes into playing what few cards he had.
"But you've captured our supplies, right?" Sovennes tried to argue. "There must be around two or three months' worth of supplies there! If you redistribu-"
"If we redistribute?" Saffira rudely interrupted. "General, we're stretched as it is trying to fix all the damage you have done to our home. This isn't even to mention the manpower we've committed to finding your soldiers who are refusing to surrender! What makes you think we can spare the strength to... to feed the people who a week earlier were trying to kill us?!"
Evidently, that little outburst was enough to silence Sovennes for a while. He had a sullen and pensive look as he contemplated what to say next. As the General sat in silence, Saffira decided she was going to have to squeeze just a little more.
"I can't say it's been a very pleasant talk, General." Saffira said as she stood up from her seat. "I'll take my leave now."
As the CIS officer took her first step toward the room's exit, Sovennes then spoke again.
"Wait." He called out, in a voice that was a lot calmer than a few moments ago. "The translation software. I can get you the source code. It'll translate not just Palavish, but also Serrici and Talatese... but first, I want a guarantee that my subordinates will be treated well."
A small smile formed on Saffira's face.
Sovennes had taken the bait - hook, line, and sinker.
Saffira turned to one of the guards, and then she spoke to him in Mandarin -a common second language among Shanxi's colonists- to keep her intentions hidden from the Turian General.
"Get the General Williams and Field Marshall Marigold." She ordered the soldier. "Tell them it's urgent."
When she looked back at Sovennes, she saw what appeared to be a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes. She had him wrapped around her fingers now. Sitting back down, Saffira leaned forward and propped her elbows on the table.
"Alright, General Sovennes." She said. "Keep talking, and if I like what I hear I'll help you convince my superiors."
-000-
Magarius was jolted out of his sleep when he heard the loud notification chime from his room's intercom system. He tried to sleep again, hoping that it wasn't an urgent matter and that he could safely ignore it... but then he heard the second chime and his subordinate's voice to go with it.
"I'm terribly sorry to wake you, sir..." The subordinate started. "But there's an urgent message from Admiral Arterius and they're for your eyes only."
Taking a deep breath, Magarius forced himself to a sitting position before finally standing up. He shambled his way towards the door, which he partially opened. The Commodore gave the subordinate a death glare as he took the datapad with Admiral Arterius' message and skimmed through it. After the first skim, he read through it again, and then again, with each successive reading causing his drowsiness to fade away. By the time he finished reading for the fourth time, he was wide awake.
"Looks like we've got new orders." Magarius ordered. "I want all the flotilla's COs on Channel 4-4-9 for a briefing in 15 minutes. If they can't make it, tell them to send their XO."
"New orders, sir?"
"Yes, new orders." The Commodore sighed. "Admiral Arterius is personally leading the reinforcement fleet and his ETA is 27 hours. Once he arrives, we're to act as a rearguard for the operation."
"A rearguard?" The subordinate asked, insulted. "We've been bleeding and dying here for months and we don't even get to take charge in the final assault?"
"I don't like it either, but orders are orders." Magarius sighed, handing the datapad back to the subordinate. "If the Admiral wants us to hold the rear and escort casualties out of the Inner System then that's what we're doing."
-000-
In a special VIP room deep inside The Forge, Matriarch Merai Dillinaga -proud Asari militarist and the expedition's biggest sponsor- could be found pacing back and forth.
"That damned Turians and his stupid bravado!" Dillinaga cursed out loud. "What is Arterius thinking, leading the operation on his own?"
Off to the side, the Matriarch's personal bodyguard listened to her superior's tirade quietly. She knew that the Matriarch would eventually ask for her opinion on the matter. She always did.
"He knows that we can't take any unnecessary risks when it comes to these Humans!" The Matriarch continued. "And yet what does he do? He takes the Thanix and goes out galavanting into the heart of enemy territory! Was his ego that fragile that he needed to risk his own life to prove his worth?"
With that, the bodyguard finally chimed in.
"Lady Merai." She started. "While I'm certain his bruised ego factored into it, I'm not sure it was the driving force behind his decision to sortie."
"Then what was, Dahlia?" The Matriarch asked again. "There's nothing he couldn't do out in the field that he can't also do from the safety of The Forge!"
"My Lady, have you perhaps considered that Admiral Arterius making decisions from the safety of The Forge might be part of the problem?"
"Elaborate."
"My Lady, please remember that the values of the average Turian are far removed from that of the average Asari." Dahlia started explaining. "They value honor, courage, and loyalty in service to their Empire much more than an Asari values their loyalty to their Republic. Moreover, their much shorter lifespans mean that the vast majority of them don't have the same long-term perspective that most Asari have by the time they mature from adolescence. Because Admiral Arterius has been commanding from the rear for so long, it may appear to the Turians on the frontlines that he is a coward who is willing to sacrifice the lives of others, but not himself. In fact -if the gossip I've been hearing is of any indication- this sentiment may be becoming widespread among the Turian forces."
"So what you're saying is that to quell this sentiment, Arterius is putting his own life at risk?"
"It's a method that has consistently worked for them, my Lady."
"Tch, such simple creatures." Dillinaga sneered. "Those whelps have no ability to appreciate their roles in the bigger picture!"
Times like these, Dahlia was reminded of how long the Matriarch had lived. It's well known that Dillinaga The Elder -that being Lady Merai's mother- was but a matron when the Rachni War broke out. Lady Merai -now commonly known as Dillinaga The Younger- would later serve as a Huntress in the latter half of the war, then serve as Commandant of the Huntress Corps for the 90-year duration of the Krogan Wars. Lady Merai didn't serve in the trenches of the Krogan Wars, fighting and dying alongside the Turians the same way Dahlia did. Being so set her ways and never experiencing camaraderie with the Turians, it's easy to see why the Matriarch must've regarded them to be so... alien.
"Be that as it may," the Huntress stood her ground. "It still cannot be denied that their flagging morale has taken a significant upswing since Arterius announced that he would take command from the front."
"Mmh, perhaps you are right. You've given me much to think about." Dillinaga said in a contemplative way. "However, the fact remains that Arterius taking to the field has left the Forge woefully under-defended. Convincing my peers to deploy their fleets into the system to shore up our defenses will be difficult."
The Huntress nodded along as she contemplated the overall situation, and then an idea struck her.
"My Lady, may I make a suggestion?" Dahlia then said.
"You may."
"If getting the other Matriarchs to contribute their fleets may be a tall order, perhaps it would be easier to convince them to mobilize their... financial assets instead?" The Huntress began. "I've contacts in the private sector that suggest that both Eclipse and Aurek Concern are currently renegotiating their contract with the Tuchanka Oversight Group. If we can snipe the contracts from even one of them..."
"Yes... the mercenaries may not make the cut for frontline duties, but they should be good enough for garrison work." Dillinaga picked up on what her bodyguard was suggesting. "Thank you, Dahlia. Please make the arrangements."
"At once, my Lady." Dahlia bowed before excusing herself from the room.
The Huntress took a few steps forward before looking up and down the hall. Once she was sure she was in the clear, she activated her omni-tool and made a call.
"Fana, it's me." Dahlia spoke. "She took the bait."
Another Asari then answered from the other side of the call.
"Took you long enough." Fana spoke. "Lady Jona was starting to lose her patience."
"I said I'd get it done, didn't I?" Dahlia stood her ground. "Besides, Dillinaga is a sinking ship and I'm not looking forward to going down with her."
"Of course, of course." Fana said. "Don't worry, we already have the contract written out. We'll mail it to you and you can present it to Dillinaga whenever you want. Secure the contract, and I'll have a command slot squared away for you in Eclipse."
-000-
Sparatus made his way to yet another closed-door meeting between the Councilors with a spring in his step. Normally, he hated these kinds of meetings, but this time was different... because it may very well be the last in a long time.
Entering the meeting room, he saw that the Salarians -Councilor Toraph and Ambassador Callo- were already present. Ambassador Irissa was standing in for Councilor Tevos, as she had an urgent family matter to attend to. Sparatus was in the same position as Irissa, since Councilor Cassandor had to return to Turian space to organize the last bit of details needed to kick off their plan. The fourth party in the meeting was Executor Severus and his second-in-command, Pallin. They represented C-Sec and the role they were to play in the coming operation.
"Since everyone is here, we should get started right away." The only Councilor in the room said.
"I agree." Sparatus nodded.
"Indeed." Severus nodded as well.
"Yes, let's," Irissa confirmed.
With the agreement from all four parties, the secret meeting was officially started. Irissa was the first to deliver her report.
"Work on Project Ekdromoi has just about wrapped up." She said, pointing to a graph in the holographic projector. "Deployment is to begin tomorrow. We project that 500 Ekdromoi units delivered to their respective squadrons well before I-Day, with the bulk of deliveries going to Matriarch Lidanya's fleet."
"We'll make sure of it." Executor Severus declared. "Give us the shipping list and we'll put them through a whitelist. You won't have to worry about sudden inspections delaying things."
"How's the word on their deployment readiness?" Sparatus then asked.
"Matriarch Lidanya's fleet is ready to go the moment they receive their Ekdromoi units." Irissa pointed out, bringing up the Asari Citadel Fleet's info on the projector. "The Destiny Ascension's captain has been running her crew through endless drills to maintain readiness for the event they were to be deployed."
"The Ascension's CO?" Ambassador Callo commented. "That's one of Dillinaga's daughters, right? That won't be a problem, will it?"
"Captain Kali Dillinaga has so far proven loyal to the Council." Irissa said, now bringing up the Captain's profile into the projector. "In fact, she was the deciding vote that stopped the Ascension from getting recalled for the campaign. She's gone above and beyond to prove her loyalty to us. I believe she's reliable."
"Well, if Irissa's vouching for her then we can trust Captain Dillinaga." Sparatus said.
What was left unsaid was that if Captain Dillinaga ended up turning traitor, then Irissa would have to face the political consequences for backing the Captain.
"If that will be all from Ambassador Irissa, then I'll deliver our report." Councilor Toraph then said.
Ambassador Callo took control of the projector and changed the image being displayed while the Councilor delivered his end of the report.
"STG Deep Reconnaissance teams have been deployed to key points around Citadel Space. As of this moment, they're ready to begin deception and interception operations." Toraph said. "And as for Project Se'Ngat, we are well ahead of schedule. STG units earmarked for I-Day operations have already received their units and are merely waiting for the order to deploy."
Next was Executor Severus.
"The training of two Real C-Sec squadrons is falling behind schedule due to equipment shortages, but otherwise we are on track to be ready for I-Day."
"Can we proceed without those two?" Ambassador Irissa asked.
"Those two squadrons were meant for the reserve forces, so proceeding without them is still possible." Deputy Executor Pallin answered. "Though it would be preferable to have them join us."
"Regardless, we'll do what we can to speed up their training," Severus affirmed.
"How'd an equipment shortage come up this late into our timeline?" The lone Salarian in the room then asked.
"That would be because of the ISB." Sparatus answered for Severus. "They broke up a few of the supply lines that we were using to... uh... divert equipment to C-Sec."
"This is the first I've heard of this." Irissa then pointed. "How long has this been going on?"
"A month or so," Sparatus answered sheepishly. "Executor Severus and Councilor Cassandor decided to hold back on putting it in last month's meeting since at the time the effects were negligible. The ISB has exponentially ramped up their efforts since, which is why we're seeing the current setbacks."
"You should've mentioned this sooner." Ambassador Callo said. "We're a Coalition. If we can't come together to solve our collective problems, then what good are we?"
"Of course, in hindsight you're right." Executor Severus admitted. "However, at the time we felt that we could solve the situation before having to report on it. Clearly, that was a mistake."
"Alright, that's enough of that." Irissa cut in. "What are our options for dealing with the ISB, and can we fix the damage done before I-Day?"
With a grim face, Sparatus answered again.
"With how soon I-Day is, it's unlikely that there's any reasonable course of action we can take to stop the ISB..." He trailed off.
"I'm sensing a but." The Salarian Ambassador said.
"Yes, I was getting to it." Sparatus huffed before continuing his explanation. "The ISB is already on our trail and it's only a matter of time before they catch up to us."
"Only a matter of time?" Irissa asked incredulously. "Are you saying the Turian Councilor and C-Sec Executor are helpless to stop an ISB Chief sniffing around their domain?"
"We are when that ISB Chief is Castis Vakarian." Severus plainly stated.
"Oh." She said, feeling the temperature in the room drop.
Ambassador Callo, who was the newest member of the little circle, felt out of the loop. He looked left and right as if asking for an explanation. When none came, he decided to ask for himself.
"I assume this Vakarian character has something of a reputation?" The Salarian asked.
"He's a powerful member of the Turian Military Council." Sparatus explained. "Powerful enough that even the Primarch thinks twice before crossing him. The only other Turian that's comparable is General Fedorian, leader of the Reformers."
"Ah, I see." Callo winced as he nodded. "So, what's the plan to stop him?"
"It's actually rather simple!" Severus answered. "We're going to let him continue his investigation."
"My contacts in the ISB tell me Vakarin has correctly deduced that our allies in the Turian military are planning to oust the Primarch." Sparatus continued. "However, he doesn't currently know the full extent of our plans and who are involved. With that in mind, we have someone who's agreed to play Blue Basilisk."
"And that is..?" Irissa asked.
"None other than the current lead suspect of Vakarian's investigation." Sparatus answered.
-000-
"General Pullo." Councilor Cassandor greeted the General with a casual salute, one that wouldn't look out of place in public. "It's a shame we can't meet under better circumstances, old friend."
The two Turians, both political giants in their own ways, met incognito in a small pub in one of Cipritine's many satellite towns. It was early in the morning and the pub was packed with Turians of all stripes grabbing a quick bite to eat before heading to work. The crowd made it easy for the two to blend in.
"Likewise." The General answered with a casual salute of his own. "I wish we could catch up, but I can only shake off Vakarian's bask-hounds for a short while."
"A shame." Cassandor shook his head.
The two sat down side by side on the counter table and ordered light food to go. As the waitress prepared their orders, Cassandor quietly slipped a datadrive to Pullo's side.
"Your script." Cassandor said. "Everything you need to know, no more, no less."
Pullo discreetly took the datadrive and plugged it into his omnitool for a quick skim.
"So I'll be stealing the show?" Pullo chuckled. "It's a lot to ask."
"At least until the big twist at the end." Cassandor continued to play along. "But I have no doubts you can do it."
"I'll be sure to give it my all." The general nodded.
The waitress returned with their orders. Both Turians paid their bills and then left with the food. Once outside, they bid each other farewell.
"I wish it didn't come to this, but in playing your part you're committing a great service for your country, Pullo." Cassandor somberly said. "Until we meet again."
"Until we meet again, 'Sandor." Pullo said, embracing his old friend one last time.
The two great Turians parted ways, both easily melting into the crowd.
Cassandor was headed off to Cipritine, for a meeting he had scheduled with the Primarch. General Pullo was off to the opposite direction, towards the Tinaion province where Fort Zere was located.
His task there was simple.
Take Vakarian for a ride, steal all of his attention, and make sure that when the ISB Chief realizes what was actually going on... it'd be too late to do anything.
-000-
We had requisitioned the officer's lounge in the Risima for ourselves again as we prepared to read through the flash drive Saffira had given us. However, we decided to get Bullow in on this. After all, she was as much responsible for Rosen as Verns and I. It was late into the night when Risima's acting captain finally arrived in the officer's lounge.
"Honestly, I can't believe the nerve of you two." Bullow started accusing as soon as she set foot into the lounge. "Squadron 13 is launching back into space tomorrow afternoon, and instead of getting adequate rest you're making midnight rendezvous to..."
Bullow froze the moment she saw the front page of the digital folder on Verns' laptop.
"That document is about Rosen's mother, isn't it?"
The two of us quietly nodded, which quelled all of Bullow's ire toward us. She quickly pulled a seat and sat on Verns' left side so that we could finally start going through the files together.
"Merah Springs." I read aloud. "Date of birth unknown, early upbringing unknown. Suspected to have received CSF pilot training. Suspected to have changed her name after she defected to Golden Beacon. Died UC 0376 in a military operation in the Yunnan Sphere."
"Hey, weren't you one of the pilots taking part in that operation?" Bullow then asked.
"Yeah, I was." I answered, grimly remembering the massive blunder I made during that battle.
"Could it be that..." She then asked.
"No, it wasn't me. Thank God." I shook my head. "It was actually the opposite. She had me fighting for dear life. Barely made it out alive."
Bullow looked at me questioningly.
"How do you know it was Rosen's mother that was trying to kill you?"
"Because Rosen said her mother was a Hroeger pilot, same as her." I explained. "And a near-death experience with the only Hroeger in that skirmish is not something you easily forget."
Bullow accepted the explanation I gave and we continued reading the document. The more we read, the more we learned what kind of pilot Merah was... as well as the influence she had on her daughter.
"She seems to be an exceptional pilot." Verns mused. "If she taught Rosen even a fraction of what she knew, it's no wonder she turned out to be as good as she is."
"Yeah, looks like Rosen's piloting style is a refinement of her mother's." Bullow said, taking a chance to flex her skills as a Fleet Intelligence Analyst.
"Does the file say anything about Rosen's father?" I then asked.
It was a longshot, but I crossed my fingers that she had a father somewhere that could take her in once this whole war business was over.
"Only that the CIS thinks he died before Rosen was born," Verns answered, very nearly shattering my hopes.
"Thinks? So there's a chance he's out there?" I commented.
"It's unlikely." Verns shook his head before doubling back and explaining the bigger picture. "The analyst who wrote this document believes that her husband's death radicalized her, causing her to defect."
"Damnit." I cursed.
We delved further into the file, reading just about every important bit of information that the Congressional Intelligence Service had collected about Rosen's mother. She was as remarkable as a pilot could be, which made it such a shame that she had to be with Golden Beacon. Eventually -close to the end of the document- we reached an attachment who's name sent a chill up my spine.
"N-no way... That's..." I stammered out.
"The black-box data from Merah's Hroeger!" Bullow exclaimed.
Verns stayed silent as his mouse hovered over the attachment. He looked to me, then to Bullow, before taking a deep breath and double-clicking on the file.
Nothing could've prepared us for what we were about to witness.
-000-
Merah breathed heavily, her eyes darting between all the blips on the RADAR screen of her Hroeger's cockpit. RADAR contacts seemed to zip every which way, firing at the small asteroid base within which her compatriots were taking shelter. A squadron of Congressional warships laid siege to the small supply outpost, bringing forth three Schnee Class Destroyers, one of the newer Curran Class Destroyers, as well as two Chariot Class Cruisers rounding out the list. It was a lot of firepower to bring to bear against what should've been a base of minor significance... which made the Golden Beacon ace suspect that this couldn't have been a coincidence.
"Damnit, why'd it have to be today, of all days?" Merah cursed her luck.
There were only two allied ships close to the supply base - a single Torrent Class Destroyer and a Stellar Class Cruiser, both were holding far from the asteroid base, just outside of the Congressional forces' effective firing range. This was despite Golden Beacon's leader, Father Oswin, being present for a surprise inspection.
Thinking about it again, it was Brother Lionhardt that had suggested Oswin take a cruiser instead of his flagship. Golden Beacon's second-in-command said it would've been safer to leave Sorcerer at the Lighthouse, citing worries that the battleship would've been detected trying to enter the Yunnan Sphere. Now, Merah couldn't help but wonder if it was a ploy to get rid of Oswin and take control of Golden Beacon for himself... but investigating that would have to wait.
Right now, she had to fight.
To get Oswin out of here.
To get back to her daughter.
To get back at the Congressional dogs for what they did to her husband.
"Specialist Spring, this is Father Oswin." The man spoke over the battle network. "The shuttle will take off shortly. Hold back the enemy while we evacuate."
"There's a lot of them out there, Father." Merah said, voicing her concerns. "Can't we ask the ships to come closer to provide fire support?"
"No, that's too big a risk." Oswin put his foot down. "If the ships go down, we'll be stranded here with no chance of escape. They're staying where they are."
Merah bit her lip, but gave in to Oswin's plans.
"By your orders."
A slight rumble made its way into the cockpit - a sign that the hidden hangar door was starting to open. While the Congressional forces were busy engaging the automated turrets that guarded the surface structures on the asteroid base, Oswin's retinue would escape with a small shuttle from an emergency hangar far away. With this little headstart and the mobile suit escorts on the rearguard, it was hoped that Oswin would make it out alive.
The plan went off to a terrible start. The moment the shuttle and its escorts launched from the hangar, a team of Congressional Gunstrikes happened to be on patrol. With their cover blown, Merah and the two Skodas charged forward, using the opportunity provided by the enemy's panic to quickly overwhelm and destroy them. Unfortunately, the Congressional dogs were able to call out for help before they were snuffed out, which meant that reinforcements were incoming.
Six Gunstrikes came to intercept the shuttle, only to be stopped by Merah and the other two escorts. The ensuing fight was incredibly intense, with the Congressional forces holding the numbers advantage. Activating the axe-bayonet of her long beam rifle, Merah closed in and fought the Gunstrikes in hand-to-hand combat. Answering the challenge, one of the Congressional machines charged in, beam rifle and vulcans firing away. The Hroeger pilot deftly avoided them all, before counter-attacking with a vicious slash. The Gunstrike's shield was cut in half and it would've been easily destroyed had its teammates not come to its rescue. The melee turned into a vicious two-on-one debacle, with the two Gunstrikes using their numerical advantage to even the odds against Merah's far superior Hroeger.
Merah grit her teeth as the melee continued. It was clear that the two pilots were veterans with how they were able to keep up with her Hroeger... but the fact remained that her machine was far superior to the Gunstrike. All it would take was one opening, one opportunity for Merah to exploit, and she could finish this fight quickly. That opportunity arrived when one of Merah's wingmen came to her aid. He attacked one of the Gunstrikes, distracting it long enough for her to whirl around and cut the other in half with her beam axe. Once that was done, the wingman disengaged from the Gunstrike it was fighting, which confused it enough to let Merah neutralize it quickly.
With those two out of the way, Merah turned to the Gunfighter with the broken shield. Its pilot seemed shocked at this sudden reversal of fate but recovered quickly as it blocked Merah's vicious attacks. Strike after strike, Merah continued her relentless assault, and it was only due to some twisted miracle that the CSF pilot was able to stay alive for so long. It took a while to wear down the Gunstrike's defenses -the pilot of that Congressional mobile suit was better than Merah initially thought- but eventually a lapse in its defenses opened up. With a quick strike, Merah was able to cut off one of the Gunstrike's arms, leaving it open to further attack.
The Golden Beacon ace was about to deliver the killing blow when the wheels of fate turned and enemy reinforcements arrived. Merah cursed to herself as she jetted backwards, letting the damaged Gunstrike escape. Three teams of Congressional Gunstrikes swooped in, firing relentlessly and not giving Merah a chance to counterattack. Behind the mobile suit teams, she saw that two Schnee Class Destroyers were also beginning to close in.
"Damnit, there's too many of them, I-I need backup!" She cried out, though no immediate answer came.
A quick glance at her RADAR panel showed that Oswin's shuttle was just being retrieved by the Stellar Class Cruiser... one which was starting to turn its bow away from the battlefield. A few short moments later, she saw its main engines power up and the ship's distance from her slowly began to increase.
"O-Oswin, what are you-" Merah frantically asked.
"It's too risky to turn back and support you now. If I die, Golden Beacon will never recover." Oswin coldly stated over the battle network. The words coming from his mouth were apologetic, but the way he spoke was sterile, devoid of emotion.
"Y-you can't just leave me here!" Merah desperately pleaded. "I can't... Rosen-"
"It will be fine. Your daughter will be taken care of." Oswin then said. "She will pick up the torch you carried."
Intense disgust flared within Merah's chest as soon as she heard Oswin's words. Rosen to pick up her torch? That wasn't the future that she was fighting for! Merah fought for a future where Rosen would never have to pick up a weapon and fight, for a better world free of tyranny! It was incorrigible of Oswin to say that.
It wasn't fine. How could it be? Rosen never got to know her father. He had died before she was even born. What kind of mother would Merah be if she died too?
"No! How could you say that?!" Merah protested. "Rosen doesn't have to become a soldier! I can make it back! I just need some reinfo-"
"We all have the paths we must walk, Merah. Unfortunately, yours has to end here." Oswin coldly cut her off. "Goodbye."
With those final words, Merah was cut off from the allied battle network. Simultaneously, the Oswin's cruiser and its destroyer escort quickly accelerated to full speed.
Tears welled up in her eyes as despair took hold of her heart.
"Oswin! Oswin, come back here, you bastard!"
The silence was her only answer. All around her, the Congressional machines closed in. Nine machines engaged her, each piloted by veterans. Merah viciously fought back, still hoping against all hope that she'd be able to escape and catch up to the ships... but her efforts were in vain.
It didn't matter how skilled she was. It didn't matter how much better the Hroeger was compared to the Gunstrike. Nobody can survive getting swarmed by nine veteran pilots who knew how to use their machines. The CSF pilots slowly took apart her defenses, chipping away at her strength, before finally delivering the killing blow. A beam saber hilt was pushed right to the cockpit hatch before being activated. For a split second, Merah saw her front monitor melt, and then her cockpit was flooded by intense energy.
After that... silence.
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The three of us stared at the screen in disbelief at what we saw and what we heard. I had felt limp after listening to Merah's pleading cries for help as she faced her death. It was a stark reminder that for as much as we detested Golden Beacon, the people behind those cockpits we fought were people too. They had their own dreams, wishes, loved ones...
But then, the twistedness of their organization crept in, poisoning the whole thing. Oswin had deliberately abandoned Rosen's mother. He left her to die at the hands of an enemy he knew she couldn't win against.
And now... he's raising her daughter to replace her.
It's sickening.
An eerie silence fell over us. We didn't know how to react to what we saw, didn't know what to say, what to do with what we've learned. Eventually, Bullow was the first to speak.
"We have to tell Rosen." Risima's CO said. "She needs... she deserves to know."
"I agree." Verns resolutely nodded. "The sooner, the better."
"I-is that a good idea?" I stammered, my mouth running ahead of me. "I-I mean, this is going to turn her world upside down! We're riding into battle first thing tomorrow morning, and if she reacts poorly to-"
Verns suddenly grabbed me by the shoulder, color draining from his face. His gaze looked behind me, towards the officer lounge's door. Bullow and I swung around to look at what could've possibly scared Verns so much... only to find the last person we wanted to see right now.
It was none other than Rosen herself, frozen by the open door. She was holding on to an empty water canteen, no doubt having come to the officer's lounge to use the dispenser. I didn't have the time to curse at myself for not reminding Rosen to fill up her bottle before telling her to go to bed before Bullow broke the silence.
"Rosen, honey..." Bullow spoke, her voice soft though a little shaky. "h-how much did you hear?"
The young pilot didn't answer. She just stood there, tears welling behind her eyes as she limply held her canteen. Eventually, it slipped from her fingers, falling onto the floor with a clang. The loud noise shook Rosen out of her stupor and she bolted away from the door.
Running purely on instinct, Verns and I made chase, following Rosen down the halls. Bullow followed behind us, only starting to run once her brain had processed what had happened. The end of our little pursuit came once Rosen got into her room and locked the door behind her.
Verns would be the first to try and get in.
"Rosen, can you please let us in?"
"Go away!"
Bullow tried coaxing Rosen next.
"Please, we just want to talk... Oswin-"
Rosen yelled from the other side of the metal door.
"Father Oswin would never betray mom like that!"
"Rosen..." Verns started. "The recordings-"
"They're fake! Lies!"
"Why would we fake those recordings?" Bullow then argued.
"I-I don't know!" Rosen yelled again, her voice cracking. "I don't know! Just leave me alone!"
Given I was somewhat involved in Merah's death, I held back from saying anything. When I saw that my friends were going nowhere, I nudged them both.
"Come on, give her some space." I told them.
The two reluctantly agreed. We bid each other goodnight and they all went to their respective rooms. I was the last to go, lingering by Rosen's door for a few moments before turning away to head to sleep. As I took my first few steps away from Rosen's room, I heard it. Muffled by the thick metal door...
It was sobbing.
-000-
Author's Note:
I wish I was a better character writer.
Anyways, next episode will be the long-awaited return to space and the kickoff to the great counteroffensive that's been slowly cooking. I'll be introducing a few new side characters and I'm contemplating whether or not I should update the already existing character list with the new side characters or make a new one once this arc is done.
At any rate, it does appear that I can fit the finale into another six-episode arc. Episodes 26-29 will be where the meat of the action takes place and Episode 30 should wrap things up for this story. After that will be an epilogue, followed by a behind-the-scenes chapter featuring a Q&A section.
The first section of the BTS/Q&A chapter will be me sharing the reasoning behind why I decided to write the story the way I did, some stuff and ideas that I left on the cutting room floor, and basically an MSV list of all the stuff that are technically canon but didn't show up in the story for various reasons. The second section will be me answering your questions. Feel free to ask me anything (yes, anything) though I can't guarantee I'll have a satisfying answer for you. If it's not covered in the BTS section already I'll try to answer it. Also make sure to start your question with "For the Q&A section" so I can easily find and store them for later.
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THIS WORK IS CROSSPOSTED IN FFNET AND AO3