Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma and Gundam SEED FREEDOM, Halo, Macross, Tenchi Muyo
Chapter 12
Tourist
Tabletop Island
Sasami Masaki Residence
As everyone is having breakfast together, Ranma makes the excuse of jogging early in the morning, which is true, but also gets far enough away from everyone and opens a secure line of communication with Admiral Hayes at the Masaki Shrine replica. Ranma reported to him about the situation at the Plants and what the Master Chief and his team discovered during their secret investigation.
Admiral Hayes is not very happy that Ranma is only reporting it now.
"You idiot! I can't believe you waited this long to report to me about Zaft having rebuilt Requiem of all things." Hayes yelled at him, which made Ranma twitch as if it stung him.
"I'm sorry for not reporting this to you yesterday, Admiral. I needed to confirm Master Chief's discovery first, to see if Hari Jagannath had really rebuilt the destroyed Requiem cannon instead of dismantling it. So, I asked Ryo-Ohki to investigate, make a flyby around Daedalos base and the surrounding area this morning as she can move stealthily and unseen by anyone in outer space. Admiral…I just received a prelim message from Ryo-Ohki before I called you and-"
Ranma dreaded giving this report: "Requiem is now fully operational."
"Good God!" Hayes gasped in shock at the news and was angry at the treachery. 'I can't believe they betrayed us. No, I knew they would!"
"This may not be the Plants Supreme Council doing, but Hari Jagannath's."
"So, you are telling me that he went rogue with the rest of Zaft, but be that as it may, that damn thing has been rebuilt, and they can now target and destroy any city on Earth at any time!"
"Jagannath hasn't used it yet. most likely, he's waiting for something, Admiral," Ranma replied. "I also don't believe that not all of Zaft would be onboard in rebuilding Requiem, and more than likely, a faction in Zaft is supporting him in the shadows. Also, I believe he is waiting for the opportune moment, a signal from his allies, the Kingdom of Foundation."
"Ranma, in the peace treaty, one of the things we agreed to, with reluctance, is to hand over Daedalos base to Zaft as a gesture of goodwill, and they promised to us that they will dismantle Requiem permanently." The lean close
"Ranma…the handing over of the base was in exchange for technological advances and resources from Overtechnology, to help rebuild the Earth Alliance and build a better future. We handed over Daedalos Base to Zaft. It was for peace, but Zaft broke their promise to us, thereby breaking the peace. Now, with or without the council's knowledge, intentional or not, we are within our rights to respond, and if we don't respond, this rogue faction in Zaft will entrench itself to defend it." Ranma gritted his teeth in anger, aware of his involvement in the peace treaty.
He always denies playing a big role in the Earth Alliance's recovery, when in truth, he is the very cornerstone of change, the influencer who put them on the road to recovery.
At that time, during the negotiations, the Alliance was not budging for a compromise to the peace treaty and was in a deadlock with Zaft. The Alliance and, by extension, the Atlantic Federation don't want to give up any more ground in the treaty than they already have. However, the treaty needed to be signed because there was a greater need than keeping their pride.
Overtechnology broke the deadlock with an offer the Alliance can't refuse, and what they offered is the future. And so, they swallowed their pride and signed away what was asked of them.
"I will not allow our people to be endangered."
"As do I, Admiral. But jumping the gun is not the right response, and you know it."
"So, you want to have us do nothing?"
"No, sir, we will be doing something, something big."
"And what would that be, Major?" Ranma had one thought in mind.
"We make a big fuss about Tabletop," he answered.
The Admiral looked at him dumbfounded. "That's your plan, make a big fuss?"
"Sir, this will force them to make a change in their plans that I believe has been in the works for years, and Tabletop will throw them into a loop that they can escape."
"This could blow up on our faces, Saotome."
"Usually, that happens to me more often than not, other than being shot to the face, so don't worry about that happening to everyone else but me, Admiral." Said Ranma nonchalantly and chuckled
The Admiral just shook his head in a bit of amusement at Ranma's humor
"Major, do you know what you are asking us to do?" Hayes asks in a low, serious voice
"Yes, sir,"
"Tabletop. It's more than a hidden Island; it's humanity's repository of knowledge, our history, culture, and our gateway to the stars."
"Tabletop is not in any danger."
"Maybe so, but making a big fuss could reveal the true capabilities of the Island, something only a few people know, even among our people. What Orb and the Plants have seen is nothing more than an inkling of what this place can truly do for humanity," said the Admiral.
"The myth the UN created around Tabletop Island has kept it safe for centuries."
Ranma nodded in agreement. "Keeping Tabletop invisible to the world was never the plan."
"Disclosing it too soon as planned isn't an option either, and I'm not fond of using Tabletop as a lure to draw them out."
"Admiral, we can't follow the schedule anymore, not with so many of our enemies with capabilities that are still unknown, that are hiding in the shadows. Tabletop is a bait that they can't ignore." Ranma answered. 'And possibly redirect their attention from Lacus.'
"We need to draw ALL of them out of their hiding places, bring them into the light so that we can destroy them and break whatever plan they have against us."
"Do we even have the numbers to fight them? Remember, we have been transferring most of our forces to complete Project Macross."
"The bulk of our forces we transferred are our personnel, engineers, technicians, ground troops, and those working in bureaucracy, that, along with their families and civilian contractors and allies working for the Alliance."
To move as many people as possible to Project Macross, the Earth Alliance began closing down most of its military bases, ranging from small to medium-sized facilities worldwide, with personnel transferred to other active bases. The reason given was budget cuts, which was an acceptable answer, and their military budget also reflects this fact. Despite a major upgrade in the work, the size of the Alliance will only be barely half of its pre-war status.
At least on paper.
"Unlike before, our forces now have the quality with the right quantity. There are no half-trained soldiers and pilots in this army; our reforms and training made them better. We have the right tools for war. Admiral, we can go toe-toe with Zaft far better than in the earlier wars."
"Well, I can't disagree with that." The Admiral leans back and heaves a sigh
"Very well, Saotome, our fate is in your hands." And with that, he saluted the Admiral
"Thank you for trusting me, Admiral Hayes."
Later in the morning, after everyone has had a nice shower, a big breakfast, and fresh clothes, they are ready to tour the Island like normal tourists as they had a few days before heading out.
Sasami suggested they swing by one of the museums
"A museum?" Cagalli and the others look at Sasami curiously
"A new museum at the Boulevard of Human Culture and Heritage has just opened a few days ago," Sasami explained, and that made Sophia perk up in enthusiasm."
"That's right! There are several museums here on Tabletop, all modeled after world-famous museums like the Smithsonian National Museum, the British Museum, and the newly opened Louve Museum." Sophia looks to Sasami enthusiastically
"So, it's finished, Lady Sasami?"
"It's completed. The last piece is on display, or should I say, SHE is on display," Sasami smiling
"Who is she?" Lacus looks at her mother. Sophia smiled and answered her daughter.
"SHE…is a very famous person with a smile on her face."
The Louve Museum
After a short trip and a walk inside what can only be called a relic of the past because the original museum was destroyed during the 'Break the World' event. The COMPASS group walked around halls full of thousands of replica paintings, statues, and artifacts from the Louve, or so they thought.
"Everyone!" Sophia called everyone, and they all looked at her as the curator and assistants of the museum pulled away a dividing wall to reveal one of the world's most famous paintings
"May I introduce to you a portrait painting by Leonardo da Vinci that depicts Lisa del Giocondo, otherwise known to the world as, 'Mona Lisa'"
They look unimpressed and confused about what the fuss is about a painting
"What, is she not impressive enough?" Sophia pouted
"It's not that, mother, but" Lacus explains. "We have a replica of the Mona Lisa back in the Plants, and other works of art were lost or destroyed years ago."
Sophia, the curator, and the museum attendants felt hurt by her words as he remarked in French.
"Replica! Goodness me, Lacus, is that what you all think of her and all these works of art as replicas? Sophia was outraged at what they thought of what was before them
"Uhmn, Guys!" Ranma called their attention to him, "The Mona Lisa before you, and all the paintings here…they are not replicas."
He gestures to the painting, "This is THE Mona Lisa… it's the real deal."
Everyone looks at the painting again and goes back to Sophia, not believing
"I-It's not a replica?" Kira asks
"No, my dear Kira, this IS the original painting of Leonardo Da Vinci," Sophia declared and then pointed at other paintings nearby and named them
"That is the Starry Night, made by Vincent Van Gogh, the Impression, Sunrise Painting by Claude Monet, The Night Watch by Rembrandt, Portrait of a Man, by Raphael, the Marble Statue of David by Michaelangelo, and so many other works of art rescued from war and destruction."
The curator of the museum, an elderly man with dignity, spoke up in declaration, "Everything here and the other museums on this boulevard, they all contain the original works of great masters, and I guarantee you will find nothing here that is…a replica."
Kira and the others were wide-eyed at the declaration of the curator, and as they looked far and wide, all they saw were galleries of priceless art, statues, and more, so much more
"Mother…you mean to tell me that…all of these…are the original works of art?" Lacus and the others are in disbelief as they all look around
"Yes, everything you see here is the original work of the great masters of the ages."
"But how and why?"
"To preserve humanity's culture should the worst happen like war or natural disaster"
"This is…incredible," Ezalia spoke in awe, staring at the real Starry Night
The curator narrated a decree from the UN.
"Two centuries ago, the UN Security Council issued an edict, the Preservation of humanity's cultural treasures, meaning that every nation must have a place to store their country's historical treasures, libraries, and other relics stored in places where it will be safe in times of war, natural disasters, and other calamities.
In the years since then, museums and their treasures were in danger more and more often, and so it was decided that every museum and library be emptied with their treasures and be brought here for safety. Brought here, one piece at a time."
"Libraries?" Cagalli muttered, questioning, and the curator answered
"Libraries across the world have vast collections of priceless books, scrolls, and even clay tablets from the beginning of writing, Lady Cagalli, like this one," the curator pointed at a glass display case of a large book
"The Gutenberg Bible," Cagalli mutters in awe, for even she knows the first mass-produced printed bible in the world.
"We have saved as many relics as we can, unfortunately, some of them were in the hands of many private collectors, and the largest of them were in the hands of Logos members, and the largest collection was in…Lord Djibril's hands."
That got everyone's attention
The curator heaved a sigh, a sense of disappointment. "When the mob stormed Djibril's home and found him not there, they vented their anger by torching his home, destroying thousands of artworks and artifacts. It would have been better that they stole it; at least we know they still exist and hopefully found and preserved…no such luck."
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana" Ranma quoted
"Mistakes are made in one form after another, and we still keep repeating them now, thanks to megalomaniacal idiots, charismatic jerks who have delusions of grandeur, yeah those type of idiots, and scammer idiots who try to hawk their ideas to people and so forth so that they do all the work and face danger" Ranma rambled irritated
"They all preach and advertise to others that they are smarter than the average bear, hey, hey, hey, and that they have all the answers to life's mysteries and that they are the only ones who can make everyone's lives better. The only catch is that they must give up their freedom and follow them without question," said Ranma, his voice laced with sarcasm. He imitates the famous Yogi Bear line, which Ranma finds truly annoying.
Lacus can sense Ranma's uneasiness as if something is bothering him for some reason, and she doesn't think it was last night's kiss and the teasing she did.
It made her blush for a moment
They spent three days touring Tabletop, visiting sites, and taking several selfie pictures for the memorable visit, and then they all headed back to the Millennium ship. Waiting patiently at the pier is Admiral Hayes, along with his staff.
He handed over a leather-bound folder to Councilor Ezalia. The folder contains files of all the relevant documents, including a USB drive tucked inside the folder, and it holds recorded events and a list of people under their protection and custody.
Sadly, the Plants may not see the distinction between the two.
"Knowing well that you will report this to the Plant's Supreme Council upon our return, President Foster decided to give them a summary explanation about Tabletop…and our incarceration of Gilbert Durandal." The last part, the Admiral was hesitant about as this will spark some controversy once they read it.
Ezalia nodded in acknowledgment, "The Plants Supreme Council will no doubt demand an inquiry on the former chairman's condition and other Plants citizens in your custody."
"Understood, councilor Joule."
"Admiral, you are aware of, well my son Yzak would describe it as 'a shit storm' pardon my language, of this will cause back home?" Ezalia can imagine the men and women who still see Gilbert Durandal in high regard. She knows that Jagannath will be one of them and is outraged about the Earth Alliance withholding information about the former chairman's condition, let alone the secret base and countless treasures and relics hidden on the island.
"We are aware and are prepared for its consequence, councilor. But it's no loss to us," the Admiral replied
"You are revealing to the world that has been kept a secret for centuries, and more importantly, you have the former Plants chairman in your custody." Said councilor Joule "I am sure that some of my colleague will demand,"
"Durandal will not leave this island until he has served his sentence," Hayes declared, cutting off Ezalia.
"Yes, of course," Ezalia replied. Now, she wondered if this was the right thing to do. The revelation that Durandal is still alive and in the Earth Alliance's custody.
"Councilor," Admiral spoke, "Before the Earth Alliance, even before the creation of the Atlantic Federation and even before the United States of America was born…there are secrets that are jealously kept hidden by groups of people because…the knowledge and secrets they protect could shake the very foundation of our world and question…of what it means to be human." And with that, Hayes saluted, took a step back, an about-face, and walked away.
Ezalia looked at him, curious about what he meant by that.
As everyone started boarding, Ranma was at the side of the pier talking to Pacific Air Command in Hawaii through his cell phone, informing Ranma of several incoming vessels coming from the Orb Union direction.
"The Orb fleet and the Archangel?"
"Yes sir, they will be in your location in three hours," the controller replied
"I understand. Continue to watch the situation. Tabletop Command and Control should be calling me any moment, and hopefully, there aren't any surprises lurking about."
"Yes sir," and with that, the line was dead
"Ranma," a voice called to him, and he looked back to see Kira walking towards him
"What's up?"
"Just got an update from Pacific Air command, Kira. the Archangel and a contingent of the Orb Navy are heading here as we speak," Ranma informed
"How long till they arrive?"
"About three hours, give or take," Ranma answered
"So, the Orb Navy is coming to pick up Councilor Ezalia, Cagalli, and the others. they will be heading back to their home country," Washu said
"Couldn't you just send them back with Ryo-Ohki?" Kira asks. and Washu shook her head and answered
"Sorry, I had Ryo-Ohki run some errands for me."
"Oh, so that's why we haven't seen her around lately," Lacus stepped forward and remarked in observation, and it was at that moment that another call came through Ranma's phone, and it was from Tabletop, Air Warnings and Control Station.
Ranma pulled his iPhone out from his pocket and excused himself as he walked away from the others for some privacy
"Yes, what is it?" Ranma answered, and the one who replied was Admiral Hayes
"Ranma, this is Hayes."
"Yes, Admiral,"
"Ranma, just a moment ago, several of our Pacific sonar nets and NOAA tsunami buoys just got tripped by something massive moving about a hundred fifty nautical miles west, northwest of Tabletop and now one of our high-altitude UAV patrols with the new scanners we installed, just detected ten Submarines at the same area. Vosgulov-class, moving in the direction of the Archangel and Orb fleet, is traveling"
"Zaft's wet navy exclusively uses Vosgulov-class subs, Admiral Hayes, and no one else in the world has one, and how could they get so far in our territory?"
"That's our fault, unfortunately," the Admitted. "The system took too long to reboot after the hardware was installed, and by the time we noticed it, they were a hundred nautical miles in our territory"
"Least we detected them now instead of later"
"Indeed; however, there is something else about this fleet of submarines moving towards the rendezvous point."
"Admiral?"
"Tracking a Zaft submarine is difficult but not impossible," Admiral Hayes explained
"We were able to detect the sonar signature of their silent propulsion system, their magnetohydrodynamic propulsion, and the noise it makes as it glides in the water. From the list of sonar identification comparisons based on the sound they are making, we can match every known vessel in our database like a fingerprint. Ranma, we found no match on every Zaft vessel that we know of."
"If there is no match? That can't be right, Admiral. Only Zaft uses Vosgulov-class submarines."
"That's true, which makes their presence here highly suspect, Ranma. This is right after we sent a message to Orb and the Plants, asking them to send someone to pick up our guest here… on Tabletop Island."
"We revealed the Island's existence and location to the world," Ranma remarked
As COMPASS's time spent at Tabletop was nearing its end, the Earth Alliance sent messages to Orb and the Plants for a pickup. Neither government was pleased with the Earth Alliance when it was explained that the Millennium ship had suddenly disappeared and watched Ryo-Ohki streak toward Earth at tremendous speed and was unable to pinpoint its location.
The coordinates they gave are close to the location of Tabletop Island. Their response was to send a fleet of Orb ships to pick up Lady Cagalli, Councilor Joule, and their entourage when they rendezvous with the Millennium.
Zaft's participation in this retrieval is limited to sending only one submarine.
"Admiral, are those the only intrusions to our territory?"
"Standby." Half a minute later, the Admiral replied
"There is one Vosgulov-class ship keeping up with the Orb fleet, just one nautical mile behind. There's an IFF frequency identified as the Orca, following behind the Orb fleet, mainly behind the Orb flagship, Lion of Orb."
"An IFF being broadcast by a sub shows its intentions are benign to Orb and us."
"We are also seeing what looks like high-speed communication from the Lion of Orb, and there is quite a lot of optical communication between the ships and the Archangel."
"We shouldn't be worried about the Orb fleet; it's the ten subs we should worry about."
"Do you believe that they are a hostile threat to us?"
"I do, Admiral, so we should be ready to defend ourselves if they are hostile."
"I agree with you. We can't let an unknown force come here. So, I am sending a fleet to intercept them."
"Wait Admiral" he requested as Ranma remembers that the Vosgulov-class submarine can carry up to eight mobile suits and four attack copters.
During the first war, ten Zaft submarines were regarded as a strike group, designed to attack Alliance naval bases in the Pacific with one massive Mobile Suit attack, then quickly retreat. It was a form of harassment to keep their enemy off balance and was very effective.
These hit-and-run attacks rely on the submarine's silent propulsion to get as close to their target as possible and blitz them before the enemy can react. Before the end of the second war, the alliance finally figured out that Zaft's silent propulsion is not all that silent, as it produces a distinct sound, just not the kind you hear from a propeller-driven one. They made improvements to their sonar detection and identification technology, but unfortunately, it came too late, as the war ended. Still, they deployed them to protect their borders from intrusion, and now it has earned its dividends.
The ten Zaft submarines continue to remain oblivious to the fact that their cover had been blown and that they were no longer invisible to their enemies. Meanwhile, the alliance was prepared for any surprises Zaft might bring. Ranma believes that Jagannath has a hand in this, as he had a hand in rebuilding the Requiem.
"Admiral… let's not reveal our intentions just yet," meaning they shouldn't rush out and let Zaft know they just got played.
A couple of hours later, a fleet of ships from a bygone era is on the move, escorting the Millennium towards the boundary area marker, where there is a distortion in the air and within moments, it retracted like a curtain in a theater where behind it is the Pacific Ocean where an awaiting and stunned Orb fleet and the Archangel watch the spectacle before them.
Captain Alexei Konoe of the Millennium and the crew look back to see the distortion still behind them. Every radar and sensor system onboard the ship scanned the distortion multiple times and registered strange readings that suggested space was warping, though they had no idea how this was happening.
There was nothing in the area behind them to show that an island was even there. Whatever it is, hiding the island from their radar and other sensors is quite impressive. This form of cloaking tech is far superior to that of the Mirage Colloid, if it even is a cloaking device.
The captain's thoughts of the Earth Alliance showcasing quite a few technological advances these past few months were worrisome now more than ever. During their stay, he had the crew do a visual scan of the docked fleet at the harbor, the 'Legacy Ships' as they are called.
Two centuries-old naval vessels were recommissioned and modernized to the current standard of the Cosmic Era. The fleet they scrutinized has an array of new weapon systems. Also, there is some form of scattering field around the ships, a new form of ECM (Electronic Counter Measure) and ECCM (Electronic Counter-Countermeasures) that's scrambling their ships' radar and sensors, far worse than N-Jammer's interference.
Konoe feels that there is more to them than meets the eye.
The next bit of worry on the list, a monstrous aircraft carrier that Ranma calls a Uraga-class battle carrier. At first impression, it looked like the ship builders welded two ships together and put an upper and lower deck on top. They took as many scans as they could get away with and discovered that the vessel had some form of passive stealth field around it.
It looked heavily armored, and with its size, one could fit two dozen mobile suits and fighter planes inside. And speaking of fighter planes,
Parked on the flattop are planes called VF-1 Valkyrie. Zaft has no information about these new planes. The Zaft Intelligence department was in the dark about lots of things these past two years, only rumors and hearsay. Admittedly, Konoe has to admit, when the Earth Alliance wants to keep something a secret, they keep it a secret, period.
For now, he sees only a dozen planes, but judging by the ship size, it could hold as many as two, maybe three dozen, far more than the Spengler class could hold and deploy.
Not only planes but several GAT-04AQM/E-A4E1 Jet Windam are on the Uraga and the other carriers, and lastly, some new models.
According to Major Saotome, these are the Earth Alliance's new suits with designations as the MBR and ADR series, which stand for Main Battle Robot and Air Defense Robot
MBR-04-Mk VI Tomahawk
MBR-07-Mk II Spartan
ADR-04-Mk X Defender Anti-Aircraft Defense Robot
All this display of military might is nothing more than a show.
At least, that is what he believed.
Archangel
"What in the world?" Captain Murrue Ramius is trying to decide what to say about what she and the bridge crew are looking at.
They watched COMPASS ship the Millennium escorted by a fleet of warships from an old navy is coming out of a distortion, and beyond that is an Island they have never seen before, in an area that has a high level of commercial traffic, but no one has seen this.
"Tabletop!" Mwu La Flaga exclaimed, and Murrue had heard of it
"I can't believe it," she remarked breathlessly, "The legendary island supposedly under the secret control of the United Nations, the mythical Island called Tabletop."
"It's not a myth, Ms. Murrue," Lacus said as a communication link with the Millennium is open
"We have been here for a few days, touring all over the island, and it's amazing!" Cagalli added
Councilor Joule says otherwise: "I agree with you on that, Lady Cagalli. The Island is amazing and also very controversial."
"Controversial?" Murrue doesn't understand what Ezalia Joule meant
"It's best not to say it on an open line," Yzak interjects. "I can only imagine the kind of reaction the people will have, especially the council. They are not going to like what I will write in my report."
"There is nothing we can do about Yzak. I only hope that they will be open-minded about this."
"Is there something we're missing here?" Mwu asks, confused as to what they are talking about.
"Let's just say that, thanks to Major Saotome bringing us here to Tabletop …have revealed a few troublesome revelations."
"RANMA!" both Murrue and La Flaga growled at the mention of Major Saotome's name, which surprised everyone, but they were not at all surprised by their reaction.
"Yo! Roanoke! Long time no see, bro!" Ranma greeted La Flaga and Murrue cheerfully as he popped onto the screen, waving at them like an idiot.
Mwu looks livid at seeing Ranma. "It's La Flaga, you bastard, and don't call me bro…and have you any idea of the looks I'm getting from people lately?"
"Oh, you mean the threesome porno vid?" The two blushed at the mention of a porn video that Ranma claimed to have in his person.
"Oh, you guys just relax, that video never existed," Ranma said
"What?" came word from everyone in surprise. Ranma explained the truth (or told a lie to hide the truth) that he invented the story of Mwu having a threesome with the Captain and the XO of the Archangel.
"Roanoke may be an amazing guy, but he is not the luckiest man in the world to get two women in bed with him, let alone having almost a day having wild sex with them." Ranma described,
"HEY! It's La Flaga!" Mwu shot back, feeling exonerated and insulted at the same time, and still calling him Roanoke
"I only did that just to spite Roanoke. Remember, he led the second squad from Phantom Pain, trying to kill me and a refugee camp full of Coordinators in retaliation for the 'Break the World' event."
"I wasn't myself then!" La Flaga replied defensively "and I remember that you kicked us in the ass using that Strike Noir that you pilfered from the first squad sent there and you beat them using an… underpowered, Dagger L 'sigh' damned, you were dangerous even without a suit," La Flaga said in admittance as he massages the side of his ribs, remembering several painful kicks and punches he received from Ranma.
"Damned, I still remember you going through an entire platoon of soldiers shooting at you at point blank range and couldn't even hit and you with that martial art of yours"
"Be grateful that I wasn't serious and that I didn't kill anyone that day."
"Yeah, 100 soldiers sent to the hospital that day and are grateful for you showing leniency," Mwu tells him with an edge of sarcasm.
"Well, you guys should be grateful, you piss me off at that time… Blue Cosmos sending a bunch of drug-up kids just to kill a refugee camp full of people and you leading them!"
"You think we had a choice back then?!" La Flaga answered angrily
"No…and that's the reason why none of you died in my hands that day."
Onboard the Millennium
Ranma heaved an exasperated sigh before he looked to the others, shaking his head, "They are, just as much of a victim as those in the camps, and there was not much I could do for them at that time since, I was just a no name soldier defying my so-called superiors, then trying to get rid of me but couldn't and what I did to stop them and get to where I am…well, that's a long story that I will tell another time"
He looks to the others, "Lady Cagalli and Councilor Ezalia Joule need to be chaperoned home."
"That is correct," Lacus said. "Lady Cagalli needs to return to Orb, and Councilor Ezalia and her entourage need to return to the Plants to inform them of…their discoveries."
"That is some discovery, Ms. Lacus," Murrue remarks."
"We will tell you later, Ms. Murrue."
"Alright, Ms. Clyne, I know this is a bit late, but congratulations on soon-to-be a mother, Ms. Lacus." Murrue smiled at Lacus, and she blushed and smiled back at the compliment
"Thank you, Ms. Murrue."
"Dang! I'm proud of you, Kira. I always knew you could put a bun on that oven," La Flaga remarked, knowing what he meant, which was inappropriate and that it earned him glares and a scolding from Murrue as Kira looked away, blushing as did Lacus
"Mwu, that is totally inappropriate!"
"What? He's going to be a father now," Mwu responded. "Hey, Kira, when this mission is over, let's head back to Orb. let's go. you and me, and the crew go into town and celebrate with a bachelor's party before you tie the knot!"
"But Mwu, I don't drink hard liquor," Kira said
Ranma then added fuel to the fire. "It's tradition, Commander. It's a God given right for a bachelor to drink and be merry on his last night of being single before a wedding. Hell, Mwu over there hired several strippers to dance at a bachelor party for his former XO in the Eighth fleet, who got married just two weeks ago; he even paid several girls for a special service that he asks for."
"That's right, I," Mwu screeched to a halt from talking, for in that slip of a tongue, time seemed to stop as everyone tried to process what Ranma told everyone, including La Flaga, who was late at the uptake.
"Mwu did what?" Kira inquires
"Wait, how did you? I didn't pay for any specia…wait, what? Ranma!" Ranma had already gone from the bridge, leaving a sweaty Mwu to try to explain (he means, talk his way out of it) to everyone as Murrue's expression darkened.
Too late, Bro…
"Ssspecial, ssservice" Murrue's tone of voice was laced with a venomous undertone that caused Mwu to sweat buckets of bullets, and the rest of the bridge crew were making themselves look busy as not to attract their captain's ire. Then she looked at Mwu with a glowing smile that gave chills down everyone's spine.
"Mwu, we'll talk about your visit to the States later, sweetie." She spoke so sweetly to him, and one thing came to La Flaga's mind,
'I'm so dead.'
A short while later (Mwu La Flaga recovered from looking like a PC blue screen of death and took a while for his brain to reboot)
The Millennium crew transferred their guest's belongings to the Lion of Orb and onto a VSTOL plane, where Cagalli will be returning to Orb Union, and Councilor Joule and the others will be heading back to the Plants at best speed. Meanwhile, Ranma is on the deck of the Millennium, looking towards the Alliance fleet while talking to Sasami through their telepathic bond, and is surprised by what she's telling him.
'So, they are just sitting there?'
'Just well outside the periphery of the time-space field but keeping their distance as they watch the fleet by deploying wired drones to the surface and the open passage to the island."
'They must be wondering about the distortion field we opened.' Ranma looked towards the still-open entrance to Tabletop, letting the Orb Fleet and surfaced Zaft ship get a good look at what was beyond the gate.
'I agree; they are probably trying to make heads or tails based on what they see. More than likely, believing it's some form of advanced cloaking field hiding the whole island.
Ranma smirked at that idea 'Well. No matter how much they look around here, they won't find anything."
'I could always remove them through the teleporter, send them somewhere else as a warning.'
"A good idea but, no Sasami." Ranma disagrees. "They will get too interested rather than intimidated. Furthermore, they came here fully armed, which means their intentions are hostile."
"So, what do you have in mind?"
"Leave them alone for now, but if they start acting hostile, capture the submarines, disarm the crew, put them under detention, and figure out who sent them here" Ranma answered.
"I doubt Zaft would come looking for them."
"Why would you say that?" Sasami asks
"This situation with ten Zaft submarines lurking about seems… off the books, meaning that no one in Zaft knows this fleet is here except for the one who sent them, which I believe is Jagannath."
'Very well, the Tabletop Security system will handle it easily enough if something happens, and the Alliance fleet will impound their submarines, which I am pretty sure that Admiral Hayes and his people will be more than happy to examine Zaft submarines closely, especially their vaunted, silent propulsion system."
Ranma smirked at that idea. "Definitely," he muttered in agreement
"Ranma," someone called him from behind, and as Ranma turned to look back, lo and behold, the pleasant image of Lacus Clyne wearing a white summer dress and sun hat.
'What dress she wears it always look good on her' he thought in remark
"Lacus, I thought you were with Ms. Ramius onboard the Archangel?"
"That was an hour ago. Kira and I were back onboard after the crew of the Archangel finished congratulating him. However, Mr. La Flaga is still in the brig after Ms. Murrue threw him in there," she told him as she had her arms crossed and looked at him disappointed
"What?"
"Mwu was pleading innocent, though he admits that he did hire… strippers, but he didn't pay them for the…special service, saying it cost five times as much and he doesn't have the money for it." Lacus looks at him intensely, trying to force Ranma to own up because she knows it's Ranma's fault for Mwu's predicament.
"Should we really talk about this kind of Subject, Lacus?"
Lacus gave a pout before answering back, "I am not a child, Major Saotome, or have you forgotten, I am pregnant!"
"Oh, yeah"
"You knew about that bachelor party he went to, right?" Lacus accused
"Actually… It's the E.A.I.A. who were monitoring him, guarding him for his safety, and making sure that he doesn't get into trouble while he's in the States."
"Why would the Earth Alliance Intelligence Agency be spying on him? He has diplomatic immunity and the right to privacy."
Ranma explained back, "That doesn't mean he's safe or not being spied on, the same way I am being spied on when I am on the Plants, and I have diplomatic immunity."
He heaves, "Privacy is… something of a luxury for people of notoriety, and despite being exonerated, not everyone sees it that way, and you know that better than I do."
"…I do," Lacus admitted solemn
"The end of war doesn't mean the end of hostilities for everyone. Mwu knows about the EAIA watching his back because he was told about it. Despite his protest, they are there to protect him and the people around him unless he wants his presence to endanger them.
"Annnd, you are right. I asked Ryo-Ohki to take a quick flight back to Earth, found out where Mwu is and the strippers he hires, and I paid them for the …ahem, special service."
"So, you can go in and out anywhere you want?"
"If I want to be sneaky, yes"
"I knew it! Ranma!" He just laughs it off as Lacus looks exasperated. A prank, so to speak, and the last one Ranma will make
"Why are you bullying Mr. La Flaga so much?" Ranma just shrugs off Lacus's question
"Residual traces of my anger towards Roanoke, I guess." He answered, "It's gone now."
"Really?"
"Yes, I promise, Lacus."
It was right then that someone was shouting 'COME ON MAJOR, GO AND KISS THE GIRL!' came from one of the deck crew on the Uraga-class carrier named 'The Enterprise' sailing beside the Millennium, and before they knew it, hundreds of voices were shouting, chanting together as one
'KISS THE GIRL!' 'KISS THE GIRL!' 'KISS THE GIRL!' That was the chant they started with, and then it got very lewd and rude when they chanted,
'LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX, BABY, LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX' 'LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX, BABY, LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX' 'LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX, BABY, LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX'
This started when one of the deck crew onboard the Enterprise spotted Ranma and Lacus talking with his binoculars, and decided to tease Ranma by chanting 'Kiss the girl,' and then chanted 'let's talk about sex' which caused Ranma to blush as the rest of the crew joined in while a few were coupling, acting, and moving that can only be described as…perverted.
"WOULD YOU GUYS SHUT THE HELL UP!" Ranma yelled back, and they laughed it up as they went back to their duties.
"Sorry about that." Ranma apologized and was embarrassed
"They are so lively," Lacus remarked casually as if it was nothing, but she did feel a bit flushed at the memory of her kissing Ranma a few nights ago. She still couldn't believe that she kissed another man other than Kira, but worst of all… she enjoyed it because it felt like a spark of electricity rushing all over her, followed by a few scandalous dreams with Ranma that she did not want to reveal.
Ranma also remembered that kiss, and he got punished by Kasumi and Sasami…by getting chained on their bed… surrounded by a time dilation bubble and told him to do his husbandly/boyfriend duties as punishment for kissing another girl.
Now, any other guy would think that he had hit the jackpot getting in bed with two girls, except that you are under a time dilation field where the days would pass by when one is inside the bubble, while outside, it would only be a few hours at most.
In this case, the whole night outside is equivalent to several days inside the bubble, and Ranma has to satisfy two very demanding women with stamina equivalent to his.
It was awkward as the two averted their gazes, feeling their cheeks a little hot, and it was not from the weather.
Lacus went first to change the mood. "My Mother will be heading back to Tabletop, while Kira's mother will go with Cagalli to Orb. Ms. Washu will go with us to Foundation, while Athrun will go with Cagalli, and from there, he will head for Foundation."
"I thought he was heading back to the Plants to his mother?"
"Athrun said that he would like to come along and be our backup, should the situation at the Foundation go sour," Lacus answered.
Ranma nodded in agreement. "I have to agree with Athrun; we may need his help." he looked at Tabletop. "Kasumi decided to stay behind as well." Ranma chuckled at what Kasumi told him
"Kasumi told me that if she saw Aura again, her first thought would be to punch her in the face if Sophia didn't do it first."
"Oh dear."
"Oh yeah, your mother and my Kasumi are like sisters, which is why Kasumi despises Aura for what she tried to do to your mother. However, Washu forbade her former students from committing violence on each other." Ranma told Lacus
"She has a soft spot for her students, even those who followed a path she disapproved."
Right then, Ranma is thinking about something else that is making him worry.
"Lacus…I know you heard of this from practically everyone, but you could still cancel this trip to the Kingdom of Foundation."
"Not you too, Ranma." Hearing that from Ranma, Lacus felt exhausted from hearing the words 'cancel this trip' from almost everyone, and now from Ranma.
"Oh, for the love of God, Lacus, please, this mission is absolutely a bad idea!"
"Ranma, I have to go there and represent COMPASS to deal with Colonel Michael and his forces," she points out. "He and his followers are just outside their borders, and he is preparing his forces to attack the Foundation."
"The last remnants of Blue Cosmos," he remarks
"We can still assist them in stopping."
"Assist them!?" Ranma snaps "Orphee Lam Tao is a damn sicko who loves breaking into other people's dreams and messing with them, Hell! He tried to seduce you in your dreams, Lacus. That alone would raise a Red Flag about him!"
"I know he's dangerous, Ranma!" Lacus shouted back in response, which was surprising to Ranma, but he did not back down.
"Then why go there? Why cooperate with them at all?"
"Because we made a treaty with them, and this was before you even joined COMPASS, and that we as COMPASS, have an obligation to help them, and it's also because there are tens of thousands of people in harm's way, and they will get hurt or killed should a battle occur. Ranma, the people there need our protection, and once we finish our mission, our alliance with them ends, and we leave."
Ranma shook his head in disagreement. "I doubt they will let us leave peacefully. Remember, they are after you, Lacus."
"Yes, I know that very well, Ranma."
'Luckily, that charm I gave her will protect her in more ways than one.' Thinking about the Accords going after Lacus openly is not a very good idea for them to try. The Songstress is well known and well loved by the people, and to kidnap her will make you an enemy of the world.
"What is it, Ranma?" Lacus has seen this contemplative look in Ranma many times, and she can guess that he is deep in thought.
"Just a thought," he said, "If they are going after you, they will try to persuade you, convince you to come with them, but you won't."
"Of course not."
"So…the only avenue they have is to move against COMPASS, and that is not something they won't do unless,"
"Unless, what?"
"Unless it was justified," he answered.
"We need to talk to the others about the possibility of betrayal during the mission."
"If they did that during the mission, the whole world would turn on them for their acts of betrayal." Lacus said
"…unless it's COMPASS that committed it, then Foundation can frame it as self-defense against the betrayal of an ally, namely COMPASS," that alarmed Lacus.
"Ranma, we would never do that," Lacus spoke back.
"No, but given the Accords' psychic abilities, they can make us do that." He said, "I am hoping Washu devices will keep our minds shielded, otherwise, we will be walking into a trap."
He remembered that a few days ago, there had been a discussion on ways to shield their minds from psychic influences, and thanks to Washu, that problem had been taken care of.
At that moment, the hot Pacific wind blew in quite strongly and could have easily pushed a person off the ship if they weren't careful. So, Ranma stepped in front of Lacus and shielded her from the gust of wind, but unfortunately, the wind blew away her sun hat.
"My hat!" Lacus cried as her sun hat flew out of her head. Fortunately, Ranma's swift hand grabbed it before it got any further.
"Thank you."
"You are welcome, now let's get inside, there's a squall brewing." Lacus nodded in agreement.
As they reentered the ship, they headed to Washu's living quarters.
"Hopefully, Queen Aura has warned her children to treat Washu like a God when we arrive, and hopefully, they won't make her any angrier than she already is."
"Washu is angry?" Ranma stopped walking for a moment and looked at Lacus.
Ranma whispered, "She never shows it, not you or to anyone, but I know she's angry, no, she is furious as Hades at Aura… for crossing the line."
"Why would she be furious? is it because of the Accords?"
"Not just that, but…it's because she tried to kill your mother, Sophia, and because of what she tried to do to you." Ranma hesitated to tell her about the relationship between Washu, Sophia, and Lacus. He doesn't have the right to tell Lacus, that they are practically family and that someone trying to kill one of Washu's daughters is very personal.
They entered Washu's guest quarters, and, to their surprise, Washu had expanded the room to the size of a five-star hotel suite, complete with a bed, living room, kitchen, bathroom, a liquor bar, and another room full of clothes, shoes, a dresser, jewelry, and more.
"I am never getting used to this," Lacus remarks. She keeps getting surprised on a daily basis by Washu's inventions and innovations.
"Washu's patented spatial expansion field. It's nothing to gawk at." Ranma describes to Lacus, just as Kira, Cagalli, and Athrun walk in, and is agape at Washu's new quarters and hears Ranma's remarks.
"Maybe to you, but to us, this is technology we can't even understand how this works, let alone try to replicate it," Athrun said
"Honestly, I am still trying to wrap my head around her daughter Ryo-Ohki., I mean, she's a child who transforms into a spaceship, which is mind-blowing. I still can't help but be surprised, and I feel like I'm starting to go insane if I keep thinking about how she can do that.
"Well, just don't think about it too much; otherwise, you'll really go insane, like every scientist in the world, banging their head on the wall or end up getting committed," Ranma said to him, which is not exactly comforting.
"Ah, good, you are all here." Coming out of her dimensional door, Ryo-Ohki went directly to Lacus and hugged her affectionately, and Lacus returned the gesture kindly.
"Get comfortable, everyone, we need to have a little chat before we head out."
"What is it, Washu?"
"I have done everything I can to safeguard everyone in COMPASS from the possibility of a psychic attack from the Accords. But even so, they are still a formidable adversary, so they mustn't be underestimated.
"You believe they still want to take Lacus away, whether she likes it or not?" Ranma believed in surety, which is a worrisome thought
Washu admitted as she looked at Kira and Lacus.
"Kira"
"Yes?"
"Given Orphee Lam Tao's character, I am more than convinced that he will try to intimidate you foremost, attack your shortcomings."
"Psychological warfare," Ranma remarked. Kira felt a bit offended, but admittedly, they are right.
Ranma snorted at what Orphee would try. "He will probably confront you during one cold night and belch out hot air on you."
"What, hot air?" Kira was puzzled by what Ranma meant
"What I mean is, the bad guys tend to start monologuing about their superiority towards others, being the chosen one above and all that blah, blah blah bullshit about being pretty, handsome and all that crap." Ranma waved his hand around in annoyance.
"It's the usual bad guy M.O. (Modus Operandi), and trust me, they always do that to cause their adversary to go off balance and create self-doubt to give themselves an advantage over you" Washu explained
"That man is desperate to take what is yours, Kira, and it's Lacus." He pointed at Lacus, and she squeezed Kira's hand as a sign of her worries.
"Honestly, I think the bad guys must really love doing the monologuing crap because they are probably in love at the sound of their voices," Ranma said mockingly, as Washu chuckled at Ranma's description of Orphee Lam Tao's character:
"Information about him making speeches in front of mesmerized crowds and audiences. It shows how he will spill out sweet, sweet words like a snake hypnotizing its next meal. So, Lacus, be careful."
"I will, Ms. Washu," she replied
Washu also added, "Just remember you two, the man is many things, a good man he is not. So be on your guard." The two nodded
"Speaking of being on guard," Ranma turned to Ryo-Ohki.
Ryo-Ohki arrived at Sasami's home after doing errands for Ranma. She came home hungry, so Sasami made a nice home-cooked meal for Ryo-Ohki before going to see Washu in her lab, bringing evidence of Requiem being rebuilt, the relay system, and a sizeable fleet of new warships in hidden bases across the Earth Sphere, one of which is the former Eurasian base Artemis under the command of the Kingdom of Foundation and the Zaft fortress Messiah, which shows activity of being inhabited.
It was then that it finally dawned on Washu that the Destiny Plan would be hidden there, the one place no one would think of looking for the Destiny Plan, as the area was a heavily patrolled Zaft zone, where no scavengers or Junk Guilds would dare approach that ruin mobile base.
This was all thanks to Jagannath and Zaft doing, and it alarmed Washu of what Ryo-Ohki brought to her, and it convinced her that ten Zaft submarines are part of this alliance between Jagannath and Aura, and perhaps even more.
It's a game of chess, and they are poised to achieve checkmate if they aren't stopped.
Right now, Ranma is withholding this information about Requiem from the others, as he doesn't trust the crew, as they are technically Zaft. So, his trust became selective, and he chose Athrun.
"Athrun will need some assistance… and I believe Ryo-Ohki can help with that part of being… incognito."
"Miyah?" Ryo-Ohki pointed at herself and looked at Athrun curiously.
"Ryo-Ohki can help me?" Athrun looks doubtful
"Don't be too quick to judge because she looks like a child," Washu said, "She can get you anywhere fast and stealthily, and can carry your equipment in her subspace pocket without problem," Washu said
"So Ryo-Ohki, want to work with Athrun for a while?" Ranma asked, and cheerfully as ever, she said yes in her own way.
An hour later
As they parted ways, the Enterprise slowly rose into the sky, following the Millennium and the Archangel on their journey to the Kingdom of Foundation. Everyone was surprised to find out that Enterprise was built not only for the seas of Earth but to fly in the air and, possibly, into outer space.
As the Orb fleet headed home, some of the Earth Alliance's 'Legacy ships' headed for Hawaii while the others went back to Tabletop as the distortion field closed behind them. When night fell, the ten Zaft submarines searched just below the water surface where Tabletop was supposed to be, but found nothing to show that there was an island cloaked in an invisibility wall.
They conducted various scans to detect any abnormalities and found nothing. This continued for two nights until they decided to use a Gungnir bomb, which is technically an electromagnetic pulse bomb.
After detonating it, nothing happened, but a minute later, ten submarines disappeared in a flash of light.