Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma or Gundam SEED FREEDOM
Chapter 1
Living Relic of the Past
Cosmic Era 73
Plants Supreme Council Building
Evidence 01 Replica Object
He's looking up at the replica of Evidence One and in all honesty, he wasn't that impress at George Glenn great discovery, since proof of life in the galaxy was proven centuries ago in meteorites found in Antarctica, of fossilized bacteria and he himself seen far grander proof of life out in deep space.
But like Evidence 01, it nothing more than a relic…like him.
He gritted his teeth at the absurdity of him coming home after two hundred years in suspended animation in far off world where a friend asked him to help him out on a problem, during which he got badly in helping him and was placed in some kind pool of glowing water that acts as a life support system inside a room filled with trees of every shape and sizes.
He woke up fully recovered and the next thing he knew, he was teleported into a starship with some kind of massive tree inside of what looked like a pocket dimension created by the tree which turns out to be sentient of all things.
He was heading home only to find the world he called home had changed after two hundred years and not for the better. The year is 72 of the Cosmic Era and he needs the lay of the land before deciding what to do next.
He landed near an island shrouded in some sort of dimensional phase field that's hiding the island and from there he explored this new world that has been twisted by war and strife to a level not seen since World War Two and that was half a century ago in his perspective.
A strife between human beings who are either a Natural born and genetically engineered called Coordinators. Knowing this, Ranma does not understand why, why anyone would do something like that to their child.
A long time ago, a certain redheaded friend of his who is a mad scientist, said that altering one's DNA is a serious matter and its consequences and dangers far outweigh the benefits. People and society will have a tough time adapting to the change resulting to death and destruction that follows should society is not ready for it.
Those words have never been so prophetic.
Wanting steer away from it, but he somehow found himself getting involved by getting drafted into the Earth Alliance military as a Marine and he would have escape but something in him says otherwise as he fights in one battlefield after another, earning notoriety, rising in the ranks, became a top-notch Mobile Suit pilot with the callsign 'Maverick' and earning the rank of Major.
He is Major Ranma Saotome of the Earth Alliance Seventh Fleet and one of the few remaining ace pilots in the Earth Alliance Forces still has and right, now he is wondering 'what the hell am I doing here in the Plants of all places?'
He arrives here just yesterday, in full Earth Alliance uniform carrying a diplomatic pouch to give to ambassador Grew and when the ambassador opens it to read the message, he looks at Ranma with total bewilderment and then ask Ranma to confirm it, that he was being assigned to COMPASS, the peacekeeping force led by none other than Lacus Clyne herself
Flashback about week ago Alpha One Base
EAS Battleship/Carrier Enterprise Warlock class Battleship
"Is command finally decided to throw me into the lion den, Admiral Gloval?"
"No, my boy you, of course not" the Admiral denies
"They just assigned me to join COMPASS on behalf of the Atlantic Federation admiral, they are sending me to Aprillius Space Colony. That place is full Zaft soldiers who don't like me for kicking their ass several times during the last war, in and out of the mobile suit"
"Which led to a stalemate for months and one would say that you are the only person who held the line against the total defeat of the Earth Alliance"
"That is an exaggeration" Ranma denies
"No, that's the truth, for without you the seventh fleet would have been wipe out like the rest when Requiem was fired at us, if you hadn't seized control from Blue Cosmos then and redirected us away from the beam blast, I and grateful others wouldn't be here right now if not for you"
"So why me of all people?"
"Because you are the best the Alliance has to offer and the only person that can go toe to toe with the best of Zaft and Orb aces" the admiral answered
"But sir, I am not finish training the last batch of Valkyrie pilots for the seventh fleet," Ranma arguing
"The new general model mechs are totally different to the current mobile suits we've been using. Speed, agility, weaponry and power are totally different, and it's this difference that they will fly circles around any mobile suit currently out there apart from the Gundams"
"True, but you only have one last week of training. The next batch will be handled by Major Fokker, afterwards, you head for the Plants"
"But Sir,"
"No but's Major Saotome, this is an order from the top and while you are there, try to evaluate the performance of the new models of Gundams"
"So, I am there to spy on them now?"
"As I said, you are to evaluate their Gundams while you assist COMPASS in keeping the peace. That's all"
End flashback
After handing over his papers to the ambassador, Ranma is seen heading to the Plants Supreme Council building with a liaison guiding him to COMPASS current president. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way Ranma found himself wandering off and using his Umisenken shroud, no one notices an Earth Alliance officer in full uniform, walking about unescorted and now, he found himself looking at the replica of Evidence 01.
Several times people have pass him by and no one seems to see him, that is, until a group of people was walking pass him when one of them suddenly turn back and called to him from behind
"Excuse me, hello, you the Alliance officer!" it was a woman voice which Ranma felt surprised that his presence was blown and quickly lowers his shroud as he quickly turns and look back defensively to see a pink hair girl looking at him with those violet eyes locking on to his deep blue eyes.
They felt a heartbeat and for a moment, both are speechless as a sudden gust of wind came rushing from out of nowhere with billowing cherry petals carried by the wind from somewhere followed by what could only be described as a tremor like a heavy truck passing by, shaking the ground lightly and for people living in space colonies, tremors like that usually means trouble.
The pink haired girl in question felt something odd but waved it off as nothing. She was chatting with the chairman of the Plants when she noticed a man, an Earth Alliance officer of all people which is not unheard of, but they are usually has escorts or with diplomats when coming to the council hall. When she got a good look at him, he was a bit taller than her, black hair, a well-built body, looks young, maybe around Kira and her in age or older and deep blue eyes.
Those eyes hide a power she could not fathom
The man looks surprised when someone called out to him all the sudden and wonder why the others never noticed him until now. For Ranma, his trail of thought is something else
'Wow! She really is beautiful in person' Ranma felt mesmerized, and this is the first time in his life that he complimented a girl beauty. For Lacus, she felt a little flushed for some reason as the man before him is looking at her softly smiling at her. She immediately pushes those feeling aside to speak before him
"You're an Earth Alliance officer, you shouldn't be wandering the halls unescorted, who are you?" She inquired
"Oh, excuse me" he apologizes as he straightens up and gave a salute to her
"Ma'am, I am Major Ranma Saotome of the Seventh Earth Alliance Orbital Fleet. I, uh, it's a pleasure to meet you madam president Lacus Clyne of COMPASS and Chairman Lament of the Plants" Ranma greeted
"I am here, on assignment to join COMPASS"
"Just you?" Lacus look around confused
"Major Saotome, it's been months when I ask for the Alliance for help, and where are the other volunteers, the ones sent to assist COMPASS?"
'Volunteered my foot, 'Ranma thought grumpily
"Uh, my apology but, there are none" Ranma answered
"None?"
"To be truthful ma'am, no one in the Earth Forces is enthusiastic in volunteering to join COMPASS, me included. However, I was given direct orders to volunteer, and so I followed them. So, here I am" he told her
This was disappointing for Lacus as she wanted a joint military force of volunteers from the Orb Union, the Plants and the Atlantic Federation. There were some pushbacks from the Earth Alliance giving one reason to another of not sending personnel. In truth they are resentful of the fact that the Earth Force have been on the losing side of the war for the second time now and that their inferiority complex is working overtime.
"Thank you for your candor, Major Saotome" Lacus said solemn
"Saotome? I heard of that name" said chairman Lament stepping forward as he knows from report from Zaft about an EA officer that got their attention due to the notoriety of his actions several times and his infamous defiance to Blue Cosmos
"Zaft called you the 'Ghost Rider' the one who led the raid on the Zaft fortress Kestrel in the Mediterranean along with several achievements against Zaft but twice against Blue Cosmos, including staging a mutiny on the seventh fleet"
Ranma just shrugged and answered, "It was more like a retaking of command from a Blue Cosmos usurper, and it wasn't that hard to achieve, as BC members were complete idiots that should never have been given command of anything, but then Blue Cosmos seems to recruit morons with overinflated ego with delusions of grandeur more often than not" Ranma sounded like has a low opinion of his superior officer
"That I would agree, of course you have multiple confrontation with them more so than with Zaft one of which is stopping Phantom Pain in destroying a refugee camp with an underpowered mobile suit"
Ranma remembers that particular incident where he practically tthrash 4 high end gundams with only his underpowered Dagger L mobile suit which was impossible though Phantom Pain live despite getting beaten and Ranma would later on being threatened for defying BC yet did no more than time in the brig along with several assassination attempts on his life, threats and blackmail with everyone failed miserably.
The chairman steps up and offered his hand in friendship to him
"May I shake the hand of the man who save my son and his family from death"
Ranma, gentlemanly accepted it "you are…welcome sir. Your son was in that camp?"
"He was, along with his family. I thank you for stepping forward in protecting them, you are a credit to humanity"
The unfolding scene was a surprise for those around, and several people took pictures with their cellphones and posted it on the internet showing where which was at the display of Evidence 01. This scene became a sensation seeing an EA officer shaking hands with the Plants chairman and Lacus Clyne was present, and Ranma is a notable one at that, as many who recognizes him as the Maverick of the seventh fleet by some and the infamous Ghost Rider by others. The phantom pilot who came in like a ghost bath in fire so suddenly and leaving with a trail of destruction in its wake.
"It is unfortunate to hear that only one volunteered to join COMPASS" chairman Lament remark
Ranma glances at Lacus and her expression of disappointment to only get 1 pilot from the Earth Alliance Forces and he is not even a volunteer. It made him unease to see such a beautiful woman look so down and knows that this assignment will not be easy.
Orb Union, Archangel ship the next day
Communication link from Lacus and Kira to Cagalli to Mwu and Ramius and to Mwu he was a bit concerned of the news
"So, they sent him and only him. That's surprising to hear since he's a very valued asset that they can't afford to lose, especially at a time that they are reorganizing the Earth Forces after a mass purging of Blue Cosmos members from their rank" Mwu said
The resulting purge is the reason why they are having brush fire conflict as the majority of them that were kick out of the Alliance stole most the armaments and organize their own army under the leadership of someone named Michael.
"How good a pilot is he?" Kira asks
"He's originally from the ground forces, the Marines and a highly effective in ground combat operations, I would say Special Forces level maybe even higher since he brought down Zaft mobile suits several times during the last war, he's lethal in my opinion and as mobile suit pilot, he's capable of piloting a Zaku without changing the OS and his combat skills on that front is almost martial arts but highly effective"
"What do you mean martial arts?"
"A bit hard to explain so I will send you some of the recorded videos of his battles"
"What about the story about a coup he led that save the seventh fleet" Lacus asking
"His small band of brothers subdued every BC member in command and led it to safety somewhere before Requiem was fired at them and their Lunar base and from what I heard, the seventh fleet return to Earth with only a skeleton crew onboard and redesignated as the Eight fleet. The new Seventh Fleet is rumored to be something new, my contacts in the Alliance doesn't know much but they say it's a major change"
"How good a pilot is he, are there any comparison to anyone?" Lacus asks curious as the way they describe him made her more curious how such a person hasn't been eliminated by Blue Cosmos already
"How good a pilot? Well, the only person I can compare him in skills and abilities is…you Kira,"
"Me?" that was surprising to hear
"When I first saw him fight during the 'IN between Wars' he was in the ground forces at that time hunting insurgents in South America…Kira, this guy shoots to wound not kill with pinpoint accuracy, earning him the most capture and the only time he took a life is to protect his troops or shoot BC officer wounding them or otherwise, at least that's what I saw. The second time I saw him, it was during the war, when four members of Phantom Pain called in for reinforcements on a refugee camp full of Coordinators.
Phantom Pain was sent there to destroy the camp in retaliation or revenge for 'Break the World' and my group arrive to find the camp empty except for four members of Phantom Pain hogtied on the side, and their units trashed and Ranma was there piloting a Strike Noir suit with a missing right arm. and I don't know how but, he kicks my team asses like they were amateurs, and they were the best of the Extended pilots" Mwu said remembering what happened and shivers down his spine
"Afterwards and I still don't know why but, he surrendered without incident and was brought to Alliance Command on charges of insurrection"
"Was he punished?
"No, they instead just send him to a mobile suit base for training and later deployed in the war and well…"
Mwu explains to them that, Major Saotome made notable achievements in the battlefield as much as he was thrown into the brig several times for insubordination mostly for kicking the ass of one or two Blue Cosmos members and sympathizers on the head for, in Ranma 'being a complete and utter useless moron of a commander'. They threaten to kill him if he doesn't cooperate with BC, and when he said no, they try frame one crime after another to blackmail him and when it doesn't work, they try to kill him and make his death look like an accident even try to KIA him by Blue Cosmos failed.
He also gained quite a following mostly in admiration of him standing up against Blue Cosmos tyranny and eventually Blue Cosmos members started to fear him when stories of him when a BC commander try to shoot him on the head for refusing to obey orders Saotome regards as unlawful, he somehow dodge it, and in a blink of an eye, the commander was found on the ground, limbs twisted and broken, crack ribs, fractured skull, a broken jaw and all his teeth are gone like someone pulled them out one by one with a plier. His hair was scalp and finally, his manhood was gone like someone used a jackhammer to pound it into oblivion.
They tried to kick him out after that, but he refused to leave. His reasoning is that he won't abandon comrades in arms under the useless leadership of Blue Cosmos. And so, Alliance command assigned non-Blue Cosmos to take command of him which was a big mistake.
"Not many people know this but, alliance officers with no affiliation or just downright hate Blue Cosmos, have quietly organized in a bid to take back the Earth Alliance. Djibril was so infuriated by him that he ordered whole divisions against him at a base in Colorado where troops from the seventh fleet was stationed… and those divisions he sent disappeared
"Disappeared"
"There was no trace of them, not even a spent cartridge was found except for several members of Blue Cosmos found naked and hogtied to pole on top an anthill" Mwu laugh at that image
"Seriously, why didn't we hear of this?" Cagalli questions
"Command had it hush up, quite embarrassing if the public finds out the alliance lost whole divisions just to subdue one man and don't know how. This went on for months and even ordered an airstrike and they just kept disappeared and after a few weeks later, it stops"
"It stops?"
"I don't know why but Djibril made the order to never interfere nor threaten him in any way. When I asked about it once he told me never to ask about him and warned me to stay away from him. The way Djibril acts… I saw it in his eyes…he's scared of just muttering his name"
Now everyone is wondering who is this man that makes the leader of Logos so afraid of him
"With BC kept avoiding him, the officer corps of the alliance who are not BC members was able to in secret, organize a command structure to retake the alliance from Blue Cosmos and Saotome became something of a repellant then after the war, whole divisions that disappeared have reappeared with new commanders. And so began a massive purge in the Alliance. After the war, Major Saotome was assigned to a new program called Project: Macross"
"What's that?" Lacus asks
"I don't know, all I know is the name of the project, but scuttlebutt said it's some sort of fleet modernization program and it starts with the seventh fleet and the ones doing it is a company called Overtechnology how and where they are doing this is a complete unknown and most of my contacts inside the Alliance are not talking to me anymore"
"Mwu, you said that his skills and abilities is the same as mine…is he like me, an Ultimate Coordinator?" Kira asks cautious
"Well, that's the thing Kira, DNA analysis done to him several times indicates he's definitely a Natural born with no indication of genetic manipulation or augmentation done to him and no, he's not an Extended. He's possess the DNA of an average joe and yet he's a highly trained fighter, his aptitude test is thru the roof, probably higher than most Coordinator, meaning that he's an extremely fast learner"
"What about background checks, do you know where's he is from?" Cagalli asks
"The Alliance have gone through a thorough background check on this guy when he started making trouble for Blue Cosmos and it came out as a complete unknown. There are no records of him before he was recruited only that he's Japanese descent and that's it" Mwu answered
"Mwu, you said you compare his skills and abilities to me, is he really that good a pilot?"
"Well, put him thru a flight simulation test and you be the judge, but don't change the OS" Mwu suggested to Kira
Mwu looks at Kira and Lacus with serious concern "Now guys listen carefully, the Alliance don't send a person like him to a literal lion's den for an Earth Alliance officer unless you want to stir trouble, and Major Saotome is the person that can stir a hornet's nest like crazy"
"You don't have to worry about Major Saotome Mr. La Flaga, I will not allow anyone to harm him" Lacus assured him, but Mwu shook his head saying something different
"It's not Saotome I am worried about guys, its Zaft, so be ready for an inflow of Zaft soldiers going to the hospital, or the morgue"
Right then, Shinn Asuka out of breath barge in their video meeting with a frantic look that spells trouble
"We got trouble at the Hanger Bay!" Shinn shouted, "Several soldiers grab that alliance guy and drag him outside the base!"
"Oh shit, their dead and I don't mean Saotome" Mwu mutters
Outside the Base
It was only a few minutes later when Shinn went to get Lacus and Kira along with an army of Military Police to stop a lynching. They came outside and found a battlefield. They were dumbstruck at the scene of over 200 Zaft soldiers and officers alike, armored vehicles, tanks and mobile suit wreckage are scattered all over the place, and Zaft soldiers' in pain due broken and twisted limbs, broken jaws and lost teeth, battered and beaten blue and bleeding and others look like they are imitating an ostrich hiding its head on the concrete ground.
"How the hell did this happen?" mutters Shinn in disbelief as it couldn't be no more than two to three minutes have pass by since Ranma was drag outside the base and that there was not even a noise was heard which was strange as this much damage, one would hear explosions and weapons fire with no problem
Not that far, they see three to four mobile suits that look like someone used them as punching bags with their limb cut from the torso among the rest and at the center of this mess, Major Ranma Saotome of the Earth Alliance seventh Fleet was standing proudly
"Well, that's that"
He walks back towards Kira and the others with no indication that he was ever harmed or rough up as the MP went pass him to arrest the others
"Major Saotome, are you alright?" Lacus as with concern
"I'm fine Madam president, just a little tired though, nothing serious" Ranma answered dismissively as they glance pass him seeing the pile of bodies behind him and one particular body is a man with a nasty wedgie which Ranma grab him by the shirt and threw him before them
"Oh, this is the ringleader of this mess" Ranma pointed out "He convince the rest of these idiots to have me nailed to the cross and all that jazz"
"H-how could you beat us" the man in question spoke weakly as he tries to raise himself but couldn't because his whole body is in serious pain
"You stupid Natural Scum!" the man cursed as everyone step back a little
"It's not possible, you're just a baseline human garbage, you couldn't have beat us unless you cheated. Were made to be superior to you, we evolve beyond you, you Natural Scum!" the spit out blood as he slips down on the ground again as his arms gave way to the pain he's suffering
Right then, everyone felt a murderous aura, a bloodlust that's scaring everyone to the core, like gravity went from 1G to 10G heavy. Surprisingly for Lacus, she can see on her own eyes, an angry red glow coming from Major Saotome like a wrathful deity.
'What is that?' she thought, as she watches Ranma fist balling as he slowly looks down on the man with a look of rage
"What utter nonsense!" Ranma loudly remark as he looks down at the man and he look pissed
"Just because your DNA is different than mine does not make you my superior, stupid dumbass!" Ranma hissed at him with a murderous aura that's causing people to feel weak in the knees even more
"You claim to be evolved HA! not even close, hell! You are far from it, and you should blame the scientist twiddling your DNA like they know what they are doing but they don't know… they lied to you for that you're an evolved species!" Ranma grab him by the neck and a show incredible strength, he pulled him up like he weighs nothing as he looks at him in the face
"Coordinators, your branch is at the end of the line because your so-called scientists don't know how to fix you and no matter how much they research and experiment it would still take them a hundred years to fix the problem, and by then, YOU ARE ALL DEAD! Even when you ask us, this baseline lowly human garbage like me, to come fill in your lack of genetic diversity well, it only delays the inevitable because you are now at the point of genetic saturation because your DNA was so many times been cut, stitched and spliced for a million of times that it will start to unravel like threads in a cloth unless, …" Ranma pulled his words back as he was to say something but stop because he sees Lacus shaking in abject fear as she hold on to Kira and then look to see the man in his hands is knocked out. So, he threw the man to the hands of the MP
"Get him out of my sight" he ordered, and they obeyed quite fearfully
Ranma disperses the murderous aura he was releasing and made everyone breathe a little easier and seeing Lacus shaking in fear gave him pause that he might have gone too far and let his anger get to him and it could make a bad impression to his host.
Seeing Lacus like that have started to bother him so much
"My apologies ma'am, commodore Yamato" he said as he straightens up
"We should be the one to apologize to you Major Saotome" Kira replied "This should never have happened"
"I agree with Kira" Lacus added "We guaranteed your safety here as a member of COMPASS, this shouldn't have,"
It was at that moment that they heard gunfire.
A Zaft soldier that was trying to wrestle against the MP's suddenly got hold of one of the MP automatic rifles on the ground and kick away the others and then, he aimed at Ranma and the others
"DIE YOU SCUM!"
Hearing that, Ranma quickly look back from behind see to one of them pointing a rifle and fired full auto on them. In that brief instance, it felt like time slowed down in his perspective as he steps forward to shield Kira and Lacus and Kira is using his body to shield Lacus.
'Dammit, this is going to be close' Ranma thought knowing that his reaction was far too slow despite the Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken superspeed of his hands he couldn't pick all the bullets in the air that's coming at him as two got pass him early and lodge into his chest.
He failed to infuse ki on his clothes to make it hard as steel nor infuse his skin for the Iron body technique in time as he feels the pain of getting shot and as the last bullet was caught, Ranma threw a slashing move of his left hand toward the offending shooter throwing a Kijin Raishū Dan or otherwise known as a vacuum blade and it slices thru the man gun and the man himself.
'God! That really stings' he thought biting his lip from the pain 'I should never have been so careless but," he looks back at Lacus and smiled 'At least she's safe'
Ranma dropped to his knees and was about to drop to the ground when someone caught him from falling to the side.
It was Lacus caught him as he fell unconscious.